303
adjurations in both prophecies have reference to that very point. The interpretation which reduces long periods of time in them to a short space, cannot fail to cause great confusion. There is a paral- lelism of the times in Daniel and in the Apocalypse, but it is of a hidden character, and, when you have once found it, well put to- gether, far beyond the agreement of the 1260 days, the 42 months, and 3£ times. See Ord . Temp ., as cited above, and pp. 322, 323. [Ed. ii. pp. 274, 275.] As far as relates to the three passages quoted , the parallelism sought in them destroys itself. We will hereafter compare the first passage with the third, at ch. xvii. 10; but the second differs widely from the third, and therefore also from the first. The 42 months precede the vials, and almost exhaust the first portion (division) of the beast, Obs. 9, 13 ; but after the vials there is oXiyov, a short space , and 3J times , in the third portion. The period is not equal, much less the same. The variety of prophetic periods is much too elegant and skilfully contrived , for us to suppose that so many things should come to he thrown together into one mass.
Ohs. 30. It is only hy this method that those things which are ■written in each prophecy respecting the destruction of the heast are reconciled with one another. — The Epicrisis in this part also notices the resemblance only, p. 400. Daniel , he says, attributes fire to the heast: and John confirms this. Comp. p. 373. The dissimilarity is not less remarkable. I beheld , says Daniel, ver. 11, until the heast was slain , and his body was destroyed : and he was given to the burning flame. That last expression, and was given , is separated from the body of the beast, both by the accent and the feminine gender in the Chaldee also, and is joined with the beast himself. Both John and Daniel speak in consideration of one and the same time of the beast, namely, the last ; but Daniel means the beast in all that it comprises (comp. Obs. 26) ; that is, the ten horns, or kings on his head, and the single horn amidst the ten horns, and the body. John separates the ten horns from the beast. Therefore the latter says, — 1) That the beast , together with the false prophet, was cast alive into the lake of fire ; 2) That the other enemies, and in their number those ten , and the rest of the kings of the earth, were slain : but the former writes, — 1) That the beast himself, as far as relates to the ten horns of the head, as distinguished from the body, was slain ; 2) That the body , that is, the resources and power of the beast, perished; and again, 3) That the beast , as far as relates to the single horn, was thrown into the burning fire. While the first and the third division are here separated, a Simultaneum [see Append. Techn.
304