An Address to the Public, and Especially the Clergy

SECTION IV. THE SANCTUARY CLEANSED—OR EPOCH OF THE KINGDOM

DESIGN OF THE DIFFERENT VISIONS OF DANIEL

Having already shown, from the seventh chapter of Daniel and other portions of scripture, that the time of the establishment of the universal, everlasting kingdom of God is near, the way is now prepared for the discussion of another point, viz., the epoch of the kingdom. APEC 74.1

The first revelation of the events of futurity made to Daniel, was communicated to him in relation to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel 2nd chapter. That divine communication assures us, that after the existence of four such kingdoms as those predicted in that dream, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed. But that revelation gave no intimation of the changes which were to take place in those kingdoms, and the time of the reign or triumph of the various powers, as signs of the approach of that kingdom. This deficiency, however, was supplied by the vision in the seventh chapter, where the various changes of the Roman kingdom are pointed out, and the specific period of the reign of the little horn, as the precursor of the kingdom of God, is distinctly named. The exact fulfilment of those 1260 years, and the subsequent events, affords conclusive evidence of the near approach of the glorious event. But yet a deficiency remains:-No intimation is given in either of the foregoing revelations as to the time when the great work is to be accomplished, and the kingdom be established. But the vision in the eighth chapter supplies this deficiency. APEC 74.2

The vision the eighth chapter, unlike the former, commences with the reign of the Medo-Persian monarchy. The design of the vision of the four beasts, was, to give a connected chain of events from the days of Daniel, down to the little horn of the fourth beast, and his destruction at the second coming of Christ; and also to give the time of his reign, as a part of the Roman beast, together with the circumstances which are to fix the date of the 1260 years. The little horn, his character and conduct, having been thus predicted; the next vision is designed to present his origin, and the means by which he should become mighty, and also to determine the time of his destruction. APEC 75.1