CHAPTER IV

Giving an explanation of the number 666 in the 13th chapter of Revelations, and the three days spoken of in Hosea 6th chapter, and Luke 13th chapter

That John in the 13th chapter of Revelations had a view of Antichrist, is beyond a doubt, from the 1st to the 10th verse inclusive; he has a vision of Antichrist in its political bearing upon the world and against the church, and closes in the 10th verse by showing that if he, that is Antichrist would wield the civil sword, lead into captivity, and kill with the sword, he (that is Antichrist) must be killed in like manner.ESH 32.1

From the 11th to the 18th verses inclusive, the prophet had a view of Antichrist in his ecclesiastical bearing, and shows that instead of following Christ and his laws, and manner of worship, he would copy after and be an image of some beast that existed before, which was Pagan Rome which existed when the Prophet had his vision, and which the Prophet saw numbered in the 18th verse, as it is very evident that the beast he saw numbered is the one John calls the “first beast” of which Antichrist is the mark. We will now endeavour to find an explanation of the chapter and show when it was fulfilled.ESH 32.2

Revelation 13:1. “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” By the sea I understand the Roman Government, or fourth kingdom in Daniel’s vision, and it denotes wicked nations, “for the, wicked are like a troubled sea;” by the beast we must understand the Papal power, or little horn. Therefore to paraphrase this, it would read thus-And I John had a view of the Roman Government, and I saw Papacy arise out of it, having seven forms of Government, and ten kingdoms, and ten kings thereon, and in their forms of government they ascribe glory to the creator; more than creator, and in this they have the names of Blasphemy.ESH 32.3

2nd verse. “And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth of a lion, and the dragon gave him his power and his seat, and great authority.” That is, Papacy, was like the Grecian kingdom the Leopard. Artful, cunning, and rapid in his movements, like the Mede and Persian the bear, voracious, greedy and cruel, like the Chaldean kingdom, the Lion, haughty, tyrannical and blasphemous—and Pagan Rome gave papacy his power seat and great authority.ESH 32.4

3rd verse. “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered after the beast.” By this head I understand the mode of worship, and first Paganism which was wounded to death, when the ten kings, which ruled over the ten kingdoms into which Rome was divided in A. D. 476, were converted to the christian faith; afterwards healed under papacy, when papacy assumed a mode of worship equally as idolatrous and absurd as the former, and established by the authority of the Roman laws and Government, as the Pagan was.ESH 32.5

4th verse. “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” This verse teaches us, that the head which was wounded was the Pagan mode of worship-and the head healed was papacy, under the two figures of the dragon and beast, and teaches how they blaspheme by ascribing all power to Papal Rome; as they had before to Pagan.ESH 33.1

5th verse. “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” Like Goliab the papal beast would defy the Christians God, and he would blaspheme the God of armies, and would have to make war forty two prophetic mouths, which is 1260 years.ESH 33.2

6th verse. “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in Heaven.” Papal Rome would open his mouth and blaspheme God; by pretending to have power to command and pass laws in the kingdom of God, by calling the papal church the holy catholic church, and by canonizing and worshiping the departed saints.ESH 33.3

7th verse. “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” He would have and exercise all political and civil rule, over the saints and over the Roman Empire, and all people which compose the same; or fourth and last kingdom.ESH 33.4

8th verse. “And all that dwell upon the Earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” That is the doctrine, will worship, and multitude of votaries, of the papal church, would be agreeable to the carnal heart, and would be received and practiced more or less by all that were not the true followers of God.ESH 33.5

9th verse. “If any man hath an ear, let him hear.” This is an exhortation for us to study and understand the instruction heretofore given in the Apostles vision; and warrants us to pursue our study after truth.ESH 33.6

