{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_13229/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_13229","id":"gutenberg_13229","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13229","summary":null,"tags":["Bible. Revelation -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.","Category: Religion/Spirituality"],"text":"The Revelation Explained\n\nAn Exposition, Text by Text,\nof the Apocalypse of St. John\n\nShowing the Marvelous Development of the Prophecies from the Time of\ntheir Delivery on the Isle of Patmos--The Establishment and Growth of\nChristianity--Rise of Mohammedanism in the Eastern Empire--Of the Papacy\nin the Western Division--Of Protestantism--The Civil History of the\nTerritory Comprising the Ancient Roman Empire until the End of\nTime--Together with the Conflicts and Triumphs of the Redeemed until the\nFinal Judgment, and their Eternal Reward and Home in the \"New Heavens\nand New Earth.\"\n\nBy F.G. SMITH\n\nAuthor of\n\n\"What the Bible Teaches\" and \"The Last Reformation,\" etc.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n\"Behold the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare:\nbefore they spring forth I tell you of them.\" Isa. 42:9.\n\n\"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto\nhis servants the prophets.\" Amos 3:7.\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n\nThe subject of prophecy should be of interest to every Bible student.\nIts importance can not be overestimated. By it we are enabled to\nascertain our true position in this time-world. From the early dawn of\ncreation, Inspiration has foretold with certainty the great facts\nconnected with the history of God's chosen people. By this means alone,\nthe divinity of Jesus Christ and the truth of our holy religion has been\nestablished in many minds; for it is not in the power of mortals thus to\nvaticinate future events. With such surprising accuracy have these\npredictions been fulfilled that even infidels ofttimes bear witness to\ntheir truthfulness. \"Behold the former things are come to pass, and new\nthings do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.\" Isa.\n42:9. \"For I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none\nlike me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times\nthe things that are not yet done.\" Isa. 46:9, 10.\n\nThe Revelation is a rich mine of prophetic truth. The history of the\ncurrent dispensation is there delineated in advance so perfectly that we\ncan not but attribute its authorship to Him who knoweth the end from the\nbeginning, and worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. It\nwas written for the special benefit of the people of God, and we should\ngive it prayerful consideration.\n\nIn the preparation for this work, I have gleaned historical information\nfrom all the general and ecclesiastical histories, encyclopedias, etc.,\nwithin my reach, and only regret that I had not access to a still\ngreater number. However, knowing that large books are seldom read, I\ndetermined in advance not to write an extensive work, but to condense\nthe subject matter as much as possible, and, therefore, I have been\nobliged to omit much valuable material previously gathered. For this\nreason many lines of prophetic truth penned by others of the sacred\nwriters have been passed over in silence, even though relating to the\nsame events as certain symbolic visions in the Revelation.\n\nI have availed myself of all the helps and the commentaries within my\nreach in the study of this important subject. However, I have but seldom\nreferred to the opinions of expositors. In most cases their explanations\nare not based upon any established rule of interpretation, and the\ndefinite laws of symbolic language are usually overlooked or\ndisregarded. Ordinary readers of the Revelation have always supposed\nthat the only course for them was to take the opinion of some learned\nexpositor and to believe on _his authority_; and when they have found\nthat equally learned and judicious men sustained the most opposite\nviews, they have been bewildered amid conflicting opinions and have\ndecided that, when such men were at issue, it was useless for them to\ninvestigate. While, therefore, I have made every available use of their\nopinions, it was only for the purpose of forming my own and of enabling\nmyself so to unfold the nature of the symbols that every one might see\nfor himself the propriety of the interpretation given.\n\nThe present knowledge that has been attained of this prophetic book is\nlargely the result of the combined efforts of all who have labored to\nunfold its meaning. No one has had the honor of first understanding all\nits parts, and very few have failed to contribute something, more or\nless, to its true interpretation. Therefore I have endeavored as much as\npossible to gather up the good from the labors of my predecessors and to\ncombine it with the results of my own study and research. The Exposition\nof Mr. Lord has had an important bearing on this work. For many\nbeautiful thoughts concerning the nature and the use of symbols, in the\nchapter on the nature of symbolic language, I must acknowledge special\nindebtedness to the Lectures of Thomas Wickes on the Apocalypse,\ndelivered many years ago, although I have ofttimes arrived at quite\ndifferent conclusions in their interpretation throughout the Revelation.\nMuch appreciated assistance has been derived from the works of other\ncommentators as well.\n\nThere is considerable disagreement among historians themselves regarding\ncertain historical points, but their differences are of minor importance\nso far as the present work is concerned. When such points were involved,\nI have simply endeavored to follow the best authorities. Lengthy or\nimportant quotations from other writers have been duly credited where\nthey appear, hence no special mention is necessary in this place. Minor\nextracts are merely enclosed within quotation-marks.\n\nThe Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 6 Vols., Philadelphia, 1872,\nis the edition of Gibbon's Rome from which quotations are made.\n\nTo assist in simplifying the subject and in placing it before the reader\nin a concise, comprehensive manner, a number of useful diagrams have\nbeen added; for they serve about the same purpose in the study of a\nsubject so complicated as do maps in the study of geography. I would\nespecially call attention to the large \"Diagram of the Revelation,\"\nwhere the various lines of prophetic truth are outlined in parallel\nseries, enabling the reader to comprehend at once where the symbolic\nnarrative returns to take up a new line of thought covering the same\nperiod of time. In these diagrams, however, no attempt has been made to\nset forth every phase of thought connected with the subject; only the\nmain features have been outlined.\n\nFeeling directed by the Lord to undertake this work and realizing the\ngreatness of the task, I have earnestly sought for divine wisdom and\nguidance, and I humbly acknowledge his gracious assistance in its\nprosecution; and while I can not indulge the hope that human fallibility\nhas been overcome, yet I firmly believe that a careful reliance upon the\nHoly Spirit has been an effectual means of avoiding error and unfolding\nmany of the hitherto mysterious prophecies of this wonderful book. To\nhis worthy name I ascribe all praise and glory. The future, doubtless,\nwill witness a still greater development of this subject; for men of God\nmore worthy and possessing greater abilities will arise, who, beginning\nwhere we have left off, will continue its investigation and throw upon\nit additional light as yet unrevealed.\n\nThat the Lord will bless The Revelation Explained to the good of his\nchurch upon earth and grant it a place, however small, in the cause of\npresent truth, is my earnest prayer.\n\nYours in Christ,\nF.G. Smith.\n_Grand Junction, Mich., June 26, 1906_.\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE TO FOURTH EDITION\n\n\nThe reception accorded this work when it was first submitted to the\npublic was more than gratifying to the author. The lapse of time has\nonly tended to confirm still more strongly the fundamental nature of the\nprinciple of interpretation adopted. In order to supply the constant\ndemand, the fourth edition is now issued.\n\nI have taken advantage of this opportunity to make certain revisions\nnecessitated by an increase of knowledge since the work was first\nwritten, nearly twelve years ago. This revision, however, did not\nrequire an entire re-writing and does not involve a change in\nfundamentals.\n\nF.G. Smith.\n_Anderson, Ind., Mar. 1, 1918_.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\nPreface\nNature of Symbolic Language\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nIntroduction, verses 1-11\nVision of Christ, verses 12-20\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nMessage to Ephesus, verses 1-7\nMessage to Smyrna, verses 8-11\nMessage to Pergamus, verses 12-17\nMessage to Thyatira, verses 18-29\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nMessage to Sardis, verses 1-6\nMessage to Philadelphia, verses 7-13\nMessage to Laodicea, verses 14-22\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nVision of God's Throne\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nThe Book with Seven Seals\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nFirst Seal Opened, verses 1, 2\nSecond Seal Opened, verses 3, 4\nThird Seal Opened, verses 5, 6\nFourth Seal Opened, verses 7, 8\nFifth Seal Opened, verses 9-11\nSixth Seal Opened, verses 12-17\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nGod's Servants Sealed, verses 1-8\nThe White-Robed Company, verses 9-17\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nSeventh Seal Opened, verses 1-5\nFirst Trumpet Sounded, verses 6, 7\nSecond Trumpet Sounded, verses 8, 9\nThird Trumpet Sounded, verses 10, 11\nFourth Trumpet Sounded, verses 12, 13\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nFifth Trumpet Sounded, verses 1-12\nSixth Trumpet Sounded, verses 13-21\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nThe Rainbow Angel\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nTemple and Holy City, verses 1, 2\nThe Two Witnesses, verses 3-6\nThe Witnesses Slain, verses 7-10\nThe Witnesses Resurrected, verses 11-14\nSeventh Trumpet Sounded, verses 15-19\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nWoman and Man-Child, verses 1-6\nMichael and the Dragon, verses 7-12\nThe Woman's Flight, verses 13-17\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nThe Leopard Beast, verses 1-9\n\"The Faith of the Saints,\" verse 10\nThe Two-Horned Beast, verses 11-18\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nThe 144,000 on Mount Sion, verses 1-5\nThe Three Angels, verses 6-11\n\"The Patience of the Saints,\" verses 12, 13\nHarvest of the World, verses 14-20\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nSeven Last Plagues\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nThe First Vial, verses 1, 2\nThe Second Vial, verse 3\nThe Third Vial, verses 4-7\nThe Fourth Vial, verses 8, 9\nThe Fifth Vial, verses 10, 11\nThe Sixth Vial, verses 12-16\nThe Seventh Vial, verses 17-21\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\n\"Babylon the Great,\" verses 1-6\nBeast and Ten Kingdoms, verses 7-18\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\nFall of Babylon\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\nMarriage of the Lamb, verses 1-10\nComing of Christ, verses 11-21\n\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\nThe Dragon Bound, verses 1-6\nThe Dragon Released, verses 7-10\nThe Judgment Scene, verses 11-15\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\nNew Heaven and Earth, verses 1-8\nThe Heavenly Jerusalem, verses 9-27\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\nRiver and Tree of Life, verses 1-5\nChrist's Coming and Eternity, verses 6-21\n\n\n\n\nNature of Symbolic Language.\n\n\nBefore proceeding with the interpretation of this wonderful book, it\nwill be necessary for us to pause and make inquiry concerning the nature\nof the language employed in its prophecies and concerning the mode of\nits interpretation. It will be seen at a glance that it is wholly unlike\nthe common language of life; and it will be useless for us to undertake\nto ascertain its signification unless we understand perfectly the\nprinciples upon which it is founded.\n\nThe question may be asked, \"Is the language intelligible at all?\"\nConsidering the variety of interpretations placed upon it by expositors\nand the opinions generally held respecting it, we might conclude that it\nis not. The majority of the people look upon these prophecies as \"a mass\nof unintelligible enigmas,\" and are ready to tell the student of\nRevelation that this book \"either finds or leaves a man mad.\" But are we\nto look upon its language as being applied at a venture, without any\ndefinite rule, capable of every variety of meaning, so that we can never\nbe quite _sure_ that we have its correct interpretation?\n\nCommentators generally unite in attaching a definite meaning to certain\nsymbols, and they tell us that these can not be applied otherwise\nwithout violating their nature. They may not give us their reasons for\nthus applying them (in fact, they generally do not), yet it is evidently\nassumed that such reasons do exist. Now, if reasons actually exist why a\ndefinite signification must be applied to the symbol in the one case,\nwhy do they not exist in another case, and in all cases? If any law\nexists in the case at all, it is a uniform one, for a law that does not\npossess uniformity is no law; otherwise, it would be an unintelligible\nrevelation, and the only possible thing left for us to do would be to\nattempt to solve it like a riddle--guess it out. It would be as if the\nwriter were to use words with every variety of meaning peculiarly his\nown attached, without informing the reader what signification to give\nthem in a given instance. No man has a right thus to abuse written or\nspoken language; and we may take it for granted that the God of heaven\nwould not make such an indiscriminate use of symbolical language when\nmaking a revelation to men. There is no other book the wide world around\nin which language is as carefully employed as in the Bible; and we can\nrest assured that when God gave this Revelation to Jesus Christ \"to\n_show_ unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass,\" he\nmade choice of proper symbols whose meaning can be definitely evolved,\nprovided we can but ascertain the great underlying principles upon which\ntheir original selection was based.\n\nIn the ordinary communication of our thoughts we employ arbitrary signs\nand sounds to which we have universally agreed to fix a definite\nmeaning. Thus, our entire spoken language is made up of a great variety\nof sounds or words with which by long practise we have become familiar.\nWe call a certain object a horse, not because there is any similarity\nbetween the sound and the animal designated, but because we have agreed\nthat that sound shall represent that object. So, also, we have agreed\nthat the characters h-o-r-s-e shall represent the same thing; and by the\nuse of twenty-six characters, called the alphabet, placed together in\nvarious combinations, we are able to write our entire spoken language.\n\nThe incidents connected with the introduction of written language among\na barbarous people are worthy of remark in this connection. That thought\ncan be conveyed to persons at a distance by the use of certain\ncabalistic characters seems to them incredible, and when compelled to\nbelieve it, they look upon the person that can accomplish such wonders\nas embodying something supernatural. These things I mention merely to\ncall attention to the fact that spoken and written language is a curious\nand wonderfully complicated affair. This is brought forcibly to our\nminds when we hear persons conversing in a foreign tongue, or when we\npick up a book the characters of which are wholly unlike those of our\nown language. To us an English book is full of instinctive beauty, every\nletter or mark possessing a definite meaning that is instantly conveyed\nto our minds, because we have become familiar with them by diligent\nstudy and practise.\n\nThere are other ways of transferring thought besides the complicated\nsystem just mentioned--ways which are much more natural and simple.\nThus, a simpler way to represent a certain object would be to draw a\npicture of it; or, better still, to represent a certain character or\nquality by exhibiting, not the object itself, but an analagous one whose\npeculiar character that property is; for examples: the quiet, peaceful,\ngentle disposition of a child, by a lamb; a man of cunning, artful,\ndeceptive disposition, by a fox; or a cruel, bloodthirsty, vindictive\ntyrant, by a tiger, etc. This is hieroglyphical or symbolic language.\nThis language takes precedence over every other for naturalness and\nsimplicity, being common to a greater or less extent among all nations\nand intelligible to all.\n\nSpoken language was undoubtedly a gift from God originally, while\nwritten language is probably a mere human invention. We are not to\nsuppose that the first attempts to convey thought in writing would be by\nan alphabetical system, but by the symbolic, it being, as before stated,\nthe most natural and within reach of the ordinary ingenuity of man. This\nis proved by the fact that the inscriptions on the ancient monuments of\nEgypt and the inscriptions of other nations of antiquity are of this\ncharacter. It is also a fact worthy of notice that, four thousand years\nlater, men of other countries and of other languages have, by much study\nand a careful comparison of the symbols, been able to decipher with\naccuracy those hierographical representations.[1] This of itself is\nsufficient to establish the point that definiteness can be attached to\nthe use and the interpretation of carefully-selected symbols, when the\nprinciples that governed their original selection are discovered.\n\n[Footnote 1: The systems of hieroglyphical writing employed by various\nnations have, for the most part, remained unintelligible until a key of\ntheir interpretation was discovered. In 1799 M. Bouchard, a French\ncaptain of engineers, while digging intrenchments on the site of an old\ntemple near the Rosetta mouth of the Nile, unearthed a black stone\ncontaining a trilingual inscription in hieroglyphics, demotic\ncharacters, and Greek. The last paragraph of the Greek inscription\nstated that two translations, one in the sacred and the other in the\npopular Egyptian language, would be found adjacent; hence this\ncelebrated stone has afforded European scholars a key to the language\nand writing of the ancient Egyptians. The cuneiform writing of the\nBabylonians and Persians remained a mystery also until modern times, but\ngreat progress has now been made in the deciphering of thousands of\ninscribed clay tablets, cylinders, prisms, etc. The key to its\ninterpretation is the celebrated inscription at Behistun, cut upon the\nface of a high rock three hundred feet above its base, and recording a\nportion of the history of Darius. It is written in the cuneiform\ncharacters, in three languages--Median, Persian, and Assyrian.]\n\nI do not wish to be understood as implying that the symbolical language\nof Scripture is identical with the hieroglyphics of ancient monuments.\nThere may be different kinds of symbolic representations; but they are\nnot arbitrary, as is spoken language, and can not be arbitrarily\napplied; a fixed law governs them all.\n\nNow, the book of Revelation is made up of this symbolic language. It is\nnot, however, confined to this book alone. There are many instances of\nit to be found elsewhere in the sacred volume, and in many cases it is\nexplained by inspiration itself, thus giving us a reliable key to the\nwhole. Joseph's dream of the eleven sheaves that made obeisance to his\nsheaf was of this description (Gen. 37:7, 8), and his eleven brethren\nwere angered, because its meaning was apparent--that they should be\nhumbled before him. Also, his dream of the sun, the moon, and the eleven\nstars (verses 9, 10) was understood to signify the subjection of the\nentire family unto him, which was actually fulfilled after Joseph's\nexaltation in Egypt. The chief butler's dream of the vine with three\nbranches bearing grapes, which he took and pressed into the king's cup,\nwas interpretated by Joseph as signifying the butler's restoration in\nthree days to his former position of cup-bearer to the king; while the\nchief baker's dream of the three baskets upon his head, out of which the\nbirds ate, was interpretated as signifying his execution in the same\nlength of time. Gen. 40. Pharaoh's dream of the seven fat kine and the\nseven lean kine, also of the seven full ears and the seven thin ears,\nsignified seven years of plenty and seven years of famine. Gen. 41.\n\nAgain, the four divisions of King Nebuchadnezzar's wonderful image was\nexplained by Daniel as signifying four universal monarchies and the ten\ntoes as signifying the ten minor kingdoms which grew out of the fourth;\nwhile the stone that was cut out of the mountain without human\nintervention he interpreted as signifying the divine kingdom of God.\nDan. 2. The two-horned ram of Daniel's vision (chap. 8), according to\nthe explanation of the angel, symbolized the Medo-Persian empire, its\ntwo horns signifying the two dynasties of allied kings that composed it.\nThe he-goat signified the Greco-Macedonian empire; his great horn, its\nfirst mighty king; and the four horns that replaced the great one when\nbroken represented four kings under whom the empire would eventually be\ndivided into as many parts. In the Apocalypse itself we have a number of\nsymbols divinely interpreted, \"The seven stars are the angels of the\nseven churches.\" \"The seven candle-sticks which thou sawest are the\nseven churches.\" \"The ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings.\" \"The\nwaters which thou sawest ... are peoples, and multitudes, and nations,\nand tongues.\" \"The woman which thou sawest is that great city which\nreigneth over the kings of the earth,\" etc.\n\nIt will be seen that the great underlying principle or _law_ upon which\nsymbolic language is based is ANALOGY. An object is chosen to represent\nnot itself, but something of analagous character.\n\nWebster defines _symbol_ as follows: \"The sign or representation of any\nmoral thing by the images or properties of natural things. Thus, a lion\nis the _symbol_ of courage; the lamb is the _symbol_ of meekness or\npatience.\" Home, in his Introduction to the Study of the Bible, says:\n\"By symbols we mean certain representative marks, rather than express\npictures; or, if pictures, such as were at the time _characters_, and\nbesides presenting to the eye the resemblance of a particular object,\nsuggested a general idea to the mind, as when a _horn_ was made to\ndenote _strength_, an _eye_ and _scepter, majesty_, and in numberless\nsuch instances; where the picture was not drawn to express merely the\nthing itself, but something else, which was, or was conceived to be,\nanalagous to it.\" The main idea, then, as expressed in the foregoing\ndefinitions, is the representation of an object, not by a picture of\nitself, but by something analagous, such as the exhibition of moral\nqualities by images drawn from nature. But the use of symbols is not\nconfined to the representation of moral subjects alone. Anything may be\nsymbolized to which a corresponding analagous object can be found.\n\nTo establish the principle of analogy here laid down, it will be\nnecessary to refer only to a few of the numerous examples of divinely\ninterpreted symbols in the Scriptures. Any one can readily perceive the\nanalogy between the seven fat kine of Pharaoh's dream and as many years\nof plenty; so, also, with the seven full, healthy ears that grew up on\nseven stalks. Likewise, the analogy between the seven thin kine and as\nmany years of famine, and the seven thin, blasted ears that represented\nthe same thing, is apparent. One fat kine or one full ear would\nsymbolize one year of plenty, when crops were abundant; while seven\nwould represent as many distinct seasons of prosperity, etc. Kine do not\nrepresent kine, but something analagous. The beasts of Daniel's visions\ndo not represent animals like themselves, or a multitude of such\nanimals, but something of analagous disposition. The analogy between a\nwild, ferocious beast, stamping upon or devouring everything within its\nreach, and a cruel, persecuting, tyrannical government is apparent. A\nhorn does not signify a horn, but some great power, such as a dynasty of\nkings or rulers; and what the horn is to the animal in manifesting its\ndesolating disposition, kings and rulers are to an empire in executing\nthe persecuting or oppressive principles of the body politic. A pure,\nchaste virgin is used to symbolize the true church of God; whereas a\ncorrupt harlot is chosen to represent an apostate church, and\nfornication her idolatrous worship.\n\nAlthough this principle is worthy of further elucidation, yet enough has\nbeen said to firmly establish the point that symbolic language is\nfounded upon analogy. It is also clear that, whenever we attach a\nliteral signification to a symbolic object, we immediately destroy\nentirely its use as a symbol. So we may accept it as one established\nlandmark in the interpretation of the Apocalypse, that every symbol,\nregardless of the department from which it is taken--whether from the\nmaterial universe, the animal kingdom, human life or the heavenly\nrealm--stands as the representative, not of itself, but of some other\nobject of analagous character not found in the same department from\nwhich it is drawn.\n\nThis develops another important fact worthy of attention. If the great\nlaw of symbolic language is based upon analogy, it is clear to a\ndemonstration that the symbols employed _must be_ definitely applied.\nThey can not be arbitrary, as the words composing our spoken language\nare. There is nothing in the nature of the thing to prevent our calling\na horse an elephant, provided we had only agreed universally to adopt\nthat designation of the animal referred to (arbitrary sounds can be\narbitrarily applied); but we violate nature when we attempt to make a\nferocious tiger the symbol of an innocent child, or represent a\nblood-thirsty tyrant by the symbol of a lamb. A disgusting, polluted\nharlot may be the proper symbol of an apostate church, but of the pure,\nholy church of God--_never_. A proper correspondence must be kept up. We\nmust follow nature strictly.\n\nSymbols are drawn from every department--from animate and inanimate\ncreation, from animal life and human life, from the visible universe\nbelow and the heavenly world above, and also from some objects of fancy\nto which there is no corresponding object in existence, such as Daniel's\nfour-headed beast, or the one in the Revelator's vision with seven heads\nand ten horns; but in the selection of the same a proper correspondence\nof quality is kept up. The symbols that are chosen to set forth the\ngreat spiritual affairs of the church are such as are in themselves\nnobler than those selected to describe the political affairs of kings\nand empires, because in the divine estimation the church is of\ninfinitely greater importance and occupies a more honorable position\nthan worldly kingdoms. Thus, a beautiful virgin bride is chosen to\nrepresent the church of God; whereas a great red dragon with seven heads\nand ten horns is chosen to symbolize the Pagan Roman empire. The\nglorious body of God's reformers is set forth under the symbol of an\nangel from heaven, with his face as the sun, his feet as pillars of\nfire, and a rainbow upon his head; whereas the Saracen warriors of\nMahomet are locusts upon the earth, with stings of scorpions. The\ndepartment of human and angelic life is chosen to set forth the\nspiritual affairs of the church, while the department of nature and of\nanimal life represents the political affairs of nations. To this general\nrule, there is at least one exception. Certain things connected with\nGod's chosen people under the old dispensation are considered proper\nsymbols to represent similar things or events in the New Testament\ndispensation, without special regard to the department from which they\nare drawn. Thus, the temple, altar, incense, candlesticks, holy city,\netc., of the former age, though not taken from the department of human\nor angelic life, are, nevertheless, clearly used to represent affairs of\nthe church, the analogy in the case being apparent because of their\nformer prominence as connected with the Lord's covenant people.\n\nAgain, when the symbol selected is that of a living, active, intelligent\nagent, it represents an analagous intelligent agent. Likewise, the\nactions of the former plainly denote analagous actions in the latter,\nand the effects produced by the actions of the symbolic agent signify\nanalagous effects produced by the actions of the agent symbolized. To\nmake it clearer: agents symbolize agents, actions symbolize actions, and\neffects symbolize effects. If this be not true--if agents can symbolize\nactions and effects as well as agents, or if actions can symbolize\nagents and effects--then all is an inextricable maze of confusion, and\nwell may we repeat the words uttered by a certain minister to the\nwriter, \"The book should have been called Mystification, not\nRevelation.\"\n\nThe same principle of analogy is carried out in another particular.\nWhenever the enemies of God or destructive agents are intended, objects\nof a corresponding desolating character are chosen as their symbols;\nwhereas the peaceful triumphs of the cross, as exhibited by God's chosen\npeople, are described under symbols of an equally benign and gentle\ncharacter. Thus, the anti-christian, persecuting power of Rome is\ndescribed as a ferocious wild beast, stamping everything beneath its\nfeet and spreading desolation on every side. The Vandal hordes of\nNorthern barbarians, who, under Genseric overran the Western Roman\nempire early in the fifth century, are symbolized by a volcanic mountain\ncast into the sea and spreading its streams of molten lava in every\ndirection. The fearful pest of Mohammedanism is a dense smoke issuing\nfrom the bottomless pit and darkening the heavens. The Saracens of\nMahomet are swarms of locusts appearing upon the earth, with scorpion\nstings, tormenting men five months, or, prophetically, one hundred and\nfifty years. On the other hand, a church is a candle-stick; its pastor,\na beautiful star; the whole church, a virgin bride; the glorious\nassembly of God's reformers, a rainbow angel, etc.