DUKE UNIVERSITY DIVINITY SCHOOL LIBRARY ->!^*%i=S^ i^iVi'tiuT Qalesville. wis-----'' ? 1 1 ^iiXiiUR F. QIERE, ^alesville. Wisconsin "THE TIME OF THE END: }f A PROPHETIC PERIOD, DEVELOPING, AS PREDICTED, AN INCREASE OF KNOWLEDGE BESPECTINO C()C gropljcrifs anJr |)friflijs tliat foretell tijc €r(t: ILLUSTRATED BY THE HISTORY OF PROPHETIC INTERPRETATION", THE EXPECT- ATION OF THE CHURCH, AND THE VARIOUS COMPUTATIONS OF THE TIMES OF DANIEL AND JOHN, BY COMMENTA- TORS, WHO (JENEKALLY TERMINATE THEM BETWEEN A. D. 1830 AND 1880. ALSO , "OUR PRESENT POSITION IN THE PROPHETIC CALENDAR," WITH HIS " APOCALYPTIC SEVEN-SEALED SCROLL," BY THE KEV. E. B. ELLIOTT, A. M. ; LECT[JRES OX THE NATURE AND NEARNESS OF THE ADVENT, BY THE REV. JOHN CUMMLNG, D.D.; LECTURES ON THE NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH, BY DE. CHALMEnS, DE. HITCIICOCK, AND JOHN WESLEY; AND THE TESTIMONY OF MORE THAN ^-^7^ ONE HUNDllED WITNESSES ^ — AGAINST THK MODERN WllITBYAN THEORY OF A MILLENNIUM BEFORE THE ADVENT. BY A CONGREGATIONALIST. 1 to th« Time of tbe Eod : xo&nj ihkll nia to and fro, and Ed BOSTON: PL^LTSIIED BY JOHN P. JEWETT AND CO^IPANY. CLEVELAND, 0.: JEWETT, PROCTOR & WORTHINGTON, NEW TOKK: SHELDON, LA51P0RT & BLAKEMAN. LONDON : TRUliXKH i. CO. 18 5G. Kntered acconling to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by JOHN P. JKWETT ii CO., In the Clerk'3 OUice of tlie Liistrict Couit for the District of Massachusetts. ^51 GALE COLLEGE LfBRARY CAMBRIDGE: AILEN AND FARMIAM, PKINTEKS. Stereotyped by HOUART k ROBBINS, New England Tvpe and Stereotype Fouodcrj, BOSTON. Div. S. GALE COLLESE ,. PREFACE The cause of truth, doubtless, has often been greatly injured by much that has been written on the subject of prophecy. And the confidence of many in the possibility of any correct inter- pretation has been greatly weakened by the failure of desig- nated times, — sometimes based on fanciful conjectures, or dog- matically maintained and ill-advised speculations, which have only served to bring the study of prophecy into disrepute. The design of this volume is not to bestow censure on the well-meant endeavors of mistaken expositors ; but it is to awaken new interest in the predictions of the future, respecting which there exists in the church a remarkable and alarming indiflfer- ence, that is hardly reconcilable with the love for Christ's return which the Scriptures inculcate. If the position here maintained be correct, — viz., that " the Time of the End" is a period to pre- cede the end, during which prophecies previously obscure or misinterpreted were to be unsealed for the edification of the church, the knowledge of which, respecting the close of the present and the ushering in of a new dispensation, was to be gradually but surely increased, — then it can hardly be doubted that we are within this predicted period ; and hence the import- ance of awakening the church to a realizing sense of her true position, which should be like that of a bride awaiting the return of her absent but soon-expected spouse. 418459 IV PREFACE. In aid of this object, there is here given a condensed view of the history of prophetic interpretation, the erroneous expecta- tions which have prevailed, the various computations of the pro- phetic periods which have attracted the attention of any consid- erable portion of the church, and valuable selections from the writings of divines, and others, whose opinions are worthy of consideration. There is thus presented, in a small compass, a condensed view of the light which has been shed on the subject of unfulfilled prophecy, which shows that we are surely nearing the port of earth's destiny. It is a significant fact, that all the computations of prophetic times, by the several commentators, terminate within a compara- tively limited period. While no man should dogmatize on a subject of human speculation, if it be admitted that the periods teach anything, this near agreement must show that we are in the neighborhood of their end. On this point, the chapter from Mr. Elliott on " Our Present Position in the Prophetic Calendar," and the views of Dr. Gumming, may be read with great profit. Respecting the events which are then to transpire, the testimony of more than one hundred witnesses, many of whom are honored as the fathers of the church, shows that her voice has been anything but uniform in support of the dreams' of victory and ease, during her Lord's absence, with which she is now solacing herself, instead of with the hope of her Lord's return. And the arguments advanced by Drs. Chalmers and Hitchcock, and by the celebrated Wesley, in evidence of the renewal of this mate- rial earth, and the prominent place which it has ever had in the faith of the church as the home of the redeemed, entitle this subject to the candid and serious examination of all lovers of truth. BosToiT, Sept. 1855. INDEX. Paje. Abstract of Dr. CumminR's Lectures, . 195 Age of the World, by Cbronologcrs, . . 155 Alleine, Joseph, 321 Anabaptists, 40 Anderson, Rev. William, 348 Apocalypse, an Unveiling of Prophecy, 21 Apocalypse, a Key to Daniel, .... 47 Aretius, of Berne, 65 Auriol, llcv. Kdward, 362 Bale, Bishop John, of Ossory, Ireland, 38 Baxter, llicliard, 319 Bengal, James Albert, 49 Benson, George, D.D., 325 Bickersteth, Kev. Edward, .... 77, 368 Birks, Kev. T. R., 366 Bonar, Rev. Andrew, 352 Bonar, Rev. Iloratius, D.D., LL.D., . 350 Bonar, Rev. James, 350 Bradford, John, 306 Brock, Rev. Muurant, 371 Brooks, Rev. J. W., 298, 365 Bryant, Rev. Alfred, 67, 3S8 Bunyan, John, 338 Burnet, Thomas, D.D., 310 Burroughs, Jeremiah, D.D., 315 Bush, I'rof. George, 4t5 Butler, Bishop Joseph, 312 Calvin, John, 300, 304 Candlish, Rev. Robert S., 348 Carlton, Rev. Hiram, 393 Cause of Supposing the End Near, . . 