These signs are to continue till our Lord's advent with the clouds Concluding division of our Lord's discourse.—Passages cited from Our Lord appears, in the above passage of St. Matthew, to affirm This difficulty has greatly perplexed those who have endeavoured ..... ..... And the clause signifies that the whole series of events were to ... The inference from the whole of this prophecy is, that the times of the Gentiles, or 1260 years, ended at the fall of the French monarchy, in the year 1792 . 238 239 ib. 240 ib. 241 ib. ib. 243 ib. An inference deduced from this prophecy, compared with the sixteenth chapter of Revelation, that the celestial signs predicted by our Lord, synchronize with the seven Apocalyptic vials .... 244 CHAPTER XV. ON THE PROPHETICAL PERIOD OF TWELVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY YEARS, CONCLUDED. In this chapter an auxiliary argument will be offered, in aid of the conclusion, that the 1260 years ended at the French Revolution, founded on another mysterious number, in the eighth chapter of Daniel ...... In the third year of Belshazzar Daniel saw, in vision, a ram with two horns-This ram is a symbol of the empire of the Medes and Persians 245 ...... ib The establishment of the Medo-Persian empire did not take place till the year A. C. 536.-But the rise of the empire may be dated from the year A. C. 559 246 The period when Daniel first beheld the ram was, however, later- .... .... 246 218 ... 249 Reasons why these wars must be those of Darius Hystaspis, and ib. ... 250 Daniel next saw a he-goat come from the west, and overthrow the The four kingdoms which rose out of the empire of Alexander ib. ib. .... 251 ........ This horn is a symbol of the Roman power in the east, after its ib. ib. 255 ..... Question concerning the length of the vision, cited from Dan. viii. 13. ....... 257 The answer declares that it shall be unto two thousand three hun- 258 ib. ...... This cleansing must therefore begin at the sounding of the seventh trumpet Another argument stated to prove this point, and a consequence deduced from it, that the 2300 days must be used for years, and that they end precisely at the same time with the 1260 years.. 259 It follows, therefore, that the 2300 years must have ended in the year 1792 .... This conclusion is further confirmed by computing the 2300 years back from the year 1792, for thus calculated they bring us to the identical year A. C. 508, which we have already seen is the probable date of the commencement of Daniel's vision of the ram Among the objections to the conclusion that the 1260 years ended Three different numbers are mentioned in the above passage, viz. ....... ..... The argument of Mr. Faber, founded on the above passage, is, that the restoration of Judah will begin precisely at the close of the 1260 years. Answer to this argument. 259 261 262 ib. 263 264 The answer confirmed, by passages cited from Wintle-and Lowth 265 ..... Answer to this objection, by a reference to the past history of that ... Reasons for concluding that their national conversion is already ... ib. ib. 268 1 CHAPTER XVI. THE FOURTEENTH CHAPTER OF THE APOCALYPSE. A lamb standing on Mount Sion, and with him an hundred and ib. ... 274 This exposition is a natural consequence of the erroneous expla- Archdeacon Woodhouse bas, very inconsistently with himself, adopted the same explanation of the vision of the 144,000.... 274 Reasons for rejecting this opinion, and for referring this vision to the period of the sixth seal, and seventh trumpet, and seven vials The appearance of the 144,000 on Sion, is emblematical of the triumphant attitude assumed by the true spiritual church, in the period of the vials...... ...... ..... The song which they learn is the Song of Moses and the Lamb, 275 277 The church is here presented to us as returned from the wilderness; but not yet entered into her rest The church is already assuming, or rather has assumed, the posture here mentioned.... ib. Three angels seen, the first having the everlasting Gospel; the second proclaiming that Babylon is fallen; the third denouncing eternal punishment against the worshippers of the beast...... 279 Some writers interpret the above vision, of the preaching of Luther and the reformers of his age-others refer it to an earlier period Reasons for rejecting both these interpretations ....... ..... 280 ib. 281 ib. The whole of the fourteenth chapter of the Apocalypse belongs to the period of the seventh trumpet The flight of the first angel denotes a preaching of the Gospel much more extensive than any that preceded it It also denotes the diffusion of the written word, with a rapidity before unexampled—and that this circulation of the Scriptures shall be accompanied with awful and signal judgments of God 282 This prophecy seems now to be receiving its accomplishment.... ib. The flight of the second and third angels is yet future Some remarks on the mission of these two angels 283 ib. After declaring the purport of the message of the third angel, the Holy Spirit gives a significant warning, that the events of that time shall call into exercise the utmost degree of the faith and patience of the saints-Remarks on this warning ............ 284 A voice heard from heaven, saying, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth Remarks on this passage ..... 285 ib. The Son of Man sits on a white cloud, with a sharp sickle, and reaps the harvest of the earth This advent of Christ is the same with that mentioned in the seventh of Daniel and other passages-The reaping of the harvest of the earth is the gathering of his elect from the four winds of heaven..... ...... This explanation of the wheat harvest is different from that ... ....... ....... 236 287 288 ib. ib. 239 CHAPTER XVII. THE VISION OF SEVEN ANGELS WITH THE SEVEN VIALS OF WRATH. Apocalyptic description of this scene...... .... ... ... 291 292 ... ib. 293 The fifteenth chapter of the Apocalypse is an introduction to the ib. 294 Observations on the ceremonial and awful import of this vision.. ib. The opening of the holy of holies denotes the near approach of the glorious rest of the church..... 295 .... But not its actual commencement, which is not till the close of the vials The return of the church from the wilderness is denoted by the opening of the holy of holies And the entering of men into the holy of holies, coincides with the marriage-supper of the Lamb 296 |