\n\nFrom the foregoing it will be seen that symbols are not words, but\nthings, chosen because of some analagous resemblance to represent other\nthings; and by a careful study of the nature of the symbols themselves\nwe can ascertain where to look for their fulfilment. In the present work\nno attempt has been made to prove the interpretations given merely by\nthe authority of learned names (for they can be arrayed on every side of\na passage), but the nature of the symbols themselves has been developed;\nand the reader will be able to judge how nearly the known laws of\nsymbolic language have been followed.\n\nIt will be necessary, however, to notice another exception to the rules\ngiven, although it can scarcely be said to form an exception--it rather\nproves the very position taken. Undoubtedly, there are some few objects\nwhose nature forbids their symbolization, there being no object in\nexistence of analagous character that can be chosen as their\nrepresentative. God, evidently, can not be symbolized; for where is the\nindividual in heaven or on earth that can stand as his representative?\n\"To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto\nhim?\" Isa. 40:18. Man can not represent him, angels can not; for\nwhenever they appear on the panoramic scene, they denote distinguished\nagencies among men. There may be certain symbols connected with his\nperson, setting forth his divine attributes and proclaiming the eternal\nmajesty of his name; but he himself is described as \"One sitting upon a\nthrone,\" before whom the created intelligences of earth and heaven fall\ndown and worship unceasingly, but no symbol of Him is given. The same\nexception also applies to the person of Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer.\nWhile the human aspect of the Savior, as exhibited during the\nincarnation in his sacrificial death, may be properly symbolized by a\nlamb, as in chap. V, there is no created intelligence in God's great\nuniverse that can be chosen to represent, in his true, essential\ndivinity, Him who does not deem it robbery to claim equality with God.\nThere may, likewise, be certain symbols connected with his person to\ngive us at least a faint impression of his divine character and infinite\nmajesty; yet when he appears upon the symbolic scene, he distinctly\nannounces, \"I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was\ndead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore.\" \"He hath on his vesture and\non his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.\" So\nwhenever the divine Christ appears on the symbolic scene, he comes in\nhis own person, proclaiming his own name, and we need look for no symbol\nof him.\n\nUpon the opening of the fifth seal, the souls of the martyrs are\nrepresented as crying unto God from the altar for the avenging of their\nblood on those who dwell on the earth. Where is there an object in all\ncreation analagous to a disembodied spirit? None can be found. It is\neasy to give them an arbitrary name; therefore they appear in the\nRevelation under their own appropriate title, as \"the _souls_ of them\nthat were slain.\" Chap. 6:9, 10, also 20:4.\n\nThis exception applies to every case where no corresponding object can\nbe selected as a symbol. Where the nature of the subject forbids its\nsymbolization, there the description must of necessity be literal, and\nall such objects appear under their own appropriate titles. Otherwise,\nwe are to look upon the entire book of Revelation as a vast collection\nof symbols whose interpretation is to be found, not in the department\nfrom which they are taken, but in another, to which they bear a certain\nanalagous resemblance.\n\nAlthough not pertaining strictly to the subject of symbolic language,\nyet a word respecting the plan of the prophecy will be appropriate at\nthis time. The prophetic events are not arranged after the ordinary plan\nof histories, narrating all the contemporaneous events in a given\nperiod, whether civil, religious, literary, scientific, or biographical,\nthus finishing up the history of that period; but it consists of a\nnumber of distinct themes running over the same ground. The proof of\nthis assertion will appear as we proceed with the development of the\nprophecies.\n\nMay the wisdom of heaven direct us in the perusal of this wonderful book\nof Revelation, and may we at last be \"accounted worthy to obtain that\nworld,\" and the glorious privilege of rendering eternal praise to \"Him\nthat sitteth upon the throne,\" \"upholding all things by the word of his\npower,\" \"declaring the end from the beginning,\" and revealing his mighty\nworks unto the children of men.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\n\n    The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show\n    unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he\n    sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:\n\n    2. Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of\n    Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.\n\n    3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of\n    this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein:\n    for the time is at hand.\n\nThis book of the Revelation is frequently styled the Apocalypse, derived\nfrom the word by which it is designated in Greek. Jesus Christ having\nreceived it from God, its author, designed it for the future benefit of\nhis church, and communicated it to his servants by the hand of the\nbeloved apostle John. Its character is described by its title\n\"Revelation,\" which signifies something revealed or made known; and its\nobject was to \"show unto his servants things which must shortly come to\npass.\" This object of God's in delivering the Revelation to his church\nshould be a sufficient refutation of the popular theory that this book\nis unintelligible, and its varied symbols wrapped in such deep mystery\nthat their meaning can not be evolved; for it is not consonant with the\nsupreme power and wisdom of the God-head to suppose that, in making a\nrevelation to man, he would make the fatal mistake of clothing his\nlanguage with a mystery that defies the intellect of mortals to unveil.\nIt is said of the things herein revealed that they \"must shortly come to\npass,\" by which is meant not that they were all to be completely\nfulfilled within a short time, but that the series of special events\npredicted were soon to begin. Thus, we speak of a century or eternity as\nnear at hand, by which we mean that the events of the period spoken of\nare about to commence, although the end of the series may be very far\noff.\n\nBut who are \"his servants\"? For whose benefit was the Revelation given?\nSurely it was for all those who become children of God by faith in\nChrist Jesus, from the beginning of the gospel dispensation when it was\ngiven, until the end of time; for a benediction is pronounced upon _all_\nthose who read and hear its prophecies and \"keep those things which are\nwritten therein.\" It was this promised blessing unto the earnest\ninquirers into the truths of Revelation that enabled the writer to\ndecide to give these prophecies the consideration that is justly their\ndue, and to recognize their infinite importance to the present church;\n\"for the time is at hand\" that will close the series of events herein\npredicted and usher in eternity. Every fulfilment of prophecy brings\nwith it new duties, and enjoins fresh responsibilities upon the people\nof God; yea, \"every revolving century, every closing year, adds to the\nurgency with which attention is challenged to the concluding portion of\nHoly Writ.\" Daniel prophetically described some of the events contained\nalso in the Apocalypse, but he was told to shut up the words and seal\nthe book _until_ the time of the end, when \"many shall run to and fro,\nand knowledge shall be increased.\"\n\nIt has been a matter of conjecture as to who the angel or messenger was\nthat Christ sent to deliver the prophecies to John. Some suppose it to\nhave been Gabriel, because of his having been a chosen instrument to\ndeliver similar prophecies to Daniel. Some think it was Elijah, he\nhaving been translated that he should not see death, and afterwards\nappearing on the mount of transfiguration. Others think it was one of\nthe redeemed sons of earth; because afterward, when rejecting the\nworship John was about to tender him, he says, \"See thou do it not: I am\nthy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of\nJesus: worship God.\" Chaps. 19:10; 22:9. But we can not identify this\nmessenger positively, as no definite information is given. To these\nrevelations received John bore a faithful record of all things that he\n_saw_, implying the fact that they passed in vision before him and he\nbeheld them as in a picture.\n\n    4. JOHN to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto\n    you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is\n    to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;\n\n    5. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the\n    first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the\n    earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in\n    his own blood,\n\n    6. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father;\n    to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.\n\n    7. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him,\n    and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth\n    shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.\n\n    8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the\n    Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the\n    Almighty.\n\nThe Apocalypse opens with the salutation of John to the seven churches\nin Asia, unto whom it was particularly addressed, and for whom special\nmessages were prepared. There were other congregations of the church of\nGod in Asia, or Asia Minor, besides the seven to whom the Revelation was\nsent, such as Colosse, Miletus, Troas, etc. Why only seven were\naddressed, we do not know, unless it be that the number seven is used,\nas elsewhere in the Sacred Volume, to denote fulness or completeness,\nbeing, as has been said, \"a kind of memorial of the great facts of the\nfirst seven days of time which have divided all ages into cycles of\nweeks.\" So when we read of Christ's walking in the midst of the seven\nchurches, we are to understand that he is in all the congregations of\nhis people; and the ministers of the seven churches who are upheld by\nthe Lord himself are representative, in one important sense at least, of\nthe entire Christian ministry; for Christ has promised to be with them\nalway \"even unto the end of the world.\" Mat. 28:20.\n\nThis salutation of John's is one of great beauty and splendor, setting\nforth, as it does, the divine attributes of the great Jehovah in a\nstriking manner as he \"which is, and which was, and which is to come,\"\nan expression embracing eternity and designating the eternal,\nunchangeable God. The seven spirits before his throne describe the third\nperson in the Trinity, as will appear clearer hereafter, seven being\nused as a sacred or perfect number designating his dignity and\nexcellence. Some have supposed that seven angelic spirits were here\ndescribed; but it is not consistent with the honor due the God-head to\nsuppose that created intelligences should be exalted to a plane of\nequality with the supreme Deity. Moreover, they would probably have been\ndescribed as seven _angels_, and not as seven _spirits_.\n\nJesus Christ is mentioned next and more fully described, he being the\ndirect author of the Revelation. He is \"the first begotten of the dead,\nthe prince of the kings of the earth,\" and the one \"that loved us, and\nwashed us from our sins in his own blood.\" The statement that Christ is\nthe \"first-begotten of the dead,\" is parallel to similar expressions in\nthe Bible, where he is declared to be \"the first-fruits of them that\nslept,\" \"and the first-born from the dead.\" Though others had been\nrestored to life before the resurrection of Christ, yet he was the first\nto rise with an immortal, glorified body. These expressions may also\ndenote that Christ was the chief or central figure among all those who\narose. But it was by virtue of his coming and of his victory over death\nthat any were enabled to rise before his resurrection, as in the mind\nand purpose of God, who \"calleth those things which be not as though\nthey were\" (Rom. 4:17), Christ was ordained to die and rise again, from\nthe foundation of the world. He is the \"prince of the kings of the\nearth\" by virtue of his being exalted to the right hand of God, with\n\"angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.\" 1 Pet.\n3:22. \"Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion,\nand every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that\nwhich is to come.\" Eph. 1:21.\n\n\"Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,\"\ndescribes the great atonement work of Jesus Christ, by which we are\ncleansed from all sin and made a royal, kingly priesthood unto God even\nin this world. Every soul that has received the blessed experience John\nhere describes will be able to appreciate the unbounded rapture the\nbeloved apostle felt in the contemplation of this wonderful theme of\nredemption that caused him to ascribe to God, its author, \"glory and\ndominion forever and ever.\"\n\nThis Jesus is he who will come again, not in humiliation and suffering,\nbut in glory and honor; not as a Lamb to shed his blood for the sins of\nthe world, but as the Lion of the tribe of Juda, with infinite power and\nmajesty, causing all the kindreds of earth to wail because of him. The\nblasphemous Jews, who clamored for his crucifixion; Pilate, who\ndelivered him up; and the Roman soldiery, who drove the nails and\npierced his side, producing a death of greatest ignominy--all will see\nhim when he comes. But while the proud enemies of God and the cruel\noppressors of his saints are overwhelmed with terror at the sight of His\nperson, the saints of all ages will shout for joy, saying, \"Even so.\nAmen.\" \"The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.\" In\nthe face of this awful truth, how dare men assert that the second advent\nwill usher in a thousand years of peace and tranquility, during which\ntime the wicked will lie in their graves, when God's word declares that\n_every eye_ shall see him when he comes?\n\nThe present description of Christ closes with the statement that he is\nthe Alpha and the Omega, which, being the first and last letters of the\nGreek alphabet, mean the same as \"the beginning and the ending\"; while\nthe whole concludes with the statement that he is the one \"which is, and\nwhich was, and which is to come, the Almighty\"--which is the same as the\ndescription given of God in verse 4. Nothing in addition to this could\nbe ascribed to Christ. Every attribute with which the Deity himself is\ninvested is here ascribed to Jesus Christ. If our Savior is anything\nmore than this description declares him to be, it is beyond the reach of\nour finite minds to comprehend. The sacred writers everywhere speak of\nhim as a being worthy of worship and praise; and this fact, taken in\nconnection with the universal proneness of men to take the honor from\nGod and to give it to those who are no gods, is a convincing proof that\nChrist is God and, as such, is worthy of all honor and praise; and\nnowhere is there given in regard to Christ a warning caution such as\nJohn received from the angel at whose feet he fell to worship--\"See thou\ndo it not ... worship God.\"\n\n    9. I John, who also am your brother, and companion in\n    tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,\n    was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and\n    for the testimony of Jesus Christ.\n\n    10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a\n    great voice, as of a trumpet,\n\n    11. Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and,\n    What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven\n    churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and\n    unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto\n    Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.\n\nAt the time the Revelation was given, John was a prisoner in the Isle of\nPatmos (now called Patmo or Patino), a small, desolate, rocky island in\nthe Aegean sea, near the coast of Asia Minor, its greatest length from\nnorth to south being about ten miles, and its greatest breadth six. To\nthis lonely place, according to Jerome and others, John was exiled\nduring the reign of the tyrant Domitian, in A.D. 95. The reason of his\nbanishment is given--\"For the word of God, and for the testimony of\nJesus Christ.\" Having confined him to this barren spot, the emperor no\ndoubt thought he had effectually cleared the world of this preacher of\nrighteousness. Doubtless the persecutors of John Bunyan[2] thought the\nsame when they had him shut up in Bedford jail. But when men think the\ntruth is dead and buried out of sight, God suddenly gives it a\nresurrection with thirty-fold greater glory. It was so in this case. The\ngiving of the book of Revelation--the writing on this spot of the\nhistory of the church in advance--has changed the name of this rocky\nisland from deepest infamy to one of sacred interest and holy\nrecollections. The death of Domitian occurred in A.D. 96, and his\nsuccessor, the humane Nerva, recalled those who had been exiled because\nof their faithfulness to Christianity; and John returned to Ephesus,\nwhere he spent the remainder of his days, dying a natural death at the\nadvanced age of about one hundred years.\n\n[Footnote 2: John Bunyan (1628-1688) was a Puritan. After the\nrestoration of the Stuarts to the throne, at the close of the English\nRevolution and the failure of the Commonwealth, he was imprisoned for\ntwelve years \"on account of non-conformity to the established worship.\"\nIt was during this dreary confinement that he wrote his \"Pilgrim's\nProgress,\" the most admirable allegory in English literature.]\n\nThe humble manner in which John speaks of himself is affectionate. He\ndoes not represent himself to the churches as some great apostle or\nprophet, but as \"your brother and companion in tribulation,\" a sharer\nwith them in the trials and the persecutions that they were all called\nupon to endure. He also testified that he was \"in the kingdom and\npatience of Christ,\" of which we will speak more hereafter.\n\nIt was on the first day of the week, or the Lord's day, that the vision\nrecorded in this chapter was given John, while he was \"in the Spirit,\"\nor under the influence of the spirit of prophecy. He was commanded to\nwrite in a book the things that he saw and to send it unto the seven\nchurches of Asia. It is important to bear in mind the fact that these\nvisions are things that John _saw_, all the actors and events passing\nbefore him as a moving panorama--the most stupendous scene that human\neyes have ever beheld, containing the future political history of\nvarious nations and kingdoms and also the history of the church in her\ndifferent phases from the beginning until the final consummation. Of the\nseven churches we will speak more particularly hereafter.\n\n    12. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being\n    turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;\n\n    13. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the\n    Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt\n    about the paps with a golden girdle.\n\n    14. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as\n    snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;\n\n    15. And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a\n    furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.\n\n    16. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his\n    mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as\n    the sun shineth in his strength.\n\n    17. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid\n    his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first\n    and the last:\n\n    18. I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive\n    for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.\n\nThe hieroglyphic, or symbolic, characters now begin. Turning in the\ndirection from which the voice came, John saw seven beautiful\ncandle-sticks and standing in their midst, a personage whose appearance\nwas inexpressibly glorious. John had recognized the voice of Christ\nannouncing \"I am the first and the last,\" but he was not prepared for\nthe sight that met his gaze when he turned and found himself in the\nimmediate presence of his August Majesty, the Son of God. A human form\nwas there, but clothed in such vestments as proclaimed God; and no\nwonder mortality was overwhelmed when ushered into the presence of the\nuncreated Deity--he whose feet glowed as brass in a furnace, whose eyes\nwere as a flame of fire, and whose voice was as the sound of many\nwaters. Any man would have fallen as dead before such a personage as is\nhere described. Men may talk atheism, but it is the atheism of the lips\nand of a coward heart, an atheism that would flee appalled before the\nburning footsteps of the Deity, and the irresistible conclusion would\nbe, \"It is God himself.\"\n\nJohn was not left in doubt regarding the identity of this personage;\nfor, laying his hand upon the prostrate form of the apostle, he said,\n\"Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was\ndead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of\nhell and of death.\" The ever-living One entered death's domains and\npermitted himself to be bound with chains; but at his pleasure he broke\nthem asunder, conquered death, and rose triumphant, carrying with him\nthe keys of hell and of death; and he has ascended on high, alive\nforevermore; and at his voice all the dead will arise at his appearing,\nfor the grave can no longer hold its victims.\n\nThis vision settles an important fact--that when Christ appears upon the\npanoramic scene, he comes in his own person, and not in the character of\na created substitute. There may be symbols connected with his\nperson--the sword of his mouth may signify vengeance upon his enemies;\nhis eyes as a flame of fire, superior intelligence and penetrating\nvision, etc.--but he distinctly announces himself to be the Christ of\nGod. There is no creature in the universe that could personate \"him that\nliveth, and was dead, but is alive forevermore.\"\n\n    19. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which\n    are, and the things which shall be hereafter;\n\n    20. The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right\n    hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the\n    angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which\n    thou sawest are the seven churches.\n\nHere John received a special commission to write the things of the\nfuture that were to be given, the things that were then taking place,\nand also certain events which had come under his personal observation\nduring his life-time, and which were also included in the symbolic\nvisions, thus covering the entire gospel dispensation.\n\nThe special symbols employed in this introductory vision are here\nexplained by Christ himself, thus leaving us in no doubt whatever. A\nstar is a fit symbol of the position of a Christian minister--set in the\nchurch to give the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world;\nwhile a candle-stick fitly represents the congregation working with him\nand sustaining him in his position. The special power of\nChrist--symbolized by his right hand--is manifested in upholding his\nministers, while he walks in the midst of his churches, ready with the\nsword of his mouth to defend them from the attacks of their adversaries\nand to prove their constant Guardian and Protector.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\n\n    Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things\n    saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who\n    walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;\n\n    2. I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how\n    thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried\n    them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found\n    them liars:\n\n    3. And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake\n    hast labored, and hast not fainted.\n\n    4. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast\n    left thy first love.\n\n    5. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent,\n    and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly,\n    and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou\n    repent.\n\n    6. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the\n    Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.\n\n    7. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto\n    the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the\n    tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.\n\nThe special messages to the seven churches of Asia Minor are not of such\nthrilling interest as are the symbolic visions of the remainder of the\nbook, yet we can learn many beneficial lessons from the various\nexperiences of these congregations.\n\nAt the time the Revelation was given, Ephesus was the chief capital of\nProconsular Asia and its pride and glory. It was also that country's\nchief mart of idolatry, containing, as it did, the magnificent temple of\nDiana, which is reckoned as one of the seven wonders of the world. This\ntemple, according to the disclosures of modern excavations, was four\nhundred and eighteen feet in length, and two hundred and thirty-nine in\nwidth, with one hundred beautiful external pillars of Parian marble,\neach a single shaft about fifty-six feet high. The city was proud of the\ntitle it had received, \"Servant of the Goddess,\" and even the Roman\nemperors vied with wealthy natives in lavishing gifts to her. One of the\nlatter, named Vibius Salutaris, presented a large quantity of gold and\nsilver images to be carried annually in procession.\n\nIn this proud, wealthy, idolatrous city the apostle Paul planted a\nChristian church, and the great inroads the gospel made into the\nprevalent system of idolatry is shown by one circumstance mentioned in\nthe Book of Acts. \"And many that believed came, and confessed, and\nshowed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought\ntheir books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted\nthe price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So\nmightily grew the word of God and prevailed.\" Acts 19:18-20. Fifty\nthousand pieces of silver would be equal to ten thousand dollars' worth,\nor, according to some estimates, six times that amount. But ten thousand\ndollars' worth of books on incantation and magic alone destroyed,\nconsidering the scarcity of books in that day, shows the wondrous extent\nto which the gospel had been accepted. This was made the occasion of a\ngreat tumult in the city, when one, Demetrius, seeing that the prestige\nof Diana was diminishing, stirred up the people of the city against Paul\nand his companions, and cried vehemently, \"Great is Diana of the\nEphesians!\" The souvenir silver shrines and images of this goddess,\nwhich had been in such demand by the multitudes of people constantly\nvisiting the city, were no longer sought for when the knowledge of the\none true God was made known; and well might Demetrius and his\nfellow-craftsmen be alarmed as their means of wealth disappeared.\n\nThe spiritual condition of this church in Paul's time is worthy of\nnotice; for it presents a striking contrast with its condition at the\ntime when the special message of the Revelation was addressed to it.\nPaul in his epistle to the Ephesians taught them the glorious doctrine\nof entire sanctification (chap. 5:25-27), and they had received the\nexperience; for he gives them the express command, \"Grieve not the holy\nSpirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.\" Chap.\n4:30. And again, \"After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy\nSpirit of promise.\" Chap. 1:13. Their ministers, also, had been placed\nin their position by authority of the Holy Ghost, and were commanded to\nfeed the flock. See Acts 20:28. When this was their heavenly experience,\ntheir \"first works\" of patience, love, and perseverance, were acceptable\nunto Christ; but it was not their present condition. A sad declension\nhad taken place; therefore the declaration, \"I have somewhat against\nthee, because thou hast left thy first love.\" This was no mere human\nestimate placed upon their piety, but it was their condition as Christ\nhimself knew it to be. He \"who walketh in the midst of the seven golden\ncandlesticks,\" and knoweth the hearts of all men, declared they had\nfallen, and commanded them to repent and to do the first works. How sad\nthat a congregation which had one time enjoyed the fulness of God's\nfavor should fall from grace and be threatened with destruction by the\nLord himself! But there is one consolation to be obtained from the\nexperience of this church, and that is, that even if persons have\nenjoyed an experience of pardon and of sanctification and have lost it,\nthere is a possibility of their recovering the favor of God, provided\nthey \"repent, and do the first works.\"\n\nBut Christ, who in chapter 1:5 is said to be \"the faithful witness,\"\nwill not overlook anything that is good, nor censure a congregation\nunjustly. He finds in this church one fact worthy of commendation--their\nabhorrence of the deeds of the Nicolaitans. The infamous practises\nattributed to this party are promiscuous sexual intercourse and the\neating of things sacrificed to idols. It is said to have derived its\nname from Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch, who was one of the seven\ndeacons appointed by the church at Jerusalem, Acts 6:5. But there is no\nsatisfactory evidence that Nicolas was its founder; and it is the belief\nof many, that the sect attributed their origin to him simply to gain the\nprestige of his name. However, its mention in this connection is\nsufficient proof that at this time those corrupt principles had been\nwidely promulgated.