 |  |
kingdom of heaven (Matt. 13), enter into mystery. The first three dynasties
are named, Babylon, Persia, Greece, the rest remained unnamed. Rome
succeeded to the domination of Jerusalem, and after Rome came the Turk. This
lasted until the taking of Jerusalem by General Allenby.
The decision of U.N.O. in 1949 to place Jerusalem under international
control is a continuance of this essential feature and links the present
grouping of the nations of the world with the subdivision of the Image into
the two feet and the ten toes at the time of the end. This attempt to
dominate Jerusalem will, as Zechariah 12:2,3 indicates, precipitate the great
conflict at the end.
Jerusalem is the index, and whichever Gentile power rules Jerusalem is
placed in the Image of Daniel 2 (Luke 21:24).
The diagram on page 327 is an attempt to illustrate the essential
features of this great prophetic Image, but our knowledge is too limited for
us to make anything more than a suggestion regarding the shape of things to
come.
Apart from the computation of the number of the name, we can learn
something more concerning the character of this final phase by the occurrence
of the number elsewhere and its significance. Take for example the revenue
of Solomon in one year (1 Kings 10:14), viz. 666 talents of gold. Surely we
can see something more than a hint in this that one of the gods of Gentile
dominion will be Mammon:
'The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of
pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all
thyine wood, etc.' (Rev. 18:12,13).
From the battle of Actium (31 b.c.) to the Saracen conquest (a.d. 636)
the period of Rome's domination of Jerusalem is 666 years. Again, we still
speak of 360 degrees of the circle, of 60 minutes, and of 60 seconds. This
is a survival of the Assyrian system of reckoning, which has 6 as its main
factor. Strangely enough Rome's numerals, which we still use on our clock
dials, inscriptions, etc., are 6 in number, I. V. X. L. C. D.* and their
numerical value is 666. 6 is the number of man. Man was created on the
sixth day: for 6 years Athaliah usurped the throne of David (2 Kings 11; 2
Chron. 23), and 6 words are used for man in the Bible. Goliath, one of the
many foreshadowings of the Beast, was 6 cubits high, had 6 pieces of armour,
his spear's head weighed 600 shekels. Nebuchadnezzar's image which he set up
was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits broad, introduced by 6 instruments of music.
Dr. Bullinger tells us that the Gematria of the Hebrew words of Daniel 3:1,
which describe the setting up of the image, is 4,662, the factors of which
are 7 x 666.
*
One thousand was represented by CI hence by and later, by the letter M.
Further, we should not use the word 'antichrist' when speaking of the
Beast of Revelation 13. The word does not occur in the Revelation. The
Antichrist is spoken of by John in his first epistle. The Beast will be the
great world power at the end, the Antichrist will be the great apostate false
Messiah. The Beast of Revelation 13 is not a false Messiah, it is a
political power; Nero well foreshadows the Beast, Herod the Antichrist. The
Antichrist will sell the people of Israel and help on the time of trouble, he