10th verse. “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saint.” This verse closes the view which the Apostle had of Antichrist in its political bearing in the earth, and proves that the Apostle had this view of the papal beast, namely politically; for as Papal Rome led captive, so should the beast be led captive, in his turn by a civil power. And this prophecy was fulfilled, when the papal beast had reigned his 1260 years, in the year A. D. 1798, when the French army took the Pope from his seat in Rome, and carried him a captive to Avignon in France where he died. Also; as the papal beast had used the civil sword to kill and slay mankind: so must he loose his power to reign over the kings of the earth, and tread upon, and persecute the church of Christ, by the civil and military power of the French, or Bonaparte in 1798, as he (Papacy) had Revolutionized the world by force of arms, and the sword, so would the kings revolutionize him in their turn.ESH 33.7

Thus the reader will see that the whole of this vision has been literally fulfilled. And this is the faith and patience of the saints. Faith that it would be accomplished according to the word; and patience to wait its accomplishment literally, which is already fulfilled.ESH 34.1

We will now explain the second vision in the same chapter, which is a view of the same antichristian beast in his same ecclesiastical form, beginning at the 11th verse. “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.”ESH 34.2

The prophet saw papacy arise out of the Roman Government, having, or pretending to have the two ruling powers of Christ’s Church, viz. Bishops and Deacons; commanding with all the authority of Imperial Rome, or Rome Pagan.ESH 34.3

12th verse, “And he exerciseth all the power of the fast beast, (or Rome Pagan) before him, and causeth the Earth (or Roman kingdom) and them that dwelt therein to worship the first beast, (or Rome Pagan) whose deadly wound was healed,” (in papacy.)ESH 34.4

13th verse. “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from Heaven on the earth in sight of men.” It is a well known fact, that Rome papal supported their pretensions to the seat of God; by their power of working miracles, before the blind votaries of her religion, in the early ages, and even later times of papal priestcraft and superstition.ESH 34.5

14th verse. “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which (he pretended) he had power to do in sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, (that is a similar form of religious worship to Paganism) which had the wound by a sword and did live,” as we have before shown in papacy.ESH 34.6

15th verse. “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image (papacy) of the beast (paganism) should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image (papacy) of the beast (paganism) should be killed.” The explanation of the above verse is this. The Pope, the ruling power, would give that energy and effect to papacy that the papal authority would persecute and destroy all opposers of Idolatry, worshiping of saints etc. which was so exactly conformable to paganism; for the Pagans worship their Idols of gold, silver, wood and stone, together with their ancient heroes and departed statesmen etc., so would papacy worship their pictures, images and saints.ESH 34.7

16th verse. “And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. He, the Pope, or ruling power caused all, the old man and the infant, the rich man and the poor, the citizen and the slave, to receive absolution from sin, or confirmation and fellowship, from the hand of their corrupt priesthood, and this order was enforced by the power of the sword, imprisonment or death; witness the persecution of the Waldenses in the vallies of Piedmont; the destruction of the Huguenots in France, the subjugation of the nations of South America and Mexico, by the Spaniards under the fanaticism of the Jesuits or papal priests, and it is a well known fact, that this act of absolution was performed by the sign of a cross on their foreheads.ESH 35.1

17th verse. “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” In all countries where papacy has had the supremacy in the civil as well as the ecclesiastical government—no man was allowed to buy or sell, or pursue the common avocations of life, unless they had received absolution of the priesthood, or fellowshiped their pagan nations of worship, which in the name of the first beast (Pagan Rome) to wit “The mystery of iniquity, and abominations of the Earth.”ESH 35.2

18th verse. “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred, three score and six.” Now it is very evident that the beast spoken of in this passage, together with those in the 12th and 14th verses is the first beast, that existed before the image beast, and of which the last, or papal two horned beast renewed his mark and name, and to me it is evident that the apostle was commanded to number Pagan Rome, for two or three reasons. First, because the one could not be revealed, until the other was taken out of the way, 2 Thessalonians 2:7; and it would be very natural to number and finish the one which existed when the apostle had his vision, as Belshazzar’s kingdom was numbered in the days of Daniel; see Dan’l. 5:26.ESH 35.3