\n\nThe letter closes with an admonition and a promise--an admonition to\ngive heed to the things uttered by the Spirit, and a promise of\neverlasting life to the overcomer. This shows that Christ does not\napprove or condemn indiscriminately. If the great mass of professors\ncontinue in their backslidden condition, the individual that gives heed\nto God's Word and is made an overcomer will have a right to \"the tree of\nlife, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.\"\n\nWhat, may we ask, has been the fate of this church against which Christ\nuttered the threat of removal? There is no proof that they gave heed to\nthe exhortation to repent, and the candle-stick has long since been\ntaken away. Not a vestige of a church remains to mark the site of this\nonce important congregation; nay, the city itself is no more, the stork,\nthe jackal, and a few miserable Turkish huts alone remaining on the site\nof this once proud metropolis where thousands congregated and cried,\n\"Great is Diana of the Ephesians!\"\n\n    8. And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These\n    things saith the first and the last which was dead, and is\n    alive;\n\n    9. I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art\n    rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews,\n    and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.\n\n    10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold,\n    the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be\n    tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful\n    unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.\n\n    11. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto\n    the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second\n    death.\n\nSmyrna was situated on a bay of the Aegean Sea, its beautiful harbor\nrendering it from time immemorial one of the most important commercial\ncities of Asia Minor. History does not inform us when the gospel was\nfirst introduced in this city; but at a very early date a large\ncongregation existed there, with the venerable Polycarp as its pastor.\nHe suffered death by martyrdom under the reign of Marcus Aurelius about\nA.D. 167.\n\nIn each of the seven letters to the churches Christ introduces himself\nby some appellation significant of the character he assumes toward them.\nIn this he styles himself \"the first and the last, which was dead, and\nis alive,\" a fact very important for that congregation to remember\nduring the great seasons of persecution and oppression through which\nthey were to be called to pass.\n\nAgainst this church Christ has no words of condemnation to utter; all is\nencouragement and promise. Their condition of poverty is mentioned. It\nis probable that this very poverty arose because of their accepting\nChristianity and taking joyfully the spoiling of their goods; for it is\na well-known fact that, when individuals embrace Christianity in an\nidolatrous land, they are disinherited by parents, cast out by\nrelatives, and denied public employment. Even the community refuses to\nassociate with them or to render them assistance in any form. Their\nmeans of subsistence is thus cut off, and they are harassed in every\npossible manner. Perhaps this is the very trial of poverty the church of\nSmyrna passed through; but Christ declares that they are rich: yea, God\nhath \"chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the\nkingdom which he hath promised to them that love him.\" Jas. 2:5. Their\nenemies may think that they have reduced them to a condition of\nwretchedness, but in this the persecutors are mistaken. God says the\nrighteous are rich. A certain writer has remarked, \"There is many a rich\npoor man, and many a poor rich man.\"\n\nThe blasphemy of opposing, self-styled Jews is next mentioned. In all\nprobability the term _Jew_ is applied in its spiritual sense. Paul\ndeclares that \"he is not a Jew which is one outwardly ... but he is a\nJew which is one inwardly\" (Rom. 2:28, 29), and that \"if ye be Christ's,\nthen are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.\" Gal.\n3:29. These persons professed to belong to the true \"Israel of God\"\n(Gal. 6:16), but they were without salvation; and the Smyrnaen church\nwould not recognize them as belonging to the congregation, and therefore\nthe only name that could be applied to them was \"the synagogue of\nSatan.\" Had they been tolerated in the assembly of the righteous, Christ\nwould have condemned or rebuked the church for not performing their\nduty, the same as he did the churches of Pergamos and Thyatira.\n\nGreat persecutions for the church of Smyrna are predicted; but he \"which\nwas dead, and is alive forevermore,\" having passed through the ordeal of\nsuffering and death himself, stands in a position to speak words of\ncomfort and consolation, assuring them in the strongest terms that,\nalthough wicked men and the devil may cast them into prison and\npersecute them unto the death, yet \"he that overcometh shall not be hurt\nof the second death.\" The overcomers are of the number of those who,\nhaving had \"part in the first resurrection, on such the second death\nhath no power.\" Chap. 20:6. The ten days doubtless are prophetic time\n(which will be explained later) and signify ten years, which was\nprobably fulfilled in the terrible persecution that began under the\nreign of Diocletian, and continued ten years, or from A.D. 302 to 312.\n\nThe subsequent history of Smyrna has been different from that of\nEphesus, in that it has retained its name and importance until the\npresent day, being the greatest commercial city in the Levant. It has a\npopulation of more than two hundred thousand, several thousand of whom\nbelong to the Greek and Armenian churches. The light there has become\ndimmed, but let us pray that God will soon remember the faith and\nperseverance of his ancient servants and again trim the lamps that once\nshone so brightly.\n\n    12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These\n    things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;\n\n    13. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where\n    Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not\n    denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my\n    faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.\n\n    14. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast\n    there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to\n    cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel, to eat\n    things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.\n\n    15. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the\n    Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.\n\n    16. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will\n    fight against them with the sword of my mouth.\n\n    17. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto\n    the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the\n    hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone\n    a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that\n    receiveth it.\n\nPergamos was a city of considerable importance, the ancient metropolis\nof the province of Mysia and the residence of the Attalian kings.\n\nThe description here given of Christ is in accordance with the character\nof the church addressed and the work he found necessary to perform in\nit. They are said to be located \"where Satan's seat is.\" Pergamos was a\ncity reputed to be \"sacred to the gods\" and was one of the headquarters\nof idolatry. There are numerous such cities now among the Hindoos and\nother idolatrous nations. These cities are regarded with peculiar\nveneration and sanctity, and they contain the most honored temples. In\nthe midst of such surroundings the influences against Christianity would\nbe very great.\n\nThe congregation is commended because of its loyalty and steadfastness\nduring a period of persecution in which Antipas was slain. When this\npersecution occurred, we are not informed; and as to the identity of\nAntipas, we are also left in uncertainty. Some suppose him to have been\nthe elder of the church.\n\nChrist censures them severely, however, for tolerating persons in their\nmidst who held the doctrine of Balaam and the pernicious sentiments of\nthe Nicolaitans, and he threatens to fight against them with the sword\nof his mouth unless they repent. The doctrine of Balaam is partly\nexplained--he \"taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the\nchildren of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit\nfornication.\" When Balak desired Balaam to pronounce a curse against\nIsrael, God by various means miraculously prevented Balaam's doing so;\nbut Balaam craftily instructed Balak to make use of the women of Moab to\nseduce the men of Israel to sacrifice to their idols and to indulge in\nthe licentious accompaniments to such idolatry. In many places in\nheathen countries to-day vile women are attached to the temples of the\ngods, and at certain stated feasts licentiousness becomes a sanctioned\npart of the religious celebration. Balaam's plan was successful. God was\ndispleased with Israel, and because of this fornication there fell in\none day twenty-four thousand. For a full account see Num. 22-25;\n31:13-17.\n\nIt would appear that the doctrine of Balaam and the doctrine of the\nNicolaitans were classed as two different heresies; but the corrupt\ntenets of the latter were identical with those of the former, and the\nprobable meaning is, \"As the Hebrews had Balaamites among them; so,\nlikewise, you have among you the Nicolaitans teaching the same\npernicious doctrines.\" It is also a singular fact that the Hebrew\nsignification of Balaam and the Greek of Nicolas is the same--\"subduer\nof the people.\" Thus the doctrine of Balaam would stand as a\nrepresentation of the principles taught by the Nicolaitans.\n\nThe letter to this church also closes with an exhortation and a promise.\nHidden manna and a white stone in which is inscribed a new name are\nrewarded the overcomer. The interpretations of this white stone have\nbeen various, but the difficulty seems to lie in determining which\nancient custom is meant. The most satisfactory to my mind is that\ncontained in the following account by Mr. Blunt:\n\n\"In primitive times, when traveling was rendered difficult from want of\nplaces of public entertainment, hospitality was exercised by private\nindividuals to a very great extent, of which, indeed, we find frequent\ntraces in all history, and in none more than in the Old Testament.\nPersons who partook of this hospitality, and those who practised it,\nfrequently contracted habits of friendship and regard for each other,\nand it became a well-established custom among the Greeks and Romans to\nprovide their guests with some particular mark, which was handed down\nfrom father to son, and insured hospitality and kind treatment whenever\nit was presented. This mark was usually a small stone or pebble, cut in\nhalves, upon each of which the host and the guest mutually inscribed\ntheir names, and then interchanged with each other. The production of\nthese stones was quite sufficient to insure friendship for themselves or\ndescendants whenever they traveled again in the same direction; while it\nis evident that these stones required to be privately kept, and the\nnames written upon them carefully concealed, lest others should obtain\nthe privileges instead of the persons for whom they were intended.\" So\nthose who have obtained salvation and are overcomers through the blood\nhave received the sure pledge of Christ's eternal friendship (which\nthose who know not God can not receive) and are invited to partake of\nall of his hospitalities, even to \"eat of the hidden manna,\" which is\nexperienced by the truly sanctified.\n\n    18. And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These\n    things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame\n    of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;\n\n    19. I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and\n    thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the\n    first.\n\n    20. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because\n    thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a\n    prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit\n    fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.\n\n    21. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she\n    repented not.\n\n    22. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit\n    adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of\n    their deeds.\n\n    23. And I will kill her children with death; and all the\n    churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and\n    hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your\n    works.\n\n    24. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many\n    as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths\n    of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.\n\n    25. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.\n\n    26. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end,\n    to him will I give power over the nations:\n\n    27. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of\n    a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of\n    my Father.\n\n    28. And I will give him the morning star.\n\n    29. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto\n    the churches.\n\nTo this congregation Christ manifests himself in the character of him\n\"who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet like fine\nbrass,\" denoting the fact that he is the great discerner of all hearts\nand that he is able to render unto every man according to his deeds.\nWhether the expression, \"his feet like fine brass,\" has any particular\nsignification, I am unable to say.\n\nThis letter opens with a commendation of the works, the charity, the\nservice, and the faith of this church. In these things they had made\nconsiderable advancement. Nevertheless, Christ had something against\nthem, because they had suffered \"that woman Jezebel\" to teach false\ndoctrines and to seduce the servants of Christ to compromise with\nidolatry and to commit fornication. It is improbable that Jezebel was\nher real name; but she was a Jezebel in character, named in this letter\nafter King Ahab's wicked wife, who killed the Lord's prophets, seduced\nher husband into idolatry, and fed the priests of Baal at her own table.\nSome have supposed that this appellation designated a number or class of\npeople teaching these doctrines; but the manner in which \"her children,\"\nor disciples, are spoken of would seem rather to point out a particular\nwoman--one who was a leader and the chief instrument of mischief.\n\nThe long-suffering of Christ had been manifested in this case. He had\ngiven her an opportunity to repent of her evil deeds, but she would not.\nNow he declares that he will cause his judgments to descend upon her and\nher followers. By casting her into a bed is doubtless meant that he\nwould bring her down upon a bed of sickness and pain and thus make her a\nmost distressing object. Her partners in sin were to suffer \"great\ntribulation,\" and \"her children,\" or disciples, he would kill with\ndeath, or deadly pestilence. Thus would this whole corrupt party be\nvisited with divine judgments according to their works; while their\ngreat pretensions to wisdom and discernment, \"as they speak,\" or as they\nterm it, will be shown to be nothing but the \"depths of Satan.\"\n\nThe frequent references to these gross sins in the letters to the\nchurches may seem a little strange to us in the altered circumstances of\nsociety in which we live; but when we consider the tone of public\nsentiment and the prevalence of idolatry at that time, it will be seen\nthat the lapse into these sins was very easy. Some compromised with the\nheathen by joining in their idolatrous feasts, maintaining that the meat\nwas not affected one way or the other, and this proved but a\nstepping-stone to the licentious principles and the corrupt practises of\nthose with whom they thus associated.\n\nThe remainder of this letter is full of encouragement to the faithful.\nThe only burden Christ placed upon them was a severe censure because\nthey tolerated that abominable party in their midst. They were exhorted\nto continue faithful and were promised power over the nations. These\nthey should rule with a rod of iron, the same as Christ, who received\nthis power from his Father. The law, or rod, with which Christ, and his\npeople with him, as _kings_ and priests, rule the nations is the word of\nGod, the most unyielding law, based upon the greatest authority, ever\nwritten. \"Let the saints be joyful in glory ... let the high praises of\nGod be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; to execute\nvengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind\ntheir kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to\nexecute upon them the _judgments written_: this honor have _all his\nsaints_.\" Psa. 149:5-9.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\n\n\n    And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things\n    saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven\n    stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest,\n    and art dead.\n\n    2. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are\n    ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.\n\n    3. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold\n    fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come\n    on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will\n    come upon thee.\n\n    4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled\n    their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they\n    are worthy.\n\n    5. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white\n    raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of\n    life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before\n    his angels.\n\n    6. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto\n    the churches.\n\nSardis was one of the chief cities of western Asia Minor. It was\nbeautifully situated on the river Pactolus, in the middle Hermus valley,\nat the foot of Mount Tmolus, and was once the capital of the kingdom of\nLydia, the place of residence of Croesus and other Lydian kings. It was\na city of great opulence and splendor, and \"distinguished for the\nvoluptuous and debauched manners of its inhabitants.\"\n\nTo this church Christ introduces himself as \"he that hath the seven\nSpirits of God, and the seven stars\"--that is, he has control of the\nHoly Spirit's agency and of his ministers. Thus, the great spiritual\nagencies of the church are in his keeping to bestow or to take away as\nhe pleases. Considering the dead condition of this church of Sardis, it\nwas very appropriate for Christ thus to address himself to them. He has\nno words of commendation to offer, no works of charity, service, faith,\nand patience of which to approve. They had works, but these were not\n\"perfect before God.\" They were threatened with sudden visitation, as\nunexpected as a thief breaking in unawares upon the slumbering inmates\nof a dwelling in the still hours of night. Their condition was different\nfrom that of any of the churches before mentioned. They are not charged\nwith such vile practises as prevailed at Pergamus and Thyatira, the\ndoctrine of the Nicolaitans had gained no foothold among them, yet their\nworks were not perfect. \"Thou hast a name that thou livest, and are\n_dead_.\" They had maintained the external form of religion, but the\nvital power of godliness was lacking.\n\nAlthough Christ could not commend this church as a body, on account of\ntheir lack of spirituality, yet he testified, \"Thou hast a few names\neven in Sardis which have not defiled their garments.\" In the midst of\nall the cold formalism of professors and surrounded by worldliness and\niniquity, a few preserved their Christian integrity and were approved by\nthe Lord. \"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this\n... to keep himself unspotted from the world.\" Jas. 1:27. All such\novercomers have the promise of being clothed in white raiment (\"the\nrighteousness of saints \"--chap. 19:8) and of having their names\npreserved in the \"book of life\" in heaven and confessed before the\nFather and the holy angels. Wondrous admission into the heavenly realm!\nPresented to the Father and the innumerable hosts of heaven _by the\nLord, himself_, there, amid sacred environments, to enjoy the\ntranscendent felicity of eternal blessedness! \"They are worthy,\" saith\nChrist.\n\nAlthough this church was threatened with sudden visitation, there is no\nhint given of the manner in which this should be fulfilled, for the\nreason, perhaps, that it might be all the more unexpected. The church\nhas long since passed out of existence. The city itself has lain in\nruins for centuries, the modern village of Sart composed of a few huts\ninhabited by semi-nomadic Yuruks alone remaining near the ancient site.\nCattle now graze on grassy plains once traversed by streets and thronged\nwith the inhabitants of this superb metropolis.\n\n    7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These\n    things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the\n    key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and\n    shutteth, and no man openeth;\n\n    8. I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open\n    door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength,\n    and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.\n\n    9. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say\n    they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them\n    to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have\n    loved thee.\n\n    10. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will\n    keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all\n    the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.\n\n    11. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that\n    no man take thy crown.\n\n    12. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my\n    God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the\n    name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new\n    Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and I\n    will write upon him my new name.\n\n    13. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto\n    the churches.\n\nPhiladelphia was once a large and powerful city, and it continued thus\nuntil later times. Prior to the time the Revelation was written, it had\nsuffered severely from repeated earthquakes, which caused it to be\nalmost deserted by its inhabitants. Subsequently, however, it recovered\nand became a prosperous, influential city.\n\nThe character Christ assumes toward this church is that of the Holy and\nTrue--one who will justly reward them for their patience and\nperseverance--and by virtue of his possessing the key of David (a symbol\nof power and authority), he is able to place before them an open door\nwhich no man can shut.\n\nThe character of this church is wholly unlike that of the preceding. In\nthat, there was nothing to commend, but much to condemn; whereas to\nthis, all is admonition, encouragement, and promise, because they had\n\"kept the word of his patience\" and had not denied his name. Christ knew\ntheir works and that they were worthy of approval. They still possessed\n\"a little strength\" and had not denied his name.\n\nChrist, who always upholds and rewards his faithful followers, although\nthey be few in number and constitute the despised of earth, was not\nunrighteous that he should overlook this humble congregation of devoted\ndisciples that had kept his word, but he made them a number of special\npromises _because_ of their faith and perseverance. The first was the\nassurance that he had set before them an open door which no man could\nshut. A door is a means either of entrance or of escape, and signifies\nthat God was going to open before them a greater field of enlargement\nand success, or else would furnish them a sure means of escape and\nprotection from their cruel and relentless persecutors. It will be\nremembered that the church of Smyrna also received nothing but\ncommendation and encouragement; but there was no promise of an open door\nto them. On the contrary, they were told that they should be tried, cast\ninto prison, and suffer tribulation ten days. They were comforted,\nhowever, with a certain assurance of future reward and a crown of\neverlasting life. But before the church of Philadelphia there was opened\na scene of greater prosperity, deliverance from enemies, greater\nenlargement, and the glorious prospect of seeing multitudes of souls\nbrought under the influence of the saving gospel of Christ.\n\nThe next promise was that of deliverance from opposing Jews, who were to\nbe humbled before them. This refers, doubtless, to persons who had a\nmere profession of Christianity and who were not recognized by the\ncongregation--the same as the blaspheming Jews of Smyrna. The\nfaithfulness of God's elect would eventually be the means of bringing\nthem back to an experience of salvation, so that they would worship in\nthe midst of the church again.\n\nAnother promise to this congregation was, \"I also will keep thee from\nthe hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world.\" Some\ndreadful calamity is here predicted, during which the power of God would\nbe mercifully manifested in granting this church a special preservation.\nSome suppose it to have reference to a great general persecution\nthroughout the Roman empire, during which the Christians of Philadelphia\nwould be spared. This may have been the fact; but whether it was or not,\nwe have no means of information. When we come to consider the symbols of\nchapter 9, in which the delusive error of Mohammedanism is set forth, we\nwill see what a period of sore trial this delusion was to the Eastern\nchurches. It is also a fact that, in the midst of this abounding heresy,\nthe church of Philadelphia was preserved as was no other church of Asia.\nWhen the followers of Mohammed were sweeping like a whirlwind over the\nEastern empire, ravaging everything before them, Philadelphia remained\nan independent Christian city, when _all the other_ cities of Asia Minor\nwere under the power of the Saracen sword. It held out against the\nOttoman power until the year 1390 A.D., when it surrendered to Sultan\nBayazid's mixed army of Ottoman Turks and Byzantine Christians (?). This\nwas six years after the death of Wickliffe, \"the morning star of the\nreformation,\" who opposed the corruptions of the Papacy, gave the world\nthe first English translation of the Bible, and sowed the seeds that\nsoon grew and produced a Huss, a Jerome, and a Luther. So God preserved\nthe Christians of Philadelphia in the East until he began raising up\nothers to herald his truth in the West, whose labors soon ripened into\nthe glorious Reformation of the Sixteenth Century.\n\nHis final promise to the overcomer is that he shall be made a pillar in\nthe temple of God, and receive the name of God, of Christ, and of the\nNew Jerusalem, or city of God. In some manner the Christian is labelled\nwith the name of God, whose property he is; with the name of Christ, by\nwhom he was purchased; and with the name of the New Jerusalem, or city\nof God, his inheritance and eternal abiding-place; and he is made a\npillar in the temple of God. By turning to Heb. 12:22, 23, we find that\nthe general assembly and church of God in this dispensation constitutes,\nin one important sense, the New Jerusalem, or city of God, in which the\novercomers abide. \"But ye _are come_ unto Mount Sion, and unto the city\nof the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ... to the general assembly\nand church of the first-born, which are written in heaven.\" The church\nis also styled the house or temple of God, composed of people out of all\nnations who \"are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,\nJesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone; in whom all the\nbuilding fitly framed together groweth unto _an holy temple_ in the Lord\n... for an habitation of God through the Spirit.\" Eph. 2:20-22. See also\n1 Cor. 3:17; 1 Pet. 2:5; 1 Tim. 3:15.\n\nTo be a pillar in this temple of God means to occupy a conspicuous or\nuseful position in supporting the truth, examples of which are to be\nfound in such characters as \"James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be\npillars\" in the church in apostolic times. Gal. 2:9. In the last prayer\nof Christ to the Father, he says concerning his disciples, \"While I was\nwith them in the world, I kept them in thy name\" (John 17:12); and since\nthe church promised by Christ (Mat. 16:18) has been established, we\ncontinually bear the name of the Father, its title being the church or\ncity of God. We also bear the new name of Christ, as explained in\nchapter 2:17, and we meet together and worship in that name (Mat.\n18:20), obeying the exhortation of the apostle Paul--\"Whatsoever ye do\nin word or deed, do all _in the name of the Lord Jesus_, giving thanks\nto God and the Father by him.\" Col. 3:17. A better understanding of the\nmanner in which we receive the name of God and of his city will be\nobtained when we come to the consideration of the followers of a false,\ndegenerate church represented as receiving the \"mark of the beast,\" by\nwhich they are designated.\n\nTo inquire further into the history of this church, Philadelphia still\nremains with a population of about fifteen thousand. It contains a\nnumber of places of public worship, a resident (Greek) archbishop, and\nseveral inferior clergy. Mr. Keith, in his \"Evidence of Prophecy,\"\nspeaks of the then presiding bishop, and says that he acknowledges \"the\nBible as the only foundation of all religious belief\" and admits that\n\"abuses have entered into the church, which former ages might endure,\nbut the present must put down.