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been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be." It is to that time that the 7th chapter of Daniel refers: "After this I saw in the night vision, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly, and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet, and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns" (explained in ver. 24 of the same chapter as signifying "ten kings" or "kingdoms "). "I considered the horns, and behold there came up among them another, a little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots, and behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things (Dan. vii. 6–8). But it is just then-when the strength and pride and ruthless cruelty and blasphemy of apostate world-power summed up in its head reaches its climax, that "the horn of the Gentiles" shall finally and for ever be broken and cast out; for then the last "workman" or "smith" who, though seen by the prophet with the other three, is altogether diverse from them, and is only included in the vision with the others in order to present a full and complete view of the overthrow of all the four horns, shall suddenly appear to accomplish His terrible work of judgment. "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a Son of Man, and He came even to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him (to be invested formally with the Kingdom immediately before He comes in the clouds of heaven to take possession of it); and there was given Him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion," and His kingdom "shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" (Dan. vii. 13, 14, ii. 44, 45, R.V.).

CHAPTER IV

THE THIRD VISION

THE MAN WITH THE MEASURING LINE

(CHAPTER II. 1-13 HEBREW CHAPTER II. 5-17)

And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, by reason of the multitude of men and cattle therein. For I, saith Jehovah, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her. Ho, ho, flee from the land of the north, saith Jehovah ; for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, saith Jehovah. Ho Zion, escape, thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: After glory hath He sent Me unto the nations which plundered you; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye. For, behold, I will shake My hand over them, and they shall be a spoil to those that served them; and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent Me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith Jehovah. And many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day, and shall be My people; and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent Me unto thee. And Jehovah shall inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before Jehovah ; for He is waked up out of His holy habitation.

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CHAPTER IV

HE second and third visions stand in closest possible connection with the first. "The good words and comfortable words" (i. I 3), which were God's answer to the intercession of the Angel of Jehovah on behalf of "Jerusalem and the cities of Judah," contained a twofold message: First, that Jehovah is jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy, and is sore displeased (or very angry") with the nations who are at ease, who helped forward the affliction of Israel (i. 14, 15). Secondly, that He would "return to Jerusalem with mercies," the outward proofs of which would be (a) that His house would again be built in it, as the visible sign and pledge of the restored communion between Him and His people. (b) And "a line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem," ie., as already explained in my notes on that vision, "to mark the space it is to occupy in its restored condition, and the plan on which it is to be arranged."

And not only should Jerusalem itself be rebuilt, but the whole land should feel the blessed effects of Jehovah's return to His people with mercies; and its cities, which He calls "My cities," should "through prosperity yet be spread abroad," or "yet overflow with prosperity" (i. 16, 17).

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Now, just as the second vision of the "horns," and carpenters," or "workmen," is a continuation and sequel to the first part of the consoling message-for it shows how the Gentile nations, who "have helped forward the affliction" by scattering Israel and treading down Jerusalem, shall themselves be broken up and finally over

thrown-so the third vision of the man with the measuring line is an amplification and realistic unfolding of the other" comfortable words " in the second part of the consoling message in reference to the future of the city, and the land, and the people, when Jehovah, in the Person of Messiah, shall "return to Jerusalem with mercies."

The Vision

Lifting up his eyes, the prophet sees a man with a measuring line in his hand, and on asking, " Whither goest thou?" the answer is, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what (or 'how great') is the breadth thereof and what (or how great) is the length thereof." While "the man" is thus actually engaged, the interpreting angel "goes out," or forward, from the prophet by whose side he had been standing, evidently in the direction of the measuring which was going on, to inquire the meaning of the symbolism, so as to communicate it to the prophet; but is met on the way by "another angel," evidently sent forth by "the man with the measuring line, who commands him to run and tell "this young man" from whose side he had just come, saying, "Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns (or 'villages') without walls, by reason of the multitude of men and cattle therein. For I, saith Jehovah, will be unto her a wall of fire, and will be the glory in the midst of her."

The Interpretation

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In the above summary we have already indicated the character of the dramatis persona in this prophetic vision, but it is necessary also to explain it in detail. First, who is "the man" with the measuring line?

Some interpreters have confused him with the interpreting angel, though in the text itself this angel is clearly distinguished from "the man," since he does not "go out " till the latter had already gone to measure Jerusalem. Others, again, have regarded this "man" as "a mere figure

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