The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2
V. Comprehensive View of Mede’s Prophetic Positions
1. Daniel 2 and 7: FOUR KINGDOMS ARE ABC OF PROPHECY
Declaring the “four kingdoms in Daniel” to be “The A. B. C. of prophecy,” Mede asserts that these four kingdoms are a “Propheticall Chronology of times measured by the succession of foure principall Kingdomes,” and that all the kingdoms of this world should ultimately become the everlasting kingdom. Elsewhere Mede calls this outline the “SACRED KALENDAR and GREAT ALMANACK of PROPHESIE.” 32 PFF2 545.2
“THE FOUR KINGDOMS in Daniel are twice revealed: First, to Nebuchadnezzar, in a glorious Image of Four sundry Mettals; secondly, to Daniel himself, in a Vision of Four diverse Beasts arising out of the Sea. The intent of both is by that succession of Kingdoms to point out the time of the Kingdom of Christ, which no other Kingdom should succeed or destroy.... PFF2 545.3
“The same Kingdoms of the Gentiles are typified here which were in the former of Nebuchadnezzar’s Image; namely, the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman.... PFF2 545.4
“This Universal Kingdom of the Son of man revealed in the clouds of Heaven, which Daniel here saw, and which the Angel expounds to be the Kingdom of the Saints of the most High, is the same with that voiced in the Apocalypse, upon the sound of the seventh Trumpet, All the Kingdoms of the World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ.” 33 PFF2 545.5
2. LITTLE HORN THE GREAT PAPAL APOSTASY
Mede asserts the Little Horn to be “an Apostasie from the Christian faith,” or the “Antichristian state” of Rome, which was to continue 1260 years, and which the enemies of true exposition seek to fasten upon Antiochus Epiphanes, for but three and a half literal years. 34 PFF2 545.6
3. 1260 YEAR-DAYS SYNCHRONIZE WITH SIMILAR PERIODS
Mede declares that the 1260 year days of the “wicked Horn” are the same as the periods in Daniel 12, the forty-two months of the Witnesses, the treading down of Jerusalem, the profanation of the Temple and City of God, and the Beast’s blasphemous and persecuting reign. As to Futurism’s claims, he says: PFF2 546.1
“Our adversaries would have them literally understood for three single years and a halfe, as though it were an History, and not a Prophesie: but besides the use of the prophesie to reckon dayes for yeers, I think it would trouble any man to conceive how so many things as should be performed in this time, should be done in three single yeeres and a halfe. 1 Ten Kingdomes founded at the same time with the Beast. 2 Peoples, and multi tudes of nations and tongues to serve and obey him. 3 To make warre with the Saints and overcome them. 4 To cause all that dwell upon the earth to worship him. 5 Babylon to ride the Beast so long, that all nations shall drinke of the wine of her fornication, the Kings of the earth commit fornication with her, yea the Merchants and all those that had ships in the Sea, to grow rich by trading with her. Mee thinkes all this should aske much more than three yeares works, or foure either.... Therefore 3. years & a half historically taken, cannot be the time of the Churches Apostasies, and the Antichristian sovereignty of Rome: and if it cannot be taken historically, it must be taken prophetically, every day for a yeare; & so 1260 dayes counted so many yeares shewes the extent of those ... [latter times] to be 1260 years.” 35 PFF2 546.2
4. ROME’S TEN DIVISIONS ENUMERATED
Mede’s list of the ten divisions of Rome in 456 is: “(1) Britans, (2) Saxons, (3) Franks, (4) Burgundians, (5) Wisigothes, (6) Swevians and Alanes, (7) Vandals, (8) Almaines, (9) Ostrogothes, ... (10) Greeks.” 36 PFF2 546.3
5. SEVENTY WEEKS “CUT OFF” FOR JEWS
Recognizing four possible decrees from which to date the seventy weeks, Mede held that they were cut off from a longer term for the Jews: PFF2 546.4
“The word CHECK CHECK here translated determined or allotted, signifies properly to be cut, or cut out, and so may seem to imply such a sence, as if the Angel had said to Daniel, Howsoever your bondage and Captivity under the Gentiles shall not altogether cease, untill that succession of Kingdoms, which I before shewedthee, be quite finished: yet shall God for the accomplishing his promise concerning the Messiah, as it were, cut out o£ that long term a certain limited Time, during which, the Captivity of Judah and Jerusalem being interrupted, the Holy City and Commonwealth in some measure shall again be restored, and so continue till Lxx. Weeks of years be finished.” 37 PFF2 546.5
