The Revelation Unrevealed Concerning the Thousand Year Reign, Section 3 – Section 4
§ 3 The probablest and most urgent passages of the Prophet DANIEL, The most urgent passage of the Prophesie of Daniel cleared.and those which are most stood upon by the fore named Authors, are Dan. 12.11, 12. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety dayes. Blessed is the man that waiteth, and commeth to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty dayes.
Where these two things are taken by these Expositors for granted; 1. That the taking away of the daily sacrifice, and this desolatory abomination, is to be understood of the last destruction of Hierusalem by Titus. 2. That the days there mentioned are to be understood to be so many yeares: which shall immediately succeed in the processe of the Evangelical Church; So as by Alsteds confident account the destruction of Jerusalem falling upon the 69th. year of Christ, presently begins the reckoning of the thousand two hundred and ninety propheticall dayes, that is so many Yeares; which do expire in the Year of Christ 1359, about which time divers worthy persons (say they) began to oppose Antichristian impiety: From this period, they tell us we must begin to compute the second number mentioned by Daniel, which is the 1335 dayes, that is, Years; which shall bring us unto the Year of Christ, 2694. In which, saith Alstedius, the thousand Years of the Saints raigne spoken of in the Revelation shall have end, and they being ended, the war of Gog and Magog shall begin, which the last Judgement supervening shall put to an end: So then, take from these 2694 yeares, one thousand yeares of the Saints raigne; there remains 1694; In this year then or sooner (saith he) the thousand years of the happy raigne of the Saints shall take their beginning. But what a weak and sandy foundation is this whereon to raise so high a structure? A foundation meerly laid upon a mis-constructive conjecture; For, what if that desolation mentioned be not that of Titus? what if those dayes be not years? where are we then for the time of our Millenary raign? Let us then obtain leave to inquire a little into both these. And for the first; It is more then probable by all circumstances, that this desolating abominatiō here spoken of is the same with that, which is fore-mentioned. Dan. 7.25. and Dan. 8.13, 14. wherein the taking away of the daily sacrifice, and the desolation specified, are foretold by the Angel, interpreting the vision; and the very same time limited for the fulfilling of it; Both which are accordingly with much clearnesse of indubitable truth, accomplished in that persecuting tyran Antiochus Epiphanes; Compare we the texts and the times: He (saith the Angel) shall think to change times and lawes and they shall be given into his hand untill a time, Dan. 7.25.and times, and the dividing of time.Dan. 8.11, 12.
By him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his Sanctuary was cast down; Seven times. i. seven years. Dan. 4.16.& an host was given him against the daily sacrifice, by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground, and it practised and prospered.
Now what are a time, times, and a parcell of time by Daniels own exposition (Dan. 4.16.) but three years and some days? and what are those three years and few dayes, but those three years and ten dayes, wherein the rage of persecution continued upon the Jewes till the happy restauration of Gods Worship wrought by Judas Macabaeus; who in seven moneths and ten dayes after this forced the confirmation of it from the persecutors. And who is the man that shall do this great mischiefe intimated? Even that bloody Antiochus, which is so exactly deciphered by the Prophet, as if he meant to fore-stall all question that might arise concerning him in the following generations; Dan. 8.8,For it cannot be doubtted that the great horn of the Goat which was the third Monarch, 9.was Alexander the Great; which horn being broken, the four horns that arose in stead thereof, were unquestionably those four Kingdomes towards the four coasts of Heaven, amongst which that Grecian Monarchy was divided; which were of Egypt towards the South falling to the share of Ptolomee Philadelphus, of Syria towards the North which fell to Seleucus Nicanor, of Macedon towards the West, which fell to Cassander, and of Asia the lesse to the East, which fell to the share of ANTIGONUS; Now out of one of these (saith the Prophet) that is Seleucus Nicanor, King of Syria, 8. vers. 9.shal arise that little horn, the cruell Antiochus Epiphanes, who shall make such wofull havock amongst Gods select Nation, the Jews; styled the people of the Saints of the most High: Dan. 7.27.in taking away the daily sacrifice, and defacing the Sanctuary: whose grievous persecution for the first stage of it, was of that punctuall duration. And to matter yet more cleare, if we shall compare Dan. 8.14. with this instanced text of Dan 12.7. we shall find the number of the dayes pitcht upon to be the very same for a time, times, and halfe a time. So as the 1290 days immediately specified make up that three years and a halfe. Wherein the fury of Antiochus his persecution shall continue; without any relation to the Roman Titus, which is pretended by these Authours to make good their imagined cōputation. Reverend Calvin (whose judgement I so much honour, that I reckon him amongst the best Interpreters of Scripture, since the Apostles left the earth) is willing to construe this of the last desolation of the Jewes by the Roman Victors, but knows not what to make of the dayes specified; professing that he is no Pythagorean for matter of numbers; and therefore contents himselfe to take this 1290 dayes onelyonly pro longo temporis tractu; for some long indefinite tract of time; But whereas Alstede builds his conceit upon the succession of these two numbers; Quidam separant