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<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13229 ***</div>

<h1>The Revelation Explained</h1>
<h2>An Exposition, Text by Text, of the Apocalypse of St. John</h2>
<h3>Showing the Marvelous Development of the Prophecies from the
Time of their Delivery on the Isle of Patmos&mdash;The
Establishment and Growth of Christianity&mdash;Rise of
Mohammedanism in the Eastern Empire&mdash;Of the Papacy in the
Western Division&mdash;Of Protestantism&mdash;The Civil History of
the Territory Comprising the Ancient Roman Empire until the End of
Time&mdash;Together with the Conflicts and Triumphs of the Redeemed
until the Final Judgment, and their Eternal Reward and Home in the
"New Heavens and New Earth."</h3>
<h2>By F.G. SMITH</h2>
<h3>Author of</h3>
<h3>"What the Bible Teaches" and "The Last Reformation," etc.</h3>
<hr />
<p>"Behold the former things are come to pass, and new things do I
declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them." Isa.
42:9.</p>
<p>"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his
secret unto his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7.</p>
<hr />
<h3>FOURTH EDITION</h3>
<hr />

<span class="pagenum"><a id="page5" name="page5"></a>[pg 5]</span>
<a name="preface" id="preface"></a>
<h2>PREFACE.</h2>
<p>The subject of prophecy should be of interest to every Bible
student. Its importance can not be overestimated. By it we are
enabled to ascertain our true position in this time-world. From the
early dawn of creation, Inspiration has foretold with certainty the
great facts connected with the history of God's chosen people. By
this means alone, the divinity of Jesus Christ and the truth of our
holy religion has been established in many minds; for it is not in
the power of mortals thus to vaticinate future events. With such
surprising accuracy have these predictions been fulfilled that even
infidels ofttimes bear witness to their truthfulness. "Behold the
former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before
they spring forth I tell you of them." Isa. 42:9. "For I am God,
and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the
things that are not yet done." Isa. 46:9, 10.</p>
<p>The Revelation is a rich mine of prophetic truth. The history of
the current dispensation is there delineated in advance so
perfectly that we can not but attribute its authorship to Him who
knoweth the end from the beginning, and worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. It was written for the special benefit
of the people of God, and we should give it prayerful
consideration. <span class="pagenum"><a id="page6" name=
"page6"></a>[pg 6]</span></p>
<p>In the preparation for this work, I have gleaned historical
information from all the general and ecclesiastical histories,
encyclopedias, etc., within my reach, and only regret that I had
not access to a still greater number. However, knowing that large
books are seldom read, I determined in advance not to write an
extensive work, but to condense the subject matter as much as
possible, and, therefore, I have been obliged to omit much valuable
material previously gathered. For this reason many lines of
prophetic truth penned by others of the sacred writers have been
passed over in silence, even though relating to the same events as
certain symbolic visions in the Revelation.</p>
<p>I have availed myself of all the helps and the commentaries
within my reach in the study of this important subject. However, I
have but seldom referred to the opinions of expositors. In most
cases their explanations are not based upon any established rule of
interpretation, and the definite laws of symbolic language are
usually overlooked or disregarded. Ordinary readers of the
Revelation have always supposed that the only course for them was
to take the opinion of some learned expositor and to believe on
<i>his authority</i>; and when they have found that equally learned
and judicious men sustained the most opposite views, they have been
bewildered amid conflicting opinions and have decided that, when
such men were at issue, it was useless for them to investigate.
While, therefore, I have made every available use of their
opinions, it was only for the purpose of <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page7" name="page7"></a>[pg 7]</span> forming my
own and of enabling myself so to unfold the nature of the symbols
that every one might see for himself the propriety of the
interpretation given.</p>
<p>The present knowledge that has been attained of this prophetic
book is largely the result of the combined efforts of all who have
labored to unfold its meaning. No one has had the honor of first
understanding all its parts, and very few have failed to contribute
something, more or less, to its true interpretation. Therefore I
have endeavored as much as possible to gather up the good from the
labors of my predecessors and to combine it with the results of my
own study and research. The Exposition of Mr. Lord has had an
important bearing on this work. For many beautiful thoughts
concerning the nature and the use of symbols, in the chapter on the
nature of symbolic language, I must acknowledge special
indebtedness to the Lectures of Thomas Wickes on the Apocalypse,
delivered many years ago, although I have ofttimes arrived at quite
different conclusions in their interpretation throughout the
Revelation. Much appreciated assistance has been derived from the
works of other commentators as well.</p>
<p>There is considerable disagreement among historians themselves
regarding certain historical points, but their differences are of
minor importance so far as the present work is concerned. When such
points were involved, I have simply endeavored to follow the best
authorities. Lengthy or important quotations from other writers
have been duly credited where they appear, hence no special mention
is necessary in this place. Minor extracts are merely enclosed
within quotation-marks.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page8" name="page8"></a>[pg 8]</span>
<p>The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 6 Vols., Philadelphia,
1872, is the edition of Gibbon's Rome from which quotations are
made.</p>
<p>To assist in simplifying the subject and in placing it before
the reader in a concise, comprehensive manner, a number of useful
diagrams have been added; for they serve about the same purpose in
the study of a subject so complicated as do maps in the study of
geography. I would especially call attention to the large "Diagram
of the Revelation," where the various lines of prophetic truth are
outlined in parallel series, enabling the reader to comprehend at
once where the symbolic narrative returns to take up a new line of
thought covering the same period of time. In these diagrams,
however, no attempt has been made to set forth every phase of
thought connected with the subject; only the main features have
been outlined.</p>
<p>Feeling directed by the Lord to undertake this work and
realizing the greatness of the task, I have earnestly sought for
divine wisdom and guidance, and I humbly acknowledge his gracious
assistance in its prosecution; and while I can not indulge the hope
that human fallibility has been overcome, yet I firmly believe that
a careful reliance upon the Holy Spirit has been an effectual means
of avoiding error and unfolding many of the hitherto mysterious
prophecies of this wonderful book. To his worthy name I ascribe all
praise and glory. The future, doubtless, will witness a still
greater development of this subject; for men of God more worthy and
possessing greater abilities will arise, who, beginning where we
have left off, will continue its investigation and <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page9" name="page9"></a>[pg 9]</span> throw upon
it additional light as yet unrevealed.</p>
<p>That the Lord will bless The Revelation Explained to the good of
his church upon earth and grant it a place, however small, in the
cause of present truth, is my earnest prayer.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Yours in Christ,<br />
F.G. Smith.<br />
<i>Grand Junction, Mich., June 26, 1906</i>.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>PREFACE TO FOURTH EDITION</h2>
<p>The reception accorded this work when it was first submitted to
the public was more than gratifying to the author. The lapse of
time has only tended to confirm still more strongly the fundamental
nature of the principle of interpretation adopted. In order to
supply the constant demand, the fourth edition is now issued.</p>
<p>I have taken advantage of this opportunity to make certain
revisions necessitated by an increase of knowledge since the work
was first written, nearly twelve years ago. This revision, however,
did not require an entire re-writing and does not involve a change
in fundamentals.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>F.G. Smith.<br />
<i>Anderson, Ind., Mar. 1, 1918</i>.</p>
</blockquote>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page11" name="page11"></a>[pg
11]</span>
<h2>CONTENTS.</h2>
<p><a href="#preface">Preface</a><br />
<a href="#nature">Nature of Symbolic Language</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap1">CHAPTER I.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap1-1">Introduction, verses 1-11</a><br />
<a href="#chap1-12">Vision of Christ, verses 12-20</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap2">CHAPTER II.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap2-1">Message to Ephesus, verses 1-7</a><br />
<a href="#chap2-8">Message to Smyrna, verses 8-11</a><br />
<a href="#chap2-12">Message to Pergamus, verses 12-17</a><br />
<a href="#chap2-18">Message to Thyatira, verses 18-29</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap3">CHAPTER III.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap3-1">Message to Sardis, verses 1-6</a><br />
<a href="#chap3-7">Message to Philadelphia, verses 7-13</a><br />
<a href="#chap3-14">Message to Laodicea, verses 14-22</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap4">CHAPTER IV.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap4-1">Vision of God's Throne</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap5">CHAPTER V.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap5-1">The Book with Seven Seals</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap6">CHAPTER VI.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap6-1">First Seal Opened, verses 1, 2</a><br />
<a href="#chap6-3">Second Seal Opened, verses 3, 4</a><br />
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page12" name="page12"></a>[pg
12]</span> <a href="#chap6-5">Third Seal Opened, verses 5,
6</a><br />
<a href="#chap6-7">Fourth Seal Opened, verses 7, 8</a><br />
<a href="#chap6-9">Fifth Seal Opened, verses 9-11</a><br />
<a href="#chap6-12">Sixth Seal Opened, verses 12-17</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap7">CHAPTER VII.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap7-1">God's Servants Sealed, verses 1-8</a><br />
<a href="#chap7-9">The White-Robed Company, verses 9-17</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap8">CHAPTER VIII.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap8-1">Seventh Seal Opened, verses 1-5</a><br />
<a href="#chap8-6">First Trumpet Sounded, verses 6, 7</a><br />
<a href="#chap8-8">Second Trumpet Sounded, verses 8, 9</a><br />
<a href="#chap8-10">Third Trumpet Sounded, verses 10, 11</a><br />
<a href="#chap8-12">Fourth Trumpet Sounded, verses 12, 13</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap9">CHAPTER IX.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap9-1">Fifth Trumpet Sounded, verses 1-12</a><br />
<a href="#chap9-13">Sixth Trumpet Sounded, verses 13-21</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap10">CHAPTER X.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap10-1">The Rainbow Angel</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap11">CHAPTER XI.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap11-1">Temple and Holy City, verses 1, 2</a><br />
<a href="#chap11-3">The Two Witnesses, verses 3-6</a><br />
<a href="#chap11-7">The Witnesses Slain, verses 7-10</a><br />
<a href="#chap11-11">The Witnesses Resurrected, verses
11-14</a><br />
<a href="#chap11-15">Seventh Trumpet Sounded, verses 15-19</a></p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page13" name="page13"></a>[pg
13]</span>
<p><a href="#chap12">CHAPTER XII.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap12-1">Woman and Man-Child, verses 1-6</a><br />
<a href="#chap12-7">Michael and the Dragon, verses 7-12</a><br />
<a href="#chap12-13">The Woman's Flight, verses 13-17</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap13">CHAPTER XIII.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap13-1">The Leopard Beast, verses 1-9</a><br />
<a href="#chap13-10">"The Faith of the Saints," verse 10</a><br />
<a href="#chap13-11">The Two-Horned Beast, verses 11-18</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap14">CHAPTER XIV.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap14-1">The 144,000 on Mount Sion, verses
1-5</a><br />
<a href="#chap14-6">The Three Angels, verses 6-11</a><br />
<a href="#chap14-12">"The Patience of the Saints," verses 12,
13</a><br />
<a href="#chap14-14">Harvest of the World, verses 14-20</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap15">CHAPTER XV.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap15-1">Seven Last Plagues</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap16">CHAPTER XVI.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap16-1">The First Vial, verses 1, 2</a><br />
<a href="#chap16-3">The Second Vial, verse 3</a><br />
<a href="#chap16-4">The Third Vial, verses 4-7</a><br />
<a href="#chap16-8">The Fourth Vial, verses 8, 9</a><br />
<a href="#chap16-10">The Fifth Vial, verses 10, 11</a><br />
<a href="#chap16-12">The Sixth Vial, verses 12-16</a><br />
<a href="#chap16-17">The Seventh Vial, verses 17-21</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap17">CHAPTER XVII.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap17-1">"Babylon the Great," verses 1-6</a><br />
<a href="#chap17-7">Beast and Ten Kingdoms, verses 7-18</a></p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page14" name="page14"></a>[pg
14]</span>
<p><a href="#chap18">CHAPTER XVIII.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap18-1">Fall of Babylon</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap19">CHAPTER XIX.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap19-1">Marriage of the Lamb, verses 1-10</a><br />
<a href="#chap19-11">Coming of Christ, verses 11-21</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap20">CHAPTER XX.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap20-1">The Dragon Bound, verses 1-6</a><br />
<a href="#chap20-7">The Dragon Released, verses 7-10</a><br />
<a href="#chap20-11">The Judgment Scene, verses 11-15</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap21">CHAPTER XXI.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap21-1">New Heaven and Earth, verses 1-8</a><br />
<a href="#chap21-9">The Heavenly Jerusalem, verses 9-27</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap22">CHAPTER XXII.</a></p>
<p><a href="#chap22-1">River and Tree of Life, verses 1-5</a><br />
<a href="#chap22-6">Christ's Coming and Eternity, verses
6-21</a></p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page15" name="page15"></a>[pg
15]</span> <a name="nature" id="nature"></a>
<h2>Nature of Symbolic Language.</h2>
<p>Before proceeding with the interpretation of this wonderful
book, it will be necessary for us to pause and make inquiry
concerning the nature of the language employed in its prophecies
and concerning the mode of its interpretation. It will be seen at a
glance that it is wholly unlike the common language of life; and it
will be useless for us to undertake to ascertain its signification
unless we understand perfectly the principles upon which it is
founded.</p>
<p>The question may be asked, "Is the language intelligible at
all?" Considering the variety of interpretations placed upon it by
expositors and the opinions generally held respecting it, we might
conclude that it is not. The majority of the people look upon these
prophecies as "a mass of unintelligible enigmas," and are ready to
tell the student of Revelation that this book "either finds or
leaves a man mad." But are we to look upon its language as being
applied at a venture, without any definite rule, capable of every
variety of meaning, so that we can never be quite <i>sure</i> that
we have its correct interpretation?</p>
<p>Commentators generally unite in attaching a definite meaning to
certain symbols, and they tell us that these can not be applied
otherwise without violating <span class="pagenum"><a id="page16"
name="page16"></a>[pg 16]</span> their nature. They may not give us
their reasons for thus applying them (in fact, they generally do
not), yet it is evidently assumed that such reasons do exist. Now,
if reasons actually exist why a definite signification must be
applied to the symbol in the one case, why do they not exist in
another case, and in all cases? If any law exists in the case at
all, it is a uniform one, for a law that does not possess
uniformity is no law; otherwise, it would be an unintelligible
revelation, and the only possible thing left for us to do would be
to attempt to solve it like a riddle&mdash;guess it out. It would
be as if the writer were to use words with every variety of meaning
peculiarly his own attached, without informing the reader what
signification to give them in a given instance. No man has a right
thus to abuse written or spoken language; and we may take it for
granted that the God of heaven would not make such an
indiscriminate use of symbolical language when making a revelation
to men. There is no other book the wide world around in which
language is as carefully employed as in the Bible; and we can rest
assured that when God gave this Revelation to Jesus Christ "to
<i>show</i> unto his servants things which must shortly come to
pass," he made choice of proper symbols whose meaning can be
definitely evolved, provided we can but ascertain the great
underlying principles upon which their original selection was
based.</p>
<p>In the ordinary communication of our thoughts we employ
arbitrary signs and sounds to which we have universally agreed to
fix a definite meaning. Thus, our entire spoken language is made up
of a great variety of sounds or words with which by long
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page17" name="page17"></a>[pg
17]</span> practise we have become familiar. We call a certain
object a horse, not because there is any similarity between the
sound and the animal designated, but because we have agreed that
that sound shall represent that object. So, also, we have agreed
that the characters h-o-r-s-e shall represent the same thing; and
by the use of twenty-six characters, called the alphabet, placed
together in various combinations, we are able to write our entire
spoken language.</p>
<p>The incidents connected with the introduction of written
language among a barbarous people are worthy of remark in this
connection. That thought can be conveyed to persons at a distance
by the use of certain cabalistic characters seems to them
incredible, and when compelled to believe it, they look upon the
person that can accomplish such wonders as embodying something
supernatural. These things I mention merely to call attention to
the fact that spoken and written language is a curious and
wonderfully complicated affair. This is brought forcibly to our
minds when we hear persons conversing in a foreign tongue, or when
we pick up a book the characters of which are wholly unlike those
of our own language. To us an English book is full of instinctive
beauty, every letter or mark possessing a definite meaning that is
instantly conveyed to our minds, because we have become familiar
with them by diligent study and practise.</p>
<p>There are other ways of transferring thought besides the
complicated system just mentioned&mdash;ways which are much more
natural and simple. Thus, a simpler way to represent a certain
object would be to draw a picture of it; or, better still, to
represent <span class="pagenum"><a id="page18" name=
"page18"></a>[pg 18]</span> a certain character or quality by
exhibiting, not the object itself, but an analagous one whose
peculiar character that property is; for examples: the quiet,
peaceful, gentle disposition of a child, by a lamb; a man of
cunning, artful, deceptive disposition, by a fox; or a cruel,
bloodthirsty, vindictive tyrant, by a tiger, etc. This is
hieroglyphical or symbolic language. This language takes precedence
over every other for naturalness and simplicity, being common to a
greater or less extent among all nations and intelligible to
all.</p>
<p>Spoken language was undoubtedly a gift from God originally,
while written language is probably a mere human invention. We are
not to suppose that the first attempts to convey thought in writing
would be by an alphabetical system, but by the symbolic, it being,
as before stated, the most natural and within reach of the ordinary
ingenuity of man. This is proved by the fact that the inscriptions
on the ancient monuments of Egypt and the inscriptions of other
nations of antiquity are of this character. It is also a fact
worthy of notice that, four thousand years later, men of other
countries and of other languages have, by much study and a careful
comparison of the symbols, been able to decipher with accuracy
those hierographical representations.<a id="footnotetag1" name=
"footnotetag1"></a><a href="#footnote1"><sup>1</sup></a> This of
itself is sufficient to establish the point that definiteness can
be attached to the use and the interpretation of carefully-selected
symbols, when the principles that governed their original selection
are discovered.</p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote1" name=
"footnote1"></a><b>Footnote 1:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag1">(return)</a>
<p>The systems of hieroglyphical writing employed by various
nations have, for the most part, remained unintelligible until a
key of their interpretation was discovered. In 1799 M. Bouchard, a
French captain of engineers, while digging intrenchments on the
site of an old temple near the Rosetta mouth of the Nile, unearthed
a black stone containing a trilingual inscription in hieroglyphics,
demotic characters, and Greek. The last paragraph of the Greek
inscription stated that two translations, one in the sacred and the
other in the popular Egyptian language, would be found adjacent;
hence this celebrated stone has afforded European scholars a key to
the language and writing of the ancient Egyptians. The cuneiform
writing of the Babylonians and Persians remained a mystery also
until modern times, but great progress has now been made in the
deciphering of thousands of inscribed clay tablets, cylinders,
prisms, etc. The key to its interpretation is the celebrated
inscription at Behistun, cut upon the face of a high rock three
hundred feet above its base, and recording a portion of the history
of Darius. It is written in the cuneiform characters, in three
languages&mdash;Median, Persian, and Assyrian.</p>
</blockquote>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page19" name="page19"></a>[pg
19]</span>
<p>I do not wish to be understood as implying that the symbolical
language of Scripture is identical with the hieroglyphics of
ancient monuments. There may be different kinds of symbolic
representations; but they are not arbitrary, as is spoken language,
and can not be arbitrarily applied; a fixed law governs them
all.</p>
<p>Now, the book of Revelation is made up of this symbolic
language. It is not, however, confined to this book alone. There
are many instances of it to be found elsewhere in the sacred
volume, and in many cases it is explained by inspiration itself,
thus giving us a reliable key to the whole. Joseph's dream of the
eleven sheaves that made obeisance to his sheaf was of this
description (Gen. 37:7, 8), and his eleven brethren were angered,
because its meaning was apparent&mdash;that they should be humbled
before him. Also, his dream of the sun, the moon, and the eleven
stars (verses 9, 10) was understood to signify the subjection of
the entire family unto him, which was actually <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page20" name="page20"></a>[pg 20]</span> fulfilled
after Joseph's exaltation in Egypt. The chief butler's dream of the
vine with three branches bearing grapes, which he took and pressed
into the king's cup, was interpretated by Joseph as signifying the
butler's restoration in three days to his former position of
cup-bearer to the king; while the chief baker's dream of the three
baskets upon his head, out of which the birds ate, was
interpretated as signifying his execution in the same length of
time. Gen. 40. Pharaoh's dream of the seven fat kine and the seven
lean kine, also of the seven full ears and the seven thin ears,
signified seven years of plenty and seven years of famine. Gen.
41.</p>
<p>Again, the four divisions of King Nebuchadnezzar's wonderful
image was explained by Daniel as signifying four universal
monarchies and the ten toes as signifying the ten minor kingdoms
which grew out of the fourth; while the stone that was cut out of
the mountain without human intervention he interpreted as
signifying the divine kingdom of God. Dan. 2. The two-horned ram of
Daniel's vision (chap. 8), according to the explanation of the
angel, symbolized the Medo-Persian empire, its two horns signifying
the two dynasties of allied kings that composed it. The he-goat
signified the Greco-Macedonian empire; his great horn, its first
mighty king; and the four horns that replaced the great one when
broken represented four kings under whom the empire would
eventually be divided into as many parts. In the Apocalypse itself
we have a number of symbols divinely interpreted, "The seven stars
are the angels of the seven churches." "The seven candle-sticks
which thou sawest are the seven churches." "The ten horns
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page21" name="page21"></a>[pg
21]</span> which thou sawest are ten kings." "The waters which thou
sawest ... are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."
"The woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over
the kings of the earth," etc.</p>
<p>It will be seen that the great underlying principle or
<i>law</i> upon which symbolic language is based is ANALOGY. An
object is chosen to represent not itself, but something of
analagous character.</p>
<p>Webster defines <i>symbol</i> as follows: "The sign or
representation of any moral thing by the images or properties of
natural things. Thus, a lion is the <i>symbol</i> of courage; the
lamb is the <i>symbol</i> of meekness or patience." Home, in his
Introduction to the Study of the Bible, says: "By symbols we mean
certain representative marks, rather than express pictures; or, if
pictures, such as were at the time <i>characters</i>, and besides
presenting to the eye the resemblance of a particular object,
suggested a general idea to the mind, as when a <i>horn</i> was
made to denote <i>strength</i>, an <i>eye</i> and <i>scepter,
majesty</i>, and in numberless such instances; where the picture
was not drawn to express merely the thing itself, but something
else, which was, or was conceived to be, analagous to it." The main
idea, then, as expressed in the foregoing definitions, is the
representation of an object, not by a picture of itself, but by
something analagous, such as the exhibition of moral qualities by
images drawn from nature. But the use of symbols is not confined to
the representation of moral subjects alone. Anything may be
symbolized to which a corresponding analagous object can be
found.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page22" name="page22"></a>[pg
22]</span>
<p>To establish the principle of analogy here laid down, it will be
necessary to refer only to a few of the numerous examples of
divinely interpreted symbols in the Scriptures. Any one can readily
perceive the analogy between the seven fat kine of Pharaoh's dream
and as many years of plenty; so, also, with the seven full, healthy
ears that grew up on seven stalks. Likewise, the analogy between
the seven thin kine and as many years of famine, and the seven
thin, blasted ears that represented the same thing, is apparent.
One fat kine or one full ear would symbolize one year of plenty,
when crops were abundant; while seven would represent as many
distinct seasons of prosperity, etc. Kine do not represent kine,
but something analagous. The beasts of Daniel's visions do not
represent animals like themselves, or a multitude of such animals,
but something of analagous disposition. The analogy between a wild,
ferocious beast, stamping upon or devouring everything within its
reach, and a cruel, persecuting, tyrannical government is apparent.
A horn does not signify a horn, but some great power, such as a
dynasty of kings or rulers; and what the horn is to the animal in
manifesting its desolating disposition, kings and rulers are to an
empire in executing the persecuting or oppressive principles of the
body politic. A pure, chaste virgin is used to symbolize the true
church of God; whereas a corrupt harlot is chosen to represent an
apostate church, and fornication her idolatrous worship.</p>
<p>Although this principle is worthy of further elucidation, yet
enough has been said to firmly establish the point that symbolic
language is founded upon <span class="pagenum"><a id="page23" name=
"page23"></a>[pg 23]</span> analogy. It is also clear that,
whenever we attach a literal signification to a symbolic object, we
immediately destroy entirely its use as a symbol. So we may accept
it as one established landmark in the interpretation of the
Apocalypse, that every symbol, regardless of the department from
which it is taken&mdash;whether from the material universe, the
animal kingdom, human life or the heavenly realm&mdash;stands as
the representative, not of itself, but of some other object of
analagous character not found in the same department from which it
is drawn.</p>
<p>This develops another important fact worthy of attention. If the
great law of symbolic language is based upon analogy, it is clear
to a demonstration that the symbols employed <i>must be</i>
definitely applied. They can not be arbitrary, as the words
composing our spoken language are. There is nothing in the nature
of the thing to prevent our calling a horse an elephant, provided
we had only agreed universally to adopt that designation of the
animal referred to (arbitrary sounds can be arbitrarily applied);
but we violate nature when we attempt to make a ferocious tiger the
symbol of an innocent child, or represent a blood-thirsty tyrant by
the symbol of a lamb. A disgusting, polluted harlot may be the
proper symbol of an apostate church, but of the pure, holy church
of God&mdash;<i>never</i>. A proper correspondence must be kept up.
We must follow nature strictly.</p>
<p>Symbols are drawn from every department&mdash;from animate and
inanimate creation, from animal life and human life, from the
visible universe below and the heavenly world above, and also from
some objects of fancy to which there is no corresponding object in
existence, <span class="pagenum"><a id="page24" name=
"page24"></a>[pg 24]</span> such as Daniel's four-headed beast, or
the one in the Revelator's vision with seven heads and ten horns;
but in the selection of the same a proper correspondence of quality
is kept up. The symbols that are chosen to set forth the great
spiritual affairs of the church are such as are in themselves
nobler than those selected to describe the political affairs of
kings and empires, because in the divine estimation the church is
of infinitely greater importance and occupies a more honorable
position than worldly kingdoms. Thus, a beautiful virgin bride is
chosen to represent the church of God; whereas a great red dragon
with seven heads and ten horns is chosen to symbolize the Pagan
Roman empire. The glorious body of God's reformers is set forth
under the symbol of an angel from heaven, with his face as the sun,
his feet as pillars of fire, and a rainbow upon his head; whereas
the Saracen warriors of Mahomet are locusts upon the earth, with
stings of scorpions. The department of human and angelic life is
chosen to set forth the spiritual affairs of the church, while the
department of nature and of animal life represents the political
affairs of nations. To this general rule, there is at least one
exception. Certain things connected with God's chosen people under
the old dispensation are considered proper symbols to represent
similar things or events in the New Testament dispensation, without
special regard to the department from which they are drawn. Thus,
the temple, altar, incense, candlesticks, holy city, etc., of the
former age, though not taken from the department of human or
angelic life, are, nevertheless, clearly used to represent affairs
of the church, the analogy in the case being apparent <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page25" name="page25"></a>[pg 25]</span> because
of their former prominence as connected with the Lord's covenant
people.</p>
<p>Again, when the symbol selected is that of a living, active,
intelligent agent, it represents an analagous intelligent agent.
Likewise, the actions of the former plainly denote analagous
actions in the latter, and the effects produced by the actions of
the symbolic agent signify analagous effects produced by the
actions of the agent symbolized. To make it clearer: agents
symbolize agents, actions symbolize actions, and effects symbolize
effects. If this be not true&mdash;if agents can symbolize actions
and effects as well as agents, or if actions can symbolize agents
and effects&mdash;then all is an inextricable maze of confusion,
and well may we repeat the words uttered by a certain minister to
the writer, "The book should have been called Mystification, not
Revelation."</p>
<p>The same principle of analogy is carried out in another
particular. Whenever the enemies of God or destructive agents are
intended, objects of a corresponding desolating character are
chosen as their symbols; whereas the peaceful triumphs of the
cross, as exhibited by God's chosen people, are described under
symbols of an equally benign and gentle character. Thus, the
anti-christian, persecuting power of Rome is described as a
ferocious wild beast, stamping everything beneath its feet and
spreading desolation on every side. The Vandal hordes of Northern
barbarians, who, under Genseric overran the Western Roman empire
early in the fifth century, are symbolized by a volcanic mountain
cast into the sea and spreading its streams of molten lava in every
direction. The fearful pest of Mohammedanism is a <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page26" name="page26"></a>[pg 26]</span> dense
smoke issuing from the bottomless pit and darkening the heavens.
The Saracens of Mahomet are swarms of locusts appearing upon the
earth, with scorpion stings, tormenting men five months, or,
prophetically, one hundred and fifty years. On the other hand, a
church is a candle-stick; its pastor, a beautiful star; the whole
church, a virgin bride; the glorious assembly of God's reformers, a
rainbow angel, etc.</p>
<p>From the foregoing it will be seen that symbols are not words,
but things, chosen because of some analagous resemblance to
represent other things; and by a careful study of the nature of the
symbols themselves we can ascertain where to look for their
fulfilment. In the present work no attempt has been made to prove
the interpretations given merely by the authority of learned names
(for they can be arrayed on every side of a passage), but the
nature of the symbols themselves has been developed; and the reader
will be able to judge how nearly the known laws of symbolic
language have been followed.</p>
<p>It will be necessary, however, to notice another exception to
the rules given, although it can scarcely be said to form an
exception&mdash;it rather proves the very position taken.
Undoubtedly, there are some few objects whose nature forbids their
symbolization, there being no object in existence of analagous
character that can be chosen as their representative. God,
evidently, can not be symbolized; for where is the individual in
heaven or on earth that can stand as his representative? "To whom
then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?"
Isa. 40:18. Man can not represent him, angels can not; for whenever
they appear on the panoramic <span class="pagenum"><a id="page27"
name="page27"></a>[pg 27]</span> scene, they denote distinguished
agencies among men. There may be certain symbols connected with his
person, setting forth his divine attributes and proclaiming the
eternal majesty of his name; but he himself is described as "One
sitting upon a throne," before whom the created intelligences of
earth and heaven fall down and worship unceasingly, but no symbol
of Him is given. The same exception also applies to the person of
Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer. While the human aspect of the
Savior, as exhibited during the incarnation in his sacrificial
death, may be properly symbolized by a lamb, as in <a href=
"#chap5">chap. V</a>, there is no created intelligence in God's
great universe that can be chosen to represent, in his true,
essential divinity, Him who does not deem it robbery to claim
equality with God. There may, likewise, be certain symbols
connected with his person to give us at least a faint impression of
his divine character and infinite majesty; yet when he appears upon
the symbolic scene, he distinctly announces, "I am the first and
the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am
alive forevermore." "He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name
written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." So whenever the divine
Christ appears on the symbolic scene, he comes in his own person,
proclaiming his own name, and we need look for no symbol of
him.</p>
<p>Upon the opening of the fifth seal, the souls of the martyrs are
represented as crying unto God from the altar for the avenging of
their blood on those who dwell on the earth. Where is there an
object in all creation analagous to a disembodied spirit? None can
be found. It is easy to give them an arbitrary <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page28" name="page28"></a>[pg 28]</span> name;
therefore they appear in the Revelation under their own appropriate
title, as "the <i>souls</i> of them that were slain." Chap.
<a href="#chap6-9">6:9, 10</a>, also <a href=
"#chap20-4">20:4</a>.</p>
<p>This exception applies to every case where no corresponding
object can be selected as a symbol. Where the nature of the subject
forbids its symbolization, there the description must of necessity
be literal, and all such objects appear under their own appropriate
titles. Otherwise, we are to look upon the entire book of
Revelation as a vast collection of symbols whose interpretation is
to be found, not in the department from which they are taken, but
in another, to which they bear a certain analagous resemblance.</p>
<p>Although not pertaining strictly to the subject of symbolic
language, yet a word respecting the plan of the prophecy will be
appropriate at this time. The prophetic events are not arranged
after the ordinary plan of histories, narrating all the
contemporaneous events in a given period, whether civil, religious,
literary, scientific, or biographical, thus finishing up the
history of that period; but it consists of a number of distinct
themes running over the same ground. The proof of this assertion
will appear as we proceed with the development of the
prophecies.</p>
<p>May the wisdom of heaven direct us in the perusal of this
wonderful book of Revelation, and may we at last be "accounted
worthy to obtain that world," and the glorious privilege of
rendering eternal praise to "Him that sitteth upon the throne,"
"upholding all things by the word of his power," "declaring the end
from the beginning," and revealing his mighty works unto the
children of men.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page29" name="page29"></a>[pg
29]</span> <a name="chap1" id="chap1"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER I.</h2>
<a name="chap1-1" id="chap1-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show
unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he
sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:</p>
<p>2. Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of
Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.</p>
<p>3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of
this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for
the time is at hand.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This book of the Revelation is frequently styled the Apocalypse,
derived from the word by which it is designated in Greek. Jesus
Christ having received it from God, its author, designed it for the
future benefit of his church, and communicated it to his servants
by the hand of the beloved apostle John. Its character is described
by its title "Revelation," which signifies something revealed or
made known; and its object was to "show unto his servants things
which must shortly come to pass." This object of God's in
delivering the Revelation to his church should be a sufficient
refutation of the popular theory that this book is unintelligible,
and its varied symbols wrapped in such deep mystery that their
meaning can not be evolved; for it is not consonant with the
supreme power and wisdom of the God-head to suppose that, in making
a revelation to man, he would make the fatal mistake of clothing
his language with a mystery <span class="pagenum"><a id="page30"
name="page30"></a>[pg 30]</span> that defies the intellect of
mortals to unveil. It is said of the things herein revealed that
they "must shortly come to pass," by which is meant not that they
were all to be completely fulfilled within a short time, but that
the series of special events predicted were soon to begin. Thus, we
speak of a century or eternity as near at hand, by which we mean
that the events of the period spoken of are about to commence,
although the end of the series may be very far off.</p>
<p>But who are "his servants"? For whose benefit was the Revelation
given? Surely it was for all those who become children of God by
faith in Christ Jesus, from the beginning of the gospel
dispensation when it was given, until the end of time; for a
benediction is pronounced upon <i>all</i> those who read and hear
its prophecies and "keep those things which are written therein."
It was this promised blessing unto the earnest inquirers into the
truths of Revelation that enabled the writer to decide to give
these prophecies the consideration that is justly their due, and to
recognize their infinite importance to the present church; "for the
time is at hand" that will close the series of events herein
predicted and usher in eternity. Every fulfilment of prophecy
brings with it new duties, and enjoins fresh responsibilities upon
the people of God; yea, "every revolving century, every closing
year, adds to the urgency with which attention is challenged to the
concluding portion of Holy Writ." Daniel prophetically described
some of the events contained also in the Apocalypse, but he was
told to shut up the words and seal the book <i>until</i> the time
of the end, when "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page31" name="page31"></a>[pg
31]</span>
<p>It has been a matter of conjecture as to who the angel or
messenger was that Christ sent to deliver the prophecies to John.
Some suppose it to have been Gabriel, because of his having been a
chosen instrument to deliver similar prophecies to Daniel. Some
think it was Elijah, he having been translated that he should not
see death, and afterwards appearing on the mount of
transfiguration. Others think it was one of the redeemed sons of
earth; because afterward, when rejecting the worship John was about
to tender him, he says, "See thou do it not: I am thy
fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of
Jesus: worship God." Chaps. <a href="#chap19-10">19:10</a>;
<a href="#chap22-9">22:9</a>. But we can not identify this
messenger positively, as no definite information is given. To these
revelations received John bore a faithful record of all things that
he <i>saw</i>, implying the fact that they passed in vision before
him and he beheld them as in a picture.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>4. JOHN to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto
you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to
come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;</p>
<a name="chap1-5" id="chap1-5"></a>
<p>5. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the
first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the
earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his
own blood,</p>
<p>6. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father;
to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.</p>
<a name="chap1-7" id="chap1-7"></a>
<p>7. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him,
and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth
shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page32" name="page32"></a>[pg
32]</span>
<p>8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the
Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the
Almighty.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Apocalypse opens with the salutation of John to the seven
churches in Asia, unto whom it was particularly addressed, and for
whom special messages were prepared. There were other congregations
of the church of God in Asia, or Asia Minor, besides the seven to
whom the Revelation was sent, such as Colosse, Miletus, Troas, etc.
Why only seven were addressed, we do not know, unless it be that
the number seven is used, as elsewhere in the Sacred Volume, to
denote fulness or completeness, being, as has been said, "a kind of
memorial of the great facts of the first seven days of time which
have divided all ages into cycles of weeks." So when we read of
Christ's walking in the midst of the seven churches, we are to
understand that he is in all the congregations of his people; and
the ministers of the seven churches who are upheld by the Lord
himself are representative, in one important sense at least, of the
entire Christian ministry; for Christ has promised to be with them
alway "even unto the end of the world." Mat. 28:20.</p>
<p>This salutation of John's is one of great beauty and splendor,
setting forth, as it does, the divine attributes of the great
Jehovah in a striking manner as he "which is, and which was, and
which is to come," an expression embracing eternity and designating
the eternal, unchangeable God. The seven spirits before his throne
describe the third person in the Trinity, as will appear clearer
hereafter, seven being used as a sacred or perfect number
designating his dignity <span class="pagenum"><a id="page33" name=
"page33"></a>[pg 33]</span> and excellence. Some have supposed that
seven angelic spirits were here described; but it is not consistent
with the honor due the God-head to suppose that created
intelligences should be exalted to a plane of equality with the
supreme Deity. Moreover, they would probably have been described as
seven <i>angels</i>, and not as seven <i>spirits</i>.</p>
<p>Jesus Christ is mentioned next and more fully described, he
being the direct author of the Revelation. He is "the first
begotten of the dead, the prince of the kings of the earth," and
the one "that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood." The statement that Christ is the "first-begotten of the
dead," is parallel to similar expressions in the Bible, where he is
declared to be "the first-fruits of them that slept," "and the
first-born from the dead." Though others had been restored to life
before the resurrection of Christ, yet he was the first to rise
with an immortal, glorified body. These expressions may also denote
that Christ was the chief or central figure among all those who
arose. But it was by virtue of his coming and of his victory over
death that any were enabled to rise before his resurrection, as in
the mind and purpose of God, who "calleth those things which be not
as though they were" (Rom. 4:17), Christ was ordained to die and
rise again, from the foundation of the world. He is the "prince of
the kings of the earth" by virtue of his being exalted to the right
hand of God, with "angels and authorities and powers being made
subject unto him." 1 Pet. 3:22. "Far above all principality, and
power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not
only <span class="pagenum"><a id="page34" name="page34"></a>[pg
34]</span> in this world, but also in that which is to come." Eph.
1:21.</p>
<p>"Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood," describes the great atonement work of Jesus Christ, by
which we are cleansed from all sin and made a royal, kingly
priesthood unto God even in this world. Every soul that has
received the blessed experience John here describes will be able to
appreciate the unbounded rapture the beloved apostle felt in the
contemplation of this wonderful theme of redemption that caused him
to ascribe to God, its author, "glory and dominion forever and
ever."</p>
<p>This Jesus is he who will come again, not in humiliation and
suffering, but in glory and honor; not as a Lamb to shed his blood
for the sins of the world, but as the Lion of the tribe of Juda,
with infinite power and majesty, causing all the kindreds of earth
to wail because of him. The blasphemous Jews, who clamored for his
crucifixion; Pilate, who delivered him up; and the Roman soldiery,
who drove the nails and pierced his side, producing a death of
greatest ignominy&mdash;all will see him when he comes. But while
the proud enemies of God and the cruel oppressors of his saints are
overwhelmed with terror at the sight of His person, the saints of
all ages will shout for joy, saying, "Even so. Amen." "The
judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." In the
face of this awful truth, how dare men assert that the second
advent will usher in a thousand years of peace and tranquility,
during which time the wicked will lie in their graves, when God's
word declares that <i>every eye</i> shall see him when he
comes?</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page35" name="page35"></a>[pg
35]</span>
<p>The present description of Christ closes with the statement that
he is the Alpha and the Omega, which, being the first and last
letters of the Greek alphabet, mean the same as "the beginning and
the ending"; while the whole concludes with the statement that he
is the one "which is, and which was, and which is to come, the
Almighty"&mdash;which is the same as the description given of God
in verse 4. Nothing in addition to this could be ascribed to
Christ. Every attribute with which the Deity himself is invested is
here ascribed to Jesus Christ. If our Savior is anything more than
this description declares him to be, it is beyond the reach of our
finite minds to comprehend. The sacred writers everywhere speak of
him as a being worthy of worship and praise; and this fact, taken
in connection with the universal proneness of men to take the honor
from God and to give it to those who are no gods, is a convincing
proof that Christ is God and, as such, is worthy of all honor and
praise; and nowhere is there given in regard to Christ a warning
caution such as John received from the angel at whose feet he fell
to worship&mdash;"See thou do it not ... worship God."</p>
<a name="chap1-9" id="chap1-9"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>9. I John, who also am your brother, and companion in
tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was
in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the
testimony of Jesus Christ.</p>
<p>10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a
great voice, as of a trumpet,</p>
<p>11. Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and,
What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven
churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna,
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page36" name="page36"></a>[pg
36]</span> and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis,
and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>At the time the Revelation was given, John was a prisoner in the
Isle of Patmos (now called Patmo or Patino), a small, desolate,
rocky island in the Aegean sea, near the coast of Asia Minor, its
greatest length from north to south being about ten miles, and its
greatest breadth six. To this lonely place, according to Jerome and
others, John was exiled during the reign of the tyrant Domitian, in
A.D. 95. The reason of his banishment is given&mdash;"For the word
of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." Having confined him
to this barren spot, the emperor no doubt thought he had
effectually cleared the world of this preacher of righteousness.
Doubtless the persecutors of John Bunyan<a id="footnotetag2" name=
"footnotetag2"></a><a href="#footnote2"><sup>2</sup></a> thought
the same when they had him shut up in Bedford jail. But when men
think the truth is dead and buried out of sight, God suddenly gives
it a resurrection with thirty-fold greater glory. It was so in this
case. The giving of the book of Revelation&mdash;the writing on
this spot of the history of the church in advance&mdash;has changed
the name of this rocky island from deepest infamy to one of sacred
interest and holy recollections. The death of Domitian occurred in
A.D. 96, and his successor, the humane Nerva, recalled those who
had been exiled because of their faithfulness to Christianity; and
John returned <span class="pagenum"><a id="page37" name=
"page37"></a>[pg 37]</span> to Ephesus, where he spent the
remainder of his days, dying a natural death at the advanced age of
about one hundred years.</p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote2" name=
"footnote2"></a><b>Footnote 2:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag2">(return)</a>
<p>John Bunyan (1628-1688) was a Puritan. After the restoration of
the Stuarts to the throne, at the close of the English Revolution
and the failure of the Commonwealth, he was imprisoned for twelve
years "on account of non-conformity to the established worship." It
was during this dreary confinement that he wrote his "Pilgrim's
Progress," the most admirable allegory in English literature.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The humble manner in which John speaks of himself is
affectionate. He does not represent himself to the churches as some
great apostle or prophet, but as "your brother and companion in
tribulation," a sharer with them in the trials and the persecutions
that they were all called upon to endure. He also testified that he
was "in the kingdom and patience of Christ," of which we will speak
more hereafter.</p>
<p>It was on the first day of the week, or the Lord's day, that the
vision recorded in this chapter was given John, while he was "in
the Spirit," or under the influence of the spirit of prophecy. He
was commanded to write in a book the things that he saw and to send
it unto the seven churches of Asia. It is important to bear in mind
the fact that these visions are things that John <i>saw</i>, all
the actors and events passing before him as a moving
panorama&mdash;the most stupendous scene that human eyes have ever
beheld, containing the future political history of various nations
and kingdoms and also the history of the church in her different
phases from the beginning until the final consummation. Of the
seven churches we will speak more particularly hereafter.</p>
<a name="chap1-12" id="chap1-12"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>12. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being
turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;</p>
<p>13. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the
Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about
the paps with a golden girdle.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page38" name="page38"></a>[pg
38]</span>
<p>14. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as
snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;</p>
<p>15. And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a
furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.</p>
<p>16. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his
mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the
sun shineth in his strength.</p>
<p>17. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid
his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first
and the last:</p>
<a name="chap1-18" id="chap1-18"></a>
<p>18. I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive
for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The hieroglyphic, or symbolic, characters now begin. Turning in
the direction from which the voice came, John saw seven beautiful
candle-sticks and standing in their midst, a personage whose
appearance was inexpressibly glorious. John had recognized the
voice of Christ announcing "I am the first and the last," but he
was not prepared for the sight that met his gaze when he turned and
found himself in the immediate presence of his August Majesty, the
Son of God. A human form was there, but clothed in such vestments
as proclaimed God; and no wonder mortality was overwhelmed when
ushered into the presence of the uncreated Deity&mdash;he whose
feet glowed as brass in a furnace, whose eyes were as a flame of
fire, and whose voice was as the sound of many waters. Any man
would have fallen as dead before such a personage as is here
described. Men may talk atheism, but it <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page39" name="page39"></a>[pg 39]</span> is the
atheism of the lips and of a coward heart, an atheism that would
flee appalled before the burning footsteps of the Deity, and the
irresistible conclusion would be, "It is God himself."</p>
<p>John was not left in doubt regarding the identity of this
personage; for, laying his hand upon the prostrate form of the
apostle, he said, "Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he
that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore,
Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." The ever-living One
entered death's domains and permitted himself to be bound with
chains; but at his pleasure he broke them asunder, conquered death,
and rose triumphant, carrying with him the keys of hell and of
death; and he has ascended on high, alive forevermore; and at his
voice all the dead will arise at his appearing, for the grave can
no longer hold its victims.</p>
<p>This vision settles an important fact&mdash;that when Christ
appears upon the panoramic scene, he comes in his own person, and
not in the character of a created substitute. There may be symbols
connected with his person&mdash;the sword of his mouth may signify
vengeance upon his enemies; his eyes as a flame of fire, superior
intelligence and penetrating vision, etc.&mdash;but he distinctly
announces himself to be the Christ of God. There is no creature in
the universe that could personate "him that liveth, and was dead,
but is alive forevermore."</p>
<a name="chap1-19" id="chap1-19"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>19. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which
are, and the things which shall be hereafter;</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page40" name="page40"></a>[pg
40]</span> <a name="chap1-20" id="chap1-20"></a>
<p>20. The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right
hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the
angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou
sawest are the seven churches.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here John received a special commission to write the things of
the future that were to be given, the things that were then taking
place, and also certain events which had come under his personal
observation during his life-time, and which were also included in
the symbolic visions, thus covering the entire gospel
dispensation.</p>
<p>The special symbols employed in this introductory vision are
here explained by Christ himself, thus leaving us in no doubt
whatever. A star is a fit symbol of the position of a Christian
minister&mdash;set in the church to give the light of the gospel of
Jesus Christ to the world; while a candle-stick fitly represents
the congregation working with him and sustaining him in his
position. The special power of Christ&mdash;symbolized by his right
hand&mdash;is manifested in upholding his ministers, while he walks
in the midst of his churches, ready with the sword of his mouth to
defend them from the attacks of their adversaries and to prove
their constant Guardian and Protector.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page41" name="page41"></a>[pg
41]</span> <a name="chap2" id="chap2"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER II.</h2>
<a name="chap2-1" id="chap2-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things
saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who
walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;</p>
<p>2. I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how
thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them
which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them
liars:</p>
<p>3. And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake
hast labored, and hast not fainted.</p>
<p>4. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast
left thy first love.</p>
<p>5. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent,
and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and
will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou
repent.</p>
<p>6. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the
Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.</p>
<p>7. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree
of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The special messages to the seven churches of Asia Minor are not
of such thrilling interest as are the symbolic visions of the
remainder of the book, yet we can learn many beneficial lessons
from the various experiences of these congregations.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page42" name="page42"></a>[pg
42]</span>
<p>At the time the Revelation was given, Ephesus was the chief
capital of Proconsular Asia and its pride and glory. It was also
that country's chief mart of idolatry, containing, as it did, the
magnificent temple of Diana, which is reckoned as one of the seven
wonders of the world. This temple, according to the disclosures of
modern excavations, was four hundred and eighteen feet in length,
and two hundred and thirty-nine in width, with one hundred
beautiful external pillars of Parian marble, each a single shaft
about fifty-six feet high. The city was proud of the title it had
received, "Servant of the Goddess," and even the Roman emperors
vied with wealthy natives in lavishing gifts to her. One of the
latter, named Vibius Salutaris, presented a large quantity of gold
and silver images to be carried annually in procession.</p>
<p>In this proud, wealthy, idolatrous city the apostle Paul planted
a Christian church, and the great inroads the gospel made into the
prevalent system of idolatry is shown by one circumstance mentioned
in the Book of Acts. "And many that believed came, and confessed,
and showed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts
brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and
they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces
of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." Acts
19:18-20. Fifty thousand pieces of silver would be equal to ten
thousand dollars' worth, or, according to some estimates, six times
that amount. But ten thousand dollars' worth of books on
incantation and magic alone destroyed, considering the scarcity of
books in that day, shows the wondrous extent to which the gospel
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page43" name="page43"></a>[pg
43]</span> had been accepted. This was made the occasion of a great
tumult in the city, when one, Demetrius, seeing that the prestige
of Diana was diminishing, stirred up the people of the city against
Paul and his companions, and cried vehemently, "Great is Diana of
the Ephesians!" The souvenir silver shrines and images of this
goddess, which had been in such demand by the multitudes of people
constantly visiting the city, were no longer sought for when the
knowledge of the one true God was made known; and well might
Demetrius and his fellow-craftsmen be alarmed as their means of
wealth disappeared.</p>
<p>The spiritual condition of this church in Paul's time is worthy
of notice; for it presents a striking contrast with its condition
at the time when the special message of the Revelation was
addressed to it. Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians taught them
the glorious doctrine of entire sanctification (chap. 5:25-27), and
they had received the experience; for he gives them the express
command, "Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed
unto the day of redemption." Chap. 4:30. And again, "After that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise." Chap.
1:13. Their ministers, also, had been placed in their position by
authority of the Holy Ghost, and were commanded to feed the flock.
See Acts 20:28. When this was their heavenly experience, their
"first works" of patience, love, and perseverance, were acceptable
unto Christ; but it was not their present condition. A sad
declension had taken place; therefore the declaration, "I have
somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." This
was no mere human estimate placed upon <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page44" name="page44"></a>[pg 44]</span> their piety, but it was
their condition as Christ himself knew it to be. He "who walketh in
the midst of the seven golden candlesticks," and knoweth the hearts
of all men, declared they had fallen, and commanded them to repent
and to do the first works. How sad that a congregation which had
one time enjoyed the fulness of God's favor should fall from grace
and be threatened with destruction by the Lord himself! But there
is one consolation to be obtained from the experience of this
church, and that is, that even if persons have enjoyed an
experience of pardon and of sanctification and have lost it, there
is a possibility of their recovering the favor of God, provided
they "repent, and do the first works."</p>
<p>But Christ, who in chapter <a href="#chap1-5">1:5</a> is said to
be "the faithful witness," will not overlook anything that is good,
nor censure a congregation unjustly. He finds in this church one
fact worthy of commendation&mdash;their abhorrence of the deeds of
the Nicolaitans. The infamous practises attributed to this party
are promiscuous sexual intercourse and the eating of things
sacrificed to idols. It is said to have derived its name from
Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch, who was one of the seven deacons
appointed by the church at Jerusalem, Acts 6:5. But there is no
satisfactory evidence that Nicolas was its founder; and it is the
belief of many, that the sect attributed their origin to him simply
to gain the prestige of his name. However, its mention in this
connection is sufficient proof that at this time those corrupt
principles had been widely promulgated.</p>
<p>The letter closes with an admonition and a promise&mdash;an
admonition to give heed to the things uttered <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page45" name="page45"></a>[pg 45]</span> by the
Spirit, and a promise of everlasting life to the overcomer. This
shows that Christ does not approve or condemn indiscriminately. If
the great mass of professors continue in their backslidden
condition, the individual that gives heed to God's Word and is made
an overcomer will have a right to "the tree of life, which is in
the midst of the paradise of God."</p>
<p>What, may we ask, has been the fate of this church against which
Christ uttered the threat of removal? There is no proof that they
gave heed to the exhortation to repent, and the candle-stick has
long since been taken away. Not a vestige of a church remains to
mark the site of this once important congregation; nay, the city
itself is no more, the stork, the jackal, and a few miserable
Turkish huts alone remaining on the site of this once proud
metropolis where thousands congregated and cried, "Great is Diana
of the Ephesians!"</p>
<a name="chap2-8" id="chap2-8"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>8. And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These
things saith the first and the last which was dead, and is
alive;</p>
<p>9. I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art
rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and
are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.</p>
<p>10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold,
the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried;
and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto
death, and I will give thee a crown of life.</p>
<a name="chap2-11" id="chap2-11"></a>
<p>11. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second
death.</p>
</blockquote>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page46" name="page46"></a>[pg
46]</span>
<p>Smyrna was situated on a bay of the Aegean Sea, its beautiful
harbor rendering it from time immemorial one of the most important
commercial cities of Asia Minor. History does not inform us when
the gospel was first introduced in this city; but at a very early
date a large congregation existed there, with the venerable
Polycarp as its pastor. He suffered death by martyrdom under the
reign of Marcus Aurelius about A.D. 167.</p>
<p>In each of the seven letters to the churches Christ introduces
himself by some appellation significant of the character he assumes
toward them. In this he styles himself "the first and the last,
which was dead, and is alive," a fact very important for that
congregation to remember during the great seasons of persecution
and oppression through which they were to be called to pass.</p>
<p>Against this church Christ has no words of condemnation to
utter; all is encouragement and promise. Their condition of poverty
is mentioned. It is probable that this very poverty arose because
of their accepting Christianity and taking joyfully the spoiling of
their goods; for it is a well-known fact that, when individuals
embrace Christianity in an idolatrous land, they are disinherited
by parents, cast out by relatives, and denied public employment.
Even the community refuses to associate with them or to render them
assistance in any form. Their means of subsistence is thus cut off,
and they are harassed in every possible manner. Perhaps this is the
very trial of poverty the church of Smyrna passed through; but
Christ declares that they are rich: yea, God hath "chosen the poor
of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page47" name="page47"></a>[pg 47]</span> kingdom
which he hath promised to them that love him." Jas. 2:5. Their
enemies may think that they have reduced them to a condition of
wretchedness, but in this the persecutors are mistaken. God says
the righteous are rich. A certain writer has remarked, "There is
many a rich poor man, and many a poor rich man."</p>
<p>The blasphemy of opposing, self-styled Jews is next mentioned.
In all probability the term <i>Jew</i> is applied in its spiritual
sense. Paul declares that "he is not a Jew which is one outwardly
... but he is a Jew which is one inwardly" (Rom. 2:28, 29), and
that "if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise." Gal. 3:29. These persons professed to
belong to the true "Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16), but they were
without salvation; and the Smyrnaen church would not recognize them
as belonging to the congregation, and therefore the only name that
could be applied to them was "the synagogue of Satan." Had they
been tolerated in the assembly of the righteous, Christ would have
condemned or rebuked the church for not performing their duty, the
same as he did the churches of Pergamos and Thyatira.</p>
<p>Great persecutions for the church of Smyrna are predicted; but
he "which was dead, and is alive forevermore," having passed
through the ordeal of suffering and death himself, stands in a
position to speak words of comfort and consolation, assuring them
in the strongest terms that, although wicked men and the devil may
cast them into prison and persecute them unto the death, yet "he
that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." The
overcomers <span class="pagenum"><a id="page48" name=
"page48"></a>[pg 48]</span> are of the number of those who, having
had "part in the first resurrection, on such the second death hath
no power." Chap. <a href="#chap20-6">20:6</a>. The ten days
doubtless are prophetic time (which will be explained later) and
signify ten years, which was probably fulfilled in the terrible
persecution that began under the reign of Diocletian, and continued
ten years, or from A.D. 302 to 312.</p>
<p>The subsequent history of Smyrna has been different from that of
Ephesus, in that it has retained its name and importance until the
present day, being the greatest commercial city in the Levant. It
has a population of more than two hundred thousand, several
thousand of whom belong to the Greek and Armenian churches. The
light there has become dimmed, but let us pray that God will soon
remember the faith and perseverance of his ancient servants and
again trim the lamps that once shone so brightly.</p>
<a name="chap2-12" id="chap2-12"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These
things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;</p>
<p>13. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where
Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied
my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful
martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.</p>
<p>14. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast
there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to
cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel, to eat things
sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.</p>
<p>15. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the
Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page49" name="page49"></a>[pg
49]</span>
<p>16. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
fight against them with the sword of my mouth.</p>
<a name="chap2-17" id="chap2-17"></a>
<p>17. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the
hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a
new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth
it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Pergamos was a city of considerable importance, the ancient
metropolis of the province of Mysia and the residence of the
Attalian kings.</p>
<p>The description here given of Christ is in accordance with the
character of the church addressed and the work he found necessary
to perform in it. They are said to be located "where Satan's seat
is." Pergamos was a city reputed to be "sacred to the gods" and was
one of the headquarters of idolatry. There are numerous such cities
now among the Hindoos and other idolatrous nations. These cities
are regarded with peculiar veneration and sanctity, and they
contain the most honored temples. In the midst of such surroundings
the influences against Christianity would be very great.</p>
<p>The congregation is commended because of its loyalty and
steadfastness during a period of persecution in which Antipas was
slain. When this persecution occurred, we are not informed; and as
to the identity of Antipas, we are also left in uncertainty. Some
suppose him to have been the elder of the church.</p>
<p>Christ censures them severely, however, for tolerating persons
in their midst who held the doctrine of Balaam and the pernicious
sentiments of the Nicolaitans, and he threatens to fight against
them with <span class="pagenum"><a id="page50" name=
"page50"></a>[pg 50]</span> the sword of his mouth unless they
repent. The doctrine of Balaam is partly explained&mdash;he "taught
Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel, to
eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication." When
Balak desired Balaam to pronounce a curse against Israel, God by
various means miraculously prevented Balaam's doing so; but Balaam
craftily instructed Balak to make use of the women of Moab to
seduce the men of Israel to sacrifice to their idols and to indulge
in the licentious accompaniments to such idolatry. In many places
in heathen countries to-day vile women are attached to the temples
of the gods, and at certain stated feasts licentiousness becomes a
sanctioned part of the religious celebration. Balaam's plan was
successful. God was displeased with Israel, and because of this
fornication there fell in one day twenty-four thousand. For a full
account see Num. 22-25; 31:13-17.</p>
<p>It would appear that the doctrine of Balaam and the doctrine of
the Nicolaitans were classed as two different heresies; but the
corrupt tenets of the latter were identical with those of the
former, and the probable meaning is, "As the Hebrews had Balaamites
among them; so, likewise, you have among you the Nicolaitans
teaching the same pernicious doctrines." It is also a singular fact
that the Hebrew signification of Balaam and the Greek of Nicolas is
the same&mdash;"subduer of the people." Thus the doctrine of Balaam
would stand as a representation of the principles taught by the
Nicolaitans.</p>
<p>The letter to this church also closes with an exhortation and a
promise. Hidden manna and a white stone in which is inscribed a new
name are rewarded <span class="pagenum"><a id="page51" name=
"page51"></a>[pg 51]</span> the overcomer. The interpretations of
this white stone have been various, but the difficulty seems to lie
in determining which ancient custom is meant. The most satisfactory
to my mind is that contained in the following account by Mr.
Blunt:</p>
<p>"In primitive times, when traveling was rendered difficult from
want of places of public entertainment, hospitality was exercised
by private individuals to a very great extent, of which, indeed, we
find frequent traces in all history, and in none more than in the
Old Testament. Persons who partook of this hospitality, and those
who practised it, frequently contracted habits of friendship and
regard for each other, and it became a well-established custom
among the Greeks and Romans to provide their guests with some
particular mark, which was handed down from father to son, and
insured hospitality and kind treatment whenever it was presented.
This mark was usually a small stone or pebble, cut in halves, upon
each of which the host and the guest mutually inscribed their
names, and then interchanged with each other. The production of
these stones was quite sufficient to insure friendship for
themselves or descendants whenever they traveled again in the same
direction; while it is evident that these stones required to be
privately kept, and the names written upon them carefully
concealed, lest others should obtain the privileges instead of the
persons for whom they were intended." So those who have obtained
salvation and are overcomers through the blood have received the
sure pledge of Christ's eternal friendship (which those who know
not God can not receive) and are invited to partake of all of his
hospitalities, even to <span class="pagenum"><a id="page52" name=
"page52"></a>[pg 52]</span> "eat of the hidden manna," which is
experienced by the truly sanctified.</p>
<a name="chap2-18" id="chap2-18"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>18. And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These
things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of
fire, and his feet are like fine brass;</p>
<p>19. I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and
thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the
first.</p>
<p>20. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because
thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a
prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit
fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.</p>
<p>21. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she
repented not.</p>
<p>22. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit
adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of
their deeds.</p>
<p>23. And I will kill her children with death; and all the
churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and
hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your
works.</p>
<p>24. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many
as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of
Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.</p>
<p>25. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.</p>
<a name="chap2-26" id="chap2-26"></a>
<p>26. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end,
to him will I give power over the nations:</p>
<p>27. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of
a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my
Father.</p>
<p>28. And I will give him the morning star.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page53" name="page53"></a>[pg
53]</span>
<p>29. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To this congregation Christ manifests himself in the character
of him "who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet
like fine brass," denoting the fact that he is the great discerner
of all hearts and that he is able to render unto every man
according to his deeds. Whether the expression, "his feet like fine
brass," has any particular signification, I am unable to say.</p>
<p>This letter opens with a commendation of the works, the charity,
the service, and the faith of this church. In these things they had
made considerable advancement. Nevertheless, Christ had something
against them, because they had suffered "that woman Jezebel" to
teach false doctrines and to seduce the servants of Christ to
compromise with idolatry and to commit fornication. It is
improbable that Jezebel was her real name; but she was a Jezebel in
character, named in this letter after King Ahab's wicked wife, who
killed the Lord's prophets, seduced her husband into idolatry, and
fed the priests of Baal at her own table. Some have supposed that
this appellation designated a number or class of people teaching
these doctrines; but the manner in which "her children," or
disciples, are spoken of would seem rather to point out a
particular woman&mdash;one who was a leader and the chief
instrument of mischief.</p>
<p>The long-suffering of Christ had been manifested in this case.
He had given her an opportunity to repent of her evil deeds, but
she would not. Now he declares that he will cause his judgments to
descend upon her and her followers. By casting her into a bed is
doubtless <span class="pagenum"><a id="page54" name=
"page54"></a>[pg 54]</span> meant that he would bring her down upon
a bed of sickness and pain and thus make her a most distressing
object. Her partners in sin were to suffer "great tribulation," and
"her children," or disciples, he would kill with death, or deadly
pestilence. Thus would this whole corrupt party be visited with
divine judgments according to their works; while their great
pretensions to wisdom and discernment, "as they speak," or as they
term it, will be shown to be nothing but the "depths of Satan."</p>
<p>The frequent references to these gross sins in the letters to
the churches may seem a little strange to us in the altered
circumstances of society in which we live; but when we consider the
tone of public sentiment and the prevalence of idolatry at that
time, it will be seen that the lapse into these sins was very easy.
Some compromised with the heathen by joining in their idolatrous
feasts, maintaining that the meat was not affected one way or the
other, and this proved but a stepping-stone to the licentious
principles and the corrupt practises of those with whom they thus
associated.</p>
<p>The remainder of this letter is full of encouragement to the
faithful. The only burden Christ placed upon them was a severe
censure because they tolerated that abominable party in their
midst. They were exhorted to continue faithful and were promised
power over the nations. These they should rule with a rod of iron,
the same as Christ, who received this power from his Father. The
law, or rod, with which Christ, and his people with him, as
<i>kings</i> and priests, rule the nations is the word of God, the
most unyielding law, based upon the greatest authority, ever
written. "Let <span class="pagenum"><a id="page55" name=
"page55"></a>[pg 55]</span> the saints be joyful in glory ... let
the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in
their hand; to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments
upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles
with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the <i>judgments
written</i>: this honor have <i>all his saints</i>." Psa.
149:5-9.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page56" name="page56"></a>[pg
56]</span> <a name="chap3" id="chap3"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER III.</h2>
<a name="chap3-1" id="chap3-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things
saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I
know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art
dead.</p>
<p>2. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are
ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before
God.</p>
<p>3. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold
fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on
thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon
thee.</p>
<a name="chap3-4" id="chap3-4"></a>
<p>4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled
their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are
worthy.</p>
<p>5. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white
raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life,
but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his
angels.</p>
<p>6. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Sardis was one of the chief cities of western Asia Minor. It was
beautifully situated on the river Pactolus, in the middle Hermus
valley, at the foot of Mount Tmolus, and was once the capital of
the kingdom of Lydia, the place of residence of Croesus and other
Lydian kings. It was a city of great opulence and splendor, and
"distinguished for the voluptuous and debauched manners of its
inhabitants."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page57" name="page57"></a>[pg
57]</span>
<p>To this church Christ introduces himself as "he that hath the
seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars"&mdash;that is, he has
control of the Holy Spirit's agency and of his ministers. Thus, the
great spiritual agencies of the church are in his keeping to bestow
or to take away as he pleases. Considering the dead condition of
this church of Sardis, it was very appropriate for Christ thus to
address himself to them. He has no words of commendation to offer,
no works of charity, service, faith, and patience of which to
approve. They had works, but these were not "perfect before God."
They were threatened with sudden visitation, as unexpected as a
thief breaking in unawares upon the slumbering inmates of a
dwelling in the still hours of night. Their condition was different
from that of any of the churches before mentioned. They are not
charged with such vile practises as prevailed at Pergamus and
Thyatira, the doctrine of the Nicolaitans had gained no foothold
among them, yet their works were not perfect. "Thou hast a name
that thou livest, and are <i>dead</i>." They had maintained the
external form of religion, but the vital power of godliness was
lacking.</p>
<p>Although Christ could not commend this church as a body, on
account of their lack of spirituality, yet he testified, "Thou hast
a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments."
In the midst of all the cold formalism of professors and surrounded
by worldliness and iniquity, a few preserved their Christian
integrity and were approved by the Lord. "Pure religion and
undefiled before God and the Father is this ... to keep himself
unspotted from the world." Jas. 1:27. All such overcomers have the
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page58" name="page58"></a>[pg
58]</span> promise of being clothed in white raiment ("the
righteousness of saints "&mdash;chap. <a href="#chap19-8">19:8</a>)
and of having their names preserved in the "book of life" in heaven
and confessed before the Father and the holy angels. Wondrous
admission into the heavenly realm! Presented to the Father and the
innumerable hosts of heaven <i>by the Lord, himself</i>, there,
amid sacred environments, to enjoy the transcendent felicity of
eternal blessedness! "They are worthy," saith Christ.</p>
<p>Although this church was threatened with sudden visitation,
there is no hint given of the manner in which this should be
fulfilled, for the reason, perhaps, that it might be all the more
unexpected. The church has long since passed out of existence. The
city itself has lain in ruins for centuries, the modern village of
Sart composed of a few huts inhabited by semi-nomadic Yuruks alone
remaining near the ancient site. Cattle now graze on grassy plains
once traversed by streets and thronged with the inhabitants of this
superb metropolis.</p>
<a name="chap3-7" id="chap3-7"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These
things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key
of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and
no man openeth;</p>
<p>8. I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open
door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and
hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.</p>
<p>9. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say
they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to
come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved
thee.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page59" name="page59"></a>[pg
59]</span> <a name="chap3-10" id="chap3-10"></a>
<p>10. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will
keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all
the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.</p>
<p>11. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that
no man take thy crown.</p>
<p>12. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my
God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the
name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new
Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and I will
write upon him my new name.</p>
<p>13. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Philadelphia was once a large and powerful city, and it
continued thus until later times. Prior to the time the Revelation
was written, it had suffered severely from repeated earthquakes,
which caused it to be almost deserted by its inhabitants.
Subsequently, however, it recovered and became a prosperous,
influential city.</p>
<p>The character Christ assumes toward this church is that of the
Holy and True&mdash;one who will justly reward them for their
patience and perseverance&mdash;and by virtue of his possessing the
key of David (a symbol of power and authority), he is able to place
before them an open door which no man can shut.</p>
<p>The character of this church is wholly unlike that of the
preceding. In that, there was nothing to commend, but much to
condemn; whereas to this, all is admonition, encouragement, and
promise, because they had "kept the word of his patience" and had
not denied his name. Christ knew their works and that <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page60" name="page60"></a>[pg 60]</span> they were
worthy of approval. They still possessed "a little strength" and
had not denied his name.</p>
<p>Christ, who always upholds and rewards his faithful followers,
although they be few in number and constitute the despised of
earth, was not unrighteous that he should overlook this humble
congregation of devoted disciples that had kept his word, but he
made them a number of special promises <i>because</i> of their
faith and perseverance. The first was the assurance that he had set
before them an open door which no man could shut. A door is a means
either of entrance or of escape, and signifies that God was going
to open before them a greater field of enlargement and success, or
else would furnish them a sure means of escape and protection from
their cruel and relentless persecutors. It will be remembered that
the church of Smyrna also received nothing but commendation and
encouragement; but there was no promise of an open door to them. On
the contrary, they were told that they should be tried, cast into
prison, and suffer tribulation ten days. They were comforted,
however, with a certain assurance of future reward and a crown of
everlasting life. But before the church of Philadelphia there was
opened a scene of greater prosperity, deliverance from enemies,
greater enlargement, and the glorious prospect of seeing multitudes
of souls brought under the influence of the saving gospel of
Christ.</p>
<p>The next promise was that of deliverance from opposing Jews, who
were to be humbled before them. This refers, doubtless, to persons
who had a mere profession of Christianity and who were not
recognized by the congregation&mdash;the same as the blaspheming
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page61" name="page61"></a>[pg
61]</span> Jews of Smyrna. The faithfulness of God's elect would
eventually be the means of bringing them back to an experience of
salvation, so that they would worship in the midst of the church
again.</p>
<p>Another promise to this congregation was, "I also will keep thee
from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world."
Some dreadful calamity is here predicted, during which the power of
God would be mercifully manifested in granting this church a
special preservation. Some suppose it to have reference to a great
general persecution throughout the Roman empire, during which the
Christians of Philadelphia would be spared. This may have been the
fact; but whether it was or not, we have no means of information.
When we come to consider the symbols of chapter 9, in which the
delusive error of Mohammedanism is set forth, we will see what a
period of sore trial this delusion was to the Eastern churches. It
is also a fact that, in the midst of this abounding heresy, the
church of Philadelphia was preserved as was no other church of
Asia. When the followers of Mohammed were sweeping like a whirlwind
over the Eastern empire, ravaging everything before them,
Philadelphia remained an independent Christian city, when <i>all
the other</i> cities of Asia Minor were under the power of the
Saracen sword. It held out against the Ottoman power until the year
1390 A.D., when it surrendered to Sultan Bayazid's mixed army of
Ottoman Turks and Byzantine Christians (?). This was six years
after the death of Wickliffe, "the morning star of the
reformation," who opposed the corruptions of the Papacy, gave the
world the first English translation of the Bible, and sowed the
seeds that soon <span class="pagenum"><a id="page62" name=
"page62"></a>[pg 62]</span> grew and produced a Huss, a Jerome, and
a Luther. So God preserved the Christians of Philadelphia in the
East until he began raising up others to herald his truth in the
West, whose labors soon ripened into the glorious Reformation of
the Sixteenth Century.</p>
<p>His final promise to the overcomer is that he shall be made a
pillar in the temple of God, and receive the name of God, of
Christ, and of the New Jerusalem, or city of God. In some manner
the Christian is labelled with the name of God, whose property he
is; with the name of Christ, by whom he was purchased; and with the
name of the New Jerusalem, or city of God, his inheritance and
eternal abiding-place; and he is made a pillar in the temple of
God. By turning to Heb. 12:22, 23, we find that the general
assembly and church of God in this dispensation constitutes, in one
important sense, the New Jerusalem, or city of God, in which the
overcomers abide. "But ye <i>are come</i> unto Mount Sion, and unto
the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ... to the
general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in
heaven." The church is also styled the house or temple of God,
composed of people out of all nations who "are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being
the chief corner-stone; in whom all the building fitly framed
together groweth unto <i>an holy temple</i> in the Lord ... for an
habitation of God through the Spirit." Eph. 2:20-22. See also 1
Cor. 3:17; 1 Pet. 2:5; 1 Tim. 3:15.</p>
<p>To be a pillar in this temple of God means to occupy a
conspicuous or useful position in supporting the truth, examples of
which are to be found in such characters as "James, Cephas, and
John, who seemed <span class="pagenum"><a id="page63" name=
"page63"></a>[pg 63]</span> to be pillars" in the church in
apostolic times. Gal. 2:9. In the last prayer of Christ to the
Father, he says concerning his disciples, "While I was with them in
the world, I kept them in thy name" (John 17:12); and since the
church promised by Christ (Mat. 16:18) has been established, we
continually bear the name of the Father, its title being the church
or city of God. We also bear the new name of Christ, as explained
in chapter <a href="#chap2-17">2:17</a>, and we meet together and
worship in that name (Mat. 18:20), obeying the exhortation of the
apostle Paul&mdash;"Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all <i>in
the name of the Lord Jesus</i>, giving thanks to God and the Father
by him." Col. 3:17. A better understanding of the manner in which
we receive the name of God and of his city will be obtained when we
come to the consideration of the followers of a false, degenerate
church represented as receiving the "mark of the beast," by which
they are designated.</p>
<p>To inquire further into the history of this church, Philadelphia
still remains with a population of about fifteen thousand. It
contains a number of places of public worship, a resident (Greek)
archbishop, and several inferior clergy. Mr. Keith, in his
"Evidence of Prophecy," speaks of the then presiding bishop, and
says that he acknowledges "the Bible as the only foundation of all
religious belief" and admits that "abuses have entered into the
church, which former ages might endure, but the present must put
down." It is also a singular coincidence that the modern Turkish
name of the city, Ala-Shehr, signifies "city of God."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page64" name="page64"></a>[pg
64]</span>
<p>This description of the church of Philadelphia I will bring to a
close by adding the following extract from Gibbon, recorded in his
noted history entitled "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire."
It is of especial value since the writer, being an avowed infidel,
can not be convicted of misconstruing historical facts in order to
favor Christianity.</p>
<p>"The captivity or ruin of the seven churches of Asia was
consummated [by the Ottomans] A.D. 1312, and the barbarous lords of
Ionia and Lydia still trample on the monuments of classic and
Christian antiquity. In the loss of Ephesus the Christians deplore
the fall of the first candle-stick of the Revelation. The
desolation is complete; and the temple of Diana and the church of
Mary will equally elude the search of the curious traveler. The
circus and three stately theatres of Laodicea are now peopled with
wolves and foxes. Sardis is reduced to a miserable village. The God
of Mohammed without a rival is invoked in the mosques of Thyatira
and Pergamus; and the populousness of Smyrna is supported by the
foreign trade of the Franks and Armenians. <i>Philadelphia
alone</i> has been saved by prophecy or courage. At a distance from
the sea, forgotten by the emperors, encompassed on all sides by the
Turks, her valiant sons defended their religion and freedom above
fourscore years, and at length capitulated with the proudest of the
Ottomans. Among the Greek colonies of Asia, Philadelphia is still
erect&mdash;a column in a scene of ruins&mdash;a pleasing example
that the path of honor and safety may sometimes be the same." Vol.
VI., p. 229.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page65" name="page65"></a>[pg
65]</span> <a name="chap3-14" id="chap3-14"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>14. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;
These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the
beginning of the creation of God;</p>
<p>15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I
would thou wert cold or hot.</p>
<p>16. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,
I will spue thee out of my mouth.</p>
<p>17. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:</p>
<p>18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that
thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be
clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and
anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.</p>
<p>19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous
therefore, and repent.</p>
<p>20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with
him, and he with me.</p>
<a name="chap3-21" id="chap3-21"></a>
<p>21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my
throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in
his throne.</p>
<p>22. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Laodicea was one of the wealthiest cities of Asia Minor. It was
built upon some low hills, and occupied an important situation in
the center of a very fertile district. It was famous for its money
transactions and for the beautiful soft wool grown by the sheep of
the country, which facts are both alluded <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page66" name="page66"></a>[pg 66]</span> to in the
message. Verses 17, 18. During the reign of Tiberius C&aelig;sar it
was entirely destroyed by an earthquake, but its wealthy
inhabitants rebuilt it immediately. A Christian church was soon
planted there; for Paul makes the request that his epistle to the
Colossians be read in the church of Laodicea and that his epistle
to the church of Laodicea (which was not included in the New
Testament canon) be read unto them. Col. 4:16.</p>
<p>The condition of this church, according to the burden of the
message, was worse than that of any of the others; for there is not
only no commendation of former faith and piety, but it is not even
said of them, as of the church at Sardis, that a few names were
left who had not defiled their garments. Christ, who here
represents himself in the character of the "faithful and true
Witness," testifies that they are "neither cold nor hot." They did
not have enough piety nor zeal to cause them to do anything for the
honor of Christ and his cause, neither were they open enemies. They
were merely lukewarm, insincere friends, and, as such, were in a
position to do the greatest harm. A certain writer has said, "We
always dread a professed but insincere friend; he is the least
desirable of all relations."</p>
<p>They are further described as being satisfied to remain in their
lukewarm condition, indulging themselves in the riches and the
pleasures of this life. Theirs was a rich, prosperous, influential
church in their estimation, and they were proud of it; but "the
faithful and true Witness" declares that they were "wretched, and
poor, and blind, and naked." What <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page67" name="page67"></a>[pg 67]</span> a contrast this
congregation presents with the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia,
whose poverty and "little strength" are expressly mentioned, but
who were rich in spirituality, and who received no reproof, but
words of comfort! They of Laodicea possessed no true gold from the
mine of gospel truth, no white raiment of righteousness to hide
their spiritual nakedness, no clear vision to enable them to
discern the things of the Spirit. In fact, they lacked everything
necessary to constitute a church of which the Lord could approve
and which would be an honor to his cause. But notwithstanding their
sad condition, Christ still pleads with them to repent of their
doings and to allow him to come in and sup with them, promising the
overcomer the privilege of sharing the throne of his Redeemer.</p>
<p>On account of their lukewarmness a severe threat was
uttered&mdash;"I will spue thee out of my mouth." Allusion is
doubtless made to the former catastrophe that overthrew the city
under Tiberius, thus giving them warning of the destruction that
might come upon them in the future. The result has been in
accordance with the prediction. God spued that church out of his
mouth centuries ago, and nothing remains of that proud, wealthy
city. Not even a Turk has any fixed residence on the spot. Its
ruins alone remain in their desolation, "rejected of God, deserted
of man, its glory a ruin, its name a reproach." The
Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica says, "Its ruins are of wide
extent.... There is no doubt, however, that much has been buried
beneath the surface by the <i>frequent earthquakes</i> to which the
district is exposed."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page68" name="page68"></a>[pg
68]</span>
<p>The prophecies concerning these individual churches have been
fulfilled; so that even infidelity itself bears witness to the
"strange verification of Apocalyptic promise and threatening." Two
of the churches, Ephesus and Laodicea, where no spiritual souls
remained, were threatened with utter extinction. They are now in
utter ruins&mdash;forsaken, desolate. Sardis, too, where only a few
names were left, is reduced to a small Turkish village, without a
church or a Christian. Pergamus and Thyatira, where much
spirituality remained, but where wickedness also was tolerated,
still survive, though but mere remnants of their former greatness.
While Smyrna and Philadelphia, where Christ found nothing to
condemn and to whose churches he uttered only words of comfort and
promise, remain until the present day and are the brightest spots
on the whole scene, standing like erect columns in the midst of the
surrounding ruins.</p>
<p>I do not wish, however, to give too much prominence to the
cities themselves in the fulfilment of these prophecies. The
churches located in these seven cities of Asia were doubtless the
main thing under consideration in the utterance of these promises
and threatenings. Yet it is a singular fact that the subsequent
history of the cities themselves has accorded in a remarkable
degree with the nature of the prophecies uttered. It may be that
God has preserved Smyrna and Philadelphia because of the piety of
their ancient inhabitants.</p>
<p>He who held the seven stars in his right hand and walked in the
midst of the seven golden candle-sticks, still possesses the
control of his ministers and is present <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page69" name="page69"></a>[pg 69]</span> in the
congregations of the righteous; but let us all take warning from
the example of the churches of Asia, and live such a life of
devotion, charity, faith, and patience as Christ, the "faithful and
true Witness," will approve of, that we may "walk with him in
white" and have right to the "tree of life which is in the midst of
the paradise of God."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page70" name="page70"></a>[pg
70]</span> <a name="chap4" id="chap4"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
<a name="chap4-1" id="chap4-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven:
and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet
talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee
things which must be hereafter.</p>
<p>2. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne
was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.</p>
<p>3. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine
stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight
like unto an emerald.</p>
<p>4. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and
upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in
white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.</p>
<p>5. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings
and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the
throne, which are the seven spirits of God.</p>
<p>6. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto
crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the
throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.</p>
<p>7. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast
like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the
fourth beast was like a flying eagle.</p>
<p>8. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and
they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night,
saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and
is to come.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page71" name="page71"></a>[pg
71]</span>
<p>9. And when those beasts give glory and honor and thanks to him
that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,</p>
<p>10. The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on
the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast
their crowns before the throne, saying,</p>
<p>11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and
power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they
are and were created.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It is probable that the Apocalypse was communicated to John in
parts, or consisted of a series of symbolic visions. This is
indicated by the expression "after this I looked," and is also
confirmed by the words following, "And immediately I was in the
spirit," implying that the vision recorded in chapter <a href=
"#chap1">1</a>, which was given on the Lord's day, had been
interrupted and that a new one now began when the angel with
trumpet voice gave summons for him to ascend to heaven "in the
spirit" (or under the influence of the spirit of prophecy) to
behold the events of the future, passing before him as a vast
moving picture.</p>
<p>This fact of John's ascension to heaven to behold certain
visions of the future (which begin properly with chapter <a href=
"#chap6">6</a>) will serve to explain many allusions to things said
to occur in heaven, merely signifying that John was in heaven when
these things were revealed to him, although their fulfilment was
intimately connected with the affairs of the church on earth, for
whose benefit the Revelation was given and unto whom it was
sent.</p>
<p>When the apostle ascended through the door that <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page72" name="page72"></a>[pg 72]</span> had been
opened unto him, the first object that met his vision and absorbed
his soul was a throne with the Almighty seated upon it, around whom
all the inhabitants of heaven were assembled. No symbol of God is
given, for the reason that there is no analagous object that can be
chosen as his representative. True, John saw a throne, but that is
a symbol, not of God himself, but of his supreme power and
authority. One was seated upon the throne separate from the throne
itself. It is not said that a jasper or a sardine stone was seated
thereon, for that would be to make such an object the
representative of God; but he that sat on the throne "was to look
upon" like a jasper or sardine stone. The jasper mentioned was in
all probability the diamond, and is described in chapter <a href=
"#chap21-11">21:11</a> as a stone most precious, clear as crystal;
while the sardine stone was a brilliant gem of a red hue. This
description naturally suggests the vestments of a great monarch in
a position of authority upon his throne. The main idea, then, as
here expressed, is that the appearance of the Almighty was so
inexpressibly glorious that it could be likened to nothing except
the beauty of the most resplendent gems. But God himself appears in
his own person, unrepresented by another, for the reason, as above
stated, that no inferior intelligence of earth or heaven can
analagously represent the uncreated Deity.</p>
<p>The throne of the omnipotent One was surrounded by a beautiful
rainbow of emerald clearness, and was probably a perfect one, or a
complete circle, such as ours would be could it come wholly into
our sight. The rainbow on the cloud, to Noah and his descendants,
constitutes the sure pledge of God's covenant <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page73" name="page73"></a>[pg 73]</span> promise
not to destroy the earth with another deluge; so, also, the bow
surrounding the throne is a symbol of God's covenant favor with his
people eternally.</p>
<p>There were "lightnings and thunderings and voices" proceeding
from the throne&mdash;the same outward manifestations as heralded
the Godhead when he came down on Sinai to declare his holy law. The
"seven lamps of fire burning before the throne" are said to signify
the seven spirits of God. These are not lamp-stands or
candle-sticks, such as the ones in the midst of which the Son of
God walked on earth, but seven lights or flames of fire,
representing the operation of the Holy Spirit upon the hearts of
men and women. Surrounding the throne also was "a sea of glass like
unto crystal." In the Greek it stands in a little different
form&mdash;"And before the throne <i>as it were</i> a sea of
glass." Describing the same object in chapter <a href=
"#chap15-2">15:2</a>, the Revelator says, "I saw <i>as it were</i>
a sea of glass." It was a broad expanse spread out before the
throne with a glassy or transparent appearance like crystal. Its
signification will be made clear hereafter.</p>
<p>In addition to this description of the throne and Deity, our
attention is directed to certain objects before and surrounding the
throne. Four beasts and four and twenty elders are brought to view.
The word <i>beasts</i> is a very unfortunate translation, being
necessarily associated in our minds with the brute creation. It is
not the word <i>therion</i>, which in thirty-five instances in the
Apocalypse is translated beast, denoting an animal of wild
disposition, but the word <i>zoon</i>, which signifies "a living
creature," and is thus <span class="pagenum"><a id="page74" name=
"page74"></a>[pg 74]</span> rendered by many of the translators of
the New Testament. Their being full of eyes signifies sleepless
vigilance and superior intelligence and discernment. The chief
description given of the first living creature is that it was "like
a lion." It is stated, not that the creature was a lion, but that
it was "like a lion." It possessed some peculiar quality
characteristic of the lion; namely, strength and courage. The
second living creature, "like a calf," or, more properly, the ox,
is symbolic of sacrifice or of patient labor. The third, with "a
face as a man," denotes reason and intelligence. While the fourth,
"like a flying eagle," is an emblem of swiftness and far-sighted
vision.</p>
<p>But the peculiar qualities thus symbolized are possessed by the
four living creatures themselves, and what do <i>they</i>
represent? To whom are the four and twenty elders referred? They
are particularly distinguished from the angelic throng. In the
ninth verse of the following chapter the elders and the living
creatures represent themselves as the host of people redeemed by
the blood of Christ "out of every kindred, and tongue, and people,
and nation." The above-mentioned characteristics, then, are the
peculiar possession of God's people&mdash;power and courage to
attack all enemies and to gain the victory; a spirit of
perseverance in patiently laboring for Christ, with a willingness
to sacrifice their lives, if necessary, for the glory of God;
ability to receive a "knowledge of the truth," that they may
understand the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning them; and
power and willingness to obey instantly when able to discern
spiritual things, rising above the things of earth and the trials
and persecutions of life&mdash;soaring away to <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page75" name="page75"></a>[pg 75]</span> loftier
heights, there to bask continually in the blessed sunlight of God's
eternal presence.</p>
<p>Why was it necessary that the redeemed company of God's people
should be represented by <i>four</i> living creatures? Doubtless
because it would probably have been very difficult to select any
<i>one</i> creature combining all the characteristics desired to
represent all God's people of all ages. It is also a significant
fact that all the people of God on earth were included in four
great dispensations&mdash;ante-deluvian, post-deluvian, Mosaic, and
Christian; although it is not certain that <i>four</i> living
creatures were selected for the special purpose of showing the
number of dispensations. However, this division of time is well
established in the Bible. Peter reckons a new world beginning with
Noah (2 Pet. 3:6, 7), stating that the old world had been
destroyed. 2 Pet. 2:5. God came down upon Mount Sinai and delivered
the old covenant, thus marking a distinct dispensation; while Jesus
Christ established the new covenant and ushered in the fourth and
last dispensation. See Heb. 12:18-24. Under the first dispensation,
Abel by faith offered unto God an "excellent sacrifice"; men "began
to call upon the name of the Lord" (Gen. 4:26); Enoch "walked with
God" and "was translated that he should not see death"; while Noah,
"a preacher of righteousness," was "perfect in his generation" and
"condemned the world" by his preaching and obedience. The second
dispensation was graced with a faithful Abraham, who "staggered not
at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith,"
from which circumstance he was called "the friend of God" and has
justly received the title "father of the <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page76" name="page76"></a>[pg 76]</span>
faithful." In his footsteps followed Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and
Moses. The law age contains the names of many illustrious prophets
of God, and the New Testament era abounds with brilliant examples
of faith and devotion.</p>
<p>The ministry of John the Baptist can not be said to form another
dispensation, because of its short duration (he preceding Christ
but six months), and being at the time unknown outside of a very
limited territory. Another dispensation could not be begun and
<i>completed</i> while the old covenant dispensation was yet in
force; for that would make two dispensations in full force at the
same time&mdash;a thing impossible. Also, John's work, according to
the evangelist, marks the beginning of the gospel dispensation
(Mark 1:1-4), from which time the kingdom of God was preached and
men pressed into it. Luke 16:16.</p>
<p>It was by virtue of the future atonement-work of Christ that any
were enabled to enjoy God's favor in Old Testament times. Even
their sacrifices, which originated in the family of Adam and which
were continued from generation to generation, pointed forward to
the sacrificial offering of the Savior and by this means purchased
covenant favors with Heaven. So, after all, the atonement was for
their benefit as well as for ours. Paul expressly informs us that
Christ died for the "redemption of the transgressions that were
<i>under the first testament</i>." Heb. 9:15. "Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob, and <i>all the prophets</i>" are "in the kingdom of God"
(Luke 13:28), and constitute a part of this great redeemed host set
forth under the symbol of the four living creatures.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page77" name="page77"></a>[pg
77]</span>
<p>The four and twenty elders, although representing themselves as
a part of this redeemed company, evidently have some special
signification; for they are presented to us as separate characters
from the four living creatures. Who are they? Undoubtedly they
represent the ministers of God, the number twenty-four also
signifying perfection or completeness, being drawn from certain
facts connected with the two dispensations in which God has had a
clerical ministry. The natural heads of the tribes of Israel were
the twelve patriarchs; while the spiritual heads of the Christian
church are the twelve apostles of the Lamb, they constituting a
part of the foundation upon which it is built. Eph. 2:20. In a
subsequent chapter we have an account of the sealing of the twelve
tribes, by which is meant the sealing, not of the literal Israel,
but of the spiritual, the twelve tribes being selected from the
proper department to stand as a symbol of the true Israel in this
dispensation, which is expressly said to consist of people of all
nations. Natural Israel and spiritual Israel are frequently used to
designate God's people; so, also, in the case before us the twelve
patriarchs as heads of the natural Israel and the twelve disciples
as heads (in one important sense) of the spiritual Israel are taken
to represent the entire ministry. In the description of the New
Jerusalem we find conspicuously inscribed the names of the twelve
tribes of the children of Israel and of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb, thus making the number twenty-four. Chap. <a href=
"#chap21-12">21:12</a>, <a href="#chap21-14">14</a>.</p>
<p>Although the ministers seem to be a special class among those
constituting the redeemed multitude, yet their intimate connection
with the remainder is set <span class="pagenum"><a id="page78"
name="page78"></a>[pg 78]</span> forth under another
symbol&mdash;that of wings <i>attached to</i> the four living
creatures. Each of the four living ones possessed six wings, which,
taken numerically, make up twenty-four again. The wings of a living
creature would signify its means of flight; and it is by the action
of the ministry, who "go into all the world" as flying messengers
to preach the everlasting gospel, that the church of God is
established among all nations. Thus, under the symbol of living
creatures with wings is set forth the glorious harmony and unity
that exists in the body of Christ between ministry and laity.</p>
<p>The elders are represented as being clothed in white raiment and
as possessing golden crowns. "White raiment" is a symbol of
righteousness (chap. <a href="#chap19-8">19:8</a>), while crowns
represent special power and authority. God's ministers possess
both. They are made righteous through the blood of the everlasting
covenant and are given power over all the power of the enemy and
authority to heal the sick and to cast out devils.</p>
<p>The entire company are engaged in worshiping God unceasingly,
the elders casting their crowns before the throne, thus ascribing
all praise, honor, and glory to Him who has delegated to them the
authority they possess. And may we, my brethren, never grow weary
in well-doing and conclude that the worship of God grows
monotonous; but let us, with heart and soul, join the universal
chorus, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page79" name="page79"></a>[pg
79]</span> <a name="chap5" id="chap5"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER V.</h2>
<a name="chap5-1" id="chap5-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book
written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.</p>
<p>2. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who
is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?</p>
<p>3. And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth,
was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.</p>
<p>4. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and
to read the book, neither to look thereon.</p>
<p>5. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the
Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to
open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.</p>
<p>6. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the
four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had
been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven
spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.</p>
<p>7. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him
that sat upon the throne.</p>
<p>8. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and
twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them
harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of
saints.</p>
<p>9. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation;</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page80" name="page80"></a>[pg
80]</span>
<p>10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we
shall reign on the earth.</p>
<p>11. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round
about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of
them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands;</p>
<p>12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor,
and glory, and blessing.</p>
<p>13. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, heard it saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power,
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for
ever and ever.</p>
<p>14. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty
elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and
ever.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The vision of this chapter is but a continuation of the
preceding one, being a sublime description of the exaltation and
office-work of Christ in his two-fold character as the Lion of the
tribe of Juda and as a sacrificial offering for the sins of the
world. The Apocalypse opens with the words, "The Revelation of
Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him," and it is fitting that his
special prerogatives and characteristics, together with the true
position he occupies, should first be revealed. This was especially
necessary in view of the fact to be revealed, that another would
soon arise usurping the rights and prerogatives belonging to Christ
alone, claiming to be supreme head of the church, sitting as God in
the temple of <span class="pagenum"><a id="page81" name=
"page81"></a>[pg 81]</span> God, and "showing himself that
<i>he</i> is God." 2 Thes. 2:4.</p>
<p>The attention of John was directed to an object "in the right
hand of Him that sat on the throne"&mdash;a book sealed with seven
seals&mdash;and to a mighty angel calling with a loud voice for
some one to come forward and loose the seals and open the book. No
created intelligence of earth or heaven dared to step forward and
declare himself able to accomplish the result required, and because
of this John wept much.</p>
<p>The form of books in use when the Revelation was given was
unlike those used now. They consisted of strips of parchment or
other material, longer or shorter, rolled up. The book in the
