This, however, in itself, raises another question or series of

questions.  Does Rome come in the image at all?  If it does, will the Roman

Empire be renewed?  If it will not be renewed, is it not reasonable to expect

that where the prophecy was broken off, there it will be resumed?  Can the

final phase, the feet and the toes of the image, cover a greater area in rule

and dominion than that governed by the gold, silver and copper phases of the

great image in Daniel 2, at the time of the rejection of Christ?  It will be

agreed, we trust, by all who value the light of prophecy, that our inquiry is

a serious one, the answers to which must materially influence our

interpretation of prophecy in general.  We must neither seek an answer, nor

expect one, from the opinions of men, of whatever rank and qualification they

may be; our only answer can come from the Scriptures themselves.  Let us make

a test of the passage already quoted from Luke 21:26:

'Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things

which are coming on the earth'.

What is the word used in the original here for the 'earth'?  The

contextual reference to sun, moon and stars, would suggest that nothing less

than the whole world is in view.  Yet, when we examine the passage we

discover that the word translated 'earth' here is the Greek word oikoumene.

This word is properly the passive present participle of the verb oikeo, 'to

inhabit' and means 'the habitable', generally with the ellipsis of the word

'world' or 'earth' -- the habitable earth.  This word can and has been taken

to indicate the whole area of the earth's surface which is inhabitable by

man, and so would include vast tracts of land unknown to the writers of

Scripture.  On the other hand the word has a much more restricted meaning

both in the Scriptures and in the writings of the Greek historians, and we

must therefore reserve our conclusions until we have acquainted ourselves

with this usage, for usage is a supreme factor in establishing the meaning of

any term.

Plutarch, who died a.d. 120, speaks of 'many countries of the Roman

world', Romaion oikoumenes, and Polybius, a celebrated Greek historian (born

203 b.c.) wrote, 'the Romans in a short time subdued the whole inhabited

world', ten oikoumenen.  Josephus has the following expression, 'and let no

one wonder that there was so much wealth in our temple, since all the Jews

throughout the habitable earth, and those that worshipped God, nay even those

of Asia and Europe, sent their contribution to it' (Ant. xiv, 7,2), and

speaking of the days of Elijah, he wrote, 'the famine has seized upon the

whole country' (Ant. viii, 13,4).  Here, it will be observed, the term is

limited to the land of Palestine.

Again, where Acts 11:28 says that in the days of Claudius Cæsar there

should be a great dearth 'throughout all the world' (oikoumene), Josephus

says in the same period 'a great famine happened in Judæa', yet although it

was said to be 'throughout all the world', Josephus adds, 'in which Queen

Helena bought corn in Egypt' (Ant. xx. 5,2).  In Luke 2:1 where we read,

'there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be

taxed', it is evident that such a decree could not extend beyond the limits

of the Roman empire.  And, even though we allow a great margin for the

fanatical worshippers of Diana, their words, 'whom all Asia and the world

worshippeth', can hardly mean 'the world' we now know, and it would be

ludicrous to put Asia Minor and 'the world' as we know it together as Luke

has done.  If the Ephesians meant the habitable world of their day, namely

the Roman Empire, all is plain.  Isaiah uses the words, 'the world', of the