of God among all nations "seven times;" see Levit. xxvi. 14-46. It is evident that these " seven times were a succession of years, for their land was to lie desolate as long as they were in their enemies' land. And the people of God have been scattered, and are now a scattered and a peeled people. These seven times" are not yet accomplished, for Daniel says, "When he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people all these things shall be finished." The resurrection and judgment will take place. Dan. xii. 6, 7: "And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders ? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and a half: and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." What did the angel mean by time, times, and a half? I answer, he meant three years and a half prophetic, or forty-two months, as in Rev. xi. 2, and xiii. 5; or 1260 prophetic days, as in Rev. xi. 3, and xii. 6 and 14. He meant the one half of " seven times." Daniel saw the same thing as Moses, only to Daniel the time was divided. He was informed that the little horn would 66 speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time, times, and the dividing of time." This makes Moses' seven times, for twice three and a half are seven, and twice 1260 are 2520 common years. But you may inquire, are not these two things the same in Daniel? I answer, no. For their work is different, and their time of existence is at different periods. The one scatters the holy people; the other wears out the saints. The one means the kingdoms which Daniel and John saw; the other means Papacy, which is called the little horn, which had not come up when the people of God were scattered by Babylon and the Romans. The first means literal Babylon or the kings of the earth, the other means mystical Babylon or Papacy. And both together would scatter the holy people and wear out the saints " seven times," or 2520 years. Moses tells us the cause of their being scattered. Levit. xxvi. 21: "And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me." Jeremiah tells us when this time commenced. Jer. xv. 4 to 7: "And I will cause them to be removed (scattered) into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem. For thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou art gone backward; therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee. I am weary with repenting. And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways." We have the same cause assigned by Jeremiah as was given by Moses, and the same judgments denounced against his people, and the time is here clearly specified when these judgments began, "in the days of Manasseh." And we find in 2 Chron. xxxiii. 9-11, that for this same crime they were scattered. "Wherefore the Lord spake to Manasseh and to his people, but they would not hearken. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the kings of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters and carried him to Babylon." Here then began the "power (their king) of the holy people to be scattered." This year, also, the ten tribes were carried away by Esarhaddon, king of Babylon, and Isaiah's sixty-five years were fulfilled when Ephraim was broken. This was in the year B. C. 677. The seven times are 2520; take 677 from which, and it leaves 1843 after Christ, when "all these things will be finished." You may wish to know how the "time, times, and a half" are di If this Chronology is not correct, I shall despair of ever getting from the Bible and his- period as 21 years; but it may possibly have exceeded 24 years. A DISSERTATION ON PROPHETIC CHRONOLOGY. WHEN we read in divine inspiration a class of texts like the following, Acts iii. 20, 21, "And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you; whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began ;" verse 24, "Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel, and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days;"-again, in Acts xvii. 26, "And hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth; and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation ;" and 31st verse, "Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead;" Amos iii. 7, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets;" -I say no man can read these texts, and the like, of which the Scriptures abound, without being convicted that God has set bounds, determined times, and revealed unto his prophets the events long before they were accomplished; and having thus revealed himself, has never failed in time and manner to fulfil all things which, by his prophets, have been spoken or written. He has in his word revealed the times in different ways: sometimes in plain language, by telling the exact number of years; at other times, by types, as the year of release, the jubilee, and the Sab |