symbolic vision before us consisted of a roll containing seven
pieces each one rolled and sealed separately, so that the outer
seal could be broken and the contents of its strip read without
disturbing the remaining ones. Had the seals all been on the
outside, nothing could have been read until they were all broken;
whereas the loosing of each seal was followed by some discovery of
the contents of the roll.</p>
<p>This book in the hand of God is symbolical of something. Most of
the commentators think it represents the book of Revelation, in
which case, of course, it would not include the present description
of the book itself, but only of its contents as applied to
subsequent chapters. But this view, of itself, is unsatisfactory
for many reasons. The rules governing the use and the
interpretation of symbolic language would forbid the thought of one
book's symbolizing another book; for the main idea conveyed by the
term <i>symbol</i> is, that the symbolic object stands as the
representative, <span class="pagenum"><a id="page82" name=
"page82"></a>[pg 82]</span> not of itself, but of something
analagous. Reasoning by analogy, what would the contents of a
sealed book in the hand of God symbolize? Evidently, the infinite
counsels and purposes known only to Jehovah. Its being written
within and on the backside would indicate that those purposes were
full and complete, being all written out and understood by him who
"knoweth the end from the beginning" and "worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will." Its being sealed denotes that the
contents were unrevealed, while its being in the right hand of
God&mdash;the hand of his power&mdash;shows that he is able to
carry into execution his divine purposes and that none shall be
able to alter them or to wrest them from him.</p>
<p>While the events future of John's time form a part of the great
plan and counsels of Jehovah, yet it is taking a very limited view
of the subject to suppose that they alone constitute the sealed
book of this vision; for then would that greatest of all events,
the atonement of Christ and the earliest triumphs of the gospel,
have no special part in the sealed, mysterious counsels of the
infinite One. It is much more consistent with the characteristics
and attributes of God to make this book a symbol, not merely of a
part, but of all his divine plans and purposes in the entire gospel
dispensation. This position gains credence from the fact that the
visions of the Revelation cover many times the whole period from
the incarnation to the end. When the very first seal is broken, the
early success and triumphs of the gospel, as experienced in John's
lifetime, are portrayed. According to the vision before us, it was
by virtue of Christ's death that he was able to open the book at
all; and the plan of redemption <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page83" name="page83"></a>[pg 83]</span> itself, which is based
upon his atonement, is declared by the Scriptures to be a "mystery
which from the beginning of the world hath been <i>hid in God</i>."
Eph. 3:9. This redemption scheme was the great center of attraction
to the prophets of the old dispensation, who "inquired and searched
diligently" that they might comprehend its deep mysteries, "which
things the <i>angels desired to look into</i>." 1 Pet. 1:10-12.</p>
<p>Now, if the contents of the sealed book were (at the time of
this vision) only the history of events to be, why was it that no
man on earth or in heaven, nor even an angel before the throne, was
found worthy to "look into" it or to communicate its secrets to the
children of men. Gabriel was sent as a worthy messenger to
communicate to Daniel a long series of future events reaching even
until the end of time. But the contents of this roll were such that
no created intelligence of earth or heaven was able to unfold them.
All remained unfathomable mystery&mdash;until Christ stepped
forward in his character as a sacrificial Lamb and declared himself
able to undertake the task of loosing the seals and of opening the
book. "Unto you it is given to <i>know the mystery</i> of the
kingdom of God" (Mark 4:11), he said to his disciples, "even the
mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now
is <i>made manifest</i> to his saints." Col. 1:26. "Verily I say
unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see
those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear
those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. Blessed are
your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear." Mat. 13:17,
16.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page84" name="page84"></a>[pg
84]</span>
<p>The fact that the suffering and death of Christ was a past event
at the time when the Revelation was given does not constitute a
valid objection to the position taken, that the contents of the
sealed book embrace the plan of redemption during the entire period
of its operation; for the reason that, in order to form a complete
and continuous narrative, past events are frequently referred to in
the Apocalypse. Thus, John saw a beast with seven heads signifying
seven kings; but he was expressly informed that "<i>five are
fallen</i>, one is [exists at present], and the other is not yet
come." Chap. <a href="#chap17-10">17:10</a>.</p>
<p>When Christ appears on the symbolic stage, he is introduced by
the elder as "the Lion of the tribe of Juda," and "the Root of
David." The lion, being the king of beasts and the monarch of the
forest, is indicative of power, such as Christ possesses. Christ is
elsewhere denominated "King of kings and Lord of lords," and he
himself laid claim to "all power in heaven and on earth," it having
"pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell." Why he
is termed "the Lion of the tribe of Juda," I am unable to say,
unless the expression is borrowed from the prophecy recorded of him
in Gen. 49:10&mdash;"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a
lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him
shall the gathering of the people be." His being the "Root of
David" shows that he is the source and sustainer of David as to his
position and power. David was specially ordained of the Lord and
sustained by him. Of this there can be no doubt. David was a type;
Christ is the antitype. David's position as ruler over natural
Israel constitutes a type of <span class="pagenum"><a id="page85"
name="page85"></a>[pg 85]</span> Christ's position as ruler over
the spiritual Israel; and it is in this sense that Christ reigns
upon the throne of his father David. Luke 1:32, 33. And since
Christ came in the line of David's descendants, he is called the
offspring of David and a rod out of the stem of Jesse. Isa. 11:1,
10. His connection with the throne of David being evident, he is
entitled to the right to reign over his people. The appellation
<i>Lamb</i> is one of the peculiar titles by which the Son of God
is designated, having reference to that part of his mission in
which he constituted a sacrificial offering for sin. His forerunner
John was able to prophetically discern him in this character, and
pointed to him as "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of
the world." John 1:29. The Lamb was said to have seven horns and
seven eyes. A horn is a symbol of power, and seven, being a sacred
or perfect number, denotes the fulness of power possessed by
Christ; while the seven eyes signify the seven spirits of God, or
the Holy Spirit, which, being under the direct control of Christ,
is sent forth into the world to effect the regeneration of men.</p>
<p>When the Lion of the tribe of Juda stepped forward and undertook
the task of revealing the secret counsels and purposes of Jehovah
to the world, immediately a song of praise ascended from the lips
of the redeemed sons of earth. The song was new, adapted to a new
theme, and sung on a new occasion. "The four beasts and four and
twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them
harps, and golden vials [censers] full of odors, which are the
prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art
worthy to take the book, and to open the <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page86" name="page86"></a>[pg 86]</span> seals
thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy
blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and
hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on
the earth." This song beautifully expresses the honor due to Jesus
Christ in his office-work as Redeemer of the world, by virtue of
which people out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, are
saved unto God and made kings and priests on the earth. The angel
who appeared to the Judean shepherds while they were watching their
flocks by night, comforted them with the welcome announcement:
"Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to <i>all people</i>. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Luke
2:10, 11.</p>
<p>Since the preaching of the gospel began, men are instructed to
"seek first the kingdom of God" (Mat. 6:33), and they "press into
it" (Luke 16:16) by the saving virtue of Him "who hath delivered us
from the power of darkness, and hath translated us <i>into the
kingdom</i> of his dear Son." Col. 1:13. Taking our place by the
side of the writer of the Revelation, we testify with him that we
are already "in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ" (Rev.
<a href="#chap1-9">1:9</a>), and that we "receive abundance of
grace and of the gift of righteousness," whereby "we <i>reign in
life</i> by one Jesus Christ." Rom. 5:17. In this happy condition,
redeemed by the blood of Jesus, our Savior, made "a royal [kingly]
priesthood" in the "holy nation" of "peculiar people" that have
been gathered out of all nations of earth (1 Pet. 2:5, 9), we feel
like singing anew this glad song of redemption in honor of
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page87" name="page87"></a>[pg
87]</span> Jesus, our only Lord and Savior, who is God over all,
blessed forever! Amen.</p>
<p>This new and rapturous song of the redeemed was immediately
caught by a greater multitude of the angelic order, an innumerable
company, even "ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands," and together, with loud and united voices, did they
swell the mighty anthem, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and
glory, and blessing." And again the heavenly strain was raised to
loftier heights, until the stupendous chorus rolled around the
universe, by every creature in heaven and on earth, and under the
earth, and such as are in the sea, saying, "Blessing and honor, and
glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb forever and ever." A few gifted voices of earth may
possess such power and sweetness as almost to entrance us with
their melody of song; but what an oratorio will it be, my brethren,
when, released from the narrow limits of mortality, that sublime
strain sung by the redeemed of all ages and ten thousand times ten
thousand and thousands of thousands of angels, bursts in upon our
ransomed souls! Did human thought ever reach the conception of
music like this? Did the eyes of a mortal ever behold such
rapturous scenes? You may feast your eyes upon earth's greatest
beauty&mdash;Yosemite Valley, Yellowstone Park, Niagara Falls, may
pass before your vision; you may climb the lofty Alpine summit and
behold the snow-streaked and snow-capped peaks towering to the
heavens around you&mdash;or you may listen to the best music ever
composed by a Mozart, a <span class="pagenum"><a id="page88" name=
"page88"></a>[pg 88]</span> Handel, or a Beethoven, or the finest
ever executed by a Liszt, a Rubenstein, or a Paderewski; yet I must
tell you upon the authority of God's word that "eye hath not
<i>seen</i>, nor ear <i>heard</i>, neither have entered into the
heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him." 1 Cor. 2:9.</p>
<p>This vision shows very clearly the lofty position to which
Christ has been exalted, possessing "a name which is above every
name"; for the entire company of angels and redeemed saints unite
in extolling him with songs of praise, and that, too, before the
very throne of the Deity and in the presence of his infinite
Majesty. Surely we can not doubt that ours is a divine Savior, and
one worthy of all praise, honor, power and dominion both now and
forever.</p>
<p>Though John beheld this wonderful vision in heaven, yet we must
remember that it was given and recorded for the benefit of God's
people upon earth. The plan of redemption was not actually revealed
in heaven, for "Jesus Christ came <i>into the world</i> to save
sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15), and it was here that he was ordained to
"taste death for every man." Heb. 2:9. The ransomed company thus
brought to view is intended to point out the redeemed of earth; for
there is no salvation to be obtained in heaven, in which place no
blood was shed&mdash;the blood is one of the agents that bears
witness in the earth. 1 John 5:7, 8. The central figures of this
vision were God, the Holy Spirit, and Christ, around whom the
living creatures and elders were gathered, and they, in turn, were
surrounded by the angelic throng. This entire scene was doubtless
intended to represent the exalted character of spiritual things on
earth, where the plan <span class="pagenum"><a id="page89" name=
"page89"></a>[pg 89]</span> of redemption was revealed and the
redeemed host gathered out of all nations. In a very important
sense the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost all dwell in the
spiritual church, or new Jerusalem, and are thus "in the midst" of
God's people, surrounded by the redeemed host who unceasingly
worship them, and they, in turn, have the promise that "the angel
of the Lord encampeth round about them" (Psa. 34:7); yea, "an
innumerable company of angels" reside in this "heavenly Jerusalem,"
or "city of the living God," unto which we, as a part of the
"general assembly and church of the first-born," "<i>are come</i>"
in this dispensation. Heb. 12:22, 23.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page90" name="page90"></a>[pg
90]</span> <a name="chap6" id="chap6"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
<a name="chap6-1" id="chap6-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as
it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come
and see.</p>
<p>2. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him
had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth
conquering, and to conquer.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We have now reached the point where the thrilling interest of
this book commences. With the opening of the seals of the book of
God's purposes we have the prophecies of the future, the unfolding
of the events to be, described under appropriate symbols. The
contents of six seals are contained in this and the following
chapter, while the seventh occupies the remainder of the
volume.</p>
<p>A word relative to the plan of the prophecies will be
appropriate at this time. I will again state what will be made very
clear hereafter&mdash;that the events are narrated by series, and
not by centuries. A particular theme is taken up and carried
through to its completion, then the narrative returns and another
subject is traced to its end. Thus, the entire book consists of a
number of distinct parallel series covering the same ground.</p>
<p>Upon the opening of the first seal, John is summoned as with a
voice of thunder by one of the living creatures to draw near; and
the object that meets <span class="pagenum"><a id="page91" name=
"page91"></a>[pg 91]</span> his vision is a white horse with its
rider. The symbol is that of a victorious warrior, being drawn from
the civil and military life of the Romans. The symbol is one of
dignity. It does not consist of some inanimate object such as a
mountain, a sea, or a river, neither is it a wild ferocious beast;
but it is that of a living, active, intelligent being, and he, as
denoted by various insignia, a conqueror. He rides a white horse,
such as victors used in triumphal procession; his bow and crown are
also symbols of victory. He goes forth conquering and to conquer,
or to make conquests.</p>
<p>This symbol is a faithful representation of the early triumphs
of Christianity in its aggressive conflict with the huge systems of
error with which it had to contend. Some have supposed that the
rider represented Jesus Christ; but this can not be, for many
reasons, two of which I will give. First. Christ always appears on
the symbolic stage in his own character, unrepresented by another,
for the reason, as before stated, that there is no creature that
can analagously represent Him who claims equality with God. Not one
name or attribute peculiar to him is mentioned in the description.
Second. There are four horsemen brought to view in this chapter,
and the symbols all being drawn from the same department, must have
the same general application. If the first horseman symbolizes <i>a
definite personage</i>, so do the remaining three; but we should
have great difficulty in identifying the last three, giving them an
individual application.</p>
<p>Others make the first horseman a symbol of the gospel itself,
but the gospel is not a living, active, intelligent agent, such as
the symbol evidently is, but <span class="pagenum"><a id="page92"
name="page92"></a>[pg 92]</span> is only a system of the revealed
truth. All congruity and appropriateness in the comparison is
lacking.</p>
<p>But let us give this symbol further consideration. It is not
enough that its interpretation alone be given, but the reader is
justly entitled to a knowledge of the process by which we arrive at
the truth. In the first place, we have a symbol of great dignity
and excellence, and we must look for an object of corresponding
character. The symbol is that of a living agent, and consequently,
we must look for its fulfillment in an active, intelligent agent.
The purity, or whiteness, of the horse on which the rider was
seated would indicate an agency of mild, beneficent character.
Finally, the symbol is drawn, as before stated, from the civil and
military life of the Romans. Now, according to the laws of symbolic
language, a symbol never represents an object like itself, but an
analagous one in another department. A wild beast does not
represent a wild beast, but something of analagous character. Seven
fat and seven lean kine do not represent kine like themselves, but
something analagous&mdash;seven years of plenty and as many of
famine. There are only two great series of events described in the
Revelation&mdash;the history of ecclesiastical events and the
political history of certain nations. The present symbol is drawn
from one of these departments&mdash;the political or the civil life
of the Romans; and leaving the latter department to find its
signification in another department, we have no place to go except
into the department of ecclesiastical affairs. Entering, therefore,
the spiritual realm, and looking about us for an object that
perfectly meets every requirement of the symbol, we find it in
<i>the humble ministers of Christ</i>, <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page93" name="page93"></a>[pg 93]</span> who boldly went forth in
obedience to the divine command to extend the peaceful triumphs of
the cross and to carry the gospel of the kingdom of God "into all
the world." Mark 16:15-18; Mat. 28:19, 20. This succession of
faithful, holy, devoted men is worthy of a place in Apocalyptic
vision. They went forth "conquering and to conquer"; and the
victories they gained were such as the world never witnessed
before. Worthy are they to wear a victor's crown, for they have
"fought a good fight."</p>
<p>Because of its connection with events following, it is necessary
for us to consider the divine position of these first ministers of
the church. Their <i>equality</i> is clearly taught in the New
Testament. Christ gave them the express command, "Be not ye called
Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are
<i>brethren</i>." Mat. 23:8. When two of the disciples manifested a
desire to gain preeminence over their brethren and their
aspirations displeased the ten, Christ said to them all, "Ye know
that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and
they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it <i>shall
not be so among you</i>." Mat. 20:25, 26. Thus a perfect standard
of equality in the ministry is lifted up. The beloved apostle, the
writer of the Revelation, when addressing the elders of the seven
churches of Asia in particular, humbly and affectionately
represented himself as their "<i>brother</i> and companion in
tribulation." Rev. 1:9.</p>
<p>I will now adduce the testimony of several creditable
historians, who are compelled to admit the humble equality of the
New Testament ministry, notwithstanding <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page94" name="page94"></a>[pg 94]</span> the fact
that some of them belonged to churches containing a very
<i>unequal</i> ministry.</p>
<p>Mosheim says: "The rulers of the church were called their
presbyters or bishops, which two titles are, in the New Testament,
undoubtedly applied to the same order of men.... Let no one
confound the bishops of this primitive and golden period of the
church, with those of whom we read in the following ages. For,
though they were both distinguished by the same name, yet they
differed extremely, and that in many respects." Vol. I, p. 99.</p>
<p>This fact is now admitted by nearly all denominations, even
Episcopalians. In the work entitled "Episcopacy Tested by
Scripture," published by the Protestant Episcopal Tract Society,
New York, the author, one of their able advocates, makes the
following admission concerning the title <i>bishop</i> in the New
Testament, "that the name is there given to the middle order or
presbyters; and <i>all</i> that we read in the New Testament
concerning <i>bishops</i>, including of course the words
<i>overseer</i> and <i>oversight</i>, which have the same
derivation, is to be regarded as pertaining to that middle
grade"&mdash;the presbyters or elders. Page 12.</p>
<p>The noted historian Waddington, also an Episcopalian, makes the
same admission in the following words: "It is also true that in the
earliest government of the first Christian society, that of
Jerusalem, not the elders only, but the 'whole church' were
associated with the apostles; and it is even <i>certain</i> that
the terms <i>bishop</i> and <i>elder</i> or <i>presbyter</i> were,
in the first instances, and for a short period, sometimes used
synomously, and indiscriminately applied to the <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page95" name="page95"></a>[pg 95]</span> <i>same
order</i> in the ministry." Church History, Part I, p. 41. The
italicizing is mine.</p>
<p>The well-known historian Milman, also an Episcopalian, in his
History of Christianity, says, "The earliest Christian communities
appear to have been ruled and represented, in the absence of the
apostle who was their first founder, by their elders, who are
likewise called bishops, or overseers of the church." Page 194.</p>
<p>Kurtz, in his Church History, says: "To aid them in their work,
or to supply their places in their absence (Acts 14:23), the
apostles ordained rulers in every church, who bore the common name
of <i>elders</i> from their dignity, and of <i>bishops</i> from the
nature of their office. That originally the elders were the same as
the bishops, we gather with absolute certainty from the statements
of the New Testament and of Clement of Rome, a disciple of the
apostles. (See his first epistle to the Corinthians, Chaps. 42,
44:52.) 1. The presbyters are expressly called
bishops&mdash;compare [the Greek especially] Acts 20:17 with verse
28, and Titus 1:5 with verse 7. 2. The office of presbyter is
described as next to and highest after that of apostle (Acts 15:6,
22). Similarly, the elders are represented as those to whom alone
the rule, the teaching and the care of the church is entrusted (1
Tim. 5:17; 1 Pet. 5:1, etc.).... In [several] passages of the New
Testament and of Clement we read of many bishops in one and the
same church. In the face of such indubitable evidence, it is
difficult to account for the pertinacity with which Romish and
Anglican theologians insist that these two offices had from the
first been different in name <span class="pagenum"><a id="page96"
name="page96"></a>[pg 96]</span> and functions.... Even Jerome,
Augustine, Urban II. (1091) and Petrus Lombardus admit that
originally the two had been identical. It was reserved for the
Council of Trent to convert this truth into a heresy." Pages 67,
68. Chrysostom, Theodoret, and others also admitted the same.</p>
<p>Many similar historical testimonies now lying before me to the
humble equality of the New Testament ministry could be added; but
lest the reader become weary, I will conclude with the following
beautiful description from D'Aubigne in his noted History of the
Reformation: "The church was in the beginning a community of
brethren, guided by a few of the <i>brethren</i>." Again, "All
Christians were priests of the living God, with <i>humble
pastors</i> as their guides." Vol. I, pp. 35, 50.</p>
<p>With this description of the early ministers of Christ, who went
forth under the symbol of the first horseman to disciple all
nations, we have the events pertaining to the early history of the
church, laid before us; until the opening of the second seal brings
us to another important phase of its history.</p>
<a name="chap6-3" id="chap6-3"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>3. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second
beast say, Come and see.</p>
<p>4. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was
given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and
that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a
great sword.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The symbol of this seal is that of a rider going forth on a red
horse armed with a great sword with which to take peace from the
earth and to kill. It <span class="pagenum"><a id="page97" name=
"page97"></a>[pg 97]</span> is drawn from the same source as that
of the preceding one, but differing greatly in the character of the
horseman and the object of his mission. The symbol is one of great
dignity&mdash;a living, intelligent agent&mdash;drawn from civil
and military life. For the same reason as given before, we must go
out of the department of civil life into the history of religious
affairs to find its fulfilment.</p>
<p>Notice, also, the peculiar characteristics of this horseman and
wherein he differs from that of the first seal. The color of the
horse is red, denoting something very different from the peace,
purity, and benignity of the white. Instead of gaining glorious
spiritual conquests and triumphs, like him of the first seal, he
was to take peace from the earth. In the place of a victor's crown,
he possesses "a great sword" with which to kill, denoting an agent
of great destruction.</p>
<p>Where shall we look in the history of religious affairs to find
the object that meets the requirements of this symbol? Who were the
active, intelligent agents that appeared as the great opposers of
the establishment of Christianity by the rider of the white horse?
We find the answer undoubtedly in the propagators of the <i>Pagan
religions</i>. As soon as Christianity began to gain a foothold in
the Roman Empire, the priests and supporters of Paganism were
exasperated to the last degree, and they determined to crush out
the Christian religion. An example of Pagan opposition is found in
the nineteenth chapter of Acts, where it is recorded that the
preaching of the gospel so stirred the people of Ephesus that they
were filled with wrath and for the space of about two <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page98" name="page98"></a>[pg 98]</span> hours
cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" This great
conflict between Christianity and Paganism will be more fully
described under other symbols in a subsequent chapter, therefore I
will make this description brief.</p>
<p>The destruction of life brought about by this rider of the red
horse doubtless signifies the great slaughter of the Christians at
the hands of the Pagans. During ten seasons of severe persecution,
which occurred under the reigns of the emperors Nero, Domitian,
Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Septimus Severus, Maximus, Decius, Gallus,
Valerian, and Diocletian, the Christians suffered every indignity
that their relentless persecutors could heap upon them. They had
their eyes burned out with red-hot irons; they were dragged about
with ropes until life was extinct; they were beheaded, stoned to
death, crucified, thrown to wild beasts, burned at the stake; yet
"they overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Chap.
<a href="#chap12-11">12:11</a>.</p>
<p>It may appear at first that taking the rider of the horse as a
symbolic agent but the killing which he effected as literal, is an
inconsistency and a variation from the laws of symbolic language;
but such is not necessarily the case. One principle laid down in
the beginning was, that the description of an object or event must
necessarily be literal when no symbolic object could be found to
analagously represent it. The destruction of human life could not
well be represented symbolically, there being no destruction
analagous to it whose meaning would be obvious; hence it must
appear as a literal description. This is proved <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page99" name="page99"></a>[pg 99]</span> by many
texts in the Revelation that will admit of no other application;
such as verses <a href="#chap6-9">9-11</a> of this chapter; chapter
<a href="#chap13-10">13:10</a>; <a href="#chap17-6">17:6</a>;
etc.</p>
<p>But the literal destruction of life may be chosen as a symbol to
represent a destruction to which it is plainly analagous; such as
the destruction of spiritual life, the overthrow of the civil or
ecclesiastical institutions of society, etc. That it is sometimes
employed thus as a symbol will be shown clearly in subsequent
chapters. Hence, in every instance where killing men is the work of
a symbolic agent, the context, or general series of events with
which it is connected, must determine whether the literal or
symbolical signification is intended. In the present prophecy under
consideration it is much more consistent to give it the literal
application; for the devotees of Paganism did not destroy the
spiritual life of the church, which would be an analagous killing;
neither did they succeed in overthrowing the structure of
Christianity.</p>
<a name="chap6-5" id="chap6-5"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>5. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third
beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he
that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.</p>
<p>6. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A
measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a
penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This symbol is also that of a horseman, differing from the
preceding ones only in his characteristics. He is seated upon a
black horse, denoting something dark or appalling in its nature,
the very opposite of that of the first seal. He possesses no bow
nor crown, <span class="pagenum"><a id="page100" name=
"page100"></a>[pg 100]</span> but instead he has a pair of balances
in his hand for weighing food. This he deals out only at exorbitant
prices&mdash;"a measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of
barley for a penny." The penny, or denarius, is equal to about
fifteen cents of our money, and was the ordinary wages of a day
laborer. In the parable of our Lord recorded in Mat. 20, the
householder is represented as hiring laborers for a penny a day to
labor in his vineyard. The measure, or <i>choenix</i>, of wheat was
the usual daily allowance of food for a man. So according to the
rate given, it would require a day's labor to supply food
sufficient for one man, which shows an enormous price placed upon
these necessaries of life. In ordinary times the penny would
procure about twenty measures of wheat instead of one, and fifty or
sixty measures of barley instead of three. Surely this represents
famine prices.</p>
<p>The expression "see thou hurt not the oil and the wine" seems to
have some direct connection with the exorbitant schedule of food
rates. The following facts of history, as recorded by Lord, will
serve to make the matter clear: "The taxes required in the Roman
empire, to sustain the court and civil service, the army and
desolating wars, and the hungry brood of office-holders, as well as
to provide largesses to the soldiers, were excessive in the
extreme, so as to prove an almost insupportable burden to the
people. The ordinary and economical expenses of the government were
great; but when we take into view that during a period of
seventy-two years previous to Diocletian, there were twenty-six
individuals who held the imperial crown, besides a great number of
unsuccessful aspirants, and that each of these must secure the
favor <span class="pagenum"><a id="page101" name="page101"></a>[pg
101]</span> of the army and the people by large donations of money,
we may well conceive that the taxes and exactions laid to raise the
needed amount must have proved a crushing burden. They were so
great as sometimes to strip men of their wealth and reduce them to
poverty. These were laid upon everything that could be brought into
service. Nothing was too insignificant to escape.... The taxes
might be paid in money, or in produce, grain, fruit, oil, or
whatever else it might be;... The exactions were so excessive that
the people were led to avoid them in every possible mode, as men
always will under such circumstances." Once in fifteen years, a
Roman indiction, an assessor would go round to levy upon the
products of the soil, and the assessment was made according to the
amount of the yield. One method adopted to secure a lower
assessment at this time was that of mutilating their fruit trees
and vines. We find among the Roman laws severe enactments against
such as "feign poverty, or cut a vine, or stint the fruit of a
tree" in order to avoid a fair valuation, and the penalty attached
was the death of the offender and the confiscation of all his
property. The fact that this law existed shows that the offense was
committed and also that the exactions of the government must have
been of the most oppressive kind.</p>
<p>With these facts before us it is easy to discern the nature of
the symbol, being that of a Roman magistrate prepared to enforce
his severe exactions upon the people at the exorbitant rate of
three measures of wheat for a penny and three measures of barley
for a penny, accompanied by the solemn injunction, <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page102" name="page102"></a>[pg 102]</span> "See
thou hurt not the oil and the wine," that is, the olive-trees and
the vines.</p>
<p>It is evident that we must, as before, go out of the department
of civil and military life into the realm of ecclesiastical history
to find the true fulfilment of this symbol. The black color of the
horse would denote something directly opposite to that of the first
seal; and since the symbol of the first seal represented the
establishment of the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, this symbol must
represent the great apostasy and spiritual darkness that covered
the world at a later period. And if the horseman of the first seal
represented the chosen ministry who went forth in a glorious
mission to win trophies of grace, the horseman of this seal must
represent <i>an apostate ministry</i>, possessing power and
authority to enforce the severest exactions upon the bread of life,
thus producing a desolating spiritual famine.</p>
<p>This marvelous change from the humble apostolic ministry to an
apostate one did not occur suddenly, but by degrees; and as it has
a great bearing upon other lines of truth to be brought out in
subsequent chapters, it will be profitable to consider the most
important steps by which this transformation was effected.</p>
<p>When the desire for precedence or superiority first manifested
itself among the disciples, Christ repressed it (Mat. 20:25, 26),
and it appeared no more in their midst; but before the close of the
first century it is evident that a thirst for preeminence existed
in the hearts of some who had been the servants of the church. An
example of this is to be found in Diotrephes, who exalted himself
above his ministerial associates. <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page103" name="page103"></a>[pg 103]</span> The Apostle John says
concerning him: "I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who
loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
Wherefore if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth,
prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith,
neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them
that would, and casteth them out of the church." 3 John 9, 10.</p>
<p>In the historical extracts given in the explanation of the first
horseman, it is clear that the first ministers were all equal; but
a time came about the close of the first century when the most
influential among the clergy grasped the power and exalted
themselves to a position of authority over the rest. The manner in
which this transformation was effected is explained by the learned
Gieseler as follows: "After the death of the apostles, and the
pupils of the apostles, to whom the general direction of the
churches had always been conceded, some one amongst the presbyters
of each church was suffered gradually to take the lead in its
affairs. In the same irregular way the title of <i>bishop</i> was
appropriated to the first presbyter." Eccl. Hist., Vol. I, p. 65.
In the days when the apostles were active in the affairs of the
church there were but two classes in the ministry&mdash;elders, or
bishops, and deacons; but when one of the presbyters was exalted to
a higher position than the rest and assumed to himself the
exclusive use of the word bishop, there were three classes. To
quote the words of Geo. P. Fisher: "After we cross the limit of the
first century we find that with each board of elders there is a
person to whom the name of bishop is specially applied, although,
for a long time, he is <span class="pagenum"><a id="page104" name=
"page104"></a>[pg 104]</span> likewise often called a presbyter. In
other words, in the room of a two-fold, we have a three-fold
ministry." Hist. of the Christian Church, p. 51.</p>
<p>The height to which the single bishop of authority in a church
had been exalted is well illustrated in the Ignatian Epistles.
Ignatius was bishop of Antioch and was condemned by the emperor
Trajan to suffer death by being thrown to the wild beasts in the
amphitheatre in Rome. His execution in this manner took place Dec.
20, A.D. 107. He wrote a number of epistles, a few extracts from
which I will give. "Wherefore it is fitting that ye should run
together in accordance with the will of your bishop, which thing
also ye do. For your justly renowned presbytery, worthy of God, is
fitted as exactly to the bishop as the strings are to the harp." To
the Ephesians, Chap. 4. "See that ye all follow the bishop, even as
Jesus Christ does the Father.... Let no man do anything connected
with the church without the bishop." To the Smyrnaean's, Chap. 8.
"It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to
celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is
also pleasing to God." Smyrnaean's, Chap. 8. "It is well to
reverence both God and the bishop. He who honors the bishop has
been honored of God; but he who does anything without the knowledge
of the bishop, does [in reality] serve the devil." Smyrnaean's,
Chap. 9.</p>
<p>The power of these bishops advanced steadily during the second
century. The churches of the cities where they were located
extended themselves into the surrounding country and smaller towns,
and the presbyters <span class="pagenum"><a id="page105" name=
"page105"></a>[pg 105]</span> or elders of these inferior churches
were presided over by the bishop of their mother church, and in
this manner the great system of diocesan episcopacy was
developed.<a id="footnotetag3" name="footnotetag3"></a><a href=
"#footnote3"><sup>3</sup></a></p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote3" name=
"footnote3"></a><b>Footnote 3:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag3">(return)</a>
<p>The ancient signification of the term <i>diocese</i> must not be
confounded with the modern usage of the term. It then designated a
territory or district, usually containing a number of minor
churches, presided over by one bishop.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In the latter part of the second century when the disputes
concerning Easter and Montanism arose, the custom of diocesan
bishops consulting with each other on important doctrines began,
and this developed in the third century into regular provincial
synods, or councils. On account of the ecclesiastical or political
importance of the cities in which they were located, certain
bishops had a special deference given them, and they were not slow
to take advantage of the opportunity to exalt themselves to the
presidency of these councils; and in a very short time they
possessed immense power and constituted entirely a separate order,
designated by the term metropolitan.</p>
<p>The manner in which this important step in the great apostasy
was taken and the effects produced thereby is well described in the
words of the historian Mosheim (referring to events of the third
century), from whom I quote: "In process of time, all the Christian
churches of a province were formed into one large ecclesiastical
body, which, like confederate states, assembled at certain times,
in order to deliberate about the common interests of the whole....
These councils ... <i>changed the whole face of the church</i>, and
gave it a new form; for by them the ancient privileges of the
people were considerably <span class="pagenum"><a id="page106"
name="page106"></a>[pg 106]</span> diminished, and the power and
authority of the bishops greatly augmented.... At their first
appearance in these general councils, they acknowledged that they
were no more than the delegates of their respective churches, and
that they acted in the name, and by the appointment of their
people. But they soon changed this humble tone, imperceptibly
extended the limits of their authority, turned their influence into
dominion, and their councils into laws; and openly asserted, at
length, that Christ had empowered them to prescribe to his people,
<i>authoritative rules of faith and manners</i>.... The order and
decency of these assemblies required that some one of the
provincial bishops met in council, should be invested with a
<i>superior</i> degree of power and authority; and hence the rights
of <i>metropolitans</i> derive their origin."&mdash;Church History,
Cent. II, Part 2.</p>
<p>When a usurping clergy grasps the power to prescribe
"authoritative rules of faith and manners," to employ the words of
Mosheim, we may well conceive that the true amount of pure
spiritual food was exceedingly small and could be procured only at
starvation rates. He who reads the ecclesiastical events of the
third century will find it only too true that many of the cardinal
virtues of apostolic Christianity were almost lost sight of and
that a great spiritual famine existed in the earth over which this
dark horseman of the third seal careered. Instead of salvation
through the Spirit of God being carefully taught, baptismal
regeneration was exalted, and the people were instructed in the
saving virtues of the eucharist. The Platonic idea concerning sin
having its seat in the flesh was adopted, and therefore
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page107" name="page107"></a>[pg
107]</span> perfect victory or sanctification was made to consist
in the mortification of the natural appetites and desires of the
body, with the result that a life of fasting, celibacy, or
self-inflicted torture was looked upon as the surest means of
obtaining the favor of Heaven. The writings of such eminent church
Fathers as Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian and others now lying before
me, contain the surest evidences of the woeful extent to which this
dark cloud of superstition and error had settled down over the
world during the period of which I write.</p>
<a name="chap6-7" id="chap6-7"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>7. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of
the fourth beast say, Come and see.</p>
<p>8. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat
on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given
unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,
and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the
earth.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The usual interpretation given this horse and its rider is to
apply it to the desolating wars and famines that occurred in the
Roman Empire. This view is embodied in the celebrated painting
"Death on the Pale Horse," in which death is represented as going
forth with war, pestilence, famine, and wild beasts, to ravage the
Roman empire. We are informed by historians that dreadful
pestilences and famines did prevail and in some places nearly
depopulated the country, and that the remaining inhabitants could
not make head against the beasts that multiplied in the land. But
the fact that such events occurred is <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page108" name="page108"></a>[pg 108]</span> not sufficient proof
that this symbol has reference to such. Famines and pestilences may
have occurred many times without forming a part of the Apocalyptic
vision.</p>
<p>The greatest objection to giving this part of the vision such a
literal interpretation is, that it fails to bring out its symbolic
character. To what, then, does it refer? We have, as before, a
horseman, indicating that the agent is one of the same general
character, differing mainly in his features and mission. This horse
was of a livid, cadaverous hue, denoting an agent of ghastly,
terrible nature. The living rider bore the awful name of "Death,"
or as in the original, "The Death," by way of emphasis. Death
literally was not the agent&mdash;it is not so stated&mdash;but the
rider was termed The Death, or The Destroyer, because of his
terrible mission; and Hell followed with him.</p>
<p>Applying the laws of symbolic language as heretofore, it is
evident that this symbol represents a great persecuting
ecclesiastical power. And with this thought before us, we can
scarcely fail to recognize it as a true description of <i>the
Papacy</i>. The great apostasy, described under the preceding seal,
prepared the way for the final and complete establishment of the
"man of sin"; but during the period there brought to view the
ministers of religion, power-seeking and apostate as they were,
were unable to enforce their claims by the power of persecution.
Under the present seal, however, is represented a later stage of
their corruption, when a great hierarchal system, sustained and
upheld by the arm of civil power, was able to bear tyrannical rule
over a <span class="pagenum"><a id="page109" name="page109"></a>[pg
109]</span> great portion of the earth. During this period clerical
ambition and usurpation reached its greatest height.</p>
<p>After speaking of the power possessed by the metropolitans,
Mosheim says: "The universal church had now the appearance of one
vast republic, formed by a combination of a great number of little
states. This occasioned the creation of a new order of
ecclesiastics, who were appointed in different parts of the world,
as <i>heads</i> of the church, and whose office it was to preserve
the consistence and union of that immense body, whose members were
so widely dispersed throughout the nations. Such was the nature and
office of the Patriarchs." Church History, Cent. II, part 2.</p>
<p>Thus, the bishops, or metropolitans, of certain of the most
important cities were exalted to a still higher position as special
<i>heads</i> of the church. They were termed <i>Exarchs</i> at
first, after the title of the provincial governors, but afterwards
received the more ecclesiastical appellation <i>Patriarchs</i>. The
term Patriarch had been in use for a long time in the church
signifying merely a bishop, irrespective of the dignity he
possessed, but it was finally limited to this higher class of the
clergy, in which sense I now employ it. The cities that first
enjoyed this chief distinction were Alexandria, Rome, and Antioch.
The general council of Nice (A.D. 325) in its sixth canon
recognized the superior authority already possessed by these
cities. See D'Aubigne's Hist, of Reformation, Vol. I, p. 41. The
general council of Constantinople in its third canon placed the
bishop of Constantinople in the same rank with the other three
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page110" name="page110"></a>[pg
110]</span> Patriarchs; and the general council of Calcedon exalted
the See of Jerusalem to a similar dignity, doubtless because of its
ancient importance as the birthplace of Christianity. Thus,
Patriarchs were established in the five political capitals of the
Roman empire; and they were considered the "<i>heads of the
church</i>," having spiritual authority over the whole empire.
These were the only Patriarchates of importance. Certain
ecclesiastics of the Church of Rome even at the present time bear
the honorary title Patriarch; but, to quote the words of the
Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica, "In a strictly technical sense,
however, that church recognizes only five Patriarchates, those of
Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Rome." Art.
Patriarch. In the years 637 to 640 Jerusalem, Alexandria, and
Antioch fell into the hands of the Saracen followers of Mohammed,
which terminated their importance, and later the Greek schism
separated the Patriarch of Constantinople from Rome; and thus the
Patriarch of Rome was left in undisputed possession of the field
and was soon recognized as universal head of the church. So under
the symbol of this dread rider on a pale horse is portrayed the
great hierarchal system by which the Papacy was fully developed in
the West.</p>
<p>It is fitting that we notice particularly the agents of
destruction employed by this rider. He possesses a sword with which
to kill&mdash;the same instrument wielded by the rider of the red
horse&mdash;but it is evident that he uses it with more terrific
energy, by reason of which he receives the name Death, or The
Destroyer. It is possible, also, that in this case a <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page111" name="page111"></a>[pg 111]</span> sword,
wielded by the hand of an ecclesiastical power, may be used as a
symbol of a spiritual cutting off, or excommunication. The sword of
excommunication has been the most terrible ever wielded by human
hand. When this pale horseman was careering over the world in the
zenith of his power, excommunication and interdiction were the
terror of individuals and the scourge of nations. At his word the
rights of an individual as king, ruler, husband or father, nay,
even as a <i>man</i>, were forfeited, and he was shunned like one
infected with the leprosy. At his command the offices of religion
were suspended in a nation, and its dead lay unburied, until its
proud ruler humbled himself at the feet of the ecclesiastical
tyrant who bore rule over the "fourth part of the earth."<a id=
"footnotetag4" name="footnotetag4"></a><a href=
"#footnote4"><sup>4</sup></a></p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote4" name=
"footnote4"></a><b>Footnote 4:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag4">(return)</a>
<p>This tyranny of the Popes is well illustrated by the quarrel
that took place between Hildebrand (Pope Gregory VII.) and Henry
IV. of Germany. Gregory attempted to make certain reforms, but
Henry refused to recognize those innovations. Gregory
excommunicated the emperor, with the result that he was "shunned as
a man accursed by Heaven." His authority lost and his kingdom on
the point of going to pieces, Henry had but one thing to
do&mdash;seek the pardon of the Pope. He found the Pontiff at
Canoosa, but Gregory refused to admit the penitent to his presence.
"It was winter, and for three successive days the king, clothed in
sackcloth, stood with bare feet in the snow of the court-yard of
the palace, waiting for permission to kneel at the feet of the
Pontiff and to receive forgiveness." On the fourth day he was
granted admittance to the presence of the Pope.</p>
<p>During the Pontificate of Innocent III. Philip Augustus, king of
France, put away his wife. Innocent commanded him to take her back
and forced submission by means of an interdict. This submission of
a brave, firm, and victorious prince shows the tremendous power
wielded by the Popes in that period.</p>
<p>The manner, also, in which Innocent III. humbled King John of
England affords another illustration of the power of the Popes.
John caused the vacant See of Canterbury to be filled, in
accordance with the regular manner of election, by one of his
favorites. Innocent declared the appointment void, as he desired
that the place should be filled by one of his friends. John refused
to allow the Pope's archbishop to enter England as Primate.
Innocent then excommunicated John, laid all England under an
interdict, and incited Philip, king of France, to war, offering him
John's kingdom upon the very liberal condition that he go over and
take it. The outcome of the matter was that John was compelled to
yield to the power of the Pope. He even gave him England as a
perpetual fief, and agreed to pay the Papal See the annual sum of
one thousand marks.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The loss of life by spiritual famine was extreme. The Word of
God, which is spirit and life to God's <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page112" name="page112"></a>[pg 112]</span> people (Jno. 6:63),
was laid under interdict and the common people deprived of its
benefits. At the time the black horse appeared, a little food could
be obtained at famine prices; but when the fourth arrived, he was
empowered to kill "with hunger." Also, one of his agents of
destruction was death, or pestilence, a fit symbol of false and
blasphemous doctrines breathed forth like a deadly pestilence
blasting everything within its reach. Invocation of saints, worship
of images, relics, celibacy, works of supererogation, indulgences,
and purgatory&mdash;these were the enforced principles of religion,
and like a pest they settled down upon the people everywhere.</p>
<p>This rider also brought into operation "the beasts of the earth"
to aid him in his destructive work. To kill with sword or hunger
shows that such work of destruction is performed solely by him who
has it in his power; but to kill with beasts indicates that
<i>they</i> perform the deadly work according <i>to their own
natures</i>. Nothing is clearer than the fact that wild beasts
stand as a symbol of persecuting tyrannical governments; hence we
are to understand that this <span class="pagenum"><a id="page113"
name="page113"></a>[pg 113]</span> rider was to employ also the arm
of civil power to aid him in the deadly work. How strikingly this
represents the historical facts of the case! In all truly Roman
Catholic countries the civil governments were only a cipher or tool
in the hands of the church, and the ecclesiastics were the real
rulers of the kingdom. But whenever any dark work of persecution
was to be performed, the wild beast was let loose to accomplish the
result. When charged, however, with the bloody work, the Catholics
always answer, "Oh, we <i>never persecute</i>&mdash;don't you see,
it is the wild beasts that are covered with gore&mdash;our hands
are clean," yet they themselves held the chain that bound the
savage monsters. We shall have occasion in a subsequent chapter to
trace further the pathway of this dread rider as he reels onward in
the career of ages, "drunken with the blood of the saints."</p>
<p>This work of destruction performed by the dread rider on the
pale horse is considered by many as a literal description of the
persecutions of the Papacy. While Catholics usually charge the
civil powers with this bloody work, it is an undeniable fact of
history that the Popes often ordered or sanctioned crusades against
the Waldenses, Albigenses, and other peoples (see remarks on verses
<a href="#chap6-9">9-11</a>, chap. <a href="#chap17-6">17:6</a>),
in which the sword, starvation, and every other means of cruelty
imaginable were brought into use to exterminate the so-called
heresy. And in view of the fact explained in the comments on verses
<a href="#chap6-3">3 and 4</a> of this chapter, that <i>killing</i>
is sometimes to be understood in a literal sense on account of
there being nothing to analagously represent such destruction of
life, it is not a violation of the laws of symbolic language thus
to <span class="pagenum"><a id="page114" name="page114"></a>[pg
114]</span> interpret it. It might be consistent in this case to
give it a twofold application; the agreeing facts of history
regarding the Papacy strongly suggest it. Thus, the <i>sword</i>
could signify a literal destruction of life, as in verse 4, and
also, in the present case, an ecclesiastical cutting off by the
Papacy, or excommunication; and <i>hunger</i> could signify literal
death by starvation, and also, as in verses 5 and 6, a destruction
of spiritual life, etc.</p>
<p>Where, let me ask, in the whole compass of human writings can be
found a series of events of such thrilling interest, so great in
magnitude, as is contained in these eight verses? Who but the
Omnipotent could have conceived such a wonderful development of the
power of iniquity and with such master-strokes of power compressed
them into so small a scene of symbolic imagery? The impress of
divinity is here speaking from every line.</p>
<a name="chap6-9" id="chap6-9"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>9. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar
the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the
testimony which they held:</p>
<a name="chap6-10" id="chap6-10"></a>
<p>10. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord,
holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them
that dwell on the earth?</p>
<a name="chap6-11" id="chap6-11"></a>
<p>11. And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it
was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season,
until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be
killed as they were, should be fulfilled.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Upon the opening of this seal the scene changes entirely. No
more horsemen appear, but instead <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page115" name="page115"></a>[pg 115]</span> the souls of the
martyrs are seen at the altar crying for vindication of their blood
upon the cruel oppressors of earth. The question arises, Are these
souls symbols of something else, or are they what they are here
stated to be, "the souls of them that were slain"? Evidently, the
latter, appearing under their own name and character, because they
can not properly be symbolized. They were disembodied spirits, and
where is there anything of analagous character to represent such?
Angels can not; for whenever they are employed as symbols, it is to
designate distinguished agencies among men. They therefore appear
under their own appropriate title as "the <i>souls</i> of them that
were slain."</p>
<p>These souls appeared "under the altar," that is, <i>at the foot
of the altar</i>, being the same as that described in chap.
<a href="#chap8-3">8:3</a>&mdash;"And another angel came and stood
at the altar, having a golden censer, and there was given unto him
much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all
saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne." Thus,
the heavenly world, as opened up before John, appeared symbolized
after the sanctuary of the temple in which stood the golden altar,
or altar of incense. Some have supposed that the brazen altar was
the one referred to, signifying the living sacrifice these souls
made of themselves to God. But there is no altar mentioned in the
symbols except the golden altar. Besides, these were not
sacrificial victims; for Christ was made a complete sacrifice for
sin, while these only suffered martyrdom because of their
faithfulness to the cause of Christ. It is much more reasonable to
suppose that their interceding cries went up from the golden altar,
where <span class="pagenum"><a id="page116" name="page116"></a>[pg
116]</span> the "prayers of all saints" ascended with much
incense.</p>
<p>Their prayers to God for the avenging of their blood shows the
expectation on their part that the judgments of Heaven would
descend upon the cruel and haughty persecutors and oppressors of
earth, and their surprise was that the day of retribution had been
so long delayed. The history of the church as developed under the
preceding seals gives particular force to this cry of the martyrs.
For nearly three centuries the civil power of Pagan Rome had been
employed to crush the cause of God. During ten terrible seasons of
persecution they had been crucified, slain with the sword, sawn
asunder, devoured by beasts in the arena, and given to the flames.
When Constantine, a nominal Christian emperor, ascended the throne
and protected religion by law, it was believed that persecutions
must cease; but soon the discovery was made that the sword had only
changed hands, there having risen an ecclesiastical hierarchy
destined to "glut itself upon the blood of which heathen Rome had
only tasted." The world was now made the arena for the terrible
coursings of the pale horseman, and the "beasts of the earth" were
let loose to fall with savage fury upon their helpless victims,
until millions lost their lives at the instigation of the apostate
Church of Rome. Is it any wonder that the souls of these martyrs
should cry unto God for the vindication of their righteous
blood?</p>
<p>It is said that "white robes were given unto every one of them."
By referring to chap. <a href="#chap3-4">3:4</a>; <a href=
"#chap7-9">7:9</a>, <a href="#chap7-13">13, 14</a>, it will be seen
that "white garments" and "white robes" are sometimes used as a
symbol to describe <span class="pagenum"><a id="page117" name=
"page117"></a>[pg 117]</span> a part of the heavenly inheritance.
The martyr-spirits, although impatient at the delay of avenging
judgment, received a righteous reward. But the period of
tribulation to the church was not yet over. The cup of iniquity in
the hands of her enemies was not yet full, and they were told to
"rest for a little season, until their fellowservants also, and
their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be
fulfilled." The account given seems to indicate an important epoch,
a period in which the martyrs had reason to expect the vindication
of their righteous blood, but which, instead, was to be followed by
another great period of persecution. Considering the time of the
events already described in this series of prophecy, we have no
difficulty in fixing the chronology of this event at the
dividing-point between the era of Papal supremacy and the age of
Protestantism&mdash;or at the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century.
Did severe slaughter and persecution follow the Reformation?
Witness the reign of Mary Tudor, frequently styled "Bloody Mary."
During three years of her reign, 1555 to 1558, two hundred and
eighty-eight were <i>burnt alive</i> in England! Think of the
inhuman massacre of the innocent Waldenses of southern France by
the violent bigot Oppede (1545), who slew eight hundred men in one
town, and thrust the women into a barn filled with straw and
reduced the whole to ashes&mdash;only a sample of his barbarity; or
of their oppression in southern Italy by Pope Pius IV. (1560), at
whose command they were slain by thousands, the throats of
eighty-eight men being cut on one occasion by a single executioner!
Witness the horrible massacre of St. Bartholomew in Paris (Aug.
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page118" name="page118"></a>[pg
118]</span> 21, 1572), when the Queen dowager, the infamous
Catherine de Medici, lured immense numbers of the innocent Hugenots
into the city under the pretext of witnessing a marriage between
the Hugenot Henry, king of Navarre, and the sister of Charles IX.,
king of France&mdash;when the gates were closed and the work of
wholesale slaughter began at a given signal and raged for three
days, during which time from six to ten thousand were butchered in
Paris alone! Think of the rivers of blood in the Netherlands, where
the Duke of Alva boasted that in the short space of six weeks he
had put eighteen thousand to death! Witness the dragoonading
methods and other inhuman persecutions to "wear out the saints of
the Most High," that followed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes
(1685) by Louis XIV., king of France, during whose reign three
hundred thousand were brutally butchered&mdash;while Pope Innocent
XI. extolled the king by special letter as follows: "The Catholic
church shall most assuredly record in her sacred annals a <i>work
of such devotion toward her</i>, and CELEBRATE YOUR NAME WITH
NEVER-DYING PRAISES ... for <i>this most excellent
undertaking</i>"!! My heart sickens with horror in the
contemplation of such events. Eternal God! can thy righteous eye
behold such heart-rending scenes of earth, and thy hand of power
not be extended to humble to the dust these cruel, haughty
oppressors of thy people?</p>
<a name="chap6-12" id="chap6-12"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>12. And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo,
there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth
of hair, and the moon became as blood;</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page119" name="page119"></a>[pg
119]</span>
<p>13. And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a
fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty
wind.</p>
<p>14. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled
together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their
places.</p>
<p>15. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich
men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman,
and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of
the mountains;</p>
<a name="chap6-16" id="chap6-16"></a>
<p>16. And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us
from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath
of the Lamb;</p>
<p>17. For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be
able to stand?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Upon the opening of this seal the scene changes again. The
symbols are all drawn from an entirely different source. We are
taken out of the department of civil life into the scenes of
nature, which is a clear evidence that the history of the church is
no longer under consideration. Had God intended to here continue
her history, he would no doubt have employed symbols derived from
the same source as those preceding, so as to prevent our being led
astray. No more horsemen or living characters appear, but we behold
the most terrific convulsions of nature&mdash;a mighty earthquake,
the darkening of the sun and the moon, the falling of the stars,
and finally the dissolution of the heavens, together with the
mountains and the islands being removed. If the history of the
church is no longer under consideration, this great change of
symbols directs us with absolute certainty <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page120" name="page120"></a>[pg 120]</span> into
the political and civil world for their fulfilment. Of course, we
are not to suppose that this is a literal description.</p>
<p>In this manner the dignity and the excellence in the use and the
interpretation of symbols is preserved. To describe the religious
history of the church, noble symbols chosen from the department of
human life are selected; while symbols drawn from an inferior
department&mdash;that of nature&mdash;are chosen to represent
political affairs. This point will appear very clear as we proceed
in the interpretation of the Apocalypse. It is just what we might
naturally expect.</p>
<p>The question may be asked, If these symbols from nature
represent political affairs, where in the events of civil history
shall we look for their fulfilment? Every one will readily perceive
the analogy between an earthquake and a political revolution, when
all society is in a state of agitation as when the solid earth
trembles. It is also evident that the sun, moon, and stars bear the
same analagous relationship to the earth that kings, rulers, and
princes do to the body politic; while the firmament of heaven is
analagous to the entire fabric of civil government, the symbolic
heaven in which the symbolic orbs are set to give light.</p>
<p>The symbols, then, point us to the most terrible
revolutions&mdash;when society is in a state of agitation, when
kingdoms are overthrown and their rulers and princes thrown from
their positions or made objects of the most gloomy terror; yea,
when the entire fabric of civil government is finally overthrown
and all the institutions and organizations of society are
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page121" name="page121"></a>[pg
121]</span> swept away as with a tornado. This is the time of
consternation to the great men of earth, when they shall hide
"themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains," and say
to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face
of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to
stand?" This is the time that the martyrs looked forward to when
they cried, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge
and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" A large
portion of the Apocalypse is occupied with the history of these
persecuting powers, civil and ecclesiastical. It is their dominacy
that constitutes the long period of tribulation to the church, when
the witnesses prophesy in sackcloth and the faithful are ground
into the dust by the feet of these proud oppressors as they stand
in the high places of the earth. But the cries of the slaughtered
saints have ascended to the throne as incense; God speaks; the
judgments of Heaven descend upon these lofty ones; and a voice from
heaven declares, "They have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
and <i>thou hast given them blood to drink</i>; for they are
worthy."</p>
<p>This is surely a striking combination of symbols, and the way
they are arranged would indicate that their fulfilment occupied a
considerable period of time. First we have a great earthquake,
afterwards the darkening of the sun and the moon, with the falling
of the stars, and finally the dissolution of the heavens
themselves, with the sweeping away of mountains and islands. This
description covers the same period as that described under the
seven last plagues, <span class="pagenum"><a id="page122" name=
"page122"></a>[pg 122]</span> beginning with certain fearful
revolutions in which the nations that had slaughtered the millions
of God's people were given "blood to drink," and ending finally in
"the great day of his wrath" that shall sweep them from their
positions eternally. The full explanation of these events can not
at present be appreciated by the reader, therefore I reserve it for
the future, to be more fully developed under other symbols.</p>
<p>In these six seals we have a vivid outline of mighty events,
political and ecclesiastical, extending from the earliest stage of
Christianity to the end of time. This description in advance was no
mere human production. No human foresight would have detected, and
no mortal mind would have conceived, events so wonderful and so
farreaching in their character. Any other history would sooner have
been imagined. It takes divine wisdom to understand the true
position of the church in the present, and she can scarcely read
her past history by natural wisdom alone, much less outline the
future. First the establishment of Christianity is symbolized, then
the violence of the Pagan party, the apostasy, and final
establishment of the "man of sin," until the millions of earth are
crushed by the spiritual tyranny or by the arm of civil power, and
the cry of the martyrs goes up "How long, O Lord?" But they are
told to rest "a little season," when they shall witness the hand of
God laid upon these persecuting nations of earth, convulsing them
in the most fearful revolutions, and ending finally in their
complete overthrow in that last "great day of God Almighty."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page123" name="page123"></a>[pg
123]</span> <a name="chap7" id="chap7"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
<a name="chap7-1" id="chap7-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four
corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the
wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any
tree.</p>
<p>2. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the
seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four
angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea.</p>
<p>3. Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees,
till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.</p>
<p>4. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there
were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the
tribes of the children of Israel.</p>
<p>5. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the
tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad
were sealed twelve thousand.</p>
<p>6. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the
tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.</p>
<p>7. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the
tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar
were sealed twelve thousand.</p>
<p>8. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the
tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.</p>
</blockquote>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page124" name="page124"></a>[pg
124]</span>
<p>A clear understanding of the two visions in the chapter before
us can be obtained only by considering the plan of the prophecy
already referred to. The events are narrated by series. A
particular theme is taken up and followed through to its
completion; then the narrative returns and another theme is
introduced. But this is not all. Whenever the history of abounding
error or iniquity is set forth, we have in immediate connection and
in perfect contrast therewith a history of the true people of God;
thus, the contemporaneous history of righteousness and iniquity,
truth and error, a true church and a false one. The visions of this
chapter cover the same period of time as the events described in
the preceding chapter, but form the most perfect contrast. The
student of Revelation who unfolds the dark history of apostasy and
iniquity contained in the preceding seals might naturally be led to
ask, Is this the melancholy end of God's church? Does it
deteriorate rapidly and turn out so badly, after all? As an answer
to these questions, God gives us next a history of his own people,
showing that he preserved his own church complete, although
Antichrist reigned in power.</p>
<p>The principal points in the vision before us are the tempestuous
winds about to descend upon the earth, and the sealing of God's
servants. The first of these, being drawn from nature, would lead
us to look for its fulfilment in political events; while the
latter, derived from human life, directs us into the affairs of the
church. The "four winds of the earth" from the "four corners of the
earth" signify all the winds from every direction&mdash;the
cardinal points of the <span class="pagenum"><a id="page125" name=
"page125"></a>[pg 125]</span> compass; while the four angels
signify all the agencies that have control of these winds, which
for the present are held in restraint in order to give opportunity
for the sealing of the Lord's servants. <i>Angels</i> in the
Scripture is frequently used to denote evil agencies as well as
good, the context determining which is meant. See Chap. <a href=
"#chap12-7">12:7</a>. The design of the winds was to "hurt the
earth, the sea, and the trees."</p>
<p>What, let me ask, in the political world is analagous to
tempestuous storms sweeping over the earth? What but huge masses of
men, excited by fierce passions, precipitating themselves upon the
inhabitants of an empire, sweeping everything before them in the
fury of their march and spreading desolation on every side? In the
symbols of the next chapter we find that just such hordes of
men&mdash;barbarians&mdash;under their angels, or leaders,
precipitated themselves upon the Roman empire; and the fearful
effects upon the earth, the sea, and the green trees produced
thereby, is particularly detailed. For the present, however, they
are held under restraint until the sealing of the servants of God
should be accomplished, then they were to go forward in their work
of destruction.</p>
<p>The sealing of the servants is not making them the people of
God, but rather marking or designating them as such, just as later
we find the devotees of a corrupt apostate church specified as
having the "mark of the beast." Considerable light can be thrown
upon the subject of the sealing of God's servants and of the mark
of the beast by consulting Roman history for the origin of such
expressions. The many conquests of the Roman arms furnished so many
prisoners that they became a drug in the slave-markets <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page126" name="page126"></a>[pg 126]</span> of the
world, and were so numerous that in many places they outnumbered
the Roman citizens ten to one. In the first century before Christ
it is said that some Sicilian estates were worked by as many as
twenty thousand slaves. "That each owner might know his own, the
poor creatures were <i>branded like cattle</i>." The "mark of the
beast" possessed by the followers of a false communion will be
found to consist of an Antichristian spirit by which they are
filled with "doctrines of devils." So, also, "the seal of the
living God" consists of the giving of the Holy Spirit, by which his
people are led into all truth. See John 14:26. While Sabbatarians
vainly try to prove that keeping the seventh day is the seal of God
in this dispensation, yet there is not one text of Scripture that
hints such a thing, but, on the contrary, the Scriptures are
against them. "Grieve not the <i>Holy Spirit</i> of God whereby
<i>ye are sealed</i> unto the day of redemption." Eph. 4:30. Again,
the Word of God says, "Now he which stablished us with you in
Christ, and hath anointed us is God; who hath also sealed us, and
given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." 2 Cor. 1:21, 22.
The time this sealing of the people of God takes place is thus
described: "<i>After</i> that ye believed, ye were <i>sealed</i>
with that Holy Spirit of promise." Eph. 1:13. The winds of heaven
were restrained until the work of <i>full salvation</i> could be
firmly established in the earth. When Christ appeared, the Roman
empire was in a state of comparative quiet, and the immense hosts
of foreign invaders did not appear until the firm establishment of
Christianity, being held back by the power of God until his work
should be accomplished.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page127" name="page127"></a>[pg
127]</span>
<p>In the description of the sealing given, twelve thousand were
selected from each of the twelve tribes. Some have supposed this to
have reference solely to salvation work among the Jewish nation;
but that would be adopting the literal mode of interpretation, thus
destroying its symbolic character. The twelve tribes are chosen
from the proper department to represent the church or "Israel of
God" in this dispensation, irrespective of nationality. The twelve
gates in the wall of the heavenly city are named after the twelve
tribes of the children of Israel (chap. <a href=
"#chap21-12">21:12</a>), showing that it is only through "Israel"
that any one can enter the New Jerusalem. Since the gospel is given
to all nations, this can not signify literal Israel. "The children
of the promise are counted for the seed." Rom. 9:8. "If ye be
Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise." Gal. 3:29. Since the vision is symbolical, we are to
consider the numbers given as symbolical also, the definite number
of twelve thousand from each of the tribes showing that the church
of God was <i>complete and perfect</i>, no part being omitted.</p>
<a name="chap7-9" id="chap7-9"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>9. After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man
could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and
tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with
white robes, and palms in their hands;</p>
<p>10. And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God
which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.</p>
<p>11. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about
the elders and the four beasts, <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page128" name="page128"></a>[pg 128]</span> and fell before the
throne on their faces, and worshipped God,</p>
<p>12. Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and
thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for
ever and ever. Amen.</p>
<a name="chap7-13" id="chap7-13"></a>
<p>13. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are
these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?</p>
<p>14. And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me,
These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.</p>
<p>15. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him
day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among them.</p>
<a name="chap7-16" id="chap7-16"></a>
<p>16. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither
shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.</p>
<p>17. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed
them, and shall lead them unto living mountains of waters: and God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In this scene the vision is carried forward to the close of the
long period of tribulation and persecution to the church of God,
when all her enemies are finally overthrown; and here are the
glorious results, the harvest gathered: a great multitude whom no
man can number, gathered out of all nations, and kindreds, and
peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the
Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, the
symbols of their victory. The scene is laid in heaven, and refers
undoubtedly to the end of time when the heavenly world will be
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page129" name="page129"></a>[pg
129]</span> opened up to all the faithful who have suffered for
Christ amid the trials and the oppositions through which his church
is called to pass in this present world. We are expressly informed
by one of the elders who these are in white robes and whence they
came, so there can be no question respecting them. This is the
glorious company of the redeemed of all ages who "came out of great
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple; and he that sitteth on
the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more,
neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor
any heat." What a contrast with the scenes of earth, when oppressed
by famine, and cold, and nakedness, and peril, and sword, they were
killed all the day long! But their sufferings are over; "for the
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall
lead them unto living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes."</p>
<p>This redeemed company is represented as uniting in a song of
praise and thanksgiving to God for bringing them through their long
period of trial, "saying Salvation to our God which sitteth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb"; while heaven resounds with
universal praise as the angels and all the redeemed host take up
the chorus and swell the mighty anthem "saying, Amen; blessing, and
glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might
be unto our God forever and ever. Amen."</p>
<p>It is clear that, in this chapter and the one preceding, we have
two grand parallel and comprehensive <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page130" name="page130"></a>[pg 130]</span> histories&mdash;in
one, the process of corruption in the so-called church and the
final judgments that overtook these cruel persecutors of the Lord's
people; in the other, the setting apart and sealing of God's
servants, their preservation from the contaminations of an apostate
church, and the final glorious triumph of all who endure unto the
end.</p>
<p>This vision has often been applied in a figurative manner to the
spiritual reign of God's people on earth before the end of
time&mdash;that they are overcomers through the blood of Christ,
that God dwells with them in his church, that their spiritual needs
are all supplied so they hunger and thirst no more&mdash;but a
careful study of the plan of the prophecy will show that its real
signification is the heavenly state at the end. As the sixth seal
describes the final overthrow of all the antichristian powers that
have oppressed God's people on earth; so this vision describes the
great white-robed company gathered out of every nation, kindred,
tongue, and people, who have been preserved faithful through all
these trials and tribulations, and who receive at last the crown of
everlasting life. This last vision will be more fully described
under certain symbols contained in the last two chapters of this
book; while the earthquake, the falling of the stars, etc., of the
sixth seal will be more perfectly detailed in chapters <a href=
"#chap15">15</a> and <a href="#chap16">16</a>.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page131" name="page131"></a>[pg
131]</span> <a name="chap8" id="chap8"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
<a name="chap8-1" id="chap8-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in
heaven about the space of half an hour.</p>
<p>2. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to
them were given seven trumpets.</p>
<a name="chap8-3" id="chap8-3"></a>
<p>3. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a
golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he
should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden
altar which was before the throne.</p>
<p>4. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of
the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.</p>
<p>5. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the
altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and
thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The remainder of the book is embraced in the contents of the
seventh seal. This may appear a little singular at first, being so
much larger than the preceding ones. But it is easily understood
when we consider the six as being a synopsis of the whole book,
containing a history of the church apostate to the final
consummation, and also the contemporaneous history of the truth
church of God; while the seventh gives in detail the account of
these great persecuting powers, civil and ecclesiastical, and the
trials and triumphs of the saints in the New
Jerusalem&mdash;developing more fully the events described under
the six.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page132" name="page132"></a>[pg
132]</span>
<p>Upon the opening of the seventh seal, "there was silence in
heaven about the space of half an hour." Whether this interval of
silence is intended to be symbolical of any event on earth I do not
know; neither have I seen any solution of the matter that is
consistent or satisfactory. Some have supposed that it denoted a
cessation of persecution among the Christians of earth. But if that
were the case, then its opposite, "voices in heaven," would
indicate seasons of persecution. There were several seasons of rest
from persecution enjoyed by the early saints, and why should one
period be singled out more than the rest and be thus described?
Besides, "a half hour," according to prophetic time would signify
only about one week, a period too short certainly to take account
of. Others have supposed that it signified the end of the world,
and that heaven would then be deserted for a short time while the
judgment was taking place. But the events following show that the
end of the world is not here described, therefore it can not have
reference to such. Moreover, it is extremely doubtful whether
silence in heaven would be a proper symbol of such an event. I do
not perceive the analogy. In fact, such an interpretation of
<i>silence</i> would be literal and not symbolic.</p>
<p>Its explanation would seem to be found in connection with
certain facts stated respecting the opening of the preceding
seals&mdash;that voices followed them. When the first four seals
were opened, John heard the voices of the four beasts, "as it were
a voice of thunder"; and on the opening of the fifth, he heard the
souls of the martyrs crying unto God; but when the seventh was
opened, there was silence for a time. <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page133" name="page133"></a>[pg 133]</span> The contrast is
noticeable; but whether it has any special signification, I am
unable to say; perhaps not.</p>
<p>Before the sounding of the seven trumpets, the acceptableness of
the prayers of the saints is represented by an angel offering
incense "upon the golden altar which was before the throne." This
scene was doubtless introduced to lend encouragement to God's
children&mdash;that, although iniquity abounded on every side and
the judgments of God were poured out upon the people, still the
prayers of the faithful few were acceptable in his sight, ascending
before the throne like sweet incense from off the golden altar.</p>
<p>After offering up the incense with the prayers of all saints,
the same angel took his censer and filled it with fire from off the
altar and cast it (the fire) upon the earth&mdash;a token of God's
avenging judgments&mdash;"and there were voices, and thunderings,
and lightnings, and an earthquake." These, of course, were on
earth, and symbolized the revolutions and convulsions now about to
take place in the empire.</p>
<a name="chap8-6" id="chap8-6"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>6. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared
themselves to sound.</p>
<p>7. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire
mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the
third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt
up.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We here enter upon a series of prophecies developing fully the
successive steps in the decline of the Western Roman empire, by
which it finally tottered to its fall. It was necessary that this
persecuting, tyrannical government should be subverted in order to
give opportunity for the establishment of apostate <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page134" name="page134"></a>[pg 134]</span>
Christianity in the form of the Papacy, as it constituted the "let"
or hindrance to the full development of the "man of sin" mentioned
by the apostle in 2 Thes. 2. That persecuting, Pagan Rome was a
serious obstacle confronting the development of apostasy was
recognized even by the early Christians. Thus, Tertullian, in his
notable Apology, chapter 32, says: "Christians are under a
particular necessity of praying for the emperors, and for the
continued state of the empire; because we know that dreadful power
which hangs over the world, and <i>the conclusion of the age, which
threatens the most horrible evils, is restrained by the continuance
of the time appointed for the Roman empire</i>. This is what we
would not experience; and while we pray that it may be deferred, we
hereby show our good-will to the perpetuity of the Roman state." In
a subsequent chapter it will be seen that Pagan Rome, broken up
into minor divisions and no longer able to maintain her position in
the political world, resigns her power and authority into the hands
of the rising Papacy. Therefore it is not surprising that the means
by which this great change is effected should be made the subject
of prophetic revelation. Besides, we have other things to guide us
in the interpretation. We can readily identify the symbols under
the fifth trumpet with the curse of Mohammedanism in the Eastern
empire, and we would naturally suppose that the first four precede
those. Again, the symbols are all drawn from the natural world,
which leads us assuredly into the political affairs of the empire
for their fulfilment. They are also of the most destructive nature,
therefore we look for objects of a corresponding desolating
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page135" name="page135"></a>[pg
135]</span> character. Finally, the vision of the preceding chapter
represents fierce, destructive winds as about to descend upon the
earth, being temporarily held in check to give opportunity for the
primitive establishment of Christianity, implying that they would
afterwards be let loose to burst like a tornado upon the empire. It
is said positively that power was given "to hurt the earth and the
sea" (chap. 7:2), and in the vision before us the effects produced
upon the earth and the trees are particularly detailed.</p>
<p>"The earth" signifies the Roman empire, or that portion of the
earth made the subject of apocalyptic vision. That this application
of the word <i>earth</i> is correct, is shown by various
Scriptures. "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out
a decree from C&aelig;sar Augustus that <i>all the world</i> should
be taxed." Luke 2:1. "The queen of the South ... came from the
<i>uttermost parts of the earth</i> [southern Arabia] to hear the
wisdom of Solomon." Mat. 12:42. "Ye shall be witnesses ... unto the
<i>uttermost part of the earth</i>." Acts 1:8. The apostles carried
the gospel personally, only throughout the territory of the
then-known civilized world&mdash;the Roman empire. Upon this earth
there descended in the vision before us a fierce storm of hail and
fire, mingled with blood. Its being mingled with blood would
indicate its destructive effects. One characteristic of this symbol
particularly is worthy of notice. Hail and fire cast upon the earth
would become absorbed speedily or pass into new combinations with
the surrounding elements, thus not remaining in any permanent form
except in its effects. In this particular it is wholly unlike the
symbol of the next trumpet, which is that of a <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page136" name="page136"></a>[pg 136]</span>
burning mountain cast into the sea, for such a body would naturally
remain permanently where it fell; whereas a storm of hail and fire
would soon disappear. Also, the statement that this storm was cast
upon the earth would indicate that it was a calamity descending
from without upon the empire.</p>
<p>Where, now, do we find the object that fully meets the
requirements of this symbol&mdash;destructive agents descending
upon the Roman empire like a furious storm of hail and fire,
accomplishing the first important step toward the subverting of the
empire? We find it in the irruption of the fierce Gothic tribes of
the North, who, under Alaric, burst like a tornado upon the empire
about the beginning of the fifth century, spreading destruction and
desolation upon every side.</p>
<p>The following quotations and facts from the highest authority on
the subject, Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Vol.
III, pp. 190-294), will give the reader an idea of the awful
effects produced by the invasions of these barbarous tribes. The
great Theodosius, emperor of the Western Roman empire, "had
supported the frail and mouldering edifice of the republic," but
upon his death he was succeeded by the weak Honorious. In a few
months the Gothic barbarians were in arms. "The barriers of the
Danube were thrown down, the savage warriors of Scythia issued from
their forests ... and the various tribes of barbarians, who glory
in the Gothic name, were irregularly spread over the woody shores
of Dalmatia to the walls of Constantinople." They were "directed by
the bold and artful genius of Alaric," who soon concluded that the
conquest of <span class="pagenum"><a id="page137" name=
"page137"></a>[pg 137]</span> Constantinople was an impracticable
enterprise. He "disdained to trample any longer on the prostrate
and ruined countries of Thrace and Dacia, and he resolved to seek a
plentiful harvest of fame and riches in a province which had
hitherto escaped the ravages of war.... The troops which had been
posted to defend the straits of Thermopyl&aelig; retired ...
without attempting to disturb the secure and rapid passage of
Alaric; and the fertile fields of Phocis and B&aelig;otia were
instantly covered by a deluge of barbarians, who massacred the
males of an age to bear arms, and drove away the beautiful females,
with the spoil and cattle of the flaming villages. The travelers
who visited Greece several years afterwards, could easily discover
the deep and bloody traces of the march of the Goths.... The whole
territory of Attica, from the promontory of Sunium to the town of
Megara, was blasted by his baleful presence; and, if we may use the
comparison of a contemporary philosopher, Athens itself resembled
the bleeding and empty skin of a slaughtered victim.... Corinth,
Argos, Sparta, yielded without resistance to the arms of the Goths;
and the most fortunate of the inhabitants were saved, by death,
from beholding the slavery of their families and the conflagration
of their cities."</p>
<p>Arcadius, the emperor of the East, wishing to dissuade Alaric
from further conquests and such wholesale massacres, promoted him
to the rank of Master-general of the eastern Illyricum, but it had
an opposite effect. "The birth of Alaric, the glory of his past
exploits, and the confidence in his future designs, insensibly
united the body of the [Gothic] nation <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page138" name="page138"></a>[pg 138]</span> under his victorious
standard; and, with the unanimous consent of the barbarian
chieftains, the Master-general of Illyricum was elevated, according
to the ancient custom, on a shield, and solemnly proclaimed king of
the Visigoths. Armed with this double power, situated on the verge
of the two empires, he alternately sold his deceitful promises to
the courts of Arcadius and Honorious; until he declared and
executed his resolution of <i>invading the dominions of the
West</i>.... He was tempted by the fame, the beauty, the wealth of
Italy, which he had twice visited; and he secretly aspired to plant
the Gothic standard on the walls of Rome, and to enrich his army
with the accumulated spoils of three hundred triumphs." He marched
into Italy, and the emperor fled before him. A temporary respite
was finally procured by the promise of a payment of four thousand
pounds of gold.</p>
<p>Alaric soon appeared, however, before the very walls of Rome,
and that splendid city, surrounded by hordes of barbarians, was
soon reduced to a wretched condition by famine. Two representatives
of the Romans waited upon Alaric for terms of peace, stating that
if such could not be arranged the inhabitants of the city, animated
by despair, would fight to the bitter end. To this the haughty
conqueror made this famous reply: "The thicker the grass, the
easier it is mowed." With an insulting laugh, he named the ransom
required&mdash;all the gold and silver contained in the city, all
the rich and precious movables, together with all the slaves. Then
the ministers humbly asked, "What do you intend to leave us?" "Your
lives," the haughty king replied, and retired. He finally relaxed
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page139" name="page139"></a>[pg
139]</span> a little and fixed other terms, which included the
immediate payment of the enormous sum of five thousand pounds of
gold, thirty thousand pounds of silver, besides other treasure.
"The victorious leader, who united the daring spirit of a barbarian
with the art and discipline of a Roman general, was at the head of
a hundred thousand fighting men; and Italy pronounced, with terror
and respect, the formidable name of Alaric."</p>
<p>A second time Rome was besieged by Alaric and taken. Honorious
was deposed and Attalus made emperor; but Honorious was afterwards
restored. In A.D. 410 he again marched upon the city, captured and
entered it. "Eleven hundred and sixty-three years after the
foundation of Rome, the imperial city, which had subdued and
civilized so considerable a part of mankind, was delivered to the
licentious fury of the tribes of Germania and Scythia." For six
days the city was sacked by the barbarous soldiery, and the
horrible scenes of robbery, murder, and rapine that ensued can not
be described. It has been said that "civilized warfare is
sufficiently terrible," but that would be almost a blessing
compared with such scenes as these. For a space of four years
Alaric ravaged Italy almost without opposition.</p>
<p>The slaughter and devastation that followed this storm of "hail
and fire" is thus described: "The banks of the Rhine were crowned
like those of the Tiber, with houses and well-cultivated farms; and
if a poet descended the river, he might express his doubts on which
side was situated the territory of the Romans. This scene of peace
and plenty was suddenly changed into a desert, and the prospect of
the <span class="pagenum"><a id="page140" name="page140"></a>[pg
140]</span> smoking ruins could alone distinguish the solitude of
nature from the desolation of man. The flourishing city of Mentz
was surprised and destroyed, and many thousand Christians inhumanly
massacred in the church. Wurms perished after a long and obstinate
siege. Strasburg, Spires, Rheims, Tournay, Arras, Amiens,
experienced the cruel oppression of the German yoke, and the
consuming flames of war spread from the banks of the Rhine over the
greatest part of the seventeen provinces of Gaul. That rich and
extensive country, as far as the ocean, the Alps and the Pyrenees,
was delivered to the barbarians, who drove before them, in a
promiscuous crowd, the bishop, the senator and the virgin, laden
with the spoils of their houses and altars."</p>
<p>Another historian describing the same, a few years after the
event, says: "The barbarians meeting with little resistance,
indulged in the utmost cruelty. The cities which they captured,
they so utterly destroyed that no traces of them now remain, except
in Thrace and Greece, except here and there a tower or a gate. All
the men who opposed them they slew, young and old, and indeed
spared not women, nor even children. Whence there is still but a
sparse population in Italy. The plunder which they seized in every
part of Europe was immense, and especially at Rome, where they left
nothing, either public or private." In this latter description
reference is also made to some later invasions, but they were all
of the same desolating character.</p>
<p>These historical facts show how the green grass, or the feebler
portion of society&mdash;the tender sex, the young, and the
aged&mdash;were consumed before this fearful <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page141" name="page141"></a>[pg 141]</span> storm
of hail and fire; and also how the trees, or the stronger
portion&mdash;those better able to make resistance&mdash;suffered
greatly.</p>
<p>It is also a fact to be observed that these fierce tribes which
overran Italy, harassed or captured Rome repeatedly, and threatened
the overthrow of the empire, made no permanent settlement in that
territory. "Under Alaric the Goths make no lasting settlement. In
the long tale of intrigue and warfare between the Goths and the two
Imperial courts which fills up this whole time, cessions of
territory are offered to the Goths, provinces are occupied by them,
but as yet they do not take root anywhere; no Western land as yet
becomes Gothia,"&mdash;Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica, Art. Goths.
After the death of Alaric (A.D. 412), however, they settled in the
southern part of Spain and Gaul<a id="footnotetag5" name=
"footnotetag5"></a><a href="#footnote5"><sup>5</sup></a>&mdash;part
of the territory of the West&mdash;but they no longer threatened
the life of the empire; but, on the contrary, they became allies of
the Romans in opposing the dreadful incursions of the Huns and
other barbarians. Thus their invasion of the West was at first
terribly destructive&mdash;like a storm of hail and fire&mdash;but
their ravages soon ceased, except in their disastrous and weakening
effects.</p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote5" name=
"footnote5"></a><b>Footnote 5:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag5">(return)</a>
<p>This division of the Gothic tribes is commonly called the
Visigoths (Western Goths), as distinguished from the Ostrogoths, or
Eastern Goths.</p>
</blockquote>
<a name="chap8-8" id="chap8-8"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>8. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain
burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the
sea became blood;</p>
<p>9. And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea,
and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were
destroyed.</p>
</blockquote>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page142" name="page142"></a>[pg
142]</span>
<p>The symbol of this trumpet is that of a volcanic mountain cast
into the sea, whence it sends forth its streams of lava in every
direction until a third of the creatures in the sea are destroyed,
thus spreading desolation on every side. It would naturally remain
where it fell, a permanent instrument of destruction.</p>
<p>We have here a description of the next step of importance in the
downfall of the Western empire. The second great invasion was that
of "the terrible Genseric" with his Vandal hordes, who pushed
southward through Gaul and Spain, conquered the Carthaginian
territory of northern Africa, and there formed a permanent
independent government in A.D. 439. From this fixed place, he
continued for years to make incursions upon the bordering cities
and islands, burning the cities, murdering the inhabitants, and
intercepting the commerce of the Mediterranean. During his military
career, 429-468, he became the terror of the inhabitants of the
empire, insomuch that historians designate him "the terrible
Genseric." The depredations committed by his followers were but a
repetition of such scenes of barbarity as have already been
described in the invasions of Alaric under the first trumpet,
therefore I will not devote much space to the historical facts in
the case. Their deeds, however, were such that the very term
<i>Vandal</i> has come to be used as a designation of any man of
ferocious character. Concerning the important part that this
chieftain acted in the downfall of the Western empire, Gibbon uses
this significant language: "Genseric, a name which, in the
destruction of the Roman empire, has deserved an equal rank with
the names of Alaric and Attila." Vol. III, p. 370.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page143" name="page143"></a>[pg
143]</span>
<p>In the year 454 the empress Eudoxia wished to be revenged on
Maximus, who had murdered her husband Valentinian and had grasped
the throne, and she secretly invited Genseric to attack Rome. That
fierce general, who is described by the Encyclop&aelig;dia
Britannica as "cruel to blood-thirstiness, cunning, unscrupulous,
and grasping," was glad to undertake the task, and he soon landed
an army of Vandals and African Moors at the gates of the city. It
was soon taken and for fifteen days given over to be sacked by the
barbarous soldiery. When they had glutted their savage instincts
with the horrible deeds of murder and rapine, loaded with the
spoils of the imperial city, they returned to Africa, taking with
them an immense number of captives, including Eudoxia and her two
daughters. This desolating incursion left the empire weak and
tottering to its fall. Genseric "became the tyrant of the sea; the
coasts of Italy, Greece, and Asia, were again exposed to his
revenge and avarice. Tripoli and Sardinia returned to his
obedience; he added Sicily to the number of his provinces; and
before he died, in the fulness of years and glory, he beheld the
FINAL EXTINCTION of the empire of the West." Gibbon, Vol. III, pp.
497, 498.</p>
<p>By "the sea" into which this burning mountain was cast is meant,
not the Mediterranean nor any other literal sea, but the heart of
the empire, and that in a state of agitation. The empire was in a
state of comparative quiet when Alaric appeared; therefore the
storm of hail and fire is represented as falling upon "the earth,"
as a result of which society was thrown into a state of great
agitation, and moved <span class="pagenum"><a id="page144" name=
"page144"></a>[pg 144]</span> to its depths, like an ocean in a
storm. This was its condition when Genseric, from his fixed
position in Africa, began his desolating incursions; therefore the
next symbol is that of a mountain cast into "the sea." By the sea
becoming blood is doubtless meant the destruction of life in the
empire, and "the third part" denotes the vast extent of the
destruction.</p>
<p>I must speak with hesitation on what is signified by "the
creatures which were in the sea" and the "ships." By analogy I
would be led to refer the former to the rulers and the dignitaries
in the empire, they bearing an analagous position to the empire
that fishes do to the waters of the sea; while the latter may refer
to public monuments and structures.</p>
<a name="chap8-10" id="chap8-10"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>10. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star
from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third
part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;</p>
<p>11. And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third
part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the
waters, because they were made bitter.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The description given of this star is similar to that of a large
burning meteor, such as we frequently see shooting athwart the
heavens. It fell rapidly to earth, as such meteors often do, and
struck the fountain-heads of the rivers, imparting to them such a
poisonous quality as caused the death of those who drank the
waters.</p>
<p>This symbol is also drawn from the natural world, and hence we
must look for its fulfilment in political events. The rapidity of
its fall and disappearance <span class="pagenum"><a id="page145"
name="page145"></a>[pg 145]</span> in the waters would direct us to
an agent who would appear suddenly and soon disappear, and whose
career would leave bitter results. The direct effects of this
meteor were experienced by the rivers and the fountains of waters,
which bear an analagous relation to the sea that bordering tribes
and nations do to an empire. The heart of the empire, or "the sea,"
was directly affected by the burning mountain, under the preceding
trumpet; while the tributaries of the sea, or the bordering tribes,
are made the subject of direct attack under this symbol and the
poisonous qualities of their waters carried to far distant
points.</p>
<p>Under this striking symbol we have a description of the third
important step in the downward course of Rome&mdash;the short but
eventful career of Attila, with his terrible Scythians, or Huns.
Singularly, Attila was said to "possess the iron sword of the
war-god <i>Mars</i>," and he claimed for himself the designation or
title "The Scourge of God"; while his followers were even more
cruel and barbarous, if possible, than the Goths and the
Vandals.</p>
<p>Coming from the remote solitudes of Asia under the leadership of
their fierce king, they poured like a tornado, first upon the
inhabitants of the Eastern empire (in 442, 445) and then turned
their attention westward. Attila ruled over "nearly all the tribes
north of the Danube and the Black sea," and under his banner fought
Ostrogoths, Gepid&aelig;, Alani, Heruli, and many other Teutonic
peoples. Says Gibbon: "The whole breadth of Europe, as it extends
above five hundred miles from the Euxine to the Adriatic, was at
once invaded, and occupied, and desolated by the myriads of
barbarians whom Attila led into the <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page146" name="page146"></a>[pg 146]</span> field." It was the
boast of Attila that the grass never grew on the spot which his
horse had trod. In 451 he led his forces, seven hundred thousand
strong, through the center of Germany into the heart of Gaul, where
he was met at Chalons by the combined forces of the Visigoths,
Alans, Franks and Romans, and was defeated, with the loss of one
hundred and seventy thousand of his men. This was one of the most
gigantic as well as one of the most important battles of history. A
rivulet flowing through the field of battle is said to have been
colored and swollen by the blood of the slain. The next year,
however, with a greater force at his command, he fell with headlong
fury upon northern Italy; but he did not attack Rome. Suddenly and
seemingly without cause, he withdrew his army; and this peculiar
action of his has been the wonder of historians ever since. Says
the Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica: "Attila at once withdrew from
Italy, but the motive which led him to act thus is not known."
According to the prophecy, he was to fall upon the "rivers and
fountains of waters" only. A short time later, in 453, he died, and
"the vast empire over which he had ruled broke up
<i>immediately</i> after his death, no one chief being powerful
enough to seize the supremacy." Thus his short but wonderful career
of about twelve years ended suddenly, like a meteor falling into a
river.</p>
<p>But the effects of this invasion were farreaching. Rome in her
declining strength, being unable to cope with these immense hordes
of barbarians, was forced to call to her assistance the
half-civilized tribes of Gothic barbarians against a more dreaded
foe. The success that attended these conflicts of the combined
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page147" name="page147"></a>[pg
147]</span> forces were the means of giving greater political
importance to these Gothic tribes and securing their independence.
But while they rose, Rome fell. By the very act of employing such
weapons in defense, Rome robbed herself of the little political
strength remaining, and she was obliged to accept the bitter
consequences.</p>
<p>Under each of these first three trumpets the extent of
destruction is indicated by the expression "the third part." Since
the successive steps in the downfall of the empire is the subject
under consideration, this expression as here applied doubtless has
particular reference to the loss of political power and life,
rather than referring directly to the loss of human life sustained.
With this thought in view, it is evident that the political
importance of the empire was entirely destroyed by these desolating
incursions. Of the truth of this fact all historians agree. Nothing
of Rome remained, except the semblance of a government, when the
time arrived for the sounding of the next trumpet.</p>
<a name="chap8-12" id="chap8-12"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>12. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun
was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of
the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day
shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The symbol of this trumpet is that of an eclipse of sun, moon,
and stars, so that they shone not for a third part of the day and
night. Under the sixth seal we showed that these luminaries of
heaven are taken as symbols of rulers and princes; for the latter
bear an <span class="pagenum"><a id="page148" name=
"page148"></a>[pg 148]</span> analagous relation to the empire that
the former do to the earth. In the darkening, then, of the sun,
moon, and stars, we are to look for some disastrous change or
overthrow in the imperial government. Such an event occurred only a
few years after the events described under the preceding trumpets.
With her political strength and resources exhausted, Rome could no
longer maintain a separate existence, and Odoacer, king of the
Heruli, overthrew Momyllus Augustulus, the last of the Roman line
of emperors, and caused himself to be proclaimed king of Italy in
A.D. 476. This terminated the Western empire; and thus was the
Roman sun eclipsed in darkness. In a subsequent chapter, however,
we will find the eclipse lifted at a later period and <i>New
Rome</i> enjoying all the power and authority lost in her
predecessors of the old Augustin line.</p>
<p>Odoacer continued in possession of his kingdom seventeen years.
Then he was defeated and slain by Theodoric, and by him the kingdom
of the Ostrogoths was established in Italy. Sixty years later this
kingdom was subverted by Belisarius, the general of Justinian,
emperor of the East, to whom it became a tributary province. In
each of the principal cities of Italy Justinian appointed a
governor with the title of Duke, in subordination to another with
the title of Exarch, whose residence was at Ravenna. "Thus, at
last, was Rome, once the proud mistress of the world, reduced to a
poor dukedom, made tributary to the Exarch of Ravenna, and he
holding his authority at the will of the emperor of Constantinople,
the seat of the Eastern empire."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page149" name="page149"></a>[pg
149]</span>
<p>Thus, under the symbols of these four trumpets we have developed
the wondrous history of the downfall of imperial Rome, in order to
give opportunity for the scenes of the drama yet to follow. The
"man of sin" could not be fully revealed in all his terrible
features until this hindrance was removed out of the way. Imperial
Rome for three centuries stood as the great opposer of God's people
and slaughtered thousands, perhaps millions, of the Lord's innocent
servants, and the hand of retributive Justice was finally extended
to humble her to the dust. Singularly, the persons whom God made
choice of to effect her downfall have either regarded themselves as
special instruments whose mission it was to punish the world or
else have received such designations by historians because of their
awful work. Contemporary historians distinguish Alaric by the
epithets "The Scourge of God," "The Destroyer of Nations"; while
the great Vandal leader is designated "The Terrible Genseric."
Attila claimed the title "The Scourge of God."</p>
<blockquote>
<p>13. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of
heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters
of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the
three angels, which are yet to sound!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The later editions of the Greek New Testament give the word
<i>eagle</i> instead of <i>angel</i>&mdash;denoting a messenger or
angel flying with the swiftness of an eagle. This messenger
doubtless is not intended to be symbolic; for it is not one of the
seven angels, but a messenger possessing a warning, and that
warning is given "to <span class="pagenum"><a id="page150" name=
"page150"></a>[pg 150]</span> the inhabitants of the earth," as if
they were addressed directly. It simply announces that the three
trumpets yet to sound will possess greater calamities to the people
of earth than those that have preceded, by reason of which they are
called woes. The manner, also, in which the woe trumpets are spoken
of afterwards confirm the statement that the announcement is
literal and not symbolical. "One woe is past, and, behold, there
come two more woes hereafter." Chap. <a href="#chap9-12">9:12</a>.
"The second woe it past: and, behold, the third woe cometh
quickly." Chap. <a href="#chap11-14">11:14</a>. These announcements
are evidently literal, and serve to explain the passage before us.
Accordingly, the last three trumpets are generally referred to as
the woe trumpets.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page151" name="page151"></a>[pg
151]</span> <a name="chap9" id="chap9"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
<a name="chap9-1" id="chap9-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven
unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless
pit.</p>
<p>2. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out
of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the
air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.</p>
<p>3. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and
unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have
power.</p>
<p>4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass
of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only
those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.</p>
<p>5. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but
that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as
the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.</p>
<p>6. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find
it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.</p>
<p>7. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared
unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold,
and their faces were as the faces of men.</p>
<p>8. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were
as the teeth of lions.</p>
<p>9. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron;
and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many
horses running to battle.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page152" name="page152"></a>[pg
152]</span>
<p>10. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were
stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five
months.</p>
<p>11. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the
bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in
the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The symbols of this trumpet are of a very peculiar character and
peculiarly combined. They are not drawn entirely from the natural
world, showing that we are not to look for their fulfilment in
political events alone; neither are they drawn from human life in
any such way as to indicate events in the religious history of the
church. The leading characters in it, however, are living, active
agents of such a destructive nature as to entitle them to the
designation of a woe.</p>
<p>The first object presented in the vision is a "star" fallen to
the earth. Our translation conveys the idea that this star was in
the act of falling; but in the original it is different, being
there represented as having fallen, its dejection from heaven to
earth being complete. The only place that it appeared in view was
on the earth, and there it is described as fallen. A star is a
symbol either of a civil ruler or of a religious teacher, the
symbols in connection deciding whether it is set in the political
or the ecclesiastical firmament. But this was not such a star as He
who walketh in the midst of the golden candle-sticks holdeth in his
right hand, but it was a <i>fallen</i> star, indicating that it was
the propagator of a false faith.</p>
<p>To this star was given a key. In the Gospels the same figure is
employed, where the ministers of Christ are represented as
possessing the keys of the kingdom <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page153" name="page153"></a>[pg 153]</span> of heaven, showing
that they acted in his name and by his authority. How appropriate,
then, is this symbol as applied to a false teacher, who possesses,
not the keys of the kingdom of heaven, but, instead, "the key of
the bottomless pit"! Thus, under the symbol of the star and the
key, we have the teacher and his authority set forth. Armed with
this authority, this false teacher "opened the bottomless pit; and
there rose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace;
and the sun and air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the
pit." In the Scriptures Jesus is represented as the Sun of
righteousness, while "the light of the <i>glorious gospel</i> of
Christ" illuminates the world. But here we have something of the
opposite character&mdash;a dense smoke eclipsing the sun and
darkening the heavens. Have we not here a fit representation of a
delusive faith proceeding from its true source, "the bottomless
pit"? And is not a fallen star an appropriate symbol of its
propagator?</p>
<p>In representing a system of religion by these objects from
nature we depart from the general rule first laid down&mdash;that
objects of nature symbolize political affairs, while the department
of human and angelic life is chosen to represent religious affairs.
But the reader should bear in mind one important exception to this
rule&mdash;that things prominently connected with the history of
the people of God in former ages are frequently employed
(regardless of the department to which they belong) to represent
spiritual things, their interpretation being easily seen; such as
candle-sticks, altar, temple, incense, etc. When the plague of
"thick darkness" covered the land of Egypt for three days, "the
children of Israel had light in their dwellings." <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page154" name="page154"></a>[pg 154]</span> In the
exodus the Lord went before them "by night in a pillar of fire, to
give them light." After the erection of the tabernacle the holy
place was constantly illuminated. This natural light in the Jewish
age constitutes a beautiful type of the spiritual "light of the
glorious gospel of Christ" that has "shined in our hearts" in the
Christian dispensation. This spiritual light comes from Christ, the
"Sun of righteousness," the "true Light which lighteth every man
that cometh into the world"; and proceeds, also, from his people,
who "shine as lights in the world." But it is the "light of the
<i>gospel</i>." This light proceeds in a special sense from God's
ministers, who are represented as "stars" (chap. <a href=
"#chap1-20">1:20</a>) and who possess "the keys of the kingdom of
heaven." Mat. 16:19; 18:18. How appropriate, then, that a
<i>fallen</i> "star," possessing "the key of the bottomless pit,"
should be a symbol of a religious impostor, and that the smoke
which darkened the heavens, eclipsing the sun, the source of light,
should represent a prominent delusive faith! I have already
mentioned the fact that the symbols of this vision lead to a series
of events entirely separate in their nature from the spiritual
history of the church as developed under other symbols. We find its
fulfilment in Mohammed and the delusive system he promulgated. In
the year 606 Mahomet retired to a cave in Hera, near Mecca, and
there received his pretended revelations, although it was not until
