Every nation that has come upon the stage of action has been permitted to occupy its place on the earth, that the fact might be determined whether it would fulfill the purposes of the Watcher and the Holy One. Prophecy has traced the rise and progress of the world's great empires--Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. With each of these, as with the nations of less power, history has repeated itself. Each has had its period of test; each has failed, its glory faded, its power departed.

Hver eneste nation, som er kommet frem på historiens skueplads, har fået lov at indtage sin plads på jorden, for at det kunne blive konstateret, om den ville fuldbyrde Vægterens og den hellige Guds vilje. Profetien I har forudsagt de store verdensrigers opkomst og udvikling Babylons, Medo-Persiens, Grækenlands og Roms. Disse fire riger har ligesom jordens mindre nationer bekræftet, at historien gentager sig. De har, alle sammen haft deres prøvetid, og de har alle sammen svigtet og mistet deres glans og magt.