Strong
and Powerful Legs
(Signs of the Time - May 2005)
Every athlete knows that the strongest muscles can be found in the legs. The world record for the leg press is some two times that of the arms. The largest bone in the human body can also be found in the legs. Whatever the task, the legs are a fundamental resource in ensuring that the body can move between two points. It should therefore come as no surprise to anyone that the leg portion of Daniel’s image as described through Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is made of iron, one of the most durable and strongest metals known to mankind. As most Bible students understand, the leg portion of this image represents the powerful Roman Empire and its divided later phases. With the recent death of Pope John Paul II, this month’s article will examine the events surrounding the death and note that only divine intervention through a “stone cut without hands” will be able to topple this political/secular/religious colossus.
The Vatican
The Vatican is the smallest country in the world. This landlocked nation
is smaller than the Washington Mall with a population of less than 1,000
people. In order to become the head of the government, only Cardinals
being less than 80 years of age are entitled to elect a leader. Yet upon
the death of their leader, an estimated three million people filed past
his open casket.
Although the country is small, it should come as no surprise to anyone
that the funeral was attended by so many. The pope not only presides over
the Vatican, he also presides over one-billion Catholics around the globe.
The New York Times put it succinctly: “He reached out like no
other pope to Jews and Muslims, and political and religious leaders came
to the funeral from Israel and Saudi Arabia alike, even as the church
continued to view Jesus Christ as the only true mediator of salvation.”
Powerful legs, strong feet
The powerful legs in Daniel’s image continue today in the feet portion.
As has been witnessed by the recent passing of the pope and the outpouring
of compassion, the iron is still very much with us today. Not everyone
agrees with the pope’s teachings and beliefs, even within the Catholic
Church. However, for some strange reason, the iron seems to meld nicely
with the clay. By taking a stance against the United States invasion and
occupation of Iraq, he became friends with the Muslims; by reaching out
to the Jews through a childhood friend, he embraced the Jews; and by helping
convert Poland from an atheist State, he won over millions.
During his reign, John Paul reached out to Muslims like no other pope.
He was the first on record to step inside a mosque in Damascus in 2001,
and he apologized for past misdeeds of the church that may be read to
include the Crusades. As the Catholics move forward and seek a new Pope
the most paramount issue facing the new leader will be to continue embracing
the rising Muslim immigrant population in Europe.
The New York Times reported: “I would hope that in the future,
the way of dialogue would in fact increase and make inroads in the other
parts of Islam,” Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the
archbishop of Westminster, told reporters here last Wednesday. “That
needs to be done as a matter of urgency for the sake of peace in our world.”
It is impossible for any organization to argue against “world
peace” – therefore if it becomes the mandate of the new
papal leader to embrace Islam in the name of peace, then the iron will
indeed meld perfectly with the clay. It will only then be possible to
destroy the image through the divine guidance of a stone made without
hands.
Let us pray that this day may come quickly.
George Rayner