1841 William Miller Evidence from Scripture & History - A2Z.org

CHRIST'S SLCORD COMIN~. 1%
attempted to subdue the Eastern Empire at Constantine
ple, and made but little progress in conquering Europe,
now to take Constantinople, and to overrun and subdue
one thud part of Europe, which was the fact about the
middle of the fifteenth century.
15th verse, And the four angels were loosed, which
were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and
a year, to day the third part of men." The four angels,
we may reasonably conclude, are a representation of the
four nations that had embraced the Mahometan religion,
and were now under the control of the Ottoman, viz,
Turks, Tartars, Arabs, and Saracen~. The time expressed
in the last-mentioned verse is 391 years and 15
days. "To slay the third part of men,"cls to destroy and
conquer one third part of the governments or kingdoms
of which the Papal beast had the control, which was kue
in the end.
16th verae, "And the number of the army of the horsemen
was two hundred thousand thousand ; and I heard
the number of them' In this verse the precise number
of the army of horsemen is given, for John tella us "he
lleard the number of them!' And if we should understand
the prophet to mean, as some suppose he does,
200,000, multiplied by a 1000, then the sum total would
be 200,000,000, which would be more men than were
ever on ol~r earth at one time capable of bearing arms ;
therefore I believe this is not the meaning of the prophet,
neither do I think that it was a succession of armies during
the whole period of 391 years, making the sum total
of 2C0,000,000, for this, too, w0111d be incredible ; for nllowing
a standing army of 15,.%5,000 to be recruited
every 30 years, it would only make the two hundred
millions ; and this sun1 would be more than five times the
number of all the standing armies in the known world.
And from these co~;siderations I have for myself given
this construction, that the prophet John heard the number
of 200,000 repented, or twice told, which would
make an arrny of 400,000 horsemen ; and this would not
be incredible. And what is to me strong proof of the
fact is, that the hislo informs us that Mahomet 11. came
against constantino8 about the year A. D. 1450, with
11