8 Chalmers, Rev. Thos., D.D., LL.D., 251, 347 Charles, Landgrave of Ilesse, .... 381 Charnock, Stephen, D.D., 323 Christian Fathers all Millen.-irians, . 27 Christ's Advent I're-millennial, . . . 161 Chronology, Tabular Schemes of, . . . 113 Church, no Expectation came to Crisis, 29 " it became A))ostate, 29 Chyrtrasus, Rev. David, D.D., .... 65 Cogswell, Rev. William, D.D., .... 66 Coke, Rev. Thomas, LL.D., 345 Coming Events Revealed, 8 Cox, Rev. John 341 Cranmer, Archbishop Thomas, . . . . 307 Crisis, Expectation of one Impending, . 7 Cumming, Rev. John, D.D., .... 70, 159 Cuninghame, William, 59,374 Dallas, Rev. Alexander, 3G7 Dalton, Rev. W., 365 Davenant, Bishop John, D.D., .... 309 Davenport, Rev. John, 329 Decline of .Millenarian Views, .... 28 Destiny of the Earth, 272 1* 44P459 Diagram of Prophetic Periods, .... 116 Discoveries Providentially Revealed, . 39 Duffield, Rev. George, D.D., 387 Duraut, John, 317 Eliot, Rev. John, 330 Elliott, Rev. E. B., 77 " the Concluding Chapter of his Uora; Apoctalyptica, ... 89 Epoch of the Reformation, 33 " " A. D. 1836, 48 " " " 1843, 4, 56 " " " 1847 69 " » " 1864—6, 65 " " " 1868, 77 " " " 1S73, 79 " " " 1880, 80 Expectation in the Tenth Century, . . 31 Falter, Rev. George Stanley, 68 Fairbairn, Rev. Patrick, .... 353, 399 Fifth Jlonarchy Men, 40 First Prophetic Discovery of Luther, . 34 Fletcher, Rev. John, 344 Fox, Rev. II. W., 395 Fox, the Martyrologist, 65 Freemantle, Rev. R. W., 367 Future Destiny of the Earth, .... 272 Gale, Theophilus, 310 George, Duke of Manchester, .... 373 Gilfillan, Rev. George, 353 Gill, Rev. John, D.D., 339 Gootlhart, Rev. C. J., 364 Goodwin, Thomas, D.D., 310 Gregory of Oxford, 25 Griffin, Rev. Edward, D.D., 286 Grosse, A. 317 Ilabershon, Rev. Matthew, .... 59, 375 Hales, Rev. William, D.D., LL.D., . . 80 Half-Centurv of Expectation, .... 48 Hall, Rev. Robert, 341 Hamilton, Rev. James, D.D., .... 356 Henshaw, Rt. Kev. John P., . . 295, 384 Henry, Matthew, 324 Herschcl, Rev. Ridley n., 381 Hewitson, Rev. W. H., 348 Hill, Rev. Thomas, 36S Hitchcock, Rev. Edward, D.D., LL.D., 272 Hoare, Rev. E., 370 Hooper, Rev. John, 373 Hopkins, Rt. Rev. John H., 384 Howe, John, .. . .' . ^ 324 Imbrie^v. Oliajfts ».,' ; 7 v < . . 387 Israel, the Hoiife of, . 39» yGAl^i' GOLL'E--' VI INDEX. Janeway, James, 323 Knapp, 2S4 Knox, 303. Latimer, Bishop Hugh, 37, 305 Lord, Rev. Nathan, D.D., 388 Lord, Rev. Jolin King, 390 Lord, David N., 393 Lord, Eleazer, 394 Lowrie, Rev. Walter, 395 Lutlier, Martiu, 34, 37, 301 Macdonald, Rev. R., 349 Maitland, Rev. CD., 357 Mather, Rev. Cotton, D.D., 333 Jtatlier, Rev. Increase, 332 Matlier, Rev. Samuel, 331 Maton, Robert, 309 Mcllvaine, Rt. Rev. C. P., 384 McNeile, Rev. Hugh, D.D., . . . 35S, 398 Mede, Joseph, D.U., 25, 309 Melancthon, Philip, 35, 303 Menasse, 25 Midnight Cry, 45 Millenarians Expelled by the Papists, 30 Miller, Hugh, 374 Miller, William, 57, 386 Misapprehensions Corrected, .... 19 Nearness of the End, 34, 245 Newcorae, Archbishop William, D.D., . 313 New Heavens and Earth, 249 Newton, Sir Isaac, 314 Newton, Bishop Thomas, D.D., .... 312 Noel, Hon. and Rev. Gerard T., . ■ . 359 Open Book, the Symbol of ..... . 33 Pareus, David, 65 Philo, 284 Philpot, Rev. B., 370 Poor, Rev. Daniel, D.D., 396 Prince, Rev. Thomas, 335 Prophecies Foreshadowing the End, . 17 Prophecy, not understood till near its Eulfilment, 14 " Unsealed by the Apocalypse, 21 " Indifference to displeasing, 23 Prophetic Calendar, our Position in, . 88 Prophetic Periods necessarily obscure to the Early Christians 23 Pym, Rev. William, 362 Reformation, the Epoch of 33 " under the Sixth Trumpet, 37 Richards, Rev. John, D.D., ..... 392 Ridley, Bishop Nicholas , 306 Rudd, Sayer, 325 Rutherford, Rev. Samuel 327 Sabine, Charles, 376 Sander, Rev. Frederic, 64 Say brook Platform, 335 Scott, Rev. Thomas, D.D., 65 Schemes of Chronology, 113 Sermon by Rev. Thomas Chalmers, . 251 " " Rev. John Wesley, .... 204 Seven Thunders uttered their Voices, . 43 Shimeal,Rev. R. C, 60 Signs of the Second Advent, 173 Sirr, Rev. Joseph D'Arcy, 357 Six Thousand Years, the expected Peri- od of the World's Duration, ... 24 Spaulding, Rev. Joshua, 335 Sterry, Peter, 316 Stuart, Rev. James Haldane, .... 369 Stuart, Prof. Moses, 46 Symbol of the Open Book, 33 Tabular Schemes of Chronology, . . . 113 Taylor, Bishop Jeremy, .... 300, 310 Testimony of the Reformers, 301 " " Martyrs of the Church, 305 " " Old English Divines, . 309 " " Westminster Divines, 314 " " Old English Dissent- ers, 317 " " Early N. Eng. Divines, 329 " " Baptist Divines, . . 337 " " Methodist Divines, . 343 " " Scotch Presbyterians, 346 " " Min's of the Eng. Ch., 351 " « English Laymen, . . 373 " " Am. Epis. Divines, . 384 " " Pres. and Congrega- tionalists, 387 " " Missionaries, .... 394 The Moslem and his End, 219 " Temporal Millennium a Novelty, . 295 " Time of the End a Subject of Prophecy, 14 " Time, the Shortening of, .... 36 , " Time not then, 43 " Word to be again Preached, . . 44 Tholuck, 282, 285 Those who Sleep in Jesus, 297 Thorp, William, 376 Toplady, Rev. Augustus Montague, . 326 Truth, Applicable to each Age, .... 15 Twisse, William, D.D., 315 Tyndal 300 Tyng, Rev. Stephen W., D.D., ... 385 Usher, Archbishop James, D.D., . . 309 Views of Luther and the Reformers, . 35 Views of Dr. John Gumming, .... 159 Villiers, Hon. and Rev. H. Slontague, 361 Vincent, Thomas, 318 *\Valley, Rev. Thomas, 330 Ward, Rev. F. De W., 390 Watchman, what of the Night ? . . . 7 Watson, Thomas, 319 Watts, Rev. Isaac, D.D., 325 Watts, Rev. J., 34B Wesley, Rev. John, 54,343 Wesley, Rev. Charles, 343 While the Bridegroom Tarried, &c., . . 