As it is the Most High who rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will; and as He knows "the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done," (Isaiah 46:10) it is just as easy for Him to write the history of a nation, or of the world, before it occurs, as afterward. And as one great aim of the book of Daniel is: "that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will," (Daniel 4:17) this is done by sketching, in that book, the history of the world from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the end of the world. This book was not written for the time in which it was written, but for "the latter days," (Daniel 2:28 also 10:14) "the time of the end." (Daniel 8:17 also 11:35,40; 12:4,9)
And though written and finished by Daniel, it was then "shut up," (Daniel 8:26 also 12:4) and "sealed" (Daniel 12:9) till the time for which it was written,-"the time of the end." And anyone who will study the book till he becomes really familiar with it, and with the history of which it treats, will readily see how much more is told, in fewest words, and how much more vividly it is told, in the symbols that are used, than could be told in any other way.
The history of Babylon is clearly told in just forty-three words by means of a changing symbol, in Daniel 7:4.
The history of united Media and Persia--its rise, the relative positions of the two allied nations, the directions and extent of its conquests, and its power--is all clearly told in only sixty eight words by means of the symbol of Daniel 8:3-4.
The history of Alexander--the all-sweeping nature and rapidity of his march, his unchecked conquest of the Persian Empire, and the greatness of his own dominion--is all fully given, even with a plentiful use of words, in only about a hundred words, by means of the symbol of Daniel 8:5-8.
The history of Rome in both its phases--its nature, its characteristics, its policy, its pride, its arrogance, its power, its working, its great destructiveness, its exalting itself against God, and the manner of its end--is all most expressively told in only eighty-nine words, in Daniel 8:23-25.
Nobody who was not thoroughly acquainted with both the history and the symbols of these respective powers could possibly describe them so well, in so few words, as is done in the book of Daniel by means of the symbols used by Him who was most intimately acquainted with every characteristic of every power.
Whoever may be inclined to think that some better way than that of symbols could have been employed to describe these great empires may know that he does not understand either the empires or the symbols.
Then, when in the 11th chapter, the history is sketched in plain narrative, without any symbols, still it stands as one of the most marvelously compact pieces of writing in the world. Every salient event is told. Only the personal names of the individual actors are lacking; and even the personal name is given in the first verse. "In the first year of Darius the Mede, even I stood to confirm and to strengthen him, [said the angel]." (Daniel 11:1)
This was spoken to Daniel in "the third year of Cyrus." (Daniel 10:1)
And, written with the names, each in its place, the narrative continues thus: "There shall reign yet three kings in Persia [Cambyses, Smerdis, and Darius Hystaspes], and the fourth [Xerxes] shall be far richer than they all; and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. And a mighty king [Alexander] shall reign; and shall rule with great dominion [from the Adriatic Sea to the River Hyphasis, and from the Danube and the Laxartes to Ethiopia and the Indian Ocean]. And when he shall be strong, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven [Thrace and Bithynia toward the north, Syria to the River Hyphasis toward the east, Phoenicia and Palestine to Ethiopia toward the south, and Macedonia and neighboring states toward the west] and not to his posterity [but to the four great generals, Lysimachus, Seleucus, Ptolemy, and Cassander], nor according to the dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up even for others besides those. And the king of the south [Ptolemy] shall be strong; and one of his princes [Seleucus] shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion [extending from the western border of Macedonia to the rivers Hyphasis and Indus]. And in the end of years [the kings of the north and south, Antiochus Theos and Ptolemy Philadelphus] shall join themselves together. For the king's daughter of the south [Berenice] shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of the arm, neither shall he stand, nor his arm; but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and whom she brought forth, and he that strengthened her in these times. But out of a branch of her roots shall one [her brother, Ptolemy Euergetes] stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north [Seleucus Callinicus] and shall deal against them and shall prevail; And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he [Euergetes] shall continue more years than the king of the north [Callinicus]. So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land. But his sons [Ceraunus and Antiochus] shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces; and one [Antiochus Magnus] shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through; then shall he return and be stirred up, even to his fortress. And the king of the south [Ptolemy Philopator] shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him [Antiochus Magnus], even with the king of the north: and he [Magnus] shall set forth a great multitude, but the multitude shall be given into his [Philopator's] hand. And when he [Philopator] has taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up, and he shall cast down many ten thousands; but he shall not be strengthened by it. For the king of the north [Antiochus Magnus] shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches. And in those times there shall stand up many against the king of the south [Ptolemy Epiphanes]; but the children of robbers [the Romans] shall exalt themselves to establish the vision. And the king of the north [Antiochus Epiphanes] shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities; and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. But he [Rome] that comes against him [Antiochus Epiphanes] shall do according to his will, and none shall stand before him; and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his [Rome's] hand shall be consumed." (Daniel 11:2-16)
Thus Rome was the power held in view from the beginning of the narrative; and when the Romans, the children of robbers, should exalt themselves, this would establish, fix, confirm, the vision. And by every item of the narrative is established, fixed, confirmed, the great truth that: "the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will," (Daniel 4:17) "Believe His prophets, so shall you prosper." (2 Chronicles 20:20)--Advent Review, June 7, 1898.