territorial possession but of
their distinctive characteristics. The opulence of the Babylonians,
the splendor of the Persians, the strength and discipline of the
Greeks, were all merged into the Roman Empire. And more than
this, these kingdoms were all idolatrous, and the religion of
the Babylonians was merely absorbed in the Persian Kingdom (not
destroyed); that of the Persian was perpetuated under the Greek
reign; and all these found recognition in the divers forms of paganism
existing under Rome. _In this sense_ the image, as opposed to the
divine kingdom of Christ, was all standing at the time of the
first advent of the Messiah, and the overthrow of paganism by early
Christianity corresponds with the stroke given by the little stone of
Daniel 2.

Notice how this fulfilment is parallel with the prophecies of the
Revelation. In chapter 12 the Roman Empire under its pagan form is
represented by the dragon. Christianity waged warfare with this huge
system of false religion and overthrew it. "And I heard a loud voice
saying in heaven, _Now_ is come salvation, and strength, _and the
kingdom of our God_, and the power of his Christ" (chap. 12:10).

The kingdom represented in Nebuchadnezzar's dream came in the day
of incarnation and soon smote the kingdoms of heathen darkness as
existing in the embrace of Rome, and broke them in pieces. It was
then in the stage represented by a _stone_. At a later time we shall
observe the kingdom in its _mountain_ epoch, when it becomes a great
mountain and fills the whole earth.

[Sidenote: Vision of four beasts]

The four constituent parts of Nebuchadnezzar's visionary image were
interpreted to signify four successive monarchies, the Babylonian
being the first. In the seventh chapter Daniel records his own vision
of four great beasts that arose out of the violently agitated sea, and
these represent the same four kingdoms described in Nebuchadnezzar's
dream. "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which
shall arise out of the earth" (verse 17). To the worldly, carnal mind
of Nebuchadnezzar, empires possessed a show of grandeur and glory, and
they were therefore represented accordingly in his vision; but to the
spiritual-minded Daniel they would appear odious and terrible, and
they were therefore represented to him under the symbol of devouring
_beasts_.

The kingdoms symbolized by the first three beasts of this vision
have no particular bearing on our subject, aside