EMORY UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
SIGNS OF THE TIMES,
INCLTOINO
A RETROSPECTIVE VIEW
of the
PAST AGES OF THE WORLD, DOWN TO THE PRESENT DAY,
BY A CAREFUL COMPARISON OF HISTORY
iDit$ % 0ctcrrir 0jcrtpfttr.es.
" I will give him the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost ends of the
earth for a possession."—Psalms.
THE CRISIS.
" And at midnight there was a cry made; behold, the bridegroom cometh, go
ye out to meet him."—Math. 25-26:
" And his feet shall stand on that day upon Mount Olivet, which is before
Jerusalem on the east."—Zacfo chap. 14.
BY THOMAS McMILLAN,
BEAUFORT, S. C.
CHARLESTON!
PRINTED FOR THE PUBLISHER:
1850.
INTRODUCTION.
When the writer of these pages undertook this subject at the solicitation
f a few Christian friends, it was not with the intention that' they should
ver come before the public. But by the request of a few who had examined
liis momentous subject, it was thought advisable and proper to publish
iem, for the purpose of engaging the minds and attracting the attention
: those who may have thought little or none on the providences of
k>d; that the thoughtless and careless may be led to consider their
tuation; that " that day come not upon him unawares, and find him
iprepared for the coming events;" and that the Christian may be com-
rted when he sees " that the arm of the Lord is not shortened, neither is
is power staid that he cannot save."
As the prophecies are daily fulfiling, it is therefore the privilege of
. e Christian, and his imperative duty, to observe the works and the provi-
^ ;nces of God as they are recorded, and as they pass before their eyes,
here the hand of God is manifested as the moral governor of the affairs
Q * this world, directing the destiny of nations and individuals according
his will, making all things work together to the bringing down the
0 ngdom of Satan, and establishing the kingdom of his son,—" I will give
m the heathen for an inheritance and the uttermost ends of the earth for
gj possession
g The purpose of these papers, therefore, is to draw attention to this sub-
2 ct, and endeavor to point out those prophecies, which have already been
2 Ifilled, and notice those manifestations of Providence as they transpire
our own day. Those astonishing developments in science, and in the
£ >read of the gospel of Jesus, over every nation on earth, hastening the
Iness of the Gentiles, that we may not be as the foolish virgins, found
umbering and sleeping, letting our lamps go out at the coming of the
j -idegroom. In undertaking this task of commenting upon the prophe-
j es, we wish it to be understood, that we make no pretence to go be-
< rnd what is revealed. The whole Scriptures, from beginnig to end, are
? ven us to be read and to be understood. " Secret things belong to
™ od these are not revealed in the Scriptures. But " blessed is he that
^ adeth, and they that keep the things that are written in it, for the time
Z at hand." When the Lord was pilgrimaging on earth as a man, his
u sciples inquired of him, when those things would take place which he
J is foretelling. They said unto him, " Master, when ?" He replied,
re know not the day or the hour when the Son of Man cometh ; no, not
£ e angels; no, not the Son, but the Father." The Lord spoke and fore-
td those events that were coming on the land of Judea ; the dispersion
2 the Jews; the bringing in of the Gentiles ; the restoration of the Jews
D the end of the times of the Gentitles ; and his second coming in the
® mds of Heaven. Yet he says, he " knew not the day nor the hour." •
iv.
It will be remembered, that the Lord had not yet ascended to his father,
but we read in the preface to St. John's revelation in the Isle of Patmos,
that " the Father revealed it to his Son, and the Lord to his angel, his
angel to his servant John, and St. John to the churches." It is now, there¬
fore, revealed unto us, what was a secret,(i and blessed is he that readeth,
and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep the things that
are written in it."
In publishing these pages, and presenting our views in this Form before
the public, we would only remark, that we make no pretentions to book-
making, or to please; we make no pretence to eloquence, our desire is to
state, in plain languagej the simple and plain definition, as far as we have
been able, by along study and investigation of the Scriptures relative to
prophetic records and events. These views are original, and may be
singular; nevertheless, we feel assured that we have the Scriptures and
History on their side, as proof of these positions. We have endeavored
to place these subjects before the reader, in a manner which we considered
to be the most plain and intelligible; that if any benefit be derived from
these pages by the reader we will find ourselves amply rewarded for our
trouble.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
How few professing Christians, even those who read a portion of
God's word daily, are aware that the book, which they justly esteem,
so much, that this wonderful book contains the whole history of the
church, throughout the entire Christian dispensation, from the day
of Pentecost, to the Second Advent of our Saviour.
That it also contains the history of the uorld from the creation
through a period of six thousand years, not only the outlines of his¬
tory, but the rise and fall of nations; the destiny of empires, revo¬
lutions, changes, improvements, and innovations; all wonderfully
blended with the subjects of promises and threatenings.
It also unfolds the past, teaches us the present, and reveals the
future. It informs us, incidentally of things in heaven, and things
in helT; also, of angels, and archangels; of serephim. and cherubim,
and of the divine g-lory, unapproachable by humanity. We are
told of the fallen inhabitants of heaven, and the cause of man's
fall from his first estate of holiness, and of God's love to him in that
fallen condition, and of the pnmise of God to restore him, not only
to his former estate, but to " make him like unto the angels which
are in heaven." We are informed also, that man, in a state of nature,
is at enmity with his Maker, and indifferent to all his entreaties of
love.
This book also informs us of the deluge, that awful and appaling
scene; and of a deluge of fire which this world is destined to under¬
go- also, we are informed of the final destiny of the whole human
family.
There is on these subjects an unfathomable depth, a boundless
ocean for research of events past, present, and to come; very few feel
sufficiently interested to dip deep into that ocean, further than to ob¬
tain a knowledge of their duty as Christians; many, too, read from
1
2
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
habit, without the understanding. The approaching crisis is neither
known nor feared by those who are unprepared. Like the antidelu-
vians," eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until
that day when Noah entered into the ark, when the flood came and
swept them all away, so shall it be at the coming of the son
of man."
Indeed, so little is this subject known, and so seldom even thought
of, that the second advent of the Messiah will be "like a thief in the
night." So unexpected will be his coming, that even the churches,
" The bride the lamb's wife," in symbolical language, even she will
not be expecting him at that time. The Lord speaks of that event when
he said, " Ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom, (according to
the Jewish custom,) five were wise, and five were foolish ; the wise
took oil with them in their vessels with their lamps; the foolishr took
their lamps, and no oil with them; and while the bridegroom tarried,
they all slumbered and slept;" literally speaking, virgins, or Chris¬
tian denominations, who are not the progeny of the mother of harlots;
even these gospel churches will be slumbering at the lime of His
coming. Wise and foolish, all sleeping on this subject. We may
as well remark here, the number " ten," in scripture phrase, is used
often, as an indefinite number; in this instance, it is intended to con¬
vey the idea of a plurality of sects, or denominations, all virgins,
all expecting, or at least believing that the bridegroom would come
some time; hence the cause, they all s'umbered and slept." In
this parable we find what-will be !he state of the Christian world
at His coming, we find one-half of the professors were nominal Chris
tiatis, having a lamp, or name, but no oil, no sanctity, no oil of holi¬
ness in their vessels, (hearts,) while " the wise had oil in their vessels
with their lamps; yet "when there was a voice made, behold the
bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him!" we find that the wise,
the best of Christians, needed to trim their lamps, so unexpected
was the event.
So prejudiced will be the minds of men, just prior to the second
advent of the Messiah, that when this subject is spoken of, that the
invariable reply will be, (St. Peter,) " Where is the sign of his com¬
ing 1 for since the father's have fallen asleep, all things continue ag
they were ; the land stands in the water and out of the water," as at
the beginning." Where, then, the sign of his coming? there is no
geographical or astronomical changes; a mere delusion! a dream !
&C. " But the day of the Lord will come as a thief," and " blessed
is that servant whom his Lord shall find watching."
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
3
Now that that time is near, all scripture, and history, and the
signs of the times declare; compare the state of society at large, and
see how the apostle describes them.
There shall be scoffers in the latter days, by whom the way of
truth shall be evil spoken of, " and many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall be increased;" how evident, then, these signs are
manifested in our day, more so than in any past age of the world.
But speak of the prophecies relating to the second coming of the
Lord, the subject is scoffed at, even by the ministers of God's word,
with but few exceptions; what then may we expect from the people
at large 1
And as it was foretold that "knowledge would be increased;" it
is indeed increased, in arts and science, unprecedented hitherto.
And by the facility of printing; by steamboat and railroad communi.
cations; and by the electric wires, knowledge is propagated with
lightning speed. But much of this knowledge is not conducive to
godliness. " Many are running to and fro," "seeking the things that
are below7, and not that which is above," speculating, money-hunting,
buying and selling, " marrying and giving in "marriage," deceiving
themselves and others, until '• that day come upon them unawares."
See St. Paul's Epistle to Timothy on this subject; " This know also,
that in the last days perilous times shall come; for men shall be
lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, dis¬
obedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection,
truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those
that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more
than lovers of God, having the form of Godliness, but denying the
power thereof."
Religion is the fashion of the civilized world ; the majority may be
said to be of the foregoing character, particularly of the latter class,
merely professors. Observe how eagerly the temples of mammon
are sought after, more than the tabernacles of the living God. See,
the theatres are crowded in every city in our land ; observe how
punctual the banks are attended, not so the houses of prayer and
praise. The taverns too, those sinks of sin, where Satan dwells, are
crowded with the votaries of intemperance and crime, "lovers of
pleasure, more than lovers of God."
It is not among the least of the signs of the latter day, the love
of novelty! The father of lies ever has suited his devices to the
times! in these latter days of Bibles and of the increase of knowl¬
edge. " The presses are teeming with books of fiction and immorality,
4
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
falsehood and lies, even under the garb of religioti, and patronized by
many who prof ss to teach the way of the Lord more perfectly.
The scriptures are laid aside to give place t.o books of fiction, which
engage all the energies of the mind, suffering themselves to be de¬
ceived, feeding upon husk and chaff. The word of God has no abiding
place in their affections, as it is written, " He is like a root out of the
dry ground, having no form or comeliness, that they should admire
him." A cunning device of the devil, by extricating the senses, and
poisoning the mind.
Other and more conspicuous signs are transpiring daily before our
eyes; not any physical change, or phenomenon of nature, which, as
some may suppose will be the harbingers of the second advent. No:
" He will come as a thief in the night." But to those only is the
warning given, " All who love his appearing," they only can under¬
stand and appreciate the promises. As it was at the siege of the city
of Jerusalem, so will it be at that time. But the reader will say, are
not the Jews to be restored to their own land, and all the nations be-
converted to the Christian faith; the means are in operation, and by
all appearances, it may be a hundred years or more before those vast
nations of heathen shall be Christianized ; is not " the fulness of the
Gentiles to come in? and many such objections may be brought for¬
ward. But, by a careful consideration of all those passages of scrip,
ture, it will be seen that they cannot bear the construction that is
generally attached to them. " Go ye into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature" as a witness. The gospel is to be pro¬
claimed as a witness "of life unto life, or death unto death" to all.
The parable of the " wheat and tares," of itself would be sufficient to
satisfy any doubting mind whether the world will be converted
before the coming of the Lord; we refer the reader to it; we will
make-an extract sufficient to illustrate the point. The field is the
world, the wheat is the righteous, the tares are the wicked. This
is, and always was, the situation of society; and we find by this par¬
able that it will be the case at his coming, the good and the bad all
mixed together. The angels or reapers, say unto the Lord, " Mas¬
ter, wilt thou that we go and gather out the tares from among the
wheat?" The Lord said unto them, "Let them alone, let them
grow together until the harvest, lest in pulling up the tares ye also
root up the wheat; let both grow together until the harvest, then I
will say to the reapers, gather first the tares and bind them into bun¬
dles and burn them, but the wheat put into my barn." Where
■then, the converted world ?
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
Again, the Lord, in describing that day, shows us plainly the un¬
converted state of the world, and even members of churches, for the
church is his kingdom on earth, we find by the following parable
that a number of professors, like to the foolish virgins, or the tares,
are thus described: " The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that
was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind, which, when full,
they draw to shore and set down, and gathered the good into vessels,
but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world (i.e.
this state, or Christian dispensation,) the angels shall come forth, and
sever tae wicked from among the just." But, says the reader, this
is at the final day of judgment. It must be conceded that these par¬
ables are plain, and decisive, that the world will not be converted at
the coming of the Lord. We may bring many more proofs of this
kind, positive proofs, because it is the word of the Lord, who himself
is the Lord of the harvest, of that great day.
And that this separation is not at the end of time, but thatThe har¬
vest is at the conclusion of the present Christian dispensation, is very
plain from scripture. As there will be a millennium of rest, or the
kingdom of the Lord'Jesus Christ to continue for the space of a thou¬
sand 3'ears on the earth, 11 and he shall reign king of kings and
lords, and nothing shall offend in all his holy mountain, (under his
government,) all shall know him, from the least to the greatest.
Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that he is Lord of
all, blessed forever more; and the jast shall rise first, and live
and reign with Christ a thousand years ; behold, he cometh in
clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him ! (the
Jews). He wept over the city, and said: " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem !
how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a
hen gathereth her brood under her wings, and ye would not. Behold
your house is left unto you desolate, for I say unto ye, ye shall not see
me henceforth till ye shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord !" So we see that the Jews, as a nation, shall see
him at their restoration, and in the millenium, " all shall know the
Lord, from the least to the greatest." Then that state of holiness is in¬
compatible with this present dispensation, wherein the righteous and
wicked live together. All shall hear the gospel; it is not said that
all shall be converted, but the contrary is clearly manifest in the
scriptures. In speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the con¬
quest of Judea, and the carrying away the Jews captives into all na¬
tions, they would be dispersed until the fulness of the Gentiles, until
1*
6
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
the Gentile nations should hear the gospel, as a witness." Then
the Saviour speaks of himself coming to the great harvest.
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days (i.e. of dispersion)
shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and
the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall
be shaken." For a full understanding of this symbolical description
of the period spoken of, I refer the reader to the exposition of the
opening of the seven seals, (page 28,) the following verse of this pro¬
phecy of our Saviour, descriptive of the opening of the seventh seal.
And yet, that, it will be seen, is not the end of the world, but the
conclusion of'the Christian dispensation, and the beginning of a new
dispensation, the millennium, when the closing scene will take place
at the opening of the seventh seal, as our Lord,Jn continuing his dis¬
course in the following verse, says, "Then shall appear the^ign of
the son of man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes df the earth
^mourn, a&ct they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven, with power and great glory, and he shall send his angels
with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."
Here, then, is the harvest of the " wheat and tares," what appears to
be the cause of all the foregoing predictions of the Lord, being mis¬
applied, by many good men, to the destruction of Jerusalem, and
their dispersion, &c., by these words: " This generation shall not
pass away until all be fulfilled." Now, it must be very evident, by
observing this discourse, that the Saviour, in the first place, informed
them of the calamities coming upon the Jewish city and nation, in a
more circumstantial manner, as it more nearly related to themselves,
and concluded with their being led away captives into all nations,
and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the time
of the Gentiles be fulfilled." It is evident, that by applying the
words—" This generation shall not pass away, until all these things
be fulfilled," for it is eighteen hundred years since ; therefore it means
that all those things which I have foretold shall come to pass, until
the fulness of the Gentiles shall have been complete. Yet this gene¬
ration, this race of the children of Abraham shall not pass away, but
will still be a distinct people, although the Gentiles shall tread down
and possess your city; yet when the Gospel" is announced in every
country as a witness, then you shall see the sign of the son of nian
in heaven.
. Now, reader, what sign do we see? Any indications of the ap¬
proaching advent, or coming of the son of man? If we will look
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
7
abroad, we cannot but discover the hand of God, directing the affairs
of the nations of the earth, bringing in the fulness of the Gentile
nations, and by means that man would not have thought of, "for
his ways are not as man's ways, or his thoughts as man's thoughts."
China, a nation containing many millions of the human family,
living without the knowledge of God, for ages shutting themselves
up from all intercourse, living secluded from the rest of the world,
and the knowledge of the gospel of the son of God, merely by the
instrumentality, or the means of a little opium, which caused the
contest between the Chinese and the British, and opened the ports
of the latter to'the introduction of the gospel; now the glad tidings
are spreading far and wide. The present state of Mexican affairs,
opening a way by our present war to the introduction of the word of
life and light to that priest-ridden country. Who so blind that
cannot see the hand of Providence in all this? However just or
unjust may be this war in the sight of heaven, we know who
has said that " all things shall- work together for good." The Ore¬
gon question has been amicably settled, wherein will soon be heard
the joyful songs of redeeming love. And as this country has her
eye on California,* there is little doubt as to the consequence,
either by conquest, cession, or purchase. As the Anglo-Saxon race
appears to be the people who are destined in the hand of Providence
to carry civilization and the gospel to the ends of the earth, which is
comprised in China and the Pacific coast of America; when "His
name will be known from the rising of the sun to the going down of
the same; I will give him the heathen for his inheritance, and the
uttermost ends of the earth for a possession." This glorious period
is not far distant, yea, even at hand; we may see the morning star,
the harbinger of the millennial day, shedding its hallowed rays over
all the nations of the earth. Perceptible is the healing light extend¬
ing, preparing those nations which sat in darkness, for "darkness
had covered the land, and gross darkness the people," but suddenly
those " who sat in darkness shall see a great light," such as the
world at present little anticipates; it will come upon this world "like
a thief in the night; and blessed is that servant whom his Master
shall find watching ;" let us, then, attend to the Saviour's admoni¬
tion : " Take heed to 'yourselves, least at any time your hearts be
Since we wrote this passage concerning the Mexican war and California,
our anticipations have been realized, and more than realized, in all this, in a
very short space of time, since the commencement of the Mexican war, when
•we revised these pages.
8
Daniel's visions.
overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life,
and so that day come upon you unawares, for as a snare shall it
come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth ; watch ye,
therefore, and pray always, that ye may be apcounted worthy to
escape all those things that shall come to pass, and to stand before
the son of man." Now learn a parable of the fig tree : " When hia
branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that sum¬
mer is nigh ; so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know
that it is near, even at the doors; heaven and earth shall pass awayi
but my words shall not pass away."
We will endeavor, in the following pages, to bring forward pro¬
phecies relative to all the most conspicuous events and periods of
time, wherein the accomplishment of many of them were completed
according to what was foretold ; and we will notice those now in
operation: In the first place, we would remark that the first and
great prophecy, as a span, extends from the reign of Cyrus the Medo-
Persian monarch, over a period of time to the introduction of the
millennium, a period of two thousand three hundred years, which em¬
braces many important prophetic periods; among the most conspicu¬
ous, and which in themselves embrace others, are four great empires
to succeed each other on earth; the fifth is Messiah's kingdom, each
in succession has its predictions relating to it, recorded in the scrip¬
tures, and so far as they have taken place, they are also recorded in
history. It is our task, in undertaking this, of all other subjects that
concerns the human family, the most important, carefully to inves¬
tigate and elucidate the truth.
DANIEL'S VISIONS.
The prophet Daniel had three revelations given to him of four earth,
ly kingdoms to follow in succession, until the reign of the Messiah on
■earth. The first of these kingdoms, it will be observed, was the
Assyrian, under whose king Daniel was in office, as the chief of the
magicians; and in explaining the dream of the great image, the four
kingdoms are portrayed ; we will, for brevity sake, explain and make
necessary remarks as we proceed.
Daniel, 2d chap., 31st verse, " Thou, O king, sawest, and behold
a great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee and
the form thereof was terrible; this image's head was of fine gold his
breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his
daniel's visions.
9
legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till
that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image
upon his feet that were of the iron and the 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 chaff of the
summer threshing floors; and the wind carried' them away, that no
place was found for them ; and the stone that smote the image be¬
came a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." This is the
dream, and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king •'
" Thou, O king, art a great king, &c., thou art this head of gold; (i.e.
Assyrian monarchy,) and after thee shall arise another kingdom
inferior to the (i.e. this was the M'edes and Persians,) and another third
kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth: (i.e-
this was the third, or Grecian monarchy). Verse 40, "And the
fourth shall be strong as iron; forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces
and subdueth all things; and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it
break in pieces and bruise; (i.e. this, the fourth, or pagan Roman
empire.) And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's
clay and part of iron (i.e. iron, the Roman military strength ;) (i.e
clay—weakness, its ecclesiastical or religious character; iron and clay
of the feet and toes, a compound very unadhesive, and unnatural
mixture; military, and religious amalgamation of the Roman
monarchy, under the Christian aspect.) " The kingdom shall be
divided, but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch
as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay."
We would remark on the foregoing wonderful revelation, that
those four great monarchies, which was to succeed each other, until
the little stone cut out without hands, should demolish them all, and
leave not one vestige of their earthly greatness, and establish a king
dom which shall have no end, " and become a great mountain and
fill the whole earth." The reader will observe these very particu¬
larly described characteristics of this fourth or last monarchy.
Tnat under their kings, consuls, dictators and emperors, were alto¬
gether military; the Romans were a nation of soldiers, but their
religion was heathen, under this first aspect. On " the legs of iron,"
stood the great image seen by the Assyrian king, who was repre¬
sented by the head of gold,—his kingdom was subdued by Cyrus,
who was raised up by God for the express purpose -of conquering
the Assyrians, and proclaiming liberty to the captive Jews. Syrus,
'king of Persia, in league with his uncle Caxares, or Darius the
Mede, then king of Media, conquered Babylon, then the capital of
the Assyrian Empire. It became by that conquest the Medo-
10
daniel's visions.
Persian Empire, or the " Breasts and arms of silver," of the great
image. The prophet Daniel was still retained in office, and
under Darius was promoted to the high office of prime minister.
About three hundred and thirty-five years before the birth of Christ,
Alexander king of Macedonia, (a small kingdom in Greece,) at
the age of twenty-two, with only thirty-five thousand men, pushed
his conquests with such impetuosity, that his movements are spoken
of in another chapter, comparing him to a ' He-goat that came from
the West and touched not the ground," so rapid was his movements.
He conquered and overthrew the Medo Persian monarchy and es¬
tablished the Macedonian or Greek, which is represented by the
belly and thighs in brass of the great image, forming the third mom
archy; his power was of short duration; after conquering India,
Egypt and other powerful nations, he died, leaving his realm to his
four principal commanders. The Romans were in the meantime
gaining power and military reputation, and by gradually acquiring
territory, finally absorbed into its own nationality the whole of the
Grecian Empire, forming the fourth, or last earthly universal monar¬
chy, represented by the legs of iron of the great image. The iron,
however, extended down to the feet and toes of the image, where
was lost much of that solidity and strength which constituted the
legs, or its military character and strength. Rome, the city of the
Caesars, by the accumulation of power and wealth, soon introduced
luxury and effeminacy, which weakened in a measure her military
spirit. Her provinces revolted one by one, from her iron sway, inter¬
nal broils and contentions disturbed her counsels at home, while con¬
flicting opponents were contending for the imperial office, a great
change suddenly transformed " the legs of iron" into another form,
by incorporating with the "iron the miry clay." This was done by
adopting the Christian religion as a national thing, thus weakening
the legs and feet on which that great image stood, until those northern
hords of barbarians, feeling her iron grasp begin to relax, came in
torrents down upon the imperial city, and soon brought her under
their feet. Ten successive tribes of those intruders conquered and
reconquered the capitol of the ^western Roman Empire ; and at each
capitulation, would accommodate themselves by settling down in some
fair portion of Italy, and soon become incorporated with the Roman
people, adopting their laws and religion, which was much superior
to their own,—although Church and State were united. This, then,
formed the ten toes on the feet of that great image, " whosse feet and
toes were of iron and "clay, even miry clay." So it stands to the pre¬
sent year, Anno Domini, 1844. But Daniel, " Beheld, until he saw a
Daniel's visions.
11
stone cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet,
that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces,—then was the
iron, the clay, the brass, • the silver and the gold broken to pieces
together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors J
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." It is hardly necessary to make any remarks
on this last prediction. It will be seen that the religion of the Biblq^,
not of sects, or parties, but the reign of Christ over the hearts of
men, will prepare his church for his reception at the end of those
days. We will illustrate and explain this point hereafter. I have
been somewhat prolix in my remarks on this great image ; my motive
in being so much so is, that, as we have to bring under our consider¬
ation two other revelations of Daniel, embracing those same charac¬
ters under other emblems and figures, it will hardly be necessary
again to repeat the same remarks. It may not be out of place here
to notice, that it is upwards of 2300 years, since the foregoing reve¬
lation of this image was given to Daniel.
It was under the same dynasty of Assyrian monarchs, that Dan¬
iel saw a vision, denoting those four monarchies represented by the
image ; but under other figures and much more descriptive, especially
of the fourth, as that has held the most conspicuous place, it has
received the greatest notice.
Daniel 7th chap. " Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by
night, and behold the four winds of heaven strove upon the great
sea, and four great beasts came up from the sea diverse one from
another. The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings: I beheld
till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the
earth, and made to stand upon the feet as a man, and man's heart
was given to it."
This first beast denotes the Assyrian Empire. The insigna or
banner of the Assyrians was a lion with wings. Daniel saw in
his vision the unmistakable emblem of his first kingdom, the Assy¬
rian, the head of gold of the image. " Beasts came up from the
seaj»—sea or waters indicate people,—in another place, the angel
explaining to Daniel says, " the waters which you saw are people."
The seaj—«waters of the great sea,"—" rivers and fountains of
water," &c., are all typical of people in prophetic language. In
this instance, the sea denotes the people at large—the mass. As
these four beasts are emblematical of those four kingdoms or mon¬
archies typifyed by the great image. From - the people then, rose
those four nations to power and greatness.
12
daniel's visions.
5th verse.—" And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear,
and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth
of it, between the teeth, and they said thus unto it, arise and devour
much flesh." I need not farther remark on the foregoing, it will be
observed that this beast prefigures the Medo-Persian Empire, or the
second kingdom, " the breast and arms of silver of the great image."
6th verse.—After this I beheld, and lo, another, like a leopard,
which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had
also four heads, and dominion was given to it."
This third beast or kingdom, it will be perceived, was the Ma¬
cedonian or Grecian monarchy, represented by a leopard, that was
emblematical of Alexander; his movements and conquests were
so sudden, his attacks so unexpected, he,gave no notice for his
enemies to prepare; his dominions were so diversified in the comple¬
tion of his subjects, and their language as varied as the spots on a
leopard. " It had four wings of a fowl, and the breast had four
heads." " The wings on the back of it," denotes the four principal
commanders of his army. But, at Alexander's death, these four
commanders, Ptolmy, Lyremachus, Cassander and Seleucus, became
the four heads of the leopard, all which corresponds to the belly and
thighs of brass in the great image.
7th verse.—"After this I saw in the night visions, and beheld
a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it
bad great iron teeth, it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped
the residue with the feet of it, and it was diverse from all the beasts
that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns,
and behold there came up among them another little horn, before
whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots,
and behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth
speaking great things. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and
^he ancient of days did sit whose garment was white as snow, and
the hair of his head like pure wool, his throne was like the fiery
flame, and his wheels as burning fire,—the judgment was set, and the
books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great
words which the horn spake, I beheld even till the beast was slain,
and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame."
This last and fourth beast, denoting the Roman empire or fourth
kingdom, represented by the legs of iron and feet of iron and clay
of the great image. This beast was different from all the other
beasts before it; it had no resemblance to any earthly creature
it was a monster! Under its military character, «it was dreadful
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
13
and terrible." As we have already given a descriptive outline of
the Roman kingdom, under both its military and ecclesiastical form:
when Christianity became a national feature, Church and State
united: and the settlement in Italy of the ten Barbarian tribes,
Goths, &c. it will be unnecessary to repeat here, excepting what was
not then revealed in the image. The ten horns, or those ten petty
dukedoms or kingdoms, into which Italy was divided at the decline
of the western Roman empire; these were represented by the ten
toes of the image, and in this vision of the monstrous beast, they were
represented by ten horns or powers, (horn denotes power or a king.)
Daniel saw a little horn springing up. it was different from the other
horns, or petty kings; " it had eyes like the eyes of man, and it
plucked up three of the other horns by the roots." This little horn
came not by his kingdom, as did the ten horns, (we are told in an¬
other place, " that he gained his kingdom by flatteries.") The bishop
of Rome, through a long process, had been usurping the spiritual
control of the church and bishops around,—false doctrines ear.ly in
the church's history, had creep in, and especially after the union of
Church and State by the Emperor Constantine; when much of the
heathen rituals and absurdities were amalgamated with the national
Christianity. This was often cause of dispute and contention with
the churches in Asia and Africa, whose bishops often would apply
to the bishop in Rome for his opinion upon the mooted points, until
gradually he obtained so much power and influence over many
of those bishops, that he usurped the character of universal
bishop. He soon gained great influence over the new settlers in
Italy, those ten petty provinces. He was looked up to by these
superstitious people as a God! He very soon assumed to himself
the attributes of God, as St. Paul says of him, " he will sit in the
seat of God, showing himself that he is God " He presumes to
forgive men's sins, and many other blasphemous acts, of which we
will speak in its proper place. The bishop of Rome claimed entire
supremacy,—maintaining that he received his authority in a direct
line of ordination from St. Peter; with the power of the keys of
heaven and hell; that he was the legal successor to St. Peter, there¬
fore sits in Peter's chair of authority ; he also claimed the temporal
dominion of the then circumscribed principality of the city and its
environs, to this day it is called, " Peter's Patrimony," which consti¬
tuted him a temporal prince. But this little horn, " plucked up three
of the horns by the roots." He is temporal prince of three of those
2
14 SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
original kingdoms, for which he wears a triple crown or mitre this
very day, as a mark that cannot be easily mistaken,
Daniel beheld until the judgment was set, &c., " and beheld until
the beast was slain and his body given to the burning flame," which
is still in future but at our doors ; when the Messiah's kingdom will
fill the whole earth. Although the Roman, or fourth kingdom,
that was so formidable under her emperors in her military rule, had
now dwindled to a mere shadow in temporal power, yet, that "little
horn had eyes like a man;" had still his eyes on the whole earth,
claiming universal dominion ; and few were the nations who escaped
his influence. His army of monks and jesuits encompassed the
world, and insinuated themselves into all societies of men and govern¬
ments, and held them and their religion and laws in full control;
deposing kings at his will and pleasure ; absolving subjects from their
allegiance to their natural governments ; anathematizing whom he
wills His position, although changed from that stern military and iron
rule under the emperor, si ill to this day, he holds in bondage more
souls of men than any of earth's potentates. His system or policy is
the most "dreadful and terrible ' of any which ever existed on earth.
" It was diverse from all the beasts that were before it." We will
give more of his character in detail as we proceed, and in its place
Daniel being filled with astonishment at so monstrous, " dreadful and
terrible pulling to pieces, and stamping the residue with his feet,"
and also considering his final end, his body " given to the burning
flame," he cou^d not comprehend the import of all these strange
things. Daniel inquired of the angel for information—we have his
answer in reply ; it is clear, expressive and brief,—including so long a
period from the rise of the Assyrian monarchy to the destruction of
anti-christ and the millenial state; and as it is a safe, sure and autho-
rative explanation of all the foregoing visions, we will quote it in full.
" So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
These great beasts, which are four, are four kingrs which shall arise
out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall take the
kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever."
Then I would know the truth of the fourth beastrwhich was diverse
from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and
his nails of brass ; which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the
residue with his feet; and of the ten horns that were in his head,
and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell: even
of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things,
whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
15
horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, until
the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of
the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the
kingdom. Thus he said, " the fourth beast shall be the fourth king¬
dom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall
devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break in pieces.
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise;
and another shall arise after them, and he shall be diverse from the
first, and he shall subdue three kings, (how very clearly this marks
him who wears the treble crown now sitting in high places of the
earth, abrogating the laws of God, that horn that spake great words.)
u 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 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 the dominion, and the greatness of the
kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the
saints of the Most High,, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey him." This, truly, is a won:
derful revelation, describing the apostacy of that church in a very
striking light; here is the ten petty kings of those Gothic and Vandal
tribes, and after them one comes of a different character, but assumes
to himself the attributes of God, and speaking against the Most
High God; changing his laws, and ordinances of his church. He
dispossessed three of these kings of their territory, put a treble crown
upon his own head, representing three domains, when seated in
power and wielding his spiritual authority; he makes war with the
saints and prevails against them." Who that knows ought of the
history of the church, but knows how effectually he prevailed against
them. The dungeons of the inquisition can tell a fearful tale.
But thank God, all ye his people, his time is limited, when the
judgment shall sit; the period of his duration, in his full extent of
power has long passed away; we care not what men's opinions may
be, when they are opposed to revelation ; writers speak of his receiv¬
ing his temporal power from this emperor, or that one; we are gov¬
erned by the scriptures, in the foregoing revelation, by an angel to
Daniel, which is better than a world of books upon this subject; and
we have St. Paul's writings, and St. Peter's, and Jude's, and the Apo¬
calypse, all corroborating each other, and history proving all to be
the truth.
16
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
In this prophecy of Daniel the continuance of the man of sin, is lim¬
ited to a fixed period of time. Though this period is darkly represen¬
ted, it is, nevertheless truly given in periods called a time, times, and
half a time. These expressions are at once figurative and prophetic,
and may be thus interpreted. In symbolical languages one day of
twenty-four hours is the type of one year of three hundred and
sixty days, that is one diurnal revolution of the earth on its axis,
represents, in prophetic language, one revolution of the earth in its
orbit round the sun. A prophetical day, or a time, is three hun¬
dred and sixty days prophetical, literally three hundred and sixty
years. The limited ascendancy of the power of this man of sin,
this little horn that waxed great, was a " time," three hundred
and sixty " times " the plural of times, or twice a time seven hun¬
dred and twenty, half a time one hundred and eighty, or in all twelve
hundred and sixty years ; now in scripture, this period or duration of
his time is mentioned by other writers in the scriptures, and some¬
times by other symbols, which, by comparison, all indicate the num¬
ber of years twelve hundred and sixty, however, this may be typi¬
fied. When we remember how the church of God has been oppressed,
and gone in mourning for her children, being persecuted and put to
death for th&ir faith, it is sufficient to make the heart sick, and con¬
strain us to unite with the " souls of the martyrs under the altar."
" How long, O Lord God Almighty, wilt thou not avenge our blood
on them that dwelt on the earth!" We must feel desirous, with
those spirits, to know when this opponent of God, and man, shall
" be slain, and his body given to the burning flames." Yes, we have
that sure word of prophecy, that his time is twelve hundred and
sixty years from his rise, until he shall begin to "consume away
until the end." It is a very singular %ct, that the Bishop of Rome
assumed that unmistakeable characteristic which is mentioned by St.
Paul, some time in the year five hundred and sixteen ; gradually, and
often by stealthy steps, his powerful delusive influence extended over
nearly all the nations of the earth, and not only held men's minds in
bondage, but their bodies were made subjects of his penal laws, until
the Lord put it into the minds of the fathers of this country to resist
all kingly and priestly authority, and declared this nation indepen¬
dent of all but the God of heaven and earth.
This, then, was the first dawn of liberty proclaimed to the world!
the first germs of liberty, morally and physically; freedem to the
church the first time since the ascendancy of this little horn, who
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
17
" made war with the saints and prevailed against them;" and in no
nation did the church exist without being united with the state, or
labored under disabilities, until the year 1776. Since then, we see the
spirit of liberty prevailing over the minds of men; toleration of reli¬
gion in many protestant countries-; liberal and humane institutions
fostered; improvements in sciences .promoted, and religious, and
Bible, and Missionary societies in operation, disseminating the gospel
<£ unto all nations as a witness." This little horn is to " consume
away unto the end "—end of his allotted period.,
St. Paul, speaking of this time, says—" He (the man of sin,} shall
be slain with the sword that proceedeth out of his mouth, and con¬
sumed by the brightness of his coming." The sword of the spirit is
the scriptures; the word of God will enlighten men's minds, so that
his delusions will no longer hold men in bondage f his influence will
lose ail its eharms, his anathemas all their terrors; while knowledge
.is extending far and wide, wherever the Anglo-Saxon race has set¬
tled a free press, trials by jury, toleration, of religion, railroads,
steamboats, free schools, hospitals, orphan houses, and many other
improvements of the-age.' But what.do we behold, when we look at
those countries and kingdoms under,the influence of the little horn?
nothing but ignorance, superstition, idleness and crime—nakedness
and starvation is the portion of the multitude of his votaries, even in
his own territory,-the papal states; for be it recollected, that he pulled
tip three horns by the roots, and planted himself in their place ; these
three petty states constitutes his temporal dominion; it is to be
wished that his spiritual dominions extended no farther. The Apos¬
tle called his government "the mystery that worketh in darkness."
.This is visible from the policy of all the Popes, but most conspicuous
in the present occupant's administration, protected by his Swiss mer¬
cenaries, as a military guard, from his own subjects; he issues bulls,
or writs of authority, to prohibit reading the scriptures. In June, this
last year he forwarded his bull against the Bible societies of the
United States,* because they, very Christian like, were endeavoring,
through their agents, to introduce Bibles into his dominions in Italy,
♦ A Jesuit, from Italy, arrived with his commission at Champlain, in the
State of New-York, and actually made the Roman Catholics deliver up the
Bibles in their possession, which had been gratuitously given to them by the
American and Foreign Bible Society, forming a large pile of Bibles, with which
was made a large bon-fire. The same spirit which has always existed, still
exists, and will do so.
2*
18
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
strictly watching every avenue of ingress; those improvements, such
as railroads, magnetic telegraphs, &c., cannot enter there. It stands
(;these papal slates) as black spots, a stain on the name of improve¬
ment and morals, and that, too, the very seat and throne of (St. Peter.)
But all his endeavors will be of no avail, light will penetrate in a
thousand channels, which wili prepare the minds of his slave sub¬
jects; they even now require but little to shake off the fetters of their
priestly rulers; even now they are clamorous for redress, in some of
their grievances, which if granted, will but kindle the desire for
more enlarged concessions, uiitil ultimately, in course of natural
events alone, he must soon be hurled from his seat of a temporal and
spiritual prince, otherwise, if he persist in refusing to grant his peo¬
ple redress in this enlightened age, he, in that case, would be laying
a mine under his throne, ready, when the spark of liberty shall be
applied. The state of Italy at present, is portentous of explosion,
but for Austrian troops. Now this leads us to this conclusion, that as
this little horn, by natural events, cannot hold and maintain his char¬
acter as the last skeleton representation of that once powerful fourth
monarchy, and will be represented as such until the Lord come, and
that this can be fulfilled at all, it must be done soon, otherwise, in
a very short time, he must lose his "seat and great authority."
" But. she is reserved for fire:" for it is written—" Come out from her,,
my people, and be not partaker with her in her sins," for her sins
have reached dp to heaven, and her judgments shall come in one
day—death, mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned
with fire, for strong is the Lord who judgeth her."
Of so much importance is this subject in the sight of heaven, that
the angels appear to be anxiously engaged in promoting and for¬
warding the fulfilment of the divine plan; they are 1 ministers that
do his pleasure," they come with embassies of mercy to men. One
would naturally suppose that these two revelations were so full, and
clear, that even the history of the events when they had occurred,
could not be more perspicuous than the prediction, so minutely is it
given to us in detail that we- cannot be mistaken. Man is such a
being, that his mind is generally so much engrossed with the present
occurrences of to-day, that it requires "line upon line, precept upon
precept," before his attention can be engaged to any extent with
things in the future. On this subject the angel again revealed to
Daniel those kingdoms that would precede the millennial kino-dom
by another vision, but under other figures. The foregoing revelations
were given under the Assyrian, or " lion with wings," but that mon-
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
19
afchy had now passed away, and the second had now succeeded the
first. It was under the Medo-Persiun that Daniel was shown the
destiny of those remaining three kingdoms, which was to succeed
each other. Daniel's anxiety was very great about the restoration of
his people from their captivity ; but when he was informed of a time
far in the future, when a kingdom of universal peace and holiness
would supersede those four kingdoms of long duration, he was "as*
tonished, and was sick many days:" how unlike professors of reli¬
gion now-a-days, how indifferent about these all-important, and soul-
stirring subjects. The angels, we find by scripture, are all engaged,
"as ministering spirits to the heirs of .salvation;" the devils and evil
spirits are anxiously and busily engaged for man's destruction, while
man is the only being we know of, that is indifferent about his own
safety and future destination We will consider this other vision of
Daniel.
Daniel,. 8th chapter. ^ Then I lifted up my eyes and saw, and
behold there stood before the river a ram, which had two horns; and
the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the
higher came up last; I saw the ram pushing westward and north¬
ward, and southward, so that no beasts might stand before him,
neither was any that could deliver out of his hand ; but he did ac¬
cording to his will, and became great; (This mm represented the
Medes and Persians—one heart with two horns or kings,) and as-1
was considering, behold an he-goat came from the west, on the face
of the who'e earth, and touched not the ground; and the he-goat had
a notable born between his eyes; and he came to the ram, which
had two horns, which I had seen standing before the liver, and ran
tinto him in the fury of his power; and I saw him come close to the
ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram,
and broke his two horns, and there was no power in the ram to stand
before him; but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon
him, and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand;
therefore the he-goat' waxed Very great, and when he was strong the
great horn was broken; (the goat was the insigna of the Macedon¬
ians—Alexander was that horn, or king; he conquered the Medo-
Persian empire, or the ram, and also extended his conquests to India,
Egypt, and other countries, and became very great, (as in the vision
of the leopard with the wings of a fowl,) when he was in the zenith
of his greatness, he died at Babylon, leaving the dominions to his
four principal generals, (as we have before noticed.) "For it came
up, four notable ones, towards the four winds of heaven, and out of
20
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
one of them came a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, tow¬
ards the south, and towards the east, and towards the pleasant land,
(Judea,) and it waxed great even to the host of heaven, and it cast
down some of the host, and of the stars* to the ground, and stamped
upon them; yea, he magnified himself even to the Prince of the hos^
and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his
sanctuary was cast down."
The foregoing was a very important information to Daniel, res¬
pecting his people, but couched in such figurative language, he
found it difficult to comprehend. We have the advantage of the
history of those events, besides the prediction. We need not reca¬
pitulate what has already been noticed, of those three first king¬
doms. The fourth is what we are concerned most about. When
the Romans became formidable to their neighbors, Greeks, and
incorporated Greece, and the Greek possessions in Asia Minor,
the Romans "became very great," from one of the four horns of
the former Greek, or third monarchy. As this is not the opinion
of any other writer or prophecy, but as I received my views
wholly from scripture, compared carefully with history, to elicit
truth, and not be led by the opinions of others. This little horn, then,
is said to be Antiochus Ephaphanes, who placed the statue of
Jupiter in the temple, and abolished the daily sacrifice, and killed
the priests, (or stars,) &c. This, then, is the general opinion of
those writers.
But the Saviour forewarned his followers of this .very horn, or
kingdom, when "it waxed very great," for the first movement was
"towards the south and east, and towards the pleasant land " Titus,
the Roman general, entered Judea, the pleasant land, and destroyed
the temple (the sanctuary,) thirty-three years after the Saviour quoted
this very passage from Daniel: "When ye see the abominations of
desolation stand in the most holy place, spoken of by the prophet
Daniel," &c. Is not this conclusive proof, that this little horn, which
became great, was no other than the Romans, when they destroyed
the temple, killed some of " the host," or the officiating priests, and
other dignities or "stars," cast them to the ground, (from office.)
Antiochus lived one hundred and forty years prior to this; so much
for wrong constructions of scripture. But to proceed with our
subject.
To make those wonderful ways of Divine Providence in the affairs
of men, more impressive and clear to his comprehension, the very
♦ See Glossary.
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
21
angels of heaven seem to express anxiety that men should under¬
stand and observe the ways of Providence as manifested to therm
therefore, they voluntarily gave a rehearsal of the past, or foregoing
visions, so that there could be no misinterpretation. It is very brief,
but explicit.
Daniel, 8th chap., 16th verse—"And I heard a man's voice be¬
tween the banks of Ulai, which called and said, Gabriel, make
this man to understand the vision," &c., verse 19. "And he said,
behold. I will make known what shall be in the last end of the in¬
dignation. for at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram
which thou sawest, having two horns, are the kings of Media and
Persia; the rough goat is the king of Grecia, and the great horn
that is between his eyes is the first king, that being broken, whereas
four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation,
but not in his power; and in the latter time of their kingdom, when
transgressions are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance
shall stand up, and through his policy also he shall cause craft to
prosper in his land, and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and
by peace destroy many; he shall also stand up against the prince of
princes, but he shall be broken without hand."
Here we find a different character portrayed than the little horn
that waxed great in the fourth kingdom. We must not confound
one with the other. This character was in the line of succession
of one of the four, and did not spring out of it, as did the Roman:
This character rose in the latter days of those four kingdoms or
horns, as one of them in the person of Antiochus, who compelled
the Jews to eat swine's flesh, and polluted the altars of offering,
which was in the temple of God in Jerusalem ; a full account of him
will be found in the Apocryphal writings of the Macabees, there¬
fore it is unnecessary to speak of it more at large in this place; we
merely notice the above to connect the line of prophecy, and to
clear up that wrong application of some eminent writers, who have
confounded this prophecy with the former, or Roman power, rising
from the ruins of the Grecian.
The 13th verse of this chapter has not been well and correctly ex¬
plained by some writers, for it is very evident, that if a writer on the
prophecies once deviate, and miss the truth in explaining one occur¬
rence, he must, to enable him to gain the correct line of events,
twist and turn many more before he can return to the true line of
successive events. As a traveller, if he leave the highway and follow
another path for some distance, must either retrace his steps, or pro¬
ceed until the stray path emerge into the true way. We will endea-
22
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
vor carefully to elicit the true signification by all the means in our
power.
This 13th verse, then, was spoken by the angel or saint, in reply
to a question being asked by another angel or saint, in Daniel's pres¬
ence, for the express purpose of informing him correctly upon the sub¬
ject, which he had so much at heart, and which was the subject of
his daily prayers to.understand, for those previous revelations had not
done so, but on the contrary, confused his ideas of his people being
restored, and the city and temple built, and the worship in the sanc¬
tuary established.
Still, on the banks of the river Ulai, Daniel was in the company of
the angel Gabriel, and other of the celestial beings who take part in
the salvation of men. " Then I heard one saint speaking, and an¬
other saint said unto that certain saint which spoke, 'how long shall
be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of
desolation to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under
foot ?' And he said unto me, ' unto, two thousand three hundred
years, (or prophet's days,) then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.'" •
The temple and sanctuary were long before destroyed by the king
of Assyria, and the temple worship had ceased. " How long ?" was
the'question, how long, would be the' vision, how long a period of
time will it occupy, or require, to complete the fulfilment of all those
four kingdoms in the vision? when will the sanctuary be cleansed?
These visions inform us not of the temple worship being again re¬
stored, and the sanctuary cleansed for the reception of the mercy
seat; the ark of the testimony, the golden candlesticks, and the
cherubims above the mercy seat, and the incense, and the shew-
bread. When will this be? How long? The reply was given : It
will require the space of " two thousand three hundred years " . Then
the true sanctuary will be cleansed, when " the true worshippers will
worship the father in spirit and in truth, for he loveth such to worship
him." The vision will contain four earthly kingdoms, all at enmity
with God; but at the end ot the vision, " the earth shall be filled
with the knowledge of the Lord, and be lighted by his glory, when
he shall establish a kingdom which shall have no end." Thus, par¬
aphrasing the 23d verse, gives its real meaning. Here we find the
same language used as in other predictions on this subjectj viz., in
this verse: "And the transgressions of desolation, to give both the
sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot." Our Loid, speak¬
ing of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the temple, says—" They
(the Jews,) shall be carried captive into all nations, and Jerusalem
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
23
shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, until (the fulness of the Gen*
tiles,) the times of the Gentiles be full." This, then, is the conclu¬
sion of a period of times, or years, at the end of the last relic of the
fourth monarchy, or kingdom—the end also of this Christian warfare
or dispensation, " when the saints will take the kingdom." When
We observe the decline of this last vestige of the fourth kingdom tot¬
tering at its foundation, and only propped up by that band of the
political Euphrates, the holy league, the alliance formed by the four
great European powers, keeping it until " the Lord shall utterly con¬
sume him with the brightness of his coming,"—" when she shall be
consumed with fire, for great is the Lord who judgeth her;"—"and
the smoke of the torment ascendeth up before God, day and night, for
a memorial, forever and ever." The time is not far distant, the end
of the two thousand and three hundred prophetic days.
Daniel, 9th chap., 24-*26th verse. " Seventy weeks are determined
upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression,
and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity,
and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision
and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. Know, therefore, and un¬
derstand, 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; the streets shall be built again,
and the wall, in troublous times. And after three-score and two weeks
shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the
prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, and
the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war
desolations are determined; and he shall confirm the covenant with
many for one week, and in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abo¬
minations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation,
and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
In this brief prophecy we may observe various very important
subjects which it includes. The Jews being at this time captives,
the prophet Daniel had just been praying for his people's restora¬
tion ; the angel came upon the express errand to inform him briefly
of their future destiny. Seventy weeks of prophetic days, or 490
years, commencing at the time thai the king should proclaim their
liberty to return to Judea, from that time, then, the destiny of the
Jews was determined, as we find it predicted, from that time
" there shall be seven weeks, (or 49 years to build,) and three-score,
and two weeks," and after three-score and two weeks, to Messiah
24
SIGNS OF THE* TIMES.
the prince, that is, at the end of 69 weeks, or 483 years, to the anoint*
ing with the Holy Spirit while in Jordan, (as spoken of in another
place,) that is, when he entered his ministry (at about thirty years of
age, by St. Mark's Gospel,) " he shall confirm the covenant with
many for one week, and in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and oblation to cease,"—" in the midst of the week he was
cut off", by giving himself a sacrifice he did abolish the morning and
evening sacrifice of a lamb offering, being a type ofi himself; his
Apostles confined their preaching the gospel to the Jews; and at the
house of Cornelius, a Roman military officer, Peter first opened the
gospel to the Gentiles, as he had done for three years previous to the
Jews, from the day of Pentecost. This honor was granted to Peter
on his confession on the Mount of Transfiguration. The symbolical
keys, opening to Jew and Gentile the door of the kingdom, which
completed the seventy weeks,c nringing in everlasting righteousness,"
through Jesus Christ.
Thus far, then, had four hundred and ninety years transpired of
that prophecy, 1,1 there shall be two thousand three hundred years, and
the sanctuary shall be cleansed," " and he shall make it desolate even
until the consummation, and that determined, shall be poured upon
the desolatethe city of Jerusalem shall lay desolate by the deter¬
mination of Divine Providence, trodden down by the Gentiles unto
the consummation of the Christian dispensation, the fulness of the
Gentiles, the expiration of the two thousand three hundred years.
In the 12th chapter of Daniel, a most graphic prophecy is given
of the first resurrection, and the times and occurrences just prior to
the opening of the seventh seal, which we intend to notice in its
place. The reader will please take notice, and bear in mind this de¬
scription, and compare it with the opening of the seventh seal. 5th
verse—"Then I, Daniel, looked, and, behold, there were 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 those 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 swore by him that liveth
forever, that it shall be for a time, times and half; and when he shall
have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people all these
things shall be finished."
It is necessary to explain as we proceed. The angel had just
informed Daniel of the wars of the Romans, and their conquests
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
25
-Egypt and Palestine, &c., that power being the fourth king¬
dom, and was to continue until the consummation spoken of.
Daniel was informed of the great apostacy, and the man of sin, the
representative of the fourth, or Roman beast, that he would plant his
tabernacle in the glorious holy mountain, or the Church of God; he
would come to his endj and none would help him. That is about
the close of this dispensation, about that time the signs would be
evident. " Many will run to and fro, and knowledge shall be in¬
creased this was the subject which induced that question: " How
long shall it be to the end of those wonders'?" How long shall he be
permitted to place his tabernacle in God's glorious holy mountain?
how long shall he sit in the seat of God, showing himself that he is
God, governing the church which God alone governs as king.
The answer:—" And he swore by him that liveth forever that it
should be for a time, times and a half." This we have already explained
on page 15. From his essaying this character given him, and else¬
where in the scriptures, as assuming the place of God about the year
A.D. five hundred and sixteen—his period of power. Repeated
again in the foregoing verse, is the same, twelve (hundred) and sixty
years, 11 when the mountain of the Lord's house," the government of
the church was liberated from his grasp, for all union of church and
secular governments are of this fourth beast, In the year A.D. seven¬
teen hundred and seventy-six, his supremacy was at an end ; from that
time, t: he shall consume until the end." The following verses are
worthy the most serious attention:
8th verse.—" And I heard and understood not; then.said I, O my
Lord, what shall be the end of these things ? And lie said, Go thy
way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of
the end."
The question was, '' What shall be the end of these things ?"
This was a question which required a very extended answer, and was
not, then, the import of their message to him ; all revelationand ex¬
planation of the same, was not then necessary, the time being yet
far distant. It would be sufficient to understand their visions at
<! the time of the end," for that purpose they were given ; then they
would be unsealed. (As if he had said,) However, this much I will
show you.
" 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. And from the time that the daily sacrifice
"shall be taken away, and the abominations that maketh desolate set
3
26
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed
is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and
five and thirty days. But go thou thy way (Daniel,) till the end be,
for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot in the end of thy days."
It is very evident, from the conclusion of this information, that
those days last mentioned, " the end," in which, Daniel should
rise from the dead, or the first resurrection at Christ's coming; fie
shall rest in death; then, at the expiration of that period, rise from
the dead, " and stand in his lotand those who waiteth with pa¬
tience until that time are " blessed." St. John also says, " Blessed
are those who shall have part in the first resurrection, on them the
second death hath no power;" both alluding to the same event. The
subject was not changed, the object was the same, still alluding to
him who assumed the government of God's church; he, by "chang¬
ing times and laws," altering the government of God's house, the
ordinances which he established, instituting formal, and outward and
sensual, in place of the spiritual, that daily sacrifice of a broken and
contrite heart, was substituted by the abomination that maketh both
the heart and the church desolate; from that time, A. D. five hun¬
dred and sixteen, and for twelve hundred and three score prophetic
days, extends to A. D. one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six.
But " there shall be one thousand two. hundred and ninety days," or
thirty years still in future, a conspicuous epoch for the church, one
thousand eight hundred and five, (and six,) in which the first Bibles
were issued in the various languages of the east. Long had the
Bible Society been organized, but by various causes no active mea¬
sures had been taken; the restriction of the British government had
long paralyzed their enterprises of Christianizing British India until
this time—the years 1805 and 1806—when, indeed, the gospel messen¬
ger commenced his mission of mercy by " flying through the midst
of heaven, having the everlasting good news to all the inhabitants of
the earth.'" This was an epoch, however lightly the church, or men
may consider it, it is undoubtedly one of the greatest importance,
since the Saviour was on earth. The little stone cut out without
hands, and was now set in rapid motion, demolishing, in its progress,
the powers of darkness and the works of the devil, and will, with
each succeeding year, gain more impetus, until it « shall become a
great mountain, and fill the whole earth;"—« But blessed are they
that waiteth and cometh to the one thousand three hundred and five
and thirty days." Here is a blessed period, forty-five years still in
future from the later period, a time of Missionary enterprise of Chris-
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
27
tian exertions to spread the knowledge of God's love to man, a time
of awful anxiety to those celestial messengers of love, a time of in*
creased exertion by the adversary of mankind, {! going about like a.
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,''—£< knowing he has but
a short time." This space of forty-five years, of the gospel trumpet
sounding the warning to prepare for " those things that are coming
on all the world." This, then, is the sealing time, just prior to the
coming of the son of man j a time of peace, " until we have sealed
the servants of God in their forehead." Then comes the end,'of
which we will speak more particularly in the following pages.
We have now concluded quoting the prophecies of Daniel, with
our remarks on the same ; these visions were given upwards of twen¬
ty-three hundred years ago, and all, or nearly all, have had fulfilment,
and are numbered with the things that are past, and only to be found
in history. Yet, the most momentous, to which all the others led, is
about to come to pass, to prepare the minds of those who may follow
us through these pages, for the coming events, or at least, incline
them, to search the scriptures, to see whether these things are so.
We will now endeavor to illustrate the foregoing predictions of
Daniel, by quoting from the Apocalypse, or Revelations of St. John,
which will bring more forcibly to our minds and notice the wonderful
ways of Providence in the latter days.
It has often been affirmed by some good men, that the book of the
revelations of St. John cannot be understood ; and by some, that this
book was not intended that we should understand it; for say they,
<£ secret things belong only to God." No one gainsays this, neither
would I suppose that any one would be so presumptuous to meddle
with unrevealed things, which God in his kindness has withheld
from us. But who ever heard of a revelation being a secret? It is a
contradiction of terms ; the subject may have been at one time a
secret, but when it is made known it is no longer a secret, but a
revelation.
Although the Apocalypse was a secret which was hid for ages, it
is now made known to us through the mediation of our Saviour;
although couched often in figurative language, it was intended to be
understood, but only by those who read for the sake of truth. Let
us consider the preface, and with that introductory address before our
mind, we will be assured it is not a mystery, as some would have it,
but a revelation from God, to his servants on earth.
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to
show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass, and
28
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John, who bore
lecord of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ,
and all things he saw.
Cl Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this
prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, for the
time is at hand."
OPENING OF THE SEVEN SEALS.
Chap, vi., Verse xii.
First Seal—" And I saw when the lamb opened one of the seals,
and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder; one of the living
creatures saying, come and see, and I saw and behold a white horse,
and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him,
and he went forth conquering and to conquer."
Seals denote that which is hidden or secret. St. Paul speaking
of what the Lord had brought to light, says, "these things which
were hidden from the ages, (i.e. that are past) God hath in these
latter days revealed them unto us by his son Jesus Christ,"—which
coroborates with the preface of the Apocalypse. The seals appear
to contain the great outline of events, from the promulgation of the
gospel on the day of Penticost, to the close of the Christian dispen¬
sation. This space of time contains five principal periods: each one
a series of years, between each successive seal. Each seal as it
is opened to view, reveals the state and condition of the church,
with the national occurrences whereby the church was affected.
However ambiguous the Apocalyptical writings may have appear¬
ed in former days; in this, our day, we have the advantage of the
history of the events as they transpired, and as prophecy is only
to be fully understood when the time of fulfilment arrives, we have
the advantage in this respect, by comparing the past long series of
events with the present occurrences.
The first seal opens with a " white horse." White denotes purity,
holiness. Horse denotes strength, swiftness ; «• he that sat on him
had a crown," as a prince, and in his hand a "bow," the emblem
of war." And he went forth conquering and to conquer." This,
then, was emblematic of the gospel, going forth at the day of Pente¬
cost, when the apostles of the Lord was commissioned from on high
with all the panoply of spiritual warfare, to combat sin in all its forms.
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
29
They were empowered from above to go forth to the war. The
combat began against the kingdom of Satan, and they fought
under the banner of the prince of peace, whose banner is love, " and
good will from heaven to men." But they no soonet had announced
the glad tidings, when the second seal began, persecution, in the
year A.D. 37.
Second Seal—Ch. v., V. 1, 2 and 4.—" And when he had opened
the second seal, I heard the second living creature say—come and
see. And there went out another horse, which was red, and
power was given to him that sat thereon, to take peace from the
earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was given
unto him a great sword "
This second seal commenced on the first preaching of the gospel,
and continued for a period of 275 years, A.D. 312, when the third
seal commenced. The apostles, twelve illiterate men, took the field
against the prejudices of the Jews, and the heathen superstitions of
the whole Roman empires : their foes were many and strong. To all
human appearance the opposition was overwhelming, but he who com¬
missioned them was their support under this second seal. And there
went out another horse, which was " red—" red "—emblemati¬
cal of blood and massacre. S'And power was given to him that
eat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill
one another; and there was given him a great sword," which denoted
persecution.
We can form but a very incorrect conception, in the present day, of
the contentions which occurred in those days, when this new and
wonderful development was made known. Salvation by faith, the
resurrection of the dead, &c., &c. The Saviour said, " I come not to
send peace on earth, but a sword,"—and families shall be divided
against themselves in opinions about this new doctrine, which was
u to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greek foolishness."
The history of those times speak a fearful tale, until A. D. 312,
when the Emperor Constantine professed the christian religion. Then
persecution ceased, which introduces us to the
Third Seal.—Chap, vi, V. 5. and 6.—" And when he had opfened
the third seal, I heard the third living creature say—come and see.
And I beheld, and lo, a black horse, and he that sat on him had a
pair of balances in his hand ; and I heard a voice in the midst of the
four living creatures—a measure of wheat for a penny, and three
measures of barley for a penny, and see that thou hurt not the oi
and the wine."
3*
30
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
This seal commenced in the year A. D. 312, when the persecution
of the church ceased. Constantine adopting the Christian religion
himself, first induced his court to follow his example; therefore,
this religion became a fashionable thing, and was soon adopted
as a national religion, much against the will of the heathen priests.
By amalgamating much of the heathen ritual with christian cere¬
monies, and by adopting the imposing decorations of their festi¬
vals with gospel ordinances, the purity of divine worship was debased
into the adoration of images and relics, and the simplicity of Gospel
institutions corrupted into masses and confessionals. These strong
characteristics of ignorance and superstition mark the age empha¬
tically dark, and is well emblemized by the " Black Horse."
" Their foolish hearts were darkened." By this unhallowed com¬
bination, the light of divine truth became darkness to their minds, so
much so, that the rider on the black horse is described as " having a
pair of balances in his hand," which denotes a scarcity of heavenly
light and truth. A voice proclaimed in the midst of the living crea¬
tures " a measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley
for a penny, and see that thou hurt not the oil and the wine." This
measure or chenix, was a slave's daily allowance, which denotes a
famine or scarcity of vital holiness and the word of God. Yet, there
were a few which had never complied with the established national
religion, but held fast to tfie truth as delivered to the saints. These
are the' .oil and the wine." Hurt them not. Compel thern not to con¬
form to that holy alliance of a corrupt religion. " Oil," denotes sanc¬
tity of heart. " Wine," the holy influence of God's spirit, communion
with God in spiritual worship. Such was the state of the established
church during a period of 204 years, which brings us to the year A.
D. 516 at the opening of the
Fourth Seal.—Chap, vi, and V. 8.—And when he had opened
the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth creature say—come
and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse, and his name that
set on him was death, and hell followed with him, and power was
given unto him over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the
sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the wild beasts of
the earth.'' '
This fourth seal was opened, and a scene presents itself to St. John,
similar in character, if not in figure, as the same when seen by
Daniel in his vision of the monstrous beast, or fourth kingdom,
" dreadful and terrible also, the feet of the great image " of iron
mixed with miry clay," a fit and parallel resemblance of this pale
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
31
horse and his rider, death, with all his train. His period of time
commenced A. D. 516, and was destined to continue with his retinue
of attendants hell,—the sword,—hunger,—and death,—for a space
of 1260 years. But at the opening of. this seal we see the mystery
of iniquity, spoken of by St. Paul, and that had begun even in his
day to work, but could not " show itself openly," while the empe-
rial power existed, the " iron," or military supremacy. But at this
time, as St. Paul foretold, of these things ; the western Roman
empire had fallen into decay, and as we before mentioned, Italy was
governed by dukes and petty kings, which was now no barrier to
the development of the pale horse and his retinue.
" And you know what now prevents his being revealed until his
proper time. For already the mystery of iniquity secretly works,
only till he, who now retains, be taken out of the way; and then
shall that lawless one be revealed, whom the Lord will consume
by the spirit of his' mouth with the brightness of his coming, is
according to the energy of Satan, with all the power, and signs,
and wonders of falsehood; and with all deceit of unrighteousness
among the destroyed: because they did not embrace the love of
the truth, that they might be saved. For this cause, God will send
them strong delusions that they may believe a lie ; that all may be
condemned."
Here then, is a graphic and most exact definition of his rise, and
what then prevented it. His decline, and his destruction is clearly
shown. His train also is boldly set forth, viz: delusion ; deceit;
unrighteousness; without love of the truth; believing a lie; that
they may all be condemned. This seal exposes to our view this
same character, " a pale horse,"—horse denotes strength and swift¬
ness ; pale, a death-like appearance, neither all white nor all black ;
a mixture of truth with much error and lies. " Death and hell
followed with him." Spiritual death to all who have his mark.
" Hunger with death and the wild beasts of the earth." Men
were to be killed in and by these various means under the reign
of this pale horse and his rider, and " hell" was to be the conse¬
quence. " Hunger," the soul starving for want of spiritual food, or
feeding upon falsehood. " Death and with the wild beasts of the
earth," he assumed the power, not only over the souls of men, but
over their lives, those who did not believe his falsehoods and delu¬
sions he would turn them over to their secular laws, which under
all his domination, every country made it a capital crime to be
punished with death. " And with the wild beasts of the earth."
32
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
Wild beasts, like ravenous wolves or tigers, (I will not say lions,
for they are said to have some noble feelings) but like wolves or
hyenas. Those full of all deceit and satan, under the false garb
of a name profaned, the Jesusites, (Jesuits) like evil spirits ascended
from the pi* in human form; they prowled about the world, as did
their master, " seeking whom they might devour." Thousands
of the human race in all nations have suffered tortures and death in
the most savage and cruel manner; they were truly " wild beasts of
the earth." This pale horse was to continue 1260 years in the full
exercise of his power; he was to " have the fourth part of the earth."
If we view the map of the world; he has his full share. The
gospel was introduced by a white horse. The first period of the
Christian dispensation, was persecution under, the emblem of a "red
horse." The second period was the corruption of religion, under the
emblem of a "black horse." The third period under this "pale
horse," being the last of the horses seen in the opening seals, will
continue until the end of the Christian dispensation, as a last remain¬
ing relic of the fourth kingdom, a skeleton representative of the
great image waiting its fate. The whole dispensation may be said
to consist of the horses, white, red and pale, which we have endea¬
vored to explain. But the fifth and, sixth seals are opened under the
reign of the pale horse, varying the emblems, showing the state of
the religious world at those periods which they occupy.
Fifth Seal.—Chap, vi, v. 10 and, 11.—And when he had opened the
fifth seal, I was under the altar, the souls of them that were slain for
the word of God, and for the testimony which they held, and they
cried with a loud voice, saying: How long! O Lord holy and true,
dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the
earth ? And white robes were given unto every one of them, and it
was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until
their fellow servants also, and their brethren, that should be killed as
they,,were should be fulfiled."
We have noticed under the foregoing periods the privations, perse*
cutions and deaths that the people of God had to suffer, thousands
and tens of thousands "counted not their lives dear, if they gained
Christ." They, like Lazarus of old, were counted as the off¬
scourings of the earth, " of whom this world was not worthy." Their
spirits had been carried away by Angels to Abram's bosom. Long
had been the persecutions by Jews first; then by heathen ; then worse
than heathen, that " dreadful and terrible," fiendish tribunal of hell
" that followed with the pale horse, the Inquisition, with its works
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
33
of mystery and darkness. The spirits of the just made perfect were
daily ascending to their rest in Paradise, " under the altar," resting
from their labors, until that day when re-united to their bodies, " they
will live and reign with Christ one thousand years."
With longing anticipation, they cried out, " how long! O Lord, holy
and true dost thou not avenge our blood on those who dwell on the
earth ?"
St. John says, " and I saw the woman (or prostitute church) drunk
wtih the blood of the Saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of
Jesus, and when I saw her, I wondered with great amazement." Then
"white robes were given unto everyone of them,"—consolation was
given them, with the assurance of soon seeing that retribution which
they had been waiting so long for; but a short time was necessary to
prepare for those events, and that after a number of their Christian
brethren should be slain, then would vengence on the enemies take
place. Then-, "rejoice over her, thou Heaven, and ye Saints and
Apostles and Prophets; for on your account God has pronounced
sentence upon her."—Rev. 18 and 20.
This fifth seal opens a period of light to this world, and breaks
the fetters of superstition from the dark ages of popery and ignorance'
Martin Luther, Calvin, and others, who could no longer be bound by
the absurdities and presumptions of Rome, came forward as cham¬
pions of truth in opposition to the pale horse and fill his train of evils.
From that time we may date the fifth seal's opening, a period of time
from A. D. 1517, just 1000years since the man of sin or the pale horse
and his rider assumed authority. But now, as the time approaches,
"Wo unto you inhabiters of the earth, for the devil is come down
unto you, having great wrath, knowing his time is short." He
stirred up in his wrath all his subjects in a violent attempt to exter¬
minate and extinguish "that light." On the 17th day of August,
1572, all Paris resounded with mirth and revelry; the Protestants
had been invited to attend the festivities of the marriage of the young
prince. At the stillness of midnight, on the eve of St. Bartholomew's
day, August 24th, the tocsin bell of St. Germain awoke the slumbers
of the capitol; it was the signal to begin the dreadful massacfe. The
morning light looked upon more than ten thousand bleeding corpses
of the Protestants, strewed through the streets, and within the houses*
and sanctuaries of Paris, men, women and children were slain In
other parts of France, there were put to death " fifty thousand more."
When this news was received by the pale horse and his rider, Pope
Gregory XII, insulted the majesty of Heaven by returning public
34
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
thanks for these atrocious cruelties. Such was the spectacle before
high Heaven and the angels of God, that if it were possible, it would
make the angels weep. Pope Gregory, to blacken the deed by insult*
ing God, had a solemn U deum chanted, and public thankgiving and
rejoicings.
Well might Daniel say, " This beast was more terrible than all the
other beasts that were before it." Upwards of sixty thousand in one
short night, went to join the martyrs above, and mingle with those
" under the altar." " But the Lord is not slack, as some men count
slackness." Retributive justice was near at hand, destined to fall on
the French nation for their cruel atrocities and their impiety : And by
them the pale horse and his rider, was to " receive a deadly wound."
u But this deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered after
the beast who received the wound with the sword and did live,"—
which took place under the
Sixth Seal.—'First part.—" And I beheld, when he had opened the
sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake ; and the sun became
black as sackloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the
stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her
untimely figs, when she is shaken with a mighty wind: and the
Heavens departed, as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every
mountain and island were removed out of their places, and the kings
of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief
captains, and the mighty men, and every bond-man, and every free¬
man hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains,
and said to the mountains, fall on us, and hide us from the face of
him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;
for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to
stand?"
This seal opens to us a period of great interest, especially to the
Christian. The period is short in duration, as we have shown in the
foregoing pages. When the years of these prophecies will be finish¬
ed, and the nearer we draw .towards the end of these days, the more
interesting the developments are. This, then, being the last period
of the Christian dispensation, and that, too, near its close,- we may
observe daily, more and more, distinctly, the hand of Divine Provi¬
dence, makipg all things work together for the end of all prophecy
and all Scripture, the millennium dispensation. " When the seed of
the woman shall have bruised the serpent's head."
Although the period of the sixth seal is of short duration, the de¬
velopments of Providence the most numerous and of most momentous
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
35
importance ; and the more so, just at the close, when the seventh and
last seal will open to this world a scene which few little expect, but
" every eye shall see it," some with rejoicing and some with horror.
The fifth period, comprised between the sixth and seventh seals,
seems to include very different aspects; the first, of universal war and
bloodshed, the scourge and judgments of God on the nations. The
last, principally, a time of peace, a disseminating the knowledge of
God to all lands.
It begins with the vengeance of God's retributive justice, which
had been long suspended over the French nation ; when that great
political earthquake shook not only France, but all Europe to its
centre. The great battle of Waterloo closes the first part. It was
a most remarkable period of twenty years; commencing with a great
political earthquake or revolution, " and the sun became black as
sackcloth of hair." Here we see the total extinguishment of all
revealed religion; of all knowledge of God. Atheism became a
national thing, so dark and black, that all the light of the gospel of
the son of God was as dark as the " blackness of sackcloth of hair."
They denied all future state of the soul, and maintained that death
was an eternal sleep.
" The moon became as blood." The moon being an opaque body,
having no light in itself, receives all its light from the sun ; so science,
the reflection of mens' minds, who having no light by nature, are
only illuminated by revealed -light from the son of God. Therefore,
when the light became so obliterated, science no longer reflected light
to them in the reign of terror, but was put in requisition for instru¬
ments of blood. Witness the guillotine, it told a fearful tale too hor¬
rible to relate ; it was truly a time of blood. Licentiousness and
profligacy walked forth unveiled; the forms of religion were destroy¬
ed ; the Sabbath was abolished; and one day in ten set apart, not for
religion, but for idleness and licentiousness. The Goddess of reason,
personified by a naked prostitute, was drawn in triumph through the
streets of Paris,—" and the stars of Heaven fell unto the earth, even
as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken by a mighty
wind." This is a very exact illustration of these days. At the revo¬
lution the national convention met, and by one act of that national
assembly, all titles of office and distinction were abolished, both in
church and State, or political heavens ; the stars were cast down to
the ground, all were on one level; no dignities; no law; no order;
no religion ; so sudden was it, it is prefigured by a fig tree casting her
blio-htedfio-s under a blast of amighty wind ; a true impressive figure.
O ©
36
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
Their political heavens had no sun, moon or stars. They had beheaded
their king and queen, cast the stars to the ground. Chaos and disor¬
der was universal. Their religious heavens, in metaphorical language,
was in the same state of chaotic confusion and disorder. The digni¬
taries of the church at the same moment were cast to the ground.
The sun or the light of revelation, as we have already remarked, was
dark, "black as sackcloth of hair," "and the heavens departed as a
scroll when it is rolled together." Here we see Divine retribution
displayed. At the close of this bloody period when the fiendish
minds of men were now satiated with the blood of their fellow beings,
Bonaparte was raised up from obscurity as a scourge in the hand of
him, ' who sitleth upon the throne," to chastise the nations of Europe,
and to inflict a deadly wound with his sword upon the beast, ie. the
Roman secular power, as a just retribution, "and every mountain and
island was moved out of its place." How remarkably illustrative of
those times, it needs but to place the real for the figure, and we have
a most concise and correct history of those times,—" mountains,"
governments, " islands," states or provinces, were all removed out of
their place. Bonaparte removed the governments and placed his
brothers on the thrones of nearly all those nations; his favorite gene¬
rals were also made kings instead of those kings which he had
removed; he also removed the boundaries of kingdoms, the States of
Germany and Switzerland. He deposed kings, changed their govern¬
ments at pleasure, to the great dismay and terror of the " kings of
the earth. And the great men, and the rich men, and the chief
captains, and the mighty men, and every bond-man, and every free¬
man, hid themselves in dens and in the rocks,"—so great was the
terror, consternation and alarm, when Bonaparte with his armies was
over-running the nations of Europe by his conquests. All men of
every order and grade were calling upon the mountains, (their govern¬
ments) to protect them. " Hiding in the dens and in the rocks," i.e.
taking shelter in their fortresses, to hide them from the scourge "of
him who sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb, for
the day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand." This
was the cry of thousands and millions, from the prince to the
humblest peasant, the horrors and alarms which prevailed on the
continent of Europe is indiscribable ; calling upon their governments
to protect their lives and property; their seemed no avenue of escape
from the avenger. Rapine and bloodshed marked his footsteps • suf¬
fering and misery were left in his path—all the united powers of
Europe could not arrest his progress. As a destroying angel in the
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
37
h&nd of God, he must fulfil his mission. But when he had accom¬
plished that, his proceedings were stayed. These things are a fearful
illustration of the wrath of God on a wicked and ungrateful people.
The seat of tne beast, (Rome,) was also invaded. Rome for a time
was declared to be a republic. The Pope carried to France as a
prisoner; he should •'receive a wound with a sword and still live.
This deadly wound was healed," sometime afterwards. This brings
us to the year 1815, when the overthrow of that Atheistical power
was complete, which prepares the way for the development of the
second part of the sixth seal, or fifth period, which more immediately
interests us at the present time, as these events are occurring daily
within our knowledge; yet few persons, even among the readers of
the Scriptures, discern the hand of Providence in all these things. My
design in writing these pages, is merely to point out a few of the
prominent operations, as I comprehend them, so far as Scripture and
history appear to agree, that others may also dig in that mine of
truth for themselves, and draw their own conclusions.
Sixth Seal—Second Part.—" After these things I saw four angels
standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of
the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea,
nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising
of the sun, having the seal of the living God, and cried with a great
voice to the four angels, to whom power was given to injure the
earth and the sea. Injure not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees,
till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads."
In the foregoing, as in all prophetic writings, the future is
couched in figurative language, and cannot be fully understood un¬
til the fulfilment. Yet so much of unfulfilled prophecy may be
understood by what is past, and by applying the same figures rightly,
as to enable us to know our hope, enough for our caution and
admonition. St. John says, "After these things, (viz. what we
before noticed of the first part of the seal,) I saw four angels
standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of
the earth." Angels, in this place, are four kings, messengers, or an¬
gels, are his servants, that do his pleasure, fire, lightning, wind, hail,
are all the messengers or angels in this sense when they obey him
as agents; but as we will show hereafter, on this same prophecy, where
tfiey are, in particular, termed kings: I saw four kings standing on
the four corners of the earth, these kings held the winds in their
hands. Wind, in symbolical language, is strife, or war; therefore
thev had the means and power to go to war, whereby they could
4
38
SIGNS OP THE TIMES*
hurt the " earth," civil institutions, and the " sea/' the people or In¬
habitants, and " the trees," distinguished in scriptures from inani¬
mate things and people of the world, as God:s people are termed in
symbolical language, the grass of the earth, the salt of the earth,
as a plant, a vine, &c., having life or preserving qualities, or holi¬
ness ; vegetable life is emblematic of the saints, in contradistinction
of inanimate nature. These four kings had power in their 'hands
to go to war, and injure other governments and laws, their people,
especially the people of God.
A celestial messenger ascending from the east, having the seal of
the living God, and he cried with a great voice to the four kings,
or angels, to whom power is given," (here it is distinctly expressed,
" power was given this constituted them special messengers of
God •, this power was for an express purpose,) to injure the earth and
the sea. Now remark the omission here of the " treespower was
given these kings to hurt the earth and the sea, expressly, although
they had the means of hurting all, the means of a general warfare ;
yet only as messengers in that capacity, it was not in their commis¬
sion to hurt the trees, God's people, "saying, hurt not the earth, nor
the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God in
their forehead."
These kings had the power in their hands to hurt all in warfare,
but as agents of God for an express purpose, when his time arrived ;
but he did not, in making them his agents (or angels,) include his
people in that agency. But now, a celestial messenger is expressly
sent to them, to forbid and prohibit them going to war. This restric¬
tion was to continue until the servants of God should be sealed with
the seal of the living God, which is the spirit of God sanctifying the
heart.. This angel or messenger had the seal, with the power to
apply it, to mark the people which would be converted to the Lord T
for this purpose it required a time of peace, for this was none othei
than the gospel messenger, that missionaries, and especially the
scriptures, should be widely circulated, and peace and tranquillity
reign.
Who, then, are these four agents, or kings ? This is the time he
saw four kings, of Russia, Prussia, England and Austria, who with
their combined armies defeated Napoleon, and possessed his capitol
for some years. These four powers held a congress, and concluded a
league, or holy alliance, as it is termed, to keep universal peace with
themselves and other nations, to settle disputes amicably by arbitra¬
tion, and also to preserve the equilibrium of all the nations of Europ®
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
39
and Asia. This is a bond which cannot be broken by any cause,
until the restriction is taken off, when all nations shall have had the
glad tidings proclaimed unto them; then, and not till then, can these
four nations encounter each other. Have we not seen jealousies, in"
suits, and breach of faith occur, and all was settled without war.
If such had transpired at a previous period of time, all Europe would
have been engaged in fierce contest. How wonderful, too, has been
the united efforts since this peace, of christians of all nations to send
the heralds of the cross to all the world, bringing in the fulness of
the Gentiles. Until this time, China shut herself up from receiving
the gospel; now it is spreading far and wide in her vast domains.
The isles of the sea, a few years since, were in heathen darkness, are
now worshipping their maker in spirit and truth. California and
Oregon will follow the example, then the knowledge of the Lord
will extend from sea to sea, and u from the rising of the sun to the
going down of the same." The time is short when the closing scene
will come, at the opening of the seventh seal, which we will notice
more in detail, whdn speaking of the return of the Jews.
Seventh Seal.—" And when he had opened the seventh seal there
was silence in heaven for about half an hour."
" Silence in heaven," a suspension of revelation for half an hour, or
a short, indefinite, time. The great outlines of the christian dispen¬
sation had just been traced out, and presented by revelation in a vi¬
sion to St. John ] an interval, and then the scene was changed, and
presented to the vision of the prophet in a different view, filling up
those outlines. Seven angels present themselves with trumpets, to
announce what would take place in the political affairs of the world,
in the different periods marked out by the seals. Trumpets being the
emblematical symbol of war, therefore these seven trumpets denote
the political affairs cotemporaneous with the seal, both ending at the
close of this dispensation; they, in many instances, when on the
same subject, make use of the same words and same figures in de*
scribing the same thing.
Also the vials/which are also seven, and cotemporaneous with the
seven trumpets. The vials are emblematical symbols of religion, (as
a vessel of the sanctuary,) it is used in these revelations to denote the
displeasure and judgments of God on the apostate church, and called
the vials of God's wrath.
40
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
A Parallel View, or comparative exposition of the seven seals, seven
trumpets, and seven vials.
First
First Seal■—Rev. vi.,—
v., 1st and 2d.—"And I saw,
and behold a white horse;
and he that sat on him had
a bow, and a crown was
given unto him, and he
went forth, conquering and
to conquer."
Trumpet.—Rev.
viii.,—v., 7th.—" The first
angel sounded, and there
followed hail and firp, min¬
gled with blood, and they
were cast upon the earth;
and the third part of the
trees was burnt up, and all
green grass was burnt up."
First Vial.—Rev.xvi.,—
v., 2d.—"And the first
went, and poured out his
vial upon the earth; and
there fell a noisome and
grievous sore upon the men
which had the marks of the
beast, and upon them which
worshipped his image."
First Seal.—This seal, as we have already noticed, indicates the
going forth of the gospel into the world, and its pure doctrines being
opposed to the gross vices and the sinful practices of the Jew as well
as Gentile, drew down on the Apostles of Jesus the enmity of both.
This vial of God's wrath at this epoch, plainly shows on whom it
was poured out, only on the men who had the mark of the beast;
this was the Roman, or fourth kingdom under its first, or bfeathen
emperors. The mark of the beast, Roman citizenship. The " trum¬
pet " describes in what manner this vial was poured out. Hail and
fire, mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth.
" Earth," civil laws, or secular things. The vengeance, and cruel
spirit pervading the rulers of the nation. " Third part of the trees
were burnt up, and all green grass were burnt up." Vegetation de¬
notes spiritual life; in this trumpet it denotes the sufferings of the
christians and pious Jews, at the introduction of the gospel dispen¬
sation.
Second Seal.—v. 3d.—
" And when he had opened
the second seal, I heard the
second living creature say,
come and see, and there
went out another horse that
was red; and power was
given to him that sat there¬
on to take peace from the
earth, and that they should
kill one another, and there
was given unto him a great
sword.1'
Parallel.
Second Trumpet.—v. 8.
—" And the second angel
sounded, and, as it were,
a great mountain, burning
with fire, was cast into the
sea, and the third part of
the sea became blood, and
the third part of the crea¬
tures which were in the
sea, and had life died; and
the third part of the ships
were destroyed."
Second Vial.—v. 3rd.—
" And the second angel
poured out his vial upon
the sea, and it became as
the blood of a dead man;
and every living soul died in
the sea."
I
This second seal, trumpet, and vial were fulfilled under the hea¬
then Roman emperors ; by a comparison it will be seen that they all
speak of the same events, and nearly in the same language. We
have already shown that the " red horse," in the second seal, denoted
a period of persecutions and bloodshed to the church of Jesus Christ,
which took place under the heathen emperors. " The ten persecm
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
41
tions of the church," the trumpet and the vial both point to the same
occurrences. " The sea becoming blood," &c. " Sea " is people—
the subjects or citizens of the Roman emperor. The invasion of the
empire by the Goths, Germans and Franks, and other barbarians, in
the year A. D. 268, according to history. At this crisis " The Ro¬
man empire was laid in hopeless ruin. The civil wars caused by the
several usurpations, the contests with the barbarians and their devas¬
tations, together with famine and pestilence, had swept from the face
of the empire one half of its inhabitants." Is not this, then, a literal
fulfilment of the second period in every sense of the word of prophecy.
While the christians were persecuted, hunted and put to death by the
Jew and heathen, the judgments of God were poured out in the vial
of his wrath upon the perpetrators ; the sea became as the blood of a
dead man. "A third part of the sea became blood,"—"a burning
mountain cast into the sea," says the trumpet. Mountain is govern¬
ment, or power, as a nation. Those barbarian nations burning for
revenge and conquest poured down their immense hordes from their
native forests of the north, and as a burning mountain cast themselves
into the midst of the most fertile country of Italy, and like a flood
sweeping all before them—while pestilqnce, famine and death were
doing their work. Who can read these predictions, and the history
of those times, and not discover the coincidences, which bring us
down in the path of time to the third period.
Third Seal.—Ch. vi.,—v.
5th.—" And when he had
opened the third seal, I
heard the third living crea¬
ture say, come and see.
And I beheld, and lo, a
black horse, and he that sat
on him had a pair of bal¬
ances in his hand. And I
beard a voice in the midst
of the four living creatures
say, a measure of wheat
for a penny, and three mea¬
sures of barley for a penny,
and see that thou hurt not
the oil and the wine."
Parallel.
Third Trumpet.-Ch. viii.
—v. 10th.—And the third
angel sounded, and there
fell a great star from hea¬
ven, burning, as it were, a
lamp, and it fell upon the
third part of the rivers, and
upon the fountains of wa¬
ters, and the name of the
star is called wormwood;
and the third part of the
waters became wormwood,
and many died of the wa¬
ters, because they were
made bitter."
Third Vial.—Ch. xvi.—
v. 4th.—" And the third
angel poured out his vial
upon the rivers and foun¬
tain of waters, and they be¬
came blood: and I heard
the angel of the waters say,
thou art righteous, O Lord,
which art, and wast, and
shalt be, because thou hast
judged thus: for they have
shed the blood of saints and
prophets, and thou hast
given them blood to drink,
for they are worthy."
The language, or figures, are similar in all, pointing to the same
events, in the same period of time. This second period of the chris¬
tian dispensation commences at the close of the Pagan Roman empe¬
ror when the persecution of the church ceased—when the emperor
Constantine professed Christianity, and making it a national religion.
4*
42 SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
The former prejudices being of long standing, their inveteracy could
not be subdued without many concessions on the part of. the emperor,
and his bishops, by introducing many heathen rites and ceremonies,
festivals and superstitions into the national religion, obscuring the
light of the gospel. The seal we have shown indicates a scarcity of
gospel light and the knowledge of the Lord in that church. Those
who professed the christian religion because it was fashionable were
merely nominal christians ; many christians who had endured the
heat of persecution for righteousness-sake, under former emperors,
would not be induced to give up the purity of their faith. " See that
thou hurt not the oil and the wine." The trumpet and vial both
perak of the " fountains and rivers of waters," viz., the provinces of
the empire, the channels and fountains from whence her wealth and
strength were derived, viz., Britain, Gaul, Germany, and the more
semote provinces, In this period they cast off the Roman yoke.
This new religion, which was adopted as national, was bitter to the
Druids, and other heathen priests throughout the extent of the prov¬
inces. This was a very peculiar period in the affairs of the church,
and the world at large. As Christianity became popular, so far it
was corrupted ; it was truly a time of popular ignorance. "A black
horse," and many apostatized and conformed to this subverted gos¬
pel, and became dead to the truth. This second period is noted for
the irruptions of the Huns, and other barbarian nations. Christianity
was rapidly declining from its primitive purity, and ambitious men
sought, through its medium, to gratify their unhallowed lust of
power. By extending the authority of the bishops, the foundation
was laid for that abominable Oppression, which for so many ages was
to press on the moral and intellectual energies of Europe. The iron
of the legs was fast giving way to the miry clay; the military spirit
of Rome had nigh departed forever, and at the close of this period, in
the end of the fifth century, we find the imperial power broken, and
Italy the seat of the Roman beast, or monarchy, divided into petty
dukedoms or principalities, forming the last feature of the fourth
kingdom—" the feet and toes of iron and miry clay."
The fourth seal, trumpet and vial, begin at this period, when we
find the little horn plucking up three of these horns, or principalities,
by the roots, and placing their diadems upon his own head-
Fourth Seal.—Rev. ch.
vi.,—v. 7.—" And when he
had opened the fourth seal,
I heard the voice of the
fourth living creature say,
Fourth Trumpet.—Rev.
ch. viii.,—v. 12th and 13th.
—" And the fourth angel
sounded, and the third part
of the sun was smitten, and
Fourth Vial.—Rev. ch.
xvi.,—v.8.—"And the fourth
angel poured out his vial
upon the sun, and power
was given unto him to
SIGNS OF THE TIMES,
43
come and see. And I looked,
and behold a pale horse, and
his name that sat on him
was death, and hell followed
with him, and power was
given unto them, over the
fourth part of the earth, to
kill with the sword, and
with hunger and with death,
and with the wild beasts of
the earth."
scorch with fire. And men
were scorched with great
heat, and blasphemed the
name of God, which hath
power over those plagues,
and they repented not tov
give him glory."
the third part of the moon,
and the third part of the
stars, so that the third part
of them was darkened, and
the day shone not for a third
part of it, and the night
likewise. And I beheld,
and heard an angel flying
through the midst of hea¬
ven, saying with a loud
voice, wo, wo, wo, to the
inhabitants of the earth,
by reason of the other voices
of the trumpet of the three
angels which are yet to
sound.*'
This period is introduced at a time when the minds of men pre¬
sented an anomaly unprecedented in this world. The moral and in¬
tellectual state of men exhibited a very great propensity to the ridicu¬
lous, under the pale horse and his rider, death and hell following
with them. " These were to have power and dominion over the fourth
part of the earth ; they established missions in China, and in the isl¬
ands of Japan, and India, at an early date in this period ; in Europe
and subsequently Mexico, South America; they had a full fourth
part of the earth under their dominion, to kill with the sword, with
hunger, and with death, and with the wild beasts of the earth.''
The inquisitorial fires were kindled whersoever their power extended.
Dungeons, fire and the stake followed with them. The trumpet
says, the third part of the sun,, moon and stars were smitten, and
darkened one-third. They presented and put to death all the lumi¬
naries of the gospel, and darkened by their follies and dogmas,
they professed to teach the tfuth, while themselves were in gross
error. " The sun," or gospel light, the moon, or the light of science,
were all darkened and prohibited; the stars, or dignitaries of the
gospel church, were put to death wherever they could be found.
The invention of a new science was attributed to the power of the
devil; witness Galillio, John Faus, the first printer, and others. The
sciences and religion were darkened; " they cast down the truth to
the ground, and stamped upon it," (Daniel.) " And by this the wit¬
nesses go in mourning for forty-two months," (St. John.) " The wit¬
nesses," or two testaments on earth for. God ; he suppressed the scrip¬
tures, and changed the ordinances of the church. "Forty-two
months of thirty days, prophetic, is twelve hundred and sixty years.
He drove "the women into the wilderness" by his persecutions "for
one thousand two hundred and sixty days," or twelve hundred and
sixty years, cotemporaneous with his own devotion of supremacy,
44
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
twelve hundred and sixty, or times and half time. St. John also
says, " and the holy city shall be trodden down by the Gentiles for
forty-two months,", or twelve hundred and sixty years. " The holy
city," church of the living God, gospel church. " Yet men repented
not to give glory to God," because, as St. Paul said, " they love not
the truth, therefore God will send' them strong delusions, that they
believe a lie and be damned." The fourth angel, " flying through
the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, wo ! wo! wo! to the
inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet
of the three angels which are yet to sound." Here, then, are three
woes about to befall this prostitute church, which has forsaken her
first love, &c.
Fifth Seal.—Chap. vi.—
v. 9, 10, 11.—" And when
he had opened the fifth seal
I saw under the altar the
souls of them that were
slain, for the word of God,
and for the testimony which
they held, and they cried
with a loud voice, saying,
how long, O Lord holy and
true, dost thou not judge
and avenge our blood on
them that dwell on the
earth; and white robes were
given unto every one of
them, and it was said unto
them that they should rest
yet free a little season, until
their fellow-servants also,
and their brethren should
befulfiled."
The First Wo Trumpet.
Fifth Trumpet.—Chap,
ix.—v. 1 to 12.—"And
the fifth angel sounded, and
I saw a star fall from hea¬
ven unto the earth, and to
him was given the key of
the bottomless pit, and
there arose a smoke out of
the pit, as the smoke of a
great furnace, and the sun
and the air were darkened
by reason of the smoke of
the pit, and there came out
of the smoke of the pit lo¬
custs upon the earth, and
unto them was given power,
as the scorpions of the earth
have power, and it was com¬
manded them that they
should not hurt the grass of
the earth, neither any green
thing, neither any tree, but
only those men which have
not the seal of God in their
foreheads, and to them it
was given that they should
not kill them, but that they
should be tormented five
months, and their torment
was as the torment of a
scorpion when he striketh a
man; " and they had a
king over them, which is
the angel of the bottomless
pit; one wo is past, and
there cometh two more woes
hereafter."
Fifth Seal.—Chap. xxi.—
v. 10, 11.—" And the fifth
angel poured out his vial
upon the seat of the beast,
and his kingdom was full
of darkness, and • they
gnawed their tongues* for
pain, and blasphemed the
God of heaven, because of
their pain and their sores,
and repented not of their
deeds."
The remarkable coincidence contained in the fifth trumpet, which
the angel calls the first wo, was poured out in the fifth rial upon
the seat of the beast. While in the fifth seal, we see that the soula
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
45
of the martyrs who were slain for the testimony, and the gospel's
sake, are represented to be under the altar, or Paradise, Abram's
bosom, where the weary spirits are at rest. Here we see they seem
longing for judgment on their cruel persecutors while on earth, as the
souls of thousands of their brethren in Christ were ever and anon as¬
cending to join them: They cry out, « how long, O Lord, holy and
true, dost thou not avenge our blood on those who dwelt on the earth."
They received consolation, and were assured that after a very little
time, when the great army of martyrs should be complete, their re¬
quest would be granted ; (witness St. Bartholomew's day, which we
have already noticed,) and thousands besides, have gone since, to join
that throng. But now, a signal calamity was about to fall upon the
seat of the beast. A wo! a vial of God's wrath, was about to de¬
prive him of not only the capitol of the eastern Roman empire, but
of many of his spiritual subjects, on the one hand, and on the other,
by the reformation, under Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others.
This period was remarkable for judgments on the Papal hierarchy.
Martin Luther and John Calvin, the two great leaders in this reform,
arose in the beginning of the fifteenth century. Just one thousand
years since the man of sin assumed to take the attributes of God, and
govern the church, while the intolerant spirit of persecution still ex¬
isted, and daily increased ; for " they gnawed their tongues for pain,
and blasphemed the God of heaven, because of their pains and sores."
This reformation was a great pain and sore to the Papacy, " they
gnawed their tongues." About this time " a star fell from heaven,"
Mahomet, having the key of the bottomless pit, from whence arose
the smoke of his doctrines. The " locusts," or migatory tribes of
Arabs, followed his standard ; he is termed i( the angel of the bottom¬
less pit." The doctrine of the Koran, the Mahommedan bible, is
termed " smoke of the pit," fulsom doctrine, which obscured the
light of the sun, (of the gospel). Their time, (as is the season of the
locusts' appearance,) was five months in their migratory state, or one
hundred and fifty years. They stormed the seat of the Roman beast,
or kingdom, which was then Constantinople, and settled down from
their migratory habits in the year 1453. The reformation had been
sprc^din^ by this time in Bohemia, and elsewhere , John XJuns, and
Jerome, of Prague, who were martyrs at the stake; Wickliffe, the
reformer, was a great sore to the Pope. In A. D. 1517, the Mahom-
medans conquered Egypt, Aleppo, Antioch, Tripoli, Gaza, and Dam¬
ascus, indeed all the ancient Greek empire was now enveloped in the
smoke of the Mahommedan doctrine. Palestine, that land where
46
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
prophets, priests and apostles lived; and where the Saviour himself
taught and shed abroad to the world the heavenly revealed light, was
now overshadowed with the smoke which came out of the pit. With
the exception of a few humble followers of the lamb, who lived ift re¬
tired situations, where they fled for safety from those minions of the
" pale horse and his rider," to the sequestered valleys of Switzerland,
and a few in Bohemia. All Europe, and Asia, were either darkened
by the smoke of Mahommedanism, or that of the delusions of popery.
All were engulphed in apostacy. Few in numbers were the true
worshippers of God the father, through the mediation of Jesus Christ.
This vial, this first wo, fell upon the seat of the beast, " and his
kingdom was full of darkness." But let us notice the hand of God
in this, as in all"other affairs of our world. He said, " 1 will never
leave, nor forsake you, even unto the end,"—" The gates of hell shall
not prevail against you." Satan, it would appear to human reason¬
ing, had now triumphed. We see in this trumpet that the Mahom-
medans had " power given to them, as scorpions have power, (i. e. to
poison,) and that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither
any green thing, neither any tree." Vegetation, in prophetic lan¬
guage, is those who are sanctified. The distinction here particular¬
izing " grass of the earth," " green thing," and " trees," would indi¬
cate all God's people who had not apostatized, of every degree of
faith and godliness, from the babes in Christ, to full grown men in
Christ Jesus. " They were forbidden to injure any except those men
who have not the seal of God in their foreheads." Under this com¬
mission the Mahommedan armies, in all their conquests, did not so
much as set a foot in any territory where the reformation had begun,
but strictly were confined to that injunction, " only those men who
have not the mark of God in their foreheads." "The mark of God,"
i. e. " the seal of the living Godlight, or knowledge of God, being
regenerated by his holy spirit, sometimes called "oil in their vessels,"
" unction of the holy spirit," " the mark of their high calling in
Christ Jesus," "sanctified by the holy spirit," "born again to a
newness of life," " born of the spirit," are all of a like import, as the
" mark of God in their forehead;" this was their commission as a
wo, to fall upon the seat of the beast and his followers.
In quoting this trumpet, we omitted St. John's description of the
armies, of the locusts. (Armies under the crescent banner of Maho¬
met ; the crescent, or half-moon, the symbol of the heathen goddess
Ashtoreth.) St. John had not seen firearms, either musket or bayo¬
net, oannon or their carriages, shot or gunpowder. Yet with what
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
47
Astonishing distinctness does he describe them, as minutely as many
could do who had actually seen them; the reason of doing so,
partly, is to distinguish them by their newly invented mode of war¬
fare, also to distinguish between them and the conquests of the pale
horse with inquisitorial weapons. Whatever the reason may be of
this particularity of description, it is nevertheless very astonishing •
we will here quote it; " And the resemblance of the locusts was like
horses prepared for war," i. e. Arab cavalry, " and their faces were
like the faces of men," i. e. rational beings, not as the retinue of the
pale horse, like wild beasts of the earth, savage and cruel, without
humanity, " and they had tresses, like the tresses of women, and
their teeth were like the teeth of lions," i. e. with their loose flowing
robe of the Arab, and long flowing hair, they looked effeminate for a
conquering army; u but they had teeth like the teeth of lions," they
had the courage of a lion; " and they had breastplates like breast¬
plates of iron; and the noise of their wings was like the noise of cha¬
riots, and many horses rushing to war." The noise of wheel car¬
riages, and of many horses rushing to battle: " And they had tails
like scorpions, and their stings were in their tails,"—"and they had
power to hurt men five months." St. John either alludes to them
having bayonets to their muskets, (although it is said the bayonet is
of a latter invention,) or the shot, for in the next trumpet he describes
fire-arms thus" And I saw the horses, and those who sat upon then^
having breastplates of fire, hyacinth, and brimstone, and out of their
mouths went fire, and smoke, and brimstone ; they slew a third part
of men, and their powers are in their tails," &c. This, certainly, is
very descriptive of artillery. While the state of learning and science
at this time, under the Roman hierarchy, was at its lowest ebb—
while the tide of scientific knowledge was in a high state, and flou¬
rishing with their Asiatic invaders; although the smoke of the pit
had " darkened the air and sun." Yet their moon of science shone
bright, while on the other hand the falsehoods and mummeries of the
Roman church darkened the sun, moon and stars; truly " her king¬
dom was full of darkness." Chagrined at this outpouring of the vial
of wrath, " she blasphemed the God of heaven, who had power over
those plagues." St. John very beautifully illustrates this. Speaking
of the spiritual church, or God's people, being so long persecuted by
the minions of the Papacy. " And the earth helped the woman,
(church,) and swallowed up the flood which the dragon threw out of
his mouth." The civil governments are termed earth. The civil
power of some countries protected the church in its reformed charao-
48
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
ter, from the "waters or flood," people of the Papacy who came as a
flood, whether military or inquisitorial, proceeded from the dragon
by the command of the words of his mouth. " But the civil govern¬
ment," or earth, "swallowed up the flood," protected the church-
This alludes to the protection which Luther, and the first reformers
in Germany received from the elector of Saxony, and other princes
who espoused the cause of evangelical religion. The dragon being
frustrated in their attempt to suppress the reform, " went away to
make war with the remainder of her seed," turned their attention to
Spain, where was some signs of reform. There they established the
inquisition, and thousands suffered death, by fire and torture..
Second Wo Trumpet.
Sixth Trumpet — First
Part.— Rev. ch.ix.—v. 13
to 24.—" And the sixth
angel sounded,and I heard
a voice from the four
horns of the golden altar,
which is before God, say¬
ing to the sixth angel
which had the trumpet,
loose the four angels
which are bound in the
great river Euphrates—
and the four angels were
loosed, which were pre¬
pared for an hour, and a
day, and a month, and a
year, for to slay the third
part of men; andthenum-
ber of the army of the
horsemen were two hun¬
dred thousand, and I
heard the number of
them." Here follows a
description of their arma¬
ment," &c.
" Yet the remainder of
men, who died not by
these plagues, did not re¬
form from the works of
their hands, that they
might not worship demons
and idols of gold, and sil¬
ver, and brass, and stone,
and wood," &c.
Sixth Seal—First Part.
—Rev. ch. vi.—v. 8 to 17.
—" And I beheld when he
had opened the sixth seal,
and lo there was a great
earthquake, and the sun
became black as sack¬
cloth of hair, and the
moon became as blood,
and the stars fell unto the
earth, even as a fig-tree
casteth her untimely figs,
when she is shaken of a
mighty wind, and the hea¬
vens departed as a scroll,
when it is rolled together,
and every mountain and
island were moved out of
their places, and the kings
of the earth, and the great
men, and the rich men,
and the chief captains,
and the mighty men, and
every bondman, and every
free man, hid themselves
in the trees, and in the
rocks of the mountains,
and said to the mountains
and rocks, fall on us, and
hide us from the face of
him that sitteth on the
throne, and from the wrath
of the lamb, for the great
day of his wrath is come,
and who shall be able to
stand," &c.
This sixth period was introduced by the opening of the sixth seal^
as we have already noticed. The events of this period, it -will be
observed, comes in more rapid succession, as the time of the end ap¬
proaches. The great earthquake which shook all Europe to its
Sixth Vial—First Part.
—Rev. ch. xvi.—v1.12 to
21.—"And the sixth an¬
gel poured out his vial
upon the great river Eu¬
phrates, and the waters
thereof was dried up, that
the way of the kings of
the east might be pre¬
pared ; and I saw three
unclean spirits, like frogs,
come out of the mouth of
the dragon, and out of the
mouth of the beast, and
out of the mouth of the
false prophet, for they are
the spirits of devils, work¬
ing miracles, which go
forth unto the kings of the
earth, and of the whole
world, to gather them to¬
gether to the battle of
that great day of God Al¬
mighty."
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
49
centre, now prepared the way for more eventful displays of Provi.
dence. In the trumpet an angel was commissioned to loose the four
angels, or kings of the principal powers of Europe. The vial, also,
mentions the same thing. The trumpet pays these kings were bound
in the great river Euphrates. The vial was poured out on this great
river Euphrates by the French revolution, and the conquests of Na¬
poleon, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared—and
here we see the same event, the same means, and the same agents
mentioned in all. The Euphrates here used, is the antique of the
river of that name in Asia, which flowed through the city of ancient
Babylon, bringing the wealth and strength of the nations and prov¬
inces under the dominion of the Babylonish government into that
great city. So of modern Babylon, or Roman See. or the Pope's spiri.
tual dominions—she has her Euphrates too, those nations who up,
held her in power and strength. But as Cyrus was foreordained of
God to release the people of God from Babylonish captivity, he was
called in prophecy by name before he was born, " for this very pur¬
pose," while at the age of manhood, in conjunction with his uncle
Darius the Mede, he cut deep and wide ditches round the great city
of Babylon. And on that memorable night, while Belshnzzar was
feasting and drinking wine out of the golden vessels taken from the
temple of God at Jerusalem, the handwriting appeared on the wall
of the banqueting room: '' Thou art weighed in the balance of the
sanctuary, and art found wanting; thy kingdom shall depart from
thee, and be given to the conquerors," Medes and Persians. Just so
we find it with modern Babylon, in all respects. The trumpet says,
these kings were preparing, for the purpose of drying up the modern
Euphrates, for " an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year;" that
is, in prophetic language, a year, three hundred and sixty days, or
years ; a month, thirty days, or years; a day, or one year; an hour,
three months, prophetic, or, in round numbers, three hundred and
ninety-one years, preparing these kings, or nations, for the drying up
the waters of modern Euphrates, or stream of power, and wealth of
modern Babylon, or Popish See, while the modern Belshazzar was
presuming to use the vessels of the sanctuary in an unholy manner,
the fingers of God had written on the pages of both old and new tes¬
taments, " Thou art found wanting, having been weighed in the bal¬
ance of the sanctuary j thy kingdom shall depart from thee, and be
given to the people of the most high, and the saints shall possess the
kingdom forever, and ever."
The vial says, the angel poured out his vial on the Euphrates, (by
5
50
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
Bonaparte,) that the water (people under his spiritual authority,^
should be dried up, (from that channel,) that the way of the kings of
the east might be prepared for what was about to take place; Cyrus,
on that night of the feast, opened all the sluices of his ditches, and
drained all the waters from their former channel, and his victorious
army entered the city on the former channel of the river, and he soon
proclaimed liberty to the captives. So, at this second wo, Bona¬
parte overrun all the tributary streams of the Popish Euphrates, dried
up their sources, and even took the Pope himself, had" him brought
to Paris a prisoner; the seat of the beast was again invaded, and
possessed for some years by the French. When Napoleon, the
scourge of God had fulfiled his mission, and all seemed tranquil, the
time had arrived, in 1814, when these kings which had been prepar¬
ing the way of liberty for three hundred and ninety-one years, since
1423, when the spirit of reform began by Hurs, Jerome, Wickliffe,
and some few others, men began to think for themselves, but few
dared to express their thoughts publicly, but like leaven, it began to
work, and prepare for full and independent action, without once con¬
sulting, or obtaining a dispensation from the Pope for every petty ac¬
tion or enterprise. At this time it became expedient for these kings
to form a league, offensive and defensive; they met in congress in
June, 1815, just ag Napoleon had again attempted to collect an army
and reconquer Europe. The battle of Waterloo decided the fate of
this brilliant comet, and extinguished its light forever. It is some¬
what remarkable that this trumpet, in speaking of, and describing
the armies that were to be engaged, which we have not yet quoted,
says, t! they had a king over them, whose name was Apollyon, in
Greek; he is called the messenger of the bottomless pit." These
four kings, as I have shown, at this congress entered into engage¬
ment to keep the peace of Europe, which Avas mentioned in the
second part of the sixth seal. They now cannot go forth to a general
Avar until this interdict is removed by the hand of God, nevertheless
these kings are preparing for that time, when great and terrible will
be that battle of decision, that last and " great battle of the great day
of God Almighty," with all the facilities and inventions of modem
warfare, Avith all their accumulated strength and resources, during a
long peace, and fearful will be the collision—for this they are now
awaiting. The vial says, "And I saw three unclean spirits like
frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of
the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, for they are
spirits of devils, working miracles which go forth to the kings of the
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
51
whole world, to bring them together to the battle of the great day of
God Almighty."
We are now living in a time when the great mystery of God is
about to be revealed, when " the end of all things is at hand," the
closing the door of mercy, because the times of probation shall have
ended, and a new order of things be introduced. The angel which
John saw is about this present time to " place one foot on the earth)
and one foot on the sea," and proclaim " there shall be no longer delay,
but in the days of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound,
all these things shall be finished,"—"And let him that is holy be
holy still, and him that is filthy let him be filthy still, for behold I
come quickly, and my reward is with me." Are you prepared to
meet all these events, that are coming upon this sin-stained world, or
are you still unconcerned. In these closing scenes, it is said " the saints
were singing worthy the lamb, because he has taken his great power
and reigned," and avenged our blood, &c., " and we shall reign on
earth." Saints, and angels, and devils, and evil spirits, are all con¬
cerned about this time, but man is the only being who seems uncon¬
cerned, and he the only one to whom it is of the greatest importance.
St. Peter admonishes christians "to take the more heed to the things
spoken, and do not let them slip, the more so as we see the day ap¬
proaching." The Saviour also admonishes us who live, especially in
the latter days,-—" now that which happened in Noah's time, will
also happen at the coming of the Son of Man, for as in the days be¬
fore the flood, even to that day that Noah entered the ark, they were
eating and drinking, and marring, and suspected nothing, until the
flood came and swept them all away—so shall it be at the coming of
the Son of Man."
These evil spirits, that are destined to go forth to the kings of the
earth to bring them together to the battle of the great day of God
Almighty. In this time of peace, since the Battle of Waterloo in
1815, when the gospel messenger is flying through the midst of hea¬
ven, having the everlasting good news to proclaim to all the inhabi¬
tants of the earth, while another angel interdicts a geneial war, until
they " seal the servants of God in their foreheads."
Sixth Seal—Second Part Sixth Trumpet-Second Sixth Vial-Second Part
—Chap, vii.—" After these Part—Chap. x.—"And I —Ch. xvi. Behold, I
things I saw four angels saw another mighty angel corne as a thief, blessed is
standin0- on the four cor- come down from heaven, he that watcheth, and
ners of Ihe earth, holding clothed with a cloud; and keepeth his garments lest
the four winds of the a rainbow was upon his he walk naked, and they
earth thatthe wind should head, and his face was, as see his shame; and he
St blow on the earth, nor it were, the sun, and his gathered them into a place
52
signs op the times.
on the sea, or any tree.
And I saw another angel
ascending from the earth,
having the seal of the liv¬
ing God; and he cried
with a loud voice to the
four angels, to whom it
was given to hunt the
earth, and the sea, say¬
ing, hurt not the earth,
neither the sea, nor the
trees, till we have sealed
the servants of our God
in their foreheads."
feet as pillars of fire, and called in the Hebrew
he set his right foot upon tongue Armageddon."
the sea, and his left foot
upon the earth; and the
angel which I saw stand
upon the sea, and upon
the earth, lifted up his
hand to heaven, and swore
by him that liveth forever
and ever, who created the
heaven, and the things
that therein are, and the
earth, and the things that
are therein, and the sea,
and the things that are
therein, that there should
be time no longer; but in
the days of the voice of
the seventh angel, when
he shall begin to sound,
the mystery of God should
be finished, as he hath de¬
clared to his servants the
prophets."
On the second part of this seal we have fully explained, in the
foregoing pages, that league formed by the allied powers in 1815,
just previous to the great battle of Waterloo, which has been so
lucidly shewn in the sixth trumpet, and that these nations were in a
state of preparation to act independently of the Pope, even since the
first dawning of light in the reformation, until the time appointed by
Divine Providence. The three hundred and ninety-one years had just
been completed, when circumstances over which they had no control,
brought them together for this purpose. They no sooner had signed
the articles of the league, and had not yet dissolved, or adjourned,
when the intelligence was received that Napoleon was again in the
field; with all dispatch they collected their armies, as the trumpet
describes, and completely defeated him, and extinguished his meteoric
light forever. By reading this prediction of the seal attentively, we
see that those four powers, at that time, are here described as having
already entered into that compact: " I saw four angels standing on
the fonr corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that
the wind should not blow on the earth." Here we see the league
which they had entered info, that they should not go to war, to de¬
vastate and destroy, &c. Then heaven sanctioned the league, and
placed an injunction on them to keep inviolate the peace league, until
the offers of mercy, through Jesus Christ, should be proclaimed to all
nations as a witness. Then, " a mighty angel came down from
heaven, and placed one foot on the sea, and the other on the earth,
and swore by him that liveth forever, and ever, that there should be
'SIGNS? OP THE TIMES.
53
time no longer, (no longer delay,) but in the days of the seventh an¬
gel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be
finished, as he had declared unto his servants the prophets," when
all these foregoing prophecies will have been complete. In the con¬
clusion of this vial, a solemn warning from the Lord himself, is now
given: " Behold I come as a thief, blessed is he that watcheth and
keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."
But oh, how few, very few, of earth's inhabitants are watching, how
unconcerned they go, as eager for the things of this life, as if this
state of things were to last for generations to come, neglecting this
warning, while it appears that if men would but read these pro¬
phecies, and notice the times, and compare with past events, they can¬
not but see the end of this dispensation is at our very doors. It is a
privilege, and a great blessing, that the Lord has foretold us of all
the viscisitudes that the church would pass through, and shewed
their accomplishment according to his word; and now, when we find
that we stand upon the last steps, when presently will be opened to
our astonished vision the last struggle of the powers of darkness for
-the ascendancy, when the Lord " shall come in clouds," and take
possession of his blood-bought inheritance; when nothing that this
world calls good or great shall dwell there, but the sanctified " shall
inherit it for one thousand years."
Seventh Seal— Rev. ch.
xvi.—v. 1.—"And when
he had opened the sev¬
enth seal there was silence
?in heaven for about half
<an hour."
Third Wo.
Seventh Trumpet—Rev.
ch. xvi.,—v. 17.—" And
the seventh angel sound¬
ed, and there were great
voices in heaven, saying,
the kingdoms of the world
are become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of his
Christ, and he shall reign
forever and ever; and the
twenty hour elders that sat
before God on their
throne, fell upon their
faces, and worshipped
God, saying, we give
thanks unto thee, O Lord
God Almighty, who art,
and who wast, because
thou hast taken thy great
power, and hast commenced
thy reign; and the nations
were wrath, and thy wrath
came, and the dead, when
they should be judged,
and reward should be
given to thy servants the
Seventh Vial—Ch. xvi.—
v, 17.—" And the seventh
poured forth his vial into
the air, and there came
forth a great voice from
the temple of heaven,
from the throne, saying,
it is done, and there were
voices, and thunders, and
lightnings, and there was
a great earthquake, such
as there had not been
from the time that men
were upon the earth—
such, and so great an
earthquake; and the great
city was divided into three
parts, and the cities of the
Gentiles fell down, and
Babylon the great came
into remembrance before
God, to give to her the
cup of wine of his fiercest
wrath; and every island
fled away, and the moun¬
tains were found no more,
54
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
prophets, and to the saints, ;
and to them that fear thy i
name, small and great, :
and when thou shouldst i
destroy them that destroy i
the earth; and the temple ]
of God was opened in ;
heaven, and the ark of i
his covenant appeared in
his temple; and there
were lightnings, and voi¬
ces, and thunders, and an
earthquake, and great
hail."
and a great hail, as of the
weight of a talent, de¬
scended from heaven upon
men; and men reviled
God, because of the
plague of the hail, for the
plague of it was very
great."
This seventh seal closed the christian dispensation ; it opens no
new period of trials to the church ; this state of probation and war¬
fare is now ended ; there was a brief interval called " half an hour,''
which the necessary providences ushering in the new dispensation
required.
Unlike all the foregoing periods, or opening of periods of the
church's history; we see no human agents employed; the throngs of
the redeemed, and angels, are those who are active here. The trum¬
pet, and the vial, are nearly the same language, both use the same
objects, representing the joy in heavenly regions by the saints, for the
time being come for the Lord to possess the world as. his kingdom.
The little stone had now demolished all the mountains, they would
be " found no more," the '' islands " had gone forever, i. e. the king¬
doms and governments of earth, their provinces and principalities had
£i become like the chaff of the summer threshing floor, which the
wind carried away." " The little stone bad now become a great
mountain, and filled the whole earth,"—" The great city was divided
into three parts, and the cities of the Gentiles fell down,"—" The cities
of the Gentiles, or the churches of sectarians shall fall down ; there
shall be no king, or government, or church but one,"—" The Lord
shall be king over all the earth, his laws shall go forth from Jerusa¬
lem, the city of the living God." " This great city," may refer to
the heathen who never heard the gospel, " as a witness," but did
those things only which the light of nature taught them, for St. Paul,
speaking of the Jews, who had a law given to them, did not the
things that law required, but he even commended the heathen, which
had no law but the light of nature to guide them, and by being guid¬
ed by it, might put the Jews to shame, &c.; " And great Babylon
came in remembrance before God, to give her the wine of the cup of
his fiercest wraththe vial andr trumpet speak of the convulsions of
nature at that time, presenting a very awful, terrific scene, hail, thun-
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
55
ders, lightnings, and so tremendous an earthquake that such had not
occurred since men were created ; " and the time of the dead, that
they should be judged, and a reward given to all the people of God."
The prophet Daniel was told " that he should rest, and stand in his
lot, at the end of three days," at the end of this dispensation. St.
John says, "the just shall rise first, and reign with Christ a thousand
years,"—" blessed are they who shall have part in the first resurrec¬
tion, on which the second death hath no power,"—" And the temple
of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of his covenant appeared
in his temple." This would appear, by the symbolic language used,
to mean, of what is said in another place, " what ye know not now
ye will know hereafter," when there appeared mysterious things, and
ways of providence shall be made manifest. The christian dispensa¬
tion, was opened under the symbol of a white horse, his rider had a
bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went forth, conquering,
and to conquer." At the close we see him on this "white horse,"
returning from this long contest with the prince of this world, trium¬
phant, " with many crowns upon his head," as trophies of his victo¬
ries, with 11 a name written on his thigh, Lord of Lords, and king of
kings."
I have now brought before the reader, the prophecies of Daniel, and
the three parallel prophecies of St. John, placed all side by side, so
as they may be compared and their agreement be seen. When com¬
pared with history, they are very corroborative, and attest the truth
of each other, sufficient to satisfy any person desirous of the truth.
These are all past, and gone, as a dream of the night; few think of
those past events, and fewer care for them; time, however, hastens
on to the consummation; and whether men care or care not, they
must in a very short time, be summoned to stand in their lot at that
day.
To the reader of the book of the revelations of St. John, I would,
in this place, remark; that in reading, he will often find the subject in
view abruptly left off; the thread not cut, but one or more intermediate
visions or revelations, given to elucidate the narration. Oftimes he
gives an epitome of the whole subject, in other words or figures, as
explanatory of the whole, or a part of which he had been narrating.
We have, in the foregoing, seals, trumpets and vials, avoided these
intermediate revelations, and only carried out the subject in one con¬
tinuous line. We will now give a place for those intermediate predic¬
tions which will give much light on what is contained in the seals,
trumpets and vials. "Let us also notice in this place, that these rev©-"
56
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
lations of St. John, are generally read in a continuous unbroken line.
The seals, then the trumpets, as if they really were to succeed each
other in their fulfilment, and so of the vials, while they are descriptive
of the same events in the same periods of time, with many of the
intermediate revelations, applied in the same manner.
We will now consider the XI. chapter. " And there was given to
me a reed, like a measuring rod, saying, arise and measure the
temple of God and the altar, and those who worship at it, and the
outer-court of the temple throughout, and measure it not, for it shall
be given to the Gentiles, and they shall trample upon the holy city
forty-two months."
This figure of the temple is applied to the church; by measuring,
it indicates that it will be very circumsribed during the Christian dis¬
pensation, few would be the true and spiritual worshippers, at the
altar. " The outer-court of the temple throughout ;'' that is, those
worshippers who do not worship at the altar, who worship not in
spirit and truth, although they worship in form, and with their
mouths praise him, yet their hearts are far from him. This outer-
court, ceremonial worship, shall be given to the Gentiles, and they
shall trample upon my people or church forty-two months, of thirty
prophetic days, twelve hundred and sixty years, (which coincides
with what we have before stated, in Daniel, and John's vision.)
<l And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they shall pro¬
phecy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth;
these are the two olive trees, and the two lamps, which stand before
the Lord of the earth,"—"witnesses,"—" olive trees,"—" two lamps,"
are synonymous for the scriptures, the old and new testaments, " they
shall have power to prophecy," or teach, they shall not be totally
destroyed, but " shall be oppressed, and go in mourning for twelve
hundred and sixty days." Here, again, we have the same time of du*
ration repeated, without a figurative type.
Verse 7—" And when they shall have finished their testimony, the
savage beast which ascends out of the abyss, shall make war against
them, and shall conquer them and kill them."
Notice this coincidence of the scriptures : At the rise of the man
of sin in 516, A. D., he suppressed the scriptures, arrogated to him¬
self the only power of explaining God's word, which he did, to suit
his usurpations, and doctrines, and for the continuance of his power,
■or wherever that spirit prevailed, where state and church were united.
The scriptures were " mourning in sackcloth." But at the expira¬
tion of his time, 1260, which ended, A. D. 1776, when the church
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
57
Was no longer trampled -on by those Gentiles, or out-door worship¬
pers, her time of forty-two months of suffering, or twelve hundred and
sixty years. The witnesses, or scriptures, was no longer in mourn¬
ing, but raised from their oppressed state, at the Independence of the
United States of America, for the first time that an earthly govern¬
ment left both church and scriptures free. But a reverse of a severe
nature very soon took place, as the " witnesses " had finished their
testimony to the out-door worshippers. " The beast that ascends out
of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and kill them;
and their corpses shall lie in the street of the great city, which is spi¬
ritually called Sodom and Egypt."* The influence of Satan, who
ascendeth out of the abyss, i. e. Atheism prevailed in France, and in
1793 at Lyons, and other places; the scriptures were collected and
burnt in the public market place; all religion and knowledge of God
was abolished in France ; " the witnesses were conquered and killed,
in one of the streets of the great city," or Roman church, " the great
city," the apostate church," Babylon the great," has her streets cor¬
responding to the figure. " And they who dwell upon the earth
shall rejoice over them, and be glad, and shall send gifts to each
other; because these two prophets tormented them, (i. e. convicted
them of their sinfulness,) those who dwell upon the earth,"—(" dwell
upon the earth," or not of Christ's kingdom.) "And after three,
days and a-half, the breath of life from God entered into them, and
they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon those who looked
upon them." Just three and a half years from the time of the decree
passed by the national assembly, to annul all titles, and all religion ;
to that time, when revealed religion, and public worship, and liberty
of conscience was declared to be the law of the land, when the scrip¬
tures again were lifted up and testified against their persecutors,
" and great fear fell upon those who looked upon them they were
conscience-stricken. " And they heard a great voice saying to them
from heaven, come up hither, and they ascended up to heaven in a
cloud, and their enemies looked on them," Providence had provided,
and prepared the way at this time for their ascension from their low
estate. The British Bible Society was at this time organized, and
now commenced multiplying the scriptures, and put it out of the
reach of church and state to suppress or prohibit them more; they
♦ " Sodom and Egypt." This street of the great city, or nation, with the pre¬
vailing sin of Sodom, combined with the dark spirit of Atheistical Egyptian my¬
thology ; the most degrading, sensual vices, at that time were practiced without
restriction or shame.
58
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
ascended in "a cloud;" cloud is the emblem of honor or glory; the
scriptures at this time were honored, if honor it may be called, with
the patronage of many of the nobility of Britain, besides her prelates,
all united in the bible cause; yet not until A. D. 1806, until the dis¬
tributions to India, and a general circulation did take place. And in
that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth part of the city
fell, and seven thousand titles of men were destroyed by the earth¬
quake." How significant this, of the sixth seal,il and in that hour,"
hour an indefinite period, expressive of a short time, in that time
when the Atheists of France were burning and condemning the
scriptures, and again acknowledging them ; " in that hour," or time,
there was a great revolution, whereby all titles of men of dffice, in
church and state, were destroyed; the word ("seven thousand") is
also an indefinite number, which is often used in scripture. This
comes under the head of the sixth trumpet, or second wo ; all those
calamities and judgments which fell upon this tenth part of the
Papal dominions, or the " tenth part of the city fell." " And behold"
the third wo comes quickly."
We have, some of us, lived in the days of this second wo; but
who shall be able to stand in that wo, which now is suspended on
all the outer-court worshippers. For if the righteous with difficulty
escape, "where shall the wicked and sinners appear." It is an awful
thought when we consider how many are neglecting the proffered
mercy, and that door about to be shut forever.
Rev. chap. xii.—" And there appeared a great sign in heaven, a
woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon
her head a crown of twelve stars, and she being pregnant, cried out
in travail, and in pangs, to be delivered."
" A woman," the emblem of a church, " clothed with the sun," the
gospel light. " Moon under her feet," the wisdom of this world be¬
neath her feet. " Crown of twelve stars upon her head," the starry
crown is the twelve Apostles: In all, indicates the gospel church in
pain and anxiety, full of zeal to evangelize the whole world. N. B.
—See the contrast, in chapter xvii., where John saw the other wo¬
man ; prostitute church.
" And there appeared another sign in heaven : and behold a great
fiery dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads
seven crowns ; and his tail drew down the third part of the stars of
heaven, and cast them to the earth, (see Daniel's description of the
fourth kingdom,) and the dragon stood before the woman, who was
about to bring forth, that when she was delivered he might devour
SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 59
her child.' 11 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she
had a place prepared by God, that she might there be nourished, one
thousand two hundred and sixty days." This needs no further re¬
mark, as we have noticed it before.
The xiii. chapter contains another revelation of the Roman hie¬
rarchy :
{( And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a savage beast
ascending out of the sea—-(i. e. the Roman power rising from the
people,) having seven heads, and ten horns; and upon his horns
were ten crowns, and on his heads were the names of blasphemy;"
seven heads, or hills, on which Rome was built. " Horns with
crowns," kings who had each a kingdom in his spiritual dominions,
and held his doctrines. <£ And the beast which I saw was like a
leopard," spotted having many nations of different languages and
complexions, forming his kingdom, or spiritual dominion. " And its
feet were like those of a bear, and its mouth like the mouth of a
lion ; and the dragon (devil,) gave him his power and his throne, and
great authoritythis requires no comment of ours. " And I saw
one of his heads wounded, as it were to death, and yet its mortal
wound was healedwe have noticed this in the foregoing pages.
" And the whole earth wandered after, and followed the wild beast •
7 i
i. 'e. his own adherents wandered and followed him still; and there
was given to it a mouth, speaking great things, and defamations ">
and there was given to it power to act forty-two months," twelve
hundred and sixty years. " And he opened his mouth to utter defa¬
mation against God, and to defame his name and his tabernacle, and
those that dwell in heaven;* and it was given him to make war
. with the saints, and to overcome them ; and there was given to him
power over every tribe, and tongue, and nation this description is
so similar to Daniel's vision of this monstrous beast, the little horn,
that we need but quote it for comparison. I will only quote one
more vision from this chapter, showing the rise and fall of the inqui¬
sition, and the solution of that mystic number, of which there has
been so many guesses and surmises.
Verse ii « And I saw another beast ascending out of the earth,
and it had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon." It
will be remembered that both Daniel and St. John saw the Roman
beast rise ont of the sea, or people. But we find here another beast
* By invoking saints, and praying to the Virgin Mary as a mediator, calling
her mother of God, &c.
60
SIGNS OP THE TIMERS.
rising out of the earth, or civil power of the first; the Roman beast,
which at this time was defaming God, &c. " It had two horns like
a lambthe Pope gave this beast power, temporal, and spiritual,
over men; he appeared to execute his office under the pretence of
holiness, by inflicting death on the body for the good of the soul,"
&c. " And it exercises all the power of the first beast in its pre¬
sence, and it makes the earth, and them that dwell in it, to worship
the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed"—the Pope. " And
he does make great miracles, so as to make fire come down from
heaven to earth before men ; and he deceives the inhabitants of the
earth by signs, which is given him to do before the beast, command¬
ing the inhabitants of the earth to make an image of the beast, that
had the wound with the sw.ord, and did live;" this was one of the
objects that they had in view, to make subjects to the beast, or
church. " Worship his image,"—" and cause as many as will not
worship the image of the beast to be put to death;" by the pale
horse and his rider, death, &c., wild beasts of the earth, 5th seal.
" And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poorj freemen
and slaves,.to receive the mark on their right hand, or on their fore¬
heads; and that no one should be able to buy or sell but those who
have the mark, the name of the beast;" this is a very exact pibture
of this beast, those conversant with the persecuting spirit of the in¬
quisition, even long before it was organized by the celebrated Ignatus
Loyla, as a Jesuit inquisitorial tribunal. Many hundreds, and thou,
sands had suffered death for not conforming to the-doctrines of the
church of Rome ; in all those countries where that religion prevailed
men were outlawed, unless they had the mark of that church. The
ecclesiastical power, or horn, and the civil power, or horn, under the
garb of sanctity as a lamb, compelled all men to worship the first
beast, at the peril of their lives.
" Or the number of his name; here is wisdom; let him who has
understanding compute.the number of the beast, for it is the number
of a man, and his number is six hundred and sixty-six." There can
be no mistake to whom the Apostle refers, (the character is drawn
to the very life ) St. John says, his number is the number of a man,
Or figures used by men, and desires that this mystic number may be
Oomputed by figures, so as to be satisfied to whom he referred by his
characteristics. The number is 666; we said that the Pope assumed
his character as given by St. Paul, in A. D. 516. As the Pope dele,
gated this power civil and religious to all under his authority, to use
it against nonconformists, in 1182, A. D.; at that time they massa
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
61
Cred seven thousand in the valleys of Switzerland, to begin with.
Then six hundred and sixty-six, added to five hundred and sixteen,
gives eleven hundred and eighty-two, the time, or name of the inqui¬
sition. Then again, add to eleven hundred and eighty-two the num¬
ber six hundred and sixty-six of his rise; we also have the time of
his fall, when the power of the first beast will be so far decayed, or
consumed with the light of the gospel, he will no longer be able to
coerce men by this dissembling " lamb, which spoke like a dragon,"
which would be in A. D. 1848.
Chapter xvii.—And one of the seven angels, who had the seven
vials, came and spoke with me, saying, come, and I will shew you
the judgment of the great harlot that sits upon many waters, with
whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and all the
inhabitants of the earth have been drunk with the wine of her whore¬
doms. And he brought me, in the spirit, into the wilderness, and I
saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beas;, full of slanderous names,
having seven heads and ten horns." Here we have an epitome of
the church of modern Babylon, she sits upon many waters (people.)
The ten kingdoms of Europe, with all her adherents over the earth,
were intoxicated with her falsehoods. This church was sitting upon
all that remained of the throne of the Csesers, which was stained
with the blood of the saints.
" And the woman was clothed with purple and scarlet, and
adorned with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, having a golden
cup in her hand, full of the abominations and pollutions of her
whoredom this church being arrayed in all the pomp and splen¬
dors of this world, with all the enchantments and delusions of satan,
" who gave'her his seat and great authority," to rule over the carnal
mind, and over the body, " to kill with the sword and with the wild
beasts of the earth."
The Bible reader is no doubt aware that the restoration of the
Jews is often mentioned in the Scriptures, with this distinction, that
those passages that allude to the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Ben¬
jamin, constituting one kingdom, (which were carried captive into
Babylon,) invariably use the singular, as Judah or Israel, referring to
their return from the Babylonish captivity. But, when speaking of
the final restoration of the Hebrews, Judah and Israel, or Judah and
Ephraim, including both nations, the plural is used. The reader i/3
aware that the kingdom of Isra'el, whose capitol was Samaria, in
the country or canton of Samaria, was stripped of its inhabitants by
the king of Assyria, and carried away to Hela, and other remote
6
6 2
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
provinces of Assyria, from whence they have wandered, seeking a
resting place beyond the river Jihon; until this day their locality is
not known with any degree of certainty.; some modern travellers
have supposed that they have found traces of them amongst the Af-
ghanistans, in eastern Persia, while others have supposed that they
have found traces of them in South America, among the Aborigines,
and many such conjectures; but we find in the Scriptures, where
they, as a nation, are located, from whence they will come at the
time of their restoration. The Jewish nation was dispersed and car¬
ried away, many of them as prisoners, at the siege of Jerusalem, in
the year A. D. 70, by the Romans. As the Saviour said, " they
shall be carried away into all nations, until the times of the Gentiles
be full," that is now nearly eighteen hundred years ago. They are
still a distinct people, seldom intermarrying with the Gentiles, with
whom they dwell, fulfiling that prediction of our Lord. "This race,
or generation of Abraham, shall not pass away until all shall be ful-
filed;'' they are a living testimony to the truth and verity of the
Scriptures. As the time of their dispersion is now nearly at ah end,
we natually expect to see some movement making towards their res¬
toration. We may observe, in various quarters, as it were the trees
putting forth their leaves. The concessions made to that people by
many nations of Europe; the interest which Christians in many
places are manifesting in their spiritual welfare; their name is no
longer " a by word and reproach," as in former years. The Gentiles
have " trodden down their city," and possessed their country, the only
apparent hindrance to their return. But when the time appointed
shall arise, these barriers will soon be removed out of the way of
their restoration; England is an emancipating nation, and also a
great friend to the Jews, where thousauds have found refuge from
the persecutions of other nations; there are tens of thousands of
Jews scattered over that country, some of the most wealthy residents
are Jews; and a respectable portion of the merchants and bankers of
the sea-port towns are of that people; in Holland, Germany and
France, they are likewise respectable, and generally wealthy, but, in
the Roman Catholic countries of Europe they are much oppressed,
and not so numerous; Popery has ever been an enemy to the Jews.
The ancient land of Palestine, or the holy land, has been possessed
by Saracens, or Turks, until this present day ; it only requires their
removal, either by purchase, or by* treaty stipulations, which, when
effected, would have no obstacle in the way of their congregating in
that land in the short space of one month. In the first place, they
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
63
hold no landed property, only such goods and chattels as would oc¬
casion little delay in hastening on their journey; but the greatest
incitement to haste, that they are a speculative, trafficing people,
and each one, from the richest to the poorest, would exert every
nerve to arrive among the first adventurers to that land; not so much
for the love of country, and that is great, but to speculate in purchas¬
ing houses, and fields, &c., with the intention of gain, in retailing out
by small portions, to those who were not so fortunate. This is the
natural propensity of the Jew, by night and by day, his whole soul is
engaged in speculative schemes; Providence has, in these latter
days, prepared also a swift and safe conveyance by steam, so that,
from all parts of Europe, the Jew could easily dispose of all his cum¬
brous property, deposit such funds as he intends to leave, and in the
space of one month could be in Jerusalem. As to the probability of
the land being soon vacated by its present occupiers, it is altogether
reasonable to suppose that it will take place, perhaps, in the year 1850,
or 1851. The political affairs of Europe, indicating some great changes
for political interest; not that the governments of Europe, any one
of them, would wish the Jews to quit their dominions, as in that case
they are aware that the Jews would carry off their gold and silver,
and leave their exchanges almost tenantless ; but if any of ^ie Euro¬
pean nations ever have any other motive or interest to serve their
own policy, to counterbalance the interest Fhey may have in the
Jews' being, and continuing to be resident, it will be Great Britain,
her interest in keeping the Jews as resident citizens is greater than
any other nation, because the British Jews are more wealthy and
more numerous in proportion to her own wealthy Saxon race. But,
with all this policy, there is even now a cause increasing, and will
increase, until the motive will exceed all other interest in the Jews.
Her influence with the Sultan of Turkey, even now, is great; although
England and Russia appear on friendly terms, there is a strong jea¬
lousy existing on the part of Russia, because of England's great pos¬
sessions and influence in India and elsewhere, and at her prosperity;
on the part of England, because of the vast resources which Russia
has in her power by land, and the desire of enlarging her dominions
by conquests southward.
This will ever keep up a jealousness and a watchfulness on the
part of England. This fear, then, in both England and Turkey,
of Russian encroachments binds them together, not only by equal
interest on the foregoing causes, but it is stronger on the side of Eng¬
land, for this very reason, that Turkey and her possessions in Asia
64
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
are a barrier to Russian aggression ; for if Turkey should fall into
the hands of Russia, the Mediterranean Sea, Syria, Palestine, and
Egypt would share the same fate, and he could at any time pass to
India, to the British possessions there, and at the same time prevent
supplies by the way of the Red Sea ; England well knows this, and.
the only way to prevent such consequences, is to support the Sultan
of Turkey against Russian encroachments on the Turkish territory,
by peaceful means if possible, but by war, if otherwise : in the latter
case it would be necessary to form an alliance with some other na¬
tions, to unite in obtaining from the Sultan his consent to the vaca¬
tion of Palestine in,favor of the Hebrews, which, under these circum¬
stances we have supposed him placed in, he would readily consent
to do. This appears the most probable way that object can be ob¬
tained, for several reasons: First, in this supposed case, England
would be anxious of their return to Palestine to form a barrier or neu¬
tral ground, where other nations of Europe would espouse the cause
of the Jews in case of Russian encroachment, she would give all the
facility and assistance for their restoration: Secondly, their India
possessions otherwise would be in jeopardy, and she would be single-
handed with Russia. Then again, the spirit of her people would be
anxious for the return of God's ancient people; but above all, God
has said it. " The ships of Tarshish first shall bring a present to the
Lord their God now this goes beyond surmises ; however, the Lord
works by rrveans. The psalmist says that the man that considereth
not the wo^ks of God is like a beast that perisheth, and blessed is the
man that considereth his ways. Hoiyever, those things which are
revealed lead the mind to consider the operations of Providence ; the
very purpose of giving them to us is for us to seek them out," for
they are to be sought out by all that fear him." " Tarshish." or
ancient Tyre, sometimes termed Tyrus, was a city of Phoenicia, near
where Sidon now stands, about twelve miles to the south of Sidon, is
the place where ancient Tyrus once stood; it was entirely destroyed
by the King of Assyria before the Jews' captivity. It was, or rather
another city of the same name was, founded and built upon a rock,
or small island, laying off the main land, about half a mile in the
sea. This Tyre, or " Tarshish," became the principal maritime port in
the world, at that period ; their ships carried on all the trade by sea
that was done in the Mediterranean to all the neighboring nations ;
they even coasted round in the Atlantic, as far as the British islands,
at that early date. t{ Tarshish was a city of merchants," but now
not a vestige of its ancient grandeur is to be seen ; nothing now re-
SIGNS OP THE TIMES. 65
mains but a bare " rock, where fishermen dry their nets upon," ac.
cording as it was foretold by the prophet. This, then, was the city
which Isaiah takes as a type, for shewing Great Britain as the anti¬
type. It will be remarked, that the type « Tarshish " was on one
rock or island, half a mile off in the sea, whereas the anti-type Tar¬
shish, is « on the isles, or islands of the sea afar off;" not only that,
but "a nation of merchants, with the young lions thereof." Here the
plural, islands, is distinctly mentioned, but the national royal stan¬
dard of Britain is particularly alluded to; besides, it is emphatically
declared that the Lord is the Lord God of Tarshish ; this is evidently
none other, then. But the British " islands, afar off in the sea," from
Palestine, who acknowledges no other God but the Lord ; besides,
this maritime nation of merchants, with the lions in their insignia,
whose God is the Lord, was to be in the latter days of the Christian
dispensation, for the very express purpose of restoring " the tribe of
Judah first, as a present to the Lord their God (and at the same time
acknowledged by Judah) as the holy one of Israel." The nations of
the world look upon Britain with much astonishment and bitter envy
and jealousy, at her wealth and power, and extended possessions, on
which the sun never sets. It has more than once been attempted to
cripple and destroy her prosperity, but all in vain is the endeavors of
man to thwart the purposes of God ; for the psalmist says,{i blessed
is that nation whose God is the Lord ;" this holds good in all cases,
and also in the cas^before us. But we have more than that for the
cause of Britain's greatness: " the Lord her God " has said, " be¬
cause I will glorify her," i. e. for her kindness to his ancient people,
and for this purpose, he has raised her up to take the lead in restoring
them to their ancient homes; not only this, but to spread civilization
and religion over the world, wherever her possessions extend. No
other nation on earth would have done what Britain has done for
this world's good ; we have seen it tried by other nations ; see Span¬
ish America, and compare it with the United States, and the British
possessions ; look at all the French possessions, the Brazil, or Portu¬
guese America, what a state these countries are in, in comparison
with the offspring of the British ; because " the Lord is their God, and
he has glorified her." There are three nations mentione 1 that are to
be the actors and means in the hand of God, to restore and bring
back to Palestine the nation of the Jews, who are scattered over Eu¬
rope and America, Asia Minor, &c. Who these nations are shall be
our task in the following pages, to show as they are represented in
6*
66
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.,
Scripture. They are to be professedly Protestant, " whose God is
the Lord."
Isaiah, chap. 60—verse 8, 9.—" Who are these that fly as a cloud,
and as doves to their windows, surely the isles shall wait for me, and
the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and
their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and the holy
one of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.'1
Hosea, chap. 1—verse 1.—" Then shall the children of Judah, and
the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves
one head, and they shall come up out of the land also, " hear the
word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off,
■and say, he that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a
shepherd doth his flock."
Zach. chap. 12—v. 27,—" The Lord also shall save the tents of
Judah first, that the glory of the house of David, and the glory of the
■inhabitants of Jerusalem, do not magnify themselves against Judah ;
and it shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all
ithe nations that come against Jerusalem.?'
Ezekiel, chap. 38—verse 13.—" Sheba and Dedan, and the mer¬
chants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto
the Gog, art thou come to take a spoil, and to take a prey ?"
We would remark here, that the prophet Ezekiel is describing the
state of the Jews immediately after their return to Canaan ; at that
time Gog, an enemy of the Jews, came up against them. Here he
mentions three powers, of which Tarshish, with her ships and young
lions (insignia.) thereof—England or Britain, the national standard
having on it six lions, representing England, one lion representing
Scotland. As in Daniel's visions, the insignia, or banner, is spoken
of as the nation itself, but we have here the character of the people-
" merchants," and isles of the sea, island far off, and that in the end
of the Christian dispensation. Ezekiel combines other two nations
(at the restoration of the Jews,) with Tarshish. Where shall we
find two nations " whose Lord is God," or Protestant; a naval or
maritime power also, for we infer, as they are found in company with
the ships of Britain, on the coast of Palestine, that their object is the
same; for this reason, these three are to address Gog as one man or
voice ; these three " will say unto the Gog," challenging him for
his intentions of coming against the Jews, therefore their purpose is
one, not only in restoring and carrying them from other countries,
but it is evident, from the manner of the challenge, that thev are
their protectors, each of these three maritime nations being represent-
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
67
ed by a fleet, or squadron of national ships cruising in the Mediterra.
nean sea, and designated by the flag of their individual country ; this
is the position in which the prophet seems to place them, fiom what
we have quoted, and will quote on this head. These nations, then,
having the same object in view by their ships being there, where can
we find two of the same character as Britain, who is to be the first to
bring a present of God's ancient people. None suits this character bet¬
ter than the United States of America, for several reasons ; she will
be second to Britain in their restoration and protection under the type
of Dedan ; we have the sure word of prophecy to that effect by the
prophet's Isaiah and Zephaniah.
Isaiah, Chap, xviii.—* "Wo to the land shadowing with wings
which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,"—the United States of
America, " shadowing with wings," sails or many ships. This land
was undiscovered at the time this prophecy was pronounced, there¬
fore it had no name given to it, but a " land," that lay in the distant
west, beyond the farthest bound of Africa; there being no other land
beyond Africa but the continent of America in a western direction
from where the prophet then was; and we observe, also, that the
United States is particularly designated in that land, by her maritime
character, and having no other highway of intercourse with the
other nations of the world, but by sea, is also a strong and satisfac¬
tory proof of it being none other than the United States, and what
makes it still more impressive, that not only is the coast shadowing
with wings, or sails, but it expressly mentions "swift sailing vessels,"
for which this country is noted ; and still a stronger reason, she is
said to be a land that the Lord is their God, by sending missionaries
to other nations, where the Jews are scattered abroad, having no
other way of conveyance they commission their fast light-sailing
ships to carry them, " that sendeth ambassadors by sea, even in vessels
of bulrushes upon the waters, saying: " go ye swift messengers,''
&c. Again, in Zephenia, chap. 3,—"From beyond the rivers of
Ethiopia (Africa) my suppliants, even the daughters of my (people)
dispersed shall bring mine offering."
Ethiopia, in general terms, was Africa from the borders of Egypt to
the Atlantic Ocean, beyond this, the ancients knew nothing; but by
inspiration from God, in making known his wise purposes to the peo¬
ple in the latter days; for be it observed, this prophecy is speaking of
• For a full account of this prophecy we refer the reader to Isaiah's prophecy
of the Western Continent.
08
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
our age of the world, what was to be in the end of Daniel's prophetic
dates, St. John's seal, trumpet and vials, at their closing scenes. We
have shown two of these three nations, who are friends to the Jewsj
who give them the gospel, and who assist in their restoration, " whose
God is the Lord,"—where shall we find a third? To answer this
power is not so clearly pointed out by direct inspiration in Scripture,
farther than inferring, and that justly, too, that the third bears the
characteristics of those other two. Therefore, she is not to be found
amongst the adherents of the " pale horse and his rider death."
France, although once numbered as one of the streets of the great
city "Babylon, "at the great earthquake," the revolution of 1793,
A. D., but then, and even to this day, France is Atheistical,—Prussia
is professedly Protestant, and a friend of the Jews. Prussia has
very recently united with Britain in establishing an Episcopal Pro¬
testant Church, and installing a bishop of that denomination, in the
ancient city of Jerusalem; which act, undoubtedly shows us, a co¬
operation already commenced, as one of these three, who shall be
actively employed in support of the restoration "of Judah, first, that
the glory of the house of David, and the glory of the inhabitants
of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah, and it shall
come to pass, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come
against Jerusalem."
There is, then, Britain, United States of America, and Prussia, as
the appointed abettors of the returning Hebrews.
But we have quoted Zacheriah's prophecy of that time, God says,
"it will come to pass that I will seek to destroy all those nations
that come against Jerusalem."
What nations will, at the time of their restoration, come up against
their capitol, for we are informed that they will then have formed no
defence neither armies or navies, neither walls nor fortifications, indi¬
cating that they have but very lately returned, and looking to their
three allies, with their ships on their coasts, they suspect no danger,
therefore unprovided with defence. Ezekiel informs us, that their
•enemies will "say I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I
will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwel¬
ling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil
and to take a prey, to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are
now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the
nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst
of the land."
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
69
For what cause could any nation thus come to plunder a defence¬
less people that, they say, were gathered out of the nations. The
reason appears, in that, they had 11 cattle and goods." Then, at the
appearance of these enemies which come by land towards the land
of Canaan, then shall their friends in the Mediterranean with their
ships, Britain, the United States, and Prussia say—
Ezek. ch. xzxviii—v. 13.—"Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of
Tarshish, with the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, art thou
come to take a spoil ? Hast thou gathered thy company to take
a great prey; to carry away silver and gold ; to take away cattle
and goods; to take a great spoil ?" Here we see these three united
in challenging these enemies of the Hebrews ; they speak, as it \yere,
in derision, and showing them that they are aware of their purpose,
in getting so large an army to come against this defenceless people.
Here we have a reason assigned. As we before noticed, that the ten
tribes of Israel were carried away by the king of Assyria and placed
in his remote provinces ; as they had frequently rebelled against
him, while they were tributary to the Assyrians, he therefore placed
them in the eastern extremity of his empire, now Independant Tar-
tary, and beyond the river Jihon. We then, have very little reason
to doubt, that being so far removed from their enemies, the Assyrians,
that they would soon remove farther east, out of his power to oppress
them in future, this is more than probable. Their place of residence,
as a nation, is far in the east of Asia, and that, too, in the Russian
dominions, where we find, by f cripture, that they have accumulated
a great quantity of goods, cattle, gold and silver, whic.h they bring
with them to Palestine.
Isaiah, chap. xi.—" Ephraim," (a name often applied to the ten
tribes,) " Ephraim shall not vex Judah, and Judah shall not vex
Ephraim, but they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines
towards the west. They shall spoil them of the east together; and
there shall be an high-way for the remnant of his people, which shall
be left from Assyria, like as it was to Israel in the day that he came
out of the land of Egypt."
They come from the east," this is where they located after they
were carried away by the Assyrians, and there in the east they still
remain. But they shall " come towards the west" at the time of the
restoration of Judah, and we find by the above passage just quoted,
that " they shall rob the people," in whose country they are at present
staying ; and a high-way shall be made through Persia and countries
in their route, as it was when the Israelites came out of Egypt. The
70
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
Lord protected them by a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire
by night, and provided food and water. For this, then, their enemies
pursue them, as did Pharaoh of old, and came up against Jerusalem,
and like Paraoh perish in the attempt.
The inquiry is, who are these enemies that pursue the ten tribes
from the far easty to " take a spoil, and to take a great spoil ?" &c.
He is called Gog, their chief prince, he is chief prince of two dis¬
tinct races of people, " Mechech,"* from the grandson of Noah, through
Japheth, the sons of Japheth, " by whom the isles and countries of the
Gentiles were peopled,'' and still bear their names with but few excep¬
tions. " Mechech," or Moscovite, " Tubal," or Tubolsk. these two the
Muscovite and Tartar races, the capital is Moscow, and of the Tartar
Tubolska, comprise the greatest portion of the inhabited portion of
Russia. " Gog," their emperor or " chief," " Gog," their prince, a
descendant of Magog the son of Japheth. Therefore, " Gog " is the
emperor of the Muscovites and Tubolsk Tartar races. The prophet
speaks of him as such, calling him " chief prince of Mechech and
Tubal." Here, then, is the emperor of Russia making his marching
to Palestine appear to other nations as justifiable, to recover the goods
and cattle, the silver and the gold, which the ten tribes of Israel, his
former subjects, had carried away with them in their journey, " from
the east towards the west." Gog comes from the north parts of
Asia and Europe. See what the prophet says to this:
Chapter zxxix.-~li Therefore, thou son of man, prophecy against
Gog, and say, thus saith the Lord God, behold, I am against thee, 0
Gog, the chief prince of Mechech and Tubal; and I will turn thee
back, and leave but a sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come
up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of
Israel."
All of which we have brought forward upon this head, is as plain
and pointed as if the Zar (or Tzar, emperor of Russia,) were written
down in legible letters.
But he comes not alone, he brings five other nations with him, and
many other people. 38th chapter, 7th verse, where it is said to him,
"be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou and all thy company
that are assembled unto thee, and be tlrou a guard unto them he is
to be commander-in-chief of all this mighty host.
* Since I first wrote the above, a paper came to my notice, published in Jamai¬
ca, W. I., by a Jewish Rabbi; he holds the same opinion as I have here intro¬
duced, but arrives at his conclusions from these names used by the Jews in all
ages; in Hebrew, the Russian Moscow is Mechech, Tubolsk Tubal, &c.
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
71
Let us examine who these five nations are, who will accompany
Gog in this expedition. " Persia" still retains her ancient name,
Ethiopia, (Africa) most probably from the French possessions in
Africa, desirous of extending their possessions to Egypt and share in
the plunder, Libya with them." Libya is a strip of territory lying
just west of Egypt, and adjacent to the French possessions in Africa,
they go with them of Ethiopia to join Gog in his conquests. " Go-
mer," a son of Japhet, has left his name to posterity by his descen¬
dants, " Gomer and all his bands," not as one nation, 15 but all his
bands," of petty kingdoms or provinces, no other can bear this name,
and is subdivided into principalities, but Germany with Austria at
their head. Then there is the " house of Togarmah 'and his bands
of the north quarters." There is no nation that the term " house" is
applied to but Aiistria, the common appellation given to Austria
is this house of Austria, sometimes the house of Hapsburg, the pre.'
sent dynasty. The house of Togarmah, " she is in the north
quarters," the house of Austria is about north-west from Palestine
"Gomer and his bands," in a direct line north and west. But (<the
house of Togarmah his band." also whom she carries with her owi
Austrian troops, to join the Russian combined army. There her
Italian States, and Crotia and Hungaria, and a portion of Poland,
constitute her bands. All of which unites with Russia, " a mighty
army as a cloud." On the side of God's ancient people, in restoring
them, according to a hundred promises and prophecies to that effect)
and as the friends of God and his chosen race in Abraham, we have
the British Islands, the United States of North America, and Prus¬
sia, all of whom their lord is God—"righteousness exalteth a
nation."
We also have as enemies and opposers of God's ancient people,
(therefore they are the enemies of God.) There is Russia at the
head, Persia, ^Africa, Libya, German States, Austria arid her States,
all uniting their purposes in this movement. These can, in this
combination, so great and powerful, " and all of them riding upon
horses," have for their main object, nothing short of Egypt, and
British India; otherwise, what need of so great an army of horse¬
men, to merely "go up to the laud of unwalled villages." This may
be hi3 first object to accomplish; but, by all the preparations, on so
large a scale, he had something more in contemplation. But it was
the hand of God, and he knew it not.
Ezclc. ch. xxxviii-v. 7.—" Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself
thou and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou
72
SIGNS OP THE TIMES.
a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the
latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from
the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the moun¬
tains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought
forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
Thou shalt ascend like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to co,rer
the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thus
saith the Lord God, it shall also come to pass, that at the same time
shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil
thought; and thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of the un walled
village, I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of
them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
to take a spoil and to take a prey; to turn thy hand upon the
desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are
gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods,
that dwell in the midst of the land."
Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish, with the young
lions thereof, shall say unto thee, " art thou come to take a spoil?
hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey ? to carry away silver
and gold, to take a great spoil ?"
"Therefore, son of man, prophecy and say unto Gog, thus saith the
Lord God, in that day, when my people of Israel dwelleth safely,
shalt thou not know it, and thou shalt come out of the north parts,
thou and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a
great company and mighty army, and thou shalt come up against my
people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land. It shall be in the latter
days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may
know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their
eyes."
We find, in the combinations of these nations of Europe and
America, on the one side, those who are the friends of liberty and of
the improvement of the condition of mankind, both morally and
physically; and, on the other, the enemies to liberty, to moral and
physical improvement, therefore enemies to mankind. The motives
however, in forming these separate and antagonistic combinations, do
not seem to arise from the characteristic principles which mark them
out, but a selfish motive, on either side, appears to govern them, yet
overruled by the hand of God to bring his purposes to pass. Neither
of the actors in this great and last drama, that will be acted out on
the battle-field, foresee the end. Still both parties act according to
their own will, unconscious of the invisible hand that guides them.