Chapter IV: The Sign LEO (The Lion)

_Messiah’s Consummated Triumph._

Here we come to the end of the circle. We began with Virgo, and we end with Leo. No one who has followed our interpretation can doubt that we have here the solving of the Riddle of the Sphinx. For its _Head_ is Virgo and its _Tail_ is Leo!

In Leo we reach the end of the Revelation as inspired in the Word of God; and it is the end as written in the heavens.

BAILLY (_Astronomy_) says, “the Zodiac must have been first divided when the sun at the summer solstice was in 1° Virgo, where the woman’s head joins the Lion’s tail.”

As to its antiquity there can be no doubt. JAMIESON says, “the Lion does not seem to have been placed among the Zodiacal symbols, because Hercules was fabled to have slain the Nemean Lion. It would seem, on the contrary, that Hercules, who represented the Sun, was said to have slain the Nemean Lion, because _Leo_ was already a Zodiacal sign. Hercules flourished 3,000 years ago, and consequently posterior to the period when the summer solstice accorded with _Leo_.” (_Celestial Atlas_, p. 40).

There is no confusion about _this_ sign. In the ancient Zodiacs of Egypt (Denderah, Esneh) and India we find the Lion. The same occurs on the Mithraic monuments, where Leo is _passant_, as he is in Moor’s Hindu, and Sir William Jones’s Oriental Zodiacs. In Kircher’s Zodiacs he is _courrant_; in the Egyptian Zodiacs he is _couchant_.

In the Denderah Zodiac he is treading upon a serpent, as shown in Mr. Edward Cooper’s _Egyptian Scenery_.

Plate 39: LEO (the Lion)

Its Egyptian name is _Pi Mentekeon_, which means _the pouring out_. This is no pouring out or inundation of the Nile, but it is the pouring out of the cup of Divine wrath on that Old Serpent.

This is the one great truth of the closing chapter of this last Book. It is

THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH AROUSED FOR THE RENDING OF THE PREY.

His feet are over the head of _Hydra_, the great Serpent, and just about to descend upon it and crush it.

The three constellations of the Sign complete this final picture:

1. _Hydra_, the old Serpent destroyed.

2. _Crater_, _the Cup_ of Divine wrath poured out upon him.

3. _Corvus_, the Bird of prey devouring him.

The Denderah picture exhibits all four in one. The Lion is presented treading down the Serpent. The Bird of prey is also perched upon it, while below is a plumed female figure holding out _two cups_, answering to _Crater_, the cup of wrath.

The hieroglyphics read _Knem_, and are placed underneath. _Knem_ means _who conquers_, or _is conquered_, referring to the victory over the serpent. The woman’s name is _Her‐ua_, _great enemy_, referring to the great enemy for which her two cups are prepared and intended.

The Hebrew name of the sign is _Arieh_, which means _the Lion_. There are six Hebrew words for Lion,(75) and this one is used of the Lion _hunting down his prey_.

The Syriac name is _Aryo_, _the rending Lion_, and the Arabic is _Al Asad_; both mean _a lion coming vehemently_, _leaping forth as a flame_!

It is a beautiful constellation of 95 stars, two of which are of the 1st magnitude, two of the 2nd, six of the 3rd, thirteen of the 4th.

The brightest star, α (on the Ecliptic), marks the heart of the Lion (hence sometimes called by the moderns, _Cor Leonis_, _the heart of the Lion_). Its ancient name is _Regulus_, which means _treading under foot_. The next star, β, also of the 1st magnitude (in the tip of the tail), is named _Denebola_, _the Judge_ or _Lord who cometh_. The star γ (in the mane) is called _Al Giebha_ (Arabic), _the exaltation_. The star δ (on the hinder part of the back) is called _Zosma_, _shining forth_.

Other stars, not identified, are named _Sarcam_ (Hebrew), _the joining_; intimating that here is the point where the two ends of the Zodiacal circle have their _joining_. Another star has the name of _Minchir al Asad_ (Arabic), _the punishing_ or _tearing of the Lion_. Another is _Deneb Aleced_, _the judge cometh who seizes_. And another is _Al Dafera_ (Arabic), _the enemy put down_.

What can be more expressive? What can be more eloquent? All is harmony, and all the names unite in pointing us to what is written of “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.”

And why is Messiah thus called? Because it is applied to Him in Rev. v. 5 in connection with His rising up for judgment: and because the Lion is known to have been always borne upon the standard of Judah, whether in the wilderness (Num. ii.) or in aftertimes.

In Israel’s dying blessing the prophetic words foretold of Judah:

“Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; ...
Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, thou art gone up.
He stooped down, he couched as a lion,
And as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?”

(Gen. xlix. 8, 9.)

In the prophecy of Balaam (Num. xxiv. 8, 9), we read:

“He shall eat up the nations his enemies,
And shall break their bones,
And pierce them through with his arrows,
He couched, he lay down as a lion,
And as a great lion; who shall stir him up?”

The same testimony is borne by the Prophet Amos:

“Will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey?
Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he hath taken nothing?...
The lion hath roared, who will not fear?”

