EVIDENCE
FROM
SCRIPTURE AND HISTORY
OF THE
SECOND COMING OF CHRIST,
ABOUT
THE YEAR 1843;
EXHIBITED
IN A COURSE OF LECTURES.
BY WILLIAM MILLER.
BOSTON:
PUBLISHED BY JOSHUA V. HIMES,
14 Devonshire Street.
Introduction:
IN presenting these Lectures to the public, the writer
is only complying with the solicitations of some of his friends, who have
requested that his views on the Prophecies of Daniel and John might be made
public. The reader is therefore requested to give the subject a careful and
candid perusal, and compare every part with the standard of Divine Truth; for if
the explanation the writer has given to the scriptures under consideration
should prove correct, the reader will readily perceive that it concerns us all,
and becomes doubly important to us, because we live on the eve of one of the
most important events ever revealed to man by the wisdom of God--the judgment of
the great day.
In order that the reader may have an understanding of my manner of
studying the Prophecies, by which I have come to the following result, I have
thought proper to give some of the rules of interpretation which I have adopted
to understand prophecy.
Prophetical scripture is very much of it communicated to us by figures
and highly and richly adorned metaphors; by which I mean that figures such as
beasts, birds, air or
wind, water, fire, candlesticks, lamps, mountains,
islands, &c., are used to represent things prophesied of--such as kingdoms,
warriors, principles, people, judgments, churches, word of God, large and
smaller governments. It is metaphorical also, showing some peculiar quality of
the thing prophesied of, by the most prominent feature or quality of the figure
used, as beasts--if a
lion, power and rule; if a
leopard,
celerity; if a bear, voracious; an
ox, submissive; a
man,
proud and independent. Fire denotes justice and judgment in its figure;
in the metaphor, denotes the purifying or consuming up the dross or wickedness;
as fire has a cleansing quality, so will the justice or judgments of God.
"For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will
learn righteousness." Therefore almost all the figures used in prophecy have
their literal and metaphorical meaning; as beasts denote, literally, a
kingdom, so metaphorically good or bad, as the case may be, to be understood by
the subject in connection.
To understand the literal meaning of figures used in prophecy, I have
pursued the following method:--I find the word "beast" used in a
figurative sense; I take my concordance, trace the word, and in Daniel vii. 17,
it is explained to mean "kings or kingdoms." Again, I come across the words "bird
or fowl," and in Isa. xlvi. 11, it is used meaning a conqueror or
warrior,--Cyrus. Also, in Ezekiel xxxix. 4-9, denotes armies or conquerors.
Again, the words "air or wind," as used in Rev. ix. 2, and 16, 17, to
understand which I turn to Eph. ii. 2, and 4-14, and there learn that it is used
as a figure to denote the theories of worldly men or vain philosophy. Again, "water
or rivers" are used as figures in Rev. xvii. 15, it is explained to mean
"people or nations." "Rivers" of course mean the nation or people living
on the river mentioned, as in Rev., xvi. 12. "Fire" is often used in a
figurative sense; explained in Num. xxi. 27-28, Deut. xxxii. 22, Psal. lxxviii.
21, Heb. xii. 29, to mean justice and judgment.
As prophecy is a language somewhat different from other parts of
Scripture, owing to its having been revealed in vision, and that highly
figurative, yet God in his wisdom has so interwoven the several prophecies, that
the events foretold are not all told by one prophet, and although they lived and
prophesied in different ages of the world, yet they tell us the same things; so
you take away one, and a link will be wanting. There is a general connection
through the whole; like a well-regulated community they all move in unison,
speaking the same things, observing the same rules, so that a Bible reader may
almost with propriety suppose, let him read in what prophecy he may, that he is
reading the same prophet, the same author. This will appear evident to any one
who will compare scripture with scripture. For example, see Dan. xii. 1, Matt.
xxiv. 21. Isa. xlvii. 8. Zeph. ii. 15, Rev. xviii. 7. There never was a book
written that has a better connection and harmony than the Bible, and yet it has
the appearance of a great store-house full of all the precious commodities heart
could desire, thrown in promiscuously; therefore, the biblical student must
select and bring together every part of the subject he wishes to investigate,
from every part of the Bible; then let every word have its own Scripture
meaning, every sentence its proper bearing, and have no contradiction, and your
theory will and must of necessity be correct. Truth is one undeviating path,
that grows brighter and brighter the more it is trodden; it needs no plausible
arguments nor pompous dress to make it more bright, for the more naked and
simple the fact, the stronger the truth appears.
Let it be noticed that God has revealed to his prophets the same events
in divers figures and at different times, as he has to Daniel in the second,
seventh, and eighth chapters concerning the four kingdoms; or to Peter, (see
Acts x. 16;) also Isaiah and John. Then, to get the whole truth, all those
visions or prophecies must be concentrated and brought together, that have
reference to the subject which we wish to investigate; and when combined, let
every word and sentence have its proper bearing and force in the grand whole,
and the theory or system, as I have before shown, must be correct. I have
likewise noticed that in those events, visions, and prophecies which have had
their fulfilment, every word and every particular has had an exact and literal
accomplishment, and that no two events have ever happened, that I can learn,
which will exactly apply or fulfil the same prophecy. Take, for instance, the
prophecies concerning the birth, life, and crucifixion of our Savior, and in his
history we find a literal fulfilment; yet in the birth, life, or death of any
other individual it would be in vain to find a parallel. Again, take the
prophecies which have been admitted, by Protestants at least, to apply to Cyrus,
Alexander, Julius Cæsar, destruction of Jerusalem, and the church of Rome, and I
have never been able to trace even a resemblance to the prophecies in question
in any historical events except the true ones. If this is true, may we not
suppose that the unfulfilled prophecies in their accomplishments will be equally
as evident and literal?
There are two important points to which all prophecy seems to centre,
like a cluster of grapes upon its stem--the first and second coming of Christ;
the first coming to proclaim the gospel, set up his kingdom, suffer for sinners,
and bring in an everlasting righteousness. His second coming, to which the
ardent faith and pious hope of the tried and tempted child of God centres, is
for complete redemption from sin, for the justification and glorification
promised to all those who look for his appearing, the destruction of the wicked
and mystical Babylon, the abomination of the whole earth.
His first coming was as a man, his human nature being only visible. He
comes first, like the "first man of the earth, earthy;" his second coming is
"the Lord from heaven." His first coming was literally according to the
prophecies. And so we may safely infer will be his second appearance, according
to the Scriptures. At his advent, his forerunner was spoken of--"one crying in
the wilderness;" the manner of his birth--"a child born of a virgin;" the place
where--"Bethlehem of Judea;" the time of his death--"when seventy weeks should
be fulfilled;" for what he should suffer--"to make an end of sins, to make
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal
up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy." The
star that
appeared, the stripes he received, the
miracles he performed, the
tauntings of his foes--all were literally fulfilled. Then, why not
suppose that all the prophecies concerning his second coming will be as
literally accomplished as the former! Can any man show a single reason why it
will not? If this be true, we can obtain much light by reading the Scriptures.
We are there informed of the manner of his second coming--"suddenly, in the
clouds, in like manner as he ascended;" the majesty of his coming--"on a great
white throne, with power and great glory, and all his saints with him;" the
object of his coming--"as the Ancient of Days, to send his angels into the four
winds of heaven gather his elect, raise the righteous dead, change the righteous
living, chain Satan, destroy anti-Christ, the wicked, and all those who destroy
the earth, judge, justify and glorify his people, cleanse his church, present
her to his Father, live and reign with her on the new heavens and new earth,"
the form of the old having passed away.
The time when these things shall take place is also specified, by some
of the prophets, unto 2300 days, (meaning years;) then shall the sanctuary be
cleansed, after the anti-Christian beast has reigned her "time, times, and a
half;" after the two witnesses have prophesied "a thousand two hundred and
threescore days, clothed in sackcloth;" after the church captivity in the
wilderness, "forty-two months," after the "gospel should be preached in all the
world for a witness, then shall the end come." The signs of the times are also
given, when we may know, he is near, even at the door. When there are many "lo
here's and lo there's;" when the way of truth is evil spoken of; when many
seducers are abroad in the land; when scoffers disbelieve in his coming, and
say, "Where is the promise of his coming;" when the wise and foolish virgins are
called to trim their lamps, and the voice of the friend of the bridegroom is,
"Behold, he cometh;" when the city of the nations is divided into three parts;
when the power of the holy people is scattered, and the kings of the east come
up to battle; when there is a time of trouble, such as never was before, and the
church in her Laodicean state; when the seventh seal opens, the seventh vial is
poured out, the last woe pronounced by the angel flying through the midst of
heaven, and the seventh and last trumpet sounds;--then will the mystery of God
be finished, and the door of mercy be closed forever; then shall we be brought
to the last point, his second coming.
Again, prophecy is sometimes typical; that is, partly fulfilled in the
type, but completely only in the antitype. Such was the prophecy concerning
Isaac, partly fulfilled in him, wholly so in Christ; likewise concerning Israel,
partly fulfilled in them as a nation, but never fully accomplished until the
final redemption of spiritual Israel. Likewise the prophecies concerning the
Jewish captivity in Babylon, and their return, are only partly accomplished in
the history of past events. The description of those things in the prophets is
so august and magnificent, that if only applicable to the literal captivity of
the Jews and their return, the exposition would be weak and barren; therefore I
humbly believe that the exact fulfilment can only be looked for in the captivity
of the church in the wilderness, under the anti-Christian beast, destruction of
mystical Babylon, and glorification of the saints in the New Jerusalem state.
There are also in the 24th chapter of Matthew many things prophesied of,
which were not fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem; such as the coming of
the Son of Man in the clouds, the gathering his elect from the four winds of
heaven, his taking one and leaving another. This shows a typical meaning in this
prophecy, and that it will not all be fulfilled until the end of the world.
Also, the transfiguration of Christ on the mount, prophesied of by himself eight
days before, is noticed by Peter, 2d Epistle, i. 16-18, as being a type or
figure of his second coming.
Who, that has read the prophecies with any degree of attention, will not
acknowledge the great agreement between the Old Testament prophecies and the
New? Almost every prophecy given by Christ and his apostles may be found, in the
Old Testament prophets, represented by figures, which were familiar to the
writers and readers of those times. The foregoing rules are some of the
principal ones which I have observed in attempting to explain the prophecies of
Daniel and John, and to give the time when the mystery of God will be finished,
as I humbly believe it is revealed to the prophets.
If I have erred in my exposition of the prophecies, the time, being so
near at hand, will soon expose my folly; but if I have the truth on the subjects
treated on in these pages, how important the era in which we live! What vast and
important events must soon be realized! and how necessary that every individual
be prepared that that day may not come upon them unawares, while they are
surfeited with the cares and riches of this life, and the day overtake them as a
thief! "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you
as a thief," 1 Thess. v. 4. In studying these prophecies, I have endeavored to
divest myself of all prepossessed opinions, not warranted by the word of God,
and to weigh well all the objections that might be raised from the Scriptures;
and after fourteen years' study of the prophecies and other parts of the Bible,
I have come to the following conclusions, and do now commit myself into the
hands of God as my Judge, in giving publicity to the sentiments herein
contained, conscientiously desiring that this little book may be the means to
incite others to study the Scriptures, and to see whether these things be so,
and that some minds may be led to believe in the word of God, and find an
interest in the offering and sacrifice of the Lamb of God, that their sins might
be forgiven them through the blood of the atonement, "when the refreshing shall
come from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power," "when he
comes to be admired in all them that believe in that day."
And now, my dear readers, I beg of you to lay aside prejudice; examine
this subject candidly and carefully for yourselves. Your belief or unbelief will
not affect the truth. If it is so, whatever you may think or do will not alter
the revealed purposes of God. "Not one jot or tittle of his word will fail;" but
you may, by your obedience in the faith, secure you an interest in the first
resurrection, and a glorious admittance into the New Jerusalem, and an
inheritance among the justified in glory, and you may sit down with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God. May this be your lot--is the prayer of
your servant,
WM.
MILLER.
HAMPTON,
Washington County, N. Y.
Lecture 1:
Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our savior Jesus Christ.
WHEN we take a view of the trials,
pains, afflictions, persecutions, poverty, and distress, which the people of God
suffer in this world, we are almost led to exclaim with the apostle, "If in this
life only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable." But no; we will not
complain; for to suffer the short period of threescore years and ten, at most,
will only give a greater zest to the glory which shall follow at the appearing
of our Lord and Savior the great God and Jesus Christ. I know the world are
taunting us with the inquiry, "Where is the promise of his coming? for, since
the fathers fell asleep, all things remain as they were, even from the creation
of the world;" for they will pretend to be ignorant (as the apostle Peter
expresses himself of the deluge) that the world that then was, being overflowed
with water, perished; and still more do they pretend to be ignorant, that the
same earth is in like manner to be destroyed by fire, "reserved unto fire
against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2Peter iii. 7. Also,
my brethren, there are some even among us, who "are spots in your feasts of
charity, feeding themselves without fear; clouds without water, carried about of
winds; trees whose fruit withereth; twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging
waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is
reserved the blackness of darkness forever. And Enoch also, the seventh from
Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of
his saints, to execute judgment upon all; and to convince all that are ungodly
among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of
all their hard speeches which they have spoken against him. These are
murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaking
great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration, because of advantage.
But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of
our Lord Jesus Christ; how that they told you there should be mockers in the
last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who
separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building
up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep
yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy (or glorious appearing) of
our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Jude 12-21. Or, as Peter says, 2Pet.
iii. 12, "Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God." And again,
Paul says, in Heb. ix. 28, "And unto them that look for him shall he appear the
second time without sin unto salvation." And Paul further saith, to his
Philippian brethren, "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we
look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that
it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body."
Having thus proved that the apostles directed our hope to the coming of
Christ for the fulfilment of all our trials and persecution, and the completion
of our faith, I shall now take up our subject in the following order:--I. I
shall endeavor to prove that it is yet future; viz., the coming of Christ,
spoken of in the text. II. The certainty of his coming. III. The object of his
coming.
I. We are, according to our design, to show that the appearing of the
Lord Jesus Christ, spoken of in the text, is yet future.
Some teach us that he came at the destruction of Jerusalem, and quote to
the 24th chapter of Matthew as proof. Let us examine their evidence. As Jesus
went out of the temple, his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings
of the temple, where Christ delivered his memorable prophecy, which was exactly
fulfilled in little more than thirty-six years afterwards, "There shall not be
left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down."
And it appears that, afterwards, as Jesus sat upon the Mount of Olives,
the disciples came to him privately, having, as may reasonably be supposed, been
ruminating in their minds, or conversing among themselves, on the prophecy, and
had, perhaps, supposed that no power on earth could destroy those strong
buildings, and concluded that, when this was accomplished, it would be the
judgment-day. They therefore inquire of him, "saying, Tell us, when shall these
things be?" that is, what he had prophesied of; "and what shall be the sign of
thy coming, and of the end of the world?" They might not have intended to ask
more than one question; yet they did ask three, and Christ answered them
accordingly. He had before told them of the destruction of Jerusalem, 4th, 5th,
and 6th verses; he cautions them against being deceived with false Christs, and
not to be troubled at wars and rumors of wars,--and yet Jerusalem was destroyed
in the first war of any note after this prophecy,--and then says plainly, "The
end is not yet." Now, if this
end was the destruction of
Jerusalem, then where are those wars, spoken of by Christ? This cannot mean any
thing less than the end of the world. From the 7th to the 14th verse, inclusive,
he gives a prophetic history of the trials, afflictions, and persecutions of his
people, and also of the success of the gospel immediately previous to the end,
and says, "Then shall the end come."
Now, it must be evident that this cannot mean the end of Jerusalem,
because, if so, he that endured unto the end was to be saved from all the
troubles which Christ had been speaking of; and it was not true that the
disciples of Christ did not suffer afterwards the same things which Christ said
they would. From the 15th to the 28th verse, Christ instructs his disciples into
their duty during the siege of Jerusalem, and also down to the coming of the Son
of Man. This, you will see, must mean Christ in person; because neither the Holy
Spirit nor Father is any where called Son of Man. He likewise speaks of
the signs which should follow the destruction of Jerusalem. From the 29th to the
35th verse, inclusive, Christ explains the signs in the heavens and on the earth
immediately after the tribulation of the people of God, which had been spoken of
as the common lot of all his followers, and which he had promised to shorten for
the elect's sake, and of his coming in the clouds with power and great glory;
the gathering of his elect from the four winds of heaven; gives his disciples
the parable of the fig tree, as an illustration of the
end; and then says
to his disciples, "Verily, I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till
all these things be fulfilled; heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words
shall not pass away."
Here is the great stumbling-block to many. Christ is talking about his
elect, his children, and his generation; and not, as some will have it, about
the generations that then lived on the earth; for they did undoubtedly pass off,
a large share of them; for it was about thirty-six years before the destruction
of Jerusalem. But his kingdom has never been taken from the earth. Although they
have been hunted from one part of the earth to another; although they have been
driven into caves and dens of mountains; have been slain, burnt, sawn asunder;
have wandered as pilgrims and strangers on the earth;--yet the "blood of the
martyrs has been the seed of the church;" and Christ has had, and will have, a
people on the earth, until his second coming. 1 Peter ii. 9: "But ye are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people," &c.
The Psalmist says, "A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord
for a generation." Psalm xxii. 30. I humbly believe that Christ has quoted the
sentiment contained in the 102d Psalm, 25th to last verse: "Of old hast thou
laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of thine hands.
They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a
garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed; but
thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. The children of thy servants
shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee."
Here we see the Psalmist has expressed the same sentiment that I
understand Christ to have given in these two verses, which I conclude is the
proper explanation. And then the parables which follow in the remainder of the
24th and 25th chapters, are easily understood as having reference to the end of
the world; and in that way will exactly compare. See the 31st verse of the 25th
chapter: "When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall
be gathered all nations," &c. This verse was not fulfilled at the destruction of
Jerusalem, for the "Son of Man" was not seen in the clouds with power and great
glory; and yet the words are, "every eye shall see him;" and as sudden and as
visible "as the lightning, that shineth from the east even unto the west, so
shall the coming of the Son of Man be." Can this have passed, and the history of
the world have been silent? No. Could all nations be gathered before him, and
there be divided, the righteous from the wicked, and the one part sent to
everlasting punishment, while the other is received to life eternal, and none
know it? No. Were the elect gathered from the four winds of heaven at the
destruction of Jerusalem? No; they were commanded to flee to the mountains; and
history says they did leave that devoted city when the Romans encompassed it
with their armies. Then, could the prophecies contained in these chapters have
been fulfilled, and the world remain ignorant of some of the most important
events? I answer, No. Then the "Son of Man" did not come to the destruction of
Jerusalem. If he did, where is the evidence? None, none, not a particle. But if
he did come to the destruction of Jerusalem, then it must have been his second
coming; for Paul says, Heb. ix. 28, "And unto them that look for him shall he
appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Can this be true if he came
to Jerusalem? The passage certainly implies that his people would have no more
sin, or afterwards would be "without sin." Experience teaches us to the
contrary. Again it is said, 1 Thes. iv. 16, 17, "For the Lord
himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall arise first; then we, which
are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Who saw this
great transaction at Jerusalem? Were there no witnesses? Yes, the apostle John
lived many years after this, and wrote his Gospel, his Epistles, and his
Revelation, long after the destruction of Jerusalem. And what does he testify?
In his Gospel, 14th chapter, 3d verse, "And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come and receive you to myself, that where I am there ye may be also."
Again, 28th and 29th verses, "Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and
come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I
go unto the Father; for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you
before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, ye might believe." Again,
1 John ii. 28, "And now, little children, abide in him, that, when he shall
appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming."
And iii. 2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him;
for we shall see him as he is." And, again, in Rev. i. 7, "Behold, he cometh
with clouds, and every eye shall see him; and they also which pierced him, and
all kindreds of the earth, shall wail because of him." Many more places might be
mentioned in John's testimony, but not one word that he had already come
again, as some supposed. Let this, then, suffice to prove, that the "glorious
appearing," spoken of in our text, is still future.
And now we will examine some of the evidence of the certainty of his
coming, which is our second proposition.
II. The certainty of it:
1st. Because the ancient prophets all spake of it. Jude tells us that
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold the Lord cometh, with
ten thousands of his saints, &c. Balaam was constrained to admit, "Out of Jacob
shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of
the city," plainly referring to the judgment-day; for he says, "Alas! who shall
live when God doth this?" See Numbers xxiv. 17-23. And Moses as plainly refers
to this day in Deut. xxxii. 43, "Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people, for he
will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his
adversaries, and will be merciful to his land and to his people." David says,
Psalm l. 3, 4, "Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall
devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him; he shall
call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, (that he may judge his
people.") And Isa. xl. 5, "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all
flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." In the
39th chapter of Ezekiel, you will see the same day of judgment prophesied of in
a clear and plain manner. In Dan. vii. 9, 10, "I beheld till the thrones were
cast down, and the Ancient of days 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 burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth before him:
thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand
stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened." Joel iii.
14, "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of the Lord
is near in the valley of decision." Zeph. i. 14, "The great day of the Lord is
near; it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord;
the mighty men shall cry there bitterly." Zech. xiv. 5, "And the Lord thy God
shall come, and all the saints with thee." Mal. iv. 2, "But unto you that fear
my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye
shall go forth, and grow up as calves in the stall." And Christ himself says, in
Matt. xvi. 27, "For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father, with
his angels; and then shall he reward every man according to his works." The
angels that stood by the disciples at the time Jesus ascended up, and a cloud
received him out of their sight, said, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing
up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Let us
take particular notice of the phrase this same Jesus, and compare with
other parallel passages, as, our God shall come, and it will prove to our
satisfaction that Jesus Christ is God, as well as man, and we may have strong
consolation for our hope in his appearing, for his promises can never fail.
"Heaven and earth may pass away, but not one jot or tittle of his word shall
fail." Also take notice of the words "like manner," which agree with the
often expressed sentence, "He shall come in the clouds of heaven." We
shall be led to admire the general harmony of the Scriptures, and the agreement
of the prophets in their descriptions of future events. Again, Christ says to
the church of Philadelphia, Rev. iii. 11, "Behold, I come quickly: hold that
fast thou hast, that no man take thy crown." "For yet a little while and he that
shall come will come, and will not tarry," Heb. x. 37. And will not the evidence
I have brought from the word of God be sufficient to prove the certainty of his
future coming? And if I should argue the tradition of nations that never saw the
word of God, the conviction on the mind of men generally, that there must be a
day of retribution; could I open the breast of the reader, and show the
thundering of your conscience; yes, could I see and expose the tremblings and
failings of heart, which you have had, while you have been looking with fear for
those things that are coming on the earth--of what use would it be? Would you
believe it if I could raise a dead friend who would tell you to prepare to meet
your God? No. If they believe not Moses and the prophets, neither would they
though one rose from the dead. How foolish, then, would it be for me to try to
prove in any other manner what God has revealed or promised, than by the means
which God has appointed. By his word you will be judged; and if this condemns
you now, (unless you become reconciled,) it will condemn you hereafter.
III. The object of his coming.
1st. He comes to raise and gather his saints to him in the air. "As in
Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive; but every man in his own
order--Christ the first fruit, afterwards they that are Christ's at his coming,"
1 Cor. xv. 22, 23. Again, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say
unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive, and remain unto the
coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them that are asleep. For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we, which
are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord," 1 Thess. iv.
14-17. "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by our gathering together unto him," 2 Thess. ii. 1. "Blessed and holy is he
that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death shall have no
power," Rev. xx. 6. In Psalms we have the same account of the gathering of his
people. "Gather my saints together unto me, those who have made a covenant with
me by sacrifice," Psalm l. 5. Again, see Isaiah lxvi. 18, "It shall come that I
will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see my glory." "For
thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek
them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his
sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out
of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day,"
Ezekiel xxxiv. 11, 12.
And now I refer you to one more passage, and then pass on. "Behold, I
show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, (that is, die,) but we shall all be
changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put
on immortality. So when this mortal shall put on immortality, then shall be
brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."
These texts, to which I have called your attention, will apply only to the
people of God, or those who are in Christ Jesus. I have, therefore, only been
proving to you the object of Christ's coming, as it respects his people. And I
think I have plainly proved that when Christ shall appear in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory, he will raise the righteous dead, change the
righteous living, gather them from among all nations, where they have been
scattered during the ages of persecution and trial. "in the dark and cloudy
day," and receive them unto himself in the air, when they will ever be with the
Lord.--I will,
2dly, Show that the wicked will be destroyed from the earth by fire, and
the world cleansed from the curse of sin by the same means, and prepared for the
reception of the New Jerusalem state, or the glorious reign of Christ with his
people. That the wicked will be destroyed by fire, at his appearing, we prove by
the following texts: Deut. xxxii. 22, "For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and
shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth, with her increase,
and set on fire the foundations of the mountains." 2 Samuel xxii. 9, 10, 13,
"There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured:
coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens and came down, and darkness was
under his feet. Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled."
Psalm xcvii. 2, 3, "Clouds and darkness are round about him, righteousness and
judgment are the habitation of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth
up his enemies round about." Isa. lxvi. 15, 16, "For, behold, the Lord will come
with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with
fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the
Lord plead with all flesh; and the slain of the Lord shall be many." Dan. vii.