six years later that he began to teach his doctrines publicly and
to gain followers outside of the circle of his own family and
personal friends. Gibbon, Vol. V., p. 121.</p>
<p>The next object in the vision is the locusts that came out of
the smoke, to which was given power like scorpions, <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page155" name="page155"></a>[pg 155]</span> or
power to inflict a deadly sting like scorpions. To what living
agents, then, did the delusion of Mohammedanism give
birth&mdash;agents of a destructive nature like scorpion locust?
Evidently, the Saracens,<a id="footnotetag6" name=
"footnotetag6"></a><a href="#footnote6"><sup>6</sup></a> those
warrior followers of Mohammed who flocked to his standard. These
locusts received the express command that "they should not hurt the
grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but
only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads."
The successor of Mohammed, Abubeker, gave the Saracens a command
that they should "destroy no palm-trees, nor burn any fields of
grain; cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any mischief to cattle, only
such as you kill to eat." This command was singular, yet it
doubtless is not the fulfilment of the command to the locusts; for
that would be adopting a literal meaning instead of a symbolic one,
and to complete the picture we should have had literal Saracens
instead of locusts. We can not consistently make a part literal and
the remainder symbolical. In the explanation of the first trumpet
(chap. <a href="#chap8-6">8:6, 7</a>), we showed that grass and
trees symbolized the inhabitants of a kingdom, grass representing
the feebler and trees the stronger portions of society. The fact,
then, that these locusts were not to destroy the green grass and
trees show that they were not sent as a scourge upon the political
empire <span class="pagenum"><a id="page156" name="page156"></a>[pg
156]</span> only, as was the storm of hail and fire under the first
trumpet. Had their mission been like that of natural locusts, to
destroy every green thing, we should then conclude that they were
sent as a scourge upon the empire alone, having nothing whatever to
do with a system of religion. These locusts, however, were
commanded not to do what natural locusts always do&mdash;eat green
grass and trees&mdash;and were commissioned to do what locusts
never do&mdash;"hurt men," but only those who have not the seal of
God in their foreheads; that is, the worshipers of a false,
idolatrous church, who are not known unto God as his true people.
This is positive proof that the design of this vision is to set
forth some awful religious imposture; for the "men" that they were
to hurt are found in the department which by analogy represents
religious events.</p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote6" name=
"footnote6"></a><b>Footnote 6:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag6">(return)</a>
<p>"In earlier times the name of Saraceni was applied by Greeks and
Romans to the troublesome Nomad Arabs of the Syro-Arabian
desert."&mdash;<i>Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica</i>. In the Middle
Ages, however, Europeans began to call all their Moslem enemies
Saracens. It is in the limited sense that it is here applied,
designating the first followers of Mohammed before the rise of the
Ottoman empire.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The fact that their commission was to torment those "men which
have not the seal of God in their foreheads," is a proof also of
the wide-spread apostasies that had already taken place. This was
the time when the pale horseman was careering over the world
carrying desolation everywhere by his instruments of
oppression&mdash;sword, pestilences, famine, and the wild beasts of
the earth. "The churches both in the Western and Eastern empire
were in the most deplorable condition, being corrupted with the
grossest ignorance and idolatry; the virgin Mary, the saints, and
miserable relics of every description being worshiped in the place
of Jehovah, and superstition reigning with sovereign power over all
minds." The Saracen warriors of Mohammed were sent as a scourge
upon apostate Christendom, overrunning the very <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page157" name="page157"></a>[pg 157]</span>
territory where the gospel was first preached, and were
commissioned to "torment" the false professors of Christianity.</p>
<p>In regard to the kind and the extent of the injury they were to
inflict, it is said that "to them it was given that they should not
kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their
torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and
shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." The Saracens,
as here described under the symbol of the locusts, sustained a
two-fold relation, and the careful and perfect manner in which the
symbols are selected to set it forth is worthy of particular
notice. In the first place, the Saracens were a political body. As
such, locusts would fitly represent them. But they were also a
religious body, and how could that fact be symbolically combined
with the other? It is done by the locusts' being forbidden to act
out their own nature in eating grass and trees, and their being
commanded instead to "hurt men," thus changing the field of their
operations into the department of human life&mdash;the department
that is chosen to symbolically set forth religious events. Thus the
politico-religious system of the Saracens is accurately set forth.
This, also, is nearly as clear as a demonstration that the position
already taken concerning the nature and the use of symbolic
language is correct.</p>
<p>It was given that they should "not kill" men. We have already
shown that killing men when used symbolically signifies the
destruction of the political or ecclesiastical organizations and
institutions of society. <span class="pagenum"><a id="page158"
name="page158"></a>[pg 158]</span> We could not consistently
interpret it as literal slaughter, but as some analagous
destruction. Now, the Saracen power was, as already stated, a
politico-religious system, and its warriors were an infatuated set
of religious fanatics, described by historians as "carrying the
sword in one hand, and the Koran in the other." Thus, they had it
in their power to kill either religiously or
politically&mdash;destroy either the church or the empire&mdash;but
they did neither, for their mission was not to kill, but to
"torment." "They made extensive conquests and gained immense
numbers of converts. But they did not overthrow the Eastern empire,
although they repeatedly attacked and besieged Constantinople,
suffering, however, uniform defeat in the attempt. Neither did they
destroy the church, corrupt and apostate as it was. To idolators
and infidels they put the alternative of the Koran or death; but
allowed the Christians to retain their church organization, laying
them, however, under severe contributions, and treating them to the
ignominious appellation of Christian dogs." Concerning the
character of Mohammed, Gibbon informs us that "he seldom trampled
on a prostrate enemy, and he seems to promise, that on the payment
of a tribute, the least guilty of his unbelieving subjects might be
indulged in their worship, or at least in their imperfect faith"
(Vol. V, p. 129), and this, of course, would be the natural
tendency of his followers. The Armenian and the Greek churches
survived, and still exist in that portion of the world, but they
have indeed been greviously tormented. "The proud Moslem, glorying
in his prophet and religion, has heaped every possible insult and
injury upon the <span class="pagenum"><a id="page159" name=
"page159"></a>[pg 159]</span> Christians," yet he suffered them to
live, but live only for him to torment. Surely the oppressions thus
experienced are appropriately described by the words, "as the
torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man." Under such torments
the professed Christians might court death, but such is not
granted; and still they survive, but only to be "tormented." The
Moslem had "the Christian dog" completely under his foot.</p>
<p>We now turn our attention to the period of time during which
these Saracen locusts were to continue their ravages. It is given
as "five months," or one hundred and fifty days. As this
description is entirely symbolic, we must consider the time
symbolic also, for time certainly can be symbolized as well as
anything else. It is very appropriate for days to symbolize years,
for they are analagous periods of time; the diurnal revolution of
the earth being taken to represent the earth's annual movement.
Such a system of reckoning time was known centuries ago. When Jacob
complained to Laban because he had been given Leah instead of
Rachel, "Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give
the younger before the first-born. Fulfil her <i>week</i>, and we
will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve me
yet <i>seven other years</i>. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her
week ... seven other years." Gen. 29:26-30. In this case it will be
seen that a day was used to represent a year, since seven days, or
one week, represented seven years. When the law was given, Moses
recognized the week of seven natural days, the last day of which
was constituted a Sabbath of rest for Israel; but he also
instituted <span class="pagenum"><a id="page160" name=
"page160"></a>[pg 160]</span> a week of seven years, the last year
of which was a sabbatical year of rest unto the land. This last
fact will explain such expressions as "forty days, <i>each day for
a year</i>" (Num. 14:34), and "I have appointed thee each day for a
year." Ezek. 4:6.</p>
<p>This period, then, of "five months," or one hundred and fifty
days, would represent symbolically one hundred and fifty years. As
before stated, it was in the year A.D. 612 that Mohammed began to
expound his doctrines publicly and to gather adherents around his
standard, from which point the locusts commenced, although the
smoke had been let out of the pit a little previously. For a period
of one hundred and fifty years from this date, they continued their
ravages, until A.D. 762. Then they "built Bagdad, which became
their settled seat of empire; and henceforth they became a settled
nation, making no further conquests." From that date their power
began to decline. But during this one hundred and fifty years they
spread over the country like swarms of devouring locusts. According
to the well-known facts of history, "they overran Arabia,
Palestine, Persia, Egypt, and the northern shores of Africa, from
which they passed to the conquest of Portugal and Spain." These
were the countries that had been the most oppressed by a
priest-ridden church and where especially were to be found those
"men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." Europe was
trembling and filled with apprehension at what her fate might be at
the hands of these fanatic warriors who fought with savage fury,
under the promise of their prophet that, if slain in battle, they
should be immediately transported to Paradise. At <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page161" name="page161"></a>[pg 161]</span> the
zenith of their power, and confident of success, they passed from
Spain into France four hundred thousand strong. But here they
exceeded their mission. The southern provinces of France contained
many Christians who had the "seal of God" upon them, and this
country became the seat of the Waldenses and Albigenses, of which
interesting people we shall learn more hereafter. The invading host
was met at Tours by Charles, grandfather of Charlemagne, who dealt
them such a crushing blow that he was ever afterward designated by
the surname Martel&mdash;the Hammer. This battle was one of the
fiercest recorded in history. The Saracens who had scarcely ever
experienced defeat fought with the fury of despair, until,
according to the accounts of that age, three hundred and
seventy-five thousand of their number lay upon the field of battle
with their general. This decisive victory saved Europe from her
threatened subjection to the Mohammedan faith.</p>
<p>The next point in the vision to claim our attention is the
particular description of these locusts. Some of the points
mentioned might find a literal fulfilment in the personal
appearance of the Saracens&mdash;such as the crowns signifying the
turbans they wore, etc., but we must adhere strictly to the
symbolic mode of interpretation and look for their fulfilment in
Saracen character. Their being like war-horses denotes their
warlike disposition. The crowns on their heads signify their great
success and triumphs. Their faces of men and hair like women
doubtless signify their boldness on the one hand and their
effeminateness on the other. Their teeth as the teeth of lions show
their ferocity of character. Their breastplates <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page162" name="page162"></a>[pg 162]</span> of
iron indicate their invincibility or else their insensibility to
injuries inflicted upon them. The sound of their wings like horses
and chariots running to battle denotes the multitude and rapidity
of their conquests. Their tails like scorpions, containing stings
with which to "hurt men"&mdash;operating in the religious
world&mdash;symbolize their position as propagators of a false
faith. Thus they are set forth in their two-fold character&mdash;as
invincible warriors and as the zealous professors of a delusion,
whose sting was like that of a scorpion when he strikes a man.</p>
<p>"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the
bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in
the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." The following fact of
history will explain this: "The Saracens had their Caliphs, the
successors of Mohammed, who united in themselves the supreme civil,
military and ecclesiastical powers. They were the high-priests of
their religion, the commanders of their armies, and the emperors of
the nation." This king over them signifies a succession of rulers,
and they are well described as "the angel of the bottomless pit,"
for that is the very place where the delusion is said to have
originated. Mahomet, as a fallen star, opened the pit and let out
the smoke, and his successors, who grasped his power and authority,
are fitly characterized as angels from the same place, bearing the
name Abaddon or Apollyon, which terms both signify Destroyer.</p>
<p>Is not this a wonderful combination of symbols which can be
carried out with surprising accuracy? What human ingenuity could
have ever contrived such a marvelous series of events, and
described them <span class="pagenum"><a id="page163" name=
"page163"></a>[pg 163]</span> under such appropriate symbols?
Finally, let me ask, Where in the whole compass of universal
history can be found another series of events so perfectly meeting
every requirement of the symbols? In this we must acknowledge the
hand of God.</p>
<a name="chap9-12" id="chap9-12"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>12. One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more
hereafter.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This announcement, that one woe is past, meaning that the period
of one hundred and fifty years during which the Saracens were to
continue their conquests has ended, serves an important purpose in
enabling us to fix the chronology of the events described. It
proves that they succeed each other.</p>
<a name="chap9-13" id="chap9-13"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>13. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the
four horns of the golden altar which is before God,</p>
<p>14. Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the
four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.</p>
<p>15. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an
hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third
part of men.</p>
<p>16. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred
thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.</p>
<p>17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat
on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and
brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions;
and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.</p>
<p>18. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the
fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of
their mouths.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page164" name="page164"></a>[pg
164]</span>
<p>19. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for
their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them
they do hurt.</p>
<p>20. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these
plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they
should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and
brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor
walk:</p>
<p>21. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their
sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>At the sounding of the sixth trumpet, or the second woe trumpet,
a voice is heard from the four horns (all the horns) of the golden
altar. This probably denotes that the very same altar where incense
was offered up to God with the prayers of all saints was now crying
out to him for vengeance upon an apostate church. That church had
reached the summit of apostasy and iniquity, the virgin Mary, the
saints, and thousands of idols in the form of miserable relics
being worshiped more than God. Because of these abominable
idolatries, a voice is heard crying from the golden altar for the
avenging judgments of Heaven, which were the loosing of the four
angels bound in the river Euphrates. The symbols of this vision are
also of peculiar character and drawn from different departments. We
have four angels bound in the Euphrates, an immense army of
horsemen, then a large number of horses with heads as of lions, and
fire, smoke, and brimstone issuing from their mouths. The horses
thus particularly described are evidently intended to have a
definite symbolical signification, and being objects of nature,
they would indicate a <span class="pagenum"><a id="page165" name=
"page165"></a>[pg 165]</span> political or military power. The
horsemen, being objects from human life, would point us to some
religious body; while the angels signify the leaders that have
control of these agencies. Their being commissioned "to slay the
third part of men" show that they will overthrow some of the
established institutions of society. We are to look, therefore, for
some politico-religious power that should invade and overthrow the
empire. We are, of course, directed to the Eastern empire; for the
Western division was subverted under the symbols of the first four
trumpets. With these specifications before us, we shall have no
difficulty in identifying the power intended&mdash;<i>the Turkish,
or Ottoman, empire</i>. Its agreement with the symbolic
representations of the vision will be manifest from a statement of
the facts of history.</p>
<p>"The Turks were of Tartar or Scythian origin, from the northern
regions of Asia, whence also the Huns hived upon Europe during the
fourth and fifth centuries. The latter passed to the north of the
Black sea from Russia, and swept the regions of the Danube and the
Rhine. The Turks, passing to the east of the same, fell upon the
empire from that quarter. They took possession of Armenia Major in
the ninth century, where they increased, and in the space of two
hundred years became a formidable power, being at the end of this
period combined into four Sultanies, the heads of which were at
Bagdad, Damascus, Aleppo, and Iconium. The first of these was
erected A.D. 1055; the two next A.D. 1079, and the last A.D.
1080&mdash;all of them within twenty-five years, and the three last
within two."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page166" name="page166"></a>[pg
166]</span>
<p>These four Sultanies are doubtless signified by "the four
angels" that were bound in the river Euphrates. The Euphrates here
is employed as a symbol, not of the Turks themselves&mdash;for the
horsemen are their symbol, as we shall see&mdash;but of the binding
of the angels. The use of this word as a symbol is derived from a
fact of history, being the object, according to Herodotus, that
kept Cyrus back from entering the city of Babylon. While the
Persian monarch surrounded the walls of that ancient metropolis of
the Babylonian empire, with his army, he was held in restraint by
the river Euphrates; and it was not until he had diverted its
waters into an artificial channel that he gained an entrance. So,
also, these Sultanies, or leaders of the Turks, were held under
restraint as if bound by the river Euphrates, until the time
appointed for them to go forth on their mission of conquest.
Different causes held them back. For a long time they were involved
in fierce and almost continuous wars with the neighboring Tartar
tribes on the east and the north, and at the same time the
Crusaders of Europe were carrying on a determined war with the
Saracens for the possession of the Holy Land. For two centuries the
armies of Christendom poured into Syria and Palestine to recover
from the hands of the "infidels," as they were called, the holy
sepulchre and the country that gave birth to Christianity; but when
Europe finally abandoned the project, then went forth the command
to loose the four angels, "which were prepared for an hour, and a
day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of man."
To kill men symbolically, I have already shown, signifies the
destruction either <span class="pagenum"><a id="page167" name=
"page167"></a>[pg 167]</span> of an empire as a political body or
of the church (that is, the so-called church) as a religious body.
The locusts under the fifth trumpet were to do neither; but the
symbolic characters of this vision are "to slay the third part of
men," by which is set forth the fall and subjugation of the Eastern
empire and church; just as, under the fifth trumpet, the fall of
the Western empire was described by the darkening of a third part
of the sun, moon, and stars.</p>
<p>Before considering the time-prophecy in this vision, we will
pass on to notice a few particulars respecting the horses and their
riders. The horsemen possessed breastplates of fire, jacinth, and
brimstone; while out of the mouths of the horses proceeded fire,
smoke, and brimstone. There is evidently a special design in
distinguishing between the horses and their riders. These symbols,
being drawn from different sources&mdash;the former from the
natural world and the latter from human life&mdash;point out the
two characteristics of the Turks as a politico-religious power. The
symbolic description of the two is almost identical. The horsemen
had breastplates of fire, jacinth (purplish or reddish blue), and
brimstone. This describes the character of the Turks as a religious
system. Out of the horses' mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and
brimstone, which represents the Moslems as a political power. The
only difference is that the smoke is substituted for the jacinth,
but they very nearly agree in color. We are thus brought to the
conclusion that the political and the religious power of the Turks
is in harmony and agreement with each other&mdash;united in the
closest manner possible, like a horse and its rider, and both
animated by the same spirit. That <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page168" name="page168"></a>[pg 168]</span> spirit is perhaps
their fierce, fanatical, aggressive, intolerant character.</p>
<p>The tails of the horses were like serpents with heads, their
power being in their mouth and in their tails&mdash;the one a lion,
the other a serpent. It was by the fire, the smoke, and the
brimstone that came from their lion-heads that the third part of
men was killed, or their conquests were made; then with their
serpent-like tails would they torment or "hurt" all those who would
not adopt the Moslem faith, being in this respect like the scorpion
locusts. Their lion-heads would denote their invincible strength
and courage; and their serpent-tails, the tormenting sting
inflicted upon those whom they subdued but who would not accept
their religion. It is not said that the riders were the direct
agents of destruction&mdash;not the Moslem faith as a
religion&mdash;but it was the horses that accomplished the deadly
work&mdash;the Ottomans as a political body. This was the power
that extended conquests and established their empire, although it
was accompanied by the religious system, working in perfect
harmony.</p>
<p>It is said that the "rest of the men which were not killed by
these plagues" repented not. This expression doubtless signifies
the Western, or Latin, church. They saw these judgments of the
Euphratean horsemen on the Eastern empire, and the triumph of the
Moslem sword and faith (the woe fell as a judgment upon the Eastern
church); still, they continued as before in their abominable
idolatries, by which is probably meant their worship of the virgin
Mary, saints, relics, and images. There was no reformation. Error,
superstition, and ecclesiastical usurpation prevailed as
before.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page169" name="page169"></a>[pg
169]</span>
<p>The Turks obtained their first victory over the Christians of
the Eastern, or Greek, empire in A.D. 1281. Within ten years the
Latins who inhabited Palestine were entirely overthrown (see
Gibbon, Vol. VI, p. 47), and the way was now clear for Turkish
aggression against the Greek empire. Before the end of the century
the four Sultanies mentioned were combined into one consolidated
empire under Osman (corrupted by Europeans into Ottoman) and from
him took the name which it still retains&mdash;the Ottoman empire.
From the time they were let loose, the Turks continued their
aggressions until A.D. 1453, when Constantinople fell before their
victorious arms, and the Eastern empire, with the last of the
Constantines, sunk to rise no more. "The Turkish sword and the
religion of the Koran were enthroned in the Christian metropolis of
the Roman emperors; and the proud Moslem had the Christian dog
completely under his foot." The Ottoman power, however, continued
to grow and make new conquests until the year A.D. 1672, when they
conducted a successful campaign against Poland, in which
forty-eight towns and villages were ceded to the Sultan, with
promise of an annual tribute of two hundred and twenty thousand
ducats. See Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica, Art. Turkey. This was
the last victory they ever gained wherein the Ottoman empire
obtained any advantage. A little later they marched against Vienna,
but sustained a miserable defeat. "Venice and Russia now declared
war against Turkey; misfortune followed misfortune; city after city
was rent away from the empire; the Austrians were in possession of
almost the whole of Hungary, the Italians of almost all the
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page170" name="page170"></a>[pg
170]</span> Morea." Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica, Art. Turkey. So
the power of the Ottomans to extend their conquests and to add to
their empire, ended with the victory over the Poles in A.D. 1672.
This fact is even admitted by Demetrius Cantemir, prince of
Moldavia, one of their historians, in the following language: "This
was the <i>last</i> victory by which any advantage accrued to the
Othman state, or any city or province was annexed to the ancient
bounds of the empire." In accordance with this statement, the same
historian entitles the first part of his history up to the victory
over the Poles in 1672 the History of <i>the Growth of the Othman
Empire</i>, and the remaining portion, <i>The Decay of the Othman
Empire</i>.</p>
<p>Calculating now the time during which these horsemen were
prepared to extend their conquests&mdash;"an hour, and a day, and a
month, and a year"&mdash;we find according to prophetic, or
symbolic, time&mdash;thirty days in a month, three hundred and
sixty in a year&mdash;that it signifies three hundred and
ninety-one years and fifteen days. This is exactly the period of
time that elapsed between their first victory in A.D. 1281 and
their last conquest in A.D. 1672. I can not verify the fifteen
days, because no history at my command states the exact days of the
month on which these victories occurred.</p>
<p>One more point of importance must be considered before we
conclude this chapter, and that is the continuance of the Ottoman
power. The first, or Saracen, woe had power to torment men "five
months," or one hundred and fifty years, during which time they
continued their ravages. The second woe began when the command was
given to loose the four angels, <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page171" name="page171"></a>[pg 171]</span> or the beginning of
the Ottoman conquests. "An hour, and a day, and a month, and a
year," or three hundred and ninety-one years, marked the time
during which they were "prepared" to extend their conquests. But it
is not stated that the woe itself, or the Ottoman power, would then
cease; for it is not represented as ending until after the death
and the resurrection of the witnesses (chap. <a href=
"#chap11-14">11:14</a>), immediately following which the coming of
Christ and the general judgment, or the third woe, is described.
Verses 15-18. The Turkish power has made no advance for centuries,
but has been on the decline; yet it will endure for its allotted
time. It furnishes us a way-mark by which we can determine our
position along the pathway of time; for when it falls, we may rest
assured that the coming of Christ is imminent.</p>
<p>For nearly two centuries it has been the wonder of civilized
nations how that corrupt, tyrannical government, which has been
described as a "despotism tempered by assassination," could exist
in the increased light and onward advance of modern civilization.
Concerning its position in Europe, Judson, in his recent history of
Europe in the Nineteenth Century, says: "The Turkish empire has
been an element of unrest in Europe. It has long been plain to all
that it is not permanent. It has taken no root. The Turks are
merely encamped in Europe; and it is merely a question of time when
the last of them must return across the Bosphorus." Pp. 269, 270.
But Turkey will continue to hold this territory of the old Greek
empire until the time appointed by the Father for her overthrow.
The nations of Europe have often conspired for her overthrow. This
is what is known <span class="pagenum"><a id="page172" name=
"page172"></a>[pg 172]</span> as the great Eastern Question, which
has been described by one writer as "the expulsion of the Turk from
Europe, and the scramble for his territory." But it has not yet
been accomplished, for the very reason doubtless, that it <i>could
not</i> take place before the resurrection of the witnesses, of
which we will speak later. Judson thus continues his account of the
matter: "As soon as this idea was realized [that Turkish power in
Europe must fall] by the Western nations, in place of the dread of
the Turk which had so long been part and parcel of European
thinking, the question of the disposal to be made of the Turkish
possessions became matter of live interest. And this is the Eastern
Question. The Greek empire vanished forever when the last
Constantine fell in 1453. The only problem is one of partition. And
the heart of it all is the disposal to be made of Constantinople.
That imperial city is a site that, in strong hands, means power and
wealth. What shall become of it? Russia early formed designs of
conquest.... The empress Catherine ... had a grand scheme for a
restoration of the Greek empire under a Russian prince. Alexander
I., at Tilsit, planned a partition of the Ottoman empire with
Napoleon, but the latter declined to see Constantinople in Russian
hands. 'Constantinople,' said he, 'is the empire of the world.' In
1844 Nicholas visited England and made guarded suggestions to the
prime-minister about the Turkish lands. The Ottoman empire, said
he, was a sick man, nearly at the last extremity.... England
declined to plan for a share of the inheritance, and nothing was
done. In 1853 Nicholas resumed the subject with the British
ambassador at St. Petersburg. The sick <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page173" name="page173"></a>[pg 173]</span> man, he now held, was
at the point of death.... But again England declined and, indeed,
the next year went to war with Russia to save the sick man from a
premature end at the hands of the would-be administrator of the
estate. Another power doubly interested in the future of the
Turkish dominions is Austria. That empire has been the traditional
enemy of the Turk, and at the end of the seventeenth century was
the actual bulwark of Europe against Mohammedan conquest. When the
tide of war rolled the other way, Austria was ready to share in the
spoils. Twice near the end of the eighteenth century, was an
alliance made between Russia and Austria for the partition of
Turkey," etc. Pp. 270, 271. Thus, we find that these designs of
nations for the overthrow of Turkey have so far been overruled; for
God will not allow that power to come to "a <i>premature
end</i>."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page174" name="page174"></a>[pg
174]</span> <a name="chap10" id="chap10"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER X.</h2>
<a name="chap10-1" id="chap10-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed
with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as
it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:</p>
<p>2. And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his
right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,</p>
<p>3. And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when
he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.</p>
<p>4. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was
about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,
Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write
them not.</p>
<p>5. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the
earth lifted up his hand to heaven,</p>
<p>6. And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created
heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the
things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are
therein, that there should be time no longer:</p>
<p>7. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he
shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he
hath declared to his servants the prophets.</p>
<p>8. And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again,
and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of
the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.</p>
<p>9. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the
little book. And he said unto <span class="pagenum"><a id="page175"
name="page175"></a>[pg 175]</span> me, Take it, and eat it up; and
it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet
as honey.</p>
<p>10. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate
it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had
eaten it, my belly was bitter.</p>
<p>11. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many
peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In the preceding chapter we had a history of the two great woes
that befell apostate Christendom. In this chapter we have in
contrast a portion of the history of God's true church, to show us
that all was not lost even though the Eastern church was greviously
tormented by the serpent-tails of the horses and the Western church
still continued as before in her sorceries, fornications, and
abominable idolatries.</p>
<p>The symbol is that of an angel from heaven. This is not the
seventh, or the third woe angel, who ushers in the general judgment
(chap. <a href="#chap11-15">11:15-18</a>), but it is a special
messenger appearing on earth with the awful message that the end of
time is near and that when the seventh angel soon begins to sound
the mystery of God shall be finished and there shall be time no
longer. This mighty angel is symbolical of some human agencies of
distinguished character; for it stands in striking contrast with
the destructive powers described under the preceding trumpets. When
angels appear on the panoramic scene only in the temple above, they
themselves are not symbolic characters, but only the conductors of
the Revelation; but whenever they appear on earth, they represent
distinguished <span class="pagenum"><a id="page176" name=
"page176"></a>[pg 176]</span> agencies among men. In the present
vision the symbol is drawn, not from the natural world, but from
the heavenly, and the scene is laid upon earth; therefore we must
look to the history of the church to find its fulfilment in some
distinguished agencies appearing for the defence of Christ and his
truth. The cloud, rainbow, face as the sun, and feet as pillars of
fire, are doubtless intended to set forth their beautiful,
benignant character, and to show that the angel is not such an one
as those that were bound in the river Euphrates. This one has the
bow of covenant promise upon his head, and his face shines as the
sun.</p>
<p>Where, then, in the history of God's true church do we find the
agencies corresponding to the symbol? We find them in the <i>holy
ministry</i> that he has raised up and is now sending forth to
preach the pure gospel and to declare the speedy sounding of the
seventh trumpet and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth
again.</p>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Lo, the angel now is standing on the sea and on the land;</p>
<p>How his voice the air is rending as to God he lifts his
hand!</p>
<p>What an awful, awful message! Help us, Lord, this truth to
see:</p>
<p>When the seventh trumpet thunders, then shall time no longer
be.</p>
</div>
<div class="stanza">
<p>"One more trumpet yet to summon us before the judgment seat,</p>
<p>Then the time of our frail planet will be said to be
complete.</p>
<p>How the wicked will be wailing and the righteous overjoyed</p>
<p>When with fire the heav'ns are burning and the earth shall be
destroyed!"</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>This angel "set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot
on the earth," that his lion-like voice might <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page177" name="page177"></a>[pg 177]</span> be
heard over all the world. This shows that the earth (the
Apocalyptic earth&mdash;the territory of the Roman empire) was not
the only place where the message was to be borne; it was to be
sounded upon the sea, which would indicate its promulgation among
all nations.</p>
<p>When his mighty voice sounded, "seven thunders uttered their
voices"; and when about to record what they said, John was
commanded to "seal up those things which the seven thunders
uttered, and write them not." The fact that they were not to be
recorded shows that they were to constitute no part of this
Revelation. John evidently thought so at first; for they had the
appearance of revelation, something clothed with divine authority,
but they were not to be delivered to the church. What, then, were
they? The most probable supposition is, that they were things that
God for some reason did not choose to have revealed. Their sayings
may have described events just prior to the end so perfectly as to
leave the world in no doubt respecting the nearness of Christ's
second coming; whereas it appears in the Scriptures that God has
designed that it should be a matter of considerable uncertainty,
especially to the unsaved. However, we can obtain no satisfactory
explanation of the things uttered by the seven thunders; for we can
not identify positively what John was commanded to "seal up."</p>
<p>This angel had in his hand a little book that John was required
to take and eat. In advancing and taking the book, John himself
becomes an actor in the symbolic scene, the same as was the book
and the angel from whose hand he took it. Therefore we must now
consider John a symbol of something in this <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page178" name="page178"></a>[pg 178]</span>
vision. Some of the commentators have supposed that this book
signified the remainder of the book of Revelation. But John was
commanded to <i>write</i> the Revelations, not to <i>eat</i> them.
And if he ate them, how, then, could they constitute the remainder
of the book? Its true signification is undoubtedly the word of God.
In making such an application we do not necessarily make one book
merely a symbol of a larger one, as the Bible is, but of God's
<i>revealed will</i>, just the same as the sealed book of <a href=
"#chap5">chapter V</a> was the symbol of the divine purposes. When
we come to explain the resurrection of the witnesses in <a href=
"#chap11">chapter XI</a>, it will be found that this is the time
when the word of God is again taught in all its purity, being
restored for the first time, in its perfect sense, since the
morning time of this dispensation. A great spiritual famine has for
centuries overspread the earth. Since the time the black horse of
the third seal entered on his career, the people have been starving
for spiritual food. The few crumbs that have been dropped during
the reign of Protestantism have been eagerly gathered up by the
spiritually-minded; but, thank God! the time has now arrived when
the messengers appear with food from heaven, and the multitudes of
earth's starving millions can "eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and
praise the name of the Lord God." Joel 2:26. Halleluiah!</p>
<p>In taking the book from the hand of the angel and eating it,
John became a symbol of the church, or people of God, who receive
the Word from the hand of his ministers. The sweetness of its taste
signifies the eagerness with which people receive it and the
gladness experienced when they first partake of the <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page179" name="page179"></a>[pg 179]</span>
heavenly manna; while the bitterness resulting therefrom probably
symbolizes the bitter persecutions and oppositions of which it is
the occasion. "Yea, and <i>all</i> that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2 Tim. 3:12.</p>
<p>John was told to "prophesy again before many peoples, and
nations, and tongues, and kings," which signifies that the people
of God must again be witnesses of his saving grace throughout all
the world. In the beginning of this dispensation all his people
prophesied among the nations; for Christ had said unto them, "Ye
shall be <i>witnesses</i> unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in Judea,
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth." Acts
1:8. So, also, in this evening time we go forth again on the same
mission, inspired by the soon-coming of our Savior.</p>
<p>"Even so come, Lord Jesus."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page180" name="page180"></a>[pg
180]</span> <a name="chap11" id="chap11"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
<a name="chap11-1" id="chap11-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel
stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar,
and them that worship therein.</p>
<a name="chap11-2" id="chap11-2"></a>
<p>2. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and
measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy
city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.</p>
<a name="chap11-3" id="chap11-3"></a>
<p>3. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall
prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in
sackcloth.</p>
<p>4. These are the two olive-trees, and the two candlesticks
standing before the God of the earth.</p>
<p>5. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their
mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them,
he must in this manner be killed.</p>
<p>6. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days
of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to
blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they
will.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The two principal objects of this vision is the city of
Jerusalem with its holy temple and worshipers, and two witnesses
prophesying for twelve hundred and sixty days. These are not
objects from the natural world; therefore we may conclude that we
have not here to do with political events, while the character of
the symbols point us with certainty to the history of the
church.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page181" name="page181"></a>[pg
181]</span>
<p>There is a possibility that the speaker here is not the angel of
the preceding chapter; for the words in verse 1 "and the angel
stood" may be an interpolation, they being found in very few
manuscripts. See the Revised Version and the Emphatic Diaglott,
Greek and English. If not, then he must be the angel through whom
the Revelation was given. Chap. <a href="#chap1-1">1:1</a>;
<a href="#chap22-8">22:8</a>. Whether the angel is the same as the
one in the preceding chapter or not, it is evident that that series
of prophecy ends with chapter 10, and that he here introduces a new
line of events running over the entire gospel dispensation<a id=
"footnotetag7" name="footnotetag7"></a><a href=
"#footnote7"><sup>7</sup></a>, in which John as an active agent in
the panoramic vision still stands as a symbol of the people of God,
who, in striking contrast with the blind devotees of an apostate
church, are commanded to "measure the temple of God, and the altar,
and them that worship therein." The temple with its altar and court
and the holy city itself, here used as symbols, are representative
of something analagous, and refer to no other than the outward,
visible church of God with its doctrines and worshipers. Its
measurement is designed to show how far it conforms to the true
church; while the rod is a symbol of the revealed will of God, by
which the measurement is brought as to a true standard.</p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote7" name=
"footnote7"></a><b>Footnote 7:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag7">(return)</a>
<p>This statement may seem to conflict with the classification of
events in the "Diagram of the Revelation," where this prophecy is
treated, not as an independent series, but as part of a compound
series beginning with chapter 8 and ending with chapter 11. For
thus classifying it my reason is, that the line of prophecy
beginning with chapter 8 introduces the seven trumpets, and
therefore the series is not complete until the seventh trumpet is
given, which event concludes the line of truth given in the present
chapter.</p>
</blockquote>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page182" name="page182"></a>[pg
182]</span>
<p>By noticing briefly the arrangement of the temple and the
purposes to which the different apartments were put, we shall be
able to understand better the design of this vision. The temple
proper consisted of two apartments. In the first stood the altar of
incense and other things; in the second, the ark of the covenant,
etc. The priests officiated in the first apartment regularly, while
into the second went the high-priest alone once every year. This,
Paul informs us, was a shadow of a greater and more perfect
tabernacle. Heb. 9:1-11; 8:2. The altar that is mentioned and that
John was to measure is a symbol of the great cardinal doctrine of
the church&mdash;the atonement and mediation of Christ. He was the
sacrifice made for sin, through whom we have redemption and access
unto God. John was also told to measure those who worshiped
therein&mdash;the officiating ministers in the sanctuary&mdash;who
were thus made symbols of the ministers and the teachers in the
church. To measure the temple of God, then, was to ascertain the
great doctrines taught in the Scriptures and symbolized by the
sanctuary, the altar, and the priests; namely, the doctrines of the
New Testament concerning God as the supreme lawgiver, the atonement
of Jesus Christ as the only ground for justification, and the
ministers whom he appointed to officiate in his church.</p>
<p>These are the great principles corrupted by the Papacy. Instead
of the one supreme God, we find another in the temple of God,
"showing himself that <i>he</i> is God." Christ was not recognized
as the supreme and only head of the church; but instead the Pope
claimed the title of universal head and legislated supreme, while
his decrees and anathemas were accepted <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page183" name="page183"></a>[pg 183]</span> as
from Jehovah himself. Christ was not regarded as the only mediator
between God and man, but the virgin Mary and the saints were
exalted to share the mediatorial throne, the mother being more
honored than the Son. Penance, counting of beads, works of
supererogation, were believed to be more effectual in obtaining
forgiveness of sin than living faith in our only Redeemer. Finally,
in place of the humble ministers of Christ whom he appointed to
officiate in his church, there were haughty lords and rulers,
making the most extravagant claims to power and authority over the
minds and consciences of men. The court of the temple was the space
outside of the sanctuary occupied by the congregation while the
worship within was conducted by the priests. John was told to leave
this out and measure it not; for it was given to the Gentiles to
tread under foot, or profane, for the space of forty and two
months, or twelve hundred and sixty days. In the estimation of a
Jew, the Gentiles were all idolaters and outside of God's covenant
favor. As a symbol, then, we are to understand that the great body
of worshipers thus brought to view are not the true children of God
at all, but are, as it were, uncircumcised, idolatrous Gentiles,
having no connection whatever with the great head of the church and
no part in the covenant of his mercy. The whole city of Jerusalem
was to be given over to this profane multitude and by them
desecrated for forty-two months, denoting that this great company
of worshipers was to constitute the visible, external church during
the period specified. It is as though the city of Jerusalem were
occupied by the idolatrous heathen, and the Jews driven out as
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page184" name="page184"></a>[pg
184]</span> aliens. These Gentiles, then, were to constitute the
one great (so-called) universal church&mdash;the Church of
Rome.</p>
<p>Forty and two months, or twelve hundred and sixty days, are
symbolic time, signifying twelve hundred and sixty years, during
which time the power of apostasy was to reign supreme over the
minds of men. The same period is also referred to frequently in
subsequent chapters. It is necessary, then, for us to ascertain at
what period of time the church was given over to a profane
multitude that was not the true people of God. Some have supposed
that this must refer to the time when Popery became fully
established. Such, however, could not be the case (although the
time-period includes that important event); for the power of
apostasy was greatly developed centuries before the final supremacy
of the Popes was established, and was necessary in order to prepare
the way for their exaltation. The Popes obtained their authority by
degrees. In A.D. 606 the emperor Phocas conferred the title
"Universal Bishop" upon the Pope of Rome. In A.D. 756 the Pope
became a temporal sovereign. Yet the power of Papal usurpation did
not reach the summit until the reign of the impious Hildebrand, who
succeeded to the Popedom in A.D. 1073, under the title of Gregory
VII. But according to the symbols before us, we must look for a
period not so much when the Popes were enabled to definitely
enforce their arrogant claims, as when the ministry became
corrupted and when the inhabitants of the city, or the devotees of
the visible church, became a profane multitude entirely estranged
from the covenant of promise. The <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page185" name="page185"></a>[pg 185]</span> usurpations of the
ministry that accompanied this great change in the external church
have been considered already under the symbols of <a href=
"#chap6">chapter VI</a>. This mighty transformation to a church
containing nothing but uncircumcised Gentiles was fully
accomplished during the latter half of the third century, from
which date we must look for the true disciples of the Lord as
entirely separate from the hierarchy. A few quotations from
standard and ecclesiastical histories will show this important
epoch in the rise of the Papacy that plunged the world into almost
universal apostasy.</p>
<p>"The living church retiring gradually within the lonely
sanctuary of a few solitary hearts, an external church was
substituted in its place, and all its forms were declared to be of
divine appointment. Salvation no longer flowing from the Word,
which was henceforward put out of sight, the priests affirmed that
it was conveyed by means of the forms they had themselves invented,
and that no one could obtain it but by these channels.... The
doctrine of the church and the necessity of its visible unity,
which had begun to gain ground in the <i>third century</i>, favored
the pretensions of Rome." D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation,
Book I, Chap. 1.</p>
<p>"At the end of the third century almost half the inhabitants of
the Roman empire, and of several neighboring countries, professed
the faith of Christ. About this time endeavors to preserve a unity
of belief, and of church discipline, occasioned numberless disputes
among those of different opinions, and led to the establishment of
an ecclesiastical tyranny." Encyclop&aelig;dia of Religious
Knowledge.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page186" name="page186"></a>[pg
186]</span>
<p>Concerning the Roman diocese, the Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica
says, "Before the termination of the third century the office was
held to be of such importance that its succession was a matter of
interest to ecclesiastics living in distant sees." Vol. XIX, p.
488.</p>
<p>"Almost proportionate with the extension of Christianity was the
decrease in the church of vital piety. A philosophizing spirit
among the higher, and a wild monkish superstition among the lower
orders, fast took the place in the third century of the faith and
humility of the first Christians. Many of the clergy became very
corrupt, and excessively ambitious. In consequence of this there
was an awful defection of Christianity." Marsh's Church History, p.
185.</p>
<p>"We have found it almost necessary to separate, and indeed
widely to distinguish the events of the two first, from those of
the third century, for nearly at this point we are disposed to
place the FIRST CRISIS in the internal history of the church."
Waddington's Church History.</p>
<p>"This season of external prosperity was improved by the
ministers of the church for the exertion of new claims, and the
assumption of powers with which they had not been previously
invested. At first these claims were modestly urged, and gradually
allowed; but they laid a foundation for the encroachments which
were afterwards made upon the rights of the whole Christian
community, and for lofty pretensions to the right of supremacy and
spiritual dominion.... Several alterations in the form of church
government appear to have been introduced during the third century.
Some degree of pomp was thought necessary.... The external dignity
of the ministers of religion <span class="pagenum"><a id="page187"
name="page187"></a>[pg 187]</span> was accompanied by a still
greater change in its discipline.... Many of the Jewish and Pagan
proselytes ... languished in the absence of ceremonies which were
naturally adapted to the taste of the unreflecting multitude, while
the insolent infidel haughtily insisted upon the inanity of a
religion which was not manifested by an external symbol or
decoration. In order to accommodate Christianity to these
prejudices, a number of rites were instituted; and while the
dignified titles of the Jewish priesthood were through a compliance
with the prejudices of that people, conferred upon the Christian
teachers, many ceremonies were introduced which coincided with the
genius of Paganism. The true gospels were taught by sensible
images, and many of the ceremonies employed in celebrating the
heathen mysteries were observed in the institutions of Christ,
which soon in their turn obtained the name of mysteries, and served
as a melancholy precedent for future innovations, and as a
foundation for that structure of absurdity and superstition which
deformed and disgraced the church." Rutter's History of the Church,
pp. 52-56.</p>
<p>This "season of external prosperity" mentioned by Rutter began
with the accession of Gallienus to the imperial throne in A.D. 260.
Up to this time the hand of persecution had been raised against the
church almost incessantly; but from 260 until the reign of
Diocletian persecution almost ceased, during this space of about
forty years. But this period also marked the greatest decline in
spiritual things and a marvelous development of the hierarchy.
Speaking of the bishop of Rome in these times, Dowling says, "He
far surpassed all his brethren in the magnificence <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page188" name="page188"></a>[pg 188]</span> and
splendor of the church over which he presided; in the riches of his
revenues and possessions; in the number and variety of his
ministers; in his credit with the people; and in his sumptuous and
splendid manner of living." History of Romanism, p. 34.</p>
<p>Ammianus Marcellinus, a Roman historian, who lived during these
times, adverting to this subject, says: "It was no wonder to see
those who were ambitious of human greatness, contending with so
much heat and animosity for that dignity, because when they had
obtained it, they were sure to be enriched by the offerings of the
matrons, and of appearing abroad in great splendor, of being
admired for their costly coaches, and sumptuous feasts, outdoing
sovereign princes in the expenses of their table." This led
Proetextatus, a heathen, who was pr&aelig;fect of the city, to say,
"Make me bishop of Rome, and I'll be a Christian too!"</p>
<p>Speaking of the period now under consideration, Eusebius, "the
father of church history," "mentions one Paul, who was at this time
bishop of Antioch; who lived in luxury and licentiousness, and who
was a teacher of erroneous doctrines, and usurped so great
authority that the people feared to venture to accuse him. In the
conclusion of the same chapter in which this is found, he shows
that after a general council was held at Antioch, this Paul was
excommunicated and robbed of his bishopric by the bishops of Rome
and Italy; from this it appears that they possessed an authority
still greater than that usurped by Paul." The following are his
words: "Paul, therefore, having thus fallen from the episcopate,
together with the true <span class="pagenum"><a id="page189" name=
"page189"></a>[pg 189]</span> faith as already said, Domnus
succeeded in administration of the church at Antioch. But Paul
being unwilling to leave the building of the church, an appeal was
made to the emperor Aurelian, who decided most equitably on the
business, ordering the building to be given up to those whom the
Christian bishops of Italy and Rome should write." Eccl. History,
Book VII, Chap. 30. The Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica says that
this council at which Paul was excommunicated was held "probably in
the year 268," and that "Paul continued in his office until the
year 272, when the city was taken by the emperor Aurelian, who
decided in person that the church-building belonged to the bishop
who was in epistolary communication with the bishops of Rome and
Italy." Vol. XVIII, p. 429.</p>
<p>The above extracts show not only the development of error in the
church, but also the great power already obtained by the hierarchy.
Geo. Fisher says, "The accession of Constantine [A.D. 312] found
the church so firmly organized under the hierarchy that it could
not lose its identity by being absolutely merged in the state."
History of the Christian Church, p. 99.</p>
<p>In the year A.D. 270 Anthony, an Egyptian, the founder of the
monastic institution, fixed his abode in the deserts of Egypt and
formed monks into organized bodies. "Influenced by these eminent
examples [Anthony, Hilarion, <i>et al.</i>] immense multitudes
betook themselves to the desert, and innumerable monasteries were
fixed in Egypt, Ethiopia, Lybia and Syria. Some of the Egyptian
abbots are spoken of as having had five, seven, or even ten
thousand monks under their personal direction; and the Thebias, as
well as certain spots in Arabia, are reported <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page190" name="page190"></a>[pg 190]</span> to
have been literally crowded with solitaries. Nearly a hundred
thousand of all classes, it is said, were at one time to be found
in Egypt.... Although the enthusiasm might be at a lower ebb in one
country than in another, it <i>actually affected the church
universal</i>, so far as the extant materials of ecclesiastical
history enables us to trace its rise and progress.... The more
rigid and heroic of the Christian anchorets dispensed with all
clothing except a rug, or a few palm leaves round the loins. Most
of them abstained from the use of water for ablution; nor did they
usually wash or change the garments they had once put on; thus
<i>St. Anthony</i> [the founder of this order] bequeathed to
Athanasius a skin in which his sacred person had been wrapped for
half a century. They also allowed their beards and nails to grow,
and sometimes became so hirsute, as to be actually mistaken for
hy&aelig;nas or bears." Hist. of Romanism, pp. 88, 89. Reader, what
was the condition of the so-called church in A.D. 270 that could
make the introduction of such abominations possible? Although many
more historical quotations on this point might be added, I will
conclude with the two following extracts from Joseph Milner.</p>
<p>"We shall, for the present, leave Anthony propagating the
monastic dispositions, and extending its influence not only into
the next century, but for many ages after, and conclude this view
of the state of the <i>third century</i>, with expressing our
regret that the faith and love of the gospel received toward the
close of it a dreadful blow from the encouragement of this
unchristian practise." Cen. III, Chap. 20.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page191" name="page191"></a>[pg
191]</span>
<p>"Moral, and philosophical, and monastic instructions will not
effect for men what is to be expected from evangelical doctrine.
And if the faith of Christ was so much declined (and its decayed
state <i>ought to be dated from about the year 270</i>), we need
not wonder that such scenes as Eusebius hints at without any
circumstantial details took place in the Christian world." Cent.
IV, Chap. 1.</p>
<p>After reading the foregoing statements of historians, the reader
will, I believe, agree with me that the year 270 is a consistent
date to mark the time when the visible external church was wholly
given over to the profane multitude of uncircumcised, idolatrous
Gentiles to tread under foot. Measuring forward the allotted period
of twelve hundred and sixty years brings us to the exact date of
the first Protestant creed (<i>the Augsburg Confession</i>) in A.D.
1530. We must point to this date both for the end of Rome's
universal spiritual supremacy and for the rise of Protestantism.
D'Aubigne, in his History of the Reformation, when he comes to this
period, says: "The conflicts hitherto described have been only
partial; we are entering upon a new period, that of general
battles. Spires (1529) and Ausburg (1530) are names that shine
forth with more immortal glory than Marathon, Pavia, or Marengo.
Forces that up to the present time were separate, are now uniting
into one energetic band." Book XVIII, Chap. 1. "The first two books
of this volume contain the most important epochs of the
reformation&mdash;the Protest of Spires, and the Confession of
Augsburg.... I determined on bringing the reformation of Germany
and German Switzerland to the <i>decisive epochs</i> of 1530 and
1531. <span class="pagenum"><a id="page192" name="page192"></a>[pg
192]</span> The history of the reformation, properly so called, is
then in my opinion almost complete in those countries. The work of
faith has there attained its apogee: that of conferences, of
interims, of diplomacy begins.... The movement of the sixteenth
century has there made its effort. I said from the very first, It
is the history of the reformation and not of Protestantism that I
am relating." D'Aubigne, Preface to Vol. V.</p>
<p>The next important object in the vision is the "two witnesses"
that prophecied in sackcloth. From the description given, it would
appear at first that these witnesses were active intelligent
agents; and as such, belonging to the department of human life,
they would symbolize the church, the number two denoting the
ministry and the people of God. But the church is already
symbolized in this chapter, the angel representing the ministry, as
in the preceding chapter, and John, who is clearly one of the
symbolic agents in this vision, representing the church; therefore
the two witnesses must be representative of something else. Since
the actions ascribed to them are drawn from the department of human
life, it is evident that their interpretation is to be found in
connection with the affairs of the church. By way of explanation,
verse 4 represents them to be "the two olive-trees, and the two
candle-sticks standing before the God of the earth," although it is
not stated that any olive-trees and candle-sticks were shown in
this prophetic vision. In this reference is made to the fourth
chapter of Zechariah, where two olive-trees are represented as
standing one on each side of a golden candle-stick, distilling into
it their oil for light. When asked for <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page193" name="page193"></a>[pg 193]</span> the signification of
the two olive-trees and the candlestick, the angel answered, "This
is the <i>Word</i> of the Lord ... by my <i>Spirit</i>, saith the
Lord." Ver. 6. That the Word of God and the Spirit of God are
special witnesses is proved by many texts. Jesus said, "Search the
Scriptures ... they are they which <i>testify</i> of me." John
6:39. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the
world for a <i>witness</i> unto all nations." Mat. 24:14. "The Holy
Ghost also is a <i>witness</i>." Heb. 10:15. "The Spirit itself
beareth <i>witness</i>." Rom. 8:16. "It is the Spirit that beareth
<i>witness</i>." 1 John 5:6. It is the Spirit acting in conjunction
with the Word of God that gives spiritual life, through
regeneration, unto men, and which opens their understanding that
they may know the things of God. 2 Cor. 2:9-15.</p>
<p>God may have given us the explanation that these two witnesses
were the same as the olive-trees and the candle-sticks to prevent
our being led astray with the supposition that they were actually
intelligent agents. (I speak humanly.) Accepting this statement,
the actions of these witnesses here described can be explained only
by the figure of speech known as Personification, by which it is
proper, under certain conditions, to attribute life, action, and
intelligence to inanimate objects. Thus, the blood of Abel is said
to have cried from the ground. Gen. 4:9, 10. "The stone shall cry
out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it."
Hab. 2:11. "The hire of the laborers ... which is of you kept back
by fraud crieth: and the cries ... are entered into the ears of the
Lord of Sabaoth." Jas. 5:4. "The mountains and the hills shall
break forth before you <span class="pagenum"><a id="page194" name=
"page194"></a>[pg 194]</span> into singing, and all the trees of
the field shall clap their hands." Isa. 55:12. I would not attempt
to vary from the general order and explain these two witnesses by
the figure of personification, were it not for the fact that the
two olive-trees and the two candle-sticks are here given as a means
of explanation; and trees and candle-sticks, we know, are not
active, intelligent agents, and consequently do not necessarily
symbolize such.</p>
<p>To "hurt" the Word and Spirit of God is to oppose, corrupt, or
pervert their testimony and to turn people away from them; and the
judgments of Heaven are pronounced in that Word and by that Spirit
against such as turn away from the truth unto fables. They shall
have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.
Rev. 20:15; 22:8. It is also said of them: "These have power to
shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and
have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the
earth with all plagues, as often as they will." This indicates the
fact that these were God's own special witnesses sent in his name
and by his authority, as were the prophets of old. Elijah shut up
heaven by prayer; Moses called down the plagues upon Egypt; and
these were God's attestations that they were his divinely
commissioned servants. So these two witnesses had power to shut
heaven and to smite the earth with plagues, not literally, but
herein is symbolically set forth the fact that they were God's
appointed agents, even though despised and rejected, like Elijah in
the midst of apostate Israel and Moses amid idolatrous Egypt, yet,
like them, with the seal of Heaven upon their ministry.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page195" name="page195"></a>[pg
195]</span>
<p>In the beginning of this dispensation these two witnesses were
the vicars of Christ in his church upon earth. The word of God and
the Spirit of God were the Governors of his people. At that time
they had perfect freedom of action among the children of God; but
when the apostasy arose, the governing power of the Word and Spirit
of God in the church was gradually usurped by the rising hierarchy,
until, finally, men had entire authority in what was called the
visible church. This was brought about when, to quote Mosheim's
words, the bishops grasped the power and authority "to prescribe
authoritative rules of faith and manners." D'Aubigne explains it
thus: "Salvation no longer flowing from the <i>Word</i>, which was
henceforward put out of sight, the priests affirmed that it was
conveyed by means of the forms they had themselves invented, and
that no one could attain it except by these channels.... Christ
communicated to the apostles, and these to the bishops, the unction
of the <i>Holy Spirit</i>; and this Spirit is to be procured only
in that order of succession.... Faith in the heart no longer
connected the members of the church, and they were united by means
of bishops, archbishops, popes, mitres, canons and ceremonies."
History of the Reformation, Book I, Chap. 1. Thus, the Word and
Spirit of God as the true vicars of Christ in his church were
finally expelled from what was looked upon as the one visible
church, and with them the true worshipers also were driven out; and
nothing remained in the public view except the great company of
profane idolaters already referred to. The same is referred to in a
subsequent chapter as the flight of the true church into the
wilderness, where, hidden <span class="pagenum"><a id="page196"
name="page196"></a>[pg 196]</span> from sight, she had a place
prepared of God for twelve hundred and sixty days. So after all,
God had a true church during the Dark Ages&mdash;a people that
stood in opposition to the abounding corruption and iniquity of the
church of Rome; a people that rejected the established hierarchy
and gave heed to the Word and Spirit of God. But their numbers were
so few, comparatively, that the operations of the two witnesses
were greatly limited; hence they are represented as being clothed
in sackcloth, a symbol of melancholy and mourning.</p>
<p>Among those who opposed the teachings of that apostate church
were the Cathari, Poor Men of Lyons, Lombards, Albigenses,
Waldenses, Vaudois, etc. The name Waldenses and Albigenses have
frequently been loosely applied to all the bands of people that
passed under various titles in different countries and that opposed
the doctrines and ecclesiastical tyranny of Rome. Speaking of the
twelfth century, Bowling says: "There existed at that dark period,
when 'all the world wondered after the beast,' a numerous body of
the disciples of Christ, who took the New Testament for their
guidance and direction in all the affairs of religion, rejecting
the doctrines and commandments of men. Their appeal was from the
decisions of councils, and the authority of popes, cardinals, and
prelates, to the law and the testimony&mdash;the words of Christ
and his holy apostles." History of Romanism, p. 272. Egbert, a
monkish writer of that age, speaking of them, says that he had
often disputed with these heretics, "a sort of people," he adds,
"who are very pernicious to the Catholic faith, which, like moths,
they corrupt and destroy. They are armed," <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page197" name="page197"></a>[pg 197]</span> says
he, "<i>with the words of Scripture</i> which in any way seem to
favor their sentiments, and with these they know how to defend
their errors, and to oppose the Catholic truth. They are increased
to great multitudes throughout all countries, to the great danger
of the church [of Rome]."</p>
<p>For lack of space, an extensive history of these interesting
people can not be given; but a few references to them by their most
inveterate enemies, the Papists themselves, are of such importance
that I can not pass them by unnoticed. The testimony given by
Evervinus, a zealous Catholic, in a letter he wrote to the
celebrated Bernard, at the beginning of the twelfth century,
relative to the doctrine and manners of these so-called
<i>heretics</i>, is exceedingly valuable. Says he: "There have
lately been some heretics discovered among us, near Colonge [sic:
Cologne], of whom some have, with satisfaction returned again to
the church. One that was a bishop among them, and his companions,
openly opposed us, in the assembly of the clergy and laity, the
lord-archbishop himself being present, with many of the nobility,
maintaining their heresy from <i>the words of Christ and his
apostles</i>. But, finding that they made no impression, they
desired that a day might be fixed, upon which they might bring
along with them men skilful in their faith, promising to return to
the church, provided their teachers were unable to answer their
opponents; but that otherwise, they would rather die than depart
from their judgment.</p>
<p>"Upon this declaration, having been admonished to repent, and
three days allowed them for that purpose, they were seized by the
people, in their excess of zeal, <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page198" name="page198"></a>[pg 198]</span> <i>and committed to
the flames</i>! and, what is most astonishing, they came to the
stake and endured the torment not only with patience, but even with
joy. In this case, O holy father, were I present with you, I should
be glad to ask you, how these members of Satan could persist in
their heresy with such constancy and courage as is rarely to be
found among the most religious in the faith of Christ?"</p>
<p>He then proceeds: "Their heresy is this: They say that the
church (of Christ) is only among themselves, because they alone
follow the ways of Christ, and imitate the apostles, not seeking
secular gains.... Whereas they say to us, 'Ye join house to house,
and field to field, seeking the things of this world.'... They
represent themselves as the poor of Christ's flock, who have no
certain abode, fleeing from one city to another, like sheep in the
midst of wolves, enduring persecution with the apostles and
martyrs: though strict in their manner of life&mdash;<i>abstemious,
laborious, devoted, and holy</i> ... living as men who are not of
the world. But you, say they, lovers of the world, have peace with
the world, because ye are in it. False apostles, who adulterate the
word of God, seeking their own things, have misled you and your
ancestors. Whereas, we and our fathers, having been born and
brought up in the apostolic doctrine, have continued in the grace
of Christ, and shall continue so to the end.... They affirm that
the apostolic dignity is corrupted by indulging itself in secular
affairs, while it sits [professedly] in St Peter's chair. They do
not hold with the baptism of infants, alleging that passage of the
gospel, 'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.' They
place no confidence <span class="pagenum"><a id="page199" name=
"page199"></a>[pg 199]</span> in the intercession of saints and all
things observed in the church, which have not been established by
Christ himself, or his apostles, they pronounce to be
superstitious. They do not admit of any purgatory fire after death,
contending, that the souls of men, as soon as they depart out of
the bodies, do enter into rest or punishment ... by which means
they make void all the prayers and oblations of the faithful for
the deceased.... I must inform you also, that those of them who
have returned to our church, tell us that they had great numbers of
their persuasion, scattered almost everywhere.... And as for those
who were burnt, they, in defense they made of themselves, told us
that this heresy had been <i>concealed from the time of the
martyrs</i> [by which is meant the early period of Christianity]
and that it had existed in Greece and other countries."</p>
<p>Although Bernard began a strenuous opposition to these people,
still he testifies: "If you ask them of their faith, nothing can be
more Christian-like; and if you observe their conversation, nothing
can be more blameless, and what they speak they make good by their
actions.... As to life and manners, he circumvents no man,
overreaches no man, does violence to no man. He fasts much and eats
not the bread of idleness; but works with his hands for his
support."</p>
<p>Claudius, archbishop of Turin, who joined in hunting and
persecuting them to the death, writes, "Their heresy excepted, they
generally live a purer life than other Christians." Again, "In
their lives they are perfect, irreproachable, and without reproach
among men, addicting themselves with all their might to the service
of God."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page200" name="page200"></a>[pg
200]</span>
<p>The sum and substance of their offense is mentioned by Cassini,
a Franciscan friar, where he says, "That ALL THE ERRORS of these
Waldenses consisted in this, that they denied the church of Rome to
be the holy mother church, and <i>would not obey her
traditions</i>."</p>
<p>In conclusion I quote from the celebrated Roman Catholic
historian Thuanus. He states their tenets as follows: "That the
church of Rome, because it renounced the true faith of Christ, WAS
THE WHORE OF BABYLON ... that consequently <i>no obedience was to
be paid to the Pope</i>, or to the bishops who maintain her errors;
that a monastic life was the sink and dungeon of the church, the
vows of which [relating to celibacy] were vain ... that the orders
of the priesthood were marks of the great beast mentioned in the
Apocalypse; that the fire of purgatory, the solemn mass, the
consecration days of churches, the worship of saints, and
propitiations for the dead, were the devices of Satan." Lib. VI,
Sec. 16, Lib. XXVII. The chief offense of these so-called heretics
seems to have been that they denounced the Pope as "Antichrist" and
the apostate church of Rome as "the Babylonish harlot."</p>
<a name="chap11-7" id="chap11-7"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>7. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast
that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against
them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.</p>
<p>8. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great
city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our
Lord was crucified.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page201" name="page201"></a>[pg
201]</span> <a name="chap11-9" id="chap11-9"></a>
<p>9. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations
shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not
suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.</p>
<p>10. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them,
and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these
two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.</p>
<a name="chap11-11" id="chap11-11"></a>
<p>11. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God
entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear
fell upon them which saw them.</p>
<p>12. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them,
Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and
their enemies beheld them.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>At the expiration of the twelve hundred and sixty years the
scene changes. The prophecy of the witnesses in their sackcloth
state, hidden away from sight in the wilderness, ends, and they are
now brought out into public view&mdash;but only to be killed. Their
slaughter takes place at the hands of the beast. When we come to
consider <a href="#chap13">chapter XIII</a>, we shall see that the
Papacy is described as a beast reigning for forty-two months, or
twelve hundred and sixty years, after which time another beast
possessing great power and authority appears on the scene. This
second beast is Protestantism, and through it the murder of the two
witnesses at the close of the Papal supremacy in the vision before
us was effected.</p>
<p>It would seem, by the similarity of statement that the beast
"ascendeth out of the bottomless pit," that the slaughter of the
witnesses was effected by the Papal beast (chap. <a href=
"#chap17-7">17:7, 8</a>); but the Mohammedan <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page202" name="page202"></a>[pg 202]</span>
delusion also is said to have proceeded from "the bottomless pit."
Chap. <a href="#chap9-1">9:1, 2</a>. The expression <i>bottomless
pit</i> is doubtless used merely to signify the source of certain
powers in contradistinction to the heavenly source from which
others proceeded. Although the Papal beast is said to have
originated in the bottomless pit, the second beast also doubtless
proceeded from the same source, for he possessed many of the
characteristics of the former, and caused the earth to worship the
first beast, as explained in <a href="#chap13">chapter 13</a>. That
he was not of heavenly origin is shown by the statement that he
came up "out of the earth." Chap. <a href="#chap13-11">13:11</a>.
But the direct proof that it was the Protestant beast, and not the
Papal beast&mdash;although the same expression as to its origin is
used concerning it&mdash;that slew the two witnesses, is found in
the fact that the reign of the first, or Papal, beast was limited
to forty two months (chap. <a href="#chap13-5">13:5</a>),
corresponding to the twelve hundred and sixty years in which the
witnesses prophesied in the vision before us; while it was after
the <i>close</i> of this period, at the time when the second, or
Protestant, beast arose (chap. <a href="#chap13-11">13:11</a>),
that the witnesses were slain.</p>
<p>To many this may seem a hard saying; but I request that the
matter be given the most careful attention in the light of prophecy
and divine truth. It is true that the Sixteenth Century Reformation
at first brought the witnesses out of the wilderness of seclusion
where they had remained during the long night of Romanism and
exhibited them to the public view; but when thus placed upon
exhibition, they were soon robbed entirely of their position as the
Vicars, or Governors, of God's church. Since creed <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page203" name="page203"></a>[pg 203]</span> and
sect-making first began, the Word and Spirit have not possesed
governing power and authority in Protestantism; but men have
usurped that place and prescribed authoritative rules of faith and
practise for the people. The principles of Higher Criticism have so
far pervaded the realm of sectarian theology that a vast number of
the clergy no longer regard the Bible as the inspired word of God
to man, but simply as a remarkable piece of religious literature
recording the natural development of the religious consciousness
among a peculiarly sensitive race of people. Protestantism
certainly has placed the Bible on the dissecting table and
dismembered it in a manner wholly unknown before. While Protestants
will not for a moment allow the blessed Book to be hidden out of
sight&mdash;put "into graves"&mdash;still they will not grant it
that place it should occupy as the sole discipline of faith, so it
is a dead letter to them. That all-glorious doctrine of Bible
<i>unity</i>, which fills the whole New Testament, strikes a
deathblow to all the carnal divisions and institutions of
sectarianism; and so with one accord they unite in <i>fighting
it</i>. "Oh, the good old blessed Bible! we could not do without
it," say they; yet, as everybody knows, they are governed by the
discipline and laws that they or their representatives have
formulated. Thus, the Word and Spirit of God are brought under the
public gaze, only to be treated with such indignity in God's sight,
and killed; while infidels look on, and tauntingly remark, "Either
the religion of to-day is no Christianity, or the Word of God is a
lie."</p>
<p>In the beginning of this dispensation the church of God not only
consisted of all those who were spiritual, <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page204" name="page204"></a>[pg 204]</span> but
constituted a visible, organic body as well, made up of numerous
local congregations that were separate in the management of their
internal affairs, yet interrelated with each other, and were
directed by humble pastors, who were, in reference to each other,
<i>equal</i>. The Word of God was their only discipline, and the
Spirit of God, their great Teacher and Guide. Thus, the two
witnesses were active in their official position, in the public
view, as the Vicars or Governors of the church of God on earth.
When, however, men usurped the place of these Vicars by ignoring
the Spirit and rejecting the Word and making their own rules of
faith, the effect was a national hierarchy&mdash;the church of
Rome, which for twelve hundred and sixty years stood in the public
view. Yet the two witnesses were still alive, though driven into
obscurity and "clothed in sackcloth"; for they still acted in their
official position in the congregations of the medieval Christians
already referred to, who resisted the doctrines of men and clung
tenaciously to the simple, primitive form of church government and
allowed the Spirit and Word authority supreme.</p>
<p>But during the Protestant era Christians the world over became
identified with the various sects, hence were representing to the
world the beast power instead of the true church. Thus, during the
Protestant period, the church of God, <i>in its organic form</i>,
was not represented anywhere on earth; for its members were
scattered among those who were "worshiping the beast and his
image." Hence the two witnesses, during this era, had no place to
operate in their official capacity as the Governors of God's church
and are therefore represented as slain. The government of
Protestant <span class="pagenum"><a id="page205" name=
"page205"></a>[pg 205]</span> sects is not effected by the Word and
Spirit; for the institutions themselves are of human origin, and
men are their law-makers and governors.</p>
<p>When the two witnesses are deprived of their governing power and
the rules and disciplines of men substituted in their place, a
decline into worldliness is the invariable result. This has been
the case repeatedly in sectarianism. In fact, Protestantism, as a
component part of that great city Babylon, has so given herself
over to "revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries," that
a voice from heaven has declared her to be "the habitation of
devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every
unclean and hateful bird." Chap. <a href="#chap18-1">18:2</a>.
Witness the shows, festivals, frolics, grab-bag parties, kissing
bees, cake-walk lotteries, and other abominations unnumbered, that
are carried on without shame, under the guise of religion, in the
high places of this modern Babylon! If the Word of God with the
full power and authority of his Spirit could be turned in upon
them, it would be like the torment of fire; but no, it is dead to
them, and they rejoice and make merry and continue in "the same
excess of riot."</p>
<p>In the description before us, this city of sectarianism in which
the two witnesses are slain is "spiritually [or mystically] called
Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." It is a
mystical Sodom, Egypt and Jerusalem&mdash;a Sodom for wickedness
and lewdness, an Egypt for the captivity and oppression of God's
people, and a Jerusalem for the crucifying of the Son of God afresh
and putting him to an open shame. Thus, this city mystically
combines the wickedness of the three most wicked places on
earth&mdash;Sodom, <span class="pagenum"><a id="page206" name=
"page206"></a>[pg 206]</span> Egypt, and Jerusalem. These facts we
shall notice more particularly hereafter.</p>
<p>But these two witnesses were not always to remain trampled under
foot in the streets of great Babylon; for a time came when "the
spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon
their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them." In this
is portrayed the reformation which is now taking place in the
world. About the year A.D. 1880 God began to raise up holy men and
women whom he commissioned to preach the everlasting gospel of the
kingdom again; and they went forth in his name calling upon God's
people everywhere to come "out of all places where they had been
scattered in the cloudy and dark day" (Ezek. 34:12) and to take up
their abode in the one true church of Jesus Christ, his body,
independent of all sectarianism and the creeds and disciplines of
men. In this assembly of the faithful, gathered out of all nations,
no man nor set of men attempts to form laws or regulations for the
supervision of spiritual affairs; but with one consent they humbly
bow before the only true Lawgiver (Jas. 4:12), and say, "The
government shall be upon his shoulder" (Isa. 9:6); and the Word and
Spirit of God have perfect control of his saints. Halleluiah! They
can preach, teach, and believe every word of truth placed in the
Sacred Volume, without a conference or discipline of men
forbidding. Standing upon this apostolic platform of eternal truth,
they hurl the thunders of divine judgment against the hidden works
of darkness, causing the graceless devotees of fallen Babylon to
quake with fear and to "gnaw their tongues for pain."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page207" name="page207"></a>[pg
207]</span>
<p>After the resurrection of these witnesses, a voice from heaven
is heard, saying, "Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven
in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them." This ascension to
heaven in the presence of their enemies, which according to this
chapter occurred before the end of time, has reference undoubtedly
to their great exaltation. "Thy greatness is grown, and <i>reacheth
unto heaven</i>." Dan. 4:22. We see that in this text a similar
expression signifies great exaltation. So this work is destined to
assume such proportions that the people of earth may have the
privilege of seeing the truth. In the preceding chapter John, as a
symbol of the church at this time, under the living ministry
symbolized by the rain-bow angel, was told that he "must prophesy
again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings."
Verse 11.</p>
<p>The signification of the time-period of three days and a half
claims our attention next. According to the foregoing explanation,
it will be seen that the writer applies it as three centuries and a
half, or three hundred and fifty years&mdash;from A.D. 1530 to A.D.
1880. It will be necessary to adduce strong reasons for thus
applying it. In the first place, the time-prophecies of the Bible
are by no means confined to the year-day manner of interpretation.
Many times in the Old Testament the expression occurs, "And it
shall come to pass <i>in that day</i>," which expression is
admitted by all to have reference to the gospel day, or the entire
gospel dispensation. When the church of Philadelphia was promised
deliverance from the <i>hour</i> of temptation which was to come
upon all the world (chap. <a href="#chap3-10">3:10</a>), no one
supposes that a short <span class="pagenum"><a id="page208" name=
"page208"></a>[pg 208]</span> period of only one week is specified.
The rulers of the ten kingdoms were to "receive power as kings
<i>one hour</i> with the beast" (chap. <a href=
"#chap17-12">17:12</a>), which expression will be shown later to
really cover many years. We might point out many such exceptions
were it necessary.</p>
<p>Again, it was the beast that came up at the expiration of the
twelve hundred and sixty years, or Protestantism, that slaughtered
the witnesses, and we could not expect their resurrection during
the reign of Protestantism, which every one will admit was longer
than three and one-half years, according to the year-day
application. The events as they have developed prove that it was
just three and one-half centuries before Protestantism was entirely
ignored and the Spirit and Word recognized as the sole Governors in
the church of God. Besides, the general trend of events following
the formation of Protestantism naturally divide the succeeding
centuries into separate periods. The first (sixteenth) was a fierce
conflict for the establishment of Protestantism; the second
(seventeenth) was a violent reaction, wherein the church of Rome
nearly triumphed over her hated opposers; while the third
(eighteenth) is specially noted in history as the period of
infidelity or reason. This division of time was so noticable that
D'Aubigne, who wrote about A.D. 1835, in his famous History of the
Reformation, refers to it in the following remarkable language: "It
has been said that the three last centuries, the sixteenth, the
seventeenth, and the eighteenth, may be conceived as an immense
battle of <i>three days'</i> duration. We willingly adopt this
beautiful comparison.... The first day was the <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page209" name="page209"></a>[pg 209]</span> battle
of God, the second the battle of the priest, the third the battle
of Reason. What will be the fourth? [1830-1930] In our opinion, the
confused strife, the deadly contest of all these powers together,
TO END IN THE VICTORY OF HIM TO WHOM TRIUMPH BELONGS." Book XI,
Chap. 9.</p>
<p>The writer is thankful to God that he is permitted to see the
fourth day ending "in the victory of Him to whom triumph belongs."
And may we, my brethren, be grateful to our dear Lord that it is
our privilege to have part in this glorious reformation of divine
truth that is now sweeping over the world and gathering the elect
together for the soon-coming of the Savior.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>13. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the
tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of
men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory
to the God of heaven.</p>
<a name="chap11-14" id="chap11-14"></a>
<p>14. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh
quickly.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>At the time the witnesses reach their greatest exaltation, a
great earthquake takes place upon earth, and the tenth part of the
city falls. The nature of the symbol would point us to some
political upheaval. Since the great city of Babylon is composed of
different divisions (as will be seen hereafter), it is a matter of
doubt as to which part of the city is here referred to; but most
probably that of the hierarchy as embraced in one of the ten
divisions or kingdoms. Since the fulfilment of this prediction is
yet future, I speak with hesitation and wait for the event to make
all clear. It is probable, however, <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page210" name="page210"></a>[pg 210]</span> that either in this
political revolution, or about that time, the Ottoman power will be
overthrown; for immediately the announcement is made, "The second
woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly."</p>
<a name="chap11-15" id="chap11-15"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>15. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices
in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for
ever and ever.</p>
<p>16. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on
their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,</p>
<p>17. Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art,
and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy
great power, and hast reigned.</p>
<p>18. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the
time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou
shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the
saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest
destroy them which destroy the earth.</p>
<p>19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was
seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were
lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and
great hail.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The seventh angel that here sounded is the third woe-angel, and
according to the description before us, ushers in the general
judgment. When the temple of God was opened that this mighty event
might take place on earth, there were "lightnings, and voices, and
thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page211" name="page211"></a>[pg 211]</span>
Wondrous commotions took place in the world, for kingdoms and
empires were all overthrown, and Jesus Christ was the only king
remaining, and his mission was to raise the dead that they might be
judged, to give reward to the prophets and saints, and to banish
with everlasting destruction those that corrupted the earth. The
description itself is too plain to need further comment.</p>
<p>"The temple of God" that was opened in heaven is to be
understood as symbolical (as explained in chap. <a href=
"#chap6-9">6:9</a>), and not literal. In other words, the heavenly
world appeared to John symbolized after the sanctuary of the temple
on earth. Chap. <a href="#chap15-5">15:5-8</a>; <a href=
"#chap16-1">16:1</a>, <a href="#chap16-7">7</a>, <a href=
"#chap16-17">17</a>, etc. This is proved clearly by the fact that,
when the real heaven, the future home of the redeemed, is
described, John says, "I saw <i>no temple</i> therein." Chap.
<a href="#chap21-22">21:22</a>.</p>
<p>Before dismissing the visions of this chapter, I wish to call
attention to one more point hitherto referred to&mdash;that of
parallelism and contrast. While we have the history of the church
apostate described by the treading down of the holy city, we have
also, in immediate contrast and running parallel therewith, a
history of the true church existing during the same period of
twelve hundred and sixty years, although it was in a sackcloth
state. And while the reign of Protestantism is described as a
period during which the two witnesses were in one sense dead, we
have in immediate contrast a history of the last great reformation,
in which the spirit of life from God again enters these same
witnesses, and they stand upright on their feet, to the
consternation of all their adversaries. Amen.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page212" name="page212"></a>[pg
212]</span> <a name="chap12" id="chap12"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER XII.</h2>
<a name="chap12-1" id="chap12-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed
with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a
crown of twelve stars:</p>
<p>2. And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and
pained to be delivered.</p>
<a name="chap12-3" id="chap12-3"></a>
<p>3. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a
great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven
crowns upon his heads.</p>
<p>4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven, and
did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman
which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as
it was born.</p>
<p>5. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God,
and to his throne.</p>
<p>6. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a
place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand
two hundred and threescore days.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The three principal objects of this vision are the woman clothed
with the sun, the man-child born of her, and a red dragon with
seven heads and ten horns. These, being drawn from nature and human
life, would point us both to the church and to the state for their
fulfilment. The symbols, also, are living agents, and we should
expect the objects they represent to be such.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page213" name="page213"></a>[pg
213]</span>
<p>This woman is an appropriate symbol of the church of God, which
is composed of living, intelligent beings; and that it is the true
and not an apostate one, is shown by the fact that upon her flight
into the wilderness she had a place prepared of God where she was
nourished for twelve hundred and sixty days. In a subsequent
portion of the Apocalypse a vile harlot is taken as the
representative of the church apostate. In this way a proper
correspondence of character and quality is kept up. This woman
appeared, not in the temple above, but in the firmament of heaven,
where she was clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and
upon her head a crown of twelve stars. Thus the brightest
luminaries of heaven were gathered around her. Arrayed in this
splendid manner, she is easily distinguished from an apostate
church, which would not be so highly favored with such attire in
this exalted position. Doubtless the objects with which she is
adorned have some special signification. The moon is a fit symbol
of the old covenant, above which the church had just risen, only to
be clothed in the superior brightness and glory of the new
covenant. And as the moon shines only with a borrowed light,
obtaining its illumination from the sun; so, also, the old covenant
was only a shadow of the good things to come and now stands
eclipsed in the brightness and transcendant glory of that new and
better dispensation. According to the explanation given of the
seven stars in the right hand of Jesus (chap. <a href=
"#chap1-19">1:19</a>), we are authorized to regard stars as a
symbol of Christian ministers, and the twelve that appear most
prominently in the first history of the church are the twelve
apostles of the Lamb.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page214" name="page214"></a>[pg
214]</span>
<p>The dragon, a beast from the natural world, would properly
symbolize a tyrannical, persecuting government. This was a red
dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his
heads. In the following chapter we read that John saw a beast
rising up out of the sea with the same number of heads and horns,
but ten crowns on his horns. And the dragon gave him (the beast)
"his power, and his seat, and great authority." Verse 2. So far as
the heads and horns are concerned, the only difference between the
two is that the crowns&mdash;a symbol of supreme authority and
power&mdash;have been transferred from the heads to the horns. In
<a href="#chap17">chapter 17</a> John saw the same beast again and
there received the following explanation of the seven heads: "And
there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other
is not yet come; and when he cometh he must continue a short
space." Verse 10. Concerning the horns he was told, "The ten horns
which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as
yet." Verse 12. With this explanation before us it will be easy to
identify the dragon of chapter 12 and the beast of chapters
<a href="#chap13">13</a> and <a href="#chap17">17</a> as the Roman
empire, the first under the Pagan and the second under the Papal
form. The seven heads signify the seven distinct forms of supreme
government that ruled successively in the empire. The five that had
already fallen when John received the vision were the Regal power,
the Consular, the Decemvirate, the Military Tribunes and the
Triumvirate. "One is"&mdash;the Imperial.<a id="footnotetag8" name=
"footnotetag8"></a><a href="#footnote8"><sup>8</sup></a> The
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page215" name="page215"></a>[pg
215]</span> identification of its seventh and last head we shall
leave until later. The ten horns, or kingdoms, which had not yet
arisen when the Revelation was given, were the ten minor kingdoms
that grew out of the Western Roman empire during its decline and
fall. The historian Machiard, in giving an account of these
nations, and without any reference to the Bible or its prophecies,
reckons ten kingdoms, as follows:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>1. The Ostrogoths in Maesia;<br />
2. The Visigoths in Pannonia;<br />
3. Sueves and Alans in Gascoigne and Spain;<br />
4. Vandals in Africa;<br />
5. Franks in France;<br />
6. Burgundians in Burgundy;<br />
7. Heruli and Turings in Italy;<br />
8. Saxons and Anglis in Britain;<br />
9. Huns in Hungary;<br />
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page216" name="page216"></a>[pg
216]</span> 10. Lombards, at first on the Danube, and afterwards in
Italy.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote8" name=
"footnote8"></a><b>Footnote 8:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag8">(return)</a>
<p>The fact that commentators and historians differ in their
enumeration of the forms of government that ruled in Rome is often
a source of confusion to ordinary readers. Hence an explanation is
necessary. Rome was first ruled by kings, and therefore the first
form of government is designated by either the term <i>Kings</i> or
the term <i>Regal Power</i>. Upon the expulsion of the kings and
the formation of the republic, the royal power was entrusted to two
men who held it for a year, and were called <i>consuls</i>. In
times of great public danger the consuls were superseded by a
special officer called a <i>dictator</i>, who had supreme power. As
the early life of the republic was often threatened with grave
dangers, Rome was often governed by a dictator; hence this form of
government is sometimes called the Dictatorship. The third form was
the <i>Decemviri</i>, a government by ten men, who compiled the
twelve famous Tables of Laws. In 444 B.C. another change was made
by the appointment of <i>Military Tribunes</i> (whose numbers
varied) with consular power. These were frequently called
<i>Consuls</i>. The fifth form was the <i>Triumvirate</i>, a
government by three men. The sixth was the <i>Imperial</i>. Hence
the different forms can be enumerated thus: 1. The Regal Power, or
Kings. 2. Consula or Dictators. 3. Decemvirate. 4. Military
Tribunes, Tribunes, or Consuls. 5. Triumvirate. 6. Imperial. The
seventh form will be considered in another place. See remarks on
chap. <a href="#chap17-7">17:7-11</a>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Other historians agree substantially with this. These kingdoms
all arose within one hundred and seventy years. The dragon is
described with the horns, although they were not now in existence
and did not arise until nearly the time when the dragon became the
beast; likewise, he is represented with seven heads, although he
really possessed only one head at a time, and five had already
fallen and one being yet to come. He is described with all the
heads and horns he ever had or was to have.</p>
<p>The tail of this dragon "drew the third part of the stars of
heaven, and did cast them to the earth." Some people who have never
learned the nature of symbolic language try to imagine such a
literal creature as the one here described and picture in their
minds what an awful thing it would be to see the third part of the
stars falling to the earth. But real stars that are fixed or
planetary never fall, and if they did, they would be as apt to fall
in an opposite direction as toward the earth. Besides, if one
should come tumbling down here, it would knock this world into
oblivion. But with a knowledge of the proper use of symbols we can
easily identify this dragon with the Roman empire under its Pagan
form; and the casting down of the stars, which were doubtless used
as symbols of ministers as in verse 1, signifies the warfare which
this awful beast power waged against the church of God, in which
her ministers were always a shining mark for the first persecution
and suffered terribly for the cause they represented.</p>
<p>The man-child is the next object that claims our <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page217" name="page217"></a>[pg 217]</span>
attention. Some have supposed that it represented Jesus Christ in
his first advent to the world. But this could not be; for Christ is
never represented as being the offspring of the church, but, on the
other hand, is declared to be its originator. Some, also, have
supposed that it represented the church bringing forth Christ to
the world in a spiritual sense. This, however, would be in direct
conflict with the known laws of symbolic language. A visible,
living, intelligent agent, such as this man-child evidently was,
could not be the symbol of an invisible spiritual presence.
Besides, it has been clearly shown that Christ always appears in
his own person, unrepresented by another, from the fact that he can
not be symbolized. It is clear that this child can not signify a
single definite personage; for after he is caught up to God, there
is still a remnant of the woman's seed left upon earth. See verse
17.</p>
<p>What, then, does the man-child signify? It symbolizes the mighty
host of new converts or children that the early church by her
earnest travail brought forth. The seeming incongruity that the
church, or mother, and her children are alike only serves to
establish the point in question when rightly understood. A child is
of the same substance as its mother and is designed to perpetuate
the race. So, also, the new-born babes in the church are just the
same spiritually as those who are older, and are intended to
perpetuate the church of God on earth. But this explanation of
itself is not sufficient to entirely satisfy an inquiring mind, and
the question is sure to be asked, Why was it necessary that the
church of God in this dispensation should be represented by two
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page218" name="page218"></a>[pg
218]</span> individuals&mdash;a woman and her son? I also will ask
a question&mdash;Why, on the other hand, was it necessary that the
great apostasy of this dispensation should be represented by the
double-figure of a woman and her daughters? The answer to the
latter question would readily be given&mdash;to symbolize two
distinct phases of apostasy. So, also, it was necessary that a
double-symbol, such as a woman and her son, should be chosen to set
forth <i>two phases</i> of the church brought to view in this
chapter. If but a single symbol were used, how could the church be
thereby represented as continuing on earth and fleeing into the
wilderness and at the same time be represented as "overcome,"
persecuted to the death, and "caught up unto God and to his
throne"? This double-phase of the church&mdash;the experience of
the saints on earth and the reign of the martyrs in
Paradise&mdash;will be made very clear to the reader hereafter. But
it would be impossible to set forth these two phases under one
symbol, and therefore two are chosen.</p>
<p>There is also direct Scripture testimony on this point. "Before
she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was
delivered of a <i>man-child.</i> Who hath heard such a thing? who
hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in
one day? or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion
travailed, she brought forth her children." Isa. 66:7, 8. According
to Heb. 12:22, 23, this Zion, or Sion, referred to is the New
Testament church, and the man-child that she is said to bring forth
is interpreted by Isaiah as "a nation born at once." Such language
perfectly describes the rapid increase in the Christian church on
Pentecost and shortly afterward, <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page219" name="page219"></a>[pg 219]</span> when thousands were
added in one day. According to the apostle Paul, the host of Jews
and Gentiles reconciled unto God through Jesus Christ constituted
"one new man" in Christ. Eph. 2:15. See also Gal. 3:28. R.V. This
man-child was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. For an
explanation of this rule see remarks on chapter <a href=
"#chap2-26">2:26, 27</a>. The twelve hundred and sixty days will be
referred to later.</p>
<a name="chap12-7" id="chap12-7"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>7. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,</p>
<p>8. And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in
heaven.</p>
<a name="chap12-9" id="chap12-9"></a>
<p>9. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called
the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast
out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.</p>
<p>10. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come
salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power
of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night.</p>
<a name="chap12-11" id="chap12-11"></a>
<p>11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the
death.</p>
<p>12. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is
come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he
hath but a short time.</p>
<a name="chap12-13" id="chap12-13"></a>
<p>13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he
persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.</p>
<p>14. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that
she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is
nourished <span class="pagenum"><a id="page220" name=
"page220"></a>[pg 220]</span> for a time, and times, and half a
time, from the face of the serpent.</p>
<p>15. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after
the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the
flood.</p>
<p>16. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her
mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon east out of his
mouth.</p>
<p>17. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make
war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of
God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In this vision we have a series of events covering exactly the
same period of time as that of the preceeding one; namely, a
history of the church up to and including her flight into the
wilderness, and of the same opposing dragon. In this description,
however, the events are more perfectly detailed.</p>
<p>Because this dragon was called the Devil and Satan, many have
been led into the idea that it signified the Prince of darkness
himself. But surely we could not suppose that Beelzebub has any
such appearance as this dragon. The foregoing explanation
concerning his heads and horns shows conclusively that the Pagan
Roman empire is meant, and not Beelzebub. Why, then, was it called
the Devil and Satan? Among the Hebrews the term <i>Satan</i> was
frequently used in a very liberal sense and applied to different
objects, signifying merely an adversary or opposer. According to
Young's Analytical Concordance the Hebrew word for Satan is
translated <i>adversary</i> in a number of texts, a few of which I
will refer to. Num. 22:22: "And the angel of the Lord stood in the
way for an <i>adversary</i> [Satan, Heb.] against him." Here an
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page221" name="page221"></a>[pg
221]</span> angel of the Lord is called a Satan to Balaam. In 1
Sam. 29:4 David is called an adversary (Heb. Satan) to the
Philistines. In 2 Sam. 19:22 certain opposers are said to be
adversaries (Satans, Heb.) unto David; while in 1 Kings 11:25 a
certain man was said to be an adversary (Satan) to Israel all the
days of Solomon. A number of other instances could be given if
necessary. In the New Testament, also, the term <i>Satan</i> is
sometimes used to signify merely an opposer. "But he turned, and
said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan." Mat. 16:23. In 1 Cor.
10:20 Paul declares "that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice,
they sacrifice to <i>devils</i>." Paganism stood as the great
opposer of Christianity, hence was a Satan (adversary) unto it;
while the apostle denominated its religious rites as devil-worship.
I do not question the fact that the spirit of Beelzebub was
manifested in the thing; but the dragon itself was the empire, as
is proved by the heads and the horns. However, the Devil and the
agency through which he works are often used interchangeably. Satan
and the serpent in Eden stand in the same relation as do Satan, or
Beelzebub, and Paganism in the New Testament; hence to bind
Paganism was to bind the Devil and Satan in one important
sense.</p>
<p>The dragon would be a beast from the natural world (if such a
creature actually existed) and as such could represent nothing more
than a civil empire; but in the vision under consideration he is
represented as accompanied by <i>angels</i> actuated by his spirit
and defending his cause. By this combination of symbols is set
forth the politico-religious system of the empire&mdash;a religion
that denied the doctrine of the <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page222" name="page222"></a>[pg 222]</span> one exclusive God and
the divinity of Jesus Christ. It was the religion of
<i>infidelity</i>. It was the dragon as a false religious system
that Christianity attacked, and not the State itself. The following
quotation from Butler's Ecclesiastical History will show the
relation of Christians to the empire:</p>
<p>"The Romans were accustomed to tolerate all new religions if
they took their place by the side of those already existing, and if
they did not cast reproach upon them.... But Christianity, by its
very nature exclusive in its claims ... was offensive to the Romans
and to the State. A religion which cast contempt upon the religions
and rites sanctioned by the laws, and endeavored to draw men away
from them, seemed to express thereby contempt and hostility for the
State itself. Hence Christianity was branded as a malignant
superstition, and Christians spoken of as the enemies of the human
race.... From the letter of Pliny to Trajan, it was evidently
recorded as an <i>religio illicita</i>, and the mere fact of being
a Christian was counted of itself a crime.... The exclusiveness of
Christianity seemed also to place its disciples in a position of
direct disloyalty to the emperors and the State. 'The emperor was
ex-officio <i>Pontifex Maximus</i>; the gods were national. Cicero
declares as a principle of legislation, that no one should be
allowed to worship foreign gods, unless they were recognized by
public statute. Maecenas thus counselled Augustas: Honor the gods
according to the customs of your ancestors, and compel others to
worship them. Hate and punish those who bring in strange gods.' As
the Roman empire was founded on the absolutism of the State, and
made nothing of personal <span class="pagenum"><a id="page223"
name="page223"></a>[pg 223]</span> rights, Christianity, which
first taught and acknowledged them, would be peculiarly offensive
to the State. Moreover, the conscientious refusal of Christians to
pay divine honor to the emperor and his statutes, and to take part
in idolatrous ceremonies at public festivals ... and their constant
assembling themselves together, brought them under the suspicion
and obloquy of the emperors and the people." Pp. 49, 50.</p>
<p>The dragon was stationed in the same heaven where the woman
appeared. This signifies his exalted position in the world. While
the dragon was in the height of his power and glory, Michael (Jesus
Christ&mdash;Jude 9; 1 Thes. 4:16; John 5:28) and his followers
appeared on the scene, and a fierce battle for supremacy ensued,
resulting in the final victory of the hosts of Michael. That it was
against the dragon as a religious system that the Christians fought
is proved by the kind of weapons they employed. "And they overcame
him by the <i>blood of the Lamb</i> and by the <i>word of their
testimony</i>; and they loved not their lives unto the death."
Christianity never sought to overturn the civil empire, but did
with all the power of truth oppose the huge system of error
sustained by it and gained such decisive victories that the cry was
heard, "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our
God, and the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren
is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." The
Devil himself suffered a severe defeat when his favorite agents,
the dragon and his followers, were cast down from their lofty
position and Christianity was exalted instead. Says Butler: "The
final victory of <span class="pagenum"><a id="page224" name=
"page224"></a>[pg 224]</span> Christianity over heathenism and
Judaism, and the mightiest empire of the ancient world, a victory
gained without physical force, by the moral power of faith and
perseverance, of faith and love, is one of the sublimest spectacles
of history, and one of the strongest evidences of the divinity and
indestructible life of our holy religion." P. 40.</p>
<p>But the fact that many Christians lost their lives in this
conflict (verse 11), insomuch that the man-child is represented as
being caught up unto God (verse 5), shows that the dragon employed
also the arm of civil power in his opposition to the growing truth.
The rapid increase of Christianity, despite the violent opposition
and persecution of the Pagan party, can be no better represented
than by a quotation from the notable Apology of Tertullian, who
wrote during the persecution by Septimus Severus, about the end of
the second century.</p>
<p>"Rulers of the Roman Empire," he begins, "you surely can not
forbid the Truth to reach you by the secret pathway of a noiseless
book. She knows that she is but a sojourner on the earth, and as a
stranger finds enemies; and more, her origin, her dwelling-place,
her hope, her rewards, her honors, are above. One thing, meanwhile,
she anxiously desires of earthly rulers&mdash;not to be condemned
unknown. What harm can it do to give her a hearing?... The outcry
is that the State is filled with Christians; that they are in the
fields, in the citadels, in the islands. The lament is, as for some
calamity, that both sexes, every age and condition, even high rank,
are passing over to the Christian faith.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page225" name="page225"></a>[pg
225]</span>
<p>"The outcry is a confession and an argument for our cause; for
we are a people of yesterday, and yet we have filled every place
belonging to you&mdash;cities, islands, castles, towns, assemblies,
your very camp, your tribes, companies, palace, senate, forum. We
leave to you your temples alone. We can count your armies: our
numbers in a single province will be greater. We have it in our
power, without arms and without rebellion, to fight against you
with the weapon of a simple divorce. We can leave you to wage your
wars alone. If such a multitude should withdraw into some remote
corner of the world you would doubtless tremble at your own
solitude, and ask, 'Of whom are we the governors?'</p>
<p>"It is a human right that every man should worship according to
his own convictions ... a forced religion is no religion at all....
Men say that the Christians are the cause of every public disaster.
If the Tiber rises as high as the city walls, if the Nile does not
rise over the fields, if the heavens give no rain, if there be an
earthquake, if a famine or pestilence, straightway they cry, Away
with the Christians to the lion.... But go zealously on, ye good
governors, you will stand higher with the people if you kill us,
torture us, condemn us, grind us to the dust; your injustice is the
proof that we are innocent. God permits us to suffer. Your cruelty
avails you nothing.... The oftener you mow us down the more in
number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed. What you call our
obstinacy is an instructor. For who that sees it does not inquire
for what we suffer? Who that inquires does not embrace our
doctrines? <span class="pagenum"><a id="page226" name=
"page226"></a>[pg 226]</span> Who that embraces them is not ready
to give his blood for the fulness of God's grace?"</p>
<p>Another writer has said: "The church in this period appears poor
in earthly possessions and honors, but rich in heavenly grace, in
world-conquering faith and love and hope; unpopular, even outlawed,
hated and persecuted, yet far more vigorous and expansive than the
philosophies of Greece, or the empire of Rome; composed chiefly of
persons of the lower social ranks, yet attracting the noblest and
deepest minds of the age, and bearing in her bosom the hope of the
world; conquering by apparent defeat and growing on the blood of
her martyrs; great in deeds, greater in sufferings, greatest in
death for the honor of Christ and the benefit of generations to
come."</p>
<p>This triumph of early Christianity over Paganism was a theme
worthy of the song. "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the
kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ." Even before the
death of the apostles, according to the younger Pliny, the temples
of the gods in Asia Minor were almost forsaken. No wonder, then,
that even the inhabitants of heaven were called upon to rejoice at
so great a victory attained by the followers of the Lamb. But the
same voice also says, "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of
the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." This represents
the violence of the Pagan party upon its defeat, being exasperated
to the exercise of greater opposition and cruelty wherever the
means and the power were still in their hands. Cast down from his
exalted position in the heavens&mdash;the religious
sphere&mdash;his ecclesiastical <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page227" name="page227"></a>[pg 227]</span> prestige lost, he had
no place to abide but in the earth&mdash;the political
kingdom&mdash;whence he took up arms, and "woe to the inhabitants
of the earth." But "the days of Paganism in the empire were
numbered." The Devil knew that he had but a short time, therefore
he came down in great wrath. This is in accordance with the facts
of history. Paganism did not die an easy death, but struggled hard
and long.</p>
<p>When cast from his high position, however, the dragon
"persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child." The true
idea expressed in the original is that he <i>pursued</i> the woman,
