fourth beast Antiochus Epiphanes, must consider the fourth beast as representing the Syrian monarchy, or perhaps Syria and Egypt.  But these belong to the third beast.  They are two of the four divisions into which his empire was broken, and which have just been represented by the four heads and four wings of the leopard. (4.) No persecuting power comes after this beast.  Its dominion is destroyed by that of the Messiah, who takes the kingdom and holds it for ever.  This can apply only to the Roman power as perpetuated in its papal form in the ten horns, which correspond to the ten toes of the image.  Chap. 2:41-43.  All the characters of the little horn agree with those of the papal power; and considering the vast influence which this has wielded, and still wields, over God’s church, we should naturally expect that it would be included in a comprehensive view like this of the world’s history.

The prophecies of the book of Revelation relative to the great red dragon—­pagan Rome (chap. 12), the two beasts that succeeded to his seat and power (chap. 13), and (what is identical with these two beasts) the woman riding upon a scarlet-colored beast (chap. 17), are so intimately related to the fourth kingdom of Daniel, that whatever view be taken of this kingdom must apply to them also.  In these prophetic symbols we have again all the characters of pagan Rome as continued in papal Rome.  Chap. 32, No. 4.  To the class of prophecies now under consideration belong also, according to the most probable principle of interpretation, those of the seven seals, the seven trumpets included under the last seal, and the seven vials of the last trumpet (Rev. 6:1 seq.); for in these the succession of events is distinctly marked.

The numbers of the books of Daniel and Revelation, particularly the “time and times and dividing of time”—­three years and a half—­during which the little horn is to have dominion (Dan. 7:25), and (what is equivalent to this number) the “forty-and-two months” during which the Gentiles are to tread down the holy city (Rev. 11:2), and the beast that succeeds to the dragon is to have power (Rev. 13:5); or in days, the thousand two hundred and threescore days of the two witnesses (Rev. 11:3), and of the woman’s sojourn in the wilderness (Rev. 12:6), have furnished for centuries matter of curious speculation and computation, upon the assumption that a day here represents a year (Chap. 35, No. 9); but hitherto history has not verified the results as to time which the students of these prophecies have given.  The failure of their computations might have been anticipated.  It seems to be the plan of God to throw such a vail over even exact dates of prophecy, that their place in a chronological chart of history cannot be accurately marked out beforehand.  Either the time from which the reckoning is to proceed, or the symbolism of the dates, or the place which the whole series holds in