And he shall speak great words against the most
High
Or, "at the side of the most High" F16; setting himself up as
a rival, and upon an equality with him; taking the names and
characters of holiness, infallibility, yea, of deity itself, unto
him; claiming a power to forgive sin, which is peculiar to God;
and preferring his own laws, doctrines, and traditions, to the
word of God:
and shall wear out the saints of the most High;
by his wars with them, and murders and massacres of them; by
taking away their lives and their substance; so lessening their
numbers, and weakening their strength and power, wear them out,
as a garment is wore out, as the word F17
signifies; utterly consume and destroy them, at least in his own
apprehensions; which will be the case when the witnesses will be
slain, ( Revelation
11:8-10 ) , and especially will wear out their patience, or
however thoroughly exercise it. The word F18, in
the Arabic language, signifies "to afflict and handle roughly";
and such usage the saints have met with, more or less, in all
ages, from the man of sin.
And think to change times and laws:
to alter the forms and constitutions of kingdoms, and the customs
and usages of them; yea, to set up and pull down kings at
pleasure; see ( Daniel 2:21 ) , or to
change the use of times and seasons, by setting apart days as
holy for canonized saints; and appointing such days in a week,
and such a season in the year, for abstinence from meats; and
even to change the laws of God and man, by dispensing with both,
and making new ones of his own:
and they shall be given into his hand;
either the saints he makes war with, and wears out, who shall be
overcome by him; or the times and laws, which he shall not only
have it in his mind and purpose to change, but shall have it in
his power to do it, and shall do it:
until a time, and times, and the dividing of
time;
by "a time" is meant a year, the longest part of time; by
"times", two years; and "the dividing of time", half a year; in
all three years and a half, which is the same with 1260 days, or
forty two months, the time of the witnesses prophesying in
sackcloth, and of the reign of antichrist; so long shall he
continue, exercising his power and authority, his wrath and rage,
and blasphemy, and no longer; see ( Revelation
11:2 Revelation
11:3 ) ( 12:14 ) (
13:5 ) .