CHAP.
XII.
Of
the Prophecy of the Scripture of
Truth.
THE
kingdoms represented by the second and third Beasts, or the Bear and
Leopard, are again described by Daniel in his last Prophecy
written in the third year of Cyrus over Babylon, the
year in which he conquered Persia. For this Prophecy is a
commentary upon the Vision of the Ram and He-Goat.
Behold,
saith he [Chap. xi. 2, 3, 4.], there shall stand up yet three
kings in Persia [Cyrus, Cambyses, and Darius
Hystaspes] and the fourth [Xerxes] shall be
far richer than they all: and by his strength thro’
his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
And a mighty king [Alexander the great] shall stand
up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do
according to his will. And when he shall stand up, his
kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided towards the four
winds of heaven; and not to his posterity [but after their
death,] nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for
[170] his kingdom shall be pluckt up, even for
others besides those. Alexander the great having conquered
all the Persian Empire, and some part of India, died at
Babylon a month before the summer Solstice, in the year of
Nabonassar 425: and his captains gave the monarchy to his
bastard brother Philip Aridaeus, a man disturbed in his
understanding; and made Perdiccas administrator of the
kingdom. Perdiccas with their consent made Meleager
commander of the army, Seleucus master of the horse, Craterus
treasurer of the kingdom, Antipater governor of Macedon
and Greece, Ptolemy governor of Egypt; Antigonus
governor of Pamphylia, Lycia, Lycaonia, and
Phrygia major; Lysimachus governor of Thrace,
and other captains governors of other Provinces; as many as had been
so before in the days of Alexander the great. The Babylonians
began now to count by a new Aera, which they called the Aera
of Philip, using the years of Nabonassar, and reckoning
the 425th year of Nabonassar to be the first year of Philip.
Roxana the wife of Alexander being left big with child,
and about three or four months after brought to bed of a son, they
called him Alexander, saluted him King, and joined him with
Philip, whom they had before placed in the throne. Philip
reigned three years under the administratorship of Perdiccas,
two years more under [171] the administratorship of Antipater,
and above a year more under that of Polyperchon; in all six
years and four months; and then was slain with his Queen Eurydice
in September by the command of Olympias the mother of
Alexander the great. The Greeks being disgusted at the
cruelties
of
Olympias, revolted to Cassander the son and successor
of Antipater. Cassander affecting the dominion of
Greece, slew Olympias; and soon after shut up the young
king Alexander, with his mother Roxana, in the castle
of Amphipolis, under the charge of Glaucias, An.
Nabonass. 432. The next year Ptolemy, Cassander
and Lysimachus, by means of Seleucus, formed a league
against Antigonus; and after certain wars made peace with him,
An. Nabonass. 438, upon these conditions: that
Cassander should command the forces of Europe till
Alexander the son of Roxana came to age; and that
Lysimachus should govern Thrace, Ptolemy, Egypt
and Lybia, and Antigonus all Asia. Seleueus
had possest himself of Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Susiana
and Media the year before. About three years after Alexander’s
death he was made governor of Babylon by Antipater;
then was expelled by Antigonus; but now he recovered and
enlarged his government over a great part of the East: which
gave occasion to a new Aera, called Aera Seleucidarum.
[172] Not long after the peace made with Antigonus,
Diodorus saith the same Olympic year; Cassander,
seeing that Alexander the son of Roxana grew up, and
that it was discoursed thro’out Macedonia that it was
fit he should be set at liberty, and take upon him the government of
his father’s kingdom, commanded Glaucias the governor of
the castle to kill Roxana and the young king Alexander
her son, and conceal their deaths. Then Polyperchon set up
Hercules, the son of Alexander the great by Barsine,
to be king; and soon after, at the sollicitation of Cassander,
caused him to be slain. Soon after that, upon a great victory at sea
got by Demetrius the son of Antigonus over Ptolemy,
Antigonus took upon himself the title of king, and gave the
same title to his son. This was An. Nabonass. 441.
