Newspapers / Zion's landmarks. / March 15, 1869, edition 1 / Page 2
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• • - 58 ZION’S LANDMARKS. mourning. And in all her conflicts, she had but one weapon to use in her defense, and that is the word cf God, ■which often burned and killed her enemies like fire, yea, it is called fire; it burnt down the enmity in many a heart and consumed it, and made friends that were willing themselves to die for the truth. No other Aveap- on is allowed to be used, and he who uses any other, is not living godly, but all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution, will have sorrow of heart for the truth’s sake ; and some such, we may expect to find until the two witnesses shall have finished their testimony, and put off their sackcloth and ascended up to heaven. Third, the time when we may be gin to reckon or count the twelve hundred and sixty days, wherein or during Avhich, the two witnesses are to prophecy, clothed in sackcloth, Ave may be at some loss to determine, but I apprehend from the analogy of terms, it Avill bo the same as the twelve hundred and sixty days the Avomau is fed in the Avilderness, and I suppose that corresponds to the time the beast with seven heads, had power given him to continue, which was furty-two month's. I The finishing of thei'r*""'p?^pSecyint Avill be after the elapse of twelve hundred and sixey prophetic days, and to al- loAV a day for a year, as it is reckon ed in Ezk. 4 : 0, and it Avill be twelve hundred and sixt}'’ years, that they will prophecy clothed in sackcloth, and it is generally admitted by many chronoiogers, that the beast Avith seven heads and ten horns, began his reign about or during the year six hundred and six, and if the forty- tAvo months he had power to continue, be equivalent to twelve hundred and sixty years, during which theAVoman was to be fed in the wilderness; then add these numbers together and Ave have eighteen hundred and sixty-six. Ilow far these counts are correct, Ave are not at present, properly prepared to say, but the signs of the times are ominous of enough to make us watch ful; but after tliey shall have finish ed their testimony, the beast that as- cendeth out of the bottomless pit, is to make war against {not Avith) them, and shall overcome them and kill them. Fourth, what is meant by the beast ascending out of the bottomless pit ? Wc understand the term bottomless pit, to represent the most inconceiv able depths of sin and corruption, into Avhich men are engulfed by the poAvers of darkness; and the beast ascending out of that pit, implies the rise of political power out of that hor rible state of corruption. Perhaps the embodiment of error, darkness and religious fanaticism, the place being spiritual—Sodom and Egypt, Sodom prefiguring spiritual error, and Egypt representing spiritual darkness, and it being the place where also our Lord Avas crucified, seems to enshield the Avhole Avith re ligious fanaticism, a poAver doubtless Avell ca culatt'd to make Avar against the tAvo Avitnesses. Fifth, Avlio is this beast that as cended out of the bottomless' pit, or Avhat poAver is set forth in scripture, to represent him ? We ansAver, the man of sin, anti-ebrist, be who mak- eth fire come doAvn from heaven on the earth, in the sight of men, and deoeiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those miracles which he had poAver to do. This includes the second beast, having tAVo horns like a lamb, and to identify him Avith this act, and also to connect him AVith the first beast having seven heads and ten horns, so as to include both in the term anti-clirist or man of sin, Ave will have to notice clos^ the unison of spirit; poAver and I of each, as Avell as the dates or times of each, and also the scripture elucidations of some of these figura tive expressions; wO understand the spirit of the dragon, and both the first and second beast, was the same spirit, Avhich is opposition to Christ and his church; the dracon gave to the first beast his poAver and his seat, and great authority, and the second beast having two horns like a lamb, exerciseth all the poAver of the first before him, so the poAver and spirit of each, is the same, and their acts so similar, and their interest, one for the other so connected, that it may be justly said to be one, therefore their different names, is no doubt to mark more definitely, thej times and circumstances of each, than to de note different motives and acts. The dragon represents perhaps the politi cal rule of Rome, Avith Herod as head in Jerusalem, AA’ith his opposition to Christ and his church. The beast with seven heads and ten horns, rep resent very strikingly. Papal Rome as making Avar Avith the saints and overcoming them, when she perse cuted the Waldenses and their fath ers and brethren, and miserably kill ed and destroyed them, hunting them in mountains and caves, and compell ing all