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VOL.
XXVI
ALLEG
HENY,
PA.,
JUNE
15,
1905
No.
12
REMARKABLE
CHRONOLOGICAL
PARALLELS
KING
JOSIAH
The
period
of
the
good
King
Josiah's
activity
extended
from
651
till
641,
and
consisted
of
a
cleansing
and
reforming
work.
It
ended
in
641
with
the
finding
of
the
Book
of
the
Law
and
the
celebration
of
the
Great
Passover.
The
parallel
period
in
the
Gospel
age
was
from
1869
till
1879,
the
period
when
most
of
your
cleansing
and
reforming
work
was
done.
So
far
~s
I
can
gath«:r,
it
was
about
1869
that
you
began
to
inquire
mto
the
teachmg
of
the
creeds
and
of
the
Scriptures,
and
it
was
in
1879
tha,t
you
founded
ZION'S
WATCH
TOWER,
for
the
purpose
of
upholding
the
doctrine
of
the
ransom
in
all
its
ful
ness
against
the
attacks
of
Mr.
Barbour
and
others,
and
of
announcing
the
Great
Passover,
the
resurrection
of
the
"dead
in
Christ"
in
the
year
1878
A.
D.
and
the
passing-over
of
the
feet
members
since
that
date
at
the
moment
of
death.
THE
NUMBER
FORTY
When
we
turn
back
to
the
early
history
of
the
typical
king
dom,
we
find
that
Sa,ul,
David
and
Solomon
each
reigned
40
years.
It
is
clear
that
the
reign
()f
Saul
represents
the
Jewish
age,
that
of
David
the
Gospel
age,
and
that
of
Solomon
the
Millennial
age.
The
fact
that
the
duration
of
each
reign
was
40
years
indicates
that
it
represented
a
complete
period
of
test
ing
and
sifting.
This
would
appear
to
be
the
thought
underly
ing
the
number
40
in
all
the
instances
in
which
it
is
used
in
the
Scriptures.
For
instance,
there
were
the
40
years'
tempta
tion
of
the
children
of
Israel
in
the
wilderness,
Christ's
40
days'
temptation,
etc.
They
all
seem
to
foreshadow
the
40
years
of
harvest
at
the
end
of
the
Jewish,
of
the
Gospel,
and
(possibly)
of
the
Millennial
ages.
THREE
DAYS
AND
THREE
NIGHTS
It
is
clear
from
the
Scriptures
that
Jesus
rose
on
the
first
day
of
the
week
(Mark
16:2),
and
also
that
this
was
"the
third
day"
after
his
death
(Luke
24:21,
46;
1
Cor.
15:4;
also
Lev.
23:
11
)
.
It
follows
that
he
must
have
been
crucified
on
a
Friday.
That
this
is
of
importance
in
estimating
the
dates
of
Jesus'
birth
and
death,
is
pointed
out
in
DAWN
II.,
p.
60.
Some
object
to
this
that
Jesus
in
saying
(Matt.
12:40)
that
he
would
be
three
days
and
three
nights
in
the
heart
of
the
earth,
contradicted
the
statement
by
the
Apostle
Paul
that
he
rose
on
the
third
day.
Those
who
reason
in
this
way
have
failed
to
note
that
the
phrase
used
by
Jesus
was
purely
idio
matic,
and
implied
that
he
would
be
in
the
heart
of
the
earth
"till
the
third
day."
'T'he
proof
of
his
is
to
be
found
in
Esther
4:16;
5:1;
Gen.
42:17,18;
2
Obron.
10:5,
12.
God
is
his
own
interpreter.
THE
YEAR
OF
JUBILEE
I
had
always
taken
it
for
granted
that
the
year
of
Jubilee
was
an
ecclesiastical
year;
but
on
studying
this
subject
re
cently,
I
noticed
that
the
trumpet
was
to
sound
on
the
day
of
atonement,
the
10th
day
of
the
7th
month
(Lev.
25
:9),
and
presumably,
therefore,
began
on
that
day.
Accordingly,
the
year
of
Jubilee
was
not
an
ecelesiastical
year,
i.
e.,
from
Spring
to
Spring,
but
a
civil
year
from
Autumn
to
Autumn.
