Confirmation of the Succession of the Kingdom of Christ at 1697, Text
The Wonderful Confirm…tion of the Succeſſion of the Kingdom of Chriſt at 1697, Deriv'd from the 42 Moons of the Beaſt, then Ending; Given by Prophecy, ſo as to be Calculated according to the Famous Cycle of the Moon, ſtyl'd, the Golden Number, found out firſt by the Famous Athenian Aſtronomer, Meton, about the Year of the World, 3574. Embraced by the Fathers of the Nicene Council, about the Year of our Lord 325. for the ſettling their Antipaſchal, or Eaſter, ſuppoſited to the True Chriſtian Paſchal of the Lord's Supper, and of the Lord's Day, Ordained by Chriſt: Digeſted into theſe Propoſitions following.
Propoſition 1. IT is evident Letter of Scripture That the Comprehenſive Line of Time from Cyrus to the Kingdom of Chriſt, or to the Sanctuary Cleans'd; Given by Daniel very early, c. 8. (and therefore muſt needs comprize in it the 1260 Days, and 42 Months) is compos'd into Eves, and ſo hath a Seed of Moons in them, as Time of the Night.
Prop. 2. It is alſo as evident Letter of Scripture, That the Prophecy of the Revelation Aſſigns Forty Two Moons to the Gentiles, and Forty Two Moons to the Beaſt, as Time of the Night, to the Children of the Night, and of Darkneſs. Rev. 113. c. 13.5.
Prop. 3. The ſame Prophecy hath out of the 2300 Morns in the ſame Viſion of Daniel, aſſign'd 1260 Days to the Witneſſes, and to the Woman the Church, as Time of the Sun, and of the Day, as to the Children of the Light, and of the Day. c. 11.3. c. 12.
Prop. 4. The Moon is ſaid by the Pſalmist, Pſal. 104.19. to be Appointed for Seaſons, in their great Variety, according to the many Wandrings of its Motion; But the Sun *Sol viam ſuam novit; Luna non item.knows its Going down, according to the Certainty and Steddineſs of its Motion, and Conſtancy to its own Path; Words very little differing from that ſaying of the Wiſe; The Sun knows its and is firm to it; The Moon doth not ſo.
Prop. 5. Accordingly, as th… …260 Days, ſettled by the Spirit of Prophecy, as the ſure and ſteddy Gauge of Time, ſo the Moons are fitted by the ſame Spirit of Prophecy, to deſcribe ſome Unevenneſſes, and Inequalities in the State of the Apostacy; viz. ſuch as ariſe from the Beast's not coming into his Succeſſion ſo ſoon as the Apostacy began: To define which Time, and what ſpace it was, and how it was ſupplied and born up, the Moons of the Gentiles, and of the Beast, are of moſt peculiar, particular, and eſpecial Uſe.
Prop. 6. One of the greateſt Performances of Astronomy, aſſiſted by him who Teacheth Man Knowledge, hath been to Adjuſt the Time of the Moon to the Time of the Sun, that there might be both a double Character, and Aſſurance of Time, as by knowing, not only what Year of the Sun, but what proportionable Time of the Moon Anſwered to that of the Sun, that there might be by the compare a Proportioning any Time Depending on the Moon to that of the Sun.
This, after ſeveral former Attempts, that fail'd, was perfected by Meton, near the Beginning of Daniel's Weeks, and received by All the Knowing World ſince; and Celebrated by that Great Name of the Golden Number, or the Decem-Novennal Cycle, the Cycle of Nineteen Years: By which it is certainly found, the Motion of the Sun takes up a Thirty Third Part more than the Moon, apply it to whatſoever part of Time: Apply it then to 1260 Days of Years of the Sun, …4… Moons are 38 Days of Years leſs than the 1260. But beſides, by applying the Proportions of the Golden Number to Any Year, either of the Sun, or of the Moon, of which we have the certain Epoch, or Time of Commencement, or to any part of the ſame Year, we may equal the Times of the Sun and of the Moon to one another, by taking away a Thirty Third part of the Sun's Time; or, which is moſt Natural, by Adding a Thirty Third part to the Moon, becauſe the Sun's Motion is the moſt ſteddy Gauge of Time. And this is done by Adding an Allowed or Granted Proportion of Time, as if it were Real Time, and placing it as we find fitteſt for our purpoſe; but under this Caution, if it be publick Time, it muſt be by publick Agreement, as we double every Fourth Year a Day in the Latter End of the Twelfth Month, we, too Pagan-like, call February; not that ſo much is due to that Year Alone, but to every one of the Four Years, … Fourth part, to keep the Courſe of Time ſomewhat near equal. And this is call'd Intercalation. And thus Maimonides, to adjuſt the Jewiſh New Moons, to the Time of the Paſſover, allows Seven Intercalary Moons, to Seven Years in every Nineteen, viz. 3.6, 8, 11, 14, 17. 19th, year.
