The four grand apocalyptic periods are involved very much together, and before the final completion of them all has taken place, it may not be in the power of man to settle the times when each of them had its commencement. But, for the reasons above assigned, I am inclined to conjecture that the period of the beast may be found to derive its beginning somewhat later than that of the woman in the wilderness; and to receive its termination somewhat later than that of the witnesses. His times seem rather later than either of theirs. And Xit may perhaps be found, that those of the woman and of the witnesses are the same; with which the other remaining period, that of the Gentiles treading the holy city, seems also to accord. Commentators seem to have been too adventurous in fixing the exact commencement of these periods, which appear to be involved in a purposed obscurity, which the event only can clear. But it may be probable, that the 1260 years of the Gentiles; of the woman in the wilderness, and of the witnesses; will come to their conclusion, before the antichristian reign of the beast is seen finally to And this is all that I dare advance concerning prophecies which are yet fulfilling. cease. Verses 5, 6, 7. And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; &c.] It will be useful to observe, that in Daniel vii. 8. 20. 25, the fourth, or Roman beast, does not obtain "his mouth speaking great things," (they are the very same words used by both prophets,) nor open his mouth for blasphemy, until he has produced the little horn, that is, after he has produced the ten kings. So in the Apo method of solving this difficulty, must be thought defective: for, surely, the end of the beast is his final confinement in the lake of fire, ch. xix, 20, and not his imagined expulsion from the city of Rome. calypse, calypse, it is not in the first period of the beast's progress that he exalts himself so superbly, and becomes an object of worship. This exaltation is accomplish ed for him by the intervention of the second beast, his minister in iniquity, whose office and actions are described in the subsequent part of this chapter. But in this description of the first beast, ch. xiii. 1-9, we may discriminate his gradual progress; 1. under verses 1 & 2, the Roman tyranny under its pagan persecuting emperors, to whom the apostate Christians literally offered incense: -2*. his wound at the accession of Constantine: --3. his recovery, and the great admiration of him in his new form:-4. his additional power and increased dominion, when, after his division into ten kingdoms, the little horn of Daniel, the false prophet, springs up in him; when the harlot directs the reins †. The period of 1260 years seems to be that of his renewed life, and of his increased dominion, displayed in verses 5, 6, 7. ["They who dwell in Heaven,"] are not only the heavenly inhabitants, literally speaking, but the faithful Christians on earth, whose "conversa"tion is in Heaven;" whose " building" and home are there; who account themselves "strangers and pil"grims upon earth‡." Ver. 8. Book of Life.] See note, ch. iii. 5. Ver. 9. If any one have an ear; &c.] See note, ch. ii. 7. Ver. 10. If any one leadeth into captivity; &c.] After the fearful picture exhibited of the victorious. power of the beast, a comfort is derived from these Heb. xi. 9. 13. Eph. ii. 6. 19. 1 Pet. i. 17. They are opposed to" those who inhabit the earth," and who are said to worship the beast, ch. xiii. 3. 8. xvii. 8. words; words; which contain an assurance from the Almighty, that the wicked shall not finally prosper. The cause of iniquity sometimes flourishes during a long period, and under various instruments: but the individuals employed to promote its reign, have no lasting enjoyment or prosperity. They suffer in their turn the evils which they introduce, and inflict on others. This great truth in the providential government of God, is exemplified by Dr. Jortin, in the sufferings and deaths of the most noted persecutors. We have seen it exemplified in our own times, during the progress of the French Revolution. The individuals who chiefly distinguished themselves in overturning legal government and promoting persecution, oppression, a beastly domination, and the overthrow of Christianity, have enjoyed but a precarious and short-lived power. We have seen most of them cut off in the midst of their ambitious career, or consigned to misery in a distant wretched colony. The saints must be patient; the great day of recompense will surely come t.