sed perperam dies 1290 & 1335. Nam certum est pro eodem accepi. Calvin. in loc. Dan. Ser. 12.making the 1335 dayes (.i. Years) to follow after the former 1290; out of both making up his accomplished number of the Saints raigne, expiring; Calvin checks him with a plain (perperam) and resolves upon a (certum est) that both these numbers are coincident, and are to be taken for one and the same with that small addition of the greater and later summe of years to the former; which if it be yielded, we are altogether to seek for our calculation of the thousand years wherein the Saints must raign upon earth. OnelyOnly one main rub seems to lye in our way, which we must be carefull to remove: Mat. 24.15.Our Saviour himselfe speakes of the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, standing in the holy place; as a thing in his dayes yet to come: and therefore with undoubted relation to the Roman Army, led by Titus, and to the finall sacking of Jerusalem: All which I do willingly grant, without any the least derogation from that former verity: For what is the holy place but the Temple of Jerusalem? and what is the abomination of desolation but the Idolatrous heathenish destructive Army? such was both that of Titus, and that of Antiochus; The place then of Daniel, to which our Saviour alludes (with charge to him that reads to observe) is not the fore-mentioned text now insisted upon, but Dan. 9.27. wherein the Angel, after the end of the designed weeks, tels us of the finall destruction of the City and the Sanctuary, which in the just time was accordingly fulfilled; so as this passage of prophesie hath no affinity at all with that of the 12th. of Daniel; being not so much before it in place, as after it in time. Yet if the event had not punctually made good every jot of this prediction so construed, as we have declared, there might be some doubt of the sense contended for; but now, the issue of the things did so evidently answer to the words thus interpreted, as one would think there could be no place left for contradiction; For (as Junius, Rolloc, and Deodati have clearly computed it, to my hands) from the time that Antiochus Epiphanes began to set up Idolatry at Jerusalem, untill the time wherein he was compelled by the victorious Macabaeus, both to permit, and allow, and ratifie the reformation thereof by his charter, there passed three years, 2 Macab. 11.33.seven moneths, and about thirteen dayes, which amount to the thousand two hundred and ninety dayes mentioned. Vers. 11.
And from the setting up of that Idolatry, if we reckon to the time of the full deliverance of Gods people from the yoke of that tyranny, it will fall upon the second number mentioned. Vers. 12. wherein that wicked Antiochus was taken away by death; which makes up the thousand, three hundred, and five and thirty dayes: which day who so should live to see is declared to be blessed for his happy freedome, and comfortable enjoying of the holy worship of God.
§ 4 And now what is here in the letter of Daniels prophesie, These pretended doctrines cannot be grounded upon Danniel by way of Type, or Analogie: Inquiry made whether since the words are single, the sense be cleere.that doth but look towards the thousand years raigne of the Saints upon earth? Surely not one syllable that may without a violēt angariation be drawn to such a sense. And if Alstede shall pretend that these mysteries of the latter times concerning the Antichrist, and the time of the Saints raigne, are to be found in Daniel, not in the expresse letter, but in a way of Type, or Analogie, because he meets with the same phraseology of time, and the like description of persons, and things in the Evangelists Revelation, wch he finds in Daniels prophesie; Surely he had need of greater authority for the warrant of such application, then I fear can be produced: and if that were yielded, yet that which we are wont to say of similitude is verified much more in prefigurations, that they are not intended to hold universally; and in short, Symbolicall Divinitie is not to be trusted for marter of proofe. What Mysteries there may be in numbers, and upon what reason it hath pleased the Spirit of God to take up the same termes of numeration for dayes, moneths, yeares and times in the case of the Christian Church, which he made use of in the Jewish, I suppose it were two much presumption in any man to determine. And if the events of things be the best Commentaries upon prophesies, how unanswerable those have proved to the computations and sense of our new Chiliasts, shall in due place be made manifest. Now if there be any other amongst those 65 places alleaged by Alstedius wherein the favourers of the Millenarian-raigne can place any confidence for the evicting of their opinion, I should be glad to see it driven up to the head: For my part, I must syncerely professe I see none that can so much as raise, much lesse settle my beliefe: Supposing then (as we well may) that this place of Revel. 20. stands alone; let us inquire whether the sense of it be so cleare, as that we may with good assurance build upon it, for the certainty of our resolution concerning the state of the whole world, and particularly of all Gods Saints for the space of a whole thousand yeares, lost hitherto in the vulgar account of all Christian Divines. Surely there can be but one truth, and what ever fals beside it, is but vain opinion; as when two points are fixed, there can be but one direct line drawn betwixt them, all other bewray a manifest variation, and obliquity: The Starres because they keep a regular course yield most certain observations of their site and motions; but the clouds which are raised out by vapours, and carried by windes, how farre they are from affording a true judgment; let every Almanack witnesse, now whether this conceit be a starre or a cloud shall appeare by that which followeth.