27-Chapter 3. Signs Of The Time
Chapter 3. Signs Of The Time
According to the Scripture there will come at the end of the age a rebellion against God embracing all peoples, a denial of Biblical Christianity by all civilizations and cultures. Is such a world situation possible? At least, is it not unlikely? What does the history of civilization say as to this? In itself civilization is not ungodly, and still less antichristian. On the contrary, cultural achievements form a part of the paradisiacal nobility of man. Invention and discovery, science and art, refinement and improvement, in short, the progress of the spirit of man, are entirely the will of God. They are the taking possession of the earth by the royal race of mankind, the carrying out of a creative task by God’s ennobled servants, a God-appointed service of government for the blessing of the earth. “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, and subdue it and have dominion” (Genesis 1:28). Only complete misunderstanding of the very simplest laws of revelation can therefore find fault with the Holy Scripture as being a retrograde form of thought and an enemy of culture. No, what the Bible rejects and what is contrary to God is not culture in itself, but the estrangement from God of millions of its representatives, the isolation from heaven of the sinner, the false “religious” shams, the denial of the sovereignty of the Most High, the spirit of haughtiness and rebellion, the conscious exclusion of God, in short, insurrection against the Lord Himself. “We will not that this One rules over us” (Luke 19:14).
Thus the outward framework of civilization’s history is not in opposition to God, much less antichristian. What matters is rather the spirit, the moral substance of deeds, the moral application of cultural advance, the attitude of heart of each individual to God. Moreover politics and history are in God’s plan thoroughly interlocked (Proverbs 21:1; 1 Kings 11:14; 1 Kings 11:23; Isaiah 45:1-7), and are overruled by the Most High as the supreme Lord of the world.
1. The Mystery of the Fourth World Empire of Daniel. The fourth world empire of Daniel’s prophecy never died. The iron in Nebuchanezzar’s image reached from the thighs to the feet (Daniel 2:33). In the sense of the prophecy it lasts till the end of the present age. Upon the empire being broken to pieces there follows immediately the setting up of the kingdom of the Son of man (Daniel 7:7-14; Daniel 2:33-35; Daniel 2:44).
Nowhere in Scripture is this fourth empire of Daniel expressly and directly described by the name “Rome.” But there is no doubt that the ancient Roman empire was its first phase. The fourth empire begins with Rome. But the old Rome collapsed. Even in the first two centuries after Christ, and in spite of all the splendour of the period of the Caesars, it had declined in inward strength and outward power. By the division of the empire by the emperor Theodosius (A.D. 395) it was parted into two sections, the western empire with its capital at Rome itself (Emperor Honorious), and the eastern empire with its capital at Constantinople (Emperor Arcadius). Numerous expositors think that this was signified by the two legs of Nebuchadnezzar’s image. The western empire was shortly afterwards destroyed by the northern invaders (Odoacer, 476), and the eastern a thousand years later (1453) by the Turks under Sultan Mohammed II.
Nevertheless from the lands which originally had been included in the Roman empire there went out the most powerful, decisive impulses for the further development of the surviving civilized peoples of the sphere of this former Roman empire. Only this fact enables us to understand why, in spite of all individual variations, and after the political collapse of Rome, Biblical prophecy views the consequent developments as connected with that empire, and sets it forth as one historical unity, even as being the one fourth world empire of Daniel continuing from the early Roman time to the end of the present age. The Roman administration lived on in the Church of Rome. The ecclesiastical provinces coincided with the State provinces; and Rome, the chief city of the world empire, became the chief city of the world Church, the seat of the Papacy.
Roman tongue lived on in the Latin of the Church, and is still in use in the international technical language of law, medicine, and natural science.
Roman law lived on in legislation. The corpus juris Romanum (body of Roman law) of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian (A.D. 527-565) became the foundation of jurisprudence among the Latin and Germanic peoples throughout the Middle Ages and far into modern times. The Roman army lived on in military systems. It became the model for armaments and western defense. We still use Latin words such as captain, major, general, battalion, regiment, army, infantry, artillery and cavalry. The rulers of central Europe were called Kaiser. In the Middle Ages they were often crowned in Rome, as Charlemagne in A.D. 800 and Otto the Great in 1962. 52 The rulers of eastern and southern Europe (Russia and Bulgaria) were called Tsars. Both titles were from the personal name of the Roman Caius Julius Caesar, which became a title (first century B.C.).
Footnote 52: Not until 1806, during the assaults of Napoleon, was the imperial dignity of “Roman” Kaiser given up by Francis II of Austria.
Also the spirit of the Roman conception of the State has survived. It was marked by severest discipline, iron will, centralization, subordination of the individual to the community, devotion to the State, belief in its eternity, expressed in “eternal Rome” (Roma aeterna), idolization of the State, as in the Roman emperor cult, merging of the man in the citizen.
