be the time when it will be again restored to its rightful owner. The difficulty of fixing upon correct epochas from which to date chronological prophetical periods, has always been experienced by every writer on the subject; and that difficulty would have been felt to a greater extent in this instance, had not the attention been directed to this rebellion of Jehoiakim against Nebuchadnezzar, by Calmet's and other tables of chronology, as well as by a subsequent prophecy of Daniel, which will be explained under the "Seventh Period," and which will be found to bring the season of "blessedness" to the same termination as the period under consideration. We are sure that the commencement ought to be dated somewhere about the year 602, at least within a year or two of it: for the first invasion of Nebuchadnezzar being in the year 606, and Jehoiachin being carried captive to Babylon in 600, if Jehoiakim, after three years' allegiance, threw off for a short time Nebuchadnezzar's yoke, he was, for so long a time as he remained unsubdued, exercising the rights of sovereignty; and therefore the commencement of this Period cannot be reckoned prior to this time. It is also clear it cannot be reckoned after Jehoiachin was carried into captivity; for no independent act of sovereignty was ever : which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection." import of the blessing that was conferred upon him, should exclaim in overpowering gratitude: "Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord God?... For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel, to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, Lord, art become their God. And now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said. And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee" (2 Sam. vii.). The original language expresses much more fully than our translation, the idea that David's chief joy arose, in this acknowledgment, from his knowledge of its being the Messiah, the promised Saviour, that was to sit upon his throne; accordingly Peter says, Acts ii. 30: "Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up CHRIST to sit on his throne." Though there may be, and undoubtedly are, as appears from Zech. xii. 12, some of the royal house of David yet in existence-they S THE PROPHECY. "In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. And I saw in a vision; (and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam ;) and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. Then I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will and became great. And as I was considering, behold, an he-goat came from the west, on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he-goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones, toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came forth a little horn which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto Two THOUSAND AND THREE HUNDRED DAYS; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the |