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." Again, Nahum i. 5, "The mountains quake at him, and the hills
melt, and the earth is burnt at his presence; yea, the world and all that dwell
therein." Habakkuk iii. 3-5, "God came from Teman, (south) and the Holy
One from Mount Paran, (from glory.) Selah. His glory covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise: and his brightness was as the light; he
had horns coming out of his hand; and there was the hiding of his power. Before
him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. He stood and
measured the earth; he beheld and drove asunder the nations, and the everlasting
mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are
everlasting." Also, Malachi iv. 1, "For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn
as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble;
and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it
shall leave them neither root nor branch." Matt. iii. 12, "Whose fan is in his
hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the
garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matt. xiii. 30,
"Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but
gather the wheat into my barn." 40, "As therefore the tares are gathered and
burnt, so shall it be in the end of the world." 49th verse, "So shall it be in
the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from
among the just." Again, Paul to the church of the Thessalonians writes, "And to
you who are troubled, rest with us; when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that
know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall
be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from
the glory of his power." 2 Peter iii. 10, "But the day of the Lord will come as
a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the
works that are therein, shall be burned up." Rev. xviii. 8, "Therefore shall her
plagues come in one day--death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be
utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her." These
passages are but a part of the word of God which prove the destruction of the
wicked--of the anti-Christian beast--and the cleansing of the world by fire. Yet
if Scripture proof can be sufficient, surely I have brought enough; and where
that can have no bearing on the mind of men, how vain should I be to search the
archives of natural philosophy to give you more evidence! for He who hath all
wisdom in heaven and in earth, and who knows what is in the mind of man, hath
used the best arguments, the most persuasive means (I had like to have said) in
the power of a God to use; and indeed he says, "What could I have done more than
I have done for my vineyard." He has taught us by his own word, by the mouth of
his prophets, and by examples: witness his word on Mount Sinai, where the people
heard his voice and saw the fire; witness all the declarations of the prophets
which I have read; witness Jesus Christ himself, in the parable of the tares and
wheat, and the harvest; witness, also, the destruction of the old world by
water, and Sodom and Gomorrah by fire; Jerusalem by famine, sword, and fire.
These are all set forth as samples to warn us of the approaching judgment. And
yet who believes the report? Who is willing to examine the evidences--to reason
candidly and to reflect seriously on these things? Who among us puts implicit
confidence in the word of God, especially in that which is unfulfilled? Any may
believe in so much as has been accomplished; but where is the virtue in such
faith? Where is the blessedness of our hope in the glorious appearing of Jesus
Christ? If we are "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of
the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ," we shall examine the word of God
faithfully; we shall compare scripture with scripture; we shall take notice of
the signs which Christ has given us of his coming. That the day may not overtake
us as a thief, we should live with a steady reference to that day, and rejoice
more and more as we see the day approaching.
3d. I will now give some of the evidences concerning the glorious reign
which must follow his coming. The earth, being cleansed by fire, will, like the
phœnix, be revived from its own ashes. The destruction of the wicked, the end of
death, sin banished, it will lighten the world of a load of crime which has made
it reel to and fro like a drunkard; the internal fires will have spent their
force on all combustible matter, and have gone out; volcanoes will cease;
earthquakes, tornadoes, and whirlwinds can no more be experienced or needed, for
the cause is gone; the earth or the heavens can no more be shaken, "that those
things that cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which
cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with
reverence and godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire," Heb. xii.27-29.
Then, when this earth shall become new, by being cleansed and purified,
the New Jerusalem will "come down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband. 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," Rev.
xxi. 2, 3. "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain,
and showed me that great city, the Holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from
God, having the glory of God," 10th verse. "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." "And I saw thrones and they that 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 the word of God, and which had not worshipped
the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark in their foreheads,
or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years; but
the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished."
Much more evidence might be brought to prove the personal reign of Jesus
Christ with his people; but this is enough to prove the glorious and personal
reign after the resurrection; but few dispute it. But, say some, do you not
believe in a spiritual reign of a thousand years before the resurrection? I
answer, I believe in a reign of grace, by the influence of the divine Spirit,
for more than 1800 years past; but when you speak of a thousand years, I suppose
you mean the same time that I call the glorious reign after the resurrection of
the righteous, and before the resurrection of the wicked. I know of no spiritual
reign, mentioned in the word of God, and especially of that duration. We argue
that there cannot be a reign of peace and glory until the world is cleansed from
all wickedness, Satan is chained, and righteousness fill our world; nor until
"the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ," even the
anti-Christian beast will not be destroyed, (according to the texts we have
already quoted,) until they are destroyed by "the brightness of his appearing."
All those passages which speak of this happy period of rest to the people of
God, or which in any manner allude to it, describe it as being after the
resurrection of the saints, or after righteousness fills the earth, and after
the anti-Christian beast is destroyed. And even our text more than implies that
we shall not realize any great or glorious results from our hope, or
collectively in a body the church will not receive any important deliverance
until the "glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." Is
this true? I say the passages of Scripture already named fix it beyond a doubt.
And any one who will examine the scripture for himself, will find that the
second coming of Christ is the point to which Jesus Christ, the prophets, and
the apostles directed their disciples, as the termination of their trials,
persecutions, and afflictions; and Jesus Christ says, "In the world ye shall
have tribulation." I say, I can find nothing in the word of God to warrant me to
believe that we ought to look for or expect a happier period than we now enjoy,
until he who has promised to come shall come the second time without sin unto
salvation, and cleanse us, the world, and make all things new. These things are
abundantly proved in the unerring word of God. And now, Christians, if these
things are so, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation
and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the day of God, "looking for that
blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus
Christ"? Then let our conversation be in heaven, from whence we expect our
Savior, and stir up each other's pure minds by way of remembrance of these
things; for the time of the promise draweth nigh, when he will come and receive
us to himself, that we may be with him. How necessary, my brethren, we should
examine the word of God diligently; see if it does not give some indications,
some signs, by which we may know the "Son of Man is near, even at the door," and
our "blessed hope" is about to be realized in the "glorious appearing of the
great God and our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ." If he comes and finds us, or
some of us, in this lukewarm state, hardly having looked into his word, and,
making our want of talents an excuse, have neglected to trim our lamps, and have
been very spare in holy conversation, and are crying peace and safety when
sudden destruction cometh, and perhaps have sneeringly mocked and laughingly
ridiculed the idea of Christ being near at the door, and perhaps have joined the
infidel and unbeliever in their unholy remarks on this subject, and although we
have heard the midnight cry, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh," yet we treat it
with neglect or disdain, or some of us, perhaps, with reproach,--I ask, if the
Lord of such servants come and find us so doing, what will he do with us? He
will come in an hour that we think not, and cut us off, and appoint our portion
among hypocrites and unbelievers, where shall be weeping, wailing, and gnashing
of teeth. But we will suppose that he will not come in so short a time as your
speaker believes; still what do I ask of you, my brethren? Nothing but what
Jesus Christ and the apostles required 1800 years ago. I ask you to compare
these views with the Bible. Is this wrong? No. I ask you for holy
conversation. Is this wrong? No. I ask you for heavenly-mindedness. Is
this wrong? No, no. I ask you to stir up each other's pure minds, to make
improvement on your one talent if no more; to come out of this cold and lukewarm
state; to trim your lamps and be ready. Are these requirements wrong? Certainly
not; no, no. I ask you again to compare scripture with scripture; to read the
prophets; to stop your revilings; to take warning by the old world; to flee from
sin and the wrath which is to come; to hide yourselves in Christ, until the
indignation be over and past; to look "for that blessed hope and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." Is this wrong? Then be
the wrong on my head.
And now, my impenitent friends, what say you? "We say, 'You know nothing
about it.'" Do you believe the old world was deluged? "Why, yes." What makes you
believe it? "Because our philosophers tell us there are a great many signs
remaining of the flood, and we can believe them." And are there no signs of the
near approach of the Judgment Day? What say the prophets, apostles, and Jesus
Christ? Are they not equal to your philosophers? Examine your Bibles, and see;
weigh well the evidence; your eternal happiness, the salvation of your immortal
souls, may depend on your decision. But what say you more? "We say, 'You were
very unwise to fix on the year 1843, or sooner, for this day to come; for it
will not come; and then you will be ashamed." And I hope I may be able, by the
grace of God, to repent. But what if it does come? You cannot with any propriety
say positively it will not come, for you make no pretence to divination. But I
say, What if it does come? Where will you be? No space then for repentance. No,
no--too late, too late; the harvest is over and past, the summer is gone, the
door is shut, and your soul is not saved. Therefore it can do you no harm to
hear, and believe, and do those things which God requires of you, and which you
think you would do, if you knew he would appear. First, I ask you to repent of
your sins. Would this be right? Yes. Next, I ask you to believe in God. Is this
right? Yes. And I ask you to be reconciled to his will, love his law, forsake
sin, love holiness, practise his precepts, obey his commands. Would these things
be right? Yes, yes. And last of all, and not least, I ask you to "look for that
blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus
Christ." Amen.
Lecture 2:
REV. 22:6
“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 with him a thousand years.”
THE term "blessed
and holy" is often used in scripture, and in many places is applied to man; but
in no place without giving some characteristic mark of his being born of God, or
inheriting the fruits of the divine Spirit; and very often the word
blessed is used standing
in immediate connection with the resurrection and coming of Christ, either
expressed or implied, as in Isa. lxii. 11, 12, "Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed
unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, they
salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And
they shall call them The holy
people, The redeemed of the Lord; and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city
not forsaken." Isa. xxx. 18, "And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be
gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon
you; for the Lord is a God of judgment. Blessed
are all they that wait for him." Daniel says, xii. 12, "Blessed
is he that waiteth, and cometh to the 1335 days." John says, Rev. xiv. 13, "Blessed
are the dead which die in the Lord." "Write, Blessed
are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb." "Behold, I come
quickly; blessed is he
that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book." "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." By these passages I show you
that all the children of God are included in this blessing, and not the martyrs
only, as some will have it. The next thing which will claim our attention will
be to explain the resurrection spoken of in our text, called the first
resurrection. The word resurrection
signifies to revive, or resuscitate, or bring to life
again, one now dead, who was
once alive. It nowhere in the word of God conveys an idea of a new creation, and
the word is nowhere used in the Bible expressing any thing less or more than a
union of soul and body, and deliverance from natural death. The word
resurrection is nowhere used in
a figurative sense; it in all places has its own simple meaning, unless our text
is an exception. And without the objector can show some rule of interpretation
by which we shall be warranted to understand the word in a different sense, we
must beg leave to attach to it the simple meaning,
coming to life from the grave.
I know some have supposed that regeneration is resurrection; but I cannot
believe this unless they show some rule. I know some pretend to show us, in John
v. 25, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the
dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live," as
a rule; but in order to make this a rule, they must prove that Christ meant
regeneration; until this is shown, we cannot admit it as any proof.
We shall, therefore, consider the word
resurrection as
coming up out of the grave, and
pass to the word first.
"The first resurrection." The resurrection of the saints is first as it respects
order and time. Wherever the word resurrection
is used in connection with life
or damnation, the one
unto life always comes first; as in Daniel xii. 2, "Some to everlasting life,
and some to shame and everlasting contempt;" John v. 29, "They that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation." Here are two samples as it respects order. One or
two as it respects time: 1 Cor. xv. 23, "Christ the first fruits, then afterward
they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end." And again, 1 Thess.
iv. 16, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel and the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise
first." And then our context and text shows that the blessed and holy are raised
a thousand years before the rest of the dead. If we are correct, then, Christ
will come before the millennium instead of afterwards, as some believe; and the
millennium is a state of personal, and glorious, and immortal reign on the new
earth, or this earth cleansed by fire, as it was once by water; and it will be a
new dispensation, new heavens, and new earth. This will be our next proposition
to prove. And, first, we will examine the 20th chapter of Revelation, 1st verse:
"And I saw an angel come down from heaven;"--this
angel I consider no less a being than the Lord Jesus Christ; for it only can be
said of him;--"having the key of the bottomless pit
and a great chain in his hand." See Rev. i. 18: "I
am he that liveth and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, amen, and
have the keys of hell and of death." And Christ only has power to bind Satan.
"That he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil."
Heb. ii. 14. 2d verse: "And he laid hold on the
dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a
thousand years." I suppose this verse needs no
explanation. It can only be understood in a literal sense, for it explains
itself in the figures used; as dragon
and serpent, often used
as figures, are explained to mean the devil
and Satan. If the
thousand years had been used, in this chapter, or any where else in the word of
God, in a mystical or figurative sense, it would have been somewhere explained;
but, as it is not, I consider we are to place upon it the most simple
construction, and I shall therefore understand it literally. 3d verse:
"And cast him into the bottomless pit;"--by
bottomless pit, I have shown, by the proof on our first verse, that it is hell;
see Rev. i. 18;--"and shut him up and set a seal
upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little season."
This passage must be understood in its simple, plain meaning; no mystery in
this. 4th verse: "And I saw thrones, and they sat on
them, and judgment was given unto them;"--here we
have a prophecy of the fulfilment of a promise that Christ made to his
disciples, in Matt. xix. 28: "And Jesus said unto them, Verily, I say unto you,
that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall
sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging
the twelve tribes of Israel;"--"and I saw the souls
of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the 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." In this description
we have the whole family of the redeemed; for all that had not worshipped the
beast or his image, or received a mark, and, in one word, all that were not the
servants of Satan or sin, lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5th
verse: "But the rest of the dead lived not again
until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."
The rest of the dead
means the wicked dead, who do not have part in the first resurrection;
lived not again, showing
conclusively that it is a natural life and death spoken of. The
first resurrection is the
resurrection of the saints at his coming. Then comes in our text, which has and
will be explained in the lecture. 7th verse: "And
when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison."
We may reasonably expect that, when Satan is let loose, all the damned spirits
are let loose with him; and it has been strongly implied they were to live again
in the body, at the end of the thousand years. 8th verse:
"And shall go out"--that is,
Satan--"to deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth"--"ashes under the feet of the
saints," as Malachi tells us: "And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they
shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this,
saith the Lord of hosts"--"Gog and Magog"--the
armies of the wicked that were slain at the commencing of the thousand years, or
coming of Christ, at the supper of the great God, and battle of Armageddon; see
Ezekiel xxxviii., xxxix.--"to gather them together
to battle;"--this is their design, but there is no
battle, for God himself is with his people to defend them; and he destroys the
wicked host, "the number of whom is as the sand of
the sea;" evidently including the whole number of
the wicked; for the figure, sand of the sea,
is never used, only to express the whole class of the people named; as, the
children of Israel, the whole host of Jacob. 9th verse:
"And they went up on the breadth of the earth;"--that
is, this army of Gog and Magog were raised up out of the surface of the earth,
that only being the breadth of a globular body;--"and
compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city;"--plainly
showing that the New Jerusalem, the beloved city, is on the earth during the
thousand years, or how could this wicked host encompass it about? they have not
climbed the celestial walls of heaven--no; for it says,
"and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured
them." This is the second death, represented under
the figure of fire coming down from God out of heaven; not the conflagration of
the world,--for that was in the commencing of the thousand years, when Christ
came and cleansed the world from all the wicked, and the works of wicked
men,--but the justice of God, under the figure of fire; "for our God is a
consuming fire." Heb. xii. 29. 10th verse: "And the
devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the
beast and false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and
ever." In this verse, the final condemnation of the
wicked, soul and body, is given; and the last that God has seen fit to reveal
concerning them to us is, that they are cast into everlasting torment. In the
next verse, John has another vision of the same things which he had before told
us, only in a different point of view, or some circumstance not before clearly
described. And I saw
always implies a new view, or another vision. 11th verse:
"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it,
from whose face the heavens and earth fled away; and there was no place found
for them." This is the same throne that Daniel saw,
vii. 9-14: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down and the Ancient of days 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 burning fire." 12th
verse: "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." This is the
same as Daniel saw, vii. 10: "A fiery stream issued and came forth from before
him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand
stood before him. The judgment was set, and the books were opened." It is very
evident that this is the beginning of the judgment, when Christ comes in the
clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, to raise and judge his saints, and
to reward every man as his work shall be. 1st, because it is when the judgment
first sets; 2d, because the book of life is there, and open; and, 3d, because it
was at the time or before antichrist was destroyed; and no one can believe that
the antichristian beast can be on the earth during or in the millennium. 13th
verse: "And the sea gave up the dead which were in
it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them."
I conclude the apostle, after he had seen the righteous dead raised, small and
great, and stand before God, and saw the book of life open to justify them, and
saw them judged and rewarded, he then glides down to the end of the thousand
years, and beheld the wicked dead given up by those elements and places wherein
they had been confined during the millennial period, to be judged in the flesh,
every man according to his works.
This only can reconcile some of those conflicting passages (or seemingly
so to us) concerning the resurrection; and I cannot see any impropriety in thus
understanding these prophecies; for it is the common manner of the prophets, a
little here and a little there. In all the descriptions of the resurrection of
the righteous dead, they are represented as being gathered by the angels of God,
from the four winds of heaven, when the seventh or last trump shall sound; and
it is equally as evident that their works are brought into judgment. Although
they may not be justified by their works, but out of the book of life, yet the
apostle Paul says, speaking of his brethren, "We must all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ." Rom. xiv. 10. And again, 2 Cor. v. 10, "For we must
all stand before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the
things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or
bad." And, 1 Cor. iii. 13-15, "Every man's work shall be made manifest; for the
day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall
try every man's work, of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath
built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned,
he shall suffer loss: yet he himself shall be saved, so as by fire." We see, by
these texts, that the books of every man's works will be open, as well as the
book of life, in the first resurrection; but, in the second resurrection, there
is no book of life open in that part of the judgment, neither are they gathered
by the angels of God; but the sea, death, and hell, delivered up the dead which
were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works; and Satan
is the means of gathering them around the beloved city, where they are judged in
the flesh. By the sea, death,
and hell, I understand
the sea, grave, and place of punishment. The sea and the grave would give up the
dissolved particles of the body, and hell (or Hades) would give up their
departed spirits; this would constitute the second resurrection.
"And they were judged every man according to their works."
They had chosen, in this life, to stand on their works; they had refused to
believe in a Mediator; they had not followed his commands, neither had they
professed his name before men, or suffered persecution for the sake of his
testimony. They had treated his word with total neglect, or called his grace
tyranny. They had said he was a hard master, and buried their talent in the
earth. They had placed their supreme affections on the world, and made fine gold
their trust. They had persecuted the children of God in this world, and showed
that they were the children of that wicked one who slew his brother. They had
prostituted their bodies to whoredom, and sacrificed to Bacchus and Venus their
first-fruits. They had professed damnable heresies, and filled the world with
their delusive schemes and sects. They had worshipped the creature, and
neglected prayer to the Creator. They had filled the world with their lies and
abominations, and gloried in their shame. 14th verse:
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This
is the second death." By
death and
hell I understand the body and
spirit. 15th verse: "And whosoever was not found
written in the Lamb's book of life, was cast into the lake of fire."
"But the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part
in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
Rev. xxi. 8. "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. For
without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters,
and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie," Rev. xxii. 14, 15. Then our text says,
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection." This we have proved is the
resurrection of the righteous dead, who died in faith in Jesus Christ, and who
should live with him at his coming; on them the second death should have no
power, "but they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
To be priests unto God and unto Christ, is to be holy; to be a kingdom
of priests of a peculiar people, that should show forth his praises by declaring
to the universe that out of nature's darkness they had been redeemed by his
blood, called by his grace unto his glorious, happy, and holy kingdom, and that
they should dwell on the earth. See Rev. v. 9, 10, "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; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests,
and we shall reign on the earth." See, also, Rev. i. 6, "And hath made us kings
and priests unto God, and his Father." Again, 1 Pet. ii. 5, 9, "Ye also, as
lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood." "But ye are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people." The
passages to which I have cited your minds, prove, beyond a reasonable doubt,
that the thousand years spoken of in the text is between the two resurrections
in a state of happiness, of glory, of holiness, and that it shall be on the
earth. It is a state of immortality, as abundant scriptures evidently prove.
Where, then, you may inquire, is the spiritual millennium which our theorists,
in the present age, are teaching us to expect? I answer, There is not a thousand
years spoken of in Scripture, except in 2 Pet., 3d chapter, and in which the
judgment day is the subject of discussion, and in the chapter of which our text
is a part; and in neither of these places is any thing said about spiritual
reign; neither can we find any thing in the word of God by which we could fairly
draw the conclusion of such a reign; and as it is not proper for me to show the
negative, I call on all of you to show where we may find the evidence, that is,
all of you who believe in a spiritual reign. If there is such a reign, it must
be before the second coming of Christ; for when he comes, he will receive us to
himself, that where he is there we may be also; no more away from his people,
for he says he will be with them, and make his abode with them, and he will be
their light, and will dwell with them, and make his abode with them, and they
shall dwell on the earth.
Where, when, or how the idea of a spiritual reign of a thousand years should or
could obtain a place in our faith, having the word of God as our evidence, I
cannot tell. Some say that the prophets speak often of times or things which
have not been fulfilled in our day, or under the present dispensation, and which
would be too gross to be admitted into a state of immortality. There may be
such--yet I find no difficulty in understanding all those passages which have
been presented, or come under my consideration, to refer to the gospel day. But
how long do the prophets say that time shall be? Do they designate any time? No;
neither one, ten, one hundred, or one thousand years are mentioned in any of
those passages. Why then call it a millennium? Because Peter and John have
mentioned a thousand years. This cannot be admitted to mean any state this side
of the state of immortality; for Peter says plainly, "Yet, nevertheless, we look
for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." This would be
a new state, surely--nothing gross or vile in this kingdom, whoever may be king;
and John expressly says, "They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years,"
and says, "This is the first resurrection." Now, admit there is such a time, how
or by what rule shall we call it a thousand years?
Again, where, in all the prophecies, can any one show me that the church
will be blessed and holy, or happy and righteous, as it may be rendered, until
he comes, that is, at Christ's second appearance? And where in the word are we
to learn that the kingdoms of this world are to be destroyed before the coming
of the Ancient of days? Do we believe that the anti-Christian beast, or mystical
Babylon, will be on the earth during this millennial reign? No, it cannot be;
yet all must acknowledge that she is only destroyed by the brightness of his
coming. Who can read the 19th chapter of Revelation, without being convinced
that the marriage supper of the Lamb, the treading of the wine-press of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, and the supper of the great God, are
events which must take place before the millennium? And if so, who can believe
that after the marriage of the Lamb to the bride; after she is arrayed in linen
clean and white, which is the righteousness of the saints; after they have
received a crown of righteousness, which the righteous Judge shall give to all
them who love his appearing in that day,--Christ will not be with her in person?
None. But our text tells us he will live and reign with them, and they shall be
priests to God.
Again: while in this state of mortality and trial, we are called the
servants and ministers of Christ; but then, in the millennial blessedness, we
shall be called priests of God and of Christ. You may ask, "Why this distinction
in the language?" I answer, There is a great difference between the kingdom of
Christ, as it was established when Christ was here on earth, and the kingdom
given up to God, even the Father. The subjects of Christ's kingdom, in this
state of things, may be, and in fact are, imperfect. Hypocrites and false
professors may and do obtain an entrance into it; for an enemy hath sown tares.
But the kingdom of God, no man, says Christ, can see, or enter, without being
born of God. Here they may deceive the sentinels which guard the kingdom of
Christ; but in the kingdom of God "there shall in no wise enter into it any
thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie; but
they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." Here the children of the
kingdom are persecuted, tormented, perplexed, cast down; but in the kingdom of
God their enemies are all slain; they are comforted, glorified, justified,
exalted; and not a dog to move his tongue. Here they weep, but there will
rejoice: here they sin and repent; they there will be holy without fault before
his throne. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection."
Amen.
Lecture 3:
DANIEL 8:13-14
"Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint
which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and
the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be
trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand three hundred days:
then shall the sanctuary be cleansed;" or justified, as it might have been
translated.
THE hearer will, at the first view of
our text, perceive that there is something very important communicated in the
question and answer given; or why are saints commissioned (as we may reasonably
suppose) from the courts of heaven, to ask and answer the question contained in
the text, in presence of the prophet? And that it concerned Daniel, and us for
whom the prophet wrote his prophecy, to understand, is evident from the answer
being given to Daniel--"and he said unto me"--instead of being given to the
"saint," who made the inquiry. Then we are not treading on forbidden ground, my
dear hearer, to search to understand the meaning and truth of our subject.
I shall then treat our subject in the following manner:
I. Explain some of the figures and expressions used in the text.
II. Show what the "daily sacrifice vision" is, and,
III. The time or length of the vision "unto two thousand three hundred
days: then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."