After his example, Seleueus, Cassander, Lysimachus,
and Ptolemy, took upon themselves the title and dignity of
kings, having abstained from this honour while there remained any of
Alexander’s race to inherit the crown. Thus the monarchy
of the Greeks for want of an heir was broken into several
kingdoms; four of which, seated to the four winds of heaven,
were very eminent. For Ptolemy reigned over Egypt,
Lybia and Ethiopia; Antigonus over Syria
and the lesser Asia; [173] Lysimachus over
Thrace; and Cassander over Macedon, Greece
and Epirus, as above.
Seleucus
at this time reigned over the nations which were beyond Euphrates,
and belonged to the bodies of the two first Beasts: but after six
years he conquered Antigonus and thereby became possest of one
of the four kingdoms. For Cassander being afraid of the power
of Antigonus, combined with Lysimachus, Ptolemy
and Seleucus, against him: and while Lysimachus invaded
the parts of Asia next the Hellespont, Ptolemy
subdued Phoenicia and Coelosyria, with the sea-coasts
of Asia.
Seleucus
came down with a powerful army into Cappadocia, and joining
the confederate forces, fought Antigonus in Phrygia and
slew him, and seized his kingdom, An. Nabonass. 447.
After which Seleucus built Antioch, Seleucia,
Laodicea, Apamea, Berrhaea, Edessa, and
other cities in Syria and Asia; and in them granted the
Jews equal privileges with the Greeks.
Demetrius
the son of Antigonus retained but a small part of his father’s
dominions, and at length lost Cyprus to Ptolemy; but
afterwards killing Alexander, the son and successor of
Cassander king of Macedon, he seized his kingdom, An.
Nabonass. 454. Sometime after, preparing a very great army to
recover his father’s dominions in Asia; Seleucus,
Ptolemy, Lysimachus and Pyrrhus [174]
king of Epirus, combined against him; and Pyrrhus
invading Macedon, corrupted the army of Demetrius, put
him to flight, seized his kingdom, and shared it with Lysimachus.
After seven months, Lysimachus beating Pyrrhus, took
Macedon from him, and held it five years and a half, uniting
the kingdoms of Macedon and Thrace. Lysimachus
in his wars with Antigonus and Demetrius had taken from
them Caria, Lydia, and Phrygia; and had a
treasury in Pergamus, a Castle on the top of a conical hill in
Phrygia, by the river Caicus, the custody of which he
had committed to one Philetaerus, who was at first faithful to
him, but in the last year of his reign revolted. For Lysimachus,
having at the instigation of his wife Arsinoe, slain first his
own son Agathocles, and then several that lamented him; the
wife of Agathocles fled with her children and brothers, and
some others of their friends, and sollicited Seleucus to make
war upon Lysimachus; whereupon Philetaerus also, who
grieved at the death of Agathocles, and was accused thereof by
Arsinoe, took up arms, and sided with Seleucus. On this
occasion Seleucus and Lysimachus met and fought in
Phrygia; and Lysimachus being slain in the battel lost
his kingdom to Seleucus, An. Nabonass. 465. Thus
the Empire of the Greeks, which at first brake into four [175]
kingdoms, became now reduced into two notable ones, henceforward
called by Daniel the kings of the South and North.
For Ptolemy now reigned over Egypt, Lybia,
Ethiopia, Arabia, Phoenicia, Coelosyria,
and Cyprus; and Seleucus, having united three of the
four kingdoms, had a dominion scarce inferior to that of the Persian
Empire, conquered by Alexander the great. All which is thus
represented by Daniel: And the king of the South
[Ptolemy] shall be strong, and one of his princes
[Seleucus, one of Alexander’s Princes] shall
be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion
shall be a great dominion [Chap. xi. 5.].
After
Seleucus had reigned seven months over Macedon, Greece,
Thrace, Asia, Syria, Babylonia, Media,
and all the East as far as India; Ptolemy
Ceraunus, the younger brother of Ptolemy Philadelphus
king of Egypt, slew him treacherously, and seized his
dominions in Europe: while Antiochus Soter, the
son of Seleucus, succeeded his father in Asia, Syria,
and most of the East;
and
after nineteen or twenty years was succeeded by his son Antiochus
Theos; who having a lasting war with Ptolemy
Philadelphus, at length composed the same by marrying Berenice
the daughter of Philadelphus: but after a reign of fifteen
years, his first wife Laodice poisoned him, and set her son
Seleucus [176] Callinicus upon the throne.
