CHAPTER XI.

Verse 1. And there was given me a reed like unto a rod and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

2. 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.

Here St. John enters on his prophetic office, for which he had been prepared by eating the little book. He prophesies first, by complying with an order to measure the temple of God, and secondly, by giving an account of the two witnesses, and their marvellous deeds and fortune, in the accomplishment of their offices.

Temple in a literal sense of the word, denotes a place of worship; but in figurative language it often signifies a church, or religious community, united by a common confession of faith and the same church-government. This temple here is called a temple of God, by which expression it stands distinguished from all Pagan or Mahommedan temples, and designated as a place of pure worship. It is spoken of in terms, which bear a strong allusion to the temple at Jerusalem for two reasons; first, that we might apprehend this to be no other than a Christian church, of which that temple was a type; and secondly, that our mind might be drawn towards the Holy land, in order more readily to discover the church here intended. The altar may here denote the Christian worship; and the worshipers, the different classes of this re

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ligious community. This temple with its appurtenances, cannot denote the general church of Christ, for that had often been measured and tried, both by the rod of the Gospel, Gal. VI, 16, as the line and rule of doctrine, faith and practice, as also in the fiery ordeal of affliction. Besides, the church of Christ is represented, chap. xi, by a woman. It must signify a religious society, which shall present itself in the Holy land, for the particular purpose of possessing it in preference to the Gentiles, and in order to lay the foundation for the future glorious kingdom of Christ on earth. To this end, the temple, altar and worshipers were measured or tried, if they were suitable materials for that purpose. We measure a thing in order to ascertain its quantity and value. This also was the case in the instance now under consideration. They were tried or tested by the measure of Christ's kingdom, and although it is not expressly mentioned, yet the result recorded in the following verse makes it evident, that they had been found wanting. Their exploits were found to be unripe and premature endeavours, and themselves insufficient for that purpose.

But the court, &c. Here the object and final result of the crusades to the Holy land are evident, and fully accord with the testimony of history. This prophecy is connected with that line of kings, peoples, nations and tongues, by whom the crusades were prepared and executed; and the final result of all their unanimous endeavours accords with this representation. They took Jerusalem A. D. 1099, and established a Christian kingdom in Palestine, which they were able to support only for 85 years. A. D. 1184 the Turks retook the city Jerusalem, and the heartstring of this kingdom being then cut asunder, their power soon expired. All they retained in this city, designed to be the future residence of the great king, Math. v, 35. was the right of worship. They could not even possess the priviledge of making proselytes,

which the holy prophet indicates by alleging, that he was prohibited to measure avλny env eğwder, the outward court of the temple, where the proselytes met to worship the God of Israel. Now follows the sentence of heaven in this strife of nations for the possession of Palestine: It is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. The learned Faber is of opinion, that Jerusalem cannot be called a holy city, on account of its great wickedness. But the Lord himself entitled it thus in the days of his pilgrimage on earth, Matt. XXVII, 53. XXIV, 15. and it has borne that name even among the infidel Mahommedans to the present day. It is literally Jerusalem to which the prophecy here refers, and no other place, but perhaps termed a holy city in regard to its having been the theatre of the redemption of the world, or with a view to its future holiness during the Millennium. It shall be trodden under foot by the Gentiles. The Greek word are, to tread, does not signify a violent, destructive trampling, in which case the apostle would have used the word xarαxavew, it only denotes possession and dominion. Thus Jerusalem since its second destruction by Titus, has been trodden under foot successively by the Romans, the Persians, the Sarracens and the Turks, before it was taken by the crusaders, who lost it again A. D. 1184. Only from this date, the prophetic period of 42 months must be calculated, according to the design of this prophecy, and not from the time of Titus, or any other Pagan possession. I take these 42 months to be a prophetic time, which according to the system of computation adopted in this work, will be equal to 666 years. If this number of 666 years is added to the above date A. D. 1184, the Mahommedan possession of the Holy land will expire 1850; and then Palestine will again be the theatre of truly great and very important. changes, as we shall see in the following part of this prophecy. Many expositors, from a want of a more mature

consideration of this subject, have understood this measuring of the temple of God, as referring to the measuring of Jerusalem recorded Zech. 11; which however is a prophecy totally distinct from this, as to its general purport and design. The prediction in Zechariah foretells the rebuilding of the city Jerusalem upon an enlarged plan, under the happy auspicies of providence, and the restoration of the people of God from the Babylonian captivity to their own country. But here in the Revelation, Heaven expresses its disapprobation of the prematurè efforts of the crusaders, and determines a new period of 42 months, during which Jerusalem is yet resigned to the possession of the Gentiles. And thus they differ consid→ erably, both as to time and intention.

THE VISION OF THE TWO WITNESSES,

will be accomplished after A. D. 1845.

Verse 3. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophecy a thousand two hundred and three score days, clothed in sackcloth.

4. These are the two'olive-trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

5. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

Nothing can be more mysterious, than this prophetic account of the two witnesses. Of all the prophecies in the Revelation the two witnesses here, and the manchild chap. XII, have proved the most difficult tasks, to the learned and able expositors who have written on this subject. Their digressions are great and multifarious. All have laboured to satisfy themselves with the best reasons they

could find; but their arguments have neither convinced their readers, nor obtained the assent of succeeding commentators. This may in a great measure be attributed to the prophecy itself, which is truly dark and intricate, because it refers to events, yet totally future; and of which it does not appear to be the will of Heaven, we should discover the full and specific meaning before the time of accomplishment. It is connected with the foregoing prophecy, as to the place, country, and perhaps the instruments of its completion; but separated as to time, by nearly the whole prophetic period of 42 months, or 666 years; about the termination of which, it is to meet its accomplishment in the Holy land. For this reason the account of the witnesses commences, by changing all at once from the aorist to the future tense. This therefore was the most proper place, where the holy Seer could introduce the two witnesses. For the apostle commenced the Asiatic part of his prophetic history with the first woe-trumpet, and carried it on in a consecutive series by the second woe to this prophetic parallel side-line with the angel's oath, the seven thunders, the measuring of the temple of God, and now by the account of the two witnesses to its conclusion.

In this prophetic account of the two witnesses, St. John has given us the chief part of the little book, which he was commanded to eat, in order to prophecy. It must therefore be considered as indispensably necessary for an expositor, to be intimately acquainted with the spirit of those ancient oracles of God, to which this account refers; and among them, more especially with those portions, from whence the figures and images, forming the body of this prophecy, are taken. Inattention in this instance, cannot fail to produce perplexity and discrepance.

Verse 3. And I will give power unto my two witnesses. After the failure of the crusades to the Holy land, and during the prophetic period of 42 months, nothing more is to