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

CEBIS'C S SECOND COBfEf€h
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yoke again while the kingdom of Babylon stood, bnt had
to pay them tribute until the Medee and Persians conquered
Babylon, which was about one hundred and forty
ears aRer the first captivity ip Babylon of Judah and
ferusalem. Then the Ye& and Persians reigned
over the Jews, and ma& them pay tribute, and put
a yoke of bondage upon them, until Alexander the
Grecian conquered them, about two hundred and two
years afterwards; when the Grecians became the masters
of Judea, and continued the yoke of bondage, carrying
away bto captivity many of the principal citiwna
of Jerusalem, a d obligin them to pay tribute, and their
young men to serve as sofdien in their armies ; destroying
their riches, defiling their sanctuary, and compelling
them to worship their gods, and sacrifice to their idols,
This government lasted one hundred and seventy-seven
ears, when the Romans made the Grecian general
fiacchides withdraw his army h m Jerusalem, and never
trouble the Jews any more, as Maccabees tells us in
his first book, viii. 31,32j also, k I, 72, 73. This was
one hundred and fifty-e ht years before Christ; the
Bdylonuns, Medes and yersiane, and Grecians, having
each in their turn ruled over and led into captivity,
robbed and spailed the children ofJudah and Jerusalem,
and scattered them amon all the nations of the earth,
as Moses and all the prop%ets had foretold ; in all, from
the captivity of Manaaseh, five hundred and nineteen
years.
No man can read this prophecy, from which our text
is @ken, and the other prophet8 who have spoken of
these things, and understand them literally, and then
read the history of the world, and compare them together
carefully, and let reason decide, and be an infidel. It
would be impossible. The devil knows this ; and, therefore,
he uses all the art he is master of to prevent those
whom he wishes to destroy from reading the prophecies.
He tells them they are dark and intricate. And if this
argument succeeds it ie well; he is sure of his pre%
But if they reason on the subject, and say, If God h&
revealed himself by the prophets, it rnust be for our
is wise, pe all agree he is, if there is