Mede, like Scaliger before him and Wood and Hales after him, pivots the seventy weeks on the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 rather than on the almost universally preferred crucifixion. He suggests starting from the second year of Darius Nothus: Nabonassar Era 327817, or Olympic years 355845 (421 B.C.A.D. 70); but he prefers beginning from the sixth year of Darius Nothus: N.E. 331821, or Olympic years 359849 (417 B.C.A.D. 74), placing the end of the temple sacrifices in the midst of the seventieth week. He bases a separate sixty two weeks on the A.D. 33 crucifixion date as the midst of the sixty-second week, with the starting point in the seventh year of Artaxerxes Mnemon, not Longimanus: Olympic years 379813 (397 B.C.A.D. S7). 38 PFF2 547.1
6. CONFUSED RELATION OF SEALS AND TRUMPETS
On some points Mede was behind some of his predecessors. For ex ample, he retrogressed on the first six seals, which he limited to pagan Rome; and regarded the trumpets as the unfolding of the seventh seal. So the seals were made to extend only to the time of Diocletian and Constantine, and the overthrow of paganism. 39 PFF2 547.2
7. TRUMPETS: BARBARIAN INCURSIONS, AND SARACENS AND TURKS
According to Mede, the first four trumpets were successively tied to Alaric, Genseric, Odoacer, and Totila. The fifth trumpet was fulfilled in the Saracens; and the sixth, by the Turks from the Euphrates. This, he adds, is in harmony with the best expositors. The fifth and sixth trumpets are explained, morever, on the year day principle, which is to be particularly noted, especially for the sixth-the 150 year days of the “locusts” are given as the beclouding years of Saracenic ravages on the Italian coast, from A.D. 830 to 980. 40 The Euphratean horsemen’s hour, day, month, and year, Mede takes as 396 years (365 + 30 + 1) from the taking of Baghdad, about A.D. 1057, to the taking of Constantinople in 1453.” 41 The seventh trumpet is yet to come. PFF2 547.3
8. BEASTS OF Revelation 13 SYMBOLIZE ROME
In Revelation 12 the woman and the dragon are carried by Mede back to Constantine’s war with, and overthrow of, paganism. And in Revelation 13 the first beast of that chapter is the papal secular empire, and the second the bishop of Rome and his clergy- with the pope as the “seventh and last head of the Romane Com monwealth, in the Citie standing upon seven hils.” The Beast’s name is Lateinos 42 PFF2 548.1
9. VIALS ARE WOUNDS INFLICTED UPON PAPACY
In Revelation 16 he suggests the vials are the wounds inflicted by the Waldenses, Albigenses, Wyclifites, and Hussites, Luther’s labor, and that of other Reformers, and Elizabeth’s reign-with some vials still future. The seat of the Beast is Rome, and the drying up of the Euphratean flood is the coming exhaustion of the Turkish Empire. 43 The Babylon of chapter 17 is the apostasy at Rome that Paul denominates the Mystery of Iniquity.” 44 PFF2 548.2
10. SECOND ADVENT INAUGURATES MILLENNIUM
The brightness of Christ’s coming will destroy Antichrist and inaugurate the millennial period.” 45 On this, Mede was clear as crystal, and was immovable. PFF2 548.3
11. 1,000 YEARS BOUNDED BY Two RESURRECTIONS
“The seventh Trumpet, with the whole space of 1000 years thereto a pertaining, signifying the great Day of Judgement, circumscribed within two resurrections, beginning at the judgement of Antichrist, as the morning of that day, and continuing during the space of 1000 years granted to new Jerusalem, (the Spouse of Christ) upon this Earth, till the universall resurrection and judgement of all the dead, when the wicked shall be cast into Hell to be tormented for ever, and the Saints translated into Heaven, to live with Christ for ever.” 46 PFF2 548.4
12. NEW JERUSALEM IN THE MIDST OF EARTH
The New Jerusalem is to become the capital of the new earth, “placed in the midst of our world.” 47 PFF2 549.1
To get the full picture, let us note paralleling Roman Catholic activities in the field of prophetic exposition. PFF2 549.2