And to the very ſame purpoſe, the Entring Antichristian Apostacy, even at the Time of the Nicene Council, made the ſame Uſe of this Cycle, and took it in: as Thought: into the Service of Chriſtianity; when they were growing then to be the Synagogue of Sathan, ſaying, They are Jews in obſerving a Paſch, or Eaſter, in Remembrance of the Death and Reſurrection of Chriſt; but are not, but do Lie; For Chriſt ordain'd the Lord's Supper, and the Lord's Day on purpoſe to Fore-prize ſuch Humane Inſtitutions upon Time: But however, this Golden Number hath herein all the Confirmation that can be, it being wonderfully Order'd by Providence; Time of the Moon ſhould be made ſo Remarkable in ſuch a Solemnity as that of Eaſter, ſo great in the Antichriſtian Synagogue, and on which in Victor, the firſt Effort of Antichriſt Fell; and which is yet Retain'd in Proteſtant Churches, that did not Reform lower than that Synagogue, Riſing in that Nicene Councel.
Prop. 7. There is juſt Reaſon, ſeeing the Spirit of God hath poſitively Nam'd Moons, taken out of the 2300 Eves, (which muſt needs be the Time therefore of the Moon) to obſerve where the Beast's Moons begin, and where they end. The Succeſſion of the Beaſt to the Seventh King, but no Head; is ſo poſitively declared, Rev. 17. that it can be no way doubted or denied. For that Thoſe Seven Heads are Heads of the Roman Government and City; Even the moſt Zealous Romaniſts, that are Judicious, neither do nor can ſo much as call into Queſtion; and hath been fully made out; as alſo, That the Law of Succeſſion requires, That the Heads and Kings ſhould not enterfere, but come orderly, one after the other. *God's Call out of Babylon.So then the Beaſt, that was the Eighth King, muſt immediately ſucceed the Seventh, but not enterfere with him, or come before he was wholly Gone off.
Auguſtulus then being the Laſt of thoſe Chriſtian Emperors of Rome, who made up the Seventh King, when he went off, immediately the Eighth King came on, at 38 years after, the 1260 days of years began, or at Juſt Two Nineteens, Order'd by Providenceſo, to Lead by the Golden Number, to Time of the Moon.
That being at 475. ending, and in the Year 476. the proportion of Lunar Time will Allow but 1222 Years to the Forty Two Months of Years: So then hereby it is moſt certainly known, that the Beast's Reign muſt End at 1697 For ſo 1222 Added to 475 make. And thus that ſo Celebrated Golden Number Aſſures the Kingdom of Chriſt in its Succeſſion at 1697. ſeeing the ſame Law of Succeſſion holds in the Kingdom of Chriſt, that, as in all Succeſſions, Admits no Gap.
And then according to the Law of Intercalation, the Beasts Months are ſupplied by the Gentiles Months; becauſe the Beaſt had Time, Times and Half a Time; *Or 1260 Days of Years.and he not coming into Succeſſion time enough for that Time, Times and Half a Time, the Months of the Gentiles, as his People, intercalate, or ſupply the Beaſt's Months; where they are to be ſupplied, and where there is Supply ready for them*Viz. At the 1260 days beginning; For as ſoon as the Time, Times, Half Time of the Beaſt begin in the Gentiles 42 Months, the 1260 Days begin alſo.: And then the Gentiles Months become one with the Beaſt's, as they muſt needs; becauſe Power was given to him over Tongues, People and Nations, as the Time, Times, Half Time were given to Him alſo.
Thus every way that Great Poſition, That the Kingdom of Chriſt ſhall be in its Succeſſion 1697. is Aſſured to us, and this way particularly, I cannot but look upon it aſſured beyond any Poſſibility of Doubt; For we do but thus plainly Reckon; The Beaſts Moons or Months Begin 475 Ending, They can, as Time of the Moon or Eves of years, make no more than 1222 years; Theſe from 475, end therefore with the 1260 days of years at 1697. And therefore I heartily pray, we may take notice, the Kingdom of God is come nigh to us.
FINIS.
End of the text · Thomas Beverley, Confirmation of the Succession of the Kingdom of Christ at 1697 (1690)