31 Whiston, Rev. William, 65 Whitby, Rev. Daniel, D.D., .... 296 Whiting. Rev. Samuel, 330 Wickes, Rev. Thomas, 393 Winthrop, Rev. Edward, 385 Wolf, Rev. Joseph, 63 Wood, Hans, 56 Woodward, Rev. Henry, 361 Year-Day, Principle of Interpretation, 45 THE TIME OF THE END. " I heard, but I understood not : then said I, my Lord, what shall be the cud of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel, for the WORDS ARE CLOSED UP AND SEALED TILL TUE TIME OF THE EXD. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried ; but the wicked shall do •wickedly : and none of the wicked shall understand ; but the wise shall understand." — Daniel 12 : 8 — 10. That Ministers of the Gospel are the Lord's Watchmen, and that it is incumbent on them carefully to familiarize themselves with the teachings of the Sacred Oracles, and to bear to the church and world, as Ambassadors of Christ, a fiiithful testimony of what is therein inculcated, will hardly be denied by any regenerated believer in Inspiration. " For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go set a Watchman, let him declare what he seeth." — Isa. 21: 6, Of such, multitudes of anxious listeners arc now seriously inquiring, '•' Watchman, what of the Night ? " Is that inquiry a reasonable one, or do those inquired of satisfy the obligations devolving on them, when such in- quiries are left unheeded ? THE EXPECTATION GENERAL, THAT A CRISIS IS IMPENDING. That this world is verging towards a momentous crisis, is testified to by men in every walk and department of life. Endeavor to divest themselves of the impression as they may, they cannot shake off the conviction that events of unprecedented importance are impending, which may change and revolutionize the whole framework of society. Men may not be agreed as to the natnre of these ; but, whatever their views respecting the future, they express themselves in similar phraseology, and unite in denominating the era iDALE COLLEGE LIBRARY 8 THE TIME OF THE END. in Avhich we live as one that is to be terminated by " the sounding of the seventh trumpet," "the binding of the Great Red Dragon," "the regeneration," "the pouring out of the Apocalyptic Vials," " the battle of Armaged- don," &c. &c.,— terms -which inspiration and the faith of the church have ever connected with the ushering in of the millennium. Are all these voluntary utterances meaning- less expressions and idle rhetorical flourishes, designed merely to amuse the hearer or reader ? or are they solemn expressions of honest and serious convictions ? And if so, whence come these convictions, and whence originates the impression, everywhere encountered, that events of start- ling importance, and Avorld-wide interest, are about to transpire ? Can they be other than the premonitions which God, by His providence and grace, grants to His children when about to perform any marvellous work ? GOD REVEALS COMING EVENTS. No truth of inspiration can be more clearly enunciated than that " Surely the Lord God doeth nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants, the prophets." — Amos 3 : 7. He does not necessarily do this by a special revelation, nor by visible manifestations, — His communica- tions with men being different in different ao;es of the world. " God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son." (Hcb. 1 : 1, 2.) And the prophets by whom He now speaks are the faithful men who are called in His providence, and qualified by His grace, to become "ambassadors for Christ;" and He re- vealeth His secrets to them by moving them to the study, and enlightening them to comprehend the import, of the " Sure Word of Prophecy, whereunto," says an inspired apostle, "ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day- star arise in your hearts." It is not to be truthfully disputed that, during the last half-century, the attention of the church has been called to the study of the prophetic Scriptures, in a manner never before witnessed, and with an intensity and earnestness of investigation that is irreconcilable with any theory that GOD REVEALS COMING EVENTS. denies that God is thus moving upon the people, and pre- paring His chosen ones for some manifestation of His deal- ings Avith them, the nature of Avhich can only be known by a careful and prayerful study of His Word. That He should thus give admonition of the future is in harmony with the record of all His past doings. Said the Rev. John Hooper : " As God is one^ having one will and one purpose, so His dealing with mankind has ever been the same. What He was to man at the beginning, and what He was to him in after ages, that He is now and ever will be ; ' Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever : ' He changeth not, neither can change. To this the Psalmist beareth witness, saying, ' Thy memorial, 0, Lord, endureth throughout all ages.' Now, one great feature in God^s deal- ing towards His people is, that He revealeth himself to them according to the age in which they live, and according to their need in their day and generation, that they, know- ing His will and purpose concerning them, might worship Him truly and serve Him acceptably, and so be prepared for greater manifestations of His glory, and dwell forever in His presence."' — Apoc, p. 12. In accordance wntli this principle, when man had flillen from the created innocence in which God had placed him, one of God's first acts towards him was to reveal His pur- pose of redemption, by the triumph of the Seed of the woman over the head of the serpent. When the wickedness of man had become great on the earth, and it was necessary to destroy all flesh by a flood of waters, God revealed His purpose to Noah, and instructed him to build an ark, so