I. I am to explain some of the figures used in the text; and,
1st, the "daily sacrifice." This may be understood, by some, to
mean the Jewish rites and ceremonies; and by others, the Pagan rites and
sacrifices. As both Jews and Pagans had their rites and sacrifices both morning
and evening, and their altars were kept smoking with their victims of beasts,
and their holy fire was preserved in their national altars and temples devoted
to their several deities or gods, we might be at a loss to know which of these
to apply this figurative expression to, did not our text and context explain the
meaning. It is very evident, when we carefully examine our text, that it is to
be understood as referring to Pagan and Papal rites, for it stands coupled with
"the abomination of desolation," and performs the same acts, such as are
ascribed to the Papal abomination, "to give both the sanctuary and host to be
trodden under foot." See, also, Rev. xi. 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." This last text only
has reference to the Papal beast, which was the image of the Pagan; but the text
in consideration has reference to both Pagan and Papal. That is, How long shall
the Pagan transgression and the Papal transgression tread under foot the
sanctuary and host? This must be the true and literal meaning of our text; it
could not mean the anti-Christian abomination alone, for they never desolated
the Jewish church; neither could it mean Antiochus, the Syrian king; for he and
his kingdom were made desolate and destroyed before Christ; and it is evident
that Christ had an allusion to this very power, when he told his disciples,
Matt. xxiv. 15, "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place." I believe all
commentators agree that Christ meant the Roman power--if so, then Daniel has the
same meaning; for this is the very passage to which Christ alluded. Then the
"daily sacrifice" means Pagan rites and sacrifices, and the transgression of
desolation, the Papal; and both together shall tread under foot the "sanctuary
and host," which brings me to show what may be understood by "sanctuary and
host." By sanctuary, we must understand the temple at Jerusalem, and
those who worship therein, which was trodden under foot by the Pagan kingdoms of
the world, since the days of Daniel, the writer of our text; then by the
Chaldeans; afterwards by the Medes and Persians; next by the Grecians; and
lastly by the Romans, who destroyed the city and sanctuary, levelled the temple
with the ground, and caused the plough to pass over the place. The people of the
Jews, too, were led into captivity and persecuted by all these kingdoms
successively, and finally by the Romans were taken away and destroyed as a
nation. And as the prophet Isaiah, lxiii. 18, says, "The people of thy holiness
have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy
sanctuary." Jeremiah, also, in Lam. i. 10, "The adversary hath spread out his
hand upon all her pleasant things; for she hath seen that the heathen entered
into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy
congregation." The word host is applied to the people who worship in the
outer court, and fitly represents the Christian church, who are said to be
strangers and pilgrims on the earth, having no continuing places, but looking
for a city whose builder and maker is God. Jeremiah, speaking of the gospel
church, says, iii. 19, "But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and
give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the host of nations?"
evidently meaning the church from the Gentiles. "Then shall the sanctuary be
cleansed or justified," means the true sanctuary which God has built of lively
stones to his own acceptance, through Christ, of which the temple at Jerusalem
was but a type, the shadows having long since fled away, and that temple and
people now destroyed, and all included in unbelief. So whosoever looks for the
worldly sanctuary to be built again, will find themselves as much mistaken as
the unbelieving Jews were, when they looked for a temporal prince in the
Messiah. For there is not a word in the prophets or apostles, after Zerubbabel
built the second temple, that a third one would ever be built; except the one
which cometh down from heaven, which is a spiritual one, and which is the mother
of us all, (Jew and Gentile,) and which is free, and when that New Jerusalem is
perfected, then shall we be cleansed and justified; for Paul says to the
Phillippians, iii. 20, 21, "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also
we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body,
that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working
whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself;" that is, "they that are his
at his coming." We see by these texts--and many more might be quoted--that the
spiritual sanctuary will not be cleansed until Christ's second coming; and then
all Israel shall be raised, judged, and justified in his sight.
II. We shall now try to understand what is meant by the "vision,"
in the text.
The vision, spoken of in the text, alludes to three separate
times in which God revealed unto Daniel all that may be considered a prophecy in
the book of Daniel, which vision was explained to Daniel by a heavenly
messenger, called Gabriel, at three separate times, the last of which closes the
book of Daniel; which last instruction will be the subject of a future lecture.
Daniel's first vision was the dream which Nebuchadnezzar had, and which
troubled him; but when he awoke, the dream was gone from him. He then called for
the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and wise men of Chaldea, to show him his
dream, and the interpretation thereof; but they could not. The king, being
angry, commanded that all the wise men of Babylon should be destroyed. Then
Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, went forth to execute the king's
decree; and among the rest he sought for Daniel and his three friends, young
captive Jews, to execute the purpose of king Nebuchadnezzar upon them also.
Daniel then, for the first time, being made acquainted with the decree, went in
unto the king, and desired time, and promised that he would make known the
dream, and the interpretation thereof. Time being granted, he and his three
Hebrew friends held a prayer-meeting, (not a cold and formal one, as we may
reasonably suppose,) for their lives and the lives of their fellow-creatures
were in danger. They cried for mercies from the God of heaven. God heard and
answered their prayers, and revealed to Daniel the dream and interpretation.
After rendering suitable thanksgiving, Daniel went in unto the king and told the
dream and visions of the king. "As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy
mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter; and he that revealeth
secrets maketh known to thee what should come to pass; but as for me, this
secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living,
but for the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and
that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. Thou, O king, sawest, and
behold, a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood
before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine
gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his
legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a
stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were
of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the
brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the
chaff of the summer threshing-floors, and the wind carried them away, that no
place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great
mountain, and filled the whole earth," Daniel ii. 29-35.
This was the dream, and the interpretation was clear as given by Daniel;
and the history of the world proves it to be true, a large share having already
been fulfilled. All that remains to be accomplished is for the stone to smite
the image upon his feet, and to become a great mountain, and fill the whole
earth. "The head of gold" represented the Chaldean kingdom; "the breast and arms
of silver" represented the Medes and Persians; "the belly and thighs of brass,
which were to bear rule over all the earth," the Grecian. Alexander, a Grecian
king, conquered the world; the legs of iron, and the feet part of iron and part
of clay," fitly represent the Roman kingdom, which still exists, although in a
broken state, like iron and clay. This kingdom has been divided between pagan
Rome, the head wounded to death, and Papal Rome, the deadly wound healed, both
"mixing themselves with the seed of men," that is, uniting church and state,
ecclesiastical and civil, in the government. The stone denotes Christ, the God
of heaven; and the mountain the kingdom of God. His breaking the image to
pieces, shows that all the kingdoms of this world are to be utterly destroyed
and carried away, so that no place can be found for them. And the kingdom of God
filling the whole earth teaches us that the beloved city, the New Jerusalem,
will fill the world, and God will dwell with his people on the earth. Read Dan.
ii. 37-45. This dream was in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, 603 B.C.
Forty-eight years afterwards, in the first year of Belshazzar's reign and 555
B.C., Daniel had another dream, yet the same in substance. "Daniel spake and
said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven strove
upon the great sea, and four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from
another. The first was like a lion, and had eagles' wings; I beheld till the
wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to
stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. And behold,
another beast, a second, like unto a bear, and it raised up itself 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 this I beheld, and lo, another
like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast
had also four heads, and dominion was given to it. 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 were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold,
there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of
the first horns plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like
the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. I beheld till the thrones
were cast down, and the Ancient of days 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 burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from
before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I
beheld, then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake. I
beheld, even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the
burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion
taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. 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.
And there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people,
nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be
destroyed," Daniel vii. 1-14. This ends Daniel's night vision, except the
instruction he received from some one standing by. "So he told me, and made me
know 'the truth of all this,' or the interpretation of the things. These great
beasts, which are four, are four kings which shall arise out of the earth. But
the saints of the most high shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom
forever, even forever and ever." We see in this instruction that this vision and
Nebuchadnezzar's dream agree in the most prominent parts; the four beasts
representing the four kingdoms, and the saints possessing the kingdom, the same
as the stone becoming a great mountain and filling the whole earth; "forever and
ever" shows us that it is an immortal state in everlasting life; "the saints"
evidently includes all saints, "for they shall live and reign with him on the
earth," Revelation v. 10, 20. iv. 6. "Then," Daniel says, vii. 19, 20, "I would
know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others,
exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass, which
devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; and of the ten
horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom
three fell, even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great
things, whose look was more stout than his fellows."
In these verses we learn that the fourth beast would be diverse from the
others. This was true with Rome; that kingdom first rose from a small colony of
adventurers settled in Italy. Rome, also, had seven different forms of
government, while the others had but one. We learn that this kingdom would
devour, break in pieces, harass and perplex the people of God, whether Jew of
Gentile; that it would be divided into ten kingdoms, and afterwards there would
arise another power which would swallow up three of the ten kingdoms. This was
all true with the Roman government. In A.D. 476, the Western Empire fell, and
was divided into ten kingdoms by the Goths, Huns, and Vandals,--"France,
Britain, Spain, Portugal, Naples, Tuscany, Austria, Lombardy, Rome, and Ravenna.
The three last were absorbed in the territory of Rome," (E. Irwin,) and became
the States of the Church, governed by the Papal chair, the little horn that had
eyes and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than
his fellows. This description cannot apply to any other power but the church of
Rome. "Had eyes," showing that they made pretence at least to be the household
of faith; "eyes" meaning faith, and "mouth that spake very great things,"
showing that the church would claim infallibility; "whose look would be more
stout than his fellows," showing that he would claim authority over all other
churches, or even the kings, the other horns. See Rev. xvii. 18: "And the woman
which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the kings of the
earth." That the little horn is a part of the fourth kingdom is evident, for it
was to come up among the ten horns which were upon the head of the beast; and
there cannot be a shadow of a doubt, even in Scripture itself, but that Rome is
meant by this fourth beast; for what power but the Roman will answer the
description here and elsewhere given in Daniel? "I beheld, and the same horn
made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, until the Ancient of days
came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came
that the saints possessed the kingdom." Daniel vii. 21, 22. In these verses we
are taught clearly that anti-Christ will prevail over the church of Christ until
the first resurrection and the first judgment, when the saints are raised and
judged, which utterly destroys the modern idea of a temporal millennium, a
thousand years before the dead are raised and judged. This also agrees with the
whole tenor of Scripture; as, "judgment must first begin at the house of God,"
and "whom he shall destroy with the brightness of his coming;" when the Ancient
of days shall come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, "to give
reward to his servants, the prophets, and them that fear his name, small and
great, and destroy them who destroy the earth," described next verse, 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. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings
that shall arise; and another shall arise after them, and he shall be diverse
from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 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 dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take
away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end," 24-26. In these
verses we have the history of the fourth beast, or Roman power, during 1260
years of the close of this kingdom, which I shall, in some future lecture, show
is the meaning of time, times, and a half. We have also another clear
description of the Papal power: "He shall speak great words," &c.--the
blasphemies against God, in the pretensions of the Roman clergy to divine power,
working of miracles, canonizing departed votaries, changing ordinances and laws
of God's house, worshipping saints and images, and performing rites and
ceremonies too foolish and ridiculous to be for a moment indulged in, and which
any unprejudiced mind cannot for a moment believe to be warranted by divine
rule, or example of Christ or his apostles. And we are again brought down to the
time when the judgment shall sit: "And the kingdom, and the dominion, and the
greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of
the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, (not temporal, as some
say, or a thousand years, but an immortal and eternal,) and all dominions shall
serve and obey him." It is very evident that this verse brings us down to the
time when the kingdom of Christ will be complete "in the greatness of the
kingdom." Every word in Scripture has a meaning, and its own proper meaning,
unless used figuratively, and then explained by Scripture itself. "Hitherto 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."
This ends Daniel's night vision. Two years afterwards, in the year 553
before Christ, Daniel vii., he had another vision in the day-time, at the palace
of Shushan, like the one which we have just described, and Nebuchadnezzar's
dream.
"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. I saw the ram pushing westward, and
northward, and southward, so that no beast might stand before him, neither was
there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will,
and became great." In the 20th verse, the angel Gabriel explains to Daniel what
kingdom was represented by the "ram with two horns," and says, "The ram which
thou sawest, having two horns, are the kings of Media and Persia." We see by
this that the Chaldean kingdom is left out, for the reason that that kingdom was
then crumbling to ruin, and the glory of the Babylonish kingdom had faded;
therefore he now begins his vision with the Mede and Persian kingdom, and that,
too, when at the height of their power and conquests. The higher horn denoted
the Persian line of kings, under and following the reign of Cyrus, the Persian,
son-in-law to Darius the Mede. "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." In the 21st verse the angel says,
"And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between
his eyes is the first king." This king was Alexander, that conquered the
Persians. He was not the first king of Macedonia, but the first that had all
Grecia under his control, and that conquered the world. "And he came to the ram
that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him
in the fury of his power. 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; and
there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the
ground, and stamped upon him, and there was none that could deliver the ram out
of his hand. Therefore the he-goat waxed very great; and when he was strong, the
great horn was broken, and for it came up four notable ones, towards the four
winds of heaven." We have in these verses a plain description of Alexander's
life, conquests, death, and division of his kingdom into four parts, towards the
four points of heaven--Persia in the east, Syria in the north, Macedon and
Europe in the west, Egypt and Africa in the south. And the angel, when he gives
Daniel instruction, says, 22d verse, "Now that being broken, whereas four stood
up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his
power." Then the vision seems to slide down to the little horn. "And out of one
of them (that is, out of Europe) came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding
great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And
it waxed great even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and
of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself
even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away,
and the place of his sanctuary was cast down, and a host was given him against
the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to
the ground, and it practised and prospered." Two or three things in the above
description clearly show that, by the little horn, in this passage, we are to
understand the Roman power, viz., Its conquering to the south, and east, and
pleasant lands, stamping on the host, magnifying himself against Christ, and
destroying Jerusalem, the place of his sanctuary, and his practising and
prospering. All this description agrees with the history of Rome, and cannot
apply to Antiochus, as some writers have supposed. But let us see what Gabriel
says, 23: "And in the latter time of their kingdom, (that is, the four
kingdoms,) when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce
countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up, and his power
shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and
shall prosper and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
And through his policy, also, he shall cause craft 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; but he shall be broken without
hand. And the vision of the evening (in the first year of Belshazzar, Daniel
vii.) and the morning (in the third year of Belshazzar, Daniel viii.) which was
told, is true; wherefore shut thou up the vision, for it shall be for many
days." How many days? Our text answers, "Unto two thousand three hundred days;
then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. And it came to pass, when I, even I,
Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there
stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between
the banks of Ulai, which called and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand
the vision. So he came near where I stood, and when he came, I was afraid, and
fell upon my face; but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man, for at the
time of the end shall be the vision. Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a
deep sleep on my face toward the ground; but he touched me, and set me upright.
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."
Then comes the instruction of Gabriel, which we have before given.
III. The time or length of the vision--the 2,300 days.
What must we understand by days? In the prophecy of Daniel it is
invariably to be reckoned years; for God hath so ordered the prophets to reckon
days. Numb. xiv. 34, "After the number of days in which ye searched the land,
even forty days, each day for a year, shall you bear your iniquities, even forty
years." Ezek. iv. 5, 6, "For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity,
according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so shalt
thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 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." In these
passages we prove the command of God. We will also show that it was so called in
the days of Jacob, when he served for Rachel, Gen. xxix. 27: "Fulfil her week
(seven days) and we will give thee this also, for the service which thou shalt
serve with me yet other seven years."
Nothing now remains to make it certain that our vision is to be so
understood, but to prove that Daniel has followed this rule. This we will do, if
your patience will hold out, and God permit.
Now turn your attention to the ninth chapter of Daniel, and you will
there learn that fifteen years after Daniel had his last vision, and sixty-five
years after Daniel explained Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and 538 years B.C., Daniel
set his face unto the Lord God by supplication and prayer; and by confession of
his own sins, and the sins of the people of Israel, he sought God for mercy, for
himself and all Israel. And while he was speaking and praying, as he tells us,
Daniel ix. 21, "Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom
I had seen in the vision at the beginning, Daniel viii. 16,17, being
caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he
informed me and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give
thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplication the
commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly
beloved; therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to finish
the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the
vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Know, therefore, and
understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build
Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and
two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous
times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for
himself; and the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the city and
the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of
the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many
for one week; and in the midst of the week, (or last half, as it might have been
rendered,) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the
overspreading of abomination, he shall make it desolate, even until the
consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
What do we learn from the above passage? We learn our duty in prayer,
and God's goodness in answering. We learn that the angel Gabriel was sent to
instruct Daniel, and make him understand the vision. You may inquire what
vision? I answer, The one Daniel had in the beginning, for he has had no other.
We also learn that seventy weeks, which is 490 days, (or years, as we shall
show,) from the going forth of a certain decree to build the streets and walls
of Jerusalem in troublous times, to the crucifixion of the Messiah should be
accomplished. We also learn that this seventy weeks is divided into three parts;
seven weeks being employed in building the streets and walls in troublous times,
which is forty-nine years, sixty-two weeks, or four hundred and thirty-four
years to the preaching of John in the wilderness, which two, put together, make
sixty-nine weeks, or four hundred and eighty-three years, and one week the
gospel was preached; John three and a half years, and Christ three and a half
years, which makes the seventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety years; which,
when accomplished, would seal up the vision, and make the prophecy true. We also
learn that, after the crucifixion of Christ, the Romans would come and destroy
the city and sanctuary, and that wars will not cease until the consummation or
end of the world. "All that may be true," says the objector; "but where have you
proved that the seventy weeks were four hundred and ninety years?" I agree I
have not yet proved it, but will now do it.
We shall again turn your attention to the Bible. Look at Ezra vii.
11-13: "Now this is the copy of the letter that the king, Artaxerxes, gave unto
Ezra, the priest, the scribe, a scribe of the law of God: perfect peace, and at
such a time. I make a decree that all they of the people of Israel, and of his
priests and Levites in my realm, which are minded of their own free will to go
up to Jerusalem, go with thee." This is the decree given when the walls of
Jerusalem were built in troublous times. See, also, Neh. iv. 17-23. Ezra and
Nehemiah being contemporary, see Neh. viii. 1. The decree to Ezra was given in
the seventh year of Artaxerxes' reign, Ezra vii. 7, and that to Nehemiah in the
twentieth year, Neh. ii. 1. Let any one examine the chronology, as given by
Rollin or Josephus, from the seventh year of Artaxerxes to the twenty-second
year of Tiberius Cæsar, which was the year our Lord was crucified, and he will
find it was four hundred and ninety years. The Bible chronology says that Ezra
started to go up to Jerusalem on the 12th day of the first month, (see Ezra
viii. 31,) 457 years before the birth of Christ; he being 33 when he died, added
to 457, will make 490 years. Three of the evangelists tell us he was betrayed
two days before the feast of the passover, and of course was the same day
crucified. The passover was always kept on the 14th day of the first month
forever, and Christ being crucified two days before, would make it on the 12th
day, 490 years from the time Ezra left the river Ahava to go unto Jerusalem.
If this calculation is correct,--and I think no one can doubt it,--then
the seventy weeks was fulfilled to a day when our Savior suffered on the cross.
Is not the seventy weeks fairly proved to have been fulfilled by years? And does
not this prove that our vision and the 2300 days ought to be so reckoned? Yes,
if these seventy weeks are a part of the vision. Does not the angel say
plainly, I have come to show thee; therefore understand the matter, and consider
the vision? Yes. Well, what can a man ask for more than plain positive
testimony, and a cloud of circumstances agreeing with it?
But one thing still remains to be proved. When did the 2300 years begin?
Did it begin with Nebuchadnezzar's dream? No. For if it had, it must have been
fulfilled in the year A.D. 1697. Well, then, did it begin when the angel Gabriel
came to instruct Daniel into the 70 weeks? No, for if then, it would have been
finished in the year A.D. 1762. Let us begin it where the angel told us, from
the going forth of the decree to build the walls of Jerusalem in troublous
times, 457 years before Christ; take 457 from 2300, and it will leave A.D. 1843;
or take 70 weeks of years, being 490 years, from 2300 years, and it will leave
1810 after Christ's death. Add his life, (because we begin to reckon our time at
his birth,) which is 33 years, and we come to the same A.D. 1843.
Now let us examine our subject, and see what we have learned by it thus
far. And,
I. We learn that there are two abominations spoken of by Daniel. The
first is the Pagan mode of worship, which was performed by the sacrificing of
beasts upon altars, similar to the Jewish rites, and by which means the nations
around Jerusalem drew away many of the Jews into idolatry, and brought down the
heavy judgments of God upon idolatrous Israel; and God permitted his people to
be led into captivity, and persecuted by the very nations that they, the Jews,
had been so fond of copying after in their mode of worship. Therefore were the
sanctuary and place of worship at Jerusalem trodden down by pagan worshippers;
and the altars, erected by the command of God, and according to the pattern and
form which God had proscribed, were broken down and more fashionable altars of
the heathen erected in their room. Thus were the commands of God disobeyed, his
laws perverted, his people enslaved, the sanctuary trodden down, and the temple
polluted, until at last God took away the Jewish rites and ceremonies,
instituted new forms, new laws, and set up the gospel kingdom in the world.
This, for a season, was kept pure from the worldly sanctuaries and
policy of Satan. But Satan, an arch enemy, found his Pagan abominations could
have but little or no effect to draw the followers of Christ into idolatry, for
they believed the bloody rites and sacrifices had their fulfilment in Christ.
Therefore, in order to carry the war into the Christian camp, he suffers the
daily sacrifice abomination to be taken out of the way, and sets up Papacy,
which is more congenial to the Christian mode of worship in its outside forms
and ceremonies, but retaining all the hateful qualities of the former. He
persuades them to erect images to some or all of the dear apostles; and even to
Christ, and Mary, the "Mother of God." He then flatters them that the church is
infallible. (Here was a strong cord by which he could punish all disputers.) He
likewise gives them the keys of heaven, (or Peter, as they call it.) This will
secure all authority. He then clothes them with power to make laws, and to
dispense with those which God had made. This capped the climax. In this he would
fasten many thousands who might protest against some of his more vile
abominations; yet habit and custom might secure them to a willing obedience to
his laws, and to a total neglect of the laws of God. This was Satan's
masterpiece; and, as Daniel says, "he would think to change times and laws, and
they should be given into his hand for a time, times, and a half; but they shall
take away his dominion to consume and destroy it unto the end." Therefore, when
this last abomination of desolation shall be taken away, then shall the
sanctuary be cleansed.
II. We learn that the vision which Daniel saw was revealed at three
separate times--1st. In Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which carried us down through
four great kingdoms, until they should all be swept away like the chaff of the
summer threshing-floor before the wind, and no place found for them, and the
glorious and everlasting kingdom of Christ fill the whole earth. The next vision
Daniel saw was similar to this; he saw four great beasts, representing four
great kingdoms, as before, and he saw the fourth beast to be diverse from all
the others, dreadful and terrible, and exceedingly strong; he had great iron
teeth, and nails of brass, which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the
people of God and the whole earth under foot. This beast contained the two
abominations which we have before spoken of; the last, under the figure of a
little horn, he saw until all these thrones were cast down, till the little horn
was destroyed, and his body given to the burning flame. Daniel saw until the
Ancient of days did sit. The Son of Man came in the clouds of heaven, and came
to the Ancient of days. He saw thousand thousands ministering unto him, and ten
thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the judgment was set, and the
books were opened. He saw the dominion, and glory, and kingdom given to the Son
of Man, and to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom. In the third vision, which Daniel has coupled with the
former, by saying that it was after (or like) the one which appeared unto him at
the first, he saw the three last kingdoms; gave a particular description of the
two first, even naming them--the Medes and Persians, and the Grecian. He then
gives a short account of the little horn, (having given a more general view of
the fourth kingdom in the other vision,) how he would cast down the host of
heaven, and the stars, and stamp upon them; also that he would magnify himself
against the Prince of the host, Jesus Christ, and cast down the place of his
sanctuary, and practise and prosper, but shall be broken without hands, showing
that the stone cut out without hand should break him to pieces. Daniel, then, in
the 26th verse, couples the two visions, the one in the evening, 7th chapter,
and the one in the morning, 8th chapter, and says, "The vision of the evening
and morning, which was told, is true."
III. We learn that this vision is two thousand three hundred days long;
that days are to be reckoned years--1st, By the command of God; 2d, By the
example of Jacob; and 3d, By the fulfilment of the seventy weeks of this vision,
at the crucifixion of the Messiah. We learn by the instruction of Gabriel that
the seventy weeks were a part of the vision, and that Daniel was
commanded to begin the seventy weeks at the going forth of the decree, to build
the streets and walls of Jerusalem in troublous times; that this decree, given
to Ezra, was exactly 490 years, to a day, before the crucifixion of Christ; and
that there is no account, by Bible or any historian, that there was ever any
other decree to build the streets or walls of Jerusalem. We think the proof is
strong, that the vision of Daniel begins 457 years before Christ; take
which from 2300, leaves 1843, after Christ, when the vision must be
finished. But the objector may say, "Perhaps your vision does not begin with the
seventy weeks." Let me ask two or three questions. Does not the angel say to
Daniel, ix. 23, "Therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision"?
"Yes." Does not the angel then go on and give his instruction concerning the
seventy weeks? "Yes." Do you believe the Bible is true? "We do." Then if the
Bible is true, Daniel's 70 weeks are a part of the vision, and 490 years
were accomplished when the Mesiah was cut off, and not for himself. Then 1810
years afterwards the vision is completed; and we now live about 1803
years after; of course it must have begun within seven years of that date. But
it is very reasonable to suppose it began with the seventy weeks; for the angel
said it would establish the vision, that is, make it sure; for if the 70
weeks were exactly fulfilled at the death of Christ, then would the remainder be
in 1810 years after, which would be fulfilled A.D. 1843, as we have before
shown.