(Amos iii. 4, 8.)

When “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” is roused up for the rending, the Spirit describes the scene in Isa. xlii. 13:

“The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man,
He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war;
He shall cry, yea, roar;
He shall prevail against His enemies.”

And this is what is meant and included when the Elder says for John’s comfort, “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah _hath prevailed_,” and hence, is “worthy ... to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev. v.).

Whether we look, therefore, at the primeval Revelation in the heavens, or at the later Revelation in the Word, the story is one and the same.

And what we see of Leo and his work in both, we find developed and described in the three constellations of the Sign.

1. HYDRA (The Serpent).

_The Old Serpent Destroyed._

The time has at length come for the fulfilment of the many prophecies pictured in the heavens: and in its three final constellations we see the consummation of them all in the complete destruction of the Old Serpent, and all his seed, and all his works.

Plate 40: HYDRA (the Serpent), CRATER (the Cup), CORVUS (the Raven)

It is the special work of the Messiah, as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” to trample it under foot.

It is pictured as _the female serpent (Hydra)_, the mother and author of all evil. _Hydra_ has the significant meaning, _he is abhorred_!

It is an immense constellation extending for above 100 degrees from east to west, beneath the Virgin, the Lion, and the Crab. It is composed of 60 stars; one of the 2nd magnitude, three of the 3rd, twelve of the 4th, etc.

The brightest star, α (in the heart of the Serpent), is sometimes called by the moderns _Cor Hydræ_ on that account. Its ancient name is _Al Phard_ (Arabic), which means _the separated_, _put away_. Another is called _Al Drian_, _the abhorred_. Another star is named _Minchar al Sugia_, _the piercing of the deceiver_.

There can be no doubt as to what is taught by the constellation of Hydra, nor is it necessary to quote the Scriptures concerning the destruction of the Serpent. We pass on to consider the second.

2. CRATER (The Cup).

_The Cup of Divine wrath Poured out upon Him._

“God is the Judge.
He putteth down one, and setteth up another,
FOR IN THE HAND OF THE LORD THERE IS A CUP,
And the wine is red; it is full of mixture,
And He poureth out of the same:
But the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring
them out and drink them.”

(Ps. lxxv. 8.)

“Upon the wicked he shall rain snares,
Fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest:
THIS SHALL BE THE PORTION OF THEIR CUP.”

(Ps. xi. 6.)

This is no fabled wine‐cup of Bacchus; but it is “The cup of His indignation” (Rev. xiv. 10); “The cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath” (Rev. xvi. 19). This is what we see set forth in this constellation. The Cup is wide and deep, and fastened on by the stars to the very body of the writhing serpent. The same stars which are in the foot of the Cup form part of the body of Hydra, and are reckoned as belonging to both constellations.

This Cup has the significant number of _thirteen_ stars (the number of Apostacy). The two—_Al Ches_ (α), which means _the Cup_, and (β)—determine the bottom of the Cup.

3. CORVUS (The Raven).

_The Birds of Prey devouring the Serpent._

Here is the final scene of judgment. We have had _Zeeb_; _the Wolf_; now we have _Oreb_, _the Raven_. _Her‐na_ is its name in the Denderah Zodiac. _Her_, means _the enemy_; and _Na_, means _breaking up_ or _failing_. That is to say, this scene represents _the breaking up_ of the enemy.

There are nine stars (the number of _judgment_) in this constellation. The bright star α (in the eye) is called _Al Chibar_ (Arabic), _joining together_, from the Hebrew _Chiba_ (Num. xxiii. 8), which means _accursed_. This star, then, tells of _the curse inflicted_. The star β (in the right wing) is called _Al Goreb_ (Arabic), from Hebrew _Oreb_, _the Raven_. A third star is named _Minchar al Gorab_ (Arabic), and means _the Raven tearing to pieces_.

This brings us to the end. There is nothing beyond this. Nothing remains to be told. We know from the Word of God that—

“The eye that mocketh at his father,
And despiseth to obey his mother,
The ravens of the valley shall pick it out.”

(Prov. xxx. 17.)

We remember how David said to the Giant Goliah—a type of this enemy of God’s people—“I will smite thee, and take thy head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth” (1 Sam. xvii. 46).

When the great day of this judgment comes, an angel standing in the sun will cry “to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come, and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great” (Rev. xix. 17, 18).

And after these awful words shall be fulfilled, in the closing words of the prophecy of Isaiah, Jehovah foretells us how—

“They shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that
have transgressed against Me;
For their worm shall not die,
Neither shall their fire be quenched;
And they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.”

This is the teaching of the whole Sign of LEO! It is all summed up in Jer. xxv. 30‐33:—

“Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and say unto
them,
The LORD shall roar from on high,
And utter His voice from His holy habitation;
He shall mightily roar upon His habitation;
He shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes,
Against all the inhabitants of the earth.
A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth;
For the LORD hath a controversy with the nations,
He will plead with all flesh;
He will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts,
Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation,
And a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the
earth.
And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the
earth
Even to the other end of the earth;
They shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried;
They shall be dung upon the ground.”