\" It is also a singular coincidence that\nthe modern Turkish name of the city, Ala-Shehr, signifies \"city of God.\"\n\nThis description of the church of Philadelphia I will bring to a close\nby adding the following extract from Gibbon, recorded in his noted\nhistory entitled \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.\" It is of\nespecial value since the writer, being an avowed infidel, can not be\nconvicted of misconstruing historical facts in order to favor\nChristianity.\n\n\"The captivity or ruin of the seven churches of Asia was consummated [by\nthe Ottomans] A.D. 1312, and the barbarous lords of Ionia and Lydia\nstill trample on the monuments of classic and Christian antiquity. In\nthe loss of Ephesus the Christians deplore the fall of the first\ncandle-stick of the Revelation. The desolation is complete; and the\ntemple of Diana and the church of Mary will equally elude the search of\nthe curious traveler. The circus and three stately theatres of Laodicea\nare now peopled with wolves and foxes. Sardis is reduced to a miserable\nvillage. The God of Mohammed without a rival is invoked in the mosques\nof Thyatira and Pergamus; and the populousness of Smyrna is supported by\nthe foreign trade of the Franks and Armenians. _Philadelphia alone_ has\nbeen saved by prophecy or courage. At a distance from the sea, forgotten\nby the emperors, encompassed on all sides by the Turks, her valiant sons\ndefended their religion and freedom above fourscore years, and at length\ncapitulated with the proudest of the Ottomans. Among the Greek colonies\nof Asia, Philadelphia is still erect--a column in a scene of ruins--a\npleasing example that the path of honor and safety may sometimes be the\nsame.\" Vol. VI., p. 229.\n\n    14. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;\n    These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the\n    beginning of the creation of God;\n\n    15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I\n    would thou wert cold or hot.\n\n    16. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,\n    I will spue thee out of my mouth.\n\n    17. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,\n    and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art\n    wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:\n\n    18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that\n    thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be\n    clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and\n    anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.\n\n    19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous\n    therefore, and repent.\n\n    20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my\n    voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup\n    with him, and he with me.\n\n    21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my\n    throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father\n    in his throne.\n\n    22. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto\n    the churches.\n\nLaodicea was one of the wealthiest cities of Asia Minor. It was built\nupon some low hills, and occupied an important situation in the center\nof a very fertile district. It was famous for its money transactions and\nfor the beautiful soft wool grown by the sheep of the country, which\nfacts are both alluded to in the message. Verses 17, 18. During the\nreign of Tiberius C\u00e6sar it was entirely destroyed by an earthquake, but\nits wealthy inhabitants rebuilt it immediately. A Christian church was\nsoon planted there; for Paul makes the request that his epistle to the\nColossians be read in the church of Laodicea and that his epistle to the\nchurch of Laodicea (which was not included in the New Testament canon)\nbe read unto them. Col. 4:16.\n\nThe condition of this church, according to the burden of the message,\nwas worse than that of any of the others; for there is not only no\ncommendation of former faith and piety, but it is not even said of them,\nas of the church at Sardis, that a few names were left who had not\ndefiled their garments. Christ, who here represents himself in the\ncharacter of the \"faithful and true Witness,\" testifies that they are\n\"neither cold nor hot.\" They did not have enough piety nor zeal to cause\nthem to do anything for the honor of Christ and his cause, neither were\nthey open enemies. They were merely lukewarm, insincere friends, and, as\nsuch, were in a position to do the greatest harm. A certain writer has\nsaid, \"We always dread a professed but insincere friend; he is the least\ndesirable of all relations.\"\n\nThey are further described as being satisfied to remain in their\nlukewarm condition, indulging themselves in the riches and the pleasures\nof this life. Theirs was a rich, prosperous, influential church in their\nestimation, and they were proud of it; but \"the faithful and true\nWitness\" declares that they were \"wretched, and poor, and blind, and\nnaked.\" What a contrast this congregation presents with the churches of\nSmyrna and Philadelphia, whose poverty and \"little strength\" are\nexpressly mentioned, but who were rich in spirituality, and who received\nno reproof, but words of comfort! They of Laodicea possessed no true\ngold from the mine of gospel truth, no white raiment of righteousness to\nhide their spiritual nakedness, no clear vision to enable them to\ndiscern the things of the Spirit. In fact, they lacked everything\nnecessary to constitute a church of which the Lord could approve and\nwhich would be an honor to his cause. But notwithstanding their sad\ncondition, Christ still pleads with them to repent of their doings and\nto allow him to come in and sup with them, promising the overcomer the\nprivilege of sharing the throne of his Redeemer.\n\nOn account of their lukewarmness a severe threat was uttered--\"I will\nspue thee out of my mouth.\" Allusion is doubtless made to the former\ncatastrophe that overthrew the city under Tiberius, thus giving them\nwarning of the destruction that might come upon them in the future. The\nresult has been in accordance with the prediction. God spued that church\nout of his mouth centuries ago, and nothing remains of that proud,\nwealthy city. Not even a Turk has any fixed residence on the spot. Its\nruins alone remain in their desolation, \"rejected of God, deserted of\nman, its glory a ruin, its name a reproach.\" The Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica\nsays, \"Its ruins are of wide extent.... There is no doubt, however, that\nmuch has been buried beneath the surface by the _frequent earthquakes_\nto which the district is exposed.\"\n\nThe prophecies concerning these individual churches have been fulfilled;\nso that even infidelity itself bears witness to the \"strange\nverification of Apocalyptic promise and threatening.\" Two of the\nchurches, Ephesus and Laodicea, where no spiritual souls remained, were\nthreatened with utter extinction. They are now in utter ruins--forsaken,\ndesolate. Sardis, too, where only a few names were left, is reduced to a\nsmall Turkish village, without a church or a Christian. Pergamus and\nThyatira, where much spirituality remained, but where wickedness also\nwas tolerated, still survive, though but mere remnants of their former\ngreatness. While Smyrna and Philadelphia, where Christ found nothing to\ncondemn and to whose churches he uttered only words of comfort and\npromise, remain until the present day and are the brightest spots on the\nwhole scene, standing like erect columns in the midst of the surrounding\nruins.\n\nI do not wish, however, to give too much prominence to the cities\nthemselves in the fulfilment of these prophecies. The churches located\nin these seven cities of Asia were doubtless the main thing under\nconsideration in the utterance of these promises and threatenings. Yet\nit is a singular fact that the subsequent history of the cities\nthemselves has accorded in a remarkable degree with the nature of the\nprophecies uttered. It may be that God has preserved Smyrna and\nPhiladelphia because of the piety of their ancient inhabitants.\n\nHe who held the seven stars in his right hand and walked in the midst of\nthe seven golden candle-sticks, still possesses the control of his\nministers and is present in the congregations of the righteous; but let\nus all take warning from the example of the churches of Asia, and live\nsuch a life of devotion, charity, faith, and patience as Christ, the\n\"faithful and true Witness,\" will approve of, that we may \"walk with him\nin white\" and have right to the \"tree of life which is in the midst of\nthe paradise of God.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\n\n    After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven:\n    and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet\n    talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show\n    thee things which must be hereafter.\n\n    2. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne\n    was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.\n\n    3. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine\n    stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight\n    like unto an emerald.\n\n    4. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and\n    upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in\n    white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.\n\n    5. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings\n    and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before\n    the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.\n\n    6. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto\n    crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the\n    throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.\n\n    7. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast\n    like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the\n    fourth beast was like a flying eagle.\n\n    8. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and\n    they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night,\n    saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is,\n    and is to come.\n\n    9. And when those beasts give glory and honor and thanks to him\n    that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,\n\n    10. The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on\n    the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and\n    cast their crowns before the throne, saying,\n\n    11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and\n    power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure\n    they are and were created.\n\nIt is probable that the Apocalypse was communicated to John in parts, or\nconsisted of a series of symbolic visions. This is indicated by the\nexpression \"after this I looked,\" and is also confirmed by the words\nfollowing, \"And immediately I was in the spirit,\" implying that the\nvision recorded in chapter 1, which was given on the Lord's day, had\nbeen interrupted and that a new one now began when the angel with\ntrumpet voice gave summons for him to ascend to heaven \"in the spirit\"\n(or under the influence of the spirit of prophecy) to behold the events\nof the future, passing before him as a vast moving picture.\n\nThis fact of John's ascension to heaven to behold certain visions of the\nfuture (which begin properly with chapter 6) will serve to explain many\nallusions to things said to occur in heaven, merely signifying that John\nwas in heaven when these things were revealed to him, although their\nfulfilment was intimately connected with the affairs of the church on\nearth, for whose benefit the Revelation was given and unto whom it was\nsent.\n\nWhen the apostle ascended through the door that had been opened unto\nhim, the first object that met his vision and absorbed his soul was a\nthrone with the Almighty seated upon it, around whom all the inhabitants\nof heaven were assembled. No symbol of God is given, for the reason that\nthere is no analagous object that can be chosen as his representative.\nTrue, John saw a throne, but that is a symbol, not of God himself, but\nof his supreme power and authority. One was seated upon the throne\nseparate from the throne itself. It is not said that a jasper or a\nsardine stone was seated thereon, for that would be to make such an\nobject the representative of God; but he that sat on the throne \"was to\nlook upon\" like a jasper or sardine stone. The jasper mentioned was in\nall probability the diamond, and is described in chapter 21:11 as a\nstone most precious, clear as crystal; while the sardine stone was a\nbrilliant gem of a red hue. This description naturally suggests the\nvestments of a great monarch in a position of authority upon his throne.\nThe main idea, then, as here expressed, is that the appearance of the\nAlmighty was so inexpressibly glorious that it could be likened to\nnothing except the beauty of the most resplendent gems. But God himself\nappears in his own person, unrepresented by another, for the reason, as\nabove stated, that no inferior intelligence of earth or heaven can\nanalagously represent the uncreated Deity.\n\nThe throne of the omnipotent One was surrounded by a beautiful rainbow\nof emerald clearness, and was probably a perfect one, or a complete\ncircle, such as ours would be could it come wholly into our sight. The\nrainbow on the cloud, to Noah and his descendants, constitutes the sure\npledge of God's covenant promise not to destroy the earth with another\ndeluge; so, also, the bow surrounding the throne is a symbol of God's\ncovenant favor with his people eternally.\n\nThere were \"lightnings and thunderings and voices\" proceeding from the\nthrone--the same outward manifestations as heralded the Godhead when he\ncame down on Sinai to declare his holy law. The \"seven lamps of fire\nburning before the throne\" are said to signify the seven spirits of God.\nThese are not lamp-stands or candle-sticks, such as the ones in the\nmidst of which the Son of God walked on earth, but seven lights or\nflames of fire, representing the operation of the Holy Spirit upon the\nhearts of men and women. Surrounding the throne also was \"a sea of glass\nlike unto crystal.\" In the Greek it stands in a little different\nform--\"And before the throne _as it were_ a sea of glass.\" Describing\nthe same object in chapter 15:2, the Revelator says, \"I saw _as it were_\na sea of glass.\" It was a broad expanse spread out before the throne\nwith a glassy or transparent appearance like crystal. Its signification\nwill be made clear hereafter.\n\nIn addition to this description of the throne and Deity, our attention\nis directed to certain objects before and surrounding the throne. Four\nbeasts and four and twenty elders are brought to view. The word _beasts_\nis a very unfortunate translation, being necessarily associated in our\nminds with the brute creation. It is not the word _therion_, which in\nthirty-five instances in the Apocalypse is translated beast, denoting an\nanimal of wild disposition, but the word _zoon_, which signifies \"a\nliving creature,\" and is thus rendered by many of the translators of the\nNew Testament. Their being full of eyes signifies sleepless vigilance\nand superior intelligence and discernment. The chief description given\nof the first living creature is that it was \"like a lion.\" It is stated,\nnot that the creature was a lion, but that it was \"like a lion.\" It\npossessed some peculiar quality characteristic of the lion; namely,\nstrength and courage. The second living creature, \"like a calf,\" or,\nmore properly, the ox, is symbolic of sacrifice or of patient labor. The\nthird, with \"a face as a man,\" denotes reason and intelligence. While\nthe fourth, \"like a flying eagle,\" is an emblem of swiftness and\nfar-sighted vision.\n\nBut the peculiar qualities thus symbolized are possessed by the four\nliving creatures themselves, and what do _they_ represent? To whom are\nthe four and twenty elders referred? They are particularly distinguished\nfrom the angelic throng. In the ninth verse of the following chapter the\nelders and the living creatures represent themselves as the host of\npeople redeemed by the blood of Christ \"out of every kindred, and\ntongue, and people, and nation.\" The above-mentioned characteristics,\nthen, are the peculiar possession of God's people--power and courage to\nattack all enemies and to gain the victory; a spirit of perseverance in\npatiently laboring for Christ, with a willingness to sacrifice their\nlives, if necessary, for the glory of God; ability to receive a\n\"knowledge of the truth,\" that they may understand the will of God in\nChrist Jesus concerning them; and power and willingness to obey\ninstantly when able to discern spiritual things, rising above the things\nof earth and the trials and persecutions of life--soaring away to\nloftier heights, there to bask continually in the blessed sunlight of\nGod's eternal presence.\n\nWhy was it necessary that the redeemed company of God's people should be\nrepresented by _four_ living creatures? Doubtless because it would\nprobably have been very difficult to select any _one_ creature combining\nall the characteristics desired to represent all God's people of all\nages. It is also a significant fact that all the people of God on earth\nwere included in four great dispensations--ante-deluvian, post-deluvian,\nMosaic, and Christian; although it is not certain that _four_ living\ncreatures were selected for the special purpose of showing the number of\ndispensations. However, this division of time is well established in the\nBible. Peter reckons a new world beginning with Noah (2 Pet. 3:6, 7),\nstating that the old world had been destroyed. 2 Pet. 2:5. God came down\nupon Mount Sinai and delivered the old covenant, thus marking a distinct\ndispensation; while Jesus Christ established the new covenant and\nushered in the fourth and last dispensation. See Heb. 12:18-24. Under\nthe first dispensation, Abel by faith offered unto God an \"excellent\nsacrifice\"; men \"began to call upon the name of the Lord\" (Gen. 4:26);\nEnoch \"walked with God\" and \"was translated that he should not see\ndeath\"; while Noah, \"a preacher of righteousness,\" was \"perfect in his\ngeneration\" and \"condemned the world\" by his preaching and obedience.\nThe second dispensation was graced with a faithful Abraham, who\n\"staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in\nfaith,\" from which circumstance he was called \"the friend of God\" and\nhas justly received the title \"father of the faithful.\" In his footsteps\nfollowed Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. The law age contains the names\nof many illustrious prophets of God, and the New Testament era abounds\nwith brilliant examples of faith and devotion.\n\nThe ministry of John the Baptist can not be said to form another\ndispensation, because of its short duration (he preceding Christ but six\nmonths), and being at the time unknown outside of a very limited\nterritory. Another dispensation could not be begun and _completed_ while\nthe old covenant dispensation was yet in force; for that would make two\ndispensations in full force at the same time--a thing impossible. Also,\nJohn's work, according to the evangelist, marks the beginning of the\ngospel dispensation (Mark 1:1-4), from which time the kingdom of God was\npreached and men pressed into it. Luke 16:16.\n\nIt was by virtue of the future atonement-work of Christ that any were\nenabled to enjoy God's favor in Old Testament times. Even their\nsacrifices, which originated in the family of Adam and which were\ncontinued from generation to generation, pointed forward to the\nsacrificial offering of the Savior and by this means purchased covenant\nfavors with Heaven. So, after all, the atonement was for their benefit\nas well as for ours. Paul expressly informs us that Christ died for the\n\"redemption of the transgressions that were _under the first\ntestament_.\" Heb. 9:15. \"Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and _all the\nprophets_\" are \"in the kingdom of God\" (Luke 13:28), and constitute a\npart of this great redeemed host set forth under the symbol of the four\nliving creatures.\n\nThe four and twenty elders, although representing themselves as a part\nof this redeemed company, evidently have some special signification; for\nthey are presented to us as separate characters from the four living\ncreatures. Who are they? Undoubtedly they represent the ministers of\nGod, the number twenty-four also signifying perfection or completeness,\nbeing drawn from certain facts connected with the two dispensations in\nwhich God has had a clerical ministry. The natural heads of the tribes\nof Israel were the twelve patriarchs; while the spiritual heads of the\nChristian church are the twelve apostles of the Lamb, they constituting\na part of the foundation upon which it is built. Eph. 2:20. In a\nsubsequent chapter we have an account of the sealing of the twelve\ntribes, by which is meant the sealing, not of the literal Israel, but of\nthe spiritual, the twelve tribes being selected from the proper\ndepartment to stand as a symbol of the true Israel in this dispensation,\nwhich is expressly said to consist of people of all nations. Natural\nIsrael and spiritual Israel are frequently used to designate God's\npeople; so, also, in the case before us the twelve patriarchs as heads\nof the natural Israel and the twelve disciples as heads (in one\nimportant sense) of the spiritual Israel are taken to represent the\nentire ministry. In the description of the New Jerusalem we find\nconspicuously inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the children\nof Israel and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, thus making the number\ntwenty-four. Chap. 21:12, 14.\n\nAlthough the ministers seem to be a special class among those\nconstituting the redeemed multitude, yet their intimate connection with\nthe remainder is set forth under another symbol--that of wings _attached\nto_ the four living creatures. Each of the four living ones possessed\nsix wings, which, taken numerically, make up twenty-four again. The\nwings of a living creature would signify its means of flight; and it is\nby the action of the ministry, who \"go into all the world\" as flying\nmessengers to preach the everlasting gospel, that the church of God is\nestablished among all nations. Thus, under the symbol of living\ncreatures with wings is set forth the glorious harmony and unity that\nexists in the body of Christ between ministry and laity.\n\nThe elders are represented as being clothed in white raiment and as\npossessing golden crowns. \"White raiment\" is a symbol of righteousness\n(chap. 19:8), while crowns represent special power and authority. God's\nministers possess both. They are made righteous through the blood of the\neverlasting covenant and are given power over all the power of the enemy\nand authority to heal the sick and to cast out devils.\n\nThe entire company are engaged in worshiping God unceasingly, the elders\ncasting their crowns before the throne, thus ascribing all praise,\nhonor, and glory to Him who has delegated to them the authority they\npossess. And may we, my brethren, never grow weary in well-doing and\nconclude that the worship of God grows monotonous; but let us, with\nheart and soul, join the universal chorus, \"Holy, holy, holy, Lord God\nAlmighty.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\n\n    And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book\n    written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.\n\n    2. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who\n    is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?\n\n    3. And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth,\n    was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.\n\n    4. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and\n    to read the book, neither to look thereon.\n\n    5. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the\n    Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to\n    open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.\n\n    6. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the\n    four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it\n    had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the\n    seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.\n\n    7. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him\n    that sat upon the throne.\n\n    8. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and\n    twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of\n    them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the\n    prayers of saints.\n\n    9. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the\n    book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and\n    hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and\n    tongue, and people, and nation;\n\n    10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we\n    shall reign on the earth.\n\n    11. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round\n    about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number\n    of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of\n    thousands;\n\n    12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain\n    to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and\n    honor, and glory, and blessing.\n\n    13. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and\n    under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in\n    them, heard it saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and\n    power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the\n    Lamb for ever and ever.\n\n    14. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty\n    elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and\n    ever.\n\nThe vision of this chapter is but a continuation of the preceding one,\nbeing a sublime description of the exaltation and office-work of Christ\nin his two-fold character as the Lion of the tribe of Juda and as a\nsacrificial offering for the sins of the world. The Apocalypse opens\nwith the words, \"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto\nhim,\" and it is fitting that his special prerogatives and\ncharacteristics, together with the true position he occupies, should\nfirst be revealed. This was especially necessary in view of the fact to\nbe revealed, that another would soon arise usurping the rights and\nprerogatives belonging to Christ alone, claiming to be supreme head of\nthe church, sitting as God in the temple of God, and \"showing himself\nthat _he_ is God.\" 2 Thes. 2:4.\n\nThe attention of John was directed to an object \"in the right hand of\nHim that sat on the throne\"--a book sealed with seven seals--and to a\nmighty angel calling with a loud voice for some one to come forward and\nloose the seals and open the book. No created intelligence of earth or\nheaven dared to step forward and declare himself able to accomplish the\nresult required, and because of this John wept much.\n\nThe form of books in use when the Revelation was given was unlike those\nused now. They consisted of strips of parchment or other material,\nlonger or shorter, rolled up. The book in the symbolic vision before us\nconsisted of a roll containing seven pieces each one rolled and sealed\nseparately, so that the outer seal could be broken and the contents of\nits strip read without disturbing the remaining ones. Had the seals all\nbeen on the outside, nothing could have been read until they were all\nbroken; whereas the loosing of each seal was followed by some discovery\nof the contents of the roll.\n\nThis book in the hand of God is symbolical of something. Most of the\ncommentators think it represents the book of Revelation, in which case,\nof course, it would not include the present description of the book\nitself, but only of its contents as applied to subsequent chapters. But\nthis view, of itself, is unsatisfactory for many reasons. The rules\ngoverning the use and the interpretation of symbolic language would\nforbid the thought of one book's symbolizing another book; for the main\nidea conveyed by the term _symbol_ is, that the symbolic object stands\nas the representative, not of itself, but of something analagous.\nReasoning by analogy, what would the contents of a sealed book in the\nhand of God symbolize? Evidently, the infinite counsels and purposes\nknown only to Jehovah. Its being written within and on the backside\nwould indicate that those purposes were full and complete, being all\nwritten out and understood by him who \"knoweth the end from the\nbeginning\" and \"worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.\"\nIts being sealed denotes that the contents were unrevealed, while its\nbeing in the right hand of God--the hand of his power--shows that he is\nable to carry into execution his divine purposes and that none shall be\nable to alter them or to wrest them from him.\n\nWhile the events future of John's time form a part of the great plan and\ncounsels of Jehovah, yet it is taking a very limited view of the subject\nto suppose that they alone constitute the sealed book of this vision;\nfor then would that greatest of all events, the atonement of Christ and\nthe earliest triumphs of the gospel, have no special part in the sealed,\nmysterious counsels of the infinite One. It is much more consistent with\nthe characteristics and attributes of God to make this book a symbol,\nnot merely of a part, but of all his divine plans and purposes in the\nentire gospel dispensation. This position gains credence from the fact\nthat the visions of the Revelation cover many times the whole period\nfrom the incarnation to the end. When the very first seal is broken, the\nearly success and triumphs of the gospel, as experienced in John's\nlifetime, are portrayed. According to the vision before us, it was by\nvirtue of Christ's death that he was able to open the book at all; and\nthe plan of redemption itself, which is based upon his atonement, is\ndeclared by the Scriptures to be a \"mystery which from the beginning of\nthe world hath been _hid in God_.