prophetic lights: by e.j.waggoner

8/14/2019 Prophetic Lights: by E.J.Waggoner

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P ROPHETIC L IGHTS: Some of the Prominent Prophecies

OF THE

OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS,

INTERPRETED BY THE

BIBLE AND HISTORY.

BY

E. J . WAGGONER.

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, asunto a light that shineth in a dark place." 2 Peter 1:19

PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY,OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

1889.


2/265Frank Zimmerman DigitallysignedbyFrank Zimmerma nDN: cn=Frank Zimmerman,o=Practica Prophetica, ou=http: / /www.practicaprophetic a.com, c=CADate: 2006.05.2416:24:46 -07'00'SignatureNot Verified


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o many people the word "prophecy" conveys the idea ofsomething o!scure and incomprehensi!le. he prophetic portionsof the i!le they take !ut little pleasure in reading. #ery oftenthey think that one who undertakes to e$plain the prophecies is

presumptuously meddling with things that !elong only to %od.

he prophecies, they say, may !e understood when they arefulfilled and not !efore.

his is not as it should !e& and it would not !e so if in time past man had not dealt presumptuously with the prophecies, givingmere human speculation for e$position, when %od has said that"no prophecy of 'cripture is of any private interpretation," and sohave put darkness for light. (or the prophecy, instead of !eing

something o!scure, is a light. Prophecy is something foretold& it ishistory in advance. %od, who sees the end from the !eginning,and who "calleth those things that !e not as though they were," isa!le to write the history of an event !efore it occurs far moree$actly than any human pen can write it afterward. )ow if we canunderstand history when written !y men, why should it !e thoughta thing impossi!le that we should understand the history whenwritten in advance !y the 'pirit of %od*

he answer will dou!tless !e that there are so many sym!olsused, so many things that cannot !e understood literally, that onecan never !e sure that he has the correct interpretation. ut thisagain is a mistake. here are sym!ols, it is true. ut the i!leitself furnishes an e$planation of all these sym!ols, and !ysu!stituting these e$planations for the sym!ols, the prophecy may

!e read literally. 'ym!ols are used in our common conversation,

yet we have no difficulty in understanding one another, !ecause


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we understand what these figures of speech mean. +n like manner,when we accept the i!le e$planation of prophetic sym!ols, weneed have no difficulty in understanding the prophecies. y

applying these e$planations to the sym!ols in the propheciesalready fulfilled, we prove their correctness& and !y studying the prophecies that are already fulfilled, we are assured that those thatstill remain will !e as e$actly fulfilled. hus the prophecy

!ecomes the grand proof of the inspiration of the i!le. +f wethrow aside the prophecy, we cannot demonstrate that the i!le isthe inspired word of %od.

he design of this !ook is to remove some of the covering thathas !een thrown over the prophecy !y tradition and humanspeculation, so that its clear light may shine out. his has !eendone !y letting the i!le tell its own story in its own language.

)o theories are advanced, !ut the plain predictions are laid side !yside with the well attested historical facts which show their e$actfulfillment. -lthough each chapter of the !ook is complete initself, it will !e seen that they all point to the one o! ect of the

prophecies of the i!le, namely, the consummation of the/hristian0s hope. +t is hoped that the perusal of this !ook maystrengthen the faith of those who have this hope, and may leadothers to love the coming of our ord.

he chapters entitled, " estimony of the /enturies," and " he(all of a!ylon," were furnished !y lder -. . 3ones. +t should

!e stated also that the illustrations in this !ook are all new, and

with the e$ception of the one of the falling of the stars, weredesigned especially for this !ook, !eing the work of W. -. 4easer,the artist of the Pu!lishing /ompany. hey are prophetic studiesin themselves, as well as fine specimens of art.

. 3. W.


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"5is place of !irth a solemn angel tellso simple shepherds, keeping watch !y night&hey gladly thither haste, and, !y a choir

6f sCuadron0d angels, hear his carol sung&- virgin is his mother, !ut his sire

he Power of the 7ost 5igh."D Milton

-+4 indeed was the estate granted to our first parents.'i$ days had the great /reator employed in fitting it upfor them, each day0s work, as it was completed, !eing

pronounced good. -s the crowning act, when everything had !een prepared for his reception, %od made man in his own image, andgave him dominion over the !easts of the field, the fowls of theair, the fish of the sea, and, in short, over the whole earth andeverything that it contained. he earth was fruitful, and wasunencum!ered with thorns and thistles. 'light toil, and thatunaccompanied !y fatigue, would suffice to cause it to yield tohim its a!undant increase. 7oreover, "the ord %od planted a

E1F

F


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2 PROPHETIC LIGHTS

garden eastward in den& and there he put the man whom he hadformed. -nd out of the ground made the ord %od to grow everytree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food& the tree of lifealso in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of goodand evil." "-nd the ord %od took the man, and put him into thegarden of den to dress it and to keep it." %en. 2:?,9,1


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PROPHECIES OF THE MESSIAH

that, although a man0s own way may seem right in his own eyes,"the end thereof are the ways of death." " y one man sin enteredinto the world, and death !y sin& and so death passed upon allmen, for that all have sinned."

ut the loving (ather did not leave his children entirely in thehands of their merciless adversary. +mmediately after our first

parents had committed the sin which "!rought death into theworld, and all our woe, with loss of den," %od spoke the wordswhich saved the guilty ones from utter despair, saying to the onewho had caused their fall, "+ will put enmity !etween thee and thewoman, and !etween thy seed and her seed& it shall !ruise thyhead, and thou shalt !ruise his heel." %en. :1


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B PROPHETIC LIGHTS

3ewish sacrifices, was the hope of that nation in all its history. 'oclosely is the 7essiah connected with the 3ewish nation, that wecannot think of one without thinking of the other. 7oses

prophesied of /hrist, when he said to the 3ews: " he ord thy %odwill raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy

!rethren, like unto me& unto him ye shall hearken." eut. 1?:1


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PROPHECIES OF THE MESSIAH F, and in answer to his earnest prayer forlight, the angel came to give him skill and understanding. he

part of his revelation which pertains to this su! ect, is found in thefollowing verses:

"=now therefore and understand, that from the going forth ofthe commandment to restore and to !uild 3erusalem unto the7essiah the Prince shall !e seven weeks, and three score and twoweeks& the street shall !e !uilt again, and the wall, even introu!lous times. -nd after three score and two weeks shall7essiah !e cut off, !ut not for himself& and the people of the

prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary& andthe end thereof shall !e with a flood, and unto the end of the wardesolations are determined. -nd he shall confirm the covenantwith many for one week& and in the midst of the week he shallcause the sacrifice and the o!lation to cease." an. 9:2< 2>.

he going forth of the commandment to restore and to !uild3erusalem, was in the seventh year of -rta$er$es, or B ./. 'eethe seventh chapter of Gra. here had !een decrees concerning3erusalem Esee Gra 1:1 B&


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PROPHECIES OF THE MESSIAH >

Prince should come.

" ut," says one, "four hundred and eighty three years fromB ./. would end several years this side of /hrist." hat is true,

!ut it is contemplated in the prophecy. he meaning of 7essiah isthe -nointed. 'ee margin of 3ohn 1:B1. y comparing a fewscriptures we shall find that his anointing took place at his

!aptism.

+n -cts 1@: >, ? Peter says of the word which %od sent unto

the children of +srael, preaching peace !y 3esus /hrist:" hat word, + say, ye know, which was pu!lished throughout

all 3udea, and !egan from %alilee, after the !aptism which 3ohn preached& how %od anointed 3esus of )aGareth with the 5oly%host and with power& who went a!out doing good, and healingall that were oppressed of the devil."

hus we learn that 3esus was anointed with the 5oly %host,immediately after which he !egan his ministry. )ow turn to therecord in 7att. :1H,1>, and we find that as 3esus came up out ofthe water where he had !een !aptiGed, the 'pirit of %od descendedlike a dove upon him, and the voice of %od was heard, saying," his is my !eloved 'on, in whom + am well pleased." 'o 3esuswas formally set apart, !efore the multitude, for his divinemission, and very soon afterward we find him in the synagogue,

saying: " he 'pirit of the ord is upon me, !ecause he hathanointed me to preach the gospel to the poor& he hath sent me toheal the !roken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, andrecovering of sight to the !lind, to set at li!erty them that are

!ruised." uke B:1?.