Callinicus in the beginning of his reign, by the impulse of
his mother Laodice, besieged Berenice in Daphne
near Antioch, and slew her with her young son and many of her
women. Whereupon Ptolemy Euergetes, the son and
successor of Philadelphus, made war upon Callinicus;
took from him Phoenicia, Syria, Cilicia,
Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Susiana, and some other
regions; and carried back into Egypt 40000 talents of silver,
and 2500 images of the Gods, amongst which were the Gods of Egypt
carried away by Cambyses. Antiochus Hierax at
first assisted his brother Callinicus, but afterwards
contended with him for Asia. In the mean time Eumenes
governor of Pergamus beat Antiochus, and took from them
both all Asia westward of mount Taurus. This was in the
fifth year of Callinicus, who after an inglorious reign of 20
years was succeeded by his son Seleucus Ceraunus; and
Euergetes after four years; more, An. Nabonass.
527, was succeeded by his son Ptolemy Philopator. All
which is thus signified by Daniel [Chap. xi. 6, 7, 8.]: And
in the end of years they [the kings of the South and
North] shall join themselves together: for the
king’s daughter of the South [Berenice] shall
come to the king of the North to make an agreement, but
she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall
[177] she stand, nor her seed, but she shall
be delivered up, and he [Callinicus] that
brought her, and he whom she brought forth, and they
that strengthened her in [those] times, [or defended her
in the siege of Daphne.] But out of a branch of her roots
shall one stand up in his seal [her brother Euergetes] who
shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress
[or fenced cities] of the King of the North, and shall act
against them and prevail: and shall carry captives into
Egypt, their Gods with their Princes and precious vessels of
silver and gold; and he shall continue some years after the
king of the North.
Seleucus
Ceraunus, inheriting the remains of his father’s
kingdom, and thinking to recover the rest, raised a great army
against the governor of Pergamus, now King thereof, but died
in the third year of his reign. His brother and successor, Antiochus
Magnus, carrying on the war, took from the King of Pergamus
almost all the lesser Asia, recovering also the Provinces of
Media, Persia and Babylonia, from the governors
who had revolted: and in the fifth year of his reign invading
Coelosyria, he with little opposition possest himself of a
good part thereof; and the next year returning to invade the rest of
Coelosyria and Phoenicia, beat the army of Ptolemy
Philopator near Berytus; he then invaded [178]
Palestine and the neighbouring parts of Arabia, and the
third year returned with an army of 78000: but Ptolemy coming
out of Egypt with an army of 75000 fought and routed him at
Raphia near Gaza, between Palestine and Egypt;
and recovered all Phoenicia and Coelosyria. Ann.
Nabonass. 532. Being puffed up with this victory, and living
in all manner of luxury, the Egyptians revolted, and had wars
with him, but were overcome; and in the broils sixty thousand
Egyptian Jews were slain. All which is thus describ’d
by Daniel [Chap. xi. 10, &c.]: But his sons
[Seleucus Ceraunus, and Antiochus Magnus,
the sons of Callinicus] shall be stirred up, and
shall gather a great army; and he [Antiochus
Magnus] shall come effectually and overflow, and
pass thro’ and return, and [again the next
year] be stirred up [marching even] to his fortress,
[the frontier towns of Egypt;] and the King of the
South shall be moved with choler, and come forth [the
third year] and fight with him, even with the King of the
North; and he [the King of the North] shall lead
forth a great multitude, but the multitude shall be given into
his hand. And the multitude being taken away, his heart
shall be lifted up, and he shall cast down many ten thousands;
but he shall not be strengthened by it: for the King of the
North shall return, &c. [179]
About
twelve years after the battle between Philopator and
Antiochus, Philopator died; and left his kingdom to his
young son Ptolemy Epiphanes, a child of five years old.
