Successful in his first attempt, and having placed his allies the unconverted Jews in Jerusalem and its vicinity, he will next direct his steps towards Egypt. Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon, will nevertheless escape: out of his hand. For this they have to thank, not his moderation and clemency, but merely their local situation. A map will best explain the reason of their security. The districts, which those nations formerly occupied, lie so far to the east, as to be entirely out of the way of any army which is passing from Judea into Egypt. But, over other countries more closely adjoining to Egypt, he will stretch forth his hand: and, while Egypt is unable to his marauding rapacity, those, whom Daniel calls the Lubim and the Cushim, will be compelled to attend his steps, and probably either augment his armies or perform the more menial offices of his camp. escape 3. In the midst of his African conquests, he will be troubled by tidings out of the east and the north. What these tidings are, Daniel does not positively determine: but the subsequent context plainly shews, that they must relate, in part at least, to some disagreeable intelligence respecting Jerusalem. From this circumstance, and by the assistance of other parallel prophecies, we may form a conjecture respecting them, which may perhaps not be deemed altogether improbable. (1.) The tidings from the east seem to be conpected with events which take place at Jerusalem during x b 4 during the absence of Antichrist in Egypt and Libya. We left the great maritime power, preparing to bring by sea its allies, the converted Jews, as a present to the Lord of hosts, to mount Zion. Now, in whatever part of the world this power may be situated, whether far beyond the eastern or the western Cushèan streams, it is plain that its navy can only approach Palestine by the way of the Mediterranean sea. Such then will indisputably be its course. The maritime expedition at length reaches Palestine: but the believing Jews, and their naval protectors, find themselves opposed by the unbelieving Jews, and the troops which Antichrist had left behind him to garrison Jerúsalem and other strong-holds. Apparently after no trifling bloodshed, and (if I judge rightly from some prophecies) when the converted Jews had suffered very considerably, the eyes of their unconverted. brethren will unexpectedly be opened; they will spiritually look upon him whom they have pierced; and, throwing off the base yoke of Antichrist, they will cordially join such of their nation as had embraced christianity, and had allied themselves to the faithful maritime power. Thus will the Lord bring to salvation the tents of Judah first; or that body of the Jews, who are attached to the army of the great maritime nation, and who have not yet · acquired a permanent settlement in cities: and afterwards the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; or those Jews, who have been restored in an unconverted state, and have been placed in their ancient metropolis by Antichrist. At the period when these events happen (and that they will happen is revealed with sufficient. clearness), we must necessarily suppose Antichrist to be in Egypt and Libya: both because there is no other time, in the course of his whole expedition, to which we can with equal propriety ascribe them; and because Daniel specially teaches us, that he shall return out of those countries to destroy many, and to plant the curtains of his pavilions between the seas in the glorious holy mountain. Thus situated, he would receive the intelligence from the east. For he would learn, by means of his own fugitive troops which had been stationed in Judea, that the maritime power had completely succeeded in its first attempt, that it had brought back a large body of converted Jews, and that those who had been restored by Antichrist in an unconverted state had suddenly embraced the faith of protestant christianity, and had revolted from him to their already believing brethren. Unless we admit, that either this or something like it will be the case, we shall find it no easy matter to account for the fury with which Antichrist is represented as returning into Judea which he had already subdued, and as besieging Jerusalem which he had already given to his allies the unconverted Jews. For, that certain unbelieving Jews will be converted in Jerusalem, is plainly asserted by Zechariah: and, that the city will afterwards be besieged and taken, is asserted both by Zechariah and Daniel. But all; those Jews, who are restored by the maritime power, will return in a converted state, as is manifest from the language used by Isaiah *: by whom then can the unconverted Jews have been restored, except by Antichrist, who will make himself master of the whole land of Palestine ; and why should he afterwards besiege them in Jerusalem, except on account of their conversion mentioned by Zechariah, and their revolt from his cause? for, if they had not revolted from him after their conversion, no reason can be assigned why he should so bitterly attack them. (2.) With respect to the tidings from the north, I am much inclined to think, that they relate to some great invasion of the Roman empire by the mighty king of the North, after he has been baffled in his attempt to arrest the progress of Antichrist. Some such invasion as this at least, as I have already observed, seems to be predicted by St. John, under the imagery of a violent storm of hail, as taking place during the effusion of the seventh vial, and consequently as synchronizing with the Antichristian expedition and the restoration of the Jews. 4. Troubled with such unpleasant tidings from the east and from the north, Antichrist hastily quits Egypt and Libya, and retraces his steps to Judea. See the preceding extract from Bp. Horsley. Going forth in the height of his fury, he threatens to destroy all such as should oppose him: and, calling in the aid of Popish bigotry, he sanctifies his expedition by representing it as a holy crusade against heretics; and, with banners blessed by the false prophet, who (as we have reason to believe from the Apocalypse *) will be his attendant, he devotes many to utter extermination under the blasphemous pretext of religion. His wonted success at first attends him. He besieges Jerusalem now occupied by his enemies, and takes it. Here he exercises his usual barbarity; a barbarity, increased ten-fold by the defection of his late allies. The houses are rifled, and the women are ravished, by his licentious soldiery. Half of the inhabitants are made captive: but the other half are permitted still to remain in the city, under the controul most probably of a strong garrison. Thus, ere he comes to his end none being able to help him, does he plant the curtains of his tents between the seas in the glorious holy mountain. 5. During these disasters, the troops of the maritime power appear to have retreated towards the sea-shore, in order that they may be able to regain their ships, if all further resistance should prove fruitless. Here they would doubtless be joined by the great body of their allies, the first converted Jews, and by such of those that were afterwards converted, as were able to effect their escape from Rev. xix. 19, 20. the |