and this signification is indicated by what follows&mdash;"To the
woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly
into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a
time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."
The <i>time</i> as a definite period signifies one year; hence a
time, times, and half a time would be three and one-half years, or
twelve hundred and sixty days, as before explained. There is an
apparent incongruity or contradiction of statement in reference to
the symbols here; but it is a contradiction that when rightly
understood throws light upon the whole subject. It will be noticed
that the woman and Michael with his angels symbolize the same
object&mdash;the people of God. Under the latter figure they were
triumphant and the dragon was defeated. Yet after he was cast down,
he turned upon the woman and pursued her, and thus, the church
appeared to be the defeated party. According to this, then, the
Pagan party is represented as <i>prevailing</i> soon after he met
<i>defeat</i> and the church apparently <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page228" name="page228"></a>[pg 228]</span>
<i>defeated</i> soon after her period of <i>triumph</i>. Here again
we have two separate symbols of the same object in order to
represent two of its different phases.</p>
<p>This is explained satisfactorily by noticing carefully the
facts. The woman, who is always the true church composed of holy
people, was at first identical with the visible church, or the
great body of Christians, and in this condition was successful in
spreading the pure gospel and casting down the powers of iniquity
symbolized by the dragon. But the dragon politically, as symbolized
by his being a beast from the natural world, with heads and horns,
remained in power for some time, his religious prestige only being
lost. Christianity did not attempt to cast down the dragon in the
sense of destroying the civil empire. As is well known, a great
spiritual declension followed the period of the church's greatest
triumph, which decline drove the woman, or the true church, into
the wilderness; hence to all appearances the church became a
defeated party. About this same time, the dying cause of Paganism
revived for a season in terrible severity in the latter part of the
third century; hence to all appearances the dragon was triumphant.
This supreme effort of Paganism's to regain its former position
will be better understood in connection with what follows regarding
the flood which he cast out of his mouth. But that the dragon was
not permanently triumphant is shown by the fact that he afterwards
resigned his power and position unto the beast. Chap. <a href=
"#chap13-1">13:2</a>.</p>
<p>As to the meaning of the "two wings of a great eagle" given the
woman to aid her in her flight, I am not able to say positively.
Some apply them to <span class="pagenum"><a id="page229" name=
"page229"></a>[pg 229]</span> "the grace and providence of God
which watched over the church"; others to the "spiritual gifts of
faith, love," etc., which, like supporting wings, bore the church
above her enemies. But I can not see how the wings of a great eagle
can properly symbolize such things. They are not drawn from the
right source. Perhaps nothing more is intended by the wings than to
denote the fact of her successful flight. That this idea is the
correct one seems quite clear when we consider the fact that the
remarkable deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage is
set forth under the same figure, that of eagles' wings. "Ye have
seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how <i>I bare you on
eagles' wings</i>, and brought you unto myself." Ex. 19:4. With the
wings of such a powerful bird she was able to escape, so that the
dragon could not overtake her.</p>
<p>"And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after
the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and
swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth."
Here is a peculiar combination of symbols from different
departments&mdash;the serpent, a flood of water, the woman, and the
earth. The last two as allies is a very unusual circumstance. Some
refer the flood of waters to heresies that arose in, or was
connected with, the hierarchy about this time; but in that case how
could it be said that it was the serpent that cast it out? Others
apply it to errors that the Pagan party introduced baptized with
the name of Christianity, when they professed to become converts at
a later period. It is certainly an appropriate <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page230" name="page230"></a>[pg 230]</span>
<i>figure of speech</i> to say a flood of error or of false
doctrine; but whether a flood of water is a proper <i>symbol</i> of
the same is another question. I do not think it is. Water, being an
object of nature, would point us to something political. False
doctrines are usually symbolized by something different from
objects in nature.</p>
<p>There is considerable difficulty in verifying the symbol, but I
will submit what up to the present has seemed to me as the most
satisfactory explanation. It appears from the description that this
was about the last great public effort the dragon made to overwhelm
the church and that he was exasperated to this supreme effort by
the humiliating defeat he had suffered. The means he employed was
<i>water</i>, an object of nature; hence we are to look for some
great political event by which the dragon made his master-effort to
destroy the woman shortly after her flight into the wilderness. In
A.D. 284 Diocletian, a Pagan, succeeded to the imperial throne.
Before the close of his reign (305), the Christians suffered the
most terrible persecution ever received at the hands of Pagan Rome.
It continued ten years&mdash;A.D. 302-312. It was the design of
this emperor to completely extirpate the very name of Christianity,
and his unfortunate victims were slain by the thousands throughout
the empire. "But the master-piece of [his] heathen policy was the
order to seek and burn all copies of the Word of God. Hitherto the
enemy had been lopping off the branches of the tree whose leaves
were for the healing of the nations; now the blow was made at the
root. It had once been the policy of Antiochus Epiphanes, when he
madly sought <span class="pagenum"><a id="page231" name=
"page231"></a>[pg 231]</span> to destroy the Jewish Scriptures. It
was both wise and wicked. It had but one defect, it could not be
carried into complete execution. The sacred treasure was in too
many hands, and too many of its guardians were brave and prudent,
to make extermination possible. An African bishop said, 'Here is my
body, take it, burn it; but I will not deliver up the Word of God.'
A deacon said, 'Never, sir, never! Had I children I would sooner
deliver them to you than the divine word.' He and his wife were
burnt together." Butler's Eccl. History, p. 66.</p>
<p>But "<i>the earth</i> helped the woman"&mdash;another
unlooked-for political event. Worn out with the cares of State,
boasting that the very name of Christ was abolished, and dying with
a loathsome disease, the tyrant abdicated his throne. A number of
individuals claimed imperial honors; but Constantine, the ruler of
Gaul, Spain, and Britain, fought his way against contending rivals
and finally entered Rome, the capital, in triumph. Enthroned as
emperor of the West, he immediately issued an edict of toleration
favorable to the Christians (A.D. 313) and soon became a professed
Christian himself and by law made Christianity the established
religion of the empire. In 324, having crushed all rivals, he
became sole emperor of the Roman world, and with a view of
promoting Christianity convened what is known as the First General
Council of the Church, at Nicaea in Asia Minor, A.D. 325. The
prestige of Paganism as a religious power had been overthrown long
before by the followers of Christ, but now its political importance
received a death-blow, only a few expiring struggles appearing
subsequently before the final <span class="pagenum"><a id="page232"
name="page232"></a>[pg 232]</span> downfall of Western Rome. Thus,
the earth helped the woman and swallowed up the flood of
persecution which the dragon cast out.</p>
<p>"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war
with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God,
and have the testimony of Jesus." Finding that he could not destroy
or exterminate the church of God, he determined to make war upon
its individual members.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page233" name="page233"></a>[pg
233]</span> <a name="chap13" id="chap13"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER XIII.</h2>
<a name="chap13-1" id="chap13-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up
out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his
horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.</p>
<a name="chap13-2" id="chap13-2"></a>
<p>2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his
feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a
lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great
authority.</p>
<p>3. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and
his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the
beast.</p>
<p>4. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the
beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the
beast? who is able to make war with him?</p>
<a name="chap13-5" id="chap13-5"></a>
<p>5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things
and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and
two months.</p>
<p>6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to
blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in
heaven.</p>
<a name="chap13-7" id="chap13-7"></a>
<p>7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to
overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and
tongues, and nations.</p>
<a name="chap13-8" id="chap13-8"></a>
<p>8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world.</p>
<p>9. If any man have an ear, let him hear.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page234" name="page234"></a>[pg
234]</span> <a name="chap13-10" id="chap13-10"></a>
<p>10. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he
that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is
the patience and the faith of the saints.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In this vision John beheld a beast rise out of the sea. His
appearance&mdash;like that of a leopard with the feet of a bear and
a mouth like a lion&mdash;indicated that he was some terrible
creature. He was also a persecutor of the saints, the same as the
dragon that preceded him. As before explained, this beast, also,
symbolizes the Roman empire; for he possesses the same heads and
horns as the dragon, the only difference being that the supreme
power and authority, as indicated by the crowns, is now vested in
the ten horns, or minor kingdoms, instead of in the seven heads.
The dragon as a political power represented Rome before her
overthrow by the barbarians; the beast as a political power
represents new Rome.</p>
<p>A careful study of the characteristics of this beast, however,
will show that he represents more than a civil power. As a mere
beast from the natural world he could symbolize nothing more than
some political power; but it will be noticed that, combined with
his beastly nature, there are also certain characteristics that
belong exclusively to the department of human life&mdash;a mouth
<i>speaking</i> great things; power to magnify himself against the
God of heaven; the ability to single out the saints of God and kill
them, and to set himself up as an object to be worshiped, etc. This
combination of symbols from the two departments&mdash;those of
animal and of human life&mdash;points us with absolute certainty to
Rome as a politico-religious <span class="pagenum"><a id="page235"
name="page235"></a>[pg 235]</span> system. Ask any historian what
world-wide power succeeded Rome Pagan, and he will answer at once,
"Rome Papal."</p>
<p>While it is not my general design to explain the many lines of
prophetic truth described under similar symbols in other parts of
the Bible, yet I will ask the reader here to pardon the slight
digression while I call attention briefly to a few thoughts in the
seventh chapter of Daniel regarding this same Papal power.</p>
<p>Daniel received a vision of four great beasts, which were
interpreted to symbolize four universal monarchies. Verse 17. These
were the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Greco-Macedonian, and
the Roman. The fourth beast possessed ten horns, which were
explained to signify ten kingdoms to arise out of the fourth
empire. This is identical with the dragon of Rev. 12, except the
latter possessed seven heads not mentioned by Daniel. In the midst
of the ten horns (ten minor kingdoms) grew up a <i>little</i> horn,
which soon assumed greater proportions than his fellows, taking the
place of three of the original horns, and into his hand the saints
of the Most High were given for "a time and times and the dividing
of time," or twelve hundred and sixty years. This eleventh horn
differed from the ten in that it possessed a mouth speaking great
things, and the eyes of a man. A horn with eyes and mouth in it is
a very unusual thing, yet it is just such a combination as we might
expect when we possess a correct knowledge of symbols. Being drawn
from two departments&mdash;human life and animal life&mdash;this
double-symbol directs us to a politico-religious system that came
up among the ten <span class="pagenum"><a id="page236" name=
"page236"></a>[pg 236]</span> horns that grew out of the old Roman
empire. We instantly identify it with the growing Papacy, which
arose to a position of great authority in conjunction with the new
Roman empire.</p>
<p>Three of the horns, or temporal kingdoms, were overthrown in
order to give room for the complete development of this
politico-religious power. Since great changes have frequently
occurred among the nations of Europe originally embraced in the ten
minor kingdoms, different powers have been referred to as the three
described in Daniel's prophecy; but the most satisfactory
explanation to my mind is that of the three kingdoms in Italy that
were overthrown as if to give the hierarchy room for development,
and that gave the Papacy its <i>first</i> temporal sovereignty,
thus completing the symbol by constituting her a civil as well as
an ecclesiastical horn.</p>
<p>Odoacer, in A.D. 476, overthrew the old empire of the West and
established the kingdom of the Heruli in Italy. Seventeen years
later it was subverted by Theodoric, who established the kingdom of
the Ostrogoths, which continued sixty years; then it, in turn, was
overthrown by Belisarius, but was soon succeeded by the Lombards.
The Lombard kingdom was subverted by Pepin and Charlemagne, who, as
champions of the church, gave a large part of their dominions to
the See of Rome and thus favored the Papacy with her first temporal
power. Thus were the kingdoms of the Heruli, Ostrogoths, and
Lombards plucked up by the roots upon the very territory occupied
first by the Papacy as a temporal power, and as if to give it
room.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page237" name="page237"></a>[pg
237]</span>
<p>The careful student of Daniel 7 will notice immediately the
striking similarity between the politico-religious system
symbolized by the little horn and the leopard beast of Revelation
13 under consideration. The following parallels between them prove
their identity:</p>
<p>"1. The little horn was a blasphemous power: 'He shall speak
great words against the Most High.' Dan. 7:25. The leopard beast of
Rev. 13:6 does the same: 'He opened his mouth in blasphemy against
God.'</p>
<p>"2. The little horn made war with the saints, and prevailed
against them. Dan. 7:21. This beast also, Rev. 13:7, makes war with
the saints, and overcomes them.</p>
<p>"3. The little horn had a mouth speaking great things. Dan. 7:8,
20. And of this beast we read, Rev. 13:5: 'And there was given unto
him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies.'</p>
<p>"4. The little horn rose on the cessation of the Pagan form of
the Roman empire. This beast rises at the same time; for the
dragon, Pagan Rome, gives him his power, his seat, and great
authority.</p>
<p>"5. Power was given to the little horn to continue for a time,
times, and the dividing of time, or twelve hundred and sixty years.
Dan. 7:25. To this beast also power was given for forty and two
months, or twelve hundred and sixty years. Rev. 13:5.</p>
<p>"6. At the end of the twelve hundred and sixty years the
universal dominion of the little horn was to begin to decline,
being consumed and destroyed unto the end. Dan. 7:26. This beast,
also, Rev. 13:10, <span class="pagenum"><a id="page238" name=
"page238"></a>[pg 238]</span> was to be led into captivity and
'killed with the sword.'"</p>
<p>These points prove identity. To quote the words of a certain
expositor: "When we have in prophecy two symbols ... representing
powers that come upon the stage of action at the <i>same time</i>,
occupy the <i>same territory</i>, maintain the <i>same
character</i>, do the <i>same work</i>, exist the <i>same length of
time</i>, and meet the same <i>fate</i>, those symbols represent
the same <i>identical power</i>." To this all must agree. Hence we
have in the vision before us a description of Papal Rome in her
two-fold character as a temporal and a religious power. The
wounding and healing of the head of the beast will be explained in
<a href="#chap17">chapter XVII</a>.</p>
<p>How the same heads and horns can serve both the dragon and the
leopard beast will be better understood later. For the present it
will be sufficient to state that it is because they are the same
beast in reality, being clothed, in its later form, in a Christian
garb, instead of the worn-out garments of infidelity or heathenism
possessed by the former. This transfer is expressed in the
following words: "And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat,
and great authority." Verse 2. This beast, then, succeeded to the
dominion held by the dragon. It was like an old, established firm
retiring and giving its standing and credit and well-earned
reputation to a new partnership, to conduct a similar business.</p>
<p>While this beast, as before observed, represents the developed
religious and political power of the Papacy combined, still the
actions ascribed to it show plainly that it is in its character as
an <i>ecclesiastical</i> beast that <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page239" name="page239"></a>[pg 239]</span> its terrible features
are here delineated. No one would suppose that a mere political
power would set itself up as an object to be worshiped, exalting
itself above the God of heaven, and then single out and slaughter
the saints for not complying therewith. As far as rendering
obedience to civil governments is concerned, the Christians of all
ages have been the most peaceful and obedient servants of all. So
we shall hereafter refer always to the <i>beast</i> as an
ecclesiastical power, unless otherwise stated.</p>
<p>This beast all the world admired. "And they worshiped the dragon
which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast,
saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with
him?" The people worshiped the established hierarchy, and they also
worshiped the dragon from which the beast obtained so much of his
power. The expression "<i>worshiped</i> the dragon" shows plainly
that it is the dragon as a religious system that is referred to,
and not the old civil empire. How, then, could the old heathen
worship be perpetuated in the church of Rome and form a part of her
religious services? By adopting rites and ceremonies purely Pagan
in their origin. Since I have already stated that the beast and the
dragon as temporal powers were about the same in reality, except
the change of sovereignty from the heads to the horns, it will now
be necessary to show the remarkable similarity in spirit that
existed between them as religious powers, the one being the
successor of the other.</p>
<p>1. The high-priest of the Pagan religions was called Pontifex
Maximus, and he claimed spiritual and temporal authority over the
affairs of men. The <span class="pagenum"><a id="page240" name=
"page240"></a>[pg 240]</span> Pope of Rome possesses the same title
and makes the same claims, and he is clad in the same attire as the
Pagan Pontiff.</p>
<p>2. The heathen were accustomed to wear scapulars, medals, and
images to shield them from the common ills and dangers of life.
Romanists wear the same and for the same purpose.</p>
<p>3. The Pagans, by an official process called <i>deification</i>,
frequently exalted men who had lived among them to a position
worthy of special honor and worship. Papists, by a similar process
called <i>canonisation</i>, raise their former men of prominence to
the dignity of <i>saints</i> and then offer up prayers to them.</p>
<p>The foregoing practises are derived from Paganism; also from
Judaism or Paganism came their practise of burning incense in
public worship, the use of holy water, burning wax candles in the
daytime, and votive gifts and offerings. Other heathen principles
are:</p>
<p>4. Adoration of idols and images, a practise expressly forbidden
by the Mosaic law and unsanctioned by primitive Christianity;</p>
<p>5. Road gods and saints (in Catholic countries);</p>
<p>6. Processions of worshipers and self-whippers (especially in
Catholic countries);</p>
<p>7. Religious orders of monks and nuns. One who has read of the
vestal virgins of old will recognize at once where monkery
originated.</p>
<p>In the city of Rome there still stands an old heathen temple
built by Marcus Agrippa and dedicated in the year B.C. 27 to <i>all
the gods</i>. In the year A.D. 610 it was reconsecrated by Pope
Boniface IV. to "the blessed Virgin and all the saints." From that
time until the present day Romanists in the same temple
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page241" name="page241"></a>[pg
241]</span> have prostrated themselves before <i>the very same
images</i> and have devoutly emplored them by the same forms of
prayer and for the very same purposes as did the heathen of old.
The only difference is, that instead of calling this idol Jupiter,
they call it Paul; instead of denominating that one Venus, they
call it Mary, etc. Well has Bowling said: "The scholar, familiar as
he is with the classic descriptions of ancient mythology, when he
directs his attention to the ceremonies of Papal worship, can not
avoid recognizing their close resemblance, if not their absolute
identity. The temples of Jupiter, Diana, Venus or Apollo, their
'altars smoking with incense,' their boys in sacred habits, holding
the incense box, and attending upon the priests, their holy water
at the entrance of the temples, with their <i>aspergilla</i>, or
sprinkling-brushes, their thuribula, or vessels of incense, their
ever-burning lamps before the statues of their deities, are
irresistibly brought before his mind, whenever he visits a Roman
Catholic place of worship, and witnesses precisely the same
things." History of Romanism, pp. 109, 110.</p>
<p>Having failed in his direct attacks against the Christian
church, with the accession of Constantine, who established
Christianity as the State religion, the dragon soon clothed his
pernicious principles in a Christian garb and made war against the
remnant of the woman's seed that kept the commandments of God,
through the rising hierarchy, under the name of Christianity; but
his heads and horns being visible, and he being unable to control
his tongue, his real sentiments crop out, and he is easily
identified. It is <span class="pagenum"><a id="page242" name=
"page242"></a>[pg 242]</span> not to be supposed, however, that the
beast would appear suddenly in full possession of the immense power
ascribed to him in this chapter. On the contrary, Daniel represents
it as a <i>little</i> horn at first, whose look finally became
"more stout than his fellows." Dan. 7:8, 20. Such ecclesiastical
power was attained only by the process of gradual development.
According to the vision his universal power was limited to "forty
and two months," or twelve hundred and sixty years. Since this has
reference to the beast as an ecclesiastal power, which according to
Daniel grew up by degrees, the time should be calculated the same
as in chapter <a href="#chap11-2">11:2, 3</a>&mdash;dated from the
time when the external, visible church was wholly in the hands of
the profane multitude of Gentiles and the true church crowded into
the wilderness. The nationalized hierarchy, however, continued to
advance to greater degrees of power over the nations, until it
reached its zenith under the pontificate of Gregory VII., A.D.
1073-1080.</p>
<p>The great things and blasphemies spoken by this beast are
doubtless fulfilled by the prerogatives and rights belonging to God
alone which this apostate church, especially through her regularly
constituted head, claims. In fact, the Pope is the real mouth of
this beast, the one who dictates her laws with great authority. He
claims to be the vicar of Christ on earth and supreme head of the
church, even, as in the case of Pope Innocent, denominating himself
the one before whom every knee must bow, of things in heaven, and
things on earth, and things under the earth. He claims power over
the souls of all men on earth and even after their departure from
earth. If <span class="pagenum"><a id="page243" name=
"page243"></a>[pg 243]</span> this is not blasphemy against God,
his tabernacle, or church, and "them that dwell in heaven," then I
am wholly unable to imagine what would fulfil the prediction. Among
the blasphemous titles assumed are these: Lord God the Pope, King
of the World, Holy Father, King of kings, and Lord of lords,
Vicegerent of the Son of God. He claims infallibility (which was
backed up by the Ecumenical council of 1870) and has for ages.
Further, he claims power to dispense with God's laws, to forgive
sins, to release from purgatory, to damn, and to save.</p>
<p>All the inhabitants of the earth were to worship him, except
those whose names were in the book of life. Thank God that even
during the dark age of Romanism a people existed who were owned by
the Lord and who refused to render idolatrous worship to this
tyrannical beast. For further information regarding these medieval
Christians, see remarks on chapter <a href="#chap11-3">11:3</a>.
But these saints who opposed the Papal assumptions were made the
object of fearful persecutions, until Rome glutted herself upon the
blood of millions of God's holy saints. This will be more fully
described in <a href="#chap17">chapter 17</a>, where this apostate
church appears under another symbol, "drunken with the blood of the
saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." In all their
severe trials, however, they were comforted with the knowledge that
Justice would not always sleep, but that a time would come when her
retributive hand would be stretched forth to lead into captivity
their persecuting enemies and break their world-wide reign of
tyranny and usurpation. "Here is the patience and the faith of the
saints." To a number of people God <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page244" name="page244"></a>[pg 244]</span> gave special foresight
of the coming reformation of the sixteenth century, in which the
universal spiritual supremacy of the Papacy ended. A few of the
many examples will be profitable.</p>
<p>Says D'Aubigne: "John Huss preached in Bohemia a century before
Luther preached in Saxony. He seems to have penetrated deeper than
his predecessors into the essence of Christian truth. He prayed to
Christ for grace to glory only in his cross, and in the inestimable
humiliation of his sufferings.... He was, if we may be allowed the
expression, the John Baptist of the reformation. The flames of his
pile kindled a fire in the church that cast a brilliant light into
the surrounding darkness, and whose glimmerings were not to be so
readily extinguished. John Huss did more: prophetic words issued
from the depths of his dungeon. He foresaw that a real reformation
of the church was at hand. When driven out of Prague and compelled
to wander through the fields of Bohemia, where an immense crowd
followed his steps and hung upon his words, he had cried out: 'The
wicked have begun by preparing a treacherous snare for a goose. But
if even the goose, which is only a domestic bird, a peaceful
animal, and whose flight is not very far in the air, has
nevertheless broken through their toils, other birds, soaring more
boldly towards the sky, will break through them with still greater
force. Instead of a feeble goose, the truth will send forth eagles
and keen-eyed vultures.' This prediction was fulfilled by the
reformers.</p>
<p>"When the venerable priest had been summoned by Sigismund's
order before the Council of Constance, and had been thrown into
prison, the chapel of <span class="pagenum"><a id="page245" name=
"page245"></a>[pg 245]</span> Bethlehem, in which he had proclaimed
the gospel and the future triumphs of Christ, occupied his mind
much more than his own defence. One night the holy martyr saw in
imagination, from the depths of his dungeon, the pictures of Christ
which he had painted on the walls of his oratory, effaced by the
Pope and his bishops. This vision distressed him; but on the next
day he saw many painters occupied in restoring these figures in
greater number and in brighter colors. As soon as the task was
ended, the painters, who were surrounded by an immense crowd,
exclaimed, 'Now let the popes and bishops come! they shall never
efface them more!' And many people rejoiced in Bethlehem, and I
with them, adds John Huss. 'Busy yourself with your defence rather
than with your dreams,' said his faithful friend, the Knight of
Chlum, to whom he had communicated this vision. 'I am no dreamer,'
replied Huss, 'but I maintain this for certain, that the image of
Christ will never be effaced. They have wished to destroy it, but
it shall be painted afresh in all hearts by much better preachers
than myself. The nation that loves Christ will rejoice at this. And
I, awaking from the dead, and rising so to speak, from my grave,
shall leap with great joy.'" History of the Reformation, Book I,
Chap. 6.</p>
<p>This bold witness for Christ was burned at the stake July 6,
1415, by order of the General Council of Constance. When the fagots
were piled up around him ready for the torch, he said to the
executioner, "You are now going to burn a goose [Huss signifying
goose in the Bohemian language]; but in a century you will have a
swan whom you can neither roast nor boil." <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page246" name="page246"></a>[pg 246]</span> Fox's
Book of Martyrs. This was fulfilled in Martin Luther.</p>
<p>Henry Institorus, an inquisitor, uttered these remarkable words:
"'All the world cries out and demands a council, but there is no
human power that can reform the church by a council. The Most High
will find other means, which are at present unknown to us, although
they may be at our very doors, to bring back the church to its
pristine condition.' This remarkable prophecy, delivered by an
inquisitor at the very period of Luther's birth, is the best
apology for the reformation."</p>
<p>Andrew Proles, provincial of the Augustines, used often to say:
"Whence, then, proceeds so much darkness and such horrible
superstitions? O my brethren! Christianity needs a bold and a great
reform, and methinks I see it already approaching.... I am bent
with the weight of years, and weak in body, and I have not the
learning, the ability, and eloquence, that so great an undertaking
requires. But God will raise up a hero, who by his age, strength,
talents, learning, genius and eloquence, shall hold the foremost
place. He will begin the reformation; he will oppose error, and God
will give him boldness to resist the mighty ones of the earth."</p>
<p>John Hilten censured the most flagrant abuses of the monastic
life, and the exasperated monks threw him into prison and treated
him shamefully. "The Franciscan, forgetting his malady and groaning
heavily, replied: 'I bear your insults calmly for the love of
Christ; for I have said nothing that can injure the monastic state:
I have only censured its most crying abuses.' 'But,' continued he
(according to <span class="pagenum"><a id="page247" name=
"page247"></a>[pg 247]</span> what Melancthon records in his
Apology for the Augsburg Confession of Faith), 'another man will
rise in the year of our Lord 1516: he will destroy you, and you
shall not be able to resist him.'"</p>
<p>In 1516 Luther held a public discussion with Feld-kirchen, in
which he upheld certain doctrines of truth that made a great stir
among the Romanists. Says D'Aubigne: "The disputation took place in
1516. This was Luther's first attack upon the dominion of the
sophists and upon the Papacy, as he himself characterizes it." And
again, "This disputation made a great noise, and it has been
considered as the beginning of the reformation." Book I, Chap. 9.
The next year, however, he entered publicly upon the actual work of
reformation.</p>
<p>Frederick of Saxony, surnamed the Wise, was the most powerful
elector of the German empire at the period of the reformation. A
dream he had and related just before the world was startled by the
first great act of reformation is so striking that I feel justified
in repeating it in this connection. It was as follows:</p>
<p>"Having gone to bed last night, tired and dispirited, I soon
fell asleep after saying my prayers, and slept calmly for about two
hours and a half. I then awoke, and all kinds of thoughts occupied
me until midnight.... I then fell asleep again, and dreamed the
Almighty sent me a monk, who was a true son of Paul the apostle. He
was accompanied by all the saints, in obedience to God's command,
to bear him testimony, and to assure me that he did not come with
any fraudulent design, but that all he should do was conformable to
the will of God. They <span class="pagenum"><a id="page248" name=
"page248"></a>[pg 248]</span> asked my gracious permission to let
him write something on the doors of the palace-chapel at
Wittemberg, which I conceded through my chancellor. Upon this, the
monk retired thither and began to write; so large were the
characters that I could read from Schweinitz what he was writing
[about 18 miles]. The pen he used was so long that its extremity
reached as far as Rome, where it pierced the ears of a lion which
lay there, and shook the triple crown on the Pope's head. All the
cardinals and princes ran up hastily and endeavored to support
it.... I stretched out my arm: that moment I awoke with my arm
extended, in great alarm and very angry with this monk, who could
not guide his pen better. I recovered myself a little.... It was
only a dream. I was still half asleep, and once more closed my
eyes. The dream came again. The lion, still disturbed by the pen,
began to roar with all his might, until the whole city of Rome, and
all the States of the holy empire, ran up to know what was the
matter. The Pope called upon us to oppose this monk, and addressed
himself particularly to me, because the friar was living in my
dominions. I again awoke, repeated the Lord's prayer, entreated God
to preserve his Holiness, and fell asleep.... I then dreamt that
all the princes of the empire, and we along with them, hastened to
Rome, and endeavored one after another to break this pen; but the
greater our exertions the stronger it became: it crackled as if it
had been made of iron: we gave it up as hopeless. I then asked the
monk (for I was now at Rome, now at Wittemberg) where he had got
that pen, and how it came to be so strong. [In those days they used
goosequills for pens.] 'This <span class="pagenum"><a id="page249"
name="page249"></a>[pg 249]</span> pen,' replied he, 'belonged to a
Bohemian goose [Huss] a hundred years old. I had it from one of my
old schoolmasters. It is so strong because no one can take the pith
out of it, and I am myself quite astonished at it.' On a sudden I
heard a loud cry; from the monk's long pen had issued a host of
other pens. I awoke a third time; it was day light." History of the
Reformation, Book III, Chap. 4.</p>
<p>Frederick related the foregoing to his brother John, the Duke of
York, on the morning of Oct. 31, 1517, stating that he had dreamed
it during the previous night. The same day at noon Martin Luther
advanced boldly to the chapel at Wittemberg and posted upon the
door ninety-five theses, or propositions, against the Papal
doctrine of indulgences. This was his public entrance upon the
great work of reformation. The importance of the Reformation of the
Sixteenth Century is incalculable. It gave the deathblow to the
universal spiritual supremacy of Rome. As we have already seen, the
Papacy had for centuries held despotic sway over the minds and the
consciences of men. One potent cause of the Reformation was the
great Revival of Learning that marked the close of the medieval and
the beginning of the modern period of history. This great mental
awakening contrasted sharply with the blind ignorance and
superstition of the Middle Ages, and caused many men to doubt the
Scriptural authority of many of the doctrines and ceremonies of the
Church of Rome; such as invocation of saints, auricular confession,
use of images, worship of the Virgin Mary, etc.</p>
<p>Scandals and abuses in the Church of Rome also hastened the
Reformation. During the fifteenth century <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page250" name="page250"></a>[pg 250]</span> the
morals of that church had sunk to the greatest depths of iniquity.
The Popes themselves were, in some cases, monsters of impurity and
iniquity, insomuch that historians are obliged to draw the vail
over many of their dark deeds.</p>
<p>But the real occasion of the revolt of the northern nations of
Europe against the jurisdiction of Rome was the controversy
regarding indulgences. "These in the Catholic church, are
remissions, to penitents of punishment due for sin, upon the
performances of some work of mercy or piety, or the payment of a
sum of money." When Leo X. was elected to the Papal dignity (1513),
he found the church in great need of money for the building of
Saint Peter's and other undertakings, and he had recourse to a
grant of indulgences to fill the coffers of the church. The power
of dispensing these indulgences in Saxony in Germany was given to a
Dominican friar named Tetzel. This fanatic enthusiast entertained
the most exaggerated opinion of the efficacy of indulgences. In his
harrangues he uttered such expressions as the following:</p>
<p>"Indulgences are the most precious and the most noble of God's
gifts." "There is no sin so great that an indulgence can not remit;
... only let him pay well, and all will be forgiven him." "Come,
and I will give you letters, all properly sealed, by which even the
sins that you intend to commit may be pardoned." "I would not
change my privileges for those of St. Peter in heaven; for I have
saved more souls by my indulgences than the apostle by his
sermons." "The Lord Omnipotent hath ceased to reign; he has
resigned all power to the Pope." See D'Aubigne's <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page251" name="page251"></a>[pg 251]</span>
History of the Reformation, Book III, Chap. 1.</p>
<p>Martin Luther was an Augustine monk and a teacher of theology in
the University of Wittemberg. Before Tetzel appeared in Germany,
Luther possessed a wide reputation for learning and piety, and he
had also entertained doubts respecting many of the doctrines of the
church. During an official visit to Rome in 1510 he was almost
overwhelmed with sorrow because of the moral corruption there; but
while penitentially ascending on his knees the sacred stairs of the
Lateran, he seemed to hear a voice thundering in his soul, "The
just shall live by faith!" This marked an important epoch in his
career.</p>
<p>When Tetzel appeared in Saxony with his indulgences, Luther
fearlessly opposed him. He drew up ninety-five theses against the
infamous traffic and nailed them to the door of the church at
Wittemberg, and invited all scholars to criticise them and point
out if they were opposed to the doctrine of the Word of God or of
the early church Fathers. Here the invention of printing proved to
be a powerful agency in advancing the cause of reformation by
scattering copies of these theses everywhere; and soon the
continent of Europe was in a perfect turmoil of controversy. The
Pope excommunicated Luther as a heretic. In reply Luther burned the
Papal bull publicly at Wittemberg. Shortly afterward Luther
produced his celebrated translation of the Bible in the German
language. Even a brief history of the entire Reformation would be
too large for the limits of the present volume, therefore with a
few words respecting the nature of the work of the Reformation we
will pass on to another prophetic vision.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page252" name="page252"></a>[pg
252]</span>
<p>The great secret of the early success of the reformers was their
appeal from the decisions of councils and regulations of men to the
Word of God. So long as the Word and Spirit of God were allowed
their proper place as the Governors of God's people, the work was a
spiritual blessing. But this happy state of affairs did not long
continue. Within a few years the followers of the reformers were
divided into hostile sects and began to oppose and persecute each
other. Luther denounced Zwingle as a heretic, and "the Calvinists
would have no dealings with the Lutherans." The first Protestant
creed was the Augsburg Confession (1530). This date marks an
important epoch. From this time the people began to lose sight of
the Word and Spirit of God as their Governors and to turn to the
disciplines of their sects, which they upheld by every means
possible. Thus we find Calvin at Geneva consenting to the burning
of Servetus, because of a difference of religious views; and in
England the Anglican Protestants waged the most bitter, cruel, and
relentless war not only against Catholics, but against all
Protestants who refused to conform to the Established Church. The
Protestants placed armies in the field and fought for their creeds,
as during the Thirty Years' War in Germany and the long period of
the Hugenot wars in France. The real work of the Reformation, the
promulgation of so much of the truth of the Bible, was an
inestimable blessing to the world; but the rise of Protestantism
(organized sectism) in 1530 introduced another period of apostasy
as distinct in many of its features as was that of Romanism before
it. The historian <span class="pagenum"><a id="page253" name=
"page253"></a>[pg 253]</span> D'Aubigne recognizes an important
change at this period. He says:</p>
<p>"The first two books of this volume contain the most important
epochs of the Reformation&mdash;the Protest of Spires, and the
Confession of Augsburg.... I determined on bringing the reformation
of Germany and German Switzerland to the <i>decisive epochs of</i>
1530 and 1531. The history of the Reformation, properly so-called,
is then in my opinion almost complete in those countries. The work
of faith has there attained its apogee: that of conferences, of
interims, of diplomacy begins.... The movement of the Sixteenth
Century has there made its effort. I said from the very first, It
is the history of the Reformation and not of Protestantism that I
am relating." Preface to Vol. V.</p>
<a name="chap13-11" id="chap13-11"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>11. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and
he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.</p>
<p>12. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before
him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship
the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.</p>
<p>13. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down
from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,</p>
<p>14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of
those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast;
saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an
image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did
live.</p>
<a name="chap13-15" id="chap13-15"></a>
<p>15. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast,
that the image of the beast <span class="pagenum"><a id="page254"
name="page254"></a>[pg 254]</span> should both speak, and cause
that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be
killed.</p>
<p>16. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor,
free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their
foreheads:</p>
<p>17. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the
mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.</p>
<p>18. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the
number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number
is Six hundred threescore and six.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The symbolic description of this beast directs us also to a
political and a religious system rising at the expiration of the
twelve hundred and sixty years' reign of the first beast, but that
he was no such terrible beast politically as the one before him is
proved by the fact that he had but two horns and they <i>like a
lamb</i>. This beast rose "out of the earth"&mdash;the Apocalyptic
earth, or the territory of the Roman empire. The first beast rose
out of the sea, which, as before shown, signifies the heart of the
empire in an agitated state; for the ten horns came up through the
greatest political convulsions that the page of history records.
When John beheld the second beast "coming up," however, the empire
was in a state of comparative quiet, although fierce wars followed
afterward. He stands as a symbol of <i>Protestantism</i> in Europe;
although his power and influence afterwards extended beyond the
"earth"&mdash;the Apocalyptic earth&mdash;into "the whole world."
Chap. <a href="#chap16-14">16:14</a>. That this beast came up upon
the same territory occupied by the Papacy is proved also by the
statement that <span class="pagenum"><a id="page255" name=
"page255"></a>[pg 255]</span> "he exerciseth all the power of the
first beast before him." It was predicted in a subsequent chapter
(<a href="#chap17-16">17:16</a>) that the ten horns, or kingdoms of
Europe, after supporting the Papacy during the Dark Ages, would
later turn against her. This has met a remarkable fulfilment under
the reign of Protestantism.</p>
<p>The first two nations to turn violently against Popery were
England and Germany. They have ever since been the chief supporters
and defenders of Protestantism, and they are doubtless the two
kingdoms symbolized by the two horns of the beast. While at one
time the Pope was a temporal sovereign and could, by his political
and ecclesiastical power, humble with ease the mightiest nations of
Europe before him, his authority has been wrested from him by
degrees, so that to-day not a vestige of his temporal power
remains, and his anathemas fall harmlessly. The nations have
asserted their rights as kings. When King Victor Emmanuel entered
Rome on the twentieth day of September, 1870, the Pope's temporal
sun set forever, and he does not control even the city in which he
lives&mdash;Rome. He is often referred to as "the prisoner of the
Vatican." "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity,"
said the prophecy; "he that killeth with the sword must be killed
with the sword." It was by force of arms that the Popes obtained
and maintained their temporal power over the nations, and by the
force of arms they have had their authority torn from them.
Religion has been referred to as "the basis of government"; for the
legislators of any country are to a great degree influenced in
their deliberations by religious sentiments. In all Protestant
countries that greatest of Protestant <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page256" name="page256"></a>[pg 256]</span> principles, religious
liberty, is as truly recognized by statute as was that infernal
principle of the Papacy, religious intolerance, when formerly
enforced by law. Protestant principles have so far permeated the
nations of Europe formerly controlled by the Papacy that religious
toleration is generally granted. In Italy, the headquarters of
Popedom, where the Catholics are greatly in the majority, religious
liberty is granted by law. And even Spain, denominated by the
Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica "the most Catholic country in the
world," exhibits "a general indifferentism to religion," meaning
that the fanaticism and intolerance of former ages that caused
thousands, and perhaps millions, to be slain, is rapidly dying out.
In the vision before us, however, the special actions ascribed to
this beast&mdash;<i>speaking</i>, working miracles, deceiving,
making an image and imparting life to it, etc., which all belong
properly to the department of human life&mdash;show conclusively
that it is the character of this beast as an <i>ecclesiastical
power</i> that is the chief point under consideration. He was not
to become such a terrible beast politically (for his horns were
only <i>like a lamb</i>), but "he <i>spake</i> as a dragon." As
soon as we enter the department to which <i>speaking</i> by analogy
refers us, we find this beast to be a great religious power; and it
is in this character alone that he is dilineated in the remainder
of the chapter. That the description of a religious system is the
main burden of this symbol, is shown also by the fact that it is in
every case referred to in subsequent chapters as the "false
prophet." Chap. <a href="#chap16-13">16:13</a>; <a href=
"#chap19-20">19:20</a>; <a href="#chap20-10">20:10</a>. Therefore
every reference I make to this second beast hereafter should be
understood as signifying the religious <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page257" name="page257"></a>[pg 257]</span> system of
Protestantism, unless otherwise stated.</p>
<p>That Protestantism in its many forms can be properly represented
by a single symbol&mdash;a beast or false prophet&mdash;may seem a
little strange at first; but when we come to consider next the
making of an image to the beast, it will be seen that the
Protestant sects, from God's standpoint of viewing, are all alike
in character, as were the multitudinous forms of heathen worship
represented under the single symbol of the dragon. Hence only one
beast, or the making of one image, was necessary to stand as
representative of the entire number. It will be noticed by the
reader that from verse 12 to the close of the chapter the term
<i>beast</i> signifies the first beast, or the Papacy, and that the
second beast, or Protestantism, is designated by the pronoun
<i>he</i>.</p>
<p><i>Image</i> is defined to be "an imitation, representation,
similitude of any person or thing; a copy, a likeness, an effigy."
The second beast, then, is to manufacture something in
<i>imitation</i> of the first beast. If any doubt exists as to
which phase of the first beast, political or ecclesiastical, is
copied, it can be settled by considering what is said of the image
made from the original. "The image of the beast
should&mdash;<i>speak</i>." This directs us by analogy, as
heretofore explained, to the department of religious affairs; hence
the second beast forms an <i>ecclesiastical organization</i> in
imitation of the hierarchy of Rome. At this juncture the Protestant
will doubtless exclaim, "Oh, our churches are nothing like the
church of Rome!" But consider a little in the light of truth. God's
Word teaches that they bear the close relationship of <i>mother</i>
and <span class="pagenum"><a id="page258" name="page258"></a>[pg
258]</span> her <i>daughters</i> (Rev. <a href=
"#chap17-5">17:5</a>), and by the help of the Lord we shall point
out a similarity of character in this and subsequent chapters. The
symbol of the church of Rome in <a href="#chap17">chapter 17</a> is
that of a corrupt <i>prostitute</i>, while the symbol of
Protestantism is that of her <i>harlot daughters</i>. The Roman
church is a humanly organized institution governed by a set of
fallible men, their claims of infallibility to the contrary
notwithstanding. Protestant sects, likewise, are all human
organizations (even though they may sometimes deny it), and are
governed by a man or a conference of men. The Roman Catholic church
makes and prescribes the theology that her members believe.
Protestant churches, also, make their own disciplines and prescribe
rules of faith and practise. The Word of God, inspired by his
Spirit, could not be enforced in Romanism without destroying it;
for its main spirit is Antichrist. So, too, the whole Word in
Protestantism would soon annihilate her God-dishonoring sects; for
they are all contrary to its plain teachings, which condemn
divisions and enjoin perfect unity and oneness upon the redeemed of
the Lord. What is said concerning the image of the beast applies to
sectarianism as a whole and the human organization of all her
so-called churches, regardless of the differences that exist
between them as individual institutions; for they may differ as
widely as the various systems of heathen religions symbolized by
the dragon, yet they can be represented by the single symbol of an
image to the first beast, because they are built upon the same
general principles&mdash;are but human organizations, falsely
called churches of Christ, and are all contrary to the
Scriptures.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page259" name="page259"></a>[pg
259]</span>
<p>Imparting life to the image of the beast simply signifies the
complete organization of the ecclesiastical institutions so that
they are capable of self-government and their decrees possess
authority. Every living body is animated by a spirit. The sectarian
spirit that animates the Methodist body will lead people into that
body, etc.; but the one Spirit of God will, if permitted, baptize
us all into the one body of Christ, where we can all "drink into
one Spirit." 1 Cor. 12:13. "And he spake as a dragon" signifies the
great authority by which his laws are enacted and enforced upon the
people.</p>
<p>"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down
from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them
that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had
power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on
the earth, that they should make an image to the beast." Fire from
heaven upon Elijah's sacrifice was the attestation of God to his
divine mission. Bringing down fire from heaven, then, symbolically
describes the claims of this beast to being a true prophet of the
Lord.</p>
<p>At this point we must make a distinction which, being true in
the facts of history, must necessarily be intended in the symbolic
representation. According to the symbols of the preceding chapter
the woman, or true church, "fled into the wilderness, where she
hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a
thousand two hundred and threescore days." The time-prophecy is the
same and covers the same period as the reign of the Papal beast;
therefore just as an important change in the Papacy <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page260" name="page260"></a>[pg 260]</span>
occured at the expiration of the prophetic period, so also we must
expect a radical change with respect to the true church: it must no
longer be completely obscured in the wilderness.</p>
<p>As the Reformation, and Protestantism as a religion, was the
means of ending Rome's universal spiritual supremacy, so also the
same movement must be regarded as possessing sufficient light and
truth to again bring into prominence the work of the Spirit and the
true people of God. "Fire from heaven" may therefore be regarded as
describing the divine work of reformation, the unfolding of truth
accompanied by the saving power of God. Such spiritual work has
accompanied the origin of various religious movements during the
Protestant era.</p>
<p>The general description of the two-horned beast, however, brings
into prominence an evil characteristic&mdash;the disposition to
lead people into deception by making an image to the beast and then
worshiping it. The evil does not inhere in the work of bringing
down "fire from heaven," but in image-making and image-worship, for
which the Spiritual work simply furnished an occasion. The
Spiritual work of reformation is therefore to be distinguished from
the later work of creed- and sect-making. And since the beast takes
advantage of Spirit manifestations, in order to deceive men, he
becomes a sort of apostate and is denominated "the <i>false
prophet</i>." See Chap. <a href="#chap16-14">16:14</a>; <a href=
"#chap19-20">19:20</a>.</p>
<p>Ecclesiastically considered, the two-horned beast stands as the
symbol of the religious system of Protestantism as a whole&mdash;a
peculiar combination of truth and error, of good and bad, of "fire
from heaven" <span class="pagenum"><a id="page261" name=
"page261"></a>[pg 261]</span> and false, miracle-working power
(chap. <a href="#chap16-14">16:14</a>); while the "image to the
beast" signifies the sectarian institution&mdash;the man-made,
man-controlled, unscriptural sect machinery manufactured in
imitation of the Papal original. To exalt such earth-born churches
and lead people to adore and worship them is but a species of
idolatry and the rankest deception. It is a sad fact that
multitudes of people in Protestantism are more devoted to their
particular church than they are to the Lord Jesus Christ. They can
witness the open rejection of God's precious Word and the vilest
profanation of his holy name, without uttering a word of protest;
but let anyone say a word against <i>their church</i>, and
instantly they are aroused to the highest pitch of
excitement&mdash;beast-worshipers!</p>
<p>The Protestant era has witnessed many wonderful reformations in
which the true fire of God fell upon waiting souls, but this
initial work of the Spirit has in each case been employed as an
excuse for taking the next step&mdash;making an image. Thousands of
honest souls, lacking better light, have been induced to submit to
such human organization. But the truly saved have always loved and
adored their Lord more than the human church to which they were
attached, therefore they should not be regarded as
beast-worshipers. They are the ones whom the Lord denominates his
people when the voice is heard calling them out of Babylon. Chap.
<a href="#chap18-4">18:4</a>.</p>
<p>The "mark of the beast" next claims our attention. The beast
referred to is the Papacy. How did the Papacy mark its subjects?
Undoubtedly, by the false spirit which animated that organization,
branding them all with its delusive doctrines and errors. In a
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page262" name="page262"></a>[pg
262]</span> previous chapter the servants of God were represented
as receiving the seal of God in their foreheads. This was shown to
signify the pure Word and doctrines of the Bible being planted
within them by the Holy Spirit. In making the sect image in
imitation of the Papal original, then, the principle of marking
subjects has also been copied. The members of every sect
organization are indelibly marked. You can not become one of them
without solemnly agreeing to believe the doctrines taught in their
discipline and accepting the government of their man-made
institutions. Subscribing to the rules of faith and practise that
originated with the sect shows how its members worship the image.
They are also said to worship the first beast, the original of the
image. How is this fulfilled? In the same manner that the
worshipers of the first beast worshiped the dragon that preceded
it; namely, by accepting and believing false principles of faith
that originated in the system immediately preceding. Protestant
sects have transferred many of the false doctrines of Romanism to
their own creeds, hence they worship the first beast just as truly
as the Papists worshiped the dragon by accepting heathenish
principles. The greatest principle of false doctrine that
originated with Catholicism, and one that has been transferred to
<i>every Protestant sect</i>, is, that a human organization is
necessary to complete the church of Christ on earth. The church of
Rome has an earthly head and a human government; and Protestants,
also, firmly believe the unscriptural doctrine that they must bow
to an organization of men and thus be under a visible headship:
they receive the mark of the beast. Many sects have also copied
other <span class="pagenum"><a id="page263" name="page263"></a>[pg
263]</span> Popish doctrines, such as infant baptism, the
destruction of all outside of the pales of the church (?),
infantile damnation, sprinkling, and other things too numerous to
mention. Thus, they worship the first beast as well as his
image.</p>
<p>They also receive the "name of the beast." Here again "beast"
refers to the Papacy. The Papal beast was represented as being full
of the names of blasphemy, which blasphemy was shown to signify the
usurpation of prerogatives and rights belonging to God alone. The
greatest ecclesiastical usurpation reached by the Romish hierarchy
was that of claiming to be the head of the church and the right to
prescribe and enforce their doctrines, naming their organization
the <i>Holy Catholic Church</i>. In making their sect organizations
in imitation, Protestants, as above stated, have transferred the
same principle and make the same blasphemous claim of a right to
make disciplines to govern God's people, and then name their sect
machinery a <i>church</i> of God. The name may be Methodist,
Baptist, Mennonite, Episcopalian, or what not, it is only a
<i>beast name</i>, yet a name that you must accept if you desire to
become one of them.</p>
<p>They not only receive the name of the beast, but also receive
the "number of his name." It will be necessary first to explain
what is meant by the number of a name. "The modern system of
notation by the nine digits and the cipher, was not introduced
until the tenth century, but on account of its superior excellence,
has since superseded every other. Previous to this great discovery,
the letters of the alphabet were used to denote numbers, each
letter having the power of a <i>number</i> as well as a
<i>sound</i>. The same system is <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page264" name="page264"></a>[pg 264]</span> still retained among
us for certain purposes. The Roman letters I. V. X. L. C. D. M.,
have each the power of expressing a number. This, however, was the
common and the best mode of notation that the ancients possessed."
The number of a name, therefore, was merely the number denoted by
the several letters of that name.</p>
<p>The number of the name of the beast&mdash;the first
beast&mdash;is said to be the number of a <i>man</i>. When we enter
the Romish hierarchy and search for a man the number of whose name
will be six hundred and sixty-six, where could we go more
appropriately than to the Pope himself, its authorized head? The
Scriptures point him out particularly as the "<i>man</i> of sin,"
"the son of perdition." 2 Thes. 2:3, 4. Has the Pope of Rome a name
the letters of which, used as numerals, make six hundred and
sixty-six? Yes. He wears in jeweled letters upon his miter the
following blasphemous inscription: <i>Vicarius Filii
Dei</i>&mdash;Vicar of the Son of God. Taking out of this name all
the letters that the Latins used as numerals, we have just six
hundred and sixty-six. U and V were both formerly used to denote
five.</p>
<pre>
V ..... 5     F ..... 0
I ..... 1     I ..... 1
C ... 100     L .... 50
A ..... 0     I ..... 1
R ..... 0     I ..... 1
I ..... 1     D ... 500
U ..... 5     E ..... 0
S ..... 0     I ..... 1
                     &mdash;-
                    666
</pre>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page265" name="page265"></a>[pg
265]</span>
<p>In some manner the worshipers of Protestant images also receive
the number of this name&mdash;six hundred and sixty-six. The name
is that of "Vicar of the Son of God." In all Protestantism (see
remarks on chapter <a href="#chap11-7">11:7, 8</a>) the true Vicars
of Christ on earth&mdash;the Word and Spirit of God&mdash;have been
set aside, and conferences of men have taken their places in all
the official acts relative to spiritual affairs. Hence the number
of the name applies to them as well. What that number specially
symbolizes I do not know, unless it is, as has been explained by
others&mdash;<i>division</i>. While the policy of Romanism has been
that of unity, still the false claims made by one individual can be
as well made by another, and by many, which has been the case, as
just explained; therefore it would not be improper at all to make
the Pope's number a symbol of the whole, since his system has been
so largely copied by the rest. The whole structure of sectarianism
is built on the principle of division, and it so happens that there
is always enough left to divide again. So this special number is
perhaps the symbol of endless division, signifying the great number
of human organizations claiming to be churches of Christ. The
church of God, however, is built on the principal of unity;
division is destruction to its true nature and life, for it is
Christ's body.</p>
<p>It is further said that "no man might buy or sell, save he that
had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
To "buy or sell" is to engage in the ordinary pursuits of life and
have intercourse with human society. Applying this as a symbol to
the analagous department of the church, we have the fact set forth
that those without the special mark <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page266" name="page266"></a>[pg 266]</span> have no more
recognized standing in the so-called churches than men that are not
allowed to buy or sell have in a community. But <i>selling</i>, as
a symbol, would specially indicate the dealing out of truth, or the
preaching of the gospel. A Holy Ghost minister in the clear light
of heaven's truth, independent of all the creeds of Babylon, will
not be allowed the privilege of laboring freely among sectarians,
after the truth for which he stands becomes well known. And if he
holds meetings in the community, the members of the sects are often
warned by their leaders against "buying"&mdash;receiving&mdash;it
from the Holy Ghost minister, because of his not having the mark or
name of the beast. Their ministers are specially marked, for they
come out of their colleges and theological seminaries with the
stamp of their respective doctrines upon them and a license from
the sect to enter its ministry; and those not thus marked or
designated have no place among them. This may also explain the
manner in which the beast causes those who will not worship the
image to be killed&mdash;an analagous killing; namely, an
ecclesiastical cutting-off, or excommunication, as explained in
previous chapters.<a id="footnotetag9" name=
"footnotetag9"></a><a href="#footnote9"><sup>9</sup></a></p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote9" name=
"footnote9"></a><b>Footnote 9:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag9">(return)</a>
<p>The early history of Protestantism shows that at that time the
principle of religious intolerance brought over from Romanism
manifested itself in the actual putting to death of numerous
dissenters. For example see pp. <a href="#page252">252</a>,
<a href="#page291">291-294</a> of the present work. It is possible
that the persecuting principle ascribed to the two-horned beast may
include both the literal and the ecclesiastical cutting-off,
reference being made directly to the intolerant spirit.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The facts just stated are well illustrated by the following
circumstances. A few years ago a brother in the ministry went into
a certain town to find a place to conduct a series of holiness
meetings. He was directed by a Presbyterian lady to their pastor,
who, <span class="pagenum"><a id="page267" name="page267"></a>[pg
267]</span> she said, was a believer in the doctrine of holiness.
When he called on the minister and made known his errand, the first
question asked him was this, "Are you a member of the Presbyterian
church?" The brother answered in the negative. He did not have the
<i>name of the beast</i>. The next question that greeted him was
this, "Do you believe the Westminster Confession of Faith to be
orthodox?" He answered, "No, sir." He did not have the <i>mark of
the beast</i>. The last question asked was, "Do you belong to any
of the various orthodox Protestant denominations?" The brother
said, "No." He did not have the <i>number of his name</i>. The
answer was, "You can not have our house."</p>
<p>While on a missionary trip in the Near East, the writer, in
company with another brother, attended a Seventh-Day Adventist
service in Bucharest, Roumania. After the sermon another brother
requested that we be given the opportunity to speak a little, but
the request was absolutely refused. It was explained that we would
say nothing against them or their work but only speak about
salvation; but we were not permitted even to testify in a few
words. The difficulty was that we did not have either the "mark of
the beast" or its "name."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page268" name="page268"></a>[pg
268]</span> <a name="chap14" id="chap14"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER XIV.</h2>
<a name="chap14-1" id="chap14-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with
him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name
written in their foreheads.</p>
<p>2. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of
harpers harping with their harps:</p>
<p>3. And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and
before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that
song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were
redeemed from the earth.</p>
<p>4. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they
are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he
goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits
unto God and to the Lamb.</p>
<p>5. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without
fault before the throne of God.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is no difficulty in identifying this company on Mount Sion
as the true people of God in marked contrast with the worshipers of
all corrupt and false religion. As to the chronology of the event,
it is evident that we have here a continuation of the same series
of prophecy beginning with the apostolic period in <a href=
"#chap12">chapter XII</a>, describing alternately the true church
and the false church.</p>
<p>At the beginning of this series the true church, symbolized by
the star-crowned woman, fled into the wilderness and was there lost
to view; while the leopard beast and the two-horned beast of
<a href="#chap13">chapter XIII</a>, symbolizing the two leading
forms of organized Christianity, <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page269" name="page269"></a>[pg 269]</span> were brought into
prominent view. It is therefore fitting that the true church should
again appear and be given her proper position and work in the world
before the end of all earthly things.</p>
<p>That the company here brought to view represents the true church
is shown by its agreement with the church of God before the
apostasy began. In the seventh chapter we have seen that before the
political calamities befell the Western Roman Empire the work of
sealing God's servants was accomplished, twelve thousand from each
of the twelve tribes of Israel being sealed, thus representing
symbolically the fact that God's church, comprising the true
Israel, was perfect and complete, no part being omitted. In the
chapter under consideration we have this divine sealing process
again after the apostasy, and once more the definite number 144,000
occurs, showing that the church before the end is to be perfect and
complete.</p>
<p>The contrast of this company with the ecclesiastical powers in
the preceding chapter proclaims in an unmistakeable manner the fact
that we have here described a true reformation and work of God
before the end of time. In the morning-time of the dispensation the
redeemed of earth were represented as singing praises to Christ; so
also the company here brought to view unite in singing a song which
only the redeemed can know. This company is on Mount Sion, not in
the darkness of the wilderness, they are with the Lamb, not
wandering after the beast; they are not even following the beast
that was "like a lamb," but they are with the true Lamb, the Savior
of the world; they have the "Father's name written <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page270" name="page270"></a>[pg 270]</span> in
their foreheads," not the mark or the name of the beast. It is said
of them that "these are they which were not defiled with women, for
they are virgins." Fornication and adultery, as will be explained
later, is a symbol of spiritual idolatry; and the chastity of this
redeemed company shows that they were free from the abominations of
the apostasy. They "follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth." Their
names are in the book of life, and they do not worship the beast.
Chap. <a href="#chap13-8">13:8</a>.</p>
<p>Here, then, we have a symbol of the church of God in the latter
days standing distinct from the great apostasy.</p>
<a name="chap14-6" id="chap14-6"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>6. And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having
the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,
and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,</p>
<p>7. Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him;
for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made
heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.</p>
<p>8. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen,
is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of
the wine of the wrath of her fornication.</p>
<p>9. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice,
If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in
his forehead, or in his hand,</p>
<p>10. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which
is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and
he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of
the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:</p>
<p>11. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page271" name="page271"></a>[pg 271]</span> up for
ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the
beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his
name.</p>
<a name="chap14-12" id="chap14-12"></a>
<p>12. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep
the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.</p>
<p>13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write,
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea,
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their
works do follow them.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another phase of the last reformation is here brought to
view&mdash;its communicative genius. It not only stands clear from
the apostasy, but it sounds the warnings of God and proclaims his
message. The first messenger had a very important message to
deliver, even "the everlasting gospel." His message was not limited
to the inhabitants of "the earth"&mdash;the Apocalyptic
earth&mdash;only, but included "every nation, and kindred, and
tongue, and people," showing that it was of universal importance.
It was not a new gospel, but the everlasting gospel, the same
gospel preached before the long period of apostasy. There is one
phase different, however, and that is that the <i>nearness</i> of
the second coming of Christ is a leading feature; the messenger
with loud voice warns the people to prepare for the awful judgment
just at hand by turning to "worship him that made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." The apostle Paul
cautioned the Thessalonian brethren not to entertain the idea that
the advent of Christ was then near at hand, for it could not come
until after the great period of apostasy that he predicted; but
here is a messenger now claiming that the "<i>hour of his judgment
is come</i>"&mdash;an <span class="pagenum"><a id="page272" name=
"page272"></a>[pg 272]</span> event just at hand. He carries his
special message to all people; for Jesus declared, "This gospel of
the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto
all nations; and <i>then shall the end come</i>." Matt. 24:14. This
represents the restoration of gospel truth in the reformation that
was begun about the year A.D. 1880 and that is now being carried to
all nations by a holy ministry.</p>
<p>The nature of this restoration work is clearly shown. Its
leading feature is its missionary character, the proclamation of
the pure gospel to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people." Since the days of the apostles the whole gospel has not
been boldly declared and carried forward with burning missionary
zeal. Romanism and Protestantism have conducted their missionary
work and, according to chap. <a href="#chap16-14">16:14</a>, their
sphere of influence will extend throughout "the whole world"; but
here is clearly set forth the fact that God has authorized another
universal message and world-wide work wholly distinguished from all
others. The contrast between the worshipers of the beast and his
image and those composing the redeemed company on Mount Sion is so
clear, also the nature of the work done by each, that we can not
possibly identify them as being one.</p>
<p>This work of conducting a world-wide missionary enterprise may
appear to be a gigantic task, but the seeming impossibility
vanishes when we consider the fact (to be more fully developed
hereafter) that God calls into this service all his people who are
yet under the sectarian yoke. With this great host already
dispersed over the world, the work of making known this last
message can and will be accomplished.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page273" name="page273"></a>[pg
273]</span>
<p>The positive statement that the <i>hour</i> of his judgment is
come shows that the end is exceedingly near; hence the second and
third angels must follow the first in the closest proximity
possible in order to introduce their messages before the wrath of
God is poured out upon apostate Christendom. The time is so short
that these three messengers can not possibly refer to three
distinct reformations in the world; hence they must signify three
important phases in the one last reformation that carries the
gospel to all nations in the short period of an "hour," which time
also includes the final judgment.</p>
<p>A careful study of these three messages will show that they are
inseparably connected. The second cry was against Babylon, that she
had fallen. Rev. <a href="#chap18-1">18:1, 2</a> proves this fall
of Babylon to be a moral one&mdash;a giving away to ungodliness,
iniquity and all manner of deception. According to chapter 16:19
the great city of Babylon is composed of three parts, being a
confederation of the dragon<a id="footnotetag10" name=
"footnotetag10"></a><a href="#footnote10"><sup>10</sup></a>
(heathenism), the beast (Catholicism), and the false prophet
(Protestantism). Chap. <a href="#chap16-13">16:13, 14</a>. It is
evidently to this latter division of Babylon that this second
message applies; for <span class="pagenum"><a id="page274" name=
"page274"></a>[pg 274]</span> Paganism was always a false religion,
and Catholicism was always a corrupt one, during whose reign the
church of God, as already shown, was separate. Protestantism, then,
was the only part of the great city that could fall morally or
spiritually. During the space of three hundred and fifty years,
from the formation of the first Protestant creed, she held reign
and authority over the people of God, who were scattered among her
hundreds of opposing sects.</p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote10" name=
"footnote10"></a><b>Footnote 10:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag10">(return)</a>
<p>That the dragon should be a part of great Babylon seems at first
improbable; but in this statement reference is made, not to the
dragon in his original, or Pagan, state, but to the form in which
he is manifesting himself in these last days to deceive the
nations, working in conjunction with apostate Christendom. This
phase of the dragon power which brings him into harmony with, and,
in reality, a part of, modern Babylon, will be more clearly
understood when we come to consider the three unclean spirits that
come out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false
prophet (chap. <a href="#chap16-13">16:13, 14</a>), and the release
of the dragon in chapter <a href="#chap20-7">20:7-9</a>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In this condition the faithful children of God, although bearing
the mark and name of the beast, longed for restoration of the
divine, primitive standard; but in the cloudy atmosphere of that
period they could not clearly discern the whole truth. Later, when
the full tidings of the everlasting gospel came, there came also a
revelation that Babylon is fallen and that God is calling his
people out of confusion just before the end of time.</p>
<p>I call to witness every child of God who has been with the
present reformation from its beginning, if there were not three
special phases of the development of the truth, as follows: 1. A
wonderful revival of spirituality among a few of God's chosen ones,
caused by the "everlasting gospel" being revealed to them as never
before. 2. The knowledge of the truth and deep experience thus
obtained prepared the way for the next step, which was the
discovery that the "churches" were a part of the great Babylon of
Revelation and were in a fallen condition, "a hold of every foul
spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." Chap.
<a href="#chap18-2">18:2, 3</a>. Hence the cry went up, "Babylon is
fallen, is fallen." 3. Then followed immediately the message to
God's people to "flee out <span class="pagenum"><a id="page275"
name="page275"></a>[pg 275]</span> of the midst of Babylon and
deliver every man his soul," warning them that no one could any
longer bear the mark of the beast or worship his image without
forfeiting eternal salvation and that the fearful judgments of
heaven would soon descend upon every one who refused to obey the
message and to walk in the light. The last two phases, which apply
to Babylon, are the same and in the same order as the description
given in chapter <a href="#chap18-1">18:1-4</a>. First, an angel
from heaven cries mightily with a strong voice, "Babylon the great
is fallen, is fallen"; and then "<i>another voice</i>" from heaven
says, "COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE." The three successive phases of
the message are now all combined in one, and God is gathering his
holy remnant "out of all places where they have been scattered in
the cloudy and dark day" (Ezek. 34:12) into the one body of Jesus
Christ. Halleluiah! John, also, saw this glorious result of the
three messages&mdash;"And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled
with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and
over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name,
stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sung
the song of Moses the servant of God [a song of deliverance], and
the song of the Lamb [the song of redemption], saying, Great and
marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy
ways, thou king of saints." Chap. <a href="#chap15-2">15:2, 3</a>.
Let all the people of God rejoice!</p>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Hail the day so long expected,</p>
<p class="i2">Hail the year of full release;</p>
<p>Zion's walls are now erected,</p>
<p class="i2">And the watchmen publish peace.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page276" name="page276"></a>[pg
276]</span></div>
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Now on Shiloh's wide dominion,</p>
<p class="i2">Hear the trumpets loudly roar:</p>
<p>Babylon's fallen, is fallen, is fallen,</p>
<p class="i2">Babylon's fallen to rise no more."</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Those of the Lord's people who through lack of sufficient light
were yoked up with unbelievers in Protestantism, labored faithfully
to upbuild the very sectarian institutions that God was against and
that were destined to be destroyed, though they themselves were
saved as by fire; but from the time this reformation began the
redeemed die in the triumphs of a living faith, and their labors in
upbuilding the true cause and kingdom of God are still blessed and
fruitful, being perpetuated in the works that follow them.</p>
<p>"Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." As before mentioned,
God's people during the reign of Romanism expected her universal
supremacy to come to an end, and their patience was greatly
exercised in waiting for the appointed time to arrive. It came with
a great spiritual reformation. Then followed another period of
apostasy, during which time God's people again looked forward to
something better in the future. Many remarkable predictions of this
present holiness reformation were uttered by some of the most
spiritual saints during the Protestant era, and I can not refrain
from mentioning a few of them in this connection.</p>
<p>D'Aubigne: "The nineteenth century is called to resume the work
which the sixteenth century was unable to accomplish." History of
the Reformation, Book XV, Chap. 1.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page277" name="page277"></a>[pg
277]</span>
<p>Fletcher: "Only He will come with more mercy, and will increase
the light that shall be at eventide, according to his promise in
Zech. 14:7. I should rather think that the visions are not yet
plainly disclosed; and that the day and hour in which the Lord will
begin to make bare his arm openly are still concealed from us. Oh,
when will the communion of saints be complete? Lord, hasten the
time; and let me have a place among them that love thee, and love
one another in sincerity." This is an extract from a letter written
by John Fletcher to Mr. Wesley, dated London, May 26, 1757, as
given in Joseph Benson's life of Fletcher, pp. 39, 40.</p>
<p>D'Aubigne again: "In every age it has been seen how great is the
strength of an idea to penetrate the masses, to stir nations, and
to hurry them, if required, by thousands to the battle-field and to
death. But if so great be the strength of a human idea, what power
must not a heaven-descended idea possess, when God opens to it the
gates of the heart! The world has not often seen so much power at
work; it was seen, however, in the early days of Christianity, and
in the time of the Reformation; and <i>it will be seen in
future</i> ages." Book VI, Chap. 12.</p>
<p>"It has been said that the three last centuries, the sixteenth,
the seventeenth, and the eighteenth, may be conceived as an immense
battle of three days' duration. We willingly adopt this beautiful
comparison.... The first day was the battle of God, the second the
battle of the priest, the third the battle of reason. What will be
the fourth? In our opinion, the confused strife, the deadly contest
of all these powers <span class="pagenum"><a id="page278" name=
"page278"></a>[pg 278]</span> together, to <i>end in the victory of
Him to whom triumph belongs</i>." Book XI, Chap. 9.</p>
<p>Lorenzo Dow, comment on Rev. 14:6-11; 18:1-5: "The angel, or
extraordinary messenger, with his assistants, proclaiming the fall
of Babylon will be known in his time. Also the one warning the
people of God to come out of Babylon literally, spiritually, and
practically, will be known also, and such other threatening for the
omission of compliance is not to be found in all the Bible." Dow's
Works, p. 533.</p>
<p>The following extracts are from an old book written about 1812
by Theophilus R. Gates and entitled "Truth Advocated." Through the
kindness of a sister living in Allegan County, Michigan, the writer
was enabled to secure the following from the only copy of this book
known to be in existence&mdash;she having borrowed it of her
neighbor, a relative of its author.</p>
<p>On Rev. 14:11: "I would here gladly drop the subject, lest I
give offense; but duty compels me to remark, what can not be
denied, that an inordinate attachment to certain systems and forms
of religion, has occasioned all the strifes, animosities, and
persecutions, that have so long agitated the Christian world; and
if God be just, every one must drink of the cup of his indignation,
according to his offense. The beast and his image, as it exists in
Protestant countries, seems in this place particularly meant; and
our own land is full of the number of his name. That such a
testimony will one day go forth we must believe, or else St. John
saw that which will never be: and the testimony will as certainly
be received; for <span class="pagenum"><a id="page279" name=
"page279"></a>[pg 279]</span> a company in the next chapter are to
be seen that had gotten the victory over the beast, his image, his
mark, and the number of his name. It is also equally true that as
yet it has never gone forth; and that at the time, great
afflictions or suffering of some kind will be undergone to exercise
the patience of the saints.... It is at this very time, no doubt,
that the three unclean spirits, like frogs, come out of the mouth
of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet; spirits of devils
working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and
of the whole world, to gather them to the great battle of the great
day of God Almighty. The greatest possible efforts, indeed will now
be made by all the sectarians to keep up their existence ... nor is
it any wonder that hireling ministers and system worshipers,
Demetrius like, should be stirred up and raise no small stir about
the way; for it is evident, not only their craft is in danger of
being set at naught by this testimony, but also the great Diana of
systems and forms of religion to be despised, and their
magnificence destroyed, whom now almost the whole Christian world
worshipeth." Pp. 281-283.</p>
<p>"And now commences an era of light and suffering, when the
corrupt churches (with the kings of the earth and great men united
with them) being about to be wholly brought down, make one general
muster against Christ and his true worshipers. These things are
clear to me as a ray of light; and whoever lives at this time will
see as great opposition and spite to the true way of righteousness
then set forth from sectarians and professors generally, as there
was from the Jews towards Christ and his testimony: and
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page280" name="page280"></a>[pg
280]</span> also, like the Jews, at the very time they oppose the
true way of the Lord with all their might, they will no doubt make
the greatest possible show of religion, will think they are the
true church, yea will have a zeal for God, carrying on religion
with great success, forming societies, sending missionaries among
the heathen, etc., etc. That such an event will take place is very
clear." Pp. 286-288.</p>
<p>"This happy period I never expect to see: but known unto the
Lord only are all things. I know that such a time will be; for we
are assured by the angel, these are the true sayings of God: and I
also believe that it will take place <i>within two centuries</i>
from this time. But oh! how corrupt doth the world now appear to
me.... Help me, O Lord, I pray thee, to do thy will.</p>
<p>"Whenever any body of people come into notice, establish their
rules and institutions, and become a respectable sect, they are the
people of God then only in name; they cease to have the nature any
longer; and whoever unites himself to the same, constitutes himself
one of the beast's party, and so far as his influence extends, he
helps to establish the kingdom of Antichrist in the earth. This is
clear from the prophecies of the Revelation, and it will answer no
purpose to take offense when the truth is spoken. These things
will, moreover, sooner or later be declared with great plainness by
some one; and then will the man of sin put forth all his strength;
then will persecution come, and the beast muster his armies to
defend himself and to destroy the assailants, but in vain; for
however few their number may be at first, and however furious the
battle may rage against <span class="pagenum"><a id="page281" name=
"page281"></a>[pg 281]</span> them, they are destined to conquer.
And herein the words of Christ will fitly apply, 'Fear not, little
flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom.'" P. 313.</p>
<p>Speaking of sectarianism, he says further: "The same round of
things will continue until the evil is remedied.... When this shall
take place, time only can determine with certainty. It will
probably commence slowly, and not come with any great outward
observation. Few will at first see or embrace the way, being
strange to them, and appearing on account of their prejudices, and
the way they have been taught by the false prophet, to be wrong and
improper: moreover, being opposed to all others, they will have all
others to oppose them. But though they are despised and hated, and
few in number, the Lord is with them." Pp. 322, 323.</p>
<p>On Rev. 16:13, 14: "I have already delivered my views with
respect to these unclean spirits ... and it is not necessary to say
much here upon the subject; only I would just observe, that this
will be a time of greater trial to Christians in general, and in a
time in which more will be deprived of every particle of true
religion through the influence of false ministers belonging to the
different societies in Christendom, than any that has ever yet been
in the world. But while they are making these great exertions, they
are only preparing themselves and their deluded votaries for a more
awful and complete destruction. For God Almighty is against them,
and they against Him; though they will know it not, but think
perhaps all the while they are his peculiar favorites, and that
they are employed in maintaining his cause, like the Jews
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page282" name="page282"></a>[pg
282]</span> before them, when it is only their own cause and men's
traditions." P. 338.</p>
<p>"I am but as the voice of one crying in the wilderness of error
and of sin, of wickedness and delusion, testifying according to the
best light given me; and any light that I can possibly communicate
will in a little time become as the feeble shining of the sun, by
reason of the greatness of the light that shall be hereafter." P.
354.</p>
<p>"A true and living testimony will go forth before this last
period of the awful judgments of God comes to a close, and in
consequence of rejecting it, like the Jews of old, the wrath of God
will come upon them to the uttermost. The testimony against the
worshipers of the beast, by the third angel, Rev. 14:9, is the
testimony that effectually overthrows the kingdom of darkness and
establishes the truth as it is in Jesus, pure and undefiled.... The
authors of this testimony will ... unlike to all who go before
them, attack the evil at its root, and expose the deceit, hypocrisy
and wickedness of the different sects in a way that has never
before been done; for which they will suffer the greatest
persecution. You may look upon these things as the reveries of my
own fancy; but some day or other, people will witness to the truth
of what I now write." Pp. 421, 422.</p>
<p>"All the reformations which go before this last great reform
will only be partial and temporary. They will only lop off the
branches, or at the most, only strike at the body of the corrupt
tree, while the roots remain untouched and uninjured. But when this
last testimony goes forth, the very roots of the corrupt tree will
be attacked." P. 426.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page283" name="page283"></a>[pg
283]</span>
<p>"Every sect is under an idea that whenever the Lord comes to
establish truth in the earth, it will be to establish their creed,
raise up their sect, and bring the whole world into their way. And
when the faithful witnesses whom God will raise up shall openly
declare that they have all gone out of the way, that the greatest
professors have so much of guile, selfishness and party spirit
about them as to be nothing but hypocrites, and that a person must
be better than they are or be lost forever; that sects are an
abomination to the Lord; denounce eternal death upon every advocate
and adherent of men-made establishments; ... I say when such a
testimony as this goes forth, as it sooner or later will, no wonder
that the sects, all with one accord, should set themselves against
it&mdash;should call it heresy&mdash;declare it will ruin the
churches if it is not suppressed.... Although, as I have before
testified, I am only as the voice of one crying in the
wilderness&mdash;a mere babe in the knowledge of these things which
are to be revealed hereafter, yet I expect to raise a host of
bigots and hypocrites against me.... Nor can it be very long before
the true light, in a very especial manner, will shine.... If these
things do not come to pass, then let me be called an enthusiast or
a deceiver." Pp. 444-446.</p>
<a name="chap14-14" id="chap14-14"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>14. And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud
one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden
crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.</p>
<p>15. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud
voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap:
for the time has come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the
earth is ripe.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page284" name="page284"></a>[pg
284]</span>
<p>16. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the
earth; and the earth was reaped.</p>
<p>17. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven,
he also having a sharp sickle.</p>
<p>18. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power
over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp
sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters
of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.</p>
<p>19. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and
gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great
winepress of the wrath of God.</p>
<p>20. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood
came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the
space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The special characters of this vision and their work have been
very difficult for me to identify positively. Until clearer light
on the matter is received, I choose to withhold an explanation
rather than to indulge in speculation. Its usual explanation is to
apply the gathering of the harvest of the earth to the work of the
reformation now taking place and the vintage scene to the final
destruction of the wicked, their punishment being symbolized by the
treading of the "winepress of the wrath of God." This may be its
signification. It is certain, however, that in a subsequent
chapter, the final judgment of the wicked is symbolized by the
treading of "the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty
God." Beyond this I can not now speak with certainty.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page285" name="page285"></a>[pg
285]</span> <a name="chap15" id="chap15"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER XV.</h2>
<a name="chap15-1" id="chap15-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven
angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the
wrath of God.</p>
<a name="chap15-2" id="chap15-2"></a>
<p>2. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and
them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his
image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on
the sea of glass, having the harps of God.</p>
<p>3. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the
song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord
God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.</p>
<p>4. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for
thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before
thee; for thy judgments are made manifest:</p>
<a name="chap15-5" id="chap15-5"></a>
<p>5. And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the
tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:</p>
<p>6. And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven
plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts
girded with golden girdles.</p>
<p>7. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven
golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and
ever.</p>
<p>8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God,
and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple,
till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The scene presented to us in this vision is but an introduction
to the solemn scenes of awful judgment <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page286" name="page286"></a>[pg 286]</span> immediately following.
The first thing that attracted John's attention was a sign, great
and marvelous, "seven angels having the seven last plagues." The
reason why these are denominated the "last plagues" is because that
"in them is filled up the wrath of God." These are the completion,
then, the finishing up of the work of divine judgment against the
persecutors of the church. When the last one is poured out the work
is done, the time of judgment is over. These angels are not
designed to symbolize any agencies on earth, for they do not appear
on earth; they are simply the conductors of the Revelation. God
never commissions his people on earth to perform such great
judgments upon their persecutors as the temporal judgments of the
seven last plagues will be shown to be; but, on the contrary, he
has given them the express command not to avenge themselves, but to
suffer wrong. He himself lays exclusive claim to this prerogative,
saying, "Vengeance is <i>mine</i>; I will repay, saith the Lord."
Rom. 12:19.</p>
<p>As soon as the subject of the plagues is introduced and before
they are poured out, the narrative suddenly changes and a short
history of God's redeemed saints is given. This, perhaps, thus
occurs for two reasons&mdash;to assist us in fixing the chronology
of the events described and to encourage us with the thought that,
even while the awful judgments of God are being "made manifest"
upon the haughty oppressors of earth, God has a chosen people who
have "gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and
over his mark, and over the number of his name." They stand upon
the "sea of glass, having the harps of God"&mdash;a symbol of
melody and praise&mdash;and sing <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page287" name="page287"></a>[pg 287]</span> the song of Moses and
the song of the Lamb. The song of Moses was that sung by the
Israelites when they had escaped to the further side of the Red
Sea, thus securing perfect deliverance from their enemies. So,
also, this company of worshipers sing a great song of
deliverance&mdash;deliverance from the beast and his image. In
chapters 4 and 5 John saw the great host redeemed before the
apostasy standing on this sea of glass, singing the song of
redemption&mdash;the song of the Lamb&mdash;but this company are
enabled to sing another song as well&mdash;the song of
deliverance&mdash;for they have "gotten the victory over the beast,
and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his
name." Halleluiah! "Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God
Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints."</p>
<p>As before stated (chap. <a href="#chap8-3">8:3</a>), the
heavenly world as opened up to John appeared symbolized after the
sanctuary of the temple. By "the temple of the tabernacle of the
testimony," out of which the seven angels came fully prepared for
their work, is meant the most holy place of the sanctuary, called
"the tabernacle of the testimony" because there was deposited in
it, beneath the wings of the cherubim, the ark of the testimony, or
God's covenant. It was therefore as from the most holy place of the
sanctuary&mdash;from the very presence of the Deity&mdash;that
these angels went forth commissioned to execute the seven last
plagues. This shows that they went by the divine command as
ministers of vengeance. The purity and beauty of their attire
denoted both the spotless excellency of their characters and the
justice of the work in which they were to engage. Although theirs
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page288" name="page288"></a>[pg
288]</span> was a work of awful avenging judgment, still the
garments they wore would not be soiled thereby; and their flowing
robes of white were girded up with a beautiful golden girdle.
Therefore there is no inconsistency between the purity and love of
God and the work of his vengeance. It would seem to human reasoning
that the two are irreconcilable, but these symbols teach
differently.</p>
<p>These angels received their vials (goblets) of wrath at the
hands of one of the four living creatures, who are symbols of the
redeemed sons of earth. Their deliverance by one of these doubtless
denotes that these judgments were to be executed in their behalf
and in answer to their prayers. For centuries the wrath of deadly
persecutors had been poured out upon God's people, until the cry
ascended from the lips of the martyrs, "How long, O Lord, holy and
true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell
on the earth?" Chap. <a href="#chap6-10">6:10</a>. Now their prayer
is answered, and by their hand, as it were, the vials of wrath are
delivered with the divine sanction unto the seven angels to be
poured out upon these proud oppressors of the Lord's people. These
vials, too, were "full of wrath." What a fearful expression!
<i>Full of wrath</i>, even "<i>the wrath of God</i>, who liveth
forever and ever." There was nothing in them but wrath and that to
the very brim.</p>
<p>As soon as the vials were delivered, "the temple was filled with
smoke from the glory of God." This symbol is taken from the
Shekinah which filled the ancient tabernacle. We read that when the
tabernacle was finished, "a cloud covered the tent of the
congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page289" name="page289"></a>[pg
289]</span> And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the
congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the
Lord filled the tabernacle." Ex. 40:34, 35. The same thing occurred
at the dedication of Solomon's temple. "The cloud filled the house
of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister
because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the
house of the Lord." 1 Kings 8:10, 11. So, also, in the symbol
before us the glory of God filled the temple so that no man was
able to enter. This is intended to set forth the fact that these
avenging judgments were for the manifestation of the divine glory
and that there was no access to the throne of God nor to his
mercy-seat to alter them or to stay their execution. Such is the
sublime scene presented to our view preparatory to the pouring out
of the seven last great plagues.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page290" name="page290"></a>[pg
290]</span> <a name="chap16" id="chap16"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER XVI.</h2>
<a name="chap16-1" id="chap16-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven
angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God
upon the earth.</p>
<p>2. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth;
and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had
the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his
image.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A great voice out of the temple, now filled with the glory of
the divine presence, commanded the seven angels to enter upon their
mission. It came, therefore, from God, who alone fixed the time for
these judgments to begin.</p>
<p>Before an intelligent explanation of these plagues can be given,
however, the following points must be made clear: 1. <i>Where</i>
the vials were poured out. 2. <i>Upon whom</i> they were emptied.
3. <i>Why</i> they were thus poured out. 4. <i>When</i> they were
fulfilled, or, rather, at what time they began to be fulfilled.
These points we will first briefly consider in the order named,
after which we will discuss the <i>nature</i> of the plagues and
their individual application.</p>
<p>1. The place where these vials of wrath were poured out was
"upon the earth"; that is, the Apocalyptic earth, or that portion
of the earth made the special subject of Apocalyptic vision;
namely, the territory of the ten kingdoms. The last two vials,
however, will be found to embrace a larger territory.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page291" name="page291"></a>[pg
291]</span>
<p>2. They were poured out upon those "which had the mark of the
beast, and upon them which worshiped his image." It has already
been shown that the image made by the second beast of chapter 13
was the Protestant ecclesiastical organizations; hence the "beast"
here referred to, to which the image was made, must signify the
ecclesiastical hierarchy of Rome, the original. So the plagues fell
upon the adherents of both organized Romanism and Protestantism in
Europe.</p>
<p>3. The reason why the judgments of the first three vials
especially descended upon them was because "they had shed the blood
of saints and prophets." Verse 6. That Romanism was a fierce
oppressor of God's people has already been noticed: Protestantism
as their persecutor, also, must now be considered further.
Protestant sects after they first became established and got power
in their own hands, acted much in the same manner as the church of
Rome did before them, persecuting, banishing, imprisoning, and even
putting to death those who refused to receive their tenets or to
conform to the system of religion they had adopted. The Lutherans,
at first a pious, persecuted people, on becoming numerous and
exalted by the favor of the great, established a certain system of
religion and then, when it was in their power, persecuted,
imprisoned, banished, or put to death all that dissented. As early
after the Reformation as 1574, in a convention at Torgaw, they
established the real presence in the eucharist and instigated the
Elector of Saxony to seize, imprison, and banish all the secret
Calvinists that differed from them in sentiment, and to reduce
their followers by every act <span class="pagenum"><a id="page292"
name="page292"></a>[pg 292]</span> of violence, to renounce their
sentiments and to confess the ubiquity. Peucer, for his opinions,
suffered ten years of imprisonment in the severest manner. In 1577
a form of concord was produced in which the real manducation of
Christ's body and blood in the eucharist was established and heresy
and excommunication laid on all that refused this as an article of
faith, with pains and penalties to be enforced by the secular arm.
Crellius, in 1601, was put to death.</p>
<p>In Switzerland, before the city of Zurich was entirely safe
itself from the encroachments of Romanism, its Protestant council
condemned a young man named Felix Mantz to be drowned because he
insisted that the baby-sprinkling of Romanism was not baptism and
that all who had received the rite ought to be immersed. This
sentence was carried into effect. The severest laws were passed in
different countries of Europe against the Anabaptists, and large
numbers were banished or burnt at the stake. See Encyclop&aelig;dia
Britannica, Art. Anabaptists. Protestants may claim this was
because of their fanaticism on other lines; but it remains a fact,
nevertheless, that the chief sentiment at the base of these laws
was religious persecution and that Protestants sanctioned and
carried them into execution.</p>
<p>King Henry VIII., the founder of the Established Church in
England, adopted the most stringent laws to enforce its doctrines.
Certain articles of religion were drawn up, known in history as the
"Bloody Six Articles." Concerning these the People's
Cyclop&aelig;dia says: "The doctrines were substantially those of
the Roman Catholic Church. Whoever denied the first articles (that
embodying the doctrine of transubstantiation) <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page293" name="page293"></a>[pg 293]</span> was to
be declared a heretic, and burnt without opportunity of abjuration;
whoso spoke against the other five articles should, for the first
offense, forfeit his property; and whosoever refused to abjure his
first offense, or committed a second, was to die like a felon."
Art. Henry VIII. "The royal reformer persecuted alike Catholics and
Protestants. Thus, on one occasion, three Catholics who denied that
the king was the rightful head of the church, and three Protestants
who disputed the doctrine of the real presence in the sacrament,...
were dragged on the same sled to the place of execution." In
speaking of that period of history and of the religious
persecutions of the times, Myers says: "Punishment of heresy was
then regarded, by both Catholics and Protestants alike, as a duty
which could be neglected by those in authority only at the peril of
Heaven's displeasure. Believing this, those of that age could
consistently do nothing less than labor to exterminate heresy with
axe, sword and fagot." General History, p. 553.</p>
<p>That religious intolerance even at a later date was practised in
England, witness the twelve years' imprisonment of John Bunyan and
the hundreds confined in jails throughout that country for not
conforming to the established religion. It was such severe
persecution by that early Protestant sect that drove the Puritans
from England's fair country to the then inhospitable shores of
America, that they might have an opportunity to worship God
according to the dictates of their own conscience. In Scotland the
Covenanters "insisted on their right to worship God in their own
way. They were therefore subjected <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page294" name="page294"></a>[pg 294]</span> to most cruel and
unrelenting persecution. They were hunted by English troopers over
their native moors and among the wild recesses of their mountains,
whither they secretly retired for prayer and worship. The tales of
the suffering of the Scotch Covenanters at the hands of the English
Protestants form a most harrowing chapter of the records of the
ages of religious persecution." This list might be considerably
augmented, but it is unnecessary. However, that Protestant
persecution and tyranny should never reach the enormous extent of
the Romanists before them is proved by the fact that her horns were
"like a lamb." Chap. <a href="#chap13-11">13:11</a>.</p>
<p>4. It is very important for us to ascertain the <i>time</i> for
the beginning of these plagues; for they can not be identified
unless we understand the chronology of the events described. It is
a fact no one can question that the seventh plague is the judgment
of the last day, for in the seven "is filled up" the wrath of God;
hence they are denominated the <i>last</i> plagues. It is also a
fact, well-known to all who are spiritual and who understand the
truth in the present reformation, that certain events said to occur
under the period of the sixth plague are <i>now</i> taking place;
namely, the confederation of all false religions to oppose the
people of God, led on by the "unclean spirits" that come "out of
the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out
of the mouth of the false prophet." Verses 13, 14.</p>
<p>Therefore five of the plagues precede the time in which we are
now living. It is evident that the plagues could not begin before
the reformation; for the vials were poured out upon the "image of
the <span class="pagenum"><a id="page295" name="page295"></a>[pg
295]</span> beast"&mdash;Protestantism&mdash;also. Hence we are
directed to some period between the sixteenth century and the
present day for their commencement. The reason <i>why</i> the first
judgments especially were poured out will assist us in determining
the starting-point&mdash;"They have shed the blood of saints and
prophets." This expression seems to indicate that the time for the
plagues to begin was after Romanism and Protestantism ceased
putting people to death because of their religious sentiments. That
this is the correct idea is clearly proved by what was said to the
martyrs when they cried unto God for the avenging of their blood on
them that dwell on the earth. "And it was said unto them, that they
should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants
also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should
be fulfilled." Chap. 6:10, 11. For additional information
concerning the terrible persecutions that followed the Sixteenth
Century Reformation, see remarks on chapter <a href=
"#chap6-10">6:10, 11</a>.</p>
<p>We must now determine about what time the great persecutions
referred to ceased, or nearly ceased, and that will give us the
right starting-point from which to reckon the pouring out of the
first vial. In A.D. 1685 the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, by
Louis XIV. of France, took place, and in the terrible persecutions
that occurred during his reign three hundred thousand are said to
have lost their lives. The time that we are endeavoring to
establish, then, must be later than the seventeenth century. Louis
died in 1714. Persecutions continued from time to time in France,
with considerable severity, until about the middle of the century.
"Soon after this ... the <span class="pagenum"><a id="page296"
name="page296"></a>[pg 296]</span> flowing of heretic blood ceased,
though an effort was made in 1765 by the Popish clergy to resist
the tendency to toleration by a remonstrance to the king." History
of Romanism, p. 608. A few individual cases of persecution may have
occurred later in other countries; but in the main we are safe in
pointing to about the middle of the eighteenth century for the
general cessation of these religious <i>murders</i>. We will now
consider the nature of the first plague.</p>
<p>The pouring out of this vial produced the most painful malignant
ulcers upon the human body. Such ulcers are evidently not political
calamities; for the symbol is drawn, not from nature, but from
human life. Still, it is not drawn from a human being as a whole
(in which case religious events would be symbolized), but only from
his body. What, then, is the analagous object of which the human
body may stand as a proper representative? Evidently, the mind. We
would naturally pass from the bodily to the mental; and what
painful ulcers are to the one, marring its beauty and filling it
with burning anguish, such are blasphemous opinions and malignant
principles to the other.</p>
<p>Considering the time for this plague pointed out above, the
student of Revelation who is acquainted with the history of the
past will scarcely fail to discern at once, in the striking points
of this symbol, those horrible principles of infidelity, atheism,
and licentiousness, which were spread so extensively over Europe
during the latter half of the eighteenth century, and which were
the most efficient causes in bringing about the fearful convulsions
which followed in the French Revolution. That all may understand
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page297" name="page297"></a>[pg
297]</span> this matter in its proper light, however, it will be
necessary to state some of the facts respecting this "noisome and
grievous sore" that fell at that time upon the inhabitants of
Europe. In writing upon the causes that led up to the French
Revolution, Mr. Wickes gathered the following facts of history
mainly from the Encyclop&aelig;dia of Religious Knowledge, under
the articles headed <i>Philosophists</i> and <i>Illuminati</i>. I
will quote his own language, as it is very pointed.</p>
<p>"Philosophists was a name given to several persons in France,
who entered into a combination to overthrow the religion of Jesus,
and eradicate from the human heart every religious sentiment. The
man more particularly to whom this idea first occurred, was
Voltaire, who being weary (as he said himself) of hearing it
repeated that twelve men were sufficient to establish Christianity,
resolved to prove that one might be sufficient to overturn it. Full
of this project, he swore, before the year 1730, to devote his life
to its accomplishment, and for some time he flattered himself that
he should enjoy alone the glory of destroying the Christian
religion. He found, however, that associates would be necessary;
and from the numerous tribe of his admirers and disciples, he chose
D'Alembert and Diderot, as the most proper persons to co-operate
with him in his designs. He contrived also to enlist Frederick II.,
king of Prussia, who became one of his most zealous coadjutors,
until he found that Voltaire was waging war with the throne as well
as the altar. This, indeed, was not originally Voltaire's
intention. He was vain; from natural disposition an aristocrat, and
an admirer of royalty. But when he found that almost every
sovereign but <span class="pagenum"><a id="page298" name=
"page298"></a>[pg 298]</span> Frederick disapproved of his
ambitious designs, as soon as he perceived their issue, he
determined to oppose all the governments on earth rather than
forfeit the glory with which he flattered himself, of vanquishing
Christ and his apostles in the field of controversy.</p>
<p>"He now set himself, with his associates, D'Alembert and
Diderot, to excite universal discontent with the established order
of things. For this purpose, they formed secret societies, assumed
new names, and employed an enigmatical language. In their secret
meetings they professed to celebrate the mysteries of
<i>Mythra</i>; and their great object, as they professed to one
another, was to confound the wretch, meaning Jesus Christ. Hence
their secret watchword was 'Crush the wretch.' The following are
some of their doctrines, as found in their books expressly designed
for general circulation. Sometimes standing out in their naked
horror, at other times enveloped in sophistry and disguise. The
Universal Cause, that God of the philosophers, of the Jews, and of
the Christians, is but a chimera and a phantom&mdash;The phenomena
of nature only prove the existence of God to a few prepossessed
men&mdash;It is more reasonable to admit, with Manes, of a two-fold
God, than of the God of Christianity&mdash;We can not know whether
a God really exists, or whether there is any difference between
good and evil, or vice and virtue&mdash;Nothing can be more absurd
than to believe the soul a spiritual being&mdash;The immortality of
the soul, so far from stimulating men to the practise of virtue, is
nothing but a barbarous, desperate, fatal tenet, and contrary to
all legislation&mdash;All ideas of justice and injustice, of virtue
and vice, of glory and infamy, are purely arbitrary, <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page299" name="page299"></a>[pg 299]</span> and
dependent on custom&mdash;Conscience and remorse are nothing but
the foresight of those physical penalties to which crimes expose
us&mdash;The man who is above the law, can commit, without remorse,
the dishonest act that may serve his purpose&mdash;The fear of God,
so far from being the beginning of wisdom, should be the beginning
of folly&mdash;The command to love one's parents is more the work
of education than of nature&mdash;Modesty is only an invention of
refined voluptuousness&mdash;The law which condemns married people
to live together, becomes barbarous and cruel on the day they cease
to love one another.</p>
<p>"Such were the atrocious sentiments, though sometimes artfully
veiled, which were disseminated in their books, and which,
spreading all over Europe, imperceptibly took possession of the
public mind, and prepared the way for the subversion of religion,
morals, and government. As soon as the sale of the works was
sufficient to pay expenses, inferior editions were printed and
given away, or sold at a very low price; circulating libraries of
them were formed, and reading societies instituted. While they
constantly denied these productions to the world, they contrived to
give them a false celebrity through their confidential agents and
correspondents, who were not themselves always trusted with the
entire secret.</p>
<p>"By degrees they got possession nearly of all the reviews and
periodical publications; established a general intercourse, by
means of hawkers and pedlars, with the distant provinces; and
instituted an office to supply all schools with teachers; and thus
did they acquire unprecedented dominion over every species of
literature, over the minds of all ranks of people, and <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page300" name="page300"></a>[pg 300]</span> the
education of the youth, without giving any alarm to the world. The
lovers of wit and polite literature were caught by Voltaire; the
men of science were perverted, and children corrupted in the first
rudiments of learning, by D'Alembert and Diderot; stronger
appetites were fed by the secret club of Baron Holbach; the
imaginations of the higher orders were set dangerously afloat by
Montesquieu; and the multitude of all ranks was surprised,
confounded, and hurried away by Rousseau. Thus was the public mind
in France completely corrupted, and the way prepared for the
dreadful scenes that followed."</p>
<p>But there is also another chapter to the dark history of this
"noisome and grievous sore." The same author says again:</p>
<p>"After Voltaire had broached his system of infidel philosophy,
and brought it unto perfection, it was taken up by the celebrated
Dr. Adam Weishaupt, professor of canon law in the University of
Ingolstadt, and by him perfected as a system of light or
illuminism. On the 1st of May, 1776, he founded, among the students
of the above-named University, a secret society under the name of
the <i>Illuminati</i>, whose avowed object was to diffuse the light
of science, these secret societies being so many radiating centers
of light. But the science taught was the most atrocious infidelity,
and its object the overturning of all government and religion. Free
masonry, being in high repute all over Europe when Weishaupt first
formed the plan of his society, he availed himself of its secrecy
to introduce his new order, which rapidly spread, by the efforts of
its founders and disciples, through all those countries, and found
its way even to the United States. It <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page301" name="page301"></a>[pg 301]</span> would not be possible
here to give even an outline of the nature and constitution of this
extraordinary society&mdash;of its secrets and mysteries&mdash;of
the deep dissimulation, consummate hypocrisy, and shocking impiety
of its founder and his associates&mdash;of their Jesuitical arts in
concealing their real objects, and their incredible industry and