Here is the conclusion of the whole matter! Here is the final triumph of the Son of Man in the consummated victory of the Seed of the woman: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev. v. 12).

“O what a bright and blessed world
This groaning earth of ours will be,
When from its throne the tempter hurled,
Shall leave it all, O Lord, to Thee!

But brighter far that world above,
Where we, as we are known, shall know;
And, in the sweet embrace of love,
Reign o’er this ransomed earth below.

O blessed Lord! with longing eyes
That blissful hour we wait to see;
While every worm or leaf that dies
Tells of the curse, and calls for Thee.

Come, Saviour! Then o’er all below
Shine brightly from Thy throne above,
Bid heaven and earth Thy glory know,
And all creation feel Thy love.”

SUMMARY.

Man has ever sought to rob Christ of His glory. He has long since done his best to obliterate His name and His work from the Revelation which had been written in the stars of light. When He humbled Himself, and came as the promised Seed of the woman, men “saw no beauty in Him that they should desire Him.” And these were _religious_ men. It was religious men, not the common rabble, whom the Old Serpent made use of to wound Him in the heel. The Devil could not touch Him himself; he must use them as his instruments; and it was only _religious_ men that could be so used.

It was the “chief priests and scribes,” men learned in the Scriptures, whose very knowledge of the Word was used to compass His death amongst the babes at Bethlehem (Matt. ii. 4‐6).

It was the same priests and scribes who were used to put Him to death, and give the long‐prophesied wound in the heel.

Religion without Christ is enmity against God! Knowledge of the Scriptures where the heart is not subject to Christ, and where Christ is not seen in them, is powerless and lifeless. It is true of the Scriptures, as it will be of the heavenly Jerusalem—“THE LAMB IS THE LIGHT THEREOF” (Rev. xxi. 23).

The Church of Rome has been used of the great enemy to rob the Lamb of God of His promised glory. JEROME, in his Latin translation of the Bible (405 A.D.), wrote “_ipse_,” HE, in Gen. iii. 15, as the “bruiser of the serpent’s head.” And, in spite of the fact that JEROME himself so quotes it in his commentary, and that it is _masculine_ in all the other ancient translations of the Bible, Rome has first corrupted JEROME’S Vulgate by changing the “e” into “a,” and putting “_ipsa_” (she) instead of “_ipse_” (He); then she has so translated this corruption and perpetuated this perversion in various languages! So that in all her versions, in her pictures and statues, in the decree of Pope Pius IX., which promulgated the dogma of the “_immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary_,” this lie of the Old Serpent has been foisted on unnumbered thousands of deluded souls, who have thereby been deceived into putting Mary in the place of Jesus; the “co‐Redemptress” in the place of the Redeemer; the creature in the place of the Creator; the woman in the place of the woman’s Seed;—until the outcome is reached by emblazoning, in huge gilt letters, on the outside of a large church in Rathmines, Dublin, “MARIÆ PECCATORUM REFUGIUM,” to Mary the Refuge of Sinners!

So complete has been the success of the subtlety of the Serpent, that he has beguiled thousands of Protestants to unite in circulating these _corrupted versions as the Word of God_, thus giving currency to the Devil’s lie. This is done on the plea of expediency, in order that these versions might come to many as Protestant truth instead of Popish error; but thus misleading those who were seeking for light, while confirming Papists in their darkness.

But through all the “wisdom of the Serpent” we can detect his lie. It is very thinly veiled, and the Old Serpent has not succeeded in blinding the eyes which the Spirit of God has opened. True, we see in all Rome’s pictures and statues the foot of Mary, on the Serpent’s head, but the foot is not _coming down_, nor is the head _crushed_! Rather is the woman’s foot resting on its head; and the woman herself supported by the Serpent.

The whole system of Mary‐anity is thus seen to be the outcome of the Serpent’s wisdom in opposition to the true Christ‐ianity.

How different are the primeval star‐pictures of the heavens. There, the club is lifted up, the foot is coming down, yea, the foot is actually planted upon the enemy, treading the Scorpion under foot.

Rome may corrupt the words of the Book, but she cannot touch the stars of heaven! The Devil himself cannot move them from their places. He may choose and use his servants and agents for corrupting the Scriptures written in the Book, but he cannot change the Revelation of the stars.

There,—no woman’s foot is seen upon the Serpent’s head! There,—no woman usurps the place of the all‐glorious Redeemer!

In _Ophiuchus_ we see HIM in dread conflict with the Serpent, and we see HIS foot upon the Scorpion’s heart (SCORPIO). We see HIM, the Risen Lamb (ARIES), binding _Cetus_, the great Monster of the Deep; we see HIM in the glorious _Orion_, whose foot is coming down on the enemy’s head (_Lepus_); we see HIM in the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (LEO), about to tread down that Old Serpent (_Hydra_) the Devil; we see HIM in the mighty _Hercules_, who has his foot on the head of the _Dragon_ (_Draco_), and his up‐lifted club about to inflict the long‐threatened blow; we see HIM crowned in _Cepheus_, with all His enemies subdued, and His right foot planted upon the Polar Star!

