66 war," "to break the power of those who had concerted their deftruction, to extirpate fuperftition, and establish the truth.

The rapidity of their conquefts is in general afferted by Ifaiah, chap. xi. 14.

"They fhall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines to"ward the west, they shall spoil them of the "east together; they fhall lay their hands upon "Edom and Moab, and the children of Am"mon fhall obey them." A particular account of the conqueft of all Palestine is given, Ifa. xiv. 29.-32. to the close. As in the paffage quoted immediately before, the Jews are compared to an eagle, fo here to a fiery flying ferpent darting on his prey. They are faid to come from the north, because they march up from Affyria. The effect of their coming is, that "all Palestine " is diffolved," the government is overturned, and the inhabitants are destroyed. Verfes 30. 32. are a description of the Millennium; and the conqueft foretold being interwoven with that event, shews, that the one immediately precedes the other. We have another account of this conqueft, Ezek. xxv. 15.-17. "Thus faith the "Lord God, because the Philistines have dealt " by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a "despiteful heart, to destroy it (the house of Ju"dah) for the old hatred; therefore thus faith "the Lord God, Behold, I will ftretch out mine

"hand

"hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off "the Cherethims, and deftroy the remnant of "the fea-coaft. And I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I "fhall lay my vengeance upon them."

A fimilar account is given by Zephaniah, chap. ii. 4.-8. " Gaza shall be forfaken, and “Afhkelon a defolation; they shall drive out "Afhdod at the noon-day, and Ekron shall be "rooted up. Wo unto the inhabitants of the "fea-coafts, the nation of the Cherethites, the "word of the Lord is against you: O Canaan, "the land of the Philiftines, I will even deftroy "thee, that there fhall be no inhabitant. And "the fea-coafts fhall be dwellings and cottages "for fhepherds, and folds for flocks. And the "coafts fhall be for the remnant of the house of "Judah; they fhall feed thereupon, in the "houfes of Afhkelon fhall they lie down in the "evening for the Lord their God fhall vifit "them, and turn away their captivity."

Thefe laft words fhew, that the conqueft in view, is coeval with the return of the Jews from their captivity; but no fuch event took place upon their return from Babylon; therefore it shall take place upon their return from the prefent difperfion, confequently after the battle of Armageddon.

The

The conqueft of Moab is largely described in the xvth and xvith chapters of Isaiah', and in the xlviiith chapter of Jeremiah 2.

The conqueft of the country of the Ammonites is laid before us, Jer. xlix. 1, 2. "Con"cerning the Ammonites, thus faith the Lord, "Hath Ifrael no fons? hath he no heir? Why "then doth their king inherit Gad, and his "people dwell in his cities? Therefore behold, "the days come, faith the Lord, that I will ❝cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah "of the Ammonites, and it fhall be a defolate

heap, and her daughters fhall be burnt with "fire; then fhall Ifrael be heir to them that "were his heirs, faith the Lord." Ifrael did not hitherto poffefs the country of the Ammonites; but when fettled in his own land after

the

(1) That the time of this conqueft is after the battle of Armageddon, (fee p. 363. et seq.) The period of three years, mentioned chap. xvi. 14. does not refer to the preceding prophecy, but points to a different and near event. When the prophets mention a very remote event, they fometimes introduce a nearer event, relating to the fame people or country, that when accomplished it may afford a proof of the completion of the more remote event in its own time. Several instances might be adduced of this, if it were neceffary.

(2) The prophecy of Jeremiah is fo fimilar to that of Ifaiah, that they must both refer to the fame time.

the battle of Armageddon, his boundary shall extend, as we have feen, from the coafts of the Mediterranean to the banks of the Euphrates. Then fhall he be heir to the Ammonites. To that period therefore the prophecy points.

The conqueft of the countries of Moab and Ammon is foretold by Zephaniah, chap. ii. 8.——11. "I have heard the reproach of Moab and the

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revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magni"fied themselves against their border. Therefore, as I live, faith the Lord of hofts, the "God of Ifrael, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, " and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah,

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even the breeding of nettles and falt-pits, and "a perpetual defolation, the refidue of my people fhall spoil them, and the remnant of my people fall poffefs them. This shall they "have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against "the people of the Lord of hofts. The Lord "will be.terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth, and men shall wor

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fhip him, every one from his place, even all "the ifles of the heathen." Here it is afferted, that the people of God, or the children of Ifrael,

hall conquer these two countries, and then poffefs them, ver. 9.; at that time, when "all

the gods of the earth fhall be famished," that

is, when every falfe religion fhall be destroyed, and men shall every where worship the true God, Thefe circumstances can only apply to the period after the battle of Armageddon, and immediately before the Millennium.

ver. 11.

The conqueft of the country of Edom by the people of Ifrael, and confequently at the fame time, is predicted by Ezekiel, chap. xxv. 12. to 14. "Thus faith the Lord God, Becaufe that "Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah,

'by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offend"ed and revenged himself upon them; There"fore, thus faith the Lord God, I will also "ftretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will "cut off man and beaft from it, and I will "make it defolate from Teman, and they of "Dedan fhall fall by the fword. And I will "lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of

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my people Ifrael, and they fhall do in Edom

according to mine anger, and according to my "fury; and they fhall know my vengeance, "faith the Lord God." They fhall not only conquer the country of Edom, but they fhall likewife poffefs it; "and they of the fouth fhall poffefs the mount of Efau;" Obad. ver. 19.

The conquest of Syria at the same period, seems to be the event foretold by Jeremiah, chap. xlix. 23.-28. The punishment of Syria and Palestine, mentioned Zech. ix. 1.—8. cer