astonishing exertions in making converts&mdash;of the absolute
despotism and complete system of <i>espionage</i> established
throughout the order&mdash;of the blind obedience exacted of the
<i>novices</i>, and the absolute power of life and death assumed by
the order and conceded by the novices&mdash;of the pretended
morality, real blasphemies, and absolute atheism of the founder and
his tried friends. Reference can only be made to these things as
well-established facts.</p>
<p>"It is important here to bear in mind one or two facts, in order
to realize what an engine of corruption this secret organization of
the <i>Illuminati</i> was. One fact is, the high popularity which
these secret societies at that period enjoyed. It was unbounded.
There is something which commends such secret organizations most
powerfully to the depraved human nature. Men love them because they
are secret, and because they can wield such tremendous power. The
other fact to be considered, is the absence, to a such vast extent,
of the controlling elements of true religion in the European mind,
and its predisposition to skepticism. The Reformation of the
Sixteenth Century had broken the shackles of priestly Papal
superstition over the human mind; and [true] evangelical doctrine
not being introduced to supply the vacuum, the mass swung readily
over from the regions of dark <span class="pagenum"><a id="page302"
name="page302"></a>[pg 302]</span> superstition to blank atheism.
Thus were the elements ready prepared to hand for such spirits as
Voltaire, D'Alembert, Diderot, Weishaupt, and others, to work upon,
and by reason of their secret powerful agencies, to mould to their
own liking.</p>
<p>"It was now this damning system of infidelity, under the
specious name of philosophy, light, and science, spread with such
untiring industry over the European mind, that unhinged the whole
framework of society, and prepared it, like a vast magazine, for an
awful explosion. All the principles that held society together in
the fear of God and future retribution&mdash;regard for human
law&mdash;respect for magistrates, parents, and the
marriage-tie&mdash;yea, in the very distinctions of virtue and
vice, had been unsettled or taken away. They had been reasoned down
and laughed out of the world; and when these only restraints, which
God has imposed upon human selfishness and passion were removed,
what was then to hold back those fierce passions and that deep
selfishness from the most unbounded excesses? God was no more
feared&mdash;government was no more sacred&mdash;religion was a
delusion&mdash;immorality was a lie&mdash;virtue was a
name&mdash;the marriage-tie was a farce&mdash;modesty was refined
voluptuousness: and when men were persuaded of these things,
society began to roll and heave under the long swells of that
portentous storm of wrath which was soon to break, in all its
desolating fury, over the earth."</p>
<p>In the facts here presented it may be seen how far we are
justified in applying to them this first vial of wrath. The vial
was poured out "upon the earth"&mdash;on the inhabitants of the ten
kingdoms when in a <span class="pagenum"><a id="page303" name=
"page303"></a>[pg 303]</span> state of tranquility. This was their
condition, unsuspicious of danger, when the dread infection was
spread through society. According to the testimony of Pres. Dwight,
within ten years from the first establishment of the Illuminati, in
1776, "they were established in great numbers through Germany,
Sweden, Prussia, Poland, Austria, Holland, France, Switzerland,
Italy, England, Scotland, and America. They spread with a rapidity
which nothing but fact could have induced any sober mind to
believe."</p>
<p>This system of infidelity is well symbolized by a noisome,
grevious ulcer, which is loathsome to the sight, offensive to the
smell, corrupting to the body, and productive of awful pain. That
it appeared so to others besides the author of the Revelation is
shown by the following epithets which Burke, the celebrated English
orator, applied to the spirit of the French Revolution, which was
only the discharged virus of these ulcers. He styled it "the fever
of Jacobinism;" "the epidemic of atheistical fanaticism;" "an evil
lying deep in the corruptions of human nature;" "such a plague,
that the precaution of the most severe quarantine ought to be
established against it." The result, he says, was "the corruption
of all morals," "the decomposition of all society." What greater
plague could fall upon Romanism and Protestantism than this fearful
scourge of infidelity?</p>
<p>I have dwelt for a considerable length of time upon this
subject, because of its deep interest, and also because I desired
to verify the application of the symbol as much as possible, on
account of its close connection with the pouring out of the vials
which follow.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page304" name="page304"></a>[pg
304]</span> <a name="chap16-3" id="chap16-3"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>3. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it
became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in
the sea.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This vial was poured out upon the "sea." The sea is a large body
of water within the earth, subject to violent storms and
agitations. As a symbol it would denote some central power or
kingdom within the symbolic earth in a state of revolution. The
effects produced by this vial were two-fold&mdash;the waters were
changed into blood as of a dead man, and all the living creatures
in the sea died. The waters of the sea represent the inhabitants of
this kingdom (see a similar explanation of <i>water</i> in chap.
<a href="#chap17-15">17:15</a>) as the earth does the inhabitants
of the empire, or the ten kingdoms. The living creatures in the
sea, therefore, could signify the rulers and princes of the
kingdom, as they bear an analagous relation to the people that
fishes do to the waters. The statement that the waters of the sea
became "as the blood of a dead man" is doubtless intended to
signify a much more dreadful state of things than if they had
simply been changed to blood. They were converted into black and
poisonous, or corrupt, blood. This denotes the vast slaughter and
massacre of the inhabitants of this kingdom; while the death of the
living creatures denotes the extinction of those in power.</p>
<p>It may appear at first that making the conversion of water into
blood a symbol of bloodshed is adopting the literal method of
interpretation; but not so, and for the following reason: The
symbol is taken from nature, the waters of the sea representing the
inhabitants of the kingdom. The waters are changed into an
unnatural state or element, that of blood, and this <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page305" name="page305"></a>[pg 305]</span> change
denotes an analagous one passing upon the inhabitants. Their
continuing in life would be their remaining as waters: their
massacre and destruction would be the waters changed to
blood&mdash;a horrible and unnatural element. Likewise, the death
of the living things in the sea is a similar destruction overtaking
the kings, rulers, and princes.</p>
<p>With our understanding of the nature of the first vial, which
prepared the way for the pouring out of this one, we shall have no
difficulty whatever in identifying this symbol with the terrible
convulsions of the French Revolution. It followed as a necessary
consequence of the first. Voltaire and his coadjutors had insulted
and trampled in the dust everything held sacred in human eyes, and
this fully prepared the way for the scenes of terror that
followed.</p>
<p>In studying these vials the reader should bear in mind
constantly the reason <i>why</i> they were sent as judgments upon
the nations of Europe&mdash;because of their former oppression of
God's people. From the days when the Popes received their first
temporal authority at the hands of the Carlovingian king, Pepin and
Charlemagne, France<a id="footnotetag11" name=
"footnotetag11"></a><a href="#footnote11"><sup>11</sup></a>
constituted the real backbone of the Papacy, the very center of her
power and authority, as all history will show. In the fourteenth
century the Papal seat was removed from Rome to Avignon, in France,
where it remained for about seventy years. During this period all
the Popes <span class="pagenum"><a id="page306" name=
"page306"></a>[pg 306]</span> were French, and "all their policies
were shaped and controlled by the French kings." To write a history
of the Papacy during the Dark Ages is to outline the history of
France, so closely are their affairs interwoven. Hence it is only
natural that she should be symbolized as the "sea" in this part of
the Apocalypse, with the other nations as tributaries. Ver. 4-6.
That the French Revolution was in its effects a terrible blow to
the thrones of despotism throughout Europe is shown by the
following quotation from the Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica: "We are
coming to the verge of the French Revolution, which <i>surpasses
all other revolutions the world has seen</i> in its completeness,
the largeness of its theatre, the long preparation for it ... its
<i>influence on the modern history of Europe</i>." Art. France.</p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote11" name=
"footnote11"></a><b>Footnote 11:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag11">(return)</a>
<p>Pepin and Charlemagne were, properly speaking, simply German
princes reigning in Gaul. The kingdom of France is usually dated
from the accession of the first of the Capetian kings, late in the
tenth century, 987. However, the Frankish nation, of whom the
Carlovingian kings were leaders, laid the foundation of the French
kingdom and gave a new name to Gaul&mdash;France.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This revolution commenced on the fifth of May, 1789, in the
Convocation of the States General, for the redress of grievances
and the extrication of the government and nation from the
difficulties under which they were laboring. A conflict had been
going on between despotism and popular rights, the throne and
nobility contending for absolute power, and the people, for
freedom. But when in this encounter the popular party triumphed,
there was no fear of God before the eyes of those who seized the
reins of government. The infidelity of Voltaire and his associates
had removed the last restraint upon human passion, and the scenes
of terror that followed are without a parallel in history. The king
was condemned to death and executed. The barbarous execution of the
queen, Marie Antoinette, followed in about six months, and this was
immediately succeeded by the decree of <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page307" name="page307"></a>[pg 307]</span> the National
Convention, of the most infamous character, that of the violation
of the tombs of St. Dennis and the profanation of the sepulchres of
the kings of France. I will quote from Sir A. Alison's noted
History of Europe:</p>
<p>"By a decree of the Convention, these venerable asylums of
departed greatness were ordered to be destroyed.... A furious
multitude precipitated itself out of Paris; the tombs of Henry IV.,
of Francis I., and of Louis XII., were ransacked, and their bones
scattered in the air. Even the glorious name of Turenne could not
protect his grave from spoilation. His remains were almost
undecayed, as when he received the fatal wound on the banks of the
Lech. The bones of Charles V., the savior of his country, were
dispersed. At his feet was found the coffin of the faithful Du
Gueselin, and the French hands profaned the skeleton before which
English invasion had rolled back. Most of these tombs were found to
be strongly secured. Much time, and no small exertion of skill and
labor, were required to burst their barriers. They would have
resisted forever the decay of time or the violence of enemies; they
yielded to the fury of domestic dissension. This was followed
immediately by a general attack upon the monuments and remains of
antiquity throughout all France. The sepulchres of the great of
past ages, of the barons and generals of the feudal ages, of the
paladins, and of the crusaders, were involved in one
undistinguished ruin. It seemed as if the glories of antiquity were
forgotten, or sought to be buried in oblivion. The tomb of Du
Gueselin shared the same fate as that of Louis XIV. The skulls of
monarchs and heroes were tossed about <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page308" name="page308"></a>[pg 308]</span> like foot balls by the
profane multitude; like the grave-diggers in Hamlet, they made a
jest of the lips before which the nations had trembled."</p>
<p>Having begun by waging this profane warfare upon their own
glorious dead, another scene of the fatal drama immediately
succeeded. The same author continues: "Having massacred the great
of the present and insulted the illustrious of former ages, nothing
remained to the revolutionists but to direct their vengeance
against heaven itself. Pache, Hebert, and Chaumette, the leaders of
the municipality publicly expressed their determination 'to
dethrone the God of heaven, as well as the monarchs of earth.' To
accomplish this design, they prevailed on Gobet, the apostate
constitutional bishop of Paris, to appear at the bar of the
Assembly, accompanied by some of the clergy of his diocese, and
there abjure the Christian faith. He declared 'that no other
national religion was now required but that of Liberty, equality,
and morality.' Many of the constitutional bishops and clergy in the
Convention joined in the proposition. Crowds of drunken artisans
and shameless prostitutes crowded to the bar, and trampled under
their feet the sacred vases, consecrated for ages to the holiest
purposes of religion. The churches were stripped of all their
ornaments; their plate and valuable contents brought in heaps to
the municipality and the Convention, from whence they were sent to
the mint to be melted down. Trampling under foot the images of our
Savior and the Virgin, they elevated, amid shouts of applause, the
busts of Marat and Lepelletier, and danced around them, singing
parodies on the Halleluiah, and dancing the Carmagnole.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page309" name="page309"></a>[pg
309]</span>
<p>"Shortly after a still more indecent exhibition took place
before the assembly.... Hebert and Chaumette, and their associates,
appeared at the bar and declared 'that God did not exist, and that
the worship of Reason was to be substituted in his stead.' A veiled
female, arrayed in blue drapery, was brought into the Assembly; and
Chaumette, taking her by the hand, 'Mortals,' said he, 'cease to
tremble before the powerless thunders of a God whom your fears have
created. Henceforth acknowledge no divinity but Reason. I offer you
its noblest and purest image; if you must have idols, sacrifice
only to this.' When, letting fall the veil, he exclaimed, 'Fall
before the august Senate of Freedom, O Veil of Reason!' At the same
time, the goddess appeared personified by a celebrated beauty, the
wife of Momoro, a printer, known in more than one character to most
of the Convention. The goddess after being embraced by the
president, was mounted on a magnificent car, and conducted, amid an
immense crowd, to the cathedral of Notre Dame, to take the place of
the Deity. There she was elevated on a high altar, and received the
adoration of all present, while the young women, her attendants,
whose alluring looks already sufficiently indicated their
profession, retired into the chapels around the choir, where every
species of licentiousness and obscenity was indulged in without
control, with hardly any veil from the public gaze. To such a
length was this carried, that Robespierre afterward declared that
Chaumette deserved death for the abominations he had permitted on
that occasion. Thenceforward that ancient edifice was called the
<i>Temple of Reason</i>."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page310" name="page310"></a>[pg
310]</span>
<p>Such horrible events are sickening to relate; but as I started
out to describe the condition of this "sea" when it became as the
blood of a dead man, I must be faithful to the task. God was now
dethroned; the services of religion abandoned; every tenth day set
apart for the hellish orgies of atheism and Reason; Marat was
deified; the instrument of death sanctified by the name "the holy
Guillotine"; on the public cemeteries was inscribed, "Death is an
Eternal Sleep"; marriage was a civil contract, binding only during
the pleasure of the contracting parties. Mademoiselle Arnout, a
celebrated comedian, expressed the public feeling when she said,
"<i>Marriage the sacrament of adultery</i>." What an awful harvest
would be expected of such seed! Alison continues:</p>
<p>"A Revolutionary Tribunal was formed at Nantes, under the
direction of Carrier, and it soon outstripped even the rapid march
of Danton and Robespierre. Their principle was that it was
necessary to destroy <i>en masse</i>, all the prisoners. At their
command was formed a corps, called the Legion of Marat, composed of
the most determined and bloodthirsty of the revolutionists, the
members of which were entitled, on their own authority, to
incarcerate any person whom they chose. The number of their
prisoners was soon between three and four thousand, and they
divided among themselves all their property. Whenever a further
supply of captives was wanted, the alarm was spread of a
counter-revolution, the <i>generale</i> beat, the cannon planted;
and this was followed immediately by innumerable arrests. Nor were
they long in disposing of their captives. The miserable wretches
were either slain with poinards in prison, <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page311" name="page311"></a>[pg 311]</span> or
carried out in a vessel and drowned by wholesale in the Loire. On
one occasion a hundred 'fanatical priests,' as they were termed,
were taken out together, striped of their clothes, and precipitated
into the waters.... Women big with child, infants eight, nine, and
ten years of age, were thrown together into the stream, on the
sides of which men, armed with sabres, were placed to cut off their
heads if the waves should throw them undrowned on the shore.</p>
<p>"On one occasion, by orders of Carrier, twenty-three of the
revolutionists, on another twenty-four, were guillotined without
any trial. The executioner remonstrated, but in vain. Among them
were many children of seven or eight years of age, and seven women;
the executioner died two or three days after, with horror at what
he himself had done. So great was the multitude of captives who
were brought in on all sides, that the executioners, as well as the
company of Marat, declared themselves exhausted with fatigue; and a
new method of disposing of them was adopted, borrowed from Nero,
but improved on the plan of that tyrant. A hundred or a hundred and
fifty victims, for the most part women and children, were crowded
together in a boat, with a concealed trap-door in the bottom, which
was conducted into the middle of the Loire; at a signal given, the
crew leaped into another boast, the bolts were withdrawn, and the
shrieking victims precipitated into the waters, amid the laughter
of the company of Marat, who stood on the banks to cut down any who
approached the shore. This was what Carrier called his
<i>Republican Baptisms</i>. The <i>Republican Marriages</i> were,
if possible, a still <span class="pagenum"><a id="page312" name=
"page312"></a>[pg 312]</span> greater refinement of cruelty. Two
persons of different sexes, bereft of every species of dress, were
bound together, and after being left in torture in that situation
for half an hour, thrown into the river. Such was the quantity of
corpses accumulated in the Loire, that the water of that river was
affected, so as to render a public ordinance necessary, forbidding
the use of it to the inhabitants; and the mariners, when they
heaved their anchors, frequently brought up boats charged with
corpses. Birds of prey flocked to the shores and fed on human
flesh; while the very fish became so poisonous, as to induce an
order of the municipality of Nantes, prohibiting them to be taken
by the fishermen.</p>
<p>"The scenes in the prisons which preceded these horrible
executions exceeded all that romance had figured of the terrible.
Many women died of terror the moment a man entered their cells,
conceiving that they were about to be led out to the noyades; the
floors were covered with the bodies of their infants, numbers of
whom were yet quivering in the agonies of death. On one occasion,
the inspector entered the prison to seek for a child, where, the
evening before, he had left above three hundred infants; they were
all gone in the morning, having been drowned the preceding night.
Fifteen thousand persons perished either under the hands of the
executioner, or of disease in prison, in one month: the total
victims of the Reign of Terror at that place exceeded thirty
thousand."</p>
<p>After narrating scenes of terror in Paris, Alison says again:
"Such accumulated horrors annihilated all the charities and
intercourse of life. Before daybreak <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page313" name="page313"></a>[pg 313]</span> the shops of the
provision merchants were besieged by crowds of women and children,
clamoring for the food which the law of the <i>maximum</i> in
general prevented them from obtaining. The farmers trembled to
bring their fruits to the market, the shop-keepers to expose them
to sale. The richest quarters of the town were deserted; no
equipages of crowds of passengers were to be seen on the streets;
the sinister words, <i>Propriete Nationale</i>, imprinted in large
characters on the walls, everywhere showed how far the work of
confiscation had proceeded. Passengers hesitated to address their
most intimate friends on meeting; the extent of calamity had
rendered men suspicious even of those they loved most. Every one
assumed the coarsest dress, and the most squalid appearance; an
elegant exterior would have been the certain forerunner of
destruction. At one hour only were any symptoms of animation seen:
it was when the victims were conveyed to execution; the humane fled
with horror from the sight, the infuriated rushed in crowds to
satiate their eyes with the sight of human agony.</p>
<p>"Night came, but with it no diminution of the anxiety of the
people. Every family early assembled its members; with trembling
looks they gazed around the room, fearful that the very walls might
harbor traitors. The sound of a foot, the stroke of a hammer, a
voice in the streets, froze all hearts with horror. If a knock was
heard at the door, every one, in agonized suspense, expected his
fate. Unable to endure such protracted misery, numbers committed
suicide. 'Had the reign of Robespierre,' said Freron, 'continued
longer, multitudes would have thrown <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page314" name="page314"></a>[pg 314]</span> themselves under the
guillotine; the first of social affections, the love of life, was
already extinguished in almost every heart.'"</p>
<p>With one more quotation from this historian I will dismiss this
horrible theme: "The combination of wicked men who thereafter
governed France, is without parallel in the history of the world.
Their power, based on the organized weight of the multitude, and
the ardent co-operation of the municipalities, everywhere installed
by them in the position of power, was irresistible. All bowed the
neck before this gigantic assemblage of wickedness. The
revolutionary excesses daily increased, in consequence of the union
which the constant dread of retribution produced among their
perpetrators. There was no medium between taking part in these
atrocities, and falling a victim to them. Virtue seemed powerless;
energy appeared only in the extremity of resignation; religion in
the heroism of which death was endured. There was not a hope left
for France, had it not been for the dissentions which, as the
natural result of their wickedness, sprung up among the authors of
the public calamities.</p>
<p>"It is impossible not to be struck, in looking back on the fate
of these different parties, with the singular and providential
manner in which their crimes brought about their own punishment. No
foreign interposition was necessary, no avenging angel was required
to vindicate the justice of divine administration. They fell the
victims of their own atrocity, of the passions which they
themselves had let loose, of the injustice of which they had given
the first example to others The Constitutionalists overthrew the
ancient monarchy, <span class="pagenum"><a id="page315" name=
"page315"></a>[pg 315]</span> and formed a limited government; but
their imprudence in raising popular ambition paved the way for the
tenth of August, and speedily brought themselves to the scaffold;
the Girondists established their favored dream of a republic, and
were the first victims of the fury which it excited; the Dantonists
roused the populace against the Gironde, and soon fell under the
axe which they had prepared for their rivals; the anarchists defied
the power of 'heaven itself,' but scarce were their blasphemies
uttered, when they were swept off by the partners of their bloody
triumphs. One only power remained, alone, terrible, irresistible.
This was the power of Death, wielded by a faction steeled against
every feeling of humanity, dead to every principle of justice. In
their iron hands, order resumed its sway from the influence of
terror; obedience became universal, from the extinction of hope.
Silent and unresisted, they led their victims to the scaffold,
dreaded alike by the soldiers who crouched, the people who
trembled, and the victims who suffered. The history of the world
<i>has no parallel</i> to that long night of suffering, because
<i>it has none to the guilt which preceded it</i>; tyranny never
assumed so hideous a form, because licentiousness never required so
severe a punishment."</p>
<p>Prom this awful description, which might be carried to almost
any extent, the reader will understand the force of the prophecy
which declared that the "sea became as the blood of a dead man, and
every living soul died in the sea."</p>
<a name="chap16-4" id="chap16-4"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>4. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and
fountains of waters; and they became blood.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page316" name="page316"></a>[pg
316]</span>
<p>5. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous,
O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged
thus.</p>
<a name="chap16-6" id="chap16-6"></a>
<p>6. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou
hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.</p>
<a name="chap16-7" id="chap16-7"></a>
<p>7. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God
Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Fountains and rivers are tributaries to the sea, and thus, they
symbolize the inferior communities and nations belonging to the
Apocalyptic earth. France was the great central power and the sea
of revolution upon which the second vial descended. The surrounding
nations were the rivers and fountains upon which the third was
poured. It is not said of them that they became as the blood of a
dead man, nor that every living thing in them died, but only that
"they became blood." This symbol denotes the insurrections and
desolating wars in which the nations of Europe were involved for a
number of years, growing out of the French Revolution. I shall not
here take time nor space to enter into the historical details
relating to this statement; the facts are well known. "The
blood-thirsty Jacobinism of France waged war not only upon its own
monarchy, but sought to overturn all the thrones and fabrics of
despotism in Europe. The same system of infidelity and atheism had
been spread through the kingdoms there, though not to so great an
extent as in France, and prepared the elements for revolution in
them likewise." The French republic encouraged these agitations and
by a unanimous decree of the Assembly, in 1792, set itself in open
hostility with all the established governments <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page317" name="page317"></a>[pg 317]</span> of
Europe. It was in these words: "The National Convention declares in
the name of the French nation, that it will grant fraternity and
assistance to all people who wish to recover their liberty; and it
charges the executive power to send the necessary orders to the
generals, to give succor to such people, and to defend those
citizens who have suffered, or may suffer in the cause of liberty."
"The Revolution, having accomplished its work in France, having
there destroyed royal despotism, ... now set itself about
fulfilling its early promise of giving liberty to all peoples. In a
word, the revolutionists became propagandists. France now exhibits
what her historians call her social, her communicative genius."
Napoleon was right when he said that a revolution in France was
sure to be followed by a revolution throughout Europe. "France
conceived the idea that she had a Divine mission, as the great
apostle of liberty, to propagate republicanism through all the
kingdoms of Europe. In her madness of intoxication she undertook
the work, threw down the gauntlet, and the fierce tocsin of war
sounded from nation to nation, until the continent was converted
into one vast battle-field."</p>
<p>The "angel of the waters" signifies the angel that had charge of
the vial of wrath poured out upon the rivers and fountains of
waters. In full view of the awful plagues sent upon the inhabitants
of earth, one grand thought seemed to occupy his mind&mdash;the
righteousness of these judgments. It is not such a thought as
humanity would have in mind when reading the history of these
fearful convulsions of society, one scene of terror only preparing
the way for <span class="pagenum"><a id="page318" name=
"page318"></a>[pg 318]</span> another more horrible, until they
would feel like closing the book and asking, "When will this awful
night of horror be over? When will these avenging judgments cease?"
These, however, were not the thoughts of this angel clothed in
spotless garments; for, draining his vial to the dregs and forcing
the nations to drink it, he said: "Thou art righteous, O Lord,
which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast
given them <i>blood to drink</i>; for they are worthy." Truly, in
this the Word of God is fulfilled, which says, "My thoughts are not
your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." Isa. 55:8. That
class of people who represent God as a kind, loving Father only,
one who will not take vengeance upon the objects of his own
creation&mdash;let them visit in the pages of history these nations
of Europe, scathed and blasted with the hot thunderbolts of divine
wrath, until their minds sicken with horror at the sight of human
agony and blood. In full view of these horrifying scenes let them
hear the angel of the waters saying, "Thou art righteous, O Lord
... because thou hast judged thus; for they have shed the blood of
saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink, for
they are worthy"; while another voice from heaven, even from the
altar, replies, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, <i>true and
righteous</i> are thy judgments"&mdash;and their theology must here
break down.</p>
<p>The thoughts just expressed confirm with certainty our
interpretation of the "sea" and "rivers and fountains of waters" as
signifying those nations which had been the persecutors of the
saints, and <span class="pagenum"><a id="page319" name=
"page319"></a>[pg 319]</span> show, also, the character of the
divine judgments as being the shedding of their blood. They had
shed the blood of saints and prophets, and now the same cup of
wrath was placed to their lips, and they were forced to drink it to
the dregs. God remembered the sighs and groans of his faithful
followers; the cry of the martyrs for the avenging of their blood
on "them that dwell on the earth" reached his ear; and now the time
of retribution began.</p>
<a name="chap16-8" id="chap16-8"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>8. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and
power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.</p>
<p>9. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the
name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented
not to give him glory.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The sun is the great central luminary of the earth, under whose
genial light and warmth everything rejoices and develops in forms
of beauty. When, however, a scorching power is given to his rays,
the earth becomes as a furnace in which every green thing is burnt
up. What the sun is to this world, such are the ruling powers to a
kingdom; and power being given them to scorch as with fire denotes
that the government would be administered, not for the good of the
people, but for the purpose of oppression. A scorching sun,
therefore, is a proper symbol of tyrant rulers.</p>
<p>Still keeping in view the object of God in sending these first
plagues&mdash;the punishment of the nations embraced within the
territory of the ten former kingdoms of Europe&mdash;we are
directed with certainty to <span class="pagenum"><a id="page320"
name="page320"></a>[pg 320]</span> the next great scourge that
followed as a result of those already developed&mdash;the almost
universal military empire of Napoleon. The success of three of the
four greatest military leaders the world has ever
seen&mdash;Alexander, C&aelig;sar, and Charlemagne&mdash;has been
so clearly predicted by inspiration that no believer in the truth
of Revelation attempts to deny it; therefore it is not surprising
that the fourth&mdash;Napoleon&mdash;should also be assigned a
place in Apocalyptic vision: not so much because of his
all-powerful military genius merely, but because of his mighty
influence and effects upon the very nations that were especially
made the subject of prophecy, as they stand connected with the
history of God's people for centuries. At the close of the
Revolution the French nation had not virtue nor religion necessary
to remedy the evils under which they had long been suffering from
the oppression of their monarchs; for when they undertook the work
and demolished the throne, they let loose all the wildest elements
of wrath to rage without restraint. The nation rejected God, and
God rejected the nation. He gave them up to their own madness, to
the fury of the most atrocious wickedness that was ever developed
under heaven. "From the wild excesses and intolerable calamities of
blood-red republicanism, the people were rejoiced at length to find
a refuge in a gigantic military despotism, which became the terror
and scourge of Europe." But the hand of God was in this thing,
also. When the sun scorches the earth with burning heat, it is God
that gives it its power. So Napoleon with his iron will and
towering genius was only an instrument in God's hand for scourging
the guilty nations. In the ordinary <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page321" name="page321"></a>[pg 321]</span> sense of the term
Napoleon was not a tyrant to his own nation. Still, his government
was a despotism to France; while to the Apocalyptic earth, or the
ten kingdoms, he was a scorching sun, for his empire extended over
the whole. It finally became a saying that "if Napoleon's cocked
hat and gray coat should be raised on the cliffs of Boulogne, all
Europe would run to arms." This agrees with the statement of the
historian Judson, concerning the monarchs of Europe, that "the mere
name of Napoleon was a dread to them." None of them could stand
before his terrible onset. "Europe was shaken from end to end by
such armies as the world had not seen since the days of Xerxes.
Napoleon, whose hands were upheld by a score of distinguished
marshals, performed the miracles of genius. His brilliant
achievements still dazzle, while they amaze, the world." The crowns
and scepters of Europe he held as play-things in his hand, to
dispose of at pleasure. Says Wickes: "Never in the history of
Christendom were ancient dynasties overthrown, and new ones
created, kings made and unmade, within so short a period, as during
the unparallelled career of this great conqueror. He had the crowns
and kingdoms of all Europe in his gift, to settle as he pleased, or
bestow as presents upon his relatives and friends. To his brother
Jerome he gave the crown of Westphalia; to his brother Louis, the
crown of Holland; to his brother Joseph, the kingdom of Spain; to
his brother-in-law and general Murat, the kingdom of Naples; and
others he conferred upon his favorite marshals."</p>
<p>When he invaded Russia, a territory outside of the Apocalyptic
earth, he exceeded his mission, and there <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page322" name="page322"></a>[pg 322]</span> met
with the most terrible overthrow. Although he entered that kingdom
with the most magnificent army that he had ever gathered together,
yet for suffering and disaster that famous retreat from burning
Moscow stands without a parallel in history. It was not the Russian
armies that prevailed against him; it was God that fought against
him with the blasts of his north wind. These speedily silenced
those tremendous parks of artillery that had thundered upon the
fields of Jena, Friedland, Wagram, Marengo and Austerlitz, and
scattered those invincible battalions that had marched triumphant
over Europe. Ney, at the head of the National Guards, ever before
victorious, was compelled to beat a hasty retreat, glad to escape
with the smallest remnant of his host. Napoleon failed here because
God had given him no mission to perform in that territory.</p>
<p>Concerning his ambition, the Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica says:
"With a frame of iron, Napoleon could endure any hardships; and in
war, in artillery especially and engineering, he stands unrivalled
in the world's history.... He could not rest, and knew not when he
had achieved success.... He succeeded in alienating the peoples of
Europe, in whose behalf he pretended to be acting. And when they
learned by bitter experience that he had absolutely no love for
liberty, and encouraged equality only so long as it was an equality
of subjects under his rule, they soon began to war against what was
in fact a world-destroying military despotism." He was inspired
with the most unbounded ambition, which was nothing short of
despotism over all Europe, if not the world. <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page323" name="page323"></a>[pg 323]</span>
Universal empire was his grand object, or, as it has been expressed
by historians, a desire to concentrate "the world in
Europe&mdash;Europe in France&mdash;France in Paris&mdash;Paris in
<i>himself</i>." Says Wickes: "The empire which he actually reared
in Europe was a vast, oppressive, centralized despotism.... To
build it up, he desolated France through his terrible
conscriptions, requiring the whole strength and flower of the
nation to supply his armies. It is stated that after the wars of
Napoleon there were three times the number of women in France that
there were of men. The fathers, the husbands, the sons, the
brothers, had fallen upon the battle-field, and thus desolated
almost every household in the kingdom. Similar desolation also he
carried by his wars into the other kingdoms."</p>
<p>The dread of Napoleon settled down upon all the nations of
Europe. They could not cope with his mighty genius, and therefore
his presence was a terror to them. When the allied powers secured
his first abdication, in 1814, and sent him to the island of Elba,
the desolating results of his long career were shown in the work
that the Congress of Vienna was called upon to perform when it
assembled in the fall of 1814. While the representatives of the
powers were laboring to repair the damage that had been wrought and
to adjust the territorial limitations of the various nations that
had been altered or entirely demolished, the assemblage was
suddenly surprised the following spring by the news that Napoleon
had escaped from Elba and was enroute to Paris. The terror and
consternation in Europe then experienced is shown by the following
quotation from Sir James Mackintosh, a <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page324" name="page324"></a>[pg 324]</span> man of high reputation
as a jurist, as a historian, and as a far-sighted and candid
statesman:</p>
<p>"Was it in the power of language to describe the evil! Wars
which had raged for more than twenty years throughout Europe, which
had spread blood and desolation from Cadiz to Moscow, and from
Naples to Copenhagen; which had wasted the means of human
enjoyment, and destroyed the instruments of social improvement;
which threatened to diffuse among the European nations the
dissolute and ferocious habits of a predatory soldiery ... had been
brought to a close.... Europe seemed to breathe after her
sufferings. In the midst of this fair prospect and of these
consolatory hopes, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from Elba; three
small vessels reached the coast of Provence; their hopes are
instantly dispelled; the work of our toil and fortitude is undone:
the blood of Europe is spilled in vain."</p>
<p>The bitterest ingredients in the cup of these nations was the
humiliating overthrow of their own government and their subjection
to the hated <i>republican</i> despotism of France. It was a
scorching sun that they could not endure. Still, they repented not
to give God glory; they continued as before. After Napoleon had
accomplished the purpose for which he was intended, God permitted
this stupendous genius to be subdued; but it required the combined
powers of Europe to secure his downfall.</p>
<p>Creasy, in his Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World, says
concerning the battle of Waterloo, "The great battle which ended
the twenty-three years' war of the first French revolution, and
which quelled the man whose genius and ambition had so long
<i>disturbed and desolated the world</i>, <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page325" name="page325"></a>[pg 325]</span>
deserves to be regarded by us ... with peculiar gratitude for the
repose which it secured for us and for the greater part of the
human race."</p>
<a name="chap16-10" id="chap16-10"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>10. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the
beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their
tongues for pain,</p>
<p>11. And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and
their sores, and repented not of their deeds.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Under this vial the symbols differ somewhat. The "beast" is
evidently the one of whom the image was made, referred to in verse
2&mdash;the Papacy. The seat that the Papacy occupied from the time
the dragon resigned in favor of the beast (chap. <a href=
"#chap13-2">13:2</a>) was his position of temporal power and
authority. In the following chapter the Papacy is described as
<i>seated</i> upon a ten-horned beast, the ten horns of which
symbolized the kingdoms of Europe. In this position it was able to
exercise a guiding influence over the European nations. We have
already seen what great power the Popes exercised in this direction
during the Dark Ages. But the "beast" of <a href="#chap17">chapter
17</a> himself, as distinguished from his horns, symbolizes the
Holy Roman Empire, which was a revival of the old empire of the
C&aelig;sars. This revived "world-empire" was closely allied to the
Papacy. When Charlemagne, the Carlovingian king, restored the
empire of the West, he was crowned "Emperor of the Romans" by Pope
Leo III., A.D. 800. "The Popes made the descendants of Charles
Martel kings and emperors; the grateful Frankish princes defended
the Popes <span class="pagenum"><a id="page326" name=
"page326"></a>[pg 326]</span> against all their enemies, imperial
and barbarian, and dowering them with cities and provinces, laid
the basis of their temporal sovereignty, which continued for more
than a thousand years." After the decline of the Carlovingian power
the imperial authority was again revived by Otto the Great (962),
who was crowned Emperor of the Romans by the Pope. Henceforth the
empire of the West was termed the <i>Holy Roman Empire</i>. "From
this time on it was the rule that the German king who was crowned
at Aachen had a right to be crowned ... emperor at Rome." So the
general rule was that the Popes upheld the emperors, and the
emperors sustained the Popes in their position as the spiritual
heads of the church and as temporal rulers over the Papal states,
which were granted them originally by the donations of Pepin and
Charlemagne.</p>
<p>In <a href="#chap13">chapter 13</a> the civil powers of Europe
and the ecclesiastical power of Rome are not shown by a double
symbol&mdash;a woman and a beast&mdash;as in <a href=
"#chap17">chapter 17</a>, but are there represented by a
combination of symbols drawn from the departments of human life and
animal life, which shows that a politico-religious system is
intended, as heretofore explained; hence the term <i>beast</i>, as
there used, signifies either the Papacy or the civil power. Thus
the term is used in the present chapter under consideration, and
has reference here to the beast as an ecclesiastical
power&mdash;the Papacy&mdash;and his "seat" refers to his temporal
authority.</p>
<p>This vial, then, being poured out upon his seat, with the result
that his kingdom was filled with darkness&mdash;a symbol drawn from
nature&mdash;points to the <span class="pagenum"><a id="page327"
name="page327"></a>[pg 327]</span> downfall of the Pope as a
temporal ruler. Thus he would be deprived of his "seat."</p>
<p>We have already seen that each plague prepares the way for a
succeeding one. Under the reign of Napoleon the Holy Roman Empire
was dissolved (1806). This was the beginning of the end of the
Pope's temporal authority; for the two had in a great measure been
for ages interdependent upon each other. Pius VII. was made a
prisoner and the temporal sovereignty of the Roman See declared to
be at an end; while the Pope himself was forced to disown all claim
to rank as a temporal ruler. Of course, this was but a temporary
overthrow; for when the period of Reaction came, the Pope recovered
also temporal authority. But the vast territories of Avignon,
Venaissin, Bologna, Ferrara, and the Romagna&mdash;representing
fully <i>a third</i> of all the Papal dominions&mdash;which had
been forcibly ceded to France under Napoleon, was never restored to
the Roman See. From that time the sun of the Pope's temporal
kingdom rapidly approached the horizon; while the inhabitants of
his dominions continued to blaspheme God through the atheistical
Jacobinism that infested to so great an extent the whole mass of
society&mdash;symbolized by their "sores"&mdash;and the firm
supporters of Popery were filled with excessive chagrin and
mortification of mind&mdash;symbolized by their
"pains"&mdash;because the power of their leader, who professed
temporal sovereignty over the whole earth, was being suddenly
destroyed and his kingdom left in darkness. Concerning this matter
the People's Cyclop&aelig;dia, after speaking of the blow the
Pope's spiritual supremacy received at the Reformation, says: "But
in her relations to the State <span class="pagenum"><a id="page328"
name="page328"></a>[pg 328]</span> the Roman church has since
passed through <i>a long and critical struggle</i>. The new
theories <i>to which the French Revolution gave currency</i> have
still further modified these relations." In the second revolution
of 1848 the Pope's temporal authority was about to be entirely
destroyed by the attempted establishment of the republic of Italy;
but at this juncture France, who, notwithstanding her plagues, had
not repented of her former deeds, not willing to desert entirely
the Papal cause after upholding it faithfully for centuries,
interfered, and the Pope was sustained in his position by a French
garrison until 1870 (except a short time in 1867), at which time
the success of King Victor Emmanuel and his capture of the Eternal
City established the free government of United Italy. The temporal
sun of the Pope set forever; his kingdom was left in darkness.</p>
<a name="chap16-12" id="chap16-12"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river
Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the
kings of the east might be prepared.</p>
<a name="chap16-13" id="chap16-13"></a>
<p>13. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the
mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of
the mouth of the false prophet.</p>
<a name="chap16-14" id="chap16-14"></a>
<p>14. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which
go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to
gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.</p>
<p>15. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and
keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his
shame.</p>
<p>16. And he gathered them together into a place called in the
Hebrew tongue Armageddon.</p>
</blockquote>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page329" name="page329"></a>[pg
329]</span>
<p>The symbols under this vial are so different that at first they
scarcely look like anything constituting a plague. By recalling a
few circumstances of history we shall understand why the river
Euphrates was selected as a symbol, and also, its true
signification in this connection. This river was connected with
ancient Babylon, and while running in its own channel was the
protection of the city and an obstacle to its capture. By turning
the water of this river from its course, King Cyrus (according to
the account given by Herodotus) succeeded in overthrowing the city,
with the result that God's people who were at that time in
captivity there received permission to return to their own land and
to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Ezra 1:1-3. Under the
sixth trumpet this symbol was applied to the four angels as a
symbol of the restraint placed upon their operations, they being
bound in that river. As there are no agents in this vision who are
represented as bound, we must apply it to the city itself, the name
of which is given in verse 19&mdash;Babylon&mdash;being a symbol of
one of its defenses. According to verse 19 this mystical Babylon is
composed of three parts, being made up of the dragon (in his modern
form), the beast, and the false prophet mentioned in verse 13. And
its location is not confined to the territory of the ten kingdoms;
for its field of operations is not only that of the
"earth"&mdash;the Apocalyptic earth&mdash;but "<i>of the whole
world</i>." Ver. 14. In one division of this great city, that of
the false prophet, God's people were long held in captivity; but
its spiritual overthrow was to be accomplished by the drying up of
the <span class="pagenum"><a id="page330" name="page330"></a>[pg
330]</span> Euphrates of its defenses, that the way of the kings of
the East might be prepared.<a id="footnotetag12" name=
"footnotetag12"></a><a href="#footnote12"><sup>12</sup></a></p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote12" name=
"footnote12"></a><b>Footnote 12:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag12">(return)</a>
<p>Applying the Euphrates (an object from nature) as a symbol of
ecclesiastical affairs in this manner appears to be in violation of
the laws of symbolic language laid down; but we should bear in mind
the fact that events of whatever nature connected with the history
of God's chosen people in the old dispensation are of themselves
proper symbols of similar events in the New Testament dispensation.
Thus the temple, altar, candle-sticks, incense, holy city, etc., of
the former dispensation, although of themselves objects from
nature, are nevertheless clearly used to represent affairs of the
church, because of their former significance as connected with the
people of God. The fact that the great city of this chapter is
spiritual Babylon (see verse 19) is positive proof that the river
Euphrates is here applied in the proper manner.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To the Hebrews the term <i>east</i> had a much more extensive
signification than with us, to whom its only distinction is that it
is the point of the sun's rising. But beyond this, it was to the
Jews the cardinal point of the compass to which they naturally
looked first. Their temple was built toward the east, its principal
entrance being in that direction. The most powerful and enlightened
kingdoms of the world lay to the east of Judea, and they included
them all under the general term, sons or children of the East
(Orientals) and kings of the East, comprehending not only Arabia
and the lands of Moab and Ammon, but also Armenia, Assyria,
Mesopotamia, Babylonia and Chaldea. Travelers from these countries
would all enter Judea from the east, and they were considered
Orientals. These nations were also distinguished for their
proficiency in science and learning. The Magi, or wise men of the
East, came to worship the infant Jesus at Jerusalem. They were
eminent in the science of astrology, which was considered the
greatest science of that day. The East, therefore, was looked to
for <span class="pagenum"><a id="page331" name="page331"></a>[pg
331]</span> wise men; and it is a noticeable fact that the pathway
of science, of literature, and of empire has ever been from that
direction, so as to have passed into a proverb, "westward the star
of empire holds its way." "The kings of the East," then, employed
as a symbol of this sixth vial, is not intended to signify any
persons literally from that quarter of the earth, but represents
the bringing in of knowledge and understanding. Thank God that we
live in the time when the defenses of spiritual Babylon have been
broken through and when light and knowledge on the Word of God has
reached the hearts of many redeemed souls held in bondage there!
And like the Israelites of old, when Cyrus, entered the ancient
Babylon through the dry river-bed of the Euphrates, they have come
out with rejoicing and made their way to Zion again. Halleluiah!
That the spiritual downfall of Babylon is a real plague to
sectarians there can be no doubt, and it is plainly declared to be
such in chap. 18:8, where the same event is described.</p>
<p>At the very time when the defenses of Babylon are thrown down,
the three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the
dragon (Paganism), and out of the mouth of the beast (Romanism),
and out of the mouth of the false prophet (Protestantism), to
gather together all the wicked powers throughout "the whole world"
for that last great day of God Almighty.<a id="footnotetag13" name=
"footnotetag13"></a><a href="#footnote13"><sup>13</sup></a> There
is no analagous object to which a <i>spirit</i> can be <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page332" name="page332"></a>[pg 332]</span> made a
symbol; therefore we must regard them as being literally spirits of
devils, here appearing under their own appropriate title. Their
mission is to form a confederation of all the gigantic powers of
wickedness, slimy and loathsome as the animal to which they are
likened, and to array themselves against the cause of Christ.</p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote13" name=
"footnote13"></a><b>Footnote 13:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag13">(return)</a>
<p>I do not suppose that these three unclean spirits should be
limited in their operations to Paganism, Romanism, and
Protestantism; for that leaves out Mohammedanism, which is neither
Pagan, Roman, nor Protestant, yet is certainly "false prophecy";
and the three spirits were to gather the "whole world."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Armageddon, where the spirits gathered all the enemies of truth
and righteousness together, means the mountain of Megiddo, the
memorable field of the overthrow of Sisera's mighty host by Barak.
It was also the place of great defeat to the Israelites in the time
of Josiah and the scene of his death. The name, therefore, stands
as a symbol for a field of slaughter or defeat and denotes that
when the confederation of wickedness is complete, the united host
of God's enemies will be utterly defeated, as by the overthrow of
Megiddo. This great conflict with powers of wickedness and spirits
infernal will be further explained in <a href="#chap20">chapter
XX</a>.</p>
<p>Simultaneous with the notable events of this vial, the
announcement is made of the near-coming of Christ to the
world&mdash;"Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth,
and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his
shame." The children of God that have been gathered out of old
Babylon rejoice in the glad announcement and say, "Even so come,
Lord Jesus."</p>
<a name="chap16-17" id="chap16-17"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>17. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and
there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the
throne, saying, It is done.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page333" name="page333"></a>[pg
333]</span>
<p>18. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and
there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon
the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.</p>
<p>19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the
cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance
before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness
of his wrath.</p>
<p>20. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not
found.</p>
<p>21. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every
stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because
of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding
great.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The application of this vial to the judgments of the last great
day is so plain that but little comment is here necessary. It was
poured "into the air," a region of vast extent, not confined to a
given locality, but embracing the whole earth. Hence this plague is
universal. When the seventh angel emptied his vial, "There came a
great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying,
It is done." All is now fulfilled. The work of wrath is finished.
The description of the plague follows, but it follows only <i>as a
description</i>. As actually accomplished, it preceded that great
voice, which was uttered in view of the thing already brought to
pass.</p>
<p>The dissolution of the earth itself upon which we live is not
here described, although according to the teaching of other
scriptures it occurs at this time; but the symbols, being drawn
from the department of the operations both of humanity and of
nature, show the complete and final overthrow of all the
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page334" name="page334"></a>[pg
334]</span> great powers civil and ecclesiastical. The dominancy of
these great powers has been the chief burden of Apocalyptic vision,
and here their utter destruction at last is set forth under various
symbols. The weight of the Jewish talent is said to have been one
hundred and fourteen pounds. Such a mass of ice descending from
heaven would beat down everything in its resistless, desolating
fury. There is no intimation, however, of men being killed under
this or the accompanying symbols; therefore as individuals they
survive, while the storm of wrath falls upon the civil and
ecclesiastical institutions of society, resulting in their utter
annihilation. This is the "great day of his wrath" described under
the sixth seal, to the symbols of which this description bears a
striking resemblance, as any one can see at a glance. Well may the
oppressors of earth say to the mountains and hills, "Fall on us,
and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and
from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come;
and who shall be able to stand?" Chap. <a href="#chap6-16">6:16,
17</a>.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page335" name="page335"></a>[pg
335]</span> <a name="chap17" id="chap17"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER XVII.</h2>
<a name="chap17-1" id="chap17-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven
vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show
unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many
waters:</p>
<p>2. With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,
and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine
of her fornication.</p>
<p>3. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and
I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of
blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.</p>
<p>4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and
decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden
cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her
fornication:</p>
<a name="chap17-5" id="chap17-5"></a>
<p>5. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON
THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.</p>
<a name="chap17-6" id="chap17-6"></a>
<p>6. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and
with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I
wondered with great admiration.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here again the narrative returns to take up another series of
the history. A number of times we have been taken over the same
ground. It is this feature of the Apocalypse more than any other
that has misled and perplexed commentators. Attempting to explain
it as one continuous narrative from beginning <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page336" name="page336"></a>[pg 336]</span> to
end, they have been compelled to consider numerous passages as
"digressions," "parentheses," or "episodes," etc. As already
observed, however, the prophecy is not arranged after the ordinary
plan of histories, narrating all the contemporaneous events in a
given period, whether civil, religious, literary, scientific, or
biographical, thus finishing up the history of that period; but it
consists of a number of distinct themes running over the same
ground.</p>
<p>In this chapter a more particular description of the church of
Rome, "that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth"
(verse 18), is given under the symbol of a drunken harlot. With
this vile prostitute "the kings of the earth have committed
fornication"&mdash;they have encouraged her in her corruption and
idolatries&mdash;"and the inhabitants of the earth have been made
drunk with the wine of her fornication." This latter symbol is
doubtless taken from the cup of drugged wine with which lewd women
were accustomed to inflame their lovers. So had this apostate
church made "the inhabitants of the earth"&mdash;of the ten
kingdoms&mdash;drunken with her wine-cup and thus rendered them
willing partakers in her abominable idolatries. She is described in
two positions&mdash;first, as "sitting upon many waters," which the
angel informs us "are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and
tongues" (verse 15); and second, "upon a scarlet-colored beast,
full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns." The
first position denotes her wide supremacy in the world over distant
peoples and nations; the second, the close relationship that she
sustained to the civil power. That beast carried her in royal
state. The civil powers of Europe <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page337" name="page337"></a>[pg 337]</span> have usually lent
themselves as a caparisoned hack for this great whore to ride upon
and have considered themselves highly honored thereby. This beast
was full of the names of blasphemy, which were the same as the
blasphemous assumptions of the Papacy, as explained in <a href=
"#chap13">chapter XIII</a>, showing that he agreed perfectly with
this apostate church in her impious claims and supported her in
them, making himself equally guilty and deserving of the same name.
What is intended exactly by his scarlet color I do not know. The
same power under its Pagan form was represented as a red
dragon.</p>
<p>The appearance of this woman was that of the most splendid
character, nor are we to suppose the contrary because she was such
an infamous prostitute. She may have been, and according to the
description was, all that, but still her appearance was such as to
bewitch her admirers and votaries. Robes of purple and scarlet,
with the most costly profusion of gold and diamonds, were superb
adorning, even regal splendor. All that skill and wealth could do
in magnificence of attire was bestowed upon her to set forth her
charms. The "golden cup in her hand" was as to richness in harmony
with her dress, while as to contents it set forth her character,
for it was "full of abominations and filthiness of her
fornication." This cup was an appropriate symbol of her atrocious
wickedness and idolatries.</p>
<p>This woman had also a name written on her forehead. It was not,
indeed, placed there by herself nor by her admirers; but He who
drew this symbolic picture placed it there that all might know her
true character. "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page338" name="page338"></a>[pg 338]</span> THE
MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." Although this
apostate church was only in embryo in the apostles' day, yet the
apostle who gave us a careful delineation of its terrible
characteristics declared that it was then developing and
denominated it a <i>mystery</i>. "The mystery of iniquity doth
already work." 2 Thes. 2:7. The same apostle regarded as an
unquestionable fact that <i>godliness</i> was a mystery (1 Tim.
3:16); but he who peruses the history of the Papacy will be forced
to declare with emphasis, "Without controversy great is the mystery
of Romanism." She is also styled Babylon the Great. This name is
derived from ancient Babylon. This city was the center of the
earth's idolatry and stood first of all as the direct enemy of
God's people. So, likewise, this church is the center of earth's
spiritual idolatry. There are other harlots, or corrupt churches,
in the world beside her; but she is the <i>mother</i> of them all.
They are all children by her side. Some of them greatly honor her
and in deep veneration call her "<i>our holy mother church</i>;"
but God brands her as the "mother of harlots and abominations of
the earth."</p>
<p>But the statement that she was a harlot merely, does not
entirely describe her character. She was a <i>drunken</i> harlot.
Drunken with what&mdash;wine? No indeed; that were a very small sin
for her. She was "drunken with the blood of the saints, and with
the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." Romanists positively declare
that their church never persecutes; but with the picture of this
drunken prostitute before our eyes, we shall be hard to convince.
To illustrate this point fully would be to write a book of martyrs
much <span class="pagenum"><a id="page339" name="page339"></a>[pg
339]</span> larger than the present work; so, for lack of space
only, we shall have to content ourselves with merely bringing
forward a few of many historical proofs showing <i>that they
themselves</i> claim the right to exterminate heretics.</p>
<p>Innumerable provincial and national councils have issued the
most cruel and bloody laws for the extermination of the Waldenses
and other so-called heretics; such as the Councils of Oxford,
Toledo, Avignon, Tours, Lavaur, Albi, Narbonne, Beziers, Tolosa,
etc. Since Papists will assert that these had no authority to
establish a doctrine of the church (although they clearly reflect
its spirit), I remind the reader that some of their <i>General</i>
Councils have by their decrees pronounced the punishment of death
for heresy. At least six of these highest judicial assemblies of
the Romish church, with the Pope at their head, have
authoritatively enjoined the persecution and extermination of
heretics. Extracts from the Acts of these Councils could be given
if space permitted. 1. The second General Council of Lateran
(1139), in its twenty-third canon. 2. The third General Council of
Lateran (1179), under Pope Alexander III. 3. The fourth General
Council of Lateran (1215), under the inhuman Pope Innocent III.,
which exceeded in ferocity all similar decrees that had preceded
it. 4. The sixteenth General Council, held at Constance in 1414.
This Council, with Pope Martin present in person, condemned the
reformers Huss and Jerome to be burned at the stake and then
prevailed on the emperor Sigismund to violate the safe-conduct that
he had given Huss, signed by his own hand, in which he guaranteed
the reformer a safe return to Bohemia; <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page340" name="page340"></a>[pg 340]</span> and the inhuman
sentence was carried out, with the haughty prelates standing by to
satiate their eyes on the sight of human agony. This council also
condemned the writings of Wickliffe and <i>ordered his bones to be
dug up and burnt</i>, which savage sentence was afterwards carried
into effect; and after lying in their grave for forty years, the
remains of this first translator of the English Bible were reduced
to ashes and thrown into the brook Swift. Well has the historian
Fuller said, in reference to this subject, "The brook Swift did
convey his ashes into Avon, the Avon into Severn, the Severn into
the narrow seas, and they into the main ocean. And thus the ashes
of Wickliffe are the emblem of his doctrie, which is now dispersed
all over the world." 5. The Council of Sienna (1423), which was
afterwards continued at Basil. 6. The fifth General Council of the
Lateran (1514). The laws enacted in each succeeding Council were
generally marked, if possible, with augmented barbarity.</p>
<p>Says the learned Edgar, in his Variations of Popery: "The
principle of persecution, being sanctioned not only by theologians,
Popes and provincial synods but also by General Councils, <i>is a
necessary and integral part of Romanism</i>. The Romish communion
has, by its representatives, declared its right to compel men to
renounce heterodoxy and embrace Catholicism, and to consign the
obstinate to the civil power to be banished, tortured, or killed."
St. Aquinas, whom Romanists call the "angelic Doctor," says,
"Heretics are to be compelled by corporeal punishments, that they
may adhere to the faith." Again, "Heretics may not only be
excommunicated, but <i>justly killed</i>." He says that "the church
consigns such to the secular <span class="pagenum"><a id="page341"
name="page341"></a>[pg 341]</span> judges <i>to be exterminated
from the world by death</i>."</p>
<p>Cardinal Bellarmine is the great champion of Romanism and
expounder of its doctrines. He was the nephew of Pope Marcellus,
and he is acknowledged to be a standard writer with Romanists. In
the twenty-first and twenty-second chapters of the third book of
his work entitled <i>De Laicis</i>, he enters into a regular
argument to prove that the church has the right, and should
exercise it, of punishing heretics with death. The heading is his,
together with what follows.</p>
<p>"Chapter XXI. <i>That heretics, condemned by the church, may be
punished with temporal penalties and even death.</i> We will
briefly show that the church has the <i>power and ought</i> to cast
off incorrigible heretics, especially those who have elapsed, and
that the secular power ought to inflict on such temporal
punishments and even death itself. 1. This may be proved from the
Scripture. 2. It is proved from the opinions and laws of the
emperors, <i>which the church has always approved</i>. 3. <i>It is
proved by the laws of the church ... experience proves that there
is no other remedy;</i> for the church has tried step by step all
remedies&mdash;first excommunication alone; then pecuniary
penalties; afterward banishment; <i>and lastly has been forced to
put them to death; to send them to their own place</i>.... There
are three grounds on which reason shows that heretics should be put
to death: the first is, Lest the wicked should injure the
righteous; second, That by the punishment of a few many may be
reformed. For many who were made torpid by impunity, are <i>roused
by the fear of punishment</i>; AND THIS WE <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page342" name="page342"></a>[pg 342]</span> DAILY
SEE IS THE RESULT WHERE THE INQUISITION FLOURISHES," etc.</p>
<p>"Chapter XXII. <i>Objections answered.</i> It remains to answer
the objections of Luther and other heretics. Argument 1. From the
history of the church at large. 'The church,' says Luther, 'from
the beginning even to this time, <i>has never burned a heretic</i>.
Therefore it does not seem to be the mind of the Holy Spirit that
they should be burnt!' [He surely misunderstood Luther.] I reply
that this argument proves not the sentiment, but the ignorance, or
impudence of Luther; FOR AS ALMOST AN INFINITE NUMBER WERE EITHER
BURNED OR OTHERWISE PUT TO DEATH, Luther either did not know it,
and was therefore ignorant; or if he knew it, he is convicted of
impudence and falsehood,&mdash;for <i>that heretics were often
burnt</i> BY THE CHURCH may be proved by adducing a few from many
examples. Argument 2. 'Experience shows that terror is not useful.'
I reply EXPERIENCE PROVES THE CONTRARY&mdash;for the Donatists,
Manicheans, and Albigenses WERE ROUTED AND ANNIHILATED BY ARMS,"
etc.</p>
<p>So this high dignitary of the Catholic church, a cardinal, a
nephew of one Pope and the special favorite of others, freely
admits the charge so often laid to Popery by creditable
historians&mdash;the butchering of an "infinite number" of people
that differed from them&mdash;and here labors hard to uphold it as
a principle of righteousness. Their bloody crusades against the
innocent, unoffending Waldenses, Albigenses, and other peoples, in
which thousands, and in the aggregate <i>millions</i>, were
slaughtered like venomous reptiles, stand out on the page of
history with a prominence that can <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page343" name="page343"></a>[pg 343]</span> not be mistaken; and
they themselves can not deny it. Dowling has well said that their
"history is written in lines of blood. Compared with the butcheries
of holy men and women by the Papal Antichrist, the persecutions of
the Pagan emperors of the first three centuries sink into
comparative insignificance. For not a tithe of the blood of martyrs
was shed by Paganism, that has been poured forth by Popery; and the
persecutors of Pagan Rome never dreamed of the thousand ingenious
contrivances of torture which the malignity of Popish inquisitors
succeeded in inventing." P. 541.</p>
<p>If any of my readers suppose that the character of Popery has
changed with the lapse of ages, I must tell you that such is not
the ease. Popery is unchangeable and this her ablest advocates
declare. Chas. Butler, in the work he wrote in reply to Southey's
book of the church, says, "It is most true that the Roman Catholics
believe the doctrines of their church to be unchangeable; and that
it is a tenet of their creed, that what their faith ever has been,
such it was from the beginning, <i>such it is now</i>, and SUCH IT
EVER WILL BE." A copy of the eleventh edition of The Faith of Our
Fathers, published in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1883, lies before me.
It was written by Archbishop (now Cardinal) James Gibbons, the
highest authority of the Roman Catholic church in this country. In
page 95 he says: "It is a marvelous fact, worthy of record, that in
the whole history of the church, from the nineteenth century to the
first, no solitary example can be adduced to show that any Pope or
General Council ever revoked a decree of faith or morals enacted by
any preceding pontiff or <span class="pagenum"><a id="page344"
name="page344"></a>[pg 344]</span> council. Her record in the past
ought to be a sufficient warrant that she will <i>tolerate no
doctrinal variations in the future</i>." So the doctrine of her
inherent right to persecute and slay every one who disagrees with
her, which has been enacted by Pontiffs and General Councils and so
carried out in the past, is still in vogue and would now be
enforced were it in her power to do so.</p>
<p>While this statement of Gibbons' shows the unchangeable spirit
of Popery, still it is the basest presumption upon the historical
knowledge of the reader. The facts are that the <i>official</i>
acts of some of their Popes and General Councils have been so far
wrong that Romanists themselves have been compelled to admit it.
Thus the <i>sixth</i> General Council, which was held at
Constantinople in 680, and which every Catholic accepts as
Ecumenical, condemned, in the strongest terms, Pope Honorius as a
Monothelite <i>heretic</i>. Let them attempt to deny it, and we
will bring forward our proof. Romish authors themselves admit it,
the well-known Dupin with the rest, as appears by the following
extract from his writings: "The Council had as much reason to
censure him as Sergius, Paulus, Peter, and the other Patriarchs
o&pound; Constantinople." He adds in language yet more emphatic,
"This will stand for certain, then, that Honorius <i>was
condemned</i>, AND JUSTLY TOO, AS A HERETIC, by the sixth General
Council." Dupin's Eccl. History, Vol. II, p. 16.</p>
<p>The Decretals of Isodore furnish another example of Papal
infallibility (?). For ages these documents were the chief
instrument of the Popes in extending their power and the proof of
the righteousness of <span class="pagenum"><a id="page345" name=
"page345"></a>[pg 345]</span> their assumptions to excessive
temporal authority. Wickliffe declared them false and apocryphal.
For this he was condemned by the sixteenth <i>General Council</i>,
held at Constance in 1414, and his bones ordered dug up and burnt
because of his daring impudence. The spurious character of these
false decretals have since been proved beyond the shadow of a
doubt; and since it is impossible to deny it longer, it is admitted
even by Romanists. So, after all, this <i>infallible</i> Council
was wrong, the Papists themselves being the judges.</p>
<p>Pope Benedict IX. was guilty of such flagitious crimes that he
became an object of public abhorrence, and he finally <i>sold</i>
the Popedom. One of his infallible (?) successors in the Papal
chair, Pope Victor III., pronounced this infallible (?) profligate
a person "abandoned to all manner of vice. A <i>successor of</i>
SIMON THE SORCERER, and NOT OF SIMON THE APOSTLE." I do not
question the truth of this assertion, but what becomes of their
boasted uninterrupted apostolical succession? Baronius, the Popish
annalist, confesses that Pope Sergius III. was "the slave of every
vice, and the most wicked of men." Among other horrid acts Platina
relates that he <i>rescinded the acts</i> of Pope Formosus,
compelled those whom he had ordained to be re-ordained, dragged his
dead body from the sepulchre, beheaded him as though he were alive,
and then threw him into the Tiber! This Pope cohabited with an
infamous prostitute named Marozia and by her had a son named John,
who afterwards ascended the Papal throne, through the influence of
his licentious mother, under the name of John XI. So the unlawful
amours of Sergius produced this infallible, necessary link in the
<i>holy</i> chain <span class="pagenum"><a id="page346" name=
"page346"></a>[pg 346]</span> of uninterrupted apostolical
succession! It must be remembered, also, that the Popes have for
ages laid claim themselves to infallibility; and in the last
General Council of that body, held at the Vatican in 1870, it was
declared a dogma of the church. Romanists will tell us that this
decree refers only to his official acts, and not to his personal
character; but official acts have been the main thing under
consideration in the case of Sergius, Honorius, and Benedict. But
if such monsters of vice can produce good, holy, infallible acts,
as Papists declare, then Jesus Christ is mistaken; for he declared
positively that "a corrupt tree <i>bringeth forth evil fruit</i>
... neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." Mat. 7:17,
18. "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar." Rom.
3:4. During these dark ages thousands of priests, who were by the
laws of the church denied their Scriptural right of possessing a
wife (1 Cor. 7:9, etc.), lived openly with concubines; and the
Council of Toledo decreed that they should not be condemned
therefor, provided they were content with one.</p>
<p>But the devil produced his master-piece of iniquity in the
person of Roderic Borgia, who ascended the Papal throne in 1492
under the name of Alexander VI. The utmost limits assigned to Papal
depravity were realized in him, so that the very name Borgia has
come to be used as a designation of any person unusually wicked.
Says Waddington: "The ecclesiastical records of fifteen centuries
... contain no name so loathsome, no crimes so foul as his.... Not
one among the many zealous annalists of the Roman church has
breathed a whisper in his praise.... He publicly cohabited with a
Roman matron named <span class="pagenum"><a id="page347" name=
"page347"></a>[pg 347]</span> Vanozia, by whom he had five
acknowledged children. Neither in his manners nor in his language
did he affect any regard for morality or decency; and one of the
earliest acts of his pontificate was, to celebrate, with scandalous
magnificence, in his own palace, the marriage of his daughter
Lucretia. On one occasion this prodigy of vice gave a splendid
entertainment, within the walls of the Vatican, to no less than
fifty public prostitutes at once, and that in the presence of his
daughter Lucretia, at which entertainment deeds of darkness were
done, over which decency must throw a veil; and yet this monster of
vice was, according to Papist ... the vicar of God upon earth, and
was addressed by the title of HIS HOLINESS!!" But why stir this
cesspool of filth any longer? Is not that church of which Alexander
VI. was for eleven years the crowned and anointed head&mdash;a
necessary link in the boasted chain of <i>holy</i> apostolical
succession, the pretended vicar of Christ upon earth&mdash;is it
not, I ask, fitly described by the pen of inspiration "MOTHER OF
HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH," as she reeled onward in the
career of ages, "drunken with the blood of the saints"?</p>
<a name="chap17-7" id="chap17-7"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>7. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I
will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that
carriest her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.</p>
<p>8. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend
out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that
dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in
the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold
the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page348" name="page348"></a>[pg
348]</span>
<p>9. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are
seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.</p>
<a name="chap17-10" id="chap17-10"></a>
<p>10. And there are seven kings; five are fallen, and one is, and
the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a
short space.</p>
<p>11. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth,
and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.</p>
<a name="chap17-12" id="chap17-12"></a>
<p>12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which
have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one
hour with the beast.</p>
<p>13. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength
unto the beast.</p>
<p>14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they
that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The angel promises to explain "the mystery of the woman and of
the beast that carried her." The beast is the same as the secular
beast with seven heads and ten horns, described in chapter 13. An
explanation of its heads and horns has already been given. The
expression "the seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman
sitteth, and there are seven kings," requires further explanation.
Many have understood the mountains to signify the seven mountains
on which the city of Rome is said to be built; but that is adopting
the literal mode of interpretation, and is contrary to the laws of
symbolic language. The more obvious meaning is that the seven heads
represent seven mountains and also seven kings; but this probably
is not the idea intended. The heads of a beast are not the proper
symbol of mountains. The fact, too, that the woman is represented
as sitting upon these mountains, <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page349" name="page349"></a>[pg 349]</span> shows that they are to
be taken as a symbol, as well as the woman, and not the object
symbolized. They are, then, the same as the heads and denote the
seven kings or seven forms of government under which the Roman
empire subsisted.</p>
<p>The seventh and last head has not yet been identified. Before
considering it, however, I wish to call attention to another point
that has already been referred to. The beast that John here saw,
with the seven heads and ten horns, was Rome under the Papal power.
Did new Rome in reality have the seven heads? No. The dragon John
saw in <a href="#chap12">chapter 12</a> is represented as having
seven heads and ten horns, and signified Rome under the Pagan
power. Did old Rome really possess the ten horns? No. According to
verse 12 in this chapter, they were to arise future of John's time.
But notice carefully that the seven heads, which according to this
description, belonged to the beast sustaining the Papal power in
after years, are here explained by the angel as signifying the very
forms of government by which <i>Pagan</i> Rome subsisted. "Five
<i>are fallen</i> [a past event], one <i>is</i> [exists at this
present time], and the other <i>is not yet come</i>." So according
to divine interpretation, the same heads and horns serve for both
the dragon and the beast. This could not possibly be a true
representation unless they were both in reality the <i>same
beast</i>, they being represented as two only for the purpose of
describing the two phases of Roman history&mdash;Pagan and
Papal.</p>
<p>With this point established, that these two forms of Roman
history are the same beast, we are now prepared to understand the
statement that the beast "was and is not, and yet is." This is
equivalent to <span class="pagenum"><a id="page350" name=
"page350"></a>[pg 350]</span> saying that the beast existed, it
ceased to exist, and then it came into existence again. This was
exactly the history of Rome. Its downfall under the Pagan form was
described under the fourth trumpet as an eclipse of the sun, moon
and stars, so that they shone not for a third part of the day and
night. For a time it seemed not to exist. A little later the
eclipse is lifted; the beast exists again under the Papal form. In
this is set forth clearly the wounding and the healing of the
beast. The wound was inflicted on its sixth, or Imperial, head (for
the first five had already fallen, according to the historical
facts just related), being accomplished by the hordes of Northern
barbarians overturning the empire of the West. It appeared for a
time that the beast was indeed wounded unto death; but not so: to
the surprise of all, he survived under the form of the seventh
head. At this point the question is sure to be asked, How could the
beast continue to live if its seventh head was to continue but "a
short space"? This is accounted for by the fact that there was what
might be appropriately called an eighth head, but which was in
reality of the seven. "And the beast that was, and is not, even he
is the eighth, and is of the seven." Verse 11.</p>
<p>The identification of the seventh head will now make the matter
complete. The facts all meet in the Carlovingian empire, or the
empire of Charlemagne. In the year 774 Charlemagne completed the
work begun by Pepin twenty years before and overthrew the kingdom
of the Lombards in Italy, which was the last of the three horns
plucked up before the little horn of Daniel. By this victory he
became complete master of Italy, and he received the title
Patrician of Rome. <span class="pagenum"><a id="page351" name=
"page351"></a>[pg 351]</span> This was not merely an honorary
title, such as had for ages been conferred upon certain
individuals; but it was a distinct form of civil government and
supreme, taking the same rank with that of the Consular, the
Decemvirate, the Triumvirate, etc., in the earlier history of the
nation. It lasted, however, only "a short space," or twenty-six
years, when Charlemagne, having extended his conquests over all the
western part of Europe, assumed the Imperial title and thus revived
the empire of Rome in the West under its Gothic form. In his
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbon says: "In the
twenty-six years that elapsed between the conquest of Lombardy and
his Imperial coronation, Rome, which had been delivered by the
sword, was subject, as his own, to the scepter, of Charlemagne. The
people swore allegiance to his person and family; in his name,
money was coined, and justice was administered, and the election of
Popes was examined and confirmed by his authority&mdash;except an
original and self-inherent claim of sovereignity, there was not any
prerogative remaining which the title of emperor could add to the
Patrician of Rome." This decisive testimony by the highest
authority on the subject shows conclusively that all the power of
sovereignty resided in Charlemagne as the Patrician of Rome, and
that this, therefore, is a proper head to be ranked with the other
six that preceded it.<a id="footnotetag14" name=
"footnotetag14"></a><a href="#footnote14"><sup>14</sup></a></p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote14" name=
"footnote14"></a><b>Footnote 14:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag14">(return)</a>
<p>Commentators frequently identify the seventh head with the
Exarchate of Ravenna. After the overthrow of the kingdom of the
Ostrogoths in Italy by Belisarius, the general of Justinian, about
the middle of the sixth century, the territory became subject to
the emperor of the Eastern empire and was ruled by him through an
Exarch whose place of residence was Ravenna. This Exarchate
(sometimes called <i>Patriciate</i>) continued until about the
middle of the eighth century, when it was terminated by Astolphus,
king of the Lombards, who made Ravenna the capital of the Lombardic
kingdom in 752. Three years later the Lombards were defeated by
Pepin, who made the Holy See a present of the lands he conquered
from them&mdash;the origin of the temporal power of the Popes.
Pepin was succeeded by his son Charlemagne, who was appointed
<i>Patrician</i> of Rome, by the Pope, in 774. During the last half
century that the Exarchate of Ravenna remained its existence was
but little more than a name, the real power of government being
usurped by the Papacy. It could hardly be considered an
inconsistency were we to interpret the seventh head as signifying
both the Patriciate of Ravenna and the Patriciate of Charlemagne
that closely followed it; but in the present work I have restricted
its application to the latter form because of its distinctive
characteristic as constituting a supreme civil power entirely
independent of the empire of the East, and because of its
importance in the revival of the empire of the West.</p>
</blockquote>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page352" name="page352"></a>[pg
352]</span>
<p>This head, however, continued only "a short space"; and an
eighth arose on Christmas, the first day of the year 800 (as time
was then reckoned), when Charlemagne was crowned emperor of Rome,
and thus revived the empire of the West. This eighth head, however,
was "of the seven"; for it was the same as the sixth, both being
Imperial&mdash;the first being in the Augustan line, and the other
in the Carlovingian, and separated from each other by the seventh,
or Patriciate. Considered one way, there were eight heads, but two
of them were alike, hence only seven; for the eighth was of the
seven. According to verse 11 it was under the eighth head that the
beast subsisted at the time he was carrying the woman of this
chapter, which exactly accords with the historical facts in the
case; and the same was continued in a line of emperors reaching
down to the time of the French Revolution.</p>
<p>The ten horns had "received no kingdom as yet." This signifies
that at the time when the Revelation <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page353" name="page353"></a>[pg 353]</span> was given they had not
yet arisen. When they did come into existence they were to receive
power as kings with the beast and were to give to it their power
and strength. It is a singular fact that a distinct head should
continue to exist after these horns had arisen and developed into
powerful kingdoms; but herein the remarkable accuracy of prophecy
is clearly shown. It is said that they should make war with the
Lamb and that the Lamb should overcome them. Some think that this
has reference to the persecution of the saints during the Dark
Ages; but it seems to me that it would have been stated differently
if such were its meaning. It may be a prophetical reference to the
battle of Armageddon, which will be terminated by the coming of the
Son of God himself to overthrow completely all the powers of
wickedness.</p>
<a name="chap17-15" id="chap17-15"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where
the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and
tongues.</p>
<a name="chap17-16" id="chap17-16"></a>
<p>16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these
shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and
shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.</p>
<p>17. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to
agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of
God shall be fulfilled.</p>
<a name="chap17-18" id="chap17-18"></a>
<p>18. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which
reigneth over the kings of the earth.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The special thoughts contained in these verses have been so far
explained already that it is unnecessary to go over the same ground
again. Already the civil powers of Europe are beginning to cast
this woman <span class="pagenum"><a id="page354" name=
"page354"></a>[pg 354]</span> aside as an old, wrinkled, haggard
prostitute is cast off by her lovers. Already they have deprived
her of all temporal authority such as she possessed in guiding this
beast of chapter 17, as explained under the fifth plague in the
preceding chapter. Whether they are destined to become a still
greater enemy to her, the future will determine.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page355" name="page355"></a>[pg
355]</span> <a name="chap18" id="chap18"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER XVIII.</h2>
<a name="chap18-1" id="chap18-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And after these things I saw another angel come down from
heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his
glory.</p>
<a name="chap18-2" id="chap18-2"></a>
<p>2. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon
the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of
devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every
unclean and hateful bird.</p>
<p>3. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication
with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the
abundance of her delicacies.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A movement of mighty power is symbolized in these verses. The
chronology of the events described in the preceding chapter brings
us down to the time when the ten horns turn against the Papacy by
depriving her of her temporal authority. This, as we have already
seen, was completely fulfilled in 1870 and constituted the fifth
plague. In the description of the sixth plague which followed, it
was shown that the great city which was invaded was composed of
three parts&mdash;Paganism (the modern form of the dragon power),
Catholicism, and Protestantism. The same great city is here brought
to view, and the angel from heaven, with a mighty voice, cries,
"Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen." This fall of Babylon can
not signify a literal destruction; for there are certain events to
take place in Babylon after her fall which entirely precludes that
idea; for instance, the <span class="pagenum"><a id="page356" name=
"page356"></a>[pg 356]</span> calling of God's people out of her,
in order that they may not receive of her plagues. In these plagues
is embraced her literal destruction, or complete overthrow. The
fall is therefore a moral one; for the result of it is that Babylon
becomes "the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul
spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."</p>
<p>Protestants who make any attempt to interpret these prophecies
usually limit the designation "Babylon the Great" in these verses
to the church of Rome, because the woman symbolizing the apostate
church in the preceding chapter is denominated "Babylon the Great."
Ver. 5. But the same verse also declares her to be the
"<i>Mother</i> of harlots;" and if she as a degraded woman stands
as the representative of a corrupt church, her unchaste daughters,
also, must symbolize churches that are her descendants; and if the
real name of the <i>mother</i> is Babylon, as stated, the proper
name of her harlot daughters must be Babylon also. Whether,
therefore, the mother or the daughters are referred to, it is all
"Babylon the Great," because it is all the same family and is a
part of that "GREAT CITY which reigneth over the kings of the
earth." Chap. <a href="#chap17-18">17:18</a>. We must, therefore,
have something besides the mere title "Babylon the Great" to
determine which division of the great city is referred to in a
given instance&mdash;whether Pagan, Papal, or Protestant.</p>
<p>A careful study of the prophecy now under consideration will
show that it has particular reference to the Protestant division of
Babylon. It contained many of God's children; whereas Paganism was
always a false religion and never held any of God's saints.
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page357" name="page357"></a>[pg
357]</span> Under the reign of Catholicism, the people of God are
represented in all the symbols of this book relating thereto as
existing entirely separate from that communion. The description of
this apostate church given in the preceding chapter shows clearly
that instead of being partly composed of God's saints, she was
their most bitter and relentless persecutor, yea, was "<i>drunken
with the blood of the saints</i>, and with the blood of the martyrs
of Jesus." This is definite proof that the present phase of Babylon
under consideration is the Protestant division; and her moral fall
is the grand signal for the escape of God's people who have partly
composed her number, as the fall of ancient Babylon was for the
escape of the Israelites. In their younger days the Protestant
organizations (symbolized by the daughters) were of much better
character than the mother church from whom they descended. Many of
them started out on reform. While a spiritual people, God worked
with them; but when they made their image to the beast, they
suddenly declined, and this voice from heaven finally declares them
to be in a fallen condition&mdash;entirely void of salvation,
except a very few chosen saints that have not defiled their
garments, contained therein.</p>
<p>That this application of the term <i>Babylon</i> is correct, and
also, the fallen condition ascribed to her in accordance with the
facts, I will prove by the following testimonies of Protestants
themselves. The first is from Vision of the Ages; or, Lectures on
the Apocalypse, by B.W. Johnson, member of the Christian sect.</p>
<p>"It is needful to inquire what the term <i>Babylon</i> means. It
occurs several times in the New Testament. <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page358" name="page358"></a>[pg 358]</span> Here
(in the Apocalypse) it is spoken of as 'that great city,' and her
fall is doomed 'because she hath made all nations drunk with the
wine of her fornication.' In Rev. 17:5, a scarlet harlot is seen
sitting upon the seven-headed and ten-horned monster, and upon her
forehead is written, 'Mystery, Babylon the Great.' With this woman
the kings of the earth are said to have committed fornication. In
chapter 18 the fall of the great city, Babylon is detailed at
length, and it is again said that all the kings of the earth have
committed fornication with her. The harlot with Babylon stamped on
her brow, and the great city of fornication styled Babylon, in
chapters 14 and 18, are one and the same existence.</p>
<p>"There is an ancient city of Babylon often mentioned in the Old
Testament, but ages before John wrote, it had ceased to be
inhabited, the only dwellers among its lonely ruins were howling
beasts and hissing serpents. It has never been rebuilt to this day
and has passed away forever. John refers therefore not to old
Babylon, but to some power yet unseen (when he was upon the earth),
that should be revealed in due time, and of which old Babylon was a
symbol. Let us notice some of the features of ancient Babylon.</p>
<p>"1. On that site took place the confusion of tongues which
divided those who before had been of one speech and one family,
into various tribes and schisms at variance with each other and of
various tongues. The word Babylon, a memorial of this event, means
confusion, and is derived from Babel.</p>
<p>"2. Old Babylon persecuted the people of God and destroyed the
temple in Jerusalem.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page359" name="page359"></a>[pg
359]</span>
<p>"3. It carried the people of God into captivity.</p>
<p>"4. It was a mighty, resistless universal empire. The antitype,
the spiritual Babylon, must correspond. There is a power that
exhibits all these characteristics. By apostasy from the truth it
originated the schism which has divided the family of God into
different sects and parties which speak a different spiritual
language. It has carried the church into a long captivity by
binding upon it the thralldom of superstition. It has been a
constant persecutor of the saints, and has enjoyed an almost
universal dominion. That power is the woman that sits upon the
seven-headed beast ... the false woman, symbolical of a false
church, the great apostate spiritual dominion of Rome. And we may
add, out of which have come&mdash;directly or
indirectly&mdash;<i>all the religious sects of the present
day</i>."</p>
<p>Dr. Barnes says: "The word <i>Babylon</i> became the emblem of
all that was haughty and oppressive, and especially of all that
persecuted the church of God. The word here (Rev. 18:4) must be
used to denote some power that resembled the ancient and literal
Babylon in these characteristics. The literal Babylon was no more;
but the name might be used properly to denote a similar power."</p>
<p>Wm. Kinkade, in Bible Doctrine, page 249, says, "I think Christ
has a true church on earth, but its members are scattered among the
various denominations, and are more or less under the influence of
mystery Babylon and her daughters."</p>
<p>Alexander Campbell says: "A reformation of Popery was attempted
in Europe full three centuries ago. It ended in a Protestant
hierarchy, and swarms <span class="pagenum"><a id="page360" name=
"page360"></a>[pg 360]</span> of dissenters. Protestantism has been
reformed into Presbyterianism, that into Congregationalism, and
that into Baptistism, etc., etc. Methodism has attempted to reform
all, but has reformed itself into many forms of Wesleyanism. All of
them retain in their bosom&mdash;in their ecclesiastical
organizations, worship, doctrines, and observances&mdash;various
relics of Popery. They are at best a reformation of Popery, and
only reformations in part. The doctrines and traditions of men yet
impair the power and progress of the gospel in their hands." On
Baptism, p.15.</p>
<p>Again, he says: "The worshiping establishments now in operation
throughout Christendom, increased and cemented by their respective
voluminous confessions of faith, and their ecclesiastical
constitutions, are not churches of Jesus Christ, but the legitimate
daughters of that mother of harlots, the church of Rome." How any
man could possess as much light on this subject as did Mr.
Campbell, and then build a sect himself, is more than I can
understand.</p>
<p>Lorenzo Dow says of the Romish Church: "If she be the mother,
who are the daughters? It must be the corrupt, national,
established churches that came out of her." Dow's Life, p. 542.</p>
<p>In the Religious Encyclopaedia, Article Antichrist, we read:
"The writer of the book of Revelation tells us he heard a voice
from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people, that ye partake
not of her sins, and receive not of her plagues.' If such persons
are to be found in the 'mother of harlots,' with much less
hesitation may it be inferred that they are connected with her
unchaste daughters, those national churches <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page361" name="page361"></a>[pg 361]</span> which
are founded upon what are called Protestant principles."</p>
<p>In the Encyclop&aelig;dia of Religious Knowledge we read: "An
important question, however, says Mr. Jones, stills remains for
inquiry: Is Antichrist confined to the church of Rome? The answer
is readily returned in the affirmative by Protestants in general;
and happy had it been for the world had that been the case. But
although we are fully warranted to consider that church as 'the
mother of harlots,' the truth is that by whatsoever arguments we
succeed in fixing that odius charge upon her, we shall, by parity
of reasoning, be obliged to allow other national churches to be her
unchaste daughters, and for this plain reason, among others,
because in their very constitution and tendency they are hostile to
the nature of the kingdom of Christ."</p>
<p>One of Martin Luther's guests remarked that the world might
continue fifty years, and he replied: "Pray God that it may not
exist so long; matters would be even worse than they have been.
There would rise up infinite sects and schisms, which are at
present hidden in men's hearts and nature. No; may the Lord come at
once, for there is no amendment to be expected."</p>
<p>Mr. Hartly, a learned churchman, has remarked as follows: "There
are many prophecies which declare the fall of the ecclesiastical
powers of the Christian world, and though each church seems to
flatter itself with the hope of being exempted, yet it is very
plain that the prophetical characters belong to all. They all have
left the true, pure, simple religion, and teach for doctrines the
commandments of men."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page362" name="page362"></a>[pg
362]</span>
<p>Says Mr. Simpson, in Plea for Religion: "We Protestants, too,
read the declaration of the third angel against the worshipers of
the beast and his image, and make ourselves easy under the awful
denunciation by applying it exclusively to the church of Rome;
never dreaming that they are equally applicable not only to the
English, but to every church establishment in Christendom, which
retains any of the marks of the beast. For though the Pope and the
church of Rome is at the head of the grand twelve hundred and sixty
years' delusion, yet all other churches, of whatever denomination,
whether established or tolerated, which partake of the same spirit,
or have instituted doctrines and ceremonies inimical to the pure
and unadulterated gospel of Christ, shall sooner or later share in
the fate of that immense fabric of human ordinances."</p>
<p>Says Mr. Hopkins: "There is no reason to consider the
antichristian spirit and practices confined to that which is now
called the church of Rome. The Protestant churches have much of
Antichrist in them, and are far from being wholly reformed from the
corruptions and wickedness, in doctrine and practice, in it. Some
churches may be more pure and may have proceeded farther in a
reformation than others; but where can the church be found which is
thoroughly purged from her abominations? None are wholly clear from
an antichristian spirit and the fruits of it.... And as the church
of Rome will have a large share in the cup of indignation and wrath
which will be poured out, so all the Christian world will have a
distinguished portion of it: as the inhabitants of it are much more
guilty than others. There is great <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page363" name="page363"></a>[pg 363]</span> reason to conclude
that the world, particularly that part of it called Christian and
Protestant, will yet make greater and more rapid advances in all
kinds of moral corruption and open wickedness, till it will come to
that state in which it will be fully ripe and prepared to be cut
down by the sickle of divine justice and wrath."</p>
<p>Mr. O. Scott (Wesleyan Methodist) says: "The church is as deeply
infected with a desire for worldly gain as the world. Most of the
denominations of the present day might be called <i>churches of the
world</i>, with more propriety than churches of Christ. The
churches have so far gone from primitive Christianity that they
need a fresh regeneration&mdash;a new kind of religion."</p>
<p>Said T. DeWitt Talmage: "I simply state a fact when I say that
in many places the church is surrendering, and the world is
conquering.... There is a mighty host in the Christian church,
positively professing Christianity, who do not believe the Bible,
out and out and in and in.... Oh! we have magnificient church
machinery in this country; we have sixty thousand American
ministers; we have costly music; we have great Sunday-schools; and
yet I give you the appalling statistics that in the last
twenty-five years, laying aside last year, the statistics of which
I have not yet seen,&mdash;within the last twenty-five years the
churches of God in this country have averaged <i>less than two
conversions a year</i> each! There has been an average of four or
five deaths in the churches. How soon, at that rate, will this
world be brought to God? We gain two; we lose four. Eternal God!
what will this come to?"</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page364" name="page364"></a>[pg
364]</span>
<p>Bishop Roberts said: "The popular religion of this country is
not the religion of the New Testament. It has some of its features
but not all. It is lacking in grand fundamental elements. It
answers many good purposes&mdash;restrains, refines, elevates, and
gives to society a high grade of civilization; but fails to secure
the great end which Christianity is designed to
accomplish&mdash;the salvation of the soul. It dazzles but to
blind, it promises but to deceive; it allures by worldly
considerations to a heaven of purity, which no worldling can enter;
it gives to its votaries, who long to eat of forbidden fruit, the
assurance of impunity from the threatened evils, and leads them on
by siren strains from the Paradise of purity into the broad road
which ends at last in the blackness of the darkness of an eternal
night of despair!"</p>
<p>Says the Golden Rule: "The Protestants are outdoing the Popes in
splendid, extravagant folly in church building. Thousands on
thousands are expended in gay and costly ornaments to gratify pride
and a wicked ambition, that might and should go to redeem the
perishing millions! Does the evil, the folly, and the madness of
these proud, formal, fashionable worshiper, stop here? These
splendid monuments of Popish pride, upon which millions are
squandered in our cities, virtually exclude the poor for whom
Christ died, and for whom he came especially to preach."</p>
<p>The report of the Michigan Yearly Conference, even as long ago
as 1851, published in the True Wesleyan of Nov. 15, says: "The
world, commercial, political, and ecclesiastical are alike, and are
together going in the broad way that leads to death. Politics,
commerce, and nominal religion, all connive at sin, <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page365" name="page365"></a>[pg 365]</span>
reciprocally aid each other, and unite to crush the poor. Falsehood
is unblushingly uttered in the forum and in the pulpit; and <i>sins
that would shock the moral sensibilities of the heathen, go
unrebuked in all the great denominations of our land</i>. These
churches are like the Jewish church when the Savior exclaimed, 'Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.'"</p>
<p>Robert Atkins, in a sermon preached in London, says: "The truly
righteous are diminished from the earth, and no man layeth it to
heart. The professors of religion of the present day, in every
church, are lovers of the world, conformers to the world. Lovers of
creature-comfort, and aspirers after respectability. They are
called to <i>suffer</i> with Christ, but they shrink even from
reproach. Apostasy, <i>apostasy</i>, APOSTASY, is engraven on the
very front of every church; and did they know it, and did they feel
it, there might be hope; but alas! they cry 'We are rich, and
increased in goods, and stand in need of nothing.'"</p>
<p>I have by no means exhausted the supply of similar testimonies
of Protestants now before me, but for lack of space I must
conclude. In the face of these amazing facts can any one deny that
Protestantism is a part of great Babylon and is in a fallen
condition?</p>
<p>"The merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance
of her delicacies." A certain writer on this text has said: "Who
take the lead in all the extravagancies of the age? Church-members.
Who load their tables with the richest and choicest viands?
Church-members. Who are foremost in extravagance in dress, and all
costly attire? Church-members. Who are the very personification of
pride and arrogance? <span class="pagenum"><a id="page366" name=
"page366"></a>[pg 366]</span> Church-members. Where shall we look
for the very highest exhibition of the luxury, even show, and pride
of life, resulting from the vanity and sin of the race? Answer, To
a modern church-assembly on a pleasant Sunday." Though this writer
interpreted the text literally, yet he spoke a vast amount of
truth, as every one knows.</p>
<p>Consider, too, the wickedness carried on everywhere in sect
Babylon unrebuked, with the preachers ofttimes in the lead. Shows,
festivals, frolics, grab-bag parties, cake-walk lotteries,
kissing-bees, etc., etc. If the apostle were here to-day and we
should inform him of a modern church entertainment where a bared
female foot, projecting from beneath a curtain, was sold to the
highest gentleman bidder, who had the privilege of kissing its
owner and taking her to supper, he would probably answer, "Have I
not told you, 'Babylon is fallen'?" If his attention was called to
the fact that the members of a prominent church, in a novel
entertainment, displayed the likeness of a donkey, minus the tail,
while the members one by one were blindfolded, and, amid the
uproarous laughter of the crowd assembled, were given the detached
part to see who could place it the nearest where it belonged, he
would say with double emphasis, "<i>Have I not told you</i>,
'BABYLON THE GREAT IS FALLEN, IS FALLEN, AND IS BECOME THE
HABITATION OF DEVILS, AND THE HOLD OF EVERY FOUL SPIRIT, AND A CAGE
OF EVERY UNCLEAN AND HATEFUL BIRD'?" The "abominations" are by no
means confined to the <i>mother</i> in the Revelation, but are also
to be found in abundance in connection with her harlot
daughters.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page367" name="page367"></a>[pg
367]</span> <a name="chap18-4" id="chap18-4"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>4. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of
her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye
receive not of her plagues.</p>
<p>5. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath
remembered her iniquities.</p>
<p>6. Reward her even as she rewarded yon, and double unto her
double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled
fill to her double.</p>
<p>7. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously,
so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I
sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.</p>
<p>8. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and
mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire:
for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here we have a number of important truths brought before
us&mdash;first, that God had a people in Babylon who up to this
time were free from her contaminations; second, that they received
a positive call from heaven to "come out"; third, that all who
refused to obey the heavenly command would become partakers of her
sins and receive of her plagues; fourth, that those who came out
were to pour the strongest judgments upon Babylon&mdash;"reward her
even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to
her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double."
It is evident that the "torment and sorrow" which God's people give
Babylon after their departure is not a temporal
retaliation&mdash;for they never indulge in such, and the Word of
God forbids it&mdash;but is altogether of a spiritual nature; hence
the fierce judgment they inflict is executing the Word of truth,
which brings to light all the wickedness and abominations
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page368" name="page368"></a>[pg
368]</span> contained therein. "Death, and mourning, and famine"
only remain. This symbolizes that all spiritual life has departed,
while famine and mourning are left. That such is the actual fact is
shown by the following lamentation of the late Bishop R.S. Foster
concerning his own sect, the Methodist Episcopal:</p>
<p>"The ball, the theatre, nude and lewd art, social luxuries, with
all their loose moralities, are making inroads into the sacred
enclosure of the church; and as a satisfaction for all this
worldliness, Christians are making a great deal of Lent and Easter
and Good Friday, and church ornamentations. It is the old trick of
Satan. The Jewish church struck on that rock; the Romish church was
wrecked on the same; and the Protestant church is fast reaching the
same doom.</p>
<p>"Our great dangers as we see them, are assimilation to the
world, neglect of the poor, substitution of the form for the fact
of godliness, abandonment of discipline, a hireling ministry, an
impure gospel, which summed up is a fashionable church. That
Methodists should be liable to such an outcome, and that there
should be signs of it in a hundred years from the 'sail-loft,'
seems almost the miracle of history; but who that looks about him
to-day can fail to see the fact?</p>
<p>"Do not Methodists, in violation of God's Word and their own
discipline, dress as extravagantly and as fashionably as any other
class? Do not the ladies, and even the wives and daughters of the
ministry, put on 'gold and pearls and costly array'? Would not the
plain dress insisted upon by John Wesley and Bishop Asbury, and
worn by Hester Ann Rodgers, <span class="pagenum"><a id="page369"
name="page369"></a>[pg 369]</span> Lady Huntington, and many others
equally distinguished, be now regarded in Methodist circles as
fanaticism? Can any one going into the Methodist church in any of
our chief cities distinguish the attire of the communicants from
that of the theater and ball-goers? Is not worldliness seen in the
music? Elaborately dressed and ornamented choirs, who in many cases
make no profession of religion and are often sneering skeptics, go
through a cold artistic or operatic performance, which is as much
in harmony with spiritual worship as an opera or theater. Under
such worldly performances spirituality is frozen to death.</p>
<p>"Formerly every Methodist attended class and gave testimony of
experimental religion. Now the class-meeting is attended by very
few, and in many churches abandoned. Seldom the stewards, trustees
and elders of the church attend class. Formerly nearly every
Methodist prayed, testified or exhorted in prayer-meeting. Now but
very few are heard. Formerly shouts and praises were heard; now
such demostrations of holy enthusiasm and joy are regarded as
fanaticism.</p>
<p>"Worldly socials, and fairs, festivals, concerts and such like
have taken the place of religious gatherings, revival meetings,
class and prayer meetings of earlier days. How true that the
Methodist discipline is a dead letter! Its rules forbid the wearing
of gold or pearls or costly array; yet no one ever thinks of
disciplining its members for violating them. They forbid the
reading of such books and the taking of such diversions as do not
minister to godliness, yet the church itself goes to frolics and
festivals and fairs, <span class="pagenum"><a id="page370" name=
"page370"></a>[pg 370]</span> which destroy the spiritual life of
the young, as well as the old. The extent to which this is now
carried on is appalling. The <i>spiritual death it carries in its
train</i> will only be known when <i>the millions it has swept into
hell</i> shall stand before the judgment.</p>
<p>"The early Methodist ministers went forth to sacrifice and to
suffer for Christ. They sought not places of ease and affluence,
but of privation and suffering. They gloried not in their big
salaries, fine parsonages, and refined congregations, but in the
souls that had been won for Jesus. Oh, <i>how changed!</i> A
hireling ministry will be a feeble, a timid, a truckling, a
timeserving ministry, without faith, endurance, and holy power.
Methodism formerly dealt in the great central truth. Now the
pulpits deal largely in the generalities and in popular lectures.
The glorious doctrine of entire sanctification is rarely heard and
seldom witnessed in the pulpits."</p>
<p>This lengthy quotation shows clearly the spiritual condition of
Methodism, and certainly she is no worse than the rest. God is
calling his people out of "all the places where they have been
scattered in the cloudy and dark day." Ezek. 34:12. Those who
refuse to walk in the light will go into darkness. God help people
to "flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his
soul."</p>
<blockquote>
<p>9. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication
and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for
her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,</p>
<p>10. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas,
alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is
thy judgment come.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page371" name="page371"></a>[pg
371]</span>
<p>11. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over
her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:</p>
<p>12. The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones,
and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet,
and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all
manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and
marble,</p>
<p>13. And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense,
and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and
sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.</p>
<p>14. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from
thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from
thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.</p>
<p>15. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her,
shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and
wailing,</p>
<p>16. And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in
fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and
precious stones, and pearls!</p>
<p>17. For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every
shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many
as trade by sea, stood afar off,</p>
<p>18. And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying,
What city is like unto this great city!</p>
<p>19. And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and
wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich
all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in
one hour is she made desolate.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In this description we have a continuation of the judgments of
Babylon already introduced. It must <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page372" name="page372"></a>[pg 372]</span> be borne in mind,
however, that this is the spiritual judgments following her moral
fall, and not her final and everlasting literal destruction. The
latter is described under another symbol a little further on in
this series of prophecy.</p>
<p>The symbol here is that of a great city, the grand metropolis of
the world, the mart of earth's commerce; a superb city, their
[<i>sic</i>] being no end to its luxuries and magnificence. In it
everything that can minister to the appetite, gratify the taste,
and feed the pride of the human soul is to be found in profusion,
being described at length. This great city is suddenly afire, and
her merchants and the great men of the world who sustain her are
overwhelmed with sorrow at the sight of all their wealth
disappearing. Thus is great sect Babylon represented. She is a
mighty city extending not only over the Apocalyptic earth, but, as
symbolized by the ship-masters, sailors, and foreign traders, over
the whole world. Suddenly she is set on fire by heaven's truth and
her spiritual magnificence destroyed. The apostle Paul describes
the great apostasy as a system that the "Lord shall <i>consume</i>
with the spirit of his mouth, and shall <i>destroy</i> with the
brightness of his coming." 2 Thes. 2:8. That spiritual consumption
is now taking place in accordance with the symbols of this chapter,
but the entire literal destruction of old Babylon will take place
coincident "with the brightness of his coming," as described in the
following chapter.</p>
<p>That sectarians are greatly alarmed over the sad condition of
their fallen churches is clearly shown by the many quotations
already given from Protestant writers. They may not be aware that
it is a judgment <span class="pagenum"><a id="page373" name=
"page373"></a>[pg 373]</span> from heaven upon man-made
organizations; but such we know it to be in the light of eternal
truth. Not only are they bewailing the loss of spiritual life and
the desolating famine in sectdom, as was Bishop Foster and others,
but they are beginning to tremble for their own safety and to
wonder what the final outcome of it all will be. Wherever the
gospel truth has been preached in all its purity, the sectarian
denominations have been left destitute of spiritual life; for the
children of God have heard his call, "Come out of her, my people,"
and have made their escape to Zion. Hence the ministers of Babylon
cry out continually, "Stop! you are tearing our churches down,"
"You are taking our best members away from us," etc. But we can not
withhold the truth; for the time has come when God is gathering his
people together out of all the "places where they have been