True, we do see a WOMAN in this heavenly and Divine revelation; for there are four women. Two are connected with the REDEEMER, and two with the REDEEMED. The Redeemer is seen in the one (VIRGO) as the “promised Seed”; in the other (_Coma_), He is seen as the child born, the Son given. The Redeemed are represented in one as a captive _chained_ (_Andromeda_), with no power to wage conflict with an enemy, but a prey to every foe; in the other (_Cassiopeia_), she is _enthroned_, with no necessity for conflict. For with one hand she waves the palm of a victory which another (_Perseus_) has wrought on her behalf, while with her right hand she is preparing and making herself ready for “the marriage of the Lamb.”

Thus pure and undefiled is this primeval fountain of Divine truth. Thus harmonious is it with the written Word of God. And He who gave them both to enlighten a dark world which lieth in the power of this wicked one, has filled both with one subject—“The sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.”

These are set forth by the Holy Spirit in a double sevenfold expansion of the prophetic promise of Gen. iii. 15, giving seven steps in His humiliation and seven in His glorification (Phil. ii. 5‐11(76)).

CHRIST JESUS,

1. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery (a thing
to be grasped at and held) to be equal with God;

2. But made Himself of no reputation (Gr. _emptied Himself_),

3. And took upon Him the form of a servant,

4. And was made in the likeness of men:

5. And being found in fashion as a man. He humbled Himself.

6. And became obedient unto death,

7. Even the death of the cross.

WHEREFORE

1. God also hath highly exalted Him,

2. And given Him a name which is above every name:

3. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

4. Of things in heaven,

5. And things on earth,

6. And things under the earth;

7. And that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Amen.

“Come, then, and, added to Thy many crowns,
Receive yet one, the crown of all the earth,
Thou who alone art worthy! It was thine
By ancient covenant, ere Nature’s birth;
And Thou hast made it Thine by purchase since,
And overpaid its value with Thy blood.
Thy saints proclaim Thee king; and in their hearts
Thy title is engraven with a pen
Dipp’d in the fountain of eternal love.
Thy saints proclaim Thee king; and Thy delay
Gives courage to their foes, who, could they see
The dawn of Thy last advent, long desired,
Would creep into the bowels of the hills,
And flee for safety to the falling rocks.”

“Come, then, and, added to Thy many crowns,
Receive yet one, as radiant as the rest,
Due to Thy last and most effectual work,
Thy Word fulfilled, the conquest of a world.”

(_Cowper._)

“FOR SIGNS AND FOR SEASONS.”

We have seen the great truths which are taught from the position, and forms, and names of the heavenly bodies. There are also truths to be learnt from their _motions_.

When God created them and set them in the firmament of heaven, He said, in Gen. i. 14—

“Let them be for signs and for seasons.”

Here the word “signs” is _othoth_ (אֹתֹת, plural of אוֹת, _oth_, from the root אֳתֳת, _to come_). Hence, _a sign of something_ or _some One to come_. In Jer. x. 2 Jehovah says, “And be not dismayed _at the signs_ (וּמֵאתוֹת) of the heavens, for the heathen are dismayed at them.” The word “seasons” does not denote merely what we call the four seasons of the year, but _cycles_ of time. It is מוֹעֵד, _appointed time_ (from the verb יָעַד, _to point out_, _appoint_). It occurs three more times in Genesis, each time in connection with the promised Seed—

Gen. xvii. 21, “_At_ this _set time_ in the next year”;

Gen. xviii. 14, “_At the time appointed_ I will return”; and

Gen. xxi. 2, “_At the set time_ of which God had spoken.”

Gen. i. 14 is therefore, “They (the sun, moon, and stars) shall be for signs (things to come) and for cycles (appointed times).”

Here, then, we have a distinct declaration from God, that the heavens contain not only a Revelation concerning _things to come_ in the “Signs,” but also concerning _appointed times_ in the wondrous movements of the sun, and moon, and stars.

The motions of the sun and moon are so arranged that at the end of a given interval of time they return into almost precisely the same position, with regard to each other and to the earth, as they held at the beginning of that interval. “Almost precisely,” but not quite precisely. There will be a slight outstanding difference, which will gradually increase in successive intervals, and finally destroy the possibility of the combination recurring, or else lead to combinations of a different character.

Thus the daily difference between the movement of the sun and of the stars leads the sun back very nearly to conjunction with the same star as it was twelve months earlier, and gives us the cycle of the year. The slight difference in the sun’s position relative to the stars at the end of the year, finally leads the sun back to the same star at the same time of the year, _viz._, at the spring equinox, and gives us the great precessional cycle of 25,800 years.