And now, my dear hearer, are you prepared for this great and important
event? Are you ready for the judgment to set, and the books to be opened? Let
this subject sink deep into your hearts; let if follow you to your bed-chambers,
to your fields, or your shops. Not one jot or tittle of the word of God shall
fail. If he has spoken, it will come, however inconsistent it may look to us. Be
admonished, then, and see to it that you are prepared. Compare the vision
with the history of the kingdom, and where can you find a failure? Not one.
Then, surely, here is evidence strong that the remainder will be accomplished in
its time, and that time but seven years. Think, sinner, how good God is to give
you notice, and prove it a thousand fold. Remember the old world; they thought
Noah was a maniac; but the flood came, and they were reserved in chains of
darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Remember the cities of the plain.
Lot was unto them like one that mocked; but the same day God rained fire and
brimstone upon them, and they are suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Be
warned, then; fly to the ark, Christ Jesus, before the door is shut; escape to
the mountain of the house of the Lord before the Lord shall rise up to the prey,
and you be driven away in your wickedness. Amen.
Lecture 4:
DANIEL 9:24
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to finish
the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision
and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
OUR text is one of
the many found in the word of God, which prove the authenticity of the
scriptures, gives us a powerful weapon against Judaizing teachers, and meets the
infidel on his own ground--the history of the world.
It sets a seal to prophecy that it is true, and shows that the prophets
were inspired.
It gives incontestable evidence against the Jew, and proves that Jesus
of Nazareth was the true Messiah.
It unlocks the wonderful vision of Daniel's four kingdoms; also the
vision of the ram, the he-goat, and the little horn.
It brings to view the great blessings of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ,
reveals the exact time of its accomplishment, and shows the source of the
gospel, proclaiming good news to lost man, even in anticipation of that
important era when the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs with the Jews in faith.
It establishes the wavering, and gives hope and confidence to the tried
and tempted child of God, that he will fulfil all his promises, according to the
letter and spirit of his word.
This text furnished Simeon, Anna, Nathaniel, and others, with a strong
faith that they should see the consolation of Israel.
By this text the high priest convinced the council of the necessity of
putting to death Jesus. "Then gathered the chief priests and Pharisees a
council, and said, What do we? for this man doth many miracles. If we let him
thus alone, all men will believe on him; and the Romans will come, and take away
both our place and nation."
"And one of them, named Caiaphas, being high priest that same year, said
unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us that
one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And
this spake he not of himself, (not his own prophecy;) but, being high priest
that year, he prophesied (from Daniel's seventy weeks; for there is not another
prophecy in the Old Testament which shows what year Christ should suffer) that
Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that, also,
he should gather together in one the children of God, that were scattered
abroad," John xi. 47-53.
The high priest argues that Jesus must die for the people.
The seventy weeks shows that the Messiah must be cut off at the close of
the last week, and not for himself. Also Peter had occasion to say in his
epistle, "Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently,
who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what, or what
manner of time, the spirit of Christ, which was in them, did signify, when it
testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow,"
1 Peter i. 10, 11.
Where was the exact time of Christ's sufferings prophesied of but in
Daniel's seventy weeks? Again, to this Christ alludes when he says, "My time is
not yet fully come;" and, "Then they sought to take him, but no man laid hands
on him, because his hour was not yet come:" that is, the seventy weeks were not
yet fulfilled, John vii. 8, 30. Mark tells us, xiv. 41, "The hour is come;
behold, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners."
The seventy weeks were now being fulfilled. And then, at last, when
Jesus had completed his work, when the fulness of time had come, he finished
transgression, and made an end of sin: he then cried, "It is finished, and gave
up the ghost." The seventy weeks ended, our text was fulfilled; Christ had now
become the end of the law for righteousness, to every one that believeth; he
that knew no sin had become sin for us, and Death had struck his last blow that
he would ever be able to give the Son of God. Daniel's vision is now made
sure--the Messiah cut off, the time proved true, as given by the prophet Daniel.
Now, ye infidels, can this be priestcraft? And, ye Judaizing teachers,
is not this the Christ? Why look ye for another?
I shall now take up the text in the following manner:
I. I shall show what is to be done in seventy weeks.
II. When the seventy weeks began, and when they ended.
I. The text tells us, "Seventy weeks
are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city;"
that is, upon the Jews, who then were the people of Daniel, and also in
Jerusalem, which then was called the "holy city." The first question which would
naturally arise on the mind, would be, What for to do? The text and its context
must tell us.
1st. "To finish the transgression."
When was transgression finished? I answer, At the death of Christ. See Heb. ix.
15, "And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new testament, that by means
of death,
for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament,
they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." Isaiah
liii. 8, "For he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the
transgression of my people was he stricken."
2d. "And to make an end of sins."
This was also performed at his death. See Heb. ix. 26, "But now once in the end
of the world hath he appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." And
1 John iii. 5, "Ye know that he (Christ) was manifested to take away our sins."
3d. "And to make reconciliation for
iniquity." Was this also
performed at his death? Yes. See Col. i. 20, "And having made peace through the
blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself." Heb. ii. 17,
"Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren; that
he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to
make reconciliation for the sins of the people."
4th. "And to bring in everlasting
righteousness." "This must be
by Christ's obedience," says the objector, "and cannot be at his death." Not so
fast, dear sir; let us hear the testimony. Romans v. 21, "That as sin hath
reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal
life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." And, "By the obedience of one shall many be
made righteous." Again, see Phil. ii. 8, "And being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
Paul says, "I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness came by
the law, then Christ is dead in vain;" evidently showing, that by Christ's
obedience unto death, he brought in everlasting righteousness.
5th. "To seal up the vision and
prophecy." What does "to seal up" mean? I answer, It
means to make sure, certain, unalterable.
Consult Esther iii. 12, viii. 8. Solomon says, "Set me as a
seal upon thine heart, as a
seal upon thine arm;"
that is, make me sure in
thy love, and certain by
thy power. John says, "He that hath received his testimony hath set to his
seal that God is true."
John iii. 33. Paul to Rome, xv. 28, "When I have performed this, and
sealed to them this fruit;"
that is, made sure the
contributions. Again, to Timothy, 2 Epistle, ii. 19, "Nevertheless, the
foundation of God standeth sure,
having this seal,
The Lord knoweth them that are his." Therefore the death of Christ would make
Daniel's vision sure; for if a part of the vision should be exactly fulfilled,
as to time and manner, then the remainder of the vision would be accomplished in
manner and time, as literally as the seventy weeks had been.
6th. "And anoint the Most Holy."
The Most Holy in this passage, must mean Christ; for no human being can, or
ought to claim this appellation, save him whom God hath anointed to be a Savior
in Israel, and a King in Zion. See Acts x. 38, "How God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power." Also, Acts iv. 27, "For of a truth
against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast
anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the
Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever
thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done." Heb. i. 9, "Therefore
God, even thy God, hath anointed
thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."
It will next be requisite to inquire, When was Christ anointed?
I answer, When the Holy Ghost descended upon him, and when he was endued
with power from on high to work miracles. See Isa. lxi. 1, "The Spirit of the
Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath
anointed me to preach good
tidings unto the meek: he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are
bound."
After Christ was baptized by John, and after being tempted of the devil
forty days in the wilderness, he went in the spirit into Galilee, and on the
Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as his custom was, and he stood up to
read. They gave him the book of Isaiah. When he opened the book he found the
passage which I have just quoted. After reading it he shut up the book and sat
down. He then began to say unto them, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in
your ears," Luke iv. 1-21. This passage plainly proves that Christ was anointed
on or before this day.
Other things were to be done in the seventy weeks, such as, The cutting
off of the Messiah, but not for himself. This can mean nothing less than the
crucifixion of Christ. See Luke xxiv. 26, 46, "Ought not Christ to have suffered
these things, and to enter into his glory?" "Thus it is written, and thus it
behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day." Rom. v. 6,
"For when we were without strength, in due time (or according to the time of
seventy weeks) Christ died for us."
"And he (Messiah) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week."
What covenant is this to be confirmed? I answer, It cannot be the Jewish
covenant, for that was confirmed by Moses many hundred years before Daniel
lived. There being but two covenants, it must of necessity be the new covenant
of which Christ is the Mediator; Moses having been the mediator of the old, and
Christ afterwards of the new. If these things are so, and the gospel covenant is
meant by Daniel, then the time the gospel was preached by John and Christ is
here called a week; for Christ himself preached more than seven days. Christ
kept three passovers with the Jews after he began his ministry, and before he
nailed the ceremonial law to his cross. This is strong evidence that a week is
seven years, and that Daniel's 70 weeks are to be understood as meaning 490
years.
Again, "In the midst of the week he should cause the sacrifice and
oblation to cease," or, as all Hebrew scholars agree, "In the last half of the
week," &c., is the more proper translation; and it is evident that this
translation would harmonize with the other parts of the passage, "the sacrifice
and oblation to cease."
What sacrifice and offering is this, which the Messiah was to cause to
cease? I answer, It must of course be that one offering and sacrifice for sin of
which all other offerings and sacrifices were but types. It could not be the
Jewish sacrifices and offerings, for two good reasons.
1st. This is but one sacrifice, and the Jews had many. It does not say
sacrifices; therefore it cannot mean Jewish sacrifices, nor offerings.
2d reason. The Jewish sacrifices and offerings did not cease in, nor
even very nigh, the last half of the week in which the Messiah confirmed the
covenant with many; and, even to the present day, they make oblations, if not
sacrifices. It must mean that sacrifice and oblation which the Messiah was to
make to God for sin, once for all. It must mean that sacrifice which is the
antetype of all the legal sacrifices from the days of Abel to the days of the
Messiah. Let us hear what Paul says, Heb. vii. 27, "Who needeth not daily, as
those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for
the people's; for this he did once
when he offered up himself."
See also Heb. x. 11, 12. "And every priest standeth daily ministering,
and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but
this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down on the
right hand of God." Many more passages might be brought to show that all
sacrifices and oblations which could take away sin, or in which God the Father
could be well pleased, ceased in Christ's one sacrifice and oblation. But I have
given enough to satisfy every candid, unprejudiced mind; therefore I shall,
II. Try to prove when the seventy weeks began, and when they ended.
The angel Gabriel tells Daniel, ix. 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
threescore and two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in
troublous times."
In this passage we have a plain declaration when the seventy weeks
began: "from the going forth of the commandment." But what commandment? we may
inquire. I answer, A command that will finally
restore
the Jews from their captivity under which they then were held in bondage; also
to prepare the way for them to rebuild their city, repeople the same, and raise
up the decayed walls, settle the streets, and cleanse the city of Jerusalem; and
these things would be done in troublous times. So much is expressed or implied
in the declaration of Gabriel, which I have just quoted.
Who would give the command? is the next question. I answer, It must be a
king who had power over the Jews to release and restore them. It must of
necessity be a king over the Medes and Persians, or it would not be in agreement
with the vision in the 8th chapter of Daniel; for he is expressly told by
Gabriel that the ram he saw, and which was the first thing he did see in the
vision, were the kings of Media and Persia. And now this same angel Gabriel has
come the second time, and tells Daniel, plainly and distinctly, that he has come
to make him "understand the
vision." What vision? The one Daniel had in the beginning, in the 8th chapter.
See Daniel ix. 21-23.
Then Gabriel begins his instructions by giving him seventy weeks of the
vision, and then shows him, verse 24, when his seventy weeks begin; or, which is
the same thing, "the vision."
To read and understand the matter thus far, infidelity itself must blush to deny
the premises.
Then, if we have settled this question, the next question would be,
Which king of Persia, and what commandment? I answer, It must be the fifth king
of Persia noted in the Scripture of truth; for the angel Gabriel, the third time
he visited Daniel to give him skill and understanding into
"the vision," says, "But I will
show thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth," Dan. x. 21. This shows
that he was instructing Daniel into a vision which he before had seen, and
written in the Scriptures. See Dan. vii. 1, "Then he wrote the dream, and told
the sum of the matters." Dan. x. 14, "Now I am come to make thee understand what
shall befall thy people in the latter days; for yet
the vision is for many days." What vision? The one
noted in the Scripture of truth, says Gabriel. Then, in Dan. xi. 2, he begins
his instruction to him of the vision,
which he was commanded by the voice between the banks of Ulai to make him
understand, by saying, "And now will I show thee the truth. Behold, there shall
stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they
all." This fourth king was the ram pushing, and was the fifth king of Persia,
being the fourth from Cyrus, who was then standing up. See Dan. x. 1.
The kings, as Ezra has named them in his 4th chapter and 7th chapter,
were, 1st, Cyrus; 2d, Ahasuerus; 3d, Artaxerxes, (the first;) 4th, Darius; 5th,
Artaxerxes (Longimanus;) this last being the king who gave a commandment to Ezra
to restore all the captive Jews who were willing to go to Jerusalem.
What commandment? is our next question to answer. The decree given by
Cyrus (see Ezra i. 1-11) cannot be the decree meant by the angel, for the four
following reasons:--
1st. Cyrus was the first king of Persia, and of course cannot be the
fifth king, as we have already shown.
2d reason. The decree of Cyrus was two years before the angel gave his
last instruction to Daniel, and he would not have spoken of it as being future,
if it had already passed: "There shall yet stand up three kings," &c.
3d reason. Cyrus's decree was not given to build Jerusalem, but "the
house of God which was at Jerusalem;" neither were the walls built in troublous
times, under the decree by Cyrus.
4th reason. This decree by Cyrus was given 536 years before the birth of
Christ, or 569 years before his death. Therefore no rules of interpretation
given in the Scriptures could possibly show how those things were accomplished
in seventy weeks, which Gabriel has shown, in our text and context, were
determined to be done. This, then, cannot be the commandment, and harmonize with
either Bible or facts.
Again: the decree given by Darius, Ezra vi. 1-14, cannot be the
commandment to which the angel alluded, for the same reasons we have shown that
Cyrus's decree could not be the one; for this was only a renewal of the former,
and this decree was issued 552 years before Christ's death.
The next decree or command of any king of Persia we find in the seventh
year of Artaxerxes (Longimanus.) See Ezra vii. 6-28. In this decree we find the
last command of any king of Persia to restore the captive Jews. We learn that,
in this decree, the king furnished them with money and means to beautify and
adorn the temple which had been built by Darius's order a number of years
before. We find that the interdict, Ezra iv. 21, in which the Jews were
commanded not to build Jerusalem, is now removed by its own limitation, "until
another commandment be given from me." This decree, therefore, took off this
command. We learn by Ezra's prayer, ix. 9, that Ezra understood that the decree
to which we allude did give them the privilege of building, in Judah and
Jerusalem, the wall which had been broken down. After Ezra had been high priest
and governor in Jerusalem thirteen years, Nehemiah was permitted to go up to
assist Ezra in building Jerusalem and repairing the walls; which was done in
troublous times, under Nehemiah's administration, which lasted in all 39 years.
See Nehemiah, 4th to the 7th chapter; Ezra and Nehemiah, both of them having
served as governors 49 years.
Here, then, we find the fulfilment of what the angel told Daniel would
be done under the command that would begin the seventy weeks, and which is the
same thing--"the vision."
This decree was given 457 years before Christ: the seventy weeks began, and if
they ended at the death of Christ, which we have proved did end them, then the
seventy weeks ended after Christ 33 years, making, in all, 490 years, which is
70 weeks of years.
But it is evident that Gabriel has divided the seventy weeks into three
parts, and I think clearly explains the use of this division.
"Shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks." Then, as if you
should inquire, What is seven weeks for? he explains, "The street shall be built
again, and the wall, even in troublous times." Ezra and Nehemiah were 49 years,
or seven weeks of years, performing these very things, which ended before Christ
408. See large edition of Polyglot Bible. What is sixty-two weeks for? The angel
has already told us, "Unto the Messiah, the Prince;" that is, to the time Christ
was anointed to preach, the meaning of Messiah. Sixty-two weeks are 434 days; or
weeks of years would be 434 years, which, beginning where the seven weeks ended,
408, would end 26 years after Christ, the year John began to preach as
forerunner of Christ. Then "he shall confirm the covenant with many for one
week," making in all the seventy weeks. Thus the seven weeks ended with the
administration of Nehemiah, B.C. 408. Then the sixty-two weeks ended when John
began to preach the gospel, A.D. 26; and the one week was fulfilled in A.D. 33,
when Christ offered himself upon the cross, as an offering and sacrifice for
sin; "by which offering we are sanctified once for all." For he need not offer
himself often, as the high priest did, under the law. "But now, once in the end
of the world, hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."
Heb. ix. 26, Therefore, "he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease."
That is the only and last sacrifice and oblation that will be ever offered in
our world, which can take away sin; "for there remaineth," says the apostle, "no
more sacrifice for sin." Then let me inquire, What is the sum of the instruction
of the angel to Daniel? I will sum it up in as few words as I can.
After Daniel had a certain vision, commonly called "the vision of the
ram, the he-goat, and the little horn," Daniel heard one saint inquire of
another, how long that vision should be. The answer was given Daniel, that it
should be unto 2300 days, when the sanctuary should be cleansed or justified.
Daniel then heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called and
said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. Accordingly, Gabriel came
to Daniel, and informed him that at the end of the world, or time appointed of
God, the vision should be fulfilled. He then tells him that the ram represented
the Mede and Persian kingdom; and that the rough goat represented the Grecian
kingdom; gives a short history of that kingdom, and its four divisions; then
shows, at the close of these kingdoms, that another king would arise, (meaning
the kingdom of the little horn, or Roman,) describing him exactly as Moses had
described the Romans many centuries before. See Deuteronomy xxviii. 49, 50. "The
Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as
swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; a
nation of fierce countenance." This, no person will dispute, means the Romans.
Then why not a similar description in Daniel, viii. 23? "When the transgressors
(meaning the Jews) are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and
understanding dark sentences, shall stand up, and his power shall be mighty, but
not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and
practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people."
I think the reader, divested of prejudice, cannot apply the description
given in the above quotation to any other nation but the Romans. "And through
his policy, he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand." This description
agrees with Paul's man of sin, the mystery of iniquity which worked in his day,
and which would be destroyed by the brightness of Christ's coming. See 2 Thess.
ii. 3-8. "So that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that
he is God." Gabriel says, "And he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by
peace shall destroy many; he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;"
that is, against God; the very same character which Paul has described. "But he
shall be broken without hand," that is, "by the brightness of his (Christ's)
coming," as says Paul. But as Daniel has said, "By the stone cut out of the
mountain without hand;" or, as he says, Daniel vii. 21, 22, "I beheld, and the
same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed over them, until the Ancient
of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the
time came that the saints possessed the kingdom."
After Gabriel had instructed Daniel thus far, he left him. Sixteen years
afterwards, Gabriel came again to Daniel, and informed him that he had come to
instruct him, and give him skill and understanding into the vision, of which we
have been speaking. He then gives him the seventy weeks, shows what would be
accomplished in that time, the cutting off of the Messiah, and the ceasing of
the sacrifice and oblation. He mentions the destruction of Jerusalem, and the
war of the little horn; the desolation of the people of God, and overspreading
of abominations. He carries us to the consummation, destruction of the little
horn, called here the desolator. See marginal reading. Gabriel, after giving the
history of the seventy weeks, dwells not in detail on the remainder of the
vision, but reserves a more detailed account for the next visit, which is given
unto us in the 10th to the 12th chapter of Daniel inclusive.
But the seventy weeks, of which we are more particularly speaking, the
angel Gabriel has told us when it began: at the going forth of the commandment
to restore and build Jerusalem, &c. We have found no command that will apply in
all its bearings, but the one given to Ezra, which was given in the 457th year
before the birth of Christ; and 33 years afterwards Christ was crucified; which
two numbers, if added, make 490 years, exactly seventy weeks of years. We learn
that Gabriel, in order to make the vision doubly sure, divides 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 separately.
1st. Seven weeks. "The street shall be built again, and the wall, even
in troublous times." No man can dispute but that this was accomplished under the
administration 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.
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 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 crucified, 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.
Here, then, is a combination of facts and circumstances, together with
dates and times, which throws upon the mind such strong array of testimony, that
it would seem no rational being could withstand the proof. And methinks I hear
some say, Why all this argument? No one but a Jew ever disputed, but that the
seventy weeks were fulfilled at the death of Christ, and that a day in this
prophecy was a figure of a year.
I should not have been thus particular, and have trespassed so much on
your time to prove a given point in Christendom, had I not recently met with
more than one Christian professor, and even teachers in Zion, who deny that the
seventy weeks ended with the death of Christ, or that a day in this prophecy
means a year. Some have gone so far in infidelity as to deny that "Most Holy,"
in our text, and "Messiah," in our context, means Christ. This surely would make
a Jew blush. I agree that I never anticipated that any objection could be raised
on those points, without a wilful perversion of language, and a total disregard
of the word of God.
But man, in his fallen state, is an unaccountable, strange being; if his
favorite notions are crossed, he will, to avoid conclusions, deny even his own
senses. Therefore it becomes necessary for me to prove, what has been considered
by many, even of the objectors themselves in previous time, given points in
theology.
It is not more than four years since many of the clergy and D.D.'s in
the city of New York met a delegation of the Jewish patriarchs from the East,
and in their conference the clergy and doctors brought forward the seventy weeks
in Daniel, as proof positive of Jesus of Nazareth being the true Messiah. They
explained the seventy weeks in the same manner I have to you, and asked the Jews
how they could avoid the conclusion? and I understood they could get no answer.
Now, suppose these same clergy and D.D.'s should meet me on the question now
pending; I should not be greatly disappointed if they should deny my premises.
"Why would they do thus?" say you. I answer, For the same reason that the lawyer
hesitated, when he learned that it was his bull that gored the farmer's ox.
"But might we not understand the seventy weeks to be so many literal
weeks, that is, 490 common days?" say you. I answer, If so, then the command to
build Jerusalem must have been given only a year and a third before Christ's
death; and it would have been very improper for Gabriel to have said, "Unto the
Messiah, the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks," when
he had already come, and had been preaching more than two years before the weeks
began. No, my friends; every reasonable controversialist must acknowledge there
is no possible way to get rid of our conclusion but to deny that Most Holy, and
Messiah, means Christ, in our text and context. And I pity, and leave the man in
the hands of him who knows all hearts, that is forced on to ground so untenable
as this.
If I have got a right understanding of the seventy weeks, that a day
stands for a year,--and I have never been able to find a Christian expositor who
disagrees with me on this point, either modern or ancient,--then the conclusion
is, as far as I can see, unavoidable, that the vision of Daniel is 2300 years
long, and that the 490 years before Christ's death is not only the key to unlock
the commencing of the vision, but shows conclusively how and when, and manner
and time, the kingdoms of this world will be broken to pieces and carried away,
and no place found for them, by the stone which will become a great mountain and
fill the whole earth.
For the seventy weeks must seal up the vision and make the prophecy of
Daniel true. Then, if 2300 days is the length of the vision, and 490 days of
that vision were fulfilled in 490 years ending with Christ's death, so must 1810
days end the vision, which, upon precisely the same rule, will be fulfilled in
1810 years after Christ's death, or in 1843 after his birth, which is the same
thing.
But, say some, "Daniel did not understand the vision nor end." Then the
angel Gabriel was not obedient to the heavenly command; for he was commanded to
make Daniel "understand the vision," and the vision and end are connected by the
angel himself. He says, "At the time of the end shall be the vision."
Again: if Daniel did not understand, the angel must have been
disappointed; for the angel says, "Behold, I will make thee know what shall be
in the last end
of the indignation; for at the time
appointed, (2300 days,) the end
shall be."
Again: if Daniel did not understand the vision and time, then his own
words cannot be taken as evidence. "A thing was revealed unto Daniel, and the
thing was true, but the time appointed (2300 days) was long." This shows that
Daniel understood the time; for he says it was
long. For
no man would have called 2300 common days (not quite seven years) a long time
for so many great and important events, as are noticed in the vision, to
transpire in. "And he understood the thing, (that is, the time,) and had
understanding of the vision." Daniel x. 1.
Now, let the objector quarrel with Gabriel and Daniel if he pleases. I
have their testimony, and shall give them the preference. Some say, "God has not
revealed the time." I ask, then, Who revealed this vision to Daniel? By whose
command was the answer given, 2300 days? Who revealed the seventy weeks, the
"time, times, and a half"? How came Daniel by his 1290 and 1335 days? Who said
to Daniel, "But go thou thy way till the end
be, for thou shalt rest and stand in thy lot at the
end of the days"? Read
Daniel ii. 20, 23, and 28th verses, and let the objector lay his hands upon his
mouth and be silent. Has man become so bold in sin that he will contradict
angels, defame the prophets, deny the word of God, that we may cry peace and
safety, when sudden destruction cometh? "But if ye will not hear Moses and the
prophets, neither would you though one rose from the dead." Peter says, "There
shall be scoffers in the last day, saying, Where is the promise of his coming?"
God has not revealed the time
of the end,
say you; therefore it will be no harm for you to "say in your hearts, My Lord
delayeth his coming."
