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 ^T^ o^ o^ ^::a. <^£:i. i:a. ^^2^ 
 
 OF THK 
 
 AT 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 SAMUEL AGNEW, 
 
 OF PHILADELPHIA, 
 
 I Case, Division | 
 
 % ' Hhelt\ .Section.... |. 
 
ri /.' 
 

 . . . leave the stump of the 
 roots th'ireof in tlie earth, even 
 with a band of iron and brass, 
 till seven times pass over him. 
 — Ban. iv. 16—23, 25—32. 
 
 rmT> 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 OF 
 
 PROPHECY; 
 
 PARTICULARLY THE 
 
 EVENING Ax\D MORNING VISIONS OF DANIEL, 
 
 AND THE 
 
 APOCALYPTICAL VISIONS OF JOHN. 
 
 Y D A V T D C A M B E L L. 
 
 Blessed i> lip «hat readeth, and they that hear the words of this 
 prophecy, ami keep those things which are written therein ; lor tlie 
 time is at hand — Rev. 1 : 3. 
 
 Here is wisdom. Lit hii-i that readeth understand. — Rev 13 : 18. 
 
 Many '<hiill be purifif;il, and made white, and tried ; but the wicked 
 shall do wickedly : and noie ot" the wicked shall understand ; butlhu 
 wise shall understand. — Dan. 12: 10. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, 
 
 No. 9 Washington st. 
 FOR SAEE BY BOOKSELLERS IN BOSTON AND N. YORK. 
 
 1840. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1839, 
 
 By David Cambell, 
 in the Clerk's Office of the Disiiict court of Massachusettg. 
 
 Vow ^ Jackson, friniersy 
 14 Devomhire-St. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 In this little work the author has aimed at 
 simple illustration. He has entered a field 
 hitherto neglected with a special intention to 
 awaken in the youthful readers of the Bible 
 an interest in the prophecies, and to aid them 
 in understanding this instructive part of the 
 sacred word. He does not undertake to give 
 a general exposition of prophecy, but directs 
 his attention mainly to the predictions of 
 Daniel and John. In preparing this work he 
 has had recourse to various sources, and used 
 impartially every advantage within his reach. 
 
 Whil^j the author cheerfully acknowledges 
 his indebtedness to several excellent treatises 
 on the prophecies, he can not resist the im- 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 pression that they leave the subject unneces- 
 sarily obscure. He has labored in some mea- 
 sure to obviate this defect. 
 
 I. By pictural representations of the nat- 
 ural emblems used by the prophet in the 
 passages under consideration. 
 
 II. By a strict regard to ihe chronological 
 order of the events that fulfil these predict ons. 
 
 This, some writers have disregarded in 
 their remarks on the visions of Daniel. 
 
 III. By due regard to locahty. To aid the 
 reader, an atlas, prepared to accompany this 
 work, presents the generaloutlines of the coun- 
 tries which are the theatre of predicted events. 
 
 The author does not come forward with a 
 new theory ; still, by giving to the eye tlie 
 symbols from nature employed by the inspired 
 writers, by adhering to the order of time, to 
 the location of events predicted, and by some 
 well marked distinctions hitherto overlooked, 
 he hopes to render the study of the prophe- 
 cies more interesting and successful. Of these 
 peculiarities of this work, discerning readers 
 will form a due estimate. 
 
PREFACE. 7 
 
 Should these illustrations and appendix 
 subserve the great end of advancing the study 
 and knowledge of the prophecies, the author 
 may be encouraged, when more at leisure, to 
 enlarge and improve the work. 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 The prophecies are a rich and copious fund 
 of instruction,and though veiled in emhlematic 
 drapery, it is not inaccessible to any who du- 
 ly use the means of gaining it. Still the most 
 attentive do not gain it at a glance. The dis- 
 coveries in it come, like tlie views in the vari- 
 ous scenery of a fine engraving, one after an- 
 other to the close observer, while they escape 
 his notice in a cursory look. Nor is it beyond 
 the power of most persons to gain a delight- 
 ful acquaintance with this part of the living 
 word, it it is duly sought. 
 
 An apostle affirms that " all scripture " is 
 " profitable." But to be profitable, it must be 
 understood, and to be understood, it must be 
 studied. The reader is invited to consider 
 some reasons for studying the prophecies. 
 
10 , INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 It is not that he may know the future, for 
 many of the prophecies are so given as net to 
 be fully understood till near the time of their 
 fulfilment, but for othei- reasons. 
 
 I. This study enlarges and elevates the 
 mind. It does this, in leading to an intinate 
 acquaintance with the geography of those 
 countries which are the theatres of events pre- 
 dicted, and with history which shows us, as a 
 telescope the distant scenery, the events 
 which fulfil the predictions. 
 
 Thus the mind is led to view a portion of 
 the works and providential government not 
 only, but also the truth, and power, and pater- 
 nal kindness of the supreme Ruler. Surely 
 the mind thus employed will be expanded 
 and ennobled. 
 
 II. This study will guard one against tliose 
 errors that arise from a misapplication of the 
 prophecies. 
 
 An apostle said the ' unlearned wrest the 
 scriptures.' They doso now,and the unleained 
 in the prophecies may be drawn into the wild 
 and unscripturcil notion that the resurrection 
 will take place in 1843. But a better know- 
 ledge of the prophecies will preserve one from 
 such errors since they show that previous to 
 that event the Jews are to be restored, 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 11 
 
 *' grafted into the good olive tree" and the 
 nations of the world enligiitened and blessed 
 with the gospel. The world thus far, has 
 not been rescued from the dominion of the 
 malign usurper. " It still liethin wickedness." 
 Hitherto, the great pait of the human family 
 have passed llirough life without even henring 
 of the Savior. But the Bible teaclies that Je- 
 sus, the rightful Lord, having conquered the 
 usurper, though"strong" and "armed," is to be 
 known and honored as King by all nations, and 
 that on earth, " where sin has abounded grace 
 w^ill much more abound " in the triumph of 
 the Prince of Life over the combined pow- 
 ers of hell. 
 
 So teaches the Bible, and whoever under- 
 stands the prophecies respecting these events 
 will not be misled by a theory that excludes 
 these glorious results of divine power and love. 
 
 in. The right understanding of prophecy 
 tends to confirm our belief of the Bible, and 
 supply us W'ith weapons against its assailants. 
 
 In the prophecies are very many events 
 foretold with striking minuteness and accura- 
 cy. These events are usually such as no hu- 
 man foresight could discern ; many of them 
 would appear lo the keenest eye highly im- 
 probable. Now the evidence that the wri- 
 ter of these predictions was guided by the 
 divine mind is in j^iroportidn to the impr6ba- 
 
IS! Introductory remarks. 
 
 bility of the event and minute detail of cir- 
 cumstances given in the prediction. The as- 
 tonishing exactness of the fulfihnent of these 
 predictions is a standing monument, an un- 
 ansvver;ible proof of the divine authority of 
 the vvritingscontainingthem. Let the mind be 
 familiar with the fulfilment of these many pre- 
 dictions, and it will not only be shielded from 
 the assaults of infidels, but ulso furnished with 
 effective weapons of attack. Thus the Bible 
 fully affords convincing proof of its truth, of 
 its being the Word of God. 
 
 IV. Another reason is to gain the most ex-* 
 alted views of the great Governor of the uni- 
 verse. The prophecies declare his purposes 
 of favor to his repenting obedient people ; of 
 displeasure to transgressors. The events of 
 fulfilment show his tender care and forbear- 
 ance and faithfulness to his people on the one 
 hand, and his holy abhorrence of sin, and just 
 displeasure towards the workers of iniquity, 
 on the other. Thus his truth and holi- 
 ness, power and love are wonderfully mani- 
 fested to man through the prophecies ; and 
 the more they are studied the more these at- 
 tributes of Jehovah will be seen. Thus " be- 
 holding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, 
 are we changed into the same image." The 
 direct tdndenoy of such vitws is to elevate 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 13 
 
 the soul in piety, and assimilate it to the inef- 
 fahle Fountain of holy enjoyment. Such 
 •was the influence of attention to the prophe- 
 cies on Daniel. Such also will be the influ- 
 ence on others, who, like him, " set their 
 face to seek the Lord. '' 
 
 From this glance at some reasons for study- 
 ing the prophecies, let us now turn to some 
 of the reasons for the hitherto general neglect 
 to study them. 
 
 1. A general impression that they are not 
 to be understood till the time of their fulfil- 
 ment. 
 
 Some of them are not to be fully under- 
 stood until this time. But others may be 
 long before. Did not Daniel understand the 
 prediction respecting the return from Baby- 
 lon before the restoration? And could not 
 he, or any other captive Hebrew, have un- 
 derstoo^d the passages of the prophets, as well 
 fifty years before ? How came Andrew lo 
 say ''We have found the Messiah .f^" How 
 came Philip to say, " We have found him of 
 whom Moses in the lav/, and the pro])hets 
 did write." Plainly it was because they had 
 read and understood the predictions respect- 
 ing the promised Messiah. Their understand- 
 ing of the predictions prepared them lo know 
 and welcome their Savior, 
 
14 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS* 
 
 2. An impression that the prophecies were 
 destined for those only to who-m they were 
 first addressed, and were shortly fulfiled in the 
 events of their day. 
 
 Those wlio take tliis view overlook ihe grand 
 and alhimportant feature of the prophe- 
 cies, i. e. their liaving a primary or typical 
 fulfilment near the time they were given, hut 
 their chief and ultimate completion at a 
 subsequent period. Tt is worthy of remark 
 that a continuous series of events occurring 
 from the remote ages to the closing scenes of 
 our world, is given in the prophecies. By 
 the aid of history, the reader can see the 
 fulfilment of such predictions in events so 
 clearly marked as to exclude all doubt. Who 
 can suppose that a time so marked with 
 mighty changes, as the present, and so dis- 
 tinguished by an unprecedented activity of 
 the mental and moral powers of man, has not 
 been equally marked in the predictions rela- 
 ting to this time ? Let Christians '-discern 
 the signs of the times," and behold the w^oi'd 
 of the Lord spoken of these days, and a 
 blessed influence will be felt over the church. 
 Their hearts ''will be cheered to arise and 
 build," seeing the time to favor Zion has 
 come. It will be to them as the discovery 
 of the promised restoration of the Jews fron* 
 Babylon was to the captive Daniel. 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 15 
 
 3. Another reason is the influence of erra- 
 tic men in applying the prophecies. 
 
 When men of lively imagination, but of 
 too little general knowledge to hold iheir in- 
 tellect in equilibrio, become strongly interes- 
 ed in the prophecies, they come forward with 
 theoiies so extravagant as to awaken, in many, 
 prejudice and disgust. Excited by their 
 wild fancy they suppose most of the prophe- 
 cies are fulfiled in the events of their own 
 diy. Under the stimulating influence of 
 such views, they acquire a morbid sensitive- 
 ness in respect to every thing that affects 
 their peculiar notions, and a proportionate 
 insensibility to great truths which have no 
 direct relation to their theory. They are 
 full of ardor, and give to some views an im- 
 portance so undue, as to destroy the beautiful 
 symmetry of the system of revealed truth. 
 The influence of these men on some may 
 awaken invesiigntion,but on most it is the re- 
 verse, exciting in them a feeling of uncertainty 
 as to the meaning of these parts of the Divine 
 Word, and leading them to neglect what 
 they view as having no ascertainable meaning. 
 
 A state of the public mind »hus induced, 
 opens the way for the successful introduction 
 of the visionary theories that have recently 
 been in circulation. But let Christians be 
 
16 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 well instructed, and such theories if broached, 
 would soon be like a plant without water. 
 
 A clear and full understanding of these in- 
 structive portions of the Bible, and a distinct 
 view of the events exactly completing them, 
 would awaken a lively interest in the Chris- 
 tian world. It would be like frequent com- 
 munications from the Head of the Church. 
 Its influence upon the state of believers would 
 be as the showers of spring upon the verdant 
 earth. Nor would it fail to influence the 
 considerate skeptic. No doubt many, by the 
 evidence of the divine origin of the Bible, 
 seen in the fulfilment of prophecy, would be 
 convinced of its truth, and seek the Savior 
 whom it reveals. To exhibit the influence 
 of such facts already operating, take the case 
 of the Jews previous to the captivity in Baby- 
 lon. They were stronjily inclined to idol- 
 atry, from which the most marvellous visible 
 manifestationsof divine power did not restrain 
 them. To cure them of this sin, God sent 
 them into Babylon, among vile idolaters, and 
 said, by the prophet Ezekiel, (xxxvi. 25,) 
 *' From all your idols will I cleanse you." 
 Such was the prediction. Has it been fulfill- 
 ed ? From that period onward the Jews, 
 with but few individual exceptions, have nev- 
 pr been idolaters. As a people, and almost 
 
INTRODUCTORY KEMARKS- 17 
 
 to a man as individuals, they have shrunk from 
 idolatry as froin the plague. Corrupt and 
 wicked as they have at titnes been, yet, when 
 that corruption has been deepest and tliat 
 wickedness most abominable, sooner than 
 bow down to idol gods, they have met per- 
 secution and death in their worst fbrnis."^ 
 From the day of their restoration from Bab- 
 ylon 10 this, they have resisted almost to 
 a man, and with the constancy and inflexi- 
 bility of martyrs, every attempt to win or to 
 drive them into idolatry. 
 
 ■* When Plolemy Philopater, a cruel and reven^prul ty- 
 rant, ImiI CDniiuand oi I\g\|)t, l>a\iiig visiied Jci ii^alcm, a'lu 
 heinij; denied an entiance into llie temple, lie was so enrjigcd 
 at flie Jews that ho at once degraded great niiniliers ol tiieni 
 at Alexandria to the condition ofslaves. The only cundition 
 on which this enark of degradation and slavery l>y a hot 
 iron could he avoided, m as to ofler sacrifice to his gods. — 
 Out of many thunsands, only ihiee hundred yielded. Tiiete 
 were at once excomnmnicated by llieir lirelhren. Upon 
 which Fhilopaler was so enraged that he purposed to ruin the 
 whole nwtion, beginning with those of Alexandria. He or- 
 dered them to he l)r(Jiight into the hippodrome, an immense 
 place without liie citv where the people asseml.lefl to witness 
 the public games, and CJinmanded that 5C0 elephants should 
 be let loose upon them. The first day, in conseqnense of a 
 previous debauch, the king, who was to be present, overrle|)t 
 himsell, and they were not let l.:ose. 'JMie second day a simi- 
 lar disapi-ointm'ent occurred. On the third day the king 
 c.-iine, the elephants were let loose upon the defenceless Jews, 
 but by a wonderful providence, ihey turned upon the .=pecta- 
 sors and- soldiers and kilU<l tjreat numbers of them. This 
 with other circumstances indmed the t) rant to abandon h:3 
 purpose and the Jews were saved. 
 
 2* 
 
18 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 So, at other times, have they with wonder- 
 ful firmness, withstood the cruel measures 
 to coerce them into the very sin to wliich 
 they had before their captivity been so 
 addicted. The change, thus wrought in 
 them according to prophecy, is truly aston- 
 ishing. Even the skeptic Gibbon declares 
 his inability to account for it, and says it is 
 " in contradiction to every known principle 
 of the human mind."* 
 
 * This inflexil)le perseverance, which appeared so odious or 
 so ridiculous to the ancient world, assumes a more awful 
 cliaracter. since Providence has deigned to reveal to ns the 
 mysterious history of the chosen people. But the devout and 
 even scrupulous attachment to the Mosaic religion, so con- 
 spicuous among the Jews who lived imder the second temple, 
 becomes still more surprising if it is compared with the stub- 
 born incredulity of their forefathers. When the law gi' en 
 in thunder "from moutit Sinai; when tlie (ides of the ocean, 
 and the course of the planets were suspended for the conve- 
 nience of the Israelites; and when temporal rewards and 
 punishments were the immediate consequences of their piety 
 or disobedience, they perpetually relapsed into rebellion 
 against the visible majesty of their Divine King, placed the 
 idols of the nations in the sanctuary of Jehovali, and imitated 
 every fantastic ceremony that was practised in the tents of 
 the Arabs, or in the cities of Phoenicia. As the protection 
 of Heaven was deservedly withdrawn from the ungrateful 
 race, tlieir faith acquired a proportionable degree of vigor 
 and purity. The contemporaries of Moses and Joshua had 
 beheld with careless indiifrrence the most amazing miracles. 
 Under the pressure of every calamity, the belief of those mir- 
 acles has preserved the Jews of a later period from the uni- 
 versal contagion of idolatry; and in contradiction to every 
 known principle of liie human mind, that singular people 
 seems to have yielded a stronger and more ready assent lo the 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 19 
 
 4, The want of plain, familiar illustration. 
 Many can unite with the author in bearing 
 witness to the difficulty felt by the young 
 reader of the prophecies given in symbolic 
 language. All is strange, confused, and per- 
 plexing ; and no effort, that he can make, 
 will give him any satisfactory view. As he 
 reads the sacred word, he finds the solemn 
 direction, " let him that readeth understand," 
 but he responds, " how can I understand ex- 
 cept some one guide me?" There have been 
 several large and valuable works writien on 
 this subject, but they are not at hand, or re- 
 quire too much time for this class of readers. 
 Besides, they do not give the ocular rep- 
 resentations so much needed by beginners in 
 this interesting field of research. To supply 
 what no author has before attempted, is the 
 aim in this little work. 
 
 The reader, who wishes to pursue his 
 investigations extensively on this subject, 
 may find much to interest him in the works 
 of Bis'iop Newton, Sir Isaac Newton, Pri- 
 deaux,(Connections)Keith, Faberand Smith, 
 (Key to Revelation.) 
 
 In the studies of children and youth in the 
 Sabbath School, the prophetic parts of the 
 
 traditions of their remote ancestors, than to the evidence o 
 their own senses. Gibbon^s Rome, page 251. 
 
20 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 Bible ought not to be neglected. With due 
 assistance from the teacher, the pupils may, by 
 a proper attention to them, be shielded against 
 the insidious attacks of infidels, and preser- 
 ved from being '-led away by the error of the 
 wicked." Although the note below contains 
 some of those sly and insidious attacks of an 
 infidel upon the christian faith and the coming 
 of Christ's kingdom, yet it contains one well 
 merited rebuke upon the doubtful and imper- 
 fect faith of modern ages.* 
 
 From the prophecies, as well as from other 
 indications in the rapid advances of society, 
 
 * When the promise of eternal hnppine?s was piopoFcd to 
 mankiiui, on condition of adopting the faith, and of ohserv 
 ing the precepts of ilie gospel, it is no wonder tlial so advan- 
 tageous an ofi'er should liave been accepted by great nnnihers 
 of every religion, of every raihk, and of every province in the 
 Roman empire. The ancient Christians were aiiiniated by a 
 contemj)t for their present existence, and by a just confidence 
 of inimortalii) , of which the doubtlid and imperfect faiih of 
 modern ages cannot give us any adequate notion. In the 
 primitive church, the influence of truih was very powerlully 
 strengthened by an opinion, which, however it may deserve 
 respect for iis usehdness and antitjuity, has not been found 
 agreeable to experience. It was universally believed, that 
 the et\i\ of the worlo and the kingdom of heaven, were at 
 hand. The near approach of this wonderful event had been 
 predicted by tlie aposilcs; the tradition of it was [)ieserved 
 i)y their earliest disciples, and those who understood in their 
 literal sense the discourses of Clirist himself, were obliged to 
 expect the second and glorious coining of the Son of Man m 
 itie clouds, before that generation was totally e.xtinguished, 
 which had beheld his humble condition upon earth, and which 
 might still be witne.ss of the calamities of the Jews under 
 Vespasian or Hadrian. Gibbon's Rome, page 261, 262. 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 21 
 
 we have reason to suppose that we are ap- 
 proaching times of very peculiar interest. A 
 good acquaintance with these parts of Scrip- 
 ture will be one preparative for acting well 
 our part. 
 
 The prophet Daniel says, '' Blessed is he 
 that waiteth and cometh to the 1335 days.'* 
 Another says " Blessed are they that keep 
 those things which are written." This requires 
 a knowledge gained only by study, and other 
 proper means. 
 
 Blessed is he that hath part in the first 
 resurrection, because the world will then be 
 under the administration of the Prince of 
 Peace, and all the systems of despotic oppres- 
 sion and debasing wickedness "will be carried 
 away as the chaff of the summer threshing 
 floors," by the wind. Then, and not till then, 
 will the follower of Christ know the full 
 import of such " blessed " promises. 
 
 Should this work appear to any one too 
 abundant in repetitions, the author would sug- 
 gest that he is aware of using them freely; 
 nor did he wish to depart from the wise course 
 of instruction adopted by Him who gives " line 
 upon line," and "line upon line." He has 
 deliberately followed the course of the Proph- 
 et who, like a painter, goes over the ground, 
 several times, first drawing the outlines, after- 
 
22 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
 
 wards filling up and completing the represen- 
 tation at every succee'ling stroke, until you see 
 the exact picture. The prophets have userl 
 many^ but not 'vain' lepetitions. Jn these 
 illustrations the writer has aimed to follow 
 them and learn tluir meaning, not to correct 
 their style. In doing this, repetition is una- 
 voidable, yet useful. The attempt to avoid it, 
 or rather failing to notice this peculiarity in 
 the writings of Daniel and John, has (ended 
 not a little to involve them in the obscurity 
 so long attending them. 
 
 A case of this is found in Daniel, who, in 
 giving the prophecies of the morning and 
 evening visions, goes over the ground five 
 times, in as many chapters, with only a sight 
 variation as to their commencement and ter- 
 mination. The attempt to go througli this 
 part of his book and avoid repetition, would 
 cause utter confusion. The same remaik 
 will apply to a part of ihe Apocalypse, with 
 still greater force, though the distinctions 
 here are more generally recognized. Such is 
 the nature of the subject that some repetition 
 renders it more lucid. By first drawing the 
 great outlines, and then filling up the picture, 
 tlie reader is by degrees led into the views of 
 the subject which its complexity would hardly 
 allow in any other course. So that aay ar- 
 
INTRODCTORY REMARKS. 23 
 
 rangement of passages out of the order adop- 
 ted by the prophet, repetitious as it is, would 
 be a decided disadvantage. 
 
 When this work was planned, the author 
 designed to reply to several objections urged 
 by some modern theorists against the cheering 
 Bible doctrine of a Millennium, and to insert a 
 series cf articles respecting the state of the 
 church and the world during this period. 
 But the limits of this work forbid their inser- 
 tion. They will be reserved for a future edi- 
 tion. In the meantime, as some may wish 
 to know the topics of these articles, they 
 are here given. 
 
 T. The complete and universal restoration 
 of man's physical powers from their deprava- 
 tion consequent to transgression. 
 
 II. The firm health and longevity of man, 
 resulting from a knowledge of his physical 
 frame and the causes that affect it ; and from 
 such powers of self-control as will restrain 
 from those violations of physical laws from 
 which most diseases originate. 
 
 III. The improvement of intellect, resulting 
 from the perfect health of the body and the 
 di.e subjugation of all its appetites. 
 
 IV. The blessed slate of society when the 
 physical and moral renovation of man pre[>are9 
 his body to be the "temple" of the Iloly 
 Bpint. 
 
24 INTRODUCtORT REMARKS* 
 
 V. The influenceof Christ's administration, 
 as adapted to the state of the Church, when 
 the purifying tendency of opposition and 
 p' rsecution shall cease. 
 
 VI. The state of the earth as to temperature 
 and other changes, in this period, desirable 
 to man, probable from the laws of matter, 
 and from anology. 
 
 VII. The vast increase of facilities for inter- 
 course resulting from human industry under 
 the direction of Science, and rendering men 
 10,000 miles asunder as near neighbors. 
 
 Vlf I. The great change that will be wrought 
 to realize the apostle's declaration "All shall 
 know the Lord, from the least to the great- 
 est." This has never yet been the fact. 
 It will be. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 SECTION L 
 
 Babylon. The enemy of Goil's ppoole— Its influence on the peff- 
 
 Me of God — Its location, tower, fertility, irriwtion, and ifreatness — 
 
 Remarks on the book of Daniel, 40 — Ncbochadnezzar's image — The 
 
 Babylonian Empire, Persian, Grecian, Roman. 37—48 
 
 SECTION II. 
 Daniel's Evening Vision. Four beasts seen byDaniel in vision — 
 The lion. bear, leopard, 54— the "dreadful and terrible," symbolizing 
 the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires, .56 — The little 
 horn of the 4th beast — Ten horns in note 56— Mode of computing:, 
 62 — Distinction between the evening and mornin? visions, 49 — 63 
 
 SECTION III. 
 Morning Vision. Theram— He g:oat — Time of the vision, 67— 
 bear,68 — Reason of Alexander's severity towards Persia— his death, 
 70— Division of his empire, 71— The little horn from one of the 4 of 
 the <oat. shown to be Mohamedanism — Note from Scott, 72 — 
 Note From Litch,75 — Policy of European powers towards Turkey, 
 75 — This little horn not the same as the one of great beast, before 
 which 3 fell— Note from Miller, 78 — Wonderful numberer,81 — 
 Note from Scott, 82— Successors of Alexander, 87— Note from 
 Scott, 89— Extract from Koran,.92. 66—93 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Morning Vision continited* 70 weeks date of the edict to build 
 Jeruaalom. 96— Notb from Miller, 96— Koii TtOu Buhop New- 
 tt^jT.99 9«— 101 
 
26 CONTENTS. 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 MoRNiNu VisioNCONTiNUED. Tlie ati^el g:ive3 Daniel some clieef- 
 ing facts— Vision of the lam and he-tfoat explained — Historical 
 skc'tcli from Xerxes to Alexander, 107 — Alexander t<» Aiiliochus— * 
 Antiochus to destruction of Jerusalem — xNote from Newton, 109, 
 114, IIG, laO, 124, 132, 134— Note from Litch. 117, 132— Note, orig- 
 inal, Antiochus. 123 — Do transition, 124 — Do Prince of the covenant, 
 125 — Persian and Grecian kings, and Jewish High Priests, 
 
 102-137 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Morning Vision CONCLUDED. Historical facts illustrative of the 
 vision — Antiochus, 141 — R'»m:in^, 142 — Note from Newton — Trials 
 cf Christians — Do Constantine's elevation to the throne — Do 146 — 
 Oriu'infd Note, 148— Letter from Smith, 149— '2,300 not the time 
 of Popery, but of Alohameilanism — Note from Smith's review of 
 Miller, 152— Desire of women, note from Faber, 156 — Extracts from 
 Koran, 157, 159 — Do Seott, 160 — Influence of Mohammed on the 
 inind, IGl — Conquests of the Turks— Extract from Scott, 163 — 
 Chan;<GS in Turkey, 165 — Haiti Schcritf, 166 — remarks of iNoah on it, 
 162 — Conflicts of nations — Downfall of the Ottoman throne, 169 — 
 Note from Evening Star, by Noah, 17 1-— Note from Buckharill's 
 travels in Syria, 173 — Extract from Keith, 174, do from Smith, two 
 expeditions to Palestine, 275— Miller's chronoloery as to past events 
 correct, his other views wrong — Time of judi^meninot revealed, 183 
 — Diagram of She morning vision, 185. 138 — lS5 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 Captivity of the Jews " seven times," i. e., 2520 years. Break- 
 in? of Epliraim,'191 — Extract from Prideaux's Connections— do 193 
 — Repentance and restoration of kin? Mannasseh, 196— Extract from 
 Pkideacx — The picture ofihe prophet's tile, showinj; the siege of Je- 
 rusalem, 193 — Extract from Prideavx — Invasion of Israel under Neb- 
 uzaradin,200 — Diagram of the captivity and restoration, 503 — tree 
 seen by Nebuchadnezzar, 204 — Extract from Millennial Tidings 
 207— i:xtrnct frOm PaiDEAt;x, 21.')— Diagiam ofthe cnptiviiy, &r.,217 
 —Four warnings and punishmcnPs/ 218— Summary of calculations. 
 
 180-S71 
 
CONTENTS. ' 27 
 
 SECSION viir. 
 
 Sabbaths and Jubilees. Sabbath instituted on the seventh day of 
 the world— Use of the number 7— Sabbath, a type oJ the iMillenniiim 
 —Extract from Scott. 222—234 
 
 SECTION IX. 
 
 Return of the Jews. Objections answered by facts— Recent 
 movements favorable — Original Note, will return unconverted — 40,- 
 000 in Palestine, 236 — Do,views to be formed from analogy as to their 
 return — the time — Original Note, their strong: regard to the promised 
 land, 239— Physical renovation, 242, The truth and honor of God 
 pledged (or their return, 244. Original Note, influence ol the com- 
 pletion of Prophecy in their return, on unbelievers, 246 — Visit to 
 Jewish synagogues — Efl^oits to convert them to the Gospel unsuc- 
 cessful till their return, 248— Influence of Christian sympathy when 
 in their Own land— Remark on Jacob's serving Labsn, 250— Feeling 
 of Jews in Poland, 254. 235—257 
 
 SECTION X. 
 
 Evening Vision concluded. The prophet glances at the closing: 
 scenes of earih — 'I'ime of trouble, 259 — Misapplication of prophecies 
 noticed in a note, 261 — Notice of two errors, 1st, all the predictions 
 ot Daniel were completed in time of Antiochus, 2d, all were, at the 
 destruction of Jerusalem, 263 — Meaning of "seal the hook," "^64 — 
 Evasion of Miller — 1260 years applied solely to the evening vision, 
 266— This is the time allowed to mystical Babylon— Ri?ht discrimina- 
 tion ofthe two visions needful to correct computation, 268 — source of 
 prophetic imagery, 270 — Note from "Millei exploded" — 75 years twi- 
 light-Mode of computing time, 272— The angel who conversed with 
 John supposed to be Daniel, 275 — Diagram oflbe evening vision, 277. 
 
 258—277 
 
 SECTION XL 
 
 Revelation of John. Introductor/ remarks on the Revelation* 
 278— Vision' ofthe throne, 280— Sea of glass, 282— Four', living crea- 
 tures. 284. 278—286 
 
28 CONTENTS. 
 
 SECTION XII. 
 
 The Seven Seals. The first explained— The white horse, 290— . 
 
 Second ; the red horse,292— Thiid ; the blar-.ii horse, 294— Fourth ; 
 
 the pale horse, 296— Filth ; persecution by Dioclesian, 298— Sixth ; 
 
 change under Constantine,300 — Seventh ; silence in heaven, 312. 
 
 287—315 
 
 SECTION XUI. 
 
 Seven Trumpets. The first trumpet period; fire, hail and blood, 
 318 — Second ; burning mountain cast into the sea, 319— Third ; great 
 star full upon the rivers, 321— Fourth ; sun, moon and stars darkened, 
 323 — Fifth, and first wo ; star fell upon the earth, and had the key of 
 the bottomless pit, 326— Sixth ; four angels bound on the Euphrates, 
 loosed, 334 — Seventh ; Horses with breastplates of fire, &c., 336 — the 
 mighty angel clothed with a cloud, &c., 341. 316—343 
 
 SECTION XIV. 
 
 The TWO Witnesses. The temple measured,345— Who the wit- 
 nesses are, 346 — by what typified — What they symbolize — They are 
 slain and lie unburied, 349 — The great city, earthquake, and lulling 
 ol a tenth part ol the city. 344—353 
 
 SECTION XV. 
 
 The Dragon wars with the Woman. The red dragon — How he 
 wars, 356— Who is the nian-child--The flood from the dragon. 
 
 354-361 
 
 SECTION XVI. 
 The ten-hofned Beast of the Sea. Bnast like a leopard, hav- 
 ing 7 heads and 10 horns— Its mighty power.- same as the one seen 
 by Daniel 366— Its destination. 362—367 
 
 Two Horned Beast. His two horns, image and number, 368 — 369 
 
 SECTION XVII. 
 
 Reformation, or second Sealing Time. 144,000 with the Lamb 
 — New song, whence they came, 370— The missionary angel, with 
 tba everlasting grospel- -The destruction of anti-Christ, 372. 370—374 
 
CONTENTS. 29 
 
 SECTION XVIII. 
 
 The Harvest of the Wicked. The sharp sickle thiust in to 
 reap the carthj 378— The wine press trodden; a sea of blood, 381. 
 
 375—381 
 
 SECTION XIX. 
 
 Seven Last Plagues. Sea of glass and fire — seven vials, 385 — 
 The first poured on the earth, and a sore fell on men---The second; 
 the se.i became blood, 387— The third ; the rivers became blood— The 
 fourth poured on the sun; men scorched— The fifth, poured on ^the 
 seat of the beast— The sixth, on the river Euphrates, which was 
 dried op, 392— Three onclean spirits gather the nations to battle- 
 Mystery, 396. 382-39S 
 
 SECTION XX. 
 
 r The woman on the scaklet colored Beast. The angel in- 
 structs John as to the beast of seven heads and .ten horn.-i— Severs 
 heads explained, 399— One not yet— Its short duration and utter ruin, 
 — Mapriage OF THE Lamb, after the due preparation of the bride,. 
 40G— Satan bound a thousand years, 408— The first resurrection — 
 Short season of apostacy— Go? and Magog, 409— Resurrection aunfi 
 final judgment of the wicked, 410. 
 
SYMBOLICAL INDEX, 
 
 OR A DIRECTION TO THOSE DIVISIONS OF THE APOCALYPSE DENOTED 
 BT SEALS, TRUMPETS, AND VIALS. 
 
 In giving the chronology of the several parts of the Apocalypse, as 
 divided into seala, trumpets, and viuls, the author does not assume 
 to bo always perfectly correct. He has aimed to be impartial, and 
 would gladly be corrected in any mistake which may occur in dates 
 The chronology of the Apocalyptic visions of John, are not in ul 
 cases so easily determined as the evening and morning visions 
 of Daniel. With the great outlines, ho\ycver, there is no need 
 of mistak«. 
 
SYMBOLICAL INDEX. 
 
 31 
 
 ^:<:\\y''/'/-^^ First. This first volume or division of the Apocalj-p- 
 S E AL:J tic book, extends frein A, D. about TO.to 100, page 290. 
 
 ■^ '^ Second. — Or second volume, extends from A. D. 
 
 .SEAL'! 100, to 138, 
 
 Third.— From A. D. 138, to 193, 
 
 294. 
 
 ::n\\^ '//>^ Fourth, embraces a period from 193, to 270, 296 
 
 SEAL 
 
 Sixth a period from 304 to 350. 
 
 300 
 
 ri^'B' a't^ Seventh, extends from A. D. 350, to tlie end 
 S E AI* J of t|,e world, 312, 
 
asf 
 
 SYMBOLICAL INDEX. 
 
 The first trumpet period, extendi 
 from A. D. 380, to 4L0, page 318^ 
 
 Second trumpet period, from 410 ta 
 450, 319. 
 
 Third trumpet period, from 450, to 
 500» 3&L 
 
 Fourth tkumpet period, from 500 ta 
 566, 323. 
 
 First Wo 
 
 Fifth trumpet period, from 566 to 
 1Q81. The wo <yf this crumpet, from 612 
 to 762, 826 
 
 Second Wo 
 
 Sixth trumpet period, from 1281 to the 
 downfaJl of popery. The wo of thistrum- 
 pet, from 1281 to 1672, 233 
 
 THfRD Wo 
 
 Seventh trumpet period, from the down- 
 fall of popery, to the end of the world. The 
 woof this trumpet, from the first blast to 
 the completion of the harvest and vintage 
 •f thrwiekedr 
 
SYMBOLICAL INDEX. 
 
 33 
 
 Ffirst was poured upon the Roman earth, and 
 
 \>^ exposed the ulcerous diameter of the papal cliurch 
 
 in the days of Leo X. and Martin Luther. — i^ec- 
 
 tion XIX : page 386 
 
 Seond was poured upon the Roman Sea during 
 the troublesome times subsequent lo the Reform 
 ation, 387 
 
 Third was poured upon the tributary streams 
 of the Roman Sea in the devastating wurs of )he 
 17th century, 388 
 
 Fourth was poured upon the sun, or kingly 
 authority which scorched the people of Europe as 
 with fire, during the early part of the 18lh cen- 
 tury, 389 
 
 Fifth was poured upon the seat of the Romish 
 church, and produced terror and darkness in he- 
 councils during and subsequent to the French Rev- 
 olution, 390 
 
 Sixth was poured upon the proud Ottoman, and 
 is now rapiilly drying up his b uphraloun power, 
 which will soon result in the overthrow of Mo- 
 hamedanisin, 391 
 
 Seventh, or last plague, is to he ponrod into the 
 air, not local, but all pervadins, resulting in the over- 
 throw of the western Ami-Christ, 39 
 
INDEX 
 
 PICTURAL ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 CONTAINED IN THIS VOLUME. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar's Visionary Image, page 42" 
 
 The symbolical Lion of Daniel's evenfng Vision, 50 
 
 The Bear and three ribs, 62 
 
 The Leopard wiiii four heads and four wings, 53 
 
 The " dreadful and terrible " beabt with ten horns, 56 
 
 The little horn which plucks up three of the first, 51 
 
 The symbolical Ram of the nrorning Vision, 66 
 
 The hegoat with one horn, 69 
 
 Afterwards four horns, 70 
 
 The little horn arising out of one of the four, 71 
 
 A portrature of Jerusalem besieged-, 198 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar's visionary Tree, 204 
 
 The brazen Sea of the temple, 283 
 
 The sea of glass, 284 
 
 The four living creatures, 286 
 
 The white horse, 291 
 
 The red horse, 293 
 
 The black horse, 295 
 
 Death and the pale horse, 297 
 
 The sun in blackness, 300 
 
 The moon turned into blood, " 
 
 Four angels on the four corners of the earth, 303 
 
 First flying angel, 306 
 
 Medal of Coastantine. 303 
 
TtCTURAL INDEX. ^§5 
 
 Set-en angels wilh seven trumpets, .313 
 
 Angel at the golden altar, 314 
 
 Casting the fire into the earth, 315 
 
 Seven angels prepared to sound, 315 
 
 First angel sounds, 318 
 
 Second angel sounds, .3I9 
 
 Third angel and falling star, 321 
 
 Fourth angol and the sun darkened^ 323 
 
 Second flying angel, 325 
 
 Fifth trumpet and fallen star, -326 
 
 Opening of ihe bottomless pit, 328 
 
 Swarms of Saracenic locusts, , .339 
 
 Sixth trumpet — loosing the four sultan aHgeIs> 334 
 
 Turkish horseman, 336 
 
 A mighty angel, 340 
 
 The two witnesses, .345 
 
 Ascent of the two witnesses, -360 
 
 Seventh angel sounding, 352 
 
 Red dragon with seven heads and ten hornS'j 355 
 
 Dragon ready io devour the man-child, 357 
 
 Conflict of Michael wilh the dragon, 358 
 
 The dragon wroth with the woman, SSn 
 
 The dragon givmg his seat and power to the beastj 363 
 
 Wounded head of the beast healed, 364 
 
 'ihe dragon worshipped, 365 
 The blasphemous beast wilh seven heads and ten hOTns, 366 
 
 Imperial image, or effigy of the beastj 369 
 
 The missionary angel, 371 
 
 Third flying angel, 372 
 
 Fourth flying ang«l, 373 
 
 Fifth flying angel, .375 
 
 Angel setting on a ujjiie cloud, 376 
 
 Sixth flying angd, 377 
 
 The reapers, 378 
 
36 yiCTURAL INDHX. 
 
 Angel with a sharp sickle, 37^ 
 
 Ang:el from the ahar, ?8(J 
 
 Angel gathering the vine of (he earth, 381 
 
 Seven an°els with the seven vials, 3' 4 
 
 Firil angel pours out his vial upon the earth, 386 
 
 Second angel pours out his vial upon ihe sea, 387 
 
 Third angel pours out his vial upon the founlains^ 388 
 
 Fourth angel pours out his vial upon the sun, 383 
 Fifth angel pours out his vial upon the seal of the beast, 390 
 Sixth angel pours out his vial upon the river Euphrates, 391 
 
 The dragon issues an unclean spirit like a frog, 392 
 
 The beast issues his unclean spirit like a frog, 393^ 
 
 The false prophet isssues his unclean spirit like a frog, 3Di 
 The last angel pours out his vial into the air, 395 
 
 The mother of harlots and abomination of the earth, 3 '6 
 
 Five heads of ihe beast fallen, one is, the other not ^et, 39& 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 BABYLON. 
 
 Ancient Babylon is the great depot, or 
 starting point of a twofold series of events, 
 important in their bearing on the destiny ojf 
 man. First, the captivity of the Jews in 
 Babylon, the very first link of an unbroken 
 chain of predicted events which runs through 
 the history of the church in all subsequent 
 periods, to her complete emancipation from 
 all earthly encumbrances, and the consumma- 
 tion of her glorious union to Christ, to whom 
 she has so long been betrothed. (Rev. 
 xix: 7,8.) 
 
 The other series of events, predicted, 
 
 pertain to a power antagonist to Christ and 
 
 his intended bride, aiming to prevent the 
 
 union if possible by seduction, if not, perse- 
 
 4 
 
38 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY* 
 
 cution unto death. This chain, unbroken- 
 connects the government of ancient Baby- 
 Ion, with the power that will be defeated in 
 the last " battle of the great day of God Al- 
 mighty." From the last link in these hu- 
 man governments, arose a peculiar sys- 
 tem called " mystery i Babylon the greats the 
 mother of harlots," by whom the nominal 
 church was seduced from Christ, and led 
 into "fornication with the kings of the 
 earth." 
 
 If Babylon is a starting point for such 
 great events, it is important to trace its his- 
 tory as far back as possible. 
 
 In Daniel, 1 : 2, Babylon is said to be sit- 
 uated "in the land of Shinar.' Any type, 
 or analogy, which may be found to extend 
 this great chain of providential events back 
 as well as forward, is important to the sub- 
 ject in hand. Whether this was the same 
 plain in the land of Shinar," (Gen. x : 1 to 
 9,) on which were built the great city and 
 tower of Babel, may not at this distant day 
 be certainly known. Yet the coincidence 
 in name and location render it probable. 
 Historians also suppose from all the facts in 
 the case, that the tower of Belus in Babylon, 
 was the remains of the tower of Babel. At 
 any rate, Babel with all its attending cir- 
 
BABYLON. 39 
 
 cumstances is a striking type and illustration 
 of Babylon, both literal and mystical. The 
 derivation and signification of the word is the 
 same. The object was rebellion against the 
 government of God, and the assumption of 
 supreme power and independence. Baby- 
 lon, ancient as well as modern, literal and 
 mystical, was always a " rebellious city." It 
 always persecuted the church of God, enslav- 
 ing her or driving her into " the wilderness." 
 " Babylon the great" is to "come into remem- 
 brance before God," and " receive of the 
 plagues," due for her crimes. 
 
 The literal Babylon was situated in the 
 land of Chaldea, known also by the name of 
 Babylonia. The immense fertility of Chaldea, 
 corresponded, if that of any country could 
 vie, with the greatness of Babylon. If ever 
 there was a city that seemed to bid defiance 
 to any prediction of its fall, that city was 
 Babylon. Its walls, which were reckoned 
 among the wonders of the world, appeared 
 rather like the bulwarks of nature than the 
 workmanship of man. The temple ofBe- 
 lus, supposed by some to be the remains of 
 the Tower of Babel, was half a mile in cir- 
 cumference and a furlong in height. Baby- 
 lonia was one vast plain, adorned and en- 
 riched by the Euphrates and the Tigris, from 
 
40 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 tne numerous canals that intersected the 
 country from one river to the other, water 
 was distributed over the fields by manual la- 
 bor and by hydraulic machines, giving rise in 
 that warm climate, and rich, exhaustless soil, 
 to an exuberance of produce without a 
 known parallel, over so extensive a region 
 either in ancient or modern times. 
 
 BOOK OF DANIEL. 
 
 The first chapter of Daniel is historical, 
 giving a brief account of his capture at Jeru- 
 salem by the king of Babylon, 607 years be- 
 fore Christ, thus furnishing the first date of 
 that noted captivity of the Jews which last- 
 ed 70 years. Daniel was about 20 years old 
 at this time. The second chapter contains 
 the prophetical interpretation of Nebuchad- 
 nezzar's dream. The four succeeding chap- 
 ters are historical, written with a spirit and 
 animation highly interesting, enriched with 
 the most exalted sentiments of piety and the 
 finest attestations to the faithfulness of 
 God, to protect and bless those who put their 
 trust in him. The six first chapters, are 
 therefore mostly historical, down to the 
 time that Daniel was cast into the Lion's den, 
 just 70 years from the commencement of his 
 story. The last six chapters being entirely 
 
Nebuchadnezzar's dream 4*1 
 
 prophetical, is that portion of the book of 
 Daniel, with which the object of this work is 
 
 concerned, including, however, that portion of 
 the second chapter interpreting the visionary 
 image of the king of Babylon, The proph- 
 ecy is written part in Hebrew, and part in 
 
 Chaldea. 
 
 IMAGE OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 
 
 The interpretation of this dream was giv- 
 en 603 years before Christ, while Daniel 
 was yet a youth, having been in Babylon but 
 three years, being about 67 years before he 
 was cast into the Lion's den. 
 
 This image made a magnificent appear- 
 ance before the mind and imagination of a 
 heathen prince, while to Daniel, the same 
 events are afterwards represented under the 
 appearance of fierce and devouring wild 
 beasts. And, indeed, the monarchies, de- 
 noted by these emblems, were the great sup- 
 porters of idolatry, tyranny, and persecution 
 in the world, down to the destruction of 
 the '* man of sin," by the "stone cut out 
 without hands, "^and the perfect establish- 
 ment of Christ's kingdom which will " fill 
 the whole earth ;" — superceding all other 
 kingdoms. 
 
 4* 
 
42 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHFXV 
 
 Baby 
 Em 
 
 Medes'and 
 Em 
 
 Gre 
 Em 
 
 Ro 
 
 Em 
 
 Ionian 
 pi re. 
 
 Persian 
 pire. 
 
 cian 
 
 pire. 
 
 man 
 pire. 
 
4a 
 
 Chap. II, 31. Thou, king, sawest, and behold a great 
 image. This great image, whose brightness was excel- 
 lent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. 
 
 32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast 
 and his arms of silv^er, his belly and his thighs of brass, 
 
 33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of 
 clay. 
 
 34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without 
 hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were 
 of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 
 
 35 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 became a great 
 mountain, and filled the whole earth. 
 
 36 This IS the dream ; and we will tell the interpre- 
 tation thereof before the king. 
 
 37 Thou, king, art a king of kings : for the God of 
 heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, 
 and glory. 
 
 38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the 
 beasts of the field, and the fowls of the heaven, hath he 
 given into thy hand, and hath made thee ruler over 
 them all. Thou art this head of gold. 
 
 Thou, king, art a king 
 of kings. Thou art this 
 head of gold. 
 
 The whole Chaldean monarchy, including 
 a succession of kings, is denoted by this head 
 of gold, but as Nebuchadnezzar was then 
 reigning, and being the most prominent 
 king of the succession, it was proper to call 
 him " this head of gold." ''The head'' of 
 
44 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 the image, (verse 32,) being the emblem of 
 this monarcljy, seems only to denote its pri- 
 ority in order of time, for the term of its con- 
 tinuance was far shorter than that of any of 
 the others. 
 
 39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom infe- 
 rior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which 
 shall bear rule over all the earth. 
 
 And after thee shall 
 arise another kingdom 
 inferior to thee. 
 
 Here we have the direct intimation, that 
 a succession of princes of the same nation, 
 and not individual monarchs, are meant by 
 " kings" in the general language of proph- 
 ecy. In this verse it is called another king- 
 dom. This other kingdom, which was to- 
 succeed the Chaldean monarchy, was the 
 
Nebuchadnezzar's dream. 45 
 
 united power of the Medes and Persians, 
 and we may date its establishment in power, 
 about the year 538 before Christ, at the tak- 
 ing of Babylon. This monarchy was in some 
 respects inferior to the first, as silver is infe- 
 rior to gold ; (verse 3*2,) not indeed inferior 
 in strength or durability, for such was not 
 the fact ; but for a time it was inferior in 
 wealth and splendor. This would be of 
 more importance in the mind of Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, than in the estimation of Daniel. 
 
 And another third king- 
 dom of brass, which shall 
 bear rule over all the earth. 
 
 The third kingdom, represented by the 
 belly and thighs of the image formed of 
 brass, (verse 38) was the united Mace- 
 donian and Grecian, which succeeded 
 the Persian empire about 330 years before 
 Christ. This was established by the con- 
 quests of Alexander, and continued under 
 his successor. He as an individual, and the 
 
46 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 division of his empire into four monarchies, 
 will be particularly described in a subsequent 
 prophecy. 
 
 40 And the fourth kingdom 
 shall be strong as iron ; for- 
 asmuch as iron breaketh in 
 pieces and subdueth all 
 ihmgs ; and as iron that 
 breaketh all these, shall it 
 break in pieces and bruise. 
 
 41 And whereas thou saw- 
 est the feet and toes, part of 
 potter's clay, and part of 
 iron, the kingdom shall be 
 divided ; but there shall be in 
 
 it of the strength of the iron,j ______ 
 
 forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with the 
 miry clay. 
 
 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and 
 part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and 
 partly broken, 
 
 43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry 
 clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of 
 men ; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as 
 iron is not mixed with clay. 
 
 These verses describe the Roman empire, 
 which succeeded the Greek and Macedon- 
 ian, about the time of the Caesars, Julius, 
 and Augustus, perhaps we may reckon about 
 30 years before the christian era. Augus- 
 tus Coesar, was emperor of Rome at the time 
 of Christ's birth, and Tiberias Caesar at the 
 time of his crucifixion. It was strong like 
 
xebuchadnezzar's dream. 47 
 
 iron, and "break in pieces and subdued all 
 things." The Romans in the former part of 
 their prosperity, were remarkable for valor, 
 hardiness, frugality, and poverty, of which 
 iron is a proper emblem. The two consuls 
 by which they were long governed, and the 
 eastern and western empires, into which their 
 dominions were ultimately divided, may be 
 denoted by the two legs and feet on which 
 the image stood; and the ten toes into 
 which the feet are divided, represented the 
 ten kingdoms into which the whole empire 
 was afterwards divided. But these things 
 will be more fully illustrated in a subsequent 
 part of the book, where the same empire is 
 represented as a beast with seven heads and 
 ten horns. 
 
 44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of 
 heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroy- 
 ed ; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, 
 but it shall break in pieces and consume all these king- 
 doms, and it shall stand forever. 
 
 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut 
 out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake 
 in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, the 
 gold ; the great God hath made isnown to the king what 
 shall come to pass hereafter ; and the dream is certain, 
 and the interpretation thereof sure. 
 
 Here we have the assurance that Christ's 
 
48 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 government will supercede all human gov- 
 ernments, establishing that kingdom which 
 is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy 
 Ghost. This part of the prophecy remains 
 to be fulfilled ; so that we have in this 
 dream a most extraordinary prophetical ab- 
 stract of the most signal events, which were 
 to take place through all succeeding ages, 
 down to the millenial reign of the saints. 
 Men in future ages will rejoice with aston- 
 ishment and awe, as they witness this stone 
 "cutout without hands," destroying the re- 
 mains of this image ; and becoming univer- 
 sally triumphant! The interpretation of this 
 dream is a perfect ouUine, commencing and 
 ending with Daniel's evening vision which 
 follows, (chap. 7) It is one of the paral 
 lei lines or tracts of that vision 
 
SECTION II. 
 
 THE EVENING VISION OF DANIEL- 
 
 Daniel having concluded in the preceding 
 six chapters, all the historical records which 
 he was directed to transmit to posterity, com- 
 mences in this chapter his own prophetical 
 visions. His first or evening vision contains 
 for substance, the same prophetical intima- 
 tions with Nebuchadnezzar's dream, but 
 under different allusions, and with many ad- 
 ditional circumstances. This took place 48 
 years after Nebuchadnezzar's dream, 555 
 years before Christ, and 18 years before Dan- 
 iel was cast into the lion's den. 
 
 Chap. vii. In the first year of Belshazzar king of 
 Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head 
 upon his bed : then he wrote the dream, and told the 
 sum of the matters. 
 
 2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night; 
 and behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon 
 the great sea. 
 
 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, di- 
 verse one from another. 
 
 5 
 
50 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 '^ The great sea" agitated, is a fit emblem, 
 and is often used in the scriptiires to denote 
 the earth and its inhabitants, as thrown into 
 perpetual convulsions by ambitious princes, 
 who amid the confusion and wild uproar, 
 usurp dominion. " The wicked are like the 
 troubled sea whose waters cannot rest." 
 The ''four beasts" signify the same as the 
 four parts of Nebuchadnezzar's image. 
 What was to his carnal mind splendid em- 
 pires, represented by a magnificent image, 
 was to the pious mind of Daniel, odious and 
 destructive governments, aptly denoted by 
 wild devouring beasts. 
 
 4 The first was 
 like a lion, and had 
 eagle's wings : I be- 
 held till the wings 
 thereof were pluck- 
 ed, and it was lifted 
 up from the earth, 
 and made stand up- 
 on the feet as a man, 
 and a man's heart 
 was given to it. 
 
 The Babylonian empire which rose out of 
 the tumultuous sea of Assyria, Chaldea, and 
 other eastern nations, arrived at its zenith of 
 glory under Nebuchadnezzar, (B. C. 603,) 
 and now dechning under Belshazzar's ad- 
 ministration, (B. C. 555,) was intended by 
 
EVENING VISION, 
 
 51 
 
 this beast. The "lion," was an emblem of 
 Nebuchadnezzar's courage, and success, in 
 acquiring dominion over liis neighbors. 
 The "eagle's wings" denote the rapidity, 
 and vigor, with which he prosecuted his vic- 
 tories. After the death of Nebuchadnez- 
 zar " the wings thereof were plucked." 
 
 I beheld till the wings thereof were 
 plucked, and it was lilted up from the 
 earth, and made stand upon the feet 
 as a man, and a man's heart was 
 given to it. 
 
 The Chaldeans made no more conquests, 
 several of the subjected nations revolted, the 
 Medes and Persians soon began to straiten 
 them, till at length Babylon was besieged, and 
 taken, (Dan. v. 30,) and this monarchy ter- 
 minated. No longer was this beast rapid in 
 conquest, as an eagle, or courageous and 
 terrible, as a lion. Tiie remaining kings, 
 after Nebuchadnezzar, were cautious, and 
 instead of facing the Persian •' bear" like a 
 
52 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 "lion," was timid as " a man," Belshazzar, 
 shut himself up in Babylon, not daring to 
 meet Cyrus in open field, and the signal 
 manner in which that city was taken, is re- 
 lated in history, som.e account of which is 
 given in Dan. chap. 5, already referred to. 
 
 5 And behold another 
 beast, a second, like to a 
 bear, and it raised up it- 
 self on one side, and it 
 had three ribs in the 
 mouth of it between the 
 teeth of it ; and they said 
 thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. 
 
 After the lion had his wings plucked, 
 and became timid as '^ a man," ''another 
 beast like to a bear," was more than a match 
 for him. Such is the rise and fall of em- 
 pires. The second beast, represented the 
 Medes, and Persians — a bear, appears next on 
 the bloody stage of human strife and ambit- 
 ion. The " bear," also arose, out of the 
 *' troubled sea" of agitated nations, "whose 
 waters cast up mire and dirt." The bear, 
 is less noble and courageous, but more vora- 
 cious and savage, than a lion. This beast, 
 " raised up itself on one side." This may de- 
 note the manner, in which the Medes and 
 Persians extended iheir conquests almost 
 wholly to the west of their own countries. 
 
EVENING VISION. 53 
 
 It had also " three ribs between its teeth/' 
 which is interpreted of the three kingdoms 
 of Babylon, Lydia and Egypt, which the 
 Persians conquered, and grievously oppress- 
 ed. The cruelty of the Persian kings, ac- 
 cording to history is almost without a paral- 
 lel, and this, is denoted by the prophetic 
 indication, " arise, devour much flesh." In 
 their conquests of the world, they found 
 nothing to impede their bloody course, un- 
 til the sun of their empire past its meridian, 
 and finally set amid the countries of Thrace^ 
 Macedonia, Greece, and other European 
 nations. These, in their turn, were preparing 
 to compete with the oriental nations, for uni- 
 versal dominion. History, gives astonishing- 
 accounts, of the immense armies which 
 Xerxes the Great marched into Greece, some 
 five or six millions. His army was repulsed by 
 the Greeks. Millions of his own wretched 
 subjects perished in this signal defeat. The 
 Persian beast, it may be truly said, " de- 
 voured much flesh." 
 
 6 After this, I beheld, 
 and lo, another, like a leop- 
 ard, which had upon the 
 back of it four wings of a 
 fowl ; the beast had also 
 four heads ; and dominion 
 was given to it. 
 
54 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 This extraordinary leopard, was the em- 
 blem of the Greek and Macedonian empire, 
 which became one of the most renowned in 
 the world. It was erected, by Alexander 
 the Great, on the ruins of the Persam 
 monarchy. The rapid marching of this 
 mighty conqueror, could not be fully repre- 
 sented by the leopard, without giving to it, 
 " four wings of a fowl." After Alexander 
 had conquered the world, and died, at Baby- 
 lon, (B. C. 323,) his empire was divided 
 into four, Egypt, Syria, Macedonia and 
 Thrace. These divisions were denoted by 
 the four heads of the leopard, which will be 
 considered more fully when we come to Dan- 
 iel's morning vision, where this empire is de- 
 noted by the he-goat, with first one and then 
 four horns, with its appropriate little horn, 
 while the fourth beast which is next to be 
 considered, receives a similar modification, 
 by Daniel's description, and several signifi- 
 cant alterations in the Apocalypse. Here, 
 as will be seen by the illustration on the op- 
 posite page, he has feet adapted to "stamp 
 the residue." While representing Pagan 
 Rome he has a tail, for casting down the 
 stars, c5'c. (Rev. xii : 4.)When the empire be- 
 comes nominally christian, its character par- 
 takes of the peculiarities of the three empires 
 we have just been considering. (Rev. xiii:2.) 
 
