Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

is miraculously overthrown by the word of God, p. 251.-The Jews will suffer se verely in the course of their restoration, p. 253.—A third part of the Antichristian army will be spared; and, being scattered throughout the whole world, will be instrumental in bringing about the restoration of the ten tribes, p. 254.-When these are restored, they will jointly form one nation with Judah, p. 255.-The restoration of Judah will probably occupy a period of 30 years, and the subsequent restoration of Israel, a period of 45 years, p. 256.-At the end of this last period the Millennium will commence, p. 257.-How far prophecy enables us to ascertain the power intended by the great maritime nation of faithful worshippers, p. 258.-A summing up of the particulars, which may be collected from prophecy, relative to the restoration of the house of Israel, and the other events which take place during the time of the end, p. 259.

CHAP. XII.

Recapitulation and Conclusion.

PROPER date of the 1260 years, p. 261.- Prophecies respecting the Papal little horn, p. 262. Prophecies respecting the Mohammedan little horn, p. 263.Prophecies respecting the Infidel king, p. 264.-We are now living under the fourth vial, p. 265.—All the concurring signs of the times indicate, that we cannot be far removed from the termination of the 1260 years, p. 265.-Conclusion, p. 268.

APPENDIX, p. 269.

A DISSERTATION, &c.

CHAPTER X.

Contents of the little book-History of the Western Apostacy under the three woe-trumpets.

ST. JOHN, having shewn the effects of the two first woe-trumpets in the East, next passes to the collateral and contemporary history of the West: for the same woe-trumpet, which called into action the Mohammedan Apostacy, produced likewise the developement of the papal Apostacy; both these two little horns commencing their joint reign of 1260 prophetic days in the self-same year.

In order to avoid needless confusion, the Apostle throws the whole history of Popery, during the whole 1260 days, and under all the three woe-trumpets,* into a sort of episode to his general series of prophecies; which he terms a little book, or codicil to his greater book of the Apocalypse. This little book comprehends the ele-. venth, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth chapters of the Revelation: and, in point of chronology, all these chap

Bp. Newton is certainly much mistaken in saying, that the little book " properly cometh under the sixth trumpet." The little book itself repeatedly declares, that it comprehends all the 1260 years: but the 1260 years extend through the whole period of the three woe-trumpets; or at least through the whole of it, except that part which is included in the effusion of the last vial, and which synchronizes with Daniel's time of the end: whence it is manifest, that the little book must include, not only the sixth trumpet, but the fifth and seventh also. This is sufficiently evident both from the date of the fifth trumpet, and from the termination of the seventh: for the fifth trumpet begins to sound at the very commencement of the 1260 years, namely when the bottomless pit was opened in the year 606 by the fallen star Sergius; and the seventh trumpet brings us down, through the different stages of its first six vials, to the end of the 1260 years. Since then the little book comprehends the whole of the 1260 years, it must necessarily commence with the sounding of the fifth trumpet, and must likewise include the seventh trumpet. Accordingly we find, that the seventh angel, is represented as actually sounding in the little book; (Rev. xi. 15.) though a more particular account of the effects of his blast is reserved for a distinct prophecy in the large book. Rev. xv-xix.

[blocks in formation]

ters run parallel to each other, relating severally, though with some variety of circumstances, to the same period and the same events; so as to form jointly a complete history of the western Apostacy, and of all the principal

actors in it.

1. The first chapter of the little book* gives an account of the treading of the holy city under foot during forty two months; of the desolate prophesying of the witnesses during the same period of 1260 days; of the victory of the beast of the bottomless pit over them during three days and an half; of their triumphant ascent into the symbolical heaven; and of the earthquake which was to overthrow the tenth part of the city, and to be the last event under the second woe: and it finally announces the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which brings us down to the end of the 1260 days; but announces it without descending minutely to particularise its effects.† In this chapter, (it is to be observed) the beast of the bottomless pit is barely mentioned and no intimation whatsoever is given, either what this beast is, by whose instigation he acts, or whose minister he is; the prophet reserving these particulars for his two succeeding chap

ters.