Who shall tell the friend of the bridegroom when to give the midnight
cry, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh"? For this must be before he comes--no time
then to cry; for it will be as sudden as the lightning, says the dear Savior.
Let the objectors look to it, that they do not reject the council of God
against themselves.
"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, (ignorant of the revelation of
God,) that that day shall overtake you as a thief."
Amen.
Lecture 5:
REV. 8:18
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast;
for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.
THIS text has caused as much
speculation as any text in the whole Bible; rivers of ink have been shed to
explain its meaning, brains have been addled in trying to find some great
mystery which the wisdom of this world, as was supposed, could only discover;
and in trying to be wise above what was written, men have lost their balance,
and fell into absurdities too ridiculous to mention. Some have searched through
all the vocabulary of Greek names, to find one whose numerical letters would
make the number 666, and they have been wonderfully blest, for they found a
number; but here again there remained a difficulty to surmount, which required
as much ingenuity as the former; but to remedy the evil, every Greek scholar
chose the one his fancy dictated, wrote his book on the number 666, and then
died, and his wonderful name died with him; for every wise Greek had his own
favorite name. Also, the Latin book-worms, not wishing to be outdone by their
Greek brethren, rummaged all the old goatskin parchments and musty books in the
cloisters of all the monks in Christendom; and behold, a much greater harvest
was the fruit of their labor; for now every Latinus had three or more names to
his share; and in all this wisdom, all other nations were left without any
wisdom, except what they borrowed from their neighbors, the learned Greeks and
Latins. But I hope, my dear hearers, that you have learned that if there is any
mystery of God not explained by the Bible, it is not for us to understand.
Therefore, in treating upon this subject, I shall endeavor to present the
Scripture on the point, and then leave you to judge whether we have light or
not.
I. Show what wisdom this is spoken of in the text.
II. Speak of the beast numbered, and show what beast.
III. The number, and what we may understand by it.
I. The wisdom spoken of in the text.
1st. Is it the wisdom of men, or of this world? I answer, No. For Paul
says, 1 Cor. ii. 4, 13, "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing
words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power; that
your faith should not stand in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God.
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this
world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought. But we speak the
wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the
world unto our glory." Now, if Paul would not preach the wisdom of men or the
world, surely the angel would not instruct John to use the wisdom of man or of
this world, "for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God," 1 Cor. iii.
19. And if Paul said our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, neither
would John have given any thing that depended on the wisdom of men for a
foundation of our faith. But Paul has taught us what true wisdom is, by saying,
"Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God;" "But God hath revealed them
unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things
of God." And Paul tells us how we may exercise this wisdom, 1 Cor. ii. 13,
"Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but
which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." Here,
then, my dear hearer, is the great secret of wisdom, to compare spiritual things
with spiritual; and then we have the mind and will of the Spirit, and shall not
be very liable to err. Let us, then, follow this rule while we try to explain.
II. The beast numbered in the text. And,
1st. Let us inquire what beast it is. I answer, It is the first beast.
See our context, 12th verse, "And he exerciseth all the power of the first
beast before him;" that is, the beast which John saw come up out of the sea,
(the Roman government,) having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten
crowns, and upon his head the name of blasphemy; 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." By this beast, I understand the same as Daniel's fourth kingdom, the
Roman government; by "names of blasphemy," I understand a mode of worship which
would be idolatrous or blasphemous; by the dragon, we must understand the civil
power of the same government giving its power to the ecclesiastical beast,
whether Pagan or Papal. 3d verse, "And I saw one of his heads, (of blasphemy,
Pagan) as it were, wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed, (by the
substitution of the Papal blasphemous head;) and all the world wondered after
the beast."
John then goes on to describe the civil power of this Roman government
under this last head, and shows the length of time they would exercise this last
power--"forty-two months"--which is the same as Daniel's time, times, and a
half, or John's 1260 days, mentioned Rev. xi. 3, xii. 6. His power to make war
and overcome the saints is foretold. In the tenth verse he shows us how this
civil power should be destroyed, by captivity and the sword; and this was
fulfilled in 1798, when the pope was carried a captive into France, and the
states of Italy were conquered by the sword of the French army. In the 11th
verse he gives us a discovery of the same beast in his ecclesiastical power;
Pagan Rome in the first beast, and Papacy in the image beast; and it will be
evident to any one who will examine the chapter carefully, that John was not
commanded to number the image beast--for the civil power of that beast was
before numbered in the 5th verse,--but the beast which existed before him, which
the Papal ecclesiastical beast is an image of, or Daniel's daily sacrifice
abomination, (Dan. xii. 11,) the one which Paul said, "he who now letteth will
let, until he be taken out of the way."
In this passage it is evident the apostle alludes to the same power,
although he calls it the "working of Satan." John also gives a similar
description in Rev. xii. 9, "And the dragon was cast out, that old serpent,
called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out
into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." But I have another
evidence that the beast numbered was Pagan Rome, and I think it must be
conclusive testimony, in Rev. xvii. 3. In this chapter one of the seven angels
that had the seven vials came to instruct John, and to show him "the judgment of
the great whore with whom the kings of the earth had committed fornication, and
the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her
fornication." "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness, and I
saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy,
having seven heads and ten horns."
Here the same idolatrous beast, having seven heads and ten horns,
is described; the woman sitting upon this beast is the same as Daniel's
little horn which came up among the ten horns, and shows plainly that it was
that part of Roman power which was prior to the woman, and was of course called
the first beast. When John saw this woman on the scarlet-colored
beast, he wondered with great admiration, and says, Rev. xvii. 7, "And the
angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of
the woman and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads
and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall
ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition, and they that dwell on
the earth shall wonder, whose 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." "That was," Pagan Rome before John saw his vision, "and is
not," yet in its last stage of Papal Rome, "and yet is," in the same spirit, for
Papal Rome is but an image of Paganism, as says the Apostle, 2 Thess. ii. 6, 7,
"And now ye know what withholdeth, that he may be revealed in his time, for the
mystery of iniquity doth already work." And, 1 John ii. 18, "Little children, it
is the last time, and as ye have heard that anti-Christ shall come, even now are
there many anti-Christs, whereby we know it is the last time." And again, Rev.
xvii. 9, "And here is the mind which hath wisdom;" evidently referring John
right back to our text, "Here is wisdom; let him that hath understanding," the
same as mind in the above quotation. "The seven heads are seven mountains
on which the woman sitteth, and there are seven kings; five are fallen, one is,
and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short
space, and the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is
of the seven, and goeth into perdition." These texts explain the whole matter;
for it is evident that the beast here alluded to was the seven-headed
monster who was then in existence when John wrote, for five of its executive
forms of government (of which kings and mountains are figures) had fallen.
Republican Rome had five different offices under that particular form of
government--her senatorial, tribunate, consular, decemvir, and
triumvirate. These were fallen. One is, (that was when John wrote his
prophecy,) Imperial, and the other had not yet come, Kingly, which
is the same as the ten horns. For when the Western Empire fell, Rome was divided
into ten kingdoms, "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which
have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the
beast." These have one mind, (that is, were all converted to the Catholic
faith,) and shall give their power and strength unto the beast, Papal Rome.
"These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is
Lord of lords and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and
chosen, and faithful." And although this beast, whatever form it may assume,
whether Pagan or Papal, may for a season tyrannize over and trample on the
followers of Christ, through the agency of the evil power of empires, kingdoms,
states, or republics, yet He who rules over all, will, in the end, destroy all
these powers, and himself reign King of kings and Lord over all. "And the ten
horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall
make her desolate and naked, and cut her flesh, and burn her with fire."
This text has been literally accomplished within a few years; and those
kingdoms which were of the ten, kingdoms which first gave power to the beast,
have of late persecuted and destroyed her, who is the abomination of the whole
earth. Witness the transactions of Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal,
Austria, Naples, and Tuscany, the Seven Kingdoms which were not plucked up by
the little horn; each of these nations have in their turn resisted the power and
pretensions of the Pope of Rome, until his civil authority is reduced to a
cipher in all these kingdoms. "For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his
will, and to agree and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God
shall be fulfilled." Then must the Papal beast, the image of Paganism, be
numbered and finished, and like a weighty mill-stone sunk in the deep, he must
with the Pagan beast sink forever and ever.
Thus we see the two beasts, although supported by the same power, "the
great red dragon or Roman kingdom," exercising the same authority over the
bodies and souls of men, partaking of the same spirit of Satan, made like each
other, one being but an image of the other, having the same names of blasphemy
on their heads, and both having, at the close of their times, the same ten
horns, and both have, and are to have, their civil power destroyed by the same
ten horns. Yet we see them kept separate and distinct. Pagan Rome must reign his
time, and then the ten horns, or kings, would take away the "daily sacrifice
abomination," and place in his stead the "abomination that maketh desolate." The
last abomination was numbered in the same chapter where our text is found,
"forty and two months." And why not give us the number of the first beast? He
has: "Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is
the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six." This
brings us to our next proposition.
III. To show what we may understand by the numbering of the beast. And,
1st. What may we understand by numbering anything of this kind in
Scripture? For the Scripture must be our guide, as we have before said.
I answer, It is to count, to finish, or to destroy, when used in a
figurative sense, or in prophetic Scripture, as in Isa. xxii. 10, "And ye have
numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to
fortify the wall." They were accused by the prophet of destroying houses, by
numbering them or counting them for destruction. Also see Isa. lxv. 12,
"Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to
the slaughter." Here again it is used in the same sense: I will reckon or count
you to the sword. Again, Dan. v. 25, 26, "And this is the hand-writing that was
written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing:
MENE, God hath numbered thy kingdom and hath finished it."
As, therefore, the idolatrous and blasphemous kingdom of Babylon was
numbered and finished by God, whose decree was conveyed by the hand-writing on
the wall to the knowledge of Daniel and others, so was John commanded, by the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to write in this last book of prophecy, the
MENE, TEKEL, of this last idolatrous Pagan beast. "Here is wisdom." Let a wise
Daniel, or him that hath the wisdom of God like a Daniel, or "let him that hath
understanding" in the work of God, or him that will compare scripture with
scripture, "count the number of the beast," or the number of his name.
Let us inquire what is the name of this beast. His name is blasphemy,
because he causes all, both high and low, rich and poor, bond and free, to
worship stocks and stones, idols of gold, and silver, and wood, that can neither
see, hear, nor talk. See the 1st verse of our context, "and upon his head the
name of blasphemy," which teaches us what the name of this beast is, and
shows us that we are to count, or reckon, how long before the blasphemies of
this Pagan power will be finished; "for it is the number of a man." And what,
you may inquire, is the number of a man? I answer again, We must apply to God's
word "the number of a man."
Moses says, Exodus xxiii. 26, "The number of thy days I will fulfil."
Job, speaking of man, says, xiv. 5, "Seeing his days are determined, the number
of his months is with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass."
David says, Ps. xc. 12, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our
hearts unto wisdom." Therefore, we may reasonably conclude that the "number of a
man" is the number of his days; and the Scriptures often speak of man in
connection with his time of sojourn on the earth, calling it days; as,
"few and evil have been the days of my pilgrimage;" "died, being old and
full of days;" "length of days is in her right hand;" "all the
days of thy life;" "I will wait all the days of my appointed time
until my change come." If this is the understanding of this part of our text,
which I cannot see any reason to doubt, then our text has this plain meaning.
Here is need of spiritual wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count
the number of his days; for his days are numbered as a man's; they are
six hundred threescore and six. This power (Rome Pagan) would be taken away when
his six hundred and sixty-six prophetic days should end; and this brings us to
show when those days began, and of course when they ended.
They must have begun when the Jewish rites and ceremonies were in being;
for this was the sole object of Paganism, to counteract the Jewish rituals and
draw the Jewish worshippers into idolatry, and to blend the heathen rites with
theirs. They must have begun before Christ was born, for the great red dragon
having seven heads and ten horns was to stand before the woman, (the Jewish
Church,) ready to devour the man child as soon as it was born. They could not
have begun before they became connected with the Jews, for the reason that no
nation is prophesied of, or noticed in the prophecies, except they are somehow
connected with the people of God; and for the very reason that this beast was to
tread down the Jews, and finally, by cunning, deceit, and intrigue, destroy the
city and nation of the Jews, then I think the fairest conclusion is, that when
they became connected with the Jews by league, and when they had conquered
Daniel's third kingdom, the Grecian. Then, and not until then, had the Romans
any part in this prophecy. This agrees with the angel's statement, Dan. xi. 23,
"After the league made with him, (that is, Romans,) he shall work deceitfully,
and become strong with a small (republican) people." This league was made
between the Romans and the Jews, ratified and carried into effect when the
Greeks under Bachides left besieging Jerusalem, upon the command of the Romans,
and, as Josephus and Maccabees tell us, never returned to trouble them (the
Jews) any more. This league, then, took effect when the third kingdom in
Daniel's vision ceased harassing the Jews, and the fourth kingdom began its rule
over the Jews and the world. This was in the year B.C. 158. Let those who wish
to be satisfied of the correctness of the foregoing statements read the 8th and
9th chapters of the 1st Maccabees, and Josephus, B. XII. chapter x. sec. 6, of
his Antiquities. Then, if this be correct, that Pagan Rome began his power in
the year B.C. 158, and was to continue 666 years, when would Paganism fall in
the Roman kingdom, and the "daily sacrifice abomination" be taken out of the way
to make room for the abomination of desolation? I answer, Take 158 from 666 and
you will have 508. Then in the year A.D. 508 Paganism ceased.
What is the history of that time? I answer, that about the year A.D. 476
the Western Empire of Rome crumbled to pieces, and the Pagan nations of the
north, crossing the Rhine and the Danube, established ten kingdoms in what was
considered the Western Empire. France was the principal kingdom of the ten.
These kingdoms were all governed by Pagan kings; and history informs us that in
the city of Rome and other places in the empire these Pagan conquerors
sacrificed men, women, and children to their supposed deities; and that in the
year 496 Clovis king of France was converted and baptized into the Christian
faith; and that the remainder of these kings embraced the religion of Christ
shortly after, the last of which was Christianized in the year 508, and of
course Paganism ceased, having lost its head by the power of the sword, or kings
who wield the sword. Here, then, was the accomplishment of two important
prophecies--the daily sacrifice abomination taken out of the way, and the Pagan
beast receiving its deadly wound by a sword; since which time we have no account
of any Pagan rites or sacrifices being offered within the bounds of ancient
Rome. How exactly has the word of God been accomplished! How just and true are
all the ways of the God of heaven! And how blind are mortals that they cannot
see their own destiny in the rise and fall of others! I am astonished sometimes
when I reflect on the simple truths of the word of God, the exact fulfilment of
the prophecies, that more do not believe, repent, and turn to God.
Lecture 6:
DANIEL 10:14
"Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter
days; for yet the vision is for many days."
THIS is the third time the angel
Gabriel came to instruct Daniel. The first time was when Daniel had the vision
of the he-goat, Daniel viii. 16. This was 553 years before Christ. The second
time he came was when Daniel was praying for the deliverance of his people from
their Babylonish captivity, fifteen years after the first visit, when he
instructed him into the seventy weeks, and the crucifixion of the Messiah. Now
he has come in the third year of Cyrus the Persian, in the 534 B.C., 21 years
after Daniel had his vision of the four beasts, nineteen after the he-goat, and
four years after the seventy weeks' instruction.
After informing Daniel his purpose, as in our text, and making some
preliminary observations concerning the vision in the remainder of the
tenth chapter, he begins his teachings to Daniel, and through him to us, with
the first of the 11th chapter. 1st verse, he tells who he, the heavenly
messenger, is--the same who confirmed Daniel in the seventy weeks. See Daniel
ix. 1, 21. And in the second verse he begins with the fifth king of Persia, the
very same king who issued the decree to Ezra to go up and build the walls of
Jerusalem, which began our seventy weeks, Daniel ix. 25; Ezra vii. 1-14. For the
first Persian king was then on the throne, Daniel x. 1, which was the third year
of the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia. This was the same Cyrus who was general
and son-in-law to Darius the Mede, that conquered Babylon. Besides whom "there
should be yet three kings," which three kings were Artaxerxes, Darius, and
Ahasuerus, as they are named in Scripture. See Ezra, iv. v. and vi. chapters. I
am aware that history has named four where Scripture has only named three.
History names, 1, Cambyses; 2, Smerdis, same as Artaxerxes above named in
Scripture; 3, Darius, son of Hystaspes, same as above; 4, Xerxes, same as
Scripture calls Ahasuerus. Why the Scripture did not name Cambyses, if there was
such a king, I am not able to tell, unless his reign was so short (which all
historians agree in) that he had no hand in building or hindering the building
of the temple at Jerusalem, as the other three kings had, which Ezra has named.
But as Gabriel did not come to tell Daniel any thing which was not "noted in the
Scripture of truth," (see Daniel x. 21, "But I will show thee that which is
noted in the Scripture of truth,") therefore the language of our text now under
examination will be this--"There shall stand up yet three kings in Persia,
(noted in the Scripture of truth,) and the fourth shall be far richer than they
all," &c. This fourth king was Artaxerxes Longimanus, and is the same king noted
in Ezra vii., and the first and only king of Persia "noted in the Scriptures,"
who ever gave a decree to rebuild the walls and streets of Jerusalem, especially
in troublous times. We may therefore reasonably and conclusively determine that
the messenger Gabriel begins his instruction with this king's reign, the 5th
king noted in Scripture. And if so, we have another strong and forcible evidence
that Daniel's vision of the ram and he-goat began with the seventy weeks, 457
years before the birth of Christ, and 490 years, or 70 prophetic weeks, before
his death, Dan. xi. 3, 4. We have the plain history of Alexander, the conqueror
of the world, his death, and division of the kingdom into four great empires.
Hear what Gabriel says of him more than 200 years before the event happened, and
learn, ye skeptics, the evidence that this prophecy is of divine origin. "And a
mighty king shall stand up that shall rule with great dominion, and do according
to his will. 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," (that is, his posterity.)
Need I, then, tell my hearers that history tells us that Alexander
conquered the then known world in about six years, and that he died 323 B.C. at
Babylon; that his kingdom was divided among his greatest generals, from which
division arose four great kingdoms, Egypt in the south, Persia in the east,
Syria in the north, and Macedonia in the west, which kingdoms lasted until
conquered by the Romans? Between the years 190 and 30 B.C. nearly all these
kingdoms became Roman provinces. From Daniel xi. 5, 13, inclusive, we have a
prophecy of the two principal kingdoms out of these four--Egypt and Syria; and
any one who may have the curiosity to see the exact agreement between the
prophecy and history, can read Rollin's Ancient History, where he has not only
given us the history, but applied this prophecy. And as I see no reason to
disagree from him in his application of these texts, I shall, therefore, for
brevity's sake, pass over these texts, and examine the text, Dan. xi. 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; but
they shall fall." The king of the south, in this verse, without any doubt, means
king of Egypt; but what the robbers of thy people means remains yet a
doubt perhaps to some. That it cannot Antiochus, or any king of Syria, it is
plain; for the angel had been talking about that nation for a number of verses
previous, and now says, "also the robbers of thy people," &c., evidently
implying some other nation. I will admit that Antiochus did perhaps rob the
Jews; but how could this "establish the vision," performing any act of that
kind; for he belonged to what is called the Grecian kingdom in the vision.
Again, "to establish the vision," must mean to make sure, complete, or
fulfil the same. And if it cannot be shown that the Grecian kingdom was to rob
the people of God, I think it must mean some other nation which would do these
acts, to which every word will apply. And to this we need not be at a loss; for
at this very time of which the angel is speaking, Rome, the least kingdom in
Daniel's vision, did exalt itself, and this kingdom did have the very marks in
the vision, and in the events following. This kingdom was to have great
iron teeth; it was to break in pieces, and stamp the residue with the feet of
it. The vision also says, "He shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and
practise, and shall destroy the mighty and holy people, and that he should
magnify himself," &c., the same as exalt himself, Daniel vii. 7, 23; viii.
10-12, 24, 25 verses. And it cannot be denied but that the Jews have been robbed
of their city and sanctuary by the Romans, and the Christian church has been
persecuted and robbed by this dreadful beast, the Roman kingdom. It is evident
too that when this kingdom falls, the vision will be completed,
fulfilled, established: "but they shall fall," says the angel in the verse under
our present examination; "they shall fall;" that is, the ten horns in this
fourth kingdom, when the vision is fulfilled or established, and when the stone
cut out of the mountain without hands shall grind them to powder. We will take
the 15th, "So the king of the north" (Rome is now the king of the north, because
they had conquered the Macedonian kingdom, and had become masters of the
countries north and east before they attacked Egypt) "shall come and cast up a
mount, and take the most fenced cities; and the arms of the south shall not
withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to
withstand." This was about fifty years before Christ, when Pompey, a Roman
general, conquered Egypt, and made that kingdom tributary to the Romans, and
afterwards entered Jerusalem, and made them subjects of the Roman government.
See verses 16 and 17, "But he that cometh against him" (Pompey coming against
Egypt) "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. He
shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and
upright ones with him," (or men of equal conditions, as it might have been
rendered.) The Roman army, of which Pompey had the command, when he went into
Egypt and Palestine, were composed of the sons of all the principal citizens of
Rome, who were, according to the laws of the republic, to serve ten years in the
service of their country before they were admitted to receive the high offices
which they might afterwards be candidates for. This accounts for the language
just read in the text--"upright ones with him." And "thus shall he do: he shall
give him the daughter of woman, corrupting her; but she shall not stand on his
side nor be for him." When Pompey went into Egypt, he found that country divided
between Ptolemy and Cleopatra. Pompey, after he had made them tributary to the
Romans, compelled them to settle their differences by marriage. Afterwards, when
Julius Cæsar came against Pompey with his western veterans, with whom he had
conquered the west part of Europe, and in the battle fought between these two
contending rivals, Pompey and Julius Cæsar, Cleopatra had the command of the
Egyptian fleet on the side of Pompey; but in the midst of the action she
deserted over to Cæsar with her whole fleet, which turned the fortune of the day
in favor of Julius Cæsar. Pompey then fled into the Grecian isles, where he
compelled many of them to declare in his favor. But Cæsar soon followed him, and
at the battle of Pharsalia completely defeated Pompey, who was slain by a band
of pirates or robbers. This part we have in the 18th verse, "After this shall he
(Pompey) turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many; but a prince (Cæsar)
for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him (Pompey) to cease;
without his own (Cæsar) reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him, (Pompey:)
19th verse, "Then he (Cæsar) shall turn his face towards the fort of his own
land; but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found." This history of Cæsar's
death is familiar to every school-boy. After he had conquered Pompey, he
returned to Rome, entered the city in triumph, and a few days after, when he was
about to be crowned Emperor, he was slain in the senate-house, before Pompey's
pillar, by his own friends; "he stumbled and fell, and was not found." 20th
verse, "Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes, in the glory of the
kingdom; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger nor in
battle." This verse describes Octavius Cæsar, who first taxed the Roman
provinces, Judea being taxed (see Luke ii. 1, 5) when our Savior was born; but
Octavius Cæsar, afterwards called Augustus Cæsar, was not slain like his uncle
Julius, nor like his successors; but died peaceably in his bed. 21st and 22d
verses, "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. And with the arms of a flood shall they be overthrown
from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also, the prince of the covenant." In
these two verses we have the history of Tiberius Cæsar, who was the successor of
Octavius Cæsar in the Roman empire; and was one of the most vile, profligate,
bloody tyrants that ever sat upon the Roman throne. History gives us the same
account, that he obtained by flatteries the kingdom, and afterwards ruled it by
tyranny. He also assumed the name of Augustus. In his reign Christ was
crucified, "the Prince of the covenant was broken." Here ends the history of the
seventy weeks. This prophetic history being divided into four divisions, the
first part is the history of the seventy weeks, to which we have been attending,
which began in the seventh year of Artaxerxes' reign, and ended in the 22d year
of Tiberius Cæsar's, being four hundred and ninety years; the second part will
be the history of Pagan Rome, which begins with the first league made between
the Romans and the Jews, and will carry us down six hundred and sixty-six years.
You will likewise observe that the angel goes back and begins this history with
the league. 22d verse, "And after the league made with him he shall work
deceitfully: he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people."