So, too, with eclipses. Since the circumstances of any given eclipse are reproduced almost exactly 18 years and 11 days later, this period is called an _Eclipse Cycle_, to which the ancient astronomers gave the name of _Saros_;(77) and eclipses separated from each other by an exact cycle, and, therefore, corresponding closely in their conditions, are spoken of as being one and the same eclipse. Each _Saros_ contains, on the average, about 70 ± eclipses. Of these, on the average, 42 ± are solar and 28 ± are lunar. Since the _Saros_ is 11 days (or, more correctly, 10.96 days) longer than 18 years, the successive recurrences of each eclipse fall 11 days later in the year each time, and in 33 _Sari_ will have travelled on through the year and come round very nearly to the original date.

But as the _Saros_ does not reproduce the conditions of an eclipse with absolute exactness, and as the difference increases with every successive return, a time comes when the return of the _Saros_ fails to bring about an eclipse at all. If the eclipse be a solar one before this takes place, a new eclipse begins to form a month later in the year than the old one, and becomes the first eclipse of a new series.

This is the history of one such eclipse: On May 15 (Julian), 850 A.D., there was a (new) eclipse of the sun, and it occurred as a _partial_ eclipse. On August 20 (Julian), 1012 A.D., this new eclipse became _total_. From that time it has been an _annular_ eclipse, the latitude of the central shadow gradually shifting southward from the north, until on December 17 (Julian), 1210, it had reached N. Lat. 24°. It turned northward again after 1210, until March 14 (Julian), 1355, when it fell in N. Lat. 43°. Then it turned south, and has moved steadily in that direction, until on March 18 (Greg.), 1950, its last appearance as an annular eclipse will take place. On May 22 (Greg.), 2058, it will fall so far from the node that a new eclipse will follow it on June 21. It will make three more appearances as an ever‐diminishing partial eclipse, and be last seen on June 24 (Greg.), 2112. Its total life‐history, therefore, will have been 1,262 years and 36 days, and will have occupied 70 _Sari_.

In the above life‐history of an eclipse(78) there is not the slightest difficulty as to its identification. The _Saros_ shows no break, and no interruption; nor does the character of the eclipse suffer any abrupt change. The district over which it is visible moves in a slow and orderly fashion from occurrence to occurrence over the earth’s surface.

Now the important point is this, that if we take the prophetic reckoning of 360 days to the year, we have the following significant Biblical numbers:—

In the first place, we already have the 70 ± _Sari_ divided into two portions of 33 + 37.

A perfect cycle is accomplished in 33 _Sari_, or 595 years, when the eclipse, by a series of unbroken _Sari_, has accomplished a passage through the year of 360 days; or, if we reckon only the whole numbers, _i.e._, the 18 completed years, we have for the 33 _Sari_ the period of 594 years, while the remaining portion of 37 _Sari_ makes 666 years (37 x 18) ; and the whole 70 ± _Sari_ makes 1,260 years (594 + 666).(79)

We have then the following figures:—

18 x 33 = 594 years.
18 x 37 = 666 years.
18 x 70 = 1260 years.

Independently of this, we also know that 1,260 years is a soli‐lunar cycle, so exact that its epact, or difference, is only 6 hours!

There must, therefore, be something significant in these numbers, _e.g._, 70; in the number 1,260, with its divisions, not into two equal parts, but into 594 and 666; as also in its double, 2,520.

There must be something to be learned in the occurrence and repetition of these heavenly cycles, which for nearly 6,000 years have been constantly repeated in the heavens, especially when we find these same numbers very prominently presented in the Word of God in connection with the fulfilment of prophecy.

We have the great “seven times” (2,520) connected with the duration of Israel’s punishment, and of the Gentiles’ power. We have in Daniel and the Apocalypse the half of this great period presented as “days” (1,260), as “months” (42), and as “times,” or years (3‐½).

Futurists believe that these “days” and “months,” etc., _interpret for us_ the purposes and counsels of God as connected with “the time of the end,” and as meaning literal “days” and “months,” etc.

Historicists take these terms and themselves _interpret the numbers_, in the sense of a “day” being put for a _year_, and they believe that these “1,260 days” will be fulfilled as 1,260 _years_.

One party boldly and ungraciously charges the other with teaching “_The Fallacies of Futurism_”; while the other might well retort with a reference to the _Heresies of Historicism_.

But is there any necessity for the existence of two hostile camps? Is it not possible that there may be what we may call a _long_ fulfilment in years? And is it not more than probable that in the time of the end, the crisis, there will also be a _short_ and literal fulfilment in days?

We firmly believe that there will be this literal and _short_ fulfilment. We believe that when God says “days,” He means _days_; and that when He says “42 months,” He means _months_, and not 1,260 years. In all of the passages referred to by historicists in support of what is called “the year‐day theory,” the Holy Spirit uses these words “days” and “years” in the sense of days and years. In the two particular instances of Israel’s wanderings (Num. xiv. 34), and Ezekiel’s prophesying (Ezek. iv. 6), He chooses to take the _number_ of days as denoting the _same number_ of years; but He does not tell us that we are to do the same in other cases! He only asserts His sovereignty by thus acting, while we only show our presumption in taking His sovereign act as a general principle.

