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The testimony of Daniel,
or The time of the end.
#7.
The vision of the great tree (4:).
pp. 33 - 39
Chapter 4: of Daniel is perhaps one of the most remarkable in the Bible, for it was
not written by Daniel, but by or at the order of Nebuchadnezzar himself. That some
mighty change was wrought in this king, going down and undermining the very depths of
his faith in the gods of his fathers, will be evident if we place side by side an extract from
the India House Inscription B.C.606 (an ascription of praise by Nebuchadnezzar to one
of his heathen gods) and en extract from Dan. 4::--
India House Inscription.
Dan. 4: 1-3, 30, 37.
"To Merodach my lord I prayed and
"Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all the
lifted up my hand. O Merodach, firstborn
people, nations, and languages, that dwell
of the gods, mighty prince who didst
in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto
create me, and has entrusted to me the
you. I thought it good to show the signs
sovereignty over hosts of men; as my
and wonders that the high God hath
own precious life I do love the nobility of
wrought toward me. How great are his
thy divinity. In all the inhabitable earth I
signs! and how mighty His wonders! His
have seen no city fairer than thy city
kingdom, and His dominion is from
Babylon . . . . . I, the king, am thy adorer
generation to generation . . . . . Is not this
. . . . . appointed a priest-king to be the
great Babylon that I have built . . . . . the
restorer of all thy cities.
By thy
kingdom is departed from thee . . . . .
command, O Merodach, merciful one,
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol
may this temple which I have made
and honour the King of heaven, all whose
endure for ever."
works are truth, and His ways judgment:
and those that walk in pride He is able to
abase."
For further details regarding this remarkable testimony and its
related decrees in Daniel, the reader is referred to #4 of this series.
We approach this fourth chapter again in order to obtain its testimony to the theme
of Daniel, the time of the end, and in order that its place in the general scheme of the
book may be discovered. We have already shown that the book is divided into two parts,
(1) Historic foreshadowings (1:-6:), (2) Prophetic fulfillments (7:-12:). It is now
time that this twofold character should be more thoroughly exhibited. Not only will the
discovery of the underlying structure bear eloquent testimony to the truth and unity of the
book, but it will place in true correspondence and relationship the outstanding portions,
thus enabling us to gather information and light from the simple, historic sections for the
illumination of the more complex prophetic portions. Accordingly, we ask the reader's
careful attention to the following structure of the book of Daniel as a whole, and would
mention that this outline has not hitherto appeared in any other work on the prophecy.