EVENING VISION. 65 
 
 7 And after this I saw in the night visions, and behold a 
 fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceed- 
 ingly ; and it had 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 be- 
 fore it j and it had ten horns. . 
 
 This fourth and most terrible beast, de- 
 notes the Roman empire, the commence- 
 ment of which may be dated, before Christ, 
 about 30. This beast accords with the legs, 
 feet, and toes, of Nebuchadnezzar's image, 
 (chap, ii : 40-43.) This empire far exceed- 
 ed, in power, fierceness, and destructive rage, 
 all that had gone before it, as well as in ex- 
 tent, and long duration of its dominion, and 
 no animal is found, so terrible, and furious 
 
66 Illustrations ob^ prophecy. 
 
 as to lend it a suitable name. This fourth 
 empire was governed in another manner, 
 and by other maxims, than any of the pre- 
 ceding, and in process of time, it was di- 
 vided int© ten kingdoms. 
 
 These divisions will be enumerated, and 
 illustrated, when we come to John's descrip- 
 tion of the same power, with its different 
 modifications. (See Rev. xii : 3.) " A 
 great red dragon with seven heads and ten 
 horns, and seven crowns upon his heads." 
 (Also Rev. xiii: 1.) A beast rises out of 
 the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, 
 and upon his horns, ten crowns, and upon 
 his heads the name of blasphemy." As this 
 is the most important empire of the four, in 
 its connection with the history of the Church, 
 and has so direct a bearing upon the unful- 
 filled portions of prophecy, it will be well 
 for the reader to recur frequently to histor- 
 ical facts.* The note in the margin will 
 serve for comparison and reference as we 
 proceed. 
 
 * "The historian Machiaval, little thinking what he 
 was doing, reckons up the ten primary kingdoms as 
 follows. 1. The Ostrogoths in Mesia. 2. The Visi- 
 goths in Pannonia. 3. The Sneves and Alans in Gas- 
 goine and Spain. 4. The Vandals in Africa. 5. The 
 Franks in France. 6. The Burgundians in Burgundy. 
 
EVENING VISION. 57 
 
 8 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. 
 
 This "little horn," points out the power 
 of the church and bishop of Rome, which, 
 from small beginnings long before it became 
 a temporal dominion, thrust itself up among 
 the ten kingdoms, and at length got pos- 
 session oi three of them. 
 
 7. The Herulia and Turingia in Italy. 8. The Saxons 
 and Angles in Britain. 9. The Huns in Hungary ; 
 and 10, the Lombards at first upon the Danube, after- 
 wards in Italy. The same catalogue is exhibited by 
 
58 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the 
 Ancient of daj-s did sit, whose garment was white as 
 snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool : his 
 throne was like the fiery flame^ and his wheels as burn- 
 ing fire. 
 
 .10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before 
 him ; thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand 
 times ten thousand stood before him ; the judgm,ent was 
 set, and the books were opened. 
 
 Ill 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. 
 
 12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their 
 dominion taken away ; yet their lives were prolonged 
 for a season and time. 
 
 13 I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like 
 the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and 
 came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near 
 before him. 
 
 14 And there was given him dominion, and glor)', 
 and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages, 
 should serve him ; his dominion is an everlasting do- 
 minion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom 
 that which shall not be destroyed. 
 
 These verses require no comment. The 
 reader may at a glance perceive their im- 
 port. Thus we have twice commenced at a 
 
 that excellent chronologer Bp. Lloyd, who adds the dates, 
 when these ten kingdoms arose. 1. The Huns about 
 A. D. 356. 2. The Ostrogoths, 377. 3. The Visigoths, 
 378. 4. The Franks, 407. 5. The Vandals, 407. 
 6. The Sueves and Alans. 407. 7. The Burgundians^ 
 407. 8. The Heruli and Bugii, 476. 9. The Saxons 
 476. 10.. Longobards in the north of Germany, 483, 
 
EVENING VISION. 59 
 
 period six hundred years before Christ, and 
 conducted by the spirit of prophecy, have 
 travelled down by a continuous chain of 
 providential events to the end of time. The 
 same guide will conduct us over important 
 portions of the same ground, with certain 
 variations and additions, several times more. 
 As yet, we have only traced in period marks, 
 the general outlines, but in every subse- 
 quent retracing, the lines so brighten as to 
 enkindle in our souls the flame of devout 
 adoration, as we behold, in the detail of past 
 and future events, the development of Messi- 
 
 in Hungary, 526. These then upon the concurring tes- 
 timony of an historian and a chronicler, are " the ten 
 kingdoms," into which the Roman empire was origin- 
 ally divided ; and consequently they are the first "ten 
 horns," of which we are in quest." — Faber, vol. pp. 
 170, 171. — The western empire, was at first divided 
 into ten kingdoms ; as the regions conquered by Alex- 
 ander the Great, were into four ; and whatever altera- 
 tions took place in subsequent ages ; the one still con- 
 tinued, in the language of prophecy, the ten horns of 
 the fourth beast, and the other, the four heads of the 
 third beast. The western empire was broken into ten 
 kingdoms ; this therelore must be exclusively hitended : 
 and St. John, before he enters on the state of the 
 church in the west, during the reign of the ten-horned 
 beast and the two horned beast, gives an account of 
 the eastern empire, and the subversion of it, by the 
 Saracens and Turks, in a distinct chapter. (Notes, Rev. 
 9 : 11 — 13.) It IS, however, certain, that the Roman 
 
60 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 ah's providential and mediatorial reign ! 
 Here let the reader pause a moment and 
 sympathize with Daniel in his grief of spirit 
 as he seeks to know more of the terrible 
 calamities, which, he apprehended, were 
 coming on the Jewish and Christian church- 
 es through the agency of this last, and name- 
 less beast. " I saw in the night vision" &c. 
 13th verse. Here let the reader take notice 
 what Daniel saw at the close of his ^' night 
 vision," — he saw nothing of the kind in his 
 tnorjiing vision, for that terminated simply 
 with the destruction of the Ottoman power, 
 or ''little horn," from one of the four divis- 
 ions of the goat or Grecian empire, and the 
 restoration of the Jews. (See chap, viii : 25, 
 
 empire was divided into leu kingdoms ; and though 
 ihey might be sometimes more, and sometimes fewer ; 
 yet ihey were still known by the name of len kingdoms 
 of the western empire, \vhich suffices for our general 
 purpose. For, though ihe Romans subdued those coun- 
 tries in the east, which had successively belonged to the 
 Chaldeans, the Persians, and the Macedonians ; yet their 
 empire (or the body, head, and horns of the beast,) was 
 in the west. ' All the four beasts are still alive, though 
 the dominion of the three first be taken away. The 
 nations of Chaldea and Assyria are still the first beast. 
 Those of Medeia and Persia are still the second beast. 
 Those of Macedonia, Greece, Thrace, Asia Blinor, Syr- 
 ia, and Egypt are still the third ; and those of Europe, 
 on this side Greece, are still the fourth.' — Sir Isaac 
 Newton. 
 
EVENING VISION. 61 
 
 26 — also parallel passages, chap, xi : 45.) 
 In every instance where Daniel brings us to 
 the close of the outlines of his evening vis- 
 ion, he describes the general Judgment, and 
 its attendant scenes, which he saw in his 
 night vision. (See chap, xii.) 
 
 15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of 
 my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 
 
 16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and 
 asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and 
 made me know the interpretation of the things. 
 
 17 These great beasts, which are four, are four 
 kings, which shall arise out of the earth. 
 
 18 But the saints of the Most High sball take the 
 kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even for 
 ever and ever. 
 
 19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, 
 which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dread- 
 ful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; 
 which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the resi- 
 due with his feet ; 
 
 20 And of the ten horns that were m 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. 
 
 21 I beheld and the same horn made war with the 
 saints, and prevailed against them ; 
 
 22 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 kmgdom. 
 
 23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth 
 kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all 
 kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall 
 tread it down, and break it in pieces. 
 
 24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten 
 
 6 
 
62 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 kings that shall arise ; and another shall rise after 
 them ; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he 
 shall subdue three kings. 
 
 25 And he shall speak great words against the Most 
 High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, 
 and think to change times and laws ; and they shall be 
 given into his hand until a time and times and the di- 
 viding of time. 
 
 26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take 
 away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto 
 the end. 
 
 27 And the kingdom, and dominion, and the great- 
 ness 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. 
 
 28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me 
 Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my coun- 
 tenance changed in me : but I kept the whole matter 
 in my heart. 
 
 '' Arose out of the earth," (17th verse.) 
 So tliese four beasts which at the commence- 
 ment of the vision, are said to ''come up 
 from the sea," (3d verse,) are here said 
 ''to arise out of the earth," so that one fig- 
 ure explains another. 
 
 " Time, times, and the dividing of time," 
 (verse 25.) This mode of computing time 
 is famihar to all readers of the prophecies, 
 and all commentators are agreed.* '' Time," 
 
 *Single men are not the subjects of this prophecy, but 
 kingdoms. The ' four kings ' ver. 17, are not four sin- 
 gle king*., but kingdoms and so the - tpn horn-^.' or 
 
EVENING VISION. 63 
 
 is one year, ''times," two years, '^ dividing 
 of time," six months. Three years and a 
 half, reckoned 12 months, to each year, and 
 30 days to each month, agreeable to the 
 Jews' mode of reckoning time, makes 1260 
 days. " I have appointed thee each day for 
 a year," (Ezekiel, iv : 6.) 1260 years. The 
 same number is given, in Rev. xi : 2, refer- 
 ing to the same persecuting beasts — also in 
 Rev. xii : 6, it is given in days, refering to 
 the same period, while the church was in 
 exile, because the " man of sin" had taken 
 his place in the " Temple of God.'' See also 
 
 kings, ver. 24, are not ten single kings, but kingdoms ; 
 and so likewise the 'little horn ' is not a single king,, 
 but a kingdom, not a single man, but a succession of 
 men, exercising such powers, and performing such ac-^ 
 tions, as are here described. We must thprefore com- 
 pute the time according to the nature and genius of the 
 prophetic language. 'A time,' then, and 'times and a 
 half a time ' are three 5'ears and a half ; and the an- 
 cient Jewish )''ear consisting of twelve months, and 
 each month of thirt}^ days ' a time and times and a 
 half a time,' or three years and a half, are reckoned in 
 the Revelation, xi. 2, 3. xii. 6, 14, as equivalent to 'for- 
 ty and two months, or a thousand two hundred and 
 three score days : ' and a day in the style of the prophets 
 is a year ; ' I have appointed thee each day for a year,' 
 saith God to Ezekiel ; iv. 6, and it is confessed that the 
 ' seventy weeks ' in the nmth chapter of Daniel are 
 weeks of years ; and consequently 1260 days are 1260 
 years. — Nev.-ton on the Prophecies, pp269. Ed'gEd'n. 
 
64 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 verse T, of the xii chapter of Daniel, which 
 is properly the appendix to this evening vis- 
 ion, and will be so considered in the order 
 in which it is introduced. 
 
 It must be so obvious to the mind of every 
 reader that this vision of Daniel closes with 
 the glorious millennial reign of the saints, that 
 all argumentative remarks would be super- 
 fluous. But as the writer lays much stress 
 upon the distinction between this vision 
 and the next, a distinction which most if 
 not all writers upon the book of Daniel have 
 overlooked, it is hoped the reader will pay 
 critical attention to this point. There is 
 properly but two visions in the prophecy of 
 Daniel, the great outlines of one are drawn 
 in the 7th chapter, and the other in the 8th. 
 The 12th and last chapter, is the appendix 
 to the 7th, as the reader will see in the pro- 
 gress of these illustrations, while all the pro- 
 phetical portion of the remaining chapters, 
 commencing with the 8th chapter and clos- 
 ing with the 11th, all belong to the morning 
 vision. If these two visions arc blended, the 
 whole becomes obscure and confused. But, 
 if they are viewed as entirely distinct, tiie 
 whole is delightfully clear and instructive. 
 The numbers and dates, as it regards the 
 commencement and termination of these two 
 
EVENING VISION. 65 
 
 visions, have no connexion whatever. They 
 neither commence nor end together. 
 The number 1260 years, which has just 
 been considered, belongs exclusively to the 
 evening vision, which terminates with the 
 fourtli and western beast or empire. The 
 1260 years, is given repeatedly by Daniel 
 and John, as the reader will see by consult- 
 ing the references above, and always refers 
 to the "little horn" of popery. In the vis- 
 ion on which we next enter, the morning 
 vision, there is but one number given 
 which fixes its date and termination 2300 
 years . The 490 years being that portion 
 which was completed, with the crucifixion of 
 Christ. The whole of the morning vision 
 terminates with the fall of the Mohamedan 
 power, and the return of the Jews. Each 
 vision has a distinct location, distinct num- 
 bers and mode of computation, distinct ''lit- 
 tle horns" of religious imposture, and differ- 
 ent and distinct periods of termination. 
 The eastern power falling half a century 
 before the western. These positions are thus 
 assumed at the outset, because the writer 
 feels confident of success, and is willing to 
 be held responsible for a failure, if every 
 point is not proved in the sequel. 
 6* 
 
SECTION III. 
 
 MORNING VISION OF DANIEL- 
 
 The outlines of this vision were given to 
 Daniel only two years after his evening vis- 
 ion, in chap. 7, being 553 years before the 
 christian era, 50 years after his interpreta- 
 tion of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, having been 
 in captivity 53 years, and 16 years before he 
 was cast into the den of lions for his fidelity 
 to God. 
 
 Chap. viii. In the third year of the reign of king 
 Belshazzar, a vision appeared unto me, even unto me 
 Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. 
 
 2 And I saw in a vision ; and it came to pass, when 
 I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is m 
 the province of Elam ; and I saw in a vision, and I was 
 by the river of Ulai. 
 
 3 Then I lifted up mine 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. 
 
MORNING VISION. 67 
 
 4 I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, 
 and southward; so that no beasts might stand betbre 
 him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his 
 band ; but he did according to his will, and became 
 great. 
 
 At the time of this vision Daniel was in 
 Shushan, or Susa, which was afterwards the 
 capitol of the Persian empire. This was 
 about 15 years before that empire was es- 
 tabhshed upon the ruins of the Babylonian. 
 Several writers have supposed the reason 
 why Daniel did not introduce the beast, rep- 
 resenting the Babylonian empire in his morn- 
 ing vision, was because that empire was so 
 near its close. But the fallacy of such area- 
 son will be obvious enough to any, who 
 consider that this was given only two 
 years subsequent to the former vision. A 
 far more satisfactory reason can be given. 
 The evening vision commenced with the 
 Babylonian empire at the time of its greatest 
 glory, 600 years before Christ, when it was 
 like a " lion with eagle's wings," before 
 it had degenerated to the timid "lion 
 with a man's heart." Whereas, the morn- 
 ing vision did not take its date till the 
 seventh year of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, 
 (Ezra vii : 7,) or as he is called elsewhere, 
 Ahasueres, (Esther 1 : I,) *' the king which 
 
68 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY 
 
 reigned from India to Ethiopia," 150 years 
 after the time of Nebuchadnezzar. Those who 
 could gravely assign this reason why the morn- 
 ing was not identical with the evening vision 
 of Daniel — that the Chaldean power was two 
 years older at the time the prophet was fa- 
 vored with a second heavenly communcation, 
 must be expected to confound the events of 
 the two visions in other respects when the 
 distinctions are most palpable ! No wonder 
 the prophecies have remained so long a 
 " sealed book" to the general reader, who 
 is too much inclined to receive the opinions 
 of his superior in learning upon trust. 
 
 A voracious bear, with three ribs in his 
 mouth (Sec. 1, page 52,) aptly described the 
 nature of the Persian monarchy, but the 
 " ram with two horns," was its known 
 ensign in those countries, as the eagle 
 is the known ensign of the United states, or 
 the lion, the chosen emblem of Great Brit- 
 ian. One horn of the ram was higher than 
 the other (verse 3,) and the higher came up 
 last, denoting the Medes and Persians, who 
 were united in the conquest of the world, 
 the Medes being the njore ancient, but the 
 Persian becoming the most powerful and 
 renowned. 
 
MORNING VISION. 
 
 69 
 
 5 And as I ,was considering, 
 behold, a he-goat came from the 
 west on the face of the whole 
 earth, and touched not the ground; 
 and the goat had a notable horn 
 between his eyes. 
 
 Instead of the leopard with four wings as 
 a fowl, and four heads, (Sec. 1 : page 53,) the 
 Grecian empire is represented in this vision 
 by a goat, and presented first as having one 
 horn, significant of Alexander the Great, 
 with his family princes before they became 
 extinct. The goat was also the miUtary en- 
 sign of the Macedonian kings, of whom Al- 
 exander was the most renowned. The lite- 
 ral interpretation of these emblems given in 
 subsequent verses, supercedes the necessity 
 of remarks here. 
 
 6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which 
 
 I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him i 
 in the fury of his power. 
 
 7 And I saw him come close unto the ram. and he 
 was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, 
 and brake his two horns 5 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. 
 
70 ILLUSTRATIONS Ot^ PROPflECY. 
 
 When Ale.xander menaced Asia with an 
 invasion, Darius, the Persian emperor, treat- 
 ed his proposals and designs with the most 
 affronting contempt, and afterwards attempt- 
 ed to bribe his physician to poison him. 
 These injuries, with others, had so exasper- 
 ated Alexander and his troops, that they 
 pursued Darius rather as an assassin, than as 
 a competitor for honor and empire. The 
 he-goat attacked the ram, " as moved with 
 choler" against him. 
 
 8 Therefore the he-goat waxed 
 very great ; and when he was 
 strong, the great horn was brok- 
 en ; and for it came up four no- 
 table ones toward the four winds 
 of heaven. 
 
 After the Grecian empire had acquired ex- 
 traordinary greatness and power, Alexander 
 suddenly died at Babylon, as already noticed, 
 (page 54,) at an early age, through excessive 
 intemperance, and licentiousness. The fil- 
 thiness of the goat, was emblematical of this 
 trait of his character. In a few years after 
 the death of Alexander, the insignificant re- 
 mains of his family were extinct, and the 
 great and notable horn of the goat was brok- 
 en. His general?, then established four king- 
 
MORNING VISION. 
 
 71 
 
 doms, which became '' notable ones" and 
 which continued through a regular success- 
 ion of kings for a series of years. These 
 have already been enumerated, (page 54.) as 
 Egypt, Syria, Thrace, and Macedonia, with 
 their dependencies. 
 
 one oi' tliera came forth u liUle horru 
 
 <a 
 
72 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and 
 toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. 
 
 10 And it waxed great, eveuto'the host of heaven ; 
 and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the 
 ground, and stamped upon them. 
 
 11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of 
 the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken 
 away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 
 
 12 And a host was given him against the daily sacri- 
 fice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the 
 truth to the ground ; and it practised and prospered. 
 
 Now we have come to a point in the road, 
 where travellers part, taking different direc- 
 tions. Sir Isaac Newton, and Bishop New- 
 ton, interpret this '-'little horn" of the goat, 
 as the Roman empire, including the " little 
 horn" of popery. Dr. Scott, followed them 
 in the first editions of his commentary, but 
 afterwards, through the influence of Faber, 
 corrected his error, as will be seen by a note 
 below.* The prophet, here, in vision, takes 
 
 *With this interpretation of Sir Isaac Newton and 
 Bishop Newton, the writer of this comment had acqui- 
 esced, though not with full satisfaction ; till the appear- 
 ance of Mr. Fabar's Dissertation on the Prophecies. 
 But the careful examination of his arguments and state- 
 ments on the subject has convinced him, that the Mo- 
 hamedan delusion^ and not that of the papacy, is here 
 pointed out. The copious reasonings, calculations, and 
 quotations of this learned writer, cannot possibly be 
 eren condensed into so small a compass, as to be here 
 iMCrted ; and the reader must be referred to the work 
 
MORNING VISION. 73 
 
 a longer leap, leaving the intermediate 
 space in the chain of events, to be filled up 
 in the eleventh chapter, where we shall find 
 almost a literal narrative. 
 
 " Out of one of them came forth a little 
 horn," (verse 9,) i. e. from one of the four 
 divisions of the Grecian empire, arose a vile 
 religious imposture, always denoted by the 
 emblem little horn, in distinction from an 
 ordinary horn, which denotes political pow- 
 er. Now, let the reader answer the quest- 
 ion — from which of the four kingdoms of 
 Alexander's empire did such an impious 
 power arise, and become established ? If fa- 
 miliar with history, the common sense 
 
 itself. (Faber on the Prophecies, Vol. I. chap, v.) A 
 few hints, however, may be adduced. — It seems unnat- 
 ural to mike the '-little horn" of the he-goat, or the 
 third beast, that is of the Macedonian empire exactly 
 the same as the '' fourth beast," or the Roman empire"; 
 especially in a prophecy, in which the fourth beast is 
 not once mentioned -. an 1 the arguments above deduc- 
 ed, in support of that opinion, are by no mean con- 
 clusive. It appears to me unaccountable,, on mature 
 reflection, that there should be, in these concise, yet 
 most comiirehensive prophecies of Daiie!, so many 
 repeated and parti'.'ulir predictions of the papal delu- 
 sion in the w^s: ; an 1 not a hint of the Mohamedan 
 delusion in the ea.si, the progress, and effects of v/hich 
 have been m.xst extensively mischievous, and are espe- 
 cially and seperately noted as such by St. John. (Notes, 
 Rev. 9.)— Scorr or. Daniel vrrr, 13. 
 
74 iLLUSTR4TI0XS OT PROPHECY. 
 
 reader can decide the question as well as 
 any expositor. The question is not what 
 political empire arose out ofone of the horns 
 of the goat, for such a question involves an 
 absurdity, which will require but little dis- 
 cussion in this place. There can be but 
 one intelligent answer. Lt v.as the Moham- 
 edan delusion. Syria was a notable horn 
 of the goat, and that kingdom was the thea- 
 tre on which was first acted that drama of 
 wickedness. And Syria, including Pales- 
 tine, will probably be the last strong hold 
 of that power which will yield the contest. 
 
 If Syria is not the strong hold of this im- 
 posture, it is a central point of its influence, 
 and matter of dispute between the Otto- 
 man and Egyptian power at this very day. 
 If it is wrested from the grand Sultan, and 
 the young pacha, Ibrahim, pursues his pres- 
 ent liberal policy, "the way of the kinojs of 
 the east may be prepared," at once. (Rev. 
 xvi : 12.) Indeed, the very past season, a 
 decisive victory has been gained over the 
 Turkish army, near the '• Euphrates," which 
 was entirely routed, by Ibrahim's forces. A 
 few more such advantages on the side of the 
 *'king of the south," or of "the north," 
 would dry up the " river Euphrates," — the 
 Ottoman power, or influence. Even while 
 
MORNING VISION. 76 
 
 writing, by the last arrival from Europe, we 
 have later and more important information 
 respecting the condition of the Ottoman 
 power, which has a direct bearing upon the 
 fulfilment of this prophecy. It seems at pres- 
 ent to be the determination of England, Rus- 
 sia and Austria to maintain the integrity of he 
 Ottoman empire, and reduce Mehemet Ali 
 to obedience. On the other hand, France 
 has declared her policy to support Mehemet 
 Ali in his pretensions, so far as to hold pos- 
 session of Egypt, Syria and Arabia. Ibra- 
 him, the son of the Pacha, is •' pushing" 
 toward Constantinople, but whether he suc- 
 ceeds in that expedition or not, is of little 
 consequence, only so far as it tends to the 
 final settlement of himself and father in the 
 peaceable possession of Syria and Egypt-* 
 
 * I object to the application of the vision to the Moham- 
 edans, 1. Because it is not true that they came out ot 
 one of the four kingdoms imo which Alexander's was 
 divided. Mohamed was an Arabian. The Arabians 
 have, as yet, never been subdued by any other nation. 
 '' Sesostris, Cyrus, Pompey. and Trajan, all endeavored 
 to conquer Arabia, hut in vain. From the beginning 
 to the present day, they have maintained their indepen- 
 dence.'' — Dr. A. Clakke. I object. 2. Because it cannot 
 be shewn that any one of the four kingdoms into which 
 Alexander's was divided after his death, existed as one 
 of the Macedonian horns, when the Arabian imposture 
 first arose. — Litch, on tue Skcond Coimkng of Christ. 
 
16 ILLUSTHATIONS OF VROPHECY. 
 
 The idea still adhered to by modern writers 
 that this " little horn" includes the Roman 
 beast, with ten horns, and the little horn of 
 popery, we repeat, in view of history and 
 recent occurrences, is too great an absurdity 
 to be entertained for a moment. It is also 
 such a confusion of emblematical represent- 
 ations, that if once admitted, would destroy 
 all certainty of interpretation of such figura- 
 tive language. The objection to its being 
 the little horn of Mohamedanism, because 
 it is said Mohamed was born, and devised 
 his mischief in Arabia, which was not m- 
 cluded in one of four divisions of the Grec- 
 ian empire is too trivial to deserve conside- 
 ration. It is of no consequence, whether 
 Mohamed was born in Arabia or China. 
 Syria was the grand centre of his operations. 
 Syria embraced " the pleasant land," the 
 Jewish "sanctuary" which was to be '-'cast 
 down," and afterwards "cleansed." Syria 
 contained also a part of the Christian "host," 
 some of which he was to " cast down," and 
 whose "daily sacrifice" was to be "taken 
 away," — which was effectually done, when 
 their churches were converted into mosques. 
 Syria, then, is one of the horns of the goat, 
 and the identical one from which the " little 
 horn" of Mohamedanism arose. "He mag- 
 
MORNING VISION. 77 
 
 nified himself even to the princes of the 
 host." Christ is the " prince of the host," 
 the Head of the Church. Who that ever 
 read the Koran, or quotations from it, does 
 not know that Mohanied, and his followers 
 claim for him superiority to Christ? They 
 allow Christ to be a prophet, but deem Mo- 
 hamed his superior. " And a iiost was given 
 him against the daily sacrifice by reason of 
 transgression," &c. (verse 12.) Had not the 
 " host" or the Christian churches in the east, 
 become sadly degenerate and corrupt, an 
 opposing host, like the Arabian imposture, 
 could never have gained a permanent foot- 
 hold in that country. The success of error 
 was " by reason of transgresj^ion" in the 
 Christian church. It is readily conceded 
 that the Roman power destroyed the literal 
 " sanctuary" of the Jews. But this, duly 
 considered, is no objection to the foregoing 
 views. Syria never became a ' head,' or a 
 * horn' of the Roman beast. Those writers 
 who make this little horn denote the P».oman 
 empire, coming out of one of the divisions of 
 the Grecian, do not locate one of tiie ten 
 horns of the fourth beast in any portion of 
 the Grecian empire. It is marvellous that 
 they do not see their own inconsistency. 
 (See note, section ii, commencing 56.) Even 
 7* 
 
78 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 Miller, whose whole llieory depends on the 
 assumption that this little horn is the whole 
 Roman empire, popery and all, does not lo- 
 cate a single constituent part of that empire 
 within the original boundaries of the third 
 beast or Grecian empire. See his enumer- 
 ation of the modern ten kingdoms or ' horns' 
 of the fourth empire in the note below. * 
 
 Let the reader therefore constantly keep 
 in mind the important fact, that however 
 much success might have attended the Ro- 
 man arms, within the Grecian empire, (we 
 shall have occasion to consider this more 
 hereafter,) that no portion of the Grecian 
 empire proper, ever became any part of the 
 Roman empire proper. This is a remarkable 
 fact. It was not so with the Babylonian, 
 Persian, and Grecian empires, for they sev- 
 erally in turn occupied much of the same 
 territory. How to account for the fact, that 
 when this destinction is the most palpable, 
 and important, there should be the most 
 confusion and error among writers, is not 
 an easy matter. 
 
 *Great Eritian, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, 
 Naples and Tuscany, Seven Kingdoms not plucked up 
 by the little horn. Lombardy, Ravenna, and Rome, the 
 three originally plucked upby the litlle horn, are now 
 restored under the name of Sardinia, Sicily, and Italy. 
 — 3I1LLER ON Cukist's Second Coming. 
 
MORNING VISION. 79 
 
 The opposite extreme of error at this 
 point in the vision, which some of the old* 
 est expositors embraced, that Antiochus 
 Epiphanes, was this " Httle horn," has be- 
 come so entirely exploded by the dawning 
 light of prophetic fulfilment, that it is unnec- 
 essary to trouble the reader further than to 
 give it a passing notice. That vile prince, 
 by his persecution of the Jews, and a literal 
 "taking away of their daily sacrifice," for a 
 time, became a type of this little horn, 
 though the points of resemblance in other 
 respects are few. A particular account of 
 him is given in the filling up of this vision 
 in the parallel verses of chap, ix : 20, &.c. 
 
 " Towards the south, and towards the 
 east, and towards the pleasant land ;" verse 
 9. Mohamedanism has ever prevailed 
 " towards the south," in Egypt and many 
 parts of Africa, " towards the east," in India 
 and Persia, " and towards the pleasant land," 
 Palestine of course, also Syria and Turkey 
 further on. 
 
 When christian churches were converted 
 into mosques, the " daily sacrifices" might 
 be said to be taken away, (verse 12,) and 
 the multitudes of nominal christians thus 
 led to apostatize, and some real christians 
 and ministers who perished by the sword of 
 
80 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 this warlike, persecuting power, fulfilled the 
 prediction, that " he cast down some of the 
 host, and of the stars to the ground, and 
 stamped on them." This expression, of 
 taking away the " daily sacrifice," is repeat- 
 edly used in reference to the Latin church 
 as well as the Greek, and with equal pro- 
 priety. The suppression of pure Christian 
 worship in these great sections of the nom- 
 inal Christian Church, and the establishment 
 of popish image worship in the western and 
 Mohamedan worship in the eastern branch, 
 was indeed the taking away of the '• daily 
 sacrifice," and the "setting up the abomin- 
 ation of desolation," as we shall see hereaf- 
 ter. The figure of illustration is borrowed 
 from the Jewish temple worship. Antiochus 
 Epiphanes, did, as has been said, suppress 
 the temple worship at Jerusalem, literally 
 "taking away the daily sacrifice." But this 
 literal " taking away of the daily sacrifice" in 
 the Jewish church, was more effectually done 
 at the destruction of the temple, by a Roman 
 general, 40 years subsequent to the crucifix- 
 ion of Christ, who in reference to that event, 
 (Matt, xxiv : 15,) quoted this very passage 
 in Daniel. 
 
 13 Then 1 heard one saint speaking, and another 
 saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How 
 
MORNING VISION. 81 
 
 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 ? 
 
 14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and 
 three hundred days ; then shall the sanctuary be 
 cleansed. 
 
 The word here rendered '^ certain saint," 
 is translated, "The wonderful Numberer," 
 a term very significantly applied. This two 
 thousand and three hundred years is the pe- 
 riod of the morning vision. It terminates 
 the power of the " little horn" of Mohame- 
 danism and the restoration of the Jews and 
 the cleansing of their '' sanctuary," which 
 will result no doubt, in their conversion to 
 Christianity. This then will be the ter- 
 mination of the morning vision. In the 25th 
 verse of the next chapt. belonging to the 
 same vision, we have measured off to us, by 
 the same " wonderful Numberer," whom 
 Daniel saw " in the vision at the beginning," 
 490 years of the first part of the vision, ter- 
 minating with the glorious era of Messiah's 
 death. The whole vision then, is to con- 
 tinue from the "going fourth of the com- 
 mandment to build Jerusalem," not only till 
 the " Messiah be cut off," but to the des- 
 truction, of the "little horn" of the goat, and 
 and till the "sanctuary is cleansed." It 
 was not the "commandment of Cyrus to 
 
82 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 build the temple,* (see Ezra chap. 1,) 536 
 years before Christ, but the '-command- 
 ment" of Artaxerxes, (Ez. 7 : 7,) to build 
 again the walls of Jerusalem, " even in troub- 
 
 * There are four edicts, recorded in scripture, to 
 which these words, (''the going forth of the command- 
 ment,-' &c.) may seem applicable ; viz. the edict in the 
 first year of Cyrus, (Ezra i, 1.) in the second of Darius, 
 (Ezra vi, 1. Hag, i, 1.) in the seventh of Anaxerxes, 
 (Ezra vii, 7.) and in the twentieth, (Neh. i, 2.) There 
 are some things in the prediction wliich, when duly 
 adverted to, give good ground for passing by the two 
 first edicts. And as to the two last, it has jDeen well 
 observed, that Christ's death happened seventy weeks 
 of solar years after one of them, and as many weeks 
 of lunar years after the other. The two first edicts 
 speak only about the rebuilding of the temple, ... with- 
 out one word about rebuilding the city ; whereas the 
 prediction speaks about an edict for " rebuilding the 
 city, and the walls and streets of it," without one word 
 about rebuildmg the temple ; though in foretelling the 
 second destruction of the city, that of the temple is also 
 mentioned. ... But the third edict, that of the seventh of 
 Artaxerxes, though it does contain the very expressions 
 of Daniel's prediction ; yet it contains things, to Avhich 
 these expressions are applicable. ... Sir Isaac Newton 
 justly observes, that the dispersed Jews became a peo- 
 ple and a city, when they returned into a body politic ; 
 and that was in the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longi- 
 manus ; when Ezra, by the king's commission, erect- 
 ed magistrates all over the land, to govern the people 
 according to the law of God and of the king ; under 
 Ezra they first became a polity or city by a government 
 of their own. — Scott's Notes on Daniel, ix, 25 — 27. 
 
MORNING VlStON. 83 
 
 lous times," 79 years afterwards, 457 years 
 before the Christian era. If this is a correct 
 calculation, the whole vision, 2300 years, will 
 end in 1843, or as will be shown hereafter, 
 the first date from which to calculate the 
 return of the Jews. Although the morning 
 vision is distinct from the evenino^ vision, still 
 there are certain incidences. The evening 
 vision is computed ''seven times" to the 
 Jews, as a period of chastisement, (see Le- 
 viticus xxvi: 18, 21,24,28,) while to the 
 degenerate Christian church, it is only three 
 times and a half, (see Dan. vii : 25 and xii : 
 7,) but this point, which is exceedingly inter- 
 esting, will be dwelt upon more at large at 
 the close of the evening vision, in the I2th 
 of Daniel. The morning vision, which re* 
 fleets all the light, or in other words, pre- 
 dicts all the prosperity which awaited the 
 Jews during their long night of captivity, is 
 measured by "jubilees" and sabbaths, rather 
 than by "times." This interesting point, 
 also, will be more fully explained in the 
 progress or filling up of this vision. Every 
 thing relating to the computation of time in 
 these visions comes round in the circle of 
 sevens, nothing is completed till the circle is 
 full. This is one coincidence which would 
 seem to favor the translation of the lxx, who 
 
84 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROrHECY. 
 
 compute this vision 2400 years. This would 
 make just 49 jubilees, with only a fraction of 
 one, — a perfect circle of 7's, whereas 2300 
 years make only 47 jubilees, an imperfect 
 circle of 7's ; but leaves only a fraction of 3. 
 No doubt, if the Jews commence their re- 
 turn in 1843, it will be near 1943 before 
 every thing will be perfected. When they 
 returned from their Babylonian captivity, 
 which was a type of their final restoration, 
 it was 110 years before every thing was com- 
 pleted. And by the other mode of compu- 
 tation, ''seven times," which belongs to the 
 evening vision, if dated from the time the 
 last remnant of the Jews were carried cap- 
 tive into Babylon, and the temple totally des- 
 ecrated, and the city destroyed, 588 years 
 before Christ, (2d Chron. xxxvi : 18,19,) 
 it will bring us to 1932. If the reader will 
 note these things carefully, as we proceed, 
 he will be prepared to estimate the impor- 
 tance of these wonderful chronological coin- 
 cidences in the sequel. 
 
 Thus reader, has Daniel, by the spirit of 
 prophecy, led us down the third time, 
 through a long chain of events, but not to 
 the same terminating period of time. First, 
 in his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's 
 dream, and then in his ovi^n evening vision, 
 
MORNING VISION. 85 
 
 he conducted us through the battle of the 
 *' great day of God ahiiighty," previous to the 
 millennial sabbath, giving a short descrip- 
 tion of the condition of the saints on earth, 
 during that great jubilee of which all others 
 were but typical, and the subsequent resur- 
 rection of the dead and general judgment. 
 Upon this he enlarges in the xii chapter. 
 In this vision, the outlines of which we 
 have traced, Daniel has left us at Jerusalem, 
 to witness the destruction of the Ottoman 
 power, — the return ot the Jews, and the 
 *•' cleansing of tlieir sanctuary." After we 
 return with him and enter more fully into 
 the detail of events, belonging to the morn- 
 ing vision, giving a most minute and almost 
 a literal history of numerous events, he will, 
 as we said, glance more particularly at the 
 closing scenes of the evening vision, the 
 winding up of the '' little horn" of the west- 
 ern empire^ computing for us the three times 
 and a half, which bounds the reign of the 
 " man of sin," and predicts the cheering 
 twilight, which precedes the rising of the full 
 orbed sun of the jubilee morn. But, we too 
 often digress, being tempted by such glorious 
 anticipations. Let us listen to the comment 
 of Gabriel, on this vision, in the remaining 
 verses of this chapter. 
 8 
 
86 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY 
 
 15 And It came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, 'had 
 seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then be- 
 hold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. 
 
 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of 
 Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to 
 understand the vision. 
 
 17 So he came near where I stood, and when he 
 came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face ; but he said, 
 Understand, son of man, for at the time of the end 
 shall be the vision. 
 
 18 Now as he was speaking to me, I was in a deep 
 sleep on my face toward the ground ; but he touched 
 me, and set me upright. 
 
 19 And he said. Behold, I will make thee know what 
 shall be in the last end of the indignation ; for at the 
 time appointed the end shall be. 
 
 *' At the time of the end shall be the vis- 
 ion." (verse 17.) " Make thee know what 
 shall be in the last end of the indignation, 
 for at the time appointed, the end shall be." 
 (verse 19.) That is the termination of the 
 2300 years, for Daniel understood this vision 
 as having a peculiar application to the peo- 
 ple of the Jews, and the cleansing of their 
 sanctuary. 
 
 20 The ram which thou sawest 
 having two horns are the kings of 
 Media and Persia. 
 
 21 And the rough goat is the 
 king of Grecia ; and the great 
 horn that is between the eyes l5^ 
 the first king. (See goat, page 69.) 
 
MORNING VISION. 87 
 
 Greece was the chief province of the sec- 
 ond empire denoted by the goat, of which 
 Macedonia is the next in notoriety, in which 
 Alexander the great originated. 
 
 22 Now that being broken, 
 whereas four stood up for it, four 
 kingdoms shall stand up out of 
 the nation, but not in his power. 
 
 Soon after the death of Alexander the great, 
 his '' kingdom was divided towards the four 
 winds of heaven," but not to his posterity. 
 Four of his generals, Ptolemy, Antigonus, 
 Lysimachus, and Cassander, reigned over 
 Egypt, Syria, Thrace, and Macedonia. The 
 kingdoms of Syria and Egypt, became af- 
 terwards the most powerful. They subsist- 
 ed as independent monarchies for a longer 
 period than the other two, and as they were 
 immediately connected with the land of Ju- 
 dea, which was alternately reduced to their 
 dominion, they form the subject of the suc- 
 ceeding predictions. 
 
88 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF TROPHECY. 
 
 23 And in the latter lime of tiieir kingdom, when 
 the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce 
 countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall 
 .stand up. 
 
 24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own 
 power : and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall 
 prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and 
 the holy people. 
 
 25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft. 
 
MORNING VISION. 
 
 89 
 
 to prosper in his hand ; and he shall magnify himself 
 in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many ; he shall 
 also stand up against the Prince of princes j but he 
 shall be broken without hand. 
 
 An explanation has already been given 
 upon this part of the vision. (See parallel 
 part of morning vision, page 73.) To give 
 the reader a fair opportunity to compare the 
 opinions of the writer with the old and able 
 expositors on several important points, 
 another extract from Scott, giving his views 
 and the views of Faber of this passage ill 
 Daniel, is thrown into the margin below as a 
 note. * It will be useful as a reference in 
 future, as different views are compared for 
 
 * Daniel informs us, that he heard a certain saint 
 inquiring " How long shall be the continuance of this 
 vision," which treats of ''this daily sacrifice," taken 
 away by the little horn, " and this transgression 
 of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host 
 to be trodden under foot ? " The answer made to this 
 question was, ''Unto 2300 days," or, as the LXX read 
 " 2400 days," or as certain copies mentioned by Jerome 
 read, " 2200 days," " then shall the sanctuary be 
 cleansed." Bishop Newton doubts, whether these pro- 
 phetic days are to be calculated from the establishment 
 of the Persian empire, from the invasion of Asia by 
 Alexander, or from the beginning of the history of the 
 l^jUe horn. Whatever doubt there may be upon this 
 pomt, and whatever difficulty there may be in ascertain- 
 
90 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 the instiuction of readers. Those who study 
 the prophecies at this day, possess great 
 advantages over the most distinguished writ- 
 ers of the past century. 
 
 These writers, it will bo seen by the ex- 
 tract, make a proper distinction between the 
 " little horn" of the Grecian beast, and the 
 " little horn" of the Roman beast, but not 
 keeping up a corresponding distinction be- 
 tween the evening and morning visions 
 throughout, readers of prophecy have been 
 needlessly perplexed and confounded. Par- 
 
 ing whicli of the three readings is the true one ; I can- 
 not but think, that it is sufficiently evident, both that 
 the 1260 days are a certain part of the 2300 days, and 
 that these two periods exactly terminate together in the 
 5>elf same year. We are expressly told that the vision 
 \Df the ram and the he-goat, whenever it begins, reaches 
 <o " the time of the end," or " the last end of the indig- 
 nation: " (17, 19.) and we are no less expressly inform- 
 ed, that to the end of the wonders, predicted by Daniel, 
 there shall "be three times and a half, or 1260 days." 
 {12 : 7, 9.) Hence it necessaril}^ follows, that since the 
 period of 2300 days, and the period of 1260 days, both 
 equally reach to "the time of the end," or to "the end 
 of the predicted wonders ; they both exactly terminate 
 together. Thus it appears that the period of 1260 days 
 is in fact the latter part of the greater period of 2300 
 days. Faber, Vol. I. pp. 207 — 211. The prophet rep- 
 resents the two-horned Medo-Persian ram, not as rising 
 from the sea, but as standing by his river; in other 
 words, he does iiot speak of the origin of the monarchy; 
 
MORNING VISIONo 91 
 
 ceiving a striking coincidence in the time 
 and the manner of the rise and development 
 of these antichristian powers, most commen- 
 tators, have supposed they must terminate 
 together; whereas, the 1260 years, or three 
 times and a half, as applied to the reign of 
 popery in the west, as has already been 
 shown, does not apply to the Mohamedan 
 power. This closes its career with the 
 morning vision, 2300 years, be it a longer 
 or shorter period after the rise of the east- 
 ern " little horn" out of one of the four horns 
 of the goat. 
 
 but of some period, which he does not specify, in the 
 course of its regular and settled government. Now the 
 Medo-Persian ram rose in the j^ear A. C. 536. He con- 
 tinued standing, ... till ... A. C. 330. ... It appears there- 
 fore, that the date of the vision must be fixed some- 
 where between the 3^ear A. C. 536 ... and the year A. C. 
 330. Faber, Vol. 228, 229. If the 1260 years, so often 
 spoken of, began A. D. 606, they must end A. D. 1866. 
 And 2300 reckoned backward from that period, will 
 bring us to the year A. C. 334. And though we must 
 not place too much confidence in the exactness of such 
 calculations, yet the main points in this argument 
 seem unquestionable. (Note, 23 — 25.) It may perhaps 
 be worthy of notice, that it is now about two thousand 
 three hundred and seventy three years, since Daniel 
 had this vision : and, no doubt the end of the two thou- 
 sand and three hundred days, or years, is not very 
 distant. — Scott's Notes on Daniel, viii, 13, 14. 
 
92 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 "Dark sentences," (verse 23,) Biddies^ 
 or ejiigmas. These words describe the ob- 
 scure and affected sublimity of the Koran.* 
 
 * The word Koran, derived from the verb karra, to 
 yead, signifies properly in Arabic, the reading, or rather, 
 that which ought to be read ; by which name the Mo- 
 hamedans denote not only the entire book or volume of 
 the Koran, but also any particular chapter or section of 
 it 5 just as the Jews call either the whole scripture, or 
 any part of it,, by the name of Karah^ or Mikra, words 
 of the same origin and import. 
 
 " The general design of the Koran," (to use the 
 Words of a very learned person,) "seems to be this. — 
 To unite the professors of the three different religions 
 then followed in the populous country of Arabia, who 
 for the most part lived promiscuously, and wandered 
 without guides, the far greater number being idolaters, 
 and the rest Jews and Christians mostly of erroneous 
 and hetrodox belief, in the knowledge and worship of 
 one eternal and invisible God." 
 
 That Mohamed was really the author and chief 
 contriver of the Koran, is beyond dispute ; though it is 
 highly probable that he liad no small assistance in his 
 design from others. 
 
 There being some passages in the Koran which are 
 contradictory, the Mohamedan doctors obviate any 
 objection from thence, by the doctrine of abrogation ; 
 for they say that God in the Koran commanded several 
 things which were for good reasons afterwards revoked 
 and abrogated. 
 
 Passages abrogated are distinguished into three 
 kinds : tne first, where the letter and the sense are both 
 abrogated ; the second, where the letter only is abroga- 
 ted, but the sense remains ; and the third, where the 
 sense is abrogated, though the letter remains. — Sale's 
 Pbeliminiry Discourse on tkue Koran. 
 
MORNING VISION. 93 
 
 26 And the vision of the evening and the morning 
 which Avas told is true ; wherefore shut thou up the 
 vision ; for it shall be for many days. 
 
 " The vision of the evening and the morn- 
 ing," although they relate to a different 
 chain of events, in many respects, and are 
 computed by different numbers, yet both 
 are "true," and will certainly be fulfilled, 
 "though it'shall be f^r many days." At the 
 close of the great outlines of the evening 
 vision, (chap, vii ; 28,) Daniel says, " Hith- 
 erto is the end of the matter. As for me 
 Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, 
 and my countenance changed in me, but I 
 kept the matter in my heart." And in clos- 
 ing the great outlines of this, the morning 
 vision, after declaring them both true, he 
 says — 
 
 27 And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days ; 
 after-Nvard I rose up, and did the kin<^s business ; I was 
 astonished at the vision, but none understood it. 
 
 We will now pass to a distinct portion of 
 this vision, in the next chapter, beginning 
 with the 20th verse. 
 
SECTION IV. 
 
 MORNING VISION CONTINUED. 
 
 Chap, ix, 20. And while I was speaking, and pray- 
 ing, and confessing ray sin, and the sin of my people 
 Israel, and presenting my supplications before the Lord 
 my God, for the holy mountain of my God ; 
 
 21 Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the 
 man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the be- 
 ginning, bemg caused to fly swiftly, touched me about 
 the time of the evening oblation. 
 
 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and 
 said, Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill 
 and understanding. 
 
 23 At the beginning of thy supplications the com- 
 mandment came forth, and 1 am come to show thee ; 
 for thou art greatly beloved ; therefore understand the 
 matter, and consider the vision. 
 
 " The man Gabriel," the same angel whichv 
 explained to Daniel another part of the same 
 vision. (See chap viii : verse 16.) The 
 object of this interview seems to be to fix 
 the bounds of or seal the vision and point 
 
MORNING VISION. 95 
 
 out the period of Christ's crucifixion, the 
 literal fulfihnent of which, has affixed the 
 " seal" of certainty to all remaining portions 
 of the vision. Daniel was a '-'man greatly 
 beloved," and John, the writer of the Reve- 
 lations, was " the disciple whom Jesus lov- 
 ed." It was not accidental that sucn men 
 were chosen to communicate to the Jewish 
 and Christian churches, what " should be 
 hereafter." 
 
 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people 
 and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to 
 make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for in- 
 iquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and 
 to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the 
 Most Holy. 
 
 Seventy " weeks of years," that is, 490 
 years from a given date, which Daniel is 
 now to have, would Christ " appear, to put 
 away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 
 ix : 26.) Numerous passages might be quot- 
 ed to show the application of such a predic- 
 tion, to the character of Christ's mission to 
 our world, but it is too clear to need further 
 illustration here. Seventy weeks of years 
 contain ten jubilees, and denote the bringing 
 in of the most complete jubilee, or grand 
 ^'year of release," to individual believers. 
 
96 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 25 Know therefore and understand, 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 street shall 
 be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 
 
 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah 
 be cut oft', but not for himself; and the people of the 
 prince that shall come shall destroy the cit}'- and the 
 sanctuary ; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, 
 and unto the end of the war desolations are deter- 
 mined. 
 
 27 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 over- 
 spreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate, 
 even unto the consummation, and that determined shall 
 be poured upon the desolate. 
 
 This " commandment to restore and build 
 Jerusalem," as has already been noticed, 
 (page 82) was issued by Artaxerxes Longi- 
 manus, the Persian emperor, in the 7th year 
 of his reign, B. C. 457. (See Ez. vii : 7, 
 and Esther i: 1.) The application of these 
 verses are so obvious, the reader can hardly 
 mistake their true meaning. Miller * in 
 " summing up" his calculations in this por- 
 tion of prophecy, is very ingenious, to say 
 the least. (See note.) 
 
 * But the seventy weeks, of which we are more par- 
 ticularly speaking, the angel Gabriel has told us when 
 it began ; at the gomg forth of the commandment to 
 
MORNING VISION. 97 
 
 We come next to a series of predictions, 
 filling the whole outline of the morning 
 vision, and emphatically denominated the 
 ''things noted in the scripture of Truth." 
 It forms a complete commentary upon many 
 parts of the morning vision, which would 
 otherwise have been left more or less ob- 
 scure. It gives a condensed but precise ac- 
 count of the history of many kings, espec- 
 ially those of Egypt and Syria, as connected 
 with the history of the Jews from Daniel to 
 Christ, — marks the propagation, the perse- 
 cution, the establishment, and the corrup- 
 tions of Christianity, — and which while it 
 
 restore and build Jerusalem, &;c. We have found no 
 command that will apply in all its bearmgs, but the one 
 given to Ezra, which was given in the 4o7th year be- 
 fore the birth of Christ, and 33 years afterwards Christ 
 was crucified, which two numbers, if added, makes 490 
 years, exactly seventy weeks of years. We learn 
 that Gabriel, in order to make the vision doubly sure, 
 divided the seventy weeks into three parts, seven, sixty- 
 two, and one, making in all seventy. He then tells us 
 plainly what would be accomplished in each part sep- 
 arately. 
 
 1st. Seven weeks. " The street shall be built again, 
 and the wall, even m troublous times." No man can 
 dispute but that this was_ accomplished under the ad- 
 ministration of Ezra and Nehemiah. And it is very 
 evident that these two were governors over Jerusalem 
 49 years, which makes' the seven weeks of years, and 
 carries us down the stream of time to the year 408 B.C. 
 
 9 
 
98 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 commences with the reign of Cyrus, more 
 than five hundred years before Christ, who 
 •dehvered the Jews from their first captivity, 
 •describes with the utmost precision, tlie 
 rise, extent, and fall of the Mohamedan pow- 
 er, which was to possess Judea in the latter 
 times, previous to their final restoration, 
 which is now so near at hand. This proph- 
 ecy is both local and chronological. It is 
 descriptive of the government of the same 
 identical region, and of the chief facts which 
 
 2d. Sixty-two weeks. " Unto the Messiah the Prince." 
 That is, unto the time that Jesus was anointed with the 
 Holy Spirit and power to preach the gospel, either in 
 himself or forerunner John. See Mark i. 1. Sixty- 
 two weeks of years would be 434 years. This would 
 carry us down to twenty-six years after Christ's birth, 
 and brings us to the very year of " The beginning of 
 the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Mark i. 1. 
 
 3d. One week. "He shall confirm the covenant 
 with many for one week." One week would of course 
 be seven years, which, added to the twenty-six would 
 make thirty-three years after Christ. Here, too, we 
 find an exact and literal accomplishment of the angel's 
 declaration : The gospel of Jesus Christ preached by 
 John three and a half years, and by Christ three and a 
 half years, making seven years, called one week, and 
 then Messiah cut off, and not for himself, Christ cruci- 
 fied, ends the seventy weeks, proves Daniel's prophecy 
 true, establishes the vision, confounds the Jew, confutes 
 the infidel, and ought to establish the mind of every 
 believer in the remainder of the vision. — Miller on 
 Christ's Second Coming, pp 67. 
 
MORNING VISION. 99 
 
 relate to it, for many successive centuries, 
 and the events follow in succession, in the 
 exact order of the prediction. This proph- 
 ecy includes the whole of the 11th chapter, 
 and we must pass over it rapidly. If the 
 reader will have reference to the observations 
 of Sir Isaac Newton on this part of Daniel's 
 prophecy, he will be astonished to see how 
 perfectly the prediction accords to a circum- 
 stantial detail of historical events. So close 
 is the coincidence between the prophetic 
 and the real history of the kings of Egypt 
 and Syria, that Porphyra, one of the earliest 
 opponents of Christianity, labored to prove 
 its extreme accuracy, and alleged from 
 thence, that the events must have preceded 
 the prediction. 
 
 The reader should here read the tenth 
 chapter of Daniel, as prefatory to what fol- 
 lows in the eleventh. A portion of which we 
 transcribe. The note* will show that Bish- 
 
 * The four great empires of the world, which were 
 shown to Nebuchadnezzar in the form of a great image, 
 were again more particularly represented to Daniel in 
 the shape of four great wild beasts. In like manner,, 
 the memorable events, which were revealed to Daniel 
 in the vision of the ram and he-goat, are here again 
 more clearly and explicitly revealed in his last vision 
 by an angel ; so that this latter prophecy may not im- 
 
100 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 op Newton considered that these chap- 
 ters were a continuation or explanation of 
 the vision of the 8th chapter. 
 
 properly be said to be a comment and explanation of 
 the former. This revelation was made, x. 1. ' in the 
 third year of Cyrus king of Persia,' when Daniel was 
 very far advanced in years. For the third year of 
 Cyrus was the seventy third of Daniel's captivity ; and 
 beijig a youth when he was carried captive, he cannot 
 be supposed now to have been less than ninety ; and 
 not long after this, it is reasonable to believe that he 
 died. Old as he was, he ' set his heart to understand ' 
 the former revelations which had been made to him, 
 and particularly the vision of the ram and the he-goat, 
 as I thmk we may collect from the sequel ; and for this 
 purpose he prayed, and fasted three weeks. His fast- 
 ing and prayers had the desired eifect ; for an angel 
 was sent, and said unto him, ver. 12. ' Fear not Daniel : 
 for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to 
 understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy 
 words are heard, and I am come for thy words.' — New- 
 ton ON THE Piiophec;es, pp. 321.. 
 
 Chap, x, 14. Now I am come to make thee under- 
 stand what shall befal thy people in the latter days ; 
 for yet the vision is for many days. 
 
 15 And when he had spoken such words unto me, I 
 set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. 
 
 16 And behold, one like the similitude of the sons of 
 men touched my bps : then I opened my mouth, and 
 spake, and said unto him that stood before me, my 
 lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon mc, 
 and I have retained no strength. 
 
 17 For how can the servant of this my lordtallc wiih 
 this my lord? for as for me, straight way there was no 
 strength m me, neither is there breath in mc. 
 
MORNING VISION. lOl 
 
 18 Then there came again and touched me one like 
 the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, 
 
 19 And said, man greatly beloved, fear not ; peace 
 be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he 
 had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let 
 my lord speak ; for thou hast strengthened me. 
 
 20 Then said he, Knowest' thou wherefore I come 
 unto thee ? and now will I return to fight with the 
 prince of Persia ; and when I am gone forth, lo the 
 prince of Grecia shall come. 
 
 21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the 
 scripture of truth ; and there is none that holdeth with 
 me m these things, but Michael your prince. 
 
 f::^ Let it be constantly born in mind by the reader, 
 that the whole morning vision, beginning with the 8th, 
 and closing with the 11th chapter, relates primarily to 
 the Jews, " thy people," (ver. 14.) and no more of the 
 history of other nations is introduced than was neces- 
 sary to render clear their character and condition, and 
 what '' should befal them m the latter days." Accord- 
 ingly, from the cleansing of the second <' sanctuary" 
 by the << restored" remnant from Babylon, commences 
 a vision which will terminate with the destruction of 
 the proud Ottoman, and the cleansing of the millennial 
 •" sanctuary " by the restored millions who are to be 
 ■^ brought in with the fulness of the gentiles," 
 
 9* 
 
SECTION V. 
 
 MORNING VISION CONTINUED. 
 
 Chap. xi. Also T, in the first year of Darius the 
 Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. 
 
 The angel here continues his discourse. 
 This explanation and filling up, as it were, 
 of the morning vision, was given several 
 years after the outlines in chapter 8, 
 and four years after the ten jubilees, or 
 seventy weeks of years, in chapter 9, which 
 ended with the crucifixion of Christ. 
 
 The same plan precisely is pursued in the 
 book of Revelation. When John is about 
 to predict a series of calamitous events on 
 earth, he first goes over the ground and 
 
MORNING VISION. 103' 
 
 points out all the encouraging prospects to 
 the church. Thus the angel in all similar 
 circumstances, cries, " hurt not the earth, 
 neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have 
 sealed the servants of our God." (Rev. vii : 
 3.) Noah and his family, must have their 
 ark prepared, and Lot his city of refuge, 
 before the earth or the sea is given over to 
 the judgments of heaven. Thus has the 
 angel anticipated the glorious advent of the 
 Messiah, before disclosing the wars and ca- 
 lamities of this chapter. 
 
