in which he and his disciples describe his return to earth-His coming on that day. "He will come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." And when he thus comes, according to the vision, there are given him everlasting dominion and glory and a kingdom, that universal service and homage may be rendered to him. Now this distinctly teaches that he is to be the supreme and universal sovereign of earth; for all people, nations, and languages are to serve him. These only exist upon the earth, and compose that kingdom of which he is to be the Monarch. Now these powers indicated by these symbols are to exist till the day of judgment-till the thrones are cast down—till the Son of man comes for their destruction, and the introduction of his own kingdom; consequently, the time of the destruction of these kingdoms is the time of the coming of the Son of man: and the time of his coming is the time when the kingdom is given to him. The second beast, the Medo-Persian monarchy, destroyed the first beast, the Babylonian monarchy; the third beast, the Grecian monarchy, destroyed the Medo-Persian; the fourth beast, the Roman monarchy, destroyed the third; and now the fourth, or Roman monarchy, as certainly foredoomed to destruction as those that preceded it waits its destruction, and the heavens and the earth are full of the portentous signs of its rapid coming and near approach; and that is to be done by the smiting of the stone cut out of the mountain without hands-by the coming of the Son of man in the clouds.

of heaven-by the second advent of Jesus Christ. When he comes then he destroys that monarchy and establishes his own, just as each of the preceding monarchies had done. No kingdom, no reign intervenes between the destruction of the fourth beast, the Roman dynasty, and the kingdom of Messiah. When that kingdom, then, is destroyed by CHRIST's coming he receives his kingdom, the whole earth. The time of his coming then, and the destruction of these monarchies, is the time when he shall receive his kingdom.

Further, Daniel distinctly specifies the duration of the Papacy or anti-Christian power-how long it shall wear out the saints of the Most High. They shall be given into his hand, "until a time and times, and the dividing of time;" which is according to the usual interpretation twelve hundred and sixty years. When this time expires he affirms, the judgment shall sit, that is the great Judge of the earth shall occupy the throne of judgment-arraign his enemies before him-pronounce the righteous sentence of condemnation upon them-inflict upon them the punishment they deserve, and destroy him and his power who destroyed the saints. This day of judgment and retributive justice will take away him who spake great swelling words against the Most High, and did wear out his saints, and will take away his dominion to consume and destroy it unto the end. And when all this destruction is accomplished upon that anti-Christian power, then will the kingdom under the whole heavens, which shall have no end, be

given to Jesus Christ and his saints. The time then, when the judgment sits-when Antichrist, the persecuting power, is destroyed, and his kingdom utterly consumed, is the time when the kingdom is given to Messiah.

Many other passages, from the prophets and the book of Revelation, specifying in like manner the time when the kingdom shall be given to Jesus, might be adduced and examined; but it is deemed unnecessary. In perfect accordance, however, with all this, is the teaching of Paul in 2 Thess. i. 8, " And then shall the wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." That wicked, and the person in the third verse designated the man of sin, is evidently one and the same person. It is admitted by all commentators, that these names denote Antichrist. Mention is made of an epoch when he shall be fully revealed-revealed in all his power; and when that time comes, when that full revelation is made, or when he is exercising and working in the mightiness of his power, then the LORD JESUS CHRIST will consume him with the breath of his mouth, and destroy him with the brightness of his coming. But this destruction is to be accomplished at, and by the Lord's glorious coming. And the glorious coming here spoken of, is the glorious coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth for judgment as is clearly taught in the preceding part of the chapter ; consequently the time when the destruction of "that

wicked," "the man of sin," takes place is the time when Messiah receives the kingdom and sits down upon the throne of his father David.

Again, the time when the Jewish nation shall be converted to the faith and public acknowledgment of Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah, is the time, when His kingdom shall be set up and established upon the earth, as is clearly implied in His own words; "Henceforth ye shall not see me until ye shall say, Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord." Christ who possessed the gift of prophecy, yea, was omniscient, and saw clearly all the actions of all generations yet unborn, gave the Jews whom He addressed, distinctly to understand that He was about to leave them, and the earth whereon they dwelt. He intimated at the same time, that His absence would be only temporary, and that He would return, and that they would see Him again. But upon His next appearance, or return to earth, they would not brand or reject Him as an impostor; they would not refuse to recognise Him as the long expected Shiloh. As a nation with eyes unscaled, and vision divinely illuminated they would see His true and glorious character, and with hearts throbbing with ecstasy at His coming, they would recognise, and hail Him with the most rapturous hosannas as their PRINCE OF PEACE. That divinely predicted advent or return has not yet taken place; the heavens yet retain the King of the Jews, and the land of Israel has not yet echoed with the greetings of

their King; but He will return as certainly as He uttered these words and left them. As certainly as they saw Him, and rejected Him, as certainly shall they in a national capacity see, and receive Him with the most rapturous joy. The time of His return, then, and public and national reception, is the time, when the kingdom shall be given to him ;-when He shall assume the government of which the prophets have spokenrestore the kingdom to Israel, and sit upon the rebuilt throne of His father David, and reign over them, and through them over the whole earth, His own, entirely His own kingdom in righteousness for ever and ever.

That the kingdom shall be given to Christ at the time of the national restoration and conversion of the Jews, is also clearly taught by Peter in Acts iii. 19, when addressing the murderers of the Lord, and charging them with the awful sin of crucifying the Prince of life, he says, "Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the LORD; and He shall send Jesus Christ, who before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken, by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began." The grand doctrine clearly taught in this passage is, that when the Jews nationally repent of crucifying the Lord of glory, and recognise JESUS of Nazareth, as their Messiah, the times of refreshing will come; that is, GoD's covenant