Rough drafts of some of the chapters of the work on the Prophecies (section 7.2h)
§ V. 29
Rough drafts of some of the chapters of the work on the Prophecies Paper A Drawer 15 N. 4 Part of the Prophecy
Label correct
Examined by Sir D. Brewster May 1837
For the better understanding of all this you are to remember that the scene of the visions in the first Temple This Temple was opened in heaven for Iohn to see the visions in it, & there he saw the Ark of the Testament & the child-bearing woman & the Dragon standing by her & how her child was caught up to the throne of God above the Ark & the Dragon was cast out of this Temple of heaven Michael into the outward court or court of the people which people are here called the inhabitants of the earth & sea & how the Woman fled from this Temple through the wilderness of Arabia towards the great city Babylon & left a remnant of her seed with the Dragon in this Temple. There he saw the two Beasts arose out of the sea & earth & the second Beast deify the first & cause men to erect an Image to him & to worship the Image in the outward court of the Temple. There the Dragon by the dictates of the speaking Image made war upon the remnant of the womans seed & mystically killed all that would not worship the Image, & there all men received the mark or name or number of the Beast except the 144000 who are sealed with the name of God & being excommunicated retire from the multitude in the outward court of this Temple & stand upon mount Sion with the Land singing a new song before the throne & the four Beasts & the Elders & by consequence in the inner court of the same Temple. And now the ten-horned Beast receiving the Dragon's throne & going from the Temple into the wilderness to take possession thereof the Dragon & two horned Beast remain alone in the outward court of this Temple. For the ten horned Beast is hereafter found in the Wilderness with the Woman. And Thus the primitive church catholick represented by the glorious woman in the Temple of heaven was by degrees deserted diminished & oppressed by her enemies & reduced to the small remnant of 144000, & these retired into the inner court of this Temple & {before} the outward court to their enemies the Dragon & twohorned Beast. while the schismatical Woman & the ten horned Beast go from this Temple to reign in the Wilderness.
Chap. XI
Of opening the seals of the book which Daniel was commanded to seal up.
the four horsemen which appear at the opening of the first four seales have been well explained by Mr Mead excepting that------& reigning over the whole Roman Empire.
The affairs of the Church are not considered during the opening of the first four seals. They begin to be considered at the opening of the fift seale, as was said above & the epistles to the Angels of the seven churches contein admonitions against the great apostacy which commenced at the opening of the seventh seale, & therefore were written to the Angels of the churches in the times of the fift & sixt seales.
When Eusebius had brought down the ecclesiastical history to the reign of Dioclesian, he thus describes the state of the Church. Iam vero quis innumerabilem hominum quotidie ad fidem Christi confugientium turbam, quis numerum ecclesiarum in singulis urbibus, quis illustres populorum concursus in adibus sacris cumulate possit describere? Quo factum est ut ------ But this thou hast that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. The Nicolaitans are the Continentes above described, who placed religion in abstinence from marriage & abandoned their wives if they had any. These are here called Nicolaitans from Nicolas one of the seven Deacons of the primitive church of Ierusalem, who having a beautiful wife & being taxed with uxoriousness abandoned her & permitted her to marry whom she pleased, saying that we must disuse the flesh; & thenceforward lived a single life in continency; & so did his children. But the Continents afterwards embraced the doctrine of Æons & Ghosts male & female, & were avoyded by the churches till the fourth century: & the Church of Ephesus is here commended for hating their deeds.
The persecution of Dioclesian began in the year of Christ 302 & lasted ten years---------She is therefore spewed out of Christs mouth at the opening of the seventh seal. And this puts an end to the times of the first Temple.
About one half of the Roman Empire turned Christians in the reign of Constantine the great & his sons. After Iulian had opened the temples & restored the worship of the heathens, the emperors Valentinian & Valens tolerated it all their reign; & therefore the prophesy of the sixt seal was not fully accomplished before the --- ----So long the four winds were held, & so long there was silence in heaven. And the seventh seal was opened when this silence began, A.C. 379 or 380.
This silence ended when the Angel which offered the incense took the censer & filled it with fire of the altar & cast it unto the earth without the temple for sacrificing the Goat which was Gods lot. For then there were voyces & thundrings & lightnings & an earth quake. the trumpets & musick of the temple sounding thrice at the sacrifice. This Goat was principally the remnant of the Womans seed who kept the commandments of God & had the testimony of Iesus in the war which the Dragon then went to make upon them. Out of these were sealed 144000, & the rest received the mark of the Beast. This was in the reign of Theodosius the great. And at his death the seven Angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
The wars to which the first four trumpets sound are represented by four winds to the four corners of the earth. The first was an east wind, the second a west wind, the third a south wind & the fourth a north wind with respect to the city Rome, the metropolis of the old Roman Empire. These four warrs fell upon the third part of the earth, sea, rivers, Sun Moon & stars that is, upon the earth, sea, rivers, Sun Moon & stars of the third part of the whole scene of these prophesies of Daniel & Iohn.
The war of the eastern wind at the sounding of the first trumpet fell upon the earth ---------Olybrio et Probino Coss. A.C. 395.
The war of the northern wind at the sounding of the fourth trumpet, caused the sun moon & stars, (that is, the Emperor Empire & princes of the Latines) to be darkened --- ----- subordinate to Ravenna the seat of the Exarchs
<5v>And I beheld & heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven saying with a loud voice, Wo, wo, wo to the inhabitants of the earth & by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to sound
And the fift Angel sounded to the wars made by Daniels king of the south
And the sixt Angel sounded to the wars made by Daniels king of the north. And at length the Beast that ascendeth out of the abyss
And the seventh Angel sounded & there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord & his Christ & he shall reign for ever & ever. And the nations were angry & thy wrath is come & the time of the dead is come that they should be judged & that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, & to the saints, & them that fear thy name small & great & shouldest destroy them which destroyed the earth. The righteous are raised from the dead & judged first & the judgment of the wicked begins a 1000 years after, & Christ reigns till all the dead are judged & then gives up the kingdom to the father, that God may
And the sixt angel sounded to the wards made by Daniels king of the north. And before the Beast that ascendeth out of the abyss hates the Whore & slays the two witnesses & they revive the end of these {wars} & ascend up to heaven in a cloud. And the tenth part of the great city falls
And after these things the seventh angel sounded & there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdomes of this world &c.
[Editorial Note 1]The heathen persecutions were not fully at an end before the victory of Constantine the great over Licinius. And that victory put an end to the division of the Roman Empire into the eastern & western Empires & united the whole under Constantine the great A.C. 323. And this union lasted till the deaths of Constantine A.C. 336 And to the time of this union agrees the third epistle, that to the Angel of the Church in Pergamus
[1] The contents of this note are only visible in the diplomatic transcript because they were deleted on the original manuscript
[Editorial Note 1] The remaining material is written upside down from the bottom of the page.
