HISTORY

Prideaux’s Con., vol. i., pp. 149-131. “In the eleventh year of Manasseh, B. C. 688, died Tirhakah, ^{4Africans and Cyncellum, p. 74.} king of Egypt, after he had reigned there eighteen years, who was the last of the Ethiopian kings that reigned in that country.TSAM 39.2

“The same year that this happened in Egypt, by the death of Tirhakah, the like happened in Babylon, by the death of Mesessimordacus. For, he leaving no son behind him to inherit the kingdom, an interregnum of anarchy and confusion followed there for eight years together, ^{5Canon Ptolemaei.} of which Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, taking the advantage, seized Babylon, and, adding it to his former empire, thenceforth reigned over both for thirteen years; ^{6Canon Ptolemaei.} he is, in the canon of Ptolemy, called Assar-Adinus. And in the scriptures he is spoken of as king of Babylon and Assyria jointly together. ^{7He is said, as king of Assyria, to have brought a colony out of Babylon into Samaria, 2 Kings 17:24. Ezra 4:9, 10, which he could not have done, if he had not been king of Babylon, as well as of Assyria, at that time. And in 2 Chronicles 33:11, he is said, as king of Assyria, to have taken Manasseh prisoner, and to have carried him to Babylon, which argues him, at that time, to have been king of Babylon also.}TSAM 39.3

“In the 22nd year of Manasseh, B. C. 677, Esarhaddon, after he had now entered on the fourth year of his reign in Babylon, and fully settled his authority there, began to set his thoughts on the recovery of what had been lost to the empire of the Assyrians in Syria and Palestine, on the destruction of his father’s army in Judea, and on that doleful retreat which thereon he was forced to make from thence; and, being encouraged to this undertaking by the great augmentation of strength which he had acquired by adding Babylon and Chaldea to his former kingdom of Assyria, he prepared a great army, and marched into those parts, and again added them to the Assyrian empire. And then was accomplished the prophecy which was spoken by Isaiah, in the first year of Ahaz, against Samaria, ^{8Isaiah 7:8.} that, within threescore and five years, Ephraim should be absolutely broken, so as to be from thenceforth no more a people. For this year, being exactly sixty-five years from the first of Ahaz, Esarhaddon, after he had settled all affairs in Syria, marched into the land of Israel, and there taking captive all those who were the remains of the former captivity, (excepting only some few, who escaped his hands and continued still in the land,) carried them away into Babylon and Assyria; and, to prevent the land from becoming desolate, he brought others from ^{92 Kings 17:24. Ezra 4:2, 10.} Babylon, and Cutha, and from Avah, and Hamath, and Sepharvaim, to dwell in the cities of Samaria in their stead. And the ten tribes of Israel, which had separated from the house of David, were brought to a full and utter destruction, and never after recovered themselves again.TSAM 39.4

Esarhaddon, after he had thus possessed himself of the land of Israel, sent some of his princes, with parts of his army, into Judea, to reduce that country also under his subjection; who, having vanquished Manasseh in battle, ^{102 Chronicles 33:2. Joseph. Antiq. lib. 10, 4.} and taking him, hid in a thicket of thorns, brought him prisoner to Esarhaddon, who bound him in fetters and carried him to Babylon.TSAM 40.1

Archbishop Usher, after referring to the above facts in the history of Egypt and Babylon, stated by Prideaux, in reference to the points in question, says:—TSAM 41.1

“Year of the world 3327. Julian period 4037. Before Christ 677. This year also was fulfilled the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah, (chap 7:8,) in the beginning of the reign of Ahaz, “Within sixty and five years, Ephraim shall be broken in pieces so that it shall be no more a people.” For although the greatest part of them were carried away by Salmaneser 44 years before, and the kingdom utterly abolished, yet among them which were left there was some show of government. But now they left off to be any more a people by reason of the great multitude of foreigners which came to dwell there. New colonies or companies were sent out of Babel, Cuth, Hava, and Sepharvaim; and this was done by Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, as is easy to be understood, by the concession of the Cuthites, mentioned Ezra 4:2, 10.TSAM 41.2

“At which time, also, as it should seem, and in the same expedition, whereby these things were done in the land of Israel, some of the chief commanders of the Assyrian army made an inroad into Judea, and then took Manasseh the king, as he lay hid in a thicket; after binding him with chains of brass, carried him away to Babylon. Jacobus Capellus hath noted in his Chron. that the Jews in Sedar Olam Rabba, and the Talmudists, cited by Rabbi Kimchi upon Ezra, chap 4., do deliver, that Manasseh, 22 of his reign, was carried away captive into Babylon, and that he repented him of his sin thirty-three years before his death.”—[Usher’s Annals of the World, p. 75. Lond., 1658. See also Newton on Prophecy, pp, 98, 99. Rollin, B. iii., chap. 2.]TSAM 41.3

From all the light we have upon the event to which this prophecy refers, and from which the seven times should commence, no other date could be named for the event-no other point for the starting-point, any more than we could fix upon any other date than 1776 for the date of American Independence.TSAM 41.4

Having thus disposed of the difficulties; connected with this first and most important detailed prediction of the history of the Jews, so far as it relates to the prophetic period it contains, we will close our remarks by showing that it must terminate in 1843; and by referring to those texts which assure us that the coining of Christ, and the end of all things, in their present state, also come at its termination. God has explained a “time” to be a period of 360 days, (Revelation 12:6, 14.) In seven of those periods there are 2520 days, which, understood as years,—for they cannot be understood literally,—and commencing B. C. 677, end A. D. 1843.TSAM 41.5

360
7
2520
677
1843
The proofs that the end will come at the end of this period are found Daniel 12:1-7. Luke 12:24-27. See also remarks on the cleansing the sanctuary and last end of the indignation.TSAM 42.1