of

termination, may be fairly taken as the terminus a quo the Jewish war; for all that had preceded was but temporary and local insurrection on the part of the Jews, and was resisted only by the subordinate authority and power of the Prefect of the province. This commission appears to have been given in the latter part of the winter of A. D. 67; for we find that Vespasian, who repaired to Antioch after receiving it, in order to collect his troops, was not ready to march upon Judea until some time in the month of May of the same year. If we suppose now that the former part of February was the month when war was declared, or the commission made out, we shall find that three years and six months elapsed, between this period and the taking of Jerusalem and destroying it, on the 10th of Aug. A. D. 70.

During this period, the disciples of Christ, giving heed to the warning of their divine Master (Matt. 24: 16—22), fled from Palestine, and retreated to the wilderness-country east of the Jordan; thus fulfilling, as we shall have occasion to remark in the sequel, the period of flight for safety to the wilderness, which is attributed to the woman (the church), in Rev. 12: 6, 14.

Another period mentioned in Rev. 11: 3 is of the same extent as that which has already been examined, and contemporaneous with it. It was foretold by the Saviour, in Matt. 24: 9-13, that, during the aggressive war made upon Judea, the spirit of persecution against Christians would rage in an unwonted manner, and many of his disciples perish. Such was indeed the case. The fury of the Zealot-party was without bounds, when the rage war had enkindled all their violent passions. Although the great mass of Christians fled from before them and the Romans, so as to save their lives, yet all did not and could not retreat. Many remained in their country, faithful con

of

fessors of Christianity even unto death. Against these witnesses (see Rev. 11: 3) or martyrs, the great body of the Jews are represented as arraying themselves, in Rev. 11: 3-12, and as persecuting them unto death. For a while, the miraculous powers of some of the Christian teachers overawed their malignant enemies, Rev. 11: 5, 6. But at last the faithful witnesses were destroyed. The period of consummating this destruction is limited, however, in the same manner as that of the subjugation of Palestine. During all the Romish invasion the spirit of hostility was active; and yet persecution unto death did not root out Christianity. It continued rising, it triumphed; for "the blood of martyrs was the seed of the church."

The destruction of Jerusalem put an end of course to the Jewish persecuting power in Judea. Consequently the period in which Christianity becomes triumphant over persecution there, is contemporaneous with the destruction of Jerusalem. Nothing can be more clear, than that the period of the two witnesses is the same as that of " treading the holy city under foot by the Gentiles," Rev. 11: 2, 3. Two witnesses, and but two, are specified, as we may very naturally suppose, because "by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word is established."

The sum of Rev. xi. is, then, that the Romans would invade and tread down Palestine for 3 years, and that Christians, during that period, would be bitterly persecuted and slain; but still, that, after the same period, the persecution would cease there, and the religion of Jesus become triumphant. The words of the Saviour in Matt. xxiv. compared with the tenor of Rev. XI., seem to lead us plainly and safely to these conclusions. And in these we may acquiesce, because historical facts are before us, which serve to show, that the forty-two months or 1260 days are to be understood in their plain and obvious sense.

We may now come to the other periods, named in Rev. XII. XIII. The writer of the Apocalypse here passes to the second great catastrophe in his august drama, and commences it with a proem which is regressive. The woman clothed with the sun, and having under her feet the moon and stars, is a symbol of the church all glorious and resplendent in the eyes of God and all his faithful servants. The man-child who is born, and who is "to rule all nations with a sceptre of iron" (Ps. 2: 9. Rev. 12: 5), is doubtless the Messiah. The dragon ready to devour him at his birth, reminds us of Herod's attempt to massacre the infant Saviour at Bethlehem, when moved to such a deed by the great adversary of Christianity. The child caught up unto God, is the Saviour ascended to glory. The flight of the woman to the desert, for 1260 days, at a period subsequent to this (comp. vs. 5, 6), is a symbol of the church fleeing from the invading Romans and persecuting Jews, during the subjugation of Palestine. At Pella in the wilderness, beyond the Jordan, the Christians of Judea found safety and freedom, Rev. 12: 6, 14. The latter of these two verses designates again the same period of retreat and safety as the sixth verse, but in a different way, viz., it is designated (after the manner of Dan. 7: 25. 12: 7) by the expression time and times and half a time, Rev. 12: 14. When this period expires, then the church is freed from the desolating power in Palestine; as it was, of old, freed from the like power in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes. The similarity of events in the two cases, gives occasion to adopt the same language in respect to the continuance of both.

