The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 3

III. Commentator Clarke-Clear on Outlines; Confused on Periods

Another interpreter, whose commentaries were a household commonplace, was ADAM CLARKE (1762-1832), Irish Wesleyan preacher, commentator, and theologian, born in Londonderry, Ireland. Through the influence of Wesley, he completed his education at Kingswood School, near Bristol. Profoundly impressed to preach the gospel, he became a Methodist in 1778, and began to exhort. He passed through the stages of local and then regular preacher, and was appointed to his first circuit-of Bradford-in 1782. He labored in Ireland, Scotland, and the Channel and Shetland Islands, lie became popular as a preacher and thrice filled the presidency of the Methodist body, in 1806, 1814, and 1822. After 1823, he resided chiefly in London. PFF3 354.3

Clarke was an assiduous scholar, putting in long hours on the classics, the early Fathers, and Oriental writers-in Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit. In 1807 he received an M.A. from the University of Aberdeen, and in 1808 an LL.D. fie was a fellow of the Antiquarian Society, the Royal Irish, and other leading societies and institutes. The writer of numerous works, he is best known for his Commentary (1810-26) in several volumes. PFF3 355.1

1. PAPACY’S DEADLY WOUND OF 1798 SKINNED OVER

On Daniel 2, Clarke gives the standard interpretation of the rise and fall of the tour empires, then the ten divisions, and finally the fifth kingdom of the last days which “shall never have an end.” The “Explanation” at the close of the chapter is quite explicit. The mingling of the clay and iron is by means of leagues and marital alliances. ⁴² Similarly, in Daniel 7 the four beasts are the identical four empires. The horns are the same divisions of Rome, and the little horn is “popedom.” The year-day principle is applied to the 1260 days. But of this he says: PFF3 355.2

“If we knew precisely when the papal power began to exert itself in the antichristian way, then we could at once fix the time of its destruction. The end is probably not very distant; it has already been grievously shaken by the French. In 1798 the French republican army under General Berthier took possession of the city of Rome, and entirely superseded the whole papal power. This was a deadly wound, though at present it appears to be healed; but it is but skinned over, and a dreadful cicatrice remains.” ⁴³ PFF3 355.3

2. 2300 DAYS ARE YEARS; 70 WEEKS FROM ARTAXERXES

On Daniel 8, after the Persian ram and the Grecian goat, the year-day principle is likewise applied to the 2300 days. But again he is not clear, suggesting that “if we date these years from the vision of the he-goat (Alexander’s invading Asia), this was A.M. 3670, B.C. 334; and two thousand three hundred years from that time will reach to A.D. 1966, or one hundred and forty-one years from the present A.D. 1825.” ⁴⁴ However, Clarke dates the seventy weeks, or 490 years, from Artaxerxes’ commission to Ezra. And in Daniel 11 he understands the Turk to be the king of the North, in verses 40-45. ⁴⁵ PFF3 355.4

3. ENDS LAST PROPHETIC PERIODS IN TWENTIETH CENTURY

In order to understand Daniel 12:9, he says, “we must wait ‘till the time of the end;’ and this, it appears from the foregoing calculations, will not arrive before the TWENTIETH CENTURY.” ⁴⁶ Clarke is still less clear on the Apocalypse, and as some of the notes are supplied by others, they will not be taken up here. PFF3 356.1