 What added much to the grief and anxi- 
 ety of Daniel at this time, was, the interest- 
 ing question of the restoration of a remnant 
 of his people from their 70 years captivity, 
 which was then before the Persian court, 
 and hanging in suspense. It was not finally 
 settled till the death of Darius, and Cyrus 
 reigned alone. 
 
 2 And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there 
 shall stand up yet three kings in Persia ; and the fourth 
 shall be far richer than they all ; and by his strength 
 through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm 
 of Grecia. 
 
 As much as to say, " I will show thee the 
 succession of the Persian and the Grecian 
 empire, in plain naked truth, not in symbol- 
 
104 ILLirSTRATlONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 ical or figurative repreisentations as on three 
 other occasions, (see the bear and leopard^ 
 page 52, and the ram and goat page 69.) 
 There shall yet be three kings, (in the Per- 
 sian succession more prominent than all the 
 rest, Cambyses, Smerias, the Magian, (Da- 
 rius Hystaphis,) and the fourth (Xerxes) 
 shall be far richer than they all, and by his 
 strength, through his riches, lie shall stir up 
 all against the realm of Grecia. And a 
 mighty king (Alexander the Great,) shall 
 stand up that shall rule with great domin- 
 ion. 
 
 Reader, are you not becoming familiar 
 with the great outline of events predicted 
 by Daniel, and made lucent, in the couiseof 
 Providence, as delineated in ancient history ? 
 This is the fifth time we have traced this 
 outline since we commenced the book of 
 Daniel, and we have left one line, the vision- 
 ary tree of Nebuchadnezzar, (chap. 4,) till 
 we come to the finishing strokes, given to 
 the evening vision, in the twelfth chap- 
 ter. Does it not like " the path of the 
 just," shine brighter and brighter as we 
 approach the prospect of the millennial day ^ 
 Let none grow weary of these repititions 
 of the prophet. It is God's method to 
 give '^hneupon line, line upon line." In 
 
MORNING VISION. 105 
 
 establishing the covenant with Abraham he 
 introduced the subject at one time, and en- 
 larged upon it at another. Our Savior, time 
 after time, predicted his own death, and the 
 history of his life is given four times, though 
 by different authors. So in the prophecies. 
 He first gives a sketch, then, a stronger and 
 fuller delineation, leading the attention to 
 various events, worthy of special notice. 
 
 Another thing in this line of the vision de- 
 mands notice. Nine Persian kings, from 
 Xerxes to Darius, whom Alexander conquer- 
 ed 150 years afterv/ards, is passed at a 
 stroke, while from Alexander to Antiochus 
 Epiphanes, about 160 years more, the pre- 
 diction goes into minute detail. From that 
 point to the destruction of Jerusalem by the 
 Roman " arms," 240 years is passed at a 
 glance. From thence, 566 years, and we 
 behold the Arabian Prophet, whose scorpion 
 stinof remains 'till he comes to his end.' v. 45. 
 
 " Stir up all against the realm of Grecia." 
 2d verse. Xerxes, wealthy beyond calcu- 
 lation, stirred up his own subjects and his 
 allies to invade Greece. For this invasion he 
 collected an army larger than any other men- 
 tioned in history, consisting of more than 
 five millions, besides the Carthagenians and 
 others, whom he excited to war against the 
 
106 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 Grecians in other quarters. Notwithstand- 
 ing this tremendous invasion of Greece, yet, 
 with a small number of the inhabitants of those 
 stales he resisted, and routed, the Persian 
 troops, — incredible numbers of them perish- 
 ed, and Xerxes returned home in disgrace, 
 and almost unattended. This astonishing 
 expedition, gave rise to those long wars, and 
 that inveterate hatred between the Greeks 
 and Persians, which ended in the subversion 
 of the Persian empire by Alexander. The 
 prophecy touching upon these most promi- 
 nent events, glides over the nine subsequent 
 Persian kings, from Xerxfs to the time of 
 Alexander, 62 years, without noticing a 
 single event. The reader must sit down to 
 his history and fill up the space. From 
 Cyrus to Alexander was 204 years. 
 
 3 And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule 
 with great dominion, and do according to his will. 
 
 4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be 
 broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of 
 heaven ; and not to his posterity, nor according to his 
 dominion which he ruled ; for his kingdom shall be 
 plucked up, even for others besides those. 
 
 The manner in which Alexander, with his 
 forty thousand Macedonian soldiers, and his 
 pioneer " Phalanx," met and routed Darius, 
 
MORNING VISION. 
 
 107 
 
 the last, if not the most voluptuous Persian 
 king, with his three million effeminate troops, 
 loaded with armor of gold and silver, none 
 but those familiar with history, can form an 
 adequate conception. Suffice it to say here, 
 Alexander "did according to his will." But 
 soon after his death, as was noted in another 
 place, (page 70) ••' his kingdom was broken 
 and divided towards the four winds of heav- 
 
106 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 en," and "not to his posterity," but to four 
 of his jCjencrals, who reigned over Egypt, 
 Syria, Thrace and Macedonia. The Egyp- 
 tian and Syrian monarchies, were the most 
 prominent, and being situated north and 
 south of Jndea, are alone noticed in what 
 follows, as the Jews were constantly agitated 
 by the contests and transactions of these am- 
 bitious and belligerent powers. 
 
 5 And the king of the south shall be strong, and one 
 of his princes : and he shall be strong.above hiin, and 
 have dominion ; his dominion shall be a , great do- 
 minion. 
 
 *' The king of the south,". Ptolemy Lagus, 
 of Egypt, would soon become strong as one 
 of Alext^nder's princes and Seleucus Nicator, 
 king of Syria, another of them, " would be- 
 come strong above him." 
 
 6 And in the end of years they shall join themselves 
 together ; for the king's daughter of the south shall 
 come to the king of the north to make an agreement; 
 but she shall not retain the power of the arm ; neither 
 shall he stand, nor his arm ; but she shall be given up, 
 and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and 
 he that strengthened her in these times. 
 
 Now "commences the series of wars be- 
 tween the rival kings. Antiochus Soter, 
 
MORNING VISION. 109 
 
 succeeded Seleucus Nicator, and was suc- 
 ceeded by Antiochus Theus, in Syria '^ the 
 north." Ptolemy Philadelphus, succeeded 
 his father, Ptolemy Lagus, in Egypt. They 
 did '' at the end of years," make a treaty of 
 peace, to ratify which, Antiochus agreed to 
 put away his wife Laodice with her sons, 
 and to marry Berenice the daughter of Ptol- 
 emy. Thus '' the daughter of the king of 
 the south" came to " the king of the north" 
 to " make an agreement" with him, and 
 brought with her an immense dowry. But 
 this wicked alliance did not succeed. Anti- 
 ochus afterwards recalled Laodice, and put 
 away Berenice, but Laodice fearing anoth- 
 er change in the feelings, of her husband, 
 poisoned him and caused Berenice and her 
 attendants to be murdered.* 
 
 * But such wickedness should not pass unpunished 
 and unrevenged. ' But out of a branch of her root 
 shall one stand up in his estate,' or rather as it is trans- 
 lated in the Vulgar L?ttin, 'out of a branch of her root 
 shall stand up a plant ; and he shall come with an 
 army, and shall enter into the fortress,' or the fenced 
 cities 'of the king of the north, and shall deal,' shall 
 act 'against them and shall prevail : And shall also 
 carry captives into Egypt, their gods with their princes,' 
 or rather ' their gods with their moulten images, and 
 with their precious vessels of silver and gold, and he 
 shall continue more years than the king of the north,' 
 10 
 
110 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 7 But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand 
 up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and 
 shall enter inio the fortress of the king of the north, 
 and shall deal against them, and shall prevail ; 
 
 8 And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, 
 with their princes, and with their precious vessels of 
 silver and gold ; and he shall continue more years than 
 the kings of the north. 
 
 9 So the king of the south sha.ll come into his king- 
 
 Appian informs us, that Laodice having 
 killed Antiochus, and after him both Bere- 
 nice and her child, Ptolemy, the son of Phil- 
 adelphus, to revenge these murders, invaded 
 Syria, slew Laodice, and proceeded as far 
 as Babylon. From Polybius we learn, that 
 Ptolemy, sirnamed Euergetes, being greatly 
 incensed, at the cruel treatment of his sister 
 Berenice, marched with an army into Syria^ 
 
 or more literally ' he shall continue some years after 
 the king of the north. So the king of the south shall 
 come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own 
 land,' ver. 7, 8, 9. ' This ' branch,' which sprung ' out 
 of the same root' with Bernace, was Ptolemy Euer- 
 getes her brother, who no sooner succeeded his father 
 Ptolemy Philadelphus in the kingdom, than ' he came 
 with a great army, and entered into the province of the 
 king of the north,' that is of Seleucus Calinicus, who 
 with his mother Laodice reigned in Syria ; and he 
 'acled against them,' and 'prevailed' so far, that he 
 
MORNING VISION. Ill 
 
 and took the city Selucia, which was kept 
 for some years afterwards by the garrisons 
 of the king of Egypt. Thus did he '' enter 
 into the fortress of the king of the north." 
 
 10 But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assem- 
 ble a multitude of great forces ; and one shall certainly- 
 come, and overflow, and pass through ; then shall he 
 return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress. 
 
 Seleucus Ceraunus and Antiochus the 
 great, sons of Seleucus Colhnicus, are here 
 referred to, and were " stirred up," to fight 
 against Ptolemy Euergetes, king of Egypt, 
 in hopes to recover the territories which had 
 been taken from their father, Antiochus 
 Theus. But Ceraunus was poisoned by one 
 
 took Syria and Cilicia, and the upper parts beyond Eu- 
 phrates, and almost all Asia. And when he had heard 
 that a sedition was raised in Egypt, he plundered the 
 kingdom in Selucus, and took forty thousand talents 
 of ' silver,' and ' precious vessels,' and 'images of the 
 Gods,' two thousand and five hundred ; among which 
 were also those which Cambyses, after he had taken 
 Egypt, had carried into Persia. And for thus restoring 
 their Gods after many years, the Egyptians who were 
 a nation much addicted to idolatry^ complimented him 
 with the title of Euergetes or the Benefactor. This is 
 Jerome's account, extracted from ancient historians j 
 but there are authors still extant, who confirm several 
 of the same particulars. Appian informs us, that Lao- 
 
IIS ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 of his discontented captains, and Antiochus 
 was left to prosecute the war alone. Ptole- 
 my Euergetes, had also died by this time, 
 and was succeeded by Ptolemy Philopater, so 
 that this prince was " the king of the south," 
 and Antiochus Magnus, or the great, was 
 " king of the north." Antiochus made war 
 upon Philopater, over-run the countries that 
 he held in Asia, and spread desolation like 
 a flood, whatever regions he passed through. 
 Then, making a truce with Ptolemy, during 
 which, both parties treated for peace, and 
 " prepared for war,' according to modern 
 maxims and policy. Antiochus then return- 
 ed to attack Ptolemy's forces, and overcome 
 them, and carried the war even to the bor- 
 ders of Egypt, which he threatened with 
 
 dice having killed Antiochus, and after him borli Bere- 
 nice and her child, Ptolemy, the son of Philadelphus, 
 to revenge these murders, invaded Syria, slew Laodice, 
 and proceeded as far as to Babylon. From Polybius 
 we learn, that Ptolemy sirnamed Euergetes, bemg 
 greatly incensed at the cruel treatment of his sister 
 Berenice, marched with an army into Syria, and took 
 the city of Selucia, which was kept for some years af- 
 terwards by the garrisons of the kings of Egypt. Thus 
 did he enter into the fortress of the king of the north. — 
 Newton on the PKorHEciEs, p. 330. 
 
MORNING VISION. 113 
 
 invasion. This exceedingly exasperated 
 Ptolemy. 
 
 11 And the king of the south shall be moved with 
 choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even 
 with the king of the north ; and he shall set forth a 
 great multitude ; but the multitude shall be given into 
 his hand. 
 
 Ptolemy, '' king of the south," marched 
 against Antiochus " king of the north," with 
 a great army, and Antiochus with numerous 
 forces gave battle, but was defeated and 
 obliged to retreat to Antioch, (which city 
 had become the capitol of Syria, instead of 
 Selucia.) and from thence to send ambassa- 
 dors to treat for peace. But Ptolemy did 
 not pursue the advantages of this decisive 
 victory, for being elated with his success, he 
 gave himself up to the most disgraceful de- 
 baucheries. 
 
 12 And when he hath taken away the multitude, his 
 heart shall be lifted up, and he shall cast down many 
 len thousands ; but he shall not be strengthened by it. 
 
 After the retreat of Antiochus, Ptolemy 
 visited the cities of his Asiatic dominions, 
 and Jerusalem among the rest. Here, he 
 was with great difficulty, restrained from 
 entering into the '' holy of holies," and on 
 10* 
 
114 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 account of this restriction, he was so dis- 
 pleased with the Jews, that he destroyed, 
 some say forty thousand, others sixty thou- 
 sand of his Jewish subjects in Egypt, by a 
 most furious persecution. Thus, " casting 
 down many ten thousands" of his own sub- 
 jects, he was " not strengthened by it."* 
 
 13 For the king of the north shall return, and shall 
 set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall 
 certainly come after certain years with a great army 
 and with much riches. 
 
 " After certain years," that is, about four- 
 teen years afterwards, Aiitiochus the great, 
 
 and majesty, he consumed his days in feasting, and his 
 nights in lewdness ; and became not only the spectator, 
 but the master and leader of all wickedness. And what 
 availed it to have conquered his enemies, when he was 
 thus overcome by his vices ? He was so far from being 
 strengthened by it, that even his own subjects, offended 
 at his inglorious peace, and more inglorious life, rebel- 
 led against him. But the prophet in this passage allud- 
 ed more particularly to the case of his own countrymen. 
 After the retreat of Antiochus, Ptolemy visited the 
 cities of CcEle-Syria and Palestine, which had submitted 
 to him ; and among others in his progress he came to 
 Jerusalem. He there offered sacrifices, and was de- 
 sirous of entering into the holy of holies, contrary to 
 the customs and religion of the place, being, (as the 
 
MORNING VISION. 
 
 115 
 
 having recovered from the effects of his de- 
 feat, and Ptolemy Philopater being dead, and 
 succeeded by his son, Ptolemy Epiphenes, 
 or the illustrious, who was only four or five 
 vears of age, Antiochus raised a greater army 
 than- before, and having amassed large sums 
 of money to defray expenses, he hoped to 
 deprive Ptolemy of his dominions. 
 
 14 And in those times there shall many stand up 
 against the king of the south ; also the robbers of thy 
 people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision 5 
 but they shall fall. 
 
 Many other enemies stood up against the 
 
 writer of the third book of Maccabees says,) greatly 
 lifted up by pride and confidence. His curiosity was 
 restrained with great difficulty, and he departed with 
 heavy displeasure against the whole nation of the Jews. 
 At his return therefore to Alexandria, he began a cruel 
 persecution upon the Jewish inhabitants of that city, 
 who had resided there from the time of Alexander, and 
 enjoyed the privileges, of the most favored citizens. 
 'And he cast down many ten thousands ; ' for it ap 
 pears from Eusebius, that about this time forty thous- 
 and Jews were slain, or sixty thousand, as they are 
 reckoned in Jerome's Latin interpretation. No king 
 could be strengthened by the loss of such a number of 
 useful subjects. The loss of so many Jew'S, and the 
 rebellion of the Egyptians, added to the male-adminis- 
 tration of the scate, must certainly very much weaken, 
 and almost totally ruin the kingdom. — Newton on the 
 Prophecies, p. 335. 
 
116 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 king of Egypt during his minority. Those 
 abandoned ministers who now governed in 
 his name, and the baseness of his father's 
 conduct, had disgusted the Egyptians so 
 that they were ready to join Antiochus and 
 Philip, king of Macedon, who had made a 
 league together against the infant king. The 
 persecuted Jews also became refractory, and 
 broke off from their allegiance to the king 
 of Egypt. " Robbers of thy people." Some 
 render it revolters, ''pestilent ones of thy 
 people."* These, exalting themselves 
 against their former masters, helped to " es- 
 tabhsh the vision." 
 
 Here, several writers leave what we con- 
 
 * ' Also the robbers of thy people.' It is literally ' the 
 sons of the breakers,' the sons of the revolters, the fac- 
 tious and refractory ones, ' of thy people ; ' for the Jews 
 were at that time ' broken ' into factions, part adhering 
 to the king of Egypt, and part to the king of Syria ; 
 but the majority were for < breaking away ' from their 
 allegiance to Ptolemy. In the Vulgate it is translated, 
 ' the sons also of the prevaricators of thy people ; ' in the 
 Septuagint, ' the sons of the pestilent ones of thy peo- 
 ple.' What shall they do ? 'shall exalt themselves to 
 establish the vision:' shall revolt from Ptolemy, and 
 thereby shall contribute greatly, without their knowing 
 it, toward the accomplishment of this prophecy concern- 
 ing the calamities, which should be brought upon the 
 Jewish nation by the succeeding kings of Syria. — New- 
 ton, p. 338. 
 
MORNING VISION. 117 
 
 sider the strait line of this vision, and apply 
 the rest of this chapter to the Roman em- 
 pire. Miller, and Litch,* of our own coun- 
 try take this ground. The European writ- 
 ers all continue on the tract some further. 
 (See diagram in quarto appendix.) The read- 
 er will be notified where others leave, one 
 
 * To establish the vision. To this sentence I wish 
 to call particular attention. The vision of the eighth 
 chapter states that the little horn " waxed great " and 
 magnified himself. Also, it gives the time when that 
 power magnified himself, — in the latter part of the four 
 kingdoms of the goat, and when the transgressors were 
 come to the full. This was now the case, B. C. 203 ; 
 two of those horns, Syria and Macedonia, or their 
 kings, formed the base, villanous design of destroying 
 the dominion of a helpless infant king, [a] Their cup 
 of iniquity was now full and " the king of fierce coun- 
 tenance " stood up to punish them, by the subversion of 
 their own kingdom. — Litch on the Second Coming of 
 Chkist, p. 62. 
 
 a That man must take a very limited view of what 
 constitutes the climax of iniquity, who asserts that the 
 mere invasion of Egypt during the minority of a prince 
 fills up the cup of a nations guilt. This is a mere 
 item in the great national policy of all human govern- 
 ments. Some pretence at the time no doubt, rendered 
 this invasion of Egypt a popular movement. How 
 would such an act as this compare with the paramount 
 wickedness developed in the person of Antiochus 
 Epiphanes ! The reader shall see. 
 
118 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 after another. All writers agree thus far, 
 but only about 250 of the 2300 years of the 
 morning vision have transpired at this point, 
 200 years before the Christian era. 
 
 15 So the king of the north shall come, and cast up 
 a mount, and take the most fenced cities ; and the arms 
 of ihe south shall not withstand, neither his chosen 
 people, neither shall there he any strength to withstand. 
 
 16 But he that cometh against him shall do according 
 to his own will, and none shall stand before him ; and 
 he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand 
 shall be consumed. 
 
 The revolters^ spoken of, were soon re- 
 duced by Ptolemy's forces who, under Sco- 
 pus gained many advantages against those 
 of Antiochus, and recovered possession of 
 Coelo-Syria and Palestine. He subdued the 
 Jews in the winter season, while Antiochus 
 was engaged in other parts, and placed a 
 garrison in Jerusalem, and returned with 
 great spoils to Alexandria, for he was noted 
 above all men for his avarice and rapacity. 
 The expression of Josephus is remarkable, 
 that '^ the Jews submitted to Scopus by force, 
 but to Antiochus they submitted willingly." 
 The presence of that prince, soon turned 
 the scale against Scopus, dispossessing him 
 of all he had gained in Palestine, besieged 
 and took the strong city, Zidon, and others 
 
MORNING VISION. Il9 
 
 of Ptolemy's best fortified cities. So the 
 king of the south could not '' stand before 
 him/' even with his choicest troops, and An- 
 tiochus succeeded in his designs, established 
 his authority in the land of Judah. " the glo- 
 rious land" of God's chosen people, whose 
 substance was " consumed" by furnishing 
 provisions for an immense horde of sold- 
 iers. 
 
 17 He shall also set his face to enter with the 
 strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with 
 him ; thus shall he do, and he shall give him the daugh- 
 ter of women, corrupting her ; but she shall noi stand 
 on his side, neither be for him. 
 
 Antiochus next set himself with all the 
 strength of his kingdom, to get possession 
 of Egypt, being assisted by the Jews, called 
 '^ upright ones," so denominated to distin- 
 guish them from other idolatrous soldiers. 
 Antiochus, also, attempted to circumvent 
 Ptolemy by treaty, for which he gave in 
 marriage his daughter Cleopatra, whose sin- 
 gular beauty is supposed to be intimated by 
 the expression " the daughter of women." 
 He thought to corrupt his daughter, to be- 
 tray the interests of her husband, but the 
 project failed, for Ptolemy was aware of the 
 artifice, and kept upon his guard, and Cleo- 
 
120 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 patra preferred the interests of her husband, 
 to those of her insidious father, and even 
 joined in an embassy to the Romans, treat- 
 ing for protection against him." 
 
 18 After this he shall turn his face unto the isles, and 
 shall take many : but a prince for his own behalf shall 
 cause the reproach offered by him to cease ; without 
 his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. 
 
 19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his 
 own land : but he shall stumble and fall, and not be 
 found. 
 
 Antiochus, not being able to effect the 
 last mentioned project, attacked many of 
 the isles and cities bordering on the Medit- 
 erranean sea. This offended the Romans, 
 who proclaimed war against him, and soon 
 
 * For this purpose ' he shall give him the daughter 
 of women/ his daughter so called as being one of the 
 most eminent and beautiful of women, and accordingly 
 Antiochus proposed a treaty of marriage by Encles the 
 Rhodian, betrothed his daughter Cleopatra to Ptolemy 
 in the seventh year of his reign, and married her to 
 him in the thirteenth. He conducted her himself to 
 Raphia, where they were married ; and gave in dowry 
 with her the provinces of Coele-Syria and Palestine, 
 upon condition of the revenues being equally divided 
 between the two kings. All this he transacted with a 
 fraudulent intention, ^ to corrupt her,' and induce her 
 to betray her husband's interests to her father. But his 
 designs did not take effect ; ' she shall not stand on his 
 
MORNING VISION. 121 
 
 drove him out of Europe, pursued him into 
 Asia, deprived him of a great part of his do- 
 minions, compelled him to submit to hard 
 and dishonorable terms, and he finally re- 
 turned in disgrace to Antioch. Finding it 
 difficult to raise the very large sum of mon- 
 ey which the Romans exacted, he attempt- 
 ed to plunder a ricli temple of Jupiter Belus, 
 in the province of Elymais, where he was 
 slain by the enraged inhabitants. Thus he 
 *' stumbled and fell, and was not found." 
 
 20 Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes 
 in the glory of the kingdom ; but within few days he 
 shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. 
 
 Seleucus Philopater, who succeeded his 
 father, being obliged to pay a large annual 
 
 part, neither be for him.' Ptolemy and his generals 
 were aware of his artifices, and therefore stood upon 
 their guard : and Cleoptra herself affected more the 
 cause of her husband than her father ; insomuch that 
 she joined with her husband in an embassy to the Ro- 
 mans to congratulate them upon the victories over her 
 father, and to exhort them, after they had expelled him 
 out of Greece, to prosecute the war in Asia, assuring- 
 them at the same time that the king and queen of Egypt 
 would readily obey the commands of the senate. — New- 
 ton ON THE Prophecies p. 343. 
 11 
 
122 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 tribute to the Romans, performed little in 
 his short reign, except levying money from 
 his subjects, for this and other purposes. 
 He reigned twelve years, and was slain by 
 Heliodorus, whom he had employed to rob 
 the temple of God at Jerusalem. Thus he 
 was destroyed, ''neither in anger, nor in 
 battle/' but by treachery. 
 
 21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to 
 whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom ; 
 but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom 
 by flatteries. 
 
 Antiochus, returning from Rome, was at 
 Athens, in his way to Syria, when his broth- 
 er Seleucus was slain, and " the honor of the 
 kingdom was not given him," for Heliodo- 
 rus attempted to get possession of it, anoth- 
 er party declared in favor of Ptolemy Philo- 
 meter, king of Egypt, whose mother, Cleo- 
 patra, was the daughter of Antiochus the 
 great, and sister of the late king Seleucus ; 
 neither was Antiochus Epiphanes the right 
 heir to the crown, but his nephew Deme- 
 trius, who was then an liostnge at Rome. 
 However, " he obtained the kingdom by flat- 
 teries." He flattered Eumenes, king of Per- 
 gamus, to assist him. He flattered, also, the 
 
MORNING VISION. 123 
 
 Komans, and sent ambassadors to court their 
 favor, paying the arrears of tribute, and send- 
 ing besides, presents of gold. Thus he came 
 " in peaceably," and as he had flattered the 
 Syrians, they flattered him in return, by be- 
 stowing on him the title EpipJtanes^ or the 
 illustrious. But the epithet of the prophet, 
 " a vile person," agreed better with his true 
 character.* Some justly called him Epim- 
 ajies, or, the madman. However, the ex- 
 pression of the angel to Daniel, a " vile per- 
 son," a despicable mai>, most suited him, for 
 his frantic, indecent, and contemptible be- 
 havior, in many respects, proving him to be 
 all which can be implied in such a title. 
 
 22 And with the arms of a flood shall they be over- 
 flown from before him, and shall be broken ; yea, also 
 the prince of the covenant. 
 
 23 And after the lea.^ue made with him he shall work 
 
 * According to history,' Antiochus, called Epiphanes, 
 would steal out of the palace and ramble about the 
 streets in disguise, would mix with the vilest company, 
 drink and revel with(them to the greatest excess, would 
 put on the Eornan gown, and go about canvassing for 
 votes in imitation of the candidates for office at Rome, 
 (Americanism truly,) would sometimes scatter money 
 in the streets among his followers, and sometimes pelt 
 them with stones, would wash in the public baths, ex- 
 posing himself to all manner of ridiculous and indeli- 
 cate gestures, &c. &;c. 
 
124 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PKOPHECY. 
 
 deceitfully; for he shall come up, and shall become 
 strong with a small people. * 
 
 Antiochus was at first successful, for Helio- 
 dorus and his other opponents, whose power 
 seemed ready to bear all before it, was borne 
 down, " overflown before" Antiochus and 
 
 * It is beautiful to observe the sudden transitions of 
 the prophet from one prominent event to another which 
 is perfectly analagous, that is_. from the type to the 
 antitype. But it is a disgusting delbrqiity or distortion 
 of all the beauty and proportion of this vision, to wan- 
 der promiscuously among the nations to hunt for events 
 and coincidences, to explain the several points to suit 
 a favorite theory. Miller, and Litch, as has been no- 
 ticed, leave the plain track and direct thread of the 
 prophecy of this chapter, at verse 14, 203 years before 
 Christ, and wander round the Koman history till they 
 arrive at the death of Tiberius Ctesar, 40 years after the 
 Christian era, and come to a halt at verse 22. They 
 then, at verse 23, find their way back to 158 years be- 
 fore Christ, and commence again with the Roman his- 
 tory, and at verse 29 fix upon the period of the removal 
 of the Imperial Capitol from Rome to Constantinople, 
 the year 350 after Christ. (See Diagram ; see also 
 Miller on the Millenium on the end of the world in 
 1843, and Litch on the Second Coming of Christ.) At 
 verse 31 there is evidentl)'' a sudden transition from 
 Antiochus Epiphanes, the type, to the Roman "arms," 
 the next antitype, or analagous event to the Jewish 
 nation, in the destruction of their temple. But this is 
 a natural transition, and the only one which can be 
 admitted in this prophetic nari'alive without encounter- 
 ing serious dilficulties. 
 
MORNING VISION. 125 
 
 destroyed. "The prince of the covenant,"* 
 that was Onias, the high priest of Jerusalem, 
 whom he removed, and put Jason in his 
 place, who had given him a large sum of 
 money, and afterwards put wicked Menelcms 
 in his room, who had offered him a larger 
 sum. Thus he acted '• deceitfully" in the 
 ''league" made with Jason. f "He shall 
 come up" from Rome, where he had been a 
 
 * '' Prince of the covenant," strictly speaking, is ap- 
 plicable only to Christ himself, yet it is here in a subor- 
 dinate sense applied to the High Priest. The Jews were 
 the ' covenant ' people of God, and the remnant who 
 returned from Babylon ever being in subjection or un- 
 der tribute to some one or other of the idolatrous gov- 
 ernments around them, were allowed, notwithstanding, 
 a High Priest, and he was the only visible representa- 
 tive of God's authority among them. The prophets had 
 ceased their testimony. The High Priesthood was held 
 in great estimation among the Jews as sacred, till the 
 destruction of their Temple by the Eomans. The High 
 Priest was looked upon as a sort of a prophet as well 
 as a ruler or "prince." When the Sanhedrim was in 
 session upon the question of Christ's crucifixion, ' Cai- 
 phas being High Priest that same year,' is said to 
 prophecy, as a consequence of his office. (John xi : 51.) 
 Even in the worst stage of the Jewish polity, Paul, 
 when being rebuked for reviling ' God's High Priest/ 
 replied that he ' wist not that he was the High Priest ; ' 
 quotmg the scripture which says, ' thou shalt not speaH: 
 evil of the ruler of thy people.' (Acts xxiii : 4, 5.) 
 
 t As soon as Antiochus was seated on the throne, he 
 11* 
 
126 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 hostage for the payment of the tax laid on 
 his father, " Become strong witli a few 
 people," for he had but feio to espouse his 
 cause when he arrived at Antioch, the peo- 
 ple being so greatly divided by the many 
 claimants of the crown. 
 
 removed Onias from the High Priesthood, and preferred 
 Jason the brother of Onias to that dignity; not for any 
 crime committed against him by the former, but for the 
 great sums of money which were offered to him by the 
 latter. For Jason offered to give him no less than "three 
 hundred and sixty talents of silver for the High Priest- 
 hood, besides eighty more upon another account ; and 
 good Onias was not only displaced to make way for a 
 wicked usurper, but after a few years, living at Anti- 
 och, he was with as great treachery as cruelty murder- 
 ed by the king's deputy. But though Antiochus had 
 made a league w^ith Jason the new High Priest, yet he 
 did not faithfully adhere to it, but acted deceitfully. 
 For Menelaus the brother of Jason being sent to the 
 Syrian court, with a commission from his brother, to 
 pay the tribute and to transact some business with the 
 king , by his address and flattery so far insinuated 
 himself into the royal favor, that he attempted to sup- 
 plant his elder brolhei Jason, as Jason had' supplanted 
 his elder brother Onias ; and proffered to give three 
 Imndred talents more for the High Priesthood than 
 Jason had given for it. The king readily accepted the 
 proposal, and issued his mandate for the deposing c-f 
 Jason, and advancing of Manelaus in his room ; but 
 he could not effect the change without an armed force, 
 which put Menelaus in possession of the place, and 
 compelled Jason to fly, and take shelter in the land of 
 the Ammonites. — ^Newton on tue Pkopuecies, p. 349. 
 
MORNING VISION. 127 
 
 24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest 
 places of the province ; and he shall do that which his 
 fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers ; he shall 
 scatter among them the prey and spoil, and riches ;. yea, 
 and he shall forecast his devices against the strong 
 holds, even for a time. 
 
 25 And he shall stir up his power and his courage 
 against the king of the south with a great army ; and 
 the kmg of the south shall be stirred up to battle with 
 a very great and mighty army ; but he shall not stand ; 
 for they shall forecast devices against him. 
 
 26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat 
 shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow 5 and 
 many shall fall down slain. 
 
 Antiochus, fixed the people in his interests 
 by the prolusion of his gilts, scattering the 
 prey he had taken from hr's enemies. In 
 this way he gained many of the richest prov- 
 inces of Egypt, without blood shed, " peaca- 
 ble," as Cselo-Syria and Palestine, thus doing 
 what his fathers, or his fathers' fathers had 
 not done. ^^ Forecast devices." By his 
 intrigues, he excited discontent and rebell- 
 ion among the Egyptians, and both he and 
 Ptolemy Philometer, " king of the south," 
 w^ere "stirred up to battle with very great 
 and mighty armies." But the "king of the 
 south could not stand," Antiochus prevailed, 
 partly through his ow-n " devices," and partly 
 through the fraudulent counsels and treach ; 
 erous conduct of Ptolemy's partizans. In 
 
128 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 the next campaign, Antiochus had still great- 
 er success, — routed the Egyptians — tookPe- 
 lusium — ascended as far as Memphis, and 
 made himself master of all Egypt except 
 Alexandria. Ptolemy Philometer's troubles 
 accumulated rapidly from without and with- 
 in his own territories, for the Alexandrians 
 seeing his distress, renounqed their alleg- 
 iance, took his younger brother Euergetes 
 or Physcon, and proclaimed him king instead 
 of the elder brother. " They that fed of the 
 portion of his meat destroyed" his interests. 
 
 27 And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mis- 
 <;hief, and they shall speak lies at one table ; but it 
 shall not prosper ; for yet the end shall be at the time 
 appointed. 
 
 28 Then shall he return into his land -with great 
 riches ; and his heart shall be against the holy cove- 
 nant ; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own 
 land. 
 
 Antiochus and Ptolemy, pretended to be 
 amicably disposed to enter into a treaty, and 
 frequently ate at the same council-board, but 
 they were both bent on mischief, and told 
 lies to each other. Antiochus pretended to 
 take care of his nephew Philometer's inter- 
 ests, and promised to restore to him the 
 crown, at the same time that he was plot- 
 ting his ruin, and was contriving means to 
 
MORNING VISION. 129 
 
 weaken the two brothers in a war with each 
 other. Antiochus hoping to become abso- 
 lute master of Egypt more easily by the 
 civil war between the two brothers than by 
 his own forces, left the kingdom for a while, 
 and returned into Syria. He did indeed 
 " return with great riches" for the spoils 
 which he took in Egypt were of immense 
 value. 
 
 The author of this little work has thus far 
 been as brief as possible, in pursuing the 
 chain of events predicted (in the 11th chap- 
 ter of Daniel,) or rather related, for it is 
 given almost in the language of a narrative. 
 The reader must have recurrence to his- 
 tory to gain an entire understanding of these 
 events. This portion of prophecy is deemed 
 very important by the intimate relations it 
 sustains to immediate coming events. The 
 reader will do well to bear these things in 
 mind, and, especially, the position of the 
 Jewish church amid all these conflicts be- 
 tween rival princes. These things are in no 
 degree accidental — it is strikingly analagous 
 to the position of the Christian church, al- 
 ways hitherto, and will remain so till Christ, 
 our " elder brother" takes the government 
 of affairs upon his ''own shoulders." The 
 Christian church has always as yet been per- 
 
130 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 secuted by the state, or what is vvoise and 
 more common, as in modern times, she lives 
 in an '' adulterous" connection with the civil 
 power, in all countries, our own, even, not 
 excepted. The nominal church "has com- 
 mitted fornication with the kings of the 
 earth," (Rev. xviii : 9,) by every such union 
 of civil and religious interests. For future 
 use, the writer has thrown into the margin 
 frequent extracts as notes. Let the reader 
 mark them. Christ will find on earth, a 
 church of "virgin" purity, before the "mar- 
 riage-supper of the Lamb" will be celebrat- 
 ed. 
 
 But to return from this digression. As 
 has been said, when Antiochus " returned 
 into his own land with great riches," (verse 
 28,) his heart was '' against the holy cove- 
 nant." For It happened while he was in 
 Egypt, that a false report was spread of his 
 death. Jason, thinking this a favorable op- 
 portunity for him to recover the high priest- 
 hood, marched to Jerusalem with a thou- 
 sand men, assaulted and took the city, drove 
 Menelaus into the castle, and exercised 
 great cruelties upon the citizens. Antiochus, 
 hearing of this, concluded that the whole of 
 the nation had revolted, and being informed 
 that the people had made great rejoicings at 
 
MORNING VISION. 131 
 
 the report of his death, he determined ta 
 take a severe revenge, and went up with a 
 great army as well as with great indignation 
 anjainst Jerusalem. He besieged and took, 
 the city by force of arms, slew forty thou- 
 sand of the inhabitants, sold as many for 
 slaves, polluted the temple with swine's flesh, 
 profaned the holy of holies by breaking into 
 it, took away the golden vessels, and other 
 sacred treasures, to the value of eighteen 
 hundred talents, restored Menelaus to his 
 office and authority, and constituted one- 
 Philip, by nation Phrygian, in manners a 
 barbarian, governor of Judea. This account 
 related by the historian Polybius, accords- 
 with Josephus. Jerome, also says, the 
 Greek and Roman history relates, that "after 
 Antiochus returned from Egypt, he came 
 into Judea, [that is, '' against the holy cove- 
 nant,"] and spoiled the temple, took away 
 a great quantity of gold, and having placed 
 a garrison of Macedonians in the citadel, he 
 returned into his own land." This point is 
 dwelt upon not only to show the relation of 
 God's nominal people with the world, but 
 because several writers have applied this 
 part of Daniel's vision to the Romans, and 
 the fourth beast or empire. 
 
132 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come 
 toward the south ; but it shall not be as the I'urmer, or 
 as the latter. 
 
 30 For the ships of Cluttim shall come against him 
 therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have in 
 vdignation against the holy covenant ; so shall he do 
 he shall even return, and have intelligence with them 
 that forsake the holy covenant. 
 
 After ten years, '' at the time appointed," 
 Antiochus, finding that his treachery was 
 detected, and that the two brothers, Philo- 
 pater and Eiiergetes had united their council 
 and strength for their mutual defence, he 
 threw ofT the mask, collected a great army 
 early in the spring, and passed Caelo-Syria, 
 entered Egypt, and the inhabitants of Mem- 
 phis having submitted to him, he came by 
 easy marches to Alexandria. But, it '•' was 
 not as the former," success, when he over- 
 threw the Egyptian army at Pelusium, " nor 
 as the latter," when he took Memphis, and 
 subdued all Egypt except Alexandria. " For 
 the ^hips of Chittim,"* &-c. Antiochus, be- 
 
 * For the ships of Chittim shall come against him. 
 The Huns, who lived on the north of the Adriatic Sea, 
 a place which, (says Mr. Miller) was anciently called 
 Chittim, will ravage the Roman Empire under their 
 leader Attila. [b] — Litcu on Christ's Second Co.ming. 
 
 b A far more satisfactory and general explanation 
 
MORNING VISION. 133 
 
 ing now within seven miles of Alexandria, 
 heard that ships had arrived there from 
 Rome, with legates from the Senate. He 
 went to salute them. They delivered to 
 him the letters from the Senate, in which he 
 was commanded, on pain of the displeasure 
 of the Roman nation, to put an end to the 
 war against his nephews. Antiochus, wish- 
 ed time to consult his friends, but Popillius, 
 one of the legates, drawing a circle around 
 
 of the terms, 'ships of Chittim,' is found in the fol- 
 lowing note from Bishop Newton, without particular 
 reference to this passage. 
 
 ' For ships shall come from the coast of Chittim,^and 
 shall afflict Ashur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also 
 shall perish forever.' Num. xxiv. ver. 24. 
 
 Chittim was one of the sons of Javan, who was one 
 of the sons of Japheth, by whose posterity the isles of 
 the Gentiles. Gen. x. 5, were divided and peopled, that 
 is Europe^ and the countries to which the Asiatics pass- 
 ed by sea, for such the Hebrews called islands. Chittim 
 is used for the descendants of Chittim, as Ashur is put 
 for the descendants of Ashur, that is the Assyrians ; 
 but what people were the descendants of Chittim, or 
 what country was meantjjby the coasts of Chittim, it is 
 not easy to determine. The critics and commentators 
 are generally divided into|two opinions, the one assert- 
 ing that Macedonia, and the other that Italy was the 
 country here intended j and each opinion is recom- 
 mended and authorised by some of the first and great- 
 est names in learning ; as, not to mention others, Gro- 
 tius and Le Clerc contend for the former, Bochart and 
 
 12 
 
134 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 Antiochus, demanded a deffinite answer be- 
 fore he crossed tlie line. Antiochus, intim- 
 idated, submitted to the Roman Senate, and 
 in a few days commenced his return to Syria. 
 " Grieved" and disappointed, Antiochus 
 again vented his rage against the Jews, "the 
 holy covenant," and he sent his general, 
 Apollonius, with twenty-two thousand men 
 against Jerusalem, plundered and set fire to 
 the city, pulled down the houses round 
 
 Vitringa are strenuous for the latter. But there "is no 
 reason why we may not adopt both opinions ; and es- 
 pecially as it is well known and agreed on all hands, 
 that colonies came from Greece to Italy ; and as Jose- 
 phus saith, that all islands and most maratime places 
 are called Chethim by the Hebrews ; and as manifest 
 traces of the name are to be found in both countries ; 
 the ancient name of Macecodia having been Macettia, 
 and the Latins having before been called Cetii. What 
 appears most probable is, that the sons of Chittim set- 
 tled first in Asia Minor, where were a people called Ce- 
 tei, and a river called Cetium, according to Homer and 
 Strabo. From Asia they might pass over into the 
 island Cyprus, which Josephus saith was possessed by 
 Chethim, and called Chethima ; and where was also 
 the city Cittium. famous for being the birth-place of 
 Zeno, the founder of the sect of the Stoics, who was 
 therefore called the Cittiean. And from thence they 
 might send forth colonies into Greece and Italy. This 
 plainly appears, that wherever the land of Chittim or 
 the isles of Chittim are mentioned in scripture, there 
 are evidently meant some countries or islands in 'the 
 Mediterranean. — Niwton on the Prophecies, pp 81, 82. 
 
MORNING VISION. 135 
 
 about it, slew much of the people, and built 
 a castle on an eminence that commanded 
 the temple, and slew multitudes of the poor 
 people who had come up to worship, — pol- 
 luted every place, so that the temple service 
 was totally abandoned, and the people fled 
 the city, till it was forsaken of its natives, 
 and became a habitation of strangers. " So 
 shall he do," (verse 30.) After his return to 
 Antioch, he published a decree, which oblig- 
 ed all persons, upon pain of death, to con- 
 form to the rehgion of the Greeks, and so 
 the Jewish worship was abrogated, and the 
 heathen worship was set up in its stead, and 
 the temple itself was consecrated to Jupiter 
 Olympius. In the transaction and ordering 
 of these matters, he ''had intelligence with 
 them that forsook the holy covenant," Men- 
 elaus, and the other apostate Jews of his 
 party, who was the king's chief instigators 
 against their religion and their country. 
 
 We have surveyed the course of events 
 predicted down to B. C. 164. 
 
 Bishop Newton the venerable pioneer in 
 unfolding the prophecies, with Sir Isaac 
 Newton, Mede, Scott, Clarke, Henry and the 
 principal English writers, except Faber, ap- 
 plies Dan. xi : 31,40, to events transpiring 
 in the western empire. They object to the 
 
136 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 transition from the kings of Syria, to the 
 "little horn" of Mohamedanism. But time 
 may show that they have made a more sud- 
 den and unnatural transition in passing into 
 the west, and fixing on popery as the proto- 
 type of Antiochus Epiphanes. The views 
 of bishop Newton on this chapter, thus far, 
 are given in the following extract. 
 
 '*' It may be proper to stop here, and re- 
 flect a little how particular and circumstan- 
 tial this prophecy is concerning the king- 
 doms of Syria and Egypt, from the death of 
 Alexander to the time of Antiochus Epiph- 
 anes. There is not so complete and regular 
 a series of their kings, — there is not so con- 
 cise and comprehensive an account of their 
 affairs to be found in any author of their 
 time. The prophecy is really more perfect 
 than any history. No one historian hath re- 
 lated so many circumstances, and m such 
 exact order of time, as the prophet hath 
 foretold them, so that it was necessary to 
 have recourse to several authors, Greek and 
 Roman, Jewish, and Christian, and to collect 
 here something from one, and there some- 
 thing from another, for better explaining and 
 illustrating the great variety of particulars 
 contained in this prophecy." 
 
MORNING VISION. 
 
 137 
 
 SUCCESSION OF PERSIAN AND GRECIAN KINGS 
 AND JEWISH HIGH PRIESTS. 
 
 Daruis, 
 Called Cyaxures by heathen historians ; Ahasuerus amonjrthe Jews. 
 
 B. C. 538. 
 Cyrus, .» 334. 
 
 Camkyses, 
 Smerdis Magian, 
 Darius Hystaspis, 
 Xerxes, 
 Artaxerxes Lo.xgimanus, •' 460. 
 
 " The man Gabriel," (Dan. xi : 2.) passes over this last named 
 kin^,and eight 01 hers in Persia, to Alexander the Great, first kins in 
 the Grecian empire. Josephusdoes ihe same, and for similar reasons, 
 as in the language of his traiisl.itor:' — " And if any wonder why Joso- 
 piius wholly omits the rest of the kings of Persia after Artaxerxes 
 ]Vlnemon,till he came to their last king Darius, who was conquered 
 by Alexander the Great, I shall give tlicm Vossius's ard Dr. Hudson's 
 answer, though in my own words, viz. that Josephns did not do ill in 
 omittini: those kings of Persia with whom the Jews had no concern, 
 becau sc he was giving the hislory of the Jews and not the Pesians- 
 He justly therefore returns to the Jewish att'airs alter the death of 
 Longinianus, without any mention of Darins JI . before Artaxerxes 
 Wnenion,or of Ochus, or Oiotrus, as the cannon ol Ptolemy names 
 them after him. Nor had he probably mentioned this other Artaxerx- 
 es, unless Bagosps, one of the koa ernors and commanders under him, 
 had occasioned the pollution of the Jewish temple, and had greatly 
 distressed the Jews upon that pollution," 
 
 SYRIAN KINGS. HIGH PRIESTS. EGYPTIAN KINGS. 
 
 Alexander, 
 Died B. C. 326. 
 
 Seleucus NrcAToR, 
 Antiochus Soter, 
 Antiochus Theus, 
 Seleucus Callinicus, 
 
 {^ELEUCAS CeRAUNUS, 
 
 Antiohus the Great, 
 Seleucus Philopater, 
 Antiochus Epiphanes, 
 Died B, C. 164. 
 
 Ezra, 
 
 Nehemiah, 
 
 Eliashib, 
 
 JrjDAs, 
 
 John, 
 
 JUDDUA," 
 
 Eleazar, 
 Manassah 
 
 Ptolemy Lagss, 
 Ptolemy-Philadelphps, 
 
 Ptolemy Euergetes, 
 
 Ptolemy Philopater, 
 
 Ptolemy Epiphanes, 
 
 Ptolemy Philometer^ 
 
 Ptolemy Physcon. 
 
 Onias, 
 
 Ja,ox, 
 
 JVIenelauS: 
 
 Alcimus, 
 
 Judas, Died B- C.156. 
 
 jonavhan, 
 
 Simon,' 
 
 Hyrcanus. * " " 74. 
 
 * Hero ends the high priesthood, and the life of this excellent per- 
 son; John Hyrcunus ; and together with him the holy theocracy, or 
 divine goveinnicnt ot the Jewish nation, and its concomitant oracle 
 by Urim. Now lollows the profane and tyrannical Jewish monarchy 
 nrst of the Asmoneas or Maccabees, and then of Herod rhe Great, the 
 Idumean, till the comiDff of the Messiah 
 
 12** 
 
SECTION VL 
 
 MORNING VISION CONCLUDED. 
 
 Most English writers on the Prophecies, 
 as before remarked, consider Daniel xi: 31 
 40, as predicting events which would be ful- 
 filled in the Roman empire, immediately af- 
 fecting Popery which was symbolized as the 
 " little horn." The former part of the chap- 
 ter applying with so much minuteness and 
 certainty to the kings of Syria and Egypt, 
 can be mistaken by those only who have a 
 favorite theory. But Jlow men untrammeled 
 by theories may diifer as to the meaning is 
 not so clear. Yet the straight line of the 
 morning vision, is distinctly tracablc, how- 
 ever sudden the transition from Antiochus 
 
MORNING VISION, 139 
 
 Epiphanes to some great persecuting proto- 
 type which we are rationally led to seek 
 within the limits of other scenes foretold in 
 this vision. All writers admit that in passing 
 from Xerxes to Alexander, the prophet 
 makes a sudden transition gliding over 150 
 years and 9 successive Persian monarchs. 
 Equally agreed are expositors that as many- 
 successive kings of Syria and Egypt occupy- 
 ing much less time, employ the prophet from 
 verse 3 to the 14th, and nearly all of them 
 agree in applying the part from the 14th to 
 the 31st, to these kings until the time of An- 
 tiochus Epiphanes. Now pursuing a strict 
 chronological and local ord^^r, the next prom- 
 inent event predicted is the invasion of the 
 Jews by the Romans under Pompey, and the 
 desecration of their temple, apd the subse- 
 quent destruction of the temple, city, and 
 nation, by Titus. 
 
 The Roman " arms" " stand on the part" 
 of the great oppressing power. Then the 
 prophet proceeds touching the most impor- 
 tant events from Antiochus to the rise of 
 the Arabian imposture. 
 
 In the prophecies a sudden transition from 
 a type to a great and striking event anala- 
 gous is very common. 
 
 So in predicting the destruction of Jerusa- 
 
140 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 lem by the Romans, Christ passed suddenly 
 to the signs and calamities which were to 
 befal an ungodly world just before the dawn- 
 ing of the millenium. However great, there- 
 fore, the difficulties may appear in this the 
 shorter and more direct rout, they are nat- 
 ural and incidental ; whereas, if we leave the 
 location of the eastern for the western rout, 
 the transition is sudden, unnatural, and dis- 
 torts the beauty of the whole plan, and sub- 
 jects the traveler to unnecessary embarass- 
 ment. Finding this section of the road so 
 far completed as to be passable, let us com- 
 mence and proceed cautiously along, being 
 confident that the path will become brighter 
 and brighter till the perfect fulfillment of 
 the morning vision which, is now at hand. 
 Our company, though small, will increase. 
 We shall have, for a part of the way, at 
 least, Faber, Smith, and Dr. Scott, who in 
 the last editions of his commentary, coincid- 
 ed with Faber. It is hoped that no reader 
 will have occasion to say he has been un- 
 necessarily detained at this important depot. 
 The shifting upon different tracks, the part- 
 ing of companies, the giving of reasons for 
 thus parting asunder, must necessarily con- 
 sume time. It is due to all parties to part 
 
MORNING VISION. 141 
 
 with a fair understanding of the matter. (See 
 diagram, quarto appendix.) 
 
 Having adjusted these things, and due re- 
 gard having been paid to all past able writ- 
 ers who differ from the author in the plan 
 marked out in this little treatise, the thread 
 of remark will proceed more rapidly than on 
 the verses previous to the 3 1st. It must be 
 obvious to every careful observer, that we 
 are not led beyond the limits of the morning 
 vision, though in these passages we have so 
 rapidly glanced at events which befel the 
 Jews. The morning vision has, in no case, 
 conducted us beyond the boundaries of the 
 third or Grecian empire as a locality for its 
 developments. Besides the utmost limits of 
 this vision are the destiny of the Jews from 
 their restoration from the Babylonian cap- 
 tivity, to their final restoration from their 
 present dispersion. The 30th verse led us 
 to the close of the oppressive reign of Anti- 
 ochus Apiphanes, 164 years before Christ. 
 The remaining, lead us to the series of ca- 
 lamities which befel that stiff-necked people, 
 with the intimation that " they shall be 
 holpen with a little help." (verse 34.) Next 
 after the abomination of Antiochus, the Ro- 
 man " arms shall stand" on the " part'' of 
 their oppressors, and pollute the *' sanctuary 
 
142 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 of their Strength." (verse 31.) Accordingly^ 
 about one hundred years after Antiochus, or 
 63 years before the Christian era, Pompey, 
 the Roman general, took Jerusalem, and en- 
 tered into the " holy of holies" thus pollut- 
 ing their sanctuary." For about 140 years 
 after this, the Jews were oppressed by the 
 Romans their temple and city being destroy- 
 ed by Titus. Thus was the "daily sacrifice" 
 takeiiaway, and the city made desolate, un- 
 til finally in the year 132, the emperor Adrian, 
 caused a temple to be erected to Jupiter 
 Capitolinus, on the very spot where the tem- 
 ple of God before stood, and banished the 
 remnant of Jews ftom Jerusalem and its 
 neighborhood. 
 
 31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall 
 pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away 
 the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination 
 that maketh desolate. 
 
 Thus the abomination that maketh deso- 
 late was literally placed in the "sanctuary 
 of strength to pollute it." This was done 
 by the " arms" of the Romans, not then act- 
 ing as the ten-horned beast, for Jerusalem 
 was not an integral part of that empire. Nor 
 was it done by the " little papal horn" for 
 Judea afterwards became a part of the Greek 
 
MORNING VISION. 143 
 
 church, not of the Latin. But, these events 
 are figures of the corruptions which were sub- 
 sequently introduced into the Christian 
 church, and made way for the " overspread- 
 ing abominations" of the Arabian prophet.* 
 
 * We have the authority of our Lord for pronouncing, 
 that the abomination of desolation, mentioned in the 
 31st verse of the 11th chapter, is to be referred to the 
 sacking of Jerusalem by the Romans. Of this Bishop 
 jSewton is sensible ; and therefore very justly applies 
 the following verses to the pagan persecutions of the 
 primitive Christians. " The Roman magistrates and 
 officers,' says he, 'it is very well known, made use of 
 the most alluring promises, as well as the most terrible 
 threatenings, to prevail upon them to renounce their 
 religion, and offer incense to the statues of the empe- 
 rors and images of the gods. Many w^ere induced to 
 comply with the temptation and apostatized from the 
 faith, as we learn particularly from the famous epistle 
 of Pliny to Trajan ; but the true Christians, the people 
 who knew their God, were stroag ; remained firm to 
 their religion ; and gave the most illustrious proofs of 
 the most heroic patience and fortitude. It may too with 
 strictest truth and propriety be said of the primitive 
 Christians, that being dispersed every where, and 
 preaching the gospel in all parts of the Roman empire, 
 they instructed many, and gained a great number of 
 proselytes to their religion ; yet they fell by the sword, 
 and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days j 
 for ihey were exposed to the malice and fury of ten 
 general persecutions, and suffered all manner of inju- 
 ries, afflictions, and tortures, with little intermission for 
 the space of three huudred years.' — Bt. Newton's Dis- 
 sertation XVII, 
 
144 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant 
 shall he corrupt by flatteries; but the people that do 
 know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 
 
 33 And they that understand among the people shall 
 instruct many ; yet they shall fall by the sword, and 
 by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 
 
 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be hoi pen 
 with a little help ; but many shall cleave unto them 
 with flatteries. 
 
 These are not only descriptive of the Jews 
 amidst their persecutions and dispersion 
 among all nations, for a " remnant is to be 
 saved according to the election of grace," 
 but also of the persecutions of the eastern 
 Christians before the establishment of the 
 Arabian imposture. 
 
 Christians, as well as Jews, are yet to reap 
 some benefits from the calamities which have 
 fallen upon the wretched dominions of the 
 Sultan, in which they have suflered by " the 
 sword," '' by the flame," " by captivity," and 
 " by spoil," for " so many days," "even to the 
 time of end, because it is for a time appoint- 
 ed." This appointed time is near at hand, 
 and many of the degraded Greek Christians^ 
 and of the gospel-rejecting Jews, will be 
 'purged and made white."* 
 
 * The tenth and last general I'iersecution was be- 
 ;ua by Diocletian ; it raged, though not at all times 
 
MORNING VISION. 145 
 
 35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to 
 try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even 
 to the time of the end ; because it is yet for a time 
 appointed. 
 
 It is observable, that in this verse the true 
 church is represented as being again in a 
 state of persecution, similar to that she had 
 before endured from the fury of Paganism. 
 She not only, therefore, received but " little 
 help," from the reign of Constantino, but 
 those who " clave to them by flattery," dur- 
 
 equally, ten years ; and was suppressed entirely by 
 Constantine, the first Roman emperor, as it is uni- 
 versally known, who made open profession of Chris- 
 tianity : and then the Church was no longer persecuted, 
 but was protected and favored by the civil power. But 
 still this is called only a little help : because, though it 
 added much to the temporal prosperity, yet it con- 
 tributed little to the spiritual graces and virtues of 
 Christians. It enlarged their revenues, and increased 
 their endowments ; but proved the fatal means of cor- 
 rupting the doctrine, and relaxing the discipline of the 
 Church. It was attended with this peculiar disadvan- 
 tage, that many clave to them with flatteries. Many 
 became Christians, for the loaves and fishes : and pre- 
 tended to be of the religion, only because it was the 
 religion of the Emperor. Eusebius, who was a con- 
 temporary writer, reckons that one of the reigning vic- 
 es of the time was the dissimulation and hypocrisy of 
 men fraudulently entering into the Church, and bor- 
 rowing the name of Christians without the reality. — 
 Bp. Newton's Dissertation xvii, 
 
 13 
 
146 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 ing the churches' external prosperity, rapidly 
 prepared the way for a more protracted and 
 inveterate species of persecution, for "all 
 who" should after that, " live godly in Christ 
 Jesus." This was as true in the history of 
 the Greek, where we now stand in this proph- 
 ecy, as in the Latin church of the west.* 
 
 The prophet tells us, that " these men of 
 understanding" shall continue in a persecut- 
 ed state " to the time of the end," because 
 their trials "are yet unto the time appoint- 
 ed." This we see has been literally fulfiled 
 in the locality of this vision. The sanctuary, 
 (the Jews,) and the host, (the Greek church,) 
 have been '•' trodden under foot'' by the 
 Mohamedan powers, which is now a visible 
 matter of fact. "The time of the end," 
 
 *■ As in the first persecution, they that understood;, 
 were to instruct many ; and in consequence of their 
 zeal, to fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, 
 and by spoil ; so in this second persecution, some of 
 the men of understanding are, in a similar manner, to 
 perish in attempting to bring about a reformation in 
 the now degenerate Christian world. Hence it is evi. 
 dent, that the men of understanding, must in both 
 cases, be men of the same principles ; that is, men 
 professing and acting up to the pure truths of the Gos- 
 pel, in contradistinction to the heathens in the former 
 instance, and to corrupt Christians in the latter in- 
 stance. — Bp. Newton's Dissertation xvn. 
 