\" Eph. 3:9. This redemption scheme was\nthe great center of attraction to the prophets of the old dispensation,\nwho \"inquired and searched diligently\" that they might comprehend its\ndeep mysteries, \"which things the _angels desired to look into_.\" 1 Pet.\n1:10-12.\n\nNow, if the contents of the sealed book were (at the time of this\nvision) only the history of events to be, why was it that no man on\nearth or in heaven, nor even an angel before the throne, was found\nworthy to \"look into\" it or to communicate its secrets to the children\nof men. Gabriel was sent as a worthy messenger to communicate to Daniel\na long series of future events reaching even until the end of time. But\nthe contents of this roll were such that no created intelligence of\nearth or heaven was able to unfold them. All remained unfathomable\nmystery--until Christ stepped forward in his character as a sacrificial\nLamb and declared himself able to undertake the task of loosing the\nseals and of opening the book. \"Unto you it is given to _know the\nmystery_ of the kingdom of God\" (Mark 4:11), he said to his disciples,\n\"even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations,\nbut now is _made manifest_ to his saints.\" Col. 1:26. \"Verily I say unto\nyou, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those\nthings which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things\nwhich ye hear, and have not heard them. Blessed are your eyes, for they\nsee; and your ears, for they hear.\" Mat. 13:17, 16.\n\nThe fact that the suffering and death of Christ was a past event at the\ntime when the Revelation was given does not constitute a valid objection\nto the position taken, that the contents of the sealed book embrace the\nplan of redemption during the entire period of its operation; for the\nreason that, in order to form a complete and continuous narrative, past\nevents are frequently referred to in the Apocalypse. Thus, John saw a\nbeast with seven heads signifying seven kings; but he was expressly\ninformed that \"_five are fallen_, one is [exists at present], and the\nother is not yet come.\" Chap. 17:10.\n\nWhen Christ appears on the symbolic stage, he is introduced by the elder\nas \"the Lion of the tribe of Juda,\" and \"the Root of David.\" The lion,\nbeing the king of beasts and the monarch of the forest, is indicative of\npower, such as Christ possesses. Christ is elsewhere denominated \"King\nof kings and Lord of lords,\" and he himself laid claim to \"all power in\nheaven and on earth,\" it having \"pleased the Father that in him should\nall fulness dwell.\" Why he is termed \"the Lion of the tribe of Juda,\" I\nam unable to say, unless the expression is borrowed from the prophecy\nrecorded of him in Gen. 49:10--\"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,\nnor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him\nshall the gathering of the people be.\" His being the \"Root of David\"\nshows that he is the source and sustainer of David as to his position\nand power. David was specially ordained of the Lord and sustained by\nhim. Of this there can be no doubt. David was a type; Christ is the\nantitype. David's position as ruler over natural Israel constitutes a\ntype of Christ's position as ruler over the spiritual Israel; and it is\nin this sense that Christ reigns upon the throne of his father David.\nLuke 1:32, 33. And since Christ came in the line of David's descendants,\nhe is called the offspring of David and a rod out of the stem of Jesse.\nIsa. 11:1, 10. His connection with the throne of David being evident, he\nis entitled to the right to reign over his people. The appellation\n_Lamb_ is one of the peculiar titles by which the Son of God is\ndesignated, having reference to that part of his mission in which he\nconstituted a sacrificial offering for sin. His forerunner John was able\nto prophetically discern him in this character, and pointed to him as\n\"the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.\" John 1:29.\nThe Lamb was said to have seven horns and seven eyes. A horn is a symbol\nof power, and seven, being a sacred or perfect number, denotes the\nfulness of power possessed by Christ; while the seven eyes signify the\nseven spirits of God, or the Holy Spirit, which, being under the direct\ncontrol of Christ, is sent forth into the world to effect the\nregeneration of men.\n\nWhen the Lion of the tribe of Juda stepped forward and undertook the\ntask of revealing the secret counsels and purposes of Jehovah to the\nworld, immediately a song of praise ascended from the lips of the\nredeemed sons of earth. The song was new, adapted to a new theme, and\nsung on a new occasion. \"The four beasts and four and twenty elders fell\ndown before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials\n[censers] full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung\na new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the\nseals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy\nblood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast\nmade us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the\nearth.\" This song beautifully expresses the honor due to Jesus Christ in\nhis office-work as Redeemer of the world, by virtue of which people out\nof every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, are saved unto God and\nmade kings and priests on the earth. The angel who appeared to the\nJudean shepherds while they were watching their flocks by night,\ncomforted them with the welcome announcement: \"Fear not: for, behold, I\nbring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to _all people_. For\nunto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ\nthe Lord.\" Luke 2:10, 11.\n\nSince the preaching of the gospel began, men are instructed to \"seek\nfirst the kingdom of God\" (Mat. 6:33), and they \"press into it\" (Luke\n16:16) by the saving virtue of Him \"who hath delivered us from the power\nof darkness, and hath translated us _into the kingdom_ of his dear Son.\"\nCol. 1:13. Taking our place by the side of the writer of the Revelation,\nwe testify with him that we are already \"in the kingdom and patience of\nJesus Christ\" (Rev. 1:9), and that we \"receive abundance of grace and of\nthe gift of righteousness,\" whereby \"we _reign in life_ by one Jesus\nChrist.\" Rom. 5:17. In this happy condition, redeemed by the blood of\nJesus, our Savior, made \"a royal [kingly] priesthood\" in the \"holy\nnation\" of \"peculiar people\" that have been gathered out of all nations\nof earth (1 Pet. 2:5, 9), we feel like singing anew this glad song of\nredemption in honor of Jesus, our only Lord and Savior, who is God over\nall, blessed forever! Amen.\n\nThis new and rapturous song of the redeemed was immediately caught by a\ngreater multitude of the angelic order, an innumerable company, even\n\"ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,\" and\ntogether, with loud and united voices, did they swell the mighty anthem,\n\"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and\nwisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.\" And again the\nheavenly strain was raised to loftier heights, until the stupendous\nchorus rolled around the universe, by every creature in heaven and on\nearth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, saying,\n\"Blessing and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon\nthe throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.\" A few gifted voices of\nearth may possess such power and sweetness as almost to entrance us with\ntheir melody of song; but what an oratorio will it be, my brethren,\nwhen, released from the narrow limits of mortality, that sublime strain\nsung by the redeemed of all ages and ten thousand times ten thousand and\nthousands of thousands of angels, bursts in upon our ransomed souls! Did\nhuman thought ever reach the conception of music like this? Did the eyes\nof a mortal ever behold such rapturous scenes? You may feast your eyes\nupon earth's greatest beauty--Yosemite Valley, Yellowstone Park, Niagara\nFalls, may pass before your vision; you may climb the lofty Alpine\nsummit and behold the snow-streaked and snow-capped peaks towering to\nthe heavens around you--or you may listen to the best music ever\ncomposed by a Mozart, a Handel, or a Beethoven, or the finest ever\nexecuted by a Liszt, a Rubenstein, or a Paderewski; yet I must tell you\nupon the authority of God's word that \"eye hath not _seen_, nor ear\n_heard_, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which\nGod hath prepared for them that love him.\" 1 Cor. 2:9.\n\nThis vision shows very clearly the lofty position to which Christ has\nbeen exalted, possessing \"a name which is above every name\"; for the\nentire company of angels and redeemed saints unite in extolling him with\nsongs of praise, and that, too, before the very throne of the Deity and\nin the presence of his infinite Majesty. Surely we can not doubt that\nours is a divine Savior, and one worthy of all praise, honor, power and\ndominion both now and forever.\n\nThough John beheld this wonderful vision in heaven, yet we must remember\nthat it was given and recorded for the benefit of God's people upon\nearth. The plan of redemption was not actually revealed in heaven, for\n\"Jesus Christ came _into the world_ to save sinners\" (1 Tim. 1:15), and\nit was here that he was ordained to \"taste death for every man.\" Heb.\n2:9. The ransomed company thus brought to view is intended to point out\nthe redeemed of earth; for there is no salvation to be obtained in\nheaven, in which place no blood was shed--the blood is one of the agents\nthat bears witness in the earth. 1 John 5:7, 8. The central figures of\nthis vision were God, the Holy Spirit, and Christ, around whom the\nliving creatures and elders were gathered, and they, in turn, were\nsurrounded by the angelic throng. This entire scene was doubtless\nintended to represent the exalted character of spiritual things on\nearth, where the plan of redemption was revealed and the redeemed host\ngathered out of all nations. In a very important sense the Father, the\nSon, and the Holy Ghost all dwell in the spiritual church, or new\nJerusalem, and are thus \"in the midst\" of God's people, surrounded by\nthe redeemed host who unceasingly worship them, and they, in turn, have\nthe promise that \"the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them\"\n(Psa. 34:7); yea, \"an innumerable company of angels\" reside in this\n\"heavenly Jerusalem,\" or \"city of the living God,\" unto which we, as a\npart of the \"general assembly and church of the first-born,\" \"_are\ncome_\" in this dispensation. Heb. 12:22, 23.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\n\n\n    And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as\n    it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying,\n    Come and see.\n\n    2. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him\n    had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth\n    conquering, and to conquer.\n\nWe have now reached the point where the thrilling interest of this book\ncommences. With the opening of the seals of the book of God's purposes\nwe have the prophecies of the future, the unfolding of the events to be,\ndescribed under appropriate symbols. The contents of six seals are\ncontained in this and the following chapter, while the seventh occupies\nthe remainder of the volume.\n\nA word relative to the plan of the prophecies will be appropriate at\nthis time. I will again state what will be made very clear\nhereafter--that the events are narrated by series, and not by centuries.\nA particular theme is taken up and carried through to its completion,\nthen the narrative returns and another subject is traced to its end.\nThus, the entire book consists of a number of distinct parallel series\ncovering the same ground.\n\nUpon the opening of the first seal, John is summoned as with a voice of\nthunder by one of the living creatures to draw near; and the object that\nmeets his vision is a white horse with its rider. The symbol is that of\na victorious warrior, being drawn from the civil and military life of\nthe Romans. The symbol is one of dignity. It does not consist of some\ninanimate object such as a mountain, a sea, or a river, neither is it a\nwild ferocious beast; but it is that of a living, active, intelligent\nbeing, and he, as denoted by various insignia, a conqueror. He rides a\nwhite horse, such as victors used in triumphal procession; his bow and\ncrown are also symbols of victory. He goes forth conquering and to\nconquer, or to make conquests.\n\nThis symbol is a faithful representation of the early triumphs of\nChristianity in its aggressive conflict with the huge systems of error\nwith which it had to contend. Some have supposed that the rider\nrepresented Jesus Christ; but this can not be, for many reasons, two of\nwhich I will give. First. Christ always appears on the symbolic stage in\nhis own character, unrepresented by another, for the reason, as before\nstated, that there is no creature that can analagously represent Him who\nclaims equality with God. Not one name or attribute peculiar to him is\nmentioned in the description. Second. There are four horsemen brought to\nview in this chapter, and the symbols all being drawn from the same\ndepartment, must have the same general application. If the first\nhorseman symbolizes _a definite personage_, so do the remaining three;\nbut we should have great difficulty in identifying the last three,\ngiving them an individual application.\n\nOthers make the first horseman a symbol of the gospel itself, but the\ngospel is not a living, active, intelligent agent, such as the symbol\nevidently is, but is only a system of the revealed truth. All congruity\nand appropriateness in the comparison is lacking.\n\nBut let us give this symbol further consideration. It is not enough that\nits interpretation alone be given, but the reader is justly entitled to\na knowledge of the process by which we arrive at the truth. In the first\nplace, we have a symbol of great dignity and excellence, and we must\nlook for an object of corresponding character. The symbol is that of a\nliving agent, and consequently, we must look for its fulfillment in an\nactive, intelligent agent. The purity, or whiteness, of the horse on\nwhich the rider was seated would indicate an agency of mild, beneficent\ncharacter. Finally, the symbol is drawn, as before stated, from the\ncivil and military life of the Romans. Now, according to the laws of\nsymbolic language, a symbol never represents an object like itself, but\nan analagous one in another department. A wild beast does not represent\na wild beast, but something of analagous character. Seven fat and seven\nlean kine do not represent kine like themselves, but something\nanalagous--seven years of plenty and as many of famine. There are only\ntwo great series of events described in the Revelation--the history of\necclesiastical events and the political history of certain nations. The\npresent symbol is drawn from one of these departments--the political or\nthe civil life of the Romans; and leaving the latter department to find\nits signification in another department, we have no place to go except\ninto the department of ecclesiastical affairs. Entering, therefore, the\nspiritual realm, and looking about us for an object that perfectly meets\nevery requirement of the symbol, we find it in _the humble ministers of\nChrist_, who boldly went forth in obedience to the divine command to\nextend the peaceful triumphs of the cross and to carry the gospel of the\nkingdom of God \"into all the world.\" Mark 16:15-18; Mat. 28:19, 20. This\nsuccession of faithful, holy, devoted men is worthy of a place in\nApocalyptic vision. They went forth \"conquering and to conquer\"; and the\nvictories they gained were such as the world never witnessed before.\nWorthy are they to wear a victor's crown, for they have \"fought a good\nfight.\"\n\nBecause of its connection with events following, it is necessary for us\nto consider the divine position of these first ministers of the church.\nTheir _equality_ is clearly taught in the New Testament. Christ gave\nthem the express command, \"Be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your\nMaster, even Christ; and all ye are _brethren_.\" Mat. 23:8. When two of\nthe disciples manifested a desire to gain preeminence over their\nbrethren and their aspirations displeased the ten, Christ said to them\nall, \"Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over\nthem, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it\n_shall not be so among you_.\" Mat. 20:25, 26. Thus a perfect standard of\nequality in the ministry is lifted up. The beloved apostle, the writer\nof the Revelation, when addressing the elders of the seven churches of\nAsia in particular, humbly and affectionately represented himself as\ntheir \"_brother_ and companion in tribulation.\" Rev. 1:9.\n\nI will now adduce the testimony of several creditable historians, who\nare compelled to admit the humble equality of the New Testament\nministry, notwithstanding the fact that some of them belonged to\nchurches containing a very _unequal_ ministry.\n\nMosheim says: \"The rulers of the church were called their presbyters or\nbishops, which two titles are, in the New Testament, undoubtedly applied\nto the same order of men.... Let no one confound the bishops of this\nprimitive and golden period of the church, with those of whom we read in\nthe following ages. For, though they were both distinguished by the same\nname, yet they differed extremely, and that in many respects.\" Vol. I,\np. 99.\n\nThis fact is now admitted by nearly all denominations, even\nEpiscopalians. In the work entitled \"Episcopacy Tested by Scripture,\"\npublished by the Protestant Episcopal Tract Society, New York, the\nauthor, one of their able advocates, makes the following admission\nconcerning the title _bishop_ in the New Testament, \"that the name is\nthere given to the middle order or presbyters; and _all_ that we read in\nthe New Testament concerning _bishops_, including of course the words\n_overseer_ and _oversight_, which have the same derivation, is to be\nregarded as pertaining to that middle grade\"--the presbyters or elders.\nPage 12.\n\nThe noted historian Waddington, also an Episcopalian, makes the same\nadmission in the following words: \"It is also true that in the earliest\ngovernment of the first Christian society, that of Jerusalem, not the\nelders only, but the 'whole church' were associated with the apostles;\nand it is even _certain_ that the terms _bishop_ and _elder_ or\n_presbyter_ were, in the first instances, and for a short period,\nsometimes used synomously, and indiscriminately applied to the _same\norder_ in the ministry.\" Church History, Part I, p. 41. The italicizing\nis mine.\n\nThe well-known historian Milman, also an Episcopalian, in his History of\nChristianity, says, \"The earliest Christian communities appear to have\nbeen ruled and represented, in the absence of the apostle who was their\nfirst founder, by their elders, who are likewise called bishops, or\noverseers of the church.\" Page 194.\n\nKurtz, in his Church History, says: \"To aid them in their work, or to\nsupply their places in their absence (Acts 14:23), the apostles ordained\nrulers in every church, who bore the common name of _elders_ from their\ndignity, and of _bishops_ from the nature of their office. That\noriginally the elders were the same as the bishops, we gather with\nabsolute certainty from the statements of the New Testament and of\nClement of Rome, a disciple of the apostles. (See his first epistle to\nthe Corinthians, Chaps. 42, 44:52.) 1. The presbyters are expressly\ncalled bishops--compare [the Greek especially] Acts 20:17 with verse 28,\nand Titus 1:5 with verse 7. 2. The office of presbyter is described as\nnext to and highest after that of apostle (Acts 15:6, 22). Similarly,\nthe elders are represented as those to whom alone the rule, the teaching\nand the care of the church is entrusted (1 Tim. 5:17; 1 Pet. 5:1,\netc.).... In [several] passages of the New Testament and of Clement we\nread of many bishops in one and the same church. In the face of such\nindubitable evidence, it is difficult to account for the pertinacity\nwith which Romish and Anglican theologians insist that these two offices\nhad from the first been different in name and functions.... Even Jerome,\nAugustine, Urban II. (1091) and Petrus Lombardus admit that originally\nthe two had been identical. It was reserved for the Council of Trent to\nconvert this truth into a heresy.\" Pages 67, 68. Chrysostom, Theodoret,\nand others also admitted the same.\n\nMany similar historical testimonies now lying before me to the humble\nequality of the New Testament ministry could be added; but lest the\nreader become weary, I will conclude with the following beautiful\ndescription from D'Aubigne in his noted History of the Reformation: \"The\nchurch was in the beginning a community of brethren, guided by a few of\nthe _brethren_.\" Again, \"All Christians were priests of the living God,\nwith _humble pastors_ as their guides.\" Vol. I, pp. 35, 50.\n\nWith this description of the early ministers of Christ, who went forth\nunder the symbol of the first horseman to disciple all nations, we have\nthe events pertaining to the early history of the church, laid before\nus; until the opening of the second seal brings us to another important\nphase of its history.\n\n    3. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second\n    beast say, Come and see.\n\n    4. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was\n    given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and\n    that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him\n    a great sword.\n\nThe symbol of this seal is that of a rider going forth on a red horse\narmed with a great sword with which to take peace from the earth and to\nkill. It is drawn from the same source as that of the preceding one, but\ndiffering greatly in the character of the horseman and the object of his\nmission. The symbol is one of great dignity--a living, intelligent\nagent--drawn from civil and military life. For the same reason as given\nbefore, we must go out of the department of civil life into the history\nof religious affairs to find its fulfilment.\n\nNotice, also, the peculiar characteristics of this horseman and wherein\nhe differs from that of the first seal. The color of the horse is red,\ndenoting something very different from the peace, purity, and benignity\nof the white. Instead of gaining glorious spiritual conquests and\ntriumphs, like him of the first seal, he was to take peace from the\nearth. In the place of a victor's crown, he possesses \"a great sword\"\nwith which to kill, denoting an agent of great destruction.\n\nWhere shall we look in the history of religious affairs to find the\nobject that meets the requirements of this symbol? Who were the active,\nintelligent agents that appeared as the great opposers of the\nestablishment of Christianity by the rider of the white horse? We find\nthe answer undoubtedly in the propagators of the _Pagan religions_. As\nsoon as Christianity began to gain a foothold in the Roman Empire, the\npriests and supporters of Paganism were exasperated to the last degree,\nand they determined to crush out the Christian religion. An example of\nPagan opposition is found in the nineteenth chapter of Acts, where it is\nrecorded that the preaching of the gospel so stirred the people of\nEphesus that they were filled with wrath and for the space of about two\nhours cried out, saying, \"Great is Diana of the Ephesians!\" This great\nconflict between Christianity and Paganism will be more fully described\nunder other symbols in a subsequent chapter, therefore I will make this\ndescription brief.\n\nThe destruction of life brought about by this rider of the red horse\ndoubtless signifies the great slaughter of the Christians at the hands\nof the Pagans. During ten seasons of severe persecution, which occurred\nunder the reigns of the emperors Nero, Domitian, Trajan, Marcus\nAurelius, Septimus Severus, Maximus, Decius, Gallus, Valerian, and\nDiocletian, the Christians suffered every indignity that their\nrelentless persecutors could heap upon them. They had their eyes burned\nout with red-hot irons; they were dragged about with ropes until life\nwas extinct; they were beheaded, stoned to death, crucified, thrown to\nwild beasts, burned at the stake; yet \"they overcame by the blood of the\nLamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives\nunto the death.\" Chap. 12:11.\n\nIt may appear at first that taking the rider of the horse as a symbolic\nagent but the killing which he effected as literal, is an inconsistency\nand a variation from the laws of symbolic language; but such is not\nnecessarily the case. One principle laid down in the beginning was, that\nthe description of an object or event must necessarily be literal when\nno symbolic object could be found to analagously represent it. The\ndestruction of human life could not well be represented symbolically,\nthere being no destruction analagous to it whose meaning would be\nobvious; hence it must appear as a literal description. This is proved\nby many texts in the Revelation that will admit of no other application;\nsuch as verses 9-11 of this chapter; chapter 13:10; 17:6; etc.\n\nBut the literal destruction of life may be chosen as a symbol to\nrepresent a destruction to which it is plainly analagous; such as the\ndestruction of spiritual life, the overthrow of the civil or\necclesiastical institutions of society, etc. That it is sometimes\nemployed thus as a symbol will be shown clearly in subsequent chapters.\nHence, in every instance where killing men is the work of a symbolic\nagent, the context, or general series of events with which it is\nconnected, must determine whether the literal or symbolical\nsignification is intended. In the present prophecy under consideration\nit is much more consistent to give it the literal application; for the\ndevotees of Paganism did not destroy the spiritual life of the church,\nwhich would be an analagous killing; neither did they succeed in\noverthrowing the structure of Christianity.\n\n    5. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third\n    beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and\n    he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.\n\n    6. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A\n    measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a\n    penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.\n\nThis symbol is also that of a horseman, differing from the preceding\nones only in his characteristics. He is seated upon a black horse,\ndenoting something dark or appalling in its nature, the very opposite of\nthat of the first seal. He possesses no bow nor crown, but instead he\nhas a pair of balances in his hand for weighing food. This he deals out\nonly at exorbitant prices--\"a measure of wheat for a penny, and three\nmeasures of barley for a penny.\" The penny, or denarius, is equal to\nabout fifteen cents of our money, and was the ordinary wages of a day\nlaborer. In the parable of our Lord recorded in Mat. 20, the householder\nis represented as hiring laborers for a penny a day to labor in his\nvineyard. The measure, or _choenix_, of wheat was the usual daily\nallowance of food for a man. So according to the rate given, it would\nrequire a day's labor to supply food sufficient for one man, which shows\nan enormous price placed upon these necessaries of life. In ordinary\ntimes the penny would procure about twenty measures of wheat instead of\none, and fifty or sixty measures of barley instead of three. Surely this\nrepresents famine prices.\n\nThe expression \"see thou hurt not the oil and the wine\" seems to have\nsome direct connection with the exorbitant schedule of food rates. The\nfollowing facts of history, as recorded by Lord, will serve to make the\nmatter clear: \"The taxes required in the Roman empire, to sustain the\ncourt and civil service, the army and desolating wars, and the hungry\nbrood of office-holders, as well as to provide largesses to the\nsoldiers, were excessive in the extreme, so as to prove an almost\ninsupportable burden to the people. The ordinary and economical expenses\nof the government were great; but when we take into view that during a\nperiod of seventy-two years previous to Diocletian, there were\ntwenty-six individuals who held the imperial crown, besides a great\nnumber of unsuccessful aspirants, and that each of these must secure the\nfavor of the army and the people by large donations of money, we may\nwell conceive that the taxes and exactions laid to raise the needed\namount must have proved a crushing burden. They were so great as\nsometimes to strip men of their wealth and reduce them to poverty. These\nwere laid upon everything that could be brought into service. Nothing\nwas too insignificant to escape.... The taxes might be paid in money, or\nin produce, grain, fruit, oil, or whatever else it might be;... The\nexactions were so excessive that the people were led to avoid them in\nevery possible mode, as men always will under such circumstances.\" Once\nin fifteen years, a Roman indiction, an assessor would go round to levy\nupon the products of the soil, and the assessment was made according to\nthe amount of the yield. One method adopted to secure a lower assessment\nat this time was that of mutilating their fruit trees and vines. We find\namong the Roman laws severe enactments against such as \"feign poverty,\nor cut a vine, or stint the fruit of a tree\" in order to avoid a fair\nvaluation, and the penalty attached was the death of the offender and\nthe confiscation of all his property. The fact that this law existed\nshows that the offense was committed and also that the exactions of the\ngovernment must have been of the most oppressive kind.\n\nWith these facts before us it is easy to discern the nature of the\nsymbol, being that of a Roman magistrate prepared to enforce his severe\nexactions upon the people at the exorbitant rate of three measures of\nwheat for a penny and three measures of barley for a penny, accompanied\nby the solemn injunction, \"See thou hurt not the oil and the wine,\" that\nis, the olive-trees and the vines.