Let us in the first place inquire, Between whom is this league made? The
Romans must be one of the contracting parties, from the fact that the angel is
talking about that government before and afterwards, and that the fourth or
Roman kingdom was to work deceitfully, "and through his policy also he shall
cause craft to prosper in his hand." See Daniel viii. 25. And also from the
circumstance of their being a small republican people at first, Rome, too, was
small in territory at this time, although many nations and kingdoms were
tributary unto them; but who was the other contracting party in this league? I
answer, It must have been some people whom the angel had in view; and he,
Daniel, had the same in view, or he would have given some mark by which Daniel
or the reader could have come to a just conclusion. Yes, this was the case; for
he had told Daniel in the very outset, "Now I am come to make thee understand
what shall befall thy people in the latter days." See our text. This,
then, is the key that unlocks the whole subject, and explains two important
points in the vision. First, it teaches who are the subjects of this vision;
and, secondly, when and how the Roman kingdom became connected with the
vision. If I am thus far correct, then the angel has reference to the league
made with the Romans 158 years B.C., when the Grecian general Bachides withdrew
his army from before Jerusalem, and never returned to vex the Jews any more, as
says 1 Maccabees ix. 72. For the history of this league, you can read 1
Maccabees viii. and Josephus B. XII. chap. x. sec. 6. This league was the first
ever made between the Romans and the Jews, according to Josephus. It took effect
158 years B.C., when the Grecian kingdom, at the command of the Romans, ceased
to trouble the Jews, and the Romans began to work deceitfully. Then began the
Pagan beast to exercise his influence over the people of God. And now let us
pursue his history as given by the angel Gabriel, 24th verse, "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, he shall forecast his devices
against the strong holds even for a time." This verse is a true history of the
rise of the Roman power; they did scatter the prey and spoil among the
provinces, and conquered more nations by their munificence and benevolence in
the outset, than by their arms of battles. Rome bought more nations by riches
and intrigue than she conquered in war; and she compelled the Jews to submit for
about two centuries to that which no nation before had been able ever to do,
viz., to be ruled by kings, governors, and high priests, appointed by the
Romans, and not chosen by themselves. 25th verse, "And he shall stir up his
power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the
king 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." This
is a description of the war in Egypt, under the government of Mark Antony and
Octavius Cæsar. "Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy
him, and his army shall overflow, and many shall fall down slain." When Antony
went into Egypt with a great army, Cleopatra, then queen of Egypt, deserted her
husband's standard, as she had before Pompey's, and went over to Mark Antony
with all the forces she could command, by which means Egypt became an easy prey
to the Romans; so that a part of the Egyptian army, that fed of the portion of
the king's meat, were the means of destroying the kingdom. "And both of these
kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table;
but it shall not prosper; for yet the end shall be at the time appointed." These
two kings are Antony and Octavius, their characters agreeing with the
description given in this passage; history agreeing that they ruled over the
Romans for a season jointly, and that they were both of them great deceivers and
liars. History also informs us that after Antony had conquered Egypt, he and
Octavius quarrelled; Octavius Cæsar declared war against Antony, marched an army
towards Egypt, and at the battle of Actium defeated Antony and Cleopatra's
forces, afterwards took Alexandria in Egypt, and Antony and Cleopatra put
themselves to death, and Egypt becomes a Roman province. This was thirty years
before the birth of Christ. 28, "Then shall he return into his land with great
riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do
exploits and return to his own land." Then Octavius returned to Rome. And the
next exploit that this fourth kingdom would do would be against the holy
covenant. They, by their authority, crucified our Savior, persecuted the saints,
and destroyed Jerusalem; and this fills up the acts of this Pagan history until
towards the close of the reign of the Pagan beast. 29, "At the time appointed,
he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former,
or as the latter." The time appointed must mean the length of the reign of this
beast, whose history the angel is now giving, which I have shown, in a former
lecture, is 666 years. "He shall return, and come towards the south," not as the
former or latter. Not as the Romans going into Egypt, the latter; not the
Syrians going into Egypt, as the former; but Italy must now take her turn to be
overrun by the northern barbarians. Therefore the angel says, in the next verse,
see 30. ("For the ships of Chittim shall come against him;") the meaning of
which is, that the Huns, which lived on the north of the Adriatic Sea, the place
where it was anciently called Chittim, under their leader Attila, (surnamed the
Scourge of God,) should ravage the Roman empire. This was fulfilled 447 years
after Christ. "Therefore he shall be grieved and return, and have indignation
against the holy covenant; so shall he do; he shall return, and have
intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant."
About the time that Attila ravaged the Roman empire, Christians
conceived it to be a judgment of God upon the Romans for their idolatry and
wickedness, refused to bear arms in favor of the Roman emperors, which led to a
bloody persecution of Christians, and a renewal of Pagan rites and sacrifices,
which had been partially suspended during the reign of Constantine and
succeeding emperors, except in the case of Julian the Apostate. "And arms shall
stand on his part," that is, the force of the empire would be on the side of
Paganism. "And they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength." They, in
this passage, mean the governments or kings, established on the fall of the
Roman empire in the west, by the Huns, Goths and Vandals of the north. "By the
sanctuary of strength," is meant Rome. And it is said that at the time that Rome
was taken, men, women, and children were sacrificed to their Pagan deities. "And
shall take away the daily sacrifice." The angel is giving us a history of what
these kings would do, when Rome should be divided into its ten toes, or when the
ten horns should arise, which the angel has heretofore explained to mean ten
kings, Daniel vii. 24. This is evident by his using the plural pronoun instead
of the singular, as before, or as he will following, when the little horn
obtains the power. To "take away the daily sacrifice," means to destroy Paganism
out of the kingdom. This was done by those ten kings who now ruled the Roman
empire, and would for a little season, until they should give their power to the
image beast. "And they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate."
They, meaning the ten kings, shall place, shall put in the room or
place of the daily sacrifice or Pagan beast which would now receive
its death wound by the sword, that is, by the civil power of this fourth
kingdom, under the reigning power of these ten kings; for John tells us, Rev.
xvii. 12, 13, "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have
received no kingdom as yet; but shall receive power as kings one hour
with the beast; these have one mind, (being all Pagans,) and shall give their
power and strength unto the beast;" that is, to support Paganism. Now, this was
evidently fulfilled; for after the fall of the Western Empire, A.D. 476, and
before A.D. 490, ten kings had risen upon the ruins, and formed ten separate
kingdoms, the names of which I have before given; they all being Pagans, or
course they supported that form of worship, until they were converted to the
Christian faith, which happened within the space of twenty years, Clovis, the
king of France, having been converted and baptized in the year A.D. 496. By the
year A.D. 508, the remainder of the kings were brought over and embraced the
Christian religion, which closes the history of the Pagan beast, whose number
was 666; which, beginning 158 years B.C., would end the beast's reign A.D. 508,
having reigned but a short time, (one hour, says John,) with the ten
kings. We have now gone through with the angel Gabriel's second part of the
history, as we promised.
I shall now go on with the illustration of the third part of his
prophetic history, which is the history of the image beast, the deadly wound
healed, or what Daniel calls "the abomination that maketh desolate." This beast
would rule over the kings of the earth, and tread the church of God under foot
forty-two months, or time, times, and a half, which is twelve hundred and sixty
years, in common time, or, as the angel tells us in Daniel xii. 11, from the
taking away the daily abomination to set up the abomination that maketh
desolate, should be a thousand two hundred and ninety days, showing a difference
of thirty years from the statement of the actual reign of the image beast and
the other, which includes all the time from taking away down through the setting
up or reign of the image beast. Therefore, to reconcile these two statements, we
must conclude there were 30 years from A.D. 508, when Paganism ceased, before
the image beast, or Papal Rome, would begin her reign. If this is correct, then
the 1290 began 508, and would end us in 1798. But the reign of Papacy would not
be set up until A.D. 538, and would end us in the same year, A.D. 1798, being
1260. This, then, is the history the angel will give us next. 32, "And such as
do wickedly against the covenant shall be corrupted by flatterers; but the
people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." The
ecclesiastical historians tell us that in the beginning of the sixth century,
about A.D. 538, a number of writers in that day undertook to prove that the
Papal chair, together with councils of his approval, were infallible, and their
laws were binding on the whole church. These writers were highly honored and
flattered with promotion by the reigning power; while on the other hand there
were many who opposed this power of the Pope and clergy, who were denounced as
schismatics and Arians, and driven out of the kingdoms under the control of the
Romish church. 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." Those who instructed the common people, and opposed the worshipping
of images, the infallibility of the Pope and councils, the canonizing of
departed saints, were persecuted by the civil power, (the sword,) were burned by
order of the ecclesiastical courts established by the laws of Justinian, emperor
of Constantinople, whose code of laws, published about A.D. 534, gave unto the
bishop of Rome power to establish courts for this purpose, and many in the sixth
century and subsequent down to a late period, "many days," suffered
death, imprisonment, and confiscation of goods, in consequence of a difference
of opinion in matters of religion, by the tyranny of this abomination, "the
bloody city which has reigned over the kings of the earth." 34, "Now, when they
shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help; but many shall cleave to
them with flatteries." This text agrees with one in Revelation xii. 16, "And the
earth helped the woman." "But many shall cleave to them;" that is, many men of
the world would cleave to them, and professedly would flatter the true people of
God that they were friendly at least to them, and by these means Satan carried
on his wars against the children of God. 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." This verse shows us that
even Christians would be led into some of the errors of Papacy, and would be
tried and purged, even to the end of this image beast's reign, which time is
appointed, as I have already shown, to be "time, times, and a half," 1260 years,
ending A.D. 1798. 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 king here
spoken of is the same as Daniel's little horn, which came up among the ten
horns. It it the same that blasphemed the God of heaven. It is mystical Babylon.
Isa. xiv. 12-15; Rev. xiii. 5, 6. The same Paul has described in his Epistle, 2
Thess. ii. 1-9; the same image beast which we have been examining the history
of; and one thing is evident, that this beast will continue until the day that
God pours out his indignation upon a guilty world in some form or other. 37,
"Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor
regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all." In this passage we have
a plain description of Papacy; they do not worship the same gods the Pagans
did--"their fathers." And their clergy are forbidden to marry; the Pope
calls himself the vicegerent of God, or God on earth, having the keys of heaven,
&c. 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 precious stones, and
pleasant things." It is true that the Pope, for ages past, has had large armies
at his command, and always a body-guard to attend him in his capital; also, that
they adorn their pictures with gold, and silver, and precious stones, and
pleasant things, and that the gods they worship, such as the images of Christ,
apostles, and Virgin Mary, and canonized saints, were not known to Pagan
worshippers. 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 them to
rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain."
These patron saints, which the Pope divided among the several nations of
the earth, and in almost every family, each one having their patron saint to
rule over them, by the appointment of the Pope, were strange gods indeed; and
rational beings might truly wonder when they beheld the power of this last
abomination over the minds and judgments of mankind. And then, again, to see the
number of kingdoms, provinces, states, and territories, which the Pope has sold
to enrich his coffers, without any more right or title to them than we have to
the land in the moon, must convince every one that the description given must
apply to the church of Rome or the Pope, who claims to exercise this great
authority by his crazy title to St. Peter's chair.
We have now arrived to the end of the third division of the angel's
history; for the next verse tells us, "and at the time of the end,"
meaning the end of his power, to tread on the church by his civil authority, or
reign over the kings of the earth, and to dispose of lands for gain I have
brought you down, my kind hearer, through a long prophetic history of more than
2200 years, and landed you to the year A.D. 1798, when the Pope of Rome lost his
civil power. In the beginning of the year 1798, on the 15th of February, a
French general, Berthier, entered Rome with a French army without resistance,
deposed the Pope, abolished the Papal government, and erected the republic of
Italy. The Pope, being taken prisoner, was carried a prisoner by them first to
Sienna in Tuscany, from thence to Florence, afterwards to Grenoble, and then to
Valence, in France, where he died on the 19th of August, 1799, since which time
the Pope of Rome has exercised no more of his former power over any of the kings
in Europe, or the Protestant church. We shall now close our lecture on this
history for the present, reserving the remainder of Gabriel's interesting
history for another lecture.
Lecture 7:
DANIEL 7:8
And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end
of these things?
PREVIOUS to Daniel's asking the
question contained in our text, he had been taught, as we have seen in our
former lecture, not only the history of future events as they would succeed each
other down to the end of the world, but he had the regular order of time
specified in the duration of the little horn, "time, times, and a half,"
as in Daniel vii. 25, and xii. 7. But he had been informed of many events which
should transpire after his "time, times, and a half" should be finished,
and not having the length of the Pagan beast, or daily abomination, given to him
at all, he could not tell or understand whereabouts in his grand number of 2300
days, the end of the civil power of the little horn, or Papal Rome, carried him:
there was no rule given Daniel yet by which he could tell when or how long after
the crucifixion of the Messiah before the daily sacrifice abomination would be
taken out of the way, and the power of the little horn be established, and the
abomination of desolation set up. Be sure, Daniel had heard the whole history
down to the resurrection, and had the whole vision specified in his 2300 days.
But as he saw there were evidently three divisions of the time after the
crucifixion or cutting off of the Messiah at the fulfilment of his 490 years, or
70 weeks, down to the end of his 1810 years, which would be the remainder of his
total number of 2300 years, after his 70 weeks should be fulfilled; and having
only 1260 of those years accounted for by the reign of his little horn, leaving
five hundred and fifty years to be applied on the Pagan beast, and for the
events which we are to attend to after the Papal beast lost his civil
power,--therefore the propriety of Daniel's saying in our text, "Then I heard,
but I understood not." He understood not how this time was divided, and
especially, how much time would be taken up in the last division of the angel's
history, beginning with the 40th verse of the 11th chapter, where our last
lecture ended, and finishing with the context of the 12th chapter, the verse
previous to our text. That this is the plain and significant meaning, is evident
from what follows our text, viz., the angel's answer to Daniel's question, "What
shall be the end of these things?" And he said, Go thy way, Daniel; for the
words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end;" that is, my mission is
closed, the words are finished, and registered in the roll of God's word, they
are sealed, that is, made sure, unalterable, will stand until every word
has its fulfilment, which in the end shall be accomplished; not, as some
suppose, that Daniel's prophecy is sealed, closed up, out of sight, and
cannot be understood. This is not the way of God's dealings with us; for if this
had been the angel's meaning, he would have said to Daniel as he did to John in
similar circumstances, Rev. x. 4, "Seal up those things, and write them not."
But it is the reverse; for he says in the next verse, 10, "Many shall be
purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none
of the wicked shall understand." None of the wicked shall understand what? Why,
the things before spoken of--Daniel's vision and instruction. Very well, then
the wicked do right for once. Certainly, if your exposition of the former text
is correct, that it is hid, and cannot be known, they are obeying the command of
the angel, close up and seal the words; and surely they will not be condemned
for obedience. "But the wise shall understand," says the angel. What shall the
wise understand? They shall understand the vision; or the words before
spoken by the angel at least. But say you, "Daniel was commanded to seal up and
close the words, so that they may never know them till the end, and the wise
understand them. How can these things be?" I answer, These texts explain each
other. There is a close connection in the word of God which must always be kept
in view, and if our exposition of one contradicts another of the same connection
or of like import, we may know there is a wrong in us. Now, one thing is
certain,--"all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that
the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." And
"secret things belong to God; but things revealed, to us and our children." And
when I see pretended servants of God, men of great pretence to piety and
knowledge, disputing long and sharp on some metaphysical point in theology which
they nor their hearers can never understand, and when they are asked to explain
the plain declarations of God, put it off, by saying, it is sealed up, and we
ought not to try to understand it, it makes me think of Æsop's fable of the dog
in the manger; of Christ's reproof to the scribes and Pharisees, "Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against
men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering
to go in;" and this passage in Daniel, "The wicked shall do wickedly; and none
of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." You may depend
upon one thing, when you hear such declarations as the above from the pulpit,
that the speaker does not love his Bible as well as he loves his own popularity,
and studies to support his faith, the popular writers and standard authors of
the day, more than the divine revelation of God. But God is now trying his
people; he is now giving them a great rule to know their love for his word. If
the word of God is to them foolishness, and they take more delight in the
popular writers of the day, they may depend upon it they are stumbling at that
stumbling-stone. But the angel tells us that many shall be purified and made
white. This was good news to Daniel, and ought to be so to us; for it is the
declaration of God through the medium of Gabriel, his messenger. "And from the
time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that
maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five
and thirty days: but go thou thy way till the end be, for thou shalt rest, and
stand in thy lot at the end of the days." Now Daniel had all he could ask for;
now he could understand the time, and the length, and part of every division
which the angel had given him in his instruction, so far as to fill up his
vision of 2300 years, (as we shall call them, having proved in a former lecture
that they ought to be so reckoned, and have been so fulfilled.) He has now
learned that, to begin and reckon back from the resurrection, which he well knew
would be 1810 years after Christ's crucifixion, he might find out when the daily
sacrifice abomination would be taken away. Therefore take 1335 years from 1810
years, would leave 475 years; and he could reckon from the end of the 70 weeks,
or 490 years, to the end of Pagan Rome, would be 475, from thence to the time he
should stand in his lot, would be 1335 years. Then by adding
490
475
1335 would make the sum total of his whole vision
2300 years. And now, let us suppose he wished to know when the abomination of
desolation would end, and when it would begin. He has only to take his number,
one thousand two hundred and ninety, as given him by his angel, from his 1335,
thus,--
1335
1290
45
and he finds that 45 years before the resurrection the little horn would lose
his civil power. Now, let him take his time, times, and a half, and add, say
1260 years to 45 years, and he will find that the little horn began his reign
1305 years before the resurrection, and 30 years after the daily sacrifice
abomination was taken away. And now he is prepared to give his vision and the
instruction of the angel all their proper bearings, and prove it thus:--
1st. The seventy weeks or 490 years to the crucifixion of Christ,. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . 490
From crucifixion to taking away daily abomination, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . 475
From taking away Pagan rites to the setting up abomination of desolation, . . .
. . . . 30
From setting up Papal power (time, times, and a half) to the end of his civil
reign, . . 1260
From the taking away the Papal civil rule to the resurrection, . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 45
Now add these together, and you will have the
whole 2300 years of Daniel's
vision. Do you not, kind hearer, see by this mode, and by these last numbers
given him, Daniel could learn every part and division of the whole history down
to the time when he should stand in his lot? But now, for his instruction, we
will suppose Daniel understood our mode of reckoning time; he might have given
it to us in this way:--"The 70 weeks, or 490 years, will be accomplished A.D.
33. The pagan abomination will be taken away 475 years afterwards, which will be
A.D. 508. The papal abomination will be set up 30 years after, A.D. 538, and
will continue 1260 years, A.D. 1798. After this 45 years, I shall stand in my
lot, and all that come forth to this resurrection will be blessed, A.D. 1843."
"Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five
and thirty days." Rev. xx. 6. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the
first resurrection."
We are now prepared to give you the remainder of the angel's instruction
to Daniel, beginning where we left off in our last lecture; and you will
likewise now take notice that it is the last division, and what we now shall
read to you must all take place in 45 years, between the years 1798 and 1843. So
that you may, almost all of you, judge for yourselves, upon your own
observations, whether these things are so or not.
We therefore begin at the 40th verse of the 11th chapter of Daniel, "and
at the time of the end" of the papal civil power. Now, another person has
obtained this civil power: this was Bonaparte, the ruler of the French nation.
This year of which we are now treating was the very year that the French
destroyed the power of the pope, and Bonaparte began his extraordinary career in
conquest and authority; and it was evident, by his success and fortune, that he
was raised up by God himself for some great and special purpose; and through
him, as an instrument, and by means of the French revolution, the shackles that
had bound more than half of Europe in bigotry, superstition, and tyranny, were
burst asunder, and the inquisition and Papacy lost their power and terror over
the bodies and minds of men. At this time, then, our prophecy begins, and
Bonaparte is the person designated by the pronouns he and him in
the prophecy: "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 whirlwind, with
chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships." This is a description of an
alliance entered into by the king of Sardinia, Italy, and Spain, in the south,
and Great Britain, in the north, for six years. England engaged, in this treaty,
to pay the king of Sardinia 200,000l. per annum to furnish an army of
horse and a large fleet. The command of the fleet was given to Lord Nelson.
Various was the success of the allies in the south. Spain had to recede, and
finally joined the French. The king of Sardinia had to leave his territories on
the continent, and shut himself up in the island of Sardinia. The king of Naples
fled to the island of Sicily, after making a vigorous push at the French, in
November, 1798, and getting possession of Rome, while Lord Nelson took and
destroyed the French fleet, near the mouth of the Nile, the same year. But the
French soon retook Italy; and this broke up this league, and the French remained
masters of almost all that belonged to the Western Empire of Rome, except Great
Britain. "And he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow, and pass
over," was literally accomplished. "He shall enter also into the glorious land,"
(or land of delight, as it might have been translated.) This, I have no doubt,
means Italy. Bonaparte fought some of his most brilliant battles in this
delightsome country. The battle of Marengo was fought, if I mistake not, in
June, 1800, after crossing the Alps, an impassable barrier between France and
Italy, as it was supposed by his enemies "And many countries shall be
overthrown." It is said that Bonaparte conquered three kingdoms at the battle of
Marengo. "But these shall escape out of his hands, even Edom and Moab, and the
chief of the children of Ammon." Bonaparte, when he went into Egypt, calculated
to march into the East Indies: he advanced into Syria, where, after gaining some
advantages, he received a decisive check before St. John d'Acre, when he was
obliged to raise the siege, and retreat back to Egypt with the shattered remains
of his army. So the country once inhabited by the Edomites, Moabites, and
Ammonites, "escaped out of his hands." 42, "He shall stretch forth his hands
also upon the countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape." "Hands"
signifies power; and what country on the globe did not more or less feel the
effects of Bonaparte's power? Egypt, surely, did not escape; for all Lower Egypt
was conquered by his arms. 43, "But he shall have power over the treasures of
gold, and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt." Bonaparte, in
his conquest of Egypt, levied contributions upon the inhabitants of the country
sufficient to support and pay his troops, and brought away much with him. "And
the Lybians and Ethiopians shall be at his steps." When he first went into
Egypt, he landed his army on the coast of what was anciently called Lybia, and
his last battle was fought in Upper Egypt--what the ancients called Ethiopia. So
both of these places were at his steps, although neither of them was fairly
conquered, as was Egypt. 44, "But tidings out of the east, and out of the north,
shall trouble him." This was what was at that time called the Holy Alliance.
This was composed of most of the kings on the north and east of France, which
finally proved the overthrow of the power of Bonaparte, and the restoration of
the Bourbons on the throne of France.
The news of this alliance caused him much trouble, and also his
immediate return to France. "Therefore he shall go forth with great fury to
destroy and utterly to make away many." This is a plain description of
Bonaparte's campaign into Russia. He went forth with an army of 400,000 men,
with fury, in order to break up the Holy Alliance. He did utterly destroy
Moscow, and laid desolate the country through which he passed. He made away with
more than 200,000 of his own army, besides the destruction of his enemies, say
many thousands more. Such a destruction of life and property in one campaign was
never known since the days of the Persians and the Greeks. 45, "And he shall
plant the tabernacle of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy
mountain," (or mountain of delight.) This was literally fulfilled, in May 26,
1805, when Bonaparte was crowned king of Italy at Milan,--Italy lying between
two seas. To "plant the tabernacle of his palace" would be to establish him as
king. "Yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him." This closes the
history of one of the most powerful monarchs--the most ambitious and fortunate
of warriors, and a man of unbounded sway--that modern times had ever produced.
He had destroyed, perhaps, more than 3,000,000 lives; he had dethroned more than
one half of the kings of Europe; he had disposed of kingdoms at his will; all
nations had been under the control of his decrees; he had commanded more than
two millions of veteran soldiers; the treasures of the four quarters of the
globe lay at his feet. "Yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him."
How soon the tale of his end is told! A breath, and his end is come; a vapor,
and he is gone. O God! the breath of kings is in thy hand; thy word goeth forth,
and it is done; thy decree passeth, and it stands fast. "He shall come to his
end, and none shall help him." Where are those kings that courted his alliance?
Where are the twenty millions of French who idolized him as a god? Where are
those two millions of veteran soldiers whose bodies had been used as ramparts to
mount him to glory? Where are his five brethren who sat in the seat of kings by
his power? Where is his mother, made a rich dowager by his munificence? Where, O
where is the empress Maria Louisa, and the young king of Italy? "And none shall
help him." Yes, Bonaparte was by the British, after he had resigned himself into
their hands, carried a prisoner to the island of St. Helena, in the Atlantic
Ocean, where he died in exile. "He shall come to his end, and none shall help
him."
By this history the kings of the earth may learn, that God can, with
perfect ease, when the set time shall come, break them and their kingdoms to
pieces, so that the wind may carry them away like chaff, that no place shall be
found for them.
I shall now examine the remainder of Gabriel's message, contained in
Daniel xii. 1, "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which
standeth for the children of thy people." Michael, in this passage, must mean
Christ; he is the great Prince, and Prince of princes.
The time here spoken of is when Bonaparte shall come to his end, and
none to help him. This was in the latter part of the year A.D. 1815. There are
two things for which Christ stands up for his people to accomplish; one
is their faith, and the other their judgment. Jer. iii. 13. Now, it is evident
he did not then stand up in judgment; therefore I shall choose the former, that
he stood up to plead the cause of his people, to restrain backsliders, and to
add to the church of God many who should be saved. And blessed be his holy name,
he accomplished his purpose; for in the years 1816, 17, 18, more people were
converted to the faith of Jesus than had been for thirty years before. Almost,
and I know not but every town in these states was visited with a shower of
mercy, and hundreds and thousands, yea, tens of thousands, were born into the
invisible kingdom of the dear Redeemer, and their names recorded among the
members of the church of the first born. This has lasted in a great measure for
20 years, and has spread over a large share of the Christian world; even the
islands of the sea have lifted up their voices to God, and the wilderness has
bloomed like the rose, and the heathen have seen of his salvation. The grace of
God has distilled upon us like the morning dew, and like showers upon a thirsty
soil. Surely this must be by the power of Michael, the great Prince of the
covenant. "And there shall be a time of trouble, such as there never was since
there was a nation, even to that same time." This time of trouble is yet in
futurity; but is hanging, as it were, over our heads, ready to break upon us in
tenfold vengeance, when the angel of the gospel, who is now flying through the
midst of heaven, shall seal the last child of God in their foreheads. And 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, or, as it might, and, perhaps, ought to have
been translated, "that there should be no longer delay;" that is, God would wait
no longer for repentance, 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 will be filthy still. Mankind will, for a short season, give
loose to all the corrupt passions of the human heart. No laws, human or divine,
will be regarded; all authority will be trampled under foot; anarchy will be the
order of governments, and confusion fill the world with horror and despair.