MORNING VISION. 147 
 
 when the oppression of both Jews and 
 Greeks will cease, will be at the termin- 
 ation of the 2300 years. 
 
 36 And the king shall do according to his will ; and 
 he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every 
 god, and shall speak marvellous things against the 
 God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be 
 accomplished ; for that that is determined shall be 
 done. 
 
 The term " king," here, refers to the per- 
 secuting power whether secular or rehgious. 
 As both of Daniel's visions are local as well 
 as strictly chronological, we are to look for 
 no other " king" than the Mohamedan power 
 in this place.* The little horn of the Greek 
 empire was to oppress the Jews and Greek 
 Christians, to the " time of the end," the ter- 
 
 * About 1805, as before remarked, The Rev. George 
 Stanley Faber, B. D. Vicar of Stockton-Upon-Tees, 
 published an interesting Dissertation on the Prophecies, 
 diftering in many important particulars from Sir Isaac 
 Newton, Bishop Newton, and all who have followed 
 their track, as Clarke, Scott, and others. It was found 
 that Faber was more correct in some things, having 
 the natural advantage of all modern writers over those 
 who wrote at an earlier period on the prophecies. 
 It may however, be impossible to find a writer wholly 
 impartial, i.e. attaching no undue importance to events 
 in Ids own time and country. 
 
148 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 mination of 2300 years. The little horn of 
 the Roman beast is to " wear out the saints 
 of the Most High," three times and a half, 
 or 1260 years, from the commencement of 
 the papal reign. 
 
 Mr. Faber wrote about seven years after the break- 
 ing out of the French Revolution, that political earth- 
 quake, which by its horrid atheism, and terrible destruc- 
 tion of human life, convulsed all EurojTe and even 
 America. In casting round for some striking predic- 
 tion of these scenes, Mr. F. siezed upon Dan. xi : 
 36—40. 
 
 Mr. Smith, of our own country, who about the same 
 time wrote an able Dissertation on the prophecies, took 
 nearly the same view of this part of the eleventh chap- 
 ter of Daniel. 
 
 The author of these illustrations not being able to 
 reconcile Faber's and Smith's exposition of this portion 
 of Daniel, with other parts of the evening and morn- 
 ing visions, and supposing it probable that time, the 
 best of all interpreters of prophecy, might in some 
 measure have modified the vieAvs of Mr. Smith, ad- 
 dressed to him a note to which the following is his 
 answer. His "Key to the Revelations," recently pub- 
 lished, give so much evidence of the advantages its 
 author had derived from time and reflection^ that it 
 was hoped his views of this passage might have been 
 so modified as to reflect a clearer light upon it. But 
 often times opinions early embraced and long cherish- 
 ed, yield with reluctance even to increasing light. 
 
 This writer, deeply versed in the prophetical scrip- 
 tures, now 77 years of age, is yet active, and able to 
 preach regularly, retaining in an unusual degree, his 
 ready mental faculties. 
 
MORNING VISION. 149 
 
 *' King," not only denotes a dynasty, but 
 ^ succession of rulers, civil or ecclesiastical. 
 That it arose out of the Grecian empire we 
 may readily see, by looking back to the par- 
 allel passages in the morning vision, now un- 
 der consideration. (Dan. viii : 21, 25.) This 
 is exactly the parellel point in the morning 
 vision in which we stand, only on a third 
 track of this great " highway." Dr. Scott, 
 as we said, according to the first edition of 
 his commentary, was thrown off his track by 
 
 Roxbury Dec. 16, 1839. 
 Mr. David Cambell : My Dear Sir, — I came home 
 Saturday evening, (13th mst.) and found your letter 
 relative to Daniel 11th chap &c. My views of Daniel 
 11 are the same which I published in the Dij^sertation, 
 viz. that the object of this last vision of Daniel was to 
 predict the beast from the bottomless pit, as in Rev. 17. 
 Of this he says in Dan. x . 1, "a thing was revealed to 
 Daniel, and the thing was true, but the time was long." 
 No such notice was hinted, of the time being "long," 
 when the great eastern monarchies were predicted in 
 chap. 2nd- ; when the papal horn was predicted in 
 chap. 7 ; when the Mohamedan horn was predicted in 
 chap. 8 : nor when the advent of Christ in the flesh, 
 and the destruction of Jerusalem, in chap. 9. But in. 
 his last vision, a new thing-, and far subsequent to the 
 rise ol the papal and Mohamedan pillars of Satan's 
 kingdom, was to be predicted, and an event connected 
 wdtii the battle of the great day of God, and thus an 
 event of these last days, and then more than 2000 years. 
 
 13* 
 
150 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 bishop Newton's Dissertation, at verse 3J, 
 but was set on again by Faber. (See his 
 remarks on Dan. viii : 23, 25, stereotype ed. 
 See also, note, page 72 of this work.) Why 
 he should here again, run oft' the track, on 
 the very next trip, is very strange. (See 
 diagram; also, period of Antiochus, Dan. 1 1 : 
 31.) 
 
 For whatever power is predicted by '' the 
 king of fierce countenance" who will '^mag- 
 nify himself in his heart,'' as in Dan. viii : 
 
 future. The mode of his introducing this event was 
 striking, viz. he introduces a line of monarchs. from 
 near his ownpime, down to the noted Antiochus Epiph- 
 anes, monarch of Syria, who greatly persecuted the 
 church in Judea, and was the last monarch described 
 before verse 36 of chap. 11, where the wilful power, (as 
 Faber calls it,) the antitype of Antiochus Epiphanes is 
 introduced. The vision' then enters upon the "thing 
 revealed to Daniel, which was true, but the time 
 appointed was long " — and gives a delineation of it, 
 not of any one man, but a system of infidelity ; such as 
 was the Voltaire system, which gave birth to the French 
 Revolution of 1789, which occasioned wars most terri- 
 ble in Europe for 25 years ; (the 7 thunders in Rev. 10.) 
 and destroyed, it has been calculated, about ten mil- 
 lions of the human race ; and which had been planted 
 in at least 12 nations in Christendom, and deeply plant- 
 ed in our United States. This system was perfected 
 under the cover of Free Masonry. You will find a 
 good delineation of these monarchs in the visions down 
 to Antiochus, and to verse 36 of Daniel, in Henry, Scott, 
 and the Comprehensive Commentary. After verse 36 
 
MORNING VISION. 15 1 
 
 23, (Slc, so here, precisely the same power 
 is denoted by the ''king doing according to 
 his will," and " magnifying himself above 
 every god." (verse 36.) Let the reader 
 carefully read the parallel passages in their 
 connection, and see, if he can, how any one 
 familiar with prophecy can come to any 
 other conclusion. Let none think the writ- 
 er over anxious on these points. For once 
 settle the simple outhnes and true distinct- 
 ions in the visions of Daniel, and follow out 
 the same rule in the Revelations of John, as 
 Smith, in a good measure, has done in his 
 
 you will find little or no aid from these Commentators, 
 unless a hint that they do relate, probably, to an anti- 
 type of Antiochus. It is a clear case (in my mind) that 
 a new subject is introduced in verse 36, as has been 
 hinted. All that precedes this, was many centuries 
 back of the rise of the papal and the Mohamedan horns, 
 in chap. 7 and 8. But what is introduced in verse 36, 
 was many centuries future of the introduction of those 
 horns. We find, here, that atheistical system clearly 
 described, to the close of the first dynasty under it, in 
 verse 40. The horrid influence, after this, continues till 
 it ends in the close of the chap., and commencement of 
 the next chap., in the battle of the day of God, in which 
 this power, and popery, go into perdition : as in Dan. 
 7 : 11, and Rev. 19 : 19, 20, and many other prophecies 
 upon the same event. 
 
 * * * 
 
 I am Respectfully Yours, 
 
 Ethan Smith. 
 
152 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 " key," and the obscurity, hitherto resting on 
 the page of prophecy at once departs. So- 
 ber enquirers after truth behold its cheering 
 light ! 
 
 The same argument used against Miller's 
 theory at the parallel point, in Daniel 8th 
 chapter, by Mr Smith, may be fairly turned 
 against his own views of the 36th verse of 
 this chapter.* For the 8th and 9th chap- 
 ters are identical in their local and chrono- 
 logical boundaries, 2300 years, the length of 
 the vision, and the Greek empire the locality 
 of the events fulfiling the vision. 
 
 * One fact overturns the whole of his scheme, viz. 
 this number (2,300) on which he rests the Whole of his 
 fabric, has no connection with popery, but is found con- 
 nected with Mohamedanism, to tell when that shall fall. 
 Popery is predicted in Dan. 7 : 8, as the little blasphe- 
 mous horn of the secular Roman beast ; as all agree. 
 In chapter 8 : 9, another little horn is predicted under 
 the Macedonian goat, which shotild fall at the close of 
 2,300 years. Mr. M. lakes it as a clear case, that this 
 second little horn is also popery, the same with the horn 
 of the Roman beast in chapter 7. He here mistakes. 
 This horn in chapter 8, is the delusion of Moharaed, as 
 is evident from the following things. 
 
 1. It is a horn under the Macedonian beast ; popery 
 is under the Roman beast. 
 
 2. Popery would not be given twice in Daniel, in two 
 distinct unions, and Mohamedanism not given at all, 
 as it is hot, if it be not given here. 
 
MORNING VISION. 153 
 
 Let us here compare the character of the 
 
 ■fe in 
 
 this chapter, and we shall find that their 
 imagined resemblance will rapidly fade away. 
 " The king" was to be engaged in wars with 
 the kings of the i&out/i and the North, 
 Here the parallel entirely fails. No similar 
 exploits of the "man of sin" are predicted. 
 This " king" as we shall see, '* comes to his 
 
 3. The description of the little horn, in chapter 8, 9, 
 exactly applies to Mohamedanism, but not at all to 
 popery. To give the papal horn, chapter 7, the line of 
 powers to introduce it, comes down to the fourth, the 
 Roman, where popery did arise. But, in chapter 8, to 
 introduce the horn there, the line is given only to the 
 third, the Macedonian, where Mohamedanism did arise. 
 The four quarters, into which Alexander's empire was 
 divided, are mentioned, in one of which, this second 
 horn was to arise ; and here Mohamedanism did arise, 
 but not under the Roman beast as did popery. The 
 vision hints that this second horn was to arise in the 
 southern quarter, which included Arabia ; for it says, 
 "it waxed exceeding great toward the south, and to- 
 ward the east, and toward the pleasant land," (Pales- 
 tine,) a thing true of Mohamedanism ; but not true at 
 all of popery. Nothing is said of this second horn's 
 doing any thing toward the west, where popery was ; 
 but in the south and east, where popery was not. Mo- 
 hamed arose in Mecca, in Arabia, in the south of Alex- 
 ander's empire ; and his scheme waxed great where 
 and as is here predicted ; but where popery did not 
 exist. — Smith's Review of Miller's Evidekces of the 
 Secokd CoMiKft OF Christ in 1843. 
 
154 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 end" at the close of this chapter, or termin- 
 ation of 2300 years which is near at hand. 
 The "man of sin'' continues till the revival 
 of the imperial head of the Roman beast, 
 and the slaying of the witnesses, at the ter- 
 mination of the 1260 years, a point of time 
 as will be shown much more distant. With 
 so great a discrepance of character, both 
 chronological and circumstantial, "the man 
 of sin," cannot represent the same power as 
 this "king." 
 
 37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, 
 nor the desire of women, nor regard any god j for he 
 shall magnify himself above all. 
 
 In viewing all these verses applied to the 
 Mohamedan "little horn," we meet but one 
 difficulty, viz : " he shall not regard the de- 
 sire of women," (verse 37.) This is sup- 
 posed to apply better to the little horn of 
 Romanism. We shall not leave a straight, 
 and hitherto clear path for one difficulty ; 
 but refer the reader to Faber's notes.* (See 
 also note on " the God of forces." (verse 38.) 
 For an account of the terrible and desolating 
 
 * The desire of women, does not signify the desire 
 to have women or wives ; but, on the contrary, that 
 which women or wives desire to have. That such is 
 the meaning of the expression is sufficiently manifest 
 
MORNING VISION. 155 
 
 wars of Mohamed and his successors, denot- 
 ed by these predictions, the reader must have 
 recourse to the history of those times. 
 
 He shall exalt himself, and magnify him- 
 self above every god, and shall speak mar- 
 vellous things against the God of gods, &c. 
 (2Gth verse.) This is deemed by some as 
 more applicable to an atheistical power than 
 to the Mohamedan, because atheists do in fact 
 disclaim against all idea of God. But even 
 atheistical France deified and v^orshipped 
 human reason. And it is true that Mohamed 
 magnified " himself above every god" and 
 opposed Christ " the Lord of Lords." 
 
 from the uniform and unvarying phraseology of the 
 whole Hebrew Scriptures ; at least I have not been able 
 to discover a single passage in the Old Testament, 
 wherein the word debirc; when constructed as in the 
 expression under consideration, ever signifies a wish 
 to have the thing imported by the substantive with 
 which it is so constructed. Thus the desire of Israel, 
 does not mean the wish to have Israel, but that which 
 Israel wished to have, namely, Saul for a kmg ; the 
 desire of thy soul, is not the wish to have thy soul, but 
 that which thy soul wishes to have ; the desire of the 
 heart is not the wish to have the heart, but that which 
 the heart wishes to have ; the desire of the wicked is 
 not the wish to have the wicked, but that which the 
 wicked wish to have ; the desire of Ezekiel's eyes is 
 not surely the wish to have his eyes, but that which 
 his eyes desired, namely, his wife ; and thus, not to 
 
156 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 That the reader may see that Mohamed, 
 although an apostate Christian, still main- 
 tained the semblance of piety, extracts from 
 the Koran with notes, from the English and 
 
 weary the reader with a long detail of instances, the 
 desire of all nations, is not the wish to be master of all 
 nations, but that which all nations desire, even the 
 promised Messiah. 
 
 The original prediction of the promised seed, was 
 delivered specially to Eve. It was her seed, that was 
 to bruise the head of the serpent, not Adam's. To the 
 advent of this seed she impatiently looked forward ; 
 and such was her eager desire, that upon the birth of 
 her first child, for getting that Cain was ' Adam's seed 
 no less than her own, she exclaimed, ' I have gotten a 
 man, even Jehovah himself," I hold in my arms the 
 promised Messiah. To the subsequent limitation of 
 this promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, succes- 
 sively, we must attribute the vehement desire, which 
 Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, all felt to have children ; 
 and the same cause will satisfactorily account for the 
 excessive horror which all the Israelitish women enter- 
 tained of barrenness. " Let me go up and down the 
 mountains, and bewail my virginity," was the mourn- 
 ful language of Jepthah's daughter, when doomed by 
 her father's vow to perpetual celibacy : "the Lord hath 
 taken away my reproach among men," was the joyful 
 exclamation of Rachel and Elisabeth . "hail thou, that 
 art highly favored, the Lord is with thee, blessed art 
 thou among women," was the salutation of the angel 
 to the mother of the Saviour of mankind : the desire 
 indeed of all nations, but in a peculiar and mysterious 
 sense, the desire of women, inasmuch as he was to be 
 born by the power of the Holy Ghost of a pure virgin. 
 — Faber on the Prophecies, pp. 226, 227, 228. 
 
MORNING VISION. 157 
 
 French translators are introduced below.* 
 Let these extracts beco:npared with Faber's 
 notes on the passage '-desire of women.'' 
 Nothing could be more undesirable to wom- 
 an than polygamy, so freely allowed by Mo- 
 hamed. The extracts which have a bearing 
 upon what is generally called the " Mohame- 
 dan paradise," and which is so often thrown 
 in the flice of those who hold to a millen- 
 nial state of the Christian church on earth, 
 will be attended to in a proper place. 
 
 * Al Koran, Chapter 1, Entitled the Preface, or Intro- 
 duction a ; revealed at Mecca. 
 
 In the name of the most merciful God. * 
 Praise be to God. the Lord of all creatures ; the 
 most merciful, the king of the day of judgment. Thee 
 do we worship, and of thee do we beg assistance. Di- 
 rect us in the right way, in the Avay of those to whom 
 thou hast been gracious ; not of those against whom 
 Ihou art incensed, nor of those who go astray, b p. 187. 
 
 ain Arabic, al Fiitihat. This cliaptf r is a prayer, and held in srreat 
 veneration hy the Mohamcddns, who ;five it several other honorable 
 titles ; a* the cliapler ol" prayer, of praise, of thanksgiving, of treas- 
 ure, <lk,c. 
 
 * This formula is prefixed to all the chapters (with the exception 
 of one.) It i- expressly reconimended in the Koran. 'J"he Mohame- 
 dans pronounce it whenever ihey slaut;hter an animal, and at the 
 commencenitinl of their reading, and ofall important actions. It is with 
 ihera that which the sign of the cross is with Christians. — Savary. 
 
 b This last sentence contains a petition, that God would lead the 
 supplicants into the true religion by which ia meant the MoharaedaOt 
 in the Koran often called the right way. 
 
 14 
 
158 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 38 But in his estate shall he honor the god of forces ; 
 and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor 
 with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and 
 pleasant things. 
 
 I have already endeavored to prove, that 
 the two ^' Httle horns" were designed by the 
 spirit of God, to typify the Papal and Mo- 
 
 Chapter II, Entitled the Cow a j revealed partly at 
 Mecca and partly at Medina. 
 
 In the name of the most merciful God. 
 
 Al. M. There is no doubt in this book; it is a direc- 
 tion to the pious, who believe in the mysteries b of 
 faith, who observe the appointed times of prayer, and 
 distribute alms out of what we have bestowed on them ; 
 and who believe m that revelation, which hath been 
 sent down unto thee, and that which hath been sent 
 down unto the prophets before thee, c p. 188. 
 
 And if ye fear that ye shall not act with equity to- 
 wards orphans of the female sex, take in marriage of 
 such other women as please you, two, or three, or four, 
 and not more. But if ye fear that ye cannot act equi- 
 tably towards so many, marry one only, or the slaves 
 which ye shall have acquired. This will be easier, 
 that ye swerve not from righteousness. — p. 263. 
 
 Hast thou not considered those to whom part of the 
 scripture hath been given ? They believe in false gods 
 and idols ; and say of those who believe not, These are 
 more rightly directed in the way of truth, than they 
 who believe on Mohamed. — p 273. 
 
 a This title was occasioned by the story of the red heifer. 
 
 b The Arabic word is ghcib, which properly signifies a thing that is 
 absent, at a i?:reat distance, or invisible. 
 
 c The Mohatnedans believe that God eave written revelations not 
 only to Moses, Jesus, and Mohamed, but to several other prophets. 
 
MORNING VISION. 159 
 
 hamedan apostacies, and that the latter pow- 
 er in this chapter, is again predicted, under 
 the character of " the king.'*' The local and 
 chronological series of events in this chapter 
 have shown us, almost to a demonstration, 
 thus far, that this formidable power cannot 
 be popery, nor the atheistical revolution in 
 France as supposed by Faber and Smith. (See 
 diagram on the local boundaries of this 
 chapter.) 
 
 " The god of forces," in this verse, is 
 claimed by many expositors as denoting the 
 worship of saints and angels, or tutelary 
 gods in the Romish church, but it is appli- 
 cable enough to the religion and worship 
 of Mohamed. As some interpret the 
 
 We formerly gave unto the family of Abraham a 
 book of revelations and wisdom ; and we gave them a 
 great kingdom. There is of them who belie veth on 
 him ; and there is of them who turneth aside from 
 him J but the raging fire of hell is a sufficient punish- 
 ment. Verily those who disbelieve our signs, we will 
 surely cast to be broiled in hell fire ; so often as their 
 skins shall be well burned, we will give them other 
 skins in exchange, that they may taste the sharper tor- 
 ment ; for God is mighty and wise. But ihose who 
 believe and do that which is right, we will bring into 
 gardens watered by rivers, therin shall they remain for- 
 ever, and there shall they enjoy wives free from all 
 impurity ; aud we will lead them into perpetual shades. 
 — Sale's translation of the Koran. 
 
160 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 word it may refer to his military foitresses.* 
 
 39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a 
 strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase 
 with glory ; and he shall cause thern to rule over many, 
 and shall divide the land for gain. 
 
 This still further illustrates the mannei in 
 which the " strarge god" of Mohamedan- 
 istn " increased with gh>ry" in his conquests, 
 possessing " the most strong iiolds,*' "divid- 
 ing the lund for gain," and causing his vo- 
 taries to " rule over many." 
 
 " The immediate succe.^sors ofMoharred," 
 says a popular writer, " conquered all of 
 known Africa ; as Moors they descended 
 upon Spain and established the magnificent 
 court of Cordova. The victorious standard 
 of the crescent was raised on the cold moun- 
 tains of Tartary, and the burning sands of 
 
 * " For together with God, in his seat shall he honor 
 Mahuzzim ; even together with that God whom his an- 
 cestors knew not, shall he honor (them) wiih gold, and 
 with silver, and with precious stones, and with pleasant 
 things." (Mede. Marg. and Marg. Ref.) Mahuzzim is 
 the plural of the word translated a fortress, a strong 
 tower, or a rock, in very many places of the scripiure, 
 and in this very chapter, 7, lU, 19. Heb. True Chris- 
 tians, have, with David, but one Mahoz, the "Mahoz 
 of salvation," — Notes to Scott's Bible, p. 695. 
 
MORNING VISION. 161 
 
 Ethiopia." On Mount Lebanon, and by the 
 waters of Babylon; under the pyramids of 
 Egypt, and to Mozambique and Madagascar 
 the standard-sheet of Mohamed was unfurl- 
 ed. 
 
 " Under the auspices of the Abassides, and 
 in Bagdad on the Tigris, they were destined 
 to sustain the cause of civilization. While 
 Europe had not emerged from the shades of 
 barbarism, the court of the Arabian princes 
 was glowing with the glory of art and refine- 
 ment, eloquence, poetry and science. 
 
 " Mohamed had taught a weak and effemi- 
 nate people the great art of thinking and 
 acting. The effect was like fire to their in- 
 tellects. They studied medicine : they com- 
 municated, if they did not originate, algebra ; 
 they cultivated a taste for song and romance. 
 Much of this stream of hterary taste and cul- 
 tivated refinement flowed out upon Europe, 
 and stimulated, if it did not create, the re- 
 vival of learning. 
 
 ^^ Such, in a short space of time, was the 
 progress and the vast results of Mohamedan- 
 ism. Of this empire, the Turkish dominion 
 was but a part. The Turks were originally 
 a Tarter tribe, which first appeared in history 
 as independent, under their chief Othman, 
 who assumed th« title of Sultan. They com- 
 14* 
 
162 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECT. 
 
 menced their career from the Euphrates tow- 
 ard the Danube. They took possession of 
 Syria, Egypt, Servia, Greece, Cyprus, 
 Rhodes, and finally, in 1453, Mohamed the 
 third, took Constantinople, and established 
 the Sultinate on the throne of Justinian. 
 Henceforward the Turks "encamped in Eu- 
 rope." 
 
 Mohamedanism was more emphatically 
 propagated by the sword, than Romanism. 
 The Saracens, and Turks made rapid pro- 
 gress, and many countiies were "divided'' 
 for " gain," Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Ethiopia 
 and many other partsof Africa and Asia and 
 no small part of Europe. All the countries 
 of the Greek church, except Russia, were 
 overrun by tnis imposture, when Constan- 
 tinople became the capitol of tiie Ottoman 
 empire. 
 
 " Divide the land for gain." Mr Mede 
 and bishop Newton seem to have forgotten 
 a very material word in this part of the 
 prophecy. The land was not only to be di- 
 vided, but it was to be divided for a price. 
 Our translation reads for gain, but in the 
 margin it retains the proper import of the 
 original, for a price. Now, in whatever 
 manner the Pope might contrive to divide 
 the land among his adherents, he certainly 
 
MORNING VISION. 163 
 
 did not divide it among them /or a price, or 
 especially as a conquering warrior. He in- 
 duced tlie laity to make large grants of their 
 lands to the church as a sort of charity. 
 But Mohamed, and his successor in power, 
 took by force the " most strong holds," and 
 divided the land among those generals who 
 would pay most. 
 
 In preceding notes we have allowed Fa- 
 ber and Smith to correct Newton, and other 
 commentators, who apply different portions 
 of this chapter previous to the 36th verse, to 
 the western empire and the Pope. Now 
 vi^ith equal propriety and force, will Scott 
 and others correct Faber and Smith for 
 claiming the 36th to the 40lh verses as ap- 
 plicable to the French Revolution.* 
 
 * This interpretation, however, may be objected to, 
 as making the grand subject of this last vision of Dan- 
 iel, in great measure to coincide with those before 
 stated in the seventh and eighth chapters ; especially 
 in respect of the fourth beast, and the little horn of the 
 fourth beast. But if the angel interpreted to the proph- 
 et, in plain language, what had before been shewn him 
 under emblems, and more obscurely, as it is manifest 
 he did in the former part of the chapter, why may he 
 not be supposed to proceed in the same way in the latter 
 part? This does indeed, as here expounded, enter into 
 particulars, and mention circumstances, not before ad- 
 
164 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the 
 south push at him; and the king of the north shall 
 come against him like a Avhirlwind, with chariots, and 
 with horsemen, and with many ships ; and he shall en- 
 ter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. 
 
 " At the time of the end." Here then, we 
 must all meet together again. For to the 
 Ottoman power, " the time of the end" has 
 arrived. The sixth vial is nearly emptied of 
 its contents, the bitter dregs only remain. 
 The remaining five verses of this chapter 
 therefore, refer to the 'present and future, 
 not the past. 
 
 As the 2300 years in this vision are so 
 nearly expired, and the present time ap- 
 proaches so near to the time of the end of 
 the Ottoman power, (verse 40,) it is proper 
 to speak with caution, for time will disclose 
 the full meaning of passages relating to 
 
 duced, especially as including the corruptions of the 
 eastern church also, but the grand outhne is the same. 
 What may hereafter unexpectedly follow from the par- 
 oxysm of continental Atheism, the French Revolution, 
 the usurpation of Napoleon Bonaparte, and his dynasty, 
 we cannot say, but present appearances in no degree 
 favor the opinion, that these things separately or con- 
 jointly are here predicted ; and as to the rest, our pos- 
 terity will be most competent to judge ; and probably 
 will discover, that we have all been mistaken more or 
 less. — Scott's Ngces on Dan. xi, 39. 
 
MORNING VISION. 165 
 
 events not yet transpired. Yet the aspect of 
 the horizon betokens changes not far dis- 
 tant. Durino" the last summer, " the king 
 of the south," the Pacha of Egypt, has 
 *' pushed at him," (the Sultan of Turkey,) 
 very effectually too, dej-troying his entire 
 army near the Euphrates, and is now actual- 
 ly " pushing" at the capitol, and the king of 
 the north, (Russia,) may soon come " like a 
 whirlwind," though he now, from policy, 
 feigns friendship. For surely, Russia has 
 always been a natural enemy of the Ottoman 
 power because it has invaded and oppressed 
 a great part of the Greek church, has long 
 held as the seat of empire, the city in which 
 the patriarchs of the eastern church have 
 always resided. 
 
 Among the various indications of change, 
 we consider the recent " Hatti Scheriff,^^ 
 or proclamation ol die young Sultan of Tur- 
 key the most extraordinary, not only as 
 completely changing the civil policy and 
 immemorial usages of that empire, but em- 
 bracing, at once, all the cardinal doctrines of 
 Christian governments, and changing by a 
 single decree, an absolute monarchy to a 
 republic of laws and equal rights. The fol- 
 lowing is part of what may be called the 
 Turkish Declaration of Independence : 
 
166 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 *' It is most important to fix the rate of 
 taxes. Fortunately for the people, sometime 
 back they have been delivered from the vex- 
 atious system of monopolies — those bad 
 sources of revenue. As bad a source of rev- 
 enue still subsists, in the venal concession 
 of offices. Each region is delivered up to 
 the arbitrary will of one man ; that is, to the 
 most violent and greedy passions. — It is 
 henceforth requisite that each Ottoman sub- 
 ject should pay a certain sum of taxes pro- 
 portioned to his fortune and faculties. It is 
 also requisite that special laws should fix 
 and limit the expenses of the military and 
 naval force. 
 
 " There ought to be laws to fix the contin- 
 gent of each locality, and limit to four or 
 five years the term of a military service. It 
 is dealing a mortal blow to agriculture, as 
 well as an injustice in itself, to take more 
 hands from districts than they can fairly 
 spare; and it is to reduce soldiers to despair, 
 and to depopulate the country, to retain 
 them all their life in service. 
 
 ''Without such laws as these, of which 
 the necessity is felt, there can be neither 
 empire, nor force, nor riches, nor happiness, 
 nor tranquility. All these blessings may be 
 expected from new laws. Henceforth, more- 
 
MORNING VISION. 167 
 
 over, every accused person shall be publicly 
 tried, according to the Divine law, after act 
 and examination ; and no power shall, se- 
 cretly or otherwise, cause any one to per- 
 ish by poison, or by any other means, until 
 a regular judgment has been passed. Na 
 one shall hurt another's honor, and each 
 shall possess his property with liberty, and 
 in fear of no one. The innocent heirs of a 
 condemned person shall inherit his property, 
 nor shall the goods of the criminal be con- 
 fiscated. 
 
 " These imperial concessions extend to all 
 our subjects, of every religion, without ex- 
 ception. Perfect security is accorded to all 
 the inhabitants of the empire in life, honor, 
 and fortune, as wills the text of our laws. 
 
 '' All venality and traffic of offices shall be 
 abolished as the great cause of the decad- 
 ence of the empire. 
 
 " These dispositions, being a revocation 
 of old usages, shall be published at Constan- 
 tinople and throughout our empire, and com- 
 municated officially to the ambassadors res- 
 ident there." 
 
 Moreover the Autocrat of Russia has al- 
 ready humbled the pride of the Turk, other- 
 wise the Greek Republic could never have 
 sustained their cause and establish their in- 
 
168 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 dependence. "Many ships." The English 
 and French fleets are aheady in the Mediter- 
 ranean watcliing every movement, and if 
 they adopt for a time, a moderate policy 
 towards the waning crescent, they will pur- 
 sue it no longer than to adjust the balance 
 of power, and secure their own national in- 
 terests. 
 
 The young Sultan during the last year a 
 short time subsequent to the death of the 
 old Sultan his father, offered his rival foe, the 
 Pacha of Egypt, the entire management of 
 the empire. To this the Russian emperor and 
 his allies would not consent. It is doubt- 
 ful too whether Russia will favor the reform 
 spirit which the young Sultan has imbibed. 
 
 M. Mordicai Noah, a Jew, the editor of 
 the New Yoik Star, remarking upon this 
 subject, says — 
 
 *' The effect of these new doctrines will be 
 felt throughout every part of Turkey, in 
 Asia and Europe, and will make a deep im- 
 pression upon the subjects of Mehemet Ali ; 
 also throughout Persia, and in every country 
 where Islamism prevails. "Life, liberty, 
 and the pursuit of happiness," according to 
 the Hatti Scheriff', are conferred on " every 
 religion without exception," and this at once 
 raises to the degree of citizen and freemen, 
 
MORNING VISION. 169 
 
 four millions of Jews, many of whom inhabit, 
 as captives, the land of their heritage. 
 
 "Dispensmg to each equal liberty and 
 equal law, if honestly carried out, is the 
 most important step in the restoration of the 
 Jews, which has been taken since their dis- 
 persion, and may be deemed a wonderful 
 and significant sign in the east." 
 
 It is becoming more and more evident that 
 the downfal of the Ottoman power and the 
 overthrow of Mohamedanism, will prove an 
 occasion of fierce conflicts between the jeal- 
 ous powers of Europe and Asia. However 
 fortunate the Jews may consider these ch^mg- 
 es as favoring their long looked for restora- 
 tion, they will, no doubt, be much involved 
 in these desolating wars. 
 
 " At the time of the end" as we are as- 
 sured by Joel, (chapter 3,) loar shall be 
 sanctified, that is, war shall be waged under 
 a religious pretence. The spirit of war 
 when combined with religious enthusiasm 
 and superstition is dreadful beyond concep- 
 tion. The impious wretches, who thus dare 
 to profane the holy name of religion shall 
 perish " between the seas." The crusades 
 or " holy wars" were typical of this last 
 struggle of Mohamedanism with other false 
 schemes of religion, and took place in Pales- 
 15 
 
170 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 tine, between the Dead sea and the Mediter- 
 ranean. Daniel, Joel, and Zacheriah, all 
 concur in affirming that this will be a time 
 of unexampled trouble to the Jews about 
 the time of their restoration. Such, indeed, 
 is the declaration of all the ancient prophets^ 
 and it is perfectly analagous to the events 
 attendant on their first entrance into Ca- 
 naan. And, at their partial restoration from 
 Babylon, their '^ city was built in troublous 
 times." Almost every intimation, of the res- 
 toration of the Jews, in the Bible, alludes also 
 to the terrible calamities which will befal the 
 wicked in Palestine. John, in the Revela- 
 tion, lays the scene of the last great battle 
 in the eastern empire, at Megiddo, or Ar- 
 mageddon, which is a town in Palestine, 
 situated, agreeable to Daniel's prediction, 
 " between the seas." The sixth vial, as we 
 shall have occasion to notice in the sequel, 
 is rapidly accomplishing its appropriate work 
 in that part of the world. 
 
 The pronoun '' him" and " he" so often 
 used in this chapter, and especially in these 
 few remaining verses, refers us to the soul or 
 presiding genus of the eastern Anti-Christ. 
 *•' He shall enter into the countries, and shall 
 overflow and pass over." (verse 40.) 
 Whether ''he" is applied to the Sultan,, 
 
MORNING VISION. 171 
 
 rallying his energies for his death strug- 
 gle, the Autocrat of' the north,'Mhe jeal- 
 ous powers of Europe, or all these connbined, 
 time will soon disclose.* ''Three unclean 
 spirits like frogs," coming " out of the mouth 
 of the dragon," [Pagan Rome,] out of the 
 mouth of the beast," [nominal Christian 
 Rome,] " and out of the mouth of the false 
 prophet," [Hierarchal Rome,] are ere long 
 to be combined in the great death struggle 
 of the fourth beast or w estern empire. Per- 
 haps they will begin their work by destroy- 
 ing the eastern or third beast with its little 
 horn of Mohamedanism. Faberand Smith, 
 as is well known, expect a revival of the 
 European infidel power, personified by some 
 
 * Turkey has lost all her possessions in Greece — Ah 
 Pacha became a rebel years ago, and despoiled the Sul- 
 tan of Egypt and Syria — the Regencies in the Barbary 
 States forgot their allegiance, and the Sultan, beset by 
 Russia and abandoned by Pachas and Governors, was 
 compelled to fall back within the Bosphorus and con- 
 centrate his power and resources. The present Sul- 
 tan is too young to take the management of public 
 affairs — The last Hatti Scheriff, to which we have 
 referred, comes from the Divan, and most of the prom- 
 inent members of that cabinet have been Embassadors, 
 and attentive, skilful, discerning Embassadors at the 
 general European Courts, and have all seen the neces- 
 sity of a reform, and it has been at length made, which 
 
J 72 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 great, leader, to do this work, and to be here 
 denoted "by the pronoun •' he'' and "him." 
 But as we now have to do with matters of 
 fact, theories are of less consequence. The 
 downfal of the eastern Anti-Christ will set- 
 tle all the difference among expositors, and 
 show more clearly, the approaching fate ot 
 the fourth and last beast. 
 
 41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and 
 many countries shall be overthrown 5 but these shall 
 escape out of his hand, even Edom, andMoab, and the 
 chief of the children of Ammon. 
 
 The followers offthe Arabian impostor 
 have held dominion over " the glorious land" 
 of Judea, amid the many centuries which 
 
 places Turkey side by side with the civilized nations 
 of the world. A change in the religion of a people so 
 devoted, and so numerous, cannot be expected, but the 
 new civil regulations will of necessity produce great 
 reforms in the practical operations and influence of 
 their religion, and we may now see the Mosque the 
 Chapel and the Synagogue, alike tolerated and tran- 
 quilly sustained under the laws in the city of Constan- 
 tine, and wherever the cresent floats. These are 
 changes which siljently, but securely bring about great 
 events — events which have been predicted and await 
 their alloted time. We live in a wonderful age, and 
 wonderful revolutions are at work. — New York Eve. 
 Star of Jan. 11, 1840. 
 
MORNING VISION. 173 
 
 they have overrun, the Greek empire. From 
 prophecy, it is evident that this " land" is to 
 be the theatre of the last conflict, before the 
 Jews shall be re-instated in the land of their 
 fathers, in full and permanent peace. 
 
 " Edom," " Moab," and '' Ammon" now 
 supposed to be incorporated with the Ish- 
 maelites and Midianites, is a most remarkable 
 instance of definite prophecy exactly fulfil- 
 ed. They have always remained independ- 
 ent. Even the Mussleman's power has never 
 been able to subjugate them. The Ottoman 
 Sultan even now pays the Arabs an annual 
 pension of .forty thousand crowns, for the 
 safe passage of the pilgrims and caravans to 
 Mecca. Yet they are often plundered. 
 
 " Ammon" was to be delivered to be a 
 spoil to the heathen.* 
 
 * Ammon was to be delivered to be a spoil to the 
 heathen — to be destroyed, and to be a perpetual desola- 
 tion. "All this country, formerly so populous and flour- 
 ishing, is now changed into a vast desert." Ruins are 
 seen in every direction. The country is divided be- 
 tween the Turks and the Arabs,' but chiefly possessed 
 by the latter. The extortions of the one and the depre- 
 dations of the other keep it in perpetual desola- 
 lion, and make it a spoil to the heathen. " The far 
 greater part of the country is uninhabited, being aban- 
 doned to the wandering Arabs, and the towns and vil- 
 lages are in a state of total ruin." (Burckhardt's Trav- 
 els in Syria.) 
 
 15* 
 
174 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 In accordance with these old standing and 
 characteristic immunities, the south eastern 
 Arabs, in Arabia Fehx, will doubtless escape 
 the general conflict, as being far out of the 
 line of the marches of those conflicting pow- 
 ers. 
 
 42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the 
 countries ; and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 
 
 43 But he shall have power over the treasures of 
 gold and silver, and over all the precious things of 
 Egypt ; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be 
 at his steps. 
 
 " The land of Egypt shall not escape" the 
 " overthrow" of this desolating conflict. 
 The very success which now attends the 
 arms of the Egyptian Pacha and his son in 
 
 The land of Moab lay to the east and south east of 
 Judea, and bordered on the east, north east, and partly 
 on the south of the Dead Sea. Its early history is 
 nearly analagous to that of Ammon ; and the soil, 
 though perhaps more diversified, is in many places, 
 where the desert and plains of salt have not encroached 
 on its borders, of equal fertility. 
 
 Idumea, or Edom, was situated to the south of Ju- 
 dea and of Moab ; it bordered on the east with Arabia 
 Petraea, under which name it was included in the latter 
 part of its history, and it extended southward to the 
 eastern gulf of the Red Sea.-r-KEiTH on the Evidences 
 OF Prophecy. 
 
MORNING VISION. 175 
 
 Syria and Asia Minor, is doubtless prepar- 
 ing the way for a general expedition of the 
 combined powers into their country in re- 
 turn. Mr Smith, in his Dissertation, thinks 
 there will be two expeditions of the infidel 
 power into the east, with some distances of 
 time between them. Facts begin to show 
 that what he calls " infidel power' as refer- 
 red to the French revolution will be some- 
 thing else. But whatever combined power 
 it may be, " he" will destroy the eastern 
 Anti-Christ. It is very probable there will 
 be more than one expedition before the con- 
 quest is complete.* If " the king of the 
 north" comes down upon Turkey in Eu- 
 rope, '^ Hke a whirlwind," and having " over- 
 flowed and passed over" the ancient Helles- 
 
 * That this passage in Dan. xi, from the 40th verse 
 to the end, predicts two expeditions of the infidel power 
 into Palestine, and at some distance of time from eacti 
 other, I trust will appear very evident from collateral 
 prophecies, which will come into viev/ in (he course of 
 this Dissertation. This concise prophecy in Daniel 
 makes no mention of this Power's crossing the Mediter- 
 ranean, to return home from his first expedition ; or of 
 any events, after he subdues Egypt, and has the Eihe- 
 opians and Libians at his steps : till the tidings out of 
 the east and oat of the north trouble him, and call him 
 again to Palestine. But we cannot infer from this, that 
 he returns to Palestine from Egypt ; or that the event 
 
176 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 pont into Asia Minor, he enters Palestine^ 
 from the " north," laying all the Tuikish 
 provinces at his feet, he beats his way round 
 into Egypt,- and finds access to whatever 
 *^ treasures" and " precious things" a subdu- 
 ed people may have in their possession, — 
 then ^'the Libyans and Ethiopians," (the 
 Arabian and the Barbary states subject 
 to the Turks,) " shall be at his steps." This 
 would no doubt finish the most extensive 
 expedition, and probably empty the contents 
 of the sixth vial in drying up the Euphrat- 
 ean river of the Ottoman power, and prepare 
 the way of the return of the Jews. 
 
 Dr Scott says, the things spoken of here, 
 (verses 42 and 43,) are long subsequent to 
 the expression.. " time of the end," fixes the 
 
 takes place immediately, or before he returns home 
 from his first expedition. The contrary of this will 
 appear to be the fact. This first expedition prepares 
 the way for the restoration of Israel, by the subversion 
 of the Ottoman empire ; as I trust will appear. And 
 the return of God's ancient people, their conversion to 
 Christianity, and the preparmg of the way for the last 
 coalition against them, must occupy some time ; as 
 long a time, I apprehend, as the space between the 
 sixth and seventh vials. For I believe it will appear, 
 that the first expedition of this infidel Power will fulfil 
 the sixth vial ; and that the second will open the way 
 for the fulfilment of the seventh. — Smith on Dan. xi. 
 
MORNING VISION. 177 
 
 period pointed out by this prophecy to later 
 ages than those of the Saracens or even the 
 Turks, the things spoken of (verses 40, 41,) 
 being still future and therefore he will not 
 even conjecture who is meant by "the king of 
 the north or the south." Some of these things, 
 future in the day of Dr. Scott, are now past, 
 or taking place. The Turkish princes have 
 heretofore "stretched forth their hands" 
 (verses 42 and 43,) to grasp these countries, 
 have seized their treasures and used them 
 to strengthen their own power. The plun- 
 der now remains for others besides the Turk. 
 
 44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north 
 shall trouble himj therefore he shall go forth with 
 great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. 
 
 45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace 
 between the seas in the glorious holy mountain ; yet he 
 shall come to his end, and none shall help him. 
 
 These verses relate, no doiiht, to events 
 still future, for the most part, though doubt- 
 less soon to take place. Persia lies eastward 
 and Russia northward of the claimed domin- 
 ion of the Sultan, lie has v/ithin the last 
 twenty years had serious difficulties with 
 both. These may be viewed as an earnest 
 of the entire fulfilment of the prediction of 
 his overthrow. Indeed it is but a few months 
 
178 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 since his eastern army was completely over- 
 thrown near the Euphrates, wiiich must have 
 been " tidings out of the east" to " trouble 
 him." 
 
 But with far more propriety this language 
 will apply to the power which is to over- 
 throw the Turks, finally. Whatever power 
 this is, their interest will be extremely affect- 
 ed by the return of God's ancient people. 
 These facts will prove " tidings out of the 
 east and out of the north," which will 
 " trouble" all Infidel and Anti-Christian 
 powers.* To have such an influence set up 
 
 * These tidings may be said to be out of the east 
 and out of the north, as they will relate to the collec- 
 tion of the Jews and Israel from eastern and northern 
 regions, to the Holy land. Repeatedly the restoration 
 of the Jews is predicted as being from the land of the 
 north. See Jer. xvi, 14, 15, and xxiii, 7, 8. The infidel 
 Power will therefore be excited to collect "the kings of 
 the earth, and of the world," for a new expedition into 
 Palestine : and to unite in a vast confederacy for the 
 utter extirpation of the new church of God in Jerusa- 
 lem. The seventh vial finds him there, in Armaged- 
 don, at the head of his vast coalition of the kings of 
 the earth, and of the false prophet ; and it plunges hira 
 in ruin ; (Rev. xvi, from the 'l3lh' verse to the end; 
 and xix, 19, 20, 21.) Here, under the most signal judg- 
 ment of the great Head of the church, he comes to his 
 end, and none shall help him. — Smith on Dan. xi. 
 
MORNING VISION. 179 
 
 in favor of the Christian religion in these 
 times of skepticism and infidehty, would pro- 
 duce a tremendous excitement throughout 
 the world. 
 
 How long the present Sultan will be able 
 to continue the humiliating peace now ex- 
 isting between him and "the king of the 
 north," time will show. " Tidings" from that 
 quarter, also, may soon *' trouble him." He 
 will then go forth to his death struggle, with 
 great fury to destroy and " make away 
 many." Palestine, the scene of unnumber- 
 ed conflicts is to become the field of desola- 
 tion and blood once more at least, before 
 the "sanctuary" is " cleansed." It is a con- 
 solation to be assured that "where sin has 
 abounded grace shall much more abound." 
 From the early settlement of Canaan, 
 and through all the wars of the Jews, Assyr- 
 ians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Egyp- 
 tians, Syrians, Romans, Saracens, Turks, 
 Crusaders, Musslemen and robbers, and in 
 the present war between the Pacha of Egypt 
 and the Sultan, Palestine, the "glorious 
 holy mountain" has been made the great 
 arena of battle and slaughter. Surely 
 " the sanctuary" needs to be " cleansed" af- 
 ter being so long "trodden under foot of the 
 Gentiles." 
 
180 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY, 
 
 We have now gone through the morning 
 vision, and in a few years more, may witness 
 its entire fulfihnent.* (See diagram in the 
 quarto appendix.) Thus much for Daniel's 
 prophecy respecting the Ottoman power. 
 The 9th chapter of Revelations is devoted 
 to a more particular prediction, of the rise, 
 progress and fall of this eastern Anti-Christ, 
 and will require a corresponding particular 
 notice in its appropriate place. 
 
 Mr Miller's chronological calculations re- 
 specting the Ottoman power, and events in- 
 cidental to the downfal of that empire, were 
 
 * The following extracts from Miller's Lectures on 
 the Second Coming of Christ, are, from his stereotype 
 edition, just published. 
 
 "Whoever lives until the year 1839 will see the final 
 dissolution of the Turkish empire, for then the sixth 
 trumpet will have finished its sounding, which, if I am 
 correct, will be the final overthrow of the Ottoman 
 power. And then will the seventh trump and last woe 
 begm, under which the kingdoms of the earth and the 
 anti-Christian beast will be destroyed, and the powers 
 of darkness chained, the world cleansed, and the 
 church purified. — p. 134. 
 
 " When the four angels,, who are now holding the four 
 winds, that it blow not on the sea nor on the land, shall 
 cease their holding ; when the angel, standing on the 
 sea and land, shall lift his hand to heaven and swear 
 by him that liveth forever and ever, that time shall be 
 no longer, that is, God would wait no longer for repent- 
 
MORNING VISION. 181 
 
 published ten years ago. The events which, 
 have transpired in Europe and Asia the past 
 year, have thus far nearly fulfilled his antici- 
 pations, which go to confirm him in other 
 parts of his theory. But these things are far 
 from proving him correct on any other point. 
 I am satisfied he mistakes in nearly every 
 other calculation, and shall hazard nothing 
 in attempting to prove it. It is most readily 
 seen that his correct calculations as to the 
 time of predicted changes in Turkey, will con- 
 firm multitudes in all the errors of Mr Miller, 
 who are not discriminating in their views, or 
 sufficiently read on the prophecies, unless 
 timely instruction is given. With this class 
 
 ance, no longer to be gracious ; but his spirit would 
 take its flight from the world, and the grace of God 
 would cease to restrain men. He that is filthy let him 
 be filthy still. Mankind will, for a short season, give 
 loose to all ihe corrupt passions of the human heart. 
 No laws, human or divine, will be regarded ; all au- 
 thority will be trampled under foot ; anarchy will be 
 the order of governments, and confusion fill the world 
 with horror and despair. Christians will be persecuted 
 unto death, and dens and caves of the earth will be 
 their retreat. All things which are not eternal will be 
 shaken to pieces, that that which cannot be shaken 
 may remain. And this, if I am right in my calcula- 
 tions, will begin on or before A. D. 1839. — p. 109 
 
 Then if the two witnesses are the Old and New Tes- 
 tament, we are certain the third woe is coming quickly, 
 16 
 
182 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 of persons, the views which are given in Mr 
 Miller's lectures are calculated, and probably 
 will, produce the most tremendous excite- 
 ment this country ever witnessed. 
 
 It is a most singular feature in Mr Miller's 
 theory, that with the downfal of Mohame- 
 danism, the day of grace closes, (which he 
 says will take place the llth of next Au- 
 gust,) the resurrection of the righteous to 
 take place, and the destruction of the world 
 with the wicked follow, in 1843. He denies 
 the idea of a general restoration of the Jews, 
 and siezes upon the earliest promised date 
 of their return as the end of all things. The 
 next section will show the fallacy of such 
 calculations. 
 
 and the seventh trump must shortly begin to sound, as 
 I have already proved in my lecture on the trumpets, in 
 the year 1839.— p.202. 
 
 Note by Mr Miller. — The author wishes to state 
 that Lecture VIII. in this work was written twelve 
 years since ; and that the authorities he then consulted 
 fixed the rise of the Turkish empire at 1298. He is 
 now satisfied, by the examination of other authorities 
 on the subject, that the foundation of that empire was 
 laid in 1299. Hence the thmgs mentioned in Lecture 
 VII. (p. 109,) relative to persecutions, &c., and to the 
 coming of the third woe, as mentioned in Lecture XIII. 
 (p. 202,) which he supposed would take place in 1839, 
 according to the [first computation, will not be realized 
 until the year 1840.— p. 300. 
 
MORNING VISION. 183 
 
 There appears to be a peculiar proneness 
 in Mr Miller, to seize upon the commence- 
 ment of an important predicted series of 
 events and changes, as the entire consum- 
 mation, and to expect in one year, what 
 necessarily requires a succession of years. 
 For instance, while historians differ one year 
 in their chronological calculations respecting 
 the establishment of the Turkish empire, 
 Mr Miller uses the earliest possible date, 
 and calculated its fall in 1839. He now 
 has to vary his calculations. 
 
 This is one of the least of his errors. The 
 restoration of the Jews, the overthrow of 
 Mohamedanism and of Anti-Christ, and the 
 introduction of the millennial reign of Messi- 
 ah, are events to take place at specified pe- 
 riods, given in mystical numbers it is true, but 
 none the less understood. The exhortation in 
 reference to this mode of computation is, 
 ''Here is wisdom let him that readeth un- 
 derstand." 
 
 But of the end of the world we have in the 
 Bible no definite information. Our Savior 
 very plainly shows, that it was not to be 
 known by any man, but He treated the en- 
 quiry as He treated all other questions of 
 aiere idle curiosity. 
 
EXPLANATION OF THE DIAGRAM ON THE OPPO- 
 SITE PAGE. 
 
 This crude illustration of the chronolog- 
 ical outline of the morning vision of Daniel, 
 as drawn in the 11th chapter, is designed 
 for these who have not the quarto diagrams, 
 belonging to this work, at hand. The differ- 
 ence of opinion among writers, is more 
 strikingly detected in this chapter, than in 
 almost any other portion of prophecy. The 
 wandering of expositors after events to ful- 
 fil the several verses of this chapter, is par- 
 ticularly illustrated in the quarto appendix, 
 where the local, as well as the chronological 
 boundaries are given. 
 
 At verse 14, fulfilled 208 B. C, Miller, 
 followed by Litch, leaves the straight track 
 of this outline, to find events in the history 
 of Rome, A. D. 40, as the fulfilment. They 
 then return and are found within the locality 
 of this vision from the 23d to the 29th ver- 
 ses, B. C. 164, w^hen they leave again for 
 the Roman history, and are found at Con- 
 stantinople, A. D. 350. 
 
 Newton, and several others who follow 
 him, leave the direct outline at verse 31, 
 B. C. 164, for the Roman history, and the 
 development of popery in particular. Faber 
 followed by Smith, leaves at verse 36, A. D. 
 about 606, and find events in the French 
 Revolution, about 1790, which in their view 
 is predicted from verse 36 to 40, 
 
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SECTION VIL 
 
 THF " SEVEN TIMES" CAPTIVITY OF THE 
 
 JEWS. 
 
 In the 26th chapter of Leviticus, the 
 phrase, " seven times," peculiar to the pro- 
 phetical mode of computation, is four times 
 repeated, in verses 18, 21, 24 and 28, 
 meaning the same in every instance. The 
 Lord assured the Israelites that if they 
 pursued a course of disobedience, he would 
 chasten them " seven times," i. e. according 
 to the settled principles of interpretation, 
 2520 years. (See observations and note on 
 page 62 and 63, respecting the three times 
 and a half.) 
 
 Let the reader turn to the 26th chapter 
 
CAPTIVITY or THE JEWS. \^^ 
 
 of the book of Leviticus, and see what heavy 
 judgments the Lord denounces against his 
 chosen people if they should rebel against 
 him, and in the eighteenth verse he will 
 come to this first remarkable threatening. 
 
 18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto 
 me, then I will punish you seven times more for your 
 sins. 
 
 This threatening comes after and in ad- 
 dition to all the minor chastisements upon 
 Israel, and was to be the crowning punish- 
 ment after special means of reform utterly 
 failed. The history of this people 
 from the time they left Egypt till the 
 Babylonian captivity, furnishes a long list of 
 inflicted chastisements before the Lord gave 
 them over. In addition to the terrible pun- 
 ishment threatened in this chapter, the 28th 
 chapter of Deuteronomy contains a most 
 fearful catalogue of which the following is a 
 specimen, Deut. xxviii. 
 
 22 The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, 
 and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with 
 an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with 
 blasting, and with mildew 5 and they shall pursue thee 
 until thou perish. 
 
 23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be 
 brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 24 The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powdei' 
 and dust ; from heaven shall it come down upon thee, 
 until thou be destroyed. 
 
 25 The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before 
 thine enemies ; thou shall go out one way against 
 them, and flee seven ways before them ; and shall be 
 removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. 
 
 26 And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of 
 the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man 
 shall fray them away. 
 
 27 The Lord will smite thee w4th the botch of Egypt, 
 and with the emerods, and v\ith the scab, and with the 
 itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. 
 
 28 The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and 
 blindness, and astonishment of heart ; 
 
 29 And thou shalt grope at noon-day, as the blind 
 gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy 
 ways ; and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled 
 evermore, and no man shall save thee. 
 
 Let the whole chapter be read. Still it is 
 repeated in Leviticus xxvi. 
 
 21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not 
 hearken unto me, I will bring seven times more 
 plagues upon you according to your sins. 
 
 Nothing was ever perfected with the He- 
 brews, either in cmsing or blessing, without 
 the number seven. Three times and a half, 
 as we have seen, and shall consider more at 
 length by and by, is the measure of punish- 
 ment to a degenerate Gentile church. In 
 going on with this catalogue, we come to a 
 
CAPTIVITY OP THE JEWS. 189 
 
 third repetition of this threatened displeasure 
 of God against his chosen but stiff-necked 
 people in the 23d and 24th verses. 
 
 23 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these 
 things, but will walk contrary unto me ; 
 
 24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will 
 punish you yet seven times for your sins. 
 
 f It need not be said here, that Israel and Ju- 
 dah did '* walk contrary" unto the Lord, and 
 were 7iot " reformed" by all the means used, 
 to remind them of their duty by the frequent 
 oppression from surrounding heathen tribes. 
 And now the fourth time this fearful and 
 significant threatening is repeated. 
 
 27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, 
 but walk contrary unto me ; 
 
 24 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury ; 
 and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your 
 sins. 
 
 If now we can trace out the time when 
 Israel was cast off, we shall find the epoch 
 from which to calculate these " seven times," 
 the period of Israel's degradation. And to 
 ascertain this, there is no difficulty, if histor- 
 ical facts and scriptural analogy is our cho- 
 sen guide instead of fancy or conjecture. 
 
190 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 Instead of one epoch there are several, 
 which instead of rendering the subject ob- 
 scure, gives it the symmetry, proportion, and 
 beauty, which runs through all God's plans 
 of operation. It is man's folly which dis- 
 torts, what is otherwise intended to be beau- 
 tiful. 
 
 We will first consider the epoch of the full 
 execution of these predicted curses, upon the 
 ten tribes, who have generally been consid- 
 ered as lost, but that it will be found, 
 the Lord has reserved a tenth, even of them, 
 for the final restoration. 
 
 After the revolt of the ten tribes, from the 
 house of David, they were generally called 
 Ephraim, and the other two tribes, Judah. 
 Jerusalem, the capitol of one kingdom, was 
 within the land of Judah, and Samaria, the 
 capitol of the other kingdom, lay in the land 
 of Ephraim. In the first year of Ahaz king 
 of Israel, Isaiah prophecied against Ephraim 
 in this manner — (Isaiah, chap, vii.) 
 
 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head 
 of Damascus is Rezin ; and within threescore and five 
 years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. 
 
