45 clause, and 2 Thess. ii. 8. In A. D. 534, the Greek Emperor constituted the bishop of Rome head of all the churches in the following language: "We hasten to subject and unite to your holiness all the priests of the whole east." In another document of the Emperor's, dated March 25, of the same year, he refers to the previous one as having already been sent to the Pope, whom he calls head of all bishops, and the true and effective corrector of heretics." In A. D. 538, Justinian conquered Rome, and gave the Pope "his seat." See Rev. xiii. 2; Dan. vii. 25, last clause; xi. 31, last clause. Now read Dan. xii. 11—13, noticing the marginal reading as the correct translation of the Hebrew. 1290 added to 508 the year when "the daily" was taken away, amounts to 1798 the very year when the dominion of the Man of Sin was taken away. "Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the 1335 days;" for Daniel, after resting in the grave, (see Rev. xiv. 13, last clause,) shall "stand in his lot," with all the righteous dead, "at the end of the days"—not the 1290 days, for they were ended in A. D. 1798, and Daniel was not then raised from the dead,but at the end of the 1335 days after A. D. 508. 508 1335 Another method of determining the year when the end will come. By consulting Lev. xxvi. 14—18, 33; Ps. xliv. 11; Dan. xii. 7, you will see that the scattering of the Israelites as a nation, among the heathen, for their sins, was to continue seven times." Now we have ascertained (page 42) that "three times and a half" in prophecy are to be reckoned as three and a half prophetic years, or 1260 years. Of course, then, "seven times" would be just twice that number, i. e. 2520 years. Now when did this punishment begin? See Isa. vii. 8; 2 Chron. xxxix. 9—11, noticing at the top of the page "B. C. 677," just 65 years from the beginning of the reign of Ahaz. Now from 2520 years take 677 the year before Christ when the punishment began, and there remains 1843 the year after Christ when the specified period closes. But what will take place then? Will the kingdom, or the land of promise, be then restored to the Israelites as a nation? They are not, and never were, the rightful heirs of the promise. See on page 29; also on pages 31 and 32. The time then when the true Israelites, the true seed of Abraham, will take the kingdom, to possess it forever, even forever and ever, (Dan. vii. 18, 27,) is A. D. 1843. 6. Respecting the day and process of final judgment. A day of judgment must include a time of trial, or of decision, according to law and evidence, resulting in a separation of the righteous from the wicked; and also a time of executing the sentence of the law upon those who are proved guilty. The time of trial must always precede the time of execution. And in human tribunals some space of time ordinarily elapses between the trial and the execution of criminals. Now is the process of the final trial of man, according to law and evidence, anywhere particularly described in the Bible? If so, where is it? The fact of such a trial is spoken of in Ps. ix. 19; Eccl. xii. 14; Matt. xii. 41, 42; John xii. 31, 48; xvi. 11; Acts xvii. 31; Rom. ii. 16; xiv. 10—12; 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. Compare Dan. vii. 22; 2 Tim. iv. 1; James ii. 12; 1 Peter iv. 5, 6; Rev. xx. 12, 13. The fact of such a trial, together with the separation and the destruction of wicked men from the earth, is spoken of in Rev. xi. 18; Dan. xii. 1. The fact of such a trial, together with the execution, is spoken of in Matt. xxv. 14—30; Luke xix. 22—26; Rev. xx. 11—15. The separation which will result from the trial, together with the final doom of Satan, is spoken of in Rev. xx. 1—10. The separation, together with the execution of the sentence upon the wicked, is spoken of in Matt. xxv. 31—46; John v. 28, 29; Rev. xi. 18. 7. Will the righteous and the wicked be raised from the dead at the same time? Luke xiv. 14; 1 Cor. xv. 21—23; 1 Thess. iv. 16; Rev. xx. 4—6; Dan. xii. 1, 2. 8. Will the wicked be destroyed from the earth immediately after the righteous are caught up to meet the Lord in the air? Rev. xvi. 1—21; Ezek. xxxviii. 14—22; Jer. xxv. 15—33; Joel iii. 1—17; Zeph. iii. 8. 9. What then may we conclude respecting the period that will intervene between the time of separation of the wicked from the righteous, and the time of executing upon them the penalty of the law? Compare 2 Peter iii. 7—12, with the passages last referred to above. THINGS NEW. AND HE SAID Anal. J.66. SECOND ADVENT LIBRARY. NO. XLI. FEBRUARY 15, 1844. THE AGE TO COME! the present ORGANIZATION OF MATTER, CALLED EARTH, to be DESTROYED BY FIRE at the END OF THIS AGE OR DISPENSATION. also, BEFORE THE EVENT, CHRISTIANS MAY KNOW ABOUT THE TIME WHEN IT SHALL OCCUR. BY LEWIS C. GUNN. revised edition. BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY JOSHUA V. HIMES, |