Murder, treason, and crime, will be common law, and division and disunion the
only bond of fellowship. 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 calculations, will begin on or before A.D. 1839. "And at that
time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the
book." Now is come salvation indeed. The people of God are now to be delivered
from outward foes and inbred lusts, from the corruptions of the grave and the
vileness of the flesh. Every one, the poor and despised child of God, will then
be delivered when he makes up his jewels. "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." This verse brings us down to the resurrection of the
dead, when the dust will give up the bodies of the saints, and they shall awake
to everlasting life, when death shall be finally conquered, and the grave resign
up her captive saints to victory and glory. The angel also mentions the
resurrection of the wicked, and speaks of their shame and everlasting contempt.
He dwells not in detail on this second resurrection, as though it was too
painful for thought, yet tells enough to let the wicked unbeliever know his
awful doom, and is silent. "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness
of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever
and ever." This verse needs no comment; it is a beautiful figure of the
righteous in glory, and the durability of that happiness in the invisible and
immortal kingdom of God. " But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the
book, even to the time of the end." Some have taken occasion, from these words,
to say, that this prophecy was to be shut up and sealed, that none might
understand it until the end. If it was so, why give it to Daniel at all? Why
note it in the Scripture of truth? Why give to us the same instruction which
made Daniel understand what should befall the people of God in the latter day?
But the plain and obvious meaning of the first part of this verse is, But thou,
O Daniel, close up your prophecy, and set your seal to the truth of it, for at
"the time of the end many shall run to and fro;" that is, at the time of the end
the means of travel would be greatly extended, so that many would travel into
all parts of the earth, and would increase in knowledge of places, men, and
things. "And knowledge shall be increased." Can any prophecy be more literally
fulfilled than this? The increase of travel, and the means of conveyance, and
the improvement in the arts and sciences at the present day, have astonished the
projectors themselves. But if it should mean holy things, then look at the great
number of missionaries sent into all parts of our world. There are but few
nations, civilized or barbarous, Christian or heathen, but what are visited by
the professed ministers of Christ, and knowledge of the word of God has
increased. And within thirty years, the Bible has been translated into one
hundred and fifty languages, more than three times the number of all languages
that had received a translation during 1800 years before. Millions of copies of
the Bible have been circulated within the thirty years past, where thousands
only had been circulated before. "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, and said to the man clothed in linen, which
was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these
wonders?" Here Daniel saw the two holy ones inquiring of the man clothed in
linen, which stood upon the waters of the river. This man is the same as Michael
standing up for the children of thy people. The reason I assign is, he is
clothed in linen, which shows he is the high priest for the people of God. It is
the same angel that John describes, Rev. x. 1-6. This angel is represented as
being the messenger of the covenant, by having a rainbow on his head. He was
clothed with a cloud pure and white like linen. He, too, had a little book open,
showing what he should do, agreeing with our explanation, spreading the gospel
for the last time through the world, standing one foot on the sea, and the other
on the earth, to keep down the power of anti-Christ, who sits on many waters
Rev. xvii. 1, 15, and the power of the kings of the earth, until the whole elect
should be sealed. See Rev. vii. 1-3. And that this Angel is the Mediator is
evident. And now he closes up the mediatorial kingdom, when he says, Rev. x. 6,
"That there should be time no longer," or, as some translate it, that there
should be no longer delay, which must of course have one of two
meanings--either God will no longer delay his judgment, or he will no longer
wait to be gracious. See next verse, and 2 Peter iii. 9. Take either one or both
positions, and it proves my object, that a part of the 45 years, the history of
which we are now considering, is taken up in spreading the gospel, and bringing
the last remnant into Christ's fold. "For this gospel of the kingdom shall be
preached in all the world as a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end
come;" Matt. xxiv. 14. But the question, How long to the end of these wonders?
means to the end of the reign of the beast, which the world wondered after. Rev.
xiii. 3, 7th verse, "And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the
waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto
heaven." This language shows us plainly, that it is the same angel which John
saw in Rev. x. i. 1-7. And the same time is indicated in Revelation as in
Daniel. Here in Daniel it is in the last 45 years, and in Revelation immediately
preceding the time when the mystery of God shall be finished, all that had been
declared by his servants, the prophets, the whole prophecies would be
accomplished. "And sware by him that liveth forever, that it shall be for a
time, times, and a half." This is the same length of time given in Daniel vii.
25, which is there given as the reign of the little horn. It is also the same
time which is given in Rev. xi. 2. Forty-two months, (three years and a half,)
to give the holy city to be trodden under foot. Again, the same time is given,
Rev. xi. 3, for the two witnesses to prophesy, clothed in sackcloth, 1260 days.
Also, Rev. xii. 6, 14, for the church in the wilderness, and, again, in Rev.
xiii. 5, where the anti-Christian beast had his delegated power to continue
forty-two months. All these times ended in A.D. 1798, as we may hereafter show;
when the 45 years began to accomplish the things which I have been attending to
in this lecture. "And when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of
the holy people, all these things shall be finished."
This brings us down to our text, and gives us another important and
conclusive sign by which we may know we live on the eve of finishing the
prophecies, and on the threshold of the immortal and eternal state. Let us be
wise, then, and secure an interest in the inheritance among the just, that when
we fail on earth, we may be received into everlasting habitations prepared for
those who love Christ.
But the last sign, "the scattering of the holy people;" a part of the
perilous times. How are they to be scattered? I answer, By the errors of the
anti-Christian abomination, and the lo heres and lo theres, by dividing the
people of God into parties, divisions, and subdivisions. And methinks I hear you
say, "Surely these things are already accomplished." Yes, you are right, in
part, but not to its extent; the sects are all divided now, but not crumbled to
pieces; some are subdivided, but not scattered. The time is soon coming when
father will be against the son, and son against the father. Yea, the sects are
all divided now. Presbyterians are divided into Old and New School, and then
again into Perfectionists. Congregationalists are divided between Orthodox and
Unitarian, old and new measures, Unionists, &c. Methodists are divided between
Episcopal and Protestant. Baptists are divided between old and new measures,
Antimasons, Campbellites, open and close communion, &c. &c. Quakers are divided
between Orthodox and Hicksites; and thus might we go on and name the divisions
and subdivisions of all sects who have taken Christ for their captain.
And now let me sum up in short what we have proved to you in this
discourse. And first, I showed the length of time our history would take up,
viz., 45 years. By the numbers given in Daniel xii. 11-13, his 1290 days,
beginning when the ten kings, represented by the ten toes in Nebuchadnezzar's
dream, and ten horns in Daniel's vision, should be converted to the Christian
faith, and the daily sacrifice abomination taken out of the way, viz, A.D. 508,
which would end us in 1798, when the Pope lost his power to reign over the kings
and trample on the holy people, and the abomination of desolation ceased his
civil reign, by being deprived of his civil power by Bonaparte. I then showed
you that the number 1335 days, beginning at the same time as the 1290 days, viz.
A.D. 508, would end in 1843, at the resurrection, for Daniel would stand in his
lot at the end of these days. And you have undoubtedly noticed that this brought
us to the same year that Daniel's whole number, 2300, brought us, which is
forty-five years, the difference between the two numbers, 1290 and 1335. I then
began at Daniel xi. 40, and gave you the history of Bonaparte, his wonderful
career of conquest and power, and his final end. I then gave you the history of
Michael standing up, and the reformation that followed in the years 1815, 16,
17, even down to the present time. Then the unfulfilled prophecy which must come
soon upon us, the troublous times. Next we came to the time of the deliverance
of the people of God, every one that sleep in the dust of the earth, and the
resurrection. Then the angel gave us a few signs which would happen in the
course of this time, such as the running to and fro, the increase of knowledge,
the nations being restrained from preventing the gospel being preached, and
scattering the power of the holy people, all which you have many of you
witnessed, and can judge for yourselves whether these things are so.
I shall now leave you for the present; and may you reflect candidly and
seriously on the subject; for many of you who are now on the earth may live to
witness this fulfilment; and if unprepared then, with what regret will you look
back on your present opportunity, and wish you had improved these precious
moments for the salvation of your souls, and for the glory of God!
Be wise, O ye inhabitants of the earth, for the Lord will come and will
not tarry, and the day of vengeance will overtake you as a thief in the night;
"but the wise shall understand."
Lecture 8:
REV. 8:13
And I beheld and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying, with
a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the
other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to sound.
IN prophetical
scripture, the sounding of trumpets is always used to denote the downfall of
some empire, nation, or place, or some dreadful battle, which may decide the
fate of empires, nations, or places. At the fall of Jericho, the trumpet was the
instrument, in the hands of the priest of the mighty God of Jacob, which cast
down her walls, destroyed the city, and a curse pronounced against the man that
should ever build up her walls again. Again, the trumpet was the instrument by
which Gideon put to flight the armies of the aliens. And the prophet Amos says,
"Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid?" Therefore
we may reasonably conclude that a trumpet is the harbinger of destructive wars,
and the dissolution of empires, states, or the earth, as the case may be. The
seven trumpets mentioned in Revelation, the three last of which are mentioned in
our text, indicate the final overthrow of the powers spoken of in the prophecy.
The four first had their accomplishment in the destruction of the Jews and their
dispersion, in the fall of imperial Rome, in the overthrow of the Asiatic
kingdom, and in the taking away of Pagan rites and ceremonies.
The last three trumpets will claim our attention in this discourse; the
first four having their accomplishment under Rome pagan; to the last three under
Rome Papal. These three trumpets and three woes are a description of the
judgments that God has sent and will send on this Papal beast, the abomination
of the whole earth.
Therefore we see the propriety of the language of our text, "Woe, woe, woe, to
the inhabitants of the earth," meaning the worshippers of this Papal beast, the
followers of this abomination. The fifth trumpet alludes to the rise of the
Turkish empire under Ottoman, at the downfall of the Saracens. Ottoman uniting
under his government the four contending nations of Mahometans, which had long
contended for the power during the reign of the Saracen empire, viz., the
Saracens, Tartars, Arabs, and Turks. These, all being by profession Mahometans,
were ready to follow any daring leader to conquer and drive out from Asia (and
even make excursion into Europe) all who professed the Christian faith. They,
having embraced the errors of that fallen star, Mahomet, whose principles were
promulgated by conquest and the sword, became one and perhaps the only barrier
to the spread of the Papal doctrine and power in the eastern world. Here the
Roman Church had long held a powerful sway over the minds and consciences of the
Christian or Greek church in the east, by the aid of the eastern emperor at
Constantinople. But the Turks or Ottomans, whom the Lord suffered to rise up in
Bithynia, on or near the head waters of the Euphrates, as a scourge against this
Papal abomination, now became a check to the Roman power; and from this time we
may reasonably date the declension of Papal authority. Therefore on the sounding
of the fifth trumpet, Rome Papal began to show a weakness which in every
succeeding age has been more and more manifested, until her civil power has
crumbled to ruin, and her ecclesiastical assumptions must sink, at the sounding
of the seventh trump, to rise no more forever.
In the description of these trumpets we shall be able to apply the
prophecy, as the writer believes, to those events designed by the vision which
John saw.
Rev. ix. 1. "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from
heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit."
After the downfall of Pagan Rome, and the rise of the anti-Christian
abomination, Mahomet promulgated a religion which evidently came from the
bottomless pit; for it fostered all the wicked passions of the human heart, such
as war, murder, slavery, and lust.
2d verse, "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 was darkened
by reason of the smoke of the pit." The figures used in this text are, the
bottomless pit,
which denote the theories of men or devils, that have no foundation in the word
of God. Smoke denotes
the errors from such doctrine, which serve to blind the eyes of men, that they
cannot see the truth. As the smoke of a great
furnace shows the great extent or effect of this
error over the world. The sun
denotes the gospel, which is the great luminary of the moral world. The
air denotes the moral influence
on the mind, which is commonly called piety.
As air supports or gives to the lungs animation in the physical world, so does
the piety of the heart to the moral.
This, then, is the true sentiment of this passage. And by reason of the
Mahometan errors which would be believed or followed by a great multitude, the
gospel and the pious influence of the same would be in a great measure hid or
lost to the world.
3d verse, "And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth; and
unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power." By these
locusts
I understand armies. See Joel, 1st and 2d chapters. Therefore I should read this
text thus: And there came out from these Mahometan followers large armies, which
should have great power to execute the judgments of God on this anti-Christian
beast, which had filled the earth with her abominations.
4th verse, "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 not the seal of God in their foreheads." By
grass, green things, and trees,
Ps. lxxii. 16, Hosea xiv. 8, I understand the true church, or people of God. By
those men having not the seal of God,
&c., I understand the anti-Christian church, or Papal Rome. Then this would be
the sense: And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the true church,
or people of God, but only the anti-Christian beast, or powers subject to her.
5th verse, "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." To
kill is to destroy. Five
months is in prophecy 150 years.
To torment as a scorpion,
&c., is to make sudden incursions and irruptions into the country &c. Then this
is the sentiment to me conveyed in the text: And the Turkish armies would not
have power to destroy the Papal powers for 150 years, but would make sudden and
quick incursions into their territories, and harass and perplex the nations
under the Papal control.
6th verse, "And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find
it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." About this time
the Greek church, in Constantinople, was so harassed by the Papal authority,
that it gave rise to a saying among them, that they "had rather see the Turkish
turban on the throne of the Eastern Empire, than the Pope's tiara." And any one
who has read the history of the 14th century, will see that this text was
literally accomplished.
7th verse, "And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared
unto battle; and on their heads were, as it were, crowns like gold, and their
faces were as the faces of men." In this verse we have a description of the
Turkish armies. In the first place they are represented as being all horsemen.
This was true with the Turks, and no other kingdom since Christ's time, that we
have any knowledge of, whose armies were all horsemen. They wore on their heads
yellow turbans, which can only apply to the Turks, looking like crowns of gold.
8th verse, "And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were
as the teeth of lions." They wore long hair attached to their turbans, and they
fought with javelins like the teeth of lions.
9th verse, "And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron;
and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running
to battle." By their breastplates I understand shields, which the Turks carried
in their battles; and history tells us that when they charged an enemy, they
made a noise upon them like the noise of chariot wheels.
10th verse, "And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were
stings in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months." The Turkish
horsemen had each a cimeter which hung in a scabbard at their waist, that they
used in close combat after they had discharged their javelins, with which they
were very expert, severing a man's or even a horse's head at a blow. And from
the time that the Ottoman power or Turkish empire was first established in
Bithynia, until the downfall of the Greek or Eastern Empire, when the Turks took
Constantinople, was five prophetic months, or one hundred and fifty years.
11th verse, "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the
bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek
tongue hath his name Apollyon." The Turkish government had a king when they
began, as before mentioned, and he was a follower of the Mahometan faith, and
truly a servant or messenger of this doctrine of the bottomless pit. The name of
their first king, who is styled in history the founder of the Turkish empire,
was Othoman or Ottoman, from whom the empire took its name, and has been called
to this day the Ottoman empire. And great has been the destruction which this
government has executed upon the world; and well may this empire be styled
Destroyer,
in prophecy the signification of Abaddon or Apollyon.
12th verse, "One woe is past; and behold, there come two woes more
hereafter." This closes the fifth trumpet and the first woe, commencing at the
foundation of the Turkish empire in Bithynia, in the year A.D. 1298, and lasting
five prophetic months, or 150 years, which carries us down to the year A.D.
1448. When we take into view the object and design of God in sending this
judgment or scourge upon the men who have not the seal of God on their
foreheads; the anti-Christian beast, who profess to be Christians, but are not;
when we compare the history of those times with the prophecy--we have been
examining, and the events which have transpired concerning the Ottoman empire,
with the descriptive character given of them in this prophecy,--we cannot, I
think, hesitate for a moment to apply the fulfilment of this trumpet and woe, to
these events, time,
and place;
and must be led to admire the agreement between the prophecy and fulfilment, and
to believe this book of Revelation to be indited by the unerring wisdom of the
Divine Spirit; for no human forethought could have so exactly described these
events, dress, manners, customs, and mode of warfare 1200 years beforehand,
except the wisdom of God had assisted him. And if these things are revealed by
God himself unto us, surely no one will dare to say that it is non-essential
whether we believe this part of the revealed will of God or not. Shall God speak
and man disregard it? Forbid it, O Father; and let us have "ears to hear what
the Spirit saith to the churches."
We shall now follow the revelation of God into the sixth trumpet and
second woe; and may we have the Spirit of God to assist us and lead our minds
into the truth of these things.
13th verse, "And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the
four horns of the golden altar which is before God," 14th verse, "Saying to the
sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the
great river Euphrates." By the sounding of the trumpet, I understand the
commencing of those judgments which were to be poured out upon the earth under
this trumpet; and by the "voice from the four horns of the golden altar," the
agreement of all the powers of heaven and earth to execute the design of God in
this thing. By loosing the four angels which are bound in the great river
Euphrates, I understand that God was now about to suffer the four principal
nations of which the Ottoman empire was composed, which had in vain attempted to
subdue the Eastern Empire at Constantinople, and made but little progress in
conquering Europe, now to take Constantinople, and to overrun and subdue one
third part of Europe, which was the fact about the middle of the fifteenth
century.
15th verse, "And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an
hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, to slay the third part of men." The
four angels, we may reasonably conclude, are a representation of the four
nations that had embraced the Mahometan religion, and were now under the control
of the Ottoman, viz., Turks, Tartars, Arabs, and Saracens. The time expressed in
the last-mentioned verse is 391 years and 15 days. "To slay the third part of
men," is to destroy and conquer one third part of the governments or kingdoms of
which the Papal beast had the control, which was true in the end.
16th verse, "And the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred
thousand thousand; and I heard the number of them." In this verse the precise
number of the army of horsemen is given, for John tells us "he heard the number
of them." And if we should understand the prophet to mean, as some suppose he
does, 200,000 multiplied by a 1000, then the sum total would be 200,000,000,
which would be more men than were ever on our earth at one time capable of
bearing arms; therefore I believe this is not the meaning of the prophet,
neither do I think that it was a succession of armies during the whole period of
391 years, making the sum total of 200,000,000, for this, too, would be
incredible; for allowing a standing army of 15,385,000 to be recruited every 30
years, it would only make the two hundred millions; and this sum would be more
than five times the number of all the standing armies in the known world. And
from these considerations I have for myself given this construction, that the
prophet John heard the number of 200,000 repeated, or twice told, which would
make an army of 400,000 horsemen; and this would not be incredible. And what is
to me strong proof of the fact is, that the history informs us that Mahomet II.
came against Constantinople about the year A.D. 1450, with an army of 400,000*
horsemen, and after a long siege took the city in the year 1453, and destroyed
the Eastern Empire, which had stood more than ten centuries from its foundation
by Constantine.
17th verse: "And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat
on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth and brimstone; and the
heads of the horses were as the heads of lions, and out of their mouths issued
fire, and smoke, and brimstone." 18th verse, "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." 19th verse, "For their power is in their mouth, and in
their tails; for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with
them they do hurt." In these verses which we have now read, we are plainly
informed that it was an army of horses, and men on them, which John saw in the
vision. And the implements and manner of fighting, such as the trapping of their
horses, and the instruments offensive and defensive, gunpowder and guns, are as
exactly described as any person could describe it without knowing the name by
which we describe it at the present day. Fire, smoke, and brimstone, would be
the most visible component parts of gunpowder. Fire and smoke we should see, and
brimstone we should smell. And who ever saw an army of horsemen engaged in an
action but would think of John's description, "out of their mouths issued fire,
and smoke, and brimstone," and in the breech of the guns were bullets, "like
heads, and with these they do hurt"? Every part of this description is exactly
applicable to an army of horsemen with fire-arms; and what is equally strong in
the evidence is, that guns and fire-arms were invented but a short time previous
to this trump-sounding, and the Turks claimed the honor (if honor it can be
called) of inventing gunpowder and guns; and it is equally evident by the
history that guns were first used by the Turks at the taking of Constantinople,
they having one single cannon that took 70 yoke of oxen to draw it at the siege,
as says Dr. Gill on this passage.
20th verse, "And the rest of the men which were 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." 21st verse, "Neither repented
they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of
their thefts." In these verses, we have the character of the persons or
government on whose account these plagues were sent. In the first place, they
are represented as idolaters, as worshipping devils, idols of gold, &c., full of
murder, sorceries, fornication, and theft. This exactly agrees with the
description John has given of the "woman sitting on the scarlet-colored beast,
full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was
arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold, and precious stones,
and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness
of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name written,
Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, and the
abominations of the earth." So
we see that the fifth and sixth trumpets, and the two first woes, were sent as
the judgments of God upon this anti-Christian beast, and clearly shows the
decline of the power which she had exercised over the kings of the earth and the
people of God for more than eight centuries, to the commencing of the sixth
trumpet, when the Turks were let loose upon those kingdoms under the control of
Papacy, conquered all Asia and about one third part of Europe, and were in the
end the means of opening the eyes of many of the inhabitants of the world to see
that the Pope's pretension of being the vice-gerent of God was not well founded;
for, if he could not foresee and resist the inroads of the Turks,--that infidel
nation,--surely he could not perform those great miracles which he pretended to
perform in order to support his ecclesiastical and civil power: and individuals,
and afterwards nations, began to disregard his authority, excommunications, and
bulls, until his power is now but a little more than a bishop of Rome.
Here we see the wonder-working ways of our God, who, in wisdom and
providence, suffers the corrupt and infidel nations of the earth to pull down
each other, and to bring about his purposes and designs, and will eventually
destroy all the kingdoms of the earth, by such means, and in such ways, as the
prophets have foretold; and 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 begin, under which the
kingdoms of the earth and the anti-Christian beast will be destroyed, the powers
of darkness chained, the world cleansed, and the church purified.
See the 10th chapter of Revelation, 5th, 6th, and 7th verses, "And the
angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to
heaven." This is the angel of the covenant, the great Mediator. See the first
verse, "And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a
cloud." So is Christ to come in the clouds with power and great glory. "And a
rainbow was upon his head." This shows plainly that it is Christ; for the
rainbow is a token of the covenant. "And his face was as it were the sun." The
same as when he was transfigured, Matt. xvii. 2, "And his feet as pillars of
fire." See Rev. i. 15, "His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a
furnace." Surely this must be Christ. "And he had in his hand a little book
open." None could open the book but the lion of the tribe of Judah--another
strong proof that the angel in Rev. x. 5 is Christ. And who but Christ could
stand upon the sea and upon the earth, and lift "up his hand to heaven, and
swear by Him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven and the things
that therein are, and the sea and the things which are therein, that there
should be time no longer"? that is, gospel or mediatorial time should cease. No
more time for mercy; no more Spirit to strive with you, sinner; no more means of
grace; no more repentance unto life; no more hopes of heaven; for Jesus has
sworn by himself, because he could swear by no greater, that your day of
probation "should be no longer." For "he that is filthy shall be filthy still."
The Bridegroom has come, and shut to the door. I know, sinner, you will then
cry, Lord, Lord, open unto us; but he will say unto you, Depart from me, ye
workers of iniquity, for I know you not: when I called to you to open the door
of your hearts, that I might come in and sup with you, ye refused; when I
stretched out my arm all the long day of the gospel, ye regarded it not; I will
now laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh. Then will the angel,
flying through the midst of heaven, cry, with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the
inhabitants of the earth; for, when the last woe is pronounced, and "in the days
of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of
God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." "The
second woe is past, and behold the third woe cometh quickly. 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 forever and ever," Rev. xi. 14, 15. By these passages we learn that, when
the sixth trumpet has done sounding, when the second woe is past, then the third
woe comes quickly. The seventh trump begins to sound; the mystery of God is
finished--all that has been spoken by the prophets, that is, all that concerns
the kingdom of Christ; for then will be brought to pass the saying, Death is
swallowed up in victory; for, when the last trumpet shall sound, the dead in
Christ shall be raised: "For as in Adam all died, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive." "But every man in his own order. Christ the first fruits,
afterwards they that are Christ's at his coming." "The first man is of the
earth, earthy; the second Man is the Lord from heaven." "As is the earthy, such
are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that
are heavenly." "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear
the image of the heavenly. Now, this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit
incorruption." "Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trump,
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we
shall be changed; for this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal
must put on immortality." "Then will be brought to pass the saying that is
written, Death is swallowed up in victory," 1 Cor. xv. 22-54.
* Some authors say 300,000
Lecture 9:
REV. 1:20
"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the
seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches;
and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."