that as many as believed might enter in, and be saved from the coming judgment. During one hundred and twenty years the long-suffering of God then waited, and men doubt- less were faithfully admonished and entreated ; and though the unbelieving multitude knew not the nearness of the judgment till the flood came and swept them all away, yet those that believed were in the secret of God, entered into the ark at the appointed time, and were all saved. At a later period, when the nations had become sunk into idolatry, and Abraham, apparently, was alone faithful, God commu- nicated His purpose to make his seed a blessing to all the 10 THE TIiME OF THE END. nations of the earth, revealed the length of their sojourn- ings, and made known the time of their restoration. When the destruction of -wicked Sodom was determined on, the Lord said (Gen. 18 : 17), " Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him ? " And due notice was given to righteous Lot, who, with his daughters, Avas pre- served ; and none, even in that guilty city, perished without due warning. When "the time of the promise drew nigh which God had sworn unto Abraham " (Acts 7 : 17), we find the children of Israel (Ex. 1 : 23) sighing by reason of their bondage, and crying unto God for deliverance. We also find that Moses was divinely moved to visit his breth- ren, supposing they " would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them; but they understood not," till the period of their Egyptian servitude was more nearly fulfilled : when Moses spake unto them the words of Jeho- vah and performed wonders in their sight, and " the people believed." This was a prerequisite for their deliverance; and so (Ex. 12: 41) "it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the self-same day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt." As we come down through the periods of Jewish history, and it became necessary to punish them for their transgressions (2 Ch. 36 : 15), "the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because He had compassion " on them. When ' ' they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words," so that His wrath "arose against His people, till there was no remedy," they w"ere graciously informed of the duration of their punishment, — that it was to be in Babylon for seventy years. As what is once writ- ten needs no repetition by a special revelation, so the record of Jeremiah (25 : 11) was amply sufficient to make known the end of the Babylonish servitude. And, accordingly, we read that Daniel (9: 2) "understood by books the number of years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem ; " and, therefore, he set his heart towards God to seek its accomplishment. To GOD REVEALS COMING EVENTS. 11 him also was made known (Dan. 9 : 25 — 27) '"that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and three-score and two weeks," of symbolic time, or four hundred and eighty-three years. And in just that period from the date of the decree wliich Artaxerxes the king gave to the priest Ezra (7: 11), we hear " a voice from heaven (Matt. 3: 17) saying, This is my beloved Son in Avhom I am well ple;ised." And the Saviour affirms the accuracj'^ of the prediction when he declares (Mark 1 : 15), "77«e time is fuIJUhd^ and the kingdom of God is at hand : repent ye, and believe the Gospel."' Previous to the appearing of our Lord, there were those among the Jews who understood from the Scriptures that the time of Ilis advent drew near, and who were " waiting for the con- solation of Israel." To one of these, the "just and devout " Simeon (Luke 2 : 26), " it was revealed that he should not see death till he had seen the Lord's Christ." And there was a widow, also (v. CG), "one Anna, a prophetess," "of about four-score and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day," who "spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." Not only (Matt. 13: 17) " many righteous men desired " to see His day, but the opinion was so general, that when the Baptist preceded Him, Luke 3 : 15, " the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or no." Nor was the belief confined to Palestine, that some remarkable personage was about \o appear in Judea. Says Suetonius, a Roman historian, "An ancient and set- tled persuasion prevailed throughout the East, that the Fates had decreed some one to proceed from Judea, who should attain universal empire." And Tacitus, another Roman historian, says, " Many were persuaded that it was contained in the ancient books of their priests, that at that very time the East should prevail, and that some one should proceed from Judea, and possess the dominion." When He came, the glad tidings of His birth were announced by angelic voices to shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks by night ; and wise men, recognizing His star in the east, came to woi-ship Him. A forerunner was sent 12 THE TIME OF THE END, to prepare the vfaj before Him ; and those who received Him not were rejected, " because," as He said to Jerusa- lem (Luke 19: 44), " thou knewest not the time of thy visitation." When He laid down His life, He first revealed, not only to His disciples, but to the entire nation, that in three days He should rise again ; and when He ascended on high. He left the promise of the bestowal of the Holy Spirit, till the reception of which the disciples were com- manded to tarry at Jerusalem. If these illustrations are not sufficient, we have on record the Saviour's prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem during the continuance of the gen- eration that rejected Him, which was fulfilled in less than forty years subsequent to His crucifixion. And, that the