The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-08-17


come to finish sin, and bring in ever
lasting righteousness. He was com
handed to seal up the vision because
the time was afar off. These 70
weeks, prophetically expressed, are
understood to denote period of time
equal to 400 years. Daniel was COM
handed to seal the vision, and this
too, recollect, on account of the
length of time which was to inter
vene before its fulfillment.
Keeping this in our mind let us re-
fer to the prophecy under considera-
ton. In the 22nd chapter, after the
spirit had made known to John the
contents of the book, he said directly
to him, "Seal not the sayings of the
prophecy of this book for the time is
at hand"
Now, appeal to the good sense Of
my hearers whether it is in accordance
with any known rule of Biblical in
depreciation, to have the vision of
Daniel sealed, on account of the 400
years which were to intervene before its
fulfllment, and that of John not to be
sealed because the time was at hand
for its accomplishment, when in fact,
thousands of years were to pass away
before its fulfillment, which must
have been the case unless the book
of Revelation was written before the
wars of the Jews and the Romans.
The Language of Our Saviour.
Another reason why believe the
book of Revelation was written be-
fore the dispersion of the Jews, is the
similarity there is existing in the Ian
guage made use of by the Saviour in
reference to the judgment which was
coming Immediately upon the Jewish
nation and the language of the Rev
elation.
In the last chapter the spirit saith
to John: "Behold come quickly and
my reward is with me, to give to
every man according as his work
shall be-"
Compare this with the language of
our Saviour in reference to his coming
at the destruction of the Jewish
State, coming that was to take
place during the natural lives of
some who listened to his voice, as
recorded in Matthew xvi, 2728. "For
the Son of Man shall come in the
glory of his Father with his angels,
and then shall he reward every man
according to his works." "Verily l
say unto you there be some standing
here who shall not taste of death till
they see the Son of Man coming in
his kingdom" Here you perceive
that almost the precise words of our
Saviour are used by the Revelator,
and it is a mystery to me how any
person can receive the language of
both as divine testimony without
coming to the conclusion, that it
must necessarily and inevitably refer
to the same event.
The Revelator also in the first
chapter, in noticing the events which
should take place at the time of the
fulfillment of the book says: "Behold
he con-eth with the clouds; and every
eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all the kin
dreds of the earth shall wall because
of him" Compare this with the Ian
guage of the Saviour in reference to
things which he declared would come
upon the generation of men living
upon earth in his day-see Matthew
xiv, 80: "And there shall appear
the sign of the Son of Man in heaven;
and then shall all the tribes of the
earth mourn, and they shall see the
Son of Man coming in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory"
And Immediately after the Saviour
declares, "Verily say unto you this
generation shall not pass away till all
these things be fulfilled" In the
Revelation all the kindreds of the
earth were to wall, and in Matthew
the language is that all the tribes of
the earth were to mourn-in both
places the events described were to
take place at the time of the coming
of the Son Ct Man, and in both places
the Son of Man is figuratively repre-
sented as coming in the clouds of
heaven"
From the passage quoted it must,
/ think, be obvious to all that there is
SO great similarity of language ex-
listing between the Revelator and that
of Christ in reference to the coming
calamities of the Jews, that the Rev
elation must have been written be-
fore those days of trouble came upon
the house of Israel.
But have one other reason to give
which is also derived from the book