nations to assist, speaking very arrogantly and presumptuously, whereby the name of God is blas phemed, and he had poAver to con tinue forty-tAVO months. Rev. 13 : 5, 6. From this time (of 42 months,) Ave begin to calculate, so as to iden tify the beast with two horns, as the one that ascended out of the bottom less pit, to make Avar againts the two Avitnesses. The forty-two months the beast had power to continue, we take for granted, is the same time the Holy cicy is to be trodden under foot. Rev. 11 : 2, and the time the tAvo Avitnesses Avere to prophecy, clothed in sackcloth, is twelve hun dred and sixty days, and allowing thirty days to the month, and divide the 1260 by 30, and it makes 42, from which, we take it for granted, it is the same time. Then the time the Avitnesses had pOAver to prophecy, and the time the beast had power to continue, ends cotemporaneously or at the same period; so the war against the tAvo Avitnesses is not made (in the sense as given in Tth verse,) until the elapse of the twelve hundred and sixty days, or allowing a clay for a year, tAvelve hundred and sixty the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” In this expression there is a future period referred to. In the 11th verse, it is said “the beast that was and is not, even he is the eight, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdi tion, (the same end of the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit.) In this mysterious and compound figure and explanation, we observe a constant oneness referred to, which ^‘'ars. The first beast made war Wi the m nts, but the second or the beast that ascendeth out of the bot tomless pit, is to make war against the two witnesses. The time the beast is mentioned as ascending out of the bottomless pit, and the time the beast is mentioned as coming up out of the earth, seems to be one or the same time, and their work is sim ilar, the one makes war against the tAvo Avitnesses, and the other deceives them that dwell on the earth, by the miracles he had poAver to do. Thus it seems to me, the poAver is the same, and the Avork is the same, though mentioned under tAvo names ; and Ave are further confirmed in this view, Avhen we notice the mystical explana tion, given to the Revelator in the 17th chapter ; there it is told to John by the angel, saying, “I wid tell thee the m^^stery of the woman and the beast that carrieth her.” “The beast that t hou saAvest Avas and is not, (truly a mystery) and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit;” here we ai-e told Avhat beast it is that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit, ana goes into per dition. (8th vrs.) “And it is said they that dAvell on the earth shall wonder, (those Avliose name \va- not Avritten in the book of life, from the foiuida' enables us more fully to comprehend the oneness of the beasts mentioned, and Ave can look at it, somehow in this "Way, the beast that was, and is not, refers to power that Avas past under a specific name, but noAv is not, yet the same power is to arise under another name, when it can be said, was and is not, and yet is. Perhaps we may say to-day, the Papal perse cuting power was and is not, and in a short time it may be said, behold the persecuting power that was, and is not, yet is under a different name or administration. In these very mysterious figures and explanations, Ave get one fact, clearly set forth, the same beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit, is anti-chnst.— The beast with seven heads and ten horns, and ten crowns, has been look ed upon by^tm.ost protestants as anti christ or the man of sin, and have fixed 1866 as terminating his reign, and ushering in of the Millenium, overlooking it would seem the com ing of the second beast Avith two horns like a iamb, as well as the war to be Aijaged against the two witnesses, both of which events is to take place after the termination of the 1260 days or the 42 months, the time the tAvo Avit nesses had pcAver given them to prophecy, and the first had power to continue, or else they terminate the reign of the second beast with that of the first, contrary to the plain scripture reading, and leave no ac count Avhereby we trace the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit, (to make war against the two witnesses,) to any termination or end. Therefore, I conclude the se cond beast has his reign yet to fulfill, and the war against the tAvo witnesses has yet to be accomplished, because both these circumstances takes place after the year 1866, if the historical account of 606 be correct, as the time the first beast began his rule, and the calculation of a year for a day be true. But I may be asked, if the man of sin is not to be destroy ed by the brightness of the Lord’s tira of the AA’orid) when they behold | coming 1 This is true, but the tini
March 15, 1869, edition 1
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