As
every
7th
year
was
a
Sa,bbath
year,
it
follows
that
the
49th
year
was
a.
Sabbath
year.
It
would
seem
as
if
these
were
ecclesiastical
years.
If
so,
then
the
Jubilee
year
lx¥ran
in
the
middle
of
the
49th
year.
But
it
was
called
the
50th
year!
Should
one
reason
from
this
that
it
was
called
the
50th
yea.r
because
it
was
the
50th
civil
year?
The
entrance
into
Canaan
took
place
in
the
Springtime
at
the
beginning
of
an
ecclesiasti
cal
year.
Six
months
afterwards
their
2nd
civil
yea,r
began,
while
it
was
<still
the
middle
of
the
1st
ecclesiastical
year.
Con
sequently,
their
50th
civil
year
began,
while
it
was
still
the
middle
of
their
49th
ecclesiastical
year.
If
this
be
in
the
inter
pretation,
it
is
evident
that
the
land
had
rest
on
these
occa
sions,
not
two
years,
but
only
eighteen
months.
It
would
seem
as
if
this
were
a
wise
provision
of
the
Mo
saic
Law.
It
provided
that
at
the
beginning
of
each
year
of
JubileE',
owing
to
the
suspension
of
work
on
the
land
during
the
previous
six
months,
the
restitution
of
all
things
was
ren
dered
easier
of
accomplishment;
and
also
after
the
Jubilee
THE
2300
DAYS
OF
DANIEL
was
over,
and
each
had
returned
to
his
own
land,
an
opportu-
The
year
1846
A.
D.,
which
ended
the
2300
days
of
Daniel,
nity
was
given
to
him
to
prepare
the
land
and
get
his
crop
has
been
shown
in
DAWN,
Vol.
III.,
to
be
the
date
of
the
cleans-
ready
for
the
Spring
harvest
and
the
celebration
of
the
Pass
ing
of
the
sanctuary.
The
corresponding
date
in
the
typical
over
and
of
Pentecost.
(179-180)
[3574]
BY
J.
EDGAR,
M.D.,
AN
EMINENT
SURGEON,
OF
SCOTLAND
DEAR
BROTIIElt
RUSSELL
:-The
Lord
has
enabled
me
to
see
kingdom
was
674
B.
C.
I
cannot
find
this
date
specified
di
another
remarkable
confirmation
of
the
Parallel
Dispensations,
rectly
in
the
history
of
the
typical
kingdom,
but
it
is
significant
teaching
that
1914
A.
D.
is
the
date
when
Christendom
will
lose
that
at
this
time
the
wicked
King
l\Ianasseh
had
reigned
42
its
crown,
will
be
finally
overthrown,
and
when
he,
"whose
out
of
his
total
55
years,
674
B.
C.,
therefore,
probably
corre·
right
it
is,"
will
take
his
power
and
reign.
sponds
to
the
date
of
his
repentance
and
consequent
cieansing
We
recognize
that
the
kingdom
of
fleshly
Israel
typified
of
the
sanctuary.
Christendom
in
many
respects.
Two
prominent
events,
the
di
vision
of
the
kingdom
into
Judah
and
Israel
and
its
final
over·
throw
as
a
kingdom,
were
undoubtedly
types,
the
former
of
the
division
of
Christendom
at
the
time
of
the
Reformation,
the
latter
of
its
final
overthrow.
The
remarkable
feature
which
has
now
come
to
light
is
that
we
have
in
this
a
time-parallel.
Under
Saul,
David
and
Solomon,
the
typical
kinO'dom
was
undivided
for
the
space
of
120
years.
DAWN
II.,"
page
50,
shows
that
the
whole
period
of
the
kings,
including
these
three,
was
513
ypars.
The
length
of
time,
therefore,
from
the
division
of
the
typical
kingdom
on
the
death
of
Solomon
till
the
re
moval
of
the
crown
from
Zedekiah
was
513
minus
120,
equal
to
393
years.
The
date
of
the
division
of
Christendom
into
Papaey
a.nd
Protestantism
was
1521
A.
D.
Therefore,
393
years
later,
i.
e.,
in
1914
A.
D.,
we
should
ex,pect
the
final
over
throw
of
"Christendom."
The
evidence
that
1521
A.