But while fully believing in the _short_ fulfilment, we are quite prepared to admit that there may be a _long_ fulfilment _as well_; and that, owing to the wondrous harmony, and marvellous correspondence, and infinite wisdom of all the works and ways of God, there may be a fulfilment, or rather a “filment,” if we may coin the word, in years, which will be only a foreshadowing of the literal _ful_‐filment afterwards to take place in _days_.

If historicists will allow us this liberty as to _interpretation_, and permit us to believe that God means what He says, we will give them some remarkable evidence in support of their views, by way of _application_. In other words, if they will allow us to _interpret_ “days” as meaning days, we will gladly allow them, and be at one with them, in _applying_ them to years. So that while we believe the _interpretation_ to mean “days,” and to teach a _short_ fulfilment at the time of the end, we will thankfully admit an _application_ which shall take these days as foreshowing a _long_ fulfilment in years.

In _applying_, then, these significant numbers (42, 70, 594, 666, 1,260, and 2,520) to years, from what point or date shall we begin to reckon the “_times of the Gentiles_” (Luke xxi. 24)? That there are such definite “times” the words of the Lord Jesus show, when He says, “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” (Luke xxi. 24). That there are “seven times” of Gentile dominion is more than intimated by the symbolic episode in the life of Nebuchadnezzar as recorded in Dan. iv.; and that there are “seven times” of Israel’s punishment is clearly stated in Lev. xxvi. 18. “Seven times,” according to the Historicist school of interpreters, are equal to 2,520 years.

Instead of asking where they begin, let us first note the fact that it is _duration_ which is emphasised in the Scriptures rather than _chronology_; and look at the duration of these years independently of, and before we attempt to fix, their beginning and ending.

In Daniel ii. and vii. it is shown first to Nebuchadnezzar in a “dream,” and afterwards to God’s servant the prophet in a “vision,” that Israel was to be put on one side and become “Lo‐Ammi” (_not My people_), while government was to be put into the hands of the Gentiles. Jerusalem was the central point of both these great and solemn facts. That is to say, during 2,520 years, while Jerusalem should remain in the power of the Gentiles, Israel could be “no more a nation” in possession of their land and city.

We know, as a matter of fact, that to‐day Jerusalem is in the hands of the Turks, and that it is still “trodden down of the Gentiles.”

If we ask how long it shall continue to be “trodden down”? how long it will be before Israel shall again possess their city and their land?—the answer brings us at once to the heart of our subject.

In seeking to determine both duration and chronology, it is necessary to plant our feet on sure ground. To do this, let us take a point on which all are agreed.

There is _one_ date which is universally accepted; and concerning which the evidence is unquestioned.

ABU OBEIDA, the Mahommedan General, laid siege to Jerusalem towards the close of 636 A.D. The city was then occupied by the Romans, who held out for four months. When they capitulated, the Patriarch SOPHRONIUS obtained a clause in the treaty giving security to the inhabitants, and requiring the ratification of OMAR himself. OMAR, who had therefore to be sent for, arrived some six months afterwards, and the delay caused the actual delivering up of the city to take place early in the autumn of A.D. 637.(80)

The year A.D. 636‐7 is therefore the accepted date of the passing over of Jerusalem from the Romans to the Turks.

OMAR seems to have stayed in the city only about ten days, during which he must have given his instructions for the erection of the Mosque on the site of the Temple. This Mosque, therefore, stands as the sign and the symbol of the treading down of Jerusalem, and while it remains, those times of treading down cannot be considered as fulfilled.

How steady was Israel’s decadence from Nebuchadnezzar to OMAR! Nothing would exceed that darkest moment in Israel’s history, when Israel was well nigh obliterated in the mighty struggles of her enemies who fought over her inheritance. Thus OMAR becomes the great central point of the 2,520 years, whether reckoned as _Lunar_, _Zodiacal_, or _Solar_, dividing them equally into two portions of 1,260 years.(81)

Having thus fixed the central date, which already points forward to the end, let us go back and find the starting point, that we may the better understand the end.

When Daniel was explaining to Nebuchadnezzar his mysterious dream, he said, “Thou art this head of gold”! (Dan. ii. 38). This moment is popularly, but erroneously, supposed to mark the commencement of the Babylonian kingdom—the first of these four great Gentile powers.

But Daniel spoke of what ALREADY existed, and was _explaining the then_ condition of things. He said, “God _hath_ given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory” (Dan. ii. 37). The kingdom of Babylon had already been in existence for more than thirty years, for its king had destroyed Jerusalem and burnt the Temple with fire, and brought away many captives, amongst whom was Daniel and his companions. The opening words of the book make this very clear.

The monumental history of Babylon, as now dug up, shows that before this it had been sometimes tributary to, and sometimes almost independent of, Assyria. In A.M. 3352, after a severe struggle with Assurbanipal, the Assyrian king, Babylon was once more subdued, and its king setting fire to his palace perished in the flames. After that there was peace for twenty‐ two years, during which time Kandalanu governed Babylon in succession to Sumas‐sum‐ukin, a son of Assurbanipal.