 9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the 
 head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not be- 
 lieve, surely ye shall not be established. 
 
 Ahaz began his reign, B. C. 742, and 65 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 191 
 
 years from this, if Isaiah is correct, the ten 
 tribes were broken and have never since 
 been a people. Jttst 65 years after this, in 
 the 22d year of the reign of Manasseh, king 
 of Judah, Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, 
 marched into the land of Israel, and carried 
 captive from thence into Babylon all those 
 who were the remains of former captivities, 
 so that the land became utterly desolate, 
 until a motley mass of other tribes of idola- 
 ters were brought to dwell in the cities of 
 Samaria.^ This was the last remnant of 
 the revolted ten tribes — 677 B. C. (See 2 
 Kings xvii : 2, also Ezra iv : 10.) Ephraim 
 
 * The nations, which Esarhaddon had brought to 
 dwell in the cities of Samaria instead of the Israelites, 
 who had been carried thence, being on their settling m 
 that country, much infested with lions, and the king of 
 Babylon being told that it was because they worship- 
 ped not the God of the country, he ordered that one of 
 the Priests which had been carried thence, should be 
 sent back, to teach these new inhabitants how to wor- 
 ship the God of Israel. But they only took him hereon 
 into the number of their former deities, and worshipped 
 him jointly with the gods of the nations, from whence 
 they came. And in this corruption of joining the 
 worship of their false gods with that of the true, they 
 continued till the building of the Samaritan Temple on 
 Mount Gerizim by Sanballat. — Pride aux's Connec- 
 tions, p. 46. 
 
192 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECT. 
 
 is no longer to have a name, yet a tenth, as a 
 remnant is to be restored with the Jews ; for 
 such is the promise, in Isaiah, chap, vi : 9-13. 
 
 9 And he said, Go, and tell the people, Hear ye in- 
 deed, but understand not ; and see ye indeed, but per- 
 ceive not. * 
 
 10 Make the heart of the people fat, and make their 
 ears heavy, and shut their eyes ; lest they see with 
 their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand 
 with their heart, and convert and be healed. 
 
 11 Then said I Lord, how long ? And he answered, 
 Until the cities be wasted wichout inhabitants, and the 
 houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, 
 
 12 And the Lord have removed men far away, and 
 there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. 
 
 13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, 
 and shall be eaten ; as a teil-tree, and as an oak whose 
 substance is in them, when they cast their leaves j so 
 the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. 
 
 Here then commences the 2520 years of 
 the long threatened desolation, to the land 
 of Israel, so far as it relates to the remnant 
 of the ten tribes, of whom there is a tenth 
 to be restored. *' Seven times" from 677 
 B. C. terminates A. D. 1843. This, as we 
 have seen, is the end of the Morning vision 
 of 2300 years, if commenced with the going 
 forth of the commandment, by Ahazuerus, 
 to restore and build Jerusalem. But this can 
 only be the earliest possible date of Judah's 
 restoration, although it is the fulness of the 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 193 
 
 time to the remnant of Ephraim.* It was 
 93 years from the time Ephraim was 
 broken, till the last remnant of Judah was 
 carried into captivity. (See Jer. lii : 30.) 
 We may expect, according to this computa- 
 tion, the remnant of Israel to return with the 
 first companies of Judah in 1843, but must 
 wait 93 years longer for the perfect year of 
 Jubilee, or for the full establishment of 
 Christianity to the entire nation. 
 
 There is another computation ot time 
 which goes to connect the last gleaning of 
 Ephraim with this final desolation of Judah. 
 Probably there were a few Israelites remain- 
 ing in Judea, 93 years after the desolation 
 of Samaria. If so, it will favor the idea that 
 
 *In the twenty second year of Manasseh, Esarhad- 
 don, after he had now entered on the fourth year of his 
 reign in Babylon, and fully settled his authority there, 
 began to set his thoughts on the recovery of what had 
 been lost to the empire of the Assyrians in Syria and 
 Palestine on the destruction of his father's army in 
 Judea. 
 
 After he had possessed himself of the land of Israel, 
 he sent some of his Princes with part of his army into 
 Judea to reduce that country also under his subjection, 
 who having vanquished Manasseh in battle, and taken 
 him hid in a thicket of thorns, brought him prisoner to 
 Esarhaddon, who bound him in fetters and carried him 
 to Babylon. — Pkideaux's Connections, pp. 42, 44. 
 
 17 
 
194 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 the tenth of Israel are mingled with the 
 Jews in their dispersion and to be restored 
 by the same gradual process. Ezekiel in the 
 4th chapter, commencing with the 4th verse, 
 is commanded thus — 
 
 4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the in- 
 iquity of the house of Israel upon it ; according to the 
 number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou 
 shalt bear their iniquity. 
 
 5 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniqui- 
 ty, according to the number of the days, three hundred 
 and ninety days : so shah thou bear the iniquity of the 
 house of Israel. 
 
 6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again 
 on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of 
 the house of Judah forty days : I have appointed thee 
 each day for a year. 
 
 It was exactly three hundred and ninety 
 years from the revolt of Jeroboam and the 
 ten tribes from the house of David, to the 
 final desolation of the whole land by Neb- 
 uzaradan, in the twenty-third year of Neb- 
 uchadnezzar, B. C. 584. And from the 18th 
 year of Josiah, (-2 Chron. xx.xiv : 29,31,) 
 when the house of Judah entered into sol- 
 emn covenant with God to walk wholly in 
 his ways, to the same period, was just 40 
 years. So long God bore " their walking 
 contrary unto him." 
 
 This must suffice for the commencement 
 of Ephraim's captivity, but we are not yet 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 195 
 
 done with Judah. The Lord bore long with 
 them. In Kosea vii, He says — 
 
 4 Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? Judah, 
 what shall I do unto thee ? for your goodness is as a 
 morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. 
 
 5 Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets ; I 
 have slain them by the w^ords of my mouth j and thy 
 judgments are as the light that goeth forth. 
 
 Again, He exclaitried by the mouth of his 
 prophet Hosea, xi : 8, — " How shall I give 
 thee up Ephraim ? How shall I deliver thee 
 Israel? How shall I make ihee as Admah? 
 How shtill I set tliee as Zeboam ? Mine 
 heart is turned within me " Moved by ten- 
 der compassion^ God sent his prophets to 
 warn his people of their doom, before their 
 utter destruction. Of those, Isaiah, Jeremi- 
 ah, and Ezekiel are conspicuous, giving 
 many interesting statements of time and cir- 
 cumstances, some of which have already 
 been introduced. This little work can ad- 
 mit of only a lew more, and such only as go 
 to confirm and illustrate general chronolog- 
 ical points. The agreement of all the proph- 
 ets on these points, with the apostle John 
 is truly wonderful, and strongly invites to 
 
J 96 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 Various means were used to show the 
 degenerate people of God, the ruin, and wo 
 to which they were hastening, if not avert- 
 ed by speedy repentance and reformation. 
 
 The same year in which Ephraim was ab- 
 solutely " broken to be no more a people,'^ 
 was Judah brought under subjection to the 
 king of Babylon and Manasseh the king, 
 carried captive, having been a very wicked 
 prince. While in Babylon, he became sin- 
 cerely penitent, and the Lord softened the 
 heart of the Assyrian king, who consequent- 
 ly permitted Manasseh to return to Jerusa- 
 lem, and that city enjoyed a respite of 70 
 years. 
 
 In the third year of Jehoiakim, (607) Neb- 
 uchadnezzar carried the second portion of 
 Judah captive to Babylon, among whom 
 was Daniel and his three friends,* (Dan. i 
 1, 2. Chron.,34.) Jehoiakim was slain, 
 
 * In the third year of Jehoiakim, Nabopollasar king' 
 of Babylon, finding that on Necho's taking of Carche- 
 mish all Syria and Palestine had revolted to him, and 
 that he being old and infirm, was unable to march 
 thither himself to reduce them, he took Nebuchadnez- 
 zar, his son, into partnership with him in the empire, 
 and sent him with an army into those parts, and from 
 hence the Jewish computation of the years of Nebu- 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 1 9T 
 
 and Jehoiakin his son, reigned a Tew years 
 in his stead, and was carried into Babylon. 
 The third prominent period in which Ju- 
 dah was carried into captivity, we find, was 
 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, 
 688, (2 Kings XXV ; 2 Chron. xxxvi: 17.) 
 
 4 And the city was broken up. and all the men of war 
 fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, 
 which is by the king's garden : (now the Chaldees 
 were against the city round about :) and the king went 
 the way toward the plain. 
 
 5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the 
 king, and overtook him in the plains of Jerico 5 and all 
 his army were scattered from him. 
 
 6 So they took the king, and brought him up to the 
 king of Babylon to Hi blah 5 and they gave judgment 
 upon him. 
 
 7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his 
 eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him 
 with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. 
 
 To give a vivid impression of the wretched 
 condition of Jerusalem at this time, Ezekiel 
 
 chadezzar's reign begins, that is from the end of the 
 third year of Jehoiakim. For it was about the end of 
 that year that this was done, and therefore according ta 
 the Jews the fourth year of Jehoiakim was the first 
 year of Nebuchadnezzar. But according to the Babylo- 
 nians his reign is not reckoned to begin till after his 
 father's death, which happened two years afterwards, 
 and both computations being found in scripture, it is 
 necessary to say so much here for the reconciling of 
 them. — Prideaux's Connections, p. 86. 
 
 17* 
 
198 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 was direcled to draw on a tile the represen- 
 tation of a besieged city. In this, we have 
 high authority for pictorial illustrations. See 
 Ezekiel, chapter iv. 
 
 Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it 
 before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jeru- 
 salem ; 
 
 2 And lay siege against it, and build a fort against 
 it^ and cast a mount against it ; set the camp also 
 against it, and set battering rams against it round 
 about. 
 
 3 Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and 
 set It for a wall of iron between thee and the city : and 
 set ihy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and 
 thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to 
 the house of Israel. 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 
 
 199 
 
 The captives in Babylon, as well as the 
 remaining Jews in their own land, vainly- 
 hoped that Jerusalem would be preserved. 
 But Ezekiel by this, a most expressive sign, 
 was commanded to show them to the con- 
 trary. This sign was given at the same time 
 that the prophet lay 390 days on one side and 
 40 on the other, already noticed. On the 
 tile, or large brick, the prophet probably 
 drew a rude map of the city, like the fore- 
 going cut with his iron pan and battering 
 rams placed around it. Or he might have 
 designed a representation of the remaining 
 portion of the houses in the following man- 
 ner. 
 
 7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege 
 
200 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PKOPHECY. 
 
 of Jerusalem, and thine ' arm shall be uncovered, and 
 thou shall prophecy against it. 
 
 8 And behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou 
 shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou 
 hast ended the days of thy siege. 
 
 This must have been a painful experi- 
 ment to the prophet to lay so long on one 
 side, but the Lord would sustain him in the 
 way of obedience to his command. The 
 temple and city were at this time set on fire 
 and entirely destroyed. 
 
 Still there was a remnant of Judah left in 
 the land, who continued their wickedness, 
 and four years afterwards, (584,) Nebuzara- 
 dan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar's guards, 
 invaded Judah, fell on the poor remains of 
 that miserable people, siezing and carrying 
 captive to Babylon all who liad not fled to 
 Egypt, which amounted to no more than 
 seven hundred and forty-five persons.* 
 
 * While Nebuchadnezzar lay at the siege of Tyre, 
 Nebuzaraden the captain of his guards being sent out 
 by him with part of his army, invaded the land of Is- 
 rael, to take revenge, as it may be supposed, for the 
 death of Gedaliah, there being no other reason, why he 
 should fall on the poor remains of those miserable peo- 
 pie, whom he himself had left and settled there. In 
 which expedition Nebuzaradan seizing upon all of 
 the race of Israel that he could meet with in the land 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 201 
 
 Thus were the judgments four times pre- 
 dicted in the 31st chapter of Leviticus, in- 
 flicted on Israel and Judah at four different 
 periods, at least. The fact that there was 
 93 years, between the first and last of these 
 judgments, will receive further corroboration 
 as we proceed. A small diagram on the next 
 leaf, will relieve the reader, until after 
 the introduction of another strong chain of 
 corroborative predictions, relative to the 
 seven times captivity of the Jews, found in 
 the 4th chapter of Daniel, under the emblem 
 of a remarkable tree. 
 
 made them all captives, and sent them to Babylon. 
 By this last captivity was fully completed the desola- 
 tion of the land, no more of its former inhabitants be- 
 ing now left therein. And hereby were also completed 
 the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other 
 Prophets relating hereto, and particularly that of 
 Ezekiel, wherein God's forbearance of the House of 
 Israel is limited to 390 days, and his forbearance of the 
 House of Judah to 40 days. For, taking the days for 
 years, according to the prophetic style of scripture, 
 from the apostacy of Jeroboam to the time of this last 
 captivity there will be just 390 years, and so long God 
 bore the idolatry of the House of Israel. And from 
 the 18th 3'-ear of Josiah, when the House of Judah en- 
 tered into covenant with God to walk wholly in his 
 ways, to the same time will be just 40 years, and so 
 long God bore their walking contrary to the covenant. — 
 Prideaux's CojN'kections, pp. 124, 125. 
 
EXPLANATION OF THE DIAGRAM ON THE OPPO- 
 SITE PAGE. 
 
 This diagram shows the exact order of 
 time in w hich Judah was carried captive 
 from the breaking of Ephraim "to be no long- 
 er a people," 677 B. C, till the last remnant 
 of the Jews were carried into Babylon, £3 
 years afterwards. If these chronological 
 points are correctly settled, the reader v\ill 
 see at a glance when to commence the long 
 captivity of 2520 years, and precisely when 
 that period will terminate. At the two ex- 
 tremities of the rule marks stand the dates 
 of the beginning and end. The order in 
 which a remnant of Judah returned from 
 Babylon, after 70 literal years, for the fulfil- 
 ment of the purposes of the 70 weeks is 
 shown on page 217. Even this remnant 
 during the space of 70 weeKs, or 490 years, 
 were under bondage, alternately, to the four 
 idolatrous empires, and were utterly driven 
 from Jerusalem by the fourth. So that the 
 fact of a remnant sojourning in Judea 490 
 years, under tribute to the same four em- 
 pires necessarily abates nothing from the 
 entire captivity of the 2520. It was on the 
 same principle of the temporary respite of 
 70 years granted Jerusalem, on the repent- 
 ance of Manasseh and partial reformation of 
 the house of Judah. 
 
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 O 
 
 
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 Co 
 
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 50 
 
 
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204 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 
 The tree grew, and was 
 strong, and the height thereof 
 reached unto heaven, and the 
 •ight thereof to the end of all 
 the eaxth.—Dan. iv. 11. 
 
 ' . . . leave the stump of tha 
 roots thereof in tlie earth, even 
 with a band of iron and brass 
 till seven times pass over him 
 ^Dan. iv. 16—23, 25—32. 
 
 fTTXrf 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 205 
 
 Dan. iy: 9. Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, 
 because I know that the spirit of the hol}^ gods is in 
 thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions 
 of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation 
 thereof. 
 
 10 Thus were the visions of my head in my bed ;. I 
 saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and 
 the height thereof was great. 
 
 24 This is the interpretation, kmg, and this is the 
 decree of the Most High, which has come upon my 
 lord the king ; 
 
 25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy 
 dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they 
 shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall 
 wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall 
 pass over thee, tilithou know that the Most High ruleth 
 in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever 
 he will. 
 
 And ^^ seven times shall pass over thee." 
 This notable expression is repeated also, in 
 verses 16, 23 and 32, — ^just four times, as in 
 Leviticus xxvi: 18, 21, 24 and 28. "Seven 
 times," which is four times repeated in those 
 two chapters, 2520 years, constitutes the 
 entire boundary of Daniel's evening vision. 
 It commences with the captivity of the Jews 
 in Babylon, and terminates with their gen- 
 eral restoration from among all nations. The 
 stump and roots of Nebuchadnezzar's vis- 
 ionary tree, which was the root of the four 
 great empires, remain, "even with a band of 
 iron and brass," during precisely the same 
 18 
 
206 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 period. It is true, the branches and leaves 
 of this great tree, (Dan. iv : 14, 15,) denoted 
 the splendor of Nebuchadnezzar's empire, 
 and the cutting down of the tree, referred 
 to the remarkable manner in which the king 
 of Babylon was driven into exile " seven 
 times," or seven literal years ; but even this 
 also very strikingly accords with the period of 
 the Jews dispersion during the mystical 
 ^seven times,' which equals 2520 literal years. 
 " The stump and roots" of the tree re- 
 main in the ground until " seven times pass 
 over it." This clearly connects the three 
 succeeding empires with the Babylonian, 
 which are to continue precisely '' seven 
 times" before the " stone cut out without 
 hands" is to demohsh them. Half of this 
 period, that is, three times and a half, is as- 
 signed for the captivityof the Gentile church 
 in mystical Babylon, and will be considered 
 in its proper place. 
 
 Literal Babylon fell gradually, just in pro- 
 portion as the Jewish captives were liberat- 
 ed, but was not utterly destroyed until the 
 last company left, so will this tree, with mys- 
 tical Babylon at its head be destroyed, body 
 and branch, stump and roots, just in pro- 
 portion, and just as soon as the Jews are 
 gathered from their long dispersion, and the 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 207 
 
 Gentile church becomes purified from the 
 harlotry of Rome. 
 
 This tree, as before remarked in its prima- 
 ry signification, certainly exhibits the punish- 
 ment of the Babylonian Monarch, but it 
 contains, also, a more deep and comprehen- 
 sive meaning. The four great empires of 
 which Babylon was the first, form a perfect 
 parallel line with the period of Israel's cap- 
 tivity 2520 years. They both commenced 
 together and will terminate together. The 
 rise of these empires was gradual and the 
 fall of Ephraim and Judah, as we have scen^ 
 was gradual. The downfal of the last of 
 these empires and the liberation of the Jews 
 will be gradual, as we shall see hereafter. 
 This emblem agrees most perfectly, with the 
 history of the house of Israel, as described 
 in all other parts of scripture. A modern 
 writer,* gives this emblem another interpre- 
 
 * " Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt ; thou 
 hast cast out the heathen and planted it ; the hills were 
 covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof 
 were like the goodly cedars ; she sent out her houghs 
 unto the sea, and her branches unto the rivers," (com- 
 pare Jer. ii. 21 ; Tsa. v. ; and Ezek. xix. 10. ) where the 
 description of Israel strikingly agrees with that given 
 in Nebuchadnezzar's dream ; ^' Like a vine she was 
 fruitful, and full of branches j her stature was exalted 
 
208 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 tation, and identifies it with the "vine 
 brought out of Egypt." (Psahw 80.) To 
 this the author*^does not assent though the 
 points of resemblance may hold good in 
 some respects. 
 
 Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar were both 
 troubled at this vision, but it is by no means 
 
 among the thick branches ; and she appeared, m her 
 height with the multitude of her branches." And 
 what emblem can more beautifully represent the fallen 
 and outcast condition of Israel, than this same tree 
 after the Watcher and the Holy One has sent forth his 
 mandate ; " Hew down the tree and cut ofl.^ the branch- 
 es ; shake off his leaves and scatter his fruit ; let the 
 beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from un- 
 der his branches ; nevertheless, leave the stump of his 
 roots in the earth, even w^ith a band of iron and brass." 
 The tree, though denuded of its leaves, stripped of its 
 branches, and deprived of its fruit — to all appearance 
 a dry and withered stump — was yet to retain within 
 itself a principle of vitalii)', by which, at the appointed 
 season, it was again to shoot forth with renewed vigour. 
 So the house of Israel, though scattered and peeled ; 
 an astonishment, a proverb, and a bye-word ; without 
 king, without priest, without sacrifice ; ground down to 
 the earth with the iron bands of oppression ; still con- 
 tinues in existence, though exposed to the storms of 
 many centuries ; and this withered stump shall yet 
 again shoot forth with new strength, and beauty ; and 
 Israel shall yet again blossom and bud, aud fill the face 
 of the world with fruit. — Millenial Tidings No. 4. 
 pp. 13, 14. 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 20^ 
 
 to be supposed that either of them ever un- 
 derstood its deep and extensive meaning. It 
 was designed for ages far future to them. 
 Daniel sat one hour in astonishment, and 
 " his thoughts troubled him" as the typical 
 interpretation was revealed to him. (verse 
 19.) This had a direct bearing upon the 
 person of the Babylonian monarch. Nebu- 
 chudnezzar, for his pride and arrogancy 
 against God, one year after the vision, was 
 driven from among men, and his dwelling 
 was among the beasts of the field, and he was 
 made to eat grass like oxen until seven 
 times, or seven literal years passed over him 
 and until he learned that the Most High 
 ruled. This, as a matter of history, was 
 fulfilled in seven years, but as a beautiful al- 
 legory, it requires seven prophetic times to 
 be fulfilled on a proud and degenerate peo- 
 ple. God warned them repeatedly by Mo- 
 ses and the prophets, that if they "would 
 walk contrary unto him," and " would not 
 be reformed by him" they should be driven 
 among the beasts, that is the kings of the 
 earth, and be punished seven times for their 
 sins. 
 
 This is a long and dreary captivity to the 
 Jewish church, the last half of which a degen- 
 erate Christian church suffers with her elder 
 18* 
 
SlO ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 sister the Jewish church, in mystical Babylon. 
 But some few there are who have not " de- 
 filed their garments," and who have gone 
 through the firey furnace of persecution 
 without the smell of fire upon their garments, 
 though the furnace has been heated " one 
 seven times hotter than it was wont to be 
 heated," like the three Hebrew captives 
 they came out unhurt. Daniel, too, stands 
 as a representation of all true believers dur- 
 ing this captivity, or in the words of proph- 
 ecy, while driven among the beasts of the 
 earth, the lion's mouths are closed and 
 harmless. 
 
 In Jeremiah v: 14, we have this remark- 
 able prediction. 
 
 14 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, be- 
 cause ye speak this word, behold, I will make ray 
 words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it 
 shall devour them. 
 
 How long shall they burn ? Ezekiel an- 
 swers, xxxix : 9. 
 
 9 And they that dwell m the cities of Israel shall go 
 forth, and shall set on fire and shall burn the weapons, 
 both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the 
 arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they 
 shall burn them with fire seven years. 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 211 
 
 A long trial of 2520 prophetic days, for the 
 Lord said to Ezekiel, I have appointed thee 
 a day for a year. Therefore this consuming 
 fire is to last 2520 years. This would be 
 heating the furnace " one seven times hotter 
 than it was wont to be heated."* Yet the 
 Jews will come out of it, and a wicked world 
 will exclaim with an astonished Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, (Dan. vi : 25,) Lo, I see four men 
 loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and 
 they have no hurt: and the form of the 
 fourth is like the Son of God. 
 
 Yes, the Jews when they return from 
 their long captivity will be seen walking 
 
 * And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 
 son of man,, the house of Israel is to me become dross ; 
 all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the 
 midst of the furnace ; they are even the dross of silver. 
 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, because ye are all 
 become dross, behold therefore I will gather you into 
 the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and 
 brass, and iron, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, 
 to blow the fire upon it, to melt it : so will I gather you 
 in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you 
 there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow 
 upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melt- 
 ed in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the 
 midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst 
 thereof: and ye shall know that I the Lord have pour- 
 ed out my fury upon you. — Ezekiel xxii. 17 — 22. 
 
212 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 with one -'like the Son of God." Ezekiel 
 says, as quoted above, '' they that dwell in 
 the cities of Israel shall go forth/"' and Jere- 
 miah, chapter 14, says. 
 
 2 And it shall come to pass, if they say nnlo thee, 
 whither shall we go forth ? then thou shalt tell theni; 
 Thus saith the Lord ; Such as are for death, to death j 
 and such as are for the sword, to the sword ; and such 
 as are for the famine, to the famine ; and such as are 
 for the captivity, to the captivity. 
 
 3 And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the 
 Lord ; the sword to slay, and the dogs fo tear, and the 
 fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth to 
 devour and destroy. 
 
 9 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall thorough- 
 ly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine ; turn back 
 thy hand as a grape-gatherer into the baskets. 
 
 Thus did the Lord make thorough work 
 in executing the punishment predicted in 
 the 26th chapter ot Leviticus. Now let the 
 question be decided, when did the 2520 
 years commence with Judah ? There is 
 no doubt about the time of Ephraim's 
 captivity, neither should there be with regard 
 to Judah. Those who afhrm that it com- 
 menced B. C. 677, at the time Ephraim was 
 utterly broken, found their argument on the 
 following verses of the 45th chapter of Jere- 
 miah, referring to Judah. 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 213 
 
 Then said the Lord unto me, though Moses and 
 Samuel stood before me, yet my mmd v,'ould not be 
 toward this people ; cast them out of my sight, and let 
 them go forth. 
 
 4 And I will cause them to be removed into all 
 kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of 
 Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 5 For who shall have pity upon thee, Jerusalem ? 
 or who shall bemoan thee ? or who shall go aside to 
 ask how thou doest ? 
 
 Read also Jeremiah, chapter 21st to 29th, 
 and Ezekiel from the 1st chapter to the 
 29th, and compare them with Leviticus 26th. 
 But all this, as is now abundantly shown, 
 only goes to prove that the first date of Ju- 
 dah's captivity was synchronical with the 
 last date of Ephraim's, and that it was 93 
 years afterwards before the remnant of Ju- 
 dah, was " thoroughly gleaned as a vine.'' 
 
 The question then is answered. If the 
 " tenth''* of Israel with a portion of Judah 
 commence their return in 1843, it will be 
 93 years afterwards, or 1936 before their en- 
 tire land will be cleansed, the Christian 
 sanctuary established, and the general na- 
 tional jubilee celebrated. 
 
 But the evidence is not all given in yet. 
 It is a remarkable fact, worthy of notice, as 
 corroborative of these calculations, that the 
 
214 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 remnant of Judah which returned from Bab- 
 ylon, as an earnest of their final restoration, 
 returned at four different periods, corres- 
 ponding to the four periods in which they 
 were carried into Babylon, and occupied the 
 same time, 93 years. As the return of this 
 remnant, after 70 years, was the earnest of 
 the great final restoration at the expiration 
 of the "seven times," so the manner of this 
 restoration goes to establish a precedent by 
 which to calculate the last gathering in of 
 the harvest. The "gleaning" must be some 
 time after the gathering of the " first fruits.' 
 
 From the time Manasseh was carried 
 captive, 677, ( 2 Chronicles xxxiii : 9 — 13,) 
 till Jehoiakim was subdued and the second 
 company was carried captive, (307, was just 
 70 years. ( Dan. i: 1.) This seventy years 
 respite was granted in consequence of the 
 repentance of Manasseh and the partial re- 
 formation of Jerusalem. Yet the awful 
 wickedness of the early part of Manasseh's 
 reign was not forgotten. 
 
 From Jehoiakim's subjugation, 607, to the 
 edict of Cyrus for the return of the Jews to 
 rebuild the temple, was just 70 years. 
 (Ezra i : 1, 2 Chronicles xxxvi : 22.) From 
 the time Zedekiah was carried captive, 590, 
 to the edict of Darius, (Ezra vi,) was 70 years. 
 
/ 
 
 CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 215 
 
 And from the last carrying away of all, (Jer. 
 lii : 30,) to the first dedication of the second 
 temple, was also 70 years. So, also, as we 
 have said, the prophecies of the destruction 
 of old Babylon, were fulfilled in accordance 
 with these several steps.* The diagram on 
 the next leaf illustrates these points. 
 
 *Bat about two years after Cyaxares dying, and 
 Cambyses being dead in Persia, Cyrus returned and 
 took on him the whole government of the Empire, over 
 which he reigned seven years. His reign is reckoned, 
 from his first coming out of Persia with an army for 
 the assistance of Cyaxares to his death to have been 
 thirty years, and from his being sole monarch of the 
 whole empire after the death of Cyaxares and Camby- 
 ses seven years. Tully reckons by the first account, 
 Ptolomy by the second, and Xenophon by the third. 
 And the first of these seven years is that first year of 
 Cj'i'us mentioned in the first verse of the book of Ezra, 
 wherin an end was put to the captivity of Judah, and 
 a license given them by a public decree of the king's 
 again to return into their own country. The seventy 
 years which Jeremiah had prophecied, should be the 
 continuaDce of this captivity, were now just expired. 
 
 For therein after the taking of Babylon, and the 
 death of Belshazzar, Darius the Mede is named in the 
 succession before Cyrus the Persian, and the seven 
 years of the reign of Cyrus are not there reckoned, till 
 the years of the reign of Darius had ceased, and there- 
 fore according to scripture the first of Cyrus cannot be 
 till after the death of Darius. — Prideaux's Connections, 
 pp. 183, 184 185. 
 
EXPLANATION OF THE DIAGRAM ON THE OPPO- 
 SITE PAGE. 
 
 This Diagram illustrates the order of time 
 in which p]phraim was " broken to be no 
 longer a people," and the several periods and 
 process by which Judah was carried captive 
 until he also was gleaned from the land of 
 his inheritance. The gradual and uniform 
 process by which the remnant of Jews re- 
 turned from Babylon, is here seen at a glance. 
 That it should be just 70 years from one 
 prominent event to another, gives us a war 
 rant to expect a corresponding fulfilment of 
 God's threaten] ngs and promises in refer- 
 ence to the seven times captivity. The 
 mind of every believer should rest with en- 
 tire confidence in the expectation that Judah 
 and the tenth of Israel will be finally restor- 
 ed in a similar gradual manner, at the expir- 
 ation of the 2520 years. 
 
 The last line on the page, represents the 
 beginning and end of the 70 weeks, or 490 
 years, which was so exactly fulfilled, com- 
 mencing with the edict of Artaxerxes, B. C. 
 457, ( Ezra vii : 7,) and terminated A. D. 
 33, when the '^ Messiah was cut off." (See 
 section 4, page 95.) 
 
 For a more full illustration of these points 
 gee diagram of the chronological outlines of 
 the 70 weeks, in the quarto appendix, on 
 the morning vision. 
 

 
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 19 
 
218 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 Before proceeding to sum up this whole 
 matter, the reader's patience and attention 
 is called to the consideration of a few more 
 striking coincidences, relative to the exact 
 order of predicted punishment and its inflict- 
 ion on Ephraim and Judah. 
 
 God's first threatening (Leviticus xxvi: 18) 
 "I will punish you seven times for your 
 sins," began its execution on Ephraim and 
 Judah conjointly, in the year B. C. 677. The 
 length of the captivity was typically fulfilled 
 in Nebuchadnezzar s banishment among 
 the beasts, (Dan. iv : 16,) "let seven times 
 pass over him," and received its earnest of 
 accomplishment by the 70 years respite on 
 the penitence of Manasseh and reforma- 
 tion of Jerusalem, and will be finally consum- 
 mated A. D. 1843. 
 
 Second prediction. (Lev. xxvi: 21.) 
 " I will bring seven times more plagues upon 
 you according to your sins." — Executed on 
 Judah and Jerusalem in the reign of Jehoa- 
 kim, 607, (2 Chronicles 36,) typically ful- 
 filled, (Daniel iv : 23,) " till seven times 
 pass over him," — received the earnest of its 
 termination in the first edict of Cyrus, (Ezra 
 i: 1,) 537, B. C. and will be consummated 
 A. D.1913. 
 
 Third prophetical warning. (Lev. xxvi : 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 219 
 
 24.) " I will punish you yet seven times 
 for your sins," commenced its execution, B. 
 C. 590, (2 Chron. xxxvi : 17, 18,) on Zede- 
 kiah and another portion of Judah with the 
 destruction of the temple — typically ful- 
 filled, (Dan. iv : 25,) " seven times shall pass 
 over him" — earnest of its termination, decree 
 of Darius, (Ezra iv,) B. C. 520 — fully con 
 summated 1930. 
 
 Fourth and last predicted judgment. 
 (Lev. xxvi : 28.) "And if ye will not for all 
 this hearken unto me, but walk contrary 
 unto me, then I will walk contrary unto you 
 also in fury ; and 1, even I, will chastise you 
 seven times for your sins." This last threat- 
 ening commenced its fearful execution B.C. 
 584, (Jer. lii : 30,) when the remnant of Ju- 
 dah ''was thoroughly gleaned as a vine," 
 like Israel 93 years before, (Jer. xv : 9,) by 
 the Babylonians who " turned back the hand 
 as a grape-gatherer into the baskets." The 
 allegorical fulfilment of this is also described, 
 (Dan. iv:32,)-'seven times shall pass over thee 
 until thou know that the Most High ruleth," 
 and received its embryotic consummation in 
 the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, (Nehemi- 
 ah ii,) when the last party of the cap- 
 tives returned with Nehemiah 445, and will 
 receive its final and glorious consumnmationin 
 
220 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 iheir great Sabbatical jubilee about 1936. 
 The crowning year of release, which was to 
 the Gentile slave what the jubilee was to 
 the Hebrew, comes as we shall see, 
 about A. D. 2000. 
 
 Now we are prepared for a summary, ap- 
 proaching to a mathematical demonstration. 
 Let the view be as familiar as possible. 
 Take the time that " Ephraim was broken 
 that he be not a people," and Manasseh car- 
 ried captive, B. C. 677, from the whole pe- 
 riod of the punishment 2520 
 
 677 
 
 And we have for the first date, A. D. 1843 
 
 Next take from the seven times 2520 
 
 The date of Jehoiakim's captivity, 607 
 
 Which brings us to A. D. 1913 
 
 This period would show a great progress 
 in the state of society, and perhaps be sig- 
 nalized for having passed the second en- 
 gagement of the great battle of Armegeddon, 
 — the final termination of Mohamedanism, 
 and other forms of error. 
 Thirdly, take from the seven times 2520 
 The period of Zedekiah's captivity, 590 
 
 Which brings us to A. D. 1930 
 
CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS. 221 
 
 By this time the Jews must begin to un- 
 derstand fully the spiritual nature ofChrist's 
 kingdom, and nothing will ever bring them 
 to such an understanding but the fulfilment 
 of Joel ii : 28, 29. 
 
 28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will 
 pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and 
 your daughters shall prophecy, your old men shall 
 dream dreams, your young men shall see visions ; 
 
 29 And also upon the servants and the handmaids in 
 those days will I pour out my Spirit. 
 
 The first fruits of this was realized at Je- 
 rusalem, A. D. 33, by Jews and Israelites 
 *' out of every nation under heaven." [See 
 Acts ii.) That was a token of the glorious 
 harvest, this will be the final consummation. 
 
 Fourthly and lastly take from the period 
 of the captivity 2520 
 
 The period of the gleaning of the 
 last remnant of Judah, B. C. 584 
 
 And we are brought down to A. D. 1936 
 the grand year of jubilee, — the millennial 
 '^day of pentecost fully come" to the Jewish 
 branch of the Christian church. 
 
 19* 
 
SECTION VIIL 
 
 SABBATHS AND JUBILEES. 
 
 Having devoted one section to a consid- 
 eration of the captivity of the Jews, a short 
 section will be devoted to an examination of 
 the evidence of their final restoration. Be- 
 fore proceeding, however, it may be well to 
 dwell a few moments to illustrate more par- 
 ticularly that mode of computing time 
 so universally common, and so peculiar to 
 the Bible. 
 
 The creationof our world was finished dur- 
 ing the mystical number seven, or a Sabbath, 
 and will doubtless end soon after the seventh 
 
SABBATHS AND JUBILEES. 223 
 
 millennium.* The Jews celebrated six Sab- 
 baths, but the seventh Sabbath of which all 
 the others were but typical, has never yet 
 been celebrated on earth, but " remaineth 
 for the people of God." 
 
 It is maintained by some writers that all 
 great events in the history of our world have 
 occurred in the perfect circle of sevens. 
 Such, for instance, as the exodus out of 
 Egypt — the return of the remnant from 
 Babylon, and the death and resurrection of 
 Christ. It is certain that this last event oc- 
 curred in the year of jubilee, ten jubilees 
 
 * The fact of the early institution of the seventh day 
 Sabbath is generally admitted, however little its use 
 and typical meaning is understood. 
 
 And God saw every thing that he had made, and be- 
 hold, it was very good. And the evening and the morn* 
 ing were the sixth day. Thus the heav^ens and the 
 earth v/ere finished and all the host of them. And 
 on the seventh day God ended his work which he had 
 made ; and he rested on the seventh day from all his 
 work which he had made. And God blessed the sev- 
 enth day and, sanctified it ; because that in it he 
 rested from all his work which God created and made. 
 —Gen. li : 31— i : 1, 2, 3. 
 
 In Lev. xxiii, where we have the institution of the 
 sixth several Sabbaths, the Lord says to the Israelites, 
 " from even unto even shall ye celebrate your Sab- 
 baths." « Seven sabbaths shall be complete." 
 
S24 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 from the cleansing of the second Jewish 
 sanctuary.* 
 
 According to Hales' chronology, the first 
 jubilee celebrated by the Israelites, was 1589 
 B. C. and the seventieth jubilee from that 
 would reach to 1841, A. D. about the expira- 
 tion of seven times after the breaking of 
 Ephraim. 72 jubilees would reach to A. D. 
 1939, about the expiration of seven times 
 after the gleaning of Judah. This compu- 
 tation does not include the years of release, 
 but reckons by Sabbaths of jubilees, i. e. 49 
 years. If the years of release be added, it 
 
 *The first account of the institution of the year of 
 Jubilee is given in Lev. xxv, 3. It is completed like 
 all other institutions in its primary constitution, by the 
 seventh Jubilee or seven Sabbaths of years, so that the 
 49th year was in fact the Jubilee. Some say the fif- 
 tieth year was the Jubilee because it wsls kept sacred. 
 But that was the year of Release. The land indeed 
 had two years of rest at the completion of the seventh 
 Jubilee, and the objections which unbelief would sug- 
 gest of consequent want are met as follows. 
 
 And if ye shall say, what shall we eat the seventh 
 year ? behold, we shall not sow nor gather in our in- 
 crease ; Then I Avill command my blessing upon you 
 in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three 
 years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet 
 of old fruit until the ninth year ; until her fruits come 
 in ye shall eat of the old store.— Lev. xxv. 20 -21, 22, 
 
SABBATHS AND JUBILEES. 225 
 
 carries us down to about 2000, A. D., which 
 is the period of the fulness of tlie Gentiles, 
 when the whole creation will revert back 
 into the hands of its rightful owner, and the 
 " saints inherit the earth." 
 
 As we said, the Israelites celebrated but 
 six Sabbaths, which was an imperfect num- 
 ber. In every other respect their cursmgs 
 or blessings were completed by sevens.'*^ 
 Their Sabbaths were as follows — viz : 
 
 1. Sabbath of days. 
 
 2. Sabbath of weeks. 
 
 3. Sabbath of feasts. 
 
 4. Sabbath of months. 
 
 5. Sabbath of years. 
 
 6. Sabbath of jubilees. 
 
 It will be profitable to dwell a little on 
 each of these Sabbaths separately, as it not 
 only serves to corroborate all other correct 
 modes of computing time by the prophecies, 
 but furnishes the best analogy whereby to 
 judge of the coming prosperity of the church. 
 The reader is referred first to Leviticus xxiii. 
 
 * If there was a famine it lasted seven years, if a 
 season of plent)^, seven years. Their final captivity 
 seven times. Jacob must serve an i delator seven years 
 for a wife. The firey furnace must be heated seven 
 times hotter than usual. Gold be "seven times purified." 
 
226 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto 
 them, concerning the feasts of the Lord, Avhich ye shall 
 proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my 
 feasts. 
 
 3 Six days shall work be done ; but the seventh day 
 is the sabbath of rest, a holy convocation ; ye shall do 
 no work therein ; it is the sabbath of the Lord in all 
 your dwellings. 
 
 This was the Sabbath of days, the lowest 
 denomination, or the unit of these beautiful 
 and significant numerical emblems. It bears 
 the same relation to the great Sabbatical day 
 of this lower creation, that figure 1 does to 
 9 in the Arabic characters. 
 
 Second — Sabbath of weeks — 
 
 15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow 
 after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the 
 sheaf of the wave-offering: seven sabbaths shall be 
 complete ; 
 
 16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath 
 shall ye number fifty days : and ye shall ofler a new 
 meat-offering unto the Lord. 
 
 '' Seven Sabbaths shall be complete," i.e. 
 the Sabbath of Sabbaths here typified, 
 " shall be complete." 
 
 * Heb. iv, 9. There remaineth therefore a rest to the 
 people of God. Or as it is rendered in the margin, 
 ' there remaineth a keeping of a sabbath " to the peo- 
 ple of God. 
 
SABBATHS AND JUBILEES. 227 
 
 Third. Sabbath of Feasts. 
 
 There were seven, and were completed in 
 the seventh month. " These are the feasts 
 of the Lord." (verse 4.) 
 
 1. Feast of the Passover, (verse 5.) 
 
 2. Feast of unleavened bread, (verse 6.) 
 
 3. Feast of Harvest, (verse 10.) 
 
 4. Feast of weeks or Pentecost,*(verse 21.) 
 
 5. Feast of Trumpets, (verse 24.) 
 
 6. Feast of Atonement, (verse 27.) 
 
 7. Feast of Tabernacles, (verse 34.) 
 Fourth. Sabbath of months. 
 
 5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is 
 the Lord's passover. 
 
 38 Besides the sabbaths of the Lord, and besides 
 your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all 
 your free-willofferings which ye give unto the Lord. 
 
 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, 
 when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall 
 keep a feast unto the Lord t,even days : on the first 
 day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be 
 a sabbath. 
 
 This completed the Sabbath of months. 
 
 * This was fifty days after the Passover, and the first 
 fruits of the barley harvest. The wheat harvest was 
 commenced at this " feast of weeks " or Pentecost. It 
 was one sabbath of weeks from the departure of Israel 
 
228 ILLTISTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 In the first month they commenced the 
 convocation on the 14th day at even, and on 
 the 15th day of the seventh month was cel- 
 ebrated the crowning period of harvest. 
 Thus will the harvest of the world be the 
 7th Sabbath. 
 
 Fifth. — Sabbath of years. 
 
 Lev. XXV, 2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and 
 say unto them. When ye come into the land which I 
 give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the 
 Lord. 
 
 3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years 
 thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit 
 thereof; 
 
 out of Egypt to the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, 
 and it was just a sabbath of weeks from the resurrec- 
 tion of Christ to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, as 
 we find in Acts ii. 1, 2. 
 
 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they 
 were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly 
 there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing 
 mighty wind, and it fi.lled all the house where they 
 were sitting. 
 
 This memorable event and the feast of weeks was 
 long celebrated in the Christian church. The apostle 
 of the Gendles regarded it with much interest, as we 
 find in Acts xx, 16. For Paul had determined to sail 
 by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in 
 Asia ; for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be 
 at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. 
 
SABBATHS AND JUBILEES. 229 
 
 4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest 
 unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord : thoa shall nei- 
 ther sow ihy field, nor prune thy vineyard. 
 
 Here is the Sabbath of the land of Israel, 
 which the Lord declared should have its 
 Sabbaths. These Sabbaths were observed, 
 more or less till about the time Saul become 
 king of Israel, after which they were neg- 
 lected altogether until the Babylonian cap- 
 tivity, 490 years. Seventy Sabbaths were 
 then due to the land of Israel, and its inhab- 
 itants were driven out of it just 70 years to 
 give it rest. 
 
 This Sabbatical year was highly typical of 
 the great jubilee Sabbath which awaits the 
 *' whole creation." At the close of the sixth 
 millennium there will be a thousand Sabbat- 
 ical years due to our earth, for hitherto the 
 whole creation has groaned, being in bond- 
 age to its wicked inhabitants. 
 
 Sixth. Sabbath of jubilees. 
 
 8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years 
 unto thee, seven times seven years : and the space of 
 the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and 
 nine years. 
 
 9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee 
 to sound, on the tenth day of the seventh month ; in 
 the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound 
 throughout all your land. 
 
 20 
 
230 ILLUSTRATIONS Of PllOfHEGY. 
 
 This was the last Sabbath given to the 
 Israelites. But there remaineth for them the 
 crowning Sabbath when " tfie fulness of the 
 Gentiles be come in," for without them they 
 ^' could not be made perfect."* 
 
 Immediately following the Trumpet which 
 ushers in the great Sabbatical millennium, 
 will commence earth's grand year of release, 
 typified by the fifteenth year. 
 
 10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and pro* 
 claim liberty throughout all the land, unto all the in- 
 habitants thereof ; it shall be a jubilee unto you ; and 
 ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye 
 shall return every man unto his family. 
 
 * All which' was typified by the sacrifices accompa- 
 nying these sabbaths was fulfilled in Christ by the sa- 
 crifice of himself. But the great consummation of all 
 which was typified by this mode of computing time re- 
 mains to be fulfilled. The terrors of Sinai and the 
 literal blowing of Jubilee trumps has ceased. " For ye 
 are not come unto the mount that might be touched, 
 and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and dark- 
 ness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the 
 voice of words ; which voice they that heard, entreated 
 that the word should not be spoken to them any more ; 
 (and so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I ex- 
 ceedingly fear and quake ;) but ye are come unto mount 
 Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly 
 Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels." 
 _Heb. XII, 18—22. 
 
SABBATHS AND JUBILEES. 231 
 
 11 A jubilee shall that fifieth year be unto you ; ye 
 shall not^sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself 
 in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. 
 
 12 For it is the jubilee ; it shall be holy unto you ; 
 ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. 
 
 13 In the year of this jubilee ye shall return every 
 man unto his possession. 
 
 Where is the sceptical professor of Christ- 
 ianity who doubts that earth's inhabitants 
 will one day go free ? If tliere is any truth 
 in the Bible, or any significancy in its typical 
 Sabbaths and jubilees, " there remaineth a 
 keeping of a Sabbath to the people of God." 
 Here is evidence all but demonstration — it 
 can be no more perfect till faith gives place 
 to actual vision. 
 
 Before the Christian church can expect 
 to enter upon her Canaan of rest, the walls 
 of the great Jericho, of Satan's empire must 
 be thrown down. This will be effected 
 "not by might nor by power," but by the 
 Spirit of God. Those who bear the jubilee 
 trumpets of the Gospel need only to surround 
 the walls of the great city, always remem- 
 bering to give the '•' trumpet a certain sound." 
 Joshua has given them an example, chap. vi. 
 
 3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, 
 and go round about the city once : thus shall thou do 
 six days. 
 
232 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven 
 truinpets of ram's horns ; and the seventh day ye 
 shall compass the city seven times, and the priests 
 shall blow with the trumpets. 
 
 5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a 
 long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the 
 sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a 
 great shout ; and the wall of the city shall fall down 
 flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight 
 before him. 
 
 Scott says the words translated " ram's" 
 horn, may be rendered trumpets of jubilees, 
 that is, such as were blown in the year of 
 jubilee. The entering of Israel into the 
 promised land was a jubilee to them. In- 
 stead of the dreadful trumpet of war, they 
 were commanded to sound the trumpet of 
 joy, as already conquerers. 
 
 Here again the number seven is used to 
 perfection. Seven priests, seven trumpets, 
 seven days, and seven times on the seventh 
 day. This last day must ^have \ been the 
 seventh day of the week, the Sabbath.* 
 
 *The repeated prescriptions of the number seven 
 must not pass unnoticed . " Seven priests," " seven 
 trumpets," ''seven days;," and ''seven times on the 
 seventh day." (Lev. xxv, 9.) This attention to the 
 number seven, in scripture, probably had reference to 
 
SABBATHS AND JUBILEES. 233 
 
 This no doubt typified the seventh or Sab- 
 batical millennium when nothing will be done 
 inconsistent with the solemnities of a Sab- 
 bath. '' Holiness to the Lord" will be in- 
 scribed upon every employment. The dis- 
 ciple's employment will be as sacred as his 
 master's, who said in reference to the Sab- 
 bath, " my Father worketh hitherto, and I 
 work." John v : 18. 
 
 If there is any meaning in the emblems 
 which God has chosen to typify future bless- 
 ings to his people, and if there is any signif- 
 icancy in the most complete system for com- 
 puting time, every one may understand 
 enough of the future for all practical pur- 
 poses. 
 
 the creation of the world in six days, and the Lord's 
 resting on the seventh, which completed the first week ; 
 this was the first reason assigned for the sanctification 
 of the sabbath, and occasioned the measuring of time 
 by the periodical return of the seventh day, in most 
 ages and nations ever since. (Notes, Gen. ii, 2, 3.) 
 One of these seven days must have been a sabbath- 
 day ; the Jews say, that it was the last, on which the 
 city was taken ; and as they were doing the work of 
 God, for his glory, no objection arises against it from 
 the fourth commandment ; any more than against the 
 man's carrying his bed on the sabbath-day, in honor of 
 Christ who had healed him. — Scott's Notes on Joshua 
 yi. 3—5. 
 
 20* 
 
234 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 If the world exists seven millenniums from 
 the creation, it will complete just 140 jubi- 
 lees, including the years of release, — one 
 thousand Sabbatical years, — twelve thousand 
 Sabbaths of months, — fifty-one thousand one 
 hundred Sabbaths of weeks, and three hun- 
 dred and sixty-five thousand Sabbaths of 
 days. 
 
 Such is the interesting analogy which runs 
 through the old Testament in the use of 
 emblems. How few discover their full sig- 
 nificancy ! The bloody sacrifices prefigured 
 the death of our Savior, and ceased after 
 that event. The avenging sword is permit- 
 ted, by such as look to Christ for defence, to 
 remam "in its sheath," or "be beaten into 
 ploughshares." But time has not ceased, 
 nor will it, till the Sabbaths and Jubilees 
 are consummated in the grand anti-type. 
 Then will the Angel "lift up his hand and 
 swear that time shall be no longer." 
 
SECTION IX. 
 
 RETURN OF THE JEWS, 
 
 It was the design of the writer, when the 
 plan of this work was first proposed, to de- 
 Vote a separate portion of the book to the 
 return of the Jews, and answer some of the 
 more common objections urged against that 
 doctrine. But of this the limits of the book 
 will not allow. Besides, their return, in ef- 
 fect, having already commenced, and prep- 
 arations in such an advanced state for their 
 entire emancipation, (seepage 165,) it seems 
 untimely to argue the matter, and idle to 
 answer objections. When Cyrus issued the 
 decree to emancipate the Jews from captiv- 
 ity in Babylon, their way was not more open 
 than it now is by a recent declaration of the 
 
^36 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPilECY. 
 
 Turkish Sultan. (See page 165.*) It may 
 require a few years to carry out the new 
 law in its various bearings ; as it doubtless 
 did the decree of Cyrus. After the declara- 
 tion of independence by the American Col- 
 onies in 1776, it was about six years before 
 this declaration was confirmed, and the new 
 states duly acknowledged, and it may be 
 some years before the new law of the Sultan 
 will receive the sanction of the great powers, 
 
 * Respecting the return of the Jews to the land giv- 
 en to their fathers, opinions are various, of course 
 some must be wrong. The most common error M-orthy 
 of remark is that they must first be converted to Chris- 
 tianity. They will return as they are the moment 
 all obstacles are removed. Their attachment to 
 the country is strong enough with the present 
 facilities for removal to fill up the land in a very short 
 time. We may suppose the circumstances of their 
 return, the striking fulfilment of prophecy, ihe sympa- 
 thy and good will of all nations, instead of the hatred 
 and oppression hitherto endured, will awaken their 
 sympathies in return, and arouse in their softening 
 hearts, inquiry after truth and susceptibilities to its 
 influence. The Jews were not converted from their 
 wickedness, before their return from captivity in Baby- 
 lon. That return was a type of their final restoration. 
 Through the hberality of Mehemet AH, the Pacha of 
 Egypt, forty thousand Jews have already onticipated 
 "their re-settlement in Talestine by a return, while we 
 have no evidence that any one has yet been converted 
 to the Christian faith. 
 
RETURN OF THE JEWS. 237 
 
 and produce its full efiects. Possibly it may 
 arouse the war spirits, and lead to the great 
 conflict at Armegeddon. The people of the 
 United States date their national existence 
 from 1776, tiiough some years after this were 
 required to obtain peace and independence, 
 so may the Jews, though agitated by war 
 for a while, date their emancipation from the 
 Hatti Scherift', issued at Constantinople in 
 1839. 
 
 Taking it for granted that the Jews will 
 be restored, the reader's attention will be 
 called merely to some general calculations 
 respecting the time of their return, and some 
 of the predictions of that event.* 
 
 * The restoration of the Jews is repeatedly predicted 
 m various forms of expression. The manner of their 
 return is not so fully , disclosed ; but sacred history 
 furnishes us with a beautiful and instructive chain of 
 events, from which we may form our views of the fu- 
 ture from the past, on the general principles of analogy. 
 We need not greatly mistake, then, if we will allow 
 imagination its appropriate work, restraining its ten- 
 dency to overleap its bounds. 
 
 Those who have witnessed the services of the Jews 
 in their synagogues of the large cities, (even in this 
 country) where we might suppose they would lose more 
 of their peculiarities than in almost any other, because 
 they enjoy greater privileges here and so become more 
 assimilated to our citizens, yet even here those who 
 
'238 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 It may be expected that great numbers of 
 Jews will be establi^^lied in the land of their 
 fathers, in 1843. Several reasons for this 
 belief has been shown already in another 
 place. The 2300 years from " the going 
 forth of the commandment to restore and 
 build Jerusalem," the length of the morning 
 vision extends to 1843. The events of this 
 vision occupy the time from " the cleansing 
 of the second sanctuary" to the first return 
 of this long dispersed people. Another rea- 
 son for this belief. The evening vision, or 
 whole period of their captivity is 1!520 years ; 
 from this take 677 B. C, the beginning of 
 
 witness their feeling expressed in their solemn assem- 
 blies cannot doubt that they or their children will re- 
 turn to the land of the prophets. In their forms of 
 worship, all their religious feeling is associated with 
 Jerusalem, Zion, the sepulchres of the kings and 
 prophets. They can never be assimilated m their 
 habits, feelings and interests, to people of any other 
 country. Another 1800 years would not efl'ect this 
 change. And what a standing miracle is such a fact, 
 what an evidence visible to every one of the truth of 
 the Bible, and of the certain fulfilment of all its pre- 
 dictions. "What will their restoration and subsequent 
 conversion be " but life from the dead " to the Genlile 
 world ? "For if the casting away of them has been 
 the riches of theGentiles how much more their fulness." 
 
RETURN OF THE JEWS. 239' 
 
 their captivity, and you have 1843, the ear- 
 liest time of return. 
 
 This is a coincidence worthy of remark. 
 The evening vision (covering the space of 
 2520 years, calculated from its earliest date 
 comes out at 1843, the morning vision cov- 
 ering the space of 2300 yearrs from the only 
 date for its commencement given, comes 
 out also precisely 1843. The evening vis- 
 ion, however, is not completely fulfilled to 
 the Jews until 93 years afterwards, and to 
 the fulness of the Gentiles, 75 years beyond 
 that period. (Dan. xii : 12.) 
 
 The restoration of the Jews after their 
 long and dreary dispersion will be an event 
 of no small influence in the world's redemp- 
 tion. 
 
 After the declaration of God's displeasure, 
 so fearfully manifested against this people 
 in their unparalelled sufferings, it will be 
 grateful to the reader to dwell a moment on 
 the promises of favor and restoration which 
 will stand out in honor of divine truth, wherr 
 they shall return and quietly enjoy, ** the 
 pleasant land."* 
 
 * As already remarked, the strong regard of the 
 Jews to the land of their fathers, is, in their present 
 
240 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 The following passages are collected as 
 convenient for reference and profitable for 
 reflection. 
 
 IsA. XI, 12 And he shall set up an ensiga for the na- 
 tions, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and 
 gather together the dispersed of Jadah from the four 
 corners of the earth. 
 
 state of unbelief, sufficient to draw millions to that 
 country as soon as the repelling power ceases. Their 
 attachment to the countries in which they now reside is 
 very weak. They are a race of money brokers and ped- 
 lars among the nations, and are rich enough to remove 
 when they please, being so situated as to prepare for a 
 removal in a short time. When the Lord has fulfilled 
 his purposes in ovcruling such motives as these to exe- 
 cute his designs, other motives may begin to operate. 
 How would the love and sympathy of Christians flow 
 out to them as soon as the way is opened for their re- 
 turn to Jerusalem ! The wicked may be used by God 
 to promote his designs. How was it with the Egyp- 
 tians when the Hebrews were ready for their first 
 march to the "land of promise"? They poured out 
 their riches, and loaded down the Hebrews with pres- 
 ents. How was it when they returned from their cap- 
 tivity in Babylon? The same facilities were afforded. 
 Cyrus furnished them with money and an escort ; and 
 sent orders to his merchants at Tyre to supply them 
 with every thing needful in rebuilding their temple. 
 He also directed the keepers of Mount Lebanon to tur- 
 nish the timber, and ordered his soldiers to guard them 
 from the hostile and jealous inhabitants. These are some 
 of the facts in former cases, and from analogy we may 
 infer that similar thmgs may again be done. 
 
RETURN OF THE JEWS. 241 
 
 13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the 
 adversaries of Jadah shall be catolT; Ephraim shall 
 not envy Jiidah, and Jadah shall not vex Ephraim. 
 
 " An ensign" will indeed be set up, In 
 view of the whole world, when Judah and a 
 "tenth of Israel" return to Palestine. 
 
 IsA. II, 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, 
 that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be estab- 
 lished ir\ the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted 
 above the hills ; and all nations shall flow into it, 
 
 3 And many people shall go and say, come ye, and 
 let us go up to the mountain of ihe Lord, to the house 
 of the Grod of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, 
 and we will walk m his paths ; for out of Zion shall 
 go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall 
 rebuke many people, and they shall beat their swords 
 into plough-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks j 
 nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither 
 shall they learn war any more. 
 