Christians living in Judea might escape its impending doom, they were told (Luke 21: 20) that when they should " see Jerusalem encompassed with armies," or, in other language (as in Matt. 24: 15), "the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the holy place," they were to "flee to the mountains;" which admonition they heeded, and escaped safe to Pella. Such is the testimony of inspiration respecting the uni- form dealings of God with His people in past ages ; in view of which, is it to be supposed that an unchangeable Being should pursue an opposite policy respecting events of the future, particularly when that future is to witness the "crowning consummation of all prophetic declarations"? Under every dispensation, the near coming of every great event has been known to His people. In every important instance He has told them what He was about to do ; so that none of them were ignorant of it, or unprepared for it, who regarded His revelations respecting it — those only being left in darkness who disregarded and wickedly closed their eyes and ears to the instruction which God gave them. Therefore it cannot be that God will withhold from His people, in any age, such knowledge of their own times as is needed for their serving Him acceptably in the perform- ance of the duties pertaining to their respective age. And that He would not do so respecting the time of the closing of the present, and the ushering in of the Millennial dis- pensation, may be clearly inferred from the considerations already presented. THE OBSCURITY OF PROPHECY. 13 PROPHECY NOT UNDERSTOOD TILL NEAR ITS FULFILMENT. It is not in accordance with God's providential dealings to suppose that the epoch of the occurrence of events should be /////// known for a long period previous to their fulfil- ment : for such knowledge is not needed by those who live in earlier periods of tlie worhl's history. Forty years before the deliverance of Israel from Eg^'^pt (Acts 7 : 25), "they understood not '' that God would deliver them by the hand of INIoscs. When Daniel inquired respecting the end of wonders that extended to the resurrection, he was told (Dan. 12: 9) that "the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end." And when (1 Pet. 1 : 10—12) " proph- ets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you : searching what, or what man?icT of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand of the suffer- ings of Christ, and t/ic glory that should follow^'' it was revealed unto them, " that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister." The declaration that the words were sealed up till "the time of the end," implies that, at the period referred to, the obscurity, in which they might be shrouded from the under- standing of those living in previous ages, would be pene- trated, so that their import should be no longer a sealed mystery. Not only so, but, in the context, it is expressly declared (Dan. 12:4) that, at the time or period of the end, "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."' And it is also added (v. 10), that " many shall be purified and made white, and tried : but the wicked shall do wickedly : and none of the wicked shall understand : but the wise shall understand." That which they were to understand was that which was to be closed up and sealed till that period of understanding should arrive, and which, by its being denominated a ''time,'' may, perhaps, be un- dei-stood as comprising a period of three hundred and sixty years,* commencing, not unlikely, with the Protestant reform- * If the date of the Reformation be 1517, a time, oi' three hundred and sixty years, carries us to 1877, the period within which the mystery of God should be finished. — jRci'. Edward Bickcrstcth's Practical Guide to the Prophecies. 9 14 THE TIME OF THE END. ation, during whicli knowledge was to be disseminated, and to be continually increased by the running to and fro of many, — their running to and fro being not a movement in space, but put by substitution for the various and often contradictory interpretations which should be advanced, each serving to call attention and adding interest to the subject, until the true light should have gradually dawned on the minds of believers, Avho should earnestly give themselves to the study of unfulfilled prophecy. For (Prov. 18 : 15) '*the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge;" and, said the prophet (Hos. 14: 9), "Who is wise, and he shall under- stand these things; prudent, and he shall know them ? " Such will delight in the study of *'the things Avhich shall be revealed.'' THE TIME OF THE END A SUBJECT OP PROPHECY. That the period of the advent will be known, may not only be inferred fi-om the analogy of God's providence in past ages, but it is clearly demonstrable from the testimony of Holy Writ. When inquired of by His disciples, JMatt. 