the season of great blessedness has commenced. The confederacy however of Gog and Magog will be even less successful than that of Antichrist. While these apostates surround the beloved city, fire from heaven will descend upon them; God will rain upon them an overflowing rain, a rain of hail-stones fire and brimstone; and, agitated with the madness of terror, those, who escape the devastating tempest, will turn every man his sword against his brother. Yet even of these incorrigible offenders will God mercifully spare the sixth part*, as he had already spared the third part of the Antichristian confederacy. Thus magnifying his great name, will the Lord shew to all nations, that, as he scattered the children of Israel for their sins, so, after he has restored them at once to their own land and to the privileges of his covenant, he will cause them to dwell in confident security, and· will suffer none to make them afraid.

Thus, it appears, that Ezekiel arranges the events which are to take place during the latter

I have already stated the uncertain meaning of the word Rw; and have observed, that, however it be translated, the present argument will not be at all affected. Whether Gog and Magog be totally destroyed, or whether a sixth part be left,' there will be no correspondence between their fate and that of the Antichristian confederacy; of which Isaiah teaches us that a considerable number shall be spared, while Zechariah more definitely limits that number to a third part of the whole. See Isaiah lxvi. 19. and Zechar. xiii. 8.

days,

days*, in the following order: 1. The restoration of Judah partly in a converted and partly in an unconverted state, and the contemporary war be-tween the two parties supported by their several allies the maritime nation and Antichrist; 2. The destruction of Antichrist and his Roman colleagues· under the general mystic name of Edom, and the Lord's vindication of himself for restoring so stubborn a race as that of the Jews; 3. The national resurrection of Judah and Israel to which the overgrown power of Antichrist was the only impediment, and their everlasting union under the mystic David their prince; 4. The commencement of the Millennian season of blessedness and tranquillity; 5. The destruction of Gog and Magog.

Precisely the same order is observed by St. Jobn, with this only difference, that, treating of the Church at large, he does not particularly notice the restoration of Israel, but contents himself with › only obscurely intimating that the exhaustion of the symbolical Euphrates, or the overthrow of the Ottoman empire, should prepare a way for the kings from the east: 1. The gathering together of

* The latter days, or the end of the days, denotes in the Old Testament that portion of time, which begins at the termination of the great Apostacy of 1260 years, and which expires at the end of the Millennium and at the consummation of all things. See the meaning of this phrase discussed in my Dissert. on the 1260 years, Chap. iii.

the

the Antichristian confederacy to Megiddo in the land of Palestine, the country which extends 1600 furlongs, the region between the two seas; 2. Its overthrow in that country by the miraculous intervention of the personal Word of God; 3. The first resurrection, either literal or symbolical*, of the saints, and their reign with Christ during the period of the Millennium; 4. The expedition and destruction of Gog and Magog.

It is impossible to avoid being struck with the exact correspondence between Ezekiel and St. John, in the order of their respective details. If then the arguments, which I have already adduced, be well-founded; and if this correspondence be allowed to exist: we must come to the conclusion, that the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel are the same as the Gog and Magog of St. John; and consequently that their expedition will take place, not before the commencement, but at the end of the Millennium.

* See my Dissert. on the 1260 years, Vol. I. p. 56. Note* (2d Edit.)

PRO

PROPHECY XXVI.

Descriptive character of the powers that will compose the Antichristian confederacy-The progress of Antichrist to Palestine-His overthrow there -The restoration of Judah during a time of great trouble at the close of the 1260 years.

Dan. ii. 40. The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and, as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 41. And, whereas thou sawest 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, 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. 44. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for

1.

ever: 45. Forasmuch as thou sawest-34.-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.

vii. 7. After this I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; 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 went before it; and it had ten horns. 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 there were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. 9. I beheld, till the thrones were set, and the ancient of days did sit:10.-the judgment was set, and the books were opened. 11. I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame-23. The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon

earth,