scattered in the cloudy and dark day" (Ezek. 34:12) into the one
church that Jesus built. "Babylon is fallen, is fallen."</p>
<blockquote>
<p>20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and
prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This verse is so clear that it requires no special explanation.
God's people are delivered from sect Babylon; and while the
judgments of eternal truth are being poured out upon her, all
heaven and earth is called upon to rejoice and to give glory to
God.</p>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"We stand in the glory that Jesus has given,</p>
<p class="i2">The moon as the day-spring doth shine;</p>
<p>The light of the sun is now equal to seven,</p>
<p class="i2">So bright is the glory divine.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page374" name="page374"></a>[pg
374]</span></div>
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Now filled with the Spirit and clad in the armor</p>
<p class="i2">Of light and omnipotent truth,</p>
<p>We'll testify ever and Jesus we'll honor,</p>
<p class="i2">And stand from sin Babel aloof.</p>
</div>
<div class="stanza">
<p>"The prophet's keen vision transpiercing the ages,</p>
<p class="i2">Beheld us to Zion return;</p>
<p>We'll sing of our freedom, though Babylon rages,</p>
<p class="i2">We'll shout as her city doth burn."</p>
</div>
</div>
<blockquote>
<p>21. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone,
and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that
great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at
all.</p>
<p>22. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and
trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no
craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in
thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in
thee;</p>
<p>23. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in
thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be
heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men
of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.</p>
<p>24. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints,
and of all that were slain upon the earth.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Following the moral fall of Babylon and the call of God's people
out of her, a mighty angel predicts her eternal doom. "With
violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and <i>shall
be found no more at all</i>." This doubtless has reference to the
entire city of Babylon in all her divisions brought to view in this
series of prophecy and shows her final destruction <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page375" name="page375"></a>[pg 375]</span> at the
coming of Christ, when she shall suddenly be thrown with terrific
force, like a great millstone descending into the sea, and "shall
be found no more at all." According to the symbols here given she
will be like a city completely destroyed, not one inhabitant or
living creature remaining. Thus her eternal doom is pictured and
remains to be yet fulfilled.</p>
<p>"And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and
of all that were slain upon the earth." We have already shown that
Protestantism, as well as her mother Romanism, has been guilty of
shedding innocent blood; and as the term Babylon includes both
these divisions, when the great city is thrown down with violence,
Romanism and Protestantism will sink together, and then this awful
treasure&mdash;the blood of prophets and of saints&mdash;shall be
brought to light in that last great day of God Almighty.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page376" name="page376"></a>[pg
376]</span> <a name="chap19" id="chap19"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER XIX.</h2>
<a name="chap19-1" id="chap19-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in
heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and
power, unto the Lord our God:</p>
<p>2. For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged
the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication,
and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.</p>
<p>3. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever
and ever.</p>
<p>4. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down
and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen;
Alleluia.</p>
<p>5. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God,
all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and
great.</p>
<p>6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as
the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings,
saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.</p>
<p>7. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the
marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself
ready.</p>
<a name="chap19-8" id="chap19-8"></a>
<p>8. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine
linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of
saints.</p>
<p>9. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are
called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me,
These are the true sayings of God.</p>
<a name="chap19-10" id="chap19-10"></a>
<p>10. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me,
See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren
that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.</p>
</blockquote>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page377" name="page377"></a>[pg
377]</span>
<p>The scene of this vision is laid in heaven. John heard a great
voice of much people saying, "Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and
honor, and power, unto the Lord our God." This great song of praise
doubtless came from the lips of the angelic throng; for immediately
the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders reechoed
the same shout of praise, saying, "Amen; Alleluia." Then came a
voice from the throne calling upon the servants of God, both small
and great, to unite on this occasion in one grand and sacred song
of praise; and this sublime chorus fell upon the ear of the
enraptured apostle "as it were the voice of a great multitude, and
as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty
thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him for the
marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife [or bride] hath made
herself ready." Was not here a hearty response to that call,
"Rejoice over her thou heaven"? While this scene shows the interest
all heaven takes in these wondrous scenes of earth, it is doubtless
intended especially to represent the joy and thanksgiving of God's
people who have "gotten the victory over the beast, and over his
image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name."</p>
<p>The marriage of the Lamb which was about to take place was a
special theme of joy on this occasion. In the Scripture the term
<i>marriage</i> is frequently used to represent a special union
between Christ and his people. Thus, the early church was
represented as being free because of the death of the law, that
they "should be <i>married</i> to another, even to him who is
raised from the dead." Rom. 7:4. So, also, the <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page378" name="page378"></a>[pg 378]</span>
eternal union of Christ with his people is here described under the
figure of marriage. In one sense they have been married to Christ
all through this dispensation; in another sense they have not. The
church has had the promise of this eternal union, hence she has
been betrothed to Christ; but left in the world, she has been
driven into the wilderness, while a corrupt and drunken prostitute
and her harlot daughters have been in the public view. Now,
however, the judgments of God have descended upon Babylon, and the
bride of Christ appears in all her beauty again, "arrayed in fine
linen, clean and white"; and the next great event is her public
marriage to Christ when he comes to claim her as his own.</p>
<p>The marriage scene is one of the most joyful that we witness on
earth, and among Eastern nations especially was celebrated with
great pomp and magnificence, the joy and splendor of the occasion
being enhanced according to the rank and wealth of the parties. But
earth has never witnessed such an event as this special <i>marriage
of the Lamb</i>. Well may the inhabitants of heaven and earth, in
view of this sublime spectacle, swell the song of praise&mdash;"Let
us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of
the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." The
special preparations that the bride is making represents the
glorious holiness reformation that is now sweeping over the world,
gathering God's people together for the splendid event. "Blessed
are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the
Lamb."</p>
<p>"These are the true sayings of God." They are almost too
glorious to be believed; still, they are no <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page379" name="page379"></a>[pg 379]</span> idle
dreams of fancy: they are true, yea "the true sayings of God." In
the contemplation of such a wonderful event, the beloved apostle
was carried away, as it were, with holy enthusiasm, and he fell at
the feet of the angel to worship. We do not know just what the
motives or impressions were that caused him to do this. But his
soul was full, full to overflowing, and he could not but adore and
worship. The angel, however, refused the homage thus offered, by
the declaration that he himself, also, was the servant of Christ
and one of the brethren that had the testimony of Jesus; "for the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." The idea is: "I am a
fellowservant with you, and we both have his testimony. You bear
witness to him now in this present generation; I bear witness to
those who are to come. You witness now of his death and
resurrection; I tell of his future glory and triumphs. We are both,
therefore, engaged in the same good work. The testimony of Jesus
and the spirit of prophecy are the same. To God, therefore, we must
both bow." See remarks on chap. 1:1.</p>
<a name="chap19-11" id="chap19-11"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>11. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he
that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war.</p>
<p>12. His eyes were as a flame <i>of</i> fire, and on his head
were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but
he himself.</p>
<p>13. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his
name is called The Word of God.</p>
<p>14. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page380" name="page380"></a>[pg
380]</span>
<p>15. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of
iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God.</p>
<p>16. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,
KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That the person described in this vision is Christ is questioned
by no one. He is the same one who appeared to John in the
beginning. Then he stood in the midst of the seven golden
candle-sticks, the sure defense of the churches, holding the seven
stars in his right hand. Now, however, he appears from the opened
heavens on a white horse, his mission "to judge and make war." The
description of his person, his names, and his attributes,
unmistakably proclaim him the Son of God. He is the "faithful and
true," the name by which he made himself known to the churches of
Philadelphia and Laodicea. "His eyes as a flame of fire" denotes
omniscience; and as a searcher of all hearts he made himself known
to the church of Thyatira. "Many crowns" are a symbol of supreme
sovereignty and doubtless signify his many victories. "And he had a
name written which no man knew but he himself." He had names by
which he might be known to mortals; but he had one name that no
created intelligence could understand: it was known only to him.
What that name was, of course, is not given; it could not be. If
the human mind could not conceive it, human language could not
convey it. We can know him as the Faithful and true Witness, as the
Word of God, and as King of kings and Lord of <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page381" name="page381"></a>[pg 381]</span> lords;
but there is one name that we can not know. His "vesture dipped in
blood" refers, not to the blood of atonement, but to the blood of
his enemies sprinkled upon his raiment in treading the winepress of
God's wrath, and denotes that he was going forth to the dread work
of vengeance. To this I shall refer more fully hereafter. His name
is also called "the Word of God," which, when used as a personal
appellation in the Scriptures, always signifies Jesus Christ.</p>
<p>Before considering his mission further and the armies that
accompanied him, I wish to call special attention to the nature and
the chronology of this event. If the present series of prophetic
symbols (which begin with <a href="#chap17">chap. 17</a>) is a
narrative of continuous events reaching to the end, then the vision
before us is a description of the second coming of Christ, the
event which was just previously announced and for which the bride
had made herself ready. The usual interpretation given it is, that
it is a sublime description of the servants of Christ going forth
under his direction to spread the truth everywhere among the
nations&mdash;in short, that it is the triumph of gospel truth over
error under the <i>providential</i> government of Christ. That such
a meaning can be derived from the vision by taking it in a
<i>figurative</i> sense there can be no doubt, and this is what
commentators generally do. They make the whole a figurative
description of the triumph of the gospel, Christ being present only
by his superintending providence. It is made simply a highly poetic
description of the victory of truth and righteousness. In this
case, however, the principles of symbolic language are clearly
abandoned and a mere ordinary figurative meaning <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page382" name="page382"></a>[pg 382]</span> given.
If we follow strictly the laws of symbolic language, as we
manifestly ought, we shall be compelled to take another view of
it.</p>
<p>In the first place, if this does not describe the actual coming
of Christ, then his second coming is nowhere described in the
Revelation. That so great an event should merely be alluded to in a
few places and nowhere symbolically described seems incredible. At
the judgment scene brought to view in the following chapter the
presence of Christ is <i>assumed</i>, but it is not stated. Again,
there are no victories of love and mercy described at all in the
vision before us; but, on the contrary, it is a scene of fearful
judgment&mdash;a terrible treading of "the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God," the complete overthrow of
every opposing power; while the beast and the false prophet are
represented as taken and cast alive into a lake of fire burning
with brimstone. Surely, this is not the work of the church of God.
But let it be remembered especially that this last event takes
place under the <i>seventh</i> plague, which is the "filling up" of
the wrath of God, and that Christ previously announced under the
sixth vial, "Behold, <i>I come</i> as a thief." Christ comes in
reality when this seventh plague occurs. To represent the glorious
triumphs of Christianity by the mission of the church, the gospel
and the Holy Spirit, under the symbol of Christ, going forth to
judge, to make war, and to tread the winepress of God's wrath, is
at war with every principle of symbolic language.</p>
<p>But can this vision of Christ upon a white horse denote a mere
providential superintendence, such as Christ constantly exercises
over the church and its <span class="pagenum"><a id="page383" name=
"page383"></a>[pg 383]</span> spiritual affairs on earth? Certainly
not by any principle of symbolic language. Throughout the whole
prophecy thus far we have seen that whenever any symbolic agent is
brought upon the panorama, whether horseman, or beasts, or locusts,
or harlot, or whatever else, it always denotes some corresponding
agents appearing on earth and beginning their appropriate work. The
symbolic agent is real. But here is a symbolic appearance of
Christ. By what law could such a symbolic appearance represent
merely a providential superintendence? And if his appearance was
necessary in this case, why was it not necessary in every event, to
show that it was done under his direction? Again, if this symbolic
appearance of Christ is not his real appearance, how can we tell
that there is any reality in the appearance of the horsemen of the
first four seals, the ten-horned beast, or the harlot woman? What
right have we to remove one agent from the panorama as an actual
agent there any more than another? And if this is not his real
appearance, upon what principle of interpretation can we ever
establish the fact of his second coming? It is evident to all that,
if we can turn this agent into a mere providential one, we can do
the same with another, and thus set aside his second coming
altogether. Then, what shall we say in the next chapter when some
one steals our weapons and declares that the great white throne
before which all the dead, small and great, stand is nothing but
that providential government of God under which all sinners pass
condemnation upon themselves and their sins find them out? If we
can deal thus with symbols, we can do <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page384" name="page384"></a>[pg 384]</span> anything with them and
can make out any meaning we please.</p>
<p>The laws of symbolic language require us to take the appearance
of Christ in this vision just as we do the appearance of any other
agent, as a real event. We can not consistently give it any other
meaning. His <i>symbolic</i> appearance must represent his
<i>real</i> appearance; otherwise, it can never be represented by
anything. Jesus appears in his own name and person because there is
no other that can represent his infinite dignity and majesty. And
the symbols connected with him denote the object of his mission and
the work which he performs. His white horse shows him now a
glorious conqueror; his crowns denote his supreme dominion; the
sword of his mouth and his vesture dipped in blood denote the dread
work of vengeance upon his enemies; while the army following him
doubtless denotes the "ten thousands of his saints" that accompany
him when he comes. Jude 14. The bride has already prepared herself
for his coming, and now the eternal union takes place. "Blessed are
they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb."</p>
<blockquote>
<p>17. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a
loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of
heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the
great God;</p>
<p>18. That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of
captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses; and
of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and
bond, both small and great.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page385" name="page385"></a>[pg
385]</span>
<p>19. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their
armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the
horse, and against his army.</p>
<a name="chap19-20" id="chap19-20"></a>
<p>20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that
wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had
received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with
brimstone.</p>
<p>21. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat
upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the
fowls were filled with their flesh.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The foregoing explanation so nearly covers this ground that
little remains to be said. The symbol is that of vast slaughter on
a battle-field, which gathers all the birds of heaven and the
beasts of the forest to the prey. The enemies gathered for this
battle were "the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their
armies," together with the false prophet. This is the grand
confederacy of wickedness formed under the mission of the three
unclean spirits that went forth, not only unto the kings of the
earth, but also into the whole world. This is not a literal
collecting of armies, hence not a literal slaughter upon a
battlefield, nor a literal assembling of carrion birds; but it is a
symbolic representation of the final and eternal destruction of the
allied powers of sin. As will be further described in the following
chapter, they were gathered together for the purpose of
overthrowing the church of God and anticipated a complete victory
in the battle of Armageddon; but the sudden appearance of Jesus
Christ to rescue his bride results in <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page386" name="page386"></a>[pg 386]</span> their complete
overthrow. The special theme of this series of prophecy has been
the history of apostate Christendom; hence the beast and the false
prophet are represented as being taken and thrown into the lake of
fire burning with brimstone. "The remnant" that were slain refers
to the other powers of wickedness not embraced in Catholicism and
Protestantism This series being now traced to its close, the
narrative returns to take up another important theme of prophetic
truth.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page387" name="page387"></a>[pg
387]</span> <a name="chap20" id="chap20"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER XX.</h2>
<a name="chap20-1" id="chap20-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.</p>
<p>2. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is
the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.</p>
<p>3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and
set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more,
till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must
be loosed a little season.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It is commonly supposed that the events here described are to
occur at the second advent; but by considering carefully the
different things enumerated in this chapter&mdash;the binding of
the dragon; then a thousand years; after that the Armageddon
battle; and last of all the judgment scene, in which all the dead,
both small and great, are rewarded, and all the powers of
wickedness cast into the lake of fire&mdash;it will be seen at once
that this is not a continuation of the series of prophecy
immediately preceding, but an entirely new theme, running partly
parallel with that series, and both ending at the same
point&mdash;the second coming of Christ and the general judgment,
in which the lake of fire is the final doom of the combined powers
of wickedness. In that series the beast and the false
prophet&mdash;Romanism and Protestantism&mdash;were the chief
powers of evil under consideration; in this series the dragon
feature predominates. If this be not true, then there will be two
judgment scenes <span class="pagenum"><a id="page388" name=
"page388"></a>[pg 388]</span> and the wicked cast into the lake of
fire twice. Positive proof of the position here taken will be given
as we proceed.</p>
<p>The power here referred to as "the Devil and Satan" is also
denominated "the dragon." This use of the definite article shows
clearly that a particular character is designated&mdash;<i>the</i>
dragon&mdash;and implies that the object has already been
introduced. In his first appearance upon the symbolic panorama
(chap. <a href="#chap12-3">12:3</a>) he is simply styled <i>a</i>
dragon, but in every subsequent instance he is called <i>the</i>
dragon, which proves that the same character is meant. In addition
to the former remarks on chapter <a href="#chap12-9">12:9</a>
relative to the terms applied to this antichristian power, the
following quotation from the People's Cyclop&aelig;dia will throw
some light on the subject: "In the mythical history and legendary
poetry of almost every nation, the dragon appears as the emblem of
the destructive and anarchistic principle.... Like the serpent, the
dragon is always a minister of evil ... the object of which is to
fight order, harmony, and progress. In Christian art, the dragon is
the emblem of sin.... It is often represented as crushed under the
feet of saints and martyrs.... Sometimes its prostrate attitude
signifies the triumph of Christianity over Paganism." Art. Dragon.
Considering this usage of these terms for ages, it is not strange
that they were applied also to that great antichristian,
persecuting system of Paganism, which stood before Christianity as
its greatest barrier to "order, harmony, and progress."</p>
<p>The angel that overthrew this public system of Pagan infidelity
symbolizes the primitive host of <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page389" name="page389"></a>[pg 389]</span> Christians, the
ministers in particular. Some have supposed that he represented
Christ; but, as already shown conclusively, Christ can not be
symbolized by an inferior intelligence, hence always appears upon
the scene in his own character, proclaiming his own eternal name.
The fact that this angel possessed the key of the bottomless pit is
no proof that he is Christ, even though in chapter <a href=
"#chap1-18">1:18</a> Jesus is said to have certain keys; for in
chapter <a href="#chap9-1">9:1</a> we find that a <i>fallen
star</i>&mdash;the symbol of Mohammed&mdash;is said to have "the
key of the bottomless pit" also. At the most, this expression is
only a symbol of power and authority, be it good or bad. In the
gospel the same figure is applied to God's ministers, where they
are given authority to bind the powers of wickedness on earth. Mat.
16:19; 18:18. The chain is a symbol of the power to bind.</p>
<p>When Christianity first commenced its warfare with this huge
system of error, almost the entire then-known world was under its
deceptive influence; but by a long conflict, in which thousands of
the noble followers of the Lamb were slaughtered, this
antichristian public system of Pagan infidelity was at last
completely overthrown, and the final result was, that the civilized
world became as completely Christian (nominally at least) as it
ever had been Pagan. This great transformation could never have
been effected without the undying heroism and whole-hearted
consecration of the first disciples of Christ. From this time the
dragon <i>as such</i>&mdash;as a public deceiver of the nations
throughout the Apocalyptic earth&mdash;was overthrown. This marks
the beginning of the thousand years mentioned.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page390" name="page390"></a>[pg
390]</span>
<p>Since many of the principles of heathenism were copied by the
church of Rome, it may be difficult for some to understand at first
why it is said that the dragon no longer deceived the nations after
being cast down by primitive Christianity; but this becomes clear
when we consider what the dragon really was and what the church of
Rome was understood to be. A time came when the entire civilized
world knew that heathenism as such was wrong and rejected the very
idea of a plurality of gods; but they were led to believe that they
could adapt many of their former rites and ceremonies to the
worship of the one true God in whom they believed and thereby
render acceptable service to him, and were sure that the Romish
church was the one true apostolic church. It was not the dragon, or
heathenism, that then deceived them; it was Christianity&mdash;<i>a
false Christianity</i>. The manner in which the people were
deceived during the time following the casting down of heathenism
in the beginning has already been considered in chapters <a href=
"#chap12">XII</a>, <a href="#chap13">XIII</a>, <a href=
"#chap17">XVII</a>, <a href="#chap18">XVIII</a>, etc., covering the
same period of time included in the one thousand years in the
vision before us.</p>
<p>We can not apply this period specified as literally one thousand
years without varying from every principle of time prophecy in the
Revelation, for they are all symbolic; neither can we apply it
according to the usual year-day method, which, signifying three
hundred and sixty thousand years, would throw this series of events
out of harmony with the time-periods allotted to the other themes
of truth running over the same ground and terminating at the same
point&mdash;the general judgment. Therefore, to be consistent, we
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page391" name="page391"></a>[pg
391]</span> shall have to apply it as (so far as human knowledge of
the exact dates is concerned) an indefinite length of time, on the
same principle that "the hour of temptation" in chapter <a href=
"#chap3-10">3:10</a>, the three and one-half days in chapter
<a href="#chap11-9">11:9</a>, and the "hour" in which the ten
kingdoms receive power with the beast (chap. <a href=
"#chap17-12">17:12</a>), etc., are applied.</p>
<a name="chap20-4" id="chap20-4"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was
given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for
the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not
worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his
mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and
reigned with Christ a thousand years.</p>
<p>5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand
years were finished. This is the first resurrection.</p>
<a name="chap20-6" id="chap20-6"></a>
<p>6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they
shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a
thousand years.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We have in this description another division of the subject
introduced&mdash;a history of God's people, or one phase of the
church, during the same thousand years following the casting down
of the dragon. "They lived and reigned with Christ." It was those
who had "part in the first resurrection" that were exalted to this
honored position with Christ. Millenarians always <i>assume</i>
that this refers to a literal resurrection at the second coming of
Christ, but no such thing is hinted at. Not one word is said about
literally resurrected saints reigning. John says, "I <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page392" name="page392"></a>[pg 392]</span> saw
the <i>souls</i> of them which were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus ... and <i>they</i> lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years." Nothing whatever is said about any reign on earth at all;
but the description shows plainly that it was disembodied spirits
that were reigning with Christ in Paradise during the period that
followed the casting down of the dragon, which was in reality one
of long apostasy and darkness on earth. Before and during this
conflict with Paganism the church of God was publicly triumphant on
earth. Afterward, during the apostasy, a false church was, in the
public view, triumphant, while the church of God was crowded out of
sight into the wilderness. However, the reign of God's saints did
not cease; for when they were slaughtered by their relentless
persecutors and deprived of their reign on earth, they were, as
symbolized by the man-child, caught up to God and to his throne and
there "lived and reigned with Christ" during the thousand years
under consideration.</p>
<p>This same thought concerning the reign of the martyrs in
Paradise while the powers of evil triumphed on earth, was brought
to view on the opening of the fifth seal in chapter <a href=
"#chap6-9">6:9-11</a>. "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I
saw under the altar the <i>souls of them that were slain</i> for
the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they
cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true,
dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the
earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it
was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season,
until their fellowservants also and their <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page393" name="page393"></a>[pg 393]</span>
brethren, <i>that should be killed as they were</i> should be
fulfilled." This quotation will make clear one point concerning the
refusal of the martyrs to worship the beast and his image. We are
not to understand that every soul of the martyrs John saw in these
visions reigned during the entire period under consideration; but
he beheld the reign of the saints above during the one thousand
years, and he saw there the souls of all the martyrs&mdash;such as
had been slain in the early days of Christianity (chap. <a href=
"#chap12-11">12:11</a>); such as refused to worship the beast and
were martyred therefor (chap. <a href="#chap13-7">13:7</a>); and
also, such as "should be killed as they were" (chap. <a href=
"#chap6-11">6:11</a>) and were put to death shortly after the
formation of the image of the beast. Chap. <a href=
"#chap13-15">13:15</a>; <a href="#chap16-6">16:6</a>.</p>
<p>This company of souls that the apostle saw reigning with Christ
above were those who had had part "in the first resurrection,"
which had made them "blessed and holy." They were not on earth;
they were disembodied spirits above, hence had not been literally
resurrected. The Scriptures clearly teach that mankind in their
ordinary condition are "<i>dead</i> in trespasses and in sins," and
that through salvation, which makes them "blessed and holy," they
are "quickened" to a new life in Christ. Eph. 2:1. That this is
Scripturally "the first resurrection" is proved most positively by
the words of Christ&mdash;"Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour
is coming, <i>and now is</i>, when the <i>dead</i> shall hear the
voice of the Son of God: and they that hear <i>shall live</i>. He
that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me,
<i>hath</i> everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation,
but is <i>passed from death unto life</i>." John 5:25, 24.
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page394" name="page394"></a>[pg
394]</span> Although many other proofs could easily be given, this
of itself is sufficient to establish the point that the host of
early Christians who had "passed from death unto life" in Christ
and who gave their lives gladly for the sake of Christ, constituted
the ones referred to as having had "part in the first
resurrection." According to verse 6 it was only on those who had
part in the first resurrection that the second death had no power.
The church at Smyrna received the sure promise from Christ himself
that they should "not be hurt of the second death" (chap. <a href=
"#chap2-11">2:11</a>); and this shows beyond all question that even
at that early date they had had part in this first resurrection
that makes men blessed and holy.</p>
<p>It is the trick of Beelzebub to deceive souls by causing them to
overlook the fact that this first resurrection that made men
blessed and holy is of a spiritual nature and to fix their hopes in
two literal resurrections at the end. There will be but one literal
resurrection then, as is clearly shown by the account given of the
judgment in this chapter, verses 11-15. The writer of the
Revelation declared positively, "Behold, he cometh with clouds: and
<i>every eye</i> shall see him, and they also which pierced him:
and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him." Chap.
<a href="#chap1-7">1:7</a>. If this does not prove that there is
but one literal resurrection when Christ comes, then I would not
know how to state such a fact if I desired. Furthermore, Jesus
himself, in the same chapter in which he described "the first
resurrection," says most positively that all the literal dead shall
be resurrected at the same time. "Marvel not at this," he says:
"the <i>hour</i> is coming, in the which all that are in the graves
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page395" name="page395"></a>[pg
395]</span> shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that
have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28, 29. This
<i>hour</i> certainly can not signify more than a short period of
time. In their efforts to prove two literal resurrections,
millenarians always quote with emphasis, "The dead in Christ shall
rise first." 1 Thes. 4:16. In doing so they, either ignorantly or
wilfully, wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction; for any
one can see at a glance that no such thing as two resurrections is
even hinted at. Verses 15-17 simply teach this, that the righteous
who are living on the earth at the time Christ appears will not
ascend to heaven <i>before</i> the righteous dead are resurrected,
but the dead will rise first, then they will all be caught up
together at one and the same time. The wicked are not mentioned in
this connection; for, as stated, Paul was writing this only for the
comfort and the edification of the church. In the following
chapter, however, their "sudden destruction" at the second coming
of Christ is mentioned as a warning to the church.</p>
<p>It is evident that the first resurrection as applied in this
connection specified particularly that phase of the church which,
as symbolized by the man-child, was caught up to God through
martyrdom and there "lived and reigned with Christ." The other
phase of the church, symbolized by the woman, is not said to reign
with Christ a thousand years, but, on the other hand, is
represented as driven into the wilderness, her public reign on
earth being ended by the holy city being trodden under foot of a
profane multitude of apostate beast-worshipers; and the two
witnesses, <span class="pagenum"><a id="page396" name=
"page396"></a>[pg 396]</span> clothed in sackcloth, were
prophesying only in a few isolated, individual hearts.</p>
<p>A careful study of this scripture, taken in connection with
others in the Revelation applying to the same object, will show
that all God's people, both those here brought to view during the
thousand years and those following that period, are spoken of as
dead people resurrected and reigning. They are considered under two
phases&mdash;those who, as symbolized by the man-child, were caught
up to God through martyrdom and there lived and reigned with
Christ; and those who, as symbolized by the woman, were deprived of
their public reign on earth and were driven into the wilderness
during the same period. The first phase were "priests of God and of
Christ" and reigned with him in Paradise (chap. <a href=
"#chap6-9">6:9-11</a>); but "the rest," the phase symbolized by the
woman, did not live and enjoy their public reign again, as in the
early days of Christianity, until the expiration of the
thousand-year period. It is true that individuals on earth received
life from God and were thus spiritually resurrected during the
thousand-year period; but the dominant beast-power martyred them by
thousands, the two witnesses were then in their sack-cloth state,
and thus the public triumphal reign of the saints on earth ceased.
The statement of verse five that "the rest of the dead lived not
again until the thousand years were finished" should be applied not
in an individual, but in a general sense, the same as the reign
above during the same period is considered. There is also some
doubt as to the authenticity of this sentence. It is not found in
the Vatican Manuscript, which is one of the oldest in existence;
and the Syriac Version, <span class="pagenum"><a id="page397" name=
"page397"></a>[pg 397]</span> which has come down to us from early
days through an entirely separate channel, does not contain it.
However, it is evident that the phase of the church symbolized by
the woman actually reigns triumphantly on earth after the thousand
years is finished; for verses 7-9 of this chapter show that the
dragon, combined with Gog and Magog, goes forth on the breadth of
the earth to compass the camp of the saints just before the end of
time.</p>
<p>The fact that the reign of God's people on earth is divided into
two distinct periods is shown also by other prophecies. In the
seventh chapter of Daniel is recorded a vision of four great
beasts, symbolizing the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and
Roman empires. Verse 18, connected with Dan. 2:31-44, shows that
the saints were to possess the kingdom of God before the overthrow
of all these four kingdoms, which was actually fulfilled by Jesus
Christ appearing during the reign of the Roman empire and planting
the kingdom of God in the earth. See Mark 1:15; Luke 12:32; 16:16;
Col. 1:13. Then follows a description of the rise of the Papacy,
which was to "<i>wear out the saints of the most High</i>" for a
time, times, and the dividing of times&mdash;three and one-half
times, or forty-two months, or, prophetically, twelve hundred and
sixty years. This, as before explained, reaches to the year A.D.
1530. During this period the public reign of the saints on earth
ceased. Then immediately following it is said, "The judgment shall
sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to
destroy it <i>unto the end</i>." This does not refer to the final
judgment; it is a spiritual judgment that commences before that
time and continues "<i>unto the end</i>." <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page398" name="page398"></a>[pg 398]</span> For
example of a similar <i>judgment</i> see Acts 7:7.</p>
<p>God had a people during the Protestant era who walked in all the
light they possessed and who were filled with judgment against the
beast-power that had worn out the saints for ages. And though in
places some were put to death for refusing to worship the image of
the beast that lifeless professors had set up, yet there were from
time to time reformations that resurrected many people to life in
Christ. A little later, however, the real spiritual reign of the
saints is perfectly restored in the pure gospel light of the
evening time, and now the next verse is fulfilled, which says, "And
the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under
the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the
most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom." It is only
reasonable to suppose that the public reign on earth would commence
gradually and would finally reach its perfect fulfilment, just the
same as it ceased gradually in the beginning. Therefore we can not
point to a definite date exactly marking the end of the thousand
years, any more than we can locate exactly the time of its
commencement; but we must be satisfied just to consider this
symbolic expression as covering a long period of time during which
these important phases of deep truth are considered merely from a
general standpoint.</p>
<p>This special reign of a thousand years above is doubtless
brought to our view for the express purpose of making the history
of the triumph of Christianity continuous. When interrupted on
earth, the scene is suddenly transferred to Paradise; then when the
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page399" name="page399"></a>[pg
399]</span> woman comes out of the wilderness and the public reign
on earth begins again, while the woman is being prepared as a bride
for the coming of the Lamb, the scene, as the following description
in verse 9 also will show, is again transferred to earth. The reign
above does not in reality cease with the expiration of the thousand
years, but we are permitted to obtain a view of it only for that
length of time during the down-trodden state of the church on
earth. This reign of the martyrs' above is placed in direct
contrast with the public reign on earth during the same time, which
consisted of multitudes of people worshiping the beast, recieving
his image and his mark. What the "thrones" on which they sat and
the "judgment" given them signifies, I do not know for certain, but
it is doubtless the same exalted privilege and authority which
Christ promised to all his over-comers&mdash;to sit with him on his
throne. Chap. <a href="#chap3-21">3:21</a>.</p>
<a name="chap20-7" id="chap20-7"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>7. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be
loosed out of his prison,</p>
<p>8. And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to
battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.</p>
<p>9. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed
the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came
down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.</p>
<a name="chap20-10" id="chap20-10"></a>
<p>10. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and
shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The loosing of Satan, or the dragon, is the first important
point to be considered. Before this matter <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page400" name="page400"></a>[pg 400]</span> can be
rightly understood, however, we must take into account carefully
certain facts regarding his binding. It was not the dragon as a
political power that Christianity attacked (it did not labor to
that end), but it was its huge public system of false belief that
was overthrown. This great system, as opposed to Christianity, can
all be summed up under the one word <i>infidelity</i>.
<i>Infidel</i> signifies "a heathen; one who disbelieves in Christ,
or the divine origin and authority of Christianity."&mdash;Webster.
This system was positively an antichristian power that sought by
every possible means to destroy the religion of Jesus and to blot
out his very name. It failed in the attempt. It was bound. During
the long reign of Popery, when the doctrine was
be-a-Catholic-or-die, infidelity could not publicly lift its head
in the sense in which it was cast down by the early Christians. It
had no power over the nations of the Apocalyptic earth to then
deceive them; but they were greatly deceived by a false
Christianity until almost all the world wondered after the beast.
The release of the dragon, then, in order to be entirely
satisfactory and consistent, must embrace the following points:
First, it must at least include the development of a great public
antichristian power whose avowed object is to destroy the whole
fabric of Christianity. Second, being bound by divine power, his
release must be the result of divine permission for a special
purpose. Third, the scene of his imprisonment must necessarily be
the place of his release; namely, the earth&mdash;the Apocalyptic
earth&mdash;the territory of the Roman empire.</p>
<p>We find all these requirements meeting a most perfect fulfilment
in the events described under the <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page401" name="page401"></a>[pg 401]</span> pouring out of the
first vial, which was done by the direction of Him that sat upon
the throne. A sufficient history of that fearful system of
infidelity which, through the labors of Voltaire and his
coadjutors, spread throughout all Europe has already been given.
The very object of the leaders of this movement was the
extermination of the Christian religion, and their secret watchword
was "Crush the wretch," meaning Jesus Christ. The dragon was loose
in all his terrible features. The Pagans upheld a false belief;
these modern worshipers of the dragon did likewise and publicly
exalted the "Goddess of Reason" as an object of devotion, setting
aside every tenth day for their hellish orgies in her honor. The
former endeavored to overthrow the Christian religion; the latter
had for its special aim the utter destruction of everything
Christian either in name or in character. This devilish system
spread over all Europe and almost undermined the whole fabric of
society, and threatened to convert the world from Christianity to
the worship of the Goddess of Reason. Its foothold gained was so
extensive and its effects so far-reaching that prominent
historians, D'Aubigne among the number, have denominated the period
of its greatest triumph "the day of Reason." It is one of the three
and one-half days covered by the prophecy in Rev. <a href=
"#chap11-9">11:9</a>.</p>
<p>I do not wish to be understood, however, as limiting the release
of the dragon and his work to the system of infidelity that had its
origin in France. I merely refer to that unfortunate system as the
beginning of the dragon's release and work&mdash;the
re-introduction to the world of those principles of public
hostility to <span class="pagenum"><a id="page402" name=
"page402"></a>[pg 402]</span> Christianity which had lain buried
since the days of Pagan Rome. The dragon in the beginning was a
deceptive system, one that "deceived the whole world"; but its
deceptions were uncovered by the light of Christianity, and then it
became the bitter public opposer of the religion of Christ. In the
release of the dragon the order is reversed. He first appears as
the public enemy of Christianity in the form already mentioned, but
afterwards changes his tactics to milder methods in order the
better to "deceive" the people, as we shall see hereafter.</p>
<p>But there is another chapter in the history of the dragon's
career that we must not overlook&mdash;his partnership with Gog and
Magog. The original signification of the terms <i>Gog and Magog</i>
is difficult to ascertain, as all known accounts are conflicting.
The terms occur in Ezek. 38 and 39 also. In the Revelation,
however, it is clear that these terms are applied to Romanism and
Protestantism, and under the special leadership of this spirit of
antichrist they are gathered together to battle against the saints
of the most High. I will again quote the description of this union
as given under the sixth vial, which refers to the present time:
"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth
of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the
mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils,
working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of
the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of
God Almighty.... And he gathered them into a place called in the
Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Chap. <a href="#chap16-13">16:13-16</a>.
It will be <span class="pagenum"><a id="page403" name=
"page403"></a>[pg 403]</span> noticed that the field of operations
under this grand confederation of the three unclean spirits is
enlarged so that it includes not merely the Apocalyptic earth, but
"the whole world."</p>
<p>In order to form a confederation of powers each of which holds
its own distinctive principles, it is necessary that each make
certain concessions, in outward appearance at least, so that they
can work together in harmony against a common foe. In this case it
will be necessary that three points be conceded before the dragon,
the beast, and the false prophet can agree. First, the dragon must
not appear in his true character as antichristian; he must be
clothed in some different attire in order to "deceive." Second,
Catholicism must stop her work of slaying those who disagree with
her and cover up her true principles. Third, Protestantism must
cease protesting against the abominations of Catholicism. We are
living in the time when this confederation of the powers of
wickedness is being effected; therefore we must not expect to see
the dragon as a terrible creature with heads and horns standing as
the open adversary of God, but we must look for him dressed up in a
garb "to deceive." If necessary he can place himself under a
Christian garb without violating his conscience&mdash;of which he
has none.</p>
<p>It will perhaps be beneficial to give the reader a short account
of some of the forms under which the dragon is manifesting himself
at the present time in order to "deceive" the people. It will be
remembered that, in the description of the first vial, which
represented the awful system of infidelity that was spread over
Europe, Dr. Adam Weishaupt of the University <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page404" name="page404"></a>[pg 404]</span> of
Ingolstadt, formed a secret society under the name of the
Illuminati in order the better to spread these wicked principles. A
quotation was also made showing that "<i>Freemasonry</i> being in
high repute all over Europe when Weishaupt first formed the plan of
his society, he availed himself of its secrecy to introduce his new
order, which rapidly spread, by the efforts of its founders and
disciples, through all those countries." Now, if Freemasonry was
such an excellent channel for the dragon to begin his work through,
is it not reasonable to suppose that he would still retain his
position in that order, and especially since <i>the very name of
Christ</i> is barred from its rites, rules, and ceremonies? And
this thought is especially convincing when we consider the fact
that Freemasonry is in its very nature and constitution only a form
of Paganism. This vast body is founded on what they call the
"ancient mysteries." The following is taken from Masonic Salvation
by Fred Husted:</p>
<p>"Warburton says: 'Each of the Pagan gods had (beside the public
and open) a secret worship paid unto him, to which none were
admitted but those who had been selected by preparatory ceremonies
called initiation. This secret worship was called "the
mysteries."'</p>
<p>"Mackey, another member of this order, says: 'These mysteries
existed in every country of heathendom, in each under a different
name, and to some extent under a different form, but always and
everywhere with the same design of inculcating (teaching) by
allegorical and symbolical teachings the great Masonic doctrines of
the unity of God and the immortality of the soul. This one
important proposition <span class="pagenum"><a id="page405" name=
"page405"></a>[pg 405]</span> and the fact which it enumerates
(states) must never be lost sight of, in any inquiry into the
origin of Freemasonry; for the Pagan mysteries were to the spurious
Freemasonry of antiquity precisely what the Masters' lodges are to
the Freemasonry of the present day.'</p>
<p>"This is certainly a frank statement, coming as it does from a
man who is an acknowledged and highly esteemed authority in matters
pertaining to the craft. Daniel Sickles says, 'In Egypt, Greece,
and many other ancient nations Freemasonry, that is, the Mysteries,
was one of the earliest agencies employed to effect the improvement
and enlightenment of man.' Pierson says, 'The identity of the
Masonic institutions with the ancient Mysteries is obvious,' which
means clearly to be seen, manifest to any and all.</p>
<p>"Masons say that the order is founded on the Bible&mdash;that
is, unlearned Masons say so. Geo. Wingate Chase, in the Digest of
Masonic Law, says: 'The Jews, the Turks, each reject either the New
Testament or the Old or both, and yet we see no good reasons why
they should not be made Masons. In fact, Blue Lodge [first three
degrees] Masonry has nothing whatever to do with the Bible. It is
not founded on the Bible. If it were, it would not be Masonry; it
would be something else.'</p>
<p>"Sickles says in speaking of the third, or Master Mason's
degree, 'There are characters impressed upon it which can not be
mistaken. <i>It is thoroughly Egyptian</i>.' He further says that
the tradition is older by a thousand years than Solomon. 'That our
[Masonic] rites embrace all the possible circumstances of man,
moral, social, and spiritual, and have a meaning high <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page406" name="page406"></a>[pg 406]</span> as the
heavens, broad as the universe, and profound as eternity.' Sickles
in Gen. Chiman Rezon.</p>
<p>"The writer was informed when the charges were given him 'that
our ancient brethren worshiped in high hills and in low vales, and
that guards were placed to keep off cowans or eves-droppers.' By
referring to Scripture we at once find the character of those who
worshiped in high hills and low vales, and why they needed a guard
to keep off eves-droppers. 'Thou saidst, I will not transgress;
when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou
wanderest, playing the harlot.' Jer. 2:20; 3:6. 'Ye shall utterly
destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess
served other gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and
under every green tree.' Deut. 12:2. 'Enflaming themselves with
idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the vales
under the clifts of the rocks.... Even thither wentest thou up to
offer sacrifice.' Isa. 57:5-7. They were not afraid of Ahab and
Jezebel (2 Kings 7:10; 1 Kings 14:23), and they grew and multiplied
in their reigns, and in the reigns of all those of whom it is
recorded that 'they did that which was evil in the sight of the
Lord.' Some of the kings of Israel and of Judah destroyed their
high places for them and were highly favored of God for so
doing.</p>
<p>"Again, 'The precepts of Jesus could not have been made
obligatory upon a Jew. A Christian would have denied the sanction
of the Koran. A Mohammedan must have rejected the law of Moses, and
a disciple of Zoroaster would have turned from all, to the teaching
of his Zend-Avesta. The universal law of nature, which the authors
of the old charges have <span class="pagenum"><a id="page407" name=
"page407"></a>[pg 407]</span> properly called the moral, is
therefore the <i>only law</i> suited in every respect to be adopted
as the Masonic code.' Mackeys' Textbook, Masonic Jurisprudence. If
the statements just quoted do not place the secret society of
Masonry on a footing decidedly Pagan, it is difficult to say just
where it does stand....</p>
<p>"Tammuz, or Osiris of Egypt, who is declared to be the original
of Hiram Abiff the temple-builder, is still mourned for. Ezek.
8:14. See Young's Analytical Concordance or any standard Greek
Mythology. Now see Piersons' Traditions of Freemasonry. 'The
Masonic legend stands by itself, unsupported by history, or other
than its own traditions. Yet we readily recognize in Hiram Abiff
the Osiris of the Egyptians, the Mithras of the Persians, the
Bacchus of the Greeks [god of drunkenness, or feasts and the like],
the Dionysis of the fraternity of artificers, and the Atys of the
Phrygians, whose passions, deaths, and resurrections were
celebrated by these people respectively.' Thus it is clearly shown
that each of these ancient nations had its counterfeit Savior and
Redeemer, and it is here proved by the words of Masonic Grand
Masters, authors, and authorities, that Masonry is of Pagan
origin."</p>
<p>When we think of the millions of devotees of this form of
Paganism, multitudes of church-members and preachers, surely it is
not difficult to see that the dragon is loose in deceiving power
again. That he is meeting with great success in forming his
confederation of all false religions, is obvious. The world's
Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago in the year 1893, is an
illustration of this statement. The dragon, the beast, and the
false prophet met in "mutual confidence <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page408" name="page408"></a>[pg 408]</span> and
respect," a "brotherhood" of religions. Theism, Judaism,
Mohammedanism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism,
Zoroastrianism, Catholicism, the Greek Church, and Protestantism in
many forms&mdash;all these were represented. And the devotees of
these religions met, as they said, "To unite all religion against
all irreligion; to make the golden rule the basis of this union;
and to present to the world <i>substantial unity of many
religions</i>." The following are a few extracts from addresses
made before the Parliament.</p>
<p>President Charles Carroll Bonney, in the opening address, said:
"Worshipers of God and lovers of man: Let us rejoice that we have
lived to see this glorious day.... That we are permitted to take
part in this solemn and majestic event of a World's Congress of
Religions. The importance of this event can not be overestimated.
Its influence on the future relations of the various races of men,
can not be too highly esteemed. If this Congress shall faithfully
execute its duties with which it has been charged, it shall become
the joy of the whole earth, and stand in human history like a
<i>new Mount Zion</i>, crowned with glory, and marking the actual
beginning of a <i>new epoch of brotherhood</i> and peace. <i>For
when the religious faiths of the world recognize each other as
brothers, children of one Father</i>, whom all profess to love and
serve, then, and not until then, will the nations of the earth
yield to the spirit of concord and learn war no more.... We meet on
the mountain height of absolute respect for the religious
convictions of each other.... This day the sun of a new era of
religious peace and progress arises over the world, dispelling the
dark <span class="pagenum"><a id="page409" name="page409"></a>[pg
409]</span> clouds of sectarian strife. <i>It is the brotherhood of
religions.</i>"</p>
<p>Chairman John Henry Barrows, in his address, said: "We are here
not as Baptists and Buddhists, Catholics and Confucians, Parsees
and Presbyterians, Methodists and Moslems; we are here as members
of a Parliament of Religions, over which flies no sectarian flag,
... but where for the first time in large council is lifted up the
banner of love, fellowship, brotherhood.... Welcome, one and all,
thrice welcome to the world's first Parliament of Religions!
Welcome to the men and women of Israel, the standing miracle of
nations and religions! Welcome to the disciples of Prince
Siddartha, the many millions who worship their lord Buddha as the
light of Asia! Welcome to the high-priests of the national religion
of Japan! This city has every reason to be grateful to the
enlightened ruler of 'the sunrise kingdom.' Welcome to the men of
India, and all faiths! Welcome to all the disciples of Christ! ...
It seems to me that the spirits of just and good men hover over
this assembly. I believe the spirit of Paul is here. I believe the
spirit of the wise and humane Buddha is here, and of Socrates the
searcher after truth.... When a few days ago I met for the first
time the delegates who have come to us from Japan, and shortly
after the delegates who have come to us from India, I felt that the
arms of human brotherhood had reached almost around the globe."
World's Parliament of Religions, Chap. III. Similar congresses have
since been held. While I never expect to see all these principles
of evil under one organized form, yet it is evident that the
spirits of devils that have <span class="pagenum"><a id="page410"
name="page410"></a>[pg 410]</span> gone forth into "all the world"
are uniting them all under one <i>spirit</i>&mdash;that of
Antichrist.</p>
<p>Another form in which the old dragon is manifesting himself and
uniting thousands of people against the truth, and one in which the
"miracles" ascribed to this latest confederation of Satan are
performed, is that of "Christian Science." Attracted by its healing
doctrine, multitudes are lured into this deceptive communion of
Mrs. Eddy's. At the very best her system is, as every historian
knows, only a slight revision of the Oriental Philosophy; and
notwithstanding its forged name <i>Christian</i>, it is truly
subversive of the doctrine of Christ. Her grand central doctrine of
the "allness" of mind and the unreality of matter is a true copy of
the "fantastic idealism" of the Gnostics. Gnosticism was based on
"speculative knowledge." So is Mrs. Eddy's theory. Gnosticism
denied the "<i>true humanity</i> of the Redeemer, and made his
person a mere phantom, and his work a mere illusion." So does
Christian Science. Although Mrs. Eddy clamours loudly that her work
is <i>Christian</i> and her multitude of followers believe her
claim, still a careful study of her work Science and Health will
convince any unprejudiced person that she utterly repudiates the
atonement-work of Jesus Christ by denying his person and the
reality of sin and matter. Though the system may contain some good
moral principles, yet it has no power to save men from sin, since
it denies the existence of actual sin. Her denial of the one
personal God&mdash;"all is infinite mind, and its infinite
manifestations,"&mdash;is but a swing of the pendulum from the
godless and graceless system of the materialistic philosophy
propounded by <span class="pagenum"><a id="page411" name=
"page411"></a>[pg 411]</span> Darwin and Haeckel and is as absurd
and unscriptural (although opposite) as the rankest Pantheism.</p>
<p>The salvation of the soul through faith in Jesus Christ has
absolutely no place in the Christian Science creed. It is nothing
but a species of universalism. Individuals of every evil class and
character&mdash;self-lovers, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without
natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent,
fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady,
highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, profane,
murderers of fathers and mothers, man-slayers, whoremongers, liars,
drunkards, sorcerers, perjured persons, backbiters, haters of God,
despiteful, inventors of evil things, implacable, unmerciful,
abominable, and those unto every good work reprobate&mdash;any and
all of these characters can and do come to the healers of Christian
Science, and <i>not one word is said to them about getting
salvation</i> through repentance and living faith in the Savior;
but, on the other hand, they are received as follows: "As
<i>children of God</i> you have a right to the healing of your
bodies"! The dragon is in it! I warn people to beware. "They are
the spirits of devils, working miracles," and form an important
proof that we are near the end of time.</p>
<p>Another form in which the dragon is manifesting his power on the
deceptive and miracle-working line is modern Spiritualism.
Multitudes of people of all classes are believers in this
soul-destroying doctrine. The system is generally acknowledged to
be but a modern form of what was anciently styled witchcraft,
necromancy, magic, etc., while the mediums of to-day <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page412" name="page412"></a>[pg 412]</span> are of
the same class as those formerly known as "witches," "sorcerers,"
"magicians." This they themselves often admit. The system is so
well known both in doctrine and in its pernicious effects that I
will not devote further space to the matter.<a id="footnotetag15"
name="footnotetag15"></a><a href="#footnote15"><sup>15</sup></a> In
many other forms the dragon is working his deceptions upon the
people.</p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote15" name=
"footnote15"></a><b>Footnote 15:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag15">(return)</a>
<p>For further consideration of this subject read the book "Modern
Spiritualism Exposed," by the publishers of this work.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Millions of church-members and thousands of preachers are
numbered among these antichristian organizations of Freemasonry,
Christian Science, Spiritualism, etc., etc., gathered together
under the influence of the spirits of devils working miracles,
mighty signs, and wonders. On the other hand, the churches are
filled with persons who in spirit are nothing but skeptics and
infidels. Said T. De Witt Talmage on one occasion, "There is a
mighty host in the Christian church, positively professing
Christianity, who <i>do not believe the Bible</i>, out and out, in
and in, from the first word of the first verse of the first chapter
of the Book of Genesis, down to the last word of the last verse of
the last chapter of the Book of Revelation." Is it any wonder that
such is the case when a large number of the preachers themselves
are in reality skeptics? A newspaper clipping before me contains
the following, uttered on March 28, 1905, by the Rev. B.A. Green,
pastor of the First Baptist Church, of Evanstown, Ill., before
about a hundred of his fellow ministers: "All the truth in the
world is not contained in one book, nor in books of theology, God
was too big for one temple and he is also too big <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page413" name="page413"></a>[pg 413]</span> for
one book. God is everywhere. His truth is found in all good books.
The pastor of to-day should read the modern psychology and modern
literature, <i>especially the works of fiction</i> which deal with
religious or social phases of modern life." A large portion of the
sectarian ministry reject entirely the Mosaic account of the
creation, and accept instead the modern theory of evolution.</p>
<p>The following quotation is from the Rev. Minton J. Savage,
pastor of the Church of the Messiah, New York, N.Y., who is an
acknowledged leader in the "higher criticism." This was in answer
to an attack made on the higher critics by a convention of the
American Bible League.</p>
<p>"The men who are leading in the higher criticism of the Bible
and who are now being assailed so bitterly by the American Bible
League, are representative scholars of the world, scientific
thinkers, leaders, teachers, who have given us a new universe, a
new conception of God, a new idea concerning the origin and nature
of man. They are not seeking to support or to undermine anything.
They are seeking for the truth as the only sacred thing on
earth.</p>
<p>"I would like to consider what this book is about over which all
this controversy is raging. It is really not one book, but
sixty-six small volumes. They were written during a period of
nearly a thousand years, in different countries, by different
people. The first book was written about eight hundred years before
Christ. The first five books of the Bible were written between five
and six hundred years before Christ. The historical books tell us
about the day of Judges, then <span class="pagenum"><a id="page414"
name="page414"></a>[pg 414]</span> of Kings, the wars of Israel,
until the time of captivity. Then the book of Job, purely
anonymous, and no one knows who wrote it. Then the book of the
Psalms, the hymn-book of the people of Israel, and the books of the
prophets. It would be more proper to call them preachers, for they
make no effort to foretell anything, but merely told the people
that if they followed certain lines of conduct certain things would
happen.</p>
<p>"No book was placed in the Bible by anything that claimed to be
divine authority. No law concerning the Biblical canon was ever
issued by the church earlier than the sixteenth century and that
changed nothing; it simply recognized what had come to be a fact.
These books drifted together and came to be bound as one, by force
of gravity, by common consent, and there are one or two books in
the New Testament which scholars could miss without feeling any the
poorer.</p>
<p>"Nobody, then, is assaulting the Bible, for the simple reason
that the Bible as such has never made any claim. The Bible does not
claim to be inspired; it does not claim to be infallible. No writer
of one book is authorized to speak for the author of any other
book. One verse is sometimes referred to as meaning something. The
writer of the last book in the Bible utters a curse against anybody
who should presume to add to or take from the words of that book.
He does not say that the book is infallible; he simple curses
anybody that interferes with it, as Shakespeare uttered a curse
against anybody who interfered with his bones. I suppose that God
might have given us an <span class="pagenum"><a id="page415" name=
"page415"></a>[pg 415]</span> infallible book, if he had chosen,
and if he had given us such a book he would have made us sure that
it was infallible."</p>
<p>"If I were compelled to believe that God holds me responsible
for Adam's sin and that the immense majority of the world is doomed
to everlasting torment, and that only a selected few here and there
are to enter eternal felicity, I might bow my head and accept it,
but I could not rejoice in it. It is barbarous. Men who try to make
us accept such dogmas are the real infidels of the world, and it is
infidelity which they are creating&mdash;infidelity a hundred times
worse than that which they call by the name. If you would blot out
every Bible in the world to-day you would not even endanger its
life, nor would you destroy religion." From <i>The Toledo
News-Bee</i>, May 14, 1904.</p>
<p>All these allied powers of wickedness in conflict with the few
of God's saints who serve him acceptably, constitute the battle of
Armageddon&mdash;that battle of the last great day. It is not a
literal collecting of armies nor a literal conflict, but a fierce
battle between truth and error. The outward indications are that
the enemies of God will triumph; but let us remember that it is
destined to "end in the victory of Him unto whom triumph belongs."
Fire will come down from God out of heaven and devour them. This
symbol is doubtless taken from the circumstance of Elijah where he
commanded fire to come down and destroy his enemies; and it will be
as with such an overthrow that the powers of wickedness shall meet
their doom in that last great day of God Almighty.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page416" name="page416"></a>[pg
416]</span> <a name="chap20-11" id="chap20-11"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>11. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from
whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found
no place for them.</p>
<p>12. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and
the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the
book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works.</p>
<p>13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged
every man according to their works.</p>
<p>14. And death and hell were cast, into the lake of fire. This is
the second death.</p>
<p>15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was
cast into the lake of fire.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This series of events, as far as it pertains to the doom of evil
men, ends properly with verse 10, where the combined powers of
wickedness are represented as being cast into the lake of fire.
This last event, however, is in the present scene more fully
described. It is fitting that the judgment scene should be more
fully described; for with this chapter we have the last special
history of the powers of evil given. Many times we have been led up
to the time of the final overthrow of all the powers of wickedness,
but the manner in which that great event occurs has not been
perfectly detailed.</p>
<p>Here we have another illustration of that principle of symbolic
language laid down in the beginning&mdash;that objects and events
whose nature forbids their symbolization appear under their own
names or titles and their description must of necessity be literal.
The <span class="pagenum"><a id="page417" name="page417"></a>[pg
417]</span> appearance of the great God must be considered an
actual event; for, as clearly shown, he can not be symbolized,
neither can he appear as the symbol of some other object, from the
fact that there is no other object of analagous nature of which he
could stand as the representative. The resurrection of itself is an
event of such a peculiar nature as to forbid its symbolization.
What is there analagous to it which could here be employed? There
are, perhaps, analagous changes in the vegetable and animal
kingdoms; but symbols drawn from that quarter would indicate some
political change instead. Paul may, indeed, speak of the decay and
the growth of seeds to <i>illustrate</i> the resurrection; but the
decay of a seed does not <i>symbolize</i> the death of a saint,
neither does its germination <i>symbolize</i> his resurrection. Nor
is there any change that can do it. There is the same necessity of
speaking of the resurrection in its literal meaning as there was of
representing the spirits of the martyrs under their own appropriate
titles.</p>
<p>The earth and the heaven fleeing away from before God's presence
so that no place is found for them, must be understood as
describing the literal dissolution of this world when Christ comes;
for it is clear from the Scriptures that such an event will occur
at that time. Peter says that "the day of the Lord will come as a
thief in the night; in the which <i>the heavens shall pass away</i>
with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat,
<i>the earth also</i> and the works that are therein <i>shall be
burned up</i>." 2 Pet. 3:10. Nothing can be found to symbolize
perfectly such a mighty event; hence it appears as a literal
description of the final catastrophe of this old world.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page418" name="page418"></a>[pg
418]</span>
<p>It is evident that there are symbols connected with this
appearance of God, as truly as there were symbols connected with
Christ in his appearance in chap. 19. The <i>throne</i> is a symbol
of judgment and of supreme sovereignty, its dazzling whiteness
indicating the impartiality and justice of the proceedings. The
<i>books</i>, likewise, are symbols. We are not to suppose that
there are literal books in heaven, in which Christ or some angelic
secretary notes down all the affairs of earth. The language and the
symbols of Scripture are accommodated to the human understanding,
hence books are used as a symbol to denote that the character and
the actions of men are all as perfectly known and remembered as if
they had been recorded in the archives of heaven. The <i>book of
life</i>, in which the names of the faithful are often said to be
inscribed, denotes that God knows all his chosen people. In the
following chapter it is called the Lamb's book of life.</p>
<p>This scene, then, as a whole, is a sublime description of the
resurrection and the final judgment of all men and the dissolution
of the earth on which we now live. That the righteous will be
judged at this time is shown by the fact that the book of life, in
which the names of the righteous only are recorded (Chap. <a href=
"#chap21-27">21:27</a>; Exod. 32:33), will also be opened; and
verse fifteen implies that the names of some during this judgment
scene were found recorded in that book. The wicked receive their
eternal portion by being cast into the lake of fire; while the
reward of the righteous is described in the remaining part of this
series, contained in the two following chapters.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page419" name="page419"></a>[pg
419]</span> <a name="chap21" id="chap21"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER XXI.</h2>
<a name="chap21-1" id="chap21-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and
the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.</p>
<p>2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.</p>
<p>3. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and
they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and
be their God.</p>
<p>4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The events of this chapter are a continuation of the series of
prophecy considered in the preceding one, only describing an
entirely different phase&mdash;the final reward and eternal home of
God's people. We have traced many series of prophecies through the
long weary pathway of centuries, only to find the termination of
the powers of wickedness in the lake of fire at the end of time or
their overthrow otherwise set forth under appropriate symbols; but
in no instance has the final reward of God's people after the
judgment been fully described. That glorious event of the future
was referred to in <a href="#chap7">chap. 7</a> as the final
in-gathering of the redeemed "of all nations, and kindreds, and
people, and tongues." The description however, was incomplete.
Since the eternal abode <span class="pagenum"><a id="page420" name=
"page420"></a>[pg 420]</span> of the wicked is referred to often,
the subject would seem incomplete without a description of the
final glories and triumphs of the redeemed in their future and
eternal home. Though their earthly pilgrimage is fraught with
sorrow, death, pain, wretchedness, and misery, by the hands of
their violent oppressors, yet they shall witness the complete
overthrow of all their enemies in the lake that burns with fire and
brimstone, and they themselves shall be rewarded eternally; for
"God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be
no more death, neither sorrow, neither crying, neither shall there
be any more pain; for the former things are passed away." It is
fitting that such a sublime theme should be reserved as the grand
climax of the book of Revelation.</p>
<p>With the dissolution of the earth on which we live, which event
has just been described, it is evident that the many lines of
prophecy leading up to that great event are no longer under special
consideration, but that a new theme subsequent to the judgment
scene is introduced with the words of the Revelator immediately
following&mdash;"I saw <i>a new heaven and a new earth:</i> for the
first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no
more sea." The heaven, earth, and sea that passed away certainly
refers to the earth that now is and to the aerial heaven
surrounding it; therefore the new heaven and the new earth brought
to view must signify the future and eternal home that Jesus went to
prepare. We could not consistently make the one literal and the
other symbolical. This accords perfectly with the teaching of the
apostle Peter where he says: "The day of the Lord will come as a
thief in the night; in the which the <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page421" name="page421"></a>[pg 421]</span> heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned
up.... Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for <i>new
heavens and a new earth</i>, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2
Pet. 3:10-13.</p>
<p>The holy city of God, the New Jerusalem, is next introduced.
Since this meets its fulfilment in the new order of things
subsequent to the judgment scene, it must have special reference to
the future abode of the saints in the new earth. Many of the
symbols here describing the New Jerusalem, and even New Jerusalem
itself, are often used to set forth the church of God in the New
Testament dispensation. The church on earth and the church of God
in heaven are in one important sense the same thing, as they
constitute but one family (Eph. 3:15); yet in another sense there
is a difference, and the proper distinction must be observed even
when the same symbols or titles are used to describe or designate
both phases. A similar two-foldness is seen in many lines of truth.
In Heb. 12:22, 23, we are represented as dwelling in the city of
God in this dispensation; yet verse 27 of this chapter and the
fourteenth of the following chapter plainly show our entrance into
the city at the end. The Scriptures represent God as dwelling on
earth in his church, which, of course, is considered in a spiritual
sense; but his actual throne and place of abode is in heaven. A new
creation brought about by Christ in his first advent is set forth
by various texts; still, it remains a fact that a new creation will
actually be brought to view after the present world is no more and
that the same will be our eternal <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page422" name="page422"></a>[pg 422]</span> home. We obtain
spiritual life through Christ now, hence have right to the tree of
life; yet in another sense our access to the tree of life is at the
end and we then enter in through the gates into the city. Chap.
<a href="#chap22-14">22:14</a>. Hence it is proper to speak of the
city of God as both present and future, by observing the proper
distinction, just as the Scriptures speak of the church in a
twofold sense as being both on earth and in heaven, or of the
spiritual kingdom in the present and the eternal kingdom in the
end. It is Scriptural to speak of God's throne as being on earth in
the midst of his saints in a spiritual sense and also of its being
located in heaven. The tree of life is a present realization
spiritually and also a future reality. We dwell in the city of God
now&mdash;in the suburbs, as it were&mdash;but we shall "have a
right" to it in the future state when we are ushered into the very
heart of the great metropolis and stand before the actual throne of
the Deity, in the presence of his August Majesty.</p>
<p>In the New Testament dispensation the heavenly elements of the
New Jerusalem have descended to earth in the form of the new
covenant, and God's people obtain a foretaste of heaven's glory and
are made pure even as Christ is pure, and are therefore represented
as having "come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb. 12:22, 23); and God dwells with
them in a very important sense. 2 Cor. 6:16. They are one with the
redeemed above, and together they constitute one "family in heaven
and earth," all loving the same Father, adoring the same King,
drinking from the same fountain of life eternal, and all basking in
the same divine light that beams from the throne of God.
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page423" name="page423"></a>[pg
423]</span> In another sense, however, there is a difference
between them; for they are separated by the line of mortality, one
phase being located on earth and the other in heaven. But when at
the last day the redeemed of earth have access to the tree of life
in its perfect sense, there will be henceforth only one phase to
the New Jerusalem, or church of God, which will be in its relation
to the new earth, as specially described in the prophecy under
consideration, when "<i>all things</i>" are made new and "the
former things are passed away."</p>
<blockquote>
<p>5. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all
things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true
and faithful.</p>
<p>6. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life freely.</p>
<p>7. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be
his God, and he shall be my son.</p>
<p>8. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all
liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire
and brimstone: which is the second death.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The declarations contained in these verses proceed from God
himself and announce the fact that he hath now fulfilled all that
he designed. His promises to his faithful children are brought to
pass, as well as his threatening to his foes. All things are made
new and the former things are passed away. Not only has the strife,
the commotion, and the sin in the old order of things passed away,
but the new creation, wherein dwelleth righteousness, has been
introduced, the grand <span class="pagenum"><a id="page424" name=
"page424"></a>[pg 424]</span> long-looked-for era of eternal
blessedness to the saints. Oh, halleluiah! "And he said unto me,
Write: for these words are true and faithful."</p>
<p>"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end." When the seventh angel of chap. <a href=
"#chap16-17">16:17</a> poured out his vial, the voice of God from
the throne said, "It is done," signifying that the last judgments
were complete. Here again the same voice is heard as before,
referring to the same thing&mdash;the accomplishment of God's great
purposes. The enemies of the church have been overthrown, her long
period of warfare has ended, and the eternal day of Zion's glory
has come. Then follow his blessed promises held out to the
faithful, and also the reward to the wicked. These are to be
understood as referring to these classes, not at the day of
judgment, but when the Revelation was given to John and therefore
to us. "I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the
water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things
[in the margin, <i>these things</i>]: and I will be his God, and he
shall be my son." "This is the reward in reserve for those who
endure through this period of trial and overcome at last. They
shall drink of living waters, which will be sweet and refreshing
indeed to those who have toiled through this fight; and they shall
inherit these things&mdash;these new heavens and earth. God shall
be their God, and they his sons. Oh, what an honor! what a destiny
in reserve for the faithful! with what glorious anticipations may
the believer look forward to the revelations of that day, and with
Paul say, 'If by any means I may attain unto the resurrection of
the dead.'</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page425" name="page425"></a>[pg
425]</span>
<p>"What warning also to the wicked! The same voice that utters the
promise, pronounces also the threatening. 'The fearful, and
unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers,
and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part
in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the
second death.' God says, 'These words are true and faithful.' They
came from him who sat upon the throne, the Alpha and Omega. He has
put his everlasting seal to them, and pledged his veracity to their
truth." Dear reader, will you accept the word of Him who can not
lie and choose to suffer affliction with the people of God until
our Lord shall come to call his ransomed home? Or will you decide
to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, only to be resurrected
at the last great day to "shame and everlasting contempt"? There is
no intimation of future salvation for the transgressor. The lake of
fire still stands as the symbol of eternal destruction, and into it
the fearful and unbelieving and wicked of every name are cast.</p>
<a name="chap21-9" id="chap21-9"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>9. And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the
seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me,
saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's
wife.</p>
<p>10. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high
mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem,
descending out of heaven from God,</p>
<a name="chap21-11" id="chap21-11"></a>
<p>11. Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone
most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page426" name="page426"></a>[pg
426]</span> <a name="chap21-12" id="chap21-12"></a>
<p>12. And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at
the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the
names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:</p>
<p>13. On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the
south three gates; and on the west three gates.</p>
<a name="chap21-14" id="chap21-14"></a>
<p>14. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them
the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.</p>
<p>15. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the
city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.</p>
<p>16. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as
the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve
thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it
are equal.</p>
<p>17. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and
four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the
angel.</p>
<p>18. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the
city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.</p>
<p>19. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished
with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was
jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth,
an emerald;</p>
<p>20. The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh,
chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a
chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an
amethyst.</p>
<p>21. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate
was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it
were transparent glass.</p>
<a name="chap21-22" id="chap21-22"></a>
<p>22. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and
the Lamb are the temple of it.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page427" name="page427"></a>[pg
427]</span>
<p>23. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to
shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is
the light thereof.</p>
<p>24. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the
light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and
honor into it.</p>
<p>25. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for
there shall be no night there.</p>
<p>26. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into
it.</p>
<a name="chap21-27" id="chap21-27"></a>
<p>27. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that
defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie:
but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We have here a magnificent description of the New Jerusalem,
representing the home of the redeemed. The various symbols employed
in its description must of course he understood as symbolical. We
have no means of knowing just what our future home will be like;
but that it will be a place of wondrous beauty and transcendent
glory is shown by the fact that everything which is considered
grand and glorious in this world is here chosen to represent the
home of the redeemed. The symbols selected to describe it are
objects of such priceless worth, even exceeding royal splendor,
that we pause in astonishment and exclaim, "What must the reality
be?" The conditions upon which entrance to this city may be
obtained (ver. 27; chap. <a href="#chap22-14">22:14</a>) show
clearly that our future and eternal home is the chief burden of
this vision and not merely our spiritual inheritance in this
world.</p>
<p>"In approaching Jerusalem, the traveller is not aware of its
proximity, until, ascending an eminence, <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page428" name="page428"></a>[pg 428]</span> the
glorious city bursts upon his astonished vision, when he is ready
to exclaim with the Psalmist&mdash;'Beautiful for situation, the
joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north,
the city of the great king.'" Psa. 48:2. John was carried to "a
great and high mountain," from which commanding point of view he
was enabled to survey in all its boundless extent the surpassing
glories of the New Jerusalem. Never did imagination conceive
anything approaching the sublimity and grandeur of the scene here
described by the pen of inspiration. It was "a great
city"&mdash;how great we shall soon discover&mdash;the <i>holy</i>
Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.</p>
<p>The ancient city of Jerusalem was regarded as sacred because in
it God had recorded his name, and it contained his holy temple, his
place of residence on earth. Thither the tribes of Israel went up
to worship; "Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."
So, also, this New Jerusalem was "<i>the holy city</i>," an
antitype of the former. It is described as "having the glory of
God, and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a
jasper stone, clear as crystal." "The glory of God" was that
visible manifestation, called the Shekinah, which Jehovah made of
himself in the tabernacle of his ancient people. The following
facts concerning it will give us an understanding of its
signification as connected with the New Jerusalem:</p>
<p>"Jehovah was the accepted King and Lawgiver of his people
Israel, and he had his tabernacle among them, where he abode by his
presence, where he might be approached and consulted, and make
communications <span class="pagenum"><a id="page429" name=
"page429"></a>[pg 429]</span> of his will. That visible presence
was 'the glory of God' or the Shekinah; and the Jews regarded it
with the highest possible veneration, as the embodiment of the
Deity. The sacred writers often speak of it in the same terms as of
Jehovah himself. They refer to this when they speak of <i>seeing
God</i>. 'Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and
seventy of the elders of Israel, <i>and they saw the God of
Israel</i>.' Ex. 24:9, 10. 'I saw also the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.' Isa.
6:1. And again in verse 5: 'For mine eyes <i>have seen</i> the
King, the Lord of hosts.' The spiritual essence of God can not, of
course, be revealed to mortal vision, yet there was a manifestation
of the Deity which was made visible to the eyes of men, and which
Moses and Isaiah speak of as <i>seeing God</i>. It is spoken of as
the <i>presence</i> and <i>face</i> of Jehovah. 'And he said, <i>My
presence</i> shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.' Ex.
33:14. 'And the Lord spake unto Moses <i>face to face</i>, as a man
speaketh unto his friend.' Ex. 33:11."</p>
<p>The New Jerusalem that John saw descending from God&mdash;which
denotes its heavenly origin&mdash;had "the glory of God: and her
light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper
stone, clear as crystal." It dazzled as the purest diamond. In
verse 23 we are informed that it illuminated the whole city so that
there was "no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it:
for the <i>glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof</i>." In ancient times "the glory of God" filled the
<i>tabernacle</i>, the place of his abode; but here it filled
<i>the whole city</i>. In that tabernacle the Shekinah was the
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page430" name="page430"></a>[pg
430]</span> manifestation of the divine glory of Jehovah. In the
New Jerusalem Jesus Christ, who is "the brightness of his glory,
and the express image of his person," illuminates the entire city
of God. Oh, halleluiah!</p>
<p>In olden times the cities were surrounded with walls, designed
as a defense against all enemies. The more important the city, the
higher and stronger were the walls built. Having walls, it was
necessary also to have gates to furnish ingress and egress to the
inhabitants. These gates were in charge of faithful guardians, who
had authority to open and to close them according to the
regulations of the city. In accordance with this idea the city of
God is represented as having "a wall great and high." This wall
represents the security of Zion, whose inhabitants within can rest
in peace and safety. The three gates on each side represent the
free and easy access into the city from every quarter. Anciently,
it was customary to give names to the gates of a city, just as we
now do to our streets. The gates of this holy city were named after
the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, which embraced all
God's ancient covenant people, and which denotes the perfection and
completeness of our heavenly home as including all the spiritual
Israel.</p>
<p>"And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them
the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." The twelve
foundations, or rather the twelve courses of stone in the
foundation, are more fully described hereafter. The names of the
twelve tribes were on the gates to denote that the city was
composed of God's true and complete Israel, and the <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page431" name="page431"></a>[pg 431]</span> names
of the twelve apostles are on the foundation to denote that this
contains the church which was "built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief
cornerstone." Eph. 2:20. The system of truth that they preached to
the world forms the doctrinal basis of the church of God, they
having received it from heaven "by inspiration of God," and their
names all appear; and together they constitute one harmonious,
solid foundation upon which the church shall stand forever.</p>
<p>The dimensions of the city as measured by the angel are next
given as twelve thousand furlongs, or one thousand five hundred
miles. By the statement that the length, the breadth and the height
are equal, some have supposed that the city was one thousand five
hundred miles high. To quote the words of a certain commentator:
"The language, however, will bear another meaning, which is far
more natural. It is not that the length and breadth and height were
severally equal to <i>each other</i>, but <i>equal with
themselves</i>; that is the length was everywhere the same, the
breadth everywhere the same, and the height the same. It was
perfect and symmetrical in all its proportions. This is confirmed
by the fact distinctly stated, that the wall was one hundred and
forty and four cubits high, or two hundred and sixteen feet, a
proper height for a wall; while it is said only that 'the length is
as large as the breadth.'" This writer reckoned but eighteen inches
for a cubit, whereas some figure twenty-two. A city one thousand
and five hundred miles high with a wall only two hundred and
sixteen or two hundred and sixty four feet high, would be
altogether out of proportion.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page432" name="page432"></a>[pg
432]</span>
<p>The wondrous dimensions of this city set forth the fact that our
future home far exceeds in grandeur and extent everything that is
looked upon as glorious upon earth. Who ever heard of a city one
thousand and five hundred miles square? We have had empires so
large, but no such cities. In this representation the city does not
encompass the entire earth as she in one sense really does, because
it would be impossible thus to represent her and at the same time
she be represented as a city within the earth, into which the
nations bring their "glory and honor." The ancient city of Babylon
with its beautiful hanging-gardens, the very triumph of human
skill, and the city itself lying in a foursquare, being fifteen
miles on each side, was unsurpassed in human loveliness. But the
city of God is represented as <i>fifteen hundred</i> miles square,
which dimensions are out of all proportion with anything existing
on earth; hence its beauty and magnificence must be ascribed to God
only.</p>
<p>"And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city
was pure gold like unto clear glass." The jasper is the same
crystal gem before mentioned. What a wondrous wall it must have
been! It was not made of such common material as granite,
freestone, or marble, which can make the most imposing structures
that human pride can rear, and which are fit for the residence of
lofty kings; but it was of jasper, clear as crystal. Think of the
wall of this holy city being nearly three hundred feet high and
stretching around the city six thousand miles, all built of the
purest diamond! No stretch of the human imagination can properly
compass such a vision. In rearing earthly <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page433" name="page433"></a>[pg 433]</span>
structures men seek such material as combine durability, cheapness,
beauty, and ease of being wrought. Look at this wall! For
<i>durability</i>, it has the most indestructible material that can
be found on earth. For <i>beauty</i>, the language of man can not
even convey a meagre description of its amazing loveliness. For
<i>cheapness</i>&mdash;God's riches were inexhaustible, hence it
was not necessary to take this into consideration. For <i>ease of
being wrought</i>&mdash;think of the vast amount of labor it
requires to cut and shape even one large diamond, it being said to
require in some cases years of incessant toil; yet God could afford
to build the wall of this city of such material. Oh, wonders of
God's handiwork! How inexpressibly glorious! This, my dear reader,
symbolizes the priceless worth of our eternal home, secured through
the atonement. Study the plan of redemption. There is nothing equal
to it in the universe. "What is a man profited, if he gain the
whole world, and <i>lose his own soul</i>?"</p>
<p>Men become greatly agitated over the announcement of the
discovery of gold in the Klondyke, in the Australian continent, in
California, and with feverish excitement they abandon their homes
and rush headlong to the reputed El Dorado, fearing neither famine,
storms, deserts, nor the icy northern blasts. But all the gold ever
mined from the bowels of the earth is insignificant and forms no
comparison with the representation of this city. Its streets and
mansions were built, not of common cement, lumber, nor even granite
and marble, but <i>of pure gold</i>.</p>
<p>The twelve courses of stone in the foundation of the wall have
already been mentioned. It is here particularly described. One
might suppose that, according <span class="pagenum"><a id="page434"
name="page434"></a>[pg 434]</span> to human custom, rougher
material would be selected for the foundation. Not so, however. The
most brilliant and costly gems were chosen to lay these courses.
Nothing cheap nor common had anything to do in the construction of
this marvelous city. It was altogether beyond the reach of men to
imitate: it was God's own handiwork; and we can not but admire its
wondrous beauty. It is unnecessary to give a minute description of
the gems of which these foundation-courses were composed. They were
the most beautiful and costly of which men possess any knowledge.
In appearance they represent various colors of the most delicate
shades. Royal persons wear even the smallest of these gems upon
their persons and imagine themselves richly adorned; but in this
city of God they appear in such abundance that they are even
selected to form the basis, or foundation, of the wall. "And the
twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one
pearl." We have rich necklaces of pearl; but where is the
individual that was ever blessed with such a profusion of wealth
that he could ornament the gates of a city with pearls? The gates
of the New Jerusalem, however, were not merely ornamented or
studded with pearls&mdash;that were a very small thing for
her&mdash;but each gate was of one solid pearl. To conceive the
immensity of this representation we must consider the size of the
gates required to accommodate the multitudes constantly entering
and departing from a city. To be in proportion to the wall they
would have to be of immense size, and also of prodigious strength
in order to resist the assaults of enemies, as they would be the
first places attacked. The gate of the temple called <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page435" name="page435"></a>[pg 435]</span>
Beautiful, mentioned in the Book of Acts, which was in the wall
surrounding the temple, is said to have been seventy-five feet high
and sixty in width, built of Corinthian brass. Yet immense as they
were, those in the New Jerusalem were each of one solid pearl. Oh,
beautiful city of God, the home of the saints!</p>
<p>The most prominent object within the walls of the ancient
Jerusalem was the magnificent temple on Mount Zion. It was the
chief ornament and glory of the city. In the New Jerusalem,
however, no temple is seen. Alas! is not this a great defect? What
is Jerusalem without a temple where the tribes may go up and
worship before the Lord? Oh, they need no temple in this glorious
city of God; for there is one there greater than the temple: "the
Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." This
doubtless sets forth the fact that the worship of God is pure and
spiritual and of free access to all. Under the old dispensation the
high priest alone, and he but once a year, was permitted to enter
the sacred precincts of the Deity as limited to the inner sanctuary
of the temple. Now God's people need no mediating priest to offer
up a special sacrifice that the will of God might be known; but all
are kings and priests who offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God by Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:5); yea, as saith the prophet,
"they <i>shall all know me</i> from the least of them unto the
greatest of them, saith the Lord." Jer. 31:34. No temple is needed
that the Shekinah of the divine presence may take up its abode
between the cherubim in the most holy place, but "the glory of the
Lord" fills the entire city. It can not be confined to a given
locality. "The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page436" name="page436"></a>[pg 436]</span> the
temple of it," and they constitute the glory of the New Jerusalem
as did the temple on Mount Zion that of the old.</p>
<p>"The nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of
it." Can any one conceive the grandeur and the sublimity of the
scene when a light that eclipses the sun and the moon is reflected
from streets and mansions of gold, or comes streaming through a
wall composed of the most brilliant gems of different hues, with
gates of solid pearl? No wonder, then, that the poet has
denominated it "the beautiful light of God"! The gates are open
continuously, for they are not closed by day, and "there shall be
no night there." But "there shall in no wise enter into it anything
that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a
lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of Life." This,
my dear reader, is the reward of the New Testament church, "the
church of God."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page437" name="page437"></a>[pg
437]</span> <a name="chap22" id="chap22"></a>
<h2>CHAPTER XXII.</h2>
<a name="chap22-1" id="chap22-1"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>And he showed me a pure river of water of life, dear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.</p>
<p>2. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the
river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of
fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the
tree were for the healing of the nations.</p>
<p>3. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and
of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:</p>
<p>4. And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their
foreheads.</p>
<p>5. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle,
neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and
they shall reign for ever and ever.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The description of the New Jerusalem continues in the first five
verses of this chapter. By the "river of the water of life" is
doubtless meant full salvation, which as a mighty flowing stream
issues "out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." To this fountain
of living waters an invitation is now given to all to come and
partake to their satisfaction. "The Spirit and the bride say, Come.
And let him that heareth say, Come. And whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely." Verse 17. As a defense to God's
people in this world salvation is represented as a great wall
surrounding them (Isa. 26:12); but as a source of joy, holiness and
happiness, it is a living stream <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page438" name="page438"></a>[pg 438]</span> whereof all may
partake. While this symbol meets an appropriate fulfilment in the
present dispensation, yet salvation will also be the eternal
possession of the saints in the world to come, when "they shall
hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun
light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst
thereof, shall feed them, and shall <i>lead them unto living
fountains of waters</i>; and God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes." Chap. <a href="#chap7-16">7:16, 17</a>.</p>
<p>In a most appropriate place, upon the banks of the river, grew
"the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded
her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations." The tree of life in the garden of Eden was
a symbol of man's immortality or incorruption, or rather the
<i>means</i> of it; for after his fall it was securely guarded and
he driven from the garden, "lest he put forth his hand, and take
also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" (Gen. 3:22)
and thus frustrate the decree of God just uttered&mdash;that he
should return unto dust and corruption. In the New Jerusalem,
however, that tree of life blooms again and bears fruit abundantly,
yea continuously, as symbolized by "every month," and no cherubim
with flaming sword are placed to guard all approach to it. The
privilege is open; for it is added immediately, "There <i>shall be
no more curse</i>." This, then, symbolizes the removal of spiritual
death and the impartation of everlasting life in this world and
immortality in the next. The tree of life grew on both sides of the
river. On this side of the line of mortality we have <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page439" name="page439"></a>[pg 439]</span> access
to it in one important sense, while those in the future world are
preserved also by its healing benefits.</p>
<p>The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit abide in this city. God reveals
himself, not to a few chosen priests only through the Shekinah of
his presence, but to all his servants&mdash;"they all see his
face." As in the ancient tabernacle he manifested himself by "the
glory of the Lord," or the Shekinah, which was represented as
"seeing his face"; so, also, the "glory of the Lord" abides in the
New Jerusalem, filling the entire city with the holy manifestation
of the divine presence. His people are "sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise," by which they possess the name of their
Father&mdash;not the name of the beast nor of his image, but <i>the
name of the Father</i>.</p>
<p>"And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle,
neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and
they shall reign forever and ever." This city has no need of
natural or artificial light, "for the Lamb is the light thereof."
Chap. 21:23. The light of the sun stands connected with the light
of a candle and both are represented as unnecessary, which denotes
that "there shall be no night there," but one clear eternal
day.</p>
<a name="chap22-6" id="chap22-6"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>6. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and
the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his
servants the things which must shortly be done.</p>
<p>7. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the
sayings of the prophecy of this book.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The language of symbols is discontinued. With the description of
the New Jerusalem closes the grand <span class="pagenum"><a id=
"page440" name="page440"></a>[pg 440]</span> panoramic scene of
this book. Wondrous indeed have been the events of earth
prophetically outlined, but we have the assurance that "these
things are faithful and true." A continuous political and
ecclesiastical history of that portion of the earth made the
subject of Apocalyptic vision, from the dawn of Christianity until
the last day, was here written down in advance. After the permanent
division of the empire, which occurred under Valens and
Valentinian<a id="footnotetag16" name="footnotetag16"></a><a href=
"#footnote16"><sup>16</sup></a> in A.D. 364, it was necessary that
the political and the ecclesiastical history of the empire should
be divided in the prophecy. This inspiration has done. The downfall
of the Western empire is clearly predicted in the symbols under the
first four trumpets; but the eclipse is afterwards lifted, and the
same Western empire again appears in Imperial form under the
control of the Papacy. After giving their power and strength unto
the beast during the Dark Ages, the horns afterward turn against
the Papacy and rob her of all her temporal authority and power,
thus pointing us clearly to the history of modern Europe, in which
the prophecy has been actually fulfilled. They themselves end at
the judgment of the last day. Thus, the political history of the
Western empire is carried through to the end. The <span class=
"pagenum"><a id="page441" name="page441"></a>[pg 441]</span>
Eastern division of the empire is also made a subject of prophecy,
and its overthrow is described under the sixth trumpet. This was
effected by the second woe, or the rise of the Ottoman power, and
that woe is represented as continuing until after the death and the
resurrection of the two witnesses and terminating shortly before
the end of time. Therefore the political history of the Eastern
empire, which has been under the power of the Turks for centuries,
is outlined until the end. The ecclesiastical history of the
Eastern empire is also given, its most prominent feature being the
rise and the development of that pest of Mohammedanism, which rests
like a dark cloud over that fair country until this day. In the
Western division the rise of the Papacy, its continuation, the rise
of Protestantism and its duration, are all clearly outlined,
reaching down to these last days. Then the scene is suddenly
enlarged and is carried beyond the limits of the earth&mdash;the
Apocalyptic earth&mdash;into "the whole world," when the powers of
wickedness are combined in spirit to antagonize the reformation of
holiness and truth which God is using to gather his faithful ones
together in preparation for the coming of the Son of God to
judgment. In view of these wonderful events of the last days, how
comforting the words of the text before us&mdash;"Behold, <i>I come
quickly:</i> blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy
of this book"!</p>
<blockquote class="footnote"><a id="footnote16" name=
"footnote16"></a><b>Footnote 16:</b> <a href=
"#footnotetag16">(return)</a>
<p>Some historians give A.D. 395 as the date of the permanent
division of the empire. The government of the Eastern and Western
divisions was separate from the accession of Valens and
Valentinian, in 364, until during the reign of Theodosius the
Great, when the West, through the jealous rivalries of different
competitors for the throne, had fallen into great disorder.
Theodosius twice interposed to right matters and finally took the
government into his own hands for the space of four months, in 395,
when he died, after arranging for the division of the empire
between his two sons Arcadius and Honorius.</p>
</blockquote>
<a name="chap22-8" id="chap22-8"></a>
<blockquote>
<p>8. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had
heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel
which showed me these things.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page442" name="page442"></a>[pg
442]</span> <a name="chap22-9" id="chap22-9"></a>
<p>9. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy
fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which
keep the sayings of this book: worship God.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The mind of the apostle was so enraptured with the visions he
beheld that he could not but adore and worship; but the angel that
had been the chosen instrument to reveal these prophecies refused
his act of homage and instructed him to "worship God." Created
intelligences are not worthy of such respect; to God alone all
honor and praise belongs. Jesus Christ our Redeemer is
God&mdash;God over all, blessed forever. As such he is worthy of
the homage supreme of all our hearts, the praises of all our
lips.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>10. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy
of this book: for the time is at hand.</p>
<p>11. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is
filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him
be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.</p>
<p>12. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to
give every man according as his work shall be.</p>
<p>13. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first
and the last.</p>
<a name="chap22-14" id="chap22-14"></a>
<p>14. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may
have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates
into the city.</p>
<p>15. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and
murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a
lie.</p>
</blockquote>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page443" name="page443"></a>[pg
443]</span>
<p>The popular opinion is that this book of the Revelation is
sealed; but John received the direct command, "<i>Seal not</i> the
sayings of the prophecy of this book." The majority of the teachers
of Babylon to-day are fulfilling Isaiah 29:9-11, and that is the
reason why it has become to them a sealed book. God makes known the
blessed truths of the prophecies of this book to his own beloved
children, who walk before him in sincerity and truth. A blessing is
pronounced upon us if we keep them. His coming is near at hand, and
his reward is with him to render unto every man according as his
work shall be. No offers of salvation will be extended when Christ
appears to give us access to the tree of immortal life and an
abundant entrance into the eternal city beyond; but it will then be
said, "He that is unjust, <i>let him be</i> unjust still: and he
which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous,
let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy
still." "Dogs" are left without. This term as applied to a person
is one of great reproach. It is so among us, and much more so among
the Jews, by whom that animal was regarded as unclean. It signifies
evil workers. Evil characters of every class will have no part in
the heavenly realm, but will be cast into the lake of fire. It will
be the perfection of misery to be banished forever from the
presence of God and the companionship of all that is good and holy.
"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have
right to the tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates into
the city."</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page444" name="page444"></a>[pg
444]</span>
<blockquote>
<p>16. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these
things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David,
and the bright and morning star.</p>
<p>17. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that
heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever
will, let him take the water of life freely.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The statements of these verses have been considered heretofore,
hence there is no necessity of further comment on them in this
connection.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>18. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God
shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:</p>
<p>19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of
this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of
life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are
written in this book.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here is the most solemn warning against any one who should
presume to corrupt the prophecies of the Revelation by adding to or
taking away from them. Nor was such a warning needless. This book
contains the long history of God's church, and also the history of
all her persecutors, painted in colors of deepest infamy, and the
final doom that awaits them. These enemies were to ride in triumph
over the earth during a long career of centuries, when the children
of God should be trodden down beneath their feet, as it were, while
they boasted themselves as being the true church, the anointed of
heaven. These <span class="pagenum"><a id="page445" name=
"page445"></a>[pg 445]</span> Revelations were to be handed down to
succeeding generations through these very persecutors. The great
whore of Babylon had her likeness taken and then committed to her
for preservation. Would she not falsify them? Nearly all the early
records of the church have been corrupted by the church of Rome.
For ages it has been a doctrine of that institution that pious
fraud was consistent and even commendable when practised to further
the influence of that church. Yea, she has proclaimed openly and
unblushingly that if her cause could be promoted by deception and
lies they were perfectly justifiable; and her practise has been
consistent with her teachings. In view of the fact that God's Word
was to pass through the depths of this "mystery of iniquity," it is
not surprising that we find annexed to this concluding portion of
Holy Writ the awful anathema: "If any man shall add unto these
things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this
book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of
this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of
life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are
written in this book."</p>
<blockquote>
<p>20. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come
quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.</p>
<p>21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>What importance is attached to the second coming of Christ! Over
and over again it is stated distinctly. It is the grand climax unto
which all the series of events in this book leads.</p>
<span class="pagenum"><a id="page446" name="page446"></a>[pg
446]</span>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Are you ready, waiting for the Lord?</p>
<p class="i2">See, the signs proclaim him near;</p>
<p>In the awful thunders of his Word,</p>
<p class="i2">Now his coming steps we hear.</p>
</div>
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Now are many running to and fro,</p>
<p class="i2">Spreading holiness around;</p>
<p>And the evening light begins to glow,</p>
<p class="i2">Soon we'll hear the trumpet's sound.</p>
</div>
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Hark! the solemn warning unto all,</p>
<p class="i2">Judgment's coming, oh, how soon!</p>
<p>Flee, O man, at Mercy's final call,</p>
<p class="i2">Heaven trembles at your doom.</p>
</div>
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Christ is coming, oh, the heavenly sight!</p>
<p class="i2">Our Beloved can't delay,</p>
<p>For his bride is robed in snowy white,</p>
<p class="i2">Ready for the marriage-day."</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Amen. "Even so come, Lord Jesus." Then will appear the great
"Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending." In the beginning
he "created the heaven and the earth." In the end, John said, "I
saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the
first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." In the
beginning Satan entered the domain of God's people to deceive and
destroy. In the end he is cast out, and will deceive the nations no
more. In the beginning sickness, pain, sorrow, and wretchedness
found entrance to the world. In the end "God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more sorrow, nor
crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away." In the beginning the people of earth were placed
under the iron hand of <span class="pagenum"><a id="page447" name=
"page447"></a>[pg 447]</span> death, who has claimed his teeming
millions. In the end, "I saw the dead, small and great, stand
before God.... And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and
death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them ... and
death and hell were cast into the lake of fire." In the beginning
was a blooming garden containing the tree of immortal life. In the
end we find the tree of life again "in the midst of the Paradise of
God." In the beginning a curse was placed upon this earth. In the
world to come "there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God
and of the Lamb shall be in it." In the beginning the first Adam
lost his universal dominion over the earth. In the end we find
Jesus Christ, the second Adam, crowned King of kings and Lord of
lords, and reigning in triumph and glory forever. In the beginning
man was barred from the tree of life and driven from the garden of
Eden. In the end, "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that
they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through
the gates into the city." <a name="Index" id="Index"></a></p>
<h2>INDEX</h2>
<pre>
A

