the Roman empire.  Napoleon was in Egypt fighting the Egyptian armies, which were led by Murat Bey, and which he defeated.  His victory not only struck terror to the Egyptians, but far into Africa and Asia, and all the surrounding tribes submitted to the great conqueror.  While he was doing this, the British in the north, under the leadership of Lord Nelson, were making an effective attack upon Napoleon’s forces at sea.  Napoleon began this Egyptian campaign in 1798, finished it and returned to France on October 1, 1799.  The campaign is briefly, yet graphically, described in the prophecy, verses 40 to 44; and being completed in 1799, marks, according to the Prophet’s own words, the beginning of the “time of the end”.

[396]From the time of the overthrow of Zedekiah (606 B.C.) and the establishment of the gentile universal empire under Nebuchadnezzar, the organizations of the world powers or governments have been designated in the Scriptures by God’s Prophet as “beasts”.  The prophet Daniel (7:7,8) describes “a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible”.  This terrible beast was a form of government composed of three elements or component parts, namely, professional politicians, great financiers, and ecclesiastical leaders.  This Satanic organization became dreadful and terrible from the time that these three forces were united.  Of this unholy trinity, we see the Papacy, the ecclesiastical element, in the saddle, riding and directing everything.  The date of its beginning was at the overthrow of the Ostrogothic monarchy, which occurred in A.D. 539.

[397]The prophet Daniel was given a vision of the events following, yet he did not understand them; and he says:  “I looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.  And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?  And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half.” (Daniel 12:5-7) In Biblical symbology a time means a year of twelve months of thirty days each, or 360 days.  Each day is considered for a year, as the Prophet says:  “I have appointed thee each day for a year”. (Ezekiel 4:6) Here are mentioned, then, three and a half times of 360 prophetic days each, or a total of 1260 prophetic days, equal to 1260 years.  The Prophet then was shown that the 1260 years would mark the beginning of the time of the end of this beastly order.  Twelve-hundred sixty years from A.D. 539 brings us to 1799—­another proof that 1799 definitely marks the beginning of “the time of the end”.  This also shows that it is from the date 539 A.D. that the other prophetic days of Daniel must be counted.