24 : 3, " What shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world ?" the Saviour told them the signs that should precede those events. And though (v. 36) "of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in heaven, but my Father only," so that none may presump- tuously dogmatize respecting particular dates, yet in refer- ence to the signs He had given, He said (vs. 32, 33), " Now learn a parable of the fig-tree : When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh ; so Ukeivise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." Or, as Luke expresses it (21 : 28), "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemp- tion draweth nigh." They would know^ enough of its near- ness to induce Avatchfulness and a preparation for the event; but their knowledge Avould not be sufiiciently definite to make it safe to postpone the event, in their own minds, to a period beyond any present moment ; and so the Saviour said (Matt. 24: 42, 44), " Watch therefore : for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. . . . Therefore be ye also ready : for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of TRUTH APPLICABLE TO ITS OWN AGE. 15 man cometli." But, while (1 Th. 5 : 24) " the day of the Lord so Cometh as a thief in the night," " sudden destruc- tion Cometh ' only on those who "shall say peace and safety: '" Avliich Christ's children will not do: for, address- ing them, the apostle says, " Ye, brethren, are not in dark- ness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of the light and the children of the day ; •\ve arc not of the night nor of the darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober." Thus the nearness of the end was to be known for a period previous to its occurrence ; and not only so, but ignorance or indifference respecting its approach may be attended with serious consequences ; for, otherwise, there Avould be little significancy in the Saviour's admonition (Luke 21 : 34 — 3(J), '• Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunk- enness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon 3^ou iiuavmres. For as a snare shall it come," not on those who know that their redemption draweth nigh, but '^ on all them tliat dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man," — of whom Paul says (Heb. 9 : 28), that, "Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto sal- vation." Thus Christians were expected to live (Titus 2 : 13), " looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious ap- pearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." THE TRUTH APPLICABLE TO EACH AGE IMPERATIVE ON THAT AGE. "While no truth is to be neglected in the dispensation of the Word, it is particularly the duty of Christ's ambassa- dors, and it is made imperative on them, to instruct the church and make known to the world, in a more emphatic manner, those truths which have a specific application to the times in Avhich they live, whether they have respect to sins which prevail then more than at other times, duties whose performance is then more imperatively demanded, or predictions which are then near to be fulfilled. And this, 16 THE TIMR OF THE END. in the beautiful imagery Avith -wliich the Saviour illustrated his teachings, is called giving " meat in due season," by the faithful servant ^vho is made ruler over the household ; and, to neglect to do this, is to be unfaithful to the charge com- mitted by Christ to His ministers. Said the Saviour (Matt. 24:45 — 51), "Who then is a faithful and -wise servant, •whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season ? Blessed is that servant, Avhom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily, I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, JMy lord delayeth his coming ; and shall begin to smite his fellow- servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for hira, and in an hour that he is not aware of. and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion Avith the hypo- crites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; " and (in Mark 13 : 34) " The Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and com.manded the porter to watch." Can the porter be negligent of his duty without incurring the displeasure of the Master ? What, then, is implied in the duty of watching ? The context shows that it has reference to the Master's return ; which, being shrouded in a kind of definite indefiniteness, if the paradoxy may be allowed, makes the duty constant and unceasing. Said the Saviour (vs. 35, 36), " Watch ye, therefore ; for ye know not when the Master cometh, — at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning; lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping." As a porter watching for his master's return would be mindful of all the tokens Avhich the master had given as indications of his coming, so should the servant of Him, who has promised to return again, familiarize himself with all the predictions which are left on record respecting that return, the events that were to precede it, and the periods that measure His absence. And, if we are indeed living in the time of the end (which who dare deny ?), then they are culpably indifferent and ignorant, Avho seek not to " un- derstand by books," as did Daniel of old, the " number of years " which are to intervene between given epochs and PROPHECIES OF THE END, 17 the end, or to approximate as near to such knowledge as tlie means which God has furnished them will allow. PROPHECIES FORESHADO"WING THE END. Among the prophecies which were given for instruction respecting the end, there stands prominent the great Imago (Dan. 2 : 28), by which the "God in heaven" maile " known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days." (Vs. 32, 33.) — " This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, and his feet part of iron and part of clay." The king saw (vs. 34, 35) '• Till that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces : then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaft' of the summer threshing-tloors ; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them ; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." Such was the king's dream, which Daniel proceeded to interpret as .sym- bolic of a succession of empires, beginning with that of Nebuchadnezzar, w Inch was represented by the head of gold. An inferior one, that was to arise after him, corresponded to the breast and arms of silver; and succeeding ones corre- sponded to the brass and the iron of