3esus, therefore, !ecame the 7essiah, the -nointed 6ne, at his !aptism. efore that time the title did not !elong to him. -nd we

shall find that this was ust four hundred and eighty three years


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? PROPHETIC LIGHTS

after the decree of -rta$er$es to restore 3erusalem.

he !aptism of 3esus occurred when he "!egan to !e a!outthirty years of age." uke :2 . ut it was not in the year @-. ., !ecause the /hristian era dates from a!out four years afterthe !irth of /hrist. (rom uke 1:1 , H, we learn that 3esus was

ust si$ months younger than 3ohn the aptist. )ow since thirtyyears was the age when the 3ews, who were appointed to theservice of the sanctuary, entered upon their work E)um. B: @F, andsince 3esus followed this rule, and was !aptiGed at the age ofthirty, we must conclude that 3ohn the aptist !egan his work asthe forerunner of /hrist at the same age, or a!out si$ months

!efore 3esus was !aptiGed. 'o if we can find the date of the !eginning of 3ohn0s work, we shall know the date of the !aptismof 3esus. he following scripture gives most e$plicitly the timewhen 3ohn !egan his ministry:

")ow in the fifteenth year of the reign of i!erius /aesar,Pontius Pilate !eing governor of 3udea, and 5erod !eing tetrarchof %alilee, and his !rother Philip tetrarch of +turaea and of theregion of rachonitis, and ysanias the tetrarch of -!ilene, -nnasand /aiaphas !eing the high priests, the word of %od came unto3ohn the son of Iacharias in the wilderness. -nd he came into allthe country a!out 3ordan, preaching the !aptism of repentance forthe remission of sins." uke :1 .

i!erius /aesar !egan to reign con ointly with his father in-. . 12, and his fifteenth year would therefore !e -. . 2>. 3ohn

!egan his work, therefore, and 3esus was !aptiGed, in the year-. . 2>. )ow let us see if this agrees with what the angel said.(our hundred and eighty three years from ./. B would reach tothe close of -. . 2H, provided we !egin to reckon from the firstday of ./. B. ut the decree went forth some time in the yearB ./., and not on its first day, and conseCuently there wereonly four hundred and fifty si$ and a fraction, of the four hundred


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PROPHECIES OF THE MESSIAH 9

and eighty three years, !efore the /hristian era. (our hundred andeighty three, less four hundred and fifty si$ and a fraction, leavestwenty si$ and a fraction. hat is, something over twenty si$ ofthe four hundred and eighty three years remained after the

!eginning of the /hristian era. ut this would !ring us into theyear 2> -. ., and that is when, as we have seen, the !aptism of3esus did actually occur. -t that time 3esus !egan to preach,saying, " he time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of %od is at hand&repent ye, and !elieve the gospel." 7ark 1:1, is the week referred to in an. 9:2>: "-ndhe Jthe 7essiahK shall confirm the covenant with many for oneweek& and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice andthe o!lation to cease." -ll the 3ewish sacrifices and o!lationstypified the real sacrifice of /hrist, and when he was "cut off, !utnot for himself" E an. 9:2HF, they were made to cease.

3esus was crucified at the time of the Passover. E'ee 7att.2H:2.F (rom 3ohn 2:1 &


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nor yet the voices of the prophets, which are read every 'a!!athday, they have fulfilled them in condemning him." -cts 1 :2>.

he character of 3esus was no less accurately delineated.+saiah had said of him: "5e shall not udge after the sight of hiseyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears& !ut withrighteousness shall he udge the poor, and reprove with eCuity forthe meek of the earth." +sa. 11: ,B. "'urely he hath !orne ourgriefs, and carried our sorrows." +sa. < :B. 5is life as descri!ed inthe %ospels shows that he "went a!out doing good, and healing allthat were oppressed of the devil&" and 7atthew says that hishealing the sick and casting out devils was in direct fulfillment ofthe prophecy of +saiah. hus: "-nd when 3esus was come intoPeter0s house, he saw his wife0s mother laid, and sick of a fever.-nd he touched her hand, and the fever left her& and she arose, andministered unto them. When the even was come, they !roughtunto him many that were possessed with devils& and he cast out

the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: that itmight !e fulfilled which was spoken !y saias the prophet, saying,5imself took our infirmities, and !are our sicknesses." 7att.?:1B 1>.

When 3ohn sent from prison to know if 3esus was indeed the/hrist, 3esus said: "%o and show 3ohn again those things which yedo hear and see: he !lind receive their sight, and the lame walk,the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up&"and to crown all, he added, "and the poor have the gospel

preached to them." 7att. 11:B,


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1:11F, and 3ohn further says of 3esus, that "neither did his !rethren !elieve in him." 3ohn >:


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12 PROPHETIC LIGHTS

" hen one of the twelve, called 3udas +scariot, went unto thechief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and + willdeliver him unto you* -nd they covenanted with him for thirty

pieces of silver." 7att. 2H:1B,1. E'ee7att. 2H: 1.F

avid said: " hey that sit in the gate speak against me& + wasthe song of the drunkards." Ps. H9:12. his was no dou!t literallytrue in his own case& !ut in this, as in many other things, he was atype of /hrist, and the words found their complete fulfillmentwhen the men of 5erod0s court, and the ra!!le that followed thehigh priest, set 3esus at naught, and mocked him, and spit uponhim, and smote him with the palms of their hands, and when Pilate


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had him scourged. 7att. 2H:H>,H?& 2>:2H @& uke 2 :11. -nd inthis, also, was accurately fulfilled the prophetic saying of +saiah:"+ gave my !ack to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that

plucked off the hair& + hid not my face from shame and spitting."+sa. : >.

he su!stitution of 3eremy E3eremiahF for Iechariah, in verse9, is undou!tedly due to an error of the transcri!er, since the

change of one letter would change the 5e!rew of Iechariah into


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1B PROPHETIC LIGHTS

3eremiah. his does not in the least degree affect the fulfillmentof the prophecy. he prophecy was written, and was e$actlyfulfilled more than five hundred years afterward.

When 3esus was fastened to the cross, the nails were driventhrough his hands and his feet, and a spear was thrust into his side.3ohn 19: B& 2@:2: , B. his was done in response tohis words, "+ thirst" E3ohn 19:2? @F, and was an e$act fulfillmentof Ps. H9:21, which reads: " hey gave me also gall for my meat&and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."

" hen the soldiers, when they had crucified 3esus, took hisgarments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part& and also hiscoat& now the coat was without seam, woven from the topthroughout. hey said therefore among themselves, et us notrend it, !ut cast lots for it, whose it shall !e& that the 'cripturemight !e fulfilled, which saith, hey parted my raiment amongthem, and for my vesture they did cast lots. hese things thereforethe soldiers did." 3ohn 19:2 ,2B. 7ore than a thousand years

!efore this took place, the psalmist, prophetically putting himselfin the place of /hrist, had said: " hey part my garments amongthem, and cast lots upon my vesture." Ps. 22:1?.

+saiah, speaking of the time when /hrist should pour out hissoul unto death upon the cross, said, "-nd he was num!ered withthe transgressors." +sa. < :12. his was fulfilled to the letterwhen /hrist, like a vile malefactor, was hanged !etween twothieves. 'ee 7ark 1,2?.


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PROPHECIES OF THE MESSIAH 1,?. )otice how e$actly this was fulfilled at thecrucifi$ion of /hrist:

"-nd they that passed !y reviled him, wagging their heads,and saying, hou that destroyest the temple, and !uildest it inthree days, save thyself. +f thou !e the 'on of %od, come downfrom the cross.

ikewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scri!esand elders, said, 5e saved others& himself he cannot save. +f he !ethe king of +srael, let him now come down from the cross, and wewill !elieve him. 5e trusted in %od& let him deliver him now, ifhe will have him& for he said, + am the 'on of %od." 7att. 2>: 9B .

+n this act we see an illustration of the terri!ly !linding powerof sin. he chief priests, the scri!es, and the elders, were wellversed in the 'criptures. 7oses, the prophets, and the psalmswere regularly read in all the synagogues& and every parent wasunder o!ligation to see that his children were well instructed inthem. -nd yet they had steeled their hearts against the strivings ofthe 5oly 'pirit, until they could !e the unconscious instruments inthe fulfillment of prophecies with which they were perfectlyfamiliar. hey had received ample proof of the divinity of /hrist,

!ut had refused to accept it. hey had determined not to !elievethat 3esus was the /hrist, until they couldn0t !elieve it. 6nce theyhad known that /hrist was the 7essiah, !ut would notacknowledge it. )ow they no dou!t actually thought him to !e a

!ase impostor. +f he had come down from the cross, they wouldnot have !elieved. he same result will !e seen in the cases ofthose who refuse to !elieve the gospel of 3esus /hrist, which


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proclaims his second advent. 'aid Paul: "%od shall send themstrong delusion, that they should !elieve a lie, that they all might

!e damned who !elieved not the truth, !ut had pleasure inunrighteousness." 2 hess. 2:11,12. -pt, indeed, is thee$pression, " he deceitfulness of sin."

