07_07 Repetition of Prophecy

Document #07_07, though very small, confronts the obvious problem. How can we
know that a prophecy may be used more than once in history? Have theologians
missed a major clue from Daniel 2’s Metal Image Man? We say that the two arms of the image reveals the two powers that make up that part of history. They refer to the Medes and the Persians. Does the fact that there are two legs also have meaning?

The Repetition of Prophecy Principle

Edited From footnote in “God Cares,” page 248, written by Mervyn Maxwell

The “little horn” of Daniel 8 (only in Daniel 8:9) represents Rome in two phases.

1) the Pagan Roman Empire , and, 2) the Christian Roman Church, [the Spiritual Roman Empire or Holy Roman Empire].
Necessarily, the “transgression that maketh desolate” (Daniel 8:13), also has a 2 phase fulfillment:

1) the military attack by pagan Roman soldiers on Jerusalem in A.D.70, leaving the temple totally destroyed, [“…for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate.” Daniel 9:27] and,

2) the long-continued spiritual teachings of Papal Rome, deflecting worshippers away from Christ’s priesthood in the heavenly Sanctuary to its own substitute priesthood. [The phrase “the abomination that maketh desolate” (Daniel 11:31; 12:11) is, in this case, that erroneous system of worship – set up in 508 A.D. and made oppressive in 538 A.D. by Emperor Justinian’s decree.]

[see Ezekiel, chapter 8 for details of the abominations received into Jerusalem].
Such abominations have been received into the Papal church and her daughters!

The above is a principle for a repeat of prophecies concerning the two phases of the Roman Empire, symbolized by the 2 legs of the image of Daniel 2. As the two arms symbolized 2 kingdoms, the Medes and the Persians, so the two legs symbolize Pagan and Papal Rome.

Jesus prophesied, Luke 21, verse 20: “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed
with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.” This was fulfilled by the Roman attack on Jerusalem and Judea in A.D. 70. Daniel 9:27.

Matthew 24, verse 15, however, pointed to a second event, yet to happen, which will be a repeat of that prophecy in our near future; the abomination that maketh desolate spoken of by Daniel the prophet (Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11) having been just “set up” in A.D. 508!

A further repeat of prophecy regarding the 2 phases of the Roman Empire is that
concerning the Trumpets of Revelation, chapters 8 and 9.

The Pagan Roman Empire was broken up into the 10 divisions of the 10 “horns” in the 1st fulfillment of that prophecy. The (Spiritual) Holy Roman Empire will be broken up even more terribly: (the “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.” – Daniel 12:1) in the 2nd fulfillment of that prophecy!

Principle: “History repeats itself,” as type and antitype.

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