In A.M. 3375 (_i.e._ B.C. 627),(82) another revolt broke out, and the Assyrian king sent a general of great ability to quell it. His name was Nabu‐pal‐user (which means _Nebo protects his son_). He put down the rebellion with so much skill that Assurbanipal made him governor of Babylon. He shortly afterwards, in A.M. 3376, himself rebelled, and made himself King of Babylon. Associating with him his son Nebuchadnezzar, they commenced a campaign against Assurbanipal, which ended in the fall of Nineveh and the complete subjugation of Assyria. The kingdom of Babylon, thus commencing in B.C. 625,(83) became the first great Gentile kingdom as foretold in Daniel.

There is practically no question, now, as to this date.

The actual _duration_ of the three kingdoms that followed—Babylon, Medo‐ Persia, and Greece, may not perhaps be so accurately determined. Their total duration is known, because it is fixed by a known date at the other end, but it might introduce controversial matter if we attempted to assign to them their exact relative duration. Probably they were, roughly:—Babylon about 90 years; Medo‐Persia about 200 years; Greece about 304 years.

We believe these to be fairly proportionate,(84) but whether they are or not, their total amount must have been 594 years, because the undisputed date of the battle of ACTIUM by which Augustus became the head of the Roman Empire, was September B.C. 31. From this date Jerusalem passed permanently under the power of Rome until the Mahommedan conquest in A.D. 636‐7.

We have, therefore, _three fixed dates_, and these decide for us the _duration_ of the intervening periods; dividing them into the two great Eclipse Cycles of 594 years and 666 years!

_Jerusalem under the Gentiles._

Babylon (the 1st Kingdom) commenced B.C. 625.

Battle of Actium, ending the possession of the 3rd Kingdom, B.C.
31.

_Duration_ of the three Kingdoms, Babylon, Medo‐Persia, and
Greece, together (1st Eclipse Cycle), 594 years.

Rome (the 4th Kingdom) became the possessor of Jerusalem, B.C. 31.

Mahommedan conquest of Jerusalem, ending the possession of Rome,
A.D. 636.

_Duration_ of Rome’s possession of Jerusalem (2nd Eclipse Cycle),
666(85) years.

FIRST HALF OF “THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES”, 1260 years.

Date of Mahommedan conquest of Jerusalem, A.D. 636‐7.

SECOND HALF OF “THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES” and _Duration_ of
Mahommedan possession of Jerusalem, A.D. 1260, and 1260 years.

End and “fulness” of “the times of the Gentiles”, A.D. 1896‐7, and
2520 years.

From this it appears that 1896‐7 A.D. would mark the fulfilment, and complete the duration, of “times of the Gentiles.”

The above reckoning has the following advantages over all previous historicist interpretations:—

1. _Controverted_ dates are excluded.

2. The _whole_ period of 2520 years is dealt with, instead of only the latter half (1260), as is usually the case.

3. It confines these “times” to the one place where the Lord Himself put them, _viz._, “JERUSALEM.” He said, “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

These “times,” therefore, are confined to Jerusalem. This “treading down” is confined to Jerusalem. It is not the city of Rome that is to be trodden down for 1260 years. Why, then, should these “times” be separated from what is characteristic of their _duration_, and applied to Rome, papal or imperial? Why should historicists search for some act of emperors or popes in the early part of the seventh century in order to add it to 1260, so as to find some terminal date in or near our own times!(86)

We claim that the Lord Himself has joined these “times of the Gentiles” with the city of “Jerusalem,” and we say, “What, therefore, God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matt. xix. 6).

When Jesus spoke of this _treading down_, it looks as though it were then still future; for He said, “Jerusalem _shall be_ trodden down,” etc., The occupation of Jerusalem by Babylon, Medo‐Persia, Greece, and Rome, was for purposes of _government_ rather than for a wanton treading down. Government on the earth was committed unto them. But when Jerusalem passed from the government of the Roman Empire into the hands of the Turks, it could then be said, in a very special sense, to be “trodden down.” For of any government worthy of the name there has been none; and of desolation and desecration the city has been full. Under the feeble rule of the Turks, all the Gentiles seem to have combined in laying waste the holy city.

Though Jews are returning thither in ever‐increasing numbers, they are only strangers there. They have as yet no independent position, nor can they make any treaties. But when these “times” shall end, it means that they will have a position of sufficient independence to be able to make a treaty or league with the coming Prince (Dan. ix. 27); and then the course of events will bring on another treading down of 1260 literal “days” which will thus have had a fore‐shadowing fulfilment in years! This is written in Rev. xi. 2. And to save us from any misunderstanding, the time is given, not in days, but in “_months_.”

The angel, after directing John to measure the Temple of God and the altar, adds, “but the court which is without the Temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”

This refers to a future treading down, which will be limited to the brief period of “forty two” literal “months,” during the time of the coming Prince; and “in the midst” of the last week, when he shall break His covenant with the Jews,(87) set up the “abomination of desolation” (Dan ix. 27; which is still future in Matt. xxiv. 15), and “tread down the holy city.”