Secondly; by the 9th verse of the 17th chapter of Revelations, I am led to believe that “the mind which hath wisdom,” (referring to the text under consideration) was to count the beast before and afterwards described in said 17th chapter, especially in the 10th verse, “and there are seven kings; five are fallen, and one is, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.” The explanation of which is, that Rome in its Pagan state, had seven different forms of executive government, viz: republican, consular, tribunitial, decemviral, dictatorial, and one is, imperial, the other is not yet come, that is kingly; for it is plain that the antichristian beast is called the eighth, altho’ he is of the seven; see 11th verse, the simple solution of which is, that the union of the red dragon with the mystery of Babylon, or Rome temporal with Rome ecclesiastical, will form the eighth executive, government of the Roman kingdom, deriving all power from those seven forms of government and will continue to exist until Christ’s second coming, when he will destroy those who destroy the Earth.ESH 35.4

Now five of those forms of Government had passed away at the time when John received his instruction from the angel; so that the beast, which would be wisdom to number, could not be the antichristian beast, for that he had not yet come into existence and did not until about 442 years afterwards.ESH 36.1

One more evidence is, this beast which was numbered, is said to have one of his heads wounded to death. By this head I understand a form of religion or worship; and is paganism. It is a well known fact, that Rome, when she conquered the world, did more by the policy of adopting into her religious creed, all the different Gods, which the nations around her worshiped, than than by her arms, she “worked deceitfully and became strong.” She pretended to pay adoration to all the known gods, and erected an altar “to the unknown God.” By this means, she drew within her folds and crushed to death, at her leisure, any nation her interest might prompt he to destroy. Who can read the history of the connection between the Romans and the Jews, after the league made 158 years before Christ, without being forcibly impressed with this conviction, that the Jews supposed that they could enjoy unmolested, their religion and temple and yet the Romans destroyed both, and by means of Paganism drew many of the Jews into Idolatry. Paganism then, was one of the great means which Rome used to conquer the world, and therefore may properly be called one head, and this to the head of a wily serpent, which the gospel would eventually wound. “Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab and wounded the dragon?” Isaiah 51:9. “The seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head.” This head received its deadly wound about the close of the fifth century, when the ten kings were converted to christianity, and pagan rights and sacrifices ceased in the Roman. This head was healed Papacy arose, and restored idol worship in images, and taught the doctrines of men and devils to her votaries, and accommodated her system of religion to suit the notions of carnal and worldly men-to exalt her clergy-adorn her temples-and fill the world with her abominations and sorceries. In this passage then, I understand John to number the first beast in the fourth kingdom, and has reference to the time that he should exist, before he would receive his deadly wound. But the querist may ask by what rule I apply the number 666 to time. I answer, first, because the time the other beast was to reign 42 months is, given in the same chapter, and it would be perfectly reasonable that John should see the end of this beast, in order to count the number of the antichristian. The word “numberer” or “wonderful numberer,” is used in reference to time as in Daniel 5:25; also marginal reading in Job 16:22; Daniel 8:13.ESH 36.2

Secondly. The Apostle says that “it is the number of a man;” and we are informed the days of man are numbered, “seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thou,” Job 14:5, and Psalm 90:12.ESH 37.1

Thus from the considerations mentioned, I have come to the conclusion that this beast called Pagan Rome began when Rome became connected with the Jews, by league 158 years B. C. and lasted until 508 years after Christ making in all 666 years. Then by adding Daniel’s 1335 years bringing us down to A. D. 1843.ESH 37.2

We will now examine a prophecy in Hosea 6:1-3. “Come let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will be revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us, as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth,” In this prophecy, there are a number of prominent things plainly brought into view. 1st, An exhortation to repentance. 2nd, The church in a state of tribulation and trial two days. 3rd, The power of gospel grace, to heal and bind up. 4th, The resurrection in the third day revived and raised up. 5th, The knowledge we shall then have of his first and second coming; and 6thly, our reign with him the third day.ESH 37.3