It is

Only one more period of the like extent remains. that designated in Rev. 13: 5; where it is said of the beast which rises up out of the sea, that he should have power to persecute during forty-two months. Who this beast

was, we cannot, after the explanations given in Rev. xvii. well doubt. The persecuting power of imperial Rome, and specially that power as exercised by NERO, is, beyond all reasonable question, symbolized by the beast in question.

The first position here, viz., that the persecuting power of pagan Rome is symbolized, will hardly be called in question. But the particular reference to Nero may not improbably be questioned; and, therefore, a few words in respect to this will not be out of place.

To the beast is assigned seven heads and ten horns, Rev. 13: 1. That the seven heads represent so many kings or emperors, (for both were called faoilsis by the Greeks), is certain from the explanation given in Rev. xvII. 10: "The seven heads. . . . are seven kings." But in the language of the Apocalyptist, the beast stands not only ast a symbol of the imperial power of Rome, generically considered, but frequently for that power as exercised by some individual king or emperor, e. g. Nero. Such is the usage in chap. XIII. XVII., and occasionally elsewhere. It is important to note this; for otherwise the reader may be easily misled. Whenever the beast is distinguished from the seven heads, it then is employed as a generic symbol of the imperial power; but when particular and specific actions or qualities of a personal and distinctive nature are predicated of the beast, it designates the imperial power as individually exercised, e. g. by Nero.

That Nero was in the exercise of this power when John wrote the Apocalypse, seems to be quite plain from Rev. XVII. 10: "Five [kings] are fallen; one is; the other has not yet come, but when he shall come, he will continue but a short time." The five fallen are Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius. Of course Nero is the sixth; and he is therefore the one who now is. Galba, who reigned but seven months, makes the seventh.

Some recent commentators indeed, e. g. Ewald, Lücke, and some others, begin to count with Augustus, and end with Otho; but this was not the usual method of reckoning among either the Romans or the Jews, (as I hope to show elsewhere); for, that they usually reckoned in the manner above stated, may be seen in Suetonius' Twelve Caesars. So also in Orac. Sybill. V. 12. 4 Ezra 12: 15. Josephus, Antiq. xvIII. 2. 2, also xv. 6, 10. xix. 1, 11. Chronicon Pascale, p. 533 (edit. Bonn.), also p. 360. And the same is true of some other ancient writers. This seems to fix both the date of the Apocalypse itself, and to designate the individual who exercised the power of the beast, when John wrote the Revelation.

But there are other things in the Apocalypse which serve also to characterize Nero, so as hardly to leave room for mistake. Thus in chap. XIII. 3: “[I saw] one of his heads [viz. of the beast] as it were smitten unto death; and his deadly wound was healed." Again in the explanatory part of the second catastrophe, Rev. 17: 8, the angel says to John: "The beast which thou sawest, was, and is not, and will come up from the abyss, and go to destruction; and those who dwell on the earth shall wonder, (whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world), when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and will make his appearance," (πάgeorαi). Once more in Rev. xvII. 11: "And the beast which was, and is not, even he is an eighth, and is of the seven, goeth to destruction."

and

To recount the efforts which have been made to interpret these passages, would of itself require somewhat of a volume. I have never seen, and cannot find, but one probable solution; and that is drawn from the history of the times, and particularly the history of what was said and generally believed respecting Nero, during his lifetime,