2 Thessalonians Ii. 3. 227

a thousand years between the destruction of the beast and the last day. But how 'mil these years be reconciled with the lan guage of Paul? Ans. Paul, looking back (referring here) to Daniel, as we shall afterwards see, at the same time implies those things, which are marked by the same prophet as about to happen between the destruction of the little horn and the end of the world, vii. 7, 9, 14, 22, 26, 27. Many things long prior to the destruction of the beast, as well as also the entrance of Jesus Christ through suffering into glory, are connected with His coming in the clouds ; Matt. xxvi. 64 ; John xxi. 22, notes. Therefore the same coming might be connected with the destruc tion of the adversary, which is a matter of very great import ance between the two comings of Christ. And as the end of the world admitted of being (was able to be) connected with the destruction of Jerusalem, because the revelation of the intermediate events was not yet mature ; so Paul might connect the coming of Christ with the destruction of the adversary, be cause [the revelation of] the thousand years were reserved for (against the time of giving) the Apocalypse, which much more clearly explains these points, so that the prophecy of Daniel itself may obtain light from the Apocalypse subsequently given. However, Paul appropriately [skilfully] terms it, the appearance of the coming, not the coming itself. It was not yet the time for more special information, and yet the Spirit of truth dictated those words to Paul, that they might exactly agree with the very things, which were afterwards to be more particularly revealed. The prophecy proceeds gradually. The Apocalypse speaks more explicitly than Paul ; and Paul in this passage speaks more explicitly than the Lord Himself, before He was glorified ; Matt. xxiv. 29 : where see the notes. Moreover we ought to interpret the more ancient and more involved expressions by such as are most recent and most distinct, and not abuse the former for the purpose of weakening and eluding the latter. Nay, even in actual fact the destruction of the adversary coheres (is connected) with the coming of Christ ; for there are two things especially illustrious in the glory of Christ, namely, that He is the Son of God, and that He is coming to judgment. Concerning each of these the Scripture has a similar mode of speaking, which we should carefully observe. It alleges the