D.
is
the
date
when
the
split
into
Papacy
and
Protestantism
occurred
is
clear.
In
June,
1520,
Luther
received
from
Pope
Leo
X.
the
first
bull
of
ex
communication,
commanding
him
to
confess
his
faults
within
sixty
days,
or
be
cast
out
of
the
church.
On
loth
December,
1520
(the
third
month
of
the
year
1521
by
the
Jewish
mode
of
reckoning),
Luther
publicly
burnt
this
bull
with
a
coPy
of
the
Canon
Law,
and
on
4th
.January,
1521,
the
second
bull
was
is
sued
expelling
him
from
the
Romish
church.
Blackie's
Modern
Cyclopedia
states
with
regard
to
this:
"From
this
time
Luther
formally
sepa.rated
from
the
Roman
church,
and
many
of
the
principal
German
nobles,
the
most
eminent
seholars,
and
the
University
of
Wittemberg,
publicly
declared
in
favor
of
the
re
formed
doctrines
and
discipline.
Luther's
bold
refusal
to
re
cant
at
the
Diet
of
Worms
(17th
April,
1521)
gave
him
in
creased
power,
while
the
Edict
of
Worms
and
the
ba,n
of
the
Emperor
made
his
cause
a
political
matter."
THE
TIME
OF
THE
END
MILLENNIAL
DAWN,
Vol.
III.,
proves
from
a
study
of
Daniel's
prophecy
of
the
1260
days
that
the
Time
of
the
End
is
a
period
of
115
years,
beginning
with
1799
and
ending
with
1914
A.
D.
Wondering
whE'ther
there
might
be
a
time-parallel
here
also,
I
reckoned
back
115
years
from
606
B.
C.,
and
reached
the
year
721
B.
C.
as
corresponding
with
the
year
1799
A.
D.
This
date
I
found
to
be
exactly
five
years
before
the
death
of
King
Hezekiah.
Isaiah
38:
5
tells
us
that
the
date
of
Heze·
kiah's
"bickne8<S
unto
death,"
from
which
he
miraculously
re
covered,
was
fiftE'en
years
prior
to
his
death,
and
was,
there
fore,
ten
yearR
before
thE'
date
721
B.
C.,
or,
in
other
words,
125
years
before
606
B.
C.
Reckoning
a
similar
period
back
from
1914
A.
D.
brings
us
to
1789
A.
D.,
the
year
of
the
French
Revolution,
from
which
Christendom
recovered,
though
it
must
have
seemed
to
be
a
"sickness
unto
death."
We
are
told
that,
after
his
recovery,
HezE'kiah
gave
way
once
more
to
his
vain-glory
and
received
the
Babylonian
am
basRadors,
just
as
France
once
more
favored
Papacy.
We
also
read
that
he
afterwards
lE'd
water
into
Jerusalem
for
the
re
freshing
of
the
Lord's
people.
This
Reems
to
shadow
forth
the
founding
of
the
various
Bible
Societies
at
the
beginning
of
the
last
century,
mentioned
in
DAWN
III.,
page
51.
THE
SUN-DIAL
OF
AHAZ
What
struck
me
in
examining
the
above
was
that
the
year
of
the
French
Revolution,
typified
by
Hezekiah's
sickness,
was
ten
yenrs
back
from
the
end
of
the
1260
days
of
Daniel,
the
beginning-
of
the
Time
of
the
End.
Can
it
be
that
the
sign
of
the
sun-dial
given
to
Hezekiah
(Isa.
38:
7,
8,
22)
should
be
takE'n
aR
a
prophecy
of
this,
the
ten
degreE'S
(or
steps,
R.
V.)
representing
ten
years?
Did
the
sign
indicate
symbolically
that,
jURt
as
the
shadow
on
the
sun-dial,
on
account
of
Heze
kiah's
repentance,
was
set
back
ten
steps,
so
the
date
of
the
French
Revolution
would
be
set
back
ten
years,
i.
e.,
that
after
this
revolution
would
break
out
in
1789
A.
D.,
ten
years
would
require
to
elapse
before
the
beginning-
of
thf
Time
of
the
End?
The
fact
that
the
prophet
Isaiah
immediately
proceeds
(ch.