Thereupon Antiochus Magnus confederated with Philip
king of Macedon, that they should each invade the Dominions of
Epiphanes which lay next to them. Hence arose a various war
between Antiochus and Epiphanes, each of them seizing
Phoenicia and Coelosyria by turns; whereby those
countries were much afflicted by both parties. First Antiochus
seized them; then one Scopas being sent with the army of
Egypt, recovered them from Antiochus: the next year,
An. Nabonass. 550, Antiochus fought and routed
Scopas near the fountains of Jordan, besieged him in
Sidon, took the city and recovered Syria and Phoenicia
from Egypt, the Jews coming over to him voluntarily.
But about three years after, preparing for a war against the Romans,
he came to Raphia on the borders of Egypt; made peace
with Epiphanes, and gave him his daughter Cleopatra:
next autumn he passed the Hellespont to invade the cities of
Greece under the Roman protection, and took some of
them; but was beaten by the Romans the summer following, and
forced to return back with his army into Asia. Before the end
of the year the fleet of Antiochus was beaten by the fleet of
[180] the Romans near Phocaea: and at the same
time Epiphanes and Cleopatra sent an embassy to Rome
to congratulate the Romans on their success against their
father Antiochus, and to exhort them to prosecute the war
against him into Asia. The Romans beat Antiochus
again at sea near Ephesus, past their Army over the
Hellespont, and obtain’d a great victory over him by
land, took from him all Asia westward of mount Taurus,
gave it to the King of Pergamus who assisted them in the war;
and imposed a large tribute upon Antiochus. Thus the King of
Pergamus, by the power of the Romans, recovered what
Antiochus had taken from him; and Antiochus retiring
into the remainder of his kingdom was slain two years after by the
Persians, as he was robbing the Temple of Jupiter Belus
in Elymais, to raise money for the Romans. All which is
thus describ’d by Daniel [Chap. xi. 13-19.]: For the
King of the North [Antiochus] shall return, and
shall set forth a multitude greater than the former; and shall
certainly come, after certain years, with a great army
and with much riches. And in those times there shall many
stand up against the King of the South, [particularly the
Macedonians;] also the robbers of thy people [the
Samaritans, &c.] shall exalt themselves to establish
the vision, but they shall fall. So the King of the
North shall come, and [181] cast up a mount, and
take the most fenced cities; and the arms of the South
shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither
shall there be any strength to withstand. But he that cometh
against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall
stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land,
which shall fail in his hand. He shall also set his face to
go with the strength [or army] of all his kingdom, and
make an agreement with him [at Raphia;] and he shall
give him the daughter of women corrupting her; but she shall
not stand his side, neither be for him. After he shall
turn his face unto the Isles, and shall take many; but
a Prince for his own behalf [the Romans] shall cause
the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach
he shall cause it to turn upon him. Then he shall turn his
face towards the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble
and fall, and not be found.
Seleucus
Philopator succeeded his father Antiochus, Anno
Nabonass. 561, and reigned twelve years, but did nothing
memorable, being sluggish, and intent upon raising money for the
Romans to whom he was tributary. He was slain by Heliodorus,
whom he had sent to rob the temple of Jerusalem. Daniel
thus describes his reign [Chap. xi. 20.]: Then shall stand up in
his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom, but
within [182] few days he shall be destroyed,
neither in anger nor in battle.