+n the 7essianic psalm, from which we have !efore Cuoted,3esus is prophetically represented as saying, "4eproach hath

!roken my heart." Ps. H9:2@. he following from r. /. %eikie,with reference to 7att. 2>:


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PROPHECIES OF THE MESSIAH 1>

!odies should not remain upon the cross on the 'a!!ath day Eforthat 'a!!ath day was an high dayF, !esought Pilate that their legsmight !e !roken, and that they might !e taken away. hen camethe soldiers, and !rake the legs of the first, and of the other whichwas crucified with him. ut when they came to 3esus, and sawthat he was dead already, they !rake not his legs& !ut one of thesoldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out

!lood and water. -nd he that saw it !are record, and his record istrue& and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might !elieve. (or

these things were done, that the scripture should !e fulfilled, - !one of him shall not !e !roken."

+n the instruction concerning the Passover lam!, the 3ews were particularly warned never to let a !one of it !e !roken. $. 12:BH& )um. 9:12. hat lam! typified /hrist, for Paul says: "(or even/hrist our Passover is sacrificed for us." 1/or. . )ow in thenatural order of events, the legs of 3esus would have !een !roken,

for this was the general custom in hastening the death of thosewho were crucified, and it was done to the two thieves. ut theastonishingly speedy death of 3esus made this proceedingunnecessary, and thus the scripture remained un!roken.

he !urial of 3esus is thus descri!ed:

"When the even was come, there came a rich man of-rimathaea, named 3oseph, who also himself was 3esus0 disciple.5e went to Pilate, and !egged the !ody of 3esus. hen Pilatecommanded the !ody to !e delivered. -nd when 3oseph had takenthe !ody, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in hisown new tom!, which he had hewn out in a rock& and he rolled agreat stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed."

hus was fulfilled the following prophecy:

"-nd he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in


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his death& !ecause he had done no violence, neither was any deceitin his mouth." +sa. < :9.

- casual reading of the a!ove te$t would lead one to think that/hrist made his grave !oth with the wicked and with the rich. 6nthis te$t arnes has the following comment, which !rings out very

!eautifully the e$actness with which the prophecy was fulfilled:

"5engsten!erg renders it, 0 hey appointed him his grave withthe wicked E!ut he was with a rich man after his deathF& although

he had done nothing unrighteous, and there was no guile in hismouth.0 he sense, according to him, is that not satisfied with hissufferings and death, they sought to insult him even in death, sincethey wished to !ury his corpse among criminals. +t is thenincidentally remarked, that this o! ect was not accomplished. . . .

he word rendered 0he made,0 from nathan, is a word of veryfreCuent occurrence in the 'criptures. -ccording to %esenius, itmeans, E1F to give, as EaF to give the hand to a victor& E!F to giveinto the hand of anyone& . . . EgF to give into prison, or intocustody. . . . he notion of giving, or giving over, is the essentialidea of the word, and not that of making, as our translation wouldseem to imply& and the sense is, that he was given !y design to thegrave of the wicked, or it was intended that he should occupy sucha grave." arnes on +sa. < :9.

he comment is e$tended at some length, !ut this is sufficientfor our purpose. +t is the most pro!a!le thing in the world that the3ews, who had insulted 3esus when alive, in every conceiva!lemanner, and had su! ected him to the most ignominious death,should design to put upon him the further indignity of !eing castout without !urial, ust as was done with criminals. he first steptoward this they took in ordering his legs to !e !roken& !ut as thisdesign was frustrated, that the prophecy might !e fulfilled, so wasthe other, and he had a most honora!le !urial. +nstead of !eingthrown out among criminals, as his enemies designed, he was with


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the rich in his death. 'o impossi!le is it for men to frustrate thedesigns of %od. "'urely the wrath of man shall praise thee& theremainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." Ps. >H:1@.

6ne more prophecy we have to notice, and it is a !right !eamof light shining from the throne of %od, through the tom!,

presaging the glorious e$altation to the right hand of %od. avidsaid:

"+ have set the ord always !efore me& !ecause he is at my

right hand, + shall not !e moved. herefore my heart is glad, andmy glory re oiceth& my flesh also shall rest in hope. (or thou wiltnot leave my soul in hell& neither wilt thou suffer thine 5oly 6neto see corruption. hou wilt show me the path of life& in they

presence is fullness of oy& at thy right hand there are pleasuresforevermore." Ps. 1H:? 11.

his was fulfilled in the short stay of 3esus in the tom!, which

did not allow corruption to !egin. he apostle Peter made thisvery plain on the day of Pentecost, when, after repeating the wordsCuoted in the preceding paragraph, he said:

"7en and !rethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch avid, that he is !oth dead and !uried, and his sepulcheris with us unto this day. herefore !eing a prophet, and knowingthat %od had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his

loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up /hrist to sit on histhrone& he seeing this !efore spake of the resurrection of /hrist,that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did seecorruption. his 3esus hath %od raised up, whereof we all arewitnesses. herefore !eing !y the right hand of %od e$alted, andhaving received of the (ather the promise of the 5oly %host, hehath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. (or avid is notascended into the heavens& !ut he saith himself, he ord saidunto my ord, 'it thou on my right hand, until + make thy foes thy


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footstool." -cts 2:29


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he glory, the gloryL around him are poured7ighty hosts of the angels that wait on the ord&-nd the glorified saints and the martyrs are there,Who in triumph their palm wreaths of victory wear.

5 ) 3esus had returned from healing the daughter of the'yro Phoenician woman, and had reached the region of/aesarea Philippi, he turned to his disciples, and very

a!ruptly asked, "Whom do men say that + the 'on of man am*-nd they said, 'ome say that thou art 3ohn the aptist& some,

lias& and others, 3eremias, or one of the prophets." 7att.1H:1 ,1B. hese ideas that were held !y different persons were nodou!t derived from eut. 1?:1?& 7al. B:


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prophecies concerning his first and his second advent, and werelooking for him to come in glory. -ccordingly, some thought that3esus might !e one of the prophets risen from the dead as a pledgeof the general resurrection. +t is to !e noted, however, as amournful fact, that no!ody is reported as saying that he was the'aviour of the world. 'o true it was that "he came unto his own,and his own received him not." 3ohn 1:11.

-gain 3esus put the direct Cuestion, " ut whom say ye that +am* -nd 'imon Peter answered and said, hou art the /hrist, the'on of the living %od." 5ere was a recognition of /hrist0s realnature and mission. " hou art the /hrist, the 'on of the living%od," the 'on of the -uthor of life, conveying the same idea asin the confession recorded in 3ohn H:H?,H9: " hou has the wordsof eternal life. -nd we !elieve and are sure that thou art that/hrist, the 'on of the living %od." his confession of faith whichPeter made on !ehalf of the disciples, must have !een as a

refreshing draught to 3esus, in view of the way in which he wasregarded !y the world at large.

-nd 3esus answered and said unto him, " lessed art thou,'imon ar ona J'imon son of 3onasK& for flesh and !lood hath notrevealed it unto thee, !ut my (ather which is in 5eaven." )ohuman !eing had revealed this wonderful truth to Peter& no human

!eing could reveal it. (or "the natural man receiveth not thethings of the 'pirit of %od& for they are foolishness unto him&neither can he know them, !ecause they are spiritually discerned."1/or. 2:1B. 'ays Paul: ";ea, though we have known /hrist afterthe flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. herefore ifany man !e in /hrist, he is a new creature& old things are passedaway& !ehold, all things are !ecome new. -nd all things are of%od." 2/or.


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!een that !y that term he gave only a prophetic interpretation towhat had !een his previous name, Peter. his seems the morelikely, since, as we have previously seen, it was the practice in%alilee to have two names, especially when the strictly 3ewishname, such as 'imon, had no eCuivalent among the %entiles.-gain, the %reek word Petra 4ock E0on this Petra J4ockK will +

!uild my church0F was used in the same sense in 4a!!iniclanguage."

" elieving that 3esus spoke to Peter in the -ramaic, we cannow understand how the words Petros and Petra would !e

purposely used !y /hrist to mark the difference, which theirchoice would suggest. Perhaps it might !e e$pressed in thissomewhat clumsy paraphrase: 0 hou art Peter EPetrosF a 'tone or4ock and upon this Petra the 4ock, the Petrine will + foundmy church.0 +f, therefore, we would not entirely limit the referenceto the words of Peter0s confession, we would certainly apply them

to that which was the Petrine in Peter: the 5eaven given faithwhich manifested itself in his confession. -nd we can furtherunderstand how, ust as /hrist0s contemporaries may haveregarded the world as reared on the rock of faithful -!raham, so/hrist promised that he would !uild his church on the Petrine inPeter on his faith and confession." #ol. 2, !ook , chap. >.

