صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

1865. As we could identify but two spiritual fulfillments of the 70 weeks, this giving three values to the 42 months is purely analogical, and can not be relied upon. It seems to us, the present empire church of Europe must fall before that time, though, possibly, it may be later. There are some modes of computation, that bring the time to 1861 or 2, but they are not endorsed by past fulfillment.

SECTION V.

THREE AND A HALF TIMES-1243, 1451, 1708, 1810. The word time is used as a prophetic measure of years in the seventh and twelfth chapters of Daniel, and in the twelfth chapter of Revelation; it is synonymous with the term year, as we find by reference to Daniel iv. 16. As it is used by the symbolic prophets, in preference to the term year, there must be some reason for it, and that reason consists in the peculiarity of the year it represents. We saw that the seventy weeks represented seven kinds of year, as 360, 411%, 420, 430, 480, 490, and 520 years. Now, these 3 times must coincide with one of these kinds of years. Indeed, it seems, that there are four classes of great years of years: First, the day year of years, consisting of 360 years, represented by days; second, the week year of years, represented by 52 weeks of years; third, the month year of years, or 42 months; and the year year of years, or 360 years × 360 years. Now, before fulfillment of the three and a half times transpires, it is impossible to determine with cer tainty what kind was intended by the prophet; but, when a fulfillment of them is seen in part, the whole fulfillment is easily calculated. We shall now take up these times, and give a twice-doubled interpretation of them. It is obvious, that as the seventy weeks had a twice donklal

exposition, and that, as one pair of these applied to the civil department of Israel, and the other to the spiritual, so, also, these times may be interpreted. In the seventh chapter of Daniel, and in the twelfth of Revelation, the times are plainly applicable to spiritual matters; and in the twelfth of Daniel, they refer to civil matters primarily. As the spiritual lengths of the seventy weeks differ from civil time, so will the lengths of times also differ. We shall first interpret their spiritual lengths.

Paragraph I.

SPIRITUAL LENGTH OF THE TIMES.

1. 360 being one form of the symbolic times, or years. of years, if we multiply it by 3, we have 1260 years. If to this we add Sabbatic time, or one seventh, we shall have 1440. Then, as 360-132,496 days, or 364× 364, 1440 will equal 529,984 days, or 1451 years and 17 days.

2. As 4113 are another form of symbolic year, if we multiply this by 31, we again have 1440. Then, as 360=132,496, 1440 will equal 529,984 days.

3. As 420 is another form of 70 weeks, or a time, and as this is equal to 151,424 days, or 132,496 plus one seventh of it, and as 3 times 420-1470, then 1470 will equal again 1451 years 17 days.

4. As 364 years are a time, or year of years, if we add Sabbatic time to it, we have 416. Then, multiplying this sum by 31, we shall have 1456 years. Then, multiplying this sum by 364 days, the number in the sacred year, we have 529,984 days, or 1451 years and 17 days. In the same way we may deduce 1243 years and 277 days, as the value of the 3 times.

Now, as the little horn, or empire church in Europe, was to domineer over the church 529,984 days, and for 1243 years and 277 days, and as this domination ceased, in part, at the United States, these days must

end there. Now, as this domination began on the 19th of June, 325, and as from that time to the 4th of July, 1776, was exactly 529,984 days, it is evident that here is a fulfillment, shown on a great scale, in part, and that a part remains yet to be realized.

Again; as the three and a half times of the woman in the wilderness, began also at the same date, her time of deliverance, also, began to end where the 1451 years ended; that is, at the rise of our country, July 4th, 1776.

Paragraph II.

SECULAR LENGTHS OF THE THREE AND A HALF TIMES.

First Length.-1. As 70 weeks, or 490 years, are a year of years, or a time, 3 times, this equals 1715 years. Then, as 490 equals 488 years, 1715 will equal 1708. 490 is equal to 488, because 360 equals 366, and as by consequence, 480 will equal 488, and 480 and 490 are equal to each other.

2. 480×31=1680. Then, as 360=366, 1680 will equal 1708 years.

Second Length.-1. Seventy weeks are equal to 520 years, and 520, multiplied by 3, equals 1820. Now, multiply this by 2, and divide by 366, and we have 1810 years and 20 days. The reason for this is, that 2 is the difference between a year of 364 parts, and one of 366; and the 1820 years are years of 364 days long, and these are to be reduced to years of 366 days. We have an example of the propriety of this mode of reduction in the 70 weeks. There it was seen, that by adding Sabbath time to 520, we had 6063 years, and multiplying it by 2, and dividing by 366, we obtained 603 years and 128 days. Indeed, if we multiply this by 3, we obtain 1810 years and 20 days.

2. We saw that the 70 weeks were just equal to 6031 years, by the addition of Sabbath time. Now, if we

subtract Sabbath time from it, we have 5174 years as the length of a "time." Then multiplying this sum by 3, we have just 1810 years, or 1810 years and 20 days. These times are evidently to be dated, according to Daniel xii., at the overthrow of Judea by the Romans. They will, therefore, naturally begin at the last passover, and the last daily sacrifice. Now, the last daily sacrifice. was on the 17th of Panemus, or 189th day of A. D. 68, and just 1708 years after that date, exactly, a Christian nationality arose, answering to the Israel restored described by the literal prophets. From A. D. 68, and 189th day, to July 4th, 1776, was exactly 1708 years. So that the three and a half times began to be fulfilled at that point. Again; if we date the other length of the times at the last passover, or 97th day of A. D. 68, we are carried down to A. D. 1878, and 117th day.

SECTION VI.

TWENTY-THREE HUNDRED EVENING MORNINGS.

Paragraph I.

THE EPOCHS OF THEIR BEGINNING AND ENDING.

Daniel viii. "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 and three hundred morning evenings, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."

"And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told, is true; wherefore shut thou up the vision: for it shall be for many days." "By him the place of his sanctuary was cast down; and an host was given him against the daily sacrifice, by reason of transgression.” "And shall destroy the mighty and the holy

people." This prophecy is found in one of the four prophetic histories of the world related by Daniel. Accompanied with the application of it, by Christ, to the destruction of the temple, and the long captivity of his people and the Jews, together with its literal fulfillment in these events, its meaning can not be mistaken. The casting down of the sanctuary is synonymous with the burning of the temple, and the taking away of the daily sacrifice, with the cessation of national worship; but in speaking of the treading of the sanctuary and the host under foot for many days, the reference is plainly to the long humiliation of the two departments of the nationality of God's Israel. The sanctuary and the host are metonymic figures for the Hebrew church and state; the sanctuary signifies the church, and the host. the commonwealth of Israel. The closing of the sanctuary at the end of the 2300 days, represents the removal of the desolator that polluted it; and can not refer to the temple as a house, because it does not exist, and no mention is made of its rebuilding; but a cleansing of something, still being, is mentioned, and, therefore, it must signify the true system of divine worship, purified from the control of secular authority; in other words, a free church. The 2300 morning evenings are rendered in two ways by our translators, one of which is the above, and the other is by the term days. But the former is the most literal meaning of the passage, and the latter is more of an inferential character. The daily sacrifice, mentioned so often, because a real measure of Hebrew time, as it never ceased; and, for the same reason, the double sacrifice on each Sabbath, and the hebdomadal sacrifice every two months, conjoined with the daily, made their aggregate number a most accurate reed for the measurement of solar time. It required two lambs to constitute one sacrifice, or to equal one day; for one was

« السابقةمتابعة »