1st Repentance, “Come let us return unto the Lord,” This was preached by John, the forerunner of Jesus Christ. “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, saying, repent ye.” Also by Christ himself, “except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.” And the Apostles were commanded, to preach “repentance and remission of sins, in his name, beginning at Jerusalem,” so much of this prophecy has been literally fulfilled in the gospel day, or days, thus far.ESH 37.4

Secondly. That the church were to be in a state of trial for a season, here called “two days,” cannot be doubted, when Christ himself has said, “in the world ye shall have tribulation,” and “these have come through much tribulation,” that is “torn and smitten.” But let us enquire, by what means they will thus suffer. Daniel says 7:7, “After this, I saw in the night visions, and, behold a fourth beast dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly, and it had great iron teeth: it devoured, break in pieces, and stamped the residue (or people of God) with the feet of it.” Again in Revelation 12:3, “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.”ESH 37.5

17. “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which kept the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Then we may consider the fourth, or Roman, kingdom the instrument, and the time “two days,” she should perform the work in, but the time we will look at hereafter.ESH 37.6

3rd. The power of gospel grace “heal us, and bind us up.” The prophets all prophecied, that God would send the Messiah, that he should heal his people from their sins, and of their backslidings, and their land from the devourer, for proof of which, see 2 Chronicles 7:14; also Psalm 60, Isaiah 19:22 & 57:17-19 Jeremiah 3:22 Luke 4:18. Isaiah in personating Christ says, “He hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted.” Christ has quoted the same in Luke 4:18.ESH 38.1

4th. The resurrection, “After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.” This can mean nothing less than the resurrection. The word revived is used in the same sense in Romans 14:9; Psalm 85:6, “And he will raise up,” is used many times in the word of God in reference to the resurrection, as in John 6:39, 40, 44, 54. And I will raise him up at the last day.” See also 1 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Corinthians 4:14.ESH 38.2

5th. The knowledge we shall then have of his first and second coming, “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; his going forth is prepared as the morning, and he shall come unto us, as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” The first and second coming of Christ, are often spoken of, by the prophets and Apostles, as events of great importance to the believer; he came first as a prophet, priest and king; to teach, attone for, and give laws to his spiritual Israel. He comes the second time as a bridegroom, a Saviour, and a God, to receive, make perfect and dwell with his elect bride in his eternal mansion of love and happiness. Then shall we know that his coming is to us, like the rain upon the parched earth; and then shall we know him, for we shall see him as he is. Theu shall we know him, and be like him.ESH 38.3

6th. Our reign with him, the third day “live in his sight.” To live in his sight, means something more than to live in sight of the spirit of God; for this we do now, and have never been without his sight in this sense; but it means his personal presence. “But if I go away, I will come again, and receive you to myself that where I am there ye may be also.” Before this he had told them, that when he went away, he would send the holy ghost upon them etc. We see then, that it must mean to live personally with him; for during the two days they would enjoy the spirit of God, to heal and bind up the wounds they would receive.ESH 38.4

But this third day they would live in his sight, in his personal presence. This brings us to consider what these three days mean. Are we to understand any definite time? And if so, what? Is it expressed as definite time, by saying two days, and in the third day etc.? And it would require some stretch of faith and more evidence to believe it indefinite than I can find in the word of God, unless our minds were swayed by prejudice, and then we believe almost any thing to get rid of a conclusion which we fancy, it is not our interest to believe.ESH 38.5

That common days is meant, is improbable, or even years, for facts are stubborn things; for the church has been more than two days, or even years in this third state, and three days, and even years, have long since passed away, and Christ has not yet come the second time; and yet, this is promised in the third day in the text. There remaineth, therefore, but one bible way to explain day, and that is a thousand years; which is the meaning I am forced to attach to the passage we are considering, not only because it is our last resort for a scripture rule, but the third day spoken of in the passage, is evidently the same day John mentions in the 20th of Rev. “And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Also in 2 Peter 3:8, We are commanded not to be ignorant, “That one day is with the Lord, as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” And again 90 Psalm, a thousand years is said to be as one day in the sight of the Lord.ESH 39.1