'ome have thought from the reading of ph. 2:19,2@ that/hrist referred, not to Peter alone, !ut to all the apostles, as therock upon which his church should !e !uilt. hat te$t reads:")ow therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, !utfellow citiGens with the saints, and of the household of %od& andare !uilt upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, 3esus/hrist himself !eing the chief cornerstone." ut 1/or. :1@,11shows ust how this should !e taken. here the apostle Paul says:"-ccording to the grace of %od which is given unto me, as a wise

master !uilder, + have laid the foundation, and another !uildeth


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THE TRANSFIGURATION 2. -t his ascension,while the disciples were talking with him, "he was taken up& and acloud received him out of their sight." -cts 1:9. -nd the angelsafterward said to them: " his same 3esus, which is taken up fromyou into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen himgo into heaven." #erse 11.

2. "5is face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white asthe light." 7ark says that "his raiment !ecame shining, e$ceedingwhite as snow& so as no fuller on earth can white them&" and ukesays that "his raiment was white and glistering." 'o of /hrist0scoming we are told that it shall !e "in the glory of his (ather."6ne, prophetically descri!ing that coming, says: "5is glorycovered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. -nd his

!rightness was as the light& he had !right !eams out of his side."5a!. : ,B, margin. 3ohn, who afterward had a view of hiscoming, said, "5is eyes were as a flame of fire." 4ev. 19:12. -ndPaul speaks of "the !rightness of his coming" as !eing so great asto destroy the wicked. )one !ut those who have !eenstrengthened !y the ord can !ehold the glory of his coming andlive.

. When he comes the second time he comes to take his people


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to himself, and this he does !y raising the righteous dead, andtranslating the living. 'ays Paul: "(or the ord himself shalldescend from 5eaven with a shout, with the voice of the-rchangel, and with the trump of %od& and the dead in /hrist shallrise first& then we which are alive and remain shall !e caught uptogether with them in the clouds, to meet the ord in the air& andso shall we ever !e with the ord." 1 hess. B:1H,1>. -gain hesays: "We shall not all sleep, !ut we shall all !e changed, in amoment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump& for the

trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall !e raised incorrupti!le, andwe shall !e changed." 1/or. 1


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sepulcher unto this day." eut. B:F, which is the grave. 5e is thestrong man keeping guard over his house& !ut /hrist is thestronger than he, who has entered into his house, overpoweringhim E uke 11:21,22F, and who now has the keys of death and thegrave. 4ev. 1:1?.

his power /hrist gained !y his death E5e!. 2:1BF& !ut long !efore his death and resurrection he had this power !y virtue of

the promise and the oath of %od, which were the surety that hewould !e offered. =nowing these facts, and reading that /hristcontended with the devil over the !ody of 7oses, we are forced tothe conclusion that their dispute was concerning the resurrectionof 7oses, 'atan claiming that /hrist had no right to take him. utin every contest with 'atan, /hrist has come off victorious, and so7oses was raised from the dead, and appeared with /hrist on theholy mount, as the representative of those who, at the second

coming of /hrist, shall !e !rought from their graves to ever !ewith the ord.

+f there should still !e a lingering dou!t in the minds of anythat 7oses was really raised from the dead, and they should thinkthat it was only his disem!odied spirit that appeared on the mount,we will state E1F that the transfiguration is e$pressly declared !yPeter to have !een a representation of "the power and coming of

our ord 3esus /hrist," and that at that time he and 3ames and


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3ohn were "eye witnesses of his ma esty," which shows that it wasa view of /hrist in his kingly glory& E2F it is a!solutely certain thatwhen /hrist comes there will !e no such thing as disem!odiedspirits, !ecause, says Paul, he "shall change our vile !ody that itmay !e fashioned like unto his glorious !ody" EPhil. :21F, andthis change is performed for !oth the living and the dead. 1/or.1


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"- glory gilds the sacred page, 7a estic like the sun&+t gives a light to every age, +t gives, !ut !orrows none."

DCowper.

have seen that the transfiguration was a miniaturerepresentation of the coming of the ord in glory, to raisethe righteous dead, and to translate the living. ver after

that memora!le day, the coming of the ord must have !een amore vivid reality to Peter, 3ames, and 3ohn, than it had !een

!efore. 3esus said to them, "When the 'on of man shall come inhis glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon

E F

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the throne of his glory," and now these three disciples couldrealiGe what that glory would !e. hey had !een eye witnesses ofhis ma esty, and had !eheld the glory of his coming.

Perhaps some may !e inclined to say, "+f + could have suchevidence as that, + would have no dou!t a!out the matter. +f +could only see for myself, + should know that these things are so."Well now read what Peter says immediately after his reference tothe transfiguration:

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy& whereunto ye dowell that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place,until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts& knowingthis first, that no prophecy of the 'cripture is of any privateinterpretation. (or the prophecy came not in old time !y the willof man& !ut holy men of %od spake as they were moved !y the5oly %host." 2Peter 1:19 21.

he revised version renders this verse as follows: "We havethe word of prophecy made more sure&" !ut we cannot accept thisrendering. -lford says that this rendering is on the ground,

" hat the comparative alludes to what has gone !efore as itsreason, as if it had !een said, Wherefore, or )ow, or 5enceforthwe have, etc.& i.e., 0on account of this voice from 5eaven whichwe heard, we have firmer hold of, or esteem JpossessK more sure,

the prophetic word, as now having in our own ears !egun itsfulfillment.0 he great o! ection to such a view is, the omission ofany such connecting particles as those a!ove supplied. +t is truethe apostle may have omitted them Jas he certainly did, and,

presuma!ly, on purposeK& !ut even supposing that, it is furtheragainst the view, that if such !e the force of the comparative, thethought is not at all followed up in the ensuing verses." )ew

estament for nglish 4eaders.


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THE SURE WORD :1 ,1B: " nter ye in at the strait gate& for wide is the gate,and !road is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there

!e which go in thereat& !ecause strait is the gate, and narrow is theway, which leadeth unto life, and few there !e that find it."

3eremiah was another "holy man of %od," whom the 5oly%host moved to speak. ike 3ohn the aptist, he was chosen even

!efore his !irth to !e a prophet unto the nations. When the ordannounced this fact to him E3er. 1:B,. -nd the prophet continues: " hen the ord put forth hishand, and touched my mouth. -nd the ord said unto me, ehold,+ have put my words in thy mouth." #erse 9. What !ettercredentials could any man have than this*

(rom lips !urning with the touch of the almighty hand,3eremiah poured forth the words "which the 5oly %host teacheth&"and here is a portion of his word concerning "the power andcoming of our ord 3esus /hrist:"

" estruction upon destruction is cried& for the whole land isspoiled& suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in amoment. 5ow long shall + see the standard, and hear the sound ofthe trumpet* (or my people is foolish, they have not known me&they are sottish children, and they have none understanding& theyare wise to do evil, !ut to do good they have no knowledge. +

!eheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void& and theheavens, and they had no light. + !eheld the mountains, and, lo,they trem!led, and all the hills moved lightly. + !eheld, and, lo,there was no man, and all the !irds of the heavens were fled. +

!eheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all thecities thereof were !roken down at the presence of the ord, and


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!y his fierce anger. (or thus hath the ord said, he whole landshall !e desolate& yet will + not make a full end." 3er. B:2@ 2>.

We ne$t turn to "the !urden which 5a!akkuk the prophet didsee," and read the following word concerning the power of the

ord0s coming:

"%od came from eman, and the 5oly 6ne from 7ount Paran.'elah. 5is glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his

praise. -nd his !rightness was as the light& he had horns coming

out of his hand J!right !eams out of his sideK& and there was thehiding of his power." 5a!. : ,B. /ompare with these words2 hess. 2:?: "-nd then shall that Wicked !e revealed, whom the

ord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroywith the !rightness of his coming." +t is the glory of the ord, that glory which he received from the (ather in the holy mount,and which he had with him !efore the world was, that willdestroy the sinners out of the earth when he comes. ut we turnagain to the words spoken through 5a!akkuk:

" efore him went the pestilence, and !urning coals went forthat his feet. 5e stood, and measured the earth& he !eheld, anddrove asunder the nations& and the everlasting mountains werescattered, the perpetual hills did !ow& his ways are everlasting. . . .

he mountains saw thee, and they trem!led& the overflowing ofthe water passed !y& the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up hishands on high. he sun and moon stood still in their ha!itation& atthe light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thyglittering spear. hou didst march through the land in indignation,thou didst thresh the heathen in anger. hou wentest forth for thesalvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed&thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, !ydiscovering the foundation unto the neck." 5a!. :< 1 .

)ow read from the word of the ord which came unto


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Iephaniah: "+ will utterly consume all things from off the land,saith the ord. + will consume man and !east& + will consume thefowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stum!ling

!locks with the wicked& and + will cut off man from off the land,saith the ord. + will also stretch out mine hand upon 3udah, andupon all the inha!itants of 3erusalem& and + will cut off theremnant of aal from this place, and the name of the /hemarimswith the priests& and them that worship the host of heaven uponthe house tops& and them that worship and that swear !y the ord,

and that swear !y 7alcham& and them that are turned !ack fromthe ord& and those that have not sought the ord, nor inCuired forhim." Ieph. 1:2 H.

