262 The Fundamentals Chapter 2, the Image with its head of gold, breast of silver, belly of brass, legs of iron, feet and toes of mingled iron and b cl e a r y, o t f el s ls ov o e f re f i o g u n r ti w es o , r s ld o - m ki e ng s d tr o o m ng s, , t s o o b m e e su w c e c a e k e , de w d h b ic y h a w n o u u m ld continue till the God of heaven should set up a kingdom never to be destroyed. Chapter 7, the Four Beasts, is parallel to the Image. The same four world-empires are described; the fourth beast, strong and terrible, to be succeeded by ten kings, who should continue till the coming of the Son of Man, who should set up an everlasting kingdom. These four world-empires were Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. There have been no other world-empires since. Efforts have been made to unite the divided soverei gn ties of Europe by royal intermarriages and by conquest, but the i ro n and clay would not cleave together. The rapidity of the Greek conquest is symbolized by the swift leopard with four wingsu; its division by four heads. The Roman empire is diverse from the others-it was a republic and its iron strength is dissipated among the nations which followed it and which exist today, still iron and clay. These prophecies which are illustrated in every particular b b e y li h e i v s i t n o g ry th to eo t r h y e . pr T es h e e nt R m o o m m an ent em sta p n ir d e, in th th e e g w re a a y te o s f t t o h f e u a n ll , must be eliminated to get rid of prediction, and any shift promising that end has been welcomed. One set of critics makes the kingdom of the Seleucidae, which was one of the parts of the Greek empire, the fourth world-kingdom, but it p n i e r v e e -r o w n a e s o a f w th o e rl f d o -k u i r ng h d e o a m ds . up It on wa th s e p l a e r o t p o ar f d t . he A G n r o e th ek er e s m et creates an imaginary Median empire between Babylon and p P i e r r e si w a. as T o h n e e r . e wC a y s ru n s o , t s h u e ch P e e m rs p ia ir n e , . co T n h q e ue M re e d do B - a P b e y r l s o i n an . e A m U h-istory says so and the excavations prove it. Among' the nations which were to take the place of the fallen Roman empire, another power was to rise-"a little
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