The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

I. Early Church Positions on Daniel ¹

1. THE SEQUENCE of KINGDOMS

Daniel’s master prophecies, in chapters 2 and 7, set forth a basic outline of prophecy from his day onward until the consummation of all things at the end of the age. Starting with the Neo-Babylonian Empire, they outline a series of four world powers from Daniel’s day onward, the fourth kingdom to be superseded by a division into numerous smaller kingdoms, ever quarreling among themselves. In the seventh chapter appears a new element of persecution by a religio-political power—a power among the kingdoms which persecutes the people of God. But both chapters end with the everlasting kingdom of God, set up after the destruction of the earthly kingdoms and the judgment. PFF1 888.1

These earlier positions of the grand outline persisted in the church through the centuries-the four world powers of Daniel 2 and 7 (and the last three of the four empires in chapters 8 and 11), then the breakup of the Roman fourth, to be followed by the cruel dominance of Antichrist, and that in turn by the beneficent reign of Christ. Even the antecedent and paralleling Jewish interpretation holds to the same four empires, the division of the fourth, and finally the establishment of the Messianic kingdom forever. PFF1 888.2

In the outline prophecies Daniel does not give the identity of each nation in the line of the great empires of prophecy, but he does identify the first in the series as Babylon. With the first one established the sequence can easily be determined, and the book elsewhere actually names Persia and Greece as the second and third world powers succeeding Babylon. There can be no mistake on the first three. So only the fourth, in chronological sequence, is left to ascertain, and certainly no guesswork is necessary to find the dominating world power which succeeded Alexander’s. The universal interpretation of the early church identified Rome as the fourth. With the breakup of the fourth into multiple nations comes the Little Horn, rising among the divided successors of the Roman Empire. It is a political power, like the rest of the horns, with a look “more stout than his fellows,” and the strength to prevail against them; yet it is “diverse from the rest,” for it is also a religious power, concerned with the times, laws, and people of the Most High, speaking great words against God and persecuting godly people. PFF1 888.3

And to this day the main points of divergence and conflict between Protestant and Roman Catholic prophetic interpretation are, first, the identity of that Antichristian Little Horn of Daniel 7, and the passages that parallel it, arid the time and length of its reign—whether literal or prophetic time; and second, the nature of the kingdom of God—the time of its establishment and the nature, circumstances, and results of that establishment. PFF1 889.1

2. THE TIME PERIODS OF DANIEL

The fixed starting point of this series in Daniel 2 and 7 is indisputably established as Babylon. But Babylon was superseded by Persia, and Daniel’s later prophecies—recorded in chapters 8, 9, and 11—all obviously start with Persia. And the connected time prophecies x11 fit into the master outline prophecies against this background, such as the seventy weeks of Daniel 9, applying to the Jews before Christ, and recognized by them as weeks of years. PFF1 889.2

Thus the foundations of Daniel’s great outline, and the year-day principle of the great time prophecies, as laid down by Daniel and subsequent Hebrew leaders, were carried over into the Christian church, becoming its priceless heritage, though likewise held by a paralleling line of Jewish expositors extending over the Christian Era. PFF1 889.3

But the 1260-, 1290-, 1335-, and 2300-day periods of Daniel 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12, and corresponding periods in the Apocalypse were not yet regarded as years in the early church. They would not have thought such long periods possible, for time was fore shortened to the gaze of the early churchmen, who expected the end of all things soon. The extension of the year-day principle to these other periods could not have occurred until such datings would seem to be within possibility, but eventually it was inevitably so extended by Joachim and his followers in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. PFF1 889.4

The oft-repeated 1260 days, and the 1290-f 1335-, and 2300-day periods come sharply into view dust at the close of Volume I, ands there are also included the lesser periods of the ten year-days of Smyrnean persecution, the five months, the hour, day, month, and year of Revelation 8 and 9, and also the three and a half days of Revelation 11. PFF1 890.1

3. CONTEMPORARY RECOGNITION OF FULFILLMENT

Jesus said, “When it is come to pass, ye may believe.” Perhaps one of the most conspicuous lessons of all prophetic testimony through the years is the contemporary recognition, or interpretation, of each major epoch or event in the prophetic outline at the very time of fulfillment. ² The 70 weeks were accepted by the early church as a period of years fulfilled in connection with Christ’s first advent. Rome was recognized as the fourth empire of Daniel’s outline prophecies, as a present reality, end the next stage was looked for in the breakup of the empires Rome’s identity as the fourth empire was discerned during her rule not merely by one or two individuals but by a chorus of widely distributed voices, diversified and continuous. The, testimony of these witnesses was set forth in various languages Greek Syriac, and Hebrew.-and was spread all the way from Africa in the south to Britain in the north, and from Gaul in the west to Syria in the east. Then Jerome records the breaking up of the empire, although the picture is incomplete, and Sulpicius Severus sees the clay being mixed with iron. This phenomenon—the announcement of contemporary fulfillment repeats itself again and again. That is the clear, composite testimony of the early centuries. PFF1 890.2