\n\nIt is evident that we must, as before, go out of the department of civil\nand military life into the realm of ecclesiastical history to find the\ntrue fulfilment of this symbol. The black color of the horse would\ndenote something directly opposite to that of the first seal; and since\nthe symbol of the first seal represented the establishment of the pure\ngospel of Jesus Christ, this symbol must represent the great apostasy\nand spiritual darkness that covered the world at a later period. And if\nthe horseman of the first seal represented the chosen ministry who went\nforth in a glorious mission to win trophies of grace, the horseman of\nthis seal must represent _an apostate ministry_, possessing power and\nauthority to enforce the severest exactions upon the bread of life, thus\nproducing a desolating spiritual famine.\n\nThis marvelous change from the humble apostolic ministry to an apostate\none did not occur suddenly, but by degrees; and as it has a great\nbearing upon other lines of truth to be brought out in subsequent\nchapters, it will be profitable to consider the most important steps by\nwhich this transformation was effected.\n\nWhen the desire for precedence or superiority first manifested itself\namong the disciples, Christ repressed it (Mat. 20:25, 26), and it\nappeared no more in their midst; but before the close of the first\ncentury it is evident that a thirst for preeminence existed in the\nhearts of some who had been the servants of the church. An example of\nthis is to be found in Diotrephes, who exalted himself above his\nministerial associates. The Apostle John says concerning him: \"I wrote\nunto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence\namong them, receiveth us not. Wherefore if I come, I will remember his\ndeeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not\ncontent therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and\nforbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.\" 3 John\n9, 10.\n\nIn the historical extracts given in the explanation of the first\nhorseman, it is clear that the first ministers were all equal; but a\ntime came about the close of the first century when the most influential\namong the clergy grasped the power and exalted themselves to a position\nof authority over the rest. The manner in which this transformation was\neffected is explained by the learned Gieseler as follows: \"After the\ndeath of the apostles, and the pupils of the apostles, to whom the\ngeneral direction of the churches had always been conceded, some one\namongst the presbyters of each church was suffered gradually to take the\nlead in its affairs. In the same irregular way the title of _bishop_ was\nappropriated to the first presbyter.\" Eccl. Hist., Vol. I, p. 65. In the\ndays when the apostles were active in the affairs of the church there\nwere but two classes in the ministry--elders, or bishops, and deacons;\nbut when one of the presbyters was exalted to a higher position than the\nrest and assumed to himself the exclusive use of the word bishop, there\nwere three classes. To quote the words of Geo. P. Fisher: \"After we\ncross the limit of the first century we find that with each board of\nelders there is a person to whom the name of bishop is specially\napplied, although, for a long time, he is likewise often called a\npresbyter. In other words, in the room of a two-fold, we have a\nthree-fold ministry.\" Hist. of the Christian Church, p. 51.\n\nThe height to which the single bishop of authority in a church had been\nexalted is well illustrated in the Ignatian Epistles. Ignatius was\nbishop of Antioch and was condemned by the emperor Trajan to suffer\ndeath by being thrown to the wild beasts in the amphitheatre in Rome.\nHis execution in this manner took place Dec. 20, A.D. 107. He wrote a\nnumber of epistles, a few extracts from which I will give. \"Wherefore it\nis fitting that ye should run together in accordance with the will of\nyour bishop, which thing also ye do. For your justly renowned\npresbytery, worthy of God, is fitted as exactly to the bishop as the\nstrings are to the harp.\" To the Ephesians, Chap. 4. \"See that ye all\nfollow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father.... Let no man\ndo anything connected with the church without the bishop.\" To the\nSmyrnaean's, Chap. 8. \"It is not lawful without the bishop either to\nbaptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve\nof, that is also pleasing to God.\" Smyrnaean's, Chap. 8. \"It is well to\nreverence both God and the bishop. He who honors the bishop has been\nhonored of God; but he who does anything without the knowledge of the\nbishop, does [in reality] serve the devil.\" Smyrnaean's, Chap. 9.\n\nThe power of these bishops advanced steadily during the second century.\nThe churches of the cities where they were located extended themselves\ninto the surrounding country and smaller towns, and the presbyters or\nelders of these inferior churches were presided over by the bishop of\ntheir mother church, and in this manner the great system of diocesan\nepiscopacy was developed.[3]\n\n[Footnote 3: The ancient signification of the term _diocese_ must not be\nconfounded with the modern usage of the term. It then designated a\nterritory or district, usually containing a number of minor churches,\npresided over by one bishop.]\n\nIn the latter part of the second century when the disputes concerning\nEaster and Montanism arose, the custom of diocesan bishops consulting\nwith each other on important doctrines began, and this developed in the\nthird century into regular provincial synods, or councils. On account of\nthe ecclesiastical or political importance of the cities in which they\nwere located, certain bishops had a special deference given them, and\nthey were not slow to take advantage of the opportunity to exalt\nthemselves to the presidency of these councils; and in a very short time\nthey possessed immense power and constituted entirely a separate order,\ndesignated by the term metropolitan.\n\nThe manner in which this important step in the great apostasy was taken\nand the effects produced thereby is well described in the words of the\nhistorian Mosheim (referring to events of the third century), from whom\nI quote: \"In process of time, all the Christian churches of a province\nwere formed into one large ecclesiastical body, which, like confederate\nstates, assembled at certain times, in order to deliberate about the\ncommon interests of the whole.... These councils ... _changed the whole\nface of the church_, and gave it a new form; for by them the ancient\nprivileges of the people were considerably diminished, and the power and\nauthority of the bishops greatly augmented.... At their first appearance\nin these general councils, they acknowledged that they were no more than\nthe delegates of their respective churches, and that they acted in the\nname, and by the appointment of their people. But they soon changed this\nhumble tone, imperceptibly extended the limits of their authority,\nturned their influence into dominion, and their councils into laws; and\nopenly asserted, at length, that Christ had empowered them to prescribe\nto his people, _authoritative rules of faith and manners_.... The order\nand decency of these assemblies required that some one of the provincial\nbishops met in council, should be invested with a _superior_ degree of\npower and authority; and hence the rights of _metropolitans_ derive\ntheir origin.\"--Church History, Cent. II, Part 2.\n\nWhen a usurping clergy grasps the power to prescribe \"authoritative\nrules of faith and manners,\" to employ the words of Mosheim, we may well\nconceive that the true amount of pure spiritual food was exceedingly\nsmall and could be procured only at starvation rates. He who reads the\necclesiastical events of the third century will find it only too true\nthat many of the cardinal virtues of apostolic Christianity were almost\nlost sight of and that a great spiritual famine existed in the earth\nover which this dark horseman of the third seal careered. Instead of\nsalvation through the Spirit of God being carefully taught, baptismal\nregeneration was exalted, and the people were instructed in the saving\nvirtues of the eucharist. The Platonic idea concerning sin having its\nseat in the flesh was adopted, and therefore perfect victory or\nsanctification was made to consist in the mortification of the natural\nappetites and desires of the body, with the result that a life of\nfasting, celibacy, or self-inflicted torture was looked upon as the\nsurest means of obtaining the favor of Heaven. The writings of such\neminent church Fathers as Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian and others now\nlying before me, contain the surest evidences of the woeful extent to\nwhich this dark cloud of superstition and error had settled down over\nthe world during the period of which I write.\n\n    7. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of\n    the fourth beast say, Come and see.\n\n    8. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat\n    on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was\n    given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with\n    sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of\n    the earth.\n\nThe usual interpretation given this horse and its rider is to apply it\nto the desolating wars and famines that occurred in the Roman Empire.\nThis view is embodied in the celebrated painting \"Death on the Pale\nHorse,\" in which death is represented as going forth with war,\npestilence, famine, and wild beasts, to ravage the Roman empire. We are\ninformed by historians that dreadful pestilences and famines did prevail\nand in some places nearly depopulated the country, and that the\nremaining inhabitants could not make head against the beasts that\nmultiplied in the land. But the fact that such events occurred is not\nsufficient proof that this symbol has reference to such. Famines and\npestilences may have occurred many times without forming a part of the\nApocalyptic vision.\n\nThe greatest objection to giving this part of the vision such a literal\ninterpretation is, that it fails to bring out its symbolic character. To\nwhat, then, does it refer? We have, as before, a horseman, indicating\nthat the agent is one of the same general character, differing mainly in\nhis features and mission. This horse was of a livid, cadaverous hue,\ndenoting an agent of ghastly, terrible nature. The living rider bore the\nawful name of \"Death,\" or as in the original, \"The Death,\" by way of\nemphasis. Death literally was not the agent--it is not so stated--but\nthe rider was termed The Death, or The Destroyer, because of his\nterrible mission; and Hell followed with him.\n\nApplying the laws of symbolic language as heretofore, it is evident that\nthis symbol represents a great persecuting ecclesiastical power. And\nwith this thought before us, we can scarcely fail to recognize it as a\ntrue description of _the Papacy_. The great apostasy, described under\nthe preceding seal, prepared the way for the final and complete\nestablishment of the \"man of sin\"; but during the period there brought\nto view the ministers of religion, power-seeking and apostate as they\nwere, were unable to enforce their claims by the power of persecution.\nUnder the present seal, however, is represented a later stage of their\ncorruption, when a great hierarchal system, sustained and upheld by the\narm of civil power, was able to bear tyrannical rule over a great\nportion of the earth. During this period clerical ambition and\nusurpation reached its greatest height.\n\nAfter speaking of the power possessed by the metropolitans, Mosheim\nsays: \"The universal church had now the appearance of one vast republic,\nformed by a combination of a great number of little states. This\noccasioned the creation of a new order of ecclesiastics, who were\nappointed in different parts of the world, as _heads_ of the church, and\nwhose office it was to preserve the consistence and union of that\nimmense body, whose members were so widely dispersed throughout the\nnations. Such was the nature and office of the Patriarchs.\" Church\nHistory, Cent. II, part 2.\n\nThus, the bishops, or metropolitans, of certain of the most important\ncities were exalted to a still higher position as special _heads_ of the\nchurch. They were termed _Exarchs_ at first, after the title of the\nprovincial governors, but afterwards received the more ecclesiastical\nappellation _Patriarchs_. The term Patriarch had been in use for a long\ntime in the church signifying merely a bishop, irrespective of the\ndignity he possessed, but it was finally limited to this higher class of\nthe clergy, in which sense I now employ it. The cities that first\nenjoyed this chief distinction were Alexandria, Rome, and Antioch. The\ngeneral council of Nice (A.D. 325) in its sixth canon recognized the\nsuperior authority already possessed by these cities. See D'Aubigne's\nHist, of Reformation, Vol. I, p. 41. The general council of\nConstantinople in its third canon placed the bishop of Constantinople in\nthe same rank with the other three Patriarchs; and the general council\nof Calcedon exalted the See of Jerusalem to a similar dignity, doubtless\nbecause of its ancient importance as the birthplace of Christianity.\nThus, Patriarchs were established in the five political capitals of the\nRoman empire; and they were considered the \"_heads of the church_,\"\nhaving spiritual authority over the whole empire. These were the only\nPatriarchates of importance. Certain ecclesiastics of the Church of Rome\neven at the present time bear the honorary title Patriarch; but, to\nquote the words of the Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica, \"In a strictly technical\nsense, however, that church recognizes only five Patriarchates, those of\nConstantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Rome.\" Art.\nPatriarch. In the years 637 to 640 Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch\nfell into the hands of the Saracen followers of Mohammed, which\nterminated their importance, and later the Greek schism separated the\nPatriarch of Constantinople from Rome; and thus the Patriarch of Rome\nwas left in undisputed possession of the field and was soon recognized\nas universal head of the church. So under the symbol of this dread rider\non a pale horse is portrayed the great hierarchal system by which the\nPapacy was fully developed in the West.\n\nIt is fitting that we notice particularly the agents of destruction\nemployed by this rider. He possesses a sword with which to kill--the\nsame instrument wielded by the rider of the red horse--but it is evident\nthat he uses it with more terrific energy, by reason of which he\nreceives the name Death, or The Destroyer. It is possible, also, that in\nthis case a sword, wielded by the hand of an ecclesiastical power, may\nbe used as a symbol of a spiritual cutting off, or excommunication. The\nsword of excommunication has been the most terrible ever wielded by\nhuman hand. When this pale horseman was careering over the world in the\nzenith of his power, excommunication and interdiction were the terror of\nindividuals and the scourge of nations. At his word the rights of an\nindividual as king, ruler, husband or father, nay, even as a _man_, were\nforfeited, and he was shunned like one infected with the leprosy. At his\ncommand the offices of religion were suspended in a nation, and its dead\nlay unburied, until its proud ruler humbled himself at the feet of the\necclesiastical tyrant who bore rule over the \"fourth part of the\nearth.\"[4]\n\n[Footnote 4: This tyranny of the Popes is well illustrated by the\nquarrel that took place between Hildebrand (Pope Gregory VII.) and Henry\nIV. of Germany. Gregory attempted to make certain reforms, but Henry\nrefused to recognize those innovations. Gregory excommunicated the\nemperor, with the result that he was \"shunned as a man accursed by\nHeaven.\" His authority lost and his kingdom on the point of going to\npieces, Henry had but one thing to do--seek the pardon of the Pope. He\nfound the Pontiff at Canoosa, but Gregory refused to admit the penitent\nto his presence. \"It was winter, and for three successive days the king,\nclothed in sackcloth, stood with bare feet in the snow of the court-yard\nof the palace, waiting for permission to kneel at the feet of the\nPontiff and to receive forgiveness.\" On the fourth day he was granted\nadmittance to the presence of the Pope.\n\nDuring the Pontificate of Innocent III. Philip Augustus, king of France,\nput away his wife. Innocent commanded him to take her back and forced\nsubmission by means of an interdict. This submission of a brave, firm,\nand victorious prince shows the tremendous power wielded by the Popes in\nthat period.\n\nThe manner, also, in which Innocent III. humbled King John of England\naffords another illustration of the power of the Popes. John caused the\nvacant See of Canterbury to be filled, in accordance with the regular\nmanner of election, by one of his favorites. Innocent declared the\nappointment void, as he desired that the place should be filled by one\nof his friends. John refused to allow the Pope's archbishop to enter\nEngland as Primate. Innocent then excommunicated John, laid all England\nunder an interdict, and incited Philip, king of France, to war, offering\nhim John's kingdom upon the very liberal condition that he go over and\ntake it. The outcome of the matter was that John was compelled to yield\nto the power of the Pope. He even gave him England as a perpetual fief,\nand agreed to pay the Papal See the annual sum of one thousand marks.]\n\nThe loss of life by spiritual famine was extreme. The Word of God, which\nis spirit and life to God's people (Jno. 6:63), was laid under interdict\nand the common people deprived of its benefits. At the time the black\nhorse appeared, a little food could be obtained at famine prices; but\nwhen the fourth arrived, he was empowered to kill \"with hunger.\" Also,\none of his agents of destruction was death, or pestilence, a fit symbol\nof false and blasphemous doctrines breathed forth like a deadly\npestilence blasting everything within its reach. Invocation of saints,\nworship of images, relics, celibacy, works of supererogation,\nindulgences, and purgatory--these were the enforced principles of\nreligion, and like a pest they settled down upon the people everywhere.\n\nThis rider also brought into operation \"the beasts of the earth\" to aid\nhim in his destructive work. To kill with sword or hunger shows that\nsuch work of destruction is performed solely by him who has it in his\npower; but to kill with beasts indicates that _they_ perform the deadly\nwork according _to their own natures_. Nothing is clearer than the fact\nthat wild beasts stand as a symbol of persecuting tyrannical\ngovernments; hence we are to understand that this rider was to employ\nalso the arm of civil power to aid him in the deadly work. How\nstrikingly this represents the historical facts of the case! In all\ntruly Roman Catholic countries the civil governments were only a cipher\nor tool in the hands of the church, and the ecclesiastics were the real\nrulers of the kingdom. But whenever any dark work of persecution was to\nbe performed, the wild beast was let loose to accomplish the result.\nWhen charged, however, with the bloody work, the Catholics always\nanswer, \"Oh, we _never persecute_--don't you see, it is the wild beasts\nthat are covered with gore--our hands are clean,\" yet they themselves\nheld the chain that bound the savage monsters. We shall have occasion in\na subsequent chapter to trace further the pathway of this dread rider as\nhe reels onward in the career of ages, \"drunken with the blood of the\nsaints.\"\n\nThis work of destruction performed by the dread rider on the pale horse\nis considered by many as a literal description of the persecutions of\nthe Papacy. While Catholics usually charge the civil powers with this\nbloody work, it is an undeniable fact of history that the Popes often\nordered or sanctioned crusades against the Waldenses, Albigenses, and\nother peoples (see remarks on verses 9-11, chap. 17:6), in which the\nsword, starvation, and every other means of cruelty imaginable were\nbrought into use to exterminate the so-called heresy. And in view of the\nfact explained in the comments on verses 3 and 4 of this chapter, that\n_killing_ is sometimes to be understood in a literal sense on account of\nthere being nothing to analagously represent such destruction of life,\nit is not a violation of the laws of symbolic language thus to interpret\nit. It might be consistent in this case to give it a twofold\napplication; the agreeing facts of history regarding the Papacy strongly\nsuggest it. Thus, the _sword_ could signify a literal destruction of\nlife, as in verse 4, and also, in the present case, an ecclesiastical\ncutting off by the Papacy, or excommunication; and _hunger_ could\nsignify literal death by starvation, and also, as in verses 5 and 6, a\ndestruction of spiritual life, etc.\n\nWhere, let me ask, in the whole compass of human writings can be found a\nseries of events of such thrilling interest, so great in magnitude, as\nis contained in these eight verses? Who but the Omnipotent could have\nconceived such a wonderful development of the power of iniquity and with\nsuch master-strokes of power compressed them into so small a scene of\nsymbolic imagery? The impress of divinity is here speaking from every\nline.\n\n    9. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar\n    the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for\n    the testimony which they held:\n\n    10. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord,\n    holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them\n    that dwell on the earth?\n\n    11. And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it\n    was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little\n    season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that\n    should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.\n\nUpon the opening of this seal the scene changes entirely. No more\nhorsemen appear, but instead the souls of the martyrs are seen at the\naltar crying for vindication of their blood upon the cruel oppressors of\nearth. The question arises, Are these souls symbols of something else,\nor are they what they are here stated to be, \"the souls of them that\nwere slain\"? Evidently, the latter, appearing under their own name and\ncharacter, because they can not properly be symbolized. They were\ndisembodied spirits, and where is there anything of analagous character\nto represent such? Angels can not; for whenever they are employed as\nsymbols, it is to designate distinguished agencies among men. They\ntherefore appear under their own appropriate title as \"the _souls_ of\nthem that were slain.\"\n\nThese souls appeared \"under the altar,\" that is, _at the foot of the\naltar_, being the same as that described in chap. 8:3--\"And another\nangel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and there was\ngiven unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of\nall saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.\" Thus, the\nheavenly world, as opened up before John, appeared symbolized after the\nsanctuary of the temple in which stood the golden altar, or altar of\nincense. Some have supposed that the brazen altar was the one referred\nto, signifying the living sacrifice these souls made of themselves to\nGod. But there is no altar mentioned in the symbols except the golden\naltar. Besides, these were not sacrificial victims; for Christ was made\na complete sacrifice for sin, while these only suffered martyrdom\nbecause of their faithfulness to the cause of Christ. It is much more\nreasonable to suppose that their interceding cries went up from the\ngolden altar, where the \"prayers of all saints\" ascended with much\nincense.\n\nTheir prayers to God for the avenging of their blood shows the\nexpectation on their part that the judgments of Heaven would descend\nupon the cruel and haughty persecutors and oppressors of earth, and\ntheir surprise was that the day of retribution had been so long delayed.\nThe history of the church as developed under the preceding seals gives\nparticular force to this cry of the martyrs. For nearly three centuries\nthe civil power of Pagan Rome had been employed to crush the cause of\nGod. During ten terrible seasons of persecution they had been crucified,\nslain with the sword, sawn asunder, devoured by beasts in the arena, and\ngiven to the flames. When Constantine, a nominal Christian emperor,\nascended the throne and protected religion by law, it was believed that\npersecutions must cease; but soon the discovery was made that the sword\nhad only changed hands, there having risen an ecclesiastical hierarchy\ndestined to \"glut itself upon the blood of which heathen Rome had only\ntasted.\" The world was now made the arena for the terrible coursings of\nthe pale horseman, and the \"beasts of the earth\" were let loose to fall\nwith savage fury upon their helpless victims, until millions lost their\nlives at the instigation of the apostate Church of Rome. Is it any\nwonder that the souls of these martyrs should cry unto God for the\nvindication of their righteous blood?\n\nIt is said that \"white robes were given unto every one of them.\" By\nreferring to chap. 3:4; 7:9, 13, 14, it will be seen that \"white\ngarments\" and \"white robes\" are sometimes used as a symbol to describe a\npart of the heavenly inheritance. The martyr-spirits, although impatient\nat the delay of avenging judgment, received a righteous reward. But the\nperiod of tribulation to the church was not yet over. The cup of\niniquity in the hands of her enemies was not yet full, and they were\ntold to \"rest for a little season, until their fellowservants also, and\ntheir brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be\nfulfilled.\" The account given seems to indicate an important epoch, a\nperiod in which the martyrs had reason to expect the vindication of\ntheir righteous blood, but which, instead, was to be followed by another\ngreat period of persecution. Considering the time of the events already\ndescribed in this series of prophecy, we have no difficulty in fixing\nthe chronology of this event at the dividing-point between the era of\nPapal supremacy and the age of Protestantism--or at the Reformation of\nthe Sixteenth Century. Did severe slaughter and persecution follow the\nReformation? Witness the reign of Mary Tudor, frequently styled \"Bloody\nMary.\" During three years of her reign, 1555 to 1558, two hundred and\neighty-eight were _burnt alive_ in England! Think of the inhuman\nmassacre of the innocent Waldenses of southern France by the violent\nbigot Oppede (1545), who slew eight hundred men in one town, and thrust\nthe women into a barn filled with straw and reduced the whole to\nashes--only a sample of his barbarity; or of their oppression in\nsouthern Italy by Pope Pius IV. (1560), at whose command they were slain\nby thousands, the throats of eighty-eight men being cut on one occasion\nby a single executioner! Witness the horrible massacre of St.\nBartholomew in Paris (Aug. 21, 1572), when the Queen dowager, the\ninfamous Catherine de Medici, lured immense numbers of the innocent\nHugenots into the city under the pretext of witnessing a marriage\nbetween the Hugenot Henry, king of Navarre, and the sister of Charles\nIX., king of France--when the gates were closed and the work of\nwholesale slaughter began at a given signal and raged for three days,\nduring which time from six to ten thousand were butchered in Paris\nalone! Think of the rivers of blood in the Netherlands, where the Duke\nof Alva boasted that in the short space of six weeks he had put eighteen\nthousand to death! Witness the dragoonading methods and other inhuman\npersecutions to \"wear out the saints of the Most High,\" that followed\nthe revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) by Louis XIV., king of\nFrance, during whose reign three hundred thousand were brutally\nbutchered--while Pope Innocent XI. extolled the king by special letter\nas follows: \"The Catholic church shall most assuredly record in her\nsacred annals a _work of such devotion toward her_, and CELEBRATE YOUR\nNAME WITH NEVER-DYING PRAISES ... for _this most excellent\nundertaking_\"!! My heart sickens with horror in the contemplation of\nsuch events. Eternal God! can thy righteous eye behold such\nheart-rending scenes of earth, and thy hand of power not be extended to\nhumble to the dust these cruel, haughty oppressors of thy people?\n\n    12. And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo,\n    there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as\n    sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;\n\n    13. And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a\n    fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a\n    mighty wind.\n\n    14. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled\n    together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their\n    places.\n\n    15. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich\n    men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every\n    bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in\n    the rocks of the mountains;\n\n    16. And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us\n    from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the\n    wrath of the Lamb;\n\n    17. For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be\n    able to stand?\n\nUpon the opening of this seal the scene changes again. The symbols are\nall drawn from an entirely different source. We are taken out of the\ndepartment of civil life into the scenes of nature, which is a clear\nevidence that the history of the church is no longer under\nconsideration. Had God intended to here continue her history, he would\nno doubt have employed symbols derived from the same source as those\npreceding, so as to prevent our being led astray. No more horsemen or\nliving characters appear, but we behold the most terrific convulsions of\nnature--a mighty earthquake, the darkening of the sun and the moon, the\nfalling of the stars, and finally the dissolution of the heavens,\ntogether with the mountains and the islands being removed. If the\nhistory of the church is no longer under consideration, this great\nchange of symbols directs us with absolute certainty into the political\nand civil world for their fulfilment. Of course, we are not to suppose\nthat this is a literal description.