40)
to
refer
to
this
Time
of
the
End
would
seem
to
support
this
view.
VoL. XXVI ALLEGHENY, PA., JUNE 15, 1905 No. 12 REMARKABLE CHRONOLOGICAL PARALLELS BY J. Epaap, M.D., AN EMINENT SURGEON, OF SCOTLAND Dear BrotuEr RusseLL:—The Lord has enabled me to see another remarkable confirmation of the Paralle] Dispensations, teaching that 1914 A. D. is the date when Christendom will lose its crown, will be finally overthrown, and when he, “whose right it is,” will take his power and reign. We recognize that the kingdom of fleshly Israel typified Christendom in many respects. Two prominent events, the division of the kingdom into Judah and Israel and its final overthrow as a kingdom, were undoubtedly types, the former of the division of Christendom at the time of the Reformation, the latter of its final overthrow. The remarkable feature which has now come to light is that we have in this a time-parallel. Under Saul, David and Solomon, the typical kingdom was undivided for the space of 120 years. DAwn II., page 50, shows that the whole period of the kings, including these three, was 513 years. The length of time, therefore, from the division of the typical kingdom on the death of Solomon till the removal of the crown from Zedekiah was 513 minus 120, equal to 393 years. The date of the division of Christendom into Papacy and Protestantism was 1521 A.D. Therefore, 393 years later, i. e., in 1914 A. D., we should expect the final overthrow of “Christendom.” The evidence that 1521 A.D. is the date when the split into Papacy and Protestantism occurred is clear. In June, 1520, Luther received from Pope Leo X. the first bull of excommunication, commanding him to confess his faults within sixty days, or be cast out of the church. On 10th December, 1520 (the third month of the year 1521 by the Jewish mode of reckoning), Luther publicly burnt this bull with a copy of the Canon Law, and on 4th January, 1521, the second bull was issued expelling him from the Romish church. Blackie’s Modern Cyclopedia states with regard to this: “From this time Luther formally separated from the Roman church, and many of the principal German nobles, the most eminent scholars, and the University of Wittemberg, publicly declared in favor of the reformed doctrines and discipline. Luther’s bold refusal to recant at the Diet of Worms (17th April, 1521) gave him increased power, while the Edict of Worms and the ban of the Emperor made his cause a political matter.” THE TIME OF THE END MrLenntaL Dawn, Vol. U1, proves from a study of Daniel’s prophecy of the 1260 days that the Time of the End is a period of 115 years, beginning with 1799 and ending with 1914 A.D. Wondering whether there might be a time-parallel here also, I reckoned back 115 years from 606 B. C., and reached the year 721 B.C. as corresponding with the year 1799 A.D. This date I found to be exactly five years before the death of King Hezekiah. Isaiah 38:5 tells us that the date of Hezekiah’s “sickness unto death,” from which he miraculously recovered, was fifteen years prior to his death, and was, therefore, ten years before the date 721 B.C., or, in other words, 125 years before 606 B.C. Reckoning a similar period back from 1914 A.D. brings us to 1789 A.D., the year of the French Revolution, from which Christendom recovered, though it must have seemed to be a “sickness unto death.” We are told that, after his recovery, Hezekiah gave way onee more to his vain-glory and received the Babylonian ambassadors, just as France once more favored Papacy. We also read that he afterwards led water into Jerusalem for the refreshing of the Lord’s people. This seems to shadow forth the founding of the various Bible Societies at the beginning of the last century, mentioned in DAWN I1., page 51. THE SUN-DIAL OF AHAZ What struck me in examining the above was that the year of the French Revolution, typified by Hezekiah’s sickness, was ten years back from the end of the 1260 days of Daniel, the beginning of the Time of the End. Can it be that the sign of the sun-dial given to Hezekiah (Isa. 38:7, 8, 22) should be taken as a, prophecy of this, the ten degrees (or steps, R. V.) representing ten years? Did the sign indicate symbolically that, just as the shadow on the sun-dial, on account of Hezekiah’s repentance, was set back ten steps, so the date of the French Revolution would be set. back ten years, i. e., that after this revolution would break out in 1789 A. D., ten years would require to elapse before the beginning of the Time of the End? The fact that the prophet Isaiah immediately proceeds (ch. 40) to refer to this Time of the End would seem to support this view. THE 2300 DAYS OF DANIEL The year 1846 A. D., which ended the 2300 days of Daniel, has been shown in