Light for the Last Days A Study in Chronological Prophecy

H Grattan Guinness, Mrs Guinness

• Publisher: Bonhopai Books
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781779794093
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Light for the Last Days: A Study in Chronological Prophecy by H. Grattan Guinness is one of the most ambitious and influential works of nineteenth-century prophetic scholarship — a sweeping attempt to chart the divine calendar of human history through biblical chronology. First published in 1886, this monumental study reflects both the intellectual curiosity and the spiritual fervor of the Victorian evangelical age, combining historical analysis, scriptural exegesis, and scientific precision to interpret the unfolding of God's plan for the nations.

Guinness, a mathematician, missionary, and theologian, approaches prophecy not as mystical speculation but as a disciplined study grounded in Scripture and historical record. Through careful calculation and comparison, he traces the great prophetic periods of Daniel and Revelation, aligning them with world events — from the rise and fall of empires to the restoration of Israel and the expansion of the Church. His central conviction is that prophecy offers a "light for the last days": a guide for believers navigating the moral and political upheavals of modernity.

 Yet beyond its chronological framework, Light for the Last Days is a work of deep spiritual urgency. It reflects Guinness's belief that history is not random but redemptive, moving toward a divine consummation. His tone is both analytical and devotional, calling readers to moral vigilance, faith, and hope in the nearing fulfillment of God's purposes. The result is a book that bridges the rational and the revelatory — a landmark of prophetic interpretation and a testament to the enduring human desire to understand time itself in the light of eternity. 

Table of contents

• Title page
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• PREFACE.
• CHAPTER I.—INTRODUCTION.
• CHAPTER I.—INTRODUCTORY. THE DANIEL PARALLEL.
• CHAPTER II.—THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES.
• CHAPTER III.—THE STARTING-POINT; OR, THE CAPTIVITY ERA OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH.
• CHAPTER IV.—THE BISECTION; OR, THE ERA OF THE RISE OF THE APOSTASIES.
• CHAPTER V.—THE TIME OF THE END. WESTERN OR PAPAL ASPECT.
• CHAPTER VI.—THE TIME OF THE END.—EASTERN, OR MOHAMMEDAN ASPECT.
• CHAPTER VII.—THE TIME OF THE END.—JEWISH ASPECT, OR THE MODERN RENAISSANCE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE.
• CHAPTER VIII.—CHRONOLOGICAL MEASURES OF THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES.
• CHAPTER IX—LUNAR MEASURES OF THE SEVEN TIMES, RECKONED FROM THE CAPTIVITY ERA.
• CHAPTER X.—SOLAR MEASURES OF THE SEVEN TIMES.
• CHAPTER XI.—MEASURES OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEVEN TIMES.
• CHAPTER XII.—THE SANCTUARY CYCLE.
• CHAPTER XIII.—THE CONNEXION BETWEEN THE SANCTUARY CYCLE AND THE “SEVENTY WEEKS,” OR 490 YEARS, EXTENDING FROM THE PERSIAN RESTORATION ERA TO THE ERA OF “MESSIAH THE PRINCE.”
• CHAPTER XIV.—THE FINAL “TIME” AND THE ANGEL’S OATH.
• CHAPTER XV.—THE FUTURE DATES OF THIS SERIES.
• CHAPTER XVI.—SIGNS OF OUR TIMES.
• CHAPTER XVII.—ANSWERS TO OBJECTIONS.
• CHAPTER XVIII.—REVIEW OF THE HISTORY CONSIDERED.
• CHAPTER XIX.—THE PROSPECT BEFORE US.—PREMILLENNIAL EVIDENCE.
• CHAPTER XX.—THE COMING KINGDOM
• CHAPTER XXI.—THE RULERS IN THE COMING KINGDOM.
• CHAPTER XXII.—THE SUBJECTS IN THE COMING KINGDOM.
• CHAPTER XXIII.—THE SECOND ADVENT ERA.—INTRODUCING THE ETERNAL KINGDOM.
• CHAPTER XXIV.—THE NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH OF THE ETERNAL KINGDOM OF GOD.
• CONCLUSION.
• APPENDIX A.—THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF PROPHETIC CHRONOLOGY.—“SURE AS THE STARS.”
• APPENDIX В.—THE DATE OF OUR LORD’S PASSION.