We now desire to specially emphasize the fact that all these dates, and their termination in a rapidly approaching fulfilment, refer ONLY TO JERUSALEM, AND THE GENTILES, AND THE JEWS! They refer only to the end of the Gentile possession of Jerusalem, and to the settlement of the Jews in their own city and land.

These “times and seasons” have nothing whatever to do with “the Church of God” (1 Thess. v. 1). The mystical Body of Christ, whenever its members are complete, “will be taken up to meet the Lord—the Head of the Body—in the air, so to be ever with the Lord” (1 Thess. iv. 15‐17). This glorious event has nothing to do with any earthly sign or circumstance, so far as the members of this mystical Body are concerned.

Therefore we are not dealing here with the coming of the Lord; either for His saints, or with them. We are not referring to what is commonly and erroneously called “the end of the world.” We are merely pointing out that the end of Gentile dominion _over Jerusalem_ is drawing near! And we cannot close our eyes to the marvellous manner in which the veil is being removed from Jewish hearts: to the change which has come over the Jewish nation in its attitude towards Christ and Christianity, chiefly, under God, through the unparalleled circulation of more than a quarter of a million copies of a new translation of the New Testament into Hebrew, by the late Isaac Salkinson, published by the Trinitarian Bible Society, and freely distributed by the Mildmay Mission to the Jews: to the Palestine literature which has sprung up amongst the Jews in recent years: to the persecutions in various countries which are stirring their nest, and setting the nation in motion: to the organized emigration to Argentina, which its promoters avowedly speak of as “a nursery ground for Palestine” (_Daily Graphic_, March 10th, 1892): to the railways completed and in course of construction in the Holy Land: to the numerous Societies and their branches which have permeated the whole nation, which, while having various names, have only one object—“the colonisation of Palestine.”

When we put these events side by side with the teaching of the heavens as to the “cycles” or appointed times, we are merely showing how wonderfully they agree with what is written in the Book, and witnessed to by great and uncontested historic dates.

Nor are we absolutely naming a definite year or day even for these Palestine events. After all, they can be only approximate, for man has so misused every gift that God has ever given him, that even with such wondrous heavenly time‐keepers he cannot really tell you what year it is! And, besides this loss of reckoning, there is confusion as to the commencement of the A.D. era, which makes absolute accuracy between the A.M., B.C., and A.D. dates impossible.

Added to this, there is another point to be borne in mind, _viz._, that when the “times of the Gentiles” shall end, Jewish independence need _not be either immediate or complete_!

For when Nebuchadnezzar began his kingdom of Babylon in A.M. 3376 (B.C. 625), the Jews, though in their land and city, were not independent. Nebuchadnezzar went to and fro to Jerusalem, and put down and set up whom he would; and it was not till some thirty years afterwards that he destroyed the City and Temple and made the people captives.

So, likewise, in the time of the end, there may be an _epanodos_. There may be a similar period of possession without independence, a quasi‐ independence guaranteed by the Great Powers; and, for ought we know, it may be that, in order to gain _complete_ independence, they may ultimately make that fatal league with the coming Prince.

So that while we name the dates 1896‐7 as being significant, we are not “fixing dates” in the ordinary sense of the term, but merely pointing out some of “the signs of the times,” concerning which we ought not to be ignorant.

The _true interpretation_ will in any case still remain, and will surely be literally fulfilled in its own time. The Word of God will be vindicated; its prophetic truth will be verified; God Himself will be glorified; and His people saved with an everlasting salvation.

Meanwhile the members of His Body will “wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. i. 10). They will live “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people (R.V., a people for His own possession) zealous of good works” (Titus ii. 13, 14). They will “look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,” from heaven, believing that there is no hope either for “the Jew, the Gentile, or the Church of God,” or for a groaning creation, until “the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of ALL HIS HOLY PROPHETS SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN” (Acts iii. 19‐21).

“The world is sick, and yet not unto death;
There is for it a day of health in store;
From lips of love there comes the healing breath,—
The breath of Him who all its sickness bore,
And bids it rise to strength and beauty evermore.

Evil still reigns; and deep within we feel
The fever, and the palsy, and the pain
Of life’s perpetual heartaches, that reveal
The rooted poison, which, from heart and brain,
We labour to extract, but labour all in vain.

Our skill avails not; ages come and go,
Yet bring with them no respite and no cure;
The hidden wound, the sigh of pent‐up woe,
The sting we smother, but must still endure,
The worthless remedies which no relief procure,—

All these cry out for something more divine,
Which the worst woes of earth may not withstand;
Medicine that cannot fail—the oil and wine,
The balm and myrrh, growth of no earthly land,
And the all‐skilful touch of the great Healer’s hand.

Man needs a prophet: Heavenly Prophet, speak,
And teach him what he is too proud to hear.
Man needs a priest: True Priest, Thy silence break,
And speak the words of pardon in his ear.
Man needs a king: O King, at length in peace appear.”