the image. When the last should have existed for a period in a divided state, then, said the prophet (v. 44), " shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed ; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for- ever." Parallel with this prophecy is that other in the 7th of Daniel, in which the prophet saw in vision by night (v. 3), " four great beasts come up from the sea, diverse one from another," — the last of which had ten horns ; and among them (v. 8) came up another "little horn," with "eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things." Then followed a symbolic representation of the session of the Ancient of Days, the slaughter of the beasts, and the inves- 2* 18 THE TIME OF THE END. ture of one like the Son of Man with the kingdom. In harmony with the former vision, the interpreter, of whom Daniel inquired the meaning of this, said (vs. 17, 18), " These great beasts, which are four, are four kings which shall arise out of the earth. But," he added, " thg saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever." As Daniel would know more particularly of the beast with many horns, and of that horn which "prevailed until the Ancient of Days came, . . . and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom," the angel replied (vs. 23—27), " The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the Avhole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise; and another shall rise after them, and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws ; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the king- dom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an ever- lasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him." In the chapter following, w^hen the first-named kingdom ■was about to pass away, Daniel had a corresponding vision, in which (v. 8) a ram that " stood before the river " sym- bolized (v. 20) " the kings of Media and Persia ; " and (v. 21) a "rough goat the king of Grecia." It was shown (v. 22) that, in the place of the first king of the last king- dom, " four kingdoms should stand up out of the nation," — corresponding to Alexander's successors, — which w^ere to be followed (v. 23), "in the latter times of their kingdom," by " a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences," who should " stand up against the Prince of princes," and "destroy the mighty and the holy people," till the sanctuary and the host should be trodden down (v. MISAPPREHENSIONS CORRECTED. 19 14) for "two thousand three hundred " prophetic days; at the end of wliich "' sliall the sanctuary be cleansed." A prophecy commencing with the 11th of Daniel notices more particularly the same events, and closes with the deliverance (12 : 1 — 3) of " every one that shall be found written in the book," the awaking of " many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth," and their shining " as the brightness of the firmament," and ** as the stjirs, for ever and ever." It is in connection with these predictions that the angel (v. 7) lifts " his right iiand and his left hand to heaven, and sware l)y Ilim that liveth forever, that it shall be for a time, times and an half;" and that "when he shall have accomplished .to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." He also reveals (v. 11) that " from the time that the daily shall be taken away, and the abomination that makcth desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days ; " and adds a blessing (v. 12) to him " that waitcth and Cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days." This is the prophecy before referred to, the words of which (v. 9) were " closed up and sealed till the time of the end," and respecting which, then, knowledge was to be increased by tlje running to and fro of many. We come then to the New Testament, and, in answer to questions of the disciples respecting the time of the destruc- tion of Jerusalem, and the sign of Ilis coming and end of the world, we have in the 24th chapter of Matthew's gos- pel a prophecy given by the Saviour which answers both of those questions by a glance at the occurrences which should transpire before the end ; and He emphatically announced (v. 14) that " This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness unto all nations ; and," said the Saviour, " then shall the end come." MISAPPREHENSIONS CORRECTED. The Saviour was ever ready to correct any misapprehen- sion on the part of His children respecting the time of the event. On one occasion (Luke 21: 11 — 13) " He ac^ed and spake a parable . • . because they thought that the king- dom of God should immediately appear. He said, therefore, 20 THE TIME OF THE END. A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered unto tiiem ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come." And. after a long time, when he was returned, he called his servants, and reckoned with them, rewarded those found faithful, and destroyed those who disregarded his authority. When the Saviour was about to leave His disciples to go into that far country, they asked of Him (Acts 1 : 6, 7,), " saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel ? And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power." The " time " had not come, — the period in wtich was to be gradually removed the seal which was set on them till " the time of the end." Their specific mission was to make known the resurrection of Jesus, and the fact of his second coming ; and therefore the Saviour said (v. 8), " But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you ; and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth," — to which the Gospel must be preached before the end could come. Accordingly we find that the sum of their preaching was (Acts 17: 18) "Jesus and the resurrec- tion." They taught men (1 Th. 1 : 9, 10) to turn " to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come." When under such preaching the Thessalonian brethren were led to regard the day of the Lord as more imminent than the sacred oracles warranted them in believing, the apostle Paul promptly called their attention to the desolating power prophesied of in Daniel, and reminded them (2 Th. 2:3) that " that day shall not come except there come a falling away," or an apostasy, "first, and that Man of Sin be revealed, the Son of Perdition," " whom the Lord shall consume by the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming." PROPHECY UNSEALED. 