affairs of every continental kingdom. . . . He sometimes said: 'It is
my intention to reach such a point that the kings of Europe shall be
forced, each one of them, to have a palace in Paris, and at the time
of the coronation of an emperor of the French, they shall take up
their residence in it, to be present at the ceremony, and render it
more imposing by their homage."–Id., chap. 16.
He had already, March 17, 1805, "laid the foundation-stone of this brain-built
edifice," by uniting the iron crown of Italy with his own as emperor of France. It
was to obtain, of his own blood, an heir to such an empire, that he divorced
Josephine and married Maria Louisa, the Archduchess of Austria. And when she
bore a son, March 20, 1811, the title of King of Rome was bestowed upon him as
the first step in the succession to so grandly pictured an empire, which neither he
nor his father ever saw, and which should never more be seen. For God had
declared that although they should "mingle themselves with the seed of men,"
yet, "they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay."
Dan. 2:43. And thus they will remain till the end of the world, for says the word of
God by the prophet: "In the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to
other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it
shall stand forever." Dan. 2:44.
In fulfillment of the vision of the great image, seen by Nebuchadnezzar and
Daniel, we have seen the rise, the glory, and the fall, of Babylon, the head of
gold; of Medo-Persia, the breast and arms of silver; of Grecia, the sides of brass;
and of Rome, the legs of iron. We have seen the division of the iron kingdom of
Rome into ten parts according to the number of toes of the image in the vision;
we have seen the history of these divisions for more than fourteen hundred
years; and we now live in the last days, not only of their history, but of all history.
For when they fall it is at the establishment of the everlasting kingdom of God.
Said the prophet, "Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which
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smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to
pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in
pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and
the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them; and the stone that
smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." Dan. 2:34,
35. The stone smiting the image upon his feet, is explained by the prophet to
mean that "in the days of those kings [the kingdoms represented by the toes–the
ten kingdoms] shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom." Verse 44.
Notice, the stone smites the image, not upon his head, nor his breast, nor his
sides, nor his legs, but upon his feet. The kingdom of God was not therefore, and
was not to be, set up in the days of Babylon, nor of Medo-Persia, nor of Grecia,
nor of Rome, but in the days of the kingdoms which should arise upon the ruin of
Rome. These kingdoms did not arise till in the fifth century, therefore it is this side
of the fifth century that this kingdom of God is to be set up. And when this
kingdom is set up, all the others are broken to pieces and carried away as is
chaff by the wind, and no place is found for them. Not one of these kingdoms