Page images
PDF
EPUB

the roll or seal last opened, viz., the seventh, which contained the prophecy of the seven trumpets, and indeed the whole remaining part of the Apocalypse. The circumstance of its being a little book, "having "been opened," as the original properly signifies, sufficiently evinces that at one time it had been sealed. But if it had been sealed, either it must be a part or division of the book with seven seals, or there must have been more than one sealed book, which is inconsistent with the whole description contained in the fifth chapter, where only one book is seen in the hands of Him that sitteth on the throne. It may also be observed, that the seals being seven, which number signifies completeness or perfection, this very circumstance indicates, that when that book with seven seals should be wholly unsealed, it would completely reveal and discover the whole of the mystery of God. Now, if we go into the idea of many interpreters, that the little book was a kind of supplementary prophecy, or codicil to the book with seven seals, we thereby suppose the book with seven seals to have been an imperfect prophecy, which is contradictory to the import of the symbolical description given of it.*

* When this was written I was not acquainted with Sir Isaac Newton's Work on Daniel and the Apocalypse. Sir Isaac considers the angel with the little book open to be our Lord, and he thus writes with respect to the book itself, “ And he had in his hand a little book open, the book which he had newly opened; for he received but one book from Him that sitteth upon the throne, and he alone was worthy to open and look on this book." Sir Isaac therefore accords with me in rejecting the fiction of a separate little book, or codicil, which is adopted by

Where, in this case, was the fitness of the exhortation to the Apostle, "Weep not: for the Lion of the tribe "of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open "the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof."* For, according to the opinion which I am refuting, when these seven seals were unloosed there remained other no less important prophecies still sealed up. The idea of a separate codicil must therefore be rejected, and the little book opened is certainly a part of the sealed book: and we may conclude, that it is the seventh seal, that being the one whose contents were now unfolding. The giving of this

Mede, Bishop Newton, Mr. Faber, Mr. Frere, Mr. Irving, and others. 3d Edit.

* Rev. v. 5.

A reviewer of my work, in the Edinburgh Christian Instructor, to whom I feel myself much obliged for the candid and indulgent manner in which he treats it, has made some remarks upon my hypothesis respecting the little book. So far as I understand this respectable writer, he seems to me to wish to establish the identity of the little book, with that portion of the book of Daniel which contains his last prophecy, and, in chap. xii. 9, is declared to be closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Now this identity I have already admitted, as to the substance of the two prophecies, i. e. in the same sense that the Gospel of St. Luke may be identified with that of St. Matthew. But if it be meant, that the book in the hand of the angel was the identical volume of Daniel's last prophecy, I can see no ground for this opinion. On the contrary, its truth seems to be negatived by the simple circumstance, that St. John's prophecy contains many new facts, not mentioned in that of Daniel; and, on the other hand, Daniel's prophecy has many circumstances not included in St. John's. It appears to me certain, however, that St. John's prophecy was the key for opening or unsealing that of Daniel, as I have already observed in the preceding pages.

seventh seal to the Apostle to eat or digest, has perhaps a peculiar reference to his being made to understand what that mystery of God is, which is to be finished at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. Accordingly, no sooner does he eat the little book, and digest it, than he is commanded again to prophesy to many peoples, nations, and tongues, and kings: that is, he is openly to declare to them this great mystery, which forms, as I conceive, the principal subject of the next three chapters. And I shall so far anticipate the contents of these chapters, as to state that this mystery seems to consist in the wonderful circumstance of God permitting the enemies of Christ to reign triumphantly in his visible professing Church, and to deform, corrupt, and degrade that Church, during the prophetical period of twelve hundred and sixty days.

And hence we discover why the contents of this little book were so bitter to the mind of the Apostle, which is declared symbolically under the figure of its making his belly bitter. The Apostle felt the deepest interest in the future fortunes of the Church of Christ, and had therefore an eager desire to learn the contents of the little book. This eager desire is described under the symbol of its being in his mouth sweet as honey; but when he understood what the little book actually discovered concerning the above mystery, it could not but occasion to him the bitterest emotions of sorrow.

[ocr errors]

CHAPTER IX.

THE TWO WITNESSES.

"AND there was given me a reed like unto a rod : "and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure "the temple of God, and the altar, and them that "worship therein. But the court which is without "the temple, leave out and measure it not; for it " is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall "they tread under foot forty and two months."*

The tabernacle of the temple of the Lord contained several parts or divisions. The innermost of these was the most holy place, or Holy of Holies, containing the ark of the covenant, the tables of the law, the mercy-seat overshadowed by the cherubim of glory. Into this innermost division of the temple, the high priest alone was permitted to enter; and that only once in the year, on the great day of atonement.t This Holy of Holies was a type of heaven, into which Christ, the great High Priest of our profession, is entered for us; and also a symbol of that future and glorious state of the kingdom upon earth, when the tabernacle of God shall be with men. Accordingly, when the state of the kingdom in that period is exhibited to the Apostle, under the appearance of a vast multitude clothed in white, and having branches of palm-trees in their hands, it is said, that they are

[blocks in formation]

before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple* (i. e. in the Holy of Holies), where, under the Levitical dispensation, the high priest only could enter once a-year; and where, under the evangelical dispensation, Christ is for us entered, made an High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. In confirmation of the foregoing observations, it appears, that on the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which introduces the glorious state of the Church, "the temple of God was opened "in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the "ark of his testament." It was the Holy of Holies, therefore, which was opened to common view, otherwise the ark could not have been seen. When the same glorious state of the kingdom, as had before been exhibited under the emblem of the palm-bearing multitude, is again shown forth under the symbol of a city, the New Jerusalem, it is emphatically said by the Apostle, "I saw no temple therein." reason of this is plain: the scene is laid in the Holy of Holies, the innermost recess of the temple; there is not, therefore, and cannot be, any other temple than He who inhabiteth the temple, even the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb. The antitype being come, the type vanishes away.S

The

The second division of the temple of God was the sanctuary, or holy place, which was next to the Holy of Holies, and separated therefrom by the veil. In the holy place were placed the golden candlestick

Ibid. xxi. 22.

Rev. vii. 15. + Ibid. xi. 19.
Hierosolyma hæc tota in emphasi esset thronus Dei—

'Ipsa itaque tota esset templum Dei.'

Vitringa, in loco.

« PreviousContinue »