Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

These signs are to continue till our Lord's advent with the clouds
of heaven

Concluding division of our Lord's discourse.—Passages cited from
St. Matthew xxiv. 34. and St. Luke xxi. 34.

Our Lord appears, in the above passage of St. Matthew, to affirm
that the whole of the prediction was to be fulfilled during the
generation then living upon earth ́....

This difficulty has greatly perplexed those who have endeavoured
to interpret our Lord's prophecy
Mede's attempt to remove the difficulty, by understanding yevez
to mean, in this passage, a nation, and not a generation, con-
sidered—and reasons given for rejecting it
Remarks on the word, supposed to indicate the complete fulfilment
of the whole events in that generation
The proper sense of that word is not to be completely fulfilled, but
it means commencement, running into subsequent continuance of
action....

.....

.....

And the clause signifies that the whole series of events were to
begin to be accomplished in that generation
Thus our Lord gave an answer, as far as it was proper, to the first
question, When shall these things be? but he adds a caution,
that the day and hour of the second advent were unknown to
all but the Father....

...

The inference from the whole of this prophecy is, that the times of the Gentiles, or 1260 years, ended at the fall of the French monarchy, in the year 1792 .

238

239

ib.

240

ib.

241

ib.

ib.

243

ib.

An inference deduced from this prophecy, compared with the sixteenth chapter of Revelation, that the celestial signs predicted by our Lord, synchronize with the seven Apocalyptic vials .... 244

CHAPTER XV.

ON THE PROPHETICAL PERIOD OF TWELVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY

YEARS, CONCLUDED.

In this chapter an auxiliary argument will be offered, in aid of the conclusion, that the 1260 years ended at the French Revolution, founded on another mysterious number, in the eighth chapter of Daniel

......

In the third year of Belshazzar Daniel saw, in vision, a ram with two horns-This ram is a symbol of the empire of the Medes and Persians

245

......

ib

The establishment of the Medo-Persian empire did not take place till the year A. C. 536.-But the rise of the empire may be dated from the year A. C. 559

246

The period when Daniel first beheld the ram was, however, later-
and could not be prior to the year A. C. 536
When Daniel first saw the ram, he was butting westward, north-
ward and southward-These actions refer to a series of suc-
cessful wars....

....

....

246

218

... 249

Reasons why these wars must be those of Darius Hystaspis, and
no other
The period of the reign of Darius, which will be found exactly
to answer to the actions of the ram, when first seen by Daniel,
must be sometime between the year A. C. 513 and 497 .....
Reasons for fixing the commencement of the vision in the year
A. C. 508

ib.

... 250

Daniel next saw a he-goat come from the west, and overthrow the
ram-This symbol denoted the Macedonian empire under Alex-
ander..

The four kingdoms which rose out of the empire of Alexander
were typified by the four horns of the goat....
The prophet afterwards saw a little horn come out of one of these
horns, which waxed exceeding great, even to the host of the
symbolical heaven.....

ib.

ib.

.... 251

........

This horn is a symbol of the Roman power in the east, after its
conquests extended to the territories of the he-goat...........
An historical statement of particulars, wherein the Roman empire
in the east answered to the character of this horn........
Chronological coincidence between the rise of the horn and that
of the Roman sovereignty, within the territories of the Mace-
donian empire

ib.

ib.

255

.....

Question concerning the length of the vision, cited from Dan. viii. 13.

.......

257

The answer declares that it shall be unto two thousand three hun-
dred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed
This period shown to be the whole length of the vision............................
The cleansing of the sanctuary will receive its accomplishment,
when the church is freed from those Gentiles who tread it under
foot, during the 1260 years

258

ib.

......

This cleansing must therefore begin at the sounding of the seventh trumpet

Another argument stated to prove this point, and a consequence deduced from it, that the 2300 days must be used for years, and that they end precisely at the same time with the 1260 years.. 259 It follows, therefore, that the 2300 years must have ended in the year 1792 ....

This conclusion is further confirmed by computing the 2300 years

[blocks in formation]

back from the year 1792, for thus calculated they bring us to the identical year A. C. 508, which we have already seen is the probable date of the commencement of Daniel's vision of the

ram

Among the objections to the conclusion that the 1260 years ended
in 1792, only one seems entitled to much weight, which is
founded on a passage in the last chapter of Daniel―The pas-
sage cited......

Three different numbers are mentioned in the above passage, viz.
a time, times, and a half; i. e. 1260 days-1290 days, and 1335
days; i. e. years-All these periods begin together.-The
second contains thirty years beyond the first, and the third
forty-five years beyond the second...
The 1335 years probably introduce the full glories of the Millen-
nium-An opinion stated that the intermediate period will
probably be signalized by the commencement of the restoration
of Judah...

.......

.....

The argument of Mr. Faber, founded on the above passage, is, that the restoration of Judah will begin precisely at the close of the 1260 years.

Answer to this argument.