\n\nIn this manner the dignity and the excellence in the use and the\ninterpretation of symbols is preserved. To describe the religious\nhistory of the church, noble symbols chosen from the department of human\nlife are selected; while symbols drawn from an inferior department--that\nof nature--are chosen to represent political affairs. This point will\nappear very clear as we proceed in the interpretation of the Apocalypse.\nIt is just what we might naturally expect.\n\nThe question may be asked, If these symbols from nature represent\npolitical affairs, where in the events of civil history shall we look\nfor their fulfilment? Every one will readily perceive the analogy\nbetween an earthquake and a political revolution, when all society is in\na state of agitation as when the solid earth trembles. It is also\nevident that the sun, moon, and stars bear the same analagous\nrelationship to the earth that kings, rulers, and princes do to the body\npolitic; while the firmament of heaven is analagous to the entire fabric\nof civil government, the symbolic heaven in which the symbolic orbs are\nset to give light.\n\nThe symbols, then, point us to the most terrible revolutions--when\nsociety is in a state of agitation, when kingdoms are overthrown and\ntheir rulers and princes thrown from their positions or made objects of\nthe most gloomy terror; yea, when the entire fabric of civil government\nis finally overthrown and all the institutions and organizations of\nsociety are swept away as with a tornado. This is the time of\nconsternation to the great men of earth, when they shall hide\n\"themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains,\" and say to\nthe mountains and rocks, \"Fall on us and hide us from the face of him\nthat sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the\ngreat day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?\" This is\nthe time that the martyrs looked forward to when they cried, \"How long,\nO Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them\nthat dwell on the earth?\" A large portion of the Apocalypse is occupied\nwith the history of these persecuting powers, civil and ecclesiastical.\nIt is their dominacy that constitutes the long period of tribulation to\nthe church, when the witnesses prophesy in sackcloth and the faithful\nare ground into the dust by the feet of these proud oppressors as they\nstand in the high places of the earth. But the cries of the slaughtered\nsaints have ascended to the throne as incense; God speaks; the judgments\nof Heaven descend upon these lofty ones; and a voice from heaven\ndeclares, \"They have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and _thou\nhast given them blood to drink_; for they are worthy.\"\n\nThis is surely a striking combination of symbols, and the way they are\narranged would indicate that their fulfilment occupied a considerable\nperiod of time. First we have a great earthquake, afterwards the\ndarkening of the sun and the moon, with the falling of the stars, and\nfinally the dissolution of the heavens themselves, with the sweeping\naway of mountains and islands. This description covers the same period\nas that described under the seven last plagues, beginning with certain\nfearful revolutions in which the nations that had slaughtered the\nmillions of God's people were given \"blood to drink,\" and ending finally\nin \"the great day of his wrath\" that shall sweep them from their\npositions eternally. The full explanation of these events can not at\npresent be appreciated by the reader, therefore I reserve it for the\nfuture, to be more fully developed under other symbols.\n\nIn these six seals we have a vivid outline of mighty events, political\nand ecclesiastical, extending from the earliest stage of Christianity to\nthe end of time. This description in advance was no mere human\nproduction. No human foresight would have detected, and no mortal mind\nwould have conceived, events so wonderful and so farreaching in their\ncharacter. Any other history would sooner have been imagined. It takes\ndivine wisdom to understand the true position of the church in the\npresent, and she can scarcely read her past history by natural wisdom\nalone, much less outline the future. First the establishment of\nChristianity is symbolized, then the violence of the Pagan party, the\napostasy, and final establishment of the \"man of sin,\" until the\nmillions of earth are crushed by the spiritual tyranny or by the arm of\ncivil power, and the cry of the martyrs goes up \"How long, O Lord?\" But\nthey are told to rest \"a little season,\" when they shall witness the\nhand of God laid upon these persecuting nations of earth, convulsing\nthem in the most fearful revolutions, and ending finally in their\ncomplete overthrow in that last \"great day of God Almighty.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\n\n    And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four\n    corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that\n    the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on\n    any tree.\n\n    2. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the\n    seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the\n    four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea.\n\n    3. Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees,\n    till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.\n\n    4. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there\n    were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the\n    tribes of the children of Israel.\n\n    5. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the\n    tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad\n    were sealed twelve thousand.\n\n    6. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the\n    tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of\n    Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.\n\n    7. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the\n    tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of\n    Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.\n\n    8. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the\n    tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of\n    Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.\n\nA clear understanding of the two visions in the chapter before us can be\nobtained only by considering the plan of the prophecy already referred\nto. The events are narrated by series. A particular theme is taken up\nand followed through to its completion; then the narrative returns and\nanother theme is introduced. But this is not all. Whenever the history\nof abounding error or iniquity is set forth, we have in immediate\nconnection and in perfect contrast therewith a history of the true\npeople of God; thus, the contemporaneous history of righteousness and\niniquity, truth and error, a true church and a false one. The visions of\nthis chapter cover the same period of time as the events described in\nthe preceding chapter, but form the most perfect contrast. The student\nof Revelation who unfolds the dark history of apostasy and iniquity\ncontained in the preceding seals might naturally be led to ask, Is this\nthe melancholy end of God's church? Does it deteriorate rapidly and turn\nout so badly, after all? As an answer to these questions, God gives us\nnext a history of his own people, showing that he preserved his own\nchurch complete, although Antichrist reigned in power.\n\nThe principal points in the vision before us are the tempestuous winds\nabout to descend upon the earth, and the sealing of God's servants. The\nfirst of these, being drawn from nature, would lead us to look for its\nfulfilment in political events; while the latter, derived from human\nlife, directs us into the affairs of the church. The \"four winds of the\nearth\" from the \"four corners of the earth\" signify all the winds from\nevery direction--the cardinal points of the compass; while the four\nangels signify all the agencies that have control of these winds, which\nfor the present are held in restraint in order to give opportunity for\nthe sealing of the Lord's servants. _Angels_ in the Scripture is\nfrequently used to denote evil agencies as well as good, the context\ndetermining which is meant. See Chap. 12:7. The design of the winds was\nto \"hurt the earth, the sea, and the trees.\"\n\nWhat, let me ask, in the political world is analagous to tempestuous\nstorms sweeping over the earth? What but huge masses of men, excited by\nfierce passions, precipitating themselves upon the inhabitants of an\nempire, sweeping everything before them in the fury of their march and\nspreading desolation on every side? In the symbols of the next chapter\nwe find that just such hordes of men--barbarians--under their angels, or\nleaders, precipitated themselves upon the Roman empire; and the fearful\neffects upon the earth, the sea, and the green trees produced thereby,\nis particularly detailed. For the present, however, they are held under\nrestraint until the sealing of the servants of God should be\naccomplished, then they were to go forward in their work of destruction.\n\nThe sealing of the servants is not making them the people of God, but\nrather marking or designating them as such, just as later we find the\ndevotees of a corrupt apostate church specified as having the \"mark of\nthe beast.\" Considerable light can be thrown upon the subject of the\nsealing of God's servants and of the mark of the beast by consulting\nRoman history for the origin of such expressions. The many conquests of\nthe Roman arms furnished so many prisoners that they became a drug in\nthe slave-markets of the world, and were so numerous that in many places\nthey outnumbered the Roman citizens ten to one. In the first century\nbefore Christ it is said that some Sicilian estates were worked by as\nmany as twenty thousand slaves. \"That each owner might know his own, the\npoor creatures were _branded like cattle_.\" The \"mark of the beast\"\npossessed by the followers of a false communion will be found to consist\nof an Antichristian spirit by which they are filled with \"doctrines of\ndevils.\" So, also, \"the seal of the living God\" consists of the giving\nof the Holy Spirit, by which his people are led into all truth. See John\n14:26. While Sabbatarians vainly try to prove that keeping the seventh\nday is the seal of God in this dispensation, yet there is not one text\nof Scripture that hints such a thing, but, on the contrary, the\nScriptures are against them. \"Grieve not the _Holy Spirit_ of God\nwhereby _ye are sealed_ unto the day of redemption.\" Eph. 4:30. Again,\nthe Word of God says, \"Now he which stablished us with you in Christ,\nand hath anointed us is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the\nearnest of the Spirit in our hearts.\" 2 Cor. 1:21, 22. The time this\nsealing of the people of God takes place is thus described: \"_After_\nthat ye believed, ye were _sealed_ with that Holy Spirit of promise.\"\nEph. 1:13. The winds of heaven were restrained until the work of _full\nsalvation_ could be firmly established in the earth. When Christ\nappeared, the Roman empire was in a state of comparative quiet, and the\nimmense hosts of foreign invaders did not appear until the firm\nestablishment of Christianity, being held back by the power of God until\nhis work should be accomplished.\n\nIn the description of the sealing given, twelve thousand were selected\nfrom each of the twelve tribes. Some have supposed this to have\nreference solely to salvation work among the Jewish nation; but that\nwould be adopting the literal mode of interpretation, thus destroying\nits symbolic character. The twelve tribes are chosen from the proper\ndepartment to represent the church or \"Israel of God\" in this\ndispensation, irrespective of nationality. The twelve gates in the wall\nof the heavenly city are named after the twelve tribes of the children\nof Israel (chap. 21:12), showing that it is only through \"Israel\" that\nany one can enter the New Jerusalem. Since the gospel is given to all\nnations, this can not signify literal Israel. \"The children of the\npromise are counted for the seed.\" Rom. 9:8. \"If ye be Christ's, then\nare ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.\" Gal. 3:29.\nSince the vision is symbolical, we are to consider the numbers given as\nsymbolical also, the definite number of twelve thousand from each of the\ntribes showing that the church of God was _complete and perfect_, no\npart being omitted.\n\n    9. After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man\n    could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and\n    tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed\n    with white robes, and palms in their hands;\n\n    10. And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God\n    which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.\n\n    11. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about\n    the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on\n    their faces, and worshipped God,\n\n    12. Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and\n    thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God\n    for ever and ever. Amen.\n\n    13. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are\n    these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?\n\n    14. And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me,\n    These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have\n    washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the\n    Lamb.\n\n    15. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him\n    day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne\n    shall dwell among them.\n\n    16. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither\n    shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.\n\n    17. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed\n    them, and shall lead them unto living mountains of waters: and\n    God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.\n\nIn this scene the vision is carried forward to the close of the long\nperiod of tribulation and persecution to the church of God, when all her\nenemies are finally overthrown; and here are the glorious results, the\nharvest gathered: a great multitude whom no man can number, gathered out\nof all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, standing before\nthe throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in\ntheir hands, the symbols of their victory. The scene is laid in heaven,\nand refers undoubtedly to the end of time when the heavenly world will\nbe opened up to all the faithful who have suffered for Christ amid the\ntrials and the oppositions through which his church is called to pass in\nthis present world. We are expressly informed by one of the elders who\nthese are in white robes and whence they came, so there can be no\nquestion respecting them. This is the glorious company of the redeemed\nof all ages who \"came out of great tribulation, and have washed their\nrobes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are\nbefore the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and\nhe that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger\nno more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them,\nnor any heat.\" What a contrast with the scenes of earth, when oppressed\nby famine, and cold, and nakedness, and peril, and sword, they were\nkilled all the day long! But their sufferings are over; \"for the Lamb\nwhich is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them\nunto living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from\ntheir eyes.\"\n\nThis redeemed company is represented as uniting in a song of praise and\nthanksgiving to God for bringing them through their long period of\ntrial, \"saying Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and\nunto the Lamb\"; while heaven resounds with universal praise as the\nangels and all the redeemed host take up the chorus and swell the mighty\nanthem \"saying, Amen; blessing, and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving,\nand honor, and power, and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen.\"\n\nIt is clear that, in this chapter and the one preceding, we have two\ngrand parallel and comprehensive histories--in one, the process of\ncorruption in the so-called church and the final judgments that overtook\nthese cruel persecutors of the Lord's people; in the other, the setting\napart and sealing of God's servants, their preservation from the\ncontaminations of an apostate church, and the final glorious triumph of\nall who endure unto the end.\n\nThis vision has often been applied in a figurative manner to the\nspiritual reign of God's people on earth before the end of time--that\nthey are overcomers through the blood of Christ, that God dwells with\nthem in his church, that their spiritual needs are all supplied so they\nhunger and thirst no more--but a careful study of the plan of the\nprophecy will show that its real signification is the heavenly state at\nthe end. As the sixth seal describes the final overthrow of all the\nantichristian powers that have oppressed God's people on earth; so this\nvision describes the great white-robed company gathered out of every\nnation, kindred, tongue, and people, who have been preserved faithful\nthrough all these trials and tribulations, and who receive at last the\ncrown of everlasting life. This last vision will be more fully described\nunder certain symbols contained in the last two chapters of this book;\nwhile the earthquake, the falling of the stars, etc., of the sixth seal\nwill be more perfectly detailed in chapters 15 and 16.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\n\n    And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in\n    heaven about the space of half an hour.\n\n    2. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to\n    them were given seven trumpets.\n\n    3. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a\n    golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that\n    he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the\n    golden altar which was before the throne.\n\n    4. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of\n    the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.\n\n    5. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the\n    altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and\n    thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.\n\nThe remainder of the book is embraced in the contents of the seventh\nseal. This may appear a little singular at first, being so much larger\nthan the preceding ones. But it is easily understood when we consider\nthe six as being a synopsis of the whole book, containing a history of\nthe church apostate to the final consummation, and also the\ncontemporaneous history of the truth church of God; while the seventh\ngives in detail the account of these great persecuting powers, civil and\necclesiastical, and the trials and triumphs of the saints in the New\nJerusalem--developing more fully the events described under the six.\n\nUpon the opening of the seventh seal, \"there was silence in heaven about\nthe space of half an hour.\" Whether this interval of silence is intended\nto be symbolical of any event on earth I do not know; neither have I\nseen any solution of the matter that is consistent or satisfactory. Some\nhave supposed that it denoted a cessation of persecution among the\nChristians of earth. But if that were the case, then its opposite,\n\"voices in heaven,\" would indicate seasons of persecution. There were\nseveral seasons of rest from persecution enjoyed by the early saints,\nand why should one period be singled out more than the rest and be thus\ndescribed? Besides, \"a half hour,\" according to prophetic time would\nsignify only about one week, a period too short certainly to take\naccount of. Others have supposed that it signified the end of the world,\nand that heaven would then be deserted for a short time while the\njudgment was taking place. But the events following show that the end of\nthe world is not here described, therefore it can not have reference to\nsuch. Moreover, it is extremely doubtful whether silence in heaven would\nbe a proper symbol of such an event. I do not perceive the analogy. In\nfact, such an interpretation of _silence_ would be literal and not\nsymbolic.\n\nIts explanation would seem to be found in connection with certain facts\nstated respecting the opening of the preceding seals--that voices\nfollowed them. When the first four seals were opened, John heard the\nvoices of the four beasts, \"as it were a voice of thunder\"; and on the\nopening of the fifth, he heard the souls of the martyrs crying unto God;\nbut when the seventh was opened, there was silence for a time. The\ncontrast is noticeable; but whether it has any special signification, I\nam unable to say; perhaps not.\n\nBefore the sounding of the seven trumpets, the acceptableness of the\nprayers of the saints is represented by an angel offering incense \"upon\nthe golden altar which was before the throne.\" This scene was doubtless\nintroduced to lend encouragement to God's children--that, although\niniquity abounded on every side and the judgments of God were poured out\nupon the people, still the prayers of the faithful few were acceptable\nin his sight, ascending before the throne like sweet incense from off\nthe golden altar.\n\nAfter offering up the incense with the prayers of all saints, the same\nangel took his censer and filled it with fire from off the altar and\ncast it (the fire) upon the earth--a token of God's avenging\njudgments--\"and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and\nan earthquake.\" These, of course, were on earth, and symbolized the\nrevolutions and convulsions now about to take place in the empire.\n\n    6. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared\n    themselves to sound.\n\n    7. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire\n    mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the\n    third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt\n    up.\n\nWe here enter upon a series of prophecies developing fully the\nsuccessive steps in the decline of the Western Roman empire, by which it\nfinally tottered to its fall. It was necessary that this persecuting,\ntyrannical government should be subverted in order to give opportunity\nfor the establishment of apostate Christianity in the form of the\nPapacy, as it constituted the \"let\" or hindrance to the full development\nof the \"man of sin\" mentioned by the apostle in 2 Thes. 2. That\npersecuting, Pagan Rome was a serious obstacle confronting the\ndevelopment of apostasy was recognized even by the early Christians.\nThus, Tertullian, in his notable Apology, chapter 32, says: \"Christians\nare under a particular necessity of praying for the emperors, and for\nthe continued state of the empire; because we know that dreadful power\nwhich hangs over the world, and _the conclusion of the age, which\nthreatens the most horrible evils, is restrained by the continuance of\nthe time appointed for the Roman empire_. This is what we would not\nexperience; and while we pray that it may be deferred, we hereby show\nour good-will to the perpetuity of the Roman state.\" In a subsequent\nchapter it will be seen that Pagan Rome, broken up into minor divisions\nand no longer able to maintain her position in the political world,\nresigns her power and authority into the hands of the rising Papacy.\nTherefore it is not surprising that the means by which this great change\nis effected should be made the subject of prophetic revelation. Besides,\nwe have other things to guide us in the interpretation. We can readily\nidentify the symbols under the fifth trumpet with the curse of\nMohammedanism in the Eastern empire, and we would naturally suppose that\nthe first four precede those. Again, the symbols are all drawn from the\nnatural world, which leads us assuredly into the political affairs of\nthe empire for their fulfilment. They are also of the most destructive\nnature, therefore we look for objects of a corresponding desolating\ncharacter. Finally, the vision of the preceding chapter represents\nfierce, destructive winds as about to descend upon the earth, being\ntemporarily held in check to give opportunity for the primitive\nestablishment of Christianity, implying that they would afterwards be\nlet loose to burst like a tornado upon the empire. It is said positively\nthat power was given \"to hurt the earth and the sea\" (chap. 7:2), and in\nthe vision before us the effects produced upon the earth and the trees\nare particularly detailed.\n\n\"The earth\" signifies the Roman empire, or that portion of the earth\nmade the subject of apocalyptic vision. That this application of the\nword _earth_ is correct, is shown by various Scriptures. \"And it came to\npass in those days, that there went out a decree from C\u00e6sar Augustus\nthat _all the world_ should be taxed.\" Luke 2:1. \"The queen of the South\n... came from the _uttermost parts of the earth_ [southern Arabia] to\nhear the wisdom of Solomon.\" Mat. 12:42. \"Ye shall be witnesses ... unto\nthe _uttermost part of the earth_.\" Acts 1:8. The apostles carried the\ngospel personally, only throughout the territory of the then-known\ncivilized world--the Roman empire. Upon this earth there descended in\nthe vision before us a fierce storm of hail and fire, mingled with\nblood. Its being mingled with blood would indicate its destructive\neffects. One characteristic of this symbol particularly is worthy of\nnotice. Hail and fire cast upon the earth would become absorbed speedily\nor pass into new combinations with the surrounding elements, thus not\nremaining in any permanent form except in its effects. In this\nparticular it is wholly unlike the symbol of the next trumpet, which is\nthat of a burning mountain cast into the sea, for such a body would\nnaturally remain permanently where it fell; whereas a storm of hail and\nfire would soon disappear. Also, the statement that this storm was cast\nupon the earth would indicate that it was a calamity descending from\nwithout upon the empire.\n\nWhere, now, do we find the object that fully meets the requirements of\nthis symbol--destructive agents descending upon the Roman empire like a\nfurious storm of hail and fire, accomplishing the first important step\ntoward the subverting of the empire? We find it in the irruption of the\nfierce Gothic tribes of the North, who, under Alaric, burst like a\ntornado upon the empire about the beginning of the fifth century,\nspreading destruction and desolation upon every side.\n\nThe following quotations and facts from the highest authority on the\nsubject, Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Vol. III, pp.\n190-294), will give the reader an idea of the awful effects produced by\nthe invasions of these barbarous tribes. The great Theodosius, emperor\nof the Western Roman empire, \"had supported the frail and mouldering\nedifice of the republic,\" but upon his death he was succeeded by the\nweak Honorious. In a few months the Gothic barbarians were in arms. \"The\nbarriers of the Danube were thrown down, the savage warriors of Scythia\nissued from their forests ... and the various tribes of barbarians, who\nglory in the Gothic name, were irregularly spread over the woody shores\nof Dalmatia to the walls of Constantinople.\" They were \"directed by the\nbold and artful genius of Alaric,\" who soon concluded that the conquest\nof Constantinople was an impracticable enterprise. He \"disdained to\ntrample any longer on the prostrate and ruined countries of Thrace and\nDacia, and he resolved to seek a plentiful harvest of fame and riches in\na province which had hitherto escaped the ravages of war.... The troops\nwhich had been posted to defend the straits of Thermopyl\u00e6 retired ...\nwithout attempting to disturb the secure and rapid passage of Alaric;\nand the fertile fields of Phocis and B\u00e6otia were instantly covered by a\ndeluge of barbarians, who massacred the males of an age to bear arms,\nand drove away the beautiful females, with the spoil and cattle of the\nflaming villages. The travelers who visited Greece several years\nafterwards, could easily discover the deep and bloody traces of the\nmarch of the Goths.... The whole territory of Attica, from the\npromontory of Sunium to the town of Megara, was blasted by his baleful\npresence; and, if we may use the comparison of a contemporary\nphilosopher, Athens itself resembled the bleeding and empty skin of a\nslaughtered victim.... Corinth, Argos, Sparta, yielded without\nresistance to the arms of the Goths; and the most fortunate of the\ninhabitants were saved, by death, from beholding the slavery of their\nfamilies and the conflagration of their cities.\"\n\nArcadius, the emperor of the East, wishing to dissuade Alaric from\nfurther conquests and such wholesale massacres, promoted him to the rank\nof Master-general of the eastern Illyricum, but it had an opposite\neffect. \"The birth of Alaric, the glory of his past exploits, and the\nconfidence in his future designs, insensibly united the body of the\n[Gothic] nation under his victorious standard; and, with the unanimous\nconsent of the barbarian chieftains, the Master-general of Illyricum was\nelevated, according to the ancient custom, on a shield, and solemnly\nproclaimed king of the Visigoths. Armed with this double power, situated\non the verge of the two empires, he alternately sold his deceitful\npromises to the courts of Arcadius and Honorious; until he declared and\nexecuted his resolution of _invading the dominions of the West_.... He\nwas tempted by the fame, the beauty, the wealth of Italy, which he had\ntwice visited; and he secretly aspired to plant the Gothic standard on\nthe walls of Rome, and to enrich his army with the accumulated spoils of\nthree hundred triumphs.\" He marched into Italy, and the emperor fled\nbefore him. A temporary respite was finally procured by the promise of a\npayment of four thousand pounds of gold.