The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 3

III. Expositions for Children Reach Adults

1. Daniel 2 Is KEY TO WORLD’S HISTORY

Gaussen’s Sunday school lessons on Daniel the Prophet were first given about 1837 as a series of Sunday school lectures, ostensibly for the children, but really in order to reach their parents. The plan succeeded, and older persons came to his lectures, filling the galleries. These included strangers visiting Geneva from other lands. Thus his message was carried to other parts. Then he published his lessons to foster the study of prophecy among the French-speaking people. At the very outset Gaussen cites Christ’s ad monition to read and understand the prophet Daniel, declaring that Daniel 2 affords the “key to the world’s history.” ¹¹ Gaussen’s exposition in these lessons is not smooth flowing, but is repetitious because in weekly lesson form, repeating and reviewing the fundamental points and principles. But by that very process the teachings were driven home. Nevertheless it must have been rather deep for the children. PFF3 693.7

Portraying the history of the successive states of Babylon, Persia, Grecia, Rome, and then the ten Gothic nations, Gaussen comes to the last days and the “time of the end.” ¹² Moreover, he declares, the papal power is portrayed ¹³ in the paralleling prophecy of Daniel 7. And Daniel’s “seventy weeks of years” stretch “between the decree of the King of Persia and the death of Jesus Christ.” ¹⁴ Such are the rapid brush strokes used to paint in the background. Then he digresses, to note that Ptolemy, in his list of eclipses, divides the periods the same as Daniel, tabulating the eclipses occurring under the lour successive empires of prophecy. ¹⁵ The breast and arms, he adds, involve two elements, representing Media and Persia. ¹⁶ PFF3 694.1

2. TEN DIVISIONS OF ROME ENUMERATED

Toward the end of Rome’s existence the empire was to be “divided by ten barbarous nations.” Coming in from the north, they invaded the whole of it and continued under a new form, soon adopting Rome’s laws, religion, and language. ¹⁷ The ten kingdom-divisions are listed by Gaussen as the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Heruli, Lombards, Franks, Burgundians, Alani, Suevi. Gepidi, and Vandals. ¹⁸ The Huns, he says, are not to be counted. ¹⁹ PFF3 694.2

3. MINGLING OF CLAY AND IRON: CHURCHCRAFT AND STATE CRAFT.

The four fierce beasts, or persecuting empires, of Daniel 7 Gaussen stresses as the same four powers of Daniel 2-with Rome the fourth. ²⁰ The three horns plucked up in Italy, to make way for papal sway, were the Heruli, Ostrogoths, and Lombards. ²¹ The Persian ram and the Grecian he-goat are duly noted. Then the mingling of the iron and the clay, in Daniel 2, is declared to be the union of statecraft and church craft. ²² PFF3 694.3

4. CARTOONS OK PROPHETIC SYMBOLS.

The third volume of Daniel le prophete strikingly cartoons the ten horns, with the three in process of uprooting ²³ and the papal Little Horn in the act of emerging. There is also the great dragon, the two beasts of Revelation 13, and the woman with the cup on the beast, of Revelation 17. A table of elates, ²⁴ listing the leading events of the centuries, places the beginning of the 1260 years in 529,when Justinian made the Christians of the West amenable to the court of the Bishop of Rome. It ends them with the cataclysmic French Revolution of 1789, which abolished the laws making the Christians of the West amenable to the Bishop of Rome. PFF3 695.1

5. LITTLE HORN, CAREER OF KINGLY BISHOP

Volume 3 continues the explanation of Daniel. Gaussen had published only up to Daniel 7:25 at the time of his death, though another volume was left in manuscript. The chief burden of this third treatise is the “Little Horn ... the chief enemy of God in the West,” and “persecutor of the faithful.” The judgment is the grand climax, and the end-the slaying of the beast. ²⁵ PFF3 695.2

This Little Horn power is a monstrosity, a “temporal prince” in Roman territory, wearing a crown like the other horns, and having “territorial and political power”-an “eleventh king in the midst of the ten others.” This amazing horn follows the ten, sprouting from the imperial head of the fourth beast. While his territory is small, he becomes stouter, growing up in the foaming sea of nations, and uprooting three horns. He has penetration. He is a “see-er”-a king, prophet, and bishop with eyes, claiming to be a universal bishop. ²⁶ PFF3 695.3

6. STONE SMITES IRON-CLAY AT ADVENT

Then comes the judgment scene, with the judgment of the Man of Sin at the second advent, as Christ comes in the clouds of heaven. ²⁷ This will take place after the 1260 days are accomplished, and is portrayed by the Apocalypse as burning with fire. ²⁸ This destruction also comes when the stone smites the image, and the iron and clay, or commingled state and church, are crushed and annihilated. ²⁹ PFF3 695.4