Finally, a certain mystery hovers around the history of the city of Rome itself: about 1000 B.C.—a poor village. 53 about A.D. 100—a city of 1,000,000. 54 in the Middle Ages—a medium-sized provincial town. 55 since the sixteenth century—gradually increasing. 56 since 1870—strong and rapid growth. 57 today—again a million inhabitants as in the days of the Roman emperors.
Footnote 53: Rome is at least 300 years older than the official year of its foundation 753 B.C.
Footnote 54: 700,000 inhabitants, plus 300,000 slaves.
Footnote 55: 25,000 to 40,000 inhabitants. In 546, after being sacked at different times during the migration period, only 500 inhabitants.
Footnote 56: 1870. The unification of Italy. 215,000 inhabitants.
Footnote 57: 1950. Over 1,000,000 inhabitants.
Many of these facts are only historical incidents. Many of them appear for only a brief time and disappear. The value of observing them lies in this, that they enable us to perceive that, even after the collapse of Rome, in the subsequent development of the peoples of its area, and in background of the whole process, there is at work a continuous, homogeneous, dynamic historical force which, in ever new forms, displays its permanence, vitality, and strength. This shows that in a wider sense the whole is actually one kingdom. At the same time this continuity, embracing centuries, becomes a sublime testimony to the reliability of the prophets and to their grasp of reality and to the accuracy of their historical foresight. But the centre and weight of all Bible prophecy as to the fourth empire lies in the future. Actually and strictly the prophecy is not concerned with the “legs” of the imperial image of Nebuchadnezzar, but much rather with the “toes” of its feet. It shows clearly that, in the final development of the fourth empire, the antichristian empire will include a group of States corresponding to the toes of the image (Daniel 2:40) and to the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel’s vision, out of which the Antichrist will finally arise as the “little horn” (Daniel 7:7-8; Daniel 7:20-25). But that at the end of the age the last phase of this fourth world empire will see an exact restoration of its first phase, that is, that in the antichristian time there will be a literal, territorial renewal and reviving of the Roman empire, with the same frontiers and without question the same capital city—this Holy Scripture nowhere plainly states. 58 Even in the past the frontiers of the old Roman empire were not invariable, and in any case a kingdom remains the same kingdom even if its frontiers are extended far beyond their earlier limit, and indeed even if its capital is removed to another place. Thus China remained China though its capital was removed from Peking to Nanking, some 570 miles south. Russia remained Russia though its capital was no longer St. Petersburg but, as now, Moscow. Or, to take an example from the history of western Europe, England has remained England though originally its capital was not London but, in the days of the old Saxon kings, Winchester, some twelve miles north of Southampton, and London became the capital only in the thirteenth century. Similarly the fourth empire of Daniel will remain the same empire even if, in the final development, not the literal Rome, that is, its first capital, but some other city should become the capital.
Footnote 58: [This matter is of crucial importance. The opinion is here offered that, not only does Scripture nowhere plainly state the view mentioned, but is plainly against it. See my Histories and Prophecies of Daniel and The Revelation of Jesus Christ.] A number of notable expositors think that they have found in the prophetic word abundant ground to believe that in the End time the ancient Babylon on the Euphrates will be rebuilt, to be the centre of the antichristian world empire. Babylon the “mother of all harlotry and idolatry” (Revelation 17:5)! Babylon the centre “of all abominations on earth”! Babylon the beginning, Babylon the end of all religious and moral apostasy of present human history without God!
World kingdoms have only come fully into the prophetic vision when they have united themselves with Babylon in the Middle East and have regarded it as their centre. Thus Nebuchadnezzar, the sovereign of the first world empire of prophecy, had Babylon as his capital. The Medes and Persians had existed for centuries, but they only became a world empire in the prophetic sense by the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus and the removal thither of the Persian capital. It was the same with the Greeks. The development of their high civilization through many centuries was not included in the prophetic out-look. This did not come to pass until Alexander the Great, after the overthrow of the Persians, conquered the Orient and chose Babylon as his capital. Only from then is the Grecian kingdom the third world empire within the meaning of prophecy. And may it not be that Daniel’s fourth world empire also will only have reached its culmination and perfection if it likewise rebuilds Babylon in Mesopotamia as the centre of Antichristianism?
We do not answer this question with full assurance. The possibility of such a development remains. But the fulfilment will be the complete explanation of the prophecy.
Until then we wait. In the consciousness of our insufficiency we search the prophetic word. But this we already see clearly, that the path of world history moves steadily to the Orient as its centre and that the course of events leads ever more plainly into the foreground of the final development.