A
little before the death of Philopator, his son Demetrius
was sent hostage to Rome, in the place of Antiochus
Epiphanes, the brother of Philopator; and Antiochus
was at Athens in his way home from Rome, when
Philopator died: whereupon Heliodorus the treasurer of
the Kingdom, stept into the throne. But Antiochus so managed
his affairs, that the Romans kept Demetrius at Rome;
and their ally the king of Pergamus expelled Heliodorus,
and placed Antiochus in the throne, while Demetrius the
right heir remained an hostage at Rome. Antiochus being
thus made King by the friendship of the King of Pergamus
reigned powerfully over Syria and the neighbouring nations:
but carried himself much below his dignity, stealing privately out of
his palace, rambling up and down the city in disguise with one or two
of his companions, conversing and drinking with people of the lowest
rank, foreigners and strangers; frequenting the meetings of dissolute
persons to feast and revel; clothing himself like the Roman
candidates and officers, acting their parts like a mimick, and in
publick festivals jesting and dancing with servants and light people,
exposing himself by all manner of ridiculous gestures. This conduct
made some [183] take him for a madman, and call him Antiochus
Z_"__8__(. In the first year of his reign he deposed Onias
the high-Priest, and sold the high-Priesthood to Jason the
younger brother of Onias: for Jason had promised to
give him 440 talents of silver for that office, and 150 more for a
licence to erect a place of exercise for the training up of youth in
the fashions of the heathen; which licence was granted by the King,
and put in execution by Jason. Then the King sending one
Apollonius into Egypt to the coronation of Ptolemy
Philometor, the young son of Philometor and Cleopatra,
and knowing Philometor not to be well affected to his affairs
in Phoenicia, provided for his own safety in those parts; and
for that end came to Joppa and Jerusalem, where he was
honourably received; from thence he went in like manner with his
little array to the cities of Phoenicia, to establish himself
against Egypt, by courting the people, and distributing
extraordinary favours amongst them. All which is thus represented by
Daniel [Chap. xi. 21, &c.]. And in his
[Philometor’s] estate shall stand up a vile person,
to whom they [the Syrians who set up Heliodorus]
shall not give the honour of the kingdom. Yet he shall come
in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries [made
principally to the king of Pergamus] and the arms [184]
[which in favour of Heliodorus oppose him] shall be
overflowed with a flood from before him, and be broken;
yea also [Onias the high-Priest] the Prince of the
covenant. And after the league made with him, [the king of
Egypt, by sending Apollonius to his coronation] he
shall work deceitfully [against the king of Egypt] for
he shall come up and shall become strong [in Phoenicia]
with a small people. And he shall enter into the quiet and
plentiful cities of the Province [of Phoenicia;] and
[to ingratiate himself with the Jews of Phoenicia and
Egypt, and with their friends] he shall do that which his
fathers have not done, nor his fathers fathers: he
shall scatter among them the prey and the spoil, and the
riches [exacted from other places;] and shall forecast his
devices against the strong holds [of Egypt] even for a
time.
These
things were done in the first year of his reign, An. Nabonass.
573. And thenceforward he forecast his devices against the strong
holds of Egypt, until the sixth year. For three years after,
that is in the fourth year of his reign, Menelaus bought the
high-Priesthood from Jason, but not paying the price was sent
for by the King; and the King, before he could hear the cause, went
into Cilicia to appease a sedition there, and left Andronicus
his deputy at Antioch; [185] in the mean time the
brother of Menelaus, to make up the money, conveyed several
vessels out of the Temple, selling some of them at Tyre, and
sending others to Andronicus. When Menelaus was
reproved for this by Onias, he caused Onias to be slain
by Andronicus: for which fact the King at his return from
Cilicia caused Andronicus to be put to death. Then
Antiochus prepared his second expedition against Egypt,
which he performed in the sixth year of his reign, An.
Nabonass. 578: for upon the death of Cleopatra, the
governors of her son the young King of Egypt claimed Phoenicia
and Coelosyria from him as her dowry; and to recover those
countries raised a great army. Antiochus considering that his
father had not quitted the possession of those countries, denied they
were her dowry [2 Maccab. iii. 5, 8. & iv. 4.]; and with another
great army met and fought the Egyptians on the borders of
Egypt, between Pelusium and the mountain Casius.
He there beat them, and might have destroyed their whole army, but
that he rode up and down, commanding his soldiers not to kill them,
but to take them alive: by which humanity he gained Pelusium,
and soon after all Egypt: entering it with a vast multitude of
foot and chariots, elephants and horsemen, and a great navy. Then
seizing the cities of Egypt as a friend, he marched to
Memphis, laid the [186] whole blame of the war upon
Eulaeus the King’s governor, entred into outward
friendship with the young King, and took upon him to order the
affairs of the kingdom. While Antiochus was thus employ’d,
a report being spread in Phoenicia, that he was dead, Jason
to recover the high-Priesthood assaulted Jerusalem with above
a thousand men, and took the city: hereupon the King thinking Judea
had revolted, came out of Egypt in a furious manner, re-took
the city, slew forty thousand of the people, made as many prisoners,
and sold them to raise money; went into the Temple, spoiled it of its
treasures, ornaments, utensils, and vessels of gold and silver,
amounting to 1800 talents ; and carried all away to Antioch.
