First Elements of Sacred Prophecy: Including an Examination of Several Recent Expositions and of the Year-Day Theory

Thomas Birks exposits the “first elements” of the symbolical prophecies of Daniel and John, the prophecy of Jesus, and a few predictions in the writings of Paul. He states his object as being “to secure firm footing at every step, and, avoiding more doubtful questions, to establish the first elements of prophetic truth on clear and logical grounds of Scripture evidence and solid reason.” He helps readers unpack these kinds of prophecies, that “refer more immediately to the Church of Christ, in its actual state and present dangers,” and “endeavored to remove some of those prejudices and objections, which have lately been repeated in various forms, and have tended to obscure even the simplest conclusions that had been previously drawn from the inspired predictions.” Birks designs his work to serve as an introduction to works on these prophecies from writers such as Mede, Daubauz, Cressener, and Faber.