 This mountain is the same that Daniel 
 calls the " stone cut out without hands," 
 which became " a great mountain and filled 
 the whole earth." Mountain in prophecy 
 denotes a kingdom. 
 
 IsA. Lx, 2 ""For behold darknes sshall cover the earthy 
 and gross darkness the people ; but the Lord shall arise 
 upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 
 21 
 
^42 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings 
 to the brightness of thy rising. 
 
 15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so 
 that no man went through thee, I will maKe thee an 
 -eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. 
 
 That the second verse has been literally 
 and completely fulfilled no one can doubt, 
 but the 3d and 15th remain unfulfilled as 
 yet. 
 
 IsA. Liv, 18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ev^er in 
 that which I create ; for behold, I create Jerusalem a 
 rejoicing, and her people a joy. 
 
 19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in ray 
 people ;. and the voice of weeping shall be no more 
 heard in her, nor the voice of crying. 
 
 20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, 
 nor an old man that hath not filled his days : for the 
 child shall die a hundred years old ; but the sinner be- 
 ing a hundred years old shall be accursed. 
 
 These verses also remain unfulfilled, ex- 
 cept as a mere earnest of these blessings 
 have been shed down upon individuals as 
 the first fruits of the promised harvest. A 
 great physical renovation is promised here, 
 so that bodily health will be as universal as 
 personal holiness. Indeed it would be 
 mockery to call the abused and diseased 
 bodies now found within the pale of the 
 
RETURN OF THE JEWS. 243 
 
 church, " temples of the Holy Ghost."* 
 Christ's complete kingdom on earth will be 
 made up of subjects " without blemish," in 
 body or soul, "without spot or wrinkle or 
 any such thing," being " sanctified wholly," 
 in their " whole spirit, and soul, and body." 
 There will be no cause therefore for "the 
 voice of weeping in the new Jerusalem state 
 of the church, to Jew or Gentile — there will 
 none be cut off in their "infant of days." 
 Nor any thing like dotage overtake a "man 
 that hath not filled his days." If an indi- 
 vidual saint die at one hundred, it will be 
 like dying in childhood, (verse 20,) but if 
 a man dies a sinner at that age he dies " ac- 
 cursed." This certainly indicates long life 
 to the Christians of that day. " For as the 
 days of a tree are the days of my people." 
 
 * All ihe blessings promised and all the curses threat- 
 ened to Israel were of a temporal nature. The real 
 blessings and curses were held in a figure and perceiv^ed 
 only by an eye of faith. The really obedient in heart 
 perceived the substance through the shadow. But no 
 where are we warranted to reverse this order so tar as 
 to exclude the idea of a literal return of the Jews from 
 their present dispersion. Formerly the lesser blessing- 
 implied the greater, now the greater blessing promised 
 includes the lesser, i. e. their promised gathering in 
 Christ includes their literal return to the land of Judea. 
 
S44 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 " And the inhabitant shall not say, I am 
 sick." 
 
 EzEK. XXXVI, 21 But, I had pity for my holy name, 
 which the house of Israel had profaned among the 
 heathen, whither they went. 
 
 22 Therefore, say unto the house of Israel, Thus 
 saith the Lord God ; I do not this for your sakes 
 house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which ye 
 have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 
 
 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was 
 profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned 
 in the midst of them ; and the heathen shall know that 
 I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be 
 sanctified in you before their eyes. 
 
 24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and 
 gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into 
 your own land. 
 
 If this prophecy has not been fulfilled it 
 gives the best reason for believing in the 
 return of the Jews, as well as the reason for 
 their conversion. God's truth and honor 
 are here concerned. For illustration, sup- 
 pose a king should sentence a thousand 
 criminals to the penitentiary for seven years, 
 and they suffer this time in prison, would 
 not his honor and truth require their release 
 at the end of this time? Suppose, further, 
 that these citizens were the special favorites 
 of the king but were banished for disloyalty, 
 would not their conduct dishonor their sov- 
 
RETURN OF THE JEWS. S45 
 
 6reign wherever they were known ? Now 
 should they repent and be restored to favor 
 it would wipe off the dishonor which their 
 misconduct had cast upon their king. So 
 will it be, when the repenting Jews return 
 to inherit the '^ glorious holy mountain." 
 Their hearty allegiance will honor their 
 rightful king. 
 
 Jer. xyi, 14 Therefore behold, the days come, saith 
 the Lord, that it shall no more be said, the Lord liveth 
 that brought up the children of Israel out of the land 
 of Egypt ; 
 
 15 But, the Lord liveth, that brought up the children 
 of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the 
 lands whither he had driven them ; and I will bring 
 them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. 
 
 The meaning of these verses is perfectly 
 obvious. The deliverance of Israel out of 
 Egypt had been celebrated throughout all 
 their generation as the great song of deliver- 
 ance. If this does not predict the general 
 restoration of the Jews from among all na- 
 tions, language cannot express such an idea. 
 If it is said that the expression " from the 
 land of the north," referred to the restoration 
 from the Babylonian captivity it must be 
 said, also, in reply, that they are to be gath- 
 ered *' from all lands whither he had driv- 
 21* 
 
S46 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 en them."* The restoration of a remnant 
 from Babylon was indeed an earnest and 
 type of the final restoration. 
 We read again in 
 
 Jer. xxiii, 7 Therefore, behold, the days come, sailh 
 the Lord, that they shall no more say. The Lord liveth, 
 
 * Many reject the idea of a literal return of the Jews. 
 Sut they may as well reject the facts that they are lit- 
 erally dispersed among the nations, and yet remain a 
 distinct people. Should they not return, some objec- 
 tions of infidels to the truth of the scriptures on the 
 score of unfulfilled prophecy would remain unanswered. 
 But their return would silence those objectors, and 
 cover their faces with confusion. It would set forth a 
 triumphant proof of the scriptures. The prophet in- 
 forms us that there shall be signs and wonders in the 
 latter day, but what signs can be more wonderful or 
 more convincing than the exact fulfilment of prophecy. 
 It is equal to a demonstration in geometry. 
 
 Some have abandoned the idea of their return be- 
 cause the eccentric Wolffe, a converted Jew, after 
 much labor and travel among the Jews, has given up 
 the idea. His views are of small weight against a 
 ^' Thus saith the Lord." He, "with a well disposed but 
 unequally ballanced mind, having ''run before he was 
 sent," or fainted before the ripened harvest, turned 
 back in despair. He doubtless found very little encour- 
 agement from the present state of " his kindred." But 
 what if Moses had exercised as little faith and perse 
 verance ? Perhaps he did at first, when seeing the 
 feeling of his brethren he left them 40 years. But after 
 that his active labors for them are well known. 
 
RETURN OF THI^ JEWS. 247 
 
 which brought up the children of Israel out of the land 
 of Egypt ; 
 
 8 But, the Lord liveth^ Avhich brought up and which 
 led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north 
 country, and from all countries whither I had driven 
 them- and they shall dwell in their own land. 
 
 *' And they shall dwell in their land." 
 Who will presume that these predictions 
 have been fulfilled ? Or who will dare say 
 they never will be fulfilled ? How will 
 skepticism ever be silenced if such predict- 
 ions as these are not fulfilled.* This won- 
 derful restoration of the Jews after their dis- 
 persion all the world over, will so far exceed 
 the miracle which God wrought in their de- 
 liverance out of Egypt, that that event will 
 not deserve to be compared or mentioned 
 with their final restoration. 
 
 * The quotation from Jeremiah xvi. 15, repeated 
 xxiii. 8, has a primary allusion, Avithout doubt, to the 
 short respite of a remnant of the Jews from the Baby- 
 lonian captivity. A respite of 70 weeks or 490 years. 
 But those predictions will only receive their complete 
 fulfilment when the Jews are gathered " from all coun- 
 tries whither the Lord has driven them." On their 
 safe exodus out of Egypt they sung the ^' song of 
 Moses," but on their final restoration to their own land 
 they will learn the '* Song of the Lamb," who will 
 deliver them out of the north country, and out of all 
 thecoimtries whither he had driven them. 
 
248 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 2 Cor. hi, 15 But even unto this day, when Moses is 
 read, the vail is upon their heart. 
 
 16 Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the 
 vail shall be taken away. 
 
 How true is this of Israel at this timef 
 Not less than when written by the apostle 
 1800 hundred years ago.* What a stand- 
 ing miracle are the Jews, showing in many 
 respects to all men the truth of the Script- 
 ures. Have they been preserved a distinct 
 people in vain ? Will they never '^ turn to 
 the Lord" and have the *' vail taken away?" 
 The first generation of Jews which return to 
 Judea, will realize as little of the great pur- 
 pose for which the Lord gathers them 
 from among all nations, as the multit- 
 
 * During the last summer the writer visited three 
 Synagogues of Jews in New York to witness their cer- 
 emonies and learn their real sentmients and feelings. 
 His strong emotions while there are not easily ex- 
 pressed. Let any man who disbelieves in the return of 
 the Jews before their conversion remov'e if he can the 
 vail from their hearts. During 1800 years this vail has 
 become more and more immoveable. Nor can we 
 suppose it will be taken away until they behold the ful- 
 fulment of prophecy respecting their fmal restoration, 
 and meet Christ as the multitude from all nations on 
 the day of Pentecost. Then and not till then will the 
 vail be removed. All attempts to convert them in 
 other lands may be expected to prove abortive. Noth- 
 ing but the out-pouring of the Spirit on the day of 
 
RETURN OF THE JEWS. 249 
 
 udes which came out of Egyptian bondage, 
 understood the purpose of their settlement 
 in Canaan. They will have a zeal for God 
 but not according to knowledge, until this 
 vail is removed. 
 
 It is highly probable that many of them 
 will be active in the terrible conflicts which 
 are to precede the ushering in of their pen- 
 tecostal state, and no doubt many of the 
 present generation are from long established 
 habits better adapted to such a work, than 
 to enter into the rest of the peaceful king- 
 dom of Christen Mount Zion. Most of them 
 will return with this vail upon the heart and 
 mistake the nature of the kingdom which 
 their Messiah will erect, sitting on the 
 throne of David and reigning till " all his 
 enemies are put under his feet." Nor would 
 such a mistake be more strange than some 
 made by the apostles, even after the resur- 
 
 Pentecost was sufficient to remove the long cherished 
 and deep seated prejudice from the chosen and privi- 
 leged twelve. And what can be expected from a hard- 
 ness which has been accumulating eighteen hundred 
 years? The Jews are now as blind to spiritual things, 
 and as hostile to Christ, as were ihose who sav/ his 
 works, but combined to destroy him. They are as far 
 from apprehending his first mission as at the time of 
 Tiberius Cassar. 
 
250 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY* 
 
 rection, when they inquired, ''Lord wilt thou 
 at this time restore the kingdom unto Is- 
 rael?" 
 
 HosEA. XII, 12 And Jacob fied into the country of Sy- 
 ria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept 
 sheep. 
 
 13 And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of 
 Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved. 
 
 14 Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly ; 
 therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, and his 
 reproach shall bis Lord return unto him. 
 
 Jacob served a Syrian idolater 2520 days 
 for the mother of Judah and as long for the 
 mother of Ephraim. Why does the proph- 
 et allude to this fact.^ Plainly because Ju- 
 dah and Ephraim carried into captivity, were 
 to serve idolaters as many years. As in the 
 case of Ezekiel, the Lord said, son of man, 
 T have appointed thee a day for a year. 
 (Ezekiel iv : 6.) But Jacob returned from 
 this long service and the Lord met him with 
 a blessing and surnamed him Israel. This is 
 a type of the restoration of Judah and 
 Ephraim after they fulfil their time of ser- 
 vice. Moreover, by a prophet, the Lord 
 brought Israel out of Egypt (verse 13,) and 
 of this prophet Moses says, " the Lord will 
 raise you up a prophet like unto me,'' &c. 
 This prophet is Christ, " the captain of the 
 
RETURN OF THE JEWS. 251 
 
 Lord's host," who will deliver the seed of 
 Abraham, his friend, from a bondage worse 
 than Egyptian, after they have borne the 
 reproach deserved for their sins the appoint- 
 ed times, (verse 14.) Ephraim and Judah 
 will ^' fulfil their v,^eek" of times, as Jacob 
 " fulfilled his week," of years, before they 
 receive their complete discharge from the 
 Laban of oppression. 
 
 20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel ; and 
 they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he 
 had to her. 
 
 21 And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife 
 (for my days are fulfilled) that I may go in unto her. 
 
 26 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our 
 country, to give the younger before the first born. 
 
 27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also, 
 for the service that thou shalt serve with me yet seven 
 other years. 
 
 Here the time (Genesis xxix,) which Ja- 
 cob served Laban is computed three differ- 
 ent ways, first years, "seven years" — then 
 by days, " for my days are fulfilled," (25-20) 
 and thirdly, weeks, " fulfil her week," a 
 week of years. In the same manner, a day 
 denoted a year as we find in Numbers, xiv : 
 34. 
 
 After the number of the days in which ye searched 
 the land, even forty days (each day for a year) shall ye 
 bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall 
 know my breach of promise. 
 
252 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 Also, as \VG have seen, Nebuchadnezzar 
 was driven to the society of the beasts of the 
 field and deprived of his reason "seven 
 times," or 2520 days, when being humbled, 
 he was restored to his former exaU3d sta- 
 tion, and worshipped the tree God, so as if 
 for type of their own banishment among the 
 beasts, or idolatrous heathen rulers, was he 
 set forth to the sons of Jacob for an example, 
 as in the case of the prophet Ezekiel, suffer- , 
 ing " a day for a year," even so the Jews, 
 driven out among the "beasts" of the earth, 
 after an exile of 2520 years, shall return to 
 their former inheritance, and become "kings 
 and priests unto God." 
 
 As Jacob returned from his service of the 
 idolatrous Laban, he was met in the way by 
 the Angel of the Covenant, who blessed him 
 and called him by a " new name." (Gen. 
 xxxii : 28.) So with the returning Jews^ 
 Christ will meet and bless them, and " call 
 his people by another name," But they 
 must expect to " wrestle" with many diffi- 
 culties. It has been suggested in the fore- 
 going pages that the Jews, as a body, will 
 return in their impenitence as they did from 
 Babylon, and as the Hebrews went up out 
 of Egypt. Like those manner too, there 
 will undoubtedly be some really pious pray- 
 
RETURN OF THE JEWS. 253 
 
 ing souls like Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, &,c. 
 To such, Solomon's piophetic prayer will 
 apply. It is recorded in 2 Chronicles vi: 
 37, 38. 
 
 37 Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whith- 
 er they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto 
 thee in the land of their captivity, saying:, We have 
 sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly; 
 
 38 If they return to thee with all their heart and 
 with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither 
 they have carried them captives, and pray toward their 
 land which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward 
 the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the houso 
 which I have built for thy name. — 
 
 ^' Then hear thou," &c. the 39th verse 
 continues. The objector may say this pre- 
 diction and implied promise had reference 
 only to the restoration from the Babylonian 
 captivity. But such an objection is answer- 
 ed in Isaiah xi : 11, 12. 
 
 11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the 
 Lord shall set his hand again the second time to re- 
 cover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, 
 from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and 
 from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from 
 Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 
 
 12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, 
 and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel; and gather 
 together the dispersed of Judah from the four coraers 
 of the earth. 
 
 22 
 
254 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 Something like a spirit of penitence like 
 that breathed forth in this prayer of Solo- 
 mon is beginning to possess the hearts of 
 many of the Jews abroad. In an article in 
 a late number of the London Quarterly Re- 
 view the writer speaks of the increasing in- 
 terest manifested in the Holy Land, by the 
 whole body of the Jews.* They no longer 
 conceal their hope, and their belief, that the 
 time is not far distant when '* the Lord will 
 set his hand again the second time to recover 
 the remnant of his people." 
 
 The writer justly adds, "this is no new 
 sentiment among the children of the disper- 
 
 * In Poland, the great focus of the Hebrew people, 
 the sentiment is most rife that the time is near at hand 
 for the turning of their captivity ; often times they 
 meet together in their synagogues for humiliation and 
 fasting ; and falling on their knees, like Daniel, (5, 10,) 
 with their faces towards Jerusalem, offer these beau- 
 tiful and touching petitions — 
 
 "We are more sinful than any other people, we 
 ought to be ashamed more than any nation ; the joy of 
 the Lord is gone from us, our hearts are wounded. 
 Why? — because we have sinned against the Lord. 
 The temple is destroyed ; there is no Shechina abiding 
 among US; we are despised and trodden down by all 
 people. The words of the prophet are luUilled, that 
 Israel is burned on every side, yet he layeth it not to 
 heart. But now, Lord, look down from heaven, Thy 
 
KETURN OP THE JEWS. 255 
 
 sion. The novelty of the present day does 
 not lie in the indulgence of such a hope by 
 that most venerable people, but in their 
 fearless confession of the hope, and in the 
 approximation of spirit between Christians 
 and Hebrews, to entertain the same behef 
 of the future glories of Israel, to offer up the 
 same prayer, and look forward to the same 
 consummation." 
 
 After alluding to the alteration in the dis- 
 position of modern Gentiles towards them 
 and the benevolent enterprises which have 
 been originated by Christians in later years 
 to improve their condition, the writer pro- 
 ceeds , '^Encouraged by these proofs of a 
 bettered condition, and the sympathy of the 
 Gentiles who so lately despised them, the 
 children of Israel have become far more open 
 to Christian intercourse and reciprocal inqui- 
 ry. Both from themselves and their con- 
 
 holy habitation, and cause the Messiah, son of David, 
 speedily to appear, and according to thine own prom- 
 ise, sprinkle clean water upon us, and cleanse us from 
 all our filthiness and from all our idols." 
 
 What a marvellous thing, that this despised and de- 
 graded people, in their suffering and baseness should 
 yet be minutely observant of the royal supplication 
 which fell from the lips of Solomon in the palmy days 
 of Jerusalem. 
 
256 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 verted brethren we learn much of their do- 
 ings, much of their hopes and fears, that a 
 few years ago would have remained in se- 
 cret.* 
 
 *' Already," says Mr M'Neil, in his excel- 
 lent lectures on Jewish prophecy, " as we 
 have heard from an eye witness of the inter- 
 esting scene, some of thein assemble on the 
 
 * One of them, who lately, in the true spirit of 
 Moses, went a journey into Poland "unto his brethren, 
 and looked on their burdens," (Ex. ii. 11,) informs us 
 that "several thousand Jews of that country and of 
 Russia, have recently bound themselves by an oath, 
 that, as soon as the way is open for them to go up to 
 Jerusalem, they will immediately go thither, and there 
 spend their time in fasting and praying unto the Lord 
 until he shall send the Messiah." ''Large bodies, 
 moreover," he continues, " have acted on this impulse ; 
 ■we state, on the authority of another gentleman, him- 
 self a Jewish Christian, that the number of Jews in 
 Palestine has been multiplied twenty fold ; that, though 
 within the last forty years, scarcely two thousand of 
 that people were to be found there, they now amount to 
 upwards of forty thousand ; and Ave can confirm this 
 Btatemenl from other sources, that they are increasing 
 in multitude by large annual additions. 
 
 For many years past this desire has prevailed among 
 the Hebrews ; old Sandys has recorded it in his account 
 of Palestine ; but it has been reserved for the present 
 day to see the wish so amply gratified. In all parts of 
 the earth this extraordinary people, whose name and 
 sufferings are in every nation under heaven, think and 
 feel as one man on the great issue of their restoration. 
 
RETURN OF THE JEWS. 257 
 
 eve of their Sabbath, under the walls of Je- 
 rusalem, where the "abomination of desola- 
 tion standelh," and chant in mournful melo- 
 dy the lamentations of their own Jeremiah, or 
 sing with something like a dawn of hope, — 
 
 "^Lord, build — Lord, build — 
 
 Build Thy house speedily. 
 In haste! in haste ! Even in our days, 
 
 Build Thy house speedily. 
 Lord build— Lord, build — 
 
 Build Thy house speedily. 
 In haste ! in haste ! Even in our days, 
 
 Build Ttiy house speedily. 
 In haste ! m haste! Even in our days, 
 
 Build Thy house speedily." 
 
 Scriptural passages going to prove the lit- 
 eral return of the Jews, are too numerous 
 even to be referred to here, much less to be 
 quoted. The objection that all the promises 
 imply spiritual blessings, no more prove that 
 there willbe noliteial restoration of the Jews 
 to their own land, than it proves that the 
 moment a man is born into Christ's kingdom 
 on earth, he shall no longer possess a " liter- 
 al" body. 
 
 22* 
 
SECTION X. 
 
 EVENING VISION CONCLUDED. 
 
 Having in the 1 1th chapter witnessed the 
 close of the nnorning vision of Daniel, in the 
 destruction of the little horn of the goat, or 
 the eastern Anti-Christ, and the consequent 
 return of the Jews, to commence the cleans- 
 ing of the sanctuary, we come now in the 
 11th chapter, to consider the predicted 
 close of all earthly affairs. In the several 
 chapters which predict the events of the 
 morning vision, Daniel no where alludes to 
 the millennial reign of Christ, or the scenes 
 of the judgment or general resurrection. 
 But these are all brought to view in the ii, 
 vii, and xii chapters which belong to the eve- 
 ning vision. It has been already abundantly 
 
EVENING VISION. 259 
 
 proved that the prophecies of Daniel are ar- 
 ranged under two great divisions, the first 
 embracing the four great empires, covering 
 the whole time of 25'20 years, the other em- 
 bracing the two middle empires, in their 
 several stages and modifications, existing 
 2300 years. The first, includes the whole 
 period of the Jew's dispersion, the other em- 
 braces only the period from the cleansing of 
 the second temple, 'to the first preparation 
 for the cleansing of the millennial sanctuary. 
 There is no intimation, therefore, given by 
 Daniel, that the fulness of the Gentiles will 
 come in at the end of the 2300 years, but at 
 the end of the three times and a half and 
 the destruction of the papal horn of the 
 fourth beast and empire. He clearly pre- 
 dicts that event, as we have seen, in the 
 2d and 7th chapters, and shall now see in the 
 12th. 
 
 Chap. xii. And at that time shall Michael stand up, 
 the great prince which standeth for the children of thy 
 people ; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as 
 never was since there was a nation even to that same 
 time ; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, 
 every one that shall be found written iu the book. 
 
 This time of trouble will be general, both 
 to Jews and Christians, and will probably 
 continue, more or less, from the destruction 
 
260 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 of the eastern Anti-Christ, to the slaying of 
 the witnesses, and the downfall of the papal 
 Anti-Christ.^ We are every where taught 
 in the prophecies, that unparalleled troubles 
 await the wicked world just before the mil- 
 lennial reign of the saints, and also at the 
 close of the millennium, just before the gen- 
 eral resurrection and judgment day, wicked 
 men and devils will have a short time to 
 manifest their opposition to Christ. These 
 two periods of trouble are in this verse view- 
 ed at a single glance, together with the res- 
 urrection and judgment of the righteous and 
 the wicked. 
 
 Michael signifies " who is like God ?" 
 
 * Some writers assume that tlie " lime of (rouble " spoken 
 of here was entirely fulfilled upon the Jews at the destruction 
 of Jerusalem. Christ said to his disciples in reference to that 
 event — Wiien ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of deso- 
 lation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy 
 Klace. (whoso readeth lei him understand,) then let them which 
 e in Judea flee into the mountains ; for then shall be great 
 tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world 
 to this lime, no, nor ever shall be. — Mall, xxiv : 15, 16. 21. 
 
 This is strong language certainly, and is quoted from Dan- 
 iel almost verbatim. But it presents no diflficulty to the liberal 
 minded reader who is familiar with the prophetical scriptures. 
 We are only to keep in mind the fact so often alluded to in 
 these illustrations, that prophecy receives a fulfilment in the 
 type as well as a consummation in the anti-type. To under- 
 stand the force of the language of Christ in reference to Jeru- 
 salem, the reader must turn to the account of the destruction 
 of that city, by Josephus. 
 
EVENING VISION. 261 
 
 And this name, with the title of the "great 
 Prince who stands for the children of thy 
 people," clearly points out Christ, who is 
 the judge of quick and dead. 
 
 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the 
 earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some 
 to shame and everlasting contempt. 
 
 3 And they that be wise, shall shine as the brightness 
 of the firmament ; and they that turn many to right- 
 eousness, as the stars for ever and ever. 
 
 The meaning of these passages is so per- 
 fectly obvious, as to require no comment. 
 The general resurrection ends the series of 
 events predicted from the time of Daniel to 
 the close of the millennial reign of the church 
 on earth.* 
 
 * A very recent writer applies these verses, together with 
 the whole of the 12ll) chapter, to the period of Antiochus 
 Epiphanes. Several writers of past centuries apply the lllh 
 chapter of Daniel to the persecutions of that vile prince. Few 
 will believe that " when the tribulalicns of the Jews were re- 
 moved by the death of Antiochus and the victory of ftlacha- 
 beus, they came up out of llie dust, into which they had 
 been crushed," and were thus "raised to everlasting life ; " 
 and that those who had yielded in llie time of trouble and 
 temptation, " came forth to everlasting shame and contempt." 
 — IMiLLER Overthrown, p. 79. 
 
 Nor will those writers deceive many, who assert that all 
 this was fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem ! Christ did 
 not quote this language as applicable to the destruction of 
 
262 ILLUSTRTIONS OT PROPHECY. 
 
 After the termination of the fourth king- 
 dom, as Daniel tells us, in chap, vii : 18, 
 the "saints of the Most High shall take the 
 kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, 
 even for ever and ever.'* This was not done 
 at the termination of the third beast with 
 Mohamedanism, but will be done immediate- 
 ly after the destruction of the fourth. Also 
 chap, ii : 44, when the first outline of this 
 vision was closed, at the destruction of the 
 in^age, it is said, " And in the days of these 
 kings, shall the God of heaven set up a king- 
 dom, which shall never be destroyed, and the 
 kingdom shall not be left to other people, 
 but it shall break in pieces and consume all 
 other kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." 
 
 Jerusalem in the 24th chapter of Matthew, but he used lan- 
 guage of similar import, which can be uiicierstood upon no 
 other principles of interpretation but that of describing the 
 events of the type and the antitype at a glance. 
 
 Immediately after the tribulation ol those days, 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 slinkrn ; 
 
 And ihon shall appear the sign of the Son of man in 
 heaven • and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and 
 they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaveu 
 with power and great glory. 
 
 And he shall send liis angels with a rrreat sound of a 
 trumpet, and they shall gather together his .;loct from the four 
 winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 
 
EVENING VISION* 263 
 
 The nature, therefore, of this millennial 
 kingdom of Christ will be everlasting, and 
 not "given to other people"' — it will not 
 change hands like the four great empires 
 just described, but being established overall 
 the inhabitants, (as the " mountain is to fill 
 the whole earth,") it will embrace the gene- 
 ral resurrection and judgment, and stand 
 forever after the earth is renovated by fire. 
 The resurrection of those who are not the 
 subjects of this kingdom, will be only to 
 " shame and everlasting contempt," while 
 the eternal felicity of those vvho have " turn- 
 ed many to righteousness" is denoted by the 
 most beautiful figure, — "They shall shine 
 as the brightness of the firmament, and as 
 the stars forever and ever."* 
 
 * Two recent works on the subject of prophecy, productions 
 of the Boston Press, are matters of some ruriosity. The first 
 is entitled " Miller Overthrown, or the False Prophet con- 
 founded," written by one who styles himself A Cositfnpo- 
 LITK, a Roman Catholic in sentiment. The other is entitled 
 " Miller's Theory Utterly Exploded." written by Otis A. 
 SiciNAfKR. a Universalist preacher. The first holds that afl 
 the prophecies of Daniel were fulfilled in Antiochus Epiplmnes, 
 the other, that all the prohecies of both the Old and INew Testa- 
 ment were completcdy fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem. 
 After they have " overthrown " and "exploded'' Mr. Miller 
 and his theory, which by the way will be no great task, they 
 will hare nothins^ to do but to " explode " one another. Some 
 instruction can be derived, even from such works as these. 
 
264 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 4 But thou, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal 
 the book, even to the time of the end ; many shall run 
 to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased 
 
 The sealing of this book of prophecy may 
 have a double allusion. It may mean mak- 
 ing it sure, and certain of fulfilment, or it 
 may mean that it reaches so far into futurity 
 as to become an unknown or sealed book to 
 the reader in the early days of the church, 
 little of which would be understood " till the 
 time of the end," i. e. the time of fulfilling 
 the predictions. In the Revelation, events 
 about to take place are represented as con- 
 tained in a " book sealed with seven seals, 
 and none was found worthy to loose the 
 seals thereof," but Christ, the same great 
 personage who now "standeth for the chil- 
 dren of thy people." (verse 1.) We have 
 arrived so near " the time of the end" that 
 many begin to ^' run to and fro," and the 
 facilities for so doing are rapid, and general 
 intercourse among men, as is now seen, can- 
 not escape the notice of those who duly re- 
 gard the signs of the times. 
 
 If any through indolence, or any other 
 motive interpret these words of Daniel as 
 a command to '' seal up the book" and not 
 read or investigate the subject of the 
 prophecies, they are referred to Rev. xxii :10, 
 
EVENING VISION. 265 
 
 where the command is to them repealed and 
 a new one given, " Seal not the sayings of 
 the prophecy of this book for the time is at 
 hand."=* 
 
 5 Then I Daniel looked, and behold, there stood 
 other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, 
 and the other on that side of the bank of the river. 
 
 6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which 
 was apon the waters of the river, How long shall it be 
 to the end of these wonders ? 
 
 7 And ] heard the man clothed in linen, which was 
 upon the waters of the river, when he held up his 
 
 * Here again those writers who contend that all 
 prophecy was fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem, 
 assert that John wrote the Revelation before that city 
 was destroyed, and that all was fulfi^Ued in that event. 
 Hence the language " the time is at hand." But toDan- 
 iel ''seal up the book even to the end." Such writers 
 quote also oar Savior's words. Matt. xxiv. 34, 35. — 
 " Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass 
 till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth 
 shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away." 
 
 Miller says that " this generation " here means all 
 the children of God in all succeeding generations on 
 earth, but such an evasion of the difficulty, if not 
 equally absurd with that of the other, is equally fanci- 
 ful. The only principle of interpretation which will 
 harmonize all these seeming difficulties is this again, 
 all the calamities which Christ pronounced upon an 
 ungodly world in all ages was typically fulfilled on that 
 wicked generation of Jews. At the destruction of their 
 city it is estimated that 11 millions perished, and the 
 remainder were carried into captivity ! 
 
 23 
 
^60 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PllOPHECY. ' 
 
 right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware 
 by him that liveth for ever, that it shall be for a time, 
 times and a half; and when he shall have accomplish- 
 ed to scatter the power of the holy people, all these 
 things shall be finished. 
 
 Daniel here discovers two angels, one on 
 each side of the river Tigris, one of which 
 inquired of the representative of our spot- 
 less High Priest ''clothed in linen," how long 
 shall it be to the end of these wonders? The 
 answer is a repetition of the same period as in 
 (Dan. vii : '25,) which was a drawing of the 
 second outline of the evening vision. "Time, 
 times, and a half i. e. 1260 years. This num- 
 ber is applied solely to the evening vision, 
 and gives the time during which the west- 
 ern little horn "the man of sin," which 
 arose out of the Latin church, was to con- 
 tinue. It is never named in the morning 
 vision. The 1260 years from the rise of this 
 " little horn" extend to the dawn of the 
 millennium.* 
 
 * The OVERTHROWER of Mr. Miller considers these 
 1260 days fulfilled from the lime that the fire of sacri- 
 fice was taken from the temple to the selling up 
 of the image of abominaiion by Antiochas. — JMiller 
 
 OVERTIIOWN, p. 82. 
 
 The EXPLODER of Mr. Miller, assumes that these 1260 
 days were accomplished at the destruction of the tem- 
 ple by the Romans, and also that the 2300 days and 
 the 70 weeks of the morning vision came out just at 
 the same time. — Miller Exploded, p. 209. 
 
EVENING VISION. 267 
 
 This is the period when the Gentile por- 
 tion of God's people are to come out of cap- 
 tivity, where they have been in mystical 
 Babylon, three times and a half. This point 
 has been sufficiently dwelt upon in connect- 
 ion with the seven times captivity of the 
 Jews. The " scattering of the holy people," 
 therefore, (verse 7,) will be accomplished 
 when the Jews are restored from their seven 
 times captivity, and Christians from their 
 three times and a half. 
 
 8 And I heard, but I understood not ; then said I, O 
 my Lord, what shall be the end of these things ? 
 
 9 And he said. Go thy way, Daniel : for the words 
 are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 
 
 iO 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 under- 
 stand. 
 
 The answer was wholly unintelligible to 
 Daniel, and he repeats the inquiry and was 
 assured it was not designed for his instruct- 
 ion, but for those who live near " the time of 
 the end," and even then none of the wicked 
 shall understand, but the wise shall under- 
 stand. 
 
 How far Christians at this day are excusable 
 for their ignorance of the prophecies is a fear- 
 ful question. None but the wicked will mis- 
 
268 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 understand. At " the time of the end," 
 many shall be purified and made white." 
 Simdar language to that used at the close of 
 the other vision showing that similar troub- 
 les to those which are to precede the fall of 
 the eastern '' little horn" will also precede 
 the fall of the western, and that these troub- 
 les will exert a purifying influence upon 
 Christians, while " the wicked shall do wick- 
 edly," '' waxing worse and worse," none of 
 them understanding the indications of the 
 remarkable events.* 
 
 It is easy to conceive of these troubles 
 which are to come upon the righteous during 
 the unparalleled commotion of a wicked 
 
 * Rightly to understand and apply the different num- 
 bers ''■ to the times of the end " given in the Book of 
 Daniel, the reader by this time cannot but see and ap- 
 preciate the distinction between the Mornins: and Eve- 
 nin°: Visions. Mr. Austin,, in Skinner's " Explosion " 
 of ''Miller's Theory," page 206, says, "It is contended 
 by some commentators, that Daniel's 2300 days or 
 years, refer to the four great monarchies of the world." 
 Now it is readily seen that the folly of '' some com- 
 mentators," running into such an error, prepares the 
 way for, and gives more or less plausibility to others 
 still more absurd. For Austin says, It is contended 
 with much plausibility, that it should commence at the 
 founding of the Babylonian empire, of which the 
 prophet' had been speaking. This empire was estab- 
 
EVENING VISION. 269 
 
 world when all kingdoms are demolished, 
 (Dan. ii : 45,) to make way for the '• God of 
 heaven to set up his kingdom." Although 
 the righteous will not be destroyed with the 
 wicked, yet, like the disciples who fled from 
 the destruction of Jerusalem "into the 
 mountains of Judea," trials and privations 
 await them. 
 
 11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall 
 be taken away, and the abomination that maketh deso- 
 late set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and 
 ninety days. 
 
 We have seen that the dawn of the mil- 
 lennium will be the downfall of popery 1260 
 years from its maturity. We are here tauaht 
 to what period to look for its maturity, viz : 
 
 lished by Nimrod, 2234 years before the birth of Christ. 
 Sixty-six years after the birth of Christ, Titus, the Re 
 man general, surrounded Jerusalem wdth his armies, 
 and commenced a siege, w^hich resulted in the entire 
 destruction of that city and people. Now add these 66 
 years to the 2334 years, and we have just 2300 years 
 from the founding of Babylon by Nimrod, to the siege 
 of Jerusalem. This construction of the 23U0 years, 
 appears to me much more plausible than that of Mr. 
 Miller." Now it has been abundantly proved in pre- 
 ceding sections of these illustrations that the 2300 years 
 do not apply to the four great monarchies, but to only 
 two of them — second and third. The four were to 
 exist 2520 years, and Daniel is here speaking of the 
 last half of that period. 
 
 23* 
 
270 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 "the taking away of the daily sacrifice," 
 M'hich was done when pure Christian wor- 
 ship in the western church gave place to the 
 abominations of popery, which made " deso- 
 late" every thing which bore the slightest 
 analogy to the "daily sacrifice" in the Jew- 
 ish temple while Jehovah was worshipped 
 there. Most of the representations in proph- 
 ecy relating to the Christian church are bor- 
 rowed from the temple w-orship, and the sup- 
 pression of true worship in the Christian 
 church, the establishment of popery, "the 
 man of sin sitting in the temple of God," 
 and the church " driven into the wilderness," 
 are events so fully analagous to the abolit- 
 ion of the true worship of God in the Jewish 
 temple, as clearly to fix the date of this 1260, 
 if an impartial appeal be made to historical 
 facts.* 
 
 * The writer quoted in a previous note, makes no 
 remarks upon the numbers given in this "Vision, but 
 seems to rest satisfied after having " utterlj^ exploded 
 Miller's theory," of having applied the 2300 years to 
 the four monarchies of the world, and then adopts the 
 same 'Mheory," if 2300 years can be made to com- 
 mence with Nimrod. He says, '' Seventy weeks are 
 determined upon thy people," &c. " The evident 
 meaning of this passage is, that 70 weeks from the 
 time of the going forth of the commandment to rebuild 
 
EVENING VISION. 271 
 
 In the parallel passages in the Revelation 
 of John, these points in history, are more 
 fully considered. For the present, the. pe- 
 riod of " taking away the daily sacrifice,'' 
 as the proper date of the three times and a 
 hnlj\ will be placed in the centre of the 
 seven times, the whole outline of this vision. 
 So the reader will find it, in the miniature 
 diagram at the close of this section, and in 
 
 Jerusalem, and the 2300 years should end, and the 
 sanctuary and host should be trodden under foot. Now 
 these 70 weeks, or 490 years, almost all commentators 
 allow, ended at the destruction of Jerusalem, — conse- 
 quently the 2300 years terminated at that time also ! ". 
 He then goes on to show how the 12th chapter of 
 Daniel also was fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem. 
 For instance, page 209 — "In reference to the lioolc 
 of Daniel, the angel thus declared to the prophet : "And 
 when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power 
 of the holy people, all these things (these prophecies) 
 shall be finished ! '• Who were the holy people ? — the 
 Jews. When was their power scattered ? At the des- 
 truction of their city, when 11,000,000 perished, and the 
 remainder were carried into captivity! Then, accord- 
 ing to this solemn declaration of God's holy angel, who 
 consecrated his word by an oaih, or asseveration, at the 
 overthrow of that ill-fated people, all the prophecies of 
 Daniel were accomplished and finished ! The 2300 
 days, or years, and the 70 weeks, came to an end, — 
 those that were figuratively asleep in the dnst, awoke, 
 — some to shame, and some to " shine as the brightness 
 of the firmament." — Miller Exploded, p. 209. 
 
 These extracts are made to show the advantages of 
 truth when contrasted with error. 
 
272 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 the quarto diagram of the chronology of this 
 vision, in the appendix. 
 
 Thirty years, the reader will perceive, was 
 added to the 1260, inverse 11. This must 
 be the dawn of better times to those who 
 live during the '' time of trouble," spoken of 
 in the first verse. 
 
 12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the 
 thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. 
 
 Here 45 years more are added which ex- 
 tends the twilight of that glorious millen- 
 nial day to 75 years. That is, after the 
 close of the 1260 years from the time "the 
 man of sin" took his scat in the " temple of 
 God," (2d. Thes.) will be an intervening 
 period of 75 years, before the full orbed Sun 
 of righteousness ushers in the perfect mil- 
 lennial day.* This day of a thousand years 
 
 * It is so evident that a day stands for a year in 
 prophecy, from the many examples given thus far in 
 these illustrations, that little more need be said on that 
 subject. A recent Lecturer on the prophecies, slated 
 that in the books of Moses, Ezekicl, Daniel, and John, 
 a day stands for a year in the prophetical parts of" 
 their writings, and that in other portions of the Bible, 
 days and years were given literally. This may not be 
 taken for granted without examination. How M'as it 
 in the prophecy of Jonah ? He prophecied that the 
 
EV^ENING VISION. 273 
 
 is then to be preceded by a proportionate 
 twiliglit of 75 years, and at its close also 
 when " Satan shall be loosed out of his pris- 
 on." (Rev. XX : 8.) There musi be a 
 giadual diminishing of the glory of llintday, 
 before he can raise the spirits of wicked per- 
 secutors in sufficient numbers, to compose 
 his army; to "go up on the breadth of the 
 earth to compass the camp of the saints." 
 It needs no argument to show that it 
 would be more " blessed" for those who 
 " wait'' and come to the full orbed day, 
 than to hve at its dawn amidst the moral 
 convulsions and earthquakes which "lead 
 on the dreadful day" to the wicked. This 
 75 years will bring us to the first or mystical 
 resurrection. (Rev. xx: 6.) John says 
 
 Lord would destroy Ninevah in forty days, but the city 
 stood, according to history, forty years. The same 
 Lecturer admits that in other prophets a day sometimes 
 stands for a thousand years, as Hosea vi . 2, and Peter, 
 " one day is with the Lord a thousand years," &c. 
 He must admit also that in the first named prophets, 
 years are sometimes given literally, as, for instances, 
 the 70 years captivity in Daniel, the iOOO years reign 
 of the saints, and the binding of saian 1000 years, as 
 we find in Revelation. These diff'erent modes of com- 
 putation are to be determined by their connections. 
 " Let him that readeth understand." 
 
274 ILLTTSTRA.TIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 " blessed and holy is he that hath part in the 
 first resurrection," the same period of which 
 Daniel says, " blessed is he that vvaiteth and 
 Cometh to the 2335 days."* The reader is 
 referred to another curious extract below. 
 
 13 But go thou thy way till the end be ; for thou 
 shalt rest; and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. 
 
 Angels are " ministering spirits" to the 
 ^' heirs of salvation,'* and why should not 
 such saints as Moses, Elijah and Daniel, 
 " stand in their lot at the end of these days" 
 
 * "And they shall be given into his hand until a 
 time, times, and the dividing of time ; " that is, until 
 the judgment shall sit. Hence he also says, " And 
 from the time the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, 
 and the abomination that maketh desolate setup, there 
 shall be 1290 days." That is, the siege shall continue 
 so long. And history assures us, thai such was the 
 case ; that from the time the Roman army surrounded 
 Jerusalem, to the time of its destruction, was about 
 three and a half years. Therefore it is said, " Blessed 
 is he that waiteth and cometh to the thousand three 
 hundred and five and thirty days." Dan. xii, 12. Why 
 were those blessed that waited till that time ? Because 
 they should no; be hurt of the second death ; because 
 judgment should not fall on them ; because they should 
 have a place at the right hand of the judge; because 
 then should the kingdom be given to them, and they 
 should possess it, and enjoy it in peace. — "Miller's 
 Theory Utterly Exploded," !! p. 138. 
 
EVENING VISION. 275 
 
 and witness the glorious triumph of the gos- 
 pel on earth ? Moses and Elijah did meet 
 and confer with Christ on the mount of trans- 
 figuration, (Matt, xvii : 3,) and John was in- 
 formed by his attending guide at the close 
 of the communications to him, "I am thy 
 fellow servantand of thy brethren the proph- 
 ets and of them which keep the sayings of 
 this book." (Rev. xxii : 9.) Which of the 
 prophets was this so likely to be as Daniel ? 
 So identical were their characters and so 
 connected were their prophecies. 
 
 Thus reader have we gone through with 
 the visions of Daniel, giving brief chronolog- 
 ical outlines of a few other prophets, having 
 a bearing upon the captivity and final restor- 
 ation of the Jews. The candid reader is left 
 to judge whether the writer has pursued a 
 straight and independent course or not. 
 
 The views of writers holding various opin- 
 ions have been freely represented in notes. 
 Among these, none are more extraordinary 
 than that disclosed by the last quotation. If 
 ' Miller's Theory' can be ignited and "utterly 
 exploded" by such a "match," we will leave 
 the instrument to its own "friction" and an 
 "explosion" must soon follow by "spon- 
 taneous combustion." 
 
EXPLANATION OF THE DIAGRAM ON THE OPPO- 
 SITE PAGE. 
 
 The chronological period represented by 
 the figures on tne left, and first column of 
 figures on the riglit extremities of the long- 
 est rule marks, are shown in the diagram, 
 page '203. The short rule marks here repre- 
 sent the three times and a half, or 126 ) years, 
 supposed to commence in the centre of the 
 long lines representing the seven times or 
 2520 years. Adding the 30 years as in Dan. 
 xii : 11, and the 45 years, as in the follow ing 
 verse 12, the result is shown by the last 
 column of figures on the right extremity of 
 the short lines 
 
 No other reasons are offered here for com- 
 mencing the three times and a half in the 
 centre of the seven times, except the gener- 
 al principles of analogy. But in the parallel 
 passages in the Revelation, it will be shown 
 how far analogy is corroborated by history, 
 in fixing the periods of taking away the "daily 
 sacrifice" in the Christian church. 
 
 These three times and a half, or 1260 
 years, were but briefly alluded to in 
 the visions of Daniel, but are very fully 
 disclosed in the apocalyptic vision of John. 
 There the 1260 years constitute the out- 
 lines of the important numbers given for 
 computation, but the 2300 and 2520 years 
 relating to the Jews are not even alluded to. 
 
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SECTION XI. 
 
 APOCALYPTIC VISION OF JOHN. 
 
 Having attended to the visions of Daniel, 
 and settled their proper distinctions of time 
 and place, the reader will easily obtain a sat- 
 isfactory understanding of the chief outlines 
 of the Revelation of John, with only brief 
 illustrations. These will be mainly repre- 
 sentations to the eye, and familiar remarks. 
 After reading these with care, marking the 
 distinction of the seals and trumpets, the 
 reader may with great interest and profit 
 take up more voluminous dissertations, par- 
 ticularly such as Smith's Key to the Reve- 
 lation. 
 
VISIONS OF JOHN. 279 
 
 Many of those portions of the Revelation 
 which have been most fully explained by 
 other writers, will be but briefly touched 
 upon in these illustrations. Distinctions 
 overlooked or passages mis-explained, will 
 receive more attention. 
 
 The introduction of John is strikingly 
 beautiful. It is a preface to his work, and 
 shows a characteristic peculiar to the pro- 
 phetic writings, of anticipating the end at 
 the beginning of a series of consecutive 
 events. As early as the seventh verse, he 
 announces the coming of Christ. " Behold 
 he Cometh with clouds." 
 
 The messages to the seven churches of 
 Asia, while ministering consolation or admo- 
 nition, contain predictions wonderfully ful- 
 filled in their subsequent history, even to 
 the present day. 
 
 Those writers who maintain, that in this 
 part of the book, the apostle merely describes 
 allegorically seven distinct periods of the 
 church general, instead of seven local 
 churches then really existing, and who with 
 equal facility, reverse the process, converting 
 figure into fact, when it suits their views, 
 will not mislead the sober minded, mtelli- 
 gent reader. 
 
 It will be well for the reader to commence 
 
280 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 this book and'read in course till he comes to 
 the part wholly symbolical, and to observe 
 that in this book, as in Genesis, the number 
 SEVEN is the symbolical and perfect number. 
 We have seven stars, seven spirits, seven 
 churches, seven candlesticks. So also in 
 subsequent chapters. 
 
 In the fourth chapter we come to the 
 scene of subsequent visions, and also the ac- 
 tors in those scenes. 
 
 Chap. iv. After this I looked, and behold, a door was 
 opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, 
 was as It were of a trun\pet talking with me ; which 
 said, come up hither, and I will show thee things which 
 must be hereafter. 
 
 2 And immediately I was in the Spirit ; and behold, 
 a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 
 
 3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper 
 and a sardine stone ; and there was a rainbow round 
 about the throne in sight like unto an emerald. 
 
 Visions of the Throne. — The place 
 chosen for the presentment of the scenes of 
 this book, is found to be the third heavens, 
 or the space imagined to be above our visi- 
 ble heavens, or starry regions. Looking up, 
 John seemed to see an opening in the vault 
 in the upper sky, which terminates all hu- 
 man vision when looking upward. A trum- 
 pet-like voice summoned him thither, to 
 learn the events of futurity. Obedient to 
 
VISIONS OF JOHN. 28 1 
 
 the call, John seemed to himself instantly to 
 lose sight of all earthly things. This fig- 
 urative view of the throne given to 
 John, is upon the same principle of 
 that given of the New Jerusalem in the 
 close of the Revelation. Similar figurative 
 views had before been given of God, as that 
 to Isaiah (chap, vi: 1 — 8,) and to Micaiah, 
 when called before Ahab, and to Stephen, 
 when about to suffer martyrdom. 
 
 4 And round about the throne M^ere four and twenty 
 seats ; and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders 
 sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on 
 their heads crowns of gold. 
 
 5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and 
 thunderings, and voices. And there were seven lamps 
 of fire burning before the throne, which were the seven. 
 Spirits of God. 
 
 It is a fact, that the priests of the Jewish, 
 (typical of the gospel church,) were divided 
 into four and twenty courses. And among 
 the Levites, also, there were four and twenty 
 courses of sacred musicians for public wor- 
 ship. These are generally allowed to be the 
 emblematic representatives of the whole 
 church of God, both under the old and new 
 dispensation. "The seven lamps of fire," 
 are emblematical of the '' seven Spirits of 
 God," or "the manifold gifts of God," com- 
 24* 
 
282 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 municated to the Christian in the ^' baptism 
 of the Holy Ghost and of fire." ''The 
 lightnings and thunders," he. allude to the 
 scenes on mount Sinai, and may denote the 
 establishment of the moral law by the Gos- 
 pel. 
 
 6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like 
 unto chrystal ; And in the midst of the throne, and 
 round about the throne were four beasts full of eyes 
 before and behind. 
 
 Before proceeding to describe this sea of 
 glass, and the " four beasts," or living creat- 
 ures, (as all expositors say it should have 
 been translated,) the reader shall have a rep- 
 resentation of the great brazen sea, in the 
 temple of old, which was for washing. This 
 vessel was called a sea, on account of its 
 great capacity ; and in allusion to that sea, 
 the Christian dispensation, was predicted as 
 a*" fountain to be opened for sin and forun- 
 cleanness." 
 
 A sea of glass will better illustrate the lu- 
 cidness of the Christian dispensation, where 
 the " Sun of Righteousness" has arisen, 
 whose rays now pierce throgh the establish- 
 ment of the gospel dispensation, as rays of 
 light pervade a vessel of glass. The sea of 
 glass was represented as before the throne 
 
VISIONS OF JOHIf. 
 
 283 
 
 of God, as the ministrations of grace are un- 
 der the special eye of Heaven. 
 
 THE BRAZEN SEA OF THE TEMPLE. 
 
 The brazen sea in the temple, stood on 
 twelve brazen oxen, three of them facing 
 each cardinal point of the compass, a lively 
 emblem of the twelve apostles, setting their 
 faces in every direction, to " preach the Gos- 
 pel to all nations." We accordingly find in 
 the 6lh verse, the four living creatures em- 
 blems of the embassadors of Christ, as 
 though annexed to the sea of glass," as the 
 oxen were to the brazen sea. 
 
284 
 
 ILLTSTHATIONS OF PROPHECY 
 
 The Christian church, as well as the an- 
 cient Jewish church, has her sea for gracious 
 cleansing. The sea of glass here represent- 
 ed as supported by the four living creatures, 
 is shown in another place, where the victo- 
 rious saints stand on its brim, '^having the 
 harps of God." (Rev. xv : 2.) 
 
 7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second 
 beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a 
 man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 
 
VISIONS OF JOHN. 285 
 
 Gospel ministers are here denoted by 
 these emblems, as we shall see by the part 
 they take in the scenes of this book. "The 
 lion," is the known emblem of courage and 
 magnanimity, — " the calf," or young ox, of 
 strength, hardiness, and patient endurance 
 of labor, — " the human face," is the emblem 
 of prudence, benevolence and compassion, — 
 and " the eagle," of penetration, soaring be- 
 yond earthly things, &.c. All these quali- 
 ties should be combined in each individual 
 minister, but alas! they are too often dis- 
 tributed more sparsely than in this emblem- 
 atical figuie. 
 
 8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings 
 about him ; and they were full of eyes within ; and 
 they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, 
 Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 
 
 These living creatures bear some resem- 
 blance to the cherub angels which Ezekiel 
 saw in vision. (Ezekiel i : 10.) They " had 
 each six wings," but they had each four 
 faces also, while John's living creatures had 
 the same four appearances divided among 
 them. Angels may possess, singly, the ex- 
 cellencies which are here divided among sev- 
 eral men. These six wings denote alacritj 
 
286 
 
 ILLUSTBATIONS OF PROPHCTE. 
 
 in the service of God, — '' full of eyes within," 
 indicates self-knowledge. 
 
 9 And when those beasts give glory, and honor, and 
 thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for 
 ever and ever, 
 
 10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him 
 that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for 
 ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, 
 saying, 
 
 11 Thou art worthy, Lord, to receive glory, and 
 honor, and power ; for thou hast created all things, and 
 for thy pleasure they are and were created. 
 
 Here we see the representatives of the 
 church universal, ascribing "glory, and hon- 
 or, and thanks," to the eternal Jehovah. 
 In the next chnpter, we shall find the same 
 company worshipping the Son, as the re- 
 deemer of sinners, and joined by the angels 
 in that sacred service. 
 
SECTION XIL 
 
 THE SEVEN SEALS. 
 
 Future events are supposed by the apos- 
 tle John, as well as by Daniel and other 
 prophets, in a beautiful figure, to be regis- 
 tered in '' a book," for the greater certainty 
 of them. Daniel was told, (chapter xii: 9,) 
 in reference to the last half of his prophecy, 
 in the three times and a half, that " the 
 words were closed up and sealkd till the 
 time of the end.' That is the very portion 
 which Christ is now about to UNseal and dis- 
 close to his serVant John. These are to be 
 opened in order, for the events do follow in 
 regular succession. The six first terminate 
 with persecuting pagan Rome, but the 7th 
 period, which is always the most important, 
 covers more space than the whole preceding 
 six; and is divided into seven parts again. 
 
u^^. 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 289 
 
 Chap, v : And I saw in the right hand of him that 
 sat on the throne, a book written within and on the 
 back side, sealed with seven seals. 
 
 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud 
 voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the 
 seals thereof ? 
 
 3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under 
 the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look 
 thereon. 
 
 4 And I wept much, because no man was found 
 worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look 
 thereon. 
 
 5 And one of the elders saith unto me. Weep not ; 
 behold the lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, 
 hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the 
 seven seals thereof. 
 
 6 And I beheld, and lo in the midst of the throne, 
 and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, 
 stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns, 
 and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God 
 sent forth into all the earth. 
 
 7 And he came and took the book out of the right 
 hand of him that sat upon the ihrone. 
 
 8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts, 
 and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, 
 having every one of them harps, and golden vials full 
 of odors, which are the prayers of saints. 
 
 9 And they sung a new song, saying. Thou art worthy 
 to take the booK, and to open the seals thereof; for 
 thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God, by thy 
 blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, 
 and nation ; 
 
 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and 
 priests : and we shall reign on the earth. 
 
 il And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many an- 
 gels round about the throne, and the beasts, and the 
 elders : and the number of them was ten thousand 
 times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands ; 
 
 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb 
 25 
 
290 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wis- 
 dom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. 
 
 13 And every creature Avhich is in heaven, and on 
 the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the 
 sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying. Blessing, 
 ancl honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sit- 
 teth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and 
 ever. 
 
 14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four 
 and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that 
 liveih lor ever and ever. 
 
 We will conceive of this book consisting 
 of seven volumes or rolls so that the opening 
 of one seal laid open the contents only of one 
 volume. John " vi^ept much," (verse 4,) 
 as he supposed none were able to " loose the 
 seals thereof." Who now are so much con- 
 cerned or grieved ? The way was now pre- 
 pared to commence the unfolding of future 
 events, and Christ alone is able to show his 
 people " the things which must be here- 
 after." 
 
 FIRST 
 
 SEAL 
 
 OPENED 
 
 The first volume of the Apocalyptic book 
 contained the events of about 30 years, from 
 A. D. 70to A. D. 100. 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 
 
 291 
 
 Chap, vi : 1 And T saw M'hen the Lamb 
 opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it 
 were thunder, one of the four beasts, 
 saying, Come and see. 
 
 As the first seal was broken, and the leaf 
 unrolled, future events were presented to 
 view. The first emblem of the gospel min- 
 istry whose face was like a lion, said, "come 
 and see." I^et modern ministers follow this 
 example, and their people will soon learn to 
 " discern the signs of the times." 
 
 2 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 con- 
 quering and to 
 conquer. 
 
 This white horse is an emblem of victory, 
 — his rider is no doubt emblematical of the 
 Captain of our salvation, coming to take ven- 
 in the destruction of 
 
 geance on his enemies, 
 
292 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECr. 
 
 the Jews, and riding " forth conquering and 
 to conquer," during the apostolic age of the 
 church. Christ had predicted these very tri- 
 umphs to take place at this time, when he 
 said to his disciples, " Verily, I say unto you, 
 there be some standing here who shall not 
 taste of death till they see the Son of man 
 coming in his kingdom." This referred es- 
 pecially to the very disciple who had this 
 vision and who had just witnessed the de- 
 struction of Jerusalem and consequent calam- 
 ities which awaited the Jews and now saw 
 the triumphs of the Gospel. 
 
 SECOND 
 
 OPENED 
 
 The second volume of this book embrac- 
 ed a period in the Roman history of about 
 38 years, from A. D. 100 to A. D. 138. 
 
 Verse 2 And when he had opened the 
 second seal, I heard the second beast say, 
 Come and see. 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 
 
 293 
 
 The second emblem of the gospel minis- 
 try, whose face was like an ox, denotes the 
 patient endurance of persecution and hard- 
 ship which characterized the church during 
 the persecution of the Roman emperors Tra- 
 jan and Adrian. 
 