Dawn, Vol. III., to be the date of the cleansing of the sanctuary. The corresponding date in the typical (179-180) kingdom was 674 B.C. I cannot find this date specified directly in the history of the typical kingdom, but it is significant that at this time the wicked King Manasseh had reigned 42 out of his total 55 years, 674 B.C., therefore, probably corresponds to the date of his repentance and consequent cleansing of the sanctuary. KING JOSIAH The period of the good King Josiah’s activity extended from 651 till 641, and consisted of a cleansing and reforming work. It ended in 641 with the finding of the Book of the Law and the celebration of the Great Passover. The parallel period in the Gospel age was from 1869 till 1879, the period when most of your cleansing and reforming work was done. So far as I can gather, it was about 1869 that you began to inquire into the teaching of the creeds and of the Scriptures, and it was in 1879 that you founded Zion’s Watcu Tower, for the purpose of upholding the doctrine of the ransom in all its fulness against the attacks of Mr. Barbour and others, and of announcing the Great Passover, the resurrection of the “dead in Christ” in the year 1878 A.D. and the passing-over of the feetmembers since that date at the moment of death. THE NUMBER FORTY When we turn back to the early history of the typical kingdom, we find that Saul, David and Solomon each reigned 40 years. It is clear that the reign of Saul represents the Jewish age, that of David the Gospel age, and that of Solomon the illennial age. The fact that the duration of each reign was 40 years indicates that it represented a complete period of testing and sifting. This would appear to be the thought underlying the number 40 in all the instances in which it is used in the Scriptures. For instance, there were the 40 years’ temptation of the children of Israel in the wilderness, Christ’s 40 days’ temptation, etc. They all seem to foreshadow the 40 years of harvest at the end of the Jewish, of the Gospel, and (possibly) of the Millennial ages. THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS It is clear from the Scriptures that Jesus rose on the first day of the week (Mark 16:2), and also that this was “the third day” after his death (Luke 24:21, 46; 1 Cor. 15:4; also Lev. 23:11). It follows that he must have been crucified on a Friday. That this is of importance in estimating the dates of Jesus’ birth and death, is pointed out in DAWN IL, p. 60. Some object to this that Jesus in saying (Matt. 12:40) that he would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, contradicted the statement by the Apostle Paul that he rose on the third day. Those who reason in this way have failed to note that the phrase used by Jesus was purely idiomatic, and implied that he would be in the heart of the earth “till the third day.” The proof of his is to be found in Esther 4:16; 5:1; Gen. 42:17, 18; 2 Chron. 10:5, 12. God is his own interpreter. THE YEAR OF JUBILEE I had always taken it for granted that the year of Jubilee was an ecclesiastical year; but on studying this subject recently, I noticed that the trumpet was to sound on the day of atonement, the 10th day of the 7th month (Lev. 25:9), and presumably, therefore, began on that day. Accordingly, the year of Jubilee was not an ecclesiastical year, i. e., from Spring to Spring, but a civil year from Autumn to Autumn. As every 7th year was a Sabbath year, it follows that the 49th year was a Sabbath year. It would seem as if these were ecclesiastical years. If so, then the Jubilee year began in the middle of the 49th year. But it was called the 50th year! Should one reason from this that it was called the 50th year because it was the 50th civil year? The entrance into Canaan took place in the Springtime at the beginning of an ecclesiastical year. Six months afterwards their 2nd civil year began, while it was still the middle of the 1st ecclesiastical year. Consequently, their 50th civil year began, while it was still the middle of their 49th ecclesiastical year. If this be in the interpretation, it is evident that the land had rest on these occasions, not two years, but only eighteen months. It would seem as if this were a wise provision of the Mosaic Law. It provided that at the beginning of each year of Jubilee, owing to the suspension of work on the land during the previous six months, the restitution of all things was rendered easier of accomplishment; and also after the Jubilee was over, and each had returned to his own land, an opportunity was given to him to prepare the land and get his crop ready for the Spring harvest and the celebration of the Passover and of Pentecost. [3574]
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