Page images
PDF
EPUB

When the 45 years shall have expired, when the whole family of Jacob shall have been converted and restored, and when the stick of Judah shall have united itself for ever with the stick of Joseph ; then will commence the season of millennian bles sedness. We have reason to suppose, that the ancient people of God, now converted to the faith of Christ, will be greatly instrumental in spreading the glad tidings of the Gospel among the heathen nations, already prepared to receive it by so many supernatural interpositions of Providence, and by beholding with their own eyes the glory of the Lord permanently manifested over Jerusalem. According to the united testimony of many of the prophets, Israel, after his restoration, will be sown among the Gentiles ; and will thus be made, in a wonderful manner, from first to last, the seed of the Church. This preaching of the Gospel by the converted Israelites, unlike the preaching of it by that first handful only of seed the Hebrew Apostles of our Lord, will, I apprehend, be totally unattended by persecution or opposition: for all trials of that nature would be incompatible with the predicted peace and blessedness of the Millennian Church. God will incline the hearts of the Gentiles to receive the word gladly. Great shall be the day of Jezrael. For, if the fall of the Jews be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? Nay, instead of opposing or slighting the truth, so eager

[merged small][ocr errors]

shall the heathens be to receive it, that out of all the languages of the nations ten men shall lay hold of the skirt of only one Jew, declaring, with a holy vehemence, their full determination to go ⚫ with him, inasmuch as they have heard that God is with him of a truth. In short, the whole world shall press eagerly to Jerusalem to behold the glory of the Lord, and to receive instruction from the lips of his servants. All nations shall flow, like a mighty torrent to his holy mountain, assured that he will teach them of his ways, and cause them to walk in his paths; that the law shall go forth out of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

It is not impossible, that some may feel a curiosity to know what nation is intended by the great maritime power destined to take so conspicuous a part in the conversion and restoration of Judah. On this point their curiosity cannot be gratified; at least, not with any degree of precision. Yet, although we presume not to say, that this or that particular modern nation is intended; we may, by comparing prophecy with prophecy, ascertain both the region in which that nation is to be sought, and the religious character of that nation. The result of such a comparison is briefly as follows: that the maritime power must not only be sought for generally in the West, but particularly in the isles of the Gentiles or Europe; and, not only generally in the isles of the Gentiles or Europe, but particularly in the believing isles of the Gentiles or protestant

[ocr errors]

protestant Europe *. Further than this I cannot find that we have any authority to advance, and therefore I shall not attempt to advance further: but I shall content myself with resting in the conclusion, that the maritime power will be that state* of protestant Europe which shall possess a decided naval superiority at the time when the 1260 years shall expire. This mighty maritime power, and perhaps other smaller protestant maritime powers its allies, described by the prophet under the general name of the isles of the Gentiles †, will be the agents in converting and restoring those Jews who are not under the influence of Antichrist.

From what has been said concerning the events which are to take place at the close of the 1260 years, the following positions may, I think, be collected.

1. The Jews most certainly will be restored. 2. They will as certainly be converted to Christianity. 3. They will begin to be restored as soon as the 1260 years shall have expired ‡. 4. They will

* This comparison is drawn out at length in my Work on the restoration of Israel, and the overthrow of Antichrist.

+ Isaiah 1x. 9. That part of the isles of the Gentiles is of course here spoken of, which is not subject to the controul of Antichrist.

Since Daniel declares, that the Jews will begin to be restored at the end of the 1260 years, and since our Lord no less expressly predicts that "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of "the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled;"

will be restored in two great divisions. 5. The first of these divisions will be restored in a converted state by the prevailing protestant maritime power of the day. 6. The second will be restored in an unconverted state, and in opposition to the views of the maritime power, by a confederacy consisting of the Roman beast under his last head, the false prophet, and the vassal kings of the earth or Latin empire. 7. The confederacy, one member · of which is certainly the atheistico-papal king, having sanctified their war by proclamation, will successfully invade Palestine by land, will occupy Egypt, will return and sack Jerusalem, and will plant the curtains of their pavilions between the seas in the glorious holy mountain. 8. Their triumph however after this last exploit will be but short. Assembling themselves together at Megiddo, they will suddenly be overthrown by the Divine Word of God, and will be agitated by such a preternatural

it is manifest, that those times will begin to be fulfilled, so soon as the 1260 years shall have expired, and that they will be completely fulfilled, when the Antichristian confederacy is bro ken and when the Jews are wholly restored. Thus wonderfully do both these prophecies harmonize with St. John's description of the final buttle of Armageddon and the vintage; as well as with the parallel predictions of Joel, Zechariah, and others of the ancient prophets. The fulness of the Gentiles, mentioned by St. Paul as the era of the restoration of the Jews, must therefore mean their attaining to that height of wickedness, which should mark the period when their times should be fulfilled (Rom. xi. 25.). The ground of this interpretation of the fulness of the Gentiles is stated at large in my Work on the restoration of Israel and the overthrow of Antichrist.

natural confusion as to draw every man his sword against his fellow: so that the bulk of this mighty northern army shall miserably perish between the seas of Palestine; and the infidel tyrant himself come to his end, none being able to help him. 9. The Latin city will be divided by an earthquake into three parts at the first effusion of the seventh vial; the earthquake, the expedition of Antichrist, and the rout at Armageddon, being equally comprehended under the same vial. 10. Two out of three parts of the bestial confederacy will be destroyed at Megiddo. 11. The power of the beast and the false prophet will be for ever broken by their last decisive overthrow in the valley of the Lord's judgment. 12. The third part of the bestial confederacy will be spared and converted. 13. This third part will be scattered among the nations, and will be instrumental in preparing the way for the restoration and conversion of the ten tribes. 14. The ten tribes will be restored and will be for ever united with the tribe of Judah, so as to form with it only one nation. 15. At the end of 75 years, after the termination of the 1260 years, the season of millennian rest will commence *.

[ocr errors]

Though I am unable to assent to the ingenious Mr. King's scheme of apocalyptic interpretation, his remarks upon Palestine, considered as the centre of the millennian empire of Christ upon earth, are highly worthy of notice. "How ca

66

pable this country is of a more universal intercourse, than "any other, with all parts of the earth, is most remarkable; "and deserves well to be considered, when we read the nu.

of merous

« PreviousContinue »