2. Many signs of the times show unmistakably that the End draws near.
Rapid Development of Means of Communication. The peoples draw together. World events expand. Europe has been lifted out of its proud isolation. Since the nineteenth century there has come for the first time a oneness into world history. What before was so called was only a history of part of mankind, even if of the leading civilizations, western Asiatic, Egyptian, European, and American. Now all is as one cogwheel, with inter-action of all parts of the earth.
World Commerce. Nineteenth century. Absorption of small industries by similar great industries—horizontal building up. Twentieth century. Absorption of different small and great industries into giant “concerns,” trusts. Conjunction of coal mines, machine factories, wharves, shipping concerns, sugar factories, film undertakings, newspapers, etcetera, for the production and distribution of goods from the raw material to the finished product—vertical building up.
Control of retail trade. Compulsory central combines. Ration cards, coupons. Possible prevention of all “buying and selling” (Revelation 13:17). Modern system of boycott.
Ameliorative measures by governments. Reactions and reforms. New economic programs. But these also are possible only by centralization and organization; otherwise impossible. Only in this way salvation from threatening collapse. In itself organization is not antichristian, but rather a necessary measure in the life of nations for the common welfare.
Increase of world intercourse. Expedited tempo of world happenings.
Development of War Technique. Improvement of the most horrible weapons of slaughter. Danger of self-extinction of the leading civilized nation. Therefore, considered from even the technical standpoint alone, increasing necessity for an understanding among the nations for the maintenance of peace (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3).
Armies numbering millions. “Twice ten thousand times ten thousand,” that is, 200 millions (Revelation 9:16). Already in the 1914-18 war, 40 millions, were engaged. The killed alone were 9 million, and there died, including deaths by pestilence, another 35 million. A third of mankind killed (Revelation 9:15; Revelation 9:18). Certainly entirely possible now. Aeroplane attacks! Flying bombs! Atom and hydrogen bombs! A European total war—the destruction of Europe, literally. Over-civilization the murderer of culture.
Religious world Propaganda. The False Prophet will bring all, the small and the great, to worship the Antichrist (Revelation 13:12; Revelation 13:16).
Suppression of Religious Liberty. Mass executions on account of spiritual convictions (Matthew 24:9; Revelation 13:15; Revelation 17:6; Revelation 18:24) still possible today? Notwithstanding “progress” and “world improvement”? Yes, even in this modern time there have been and there are persecutions on account of Christian faith.
Wars and Rumours of War to the End (Matthew 24:6-7). Yet in spite of all this
World Evangelization. “The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all peoples, and then will the End come” (Matthew 24:14).
Up to A.D. 1500. Printed Bibles and portions distributed in 14 languages.
1800. In 17 languages.
1804. Founding of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
1930. According to Dr. Kilgour, Director of Translating in the London Bible house, in over 900 languages (including the translations of all Bible Societies). By this means “every five or six weeks a new language can be added to the lists of our Society.”
1948. The number of languages and chief dialects had risen to over 1,100, of which the British Society published 770, and issues every year over 11 million copies of Scriptures. (The Gospel in Many Tongues, 1948, pp. 187, 188). A truly powerful preparation for the evangelization of the peoples at the End time (Revelation 7:9-11).
Israel. On the one hand, August, A.D. 70, saw the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, 1,100,000 dead. And in 135 followed the collapse of the Jewish national State after the defeat of the “son of the stars,” Bar Kochba (comp. Numbers 24:17), 500,000 dead. Expulsion of all Jews from Judea and Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 28:64; Leviticus 26:33). On the other hand, we see the indestructibility of the Jewish people, even under the Divine judgment (Isaiah 66:22; Jeremiah 33:20-26; Matthew 24:34). Today, after centuries of catastrophic judgments 59 there are more than twice as many Jews as in the most splendid days of David and Solomon. As about a quarter of the inhabitants of a land are capable of military service, it follows from 2 Samuel 24:9, that the total population in the days of David was about 5,000,000. But today there are about 12,000,000 of Jews on earth. On the other hand, apart from Rome, note the collapse or decline of every other ancient civilized people.
Footnote 59: In addition to the figures given above, in May to July, 1096: 10,000 Jews were killed in the Rhineland, Germany.
Nov. 1, 1290: Expulsion of all Jews (over 1600) from England under threat of hanging. Return legally sanctioned only after 370 years, by Cromwell.
April 20 till autumn 1298: 100,000 Jews killed in Franconia, Bavaria, and Austria.
Sept. 1306: 100,000 Jews expelled from France under threat of death.
August 2, 1492: Expulsion of 300,000 Jews from Spain under threat of death by the inquisition.
1648-58: Death of about 400,000 Polish Jews in the war between Russia, Poland, and Sweden.
