I cut my eye-teeth on the Your Will Be Done book, and oh how fascinated I was to have the "visual" of that dream-image, and the conviction that it was the wonderful FDS who, for the first time, had revealed that light on God's Word. Even when I had read some of Russell's works, the same explanation was offered, and so (naturally, as the good little dubber that I was), I assumed that the WTS had always taught the same about this passage from Daniel. But then, last week, I came across this interesting little tidbit ( From the August 1, 1930 Watch Tower, under the article ?A Great Image (part 1)?; also in Light 2, chapter 14):
More than fifty years ago some good, honest Christian people who were called Adventists published an interpretation of the foregoing prophecy of Daniel which in substance states that the terrible image that Daniel saw represented the successive world powers, to wit, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome; that the golden head of the image represented Babylon, the breast of silver represented or pictured the Medo-Persian empire; that the copper (mistranslated brass) pictured the Grecian world power; and the legs of iron pictured the Pagan Roman world power; and the feet composed of iron and clay pictured Papal Rome or what is otherwise called the ?Holy Roman Empire.? The Watch Tower publications, having no better explanation, practically adopted the foregoing interpretation. Them are some good reasons why the above interpretation of the prophecy is not correct, and these are, to wit:
Whaaaaa????? They actually admit that they "borrowed" the whole idea from the Adventists??? And that now it's all bogus??? OMG!! LOL
And then, the ?new light? was outlined in the August 15, 1930 Watch Tower (part 2 of the series):
This scripture could not specifically apply to Nebuchadnezzar, except in a representative capacity. It is not true that the God of heaven had given Nebuchadnezzar the universal kingdom, because the Babylonish empire was Satan?s organization, organized and operated in opposition to God. God had made Lucifer the golden head of the organization, given him before his defection. Lucifer had now turned his organization to wickedness. Lucifer?s organization being of divine origin is properly symbolized by gold as the head of that organization. The fact that it was afterward turned to wickedness would not at all change the original symbol. Nebuchadnezzar was holding the earthly position of king or ruler as the visible representative of Satan, the real head. Therefore the description of the head of the image fits Satan exactly as the ?head of gold.? Daniel?s prophecy tells of the invisible rulers of Satan under the titles of ?prince of Persia? and ?prince of Grecia? (Daniel 10:13, 20) These princes were so powerful that Michael had to interfere in behalf of the angel that was sent to Daniel with a message. These invisible princes or rulers in Satan?s organization are shown as a part of the terrible image; and as silver and copper are inferior or next in order to gold, therefore the image shows that, instead of these representing world powers, they represent lower orders than Lucifer in the great organization. This conclusion upon Daniel?s prophecy is supported by the words of Jesus and by the further inspired words, to wit: ?For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of [that] world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.? (Ephesians 6:12) Here the apostle shows that Satan?s invisible organization is made up of principalities (superior power); powers (officers of power in the organization); and rulers (wicked angels). The three ?noble? metals of Daniel therefore describe the three invisible parts of Satan?s organization. As God?s organization is sometimes pictured by a man, so here Satan?s organization is pictured by a man in the form of this image. The legs support and bear up the man. The legs are beneath the head of the man and carry the man about. The legs of the image therefore represent the inferior and visible parts of Satan?s organization under the head, but which support the head and act in obedience to the head. The terrible image described shows that the legs were of iron, ?and as iron that breaketh, all these shall it break...and bruise.? This part of the image pictures the world powers, every one of them, beginning with Egypt to the present day, all of which are of Satan?s organization. The three elements mingle themselves with the seed of men, and with high-sounding words claim to be the saviors of men, and insist that the people must support their organization if they would live. These are ten toes to the feet, and these symbolically represent all the nations of Christendom in the conspiracy under their father and head, Satan, to keep the people in subjection and under control.
So, Satan was the Head, his demon underling-princes were the arms and hips, the world powers were the legs, and the feet were the triad of religion/commerce/politics (if I read this all correctly...sheesh, it's hard to sort it out )
I haven't checked every reference between 1930 and 1958 (the year of the Your Will book), but I'll bet a dime to a donuthole that this was the "revelation from God" for those 28 years, only to be (as with the Romans 13 "higher powers"), reversed after replay review.
Craig