day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem

on the east ; .... and the Lord

all the Saints."1

and the Lord my God shall come, and

THUS JERUSALEM SHALL BE THE GRAND CENTRE OF AFFLICTION WHEN THE DAY OF THE

THE EARTH'S

LORD'S COMING IS AT HAND.

Perhaps it may have surprised some persons that I have not referred to the (so-called) "BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON," while speaking of the final acts of warfare near Jerusalem. Let me explain this omission.

I do not think that a battle properly called "the Battle of Armageddon" will take place. If we look at the sixteenth chapter of REVELATION (which is the only place in the whole Bible in which ARMAGEDDON is brought before us) we shall not find any Battle of Armageddon spoken of, but simply A GATHERING TOGETHER OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH, through the instrumentality of evil spirits, at a place called ARMAGEDDON, in readiness for THE BATTLE OF THE GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY;" which battle, as we have already seen, is to be fought in the immediate neighbourhood of JERUSALEM.

It will hardly be said that JERUSALEM was spoken of as "a place called in the Hebrew tongue-ARMAGEDDON :" for "Jerusalem" is itself a Hebrew name. Some other

1 Zech. xii. 2-4; xiv. 1-5.

place than this must be intended.1 A gathering, however, at some place so called, if rendered in the Hebrew tongue, there will be. It will be, perhaps, a congress of kings, held at the place, to decide on matters with regard to Eastern territories-matters of importance to the nations generally; a congress called by Antichrist in subtlety, so that by the semblance of peace, many may be destroyed. But observe the language of Scripture in this place-"I saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet; for they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty." Then a word of solemn warning follows-"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." This warning being uttered, the prophetic history proceeds—" And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."

1 There are different opinions as to the etymology of Armageddon. Some suppose it to be composed of the two words, a city, and something very noble. Others tell us it should be

and

; others, again, that it is either or and 17

a mountain,

Megiddo.

Of this last word we may note that the Septuagint renders it Mayeddw Gesenius suggests that Megiddo may mean "a place of crowds."

Then immediately "the seventh vial is poured into the air," and the voice from heaven-from the temple, and from the throne-declares "IT IS DONE." Now signs and wonders follow. Babylon receives her cup of wrath. The islands and the mountains flee away. And men's hearts failing them for fear, and their bodies suffering from the plague of hail, they blaspheme God.

Another subject of general inquiry, because thought to be of serious moment as a sign of the approach of Christ for judgment, is the PROPHESYING OF THE WITNESSES. On this also I have said nothing.

There can be no doubt that previous to the advent of our LORD, THE PROPHET ELIJAH will appear on earth. That he has not come yet, is certain. JOHN THE BAPTIST was not ELIJAH. He said he was not. "I am not Elias," was his reply to those who asked him.2 Our Lord indeed declared of him, "This is ELIAS which was for to come. And so indeed he was. He was ELIAS as to "the power and spirit;"4 the Elias (so to speak) who was to be the herald of the Saviour's peaceful mission. But he was not ELIAS-in person-not the actual ELIJAH who was taken up in the fiery chariot.

1 See the position of the Seven Vials in The Book of Revelation in Diagram, by same author.

2 John i. 21.

3 Matt, ii. 14.

4 Luke i. 17.

TO COME.

It was nowhere said he was to come before the first— the peaceful-day of the Lord Jesus;-but as MALACHI predicted" before the coming of THE GREAT AND DREADFUL day of the Lord," the day when He shall come for judgment, and to take possession of His kingdom. No doubt, therefore, ELIJAH has not yet appeared, but is But where is the evidence that he is to be one of the "TwO WITNESSES?" We cannot find it. If we refer to the eleventh chapter of REVELATION, we shall see that the "TwO WITNESSES are introduced, not under the last, but under the SIXTH trumpet. This trumpet does not speak of THE LORD'S ADVENT. It is the trumpet of the REFORMATION PERIOD.1 It is not the trumpet which proclaims THE END.

I feel then no hesitation in asserting the opinion that the Two Witnesses, belonging as they do to this sixth trumpet, and not to that which proclaims the end of the dispensation, are none other than THE PROPHETS AND THE APOSTLES GENERALLY; or, in other words, THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES. But test this. It is certain that these inspired witnesses of God did prophesy, as it were, clothed in sackcloth for twelve hundred and sixty years; namely, from A.D. 533 (when the EDICT OF JUSTINIAN planted the nucleus of that persecuting power of the Papacy, which it swayed with

1 Commencing probably at or about A.D. 1517.

such effect in after years) till the REIGN OF TERROR, 1793, when, so far as their existence in the Roman Empire was concerned, they were slain; and thus, for three and a half years (the time predicted) viz., from the 31st May, 1793 (at which time, by the success of the Jacobin Conspirators, the destruction of the civil establishment of religion in France was completed, the "Worship of Reason" commenced, the Scriptures were declared to be a fable, death was pronounced an everlasting sleep, the Sabbath was abolished, and the reckoning of time altered), to the beginning of the year 1797, (when a change took place by the fact of new men obtaining power in the great council of the Commonwealth.)

During this predicted period, it was as the prophecy declared it should be.1 Joy was exhibited amongst the learned and scientific people of all Europe. They wrote one to another, offering congratulations on the introduction of a new era. Our own beloved country was infected also, and Republicanism and Infidelity committed ravages on every side.

But after the inspired witnesses had thus lain dead, unused, uncared for, scoffed at, despised, for the appointed period, "they revived and stood upon their feet," and a day of greater honour dawned upon them than they ever, theretofore, experienced. They were read,

1 Rev. xi. 10.