-"Fear not, little flock; "it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the "kingdom." And it is the office of the Messiah "to lead captivity captive §." * Remarks on Eccl. Hist. vol. iii. pp. 246-322. + Heb. x. 36. § Psalm lxviii. 18. Eph. iv. 8. Luke xii. 32. PART PART IV. SECTION IV. The Beast from the Land, or false Prophet. 11 Καὶ εἶδον άλλο θηρίον ἀναβαῖνον ἐκ τῆς γῆς, καὶ εἶχε κέρατα δύο όμοια ἀρνίῳ· καὶ ἐλάλει ὡς 12 δράκων. Καὶ τὴν ἐξεσίαν τα πρώτα θηρία πᾶσαν ποιεῖ ἐνώπιον αὐτῷ· καὶ ποιεῖ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰς καλοικωνίας ἐν αὐτῇ, ἵνα προσκυνήσωσι τὸ θηρίον τὸ πρῶ τον, ὦ ἐθεραπεύθη ἡ 46 πληγὴ τῆς θανάτε 13 αὐτῷ. Καὶ ποιεῖ σημεία μεγάλα, ἵνα καὶ τοῖς ποιῇ καλα βαίνειν ἐκ τῶ ἐρανα εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἐνώπιον 14 τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ πλανᾷ της καλοι xõlas ini rūs yñs. διὰ τὰ σημεῖα, ἃ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι ἐνώπιον το θηρία λέγων τοῖς καλοικέ σιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ποιῆσαι εἰκόνα τῷ θηρίω, ὃ ἔχει τὴν πληγὴν τῆς μανο CHAP, Xiii. VER. 11-to the end. 11 And I beheld another great wonders; so that deceiveth those who dwell upon the earth, by the wonders which were given him to do before the beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth, to make an image to the beast, who hath the wound of the sword, and did 15 live. And it was given 11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as 12 a dragon. And he ex erciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth, and them which dwell therein, to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound 13 was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth, in 14 the sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword, 15 and did live. And he χαῖρας, καὶ ἔζησε. 15 Καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ δέναι πνεύμα τη εἰκόνι τα θηρία, ἵνα καὶ λαλήσῃ ἡ εἰκὼν τα θηρία, και ποιήση, ὅσοι ἂν μὴ προσκυ νησῶσι τὴν εἰκόνα τῆ θηρία, ἵνα ἀποκίαν16 θῶσι. Καὶ ποιεῖ πάλλας, της μικρής και τις μεγάλες, και της πλεσίας καὶ τις πληγές, καὶ τὰς ἐλευθέρως καὶ τὰς δέλες, ἵνα δῶσιν αὐτοῖς χάραμα ἐπὶ τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν τῆς δεξιᾶς, ἡ ἐπὶ τῶν μείώπων αὐτῶν. 17 Καὶ ἵνα μή τις δύνηται ἀγοράσαι ἡ πωλῆσαι, εἰ μὴ ἔχων τὸ χάραμα, τὸ ὄνομα τῇ θηρία, ἢ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τὸ 18 ονόματος αὐτῇ. Ωδε ἡ σοφία ἐςίν· ὁ ἔχων νῦν, ψηφισάτω τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῇ θηξίε ἀριθμὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώ πε ἐτὶ, καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτῇ χει him to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should even speak; and he should cause that as many as should not worship the image of the beast 16 should be slain. And he causeth all, both the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the freemen and the slaves, that they should give them a mark upon their right hands, or upon their foreheads. 17 [And] that no one might be able to buy or sell, but he who hath the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of his 18 name. Herein is the wisdom; let him that hath understanding, calculate the num ber of the beast: for it is a number of a man; and his number is 666. had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast, should be 16 killed. And he caus seth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in 17 their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his Ver. 11. Another wild beast-out of the land.] Ἡ γη, the land *, in opposition to ἡ θάλασσα, the sea, signifies the Israel; the peculiar people of God; the * See note, ch. viii. 7. Jews, |