This was done in the year of Nabonassar 578, and is thus
described by Daniel [Chap. xi. 25, &c.]. And he
shall stir up his power, and his courage against the King of
the South with a great army; and the King of the
South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty
army; but he shall not stand: for they, even
Antiochus and his friends, shall forecast devices against
him, as is represented above; yea, they that feed of
the portion of his meat, shall betray and destroy him,
and his army shall be overthrown, and many shall fall down
slain. And both these Kings hearts shall be to do [187]
mischief; and they, being now made friends, shall
speak lyes at one table, against the Jews and against the
holy covenant; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end,
in which the setting up of the abomination of desolation is to
prosper, shall be at the time appointed. Then shall he
return into his land with great riches, and his heart shall be
against the holy covenant; and he shall act, against it by
spoiling the Temple, and return into his own land.
The
Egyptians of Alexandria seeing Philometor first
educated in luxury by the Eunuch Eulaeus, and now in the hands
of Antiochus, gave the kingdom to Euergetes, the
younger brother of Philometor. Whereupon Antiochus
pretending to restore Philometor, made war upon Euergetes;
beat him at sea, and besieged him and his sister Cleopatra in
Alexandria: while the besieged Princes sent to Rome to
implore the assistance of the Senate. Antiochus finding
himself unable to take the city that year, returned into Syria,
leaving Philometor at Memphis to govern Egypt in
his absence. But Philometor made friendship with his brother
that winter; and Antiochus, returning the next spring An.
Nabonass. 580, to besiege both the brothers in Alexandria,
was met in the way by the Roman Ambassadors, Popilius
Laena, C. Decimius, and C. Hostilius:
he offered them his hand to kiss, but Popilius [188]
delivering to him the tables wherein the message of the Senate was
written, bad him read those first. When he had read them, he replied
he would consider with his friends what was fit to be done; but
Popilius drawing a circle about him, bad him answer before he
went out of it: Antiochus, astonished at this blunt and
unusual imperiousness, made answer he would do what the Romans
demanded; and then Popilius gave the King his hand to kiss,
and he returned out of Egypt. The same year An.
Nabonass. 580, his captains by his order spoiled and
slaughtered the Jews, profaned the Temple, set up the worship
of the heathen Gods in all Judea, and began to persecute and
make war upon those who would not worship them: which actions are
thus described by Daniel [Chap. xi. 29, 30.]. At the time
appointed he shall come again towards the South, but the
latter shall not be as the former. For the ships of
Chittim shall come, with an embassy from Rome, against
him. Therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and
have indignation against the holy covenant. So shall he do;
he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that
forsake the holy covenant.
In
the same year that Antiochus by the command of the Romans
retired out of Egypt, and set up the worship of the Greeks
in Judea; the [189] Romans conquered the kingdom
of Macedon, the fundamental kingdom of the Empire of the
Greeks, and reduced it into a Roman Province; and
thereby began to put an end to the reign of Daniel’s
third Beast. This is thus exprest by Daniel. And after him
Arms, that is the Romans, shall stand up. As
[**Hebrew**] signifies after the King, Dan. xi. 8; so
[**Hebrew**] may signify after him. Arms are everywhere
in this Prophecy of Daniel put for the military power of a
kingdom: and they stand up when they conquer and grow powerful.