259

261

262

ib.

263

264

The answer confirmed, by passages cited from Wintle-and Lowth 265
It may be objected, that we yet see no signs of the Restoration of
Judah, and that it is incredible that so mighty an event should
be accomplished within five years

.....

Answer to this objection, by a reference to the past history of that
people, and to the declarations of prophecy respecting the sud-
denness of their future conversion, and the marvels which shall
accompany their future Exodus

...

Reasons for concluding that their national conversion is already
beginning

...

ib.

ib.

268

1

CHAPTER XVI.

THE FOURTEENTH CHAPTER OF THE APOCALYPSE.

A lamb standing on Mount Sion, and with him an hundred and
forty-four thousand-A song heard in heaven-None can learn
the song
but the 144,000—Their character described ................. 273
The interpretation of this vision given by most expositors rejected ib.
It is applied by Bishop Newton and Mr. Faber, to the state of the
true spiritual church in the wilderness, during the reign of the
beast....

ib.

... 274

This exposition is a natural consequence of the erroneous expla-
nation given by these writers, of the sixth seal

Archdeacon Woodhouse bas, very inconsistently with himself, adopted the same explanation of the vision of the 144,000.... 274 Reasons for rejecting this opinion, and for referring this vision to the period of the sixth seal, and seventh trumpet, and seven vials

The appearance of the 144,000 on Sion, is emblematical of the triumphant attitude assumed by the true spiritual church, in the period of the vials......

......

.....

The song which they learn is the Song of Moses and the Lamb,
mentioned in the following chapter-What are its distinguishing
features
During this period, the members of the true church shall not,
however, be exempted from suffering-But the church, as a
body shall be saved

275

277

[blocks in formation]

The church is here presented to us as returned from the wilderness; but not yet entered into her rest

The church is already assuming, or rather has assumed, the posture here mentioned....

ib.

Three angels seen, the first having the everlasting Gospel; the second proclaiming that Babylon is fallen; the third denouncing eternal punishment against the worshippers of the beast...... 279 Some writers interpret the above vision, of the preaching of Luther and the reformers of his age-others refer it to an earlier period

Reasons for rejecting both these interpretations

[ocr errors]

.......

.....

280

ib.

281

ib.

The whole of the fourteenth chapter of the Apocalypse belongs to the period of the seventh trumpet The flight of the first angel denotes a preaching of the Gospel much more extensive than any that preceded it It also denotes the diffusion of the written word, with a rapidity before unexampled—and that this circulation of the Scriptures shall be accompanied with awful and signal judgments of God 282 This prophecy seems now to be receiving its accomplishment.... ib. The flight of the second and third angels is yet future Some remarks on the mission of these two angels

283

ib.

After declaring the purport of the message of the third angel, the Holy Spirit gives a significant warning, that the events of that time shall call into exercise the utmost degree of the faith and patience of the saints-Remarks on this warning ............ 284 A voice heard from heaven, saying, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth Remarks on this passage

.....

285

ib.

The Son of Man sits on a white cloud, with a sharp sickle, and reaps the harvest of the earth

This advent of Christ is the same with that mentioned in the seventh of Daniel and other passages-The reaping of the harvest of the earth is the gathering of his elect from the four winds of heaven.....

......

This explanation of the wheat harvest is different from that
offered by Mede, Bishop Newton, and Mr. Faber, but it is sup-
ported by the authority of Bishop Horsley....
Another angel appears, with a sharp sickle-He gathers the vine of
the earth, and casts it into the winepress of wrath-The wine-
press is trodden without the city
This vision coincides with the treading of the wine-press at Arma-
geddon, and with certain passages in Isaiah and Joel
Recapitulation of the foregoing review of the fourteenth chapter
of the Apocalypse

...

....... .......

236

287

288

ib.

ib.

239

CHAPTER XVII.

THE VISION OF SEVEN ANGELS WITH THE SEVEN VIALS OF WRATH.

Apocalyptic description of this scene......

....

...

...

291

292

...

ib.

293

The fifteenth chapter of the Apocalypse is an introduction to the
prophecy of the seven vials, and contains some marks, whereby
we may fix the proper place of the vials
Remarks on the scenery of this vision
A practical inference from these remarks
Who the harpers in this vision are, and the beautiful fitness of
their being introduced as leading the chorus of praise.......
The temple in heaven is opened. This denotes the opening of the
holy of holies-Argument hence deduced for the absolute cer-
tainty of the conclusion, that the seven vials all belong to the
seventh trumpet

ib.

294

Observations on the ceremonial and awful import of this vision.. ib. The opening of the holy of holies denotes the near approach of the glorious rest of the church.....

295

....

But not its actual commencement, which is not till the close of the vials

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

The return of the church from the wilderness is denoted by the opening of the holy of holies

[blocks in formation]

And the entering of men into the holy of holies, coincides with the marriage-supper of the Lamb

296

« AnteriorContinuar »