Aachen, <a href="#page326">326</a>.
Abaddon, <a href="#page162">162</a>.
Abubekr, first caliph, <a href="#page155">155</a>.
Aegean Sea, <a href="#page36">36</a>, <a href="#page46">46</a>.
Africa, conquered by Saracens, <a href="#page160">160</a>.
Ahab, <a href="#page53">53</a>.
Alani, <a href="#page145">145</a>.
Alans, <a href="#page146">146</a>, <a href="#page215">215</a>.
Alaric, invades Italy, <a href="#page136">136-141</a>, <a href=
"#page149">149</a>.
Ala-Shehr, <a href="#page63">63</a>.
Albi, council of, <a href="#page339">339</a>.
Albigenses, <a href="#page113">113</a>, <a href=
"#page161">161</a>, <a href="#page196">196</a>, <a href=
"#page270">270</a>, <a href="#page342">342</a>.
Aleppo, <a href="#page165">165</a>.
Alexander I., <a href="#page172">172</a>.
Alexander the Great, <a href="#page320">320</a>.
Alexander VI., Pope, <a href="#page346">346</a>, <a href=
"#page347">347</a>.
Alexandria, <a href="#page109">109</a>, <a href="#page110">110</a>.
Alison, A., quoted, <a href="#page307">307-315</a>.
Ammianus Marcellinus, quoted, <a href="#page188">188</a>.
Amiens, <a href="#page140">140</a>.
Ammon, <a href="#page330">330</a>.
Anabaptists, <a href="#page292">292</a>.
Anglo-Saxons, <a href="#page215">215</a>.
Anthony, founder of monasticism, <a href=
"#page189">189</a>, <a href="#page190">190</a>.
Antioch, <a href="#page104">104</a>, <a href=
"#page109">109</a>, <a href="#page110">110</a>.
Antioch Epiphanes, <a href="#page230">230</a>.
Antipas, <a href="#page49">49</a>.
Apollo, <a href="#page241">241</a>.
Apollyon, <a href="#page162">162</a>.
Aquinas, Thos., <a href="#page340">340</a>, <a href=
"#page341">341</a>.
Arabia, <a href="#page330">330</a>; conquered by Saracens, <a href=
"#page160">160</a>.
Arras, <a href="#page140">140</a>.
Arcadius, Roman emp., <a href="#page137">137</a>, <a href=
"#page138">138</a>, <a href="#page440">440</a>, <a href=
"#footnote16">n</a>.
Argos, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
Armageddon, <a href="#page332">332</a>.
Armenia, <a href="#page330">330</a>; conquered by Turks, <a href=
"#page165">165</a>.
Arnout, Mme., quoted, <a href="#page310">310</a>.
Asbury, Bishop, <a href="#page368">368</a>.
Assyria, <a href="#page330">330</a>.
Astolphus, k. of Lombards, <a href="#page351">351</a>, <a href=
"#footnote14">n</a>.
Athanasius, <a href="#page190">190</a>.
Athens, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
Attalus, <a href="#page139">139</a>.
Atkins, Robert, quoted, <a href="#page365">365</a>.
Attica, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
Attila, <a href="#page142">142</a>, <a href=
"#page145">145</a>, <a href="#page146">146</a>, <a href=
"#page149">149</a>.
Atys, <a href="#page407">407</a>.
Augsburg, <a href="#page191">191</a>.
Augsburg Confession (A.D. 1530), <a href=
"#page191">191</a>, <a href="#page247">247</a>, <a href=
"#page252">252</a>, <a href="#page253">253</a>.
Augustine, <a href="#page96">96</a>.
Augustines, Order of, <a href="#page246">246</a>, <a href=
"#page251">251</a>.
Augustulus, Roman emp., <a href="#page148">148</a>.
Augustus C&aelig;sar, first Roman emp., <a href="#page222">222</a>.
Aurelian, Roman emp., <a href="#page189">189</a>.
Aurelius, Marcus, Roman emp., <a href="#page46">46</a>, <a href=
"#page98">98</a>.
Austerlitz, battle of, <a href="#page322">322</a>.
Avignon, 327; removal of Papal chair to, <a href=
"#page305">305</a>, <a href="#page306">306</a>;
  council of, <a href="#page339">339</a>.