7. LIFE SPAN Is 1260 YEARS

The life of the Little Horn is three and a half times, or 1260 years, as cited in the various places-each recorded “time” being “360 prophetic days, each representing a year.” ³⁰ This horn, Gaussen says, is Paul’s Man of Sin, sitting in the temple of God, but held back at first by the Roman Empire. ³¹ Antichrist is declared a vicarious functionary, a rival, a vice-Christ. ³² PFF3 696.1

8. MOHAMMEDANISM INVOLVED IN 2300 YEARS

Gaussen’s lesson on the Medo-Persian ram of Daniel 8 and the Macedonian he-goat-which vivid symbol was displayed on Grecia’s Standards-is preserved in full, but is found only in plated manuscript form. ³³ The little horn of chapter 8, Gaussen holds, represents Mohammedanism, and not Antiochus Epiphanes. ³⁴ Mohammedanism, he feels, had been raised up as a fit punishment for the departures of the churches in Occident and Orient. ³⁵ But Mohammedanism would perish through divine “intervention” at the end of the 2300 years. Others had studied diligently into the chronology of this period, and he leaves this research to them. ³⁶ PFF3 696.2

9. SEVENTY WEEKS END WITH CHRIST’S DEATH

The seventy weeks, or 490 years, of chapter 9, are dated by Gaussen from the seventh year of Artaxerxes, or from 458 B.C. to A.D. 33-thatis, to Christ’s death. ³⁷ Six things happen in that seventieth week: the iniquity and revolt of the Jews reach their climax, the typicals in offerings end in the true Sin Offering, propitiation for iniquity is accomplished through Christ’s shed blood, everlasting righteousness is brought in, every prophecy thereon is fulfilled, and finally Christ is anointed. ³⁸ PFF3 696.3

10. Daniel 11 RETRACES COURSE OF EMPIRES

Gaussen admits that Daniel 11 is difficult to present to such a class. How ever, he parallels the specilications of prophecy with the fulfillments of history, having one of the children read from the historians Millot and Ro you. ³⁹ Here for the fourth time Daniel outlines the four kingdoms of prophecy. The chapter is, in fact, “the prophetic calendar of the centuries.” ⁴⁰ Daniel 7 pertains to the Roman Empire, spread between the Rhine, the Danube, the ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. It discusses the subsequent Papacy. As Daniel 8 pertains, he believes, to the Persian and Greek monarchies and the Mohammedan power, which begins simultaneously with the Papacy, ⁴¹ so Daniel 11 passes through Persia, Grecia, and Rome. ⁴² PFF3 697.1

11. LATTER PART PRKSKNTS THINGS TO COME

The latter part of Daniel 11, Gaussen avers, deals with “events yet to come,” ⁴³ and leads to the “day of Jesus Christ” and the second advent ⁴⁴ his is the climax of all the prophecies. The Antichrist will have a new revival. And after the final struggle Christ will appear ⁴⁵ verses 31-35 deal with the Romans ⁴⁶ introduced under the expression the “ships of Kittim,” of verse 30. And verse 36 concerns Antichrist ⁴⁷ he “north,” he feels, means Russia ⁴⁸ But here he treads rather lightly. PFF3 697.2

12. 1335 YEARS REACH TO RESURRECTION

In introducing Daniel 12 Gaussen reiterates the year-day principle for the seventy weeks, and the 1260-, 1290-, and 1335-years periods ⁴⁹ he1335 years extend seventy-five years beyond the 1260, he holds, and lead directly to the resurrection of the just ⁵⁰ his latter period is called the “time of the end.” Here is to be found the running to and fro concerning the prophecies and the coming reign of God. A “science of prophecy” was being developed ⁵¹ Gaussen closes the book of Daniel with an earnest appeal to be ever ready for the day of judgment, with our wedding garments on ⁵² PFF3 697.3

13. IDENTIFIED WITH SYMBOLS OF APOCALYPSE

Continuing lesson after lesson, repeating first from one approach, then from another, Gaussen builds an invulnerable case to show the children-and thus the parents-the prophesied character and identity of the little horn. He identifies the horn with the companion symbols of Paul and John ⁵³ e also identifies it with the second beast of Revelation 13 ⁵⁴ he false prophet. It is like wise the unchaste, drunken woman of Revelation 17, sitting on the beast, astride the Latin Empire and dominating the great city of Rome ⁵⁵ PFF3 698.1

14. SEVEN CHURCHES REACH TO LAST TIMES

Tracing the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 from the early church of desire, in primitive purity, the church of the pagan persecution-with the special tribulation for ten years-Gaussen comes to the church of the elevation, from Constantine onward, and then the consummation of the apostasy, under Thyatira, the Philadelphia church of the Reformation, and finally the lukewarm church of the last time-the church of the judgment of peoples ⁵⁶ PFF3 698.2