2. The second chapter of the little book lets us into the whole mystery of iniquity, so far as its original mover is concerned. We there learn, that the 1260 years persecution of the true Church of Christ is the contrivance of that old serpent, the devil; who is represented under the image of a dragon with seven heads and ten horns, in order to shew us by the instrumentality of what minister he was about to slay the witnesses, and to drive the woman into the wilderness.

3. The third chapter of the little book,§ passes from the master to the servant; and shews us who is that minister of the dragon, that beast of the bottomless pit, which had already been represented as the murderer of the two witnesses. It describes him as having seven heads

* Rev. xi.

Its effects are afterwards detailed very circumstantially under the seven vials, and in the chapters subsequent to that which relates to the pouring out of the vials.

[blocks in formation]

and ten horns; the very heads and horns, which the dragon induces him to use against the woman, mentioned in the preceding chapter.

The third chapter further teaches us, by whose instigation as a second cause, the minister of the dragon, or the beast of the bottomless pit, is induced to take up arms against the woman and the two witnesses. His instigator is another beast, quite distinct from himself, though very intimately connected with him a beast, which comes up out of the earth, or Roman empire; which has two horns like a lamb; which speaks as a dragon; and which exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, not in a hostile but in a friendly manner, for he causeth the whole earth to worship his colleague and supporter the first beast.

4. The fourth chapter of the little book* describes the state of the true Church during the prevalence of the western Apostacy; predicts the Reformation; and divides some of the most prominent events of the seventh trumpet, which are detailed at large hereafter under the seven vials, into two grand classes, the harvest and the vintage of God's wrath, teaching us that the winepress shall be trodden in a certain country the space of which extends 1600 furlongs.

We learn then from the four chapters of the little book, both what the beast of the bottomless pit is, name, ly a certain beast with seven heads and ten horns; by whose instigation he acts, namely by that of a second beast with two horns; and whose minister and tool he is, namely that of the great red dragon. We moreover learn, that, making himself a tool of the dragon, and acting by the instigation of the second beast, the seven-headed and ten-horned beast of the sea and the bottomless pit (for the beast of the sea and the beast of the bottomless pit are one and the same power, the sea describing his natural and the bottomless pit his spiritual origin) should wage a war of 1260 years against the woman and the two witnesses who have the name of God written in their foreheads; but that but that nevertheless the Apostacy

* Rev. xiv.

↑ Compare Rev. xiii 1. with Rev. xvii. 3, 8.

should receive a great check by the preaching of the Gospel,* and afterwards should be totally overthrown in the time of God's vintage.†

The way being thus cleared by this general statement, I shall proceed to consider the contents of the little book at large in five different sections, according as it naturally divides itself. 1. The prophesying of the witnesses; 2. The war of the dragon with the woman; 3. The tenhorned beast of the sea; 4. The two-horned beast of the earth; 5. The collateral history of the true Church, and the harvest and vintage of God's wrath.

SECTION I.

Concerning the prophesying of the two witnesses.

In the present section I shall attempt to explain the first chapter of the little book, which contains the history of the persecution of the two witnesses by the beast of the bottomless pit.

"And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 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."

This prophecy commences with the year 606; which is the first year of the great Apostacy, and which synchronizes with the earliest blast of the first woe-trumpet in the East. The temple, the altar, and they that worship therein, are those few Christians, who in the midst

* Rev. xiv. 6.

+ Rev. xiv 18, 19, 20.

I may here add to the arguments, by which I have already shewn that the year 606 is most probably the true date of the 1260 years, the following one. Unless this year be pitched upon, we shall find it impossible to make the beginning of the first woc-trumpet in the East synchronize with the beginning of the same woe-trumpet in the West. But we know that the first woe-trumpet begins to sound in the East in the year 606: whence I see not how we are to avoid concluding, that it begins likewise to sound in the West in the same year. Accordingly we find this same year to afford us the most probable date of the rise of the western apostacy and the commencement of the 1260 years; for in this year the Roman beast delivered the saints into the hand of his little born. I can scarcely believe, that so many coincidences, all leading us to the year 606, are purely accidental,

« AnteriorContinuar »