It is very evident that Peter and John were talking about the same day, that Hosea calls the third day, and would it not be reasonable and more than probable, that the prophet Hosea, had a view of this thousand years reign, when he said “and we shall live is his sight.” And if so, then the other two days, being coupled with this thousand, must be understood to be of the same length each which brings me to the following conclusion. That the church, or people of God, would be wounded, smitten and persecuted by the Roman, or fourth kingdom, with his great iron teeth, two thousand years, and the third thousand, would be the reign of Christ with his people. The the two thousand would begin, when the fourth kingdom became connected by league with the Jews, or people of God, in the year B. C. 158, which added to 1842 after Christ makes the 2000 years, the year 1843 being the first in the third thousand, agreeing with the 2300 in Daniel, and the 666 added to 1335 makes 2001 and ends in the year 1843-and the reader will now perceive that we have witnesses, all agreeing with the same point of time.ESH 39.2

We have another prophecy of Christ himself, agreeing with the one in Hosea. “And he said unto them, go ye and tell that fox behold, I cast out devils, and I do curse, to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless, I must walk to-day and to-morrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem,” Luke 13:32-33.ESH 39.3

In this passage, three days are again mentioned in similar language to the one in Hosea,-to-day and to-morrow the same as two days. The only difference is, Hosea spake of them as future; Christ as living in the first day; and these two days in Luke were to be employed by Christ in casting out devils, and doing cures, and the third day he should be perfected that is, as I humbly believe, the third day; the church or body of Christ would be perfect, and “presented a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle,” like unto Christ a glorious body, united to him, and made one with him. And then the Lord Jesus Christ will have accomplished his mediatorial work on the earth of casting out devils and doing cures. That this passage means literal days, no one can believe; for Christ himself destroys that explanation in the same passage by saying, “Nevertheless, I must walk to-day, and to-morrow, and the day following,” plainly indicating that be did not mean common adys. That he meant prophetic days is equally evident; for the spirit of God has done cures, and cast out devils more than two years-so that literal or prophetic days cannot be the time designated. And I know of no other construction that can be put upon this passage, except the same I have fixed to that in Hosea.ESH 39.4

In this passage in Luke, they came to Christ and told him that Herod sought his life; and Christ answered and said, “go tell that fox, as much as if he had said; although he is cunning as the fox and “understands dark sentences,” as Daniel had long before prophesied of him; and although he, or the fourth kingdom, under which he exercises his authority, is permitted to punish the transgressions of my people;-yet I will cast out devils, and do cures, to-day and to-morrow, and the third day my kingdom shall be perfected. That is two thousand years, my gospel shall be proclaimed, my grace perform its work, and children shall be regenerated, and adopted into my kingdom, and in the third thousand, it will be complete, in spite of all opposition.ESH 40.1

And although you are branch a of the kingdom, and “the great red dragon,” which “stood before the woman, ready to devour the man child;”-yet I shall be caught up to God and his throne, and I will come and receive my weary bride to myself, that where I am, there she may be also, and then I shall reign on the earth, and my rest shall be glorious, I shall then be perfected, in my work of redemption and grace and in my body, which is the church. This to me is the sentiment or doctrine, which Christ would convey to Herod by his answer, and if so, then we have only to apply these days, the same as we did those in Hosea, and we are again brought down to the year A. D. 1843 which is the commencement of the day of rest, and the Christ will come in the clouds of heaven, with the Ancient of days, the judgement shall set, the books be opened, the kingdoms of this world shall be destroyed, Daniel stand in his lot, the resurrection of the righteous dead, the sanctuary be cleansed, and the church made perfect, and Christ perfected in his members. All these things will take place in the commencing of the last day, which if I am right in my calculation of the of the times (that have been thus tar examined,) will come to pass in the year A. D. 1843, that is, if our chronology since the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is right; if not, then it will very accordingly. Some say we have lost four years;-if so, then we may look for the fulfillment in 1839-but I believe we may not expect it until 1843 which I have strong reason to believe is the true time, from the events that happened in 1798.ESH 40.2