15. SEVEN SEALS EXTEND TO CONSUMMATION

The seven seals similarly represent the “successive destinies of the Roman Empire from the days of St. John, until the consummation of all things.” These are distinct epochs ⁵⁷ and in these the great apostasy is also portrayed ⁵⁸ PFF3 698.3

16. FIRST FOUR TRUMPETS IN THE WEST

Like others, Gaussen holds that the seventh seal embraces the seven trumpets, from about A.D. 400 onward. The first four trumpets symbolize Alaric and the Goths, Genseric and the Vandals, Attila and his Huns, and Odoacer and the Heruli ⁵⁹ PFF3 698.4

17. SARACENS (612-762); TURKS (1057-1453)

The fifth and sixth trumpets pertain to the East, the fifth referring to the Saracens of Arabia, whose fierce horsemen spread like locusts, with the national turban-diadems on their heads. The continuance of their invasion was 150 years-from 612 to 672, with the building of Baghdad, the city of peace, on the Tigris ⁶⁰ The sixth trumpet is the Turkish woe, beginning to sound on the Euphrates and Tigris with Thorgrul Beg in 1057, and continuing the hour, day, month, and year-or 396 years-to 1453, at the overthrow of Constantinople ⁶¹ With this Gaussen connects Russia, in Ezekiel 37-39, as the Magog of the North, of the seventh trumpet ⁶² his sounding, he adds, is near. PFF3 699.1

18. LATIN HORN WARS 1260 YEARS

Then in Revelation 10 and 11, John is commanded to measure the temple-the true, invisible church of God-during which time the “Little Horn of the Latins” makes war against the true church which worships in the invisible sanctuary ⁶³ while the Witnesses prophesy in sackcloth. Then the beast from the abyss-“the Latin Empire”-kills the Witnesses at the end of the 1260 years, and they are resurrected again ⁶⁴ Finally, the ruin of popery in the West is paralleled by the ruin of the Turkish Empire in the East ⁶⁵ PFF3 699.2

19. EARTHQUAKE: REVOLUTION IN TENTH KINGDOM

Thegreat earthquake is a “great political and social revolution,“involving the fall of “one of the ten states of the Latin Empire ⁶⁶ PFF3 699.3

20. Now LIVING IN THE LAST TIMES

Finally comes the fifth monarchy of Daniel, and the reign of the Son of man. We have now reached the time of the anger of the nations, Gaussen asserts, the time of God’s wrath and the judging of the dead, the reward of the saints and the destruction of the earth destroyers. “Thus then, you see, we have at. last reached those blessed times” of Daniel 7:27, when the kingdom is soon to be given to the saints ⁶⁷ PFF3 699.4

21. TRUE CHURCH: VAUDOIS, LOLLARDS, HUGUENOTS

In Revelation 12 the beast is Rome, imperial and pagan, and in Revelation 13 in religious guise it persecutes the saints, while in Revelation 17 it goes into perdition ⁶⁸ he true church of Revelation 12, Gaussen avers, includes the Vaudois of Piedmont, the Paulicians of the East, the Lollards of England, the Moravians of Germany, the Huguenots of France, and even the Jansenists of the Catholic: Church-and many Armenians, Nestorians, and others in modern times ⁶⁹ PFF3 700.1

22. ROME’S SEVEN HEADS AND TEN HORNS

Expanding upon the dragon of Revelation 12, with the seven heads and ten horns, existing during the same period of 1260 years’ war on the saints ⁷⁰ he first six of the seven heads are kings, consuls, dictators, decemvirs, military tribunes, and emperors. But in Revelation 13 the diadems are no longer on their heads but are now on the ten reigning horns that divided Rome ⁷¹ PFF3 700.2

23. YEAR-DAY PRINCIPLE FOR ALL PERIODS

Gaussen comes to his final lesson. All the characteristics of Antichrist are marshaled, as centering in the Little Horn. Such, he says, is “the box in which prophecy places the Antichrist ⁷² The 1260years is its allotted time, and its warfare is followed by its doom ⁷³ The false apostle of the East is noted, arising about the same time, but he is not the Antichrist who thinks to change times and laws ⁷⁴ PFF3 700.3

The 1260, 1290, 1335, and 2300, Gaussen insists, are “not natural days, but symbolical ones ⁷⁵ A prophetic day stands for a natural year; a month, thirty years; and forty-two months, 1260 years. He cites Ezekiel 4 and Numbers 14 for proof ⁷⁶ Thus also with the seventy weeks of Daniel 9. They are weeks of years, or 490 years, to Messiah’s coming. These he places from 457 B.C. to A.D. 34, in which year Christ died, according to Isaac Newton ⁷⁷ Again we observe that this was “strong meat” for children, but it affords a faithful record of his exposition. PFF3 700.4