 4 And there went out 
 another horse that was 
 red ; and power was giv- 
 en 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 seal embraced a period of great ca- 
 lamity to the Jews, Greeks and Romans. 
 The GREAT SWORD aud RED HORSE are ex- 
 pressive emblems of this slaughtering and 
 bloody period. Eusebius says, upon the 
 events of the times, "The doctrines of the 
 church of Christ daily increased, but the 
 calamities of the Jews were aggravated with 
 new miseries.'' Orosius treating of the same 
 times says, '' the Jews with an incredible 
 commotion, made wild as it were with rage, 
 rose at once in different parts of the earth.'* 
 25* 
 
294 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 OPENED 
 
 This volume, or seal, contained the pro- 
 phetic history of about 50 years, in the Ro- 
 man empire, carrying us down to about A. 
 D. 193. 
 
 Verse 5 And when he had opened the 
 third seal, I heard the third beast say 
 Come and see. 
 
 The third living creature whose face was 
 like a man, had his station in the south car- 
 dinal point, and bishop Newton is curious 
 enough to trace the coincidences between 
 the four living creatures with the origin of 
 the Roman emperors in each of the four pe- 
 riods. The third period commenced with 
 the reign of Septimius Severus, who was an 
 emperor from the south being a native of 
 Africa. 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 2^ 
 
 Verse 5 and 6 And I heheld, 
 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 beasts say, 
 A measure of wheat for a pen- 
 ny, and three measures of bar- 
 ley for a penny 5 and see thou hurt not the oil and the 
 wine. 
 
 This, too, was a season of calamity. Af- 
 ter the horrid and mutual slaughter of the 
 Jews and Romans under the second seal, 
 the great famine of the third seal commenc- 
 ed, of which the black horse and the rider's 
 scales is an apt emblem. In Lam. v: 10, 
 we read, " our skin is black, like the oven, 
 because of the terrible famine.''^ " A meas- 
 ure" here according to the tables of ancient 
 measurement, was about one quart, and a 
 Roman penny, was about seven pence half 
 penny, English, and was the common day 
 wages of a laboring man and the slave. La- 
 boring men, at this day, would not think a 
 quart of meal a large allowance for one day, 
 without reserving any thing for their families 
 or other expenses. The luxuries or fruits of 
 the earth, implied by hurting not the " oil 
 and the wine," if literally understood, was 
 probably less affected by the famine of those 
 days. Tertullian testifies of these times, 
 
296 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 that a scarcity occurred in every city, follow- 
 ed by popular tumults, and aggravated by 
 such rains as seemed to threaten a second del- 
 uge. Antonius Pius, to escape being ston- 
 ed, was obliged to open his own treasures to 
 satisfy the hunger of his subjects. 
 
 FOURTH 
 
 OPENED 
 
 The fourth volume or division of the book 
 extends from A. D. 193 to 243, and some 
 think to 270. 
 
 Verse 7 And when he had opened the 
 fourlh seal, I heard the voice of the fourth 
 beast say. Come and see. 
 
 The living creature who was like a flying 
 eagle, had his station in the north, and this 
 period, Newton says, commenced with 
 Maximine, who was an emperor from the 
 north. 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 297 
 
 Verse 8 And I looked, 
 and behold, a pale horse ; 
 and his name ihat 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 
 sword, and with hunger 
 and wiih death, and with 
 the beasts of the earth. 
 
 Here is proclaimed war, and famine, and 
 pestilence, and wild beasts. The famine of 
 the third seal had not wholly ceased its rav- 
 ages, and in oriental language, pestilence is 
 styled "death," and to the wicked, "hell" 
 is also nearly allied. A fourth part of the 
 earth, here, probably, has allusion to the Ro- 
 man empire, as such, more exclusively, be- 
 ing the fourth great division of universal 
 power. The fourth beast. These " beasts 
 of the earth," in verse 8, with which the Ro- 
 man empire was threatened were barbarous 
 nations hitherto little known. Zosimus 
 speaks of the Scythians and other northern 
 tribes beginning their work of devastation 
 upon the empire during this period. Do- 
 mestic wars also raged. Numerous compet- 
 itors laid claim to the imperial crown at 
 once, and twenty actually reigned in the 
 
298 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 space of sixty years, from Caracalla, A. D. 
 211, to Aurelian, A. D. 270. 
 
 fc- 
 
 FIFTH iSEAIil OPENED 
 
 I! 
 = 1 1 
 
 From A. D. 270 to 304. 
 
 9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw un- 
 der the altar the souls of them that were slain for the 
 word of God, and for the testimony which they held : 
 
 10 And they cried with a load voice, saying, How 
 long, Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and 
 avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ? 
 
 11 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 fulfilled. 
 
 The fifth seal, or period, is remarkable for a 
 dreadful persecution of the Christians, who 
 are represented, verse 9, as '' lying under the 
 altar," (for the scene is still in the taberna- 
 cle or temple.) as sacrifices newly slain and 
 oflTered to God. Nine bloody persecutions 
 had taken place, previous to this, in the pa- 
 gan Roman empire. 1st under Nero, 2d 
 Domitian, 3cl Adrain, 4th the Anthonies, at 
 two periods, 5th under Maximin, 6th under 
 Decius, 7th under Gallus, 8th under Volu- 
 sian, and 9th under Valerian. Thousands 
 upon thousands had thus been called to seal 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 299 
 
 their testimony with their blood. After one 
 more bloody persecution, the pagan beast 
 was to receive a wound in the head, which 
 would be "unto death," till it is " healed'* 
 for other purposes. This last persecution 
 under the pagan empire, was during the 
 reign of Dioclesian, and lasted ten years. 
 The blood of millions of martyrs was now 
 calling for venoreance on that wicked em- 
 pire. Eusebius and Lactantius, who were 
 two eye witnesses of the last persecution, 
 have written large accounts of it. Orosius 
 asserts, that it was longer and more cruel 
 than any one of the past. Sulpicius Severus, 
 too, describes it as the most bitter persecu- 
 tion, which for ten years depopulated the 
 people of God, at which time all the world, 
 almost, was stained with the blood of the 
 martyrs, and was never more exhausted by 
 any wars. The history of these times gives 
 the best comment on this passage, " How 
 long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not 
 avenge," (Slc. " White robes" of righteous- 
 ness were " given to every one of them," and 
 they exhorted to patience, as this was the last 
 persecution under pagan Rome, and ven- 
 geance was about to overtake their wicked 
 persecutors, after a few " more of their fel- 
 low servants were killed, as they were.'* 
 
300 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 SIXTH 
 
 
 OPENED 
 
 Period of this seal 
 D. 350. 
 
 from 
 
 Verse 12 And I beheld when he had 
 opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was 
 a great earthquake ; and the sun be-, 
 came black as sackcloth of hair, and the 
 moon became as blood ; 
 
 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto 
 the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her 
 untimely figs, when she is shaken of a 
 mighty wind. 
 
 14 And the heaven departed as a 
 scroll when it is rolled together ; and 
 every mountain and island were moved 
 out of their places. 
 
 15 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 ; ^ 
 
 16 And said to the mountains and 
 
 rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the :^ :^ :^ i)j^ 
 
 face of him that sitteth on the throne, 
 
 and from the wrath of the Lamb ; :^ .jk. jk> w 
 
 17 For the great day of his wrath^ ^^ ^ 7K 
 has come ; and who shall be able to 
 
 stand ? 
 
 Here is the answer to the inquiry of the 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 301 
 
 martyrs, under the fifth seal. This was the 
 day of vengeance to the pagan, persecuting 
 Roman empire on earth. It was a terrible 
 overthrow of the wicked, when this great 
 revolution took place, from paganism to 
 Christianity, under the emperor Constantine. 
 The language prefiguring this change, is 
 borrowed from the great judgment day, at 
 the end of the world. The history of this 
 signal event, is the best commentary upon 
 these passages, to which the reader will do 
 well to refer. Changes in the religion and 
 governments of nations are always represent- 
 ed in the style of prophecy, by great com- 
 motions in the heavens and in the earth. 
 *^ I will shake the heavens and the earth," is 
 the language of Haggai, ii : 6, 21, in refer- 
 ence to the first coming of Christ. And this 
 'shaking' says Paul, Heb. xii: 27, " signifi- 
 eth the removing of those things which were 
 shaken." And so the prophet himself ex- 
 plains it. " I will overthrow the throne of 
 kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of 
 the kingdoms of the Heathen." And when 
 was this ever more literally fulfilled than by 
 the great concussion which displaced pagan- 
 ism and advanced Christianity to the impe- 
 rial throne of the Roman world. See on — 
 Hagg. ii : 12, 13, 14; " And the sun became 
 26 
 
302 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon be- 
 came as blood," &c. Isaiah uses similar 
 language, xiii : 10, xxxiv : 4, concerning the 
 destruction of Babylon and Idumea. And 
 Jeremiah concerning Judah, iv : 23, 
 24. Ezekiel, concerning Egypt, xxxiii : 7. 
 Joel, concerning Jerusalem, ii : 10 — 31. And 
 our Saviour, himself, concerning the de- 
 struction of Jerusalem, Matt, xxiv : 29, 
 "The sun shall be darkened, and the moon 
 sliall not give her light, and the powers of 
 the HEAVENS shall be shaken." The 
 same heavens that John saw shaken 
 in the dissolution of tiie pagan Ro- 
 man empire. Mark has it, in the parallel 
 passage chap, xiii : 24 — 26, " But in those 
 days, after that tribulation, (tribulation of 
 the Jews in which the Christians shared, 
 typical of the last of the ten persecutions,) 
 the sun shall be darkened, and the moon 
 shall not give her light, and the stars of 
 heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in 
 heaven shall be shaken. Then shall they 
 see the Son of man coming in the clouds in 
 power and glory." Luke has it, xxi : 25 — 
 28, " And there shall be signs in the sun, 
 and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon 
 the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, 
 the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 303 
 
 failing them for fear, and for looking for 
 those things that are coming on the earth, 
 for the powers of heaven shall be shaken, 
 and then shall you seethe Son of Man com- 
 ing in a cloud with power and great glory. 
 And when these things begin to come to 
 pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, 
 for your redemption draweth nigh." Then 
 Christ adds, (verse 32,) " Verily I say unto 
 you, this generation shall not pass away till 
 all be fulfilled." So all this high wrought 
 figurative language was applicable to the 
 destruction of Jerusalem. And equally so 
 to the destruction of pagan Rome. After 
 such language is a few more times typically 
 fulfilled upon Anti-Christian powers, it will 
 receive its full and final completion on the 
 entire wicked world. It is customary with 
 the prophets, after they have described a se- 
 ries of events in a highly symbolical and fig- 
 urative diction, to represent the same again 
 in plainer language. John observes the 
 same method here, in verses 15, 16 and 17, 
 in reference to the revolution in the Roman 
 empire in the time of Constantine. *' And 
 the kings of the earth, and the rich men, and 
 the chief captains, and the mighty men," 
 Slc. That is, Maximian, Galerius, Maxi- 
 mine, Maxentius, every competitor of the 
 
304 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 imperial throne, with all their adherents and 
 followers, " hid themselves in the dens and 
 in the rocks," expecting nothing but the 
 " wrath of the Lamb," for the persecutions 
 they had just inflicted upon his disciples. 
 They had rather the '* mountains would fall 
 on them," than even to meet the avenging 
 sword of Constantine. 
 
 The description of this seal winds up in 
 the 17th verse in these words — "For the 
 great day of his wrath has come and who 
 shall be able to stand ?" We have seen that 
 it was truly God's great day of wrath to that 
 tyranical empire which had persecuted his 
 saints, under its heathen imperial head. It 
 was a lively emblem and type of the battle 
 of the " great day of God," now not far fut- 
 ure, and also of the end of the world. This 
 is the death of the Roman or fourth beast, 
 (Dan. vii : 11,) in its dragon form, after- 
 wards to be revived as described, (Rev. xi,) 
 where he will live again in his nominal 
 Christian character. All these distinctions 
 will be familiarly illustrated in the progress 
 of this work. This is drawing the first 
 great outline of the visions of John, who 
 follows the example which Daniel had left 
 him. 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 
 
 305 
 
 Chap, vii : 1 And after these things I saw four 
 angels standing on the four corners of the earih, hold- 
 ing the four winds of the earth, that the wind should 
 Rot blow on the earth, nor on the sea^ nor on any tree. 
 
 After the great luminaries of paganism, in 
 the Roman world has set in everlasting night, 
 and before proceeding to the opening of the 
 seventh and last seal, there was a short rest- 
 ing time to the church, like that which fol- 
 lowed the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, — 
 ^' Then had the churches rest throughout all 
 Judea, and Gallilee, and Samaria, and were 
 edified, and walking in the fear of the Lord, 
 and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were 
 multiplied." Acts ix : 31. So now this 
 26* 
 
306 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 **' rest" extends '' throughout" all the vast 
 dominions of the Roman empire. This tem- 
 porary season of peace is beautifully illustrat- 
 ed by four angels represented as standing 
 at the four cardmal points of the compass, 
 holding those pending winds, which were 
 soon to sweep over the empire, by desolat- 
 ing hordes of northern barbarians. This 
 wind was to be stayed till the chosen of God 
 in the empire, should be brought in, and 
 sealed for Christ. Winds are a noted em- 
 blem of such judgments on the wicked na- 
 tions. See Jeremiah xlix : 36. " And upon 
 Elam will I bring the four winds from the 
 four quarters of Heaven," &c. 
 
 Verse 2 And I saw another angel ascending from 
 the east, having the seal of the living God ; and he 
 cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it 
 was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 
 
 3 Saying, 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 307 
 
 This angel, coming like the natural sun 
 " from the east," represents the Sun of Right- 
 eousness ^'coming with heahng in his wings." 
 " The seal of the living God," is but the 
 impression of the moral image of Christ 
 upon the soul, which must of necessity be 
 manifested in the life of every true disciple. 
 Such Christians "bear about the marks of 
 the Lord Jesus," as visible, as the servants 
 in ancient times, exhibited the '^ mark" of 
 their several masters in their forehead. 
 
 It was during the palmy period of the 
 Church, in the reign of Constantino, that 
 this " sealing of the servants of God" 
 took place, and it was typical of the far more 
 glorious reign ofChrist after the great *' Bat- 
 tle of God," and the destruction of wicked 
 nations. 
 
 These were halcyon days, wherein wars 
 and persecutions ceased, and peace and 
 tranquility did every where pervade the 
 world for a short season. Eusebius is co- 
 pious in his remarks upon this subject, and 
 quotes the passage of the Psalmist, as ren- 
 dered by the lxx : Ps. xlvi : 89. " Come 
 hither, and behold the works of the Lord, 
 what wonders he halh wrought in the earth : 
 He maketh wars to cease unto the ends of 
 the earth, he breaketh the bow and cutteth 
 
303 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 the spear in sunder, he burneth the chariot 
 in the fire." These things he says, " being 
 manifestly fulfilled in our times, we rejoice 
 over them." Lactatius in the same tri- 
 umphant strain, says, " tranquility being re- 
 stored throughout the world, the Church 
 which was lately rumed riseth again. After 
 the violent agitation of so great a tempest, 
 a calm air and the desired light become re- 
 splendent. Now God hath relieved the af- 
 flicted. Now he hath wiped away the 
 tears of the sorrowful." 
 Such is the testimony 
 of contemporary writers. 
 Medals of Constantino are 
 still preserved, with the 
 head of that emperor 
 and this inscription on one 
 side. 
 
 And on the reverse, 
 
 BLESSED TRANQUILITY. 
 
 During this time of" tranquility," the ser- 
 vants of "God were sealed," in allusion to 
 the ancient custom of marking servants in 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 309 
 
 their foreheads, to distinguish what they 
 were and to whom they belonged. 
 
 Verse 4 And I heard the number of them which 
 were sealed ; and there were sealed a hundred and 
 forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children 
 of Israel. 
 
 5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. 
 Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. 
 Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. 
 Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. 
 Of the tribe of Manases were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thou- 
 sand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thou- 
 sand. Of the tribe of Isachar were sealed twelve 
 thousand. 
 
 8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thou- 
 sand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve 
 thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed 
 twelve thousand. 
 
 Here is given the square of the number of 
 the twelve patriarchs and apostles carried 
 out in thousands, to indicate the greatness of 
 the number of the converts at this time. Jew 
 and Gentile converts are here arranged, un- 
 der the twelve tribes of Israel, as all equally 
 the ' seed of Abraham,' in Christ and the new 
 Covenant. But the twelve tribes are not 
 here enumerated in the same method and 
 order as in other parts of the Bible. Judah 
 has the first rank or precedence. From him 
 
310 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 descended the Messiah. Dan is entirely 
 omitted, — his was the first tribe which was 
 broken, in consequence of gross idolatry. 
 Ephraim is not mentioned. His tribe first 
 rebelled against the house of David, and fell 
 into idolatry, — and as the reader will recol- 
 lect from its often repetition in the course of 
 these illustrations, " was broken to be no 
 more a people." Levi is substituted for one, 
 and Joseph is put instead of the other. 
 
 Verse 9 After this I beheld, and lo, a great multi- 
 tude, which no man could number, of all nations, and 
 kindreds, and people and tongues, stood before the 
 throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, 
 and palms were in their hands, 
 
 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to 
 our God, which sitteth. upon the throne, and unto the 
 Lamb. 
 
 This innumerable company of glorified 
 saints were presented, in vision, to John, in 
 anticipation of the scenes of persecution 
 which are to follow during the seventh seal, 
 containing the seven trumpets. The reader 
 will bear this in mind, till we come to con- 
 sider the war of the papal beast, or the sec- 
 ond modification of the Roman empire. 
 
 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne 
 and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell be- 
 fore the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 311 
 
 12 Saying, Amen : Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, 
 and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, 
 be unto our God for ever and ever, Amen. 
 
 Angels having been " ministering spirits 
 sent forth to minister to them that shall be 
 heirs to salvation," are here represented as 
 sharing with the saints in the glories of their 
 triumphs. 
 
 Verse 13 And one of the elders answered, saying 
 unto me, What are these which are arrayed in while 
 robes ? and whence came they ? 
 
 14 And I said unto him. Sir, thou knowest. And he 
 said to me. These are they which came out of great 
 tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made 
 them white in the blood of the Lamb. 
 
 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and 
 serve him day and night in the temple ; and he that 
 sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 
 
 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any 
 more ; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any 
 heat. 
 
 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, 
 shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living foun- 
 tains of water ; and God shall wipe all tears from their 
 eyes. 
 
 However this language may primarily ap- 
 ply to those martyrs who triumphantly over- 
 came temptation and persecution, during 
 the reign of Anti-Christ, it is so energetic 
 that nothing short of the future heavenly fe- 
 licity of the saints can fully answer to the 
 
312 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 description. The same "white robes" were 
 given to them as to those who faithfully ''en- 
 dured the cross" under the persecutions of 
 the pagan emperors, (page 298.) 
 
 SEVENTH air:EAL:3 OPENED 
 
 Period extending from A. D. 350 to the 
 end of the world. 
 
 Chap, viii : 1 And when he had opened the seventh 
 seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of 
 half an hour. 
 
 This silence of " half an hour," may be 
 illustrative either of the short continuance of 
 this peaceful state of the church and world, 
 or the solemn expectation excited on the oc- 
 casion. But primarily it was an allusion to 
 a ceremony among the Jews, in the temple 
 worship. See. 2 Chron. xxix : 25 — 28. 
 Philo informs us, that the incense used 
 to be offered before the morning, and 
 after the evening sacrifice. The trumpets 
 sounded while the sacrifices were made. 
 While the priest went into the temple to 
 burn incense all were silent, and the peo- 
 ple prayed without to themselves. Luke i : 
 10. This vision was in the morn- 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 
 
 813 
 
 ing of the church, and agreeable to 
 custom the silence preceded the sounding 
 of the trumpets. When the first seal was 
 opened " there was the voice of thunder," 
 and when the sixth seal was opened " there 
 was a great earthquake." But at the open- 
 ing of the seventh it was a time of peace 
 and silence of the elements. They were soon 
 however, to be put in commotion again. 
 
 Verse 2 And I saw seven angeis which stood before 
 God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 
 
 
314 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 After the silent interval, there came forth 
 seven angels, for whom there was prepared 
 seven trumpets, emblematical of the judg- 
 ments they were appointed soon to execute. 
 These have been considered archangels, 
 from the fact that they " stood before God." 
 
 Verse 3 And an- 
 other angel came and 
 stood before the altar, 
 having a golden cen- 
 ser,and there was giv- 
 en unto him much in- 
 cense, that he should 
 offer it with the pray- 
 ers of all the saints 
 upon the golden al-^ 
 tar which was before ~~ 
 the throne. 
 
 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came up 
 with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God 
 out of the angel's hand. 
 
 To carry out the significant figure, ''anoth- 
 er angel" like the priest offered the incense. 
 The altar of incense according to the cere- 
 monial law, Ex. XXX : 1 — 10, was like a ta- 
 ble, twenty-two inches square and forty-four 
 inches high, and was to be overlaid with 
 pure gold. Hence it is here called the golden 
 altar. 
 
THE SEVEN SEALS. 
 
 315 
 
 Verse 5 And the angel took the 
 censer, and filled it with fire of the 
 altar, and cast it into the earth ; and 
 there were voices, and thundering, 
 and ligntnings, and an earthquake. 
 
 Here then the period denoted by the half 
 hour of silence expired, and the usual pro- 
 phetic signs and preludes of great calami- 
 ties and commotions are given. Ezekiel x : 
 2, " took coals of fire from between the cher- 
 ubim," and scattered them over Jerusalem, 
 to denote the judgments of God to be exe- 
 cuted upon that city. As the six first seals 
 foretold the state and condition of the Ro- 
 man empire before and till it became Christ- 
 ian, so the seventh seal as divided in seven 
 trumpets, as we shall now see in the next 
 section, will foreshow the condition of it 
 afterwards. 
 
SECTION XIII. 
 
 THE SEVEN TRUMPETS. 
 
 Chap, viii : 6 And the 
 seven angels, which had 
 the seven trumpets, pre- 
 pared themselves to sound. 
 
SEVEN TRUMPETS. 3 11 
 
 As already remarked, the period and 
 events of the seven trumpets, are contained 
 w^ithin the last volume of the book of seals. 
 Most of the events which fulfil the trumpets, 
 are secular or political events, i. e. it de- 
 scribes the judgments of God upon wicked 
 nations, in the lulfilment of his word in pro- 
 tecting Zion from utter destruction during 
 her degeneracy and wilderness state, and 
 during the reign of the eastern and western 
 apostacies and Anti-Christian powers. The 
 four first trumpets, principally denote the 
 gradual but complete subversion of the Ro- 
 man empire, subsequent to the days of Con- 
 stantino, and just previous to the full estab- 
 lishment of the reign of popery. The three 
 last trumpets, carry down the history of the 
 world to the final blast of the *' trump of 
 the archangel," which is the seventh and last 
 trumpet which will ever greet human ears. 
 It will finally summon ihe wicked to judg- 
 ment, at the close of the millennial reign of 
 saints, and usher in the heavenly jubilee 
 to the righteous. The three woes annexed 
 are of shorter duration than the sounding 
 ot the trumpets, and relate to specific events, 
 as we shall see. 
 
 27* 
 
318 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 THE FIRST 
 
 \ 
 
 PERIOD. 
 
 From about A. D. 370 or 80, to A. D. 410. 
 
 Verse 7 The first angel sounded, and 
 there followed hail and fire mingled with 
 blood, and they w^ere cast upon the 
 earth ; and the third part of the trees 
 was burnt up, and all green grass was 
 burnt up. 
 
 Here the winds of God's judgments began 
 to be let loose, which were held by the four 
 angels, (chap, vii: 1.) The prophet Isaiah, 
 xxviii : 2, predicted the invasion of Israel by 
 the king of Assyria, in similar language. See 
 also xxix : 6, and Ezek. xiii : 23. This first 
 hail storm, of Huns and Goths, came down 
 
THE SEVEN TRUMPETS. 
 
 319 
 
 upon the Roman earth, soon after the death 
 of Constantino, and down to the lime of the 
 death of Theodosius the great, who died A. 
 D. 395. These northern barbarians were 
 headed by Alaric, in their first ravages of the 
 empire. 
 
 THE SECOND 
 
 PET PERIOD, 
 
 From A. D. 410 to A. D. 450. 
 
 life, died 
 stroyed. 
 
 8 And the second angel sounded, 
 and as it were a great mountain burn- 
 ing with fire was cast into the sea ; and 
 the third part of the sea became blood; 
 
 9 And the third part of the crea- 
 tures which were in the sea, and had 
 
 and the third part of the ships were dc- 
 
 A mountain in the style of poetry, and 
 prophecy, means kingdom. The sea 
 " means peoples, and multitudes, and na- 
 tions, and tongues." Rev. xvii: 15. "A 
 
320 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 third part" of the provinces of the empire 
 having been devastated by the fire and hail of 
 the Goths and Huns, under the first trumpet, 
 bloody hordes of Goths and Vandals invad- 
 ed Italy, the central " third part" of the em- 
 pire, and turned its w^ater into blood. Ala- 
 ric at the head of a vast army of Goths first 
 laid seige to Rome, took and plundered the 
 city, slaying immense multitudes of its in- 
 habitants. In June, 455, Genseric, at the 
 head of three hundred thousand Moors and 
 Vandals from Africa, landed suddenly upon 
 the Roman coast, and soon completed the 
 work of blood, carrying immense wealth 
 and multitudes of captives from Rome. Old 
 Babylon is the constant apocalyptic type of 
 Rome. The destruction of Babylon was 
 symbolized by the tearing up of a large 
 mountain from its base, and by setting it on 
 fire. See Jer. li : 25. " Behold I am against 
 thee, O destroying mountain, sailh the Lord, 
 which destroyest all the earth: and I will 
 stretch out my hand upon thee, and roll 
 thee down from the rocks, and will make 
 thee a burnt mountain." By former rava- 
 ges the power of Rome had been greatly 
 weakened, but by Genseric it was so com- 
 pletely broken that in a little time it was ut- 
 terly subverted. 
 
SEVEN TRUMPETS. 
 
 321 
 
 THE THIRD 
 
 
 PERIOD. 
 
 From A, D. 450 to A. D. 500. 
 
 10 And the third angel sounded, 
 and there fell a great star from heaven, 
 burning as it were a lamp, and it fell 
 upon the third part of the rivers, and 
 upon the fountains of waters ; 
 
 11 And the name of the star is called 
 wormwood : and the third part of the waters became 
 wormwood ; and many men died of the waters because 
 they were made bitter. 
 
 If the calamities of the second trumpet 
 fell upon Italy and Rome, the centre or sea 
 of the empire, the judgments of this trumpet 
 must be expected to fall on the tributary 
 streams or sources of the empire. A falling 
 
322 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 star, in prophetic imagery, will apply to sec- 
 ular or ecclesiastical rulers. Isaiah, address- 
 ing the king of Babylon after his fall, says, 
 " How art thou fallen from heaven, O Luci- 
 fer, son of the morning !" After the bloody 
 devastations of the Moors and Vandals the 
 source and fountain of the Roman empire 
 rapidly declined. Momylas, the last empe- 
 ror, expired in the year 476, yet all its an- 
 cient forms of government were not yet de- 
 stroyed. The wormwood and the gall of 
 this trumpet period was poured into the re- 
 ligious sources and fountains of the empire 
 as well as political. The Arian heresy, 
 though it arose long before this time, yet 
 being now embraced by wicked politicians, 
 or rulers, it became a bitter engine of perse- 
 cution, and perplexity to the church. 
 
 Mosheim testifies, that toward the sixth 
 century, the Arians were triumphant in sev- 
 eral parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe. Their 
 opinions were openly professed, and their 
 cause maintained by the Vandals in Africa, 
 the Goths, the Spaniards and Burgundians, 
 the Suevi, and the greater part of the Gauls, 
 and the Trinitarians were rigorously treated 
 by them, particularly in Africa and Italy. 
 The Arian power, and the 'bitterness' of their 
 resentments fell heavy upon the Trinitarians. 
 
SEVEN TRUMPETS 
 
 323 
 
 THE FOURTH TR^^m^TET PERIOD. 
 
 From A. D. 500 to A. D. 566. 
 
 12 And the fourth angel sounded, 
 and the third part of the sun was smit- 
 ten, and the third part of the moon, and 
 the third part of the stars ; so as the 
 third part of them was darkened, and 
 the day shone not for a third part of it, 
 and the night likewise. 
 
 The calamities which befel the Roman 
 empire under the three former trumpets, 
 first, under the figure of a hail storm, de- 
 stroying a third part of the trees and green 
 grass, — second, a burning mountain cast 
 into the sea or centre of the empire, and de- 
 stroying a third part of the inhabitants, — 
 and third, a fallen star embittering a third 
 
324 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 part of the civil and religious rivers and foun- 
 tains of the empire, — now, fourthly, a third 
 part of the sun, and moon, and stars of the 
 empire were eclipsed, till about the year 566, 
 when they set in darkness, and the last 
 trace of the seven forms of government in 
 the ancient Roman empire was extinguished, 
 and Rome itself was reduced from being the 
 empress of the world, to be a poor dukedom, 
 tributary to the Exarch of Ravenna. That 
 power which Paul said letteth or prevented 
 the development of the '* man of sin," was 
 now '' taken away." All that the Church 
 gained in outward splendor and prosperity 
 under Constantino, she lost in purity in man- 
 ners and doctrine. The holy simplicity of 
 primitve Christianity was no more. The 
 heresy of Arius introduced a succession of 
 crimes disgraceful alike to humanity and re- 
 ligion. Nothing now remained but for the 
 *' little horn" to " pluck up" the three Goth- 
 ic horns, or kingdoms, in Italy, "by the 
 roots," (Dan. vii : 8—21, 22,) and the 
 western apostacy would be complete. Then 
 the saints would be " given into his hands 
 for a time, times, and the dividing of times." 
 This mighty spiritual empire, " the man of 
 sin," the *' son of perdition," began his ty- 
 ranical reign soon after this period. 
 
SEVEN TRUMPETS. 325 
 
 Verse 13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying 
 through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, 
 
 Notice is here proclaimed by an angel 
 that still greater and more terrible plagues are 
 in store for the wicked nations, and annex- 
 ed three distinct woes to the three last trum- 
 pets. The foregoing trumpets relate chiefly 
 to the downfall of the western empire, the 
 two following relate chiefly to calamities 
 coming on the eastern empire. The fore- 
 going contain a less compass of time, the 
 following are of longer duration as well as of 
 larger description. We shall now, therefore, 
 leave the history of the western empire, and 
 follow the apostle over into the eastern sec- 
 tion of a degenerate church, and witness a 
 connected series of events of near twelve 
 hundred years. These woes as we shall see, 
 are of much shorter duration than the trum- 
 pets to which they are especially annexed. 
 28 
 
326 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY, 
 
 THE FIFTH TK 
 
 PET PERIOD. 
 
 From A. D. 566 to A. D. ISSl.—First 
 Wo, from 612 to 762. 
 
 CHAr. IX : 1 And the 
 fifth angel sounded, and 
 I saw a star fall from 
 heaven imto the earth ; 
 and to him was given the 
 key of the bottomless pit. 
 
 The woof this trumpet commenced soon 
 after 606, when Mohamed retired to hiscave 
 at Hera. The fallen Nestorian Monk. Ser- 
 gius, who assisted Mohamed in forging liis 
 imposture, and who infused into it all the 
 venom of an apostate ecclesiastic, is by some 
 thought symbolized as this fallen star. About 
 the year 609, Mohamed emerged from his 
 
SEVEN TRUMPETS. 327 
 
 solitary retreat, and three years he silently 
 employed in the conversion of fourteen pros- 
 elytes, the first fruits of his mission. In the 
 year 612 he assumed the prophetic office. 
 His fabled journey to heaven was announc- 
 ed some years after. He pretended that he 
 had been predicted in the books of Moses, 
 but that the Jews had expunged these pre- 
 dictions. He also declared that Jesus had 
 foretold his coming. He averred that he 
 was sent to teach and propagate a religion 
 in the world which was an improvement and 
 perfecting both of the religion of Moses and 
 Jesus. Thus " he magnified himself against 
 the prince of princes," Dan. viii: 24, " and 
 spoke marvelous things against the God of 
 gods." Dan. xi : 36. See page 89 and 147. 
 These pretences w^ould make the emblem of 
 a " fallen star" more appropriate to Moham- 
 ed than Sergius, because the former did 
 shine with a very conspicuous, though pes- 
 tiferous light. The key given him to " open 
 the bottomless pit," or the abyss of hell, was 
 a very suitable emblem of the power and in- 
 fluence which Mohamed acquired, for the 
 propagation of his satanicai delusions, as if 
 hell itself had been opened by him, and its 
 destructive exhalations obscured the sun and 
 infected the air. 
 
328 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 2 And he opened 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. 
 
 If Sergius was the fallen star, who opened 
 the door of the bottomless pit, then Moham- 
 ed must have been the Apollyon, and his 
 disciples, the locusts. Mohamed early be- 
 gun to excite that smoke which soon dark- 
 ened the eastern heaven. In this enterprise 
 he and his successors were so prosperous, 
 that the light of Christianity was obscured, 
 and in many parts of the Greek church, 
 where once it shone in the clearest manner. 
 The smoke from this abyss, occasioned al- 
 most total darkness, throughout the eastern 
 church, * The sun and the air were dark- 
 ened." 
 
SEVEN TRUMPETS. 
 
 329 
 
 o And there came out ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 of the smoke locusts upon V ^ ^ 5^ ^ ^ 5*^ 
 the earth ; and unto them 
 was given power, as the 
 scorpions of the earth have 
 power. 
 
 The locusts which issued from the smoke 
 of the pit or false doctrine of Mohamed, 
 began early to mature and rapidly to in- 
 crease. Poor Sergius, who assisted to open 
 the pit, did not live long to see the swarms of 
 locusts which issued Irom thence, for it is 
 related in history, that after he had aided in 
 framing the imposture, and fully to mature 
 it, Mohamed having no further occasion for 
 him, to secure the secret, put him to death. 
 Great armies of Arabians and Saracens were 
 raised by means of Mohamed's imposture, 
 to spread desolation through the earth. (See 
 Ex. X : 6 — 13, Joel i : 4 — 7, ii : 4 — 7, ix : 
 18 — 20.) They not only resembled locusts 
 in their numbers, but they also came from 
 the same regions where those destructive in- 
 sects have in all ages arisen. These mysti- 
 cal locusts were to have " power as scor- 
 pions," which signifies that wherever ihey 
 28* 
 
330 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 flew, they would carry along with them a 
 loathsome and deadly superstition. 
 
 4 And it was commanded them that they should 
 not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, 
 neither any tree ; but only those men which have^ot the 
 seal of God in their foreheads. 
 
 5 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. 
 
 6 And in those days shall men seek death and shall 
 not find it ; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee 
 from them. 
 
 ^ili 
 
 The commission given to Apollyon, and 
 his symbolical locusts, only extended to hurt 
 those men who had not the *' seal of God in 
 their foreheads," and those they were to tor- 
 ment rather than kill. It appears from his- 
 tory, that in the countries invaded by the 
 Saracens there had been a very great defec- 
 
SEVEN TRUMPETS. 331 
 
 tion from primitive Christianity, for, before 
 these ravages of the Saracenic locusts, will- 
 worship of saints and martyrs had extended 
 itself far and wide, and to use the language 
 of Daniel in reference to this very time, the 
 " transgressors had come to the full." The 
 ravages of the Saracens continued five 
 months, in prophetic language, \. e. 150 
 years, accordingly, reckoning from 612, the 
 year that Apollyon and his locusts issued 
 from the bottomless pit, the five months 
 would expire 762. At this time the Sara- 
 cens ceased from their locust devastations, 
 and became a settled people. Such would 
 be the " torment " from the cruelty, rapacity 
 and lust of these Saracenic locusts, that 
 death would appear to vast numbers more 
 desirable than life. 
 
 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto 
 horses prepared unto battle ; and on their heads were 
 as it were crowns Uke gold, and their faces were as the 
 faces of men. 
 
 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their 
 teeth was as the teeth of lions. 
 
332 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 9 And they had breast plates, as it were breast plates 
 of iron ; and the sound of their Mings was as the sound 
 of chariots of many horses running to battle. 
 
 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there 
 were stings in their tails : and their power was to hurt 
 men five months. 
 
 11 And they had a king over them, which is the an- 
 gel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew 
 tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his 
 name Apollyon. 
 
 The Arabians were remarkable for their 
 skill in horsemanship, and their chief force 
 lay in cavalry. Many authors have observed 
 that the locust resembled a horse. The Ital- 
 ians called them cavalette, as it were little 
 horses. The Arabians wore their beards, 
 which rendered their " faces as the faces of 
 men," while the hair of their heads was flow- 
 ing, or plaited, like that *'of women." The 
 locusts had a shell or skin, which has been 
 called their armor. The description here, 
 as the reader will percieve, is partly in allus- 
 ion to the natural locusts, and partly descrip- 
 tive of the habits of the Arabs. All the co- 
 incidences cannot be pointed out in these 
 brief illustrations. 
 
 Five months is here repeated, as their 
 commission " to hurt." This doubtless has 
 an allusion to the five natural months which 
 literal locusts commit their ravages upon the 
 earth; but in prophetic figure it was fulfilled 
 
• SEVEN TRUMPETS. 333 
 
 when the Saracens became a settled people, 
 and at the expiration of 150 years they built 
 Bagdad as their capital and ceased their 
 ravages. The ''king," verse 11, accords 
 remarkably with the " king" in Dan. xi : 3(3. 
 See remarks section vi, page 147. 
 One wo is past, &c, 
 
 Verse 12 One wo is past ; and__behold, there come two 
 woes more hereafter. 
 
 At the conclusion of the prophecy respect- 
 ing the Saracens it is added, "one wo is 
 past," and as their power to do mischief was 
 limited to "five months " it would seem to 
 limit the fifth trumpet period to 150 years 
 ending 7G2. But it only terminates the 
 peculiar " wo " annexed to this trumpet 
 which ended with the ravages of the Sara- 
 cens. The fifth trumpet does not cease its 
 sounding till the sixth commences. There- 
 fore this trumpet must continue its sounding 
 from the time the fourth trumpet closed in 
 the western empire 566, to the time the sixth 
 commences its sounding, which was not till 
 1281, giving the fifth trumpet a period of 
 715 years. This is following the analogy 
 of the seals, the last of which is far the long- 
 est in duration and important as to events. 
 
334 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 THE SIXTH 
 
 PERIOD. 
 
 §B^=^ 
 
 From A. D. 1281 till ''time timesandan 
 half" shall be no longer. 
 
 13 And the sixth angel sounded, 
 and I heard a voice from the four horns 
 of the golden altar which is before God, 
 
 14 Saying to the sixth angel which , 
 had the trumpet, Loose the four angels 
 which are bound in the great river Eu- 
 phrates. 
 
 15 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. 
 
SEVEN TRUMPETS. 335 
 
 16 And the number of the army of the horsemen 
 ■vvere two hundred thousand thousand : and I heard the 
 number of them. 
 
 The four angels were the four Sultanies 
 of the Turks, before their organizing into 
 one empire, the capitals of which were Bag- 
 dad, Damascus, Aleppo, and Iconium. — 
 These Sultanies were "bound" to their sev- 
 eral localities, or territories, near the river 
 Euphrates, for a long time, through the in- 
 strumentality of the crusades. But when 
 these wars ceased, and Syria and Egypt 
 were abandoned by the Christians at the 
 latter end of the 13th century, then the four 
 angels, or sultanies near the river Euphrates, 
 " were loosed." Ortogrul, dying in the year 
 1288, was succeeded by his son Othman, 
 who in the year 1299, founded a new em- 
 pire composed of the remains of the four 
 Turkish sultanies, called to this day, the Ot- 
 toman empire. The Turks, like the Sara- 
 cens, were all horsemen, and the number of 
 their armies of cavalry was immense. The 
 " hour, and a day, and a month, and a year," 
 verse 15, reckoned as prophetic, would be 
 391 years and 15 days. The first conquest 
 of the Turks over the Christians took place 
 A. D. 1281, and the last success, by which 
 they extended their dominions, was A. D. 
 
336 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 1672, exactly 391 years. Bishop Newton 
 remarks, if more accurate and authentic his- 
 tories of the Ottomans were brought to light, 
 and we knew the very day wherein Cutahi 
 was taken, as certainly as we know that 
 wherein Cameniec was taken, the like ex- 
 actness might also be found in the fifteen 
 days." Of the ending of the Ottoman 
 Empire, and the Mohamedan power, we 
 have no prophetic numbers given except in 
 Daniel's vision of 2300 days. That has been 
 sufficiently discussed in former sections. 
 The wo of this trumpet then ceased, with 
 the conquests of the Turks 1672, but the 
 trumpet will sound till the angel comes down 
 and swears that time, times and a half 
 *' shall be no longer." 
 
 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and 
 them that sat on them, having breast plates of fire, and 
 of jacinth, and brimstone j and the heads of the horses 
 
SEVEN TRUMPETS. 337 
 
 Ivere as the heads of lions ; and out of their mouths 
 issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone. 
 
 18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by 
 the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which 
 issued out of their mouths. 
 
 19 For their power is in their mouths, and in their 
 tails : for their tails were like unto serpents, and had 
 heads, and with them they do hurt. 
 
 Here the armor of the Turks and mode of 
 warfare was much modified by more mod- 
 ern inventions. The Turks first introduce 
 the use of fire arms, and we read no more of 
 the " breast plate of steel," but of fire, " and 
 jacinth and brimstone," evidently alluding 
 to the use of fire arms. Those who have 
 been in action testify, that the horses in bat- 
 tle raise their heads to a level with the fire- 
 arms of their riders, when in the act of aim- 
 ing at their enemies, and that the fire and 
 smoke appear to issue from the mouths of 
 the horses. 
 
 As fire-arms came into use, shields, and 
 breast plates, andother articles of ancient ar- 
 mor ceased to be worn by warriors. None can 
 fail to notice this coincidence in the descrip- 
 tion of the Saracens, and the more modern 
 Turkish horsemen. The Turks wear no ar- 
 mor but " fire and jacinth and brimstone." 
 The immense power of conquest with the 
 Turkish armies, all agree, was found to be in 
 29 
 
338 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 the use of fire arms, and the immense can- 
 non which they used in the seige of cities. 
 "The fire, and smoke, and brimstone," 
 which issued out of the " mouth'*' of them 
 were found to "do hurt" in a manner hith- 
 erto unknown. And hke the Saracens, they 
 had " power to do hurt with their tails." 
 The same scorpion sting of the Mohamedan 
 faith followed the conquests of the Turks. 
 
 20 And the rest of the men which Avere not killed by 
 these plagues yet repented not of the works of their 
 hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of 
 gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood : 
 which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk : 
 
 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their 
 sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thiefts. 
 
 The Saracens were commissioned to tor- 
 ment the "third part of men," or the Gre- 
 cian Empire, but not to kill or subdue it. — 
 The Turks were commissioned to kill or 
 subjugate this "third part of men." It was 
 a political death to the men of the eastern, 
 or Greek Church, and Empire, to be so en- 
 tirely subverted. 
 
 The rest of the men which were not 
 killed, "repented not," &c. The Greek 
 Church was not reformed by these terrible 
 calamities, of her Avorship of images, and 
 her spiritual fornication, and sorceries ; nor 
 did the Latin Church, take warning from 
 the fate of her sister's downfall. 
 
SEVEN TRUMPETS. 339 
 
 John, in the conclusion of the ninth chap- 
 ter, had closed his account of the corrup- 
 tions of the Eastern Church, and full estab- 
 lishment of the Mohamedan and the Otto- 
 man power, but having only touched upon 
 the corruptions of the AVestern Church, 
 proceeds next to deliver the prophecies re- 
 lating to that chain of most lamentable 
 events. Before entering upon the subject, 
 he is prepared for it by an august and con- 
 solatory vision. " The mighty angel," de- 
 scribed in the 1st verse, is somewhat like 
 the angel in the three last chapters of Dan- 
 iel, and in the first chapter of the Revela- 
 tion. In Daniel, xii — 7, he lifts his hand 
 to heaven, and swears "by him that liveth 
 forever," that "it shall be for a time, times, 
 and an half" But here he swears that this 
 "time, times, and an half," "should be no 
 longer," " in the days of the voice of the sev- 
 enth angel, when he shall begin to sound." 
 Observe here, that when the seventh angel 
 shall BEGIN TO SOUND, tlic 1260 years, and 
 the "mystery of God," which Daniel calls 
 "the scattering of the holy people," shall 
 be finished," i. e. the "time," of the wick- 
 ed, "shall be no longer." The voice of the 
 seventh angel" will not end his sounding, 
 till he wakes the dead at the close of the 
 millenium, for the seventh is the last truni- 
 petj " THE trumpet of the archangel." 
 
SEVEN TRUMPETS. 34 i 
 
 Chap, x : And I saw another mighty angel come 
 down from heaven, clothed with a cloud : and a rain- 
 bow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the 
 sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. 
 
 2 And he had in his hand a little book open : and he 
 set his right foot upon ihe sea, and ^his left foot upon 
 the earth, 
 
 3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roar- 
 eth : and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered 
 Iheir voices* 
 
 4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their 
 voices, I was about to write , and I heard a voice from, 
 heaven sa3dng unto me, Seal np those things which 
 the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. 
 
 5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and 
 Upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, 
 
 6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, 
 who created heaven and the things that therein are, 
 and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the 
 sea, and the things that are therein, that there should 
 be time no longer. 
 
 7 But in the day of the voice of the seventh angel, 
 when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God 
 should be finished, as he has declared to his servants 
 the prophets. 
 
 8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake 
 unto me again, and said, Go, and take tlie little book 
 which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth 
 Upon the sea and upon the earth. 
 
 9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto hinu 
 Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take iu 
 and eat it up ; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but 
 it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 
 
 10 And I took the little book out of the angel's 
 hand, and ate it up ; and it was in my mouth sweet as 
 honey ; and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was 
 bitter. 
 
 29* 
 
342 ILLUSTRATIONS Or PROPHFCY 
 
 11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophecy again 
 before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and 
 kings. 
 
 It would be interesting, though perhaps 
 not profitable to every reader, to go into a 
 comparison of the views and speculations 
 of able commentators, upon this little book, 
 and the tenth chapter of Revelation. The 
 writer's inclination to do this is so strong, 
 that nothing but the most rigorous enforce- 
 ment of the limitation assigned to this 
 work, has prevented. This little book, not 
 belonging to the sixth trumpet, nor special- 
 ly to the seventh, but a sort of pause be- 
 tween both, has been seized by different 
 writers, as lawful spoil, and annexed to 
 their several favorite systems of interpreta- 
 tion. For instance, one writer applies the 
 seven thunders to the period of the cru- 
 sades, another, to the period of the terri- 
 ble wars attendant on the French Revolu- 
 tion, and a third, to the formation of seven 
 different Societies of modern times. John 
 was forbidden to write what the " seven 
 thunders uttered," and why be "wise above 
 what is WRITTEN." Blessed be God, there 
 is enough already written for the instruc- 
 tion of all, if all will heed the exhortation^ 
 " let him that readeth understand." 
 
SEVEN TRUMPETS. 343 
 
 The reader need not be troubled with a 
 notice of the volumes which have been 
 written about this " httle book," constituting 
 a grand division in the book of Revelation. 
 For the whole prophecy is completely di- 
 vided into seven seals, the last seal subdi- 
 vided into seven trumpets, and the last har- 
 vest and vintage of the two anti-Christian 
 powers, divided into seven vials. If due 
 heed be paid to these divisions, no other is 
 necessary. This little book, or the tenth 
 chapter, relates one of those gracious in- 
 terviews with John, which the same angel 
 so often held with Daniel, when he was 
 about to give a pre-intimation ot the calam- 
 ities coming on his people. Such consola- 
 tions were needed by both these distinguish- 
 ed prophets. The anticipations of future 
 events were sweetened to John by this inter- 
 view for a time, but the prophecy which 
 he was to write for the perusal of '" peoples, 
 and nations, and tongues, and kings," con- 
 tained many things which would be found 
 ^^ bitter ^^ during the process of digestion. 
 
SECTION XIV. 
 
 I'llOPHECY OF THE TWO WITNESSES. 
 
 During the fifth and sixth trumpet periods* 
 
 The apostle having given us an outline 
 of the great events under the fifth and 
 sixth trumpets, in the Eastern or Greek 
 Church, now in the four following chapters 
 carries us over into the Western or Latin 
 Church, and informs us what events were 
 there to take place during the sounding of 
 the same trumpets. The events of these 
 chapters are coincident, giving a graphic 
 view of the history of 1260 years, in four 
 narratives, running exactly parallel, form- 
 ing jointly a complete history of the western 
 apostacy. As there is four distinct outlines 
 of the events of this important period of 
 
THE TWO WITNESSES. 345 
 
 prophecy relating to the Western Church, 
 the events of which, though various, yet so 
 perfect is their synchronism, it will be con- 
 venient for reference to throw them into 
 four separate Sections. The eleventh chap- 
 ter connects the treading of the holy city 
 under foot 42 months, and the desolate 
 prophecying of the two witnesses during 
 the same period of 1260 days, of the victory 
 of the beast of the bottomless pit over them, 
 three days and a half, and their triumphant 
 assent into the symbolical heavens. 
 
 Chap, xi : 1 And there was given me a reed like unto 
 a rod : and the angel stood, saying, Kise, and measure 
 the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship 
 therin. 
 
 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, 
 and measure it not ; for it is given unto the Gentiles : 
 and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and 
 two months. 
 
 The temple, the altar, and they that wor- 
 ship therein, are those few Christians, who, 
 in the midst of a crooked and perverse gen- 
 eration, stood fast in the faith of Jesus 
 Christ. The court without the temple sym- 
 bolizes those nominal Christians, who were 
 Gentiles in practice, and whom the apostle 
 was commanded to leave out, as unworthy 
 of being measured. Measuring the servants 
 of God is equivalent to sealing them. (See 
 Rev. VII — 3, or Sec. xii, page 307.) 
 
346 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and 
 they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three- 
 score days, clothed in sackcloth. 
 
 4 These are the two olive-trees and the two candle- 
 sticks standing before the God of the earth. 
 
 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeih out 
 of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies ; and if 
 any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be 
 killed. 
 
 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not 
 in the days of their prophecy ; and have power over 
 waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with 
 all plagues, so often as they will. 
 
 No time or space can be afforded to no- 
 tice the many fanciful conjectures concern- 
 ing the Ui'o witnesses. All such specula- 
 tions must be left to those who have theo- 
 ries of their own to estabhsh. Christ says 
 to the apostle here, "I will give power unto 
 iny two wil7iesses,^^ during the period of 
 the great apostacy, and although they are 
 reduced to the lowest number by which 
 
THE TWO WITNESSES. 347 
 
 facts are to be established, Dieut. xix — 15, 
 Math, xviii — 16, yet God will not leave 
 his cause without a loitness. Christ said 
 to the twelve, " Ye are my tvitnessesJ^ 
 " Ye are witnesses of these things." '' And 
 ye shall witness unto me in Jerusalem, and 
 unto the uttermost parts of the earth." 
 " We are all witnesses ^''^ says the apostle, 
 '•God raised up Christ from the dead, 
 whereof we are witnesses.''^ " Who am an 
 elder and a witness.'^ Passages showing 
 what constitutes a witness for the truth of 
 pure Christianity, are too numerous to be 
 quoted. Paul says, " seeing we are sur- 
 rounded with so great a cloud of witness- 
 es.^^ But during the darkness of Popery, 
 they were reduced to a few, and those 
 clothed in sackcloth. 
 
 We find a type for every thing peculiar 
 to these witnesses, under the Jewish dispen- 
 sation. A few only can be noticed here : 
 " These are the two olive trees," like Josh- 
 ua and Zerubabel, Zach. iv — 11, 14. 
 "Fire proceedeth out of their mouth," like 
 Moses and Elijah, Num. xvi ; 2 Kings, i. 
 Their fire was real, this symbolical. — 
 '' These have power to shut heaven, that it 
 rain not in the days of their prophecy" — 
 that is, they are like Elijah, who prophe- 
 cied a want of rain in the days of Ahab, 1 
 
348 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 Kings, xvii. James, v — 17, " It rained 
 not on the earth for the space of three 
 years and six months, which mystically 
 understood, is the same space of time as 
 the " forty and two months" — during this 
 time divine grace would cease to fall on 
 those men who despised Christ's "witness- 
 es." These two witnesses, therefore, sym- 
 bolize a regular succession of true witnesses 
 for God, during the reign of the "man of 
 sin," not considered as public teachers, 
 merely, for both an Olive tree^ and a can- 
 dlestick are equally symbols of a church, 
 or community of private Christians. 
 
 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, 
 the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall 
 make war against them, and .shall overcome them, and 
 kill them. 
 
 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the 
 great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, 
 where also our Lord was crucified. 
 
 9 And they of the people, and kindreds, and tongues, 
 and natiqns, shall see their dead bodies three days and 
 a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put 
 in' graves. 
 
 iO And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice 
 over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to 
 another ; because these two prophets tormented them 
 that dwell on the earth. 
 
 The foe, that slays the witnesses, is 
 styled the beast of the bottomless pit, but 
 this is given by anticipation, for John does 
 
THE TWO WITNESSES. 349 
 
 not describe this beast until we come to the 
 xiii chapter. The death of the witnesses, 
 and the temporary triumph of their foes, 
 alludes to the struggle of the last combina- 
 tion of the wicked powers of Europe, as we 
 shall see in the xvii chapter, where the ten 
 horns shall for the last time, "give their pow- 
 er and strength unto the beast"— shall for the 
 last time, "make war with the Lamb, "(slay 
 his witnesses,) and finally turn and "hate 
 the whore, and shall make her desolate 
 and naked, and shall eat her flesh and burn 
 her with fire." While the witnesses, dur- 
 ing this last struggle lay dead, " in one of 
 the streets of this great city," which is com- 
 posed of the ten horns or kingdoms of the 
 beast, there will be a short triumph of the 
 wicked. Three years and a half will ter- 
 minate their merriment, for they shall see 
 Christ's witnesses again at their post in 
 the symbolical heavens, or the church, tes- 
 tifying to the truth, however tormenting 
 their message may be to the wicked. 
 
 " The great city," in which the two wit- 
 nesses are to be slain, and lay unburied for 
 the space of three days and an half, sym- 
 bolizes with " Sodom," in abomination, 
 *' Egypt," in the oppression of God's people, 
 and " Jerusalem," in her apostacy from the 
 true worship and faith, verse, 8. 
 30 
 
350 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 11 And after three days^ 
 and a half the Spirit of life 
 from God entered into them, 
 and they stood upon their 
 feet ; and great fear fell upon 
 them which saw them. 
 
 12 And they heard a 
 great voice from heaven 
 saying unto them, Come up 
 hither. And they ascend- 
 ed up to heaven in a cloud ; 
 and their enemies beheld 
 them. 
 
 13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, 
 and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake 
 were slain of men seven thousand : and the remnant 
 were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 
 
 14 The second wo is past ; and behold, the third wo 
 Cometh quickly. 
 
 John is still giving intimations of what 
 took place in the western empire, during 
 the sixth trumpet, without special regard to 
 the order of every event. Soon after the 
 wo of the sixth trumpet, so far as it related 
 to the conquests of the Turks, had ceased, 
 John, in vision, hears an earthquake. An 
 earthquake, in prophecy, is the symbol of 
 a violent revolution, either religious or po- 
 litical. Now what earthquake took place 
 in the west soon after the cessasion of the 
 wo of the sixth trumpet in the east. The 
 
THI TWO WITNESSES. 351 
 
 WO only is here spoken of as past, for the 
 sixth trumpet has not yet finished its 
 blast. John, to complete the account of 
 the two witnesses, had carried their his- 
 tory beyond the period of the earthquake, 
 for they are not to be slain till the fall of 
 the other nine parts of the city. Now we 
 will suppose that while John's attention was 
 intensely fixed upon the scenes of the vis- 
 ion in relation to the two witnesses, " the 
 same hour," i. e., the same period of the 
 sixth trumpet, is suddenly startled by a 
 " great earthquake." The natural inquiry 
 would be, "what does that mean?" The 
 answer is, a tenth part of the city has fal- 
 len. What city ? " That great city which 
 reigneth over the kings of the earth." 
 Of how many kingdoms is "the great 
 city" composed? "The ten horns which 
 thou sawest are ten kings, which re- 
 ceive power as kings, one hour with the 
 beast." Putting all this information togeth- 
 er, the reader need not be told that the only 
 violent revolution in one of the ten king- 
 doms of Europe, subsequent to the wo, or 
 the devastating wars of the Turks, and 
 during the sounding of the sixth trumpet, 
 took place in France. 
 
 Any one familiar with the scenes of the 
 French Revolution, may behold a perfect 
 
352 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 type of what will take place at the downfall 
 of Babylon, or the " earthquakes," which 
 will result in the fall of the other nine parts 
 of "the great city." That event accom- 
 plished "one tenth" of the harvest and 
 vintage of the old Roman " earth." France 
 slew the witnesses in the type, i. e., she 
 suppressed their testimony, precisely three 
 years and a half— she " made war with the 
 Lamb," and she "hated the whore," and 
 did her part, as one of the " ten kings," to 
 " eat her flesh, and burn her with fire," so 
 that the great papal harlot has never re- 
 gained the power and influence lost in con- 
 sequence of the French Revolution. If 
 such was the type or tenth of the fall of 
 that great city, and the slaying of the wit- 
 nesses, what must be the consummation? 
 
