Page 76 - New English Book L

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Nevertheless, the Angel who interprets the vision does
not stop to explain with details the first three kingdoms as
he does when he comes to the fourth beast. Here he enters
with emphasis into details. Here the scene in the vision is
magnified. The beast is practically a monster and a huge
demon. This is the formidable Roman Empire. The ten
horns are the ten Emperors of Rome who persecuted the
early Christians. Turn the pages of any Church history for
the first three centuries down to the time of the so-called
conversion of Constantine the Great, and you will read
nothing but the horrors of the famous “Ten Persecutions.”

So far, all these four beasts represent the “Power of
Darkness,” namely, the Kingdom of Satan, idolatry.

In this connection let me divert your attention to a
luminous truth embodied in that particularly important
article of the Faith of Islam: “The Good and Evil are from
Allah.” It will be remembered that the old Persians believed
in a “Duality of Gods,” or, in other words, the Principle
of Good and Light, and the other the Principle of Evil
and Darkness; and that these eternal beings were eternal
enemies. It will be observed that among the four beasts the
Persian Power is represented by the figure of a bear, less
ferocious than, and not so carnivorous as, the other three;
and what is more: inasmuch as it can roam upon its hind
legs it resembles man - at least from some distance.

In all the Christian theological and religious literature I
have read, I have never met with a single statement of phrase
similar to this article of the Muslim Faith: God is the real
author of good and evil. This article of the Muslim Faith,
as the contrary, is extremely repugnant to the Christian
religion, and a source of hatred against the religion of Islam.
Yet, this very doctrine is explicitly announced by God to
Cyrus, whom He calls His “Christ.” He wants Cyrus to
know that there is no god besides Him, and declares: