ground for believing, as the early fathers believed, "that Palestine is the stage on which Antichrist, "in the height of his impiety will perish." Thus it appears, that his Lordship held the very opinion which drew upon me the censure of Mr. Whitaker. He supposed Daniel's wilful king to be the great Antichrist of the last ages; he supposed the great Antichrist of the last ages to be infidel France; and he supposed, that the expedition into Palestine would be undertaken by the great Antichrist or the wilful king, and consequently not by the king of the north. To the authority of Bp. Horsley I may add that of Jurieu, who, in a similar manner, ascribes the expedition into Palestine to the wilful king †. Nov. 24, 1806. * See Bp. Horsley's Letter on Isaiah xviii. p. 102, 105, 106, 107, 108, 86, 87, 88, 98, 103, 104, 105; and see the citation from this letter in the second volume of the present work, P. 456. p. + See Accomplishment of the Prophecies, vol. i. p. 105, CONTENTS. J. An inquiry into the duration of this period. p. 3. 1. The 1260 days are not days, but years. p. 4. (1.) This appears from numerical prophecies already accom- (2.) From the express warrant of Scripture. p. 5. (3.) From the nature of the circumstances ascribed to that (4.) From the specification of the time, about which it must 2. The 1260 days are collectively equivalent to 1260 natural (1.) The nature of its apostasy. p. 18. (2.) The 1260 years are to be computed from the establish ment of the apostasy in its dominant state. p. 22. 2. In the East it is the contemporary period of the dominance of the little horn of the Macedonian beast or Muham medism. p. 25. 3. Towards its close the tyranny of the Infidel king, who was destined to arise after the era of the Reformation, commences. p. 28. 4. At the end of the 1260 years all these enemies of God will be destroyed, and the restoration of the Jews will take place. p. 29. III. These matters are predicted in four of the prophecies of Daniel. p. 30. 1. The dream of Nebuchednezzar. p. 31. 2. The vision of the four beasts, p. 32. 3. The vision of the ram and the he-goat, p. 36. 4. The latter end of the prophecy of the Scripture of truth. p. 41. IV. With the latter part of these four prophecies the Apocalypse is closely connected. p. 49. 1. This grand chronological prediction contains a history of the Church of Christ from the days of St. John to the end of the world. p. 49. 2. It is divided into three successive periods of seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials. p. 51. 3. The chronological adaptation of the 1260 years to the Apocalypse. p. 58. (1.) They commence at the sounding of the fifth trumpet or the first woe-trumpet. p. 58. (2.) They expire at the effusion of the seventh vial. p. 60. (3.) This period is equal to the whole duration of the great two-fold Apostasy in its dominant state. p. 4. Contents of the three woe-trumpets. p. 66. 65. 5. The History of the Apostasy is detailed in two distinct parallel lines, that of the western Apostasy being contained in the four chapters of the little book. (1.) Contents of these four chapters. p. 69. (2.) That portion of the greater book, to which the prophet returns after finishing the little book, relates to the general history of the Church under the third woetrumpet, at the commencement of which Antichrist is revealed. This trumpet comprehends the seven vials, and likewise the harvest and vintage of God's wrath the harvest synchronizing with the three first vials; and the vintage, with the last vial. p. 74. 6. At the effusion of the last vial, the wrath of God goes forth to destroy his enemies. p. 76. 7. At the commencement likewise of this period, the Jews begin to be restored; and, when the enemies of God have been overthrown, and the whole house of Israel brought back, the Millennium commences. p. 77. 8. At the close of the Millennium, Gog and Magog are destroyed. p. 80. 9. A scheme, shewing the arrangement of that part of the Apocalypse which treats of the 1260 years. p. 81. 10. Points of correspondence between the prophecies of Daniel and St. John. p. 81. CHAP. II. ON THE SYMBOLICAL LANGUAGE OF PROPHECY. ONE symbol does not represent many different things, though one thing is frequently represented by many different symbols. p. 85. I. Prophetic phraseology constructed on abstract ideas. p. 87. II. Prophetic phraseology constructed on palpable symbols. Symbols, typify at once both temporal and spiritual things, provided the matters thus typified have a mutual relation and correspondence. Symbols may be reduced into various classes. p. 89. 1. Heaven with its subordinate symbols. p. 90: 3. A city, with its subordinate symbols. p. 97. 4. A woman. p. 103. 5. A vine. p. 106. 6. A wild beast, with its subordinate symbols. p. 106. CHA P. III. CONCERNING THE SCRIPTURAL PHRASES OF THE LATTÉR DAYS, AND THE LAST DAYS; THE CHARACTER OF ANTICHRIST; AND THE TIME OF THE END. 1. IMPORT of the latter days, and the last days. p. 112. 1. In the Old Testament, the phrases are synonymous; for the original expression, thus variously rendered, ought to be translated the futurity of days; and it denotes simply futurity reckoned forward from the days of the speaker. p. 113. 2. But, in the New Testament, there is a real difference bétween the phrases in the original. p. 119. (1.) The last days, when not spoken of prophetically, signify the whole period of the Gospel dispensation. p. 119. (2.) But, when the latter days and the last days are spoken of prophetically, they bear two entirely different significations: the first importing the reign of superstition, which continues during the greater part of the Apos tasy; the second meaning the reign of Atheism and Infidelity, which openly commences under the last woe-trumpet, towards the termination of the Apostasy. p. 120. (3.) The propriety of this distinction appears from a survey of the different prophecies, professedly descriptive of the latter days and the last days. p. 122. II. What we are to understand by the term Antichrist. p. 131., 1. Antichristianism of the Docetæ and Cerinthians. p. 132. |