1939-45: Murder of at least many hundreds of thousands of Jews in the second world war.
Further: September 28, 1791, the French National Assembly annulled all special laws against the Jews. Since then in the Nineteenth century a rapid development of Jewish influence into a great power in politics, the press, and high finance.
1897. Founding of Zionism. Systematic endeavours to return to the land of their fathers.
February 27, 1919. Conference in San Remo. Palestine declared the national home of the Jewish people under British mandate, in virtue of the Balfour Declaration 1917. On February 26, 1923, the Chief Council (Sanhedrin) held its first session for many centuries. After fifteen hundreds of years the “dead” Hebrew language is again the living language of common intercourse in Erez Israel, the land of Israel—1918 saw the establishment of the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus. In 1900 there were about 50,000 Jews in the land; by 1936 the number was already about 375,000. The Jewish population is now over one million.
1948. Saw the setting up of a Jewish government in Palestine more than eighteen centuries after A.D. 135. This all is the awakening of the Near East. The “fig tree” of Israel has budded (Matthew 24:32; comp. Luke 13:6-9; Matthew 21:19). The “dead bones” begin to stir and to come together (Ezekiel 37:7). Israel, the “pointer on God’s world clock,” already points to midnight.
Thus we see everywhere evidence of the historical possibility and literal sense of the Bible prophecies of the End (Matthew 16:2-3).
1. In political life: the awakening of the Orient (Revelation 16:12; Revelation 9:14-16); the return of the Jews to Palestine (Isaiah 11:11); the general political world fermentation (Matthew 24:6-7).
2. In economic life: tension between rich and poor (James 5:1-8); organizing and centralizing (Revelation 13:17).
3. In technical life: development of world intercourse—drawing together of the peoples—improvement of war technique—necessity of world understanding on account of the danger of self-annihilation of the leading civilized peoples.
4. In religious life: self-deifying (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4); spiritism (1 Timothy 4:1); pretended piety (2 Timothy 3:5; comp. 1); fanaticism (Matthew 24:4-5; Matthew 24:11; Matthew 24:23-26); false doctrines (2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Peter 2:1-2).
5. In moral life: fleshly security (Matthew 24:37-39; 1 Thessalonians 5:3); immoral conduct (2 Timothy 3:1-4); haughty mockery (2 Peter 3:3-4).
6. In nature:
Earthquakes 60 and natural disasters (Matthew 24:7; Joel 2:3; Joel 2:10); comp. signs in sun, moon, and stars (Matthew 24:29).
Footnote 60: “Between the years 1600 to 1700 four great earthquakes were recorded; between 1700 to 1800 seven, from 1800 to 1900 nine. In the past quarter of a century (1901-1925) there were already four—that of Martinique (30,000 killed), San Francisco, Messini (100,000 dead) and Tokyo (230,000 dead)” (F. P. Keller).
7. In the life of the church of God:
Bible circulation and world evangelization (Matthew 24:14);
Lukewarmness of many (Revelation 3:16; Matthew 25:5; Luke 18:8), but watchfulness of the faithful Luke 12:37). But at midnight there will sound a cry: “Behold, the Bridegroom! Go ye out to meet Him (Matthew 25:6). 61
Footnote 61: Nevertheless there are still powers that work decidedly in favour of delay. Therefore every attempt to date the fulfilment in advance should be avoided. In particular there is one person who and one thing which “restrains” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7), but who and what these are cannot be pronounced with certainty. The view of most of the Church Fathers was that it was the Roman Empire (so Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Jerome, and Chrysostom). Theodoret thought it was heathen idolatry, J.P. Lange the moral spirit of the life of the State, Calvin the preaching of the gospel, Darby the church and the Spirit of God, Bullinger the Devil who “holds fast” his position in heaven and must be cast out by the archangel Michael (Revelation 12:7 ff.) before he permits the Antichrist to go forth on earth (Revelation 13:1-18). Augustine well remarks: “The Thessalonians understood it (‘Ye know,’ 2 Thessalonians 2:6); I do not know it at all: yet I will not conceal the suppositions of others.”
[A more recent suggestion is that, as the Antichrist is a king who has formerly lived on earth and is now in the abyss, the world of the dead (Revelation 17:8; Revelation 17:11), and would gladly return to earth before “his own season “ (2 Thessalonians 2:6), it is the angel ruler of that world who “restrains” him, that is who will not let him come before the time permitted of God. This “angel of the abyss” is mentioned in Revelation 9:11, where his names in Hebrew and Greek are given, the Greek name being that of the well-known god Apollo. This conception was quite well-known in the ancient world, which would explain why Paul says that the Thessalonians already knew who was the restrainer. Trans.]