other persons standing with the man clothed with linen, which was upon the waters of the river, and one of them said to him, "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" And he saw the man clothed in linen lift up both his hands unto heaven, and heard him sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, "that it shall be for a time, times, and an half: and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." ver. 7. By which it appears that the wonders of this time of trouble mentioned in the first verse, would continue for three years and an half, and when the Jews shall be completely restored, "all these things shall be finished." This prophecy, Daniel heard but did not fully understand, therefore he said, "O my Lord what shall be the end of these things?" And he replied, "Go thy way Daniel for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. ver. 9. 10. He then gave him a more explicit answer to his inquiry, "From the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be 1290 days. Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the 1335 days." Now

و,

the daily sacrifice was taken away when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, in the year A. D. 70, and if we reckon a day for a year and add 1290 it will bring us to the year 1360. And if we add 1335 to 70, we have the year 1405, the era of blessedness. But if we search the pages of history for the events of these years, there was no remarkable abomination set up in the former year, nor any era of blessedness commenced in the latter. I conceive therefore that the meaning of the prophecy is merely this. That at the time of the end, there will be the predicted trouble, ver. 1. and that the wonders of it will continue for three years and an half, after the Jews are restored; that they will then have built their temple, and established the daily sacrifice; after which the armies collected under Prince Gog and the kings of the earth will come up against Jerusalem, Zech. xiv. 2. and they will take away the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination that maketh desolate; and from that time to the end of the wonders will be 1290 days, at the close of which period the antichristian powers will terminate their mad career, in the battle of Armageddon; and at the end of the 1335 days, that is 45 days afterwards, will commence the happy days of the Millennium or era of blessedness. Daniel having received this explicit information, was ordered

to go his way till the time of the end; with an assurance that he should rest in the grave, and rise with the just, and stand in his lot at the end of the days, and then participate in the glorious reign of the Messiah. ver. 13.

I believe all the principal events connected with the destruction of Antichrist will take place within three years and an half from the time of their commencement, which momentous era is called "the time of the end." Until that period the words are closed up and sealed, ver. 9. but then they will be fulfilled and made manifest. We may well exclaim with Balaam when predicting the same events, "Alas! who shall live when God doeth this!" Numb. xxiv. 14. 23.

PROPHETIC TIMES.

1st. IN Daniel vii. 25. is the first mention of this important period called “time, times, and dividing of time; which is generally considered the same as the 42 months, and the 1260 days referred to in the Apocalypse.

2nd. The second mention of this prophetic period is in Daniel xii. 7. It is found in connexion with Michael's standing up for Daniel's people, and "a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time. ver. 1. At that time the Jews will be restored, and savingly converted, the dead raised, and other wonderful events take place; which are sufficient to excite the important inquiry, "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" and the answer is confirmed by an oath, “It shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished."

I think Michael the prince, is the Messiah, and that the time of trouble is the same as described by Joel, "A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the

mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not ever been the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations." chap. ii. 2. See also Zech. xiv. 6. 7. "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Mat. xxiv. 21. The second advent and the resurrection will be at the close of these 1260 days of unparalleled tribulation, when many that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Dan. xii. 2.

3rd. The third mention of this period is in Rev. xi. 2. And it refers not to the time during which Jerusalem shall be given to the Gentiles, for that has extended already 1768 years: but to the last short triumph of the allied nations under prince Gog and the kings of the earth, Isa. lxiii. 4. lxvi. 15. 16. Joel. iii. 2. 9-11, Zech. ix. 2-14. xii 8. 9. xiv. 3. 12. 13. Rev. xvii. 14. who at this time shall occupy Jerusalem "the holy city, and tread it down forty and two months."

4th. The fourth mention of this period is in the same connexion Rev. xi. 3. which evidently refers to the same time and place, where the two witnesses in the presence of the allied armies, "shall prophecy 1260 days clothed in sackcloth." In this very city