Hitherto Daniel described the actions of the Kings of the
North and South; but upon the conquest of Macedon
by the Romans, he left off describing the actions of the
Greeks, and began to describe those of the Romans in
Greece. They conquered Macedon, Illyricum and
Epirus in the year of Nabonassar 580. 35 years after,
by the last will and testament of Attalus the last King of
Pergamus, they inherited that rich and flourishing kingdom,
that is, all Asia westward of mount Taurus; 69 years
after they conquered the kingdom of Syria, and reduced it into
a Province, and 34 years after they did the like to Egypt. By
all these steps the Roman Arms stood up over the Greeks:
and after 95 years more, by making war upon the Jews, they
polluted the sanctuary of strength, and took [190]
away the daily sacrifice, and then placed the abomination
of desolation. For this abomination was placed after the days of
Christ, Math. xxiv. 15. In the 16th year of the Emperor
Adrian, A. C. 132, they placed this abomination by building a
Temple to Jupiter Capitolinus, where the Temple of God
in Jerusalem had stood. Thereupon the Jews under the
conduct of Barchochab rose up in arms against the Romans,
and in the war had 50 cities demolished, 985 of their best towns
destroyed, and 580000 men slain by the sword; and in the end of the
war, A. C. 136, were banished Judea upon pain of death, and
thenceforward the land remained desolate of its old inhabitants.
In
the beginning of the Jewish war in Nero’s reign,
the Apostles fled out of Judea with their flocks; some beyond
Jordan to Pella and other places, some into Egypt,
Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and
elsewhere. Peter and John came into Asia, and
Peter went thence by Corinth to Rome; but John
staying in Asia, was banished by the Romans into
Patmos, as the head of a party of the Jews, whose
nation was in war with the Romans. By this dispersion of the
Christian Jews, the Christian religion, which
was already propagated westward as far as Rome, spread fast
into all the Roman Empire, and suffered many persecutions
under it till the [191] days of Constantine the great
and his sons: all which is thus described by Daniel [Chap. xi.
32, &c.]. And such as do wickedly against the covenant,
shall he, who places the abomination, cause to dissemble,
and worship the heathen Gods; but the people among them who do
know their God, shall be strong and act. And they that
understand among the people, shall instruct many: yet
they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, and by
captivity, and by spoil many days. Now when they shall
fall, they shall be holpen with a little help, viz.
in the reign of Constantine the great; and at that time by
reason of their prosperity, many shall come over to them from among
the heathen, and cleave to them with dissimulation. But of
those of understanding there shall still fall to try God’s
people by them, and to purge them from the dissemblers,
and to make them white even to the time of the end: because
it is yet for a time appointed.
Hitherto
the Roman Empire continued entire; and under this dominion,
the little horn of the He-Goat continued mighty, but not by
his own power. But now, by the building of Constantinople,
and endowing it with a Senate and other like privileges with Rome;
and by the division of the Roman Empire into the two Empires
of the Greeks and Latins, headed by those two cities; a
new scene of things commences [Chap. xi. 36, &c.], in
[192] which a King, the Empire of the Greeks,
doth according to his will, and, by setting his own
laws above the laws of God, exalts and magnifies himself above
every God, and speaks marvellous things against the God of
Gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be
accomplished.——Neither shall he regard the God of
his fathers, nor the lawful desire of women in
matrimony, nor any God, but shall magnify himself above
all. And in his seat he shall honour Mahuzzims, that is,
strong guardians, the souls of the dead; even with a God whom his
fathers knew not shall he honour them, in their Temples, with
gold and silver, and with precious stones and valuable things.
All which relates to the overspreading of the Greek Empire
with Monks and Nuns, who placed holiness in abstinence from marriage;
and to the invocation of saints and veneration for their reliques,
and such like superstitions, which these men introduced in the fourth
and fifth centuries. And at the time of the end the King of the
South, or the Empire of the Saracens, shall push at him
[Chap. xi. 40, &c.]; and the King of the North, or
Empire of the Turks, shall come against him like a
whirlwind, with chariots and with horsemen, and with
many ships; and he shall enter into the countries of the
Greeks, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall
enter also into the glorious land, [193] and many
countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of
his hand, even Edom and Moab, and the chief of
the children of Ammon: that is, those to whom his Caravans pay
tribute. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries,
and the land of Egypt shall not escape; but he shall
have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all
the precious things of Egypt; and the Lybians and
Ethiopians shall be at his steps. All these nations compose
the Empire of the Turks, and therefore this Empire is here to
be understood by the King of the North. They compose also the
body of the He-Goat; and therefore the Goat still reigns in his last
horn, but not by his own power. [194]