shall come against him like a whirlwind

.. and tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him;" wherefore "he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacle of his palace between the seas in the Glorious Holy mountain."*

JOEL follows in the same direction,-speaking of the troubles of that time when "the day of the Lord cometh. . . . . and is nigh at hand," the day when "the earth shall quake . . the heavens shall tremble, the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining," declares that "in those days" . . . . the Lord "will gather all nations, and will bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat, and plead with them there."

"Proclaim ye this (he says) among the Gentiles,prepare war, wake up the mighty men. . . . beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves and come all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down O Lord. Let the heathen be awakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. . . Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining."

ZECHARIAH likewise testifies, "Behold I will make

*Daniel xi. 39-45.

Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah, and against Jerusalem. And in that day, I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people; all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. . . . . . . . Behold the day of the Lord cometh and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the City shall be taken. . . . and half of the City shall go forth into Captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the City. Then shall the Lord go forth. . . . and His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. and the Lord my God shall come,

and all the Saints."*

THUS JERUSALEM SHALL BE THE GRAND CENTRE OF THE EARTH'S AFFLICTION WHEN THE DAY OF THE LORD'S COMING IS AT HAND.

Now 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 say a word in explanation of this omission.

I may, in the first place, state plainly that I do not think that we are right in making the assertion that a battle properly so called 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

Zech. xii. 2-4. xxv.-15.

that a Battle of Armageddon is 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 neighborhood of JERUSALEM.

*

Now surely it will not be argued that JERUSALEM was spoken of as "a place called in the Hebrew tongue-ARMAGEDDON:" for "Jerusalem" is itself a Hebrew name. Some other place than this, must be intended. A gathering however at some place so called if rendered in the Hebrew tongue there will be. It will be, no doubt, a congress of kings, held at the place, to decide on matters with regard to Eastern territories,-matters of importance to the nations generally. It will be a congress called by Antichrist in subtlety, so that by the semblance of peace, many may be destroyed. It would appear that this congress will be held soon after "the first resurrection" (of which we have spoken at large)† shall have taken place. So at least, the language of the chapter which contains the notice of the gathering, would lead us to expect. For we find that as

*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 a Others again that it is either or and 17 Megiddo. Of this last word we may note that the Septuagint renders it Mayadda. Gesenius suggests that Meggido may mean "a place of crowds."

מגד mountain, and

† See Chapter II.

soon as it is said "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:"-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."

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.

Now 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

8

am not Elias" was his reply to those who asked him.* 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;"‡ 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 to Heaven in the fiery chariot. 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 ELIJAH, therefore, has not yet appeared, but IS TO COME. 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, I think, 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.§ It is not the trumpet which proclaims THE END. Therefore, these Witnesses must have appeared already, unless the trumpet of the Reformation period has not ceased to sound. But no fair interpreter of the Apocalypse will maintain this, unless indeed he assert likewise, that ALL the symbols of the Revelation are yet future as to their fulfilment; which notion we cannot for a moment think to be correct. There can be no doubt from the manner and

† Matt. ii. 14.

* John i. 21. + Luke,i. 17. 2 Commencing probably at or about A.D. 1517, See Chapter X.