5ere we learn again that this destruction is not going to !e alocal affair. -lthough the prophecy came to the 3ews, it wasdirected not only against those of them that turned !ack from the

ord and worshipped aal and the host of heaven, !ut against

"those that have not sought the ord, nor inCuired for him." +nconfirmation of this, we read again:

" herefore wait ye upon me, saith the ord, until the day that +rise up to the prey& for my determination is to gather the nations,that + may assem!le the kingdoms, to pour upon them mineindignation, even all my fierce anger& for all the earth shall !edevoured with the fire of my ealousy." Ieph. :?.

We close this list of Cuotations from the prophecies of the 6ldestament, !y a portion of "the !urden of the word of the ord to

+srael !y 7alachi." 'ays the ord through this prophet:

" ehold, + will send my messenger, and he shall prepare theway !efore me& and the ord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly cometo his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom yedelight in& !ehold, he shall come, saith the ord of hosts. ut whomay a!ide the day of his coming* and who shall stand when he


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appeareth* for he is like a refiner0s fire, and like fullers0 soap& andhe shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver& and he shall purifythe sons of evi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they mayoffer unto the ord an offering in righteousness. hen shall theoffering of 3udah and 3erusalem !e pleasant unto the ord, as inthe days of old, and as in former years. -nd + will come near toyou to udgment& and + will !e a swift witness against thesorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the falseswearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages,

the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger fromhis right, and fear not me, saith the ord of hosts." 7al. :1


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" hat the trial of your faith, !eing much more precious than ofgold that perisheth, though it !e tried with fire, might !e foundunto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of 3esus /hrist& .. . receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.6f which salvation the prophets have inCuired and searcheddiligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come untoyou& searching what, or what manner of time the 'pirit of /hristwhich was in them did signify, when it testified !eforehand thesufferings of /hrist, and the glory that should follow." 1Peter 1:>

11.What the sufferings of /hrist !rought to mankind is known to

all in so called /hristian lands, and to nearly all in the world. 5esuffered for sin, "the ust for the un ust, that he might !ring us to%od." hrough his spilled !lood, all who !elieve on him may !e

ustified freely !y the grace of %od, receiving the remission ofsins& and !eing thus ustified !y faith, they will have peace with

%od. -t /hrist0s first advent, he was made an offering for sin, andhe "!are our sins in his own !ody on the tree" E1Peter 2:2BF& !utwhen he comes the second time, he comes "without sin untosalvation." 5e!. 9:2?. /oncerning this coming there is lessknowledge among men than of the first& yet it !rings theconsummation of the gospel and of this world0s history. Without"the glory that should follow," the sufferings of /hrist would !e tono purpose. ut as we have seen, that glory which the ustified

and sanctified ones are to share with him E4om. ?:1>F, when hecomes, will also destroy the wicked. herefore, since that event isof such overwhelming importance, how true the words that we "dowell" to "take heed" to the sure word of prophecy "as unto a lightthat shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day stararise."

his present age is called night. 'ays Paul, " he night is far

spent, the day is at hand& let us therefore cast off the works of


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THE SURE WORD B:11. he idea ofthe passage in Peter0s epistle is that the very element from whichthe earth was formed, was made to contri!ute to its destruction.5aving disproved the assertion that all things continue as theywere from the !eginning of the creation, the apostle draws a

parallel, thus:" ut the heavens and the earth, which are now, !y the same

word Jthe word of %od, see verse


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THE SURE WORD B9

will !e destroyed in the same sense that the original earth"perished" !y the waters of the earth. +t was all !roken up, and theface of it was changed, so that the earth after the flood had noresem!lance to the earth !efore the flood. his was the last andgreatest curse caused !y sin, and completed the desolation of theearth. ut the matter which composed the earth was not destroyed.'o !y the fires of the last day "the elements shall melt with ferventheat," !ut they will not !e annihilated. (rom those meltedelements, "new heavens and a new earth" will !e formed, which

will have no more resem!lance to this sin cursed earth than thisearth does to den, the garden of %od. he people that shall dwellin it will all !e righteous E+sa. H@:21F& and "the wilderness and thesolitary place shall !e glad for them& and the desert shall re oice,and !lossom as the rose. +t shall !lossom a!undantly, and re oiceeven with oy and singing& the glory of e!anon shall !e givenunto it, the e$cellency of /armel and 'haron, they shall see theglory of the ord, and the e$cellency of our %od." +sa.


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" his is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth& and this is the hand thatis stretched out upon all the nations. (or the ord of hosts hath purposed, and whoshall disannul it* -nd his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it !ack*"

+sa. 1B:2H, 2>.

5 ) Paul and arna!as were trying to persuade the people of ystra to turn from the vanities of idolatry,they said unto them that although %od "suffered all

nations to walk in their own ways, nevertheless he left not himself

without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain fromheaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food andgladness." hese are some of the means !y which %od witnessesof himself to all nations. he prophet +saiah sets forth thea!surdity and ine$cusa!leness of idolatry, !y simply showing howa god is made. - man plants a tree, which the rain nourishes untilit has grown large enough to !e used& then he cuts it down, and

E< F

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. hen the prophet shows where such

people fail to use the common sense that !elongs with natureitself. 'ince the rain nourishes the tree from which he makes hisgod, why does he not worship the power that gives the rain, if hedoes not know who %od is* +f he would !ut do that, he would !ewalking in the light of common sense, of reason, and of faith, and

would soon find %od more perfectly. 7en who do not do so arewithout e$cuse. E'ee 4om. 1:[email protected]

ut it is not alone !y the giving of rain and fruitful seasonsthat %od has "left not himself without witness." 5e has done it !yrevelation, and through living testimony. When gypt stood at thehead of the world in power, wisdom, and influence, %od mademanifest in that land his power and his glory in such a way that all

the nations heard of it. he /anaanites heard of it, and knew thatthe %od that delivered +srael was %od of 5eaven and earth. 3osh.2:9 11.

he ne$t nation that arose to power and influence in the worldwas -ssyria. -nd when -ssyria had grown corrupt and had gonefar away from %od, the ord graciously sent a 5e!rew prophet tothe people, and called them to repentance. 3onah 1:2, . -fter this,again and again, he !ore witness to -ssyria that he is %od a!oveall, the most nota!le instance, perhaps, !eing the slaughter of thehost of 'ennacheri!. +saiah >.

a!ylon ne$t spread her empire over all nations, and to them%od left not himself without witness. 5e !ore witness directly to

)e!uchadneGGar, in the dream of the great image, and itsinterpretation !y aniel, the captive 5e!rew. -gain in the affairof the three 5e!rews and the fiery furnace, %od !ore witness ofhimself to all the power and all the provinces of that mighty


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TESTIMONY OF THE CENTURIES F, was driven out from the presence of men to run wild forseven years, he learned !y it that 3ehovah rules in the affairs ofmen, and that he is a!ove all gods& and when he recovered hisunderstanding, he pu!lished "unto all people, nations, andlanguages, that dwell in all the earth," that he "thought it good toshow the signs and wonders that the high %od" had wrought.

#erses 1,2. -gain, when that empire was on the !rink of ruin,%od, !y the handwriting on the wall of the palace, !ore a last parting witness to the lascivious king, that he was weighed in the !alances and found wanting, and that his kingdom was given tothe 7edes and Persians. an. ,2?.

he power of 7edia and Persia came after, and through that power, also, %od again !ore witness of himself "unto all people,

nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth." aniel, theservant of %od, was cast into a den of lions, and came forthunhurt, !ecause %od sent his angel and shut the lions0 mouths thatthey should do him no hurt. " hen =ing arius wrote unto all

people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth," that the%od of aniel "is the living %od, and steadfast forever, and hiskingdom that which shall not !e destroyed, and his dominion shall

!e even unto the end." an. H:2


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:2 11 is the copy of a

message from the ord that was written !y the prophet 3eremiah,and was sent "to the king of dom, and to the king of 7oa!, andto the king of the -mmonites, and to the king of yrus, and to theking of Iidon." he time would fail us to tell of all thetestimonies that %od !ore !y 3eremiah, and Gekiel, and 3oel, and-mos, and 6!adiah, and Iephaniah, and Iechariah, not only to-ssyria, and a!ylon, and gypt, and 7edo Persia, !ut also to

dom, and 7oa!, and -mmon, and yre, and Iidon, and 'yria,and -ra!ia, and all the nations round a!out. +t is literally true that%od has "left not himself without witness" unto "all nations" in allages. -nd when in that great day of the ord the great trumpetshall !e !lown, there shall gather !efore the glorious throne of the7ost 5igh %od, "a great multitude, which no man could num!er,of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues," and will cry"with a loud voice, saying, 'alvation to our %od which sittethupon the throne, and unto the am!."