21 THE APOCALYPSE AN UNVEILING OR UNSEALING OP PBOPHECY. That the drooping spirits of His children might not be left to faint under the long absence of the Nobleman -who had gone to the far country till Ilis enemies be made His footstool, before the beloved disciple was laid asleep in Jesus there was given (Rev. 1:1,2) " The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His ser- vants things which must shortly come to pass ; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John, who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw." When the Saviour was on earth He told his servants many things ; but He had also (John 16 : 12) " yet many things to say " to them which they could not then bear ; but in this Revela- tion to John they are shown a long series of events which >Yere shortly to come to pass, or, literally, which were shortly to begin to come to pass, and extended down to the binding of the dragon, the resurrection, and the new creation. It will be seen, also, that this Revelation comprised "times and seasons," which, at the time of the ascension (Acts 1 : 7), Avere reserved in the Father's own power, but which have here been given to Jesus Christ, shown unto his servants, signified by an angel to John, and written by John to the churches. The words of this Revelation are not sealed like those given to Daniel ; for John was commanded (Rev. 22 : 10) to '■^ seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book." It was given, also, through the medium of " the appointed Heir of all things " (Heb. 1 : 2), by whom God was to speak in these last days, and who alone (Rev. 5:2) "is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof." Not only (v. 5) hath " the Lion of the tribe of Judah " prevailed to open the book and to loose the seals, but it is declared (1 : 3) that " Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear, the words of this prophecy, and keep those things whicli are written therein." Thus prepared, there follows a succession of visions, wliich John wrote, and whose significance was communicated to him. First, we have (chap. 5) the successive loosening of 22 THE TIME OF THE END. the seals of a book ; and, as each symbolic seal is broken, successive portions of the writing in the book become accessible, showing the gradual manner in which the church would be enabled to understand the full import of the reve- lations which God has given for its instruction, and closing with the appearance of " a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues," which (7:9) " stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands," — the result of the preaching of the Gospel as a witness to all nations. Then follows (chap. 8) a vision of the sounding of a suc- cession of trumpets, marking periods which are covered by those of the seals, symbolizing events which were to trans- pire during those respective periods, and closing with the seventh trumpet, at the sounding of which (11 : 15 — 18) are heard " great voices in heaven, saying. The kingdoms of this world are become [that] of our Lord and of his Christ ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." And then also is come ( v. 18) " the time of the dead that they should be judged," those who serve the Lord being rewarded, and those who destroy'' the earth being destroyed. In harmony with these visions, others follow, in which is more minutely symbolized, — under the imagery of a great red, seven-headed and ten-horned dragon (chap. 12), of a seven-headed, ten-horned leopard beast (chap. 13), and of a seven-headed, ten-horned, scarlet-colored beast, with a woman seated on it (chap. 17), and corresponding to Dan- iel's (7 : 7) teu-horned nondescript fourth beast, — " the fourth kingdom on the earth," or Rome under its five forms of united rule, its division into decem-regal gov- ernments, and the period of its papal supremacy. In the connection are (11 : 2) the treading down of the holy city " forty and two " prophetic months (v. 3), the prophesying of the witnesses in sackcloth " a thousand two hundred and three-score " prophetic days, the fleeing of the woman into the wilderness (12 : 6), where she was to be fed for the same period, or (v. 14^ nourished for a time and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent, the " forty and two months " (13 : 5) that it was to be given to the blas- phemous mouth of the beast to speak blasphemy, the " five OBSCURE TO THE EARLY CHRISTIANS. 23 months" (9 : 5) that the locusts "weie to torment men, and (v. 15) the "hour and a day, and a mouth, and a year," in Avhich they -were to have po\Yer to kill. And the whole series closes Avith the sj^mbol of the destruction of Baby- lon, the battle of Armageddon, the new heavens and new earth, the descent of the New Jerusalem, and the estab- lishment of "the tabernacle of God with men." INDIFFERENCE TO PROPHECY DISPLEASING TO JEHOVAH. Such prophecies being committed to the church, for its instruction an