B

Babylon, taken by Cyrus, <a href="#page166">166</a>, <a href=
"#page329">329</a>, <a href="#page331">331</a>;
  great edifices of, <a href="#page432">432</a>.
Babylonian empire, <a href="#page330">330</a>, <a href=
"#page397">397</a>.
Bacchus, <a href="#page407">407</a>.
Bagdad, founded (A.D. 762), <a href="#page160">160</a>, <a href=
"#page165">165</a>.
Balaam, <a href="#page49">49</a>, <a href="#page50">50</a>.
Balak, <a href="#page50">50</a>.
Barak, <a href="#page332">332</a>.
Barnes, Dr., quoted, <a href="#page359">359</a>.
Baronius, quoted, <a href="#page345">345</a>.
Barrows, John Henry, quoted, <a href="#page409">409</a>, <a href=
"#page410">410</a>.
Basil, council of, <a href="#page340">340</a>.
Bayazid, Sultan, <a href="#page61">61</a>.
Bedford jail, <a href="#page36">36</a>.
Beethoven, <a href="#page88">88</a>.
Behiston rock, noted inscription on, <a href=
"#page18">18</a>, <a href="#footnote1">n</a>.
Belisarius, general of Justinian, <a href=
"#page148">148</a>, <a href="#page236">236</a>, <a href=
"#page351">351</a>, <a href="#footnote14">n</a>.
Bellarmine, Cardinal, quoted, <a href="#page341">341</a>, <a href=
"#page342">342</a>.
Benedict IX., Pope, <a href="#page345">345</a>, <a href=
"#page346">346</a>.
Bernard, 197; quoted, <a href="#page199">199</a>.
Beziers, council of, <a href="#page339">339</a>.
Boetia, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
Bohemia, <a href="#page244">244</a>, <a href="#page339">339</a>.
Bologna, <a href="#page327">327</a>.
Bonaparte, Jerome, <a href="#page321">321</a>.
Bonaparte, Louis, <a href="#page321">321</a>.
Bonaparte, Joseph, <a href="#page321">321</a>.
Bonaparte, Napoleon, <a href="#page172">172</a>, <a href=
"#page317">317</a>, <a href="#page320">320-325</a>, <a href=
"#page327">327</a>.
Boniface IV., Pope, <a href="#page240">240</a>.
Bonney, Chas. Carroll, quoted, <a href="#page408">408</a>, <a href=
"#page409">409</a>.
Borgia, Roderick, <a href="#page346">346</a>, <a href=
"#page347">347</a>.
Bosphorus, <a href="#page171">171</a>.
Bouchard, M., <a href="#page18">18</a>, <a href="#footnote1">n</a>.
Buddha, <a href="#page409">409</a>.
Bunyan, John, his imprisonment, <a href="#page36">36</a>, <a href=
"#footnote2">n</a>., <a href="#page293">293</a>.
Burgundians, <a href="#page215">215</a>.
Burgundy, <a href="#page215">215</a>.
Burke, quoted, <a href="#page303">303</a>.
Butler, quoted, <a href="#page222">222</a>, <a href=
"#page223">223</a>, <a href="#page224">224</a>, <a href=
"#page230">230</a>, <a href="#page231">231</a>.


C

Cadiz, <a href="#page324">324</a>.
C&aelig;sar, <a href="#page320">320</a>.
C&aelig;sar Augustus, Roman emp., <a href="#page222">222</a>.
Calcedon, council of, <a href="#page110">110</a>.
Calvin, John, reformer, <a href="#page252">252</a>
Calvinists, <a href="#page252">252</a>, <a href="#page291">291</a>.
Campbell, Alexander, quoted, <a href="#page359">359</a>, <a href=
"#page360">360</a>.
Canoosa, <a href="#page111">111</a>.
Canterbury, See of, <a href="#page112">112</a>, <a href=
"#footnote4">n</a>.
Carlovingian dynasty, <a href="#page325">325</a>, <a href=
"#page326">326</a>, <a href="#page350">350-352</a>.
Carrier, <a href="#page310">310</a>, <a href="#page311">311</a>.
Cassini, quoted, <a href="#page200">200</a>.
Cathari, <a href="#page196">196</a>.
Catherine de Medici, <a href="#page118">118</a>.
Catherine the Great of Russia, <a href="#page172">172</a>.
Chaldea, <a href="#page330">330</a>.
Chalons, <a href="#page146">146</a>.
Charlemagne, <a href="#page236">236</a>, <a href=
"#page305">305</a>, <a href="#page320">320</a>, <a href=
"#page325">325</a>;
  restores the Western empire, <a href="#page325">325</a>, <a href=
"#page326">326</a>, <a href="#page350">350-352</a>;
  patriciate of, <a href="#page350">350</a>, <a href=
"#page351">351</a>, also <a href="#footnote14">n</a>.
Charles Martel, <a href="#page161">161</a>, <a href=
"#page325">325</a>.
Charles V., k. of France, <a href="#page307">307</a>.
Charles IX., k. of France, <a href="#page118">118</a>.
Chase, Chas. Wingate, quoted, <a href="#page405">405</a>.
Chaumette, <a href="#page308">308</a>, <a href="#page309">309</a>.
Christians,
  persecutions of, <a href="#page97">97</a>, <a href=
"#page295">295</a>;
  by the Roman emperors (ten seasons of), <a href=
"#page98">98</a>, <a href="#page116">116</a>, <a href=
"#page230">230</a>, <a href="#page231">231</a>;
  by the Papacy, <a href="#page113">113</a>, <a href=
"#page116">116-118</a>, <a href="#page196">196-200</a>, <a href=
"#page243">243</a>, <a href="#page295">295</a>, <a href=
"#page338">338-344</a>;
  by Protestants, <a href="#page252">252</a>, <a href=
"#page291">291-294</a>.
Christian Science, <a href="#page410">410</a>, <a href=
"#page411">411</a>.
Chrysostom, <a href="#page96">96</a>.
Cicero, <a href="#page222">222</a>.
Claudius, quoted, <a href="#page199">199</a>.
Clement of Rome, <a href="#page95">95</a>.
Cologne (wrongly spelled Colonge in text), <a href=
"#page197">197</a>.
Constance, council of, <a href="#page244">244</a>, <a href=
"#page245">245</a>, <a href="#page339">339</a>, <a href=
"#page345">345</a>.
Constantine the Great, <a href="#page189">189</a>, <a href=
"#page231">231</a>, <a href="#page241">241</a>.
Constantinople, <a href="#page158">158</a>;
  captured by the Turks (A.D. 1453), <a href="#page169">169</a>;
  council of, <a href="#page109">109</a>, <a href=
"#page344">344</a>.
Constitutionalists, <a href="#page314">314</a>.
Consular power, <a href="#page214">214</a>, also <a href=
"#footnote8">n</a>., <a href="#page351">351</a>.
Copenhagen, <a href="#page324">324</a>.
Corinth, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
Council, first of church, <a href="#page231">231</a>.
Councils, general, of church, <a href="#page109">109</a>, <a href=
"#page231">231</a>, <a href="#page321">321</a>, <a href=
"#page339">339</a>, <a href="#page340">340</a>, <a href=
"#page345">345</a>, <a href="#page346">346</a>.
Covenanters, Scotch, <a href="#page293">293</a>, <a href=
"#page294">294</a>.
Creasy, quoted, <a href="#page324">324</a>.
Crellius, <a href="#page292">292</a>.
Croesus, k. of Lydia, <a href="#page56">56</a>.
Crusades, <a href="#page166">166</a>.
Cyprian, <a href="#page107">107</a>.
Cyrus the Great, his capture of Babylon, <a href=
"#page166">166</a>, <a href="#page329">329</a>, <a href=
"#page331">331</a>.


D

Dacia, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
D'Alembert, <a href="#page297">297-303</a>.
Dalmatia, <a href="#page136">136</a>.
Damascus, <a href="#page165">165</a>.
Daniel, prophecies of, <a href="#page235">235-238</a>.
Danton, <a href="#page310">310</a>.
Dantonists, <a href="#page315">315</a>.
Darwin, <a href="#page411">411</a>.
D'Aubigne, quoted, <a href="#page96">96</a>, <a href=
"#page185">185</a>, <a href="#page191">191</a>, <a href=
"#page192">192</a>, <a href="#page195">195</a>, <a href=
"#page208">208</a>, <a href="#page209">209</a>, <a href=
"#page244">244</a>, <a href="#page245">245</a>, <a href=
"#page247">247</a>, <a href="#page253">253</a>, <a href=
"#page276">276</a>, <a href="#page277">277</a>.
Decemvirate, <a href="#page214">214</a>, also <a href=
"#footnote8">n</a>., <a href="#page351">351</a>.
Decius, Roman emp., <a href="#page98">98</a>.
Decretals of Isodore, <a href="#page344">344</a>.
Demetrius, <a href="#page43">43</a>.
Demetrius Cantemir, quoted, <a href="#page170">170</a>.
Diana, <a href="#page241">241</a>;
  temple of at Ephesus, <a href="#page42">42</a>, <a href=
"#page64">64</a>.
Diderot, <a href="#page297">297-308</a>.
Dictator, office of, at Rome, <a href="#page214">214</a>, <a href=
"#footnote8">n</a>.
Diocletian, Roman emp., <a href="#page48">48</a>, <a href=
"#page98">98</a>, <a href="#page230">230</a>.
Dionysis, <a href="#page407">407</a>.
Diotrephes, <a href="#page102">102</a>, <a href="#page103">103</a>.
Donatists, <a href="#page342">342</a>.
Domitian, Roman emp., <a href="#page36">36</a>, <a href=
"#page98">98</a>.
Domnus, <a href="#page189">189</a>.
Dow, Lorenzo, quoted, <a href="#page278">278</a>, <a href=
"#page360">360</a>.
Dowling, quoted, <a href="#page187">187</a>, <a href=
"#page188">188</a>, <a href="#page189">189</a>, <a href=
"#page190">190</a>, <a href="#page196">196</a>, <a href=
"#page241">241</a>, <a href="#page243">243</a>.
Duke of Alva, <a href="#page118">118</a>.
Du Guesclin, <a href="#page307">307</a>.
Dupin, quoted, <a href="#page344">344</a>.
Dwight, Pres., quoted, <a href="#page303">303</a>.


E

Easter, <a href="#page105">105</a>.
Eastern Empire, See <i>Roman Empire</i>.
Eastern Question, <a href="#page172">172</a>, <a href=
"#page173">173</a>.
Edgar, quoted, <a href="#page340">340</a>.
Edict of Nantes, <a href="#page118">118</a>, <a href=
"#page295">295</a>.
Egbert, quoted, <a href="#page196">196</a>, <a href=
"#page197">197</a>.
Egypt, conquered by Saracens, <a href="#page160">160</a>.
Elba, Island of, <a href="#page323">323</a>, <a href=
"#page324">324</a>.
Ephesus, fate of, <a href="#page45">45</a>, <a href=
"#page64">64</a>, <a href="#page68">68</a>; temple at, <a href=
"#page42">42</a>.
Eudoxia, <a href="#page143">143</a>.
Euphrates, <a href="#page164">164</a>, <a href=
"#page166">166</a>; turned by Cyrus, <a href=
"#page166">166</a>, <a href="#page329">329</a>, <a href=
"#page331">331</a>.
Eusebius, quoted, <a href="#page188">188</a>, <a href=
"#page189">189</a>.
Evervinus, quoted. <a href="#page197">197-199</a>.


F

Farrara, <a href="#page327">327</a>.
Feldkirchen, <a href="#page247">247</a>.
Fisher, Geo., quoted, <a href="#page103">103</a>, <a href=
"#page189">189</a>.
Fletcher, John, quoted, <a href="#page277">277</a>.
Formosus, Pope, <a href="#page345">345</a>.
Foster, Bishop R.S., quoted, <a href="#page368">368-370</a>.
France, invaded by Saracens, <a href="#page161">161</a>.
Francis I., of France, <a href="#page307">307</a>.
Franks, <a href="#page146">146</a>, <a href="#page215">215</a>.
Frederick of Saxony, quoted, <a href="#page247">247-249</a>.
Frederick II., k. of Prussia, <a href="#page297">297</a>.
French Revolution, <a href="#page305">305-315</a>, <a href=
"#page324">324</a>, <a href="#page352">352</a>.
Freron, quoted, <a href="#page313">313</a>, <a href=
"#page314">314</a>.
Friedland, battle of, <a href="#page322">322</a>.
Fuller, quoted, <a href="#page340">340</a>.


G

Gallienus, Roman emp., <a href="#page187">187</a>
Gallus, Roman emp., <a href="#page98">98</a>.
Gascoigne, <a href="#page215">215</a>.
Gates, Theophilus R., quoted, <a href="#page278">278-283</a>.
Geneva, <a href="#page252">252</a>.
Genseric, k. of Vandals, <a href="#page25">25</a>, <a href=
"#page142">142</a>, <a href="#page143">143</a>, <a href=
"#page149">149</a>.
Germania, <a href="#page139">139</a>.
Gepid&aelig;, <a href="#page145">145</a>.
Gibbon, quoted, <a href="#page64">64</a>, <a href=
"#page136">136-138</a>, <a href="#page142">142</a>, <a href=
"#page143">143</a>, <a href="#page145">145</a>, <a href=
"#page158">158</a>, <a href="#page351">351</a>.
Gibbons, Cardinal, quoted <a href="#page343">343</a>, <a href=
"#page344">344</a>.
Gieseler, quoted, <a href="#page103">103</a>.
Girondists, <a href="#page315">315</a>.
Gnostics, <a href="#page410">410</a>.
Gobet, <a href="#page308">308</a>.
Goddess of Reason, <a href="#page209">209</a>, <a href=
"#page401">401</a>.
Goths, <a href="#page136">136</a>, <a href="#page141">141</a>.
Greek Empire (Eastern Empire), See <i>Roman Empire</i>.
Green, B.A., quoted, <a href="#page412">412</a>, <a href=
"#page413">413</a>.
Gregory VII., Pope, <a href="#page111">111</a>, <a href=
"#page184">184</a>, <a href="#page242">242</a>.


H

Haeckel, <a href="#page411">411</a>.
Hamlet, <a href="#page307">307</a>.
Handel, <a href="#page88">88</a>.
Hartley, quoted, <a href="#page361">361</a>.
Heads, seven, of dragon and Papal beasts,
  signifying seven forms of government,
  <a href="#page214">214</a>, also <a href=
"#footnote8">n</a>., <a href="#page235">235</a>, <a href=
"#page349">349</a>, <a href="#page350">350</a>.
Hebert, <a href="#page308">308</a>, <a href="#page309">309</a>.
Henry VIII., k. of England, <a href="#page292">292</a>.
Henry IV., k. of France, <a href="#page307">307</a>.
Henry IV., emperor of Holy Roman empire, <a href=
"#page111">111</a>.
Henry, k. of Navarre, <a href="#page118">118</a>.
Hera, <a href="#page154">154</a>.
Hermus, <a href="#page56">56</a>.
Herod Agrippa, <a href="#page240">240</a>.
Herodotus, <a href="#page166">166</a>, <a href="#page329">329</a>.
Heruli, <a href="#page145">145</a>, <a href=
"#page148">148</a>, <a href="#page215">215</a>, <a href=
"#page236">236</a>.
Hieroglyphics, <a href="#page18">18</a>, <a href=
"#page19">19</a>, <a href="#footnote1">n</a>.
Hilarion, <a href="#page189">189</a>.
Hildebrand, See <i>Gregory VII</i>.
Hilton, John, quoted, <a href="#page246">246</a>, <a href=
"#page247">247</a>.
Hiram Abiff, <a href="#page407">407</a>.
Holbach, Baron, <a href="#page300">300</a>.
Holland, <a href="#page321">321</a>.
Holy Roman Empire, <a href="#page325">325</a>, <a href=
"#page326">326</a>, <a href="#page351">351</a>;
  dissolved (A.D. 1806), <a href="#page327">327</a>.
Honorius, Roman emp., <a href="#page136">136</a>, <a href=
"#page138">138</a>, <a href="#page139">139</a>, <a href=
"#page440">440</a>, <a href="#footnote16">n</a>.
Honorius, Pope, <a href="#page344">344</a>, <a href=
"#page346">346</a>.
Hopkins, quoted, <a href="#page362">362</a>.
Horn, the little, of Daniel <a href="#page7">7</a>,
  a symbol of the Papacy, <a href="#page235">235-238</a>, <a href=
"#page350">350</a>, <a href="#page357">357</a>.
Horn, of the goat, symbol of Alexander, <a href="#page20">20</a>.
Horns, ten, of the Dragon and Papal beast,
  signifying ten kingdoms, <a href="#page14">14</a>, <a href=
"#page215">215</a>, <a href="#page235">235</a>, <a href=
"#page236">236</a>, <a href="#page349">349</a>.
Horns, three, plucked up before the little horn,
  <a href="#page236">236</a>, <a href="#page350">350</a>, <a href=
"#page351">351</a>.
Horns, four, of the goat,
  symbolizing four divisions of Alexander's empire, <a href=
"#page20">20</a>.
Hugenots, <a href="#page118">118</a>.
Hugenot wars, <a href="#page252">252</a>.
Hungary, <a href="#page169">169</a>, <a href="#page215">215</a>.
Huns, <a href="#page141">141</a>, <a href=
"#page145">145</a>, <a href="#page146">146</a>, <a href=
"#page215">215</a>.
Huntington, Lady, <a href="#page369">369</a>.
Huss, John, <a href="#page62">62</a>, <a href=
"#page244">244</a>, <a href="#page245">245</a>, <a href=
"#page249">249</a>, <a href="#page339">339</a>.


I

Iconium, <a href="#page165">165</a>.
Ignatius, his epistles, extracts from, <a href="#page104">104</a>.
Illuminati, <a href="#page297">297-303</a>, <a href=
"#page404">404</a>.
Illyricum, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
Indulgences, <a href="#page250">250</a>, <a href=
"#page251">251</a>.
Imperial power, <a href="#page214">214</a>, also <a href=
"#footnote8">n</a>.
Innocent III., Pope, <a href="#page111">111</a>, <a href=
"#footnote4">n</a>., <a href="#page339">339</a>.
Innocent XI., Pope, <a href="#page118">118</a>.
Institorus, Henry, quoted, <a href="#page246">246</a>.
Interdicts, <a href="#page111">111</a>, also <a href=
"#footnote4">n</a>., <a href="#page112">112</a>, also <a href=
"#footnote4">n</a>.
Ionia, <a href="#page64">64</a>.
Isodore, false Decretals of, <a href="#page344">344</a>, <a href=
"#page345">345</a>.
Islam, See <i>Mohammedanism</i>.


J

Jena, battle of, <a href="#page322">322</a>.
Jerome, <a href="#page36">36</a>, <a href="#page96">96</a>.
Jerome of Prague, <a href="#page62">62</a>, <a href=
"#page339">339</a>.
Jerusalem, captured by Saracens, <a href="#page110">110</a>.
Jezebel, <a href="#page53">53</a>.
John XI., Pope, <a href="#page345">345</a>.
John, k. of England,
  his quarrel with Innocent III., <a href=
"#page112">112</a>, <a href="#footnote4">n</a>.
Johnson, B.W., quoted, <a href="#page357">357-359</a>.
Judson, quoted, <a href="#page171">171</a>, <a href=
"#page172">172</a>, <a href="#page321">321</a>.
Jupiter, <a href="#page241">241</a>.
Justinian, Roman emp., <a href="#page148">148</a>, <a href=
"#page351">351</a>, <a href="#footnote14">n</a>.


K

Kinkade, Wm., quoted, <a href="#page359">359</a>.
Klondyke, <a href="#page433">433</a>.
Koran, <a href="#page158">158</a>, <a href="#page406">406</a>.
Kurtz, quoted, <a href="#page95">95</a>, <a href="#page96">96</a>.


L

Laodicea, fate of, <a href="#page64">64</a>, <a href=
"#page67">67</a>, <a href="#page68">68</a>.
Lateran, councils of, <a href="#page329">329</a>, <a href=
"#page339">339</a>, <a href="#page340">340</a>.
Lavaur, council of, <a href="#page339">339</a>.
Leo III., Pope, <a href="#page325">325</a>.
Leo X., Pope, <a href="#page250">250</a>.
Lepelletier, <a href="#page308">308</a>.
Liszt, <a href="#page88">88</a>.
Lombards, <a href="#page196">196</a>.
Lombards (barbarians), <a href="#page215">215</a>, <a href=
"#page236">236</a>, <a href="#page350">350</a>.
Lombardy, <a href="#page351">351</a>.
Lord, Mr., quoted, <a href="#page100">100</a>.
Louis XII., k. of France, <a href="#page307">307</a>.
Louis, XIV., k. of France, <a href="#page118">118</a>, <a href=
"#page295">295</a>, <a href="#page307">307</a>.
Lucretia, <a href="#page347">347</a>.
Luther, Martin, reformer,
  <a href="#page62">62</a>, <a href="#page244">244</a>, <a href=
"#page246">246</a>, <a href="#page247">247</a>, <a href=
"#page249">249</a>, <a href="#page251">251</a>,
  <a href="#page252">252</a>, <a href=
"#page342">342</a>; quoted, <a href="#page361">361</a>.
Lutherans, <a href="#page252">252</a>, <a href="#page291">291</a>.
Lydia, <a href="#page56">56</a>, <a href="#page64">64</a>.


M

Machiard, <a href="#page215">215</a>.
Mackey, quoted, <a href="#page405">405</a>.
Mackintosh, Sir James, quoted, <a href="#page323">323</a>, <a href=
"#page324">324</a>.
M&aelig;cenas, <a href="#page222">222</a>.
M&aelig;sia, <a href="#page215">215</a>.
Mahomet, See <i>Mohammed</i>.
Manes, <a href="#page298">298</a>.
Manicheans, <a href="#page342">342</a>.
Mantz, Felix, <a href="#page292">292</a>.
Marat, <a href="#page308">308</a>, <a href=
"#page310">310</a>, <a href="#page311">311</a>.
Marathon, battle of, <a href="#page191">191</a>.
Marcellus, Pope, <a href="#page341">341</a>.
Marcus Aurelius, Roman emp., <a href="#page46">46</a>, <a href=
"#page98">98</a>.
Marengo, battle of, <a href="#page191">191</a>, <a href=
"#page322">322</a>.
Marie Antoinette, q. of France, her execution, <a href=
"#page306">306</a>.
Marozia, <a href="#page345">345</a>.
Marsh, quoted, <a href="#page186">186</a>.
Martin, Pope, <a href="#page339">339</a>.
Mary Tudor, <a href="#page117">117</a>.
Maximus, Roman emp., <a href="#page98">98</a>, <a href=
"#page143">143</a>.
Mecca, <a href="#page154">154</a>.
Megara, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
Megiddo, <a href="#page332">332</a>.
Melanchthon, Philip, <a href="#page247">247</a>.
Mentz, <a href="#page140">140</a>.
Mesopotamia, <a href="#page330">330</a>.
Metropolitan, office of, <a href="#page105">105</a>, <a href=
"#page106">106</a>.
Military Tribunes, <a href="#page214">214</a>, also <a href=
"#footnote8">n</a>.
Milman, quoted, <a href="#page95">95</a>.
Milner, Joseph, quoted, <a href="#page190">190</a>, <a href=
"#page191">191</a>.
Mithras, <a href="#page407">407</a>.
Moab, <a href="#page330">330</a>.
Mohammed, <a href="#page61">61</a>, <a href=
"#page154">154-162</a>, <a href="#page389">389</a>.
Mohammedanism, <a href="#page25">25</a>, <a href=
"#page61">61</a>, <a href="#page134">134</a>, <a href=
"#page154">154-173</a>, <a href="#page331">331</a>, <a href=
"#page341">341</a>.
Moldavia, prince of, <a href="#page170">170</a>.
Momoro, <a href="#page309">309</a>.
Momyllus Augustulus, Roman emp., <a href="#page148">148</a>.
Montanism, <a href="#page105">105</a>.
Monasticism, rise of, <a href="#page189">189</a>, <a href=
"#page190">190</a>.
Montesquieu, <a href="#page300">300</a>.
Morea, <a href="#page170">170</a>.
Moscow, <a href="#page322">322</a>, <a href="#page324">324</a>.
Mosheim, quoted, <a href="#page94">94</a>, <a href=
"#page105">105</a>, <a href="#page106">106</a>, <a href=
"#page109">109</a>.
Mozart, <a href="#page87">87</a>.
Murat, <a href="#page321">321</a>.
Myers, quoted, <a href="#page293">293</a>.
Mysia, <a href="#page49">49</a>.
Mythra, mysteries of, <a href="#page298">298</a>.


N

Nantes, <a href="#page310">310</a>; edict of, <a href=
"#page118">118</a>, <a href="#page295">295</a>.
Naples, <a href="#page324">324</a>.
Napoleon, See <i>Bonaparte</i>.
Narbonne, council of, <a href="#page339">339</a>.
National Convention of France, <a href="#page307">307</a>, <a href=
"#page317">317</a>.
Nero, Roman emp., <a href="#page98">98</a>, <a href=
"#page311">311</a>.
Nerva, Roman emp., <a href="#page36">36</a>.
Ney, Marshal, <a href="#page322">322</a>.
Niagara Falls, <a href="#page87">87</a>.
Nicaea, council of, <a href="#page109">109</a>, <a href=
"#page231">231</a>.
Nicolaitans, <a href="#page44">44</a>, <a href=
"#page49">49</a>, <a href="#page50">50</a>
Nicholas, <a href="#page172">172</a>.
Nicolas, <a href="#page44">44</a>.
Notre Dame, <a href="#page309">309</a>.


O

Odoacer, <a href="#page148">148</a>, <a href="#page236">236</a>.
Oppede, <a href="#page117">117</a>.
Oriental Philosophy, <a href="#page410">410</a>.
Origen, <a href="#page107">107</a>.
Osiris, <a href="#page407">407</a>.
Ostrogoths, <a href="#page141">141</a>, <a href=
"#page145">145</a>, <a href="#page148">148</a>, <a href=
"#page215">215</a>, <a href="#page236">236</a>, <a href=
"#page351">351</a>, <a href="#footnote14">n</a>.
Othman, See <i>Ottoman</i>.
Otto the Great, <a href="#page326">326</a>
Ottoman, <a href="#page61">61</a>, <a href="#page169">169</a>.
Ottoman empire, <a href="#page64">64</a>, <a href=
"#page165">165</a>, <a href="#page173">173</a>, <a href=
"#page441">441</a>.
Oxford, council of, <a href="#page339">339</a>.


P

Pactolus, <a href="#page56">56</a>.
Pache, <a href="#page308">308</a>.
Paderewski, <a href="#page88">88</a>.
Paganism, <a href="#page97">97</a>, <a href=
"#page214">214-232</a>, <a href="#page331">331</a>, <a href=
"#page388">388-390</a>.
Palestine, conquered by Saracens, <a href="#page160">160</a>;
  invaded by Crusaders, <a href="#page166">166</a>.
Pannonia, <a href="#page215">215</a>.
Papacy, first steps to apostasy,
  <a href="#page102">102</a>, <a href="#page184">184</a>, <a href=
"#page185">185</a>; growth of its power,
  <a href="#page103">103-107</a>, <a href=
"#page108">108</a>, <a href="#page110">110</a>, <a href=
"#page111">111</a>, <a href="#page184">184</a>, <a href=
"#page236">236-243</a>, <a href="#page352">352</a>, <a href=
"#footnote14">n</a>.;
  Pope styled Universal Bishop, <a href=
"#page110">110</a>, <a href="#page184">184</a>;
  blasphemous titles of, <a href="#page242">242</a>, <a href=
"#page243">243</a>, <a href="#page264">264</a>, <a href=
"#page337">337</a>;
  its war against the saints, See <i>Christians,
  persecutions of;</i> at its height, <a href="#page111">111</a>,
  also <a href="#footnote4">n</a>., <a href=
"#page184">184</a>, <a href="#page236">236</a>, <a href=
"#page305">305</a>, <a href="#page326">326</a>, <a href=
"#page236">236-243</a>;
  temporal power of, <a href="#page184">184</a>, <a href=
"#page236">236</a>, <a href="#page305">305</a>, <a href=
"#page326">326</a>, <a href="#page336">336</a>, <a href=
"#page352">352</a>, <a href="#footnote14">n</a>.;
  removal of Papal chair to Avignon, <a href=
"#page305">305</a>, <a href="#page306">306</a>;
  spiritual supremacy lost at the Reformation,
  <a href="#page191">191</a>, <a href="#page249">249-251</a>;
  revolt of the temporal princes, <a href=
"#page255">255</a>, <a href="#page355">355</a>;
  end of its temporal power, <a href="#page255">255</a>, <a href=
"#page327">327</a>, <a href="#page328">328</a>;
  decree of Papal infallibility, <a href=
"#page243">243</a>, <a href="#page346">346</a>.
Papal States, See <i>Papacy, temporal power of.</i>
Patmos, <a href="#page36">36</a>.
Patriarch, office of, <a href="#page109">109</a>, <a href=
"#page110">110</a>.
Patriciate, <a href="#page350">350</a>, <a href=
"#page351">351</a>, also <a href="#footnote14">n</a>.
Paul of Antioch, <a href="#page188">188</a>, <a href=
"#page189">189</a>.
Paulus, <a href="#page344">344</a>.
Pavia, battle of, <a href="#page191">191</a>.
Pepin, Carlovingian king, <a href="#page236">236</a>, <a href=
"#page305">305</a>, <a href="#page326">326</a>, <a href=
"#page350">350</a>.
Pergamus, fate of, <a href="#page64">64</a>, <a href=
"#page68">68</a>.
Persecutions, See <i>Christians, persecutions of.</i>
Persia, conquered by Saracens, <a href="#page160">160</a>.
Petrus Lombardus, <a href="#page96">96</a>.
Peucer, <a href="#page292">292</a>.
Philadelphia, remarkable preservation of, <a href=
"#page61">61-64</a>, <a href="#page68">68</a>.
Philip Augustus, <a href="#page111">111</a>.
Philosophists, <a href="#page297">297-303</a>.
Phocas, Roman emp. <a href="#page184">184</a>.
Phocis, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
Pius IV., Pope, <a href="#page327">327</a>.
Platina, <a href="#page345">345</a>.
Pliny, <a href="#page222">222</a>, <a href="#page226">226</a>.
Poland, <a href="#page169">169</a>.
Polycarp, <a href="#page46">46</a>.
Pontifex Maxima, <a href="#page222">222</a>, <a href=
"#page239">239</a>.
Poor Men of Lyons, <a href="#page198">198</a>.
Popes, power of, See <i>Papacy</i>.
Portugal overrun by Saracens, <a href="#page160">160</a>.
Prague, <a href="#page244">244</a>.
Proles, Andrew, quoted, <a href="#page246">246</a>.
Protestantism, rise of, <a href="#page191">191</a>, <a href=
"#page252">252</a>, <a href="#page254">254</a>;
  its false miracles, <a href="#page259">259-261</a>;
  its persecutions, See <i>Christians,
  persecutions of.</i>
Proetextatus, <a href="#page188">188</a>.
Puritans, <a href="#page293">293</a>.


R

Ravenna, <a href="#page148">148</a>, <a href=
"#page351">351</a>, <a href="#page352">352</a>, <a href=
"#footnote14">n</a>.;
  exarchate of, <a href="#page351">351</a>, <a href=
"#footnote14">n</a>.
Reformation, the, <a href="#page249">249-252</a>;
  predictions of by medieval Christians, <a href=
"#page243">243-249</a>.
Regal power, <a href="#page214">214</a>, also <a href=
"#footnotetag8">n</a>.
Reign of Terror in France, <a href="#page306">306-315</a>.
Revival of Learning, <a href="#page249">249</a>.
Rheims, <a href="#page140">140</a>.
Roberts, Bishop, quoted, <a href="#page364">364</a>.
Robespierre, <a href="#page307">307</a>, <a href=
"#page309">309</a>, <a href="#page313">313</a>.
Rodgers, Hester Ann, <a href="#page368">368</a>.
Romagna, <a href="#page327">327</a>.
Roman Empire, forms of, See <i>Heads, seven</i>, and <i>Horns, ten</i>;
  Christianity the State religion under Constantine, <a href=
"#page116">116</a>, <a href="#page231">231</a>;
  division of under Valens and Valentinian, <a href=
"#page440">440</a>;
  overrun by barbarians, <a href="#page25">25</a>, <a href=
"#page125">125</a>, <a href="#page136">136-141</a>, <a href=
"#page142">142</a>, <a href="#page143">143</a>, <a href=
"#page145">145</a>, <a href="#page146">146</a>, <a href=
"#page148">148</a>;
  fall of Western division (A.D. 476), <a href=
"#page133">133</a>, <a href="#page148">148</a>, <a href=
"#page236">236</a>, <a href="#page440">440</a>;
  fall of Eastern division (A.D. 1453), <a href=
"#page167">167</a>, <a href="#page169">169</a>, <a href=
"#page172">172</a>, <a href="#page440">440</a>, <a href=
"#page441">441</a>.
Rome, <a href="#page109">109</a>, <a href=
"#page138">138</a>, <a href="#page139">139</a>, <a href=
"#page143">143</a>.
Rosetta stone, <a href="#page18">18</a>, <a href=
"#footnote1">n</a>.
Rosseau, <a href="#page300">300</a>.
Rubenstein, <a href="#page88">88</a>.
Rutter, quoted, <a href="#page186">186</a>.


S

St. Anthony, <a href="#page189">189</a>, <a href=
"#page190">190</a>.
St. Aquinas, quoted, <a href="#page340">340</a>.
St. Bartholomew, massacre of, <a href="#page117">117</a>.
St. Dennis, <a href="#page307">307</a>.
St. Petersburg, <a href="#page172">172</a>.
Salutaris Vibius, <a href="#page42">42</a>.
Saracens, <a href="#page26">26</a>, <a href=
"#page61">61</a>, <a href="#page110">110</a>, <a href=
"#page156">156-163</a>.
Sardinia, <a href="#page143">143</a>.
Sardis, capital of Lydia, <a href="#page56">56</a>;
  fate of, <a href="#page58">58</a>, <a href=
"#page64">64</a>, <a href="#page68">68</a>.
Savage, Minton J., quoted, <a href="#page413">413-415</a>.
Saxons, See <i>Anglo-Saxons.</i>
Saxony, <a href="#page244">244</a>, <a href=
"#page250">250</a>, <a href="#page251">251</a>.
Schweinitz, <a href="#page248">248</a>.
Scott, 0., quoted, <a href="#page363">363</a>.
Scythia, <a href="#page136">136</a>, <a href="#page139">139</a>.
Septimus Severus, Roman emp., <a href="#page98">98</a>, <a href=
"#page224">224</a>.
Sergius, Pope, <a href="#page344">344</a>, <a href=
"#page345">345</a>, <a href="#page346">346</a>.
Sickles, Daniel, quoted, <a href="#page405">405</a>.
Siddartha, <a href="#page409">409</a>.
Sienna, council of, <a href="#page340">340</a>.
Simpson, quoted, <a href="#page362">362</a>.
Sisera, <a href="#page332">332</a>.
Smyrna, preservation of, <a href="#page48">48</a>, <a href=
"#page64">64</a>, <a href="#page68">68</a>.
Socrates, <a href="#page409">409</a>.
Spain, overrun by Saracens, <a href="#page160">160</a>.
Sparta, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
Spires, <a href="#page140">140</a>, <a href="#page191">191</a>;
  diet of, <a href="#page191">191</a>, <a href="#page253">253</a>.
Spiritualism, <a href="#page411">411</a>, <a href=
"#page412">412</a>.
States-General, of France, <a href="#page306">306</a>.
Strasburg, <a href="#page140">140</a>.
Suevi, <a href="#page215">215</a>.
Sultanies, Turkish, names of, <a href="#page165">165</a>.
Sunium, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
Symbols, See <i>Hieroglyphics</i>.


T

Tables of Laws, Roman, <a href="#page214">214</a>.
Talmage, T. DeWitt, quoted, <a href="#page363">363</a>, <a href=
"#page412">412</a>.
Temple of Reason, <a href="#page309">309</a>.
Tertullian, <a href="#page107">107</a>;
  quoted, <a href="#page134">134</a>, <a href=
"#page224">224-226</a>.
Tetzel, <a href="#page250">250</a>, <a href="#page251">251</a>.
Theodoret, <a href="#page96">96</a>.
Theodoric, <a href="#page148">148</a>, <a href="#page236">236</a>.
Theodosius the Great, Roman emp., <a href=
"#page136">136</a>, <a href="#page440">440</a>, <a href=
"#footnote16">n</a>.
Thermopylae, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
Thrace, <a href="#page137">137</a>.
Thuanus, quoted, <a href="#page200">200</a>.
Thyatira, fate of, <a href="#page64">64</a>, <a href=
"#page68">68</a>.
Tiberius C&aelig;sar, Roman emp., <a href="#page66">66</a>.
Tilsit, <a href="#page172">172</a>.
Tmolus, Mount, <a href="#page56">56</a>.
Toledo, council of, <a href="#page339">339</a>, <a href=
"#page346">346</a>.
Toloso, council of, <a href="#page339">339</a>.
Torgaw, <a href="#page291">291</a>.
Tournay, <a href="#page140">140</a>.
Tours, <a href="#page161">161</a>;
  council of, <a href="#page339">339</a>.
Trajan, Roman emp., <a href="#page98">98</a>, <a href=
"#page104">104</a>, <a href="#page222">222</a>.
Trent, council of, <a href="#page96">96</a>.
Tribunes, <a href="#page214">214</a>, also <a href=
"#footnote8">n</a>.
Tripoli, <a href="#page143">143</a>.
Triumvirate, <a href="#page214">214</a>, also <a href=
"#footnote8">n</a>., <a href="#page351">351</a>.
Turenne, <a href="#page307">307</a>.
Turin, <a href="#page199">199</a>.
Turings, <a href="#page215">215</a>.
Turks, See <i>Ottoman empire.</i>


U

Universal Bishop, Pope styled, See <i>Papacy.</i>
Urban II., <a href="#page96">96</a>.


V

Valens, Roman emp., <a href="#page440">440</a>, also <a href=
"#footnote16">n</a>.
Valentinian, Roman emp., <a href="#page143">143</a>, <a href=
"#page440">440</a>, also <a href="#footnote16">n</a>.
Valerian, Roman emp., <a href="#page98">98</a>.
Vandals, <a href="#page25">25</a>, <a href=
"#page142">142</a>, <a href="#page143">143</a>, <a href=
"#page215">215</a>.
Vanosia, <a href="#page347">347</a>.
Vatican, council of, <a href="#page346">346</a>.
Vaudois, <a href="#page196">196</a>.
Venaissin, <a href="#page327">327</a>.
Venus, <a href="#page241">241</a>.
Vicarius Filii Dei, blasphemous title of the Pope, <a href=
"#page264">264</a>.
Victor Emmanuel, <a href="#page255">255</a>, <a href=
"#page328">328</a>.
Victor III., Pope, <a href="#page345">345</a>.
Vienna, attacked by Turks, <a href="#page169">169</a>;
  congress of, <a href="#page323">323</a>.
Visigoths, <a href="#page138">138</a>, <a href=
"#page141">141</a>, <a href="#page146">146</a>, <a href=
"#page215">215</a>.
Voltaire, <a href="#page297">297-302</a>, <a href=
"#page305">305</a>, <a href="#page306">306</a>, <a href=
"#page401">401</a>.


W

Waddington, quoted, <a href="#page94">94</a>, <a href=
"#page186">186</a>, <a href="#page346">346</a>, <a href=
"#page347">347</a>.
Wagram, battle of, <a href="#page322">322</a>.
Waldenses, <a href="#page113">113</a>, <a href=
"#page117">117</a>, <a href="#page161">161</a>, <a href=
"#page196">196</a>, <a href="#page200">200</a>, <a href=
"#page270">270</a>, <a href="#page339">339</a>, <a href=
"#page342">342</a>.
Warburton, quoted, <a href="#page404">404</a>.
Waterloo, battle of, <a href="#page324">324</a>.
Weishaupt, Dr. Adam, <a href="#page300">300</a>, <a href=
"#page302">302</a>, <a href="#page403">403</a>.
Wesley, John, <a href="#page368">368</a>.
Western Empire, See <i>Roman Empire</i> also <i>Charlemagne</i>
  and <i>Holy Roman Empire.</i>
Westphalia, <a href="#page321">321</a>.
Wicks, Thos., quoted, <a href="#page297">297-303</a>, <a href=
"#page321">321</a>, <a href="#page323">323</a>.
Wittemberg, <a href="#page248">248</a>, <a href="#page249">249</a>;
  university of, <a href="#page251">251</a>.
Wurms, <a href="#page140">140</a>.
Wycliffe, <a href="#page61">61</a>, <a href=
"#page340">340</a>, <a href="#page344">344</a>.


X

Xerxes, <a href="#page321">321</a>.


Y

Yellowstone Park, <a href="#page87">87</a>.
Yosemite Valley, <a href="#page87">87</a>.
Yuruks, <a href="#page58">58</a>.


Z

Zend-Avesta, <a href="#page406">406</a>.
Zoroaster, <a href="#page406">406</a>.
Zurich, <a href="#page292">292</a>.
Zwingle, Ulrich, reformer, <a href="#page252">252</a>.
</pre>

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