Prophecy, the foretelling of events, is one of the evidences


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which %od has given to show that it is %od who has spoken, andthat men might !elieve. " ecause + knew that thou art o!stinate,and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy !row !rass& + have evenfrom the !eginning declared it to thee& !efore it came to pass +showed it thee& lest thou shouldest say, 7ine idol hath done them&and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commandedthem." +sa. B?:B,F, wasfounded !y a colony from 'idon Everse 12F, a!out twenty fivemiles south of the mother city on the eastern coast of the7editerranean 'ea. +t was "planted in a pleasant place" E5osea


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sea causeth his waves to come up. -nd they shall destroy thewalls of yrus, and !reak down her towers& + will also scrape herdust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. +t shall !e a

place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea& for + havespoken it, saith the ord %od. . . . (or thus saith the ord %od:

ehold, + will !ring upon yrus )e!uchadneGGar king of a!ylon,a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, andwith horsemen, and companies, and much people. 5e shall slaywith the sword thy daughters in the field& and he shall make a fort

against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the !uckleragainst thee. -nd he shall set engines of war against thy walls,and with his a$es he shall !reak down thy towers. y reason ofthe a!undance of his horses their dust shall cover thee& thy wallsshall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and ofthe chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into acity wherein is made a !reach. With the hoofs of his horses shallhe tread down all thy streets& he shall slay thy people !y the

sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground."Ge. 2H: 11.


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When this prophecy was spoken, Gekiel was at a!ylon, and )e!uchadneGGar had ust completed the destruction of 3erusalem,

./. . 'oon afterward )e!uchadneGGar invaded Phenicia, andall the towns hastily su!mitted, e$cept yre, which made suchstout resistance that it reCuired of the armies of )e!uchadneGGar asiege of thirteen years, from


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island. y the work of )e!uchadneGGar there was fulfilled that part of the prophecy which said that they should destroy the wallsand !reak down the towers, and that with the hoofs of their horsesthey should tread down all her streets& !ut there were yet twoimportant statements unfulfilled& these were: E1F "+ will also scrapeher dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock&" E2F "andthey shall lay thy stones and thy tim!er and thy dust in the midstof the water." his part of the prophecy, however, was as

perfectly fulfilled as was the other, and it was accomplished in this

way:-fter its destruction !y )e!uchadneGGar, the yrians re!uilt

the city, !ut they re!uilt it on the island instead of on themainland, and left the old city lying in its ruins. he new city inthe course of time regained much of the glory that had so e$altedthe old, and one of her principal articles of traffic was fish, forwhen )ehemiah was re!uilding 3erusalem, ./. BB


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TESTIMONY OF THE CENTURIES H

5is first move was to !uild a solid mole two hundred feet !road from the mainland to the wall of the city, and, says %rote,"he had stones in a!undance" from 6ld yre, for the work. -ndhere was the perfect, literal fulfillment of the prophecy, spokenmore than two hundred and fifty years !efore, that "they shall laythy stones and thy tim!er and thy dust in the midst of the water&"for to make that mole the troops of -le$ander the %reat didliterally lay the stones and the tim!er and the dust of 6ld yre inthe midst of the water.

)or was that all, for the prophecy had also said that theyshould "scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of arock." here was a!undance of material there to have made themole as first designed, only two hundred feet !road, without anyvery close scraping, if all had gone well. ut the channel wase$posed to the full !last of the wind, and the work was often

!roken !y the heavy waves. esides this, as soon as the yrians

!egan to see that the enterprise really threatened them, theyapplied all their power and ingenuity to defeat it !y annoying the !uilders, !urning the tim!ers, and !reaking down the mole andscattering the stones in the water. -nd when, even against allthese hindrances, the mole had !een carried almost to the citywall, on a stormy day the yrians, pouring out their whole navalforce in ships and little !oats of all kinds, drove a great fire shiploaded with the most com!usti!le materials against the two great

protective towers that defended the advancing mole, setting themon fire, while at the same time every yrian that could get in adamaging !low at the mole itself did so. hey !urnt the towers,drove off the workmen, tore out the woodwork that held the moletogether, and the waves !eing dashed against it, the greater part ofthe structure was !roken to pieces and sank in the sea.

+t then !ecame necessary to !egin the mole nearly new, !ut,

nothing daunted, -le$ander at once set to work not only to re!uild


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the mole, !ut to make it !roader and stronger than !efore. 6fcourse the work that had !een destroyed formed a good foundationupon which to make the new one !oth !roader and stronger. utevery reverse made it necessary to have more stones andespecially more dust, and so it came a!out that in the very natureof the case the !uilders were compelled to literally "scrape" thedust from 6ld yre, and at the last to leave her "like the top of arock."

ut even yet there was one more word of prophecy unfulfilled:" hou shalt !e a place to spread nets upon," and it is evident thatthis refers to the city on the island rather than to that on themainland, for another passage says, "+t shall !e a place for thespreading of nets in the midst of the sea." Ge. 2H:1B,


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servitude, under the ar!itrary dominion of strangers and slaves.;et such has !een the state of gypt a!ove five hundred years.

he most illustrious sultans of the aharite and orgite dynasties,were themselves promoted from the artar and /ircassian !ands&and the four and twenty !eys, or military chiefs, have ever !eensucceeded, not !y their sons, !ut !y their servants. hey producethe great charter of their li!erties, the treaty of 'elim the (irst withthe repu!lic& and the 6thman emperor still accepts from gypt aslight acknowledgment of tri!ute and su! ection." ecline and

(all, chap.


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moral and physical knowledge. )othing is talked of !ut intensetrou!les, the pu!lic misery, pecuniary e$tortions, and

!astinadoes."

+n 1?>< r. 4o!ert Patterson wrote this:

" he wretched peasantry are re oiced to la!or for any who will pay them five cents a day, and eager to hide the treasure in theground from the rapacious ta$ gatherer. + have seen ritish horsesrefuse to eat the meal ground from the mi$ture of wheat, !arley,

oats, lentils, millet, and a hundred unknown seeds of weeds andcollections of filth, which forms the produce of their fields. (or poverty, vermin, and disease, gypt is prover!ial." "+ have seenthe population of several villages, forced to leave their own fieldsin the spring, to march down to an old, filthy canal, near /airo,and almost within sight of the gate of the palace, men, andwomen, and little !oys, and girls, like those of our 'a!!athschools, scooping up the stinking mud and water with their hands,into !askets, carrying them on their heads up the steep !ank,

!eaten with long sticks !y the task masters to hasten their steps,while steam dredgers lay unused within sight." (a!les of+nfidelity, chap. ?.

welve years later 7rs. 'usan . Wallace wrote of gypt andher people, as follows:

" he valley of the )ile produces three crops a year& andsowing, plowing, reaping go on at the same time. Women workedin the fields with the men, each wearing one loose garment. herewas no machinery !ut the shadof, like our old fashioned wellsweep, the most primitive of pumps, and a rush !asket. 'wingingthe water tight !asket, they moved with machine like precision,these forever oppressed gyptians, without recollections of a great

past or am!ition pointing to a !etter future. heir very souls areenslaved !y centuries of grinding tyranny, knowing no change !ut


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a change of task makers. he locomotive gives them no impulses,and they do not lift their heads as the herald of a new civiliGation,a chariot mighter than Pharaoh0s, rolls past. -mong the low

!ending figures we saw the tattoed faces and painted !lue lips,for!idden !y the evitical law.

"+n a slow, heart !roken way they moved steadily, swingingthe rush !asket, in the hard service of the field named in

euteronomy, drawing up water from the river and emptying it onthe fields in the higher levels. 'ometimes the passer !y may heara dull, droning sound from the unpaid toilers, a melancholy choruschanted !y gangs of !oys and girls degraded unspeaka!ly, who areset to work together along the )ile !anks."

here is no more a prince of the land of gypt& the idols haveutterly ceased& the land is wasted !y the hand of strangers& gyptis the !asest of the kingdoms& the prophecy is literally fulfilled&and this word which Gekiel wrote, as he dwelt among thecaptives !y the river of /he!ar, two thousand four hundred andseventy four years ago, is the word of %od.

" elieve in the ord your %od, so shall ye !e esta!lished& !elieve his prophets, so shall ye prosper."


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" a!ylon, the glory of kingdoms,

the !eauty of the /haldees0 e$cellency." +sa. 1 :19.

the time when the !ook of aniel opens, the 3ewishnation was su! ect to the a!ylonians, and many of the3ews were in a!ylon. - few years !efore Ea!out H1@

./.F, the king of gypt had deposed 3ehoahaG, king of 3udah, and placed liakim, whom he named 3ehoiakim, on the throne.2/hron. H:2 B. +n the third year of his reign E an. 1:1F

)e!uchadneGGar came to 3erusalem and !esieged it. he city wastaken, 3ehoiakim was !ound with fetters, and some of the vesselsof the house of %od E2/hron. H:>& an. 1:2F were carried to

a!ylon. 'ome of the people, also, among whom were aniel andhis fellows, were carried to a!ylon at this time. an. 1: >.3ehoiakim, however, was allowed to remain in 3erusalem, wherehe reigned eight years longer. 2/hron. H:


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succeeded !y 3ehoiachin, his son, who, after a reign of threemonths, was taken !y )e!uchadneGGar to a!ylon. 2/hron.

