The Missing Link – Part 2

TimeWatch Editorial
January 17, 2017

In my continued look at the subject of the missing link, I came across a paragraph in Stephen N Haskell’s “The Story of Daniel the Prophet” on page 63 that is a reflection of the lasting effect of past civilizations. If you remember, we ended part 1 of this editorial with a quote from Stephen Haskell that makes the point that even though the dominance of Babylon and Medo Persia ended, their influence did not diminish. If fact, the same pattern has continued even to our time. Listen to this:

“Nations and peoples to-day, unconscious of their origin, are perpetuating Babylonian religious customs when they celebrate Christmas with feasting, lighted candles, holly, and mistletoe. It is in commemoration of Babylonian heathen gods that they eat eggs on Easter; and even the wild capers of Hallowe'en repeat the mysteries of Babylon. The root was not destroyed; her religious principles have sprung up afresh in every generation and borne fruit in every country.”Stephen N Haskell, “The Story of Daniel the Prophet” p. 63.

What is also significant is the continued influence that has perpetuated itself in almost all our areas of life. Listen to how Haskell continues.

“The influence of Babylon in educational lines was no less marked than her influence in government and religion, and the educational root of the tree was as vigorous as the others. We are in the habit of tracing the educational system of the world to Greece or Egypt; its principles are older than Greece. They belong to Babylon. The prominence given this phase of Babylonian life by the Spirit of God in the book of Daniel, and the fact that the leading educators and educational institutions of the world were brought in direct contact with the more simple principles of true education every time the Hebrews met the Chaldeans and wise men, shows the place which education occupies both in the false kingdoms of which Babylon is a type, and in the true, which the Hebrew government represented.” Stephen N Haskell, “The Story of Daniel the Prophet” p. 63.

All this might appear mysterious at first, until you recognize the continued sway of the same agenda cloaked in changing social systems. With each passing kingdom, the consolidation of the lifestyle becomes even more entrenched.

“The so-called "higher education" of to-day, which exalts the science of the world above the science of salvation; which sends forth students bearing worldly credentials, but not recognized in the books of heaven, students who love display, who are filled with pride, selfishness, and self-esteem, -- this education is a plant which has sprung from that broad root which supported the tree representing the Babylonian dominion.” Stephen N Haskell, “The Story of Daniel the Prophet” p. 63.

If Persia absorbed the culture of Babylon, and Greece absorbed the culture of Persia, then it is clear that Rome was described as “a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible,” because it was a cultural compilation of the beasts that preceded it.

“The three preceding powers were symbolized by three of the mightiest beasts of the earth, but when the fourth beast was considered, there was no animal with a character to represent its terrible nature; so a beast without name having iron teeth, brass nails, and ten horns, was presented to the prophet. Rome in religion renewed all the religious errors of Babylon, and in education she perpetuated the errors of Greece, while in cruelty she followed in the footsteps of Media and Persia.” Stephen N Haskell, “The Story of Daniel the Prophet” p. 106

So by the fall of the Roman Empire in A.D 476, the western leg of the Empire was the portion that was transformed into what we now know to be Europe. If you notice, however, in Daniel chapter 2, there are two legs to the image. Both legs of iron, iron being the symbol used to represent pagan Rome. What is often overlooked is the fact that according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Byzantium, or Eastern Rome, or the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, is described as the having survived for a thousand years after the western half had crumbled into various feudal kingdoms and which finally fell to Ottoman Turkish onslaughts in 1453.

This is where we will begin to look at the missing link that connects the events of the past with the actions taking place in Russia today. For, as we have indicated, when the Western half of the Roman Empire fell to the Germanic tribes, the Eastern half did not. The Eastern portion was called “The New Rome.” According to the History.com Website,

“During the late 10th and early 11th centuries, under the rule of the Macedonian dynasty founded by Michael III’s successor, Basil, the Byzantine Empire enjoyed a golden age. Though it stretched over less territory, Byzantium had more control over trade, more wealth and more international prestige than under Justinian. The strong imperial government patronized the arts, restored churches, palaces and other cultural institutions and promoted the study of ancient Greek history and literature. Greek became the official language of the state, and a flourishing culture of monasticism centered on Mount Athos in northeastern Greece. Monks administered many institutions (orphanages, schools, hospitals) in everyday life, and Byzantine missionaries won many converts to Christianity among the Slavic peoples of the central and eastern Balkans (including Bulgaria and Serbia) and Russia.”Byzantine Empire, History.com Website

What is clearly revealed is the fact that even though the Byzantine Empire was not as globally influential as the Roman Empire in its early days, the culture, learning and pursuits of the Byzantine Empire was the same as the Roman. As you have seen in the quote taken from the History.com website, the religious influence was based upon the same foundations.

We will continue in our next Editorial.

Cameron A. Bowen