THE RISE AND FALL OF AN IMMENSE IMAGE & THE TEN TOE DILEMMA
This chapter deals with the dream image of the second chapter of
Daniel. Readers of the Watchtower are familiar with the flip-flop
phenomenon. A certain idea is given as "truth". Then the opposite
is given as "truth". Finally, that idea is repudiated and there is
a return to an earlier interpretation. In order to lay the
groundwork for the obvious errors of interpretation the Watchtower
makes on this part of Daniel we need to examine a classic flip-
flop. By the way it should read flip-FLOP with the emphasis on the
FLOP.
1958 EXPLANATION OF THE IMAGE'S FEET: Your Will Be Done On Earth
Page 24 "But WHAT OF THE TEN TOES in which the symbolic image
terminated? This feature showed that at the time of the end of this
symbolic image the remnant of the Roman or sixth world power would
vie with the Anglo-American or seventh world power and that there
would be other independent political governments associated with
those competing powers. The number TEN BEING A BIBLICAL NUMBER
SYMBOLIZING EARTHLY COMPLETENESS, THE TEN TOES PICTURE ALL SUCH
COEXISTING POWERS AND GOVERNMENTS.
1978 EXPLANATION OF THE IMAGE'S FEET: Watchtower 6/15/78 page 13
in the article "Human Governments Crushed by God's Kingdom" it says
"There does not appear to be any prophetic significance to the
image's having ten toes. This is a natural human feature, just as
the image has two arms, two legs, and so forth."
1999 EXPLANATION OF THE IMAGE'S FEET: Pay Attention to Daniel's
Prophecy page 59 paragraph 27 The (b) question for that paragraph
is "What is pictured by the ten toes of the image?" The answer?
"The ten toes of the image represent all such coexisting powers and
governments, for in the Bible the number ten at times signifies
earthly completeness"
Why are they hung up with the 10 toes? If you read the 2nd chapter
of Daniel the word "ten" doesn't even appear. If the number 10
were really significant don't you think it would have been
mentioned? In fact "number" is also lacking in reference to arms
and legs. This is NOT an interpretation that is driven by Holy
Spirit. It is a hodge-podge of mystical numerological ideas that
lead Jehovah's Witnesses astray. What a shame that they go through
all the trouble of presenting the same nonsense dressed up with
nice pictures.
The idea that the feet suddenly represent "kingdoms" (special
emphasis is placed on plurality) is total fabrication. The head
represented one kingdom -Babylon. Next Dan. 2:39 says "after you
there will rise another kingdom (singular) ... and another kingdom
(singular) a third one of copper.. Dan 2:40 says "And as for the
fourth kingdom (again singular). So then is there a change in this
pattern when the fifth part of this image is described? Dan 2:41
says the "kingdom (singular) will prove to be divided....the
kingdom (singular) will partly prove to be strong..." Finally,
kings (plural) are mentioned in Daniel 2:44 when it speaks of the
whole image being knocked down and crushed. "It will crush and put
an end to all these kingdoms (plural). Some may be tempted to say
that this is referring to the 10 kingdom/toes, however verse 45
repeats the symbolic metals of the image indicating that the
plurality is referring to the image as a whole.
Clearly the clay/iron does not represent "many" kingdoms and
certainly not "all" the kingdoms of the earth. There is nothing to
indicate that the feet and toes are anything but a singular kingdom
that has as one of its characteristics that it is loosely held
together. Therefore the statement by the Watchtower that "the ten
toes of the image represent all such coexisting powers and
governments" based on the idea that "in the Bible the number ten at
times signifies earthly completeness" is absolutely false.
Although the number 10 may at "TIMES" represent "EARTHLY
COMPLETENESS" they fail to show how the feet of the image
necessarily represents one of those "times".
But, it is still worthwhile to ponder over what "kingdom" the feet
might represent. Clearly the feet and toes represent the final
world power on earth. In Daniel Chapter 11 the final power on
earth is the King Of the North. The King of the South is not
mentioned again after the King of the North storms against the King
of the South in reaction to being pushed. In Revelation the final
head of the Chapter 13 beast is wounded, revives, and destroys
Babylon the Great. This revived wild beast is hurled alive into
the lake of fire.
We can sum up the characteristics of the final power on earth as
follows.
1. It will prove to be partly strong like iron and partly weak like
moist clay. It will not prove to be sticking together this one to
that one because they will lack homogeneity due to being mixed with
the offspring of mankind.
2. It will achieve its power over the whole earth after it recovers
from what appears as a death-blow. After it revives people will
wonder admiringly at its ability to still do battle.
3. It is significantly a NORTHERN kingdom.
Does this not describe Russia? Is it just a coincidence that
Russia the largest country in the world, with three-quarters of
its land mass north of the 50th parallel should also be described
with the following words:
"Within one week's time, in the summer of 1991, the 74-year-old
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics became a finished part of
history." _ Comptons On-Line Encyclopedia
What about the clay & iron feature of the final empire? Does that
fit USSR/RUSSIA?
We can look again to the Compton's On-Line Encyclopedia for a
description of Russia's so-called "Nationalities Problem".
"In an age of nationalism every nationality aspires to independent
statehood. The non-Russian peoples were appeased with a hierarchy
of administrative units. Fifteen were granted a soviet socialist
republic status that, according to the constitution, most resembled
that of a sovereign nation-state. Twenty others possessed the
status of an autonomous soviet socialist republic, which provided
some cultural autonomy. Still others were recognized as autonomous
oblasts or autonomous okrugs, designations that meant little beyond
an official acknowledgement of ethnic identity... The government
became less and less ethnically representative as a result of the
slow demographic growth of the ethnic Russians and the rapid growth
of the other ethnic groups, especially the Muslim groups in Central
Asia and elsewhere."
Once you sweep away Watchtower misunderstandings you end up with an
explanation that is eerily coherent.