H:9,1@. With him were also taken all the royal family, thewealthy people, and the artisans, so that only the poorest people ofthe land were left in 3udah. 2=ings 2B:? 1H. his was a!out ./.


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!esieged it. (or nearly two years the siege was carried on, until"the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no !read for the

people of the land. -nd the city was !roken up, and all the men ofwar fled !y night !y the way of the gate !etween two walls, whichis !y the king0s garden Enow the /haldees were against the cityround a!outF& and the king went the way toward the plain. -ndthe army of the /haldees pursued after the king, and overtook himin the plains of 3ericho& and all his army were scattered from him.'o they took the king, and !rought him up to the king of a!ylon

to 4i!lah& and they gave udgment upon him. -nd they slew thesons of Iedekiah !efore his eyes, and put out the eyes ofIedekiah, and !ound him with fetters of !rass, and carried him to

a!ylon." 2=ings 2. hus was Gekiel0s prophecy literallyfulfilled, and 3erusalem was left in ruins.

-mong the 3ews who were carried to a!ylon at the first siegeof 3erusalem, was aniel, who was of the royal line. E'ee an.

1: H.F 5e and his fellows were chosen to go through a threeyears0 course of study and training, in order that they might !efitted to fill offices of trust in the a!ylonian kingdom. heywere chosen !ecause of their superior mental a!ility E an. 1:BF&and so rapidly did they improve that at the end of the three years,when they went !efore )e!uchadneGGar to !e e$amined, "in allmatters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inCuired ofthem, he found them ten times !etter than all the magicians and

astrologers that were in all his realm." an. 1:2@. %od had given"knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom" to these faithfulservants of his, "and aniel had understanding in all visions anddreams." #erse 1>.

+mmediately after aniel had finished his course, his talentswere called into action. +n the second year of )e!uchadneGGar0sreign as sole ruler of a!ylon, !ut the fourth year after he had

!egun to reign con ointly with his father, he dreamed a dream


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which trou!led him greatly, and the more so !ecause he could notremem!er what it was. $cessively annoyed and trou!led, he sentfor the magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers, and demanded ofthem that they should tell him the dream. hey replied: "6 king,live forever& tell thy servants the dream, and we will show theinterpretation." ut )e!uchadneGGar could not tell the dream, anymore than they could tell the interpretation without the dream, andafter parleying with them for awhile, he ordered that all the wisemen of a!ylon should !e destroyed. E'ee an. 2:1 1 .F


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-lthough aniel was not among those to whom the king hadapplied for an interpretation of his dream, the command was todestroy all the wise men of a!ylon, and so it included him andhis companions. +t seems that the first intimation aniel had ofthe whole affair was when the officers came to take him to the

place of e$ecution. E'ee an. 2:1B,1


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+t was a trying occasion when aniel went !efore the king tomake known to him his forgotten dream, and one well calculatedto cause a young man to trem!le. +f he failed, one word from thehaughty monarch, who had once !een disappointed, and who now

!elieved that all his professedly wise men were knaves, wouldhave cost him his head. ut we may !e sure that aniel did nottrem!le, !ecause he knew that he should not fail. 5e modestlydisclaimed the possession of any natural wisdom more than othermen, and said: " he secret which the king hath demanded cannot

the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers,show unto the king& !ut there is a %od in 5eaven that revealethsecrets, and maketh known to the king )e!uchadneGGar what shall

!e in the latter days." an. 2:2>,2?.

hen without any hesitation he proceeded to tell the dream.'aid he:

" hou, 6 king, sawest, and !ehold a great image. his greatimage, whose !rightness was e$cellent, stood !efore thee& and theform thereof was terri!le. his image0s head was of fine gold, his

!reast and his arms of silver, his !elly and his thighs of !rass, hislegs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. hou sawest tillthat a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the imageupon his feet that were of iron and clay, and !rake them to pieces.

hen was the iron, the clay, the !rass, the silver, and the gold, !roken to pieces together, and !ecame like the chaff of thesummer threshing floors& and the wind carried them away, that no

place was found for them& and the stone that smote the image !ecame a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." an. 2: 1


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given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. -ndwheresoever the children of men dwell, the !easts of the field andthe fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hathmade thee ruler over them all. hou art this head of gold." #erses

>, ?.

5ow simple are the words of divine truthL +n the most directmanner, and in the fewest words possi!le, aniel rehearsed thegreatness of the empire over which )e!uchadneGGar reigned, anddeclared that it was represented !y the golden head of the terri!leimage. he e$pression, " hou art this head of gold," does notrefer to )e!uchadneGGar as an individual, !ut as the representativeof the most magnificent empire that the world ever saw. +t was to

)e!uchadneGGar that a!ylon owed her wonderful prosperity.4awlinson says:

")e!uchadneGGar is the great monarch of the a!ylonianmpire, which, lasting only eighty eight years from ./. H2< to./. < ? was for nearly half the time under his sway. +ts

military glory is due chiefly to him, while the constructive energy,which constitutes its especial characteristic, !elongs to it still moremarkedly through his character and genius. +t is scarcely toomuch to say that, !ut for )e!uchadneGGar, the a!ylonians wouldhave had no place in history. -t any rate, their actual place isowing almost entirely to this prince, who to the military talents ofan a!le general added a grandeur of artistic conception and a skillin construction which place him on a par with the greatest !uildersof antiCuity." 'even %reat 7onarchies E4awlinsonF, (ourth7onarchy, chap. ?, paragraph 2B.

+t was fitting, therefore, that )e!uchadneGGar should stand forthe empire.

he e$tent of the a!ylonian mpire is indicated in verse ?:"Wheresoever the children of men dwell, the !easts of the field


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and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, andhath made thee ruler over them all." his means universaldominion. - few years later, the prophet 3eremiah !ore testimonyto the same effect. he kings of yre, dom, 7oa!, etc., withIedekiah, king of +srael, were contemplating a revolt from

a!ylonian rule. o show them the folly of such an attempt, the prophet, !y the command of the ord, sent messengers to them,saying: " hus saith the ord of hosts, the %od of +srael: hus shallye say unto your masters: + have made the earth, the man and the

!east that are upon the ground, !y my great power and !y myoutstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meetunto me. -nd now have + given all these lands into the hand of

)e!uchadneGGar the king of a!ylon, my servant& and the !eastsof the field have + given him also to serve him. -nd all nationsshall serve him, and his son, and his son0s son." 3er. 2>:B >.

his language is not figurative nor hyper!olical. +t is plain

history, and is su!stantiated !y the writings of profane historians.he " ncyclopedia ritannica," art. " a!ylonia," after telling how )a!opolassar, ruler of the province of a!ylonia, revolted from-ssyrian rule, says:

" he seat of empire was now transferred to the southernkingdom. )a!opolassar was followed in H@B !y his son

)e!uchadneGGar, whose long reign of forty three years madea!ylon the mistress of the world. he whole ast was overrun

!y the armies of /haldea, gypt was invaded, and the city of theuphrates left without a rival."

he city of a!ylon is descri!ed at great length !y 4ollinE-ncient 5istory, vol. +, !ook , chap. +F, and !y Prideau$E/onne$ion, vol. +, !ook 2F. 6ur space, however, will allow us togive only the !rief, yet very clear, description given !y 5erodotus.+t is as follows:


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" he city stands on a !road plain, and is an e$act sCuare, ahundred and twenty furlongs in length each way, so that the entirecircuit is four hundred and eighty furlongs. While such is its siGe,in magnificence there is no other city that approaches to it. +t issurrounded, in the first place, !y a !road and deep moat, full ofwater, !ehind which rises a wall fifty royal cu!its in width, andtwo hundred in height.

"-nd here + may not omit to tell the use to which the mold dugout of the great moat was turned, nor the manner wherein the wallwas wrought. -s fast as they dug the moat the soil which they gotfrom the cutting was made into !ricks, and when a sufficientnum!er were completed they !aked the !ricks in kilns. hen theyset to !uilding, and !egan with !ricking the !orders of the moat&after which they proceeded to construct the wall itself, usingthroughout for their cement hot !itumen, and interposing a layerof wattled reeds at every thirtieth course of the !ricks. 6n the top,

along the edges of the wall, they constructed !uildings of a singlecham!er facing one another, leaving !etween them room for afour horse chariot to turn. +n the circuit of the wall are a hundredgates, all of !rass, with !raGen lintels and sideposts. he !itumenused in the work was !rought to a!ylon from the +s, a smallstream which flows into the uphrates at the point where the cityof the same name stands, eight days0 ourney from a!ylon.

umps of !itumen are found in great a!undance in this river.