 15 And the seventh angel sounded ; 
 and there were great voices in heaven, 
 saying, The kingdoms of this world are 
 become the kingdoms of our Lord, and . 
 of his Christ ; and he shall reign for 
 ever and ever. 
 ! 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God 
 on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 
 
 17 Saying, We give thanks, Lord God Almighty, 
 which art, and wast, and art to come ; because thou 
 hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 
 
 18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath has 
 come, and the time of the dead, that they should be 
 judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy 
 
THE SEVENTH TRUMET. 353 
 
 servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that 
 tear thy name, small and great ; and shouldest destroy 
 them which destroy the earth. 
 
 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and 
 there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament : 
 and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, 
 and an earthquake, and great hail. 
 
 John here merely announces the sound- 
 ing of the seventh trumpet, and gives a 
 graphic view of things in anticipation. Sub- 
 sequent chapters will complete the predict- 
 ed events. This trumpet will continue the 
 jubilee trumpet of the entire millennial reign 
 of the saints, and its last blast will wake 
 the dead, " both small and great, to stand 
 before God." The wo of this trumpet, like 
 the two preceding, is of comparatively short 
 duration ; it finishes the harvest and vint- 
 age of a wicked world, before the saints come 
 into complete possession of the earth. John 
 had said, " the second wo is past, and behold 
 the third wo cometh quickly." "A short 
 work will the Lord make in the earth," 
 though he will not hasten matters out of 
 their due order, but will conduct every 
 thing in accordance with the laws of analo- 
 gy, symmetry, and beauty. It has been 
 already 42 years since the "tenth part of 
 the city fell," so that by the third wo com- 
 ing quickly, does not mean the accomplish- 
 ment of the great events in haste. 
 30* 
 
SECTION XV. 
 
 WAR OF THE DRAGON WITH THE WOMAN. 
 
 Chap, hi : 1 And there appeared a great wonder in. 
 heaven ; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon 
 Under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve 
 stars : 
 
 2 And she, being with child, cried, travailing in 
 birth, and pained to be delivered. 
 
 The reader must adhere strictly to the 
 great "clue" to the book of Revelation, 
 which is its internal geography and chro- 
 nology, or he will find himself roving abroad 
 with the conflicting theories of different 
 writers. John, sometimes, to make his narra- 
 tive complete, anticipates a little or reverts 
 back a little, but never violates the true 
 order as to time and place. To give a con- 
 nected account of the whole conflict of the 
 Church and Satan in all his variety of visible 
 agents, John must commence with the Chris- 
 tian era. He begins therefore with the com- 
 mon emblem of the true Church, an emblem 
 
WAR OF THE DRAGON. 
 
 355 
 
 well known in the sacred oracles — a virtu- 
 ous female — and in this case, represented 
 appropriately, in a significant position, state, 
 and habiliments, "clothed with the sun," 
 with his bright rays dazzhng around her. 
 A lively figure of the union of the true 
 Church of Christ with him, " the Sun of 
 righteousness." High in the symbolic, or 
 visible heaven, the moon would be under 
 her feet. She was *' crowned with twelve 
 stars," " remaining stedfast in the Apostles' 
 doctrine," and praying and laboring for the 
 birth of her offspring. 
 
 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven ; 
 and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and 
 ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 
 
 4 And his tail drew the third t)art of the stars of 
 heaven, and did cast them to the earth. 
 
356 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 The dragon, as the Apostle elsewhere 
 teaches us, is " that old serpent called the 
 devil and satan." The devil's first visible 
 agent in warring against the '' seed of the 
 church," was Pagan Rome under its several 
 forms of government, but especially the im- 
 perial head. That this was the division of 
 Rome represented by the dragon, there can 
 be no doubt, for the '' crowns were upon his 
 heads." The ten horns " were ten kings 
 which had recieved no kingdom as yet," as 
 the Apostle was afterwards instructed. The 
 Roman power had cast down the princes of 
 the third part of the earth, denoted by the 
 stars. 
 
 The object of this chapter seems to be an 
 exhibition of the two contending parties, the 
 Church and the devil. The struggle was to 
 continue till the millennium, first under the 
 dragon, then second, under the ten-horned 
 beast from the sea, in connection with the 
 ten-horned beast from the earth, with the 
 image of the old beast. The w^ar com- 
 menced under the dragon, but was much 
 longer, and of deeper interest, as carried 
 on between the Church and papal see. The 
 defence of the real Church was the great prin- 
 ciple of self-sacrifice, on the other side they 
 met the most cruel hate and persecution. 
 
WAR OF THE DRAGON. 
 
 357 
 
 4 And the dragon stood before the woman which was 
 ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as 
 it was born. 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 5 And she brought forth 
 a man-child, who was to rule 
 all nations with a rod of 
 iron : and her child was 
 caught up unto God, and 
 ^ to his throne. 
 
 This seems to be a double figure, for if 
 Christ is the man-child born to the church 
 here alluded to, he is both her Savior and 
 spiritual successor. Christ himself quoted 
 the passage which made him •' the root and 
 the offspring of David." It was Christ who 
 was to rule all nations with " a rod of iron," 
 Ps. ii — 9, and the Church was instructed to 
 say, " unto us a child is born, unto us a son 
 is given, and the government shall be upon 
 his shoulders." 
 
358 
 
 ILLUSTRAIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she 
 hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her 
 there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 
 
 If John went back to connect the persecu- 
 tions of the Church under the pagan beast, 
 or dragon, with the papal beast, it was 
 merely to give a connected outline, for in 
 this verse he has come down again to the 
 place from whence the main drift of his nar- 
 rative commences, the well known period of 
 the wilderness state of the Church, under 
 Popery, for 1260 years. 
 
 7 And there was war m heaven ; Michael and his an- 
 gels fought against the dragon ; and the dragon fought 
 and his angels, 
 
 8 And prevailed not ; neither was their place found 
 any more in heaven. 
 
 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, 
 called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole 
 world : he was cast oat into the earth, and his angels 
 were cast out with him, 
 
 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven. Now 
 
WAR OF THE DRAGON. 359 
 
 is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our 
 God, and the power of his Christ ; for the accuser of 
 our brethren is cast down, which accused them before 
 our God day and night. 
 
 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, 
 and by the Avord of their testimony ; and they loved not 
 their lives unto ihe death. 
 
 12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell 
 in them^ Wo to the inhabiters of the earth, and of the 
 sea ! for the devil is come down unto you, having great 
 wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 
 
 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto 
 the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth 
 the man-child. 
 
 When the angel was about to give Daniel 
 a more full explanation of his vision of the 
 Persian ram, and the Grecian goat, he said, 
 " The Prince of the kingdom of Persia, 
 withstood me one and twenty days, but lo ! 
 Michael, one of the chief princes, came to 
 help me," Dan. x — 13. In verse 20, he 
 says again, " Now will I return to fight with 
 the Prince of Persia, and when I am gone 
 forth, lo ! the Prince of Greece shall come." 
 The same warfare, by the same Michael and 
 his angels was maintained against the dragon, 
 and his angels, the power of imperial Rome, 
 till it was cast out as has been seen in for- 
 mer Sections. " The weapons of our war- 
 fare," says Paul, " are not carnal, but spirit- 
 ual, and mighty, through God, to the pul- 
 ling down of strong holds." 
 
360 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PRORHECY. 
 
 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great 
 eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her 
 place, where she is nourished for a lime, and times, and 
 half a time, from the face of the serpent. 
 
 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a 
 flood, after the woman, that he might cause her to be 
 carried away of the flood. 
 
 16 And the earth helped the woman ; and the earth 
 opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the 
 dragon cast out of his mouth. 
 
 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and 
 went to make war with the remnant of her seed, 
 which keep the commandments of God, and have the 
 testimony of Jesus Christ. 
 
 As soon as the persecuting power of 
 Rome, with its various forms of government, 
 symbolized by the seven heads of the drag- 
 on, had passed away, another, and more ter- 
 rible persecuting power arose, as we shall 
 soon see, before which the " woman," or 
 
WAR OF THE DRAGON. 361 
 
 true church, takes her flight into her wilder- 
 ness state, for the noted period, here repeat- 
 ed, of 1260 years, leaving the " temple of 
 God," to the "man of sin," to "tread under 
 foot forty and two months." The dragon 
 improves his last opportunity to persecute 
 the woman, before resigning his seat to the 
 papal beast. But even in her retreat she 
 has to encounter the " serpent " in other 
 forms. 
 
 The flood of water cast out of the mouth 
 of the serpent's pagan agent, is supposed to 
 refer to the hordes of pagan Huns, Goths, 
 Vandals, and other barbarian nations, which 
 inundated the western empiie about the 
 time ofthe flight of the Church. This event 
 proved entirely contrary to the expectations 
 of the serpent, for the victorious barbarians 
 united themselves with the vanquished Ro- 
 mans, and formed one people, embracing at 
 least, the forms of the Christian religion. 
 Thus for a time, " The earth helped the wo- 
 man." But the wrath ofthe serpent found 
 new means to persecute, for many of the 
 heathen princes from the north, embraced 
 the Arian faith, and persecuted the Trinita- 
 rians, thus " making war upon the remnant 
 of her seed, which kept the commandments 
 of God, and have the testimony of Jesus." 
 31 
 
SECTION XVI. 
 
 THE TEN HORNED BEAST OF THE SEA. 
 
 Chap, xiii : 1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea^ 
 and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven 
 heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, 
 and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 
 
 Some expositors make this chapter syn- 
 chronize with the xi and xiii, instead of 
 bringing the account of the " war in heav- 
 en," down to the first flight of the Church. 
 
 Whether we were right in making the xii 
 chapter introductory to this, or whether it 
 should have been placed as running parallel 
 with this, each reader must judge for him- 
 self. All writers agree respecting its rela- 
 tion to the subsequent part of the Revela- 
 tion. This, without any dispute, describes 
 the rise of popery in the western empire, or 
 Latin Church. 
 
WAR OF THE DRAGON, 
 
 363 
 
 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, 
 •and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth 
 as the mouth of a lion : and the dragon gave him his 
 power, and his seat, and great authority. 
 
 The beast coming up out of the sea, or 
 
 from among " nations, and 
 
 tongues, 
 
 and 
 
 peoples," combines all the ferocity of the 
 three first empires predicted by Daniel, — 
 first, " like unto a leopard " — the Grecian 
 empire ; " feet as the feet of a bear " — the 
 Persian empire ; " and his mouth like the 
 mouth of a lion" — the Babylonian empire. 
 To this combined and concentrated barbar- 
 ism, the dragon, or pagan Rome, gave " his 
 power, and his seat, and great authority." 
 What has the Church to expect ? 
 
364 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to 
 death ; and his deadly wound was healed : and all the 
 world wondered after the beast. 
 
 " The head of the beast, wounded to 
 death," represented the overthrow of impe- 
 rial authority, when Rome became a duke- 
 dom to the exarchate of Ravenna. Five of 
 the heads of the dragon were superseded 
 before the time John wrote, as will be ex- 
 plained to the apostle. Chap. xvii. The 
 imperial head, name, and dignity, was after- 
 wards partially revived in the emperors 
 of Germany, — its power still further healed 
 or restored by Bonaparte, and may be whol- 
 ly recovered for a time, yet, before the 
 beast "goeth into perdition." The pagan, 
 persecuting power of this head received a 
 wound by Constantine, though the imperial 
 power or head, continued sound for centu- 
 ries afterwards. 
 
WORSHIP OF THE DRAGON. 
 
 365 
 
 4 And they wor 
 shipped the dragon 
 which gave power 
 unto the beast : and 
 they worshipped the 
 beast,saying, Who is 
 like unto the beast ? 
 who is able to make 
 war with him ? 
 
 '' All the" Roman " world; wondered af- 
 ter the beast." Thus they virtually worship- 
 ped the dragon, by submitting without re- 
 serve, to tlie same idolatrous, persecuting 
 power as before, only in another form. It 
 must ever be borne in mind that the beast 
 which rises out of the sea, to which this 
 dragon first gave his seat and power, is the 
 secular Roman beast, corresponding with 
 Daniel's terrible beast. Papal Rome, an- 
 swering to the little horn of Diniers beast, 
 is another power to be described in the next 
 Section. Compare Dan. vii — 7, with these 
 passages, and Rev. xvii. A right under- 
 standing of the distinction between the sec- 
 ular and papal powers of Rome, is essential 
 to every reader. Although these powers 
 acted in concert, they exercised distinct 
 functions. 
 
 31* 
 
366 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY, 
 
 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking 
 great things and blasphemies ; and power was given 
 unto him to continue forty and two months. 
 
 This beast was without a name, like the 
 fourth in Daniel, which symbolized the 
 same empire. (See page 55, Sect ii.) Dan- 
 iel's fourth beast, which was " dreadful and 
 terrible," with its little horn, comprehended 
 all which is symbolized by the dragon, this 
 beast, the ten-horned beast yet to be de- 
 scribed, the image of the beast, and the wo- 
 man sitting on this beast, (chap, xvii.) 
 When the persecuting power denoted by 
 this beast, arose, it was to be expected that 
 the devil would transfer the authority hith- 
 erto lodged with his pagan vicegerent, the 
 dragon, to this beast. 
 
War of the beast. 36t 
 
 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, 
 to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them 
 that dwell in heaven. 
 
 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the 
 saints, and to overcome them : and power was given 
 him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 
 
 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, 
 whose names are not written in the book of life of the 
 Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 
 
 9 If any man have an ear, let him hear. 
 
 10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into cap- 
 tivity : he that killeth with the sword must be killed 
 with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith 
 of the saints. 
 
 Here again, we have a description of the 
 different modes of warfare between the 
 wicked world and Christ's real disciples. 
 ^' My kingdom is not of this world," says 
 Christ, " else would my children fight." 
 " He that taketh the sword shall perish by 
 the sword." But " here is the patience and 
 faith of the saints." They conquer by pa- 
 tient suffering. Their " faith overcomes the 
 world." Such will be the conquest of this 
 world before the beast and false prophet go 
 finally into perdition, and the " God of heav- 
 en sets up a kingdom, which shall never be 
 destroyed." " And when there shall be no 
 one to hurt or molest in all God's holy 
 mountain," Then shall the *' saints inherit 
 the earth." 
 
368 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 THE FALSE PROPHET OR TWO HORNED 
 BEAST OF THE EARTH. 
 
 Chap. XTii: 11 And I beheld another beast coming 
 up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, 
 and he spake as a dragon. 
 
 12 And he exerciseih all the power of the first beast 
 before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell 
 therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound 
 was healed. 
 
 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh 
 fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight 
 of men, 
 
 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by 
 the means of those miracles which he had power to do 
 in the sight of the beast ; saying to them that dwell on 
 the earth, that they should make an image to the beast 
 which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 
 
 The regular and secular clergy, under 
 their respective generals and bishops, are 
 the two horns, or ecclesiastical kingdoms of 
 the papal catholic empire. 
 
IMAGE or THE BEAST. 369 
 
 15 And he had power 
 to give life unto the im- 
 age of the beast, that 
 the image of the beast 
 should both speak, and 
 cause that as many as 
 would not worship the 
 image of the beast 
 should be killed. 
 
 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, 
 rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their 
 right hand, or in their foreheads ; 
 
 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that 
 had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number 
 of his name. 
 
 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding 
 count the number of the beast : for it is the number of 
 a man j and his number is six hundred three score and 
 six. 
 
 The false prophet, i. e. hierarchal Rome, 
 clothed the image or effigy of secular 
 papal Rome with ancient imperial digni- 
 ty. The pope was the creature of the 
 clergy, who claimed, not only imperi- 
 al dignity, but infallibiHty. The name 
 and number of this beast has been a mat- 
 ter of much speculation, and it is a mat- 
 ter of doubt whether " he that has under- 
 standing" enough, has yet been found, to 
 " count the number of the beast." The 
 writer does not claim that " wisdom." 
 
SECTION XVII 
 
 THE REFORMATION OR SECOND 
 SEALING TIME. 
 
 Chap, xiv : 1 And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on 
 the mount Sion, and with him a hundred forty and four 
 thousand, having his Father's name written in their 
 foreheads. 
 
 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of 
 many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder : and 
 I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps : 
 
 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the 
 throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders : and 
 no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty 
 and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 
 
 4 These are they which were not defiled with women ; 
 for they are virgins. These are they which follow the 
 Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed 
 from among men, being the first-fruits unto God and to 
 tne Lamb. 
 
 6 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they 
 are without fault before the throne of God. 
 
THE MISSIONARY ANGEL. 871 
 
 6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven 
 having the everlasting gospel to preach unto ihem that 
 dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, 
 and tongue, and people. 
 
 This is generally supposed to refer to the 
 period of the Reformation by Martin Luther 
 and others. The Church then began to 
 emerge from her wilderness slate. It was 
 a sort of sealing time again, a period which 
 runs exactly parallel with the pouring out of 
 the seven last plagues upon the wicked, as 
 we shall see by and by. God has always 
 set mercy over against judgment. The mo- 
 ment he begins to redeem his people, he be- 
 gins to plague their enemies. 
 '' Come out of her, my people," is the ex- 
 hortation of the apostle, and one of the old- 
 er prophets cries, " Ho, ho, come forth, de- 
 liver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the 
 daughters of Babylon." 
 
372 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PRGPHECY. 
 
 7 Saying with a loud voice, 
 
 " The hour of his judgment is come," that 
 is, the period of the destruction of anti- 
 Christ was drawing near, and the reformers 
 of the sixteenth century commenced sound- 
 ing the alarm. So it was when the Lord 
 was about to gather a remnant of his 
 outcasts from old Babylon and Egypt. — 
 Isaiah xxvii — 13, "And it shall come to 
 pass at that day that the great trumpet shall 
 be blown." So it was predicted of the final 
 restoration of the Jews, Dan. xii — 14, " Mi- 
 chael stands up" to plead for his people. 
 So here, as the hour of his judgment of the 
 beast and false prophet draws near, the Lord 
 sends his missionary angel to preach the 
 gospel to them that dwell on the Roman 
 earth. The period of pouring out the vials 
 of wrath was co-incident with the flight of 
 these angels. 
 
BABYLON FALLEN. 373 
 
 Verse 8 And there followed another angel, saying, — 
 
 This annunciation is made by the second 
 angel, as he flies through the heavens, or 
 church on earth. If the flight of the first 
 angel was at the period of the Reformation, 
 this was probably about the time of the fal- 
 ling of the papal see from being a predomi- 
 nant power. This was about the time of 
 the falling of a tenth part of the city, chap. 
 xi, and the pouring out of the fifth vial, 
 chap, xvi — lOj upon the seat of the beast, 
 and the filling of his kingdom with dark- 
 ness. That was a type of the great last 
 battle, so that the angel proclaims here the 
 typical fall of Babylon. Nine parts of the 
 great city are reserved for a time still future, 
 when, like a " millstone, it will be cast into 
 the depths of the sea." 
 32 
 
374 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 And the third angel followed them saying,- 
 
 which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his 
 indignation ; and he shall be tormented with fire and 
 brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the 
 presence of the Lamb: 
 
 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for 
 ever and ever : and they have no rest day nor night, 
 who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever 
 receiveth the mark of his name. 
 
 12 Here is the patience of the saints : here are they 
 that keep the commandments of God, and the faith 
 of Jesus. 
 
 13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, 
 Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from 
 henceforth : Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest 
 from their labors ; and their works do follow them. 
 
 As the character of the Romish Church 
 became more and more developed and un- 
 derstood, the wrath of God would be more 
 and more justly deserved by all who still 
 *' worshipped the beast and his image." 
 
SECTION XVIII. 
 
 THE HARVEST AND VINTAGE OF 
 
 THE WICKED. 
 
 We come now again to consider events 
 still future, and instead of the guidance, we 
 have only the analogy of past events, for our 
 direction. After rapidly glancing at the 
 events of the harvest and vintage of the 
 wicked, the apostle will conduct us back 
 to the period of the Reformation, and show 
 us a regular succession of divine judgments 
 upon the wicked, anti-Christian powers, in 
 the seven last plagues, contained in the sev- 
 en vials, in the two subsequent chapters. 
 
376 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PRTPHECY. 
 
 Chap, xiv : 14 And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, 
 and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, 
 having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a 
 sharp sickle. 
 
 'The last section was closed with the 12t^ 
 and 13th verses, where the predictions wer^ 
 brought down to scenes of persecution, and 
 great trials of the patience of the saints. 
 When Zion is in trouble, her king is near ; 
 " I will not leave you comfortless. I will 
 be a wall of fire round about you." When 
 John was about to describe a new scene, he 
 usually said, ^' I beheld," &.C., so here, "I 
 looked, and behold, a white cloud, and upon 
 the cloud sat one like unto the son of man." 
 Persecution will test the " patience of the 
 saints," till Babylon is utterly destroyed from 
 the earth. Blessed are the dead who die 
 in the defence of the truth. 
 
HARVEST OF THE WICKED. 377 
 
 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying 
 ^^•ith a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, 
 
 The preceding judgments and transac- 
 tions, not having produced a voluntary 
 reformation in the kingdom of the beast, 
 the iniquity of the nations of which it is con- 
 stituted, is filled up, and they become ripe 
 for judgments, which judgments are em- 
 blematically described as a harvest and a 
 vintage. (See Joel, iii — 9 — 17.) The 
 events here predicted evidently relate to the 
 fall of popery, and, as before remarked, 
 give a plain intimation of what is more 
 fully predicted in the next and followiug 
 chapters. In one of Christ's parables, " the 
 harvest is the end of the world," so here, 
 this is the end of the wicked Roman powefj 
 political and ecclesiastical. 
 32* 
 
378 
 
 ILLUSTRITIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 t^k^i^6i^^^fe^(fe:^^?li:^;'t^r;-v%7> 
 
 16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on 
 the earth : and the earth was reaped. 
 
 Here is the scenery of a natural har- 
 vest, corresponding with the event de- 
 scribed. " The angel from the temple," 
 15th verse, doubtless denotes the min- 
 isters of the gospel, as employed to an- 
 nounce the approach of these judgments. 
 As the vintage succeeds the harvest in 
 the course of nature, so it is subse- 
 quent to it in the prophecy, and will be by 
 far the most terrible. The figure of a har- 
 vest is frequently used to denote the gather- 
 ing of the righteous, but the vintage seldom, 
 if ever, in the bible. " The reapers are the 
 angels," Christ says in one of his parables. 
 
HARVEST OF THE WICKED. 
 
 379 
 
 17 
 
 And another angel ^ 
 
 came out of the temple ^^ 
 which is in heaven, he also| ' 
 having a sharp sickle. 
 
 M=- 
 
 This is another angel who is employed to 
 gather the clusters of the wicked, which are 
 luxurious in their growth, and now fully 
 ripe. The other angel is represented us di- 
 recting Christ to thrust in his sickle, and 
 reap, but that could not with propriety be 
 done by any of his ministers, except in the 
 language of prayer, not for his judgments 
 directly upon the wicked, but as desired pro- 
 tection for Zion always implies confusion to 
 her enemies. In the case of the vintage, 
 17th verse, the angel comes out of the tem- 
 ple, and is soon followed by another, who 
 has power ovei fire, and gives directions to 
 his fellow. As all these things are future^ 
 we must look to the analogy of the past, 
 rather than indulge in conjectures. This 
 angel will soon come forth to gather the 
 grapes, which will have a similar fate to the 
 " grapes of Sodom and the clusters of Gomor- 
 roh." 
 
380 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 18 And another angel came out from 
 the altar, which had power over fire ; 
 and cried with a loud cry to him that 
 had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in 
 thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters 
 of the vine of the earth j for the grapes 
 are|_fully ripe. 
 
 " Angels are ministering spirits to the heirs 
 of salvation," and God also performs his 
 works of judgment by the ministry of an- 
 gels. This angel comes from the altar, 
 having power over fire, and directs his an- 
 gelic associates to gather the clusters of the 
 vine of the earth, and the work is done. 
 How far the element of literal fire may be 
 made to have a terrible agency in the events 
 of that day, when the cities of the nations 
 shall fall, time alone will decide. This will 
 be the gathering of the clusters of the wick- 
 ed for the great battle preceding the reign 
 of the saints. At the close of that reign, 
 Gog and Magog, who revive their wicked op- 
 erations, and compass the camp of the saints, 
 are represented as destroyed by fire from 
 God, out of heaven. These periods of de- 
 struction to the wicked, are denoted by sim- 
 ilar language in both cases. 
 
VINTAGE OF THE WICKED. 381 
 
 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, 
 and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the 
 great wine-press of the wrath of God. 
 
 The angel with the sharp sickle is obe- 
 dient to the call of his associate. The first 
 fruits of the vine are not usually gathered 
 with a sickle, but gathered by hand. This 
 is the last gathering for the wine press. 
 
 20 And the wine-press was trodden without the city, 
 and blood came out of the wine-press, even unto the 
 horse-bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hun- 
 dred furlongs. 
 
 The wine press is now trodden, and be- 
 hold the terrific effect. Blood flows from 
 the centre of destruction as high as the 
 horse's bridles. This figure is one of amaa- 
 ing import! It is remarkable that 16 hun- 
 dred furlongs, or two hundred miles, is 
 exactly the length of the papal dominion in 
 Italy, and probably these will be deluged 
 with blood, in a most fearful manner. 
 
SECTION XIX. 
 
 SEVEN LAST PLAGUES. 
 
 Chap, xv : 1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great 
 and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last 
 plagues ; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. 
 
 We come now to the period of the seven 
 last plagues, running parallel with the events 
 of the last chapter, from the Reformation, 
 early in the sixteenth century, to the millen- 
 nium. And here, again, before entering up- 
 on the fearful judgments of the last vials, 
 the saints must first be prepared, by taking 
 a glance of the glorious things which were 
 to follow. This is following the analogy 
 of communications made to Daniel from 
 time to time. 
 
THE SEA OF GLASS. 
 
 383 
 
 2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with 
 fire ; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, 
 and over the image, and over his mark, and over the 
 number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having 
 the harps of God, 
 
 3 And they sang the song of Moses the servant of God, 
 and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous 
 are thy works. Lord God Almighty; just and true are 
 thy ways, thou King of saints. 
 
 4 Who shall not fear thee, Lord, and glorify thy 
 name ? for thou only art holy ; for all nations shall come 
 and worship before thee ; for thy judgments are made 
 manifest. 
 
 This sea of glass was before shown to 
 John, chap, iv — 6, but it was not then sur- 
 rounded by those who had gained the victo- 
 ry, (see section xi. page 284,) nor did the 
 apostle then speak of its being m'ngled with 
 fire. 
 
384 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 5 And after that I looked, and behold, the temple of 
 the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened ; 
 
 6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, 
 having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white 
 linen, and having their breasts girded with golden 
 girdles. 
 
 7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven 
 angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who 
 liveth for ever and ever. 
 
THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES. 385 
 
 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the 
 glory of God, and from his power ; and no man was 
 able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of 
 the seven angels were fulfilled. 
 
 We here see one of the four living crea- 
 tures present to the angels the seveu vials of 
 wrath. 
 
 Chap. XVI: 1 And I heard a great voice out of the 
 temple saying to the seven angels. Go your ways and 
 pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. 
 
 Vial and cup are synonymous terms in 
 the scriptures. " Upon the wicked, God 
 shall rain fire and brimstone, and a horrible 
 tempest ; this shall be the portion of their 
 cup." The seven vials are seven select por- 
 tions of divine judgments, accomplishing the 
 last harvest and vintage of the wicked. The 
 apostle in a former chapter, gave a graphic 
 sketch of the same judgments, under differ- 
 ent figures. That was a general descrip- 
 tion, this is more particular and systematic ; 
 that related mostly to the Roman anti- 
 Christ, this includes the eastern apostacy ; 
 that was under the figure of the last harvest 
 and vintage of the wicked, this divides that 
 last harvest into several regular and succes- 
 sive plagues, in allusion to the plagues of 
 Egypt, when God's chosen people were de- 
 livered. 
 
 33 
 
386 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 2 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 mark of the beast, 
 and upon them which worshipped his 
 image. 
 
 This was the papal earth, though the pic- 
 tural illustration here shows the whole 
 sphere. The papal beast rose out of the 
 earth. This vial was poured out in the 
 time of Martin Luther, and Leo X, and ex- 
 posed the rotten and ulcerous character of 
 the Romish Church. The whole papal sys- 
 tem, on exposure, was found to be a horrid 
 and grievous ulcer, and all the men who 
 had the mark of the beast, were found to be 
 infected with the disease. This was a 
 "grievous and noisome sore," indeed, and 
 resulted in that consumption which has 
 wasted the energies of the harlot church ev- 
 er since, and which only waits to be " de- 
 stroyed by the brightness of his (Christ's) 
 coming. This is a very appropriate fig- 
 ure, and was used in Isaiah, i — 6, to repre- 
 sent a very corrupt state of the Jewish 
 church. No soundness in it, but full of 
 wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores. 
 
THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES. 
 
 387 
 
 3 And the second angel poured out 
 his vial upon the sea ; and il became as 
 the blood of a dead man : and every 
 living soul died in the sea. 
 
 The second vial was poured upon the 
 sea, or central part of the papal dominions. 
 It will be well for the reader to observe that 
 most of the vials bear a striking analogy to 
 the trumpets, (seepages 318 and 19.) The 
 second trumpet turned the sea of pagan 
 Rome into blood ; the second vial brought 
 fearful calamities upon the seat of papal 
 Rome. Had it not been for the sanguinary 
 and bloody wars between Francis L king of 
 France, and Charles V, emperor of Germany, 
 and the calamities they brought on Italy 
 and the pope, the effects of the exposure of 
 the papal corruptions by Luther and oth- 
 ers, would not have been borne by the pa- 
 pal power. The efforts of the reformers 
 would have been crushed in the bud, had 
 not this vial followed the first in quick suc- 
 cession. From that hour the papal sun be- 
 gan to decline. 
 
388 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 4 And the third angel poured out his 
 vial upon the rivers and fountains ot 
 Waters, and they became blood. 
 
 5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou 
 art righteous, Lord, which art, and wast, andshalt be, 
 because thou hast judged thus. 
 
 5 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, 
 and thou hast given them blood to drink j for they are 
 worthy. 
 
 7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, 
 Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judg- 
 ments. 
 
 The sea having been turned to blood, the 
 next vial is poured upon the rivers and foun- 
 tains, which supplied the central portions of 
 the papal dominions. These rivers and 
 founiains denote the kingdoms and nations 
 which composed the Roman earth. There 
 was a general peace concluded in 1559, and 
 the historian says, *' from this moment Ita- 
 ly ceased to be the grand theatre on which 
 the great monarchs of Spain, France, and 
 Germany, contended for power and fame. 
 
THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES. 389 
 
 8 And the fourth angel poured out 
 his vial upon the sun ; and power was 
 given unto him to scorch men with fire. 
 
 9 And men were scorched with great 
 heat, and blasphemed the name of God, 
 
 v,V\lll.t///,; which hath power over these plagues; 
 j^vV)^ and they repented not to give him glory, 
 
 '^0 
 
 The third and fourth vials keep up the 
 analogy of the trumpets, (see page 223.) 
 The sun in the prophecies is frequently put 
 for the race of kings, and kingly authority. 
 After the sun of the pagan Roman earth 
 was darkened by the blast of the fourth 
 trumpet, the papal power soon arose in its 
 stead, assuming to be the head of the state, 
 as well as of the Church. He " reigned over 
 the kings of the earth" for several centuries, 
 but this fourth plague smote him, and the 
 kings began to "hate the whore," and men of 
 the Romish Church began to feel the scorch- 
 ing effects of kingly power, but they repent- 
 ed not to give glory to God as they should 
 have done at the waning power of the papal 
 see, but increased in their blasphemy and 
 wickedness. 
 
 33* 
 
390 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 10 And the fifth angel poured out his 
 vial upon the se&i of the beast ; and his 
 kingdom was full of darkness, and they 
 gnawed their tongues for pain, 
 
 11 And blasphemed the God of heaven, because of 
 their pains and their sores, and repented not of their 
 deeds. 
 
 Now comes a new plague upon the very 
 seat of the beast and false prophet. He re- 
 members the sores exposed by the first vial. 
 His kingdom is turned into darkness. The 
 sun of his imperial power now sets forever, 
 and even his ecclesiastical power was very 
 much eclipsed by the French Revolution. 
 He had for many centuries assumed the 
 character of the lamb, while he spake as a 
 dragon, but now his imperial dragon power 
 was taken away, and with it a tenth part of 
 his great city fell. 
 
SEVEN LAST PLAGUES. 
 
 391 
 
 12 And the sixtli angel poured out 
 his vial upon the great river Euphrates ; 
 and the water thereof was dried up, 
 that the way of the kings of the east 
 might be prepared. 
 
 The sixth trumpet blast loosed the four 
 angels from their local restrictions near the 
 river Euphrates, which opened their way to 
 conquest and power, (page 334.) Having 
 had their hour, and day, and month, and 
 year, for conquests, and a long uninterrupt- 
 ed possession of that power, it is now al- 
 most dried up by the contents of the sixfh 
 vial. This is a strikingly well marked peri- 
 od in prophecy The reader has only to 
 cast his eye over the eastern world, and he 
 will s(>e the work of this angel almost ac* 
 complished. 
 
392 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come 
 out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth 
 ofthe beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 
 
 The events denoted by these figures, al- 
 though in the immediate future, still it be- 
 comes us to think and speak with caution. 
 It seems evidently to denote a rally of all 
 the remaining elements of satan's kingdom 
 for the last battle. He has issued his sum- 
 mons for his pagan agent, his papal agent, 
 and the subtle, two horned, lamb-like beast, 
 or false prophet, to send out their unclean 
 spirits, as numerous and insinuating as the 
 frogs of Egypt, to marshall their forces. It 
 does not require a stretch of fancy to behold 
 this work already commencing. The pres- 
 ent attitude and jealousies of the powers of 
 Europe and Asia, betoken some great and 
 terrible overturn. 
 
liAST GATHERING TO BATTLE, 
 
 393 
 
 The beast sends out his unclean spirit 
 This beast is now in his ten-horn state, 
 though their power will probably merge in- 
 to the blasphemous, or healed iiead of the 
 dragon, under which he is to go into final 
 perdition. The ten kingdoms of the old 
 Roman earth are now in a fearfully unsettled 
 state. The ballance of their power cannot 
 much longer be maintained. A second Bo- 
 naparte may soon finish what the first con- 
 templated doing. To maintain the equilib- 
 rium of separate kingly powers, these ten 
 horns, or the chief of them, are endeavoring 
 to maintain the " integrity " of the worst 
 government in the world, fearing that a 
 chasm in any portion of the earth would 
 crumble them into one common mass of 
 ruin. The work cannot be delayed beyond 
 the appointed time. 
 
394 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 The false prophet, although deprived of 
 his political power, will issue his unclean 
 spirit like a frog. The dying struggle of the 
 papacy will doubtless be fearful in its results. 
 
 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working mira" 
 cles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of 
 the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that 
 great day of God Almighty. 
 
 15 Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that 
 watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked 
 and they see his shame. 
 
 16 And he gathered them together into a place called 
 in the Hebrew tongue^ Armageddon. 
 
 All manner of deception will doubtless be 
 practised by these spirits of devils, and 
 none are better qualified for such a work 
 than the false prophet. These unclean 
 spirits are not to be confined to the Roman 
 earth, or both of the anti-Christian powers, 
 but they are to go forth, not to the kings of 
 the earth merely, but to the whole world. 
 
LAST PLAGUE. 
 
 395 
 
 17 And the seventh angel poured out 
 his vial into the air ; and there came a 
 great voice out of the temple of heaven, 
 from the throne, saying, It is done. 
 
 18 And there were voices, and thun- 
 ders, and lightnings ; and there was a 
 great earthquake, such as was not since 
 men were upon the earth, so mighty an 
 earthquake, and so great. 
 
 19 And the great city was divided 
 into three parts, and the cities of the 
 nations fell : and great Babylon came 
 in remembrance before God, to give 
 unto her the cup of the wine of the 
 fierceness of his wrath. 
 
 20 And every island fled away, and 
 the mountains were not found. 
 
 21 And there fell upon men a great 
 hail out of heaven, every stone about 
 the weight of a talent ; and men blas- 
 
 /^/// phemed God because of the hail ; for 
 the plague thereof was exceeding great. 
 
 This last plague is poured into the air — all- 
 pervading as far as wicked men are found. 
 It is not confined to the locality of the Ro- 
 man earth, though by it, that great city is 
 to be divided into three parts, and the cities 
 of the other nine nations fall. The last vial, 
 like the wo of the last trumpet, terminates 
 with a great hail storm. 
 
MYSTERY. 
 
THE GREAT CITY WHICH REIGNETH OVER 
 THE KINGS OF THE EARTH. 
 
 Chap, xvii : 1 And there came one of the seven an- 
 gels which had the seven vials, and talked with mo, 
 saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee 
 the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many- 
 waters; 
 
 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed 
 fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been 
 made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 
 
 3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wil- 
 derness : and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored 
 beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads 
 and ten horns. 
 
 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet- 
 color, and decked with gold and precious stone and 
 pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abom- 
 inations and filthiness of her fornication : 
 
 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYS- 
 TERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER 
 OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE 
 EARTH. 
 
 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of 
 the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus : 
 and when I saw her, I wondered with great admira- 
 tion. 
 
 7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou 
 marvel ? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, 
 and of that beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven 
 heads and ten horns. 
 
 8 The beast that thou sawest, was, and is not ; and 
 shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into per- 
 dition : and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, 
 who>e names were not written in the book of life from 
 the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast 
 that was, and is not, and yet is. 
 
398 ILLUSTRATIOxNS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 This chapter is a kind of parenthesis in 
 the course of the prophecy, to show John 
 more precisely what was meant by "the 
 great city," or Babylon, the ruin of which 
 is to be so dreadful. Idolatry is noted in 
 the Bible as spiritual adultery, and popery 
 is that hateful system of false religion^ 
 called the " mother of harlots," that is, it 
 became the mother of every other adulterat- 
 ed system of the christian religion. Espe- 
 cially do we find her progeny among those 
 churches which are allied to human govern- 
 ments, an unholy connection, a connection 
 which Christ will never tolerate in his in- 
 tended bride, The papal church had driven 
 Christ's real spouse into the wilderness, 
 (chap, xii : 6.) and " as he that leadeth into 
 captivity shall go into captivity," so the 
 "great whore" is found in the "wilder- 
 ness" when her ''judgment" is come. It 
 was the custom of the Romans when they 
 executed criminals to place over their fore- 
 heads their character and crime written in 
 capitals. 
 
 9 And here is the mind which halh wisdom. The 
 seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman 
 sittelh. 
 
 10 And there are seven kings : five are fallen, and 
 one is, and the other is not yet come ; and when he 
 cometh, he must continue a short space. 
 
 11 And the beast ihat was, and is not, even he is the 
 eighth, and is of the seven, and gceth into perdition. 
 
THE GREAT CITY. 
 
 399 
 
 s Here is a proper exercise for wisdom, to 
 discover what is meant by the beast 
 '' winch was, and is not, and yet is." The ex- 
 planation of the seven monntains are given 
 by the angel as denoting seven " kings " of 
 forms of government, as heads of the pagan 
 beast. Six of these governmental heads 
 were kings, consuls, dictators, decemvirs, 
 tribunes,' and emperors. The first five had 
 
 fallen when John had the interview with 
 the angel, ^' one is," the impe- 
 rial was then in existence, 
 ''and the other is not yet 
 
 come, but when 
 
 he Cometh he must 
 continue for a short space." 
 What this last form of govern- 
 ment is to be, has very very 
 much perplexed writers of past 
 days for the very good rea- ^"". 
 
 son that it was then future, 
 and the type had not been fully developed. 
 But since a " tenth part of the city fell," the 
 nature of this last head Avould have been 
 well understood, if modern writers had not 
 
400 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 verged to the other common extreme of con- 
 jecture, and made the type the consumma- 
 tion of the whole abomination. This last 
 form of government in the Roman empire, 
 will be the eighth head numerically, or in 
 reckoning forward, being the next after the 
 seventh, but is of the seven, that is, it may 
 be reckoned among the seven, or as accord- 
 ing with them in its nature. 
 
 We see in the type, the French Revolution, 
 this head exhibited the features of the Re- 
 publican, Consular, and Imperial. It was 
 also atheistical, and persecuting. Under 
 this last head, which " must continue for a 
 short space,'' the old Roman Empire, which 
 for near two thousand years has assumed 
 as many forms of governments as suited the 
 convenience of Satan, the prime mover, is 
 to " go into perdition." We have first seen 
 this empire under the symbol of ''iron and 
 clay," "strong exceedingly" for a time, 
 Dan. 11 : then a beast "dreadful and terri- 
 ble," Dan. vii: then the great red dragon, 
 Rev. xii : next the beast from the sea, Rev. 
 xiii, again from the " bottomless pit," to- 
 gether with its union with the beast out of 
 the earth with two horns. Rev. xiii, and 
 now carrying the "great whore," and 
 finally its last form in which it is to hate 
 the whore, make war with the Lamb, slay 
 the witnesses and go into perdition 
 
THE GREAT CITY. 401 
 
 12 And the ten horns 
 which thou sawest are ten 
 kings, which have receiv- 
 ed no Uingtiomasyet J but 
 receive power as kings one 
 hour with the beast. 
 
 The old Roman beast had ten horns and 
 the new beast from the bottomless pit has 
 the same. These denote a succession of 
 kings which had not existed when John had 
 his vision. Compare notes page 54, 5 and 
 6, with page 78. 
 
 13 These have one mind, and shall give their power 
 and strength unto the beast. 
 
 14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the 
 Lamb shall overcome them : lor he is Lord of lords, 
 and King of kings ; and they that are with him are 
 called, and chosen, and faithful. 
 
 After Rome became papal, the ten king- 
 doms basely submitted to the dictation of 
 the Roman bishops, and the prostitution 
 was mutual, for the great harlot church 
 " committed fornication with the kings of 
 the earth." Rome, in all her modifications, 
 has made war with the Lamb, but at the 
 expiration of the 1260 years, the Lamb will 
 overcome all other powers, and give the 
 kingdom to his "chosen and faithful." 
 
402 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thoa 
 sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multi- 
 tudes, and nations, and tongues. 
 
 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the 
 beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her 
 desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh and burn her 
 with fire. 
 
 17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, 
 and to agree, and give iheir kingdom unto the beast, 
 until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 
 
 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great 
 cityj which reigneth over the kings of the earth. 
 
 Here is a clear explanation of many of 
 these symbolical allusions, and a glance at 
 Rome in its complex character from the time 
 John wrote till a period yet future, when a 
 combination of the ten kings with the last 
 head of the beast is to destroy the Romish 
 church, and then the whole will go into per- 
 dition together. " The woman which thou 
 sawest," &c. verse 18. Every body knows 
 this refers to Rome, even candid papists have 
 acknowledged it, though they wish to con- 
 fine the interpretation to Rome while pagan. 
 Burn her with fire — referring to the punish- 
 ment of the priest's daughter who was guilty 
 of fornication. France begun this work, 
 but the completion of this fearful doom in 
 all its horrors still awaits the prostituted 
 church. 
 
 Chap, xviii : 1 And after these things I saw another 
 angel come down fiom heaven, having great power; 
 and the earth was lig! ted with his glory. 
 
BABYLON FALLEN. 403 
 
 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice,, saying, 
 Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the 
 habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, 
 and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 
 
 3 For all nations have drunk of the; wine of the wrath 
 of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have com- 
 mitted fornication with ber, and the merchants of the 
 earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her 
 delicacies. 
 
 How frequent the repetition of the doom 
 of mystical Babylon is brought before the 
 Biblical reader ! 
 
 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying. 
 Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of 
 her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 
 
 5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God 
 hath remembered her iniquities. 
 
 6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double 
 unto her double according to her works : in the cup 
 which she hath filled, fill to her double. 
 
 7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived de- 
 liciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for 
 she saiih in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, 
 and shall see no sorrow. 
 
 8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, 
 and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly 
 burned with fire_: for stroug is the Lord God who judg- 
 eth her. 
 
 9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed 
 fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail 
 her, and lament for her, when tiiey shall see the smoke 
 of her burning, 
 
 10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, say- 
 ing, Alas, alas ! that great city Babylon, that mighty 
 city ! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 
 
 11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and 
 mourn over her ; for no man buyeih their merchandise 
 any more : 
 
404 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious 
 stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and 
 silk, and scarlet, and all thyne wood, and all manner 
 vessels of ivory, and all manner ves>el.s ol most precious 
 wood, and of brass, and iron, and martrle, 
 
 13 And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and 
 frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and 
 wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and slaves, 
 and souls of men. 
 
 14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are de- 
 parted from thee, and all things which v/ere dainiy and 
 goodly are departed from thee, and thou shall find them 
 no more at all. 
 
 15 The merchants of these thing? which were made 
 rich by her. shall stand afar off, for the fear of her tor- 
 ment, weeping and wailing, 
 
 16 And saying, Alas, alas ! that great city, that was 
 clothed in tine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked 
 with gold, and precious stones, and pearls ! 
 
 17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. 
 And every ship-ma.sier, and all the company in ships, 
 and sailors, and as many as irade by sea, stood afar off, 
 
 18 And cried when ihey saw the smoke of her burn- 
 ing, saying, What ciiy ii like unto this great ciiy ! 
 
 19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, 
 weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas! that great 
 city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the 
 sea by reason of her costliness ! for in one hour is she 
 made desolate. 
 
 20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apos- 
 tles and prophets J for God haih avenged you on her. 
 
 21 And a mighty angel took up a sione like a great 
 millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with 
 violence siiall that great city Babylon be thrown down, 
 aufl shall be found no more at all. 
 
 22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of 
 pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in 
 Ihee ; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall 
 be founrl any more in thee ; and the sound of a mill- 
 stone shall be heard no more at all in thee ; 
 
 23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at 
 
MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB. 405 
 
 all in thee ; and ihe voice of the bridegroom and of the 
 oride shall be heard no more ai all in thee : for ihy mer- 
 chants were the great men of the earth ; for by thy sor- 
 ceries were all nations deceived. 
 
 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and 
 of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. 
 
 Chap, xix : 1 And after these things I heard a great 
 voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia: Sal- 
 vation, and glory, and honor, aud power, unto tfle Lord 
 our God : 
 
 2 For true and righteous are his judgments : for he 
 hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the 
 earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood 
 of his servants at her hand. 
 
 3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke 
 rose up for ever and ever. 
 
 4 And the f tur and twenty elders and the four beasts 
 fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, 
 saying. Amen ; Alleluia. 
 
 5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying. Praise 
 our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both 
 small and great. 
 
 6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multi- 
 tude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice 
 of mighty ihunderings, saying. Alleluia: for the Lord 
 God omnipotent reigneih. 
 
 This happy company are preparing for 
 the marriage of the true church to Christ, 
 her only head. As long as the church 
 yielded any of her affections to the "kings 
 of the earth," he refused to celebrate the 
 glorious nuptials. After the last remnant 
 of the chain of earthly kingdoms with 
 which the nominal church, first Jewish and 
 then Gentile, " committed fornication," is 
 
406 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROFHECY. 
 
 destroyed, then will the marriage take place, 
 and not before. 
 
 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him : 
 for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife 
 hath made herself ready. 
 
 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed 
 in fine linen, clean and white • for ihe fine linen is the 
 righteousness of saints. 
 
 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they 
 which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb. 
 And he saitli unto me. These are the true sayings of 
 God. 
 
 Now comes the glorions consummation. 
 2520 years had Christ spurned the Jewish 
 church for her unhallowed connexion with 
 idolatrousgovernments, and half that period, 
 1260, was the younger sister left on trial for 
 the same offence, but now they are purified 
 and made ^vhite, and Christ becomes the 
 possessor of their undivided affections — the 
 ''KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF 
 LORDS." No longer leaning on the ^' civil 
 arm," but on the " arm of her beloved " — 
 no more " going down into Egypt " or over 
 into Assyria for help. All are blessed who 
 come to this supper. 
 
 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he 
 said unto me, See thou do it not : I am thy fellow-serv- 
 ant, and of ihy brethren that have the testimony of Je- 
 sus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the 
 spirit of prophesy. 
 
THE LAST SUPPER OF THE WICKED. 407 
 
 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white 
 horse ; and he ihat sal upon him was called Faithful 
 and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make 
 war. 
 
 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head 
 were many crowns ; and he had a name written, that 
 no man knew, but he himself. - 
 
 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood : 
 and his name is called^ The Word of God. 
 
 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed 
 him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and 
 clean. 
 
 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that 
 with it he should smile the nations : and he shall rule 
 them with a rod of iron : and he treadeth the wine press 
 of ihe fierceness and wraih of Almighty God. 
 
 16 And he hath" on his vesture and on his thigh a 
 name wriiten, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF 
 LORDS. 
 
 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun ; and he 
 cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly 
 in the midst of heaven, Come and gnther yourselves to- 
 gether unto ihe supper of the great God ; 
 
 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh 
 of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh 
 of horses, and of them that sii on them, and the flesh 
 of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 
 
 19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earih, 
 and their armies gathered together to make war against 
 him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 
 
 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false 
 prophet that wrought miracles before him, with wliich 
 he deceived them that had received the mark, of the 
 beast, and them that worshipped his image. These 
 both were cast into a lake of Are burning with brim- 
 stone. 
 
 21 And ihe remnant were slain with the sword of 
 him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded oiit 
 of his mouth : and all the fowls were filled with their 
 flesh. 
 
408 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY, 
 
 Chap, xx : 1 And I saw an angel come down from 
 heaven having the key of the boiiomless pit and a great 
 chain in his hand. 
 
 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, 
 which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thou- 
 sand years. 
 
 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him 
 up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the 
 nations no more, till the thousand years shall be ful- 
 filled J and after that he must be loosed a little season. 
 
 Here will be a period of one thousand 
 years in which persecuting governments in 
 all their forms will be excluded from human 
 society. The devil will be confined, and 
 the inhabitants of the earth will enjoy 
 their inheritance unmolested. " The saints 
 shall inherit the earth," agreeable to pro- 
 mise, during the entire Jubilee Sabbath of 
 creation. After that there will be a short 
 declension in which Satan will again find 
 access to the hearts of a portion of the 
 human race, but it will finish his work on 
 earth forever. 
 
 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and 
 judgment was given unto them : and I saw the souls of 
 them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and 
 for ihe word of God, and which had not worshipped the 
 beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark 
 upon their foreheads, or in their hands ; and they lived 
 and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 
 
 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the 
 thousand years were finished. This is the first resur- 
 reclion. 
 
FIRST RESURRECTION. 409 
 
 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first 
 resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, 
 but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall 
 reign vviih him a thousand years. 
 
 This is the resurrection or revival of high 
 and holy character like as "John came in 
 the spirit and power of Elias." The soul 
 of eminent piety "will live and reign" in 
 the persons of Christians during the thous- 
 and years, not the bodies of the dead. John 
 (verse 6) uses, almost the same lan- 
 guage of Daniel, xii : 12. The rest of the 
 dead, &c. 5 verse, that is, the character of 
 the wicked will not revive again till the 
 close of a 1000 year, when there will be a 
 short revival of Gog and Magog with Satan 
 at their head. 
 
 7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan 
 shall be loosed out of pri.^on, 
 
 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are 
 in the four quarters of the earth. God and Magog, to 
 gather ihem together to battle : the number of whom is 
 as the sand of the sea. 
 
 9 And they went up the breadth of the earth, and 
 compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved 
 city : and fire came down from God out of heaven, and 
 devoured them. 
 
 10 And ihc devil that deceived them was cast into 
 the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the 
 false prophet are, aud shall he tormented ilay and night 
 for ever and ever. 
 
 11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat 
 on it, Irom whose face the earth and the heaven fled 
 away ; and there was found no place for them. 
 
410 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before 
 God ; and the books were opened : and another book 
 was opened, which is the book of life : and the dead 
 were judged out of those things which were written in 
 the books, according to their works. 
 
 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; 
 and death and hell delivered up the dead which were ia 
 them : and they were judged every man according to 
 their works. 
 
 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. 
 This is the second death. 
 
 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book 
 of life was cast into the lake of fire. 
 
 Here follows the general and literal resur- 
 rection, "small and great," very different 
 language from that which described the 
 mystical resurrection before the Millen- 
 nium. 
 
 Chap, xxr: 1 And I saw a new heaven and a new 
 earth : for the first heaven and the first earth were 
 passed away ; and there was no more sea. 
 
 2 And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, 
 coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a 
 bride adorned for her husband. 
 
 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, 
 Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will 
 dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God 
 himself shall be with them, and be their God. 
 
 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes ; 
 and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor 
 crying, neither shall there be any more pain : for the 
 former thines are passed away. 
 
 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, 1 
 make all things new. And he said unto me. Write : 
 for these words are true and faithful. 
 
 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha adn 
 
THE NEW JERUSALEM. 411 
 
 Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto 
 him that is alhirst of the fountain of the water of life 
 freely. 
 
 7 He that overcoraeth shall inherit all things ; and I 
 will be his God, and he shall be my son. 
 
 8 But the fearful and the unbelieving, and the abo- 
 minable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sor- 
 cerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part 
 in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: 
 which is the second death. 
 
 The writer does not object to the idea that 
 this world, after being renovated by fire, 
 should be fitted up for a delightful residence 
 of the redeemed. They would not be tied 
 to the new earth by the law of gravitation, 
 but could roam through the universe of 
 worlds at pleasure. 
 
 9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels, 
 which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, 
 and talked vviih me, saying, Come hither, I will show 
 thee the biide, the Lamb's wife. 
 
 lU And he carried me away in the spirit to a great 
 and high mountain, and showed me that great city, ihe 
 holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven Irom God, 
 
 11 Having the plory of God • and her light was like 
 unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper-stone, 
 clear as crystal ; 
 
 12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve 
 gates, and ai the gales twelve angels, and names writ- 
 ten thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of 
 the children of Israel. 
 
 13 On the east, three gates; on the north, three 
 gates ; on the south, three gales ; and on the west, 
 three gates. 
 
 14 And the walls of the city had twelve foundations, 
 
412 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the 
 Lamb. 
 
 15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to 
 measure the city, and the gales thereof, and the wall 
 thereof, 
 
 16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as 
 laro;e as the breadth : and he measured the city with the 
 reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length, and the 
 breadth, and the height of it are equal, 
 
 17 And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and 
 forty and lour cubits, according to the measure of a 
 man, that is, of the angel. 
 
 18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper : 
 and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass, 
 
 19 And "the foundations of the wall of the city were 
 garnished with all manner of precious stones, Tne 
 first foundation was jasper ; the second, sapphire ; the 
 third, a chalcedon)/^ ; the fourth, an emerald ; 
 
 20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius ; the sev- 
 enth, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl ; the ninth, a topaz; 
 the tenth, a chrysoprasus ; the eleventh, a jacinth; ihe 
 twelfth, an amethyst, 
 
 21 And th3 twelve gates were twelve pearls ; every 
 several gate was of one peari ; and the street of the 
 city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass, 
 
 22 And I saw no temple therein : for the Lord God 
 Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 
 
 23 And the city had no need of the sun. neither of the 
 moon, to shine in it : for the glory of God did lighten 
 It, and the Lamb is the light thereof, 
 
 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall 
 walk in the light o( it: and the kings of the earth do 
 bring their glory and honor into it, 
 
 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day : 
 for there shall be no night there, 
 
 26 And they shall bring the glory and honor of the 
 nations into it, 
 
 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing 
 that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, 
 
' THE TREE OF LIFE. 413 
 
 or rtiaketh a lie ; bul they which are written in the 
 Lamb's book ol life. 
 
 Chap, xxii : 1 And he showed me a pure river of 
 water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the 
 throne of God and of the Laimb 
 
 2 In the midst of the si ret t of it, and on either side of 
 the river, was there the tree of lil'e, which bare twelve 
 manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: 
 and the leaves of ihe tree were for the healing of the 
 nations. 
 
 3 And there shall be no more curse ; but the throne 
 of God and of the Lan)b shall be in it ; and his servants 
 shall serve him : 
 
 4 And they shall ?ee his face ; and his name shall be 
 in their forelieads. 
 
 6 And there shall be no night there; and they need 
 no candle, neither light oi' the snn ; for the Lord God 
 giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and 
 evt^r. 
 
 6 And he said unto me. These sayings are faiihful 
 and true. And the Lord God of the holy piopheis sent 
 his angel to show unto his servant the things which 
 must shortly be done. 
 
 7 Behold, I come quickly; blessed is he that keepeth 
 the sayings of the prophecy of ihi>, book. 
 
 8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. 
 And when I had heard and seen, I lell down to worship 
 before the feei of the angel which showed me these 
 things. 
 
 9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not : for I 
 am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the pro- 
 phets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book : 
 worship God. 
 
 10 And he saith unto me. Seal not the sayings of the 
 prophecy of this book . for the time is at hand. 
 
 11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he 
 which IS filthy, let him be filthy still : and he that is 
 righteous, let him be righteous aiUl : and he that is 
 holy, let him be holy siilir 
 
414 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF PROPHECY. 
 
 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is 
 with me, to give every man according as his work shall 
 be. 
 
 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the 
 end, the first and the last. 
 
 14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that 
 they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter 
 in through the gates into the city. 
 
 15 For wiihuut are dogs, and sorcerers, and whore- 
 mongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whoever 
 loveih and maketh a lie, 
 
 16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you 
 these things in the churches. I am the root and the off- 
 spring of David, and the bright and morning-.star. 
 
 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let 
 him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst, 
 Come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of 
 life freely. 
 
 18 For T testify unto every man that heareth the 
 words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall 
 add unto these things, God shall add unto him the 
 plagues that are written in this book. : 
 
 19 And if any man shall take away from the words 
 of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his 
 part out of the book o[ liCe, and out of the holy city, and 
 from the things which are written in this book. 
 
 20 He which lestifieth these things saith, Surely I 
 come quickly : Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 
 
 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you 
 all. Amen. 
 
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