To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
Some referre these words to the comming of Christ in the flesh, some to the ende of the world, some to the daies of Antiochus.
1. Of the first sort, some giue this sense, when God hath dispersed the hand, that is, the place and citie of this holy people, which came to passe in the destruction of Ierusalem, then
these things shall be fulfilled. Iun. in comment. But 1. beside that the Iewes after they had put Christ to death, were not worthie to be called the people of God, but were reiected of God, and not held to be his people. 2. this prophesie of the tyrannie of Antiochus was ac∣complished before Christ came in the slesh.
2. Osiander thus interpreteth, that first before the ende be, populus Dei per Evangelij praedicationem colligendus est, &c. the people must be gathered together by the preaching of the Gospel: but the text speaketh of dispersing and scattering, not of gathering together the people of God.
3. Of the second sort: some doe thus interpret, that before the ende of the world the Church shall be afflicta, lacerata, & contrita, afflicted, rent as it were in sunder, and troden downe, Bulling. Oecolamp. But they read in the passive, when the dispersion of the hand, that is, the power of the holy people is accomplished, &c. whereas it must be read actively, when he hath accomplished to scatter, &c. and it hath beene before shewed, that this prophesie con∣cerneth not the ende of the world.
4. Some referre it to the comming of Antichrist in the ende of the world, and make this the sense, when as Antichrist beeing destroied, the faithfull which were before dispersed, are returned to their place, and freely professe the Gospel, then shall an ende be of these things: Perer. But this were to make the signe and the thing signified, one & the same: for the thing signified, is the peace and restitution of the Church: this then cannot be giuen as a signe.
5. Hierome expoundeth it, of the oppression of the people of God by the hand of Anti∣christ, ista generalis populi dispersio, this generall dispersion of the people of God is giuen as a signe of the end of these things, Perer. when Antichrist shall be killed, Hug. Card. then shal be the resurrection of the dead, Lyran. But neither doth this prophecie concerne the end of the world, neither yet shall there be such a singular Antichrist, as they imagine.
6. Some vnderstand these words, of the dispersion of the Iewes in the end of the world, after the death of Antichrist, to whome they did cleaue, as their Messiah: then the persecuti∣on of the Christians shall cease, Hug. Card. But this deuise of the Iewish Messiah, and Popish Antichrist, is of like truth and certentie, the one as the other.
7. Of the third sort, which applie these things vnto the time of Antiochus, some vnder∣stand, the hand of the holy people passively, manum prementem, the hand that oppressed the people of God, that is, Antiochus: that after his end and dest••uction, there should be an end of these troubles. Iun. M. Br. in comm. Polan. But 1. it seemeth an harsh interpretation, the hand of the people, that is, the hand which was against the people. 2. neither did all the troubles of the people ende after the death of Antiochus, as the storie of the Macchabees sheweth.
8. Wherefore I take rather Calvins sense, for the generall meaning of the words: that when the people shall be brought to so low an ebbe, as that they shall seeme to haue no strength, ac si manus illis contritae essent, as though their hands were weakned; and when there shall be such a persecution of the people of God, vt nullus apparere audeat in publico, that none da••e to appeare openly, then shall these things come to passe, Lyran. And this sense P••ppus well confirmeth by the like place, Apoc. 6. 11. where vnto the like question, the like answer was made: it was said vnto them, that they should rest for a little season, vntill their fellow seruants, and their brethren, which should be killed, as they were, were ful••illed: the same thing is here meant by accomplishing to disperse the hand (that is the power) of the holy people: that is, when they are at the lowe••t, and there is small hope of any deliuerance, and the Lord hath fulfilled the number of the faithfull, which he purposed to trie, then shall an ende and consummation be of all these things: which came to passe vnder Antiochus, when the faithfull were dispersed, the Sanctuarie lay wast, and small hope remained, then the Lord looked vpon his people, and sent them deliuerance: and this is that which is saide, c. 11. 34. that when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little helpe: when their state seemeth most desperate, then God shall raise them vp an helper, which was Iudas Macchabeus, who was but small in respect of the power of Antiochus.