" he city is divided into two portions !y the river which runsthrough the midst of it. his river is the uphrates, a !road, deep,swift stream, which rises in -rmenia and empties itself into the

rythraean J-ra!ianK 'ea. J he river does not flow directly intothe -ra!ian 'ea, !ut into the Persian %ulf.K he city wall is

!rought down on !oth sides to the edge of the stream& thence fromthe corners of the wall, there is carried along each !ank of the

river a fence of !urnt !ricks. he houses are mostly three and four


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stories high& the streets all run in straight lines, not only those parallel to the river, !ut also the cross streets which lead down tothe water side. -t the river end of these cross streets are low gatesin the fence that skirts the stream, which are, like the great gates inthe outer wall, of !rass, and open on the water.

" he outer wall is the main defense of the city. here is,however, a second inner wall, of less thickness than the first, !utvery little inferior to it in strength. he center of each division ofthe town was occupied !y a fortress. +n the one stood the palaceof the kings, surrounded !y a wall of great strength and siGe& in theother was the sacred precinct of 3upiter elus, a sCuare inclosuretwo furlongs each way, with gates of solid !rass& which was alsoremaining in my time." ook +, chap. 1>? 1?1.

he royal cu!it was twenty one inches. he reader willtherefore see that the outer wall of the city was eighty seven feetthick, and three hundred and fifty feet high. he city was dividedinto two parts !y the uphrates, which ran diagonally through it,the !anks of which were protected !y walls, and the followingmeans of passage from one part of the city to the other wasdevised:

"+n each of these walls were twenty five gates, correspondingto the num!er of the streets which gave upon the river& and outsideeach gate was a sloped landing place, !y which you could descendto the water0s edge, if you had occasion to cross the river. oatswere kept ready at these landing places to convey passengers fromside to side& while for those who disliked this method ofconveyance a !ridge was provided of a somewhat peculiarconstruction. - num!er of stone piers were erected in the !ed ofthe stream, firmly clamped together with fastenings of iron andlead& wooden draw !ridges connected pier with pier during theday, and on these passengers passed over& !ut at night they werewithdrawn, in order that the !ridge might not !e used during the


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" lessed !e the name of %od forever and ever&for wisdom and might are his&

and he changeth the times and the seasons&he removeth kings, and setteth up kings.

...5e revealeth the deep and secret things." an. 2:2@ 22.

) after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior tothee, and another third kingdom of !rass, which shall

!ear rule over all the earth. an. 2: 9.hese were the words which followed the !rief statement of

the e$tent and the fall of )e!uchadneGGar0s kingdom. We havealready learned that this "inferior" kingdom which was to succeed

a!ylon in the dominion of the world was the kingdom of the7edes and Persians E an.


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arius the 7edian. an. :B >& Gra 1:2F, and that the Persian mpirewas universal. +t was not inferior to a!ylon in e$tent, !ut only inwealth and magnificence. 8nder this monarchy the prophecieswhich foretold the restoration of the 3ews to their own land werefulfilled. 7ost of the Persian kings, although noted for theircruelty, treated the 3ews with great favor. -n account of thedealings of the Persian kings with the 3ews, is found in the !ooksof sther, )ehemiah, and Gra. he prophets 5aggai andIechariah uttered their prophecies after the return from thecaptivity, !ut !efore the complete restoration. )ot a single

prophecy foretelling the restoration of the 3ews to Palestine andold 3erusalem, has any application this side of the decree issued !y-rta$er$es, king of Persia, recorded in Gra >. hose who arelooking to the future for a time when all the 3ews on earth willflock to 3erusalem and the land of Palestine, will look in vain.

ut the prophet did not dwell for a moment upon the empire ofPersia. 5e mentioned its rise, only to foretell its fall. "-ndanother third kingdom of !rass, which shall !ear rule over all theearth." 5istory tells us very clearly what universal empirefollowed that of 7edo Persia, !ut we will not forestall the

prophecy& the i!le shall !e its own interpreter.

+n the eighth chapter of aniel, verses ?, is a record of partof a vision which aniel saw. et the reader e$amine the passage


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carefully at his leisure& we shall here give only a summary of whatthe prophet saw. 5e saw a ram standing !y a river. he ram wasso very powerful and fierce that no !east could stand !efore him,"!ut he did according to his will, and !ecame great." While the

prophet was still looking, he saw a rough goat with a nota!le horn !etween his eyes, come from the west, running with incredi!leswiftness, so that its feet seemed not to touch the ground. hisgoat came with fury to the ram, and smote him, and cast him downto the ground, and stamped upon him& and there was no power that

could save the ram from the wrath of the goat.+n verses 2@ and 21 this is e$plained as follows: " he ram

which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of 7edia andPersia. -nd the rough goat is the king of %recia& and the greathorn that is !etween his eyes is the first king." hen since the goatoverpowered the ram, the prophecy teaches that %recia succeeded7edo Persia as mistress of the world.

his is attested !y all history. here is no other fact of historyso well known as that -le$ander the %reat conCuered the world." ut," says one, "-le$ander was king of 7acedon, and it was%reece, according to the prophecy, that overthrew 7edo Persia."#ery true& !ut it was as king of %reece, and not as king of7acedon, that -le$ander started out on his career of conCuest. +fhe had not had united %reece at his !ack, even he could not have

!ecome master of the world. %rote says:

"-fter displaying his force in various portions ofPeloponnesus, -le$ander returned to /orinth, where he conveneddeputies from the %recian cities generally. . . . -le$ander askedfrom the assem!led deputies the same appointment which thevictorious Philip had reCuired and o!tained two years !efore thehegemony or headship of the %reeks collectively for the purposeof prosecuting war against Persia. o the reCuest of a prince at thehead of an irresisti!le army, one answer only was admissi!le. 5e


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was nominated imperator with full powers, !y land and sea.6verawed !y the presence and sentiment of 7acedonian force, allacCuiesced in this vote e$cept the acedaemonians.

" he convention sanctioned !y -le$ander was pro!a!ly thesame as that settled !y and with his father Philip. +ts grand andsignificant feature was, that it recogniGed 5ellas J%reeceK as aconfederacy under the 7acedonian prince as imperator, ore$ecutive head and arm. +t crowned him with a legal sanction askeeper of the peace with %reece, and conCueror a!road in thename of %reece." 5istory of %reece, chap. 91.


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Philip, -le$ander0s father, had succeeded in securing theheadship of the %reeks, !ut his death followed immediately after,so that he never made any use of it. -le$ander, therefore, is

properly styled in the 'criptures the first king of %reece.

We have no space to devote to an account of -le$ander0svictories at the %ranicus, and at +ssus, !y which he gained gyptand all of -sia west of the uphrates, and !rought arius, the lastking of Persia, to sue for peace. -le$ander did not wish for a

peace which would leave a rival to him& and the last !attle, whichresulted in the complete overthrow of the Persian kingdom, wasfought near -r!ela. 6f the results of this !attle, %rote says:

" he prodigious army of arius was all either killed, taken, ordispersed at the !attle of -r!ela. )o attempt to form a su!seCuentarmy ever succeeded& we read of nothing stronger than divisionsor detachments. he miscellaneous contingents of this oncemighty empire, such at least among them as survived, dispersed totheir respective homes and could never !e again mustered in mass.

he defeat of -r!ela was in fact the death !low of the Persianmpire. +t converted -le$ander into the great king, and arius

into nothing !etter than a fugitive pretender." 5istory of %reece,chap. 9 , paragraphs ?>, ??.

he %recian mpire, therefore, with -le$ander as its firstking, was the power that succeeded 7edo Persia. he !attle of-r!ela, which made %recia supreme, was fought in the year 1

./. he 7edo Persian mpire had therefore en oyed universalsway for two hundred and seven years, from < ? to 1 ./.

"Which shall !ear rule over all the earth." hese were thewords !y which aniel descri!ed the %recian mpire, whichcorresponded to the !raGen portion of the image. oes history

!ear out the prediction of the prophet* and did the empire of%reece actually !ear rule over "all the earth"* - few Cuotations


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will suffice to answer this Cuestion.

4ollin says of -le$ander0s eager desire to reach a!ylon, afew years after the !attle of -r!ela:

"5e knew that there were arrived in that city, am!assadorsfrom all parts of the world, who waited for his coming& the wholeearth echoing so with the terror of his name, that the severalnations came, with ine$pressi!le ardor, to pay homage to-le$ander, as to him who was to !e their sovereign. . . . 'o that he

set forward with all possi!le diligence toward that great city, thereto hold the states general, as it were, of the world." 5istory of-le$ander, s

prophetic lights: by e.j.waggoner

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