This view of the subject will then claim our first attention. Were the
seven churches used as a figure of the whole Christian dispensation, or were
they not? I answer, In my humble opinion, they were. Because, first, the book of
Revelation does evidently contain a prophecy of things which did not concern
those seven literal churches in Asia; for those churches have long since passed
away and become extinct; yet the book of Revelation contains prophecies which
are daily fulfilling, and have been for eighteen centuries. It is also said to
be a revelation of things which must shortly come to pass. "The revelation of
Jesus Christ which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which
must shortly come to pass." Not things that have been. Yet if Christ is only
giving admonitory advice to those seven literal churches, then he is only
relating their characters as they then were, and so far as these churches were
concerned it would cease to be a prophecy, and the very first verse in
Revelation would be violated. Again, 3d verse, "Blessed is he that readeth and
they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are
written therein; for the time is at hand." We see that it is called a prophecy
in this verse, and must allude to the whole book; but who will pretend that the
three chapters in the beginning of Revelation are a prophecy, if we understand
them as relating the character of seven literal churches in Asia only? None,
none.
Again: the word seven
is often used in the word of God as a mystical number, meaning the whole, as
seven spirits, seven stars, seven angels, seven candlesticks, seven seals, seven
trumpets, seven vials, seven thunders, seven plagues, seven mountains, seven
heads, seven eyes, seven horns, seven crowns, seven kings, and
seven churches.
All these are used in Revelation and apply to or concerning the whole Gospel
period. If, then, the number seven is used so often in this book in a figurative
sense, may we not reasonably suppose that it is so used in the dedication of
this book to the seven churches in Asia, and the history of those seven churches
be prophetic? for no scripture is given for any private interpretation, and
surely the instruction in the introduction of the book carries us down to the
coming of Christ in the clouds--"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye
shall see him, and they also which pierced him; and all kindreds of the earth
shall wail because of him; even so, amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the ending, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."
And why all this descriptive grandeur in the address to these seven churches, if
they only were meant? Surely there were other churches of equal importance at
that day. Where were the churches at Corinth, Cappadocia, Galatia, Thessalonica,
Philippi, Collossee, Rome, Jerusalem, Bithynia, &c.? Our text shows that the
seven churches were to be understood in a figurative or mystical sense. "The
mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven
golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and
the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches." These seven
churches are represented by "seven lamps." See Zach. iv. 2, "And said unto me,
What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of
gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven
pipes to the seven lamps which were upon the top thereof." These seven lamps are
called "the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro through the whole earth." See
Zach. iv. 10. If this is true, then it readily follows that the seven churches
of Asia are only used as a figure representing the church "through the whole
earth." Again: the seven lamps, which are the seven churches, are called the
seven spirits of God. Rev. iv. 5, "And there were seven lamps of fire burning
before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God." I have clearly proved,
and I think it will be admitted by all, that the "seven eyes of the Lord," and
"the seven spirits of God," are the seven churches to whom John was directed to
write or dedicate his book, the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
And I will now show that these comprehended the whole church through the
whole earth. See Rev. v. 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." Again: when we compare the several
characteristic marks or events, upon opening the seven seals, with those marks
and instructions to the seven churches, we shall be led to admire the beauty,
harmony, and consistency of the Revelation of Jesus Christ to his people. And I
think the mind will rest satisfied that this view of the subject is the truth,
because it so exactly agrees with Christ's manner of teaching by parables when
he was with us in the flesh.
Some may inquire, "Why were those seven churches in Asia used as figures
to represent the church militant in her several conditions to the end of her
militant state?" I answer, )if we may be allowed to answer the
whys or
wherefores,)
Because the signification of the names of those seven churches describe the
spirit and qualities of the several periods of the Christian church, which they
are brought forward to represent, which we shall attempt to show in its proper
place.
I shall now endeavor to take up the churches in the order in which they
are laid down to us in Revelation. (Read Rev. ii. 1-7, inclusive.) 1st. The word
EPHESUS, desirable chief.
This is true concerning the first age of the church, in the apostles' days, when
the Holy Ghost was given the power to work miracles, and the power to
distinguish between good and evil spirits, and when all were of one heart and
one mind, and the canon of the Holy Scriptures were filling up, and the inspired
apostles were setting things in order, and establishing churches through the
world. Yes, my brethren, these were desirable times surely. But to proceed: This
church is addressed by the character "that holdeth the seven stars," the
ministers and servants of him who holdeth them "in his right hand," under his
immediate care and control, "who walketh in the midst of the seven golden
candlesticks," and has said, where two or three are gathered together in his
name, there will he be in the midst of them, and has promised that whatsoever
they should ask in his name it should be granted unto them. He says, "I know thy
works." In that day they brought forth fruits meet for repentance, and they went
every where preaching that men should repent; and Paul said, when preaching at
Athens, "But now commandeth all men every where to repent." Yes, all, saint or
sinner, high or low, rich or poor; all, all must repent. And O! my brethren, how
much we need these works at the present day! "Remember, therefore, from whence
thou art fallen, and repent and do thy first works." Again he says, "I know thy
labor." Did not the apostles labor night and day? 2 Thess. iii. 8, "Neither did
we eat any man's bread for nought, but wrought with labor and travail night and
day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you." See 1 Thess. ii. 8,9, "So
being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you,
not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto
us. For ye remember, brethren, our labor and travail; for laboring night and
day, because we would not be chargeable to any of you, we preached unto you the
gospel of God." Again he says, "And thy patience." This, too, will apply to the
apostles' days. For Paul says, 2 Cor. vi. 4, "But in all things approving
ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in
necessities, in distresses." Also, xii. 12, "Truly the signs of an apostle were
wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. And
again the apostle says to Timothy, "But thou hast fully known my doctrine,
manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity,
patience." And who can read the
history of the first age of the church, but will admit that works, labor and
patience, were prominent features of that age, and virtues which adorned the
Christian church in its infancy, more than any age since? "And how thou canst
not bear them which are evil." Who can read Paul's instructions to his
Corinthian brethren, in 1 Cor. v. 11, without seeing this text fulfilled? "But
now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a
brother [as though such a one could not be a real brother, but only called so]
be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an
extortioner; with such a one no not to eat." And had the servants of Christ at
the present day the power of the apostles to discern the spirits by which we are
governed, how many in this congregation would blush when
"fornicator" is mentioned! How
many "covetous" would
hide their faces! How many "idolaters"
would bow their heads, or "railers"
would begin to murmur at the plainness of the speaker! How many
"drunkards" would not have
staggered into this house! And how many "extortioners"
would have staid at home! O God, thou knowest. Or who can read the 2d chapter of
the 2d epistle of Peter, and John's first epistle, Jude, and others, and not be
convinced that the apostles could not bear with them that were evil? Again:
"Thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found
them liars." This sentence was fulfilled in the apostles' days. Simon Magus,
after he was professedly a disciple of Christ, was found out by Peter to be in
the "gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity." Hymeneus and Alexander, whom
Paul delivered to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. 1 Tim. i. 20.
Also Philetus, Demas, and Alexander the coppersmith, were all found to be liars,
and many others who went out from them, as the apostle says, because they were
not of them. And how many are there now, my brethren, among us, who, when
tribulation cometh, will be offended, and go out from us! Lord, is it I? "And
hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labored, and hast not
fainted." Yes, my brethren, it was for the name of Jesus, that the primitive
Christians bore the persecutions of their day. Acts xv. 25, 26, "It seemed good
unto us to send chosen men unto you, with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men
that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Acts ix.
16, "For I will show him what great things he must suffer for my name's sake."
Verse 41, "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that
they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." And, may I not inquire,
how many of us are willing and would rejoice to suffer shame for the name of
Christ? Perhaps none. We had rather be called Rabbi, Rev., Dr., &c. We are
contending for our names
at the present day; for Baptists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Methodists,
Free-wills, Campbellites, &c. If we do not contend earnestly for our sect, they
will decrease, and we shall come to nought. And I say, May God speed it; so that
you all may fall on the word of God, and rally again under the name of Jesus.
But we will proceed with our subject. 4th verse, "Nevertheless I have somewhat
against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." Can this be true? Did the
apostolic church, in its purity, so soon depart from the first principles of the
gospel? Yes, in Acts xv. 24, "Forasmuch as we have heard that certain subverting
your souls, saying, ye must be circumcised, and keep the whole law, to whom we
gave no such commandment." Gal. i. 6, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from
him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel." 1 Timothy, i.
19, "Holding faith and a good conscience, which some having put away, concerning
faith, have made shipwreck." 2 Tim. i. 15, "This thou knowest, that all they
which are in Asia are turned away from me." And Paul further says, iv. 16, "At
my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God lay not
this sin to their charge."
Many more evidences might be brought, to prove that many, in that early
state of the church, did fall away from the doctrine of grace, which Paul and
the apostles taught. And now, my brethren, how is it with us? Are we built on
the truth? Have we a "Thus saith the Lord," for all we believe and do? Are we
built on "the prophets and apostles, Jesus Christ himself being the chief
corner-stone"? Look well to your foundation--the day is coming that will try
every man's works.
Verse 5, "Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent
and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove
the candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." In this verse the great
Head of the church admonishes the Christians of their former sins in neglecting
the doctrine of grace, and falling into the popular errors of the day, which I
have before noticed, and warns them of their duty to repent, which is the first
and great command under the gospel. He also gives them notice, that, except they
repent, he will remove the "desirable" state of the church into the next, which
would be a state of trial, persecution, and poverty.
6th verse, "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the
Nicolaitans, which I also hate." What the deeds of the Nicolaitans were, we are
not able, from the word of God, to determine; but from some things hinted at by
some ancient authors, we have good reason to believe that Nicolas, one of the
seven deacons, departed from the doctrine which the apostles taught, and
preached a doctrine which was repugnant to the gospel of Christ, viz., a
community or plurality of wives, which led Paul in his instructions to say, "Let
the deacons be the husband of one wife," 1 Tim. iii. 12. "He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." Here we have another
evidence, that the branch of the church at Ephesus was not the only church
addressed in this epistle and prophecy; for, if so, what propriety in using the
word churches,
in the plural, when only one church in Asia was spoken of? No, it could not be
proper, neither would it have been, as it is so used in every epistle through
the whole seven, had not Christ designed it for all the churches in a certain
age. There is also an admonition contained in these last-quoted words, to read,
hear, and observe the prophecy now given by the Spirit to John, the inspired
servant of Christ; and for all the churches of the age spoken of, to be careful
to apply to themselves the admonitions, designed by the Holy Spirit for their
immediate benefit. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of
life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." How precious is this
promise to the faithful and tried soul, who places all his hope, and strength,
and dependence, on one who is mighty to save, and on one who has promised to
bring him off conqueror over all the enemies of grace, and the powers of hell!
Yes, and, more than all, he has overcome and entered within the veil, as a
forerunner for us who believe. May we all, by faith, have a right to this tree
of life, this paradise of God.
I will now examine the prophecy to the second church, which I understand
to commence about the close of the first century, and lasted about two hundred
years, until the days of Constantine, A.D. 312.
8th verse, "And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna, write." The
signification of the word Smyrna,
is myrrh; denoting that the church in this age would be a sweet-smelling savor
to God, while she was passing through the fiery ordeal of persecution and
affliction, which always has served to weed out those obnoxious plants of pride,
popularity, self-dependence--the bane and poison of true faith, piety, and
devotion. And O, my brethren, could we learn wisdom, by what the church has
already suffered in the days of our forefathers, we should be more humble, the
more worldly peace and prosperity we enjoyed. For it is only in the midst of
persecution and trial, that the church manifest great purity of doctrine of
life. How well, then, might this age of the church be compared to
myrrh, when she must have been
separated from worldly honors, avarice, pride, popularity, and hypocrisy, when
the hypocrite and worldling had not motives to unite with and destroy the union
of the brotherhood, and when the hireling shepherd could expect no fleece, that
would suit his cupidity, to filch from the lambs of Christ! "These things saith
the first and the last, which was dead and is alive." In these words we learn
the character speaking to the church. It is no less than the mighty God, the
everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. "I know thy works, and tribulation, and
poverty." Now, their works were about to be tried; although God knew them that
were his, yet he designed to manifest to a world who would be faithful even unto
death, and to show that pure and undefiled religion would burn with a brighter
flame in tribulation and poverty, and the richness of that faith, which would
bring off the true Christian conqueror over the powers of the world, the
temptations of Satan, and corruptions of the flesh. "But thou art rich." Yes,
brethren, the true and genuine Christian is rich.
For charity can suffer long in tribulation, and the spirit of Christ will make
us forsake all for his sake, and endure poverty for the name of Jesus. "And I
know," says Christ, "the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, (that is,
people of God,) and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." Although Christ
knew the hypocrites and false professors that had rushed into his visible
kingdom during a time of prosperity that the church had experienced in its
Ephesian state, or apostolic age, yet now the time had come, when that
candlestick must be removed, and the next age of the church or candlestick be
set up; and the same means used by God to purify the silver would purge out the
dross, so that the kingdom would again be cleansed of its worldly, hypocritical,
and false professors.
10, "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer." The true child
of God need not fear to suffer for Christ's sake, for the sufferings of this
present evil world will work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory. "Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be
tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days." The devil in this verse means
Pagan Rome. See Rev. xii. 9, 17, "And the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent, called the devil." "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." How exactly was this prophecy fulfilled
in the days of Nero, Domitian, and other Roman emperors, and how faithful has
history been to record the ten persecutions between the days of John's prophecy
and the emperor Constantine! In these ten persecutions of the Roman government,
in the text called ten days,
we learn by the history of those days the church suffered a great diminution in
numbers by apostasy and fear; yet those that remained steadfast made up in
graces what they lost in numbers; and it was truly a time of trial, for many
were cast into prison, and many suffered torture and death, rather than to offer
sacrifices to their Pagan gods. "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give
thee a crown of life." Yes, my brethren, if we can believe the history of those
days, many of the dear disciples of Christ were faithful unto death, and have
long enjoyed the crown of life promised in this prophecy.
11, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the
churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." Here, then,
we find some of those characters who will have part in the first resurrection,
the blessed martyrs who were slain for the witness of Jesus. See Rev. xx. 4. And
in this passage we are again commanded to hear what the Spirit saith to the
churches--all, all who have ears; not the branch in Smyrna only, but all who
have ears. We have long been in the habit of giving away Scripture to others
when it belongs to us and our children; let us therefore apply it home.
12, "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write." Very earthy
elevated is the signification of the word
Pergamos; and this church represents the age of
Constantine, which lasted more than two hundred years, until the rise of
anti-Christ, from A.D. 312 until A.D. 538. During this age the church became
very earthy, having her worldly policy, and, like the church in the present day,
attending more to the outward concerns, and the worldly part of religion, than
to inward piety and graces of the spirit, looking more for
forms and
ceremonies, than for the
life, power, and
spirit of
the religion of Jesus, spending much of their time in building elegant chapels,
gorgeous temples, high places to educate their ministry, and adorning them with
pictures and pleasant things, and filling the hearts of their worshippers with
high, popular, and haughty notions. Yes, my brethren, the age of trial was gone;
the holy and secret aspirations of piety fled away, and, now she had obtained an
earthly emperor, her divine Master was forgotten. And here was the falling away
mentioned by Paul, 2 Thess. ii. 3, "Let no man deceive you by any means; for
that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of
sin be revealed, the son of perdition." This, then, was the age that prepared
the church to receive that monster, the man of sin, the son of perdition, into
her bosom, which stung the church with the poison of asps, and filled the temple
of God with image worship, and the church with idolatry, selfishness, avarice,
and pride.
"These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges." By
the sharp sword with two edges, we must understand the word of God, which
denounces heavy judgments on the wicked, and cuts off the corruptions and errors
from the church. The Psalmist says, cxlix. 5-7, "Let the saints be joyful in
glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in
their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance upon the
heathen, and punishments upon the people." Paul says, Heb. iv. 12, "For the word
of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And John saw, Rev. i. 16,
"And he had in his right hand seven stars; and out of his mouth went a sharp
two-edged sword." Then this is the meaning of the passage under consideration,
"These things saith he," which hath the word of God, and showing us the
importance of attending to the subject following, by the importance of the
speaker, "He that is Christ." And now, while we read or hear, let us keep in
memory that it is no less a personage speaking, than Him of whom the prophets
did write; who holdeth the stars in his right hand, and created and preserves
all things by the word of his power. Hear him.
"I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is.
Here, again, we have an evidence that this church is mystical, "dwelling in
Satan's seat," the fourth kingdom, the great red dragon, imperial Rome, whereon
the great mystical whore of Babylon sitteth. The church, in this age, became
immediately connected with this power called Satan, which is the devil,
Pagan Rome.
"And thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith." In this time of
popular religion, and when many, from political and worldly motives, united
their names to the people of God, still there were some who held to the doctrine
of Christ, and did not deny the faith.
"Even in those days, wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was
slain among you where Satan dwelleth." It is supposed that Antipas was not an
individual, but a class of men who opposed the power of the bishops or Popes in
that day, being a combination of two words,
Anti, opposed, and
Papas, father or Pope, and many of them suffered
martyrdom, at that time, in Constantinople and Rome, where the bishops and Popes
began to exercise the power which soon after brought into subjection the kings
of the earth, and trampled on the rights of the church of Christ. And, for
myself, I see no reason to reject this explanation of the word
Antipas in
this text, as the history of those times are perfectly silent respecting such an
individual as is here named. Yet many, who opposed the worship of saints and
pictures, and the infallibility of the bishop of Rome, were excommunicated,
persecuted, and finally driven out from among men, and in the next age of the
church had to flee into the wilderness. All this happened in the kingdom of
Rome, "where Satan dwelleth."
"But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that
hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before
the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit
fornication." The world have always been endeavoring to draw the church of
Christ into fellowship with them, and to a mixed communion of idolatry, as
Balaam taught Balak to draw the children of Israel from their God and his
commands, by mixing with the Jews in their worship, and, at the same time, by
degrees, introduce their priests, their altars and idol worship into their camp.
In Constantine's day this mode of warfare was introduced with great success by
Pagan worshippers, so that in little more than two centuries the greater part of
the professed Christian church became the image of the beast of which we are now
speaking, viz., Pagan Rome. Here, then, we see the rise of Papacy on the
downfall of Pagan Rome. Whosoever will take the pains of comparing the Pagan
manner of worship, forms, and ceremonies with Papacy, cannot help being forcibly
struck with the similarity of the two. One deified their departed heroes and
poets, the other her departed saints and votaries. The one consulted her oracles
and priests for laws and instructions, the other her Popes and cardinals. The
one had her altars, images, and statues, the other her chapels, pictures, and
crosses. Both had them erected in every public place, for the multitude to fall
before and worship. Both had their holy fire, holy water, and both claimed to
perform miracles; the one by the response of her wooden oracles, and the other
by her carnal priesthood. Here, then, we see how the church, in the fourth and
fifth century, was led over the stumbling-block of Paganism, to eat things
sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication.
"So, also, hast thou them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans,
which thing I hate." This doctrine was promulgated in the fourth century. See
the church history, and our former observations.
"Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against
them with the sword of my mouth." Again the Lord calls for repentance, and
threatens the judgments of his word upon them that obey not. O! may we take
warning, my brethren, and tempt not the heavy judgments of God upon us, for our
idolatry and fellowship of that which is not the religion of Jesus.
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and
will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man
knoweth saving he that receiveth it." Again, all that have ears are commanded to
hear, and those who remain faithful, that do not fall away, receive a promise of
spiritual food, and a name and righteousness which none can know but they who
receive it.
18, "And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write." The
signification of Thyatira
is, a "sweet savor of labor or sacrifice and contrition," and is a description
of the church, after she is driven into the wilderness by the anti-Christian
beast. This church lasted until about the tenth century; and little of her
history is known to the world; but some authors have pretended to trace her into
the north-west part of Asia, and in the north-east part of Europe, where they
lived until about the tenth century, unknown unto the rest of the world, or
taking but little concern with the nations around them. Yet it is said they
retained religion in its purity, and held to the doctrines of the word of God.
At any rate this church is represented as being in a state of heavy trial, and
subject to seduction by some power represented by
that woman Jezebel, of which I shall speak in its
place. "These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame
of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;" representing, as in all the other
declarations to the churches, that the character addressing them is no less than
the mighty God, the omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent Jehovah, who says,
"I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and patience, and thy
works; and the last to be more than the first." When this church existed, which
was when anti-Christ began her reign, there was great need of the exercise of
those graces of the spirit which in this passage are enumerated. 1st. In works
they had to, and without doubt did, combat the anti-Christian doctrines which
began in the sixth century to overwhelm the Christian world, such as worshipping
angels, departed saints, subject to councils and bishops, infallibility of the
Pope, &c. They, in charity, too, had many of their brethren to sustain while
combatting these errors against the power of this beast. They did much service
in holding up the hands of their pious teachers and pastors who were not led
away by this wicked one. How much faith, too, must they have been in possession
of to have withstood the power of their councils, the excommunications of the
Pope, and a majority of their brethren who had fell into Papal errors! how much
"patience"
to have remained unwavering amidst persecution when driven from their homes,
their country and friends, into the wilderness, where God prepared a place for
her! and how much more necessary were their last works to support each other in
exile, poverty, and distress, the natural consequence of being driven from among
men! But these things were so, according to the best account we can obtain of
those times.
20, "Nothwithstanding, I have a few things against thee, because thou
sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and
to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to
idols." In this verse we have strong testimony that the exposition we have given
of the seven churches is correct; for no character given the woman Jezebel will
apply so exactly, as the woman sitting on the scarlet-colored beast, full of
names of blasphemy, "having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and
filthiness of her fornication."
Jezebel
is a figurative name, alluding to Ahab's wife, who slew the prophets of the
Lord, led her husband into idolatry, and fed the prophets of Baal at her own
table. A more striking figure could not have been used to describe the Papal
abomination. See 1 Kings xviii. xix. xxi. chapters. It is very evident from
history, as well as from this verse in Revelation, that the church of Christ did
suffer some of the Papal monks to preach and teach among them. See the history
of the Waldenses.
21, "And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented
not." 22, "Behold I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with
her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds." 23, "And I will
kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which
searcheth the reins and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according
to your works." We cannot be mistaken in the character given to this mystical
Jezebel, when we compare the descriptions here used, and the judgments
threatened, with other passages of like import in Revelation, where mystical
Babylon is described and threatened. See Rev. ix. 20, 21, "And the rest of the
men which were 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:
neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their
fornication, nor of their thefts."
If these last texts mean anti-Christ, of which I believe none have any
doubt, that is, no commentator that I have been able to consult, then it is
equally evident that this woman, called Jezebel, in this prophecy of the church
in Thyatira, means the same; and the conclusion is strong the Thyatira church
represents the churches in some age of anti-Christ, and the prophecy contained
in the verses we have already quoted are the judgments God has and will pour out
on that great city that rules over the kings of the earth, and has for ages past
trodden the church under foot, and contaminated the people of God by her
seductions, sorceries, and fornications.
24, "But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, As many as have
not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, I
will put upon you none other burden." 25, "But that which ye have already, hold
fast till I come." In these verses the church which have not fellowshipped the
anti-Christian doctrine, and have not followed the practices of the satanic
blasphemies of their abominations, are here promised to experience no other
persecution except what they may experience from this beast or woman Jezebel,
which is another proof of this being anti-Christ; for the church in Thyatira has
long been extinct, if there ever was such a church, and was when the man of sin
was revealed; and yet they are promised to have none other burden until he come,
as it is more than implied; and this power is to stand until he comes. For Paul
says, "Whom he shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and destroy with the
brightness of his coming." This is Daniel's fourth kingdom, which was to be
broken without hand, and to be carried away like the chaff of the summer
threshing-floor before the wind, that no place be found for it.
26, "And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him
will I give power over the nations," 27, ("And he shall rule them with a rod of
iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers,) even as I
received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star." 29, "He that hath
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches."
In closing the prophecies to the churches, our divine Instructor carries
them down to that day when he shall come to be admired in all them that believe,
or to glorify his saints, to crown them his in his kingdom of glory, to break in
pieces all the kingdoms of the earth as a potter's vessel is broken to shivers,
as the last text says, which proves that when Christ comes, he will bring all
the saints with him, and this too when the kingdoms of this world and
anti-Christ will be destroyed. And this proves another important point in which
many good and pious people are greatly mistaken, viz., that there will not be a
thousand years' happy reign previous to Christ's coming the second time without
sin unto salvation. What happy reign can there be while the kingdoms of the
earth stand as they now do; while the anti-Christian beast has power to seduce
and draw the servants of God into idolatry, and lull to her serpentine folds
thousands and tens of thousands human beings yearly, and deceive the nations by
her siren song of mother church;
while by means of her poison, subtle, secret, and deep, she is undermining and
sapping the foundation of every religious sect but her own; of every civil
government but such as will resign their power unto her control? And now, while
I am speaking, she is exerting an influence in this once favored land, by means
of her Jesuits, that will set father against son, and son against father, and
drench our country in blood. Can this monster of murder, iniquity, and blood,
retain her life, her standing in society, and we have a happy reign? No. She
must and will sink like a millstone in the mighty deep, and God will avenge the
blood of his servants. Her flesh must be eaten by dogs; yea, the kings of the
earth shall eat her flesh, and God shall consume her with fire before the happy
reign comes. "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly."