\n\nAlaric soon appeared, however, before the very walls of Rome, and that\nsplendid city, surrounded by hordes of barbarians, was soon reduced to a\nwretched condition by famine. Two representatives of the Romans waited\nupon Alaric for terms of peace, stating that if such could not be\narranged the inhabitants of the city, animated by despair, would fight\nto the bitter end. To this the haughty conqueror made this famous reply:\n\"The thicker the grass, the easier it is mowed.\" With an insulting\nlaugh, he named the ransom required--all the gold and silver contained\nin the city, all the rich and precious movables, together with all the\nslaves. Then the ministers humbly asked, \"What do you intend to leave\nus?\" \"Your lives,\" the haughty king replied, and retired. He finally\nrelaxed a little and fixed other terms, which included the immediate\npayment of the enormous sum of five thousand pounds of gold, thirty\nthousand pounds of silver, besides other treasure. \"The victorious\nleader, who united the daring spirit of a barbarian with the art and\ndiscipline of a Roman general, was at the head of a hundred thousand\nfighting men; and Italy pronounced, with terror and respect, the\nformidable name of Alaric.\"\n\nA second time Rome was besieged by Alaric and taken. Honorious was\ndeposed and Attalus made emperor; but Honorious was afterwards restored.\nIn A.D. 410 he again marched upon the city, captured and entered it.\n\"Eleven hundred and sixty-three years after the foundation of Rome, the\nimperial city, which had subdued and civilized so considerable a part of\nmankind, was delivered to the licentious fury of the tribes of Germania\nand Scythia.\" For six days the city was sacked by the barbarous\nsoldiery, and the horrible scenes of robbery, murder, and rapine that\nensued can not be described. It has been said that \"civilized warfare is\nsufficiently terrible,\" but that would be almost a blessing compared\nwith such scenes as these. For a space of four years Alaric ravaged\nItaly almost without opposition.\n\nThe slaughter and devastation that followed this storm of \"hail and\nfire\" is thus described: \"The banks of the Rhine were crowned like those\nof the Tiber, with houses and well-cultivated farms; and if a poet\ndescended the river, he might express his doubts on which side was\nsituated the territory of the Romans. This scene of peace and plenty was\nsuddenly changed into a desert, and the prospect of the smoking ruins\ncould alone distinguish the solitude of nature from the desolation of\nman. The flourishing city of Mentz was surprised and destroyed, and many\nthousand Christians inhumanly massacred in the church. Wurms perished\nafter a long and obstinate siege. Strasburg, Spires, Rheims, Tournay,\nArras, Amiens, experienced the cruel oppression of the German yoke, and\nthe consuming flames of war spread from the banks of the Rhine over the\ngreatest part of the seventeen provinces of Gaul. That rich and\nextensive country, as far as the ocean, the Alps and the Pyrenees, was\ndelivered to the barbarians, who drove before them, in a promiscuous\ncrowd, the bishop, the senator and the virgin, laden with the spoils of\ntheir houses and altars.\"\n\nAnother historian describing the same, a few years after the event,\nsays: \"The barbarians meeting with little resistance, indulged in the\nutmost cruelty. The cities which they captured, they so utterly\ndestroyed that no traces of them now remain, except in Thrace and\nGreece, except here and there a tower or a gate. All the men who opposed\nthem they slew, young and old, and indeed spared not women, nor even\nchildren. Whence there is still but a sparse population in Italy. The\nplunder which they seized in every part of Europe was immense, and\nespecially at Rome, where they left nothing, either public or private.\"\nIn this latter description reference is also made to some later\ninvasions, but they were all of the same desolating character.\n\nThese historical facts show how the green grass, or the feebler portion\nof society--the tender sex, the young, and the aged--were consumed\nbefore this fearful storm of hail and fire; and also how the trees, or\nthe stronger portion--those better able to make resistance--suffered\ngreatly.\n\nIt is also a fact to be observed that these fierce tribes which overran\nItaly, harassed or captured Rome repeatedly, and threatened the\noverthrow of the empire, made no permanent settlement in that territory.\n\"Under Alaric the Goths make no lasting settlement. In the long tale of\nintrigue and warfare between the Goths and the two Imperial courts which\nfills up this whole time, cessions of territory are offered to the\nGoths, provinces are occupied by them, but as yet they do not take root\nanywhere; no Western land as yet becomes Gothia,\"--Encyclop\u00e6dia\nBritannica, Art. Goths. After the death of Alaric (A.D. 412), however,\nthey settled in the southern part of Spain and Gaul[5]--part of the\nterritory of the West--but they no longer threatened the life of the\nempire; but, on the contrary, they became allies of the Romans in\nopposing the dreadful incursions of the Huns and other barbarians. Thus\ntheir invasion of the West was at first terribly destructive--like a\nstorm of hail and fire--but their ravages soon ceased, except in their\ndisastrous and weakening effects.\n\n[Footnote 5: This division of the Gothic tribes is commonly called the\nVisigoths (Western Goths), as distinguished from the Ostrogoths, or\nEastern Goths.]\n\n    8. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain\n    burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of\n    the sea became blood;\n\n    9. And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea,\n    and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were\n    destroyed.\n\nThe symbol of this trumpet is that of a volcanic mountain cast into the\nsea, whence it sends forth its streams of lava in every direction until\na third of the creatures in the sea are destroyed, thus spreading\ndesolation on every side. It would naturally remain where it fell, a\npermanent instrument of destruction.\n\nWe have here a description of the next step of importance in the\ndownfall of the Western empire. The second great invasion was that of\n\"the terrible Genseric\" with his Vandal hordes, who pushed southward\nthrough Gaul and Spain, conquered the Carthaginian territory of northern\nAfrica, and there formed a permanent independent government in A.D. 439.\nFrom this fixed place, he continued for years to make incursions upon\nthe bordering cities and islands, burning the cities, murdering the\ninhabitants, and intercepting the commerce of the Mediterranean. During\nhis military career, 429-468, he became the terror of the inhabitants of\nthe empire, insomuch that historians designate him \"the terrible\nGenseric.\" The depredations committed by his followers were but a\nrepetition of such scenes of barbarity as have already been described in\nthe invasions of Alaric under the first trumpet, therefore I will not\ndevote much space to the historical facts in the case. Their deeds,\nhowever, were such that the very term _Vandal_ has come to be used as a\ndesignation of any man of ferocious character. Concerning the important\npart that this chieftain acted in the downfall of the Western empire,\nGibbon uses this significant language: \"Genseric, a name which, in the\ndestruction of the Roman empire, has deserved an equal rank with the\nnames of Alaric and Attila.\" Vol. III, p. 370.\n\nIn the year 454 the empress Eudoxia wished to be revenged on Maximus,\nwho had murdered her husband Valentinian and had grasped the throne, and\nshe secretly invited Genseric to attack Rome. That fierce general, who\nis described by the Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica as \"cruel to\nblood-thirstiness, cunning, unscrupulous, and grasping,\" was glad to\nundertake the task, and he soon landed an army of Vandals and African\nMoors at the gates of the city. It was soon taken and for fifteen days\ngiven over to be sacked by the barbarous soldiery. When they had glutted\ntheir savage instincts with the horrible deeds of murder and rapine,\nloaded with the spoils of the imperial city, they returned to Africa,\ntaking with them an immense number of captives, including Eudoxia and\nher two daughters. This desolating incursion left the empire weak and\ntottering to its fall. Genseric \"became the tyrant of the sea; the\ncoasts of Italy, Greece, and Asia, were again exposed to his revenge and\navarice. Tripoli and Sardinia returned to his obedience; he added Sicily\nto the number of his provinces; and before he died, in the fulness of\nyears and glory, he beheld the FINAL EXTINCTION of the empire of the\nWest.\" Gibbon, Vol. III, pp. 497, 498.\n\nBy \"the sea\" into which this burning mountain was cast is meant, not the\nMediterranean nor any other literal sea, but the heart of the empire,\nand that in a state of agitation. The empire was in a state of\ncomparative quiet when Alaric appeared; therefore the storm of hail and\nfire is represented as falling upon \"the earth,\" as a result of which\nsociety was thrown into a state of great agitation, and moved to its\ndepths, like an ocean in a storm. This was its condition when Genseric,\nfrom his fixed position in Africa, began his desolating incursions;\ntherefore the next symbol is that of a mountain cast into \"the sea.\" By\nthe sea becoming blood is doubtless meant the destruction of life in the\nempire, and \"the third part\" denotes the vast extent of the destruction.\n\nI must speak with hesitation on what is signified by \"the creatures\nwhich were in the sea\" and the \"ships.\" By analogy I would be led to\nrefer the former to the rulers and the dignitaries in the empire, they\nbearing an analagous position to the empire that fishes do to the waters\nof the sea; while the latter may refer to public monuments and\nstructures.\n\n    10. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star\n    from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the\n    third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;\n\n    11. And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third\n    part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the\n    waters, because they were made bitter.\n\nThe description given of this star is similar to that of a large burning\nmeteor, such as we frequently see shooting athwart the heavens. It fell\nrapidly to earth, as such meteors often do, and struck the\nfountain-heads of the rivers, imparting to them such a poisonous quality\nas caused the death of those who drank the waters.\n\nThis symbol is also drawn from the natural world, and hence we must look\nfor its fulfilment in political events. The rapidity of its fall and\ndisappearance in the waters would direct us to an agent who would appear\nsuddenly and soon disappear, and whose career would leave bitter\nresults. The direct effects of this meteor were experienced by the\nrivers and the fountains of waters, which bear an analagous relation to\nthe sea that bordering tribes and nations do to an empire. The heart of\nthe empire, or \"the sea,\" was directly affected by the burning mountain,\nunder the preceding trumpet; while the tributaries of the sea, or the\nbordering tribes, are made the subject of direct attack under this\nsymbol and the poisonous qualities of their waters carried to far\ndistant points.\n\nUnder this striking symbol we have a description of the third important\nstep in the downward course of Rome--the short but eventful career of\nAttila, with his terrible Scythians, or Huns. Singularly, Attila was\nsaid to \"possess the iron sword of the war-god _Mars_,\" and he claimed\nfor himself the designation or title \"The Scourge of God\"; while his\nfollowers were even more cruel and barbarous, if possible, than the\nGoths and the Vandals.\n\nComing from the remote solitudes of Asia under the leadership of their\nfierce king, they poured like a tornado, first upon the inhabitants of\nthe Eastern empire (in 442, 445) and then turned their attention\nwestward. Attila ruled over \"nearly all the tribes north of the Danube\nand the Black sea,\" and under his banner fought Ostrogoths, Gepid\u00e6,\nAlani, Heruli, and many other Teutonic peoples. Says Gibbon: \"The whole\nbreadth of Europe, as it extends above five hundred miles from the\nEuxine to the Adriatic, was at once invaded, and occupied, and desolated\nby the myriads of barbarians whom Attila led into the field.\" It was the\nboast of Attila that the grass never grew on the spot which his horse\nhad trod. In 451 he led his forces, seven hundred thousand strong,\nthrough the center of Germany into the heart of Gaul, where he was met\nat Chalons by the combined forces of the Visigoths, Alans, Franks and\nRomans, and was defeated, with the loss of one hundred and seventy\nthousand of his men. This was one of the most gigantic as well as one of\nthe most important battles of history. A rivulet flowing through the\nfield of battle is said to have been colored and swollen by the blood of\nthe slain. The next year, however, with a greater force at his command,\nhe fell with headlong fury upon northern Italy; but he did not attack\nRome. Suddenly and seemingly without cause, he withdrew his army; and\nthis peculiar action of his has been the wonder of historians ever\nsince. Says the Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica: \"Attila at once withdrew from\nItaly, but the motive which led him to act thus is not known.\" According\nto the prophecy, he was to fall upon the \"rivers and fountains of\nwaters\" only. A short time later, in 453, he died, and \"the vast empire\nover which he had ruled broke up _immediately_ after his death, no one\nchief being powerful enough to seize the supremacy.\" Thus his short but\nwonderful career of about twelve years ended suddenly, like a meteor\nfalling into a river.\n\nBut the effects of this invasion were farreaching. Rome in her declining\nstrength, being unable to cope with these immense hordes of barbarians,\nwas forced to call to her assistance the half-civilized tribes of Gothic\nbarbarians against a more dreaded foe. The success that attended these\nconflicts of the combined forces were the means of giving greater\npolitical importance to these Gothic tribes and securing their\nindependence. But while they rose, Rome fell. By the very act of\nemploying such weapons in defense, Rome robbed herself of the little\npolitical strength remaining, and she was obliged to accept the bitter\nconsequences.\n\nUnder each of these first three trumpets the extent of destruction is\nindicated by the expression \"the third part.\" Since the successive steps\nin the downfall of the empire is the subject under consideration, this\nexpression as here applied doubtless has particular reference to the\nloss of political power and life, rather than referring directly to the\nloss of human life sustained. With this thought in view, it is evident\nthat the political importance of the empire was entirely destroyed by\nthese desolating incursions. Of the truth of this fact all historians\nagree. Nothing of Rome remained, except the semblance of a government,\nwhen the time arrived for the sounding of the next trumpet.\n\n    12. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun\n    was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part\n    of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the\n    day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.\n\nThe symbol of this trumpet is that of an eclipse of sun, moon, and\nstars, so that they shone not for a third part of the day and night.\nUnder the sixth seal we showed that these luminaries of heaven are taken\nas symbols of rulers and princes; for the latter bear an analagous\nrelation to the empire that the former do to the earth. In the\ndarkening, then, of the sun, moon, and stars, we are to look for some\ndisastrous change or overthrow in the imperial government. Such an event\noccurred only a few years after the events described under the preceding\ntrumpets. With her political strength and resources exhausted, Rome\ncould no longer maintain a separate existence, and Odoacer, king of the\nHeruli, overthrew Momyllus Augustulus, the last of the Roman line of\nemperors, and caused himself to be proclaimed king of Italy in A.D. 476.\nThis terminated the Western empire; and thus was the Roman sun eclipsed\nin darkness. In a subsequent chapter, however, we will find the eclipse\nlifted at a later period and _New Rome_ enjoying all the power and\nauthority lost in her predecessors of the old Augustin line.\n\nOdoacer continued in possession of his kingdom seventeen years. Then he\nwas defeated and slain by Theodoric, and by him the kingdom of the\nOstrogoths was established in Italy. Sixty years later this kingdom was\nsubverted by Belisarius, the general of Justinian, emperor of the East,\nto whom it became a tributary province. In each of the principal cities\nof Italy Justinian appointed a governor with the title of Duke, in\nsubordination to another with the title of Exarch, whose residence was\nat Ravenna. \"Thus, at last, was Rome, once the proud mistress of the\nworld, reduced to a poor dukedom, made tributary to the Exarch of\nRavenna, and he holding his authority at the will of the emperor of\nConstantinople, the seat of the Eastern empire.\"\n\nThus, under the symbols of these four trumpets we have developed the\nwondrous history of the downfall of imperial Rome, in order to give\nopportunity for the scenes of the drama yet to follow. The \"man of sin\"\ncould not be fully revealed in all his terrible features until this\nhindrance was removed out of the way. Imperial Rome for three centuries\nstood as the great opposer of God's people and slaughtered thousands,\nperhaps millions, of the Lord's innocent servants, and the hand of\nretributive Justice was finally extended to humble her to the dust.\nSingularly, the persons whom God made choice of to effect her downfall\nhave either regarded themselves as special instruments whose mission it\nwas to punish the world or else have received such designations by\nhistorians because of their awful work. Contemporary historians\ndistinguish Alaric by the epithets \"The Scourge of God,\" \"The Destroyer\nof Nations\"; while the great Vandal leader is designated \"The Terrible\nGenseric.\" Attila claimed the title \"The Scourge of God.\"\n\n    13. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of\n    heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the\n    inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the\n    trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!\n\nThe later editions of the Greek New Testament give the word _eagle_\ninstead of _angel_--denoting a messenger or angel flying with the\nswiftness of an eagle. This messenger doubtless is not intended to be\nsymbolic; for it is not one of the seven angels, but a messenger\npossessing a warning, and that warning is given \"to the inhabitants of\nthe earth,\" as if they were addressed directly. It simply announces that\nthe three trumpets yet to sound will possess greater calamities to the\npeople of earth than those that have preceded, by reason of which they\nare called woes. The manner, also, in which the woe trumpets are spoken\nof afterwards confirm the statement that the announcement is literal and\nnot symbolical. \"One woe is past, and, behold, there come two more woes\nhereafter.\" Chap. 9:12. \"The second woe it past: and, behold, the third\nwoe cometh quickly.\" Chap. 11:14. These announcements are evidently\nliteral, and serve to explain the passage before us. Accordingly, the\nlast three trumpets are generally referred to as the woe trumpets.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\n\n    And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven\n    unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless\n    pit.\n\n    2. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out\n    of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the\n    air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.\n\n    3. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and\n    unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have\n    power.\n\n    4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass\n    of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but\n    only those men which have not the seal of God in their\n    foreheads.\n\n    5. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but\n    that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was\n    as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.\n\n    6. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find\n    it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.\n\n    7. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared\n    unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like\n    gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.\n\n    8. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were\n    as the teeth of lions.\n\n    9. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron;\n    and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of\n    many horses running to battle.\n\n    10. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were\n    stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five\n    months.\n\n    11. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the\n    bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but\n    in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.\n\nThe symbols of this trumpet are of a very peculiar character and\npeculiarly combined. They are not drawn entirely from the natural world,\nshowing that we are not to look for their fulfilment in political events\nalone; neither are they drawn from human life in any such way as to\nindicate events in the religious history of the church. The leading\ncharacters in it, however, are living, active agents of such a\ndestructive nature as to entitle them to the designation of a woe.\n\nThe first object presented in the vision is a \"star\" fallen to the\nearth. Our translation conveys the idea that this star was in the act of\nfalling; but in the original it is different, being there represented as\nhaving fallen, its dejection from heaven to earth being complete. The\nonly place that it appeared in view was on the earth, and there it is\ndescribed as fallen. A star is a symbol either of a civil ruler or of a\nreligious teacher, the symbols in connection deciding whether it is set\nin the political or the ecclesiastical firmament. But this was not such\na star as He who walketh in the midst of the golden candle-sticks\nholdeth in his right hand, but it was a _fallen_ star, indicating that\nit was the propagator of a false faith.\n\nTo this star was given a key. In the Gospels the same figure is\nemployed, where the ministers of Christ are represented as possessing\nthe keys of the kingdom of heaven, showing that they acted in his name\nand by his authority. How appropriate, then, is this symbol as applied\nto a false teacher, who possesses, not the keys of the kingdom of\nheaven, but, instead, \"the key of the bottomless pit\"! Thus, under the\nsymbol of the star and the key, we have the teacher and his authority\nset forth. Armed with this authority, this false teacher \"opened the\nbottomless pit; and there rose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a\ngreat furnace; and the sun and air were darkened by reason of the smoke\nof the pit.\" In the Scriptures Jesus is represented as the Sun of\nrighteousness, while \"the light of the _glorious gospel_ of Christ\"\nilluminates the world. But here we have something of the opposite\ncharacter--a dense smoke eclipsing the sun and darkening the heavens.\nHave we not here a fit representation of a delusive faith proceeding\nfrom its true source, \"the bottomless pit\"? And is not a fallen star an\nappropriate symbol of its propagator?\n\nIn representing a system of religion by these objects from nature we\ndepart from the general rule first laid down--that objects of nature\nsymbolize political affairs, while the department of human and angelic\nlife is chosen to represent religious affairs. But the reader should\nbear in mind one important exception to this rule--that things\nprominently connected with the history of the people of God in former\nages are frequently employed (regardless of the department to which they\nbelong) to represent spiritual things, their interpretation being easily\nseen; such as candle-sticks, altar, temple, incense, etc. When the\nplague of \"thick darkness\" covered the land of Egypt for three days,\n\"the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.\" In the exodus the\nLord went before them \"by night in a pillar of fire, to give them\nlight.\" After the erection of the tabernacle the holy place was\nconstantly illuminated. This natural light in the Jewish age constitutes\na beautiful type of the spiritual \"light of the glorious gospel of\nChrist\" that has \"shined in our hearts\" in the Christian dispensation.\nThis spiritual light comes from Christ, the \"Sun of righteousness,\" the\n\"true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world\"; and\nproceeds, also, from his people, who \"shine as lights in the world.\" But\nit is the \"light of the _gospel_.\" This light proceeds in a special\nsense from God's ministers, who are represented as \"stars\" (chap. 1:20)\nand who possess \"the keys of the kingdom of heaven.\" Mat. 16:19; 18:18.\nHow appropriate, then, that a _fallen_ \"star,\" possessing \"the key of\nthe bottomless pit,\" should be a symbol of a religious impostor, and\nthat the smoke which darkened the heavens, eclipsing the sun, the source\nof light, should represent a prominent delusive faith! I have already\nmentioned the fact that the symbols of this vision lead to a series of\nevents entirely separate in their nature from the spiritual history of\nthe church as developed under other symbols. We find its fulfilment in\nMohammed and the delusive system he promulgated. In the year 606 Mahomet\nretired to a cave in Hera, near Mecca, and there received his pretended\nrevelations, although it was not until six years later that he began to\nteach his doctrines publicly and to gain followers outside of the circle\nof his own family and personal friends. Gibbon, Vol. V., p. 121.\n\nThe next object in the vision is the locusts that came out of the smoke,\nto which was given power like scorpions, or power to inflict a deadly\nsting like scorpions. To what living agents, then, did the delusion of\nMohammedanism give birth--agents of a destructive nature like scorpion\nlocust? Evidently, the Saracens,[6] those warrior followers of Mohammed\nwho flocked to his standard. These locusts received the express command\nthat \"they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green\nthing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of\nGod in their foreheads.\" The successor of Mohammed, Abubeker, gave the\nSaracens a command that they should \"destroy no palm-trees, nor burn any\nfields of grain; cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any mischief to cattle,\nonly such as you kill to eat.\" This command was singular, yet it\ndoubtless is not the fulfilment of the command to the locusts; for that\nwould be adopting a literal meaning instead of a symbolic one, and to\ncomplete the picture we should have had literal Saracens instead of\nlocusts. We can not consistently make a part literal and the remainder\nsymbolical. In the explanation of the first trumpet (chap. 8:6, 7), we\nshowed that grass and trees symbolized the inhabitants of a kingdom,\ngrass representing the feebler and trees the stronger portions of\nsociety. The fact, then, that these locusts were not to destroy the\ngreen grass and trees show that they were not sent as a scourge upon the\npolitical empire only, as was the storm of hail and fire under the first\ntrumpet. Had their mission been like that of natural locusts, to destroy\nevery green thing, we should then conclude that they were sent as a\nscourge upon the empire alone, having nothing whatever to do with a\nsystem of religion. These locusts, however, were commanded not to do\nwhat natural locusts always do--eat green grass and trees--and were\ncommissioned to do what locusts never do--\"hurt men,\" but only those who\nhave not the seal of God in their foreheads; that is, the worshipers of\na false, idolatrous church, who are not known unto God as his true\npeople. This is positive proof that the design of this vision is to set\nforth some awful religious imposture; for the \"men\" that they were to\nhurt are found in the department which by analogy represents religious\nevents.\n\n[Footnote 6: \"In earlier times the name of Saraceni was applied by\nGreeks and Romans to the troublesome Nomad Arabs of the Syro-Arabian\ndesert.\"--_Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica_. In the Middle Ages, however,\nEuropeans began to call all their Moslem enemies Saracens. It is in the\nlimited sense that it is here applied, designating the first followers\nof Mohammed before the rise of the Ottoman empire.]\n\nThe fact that their commission was to torment those \"men which have not\nthe seal of God in their foreheads,\" is a proof also of the wide-spread\napostasies that had already taken place. This was the time when the pale\nhorseman was careering over the world carrying desolation everywhere by\nhis instruments of oppression--sword, pestilences, famine, and the wild\nbeasts of the earth. \"The churches both in the Western and Eastern\nempire were in the most deplorable condition, being corrupted with the\ngrossest ignorance and idolatry; the virgin Mary, the saints, and\nmiserable relics of every description being worshiped in the place of\nJehovah, and superstition reigning with sovereign power over all minds.\"\nThe Saracen warriors of Mohammed were sent as a scourge upon apostate\nChristendom, overrunning the very territory where the gospel was first\npreached, and were commissioned to \"torment\" the false professors of\nChristianity.\n\nIn regard to the kind and the extent of the injury they were to inflict,\nit is said that \"to them it was given that they should not kill them,\nbut that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as\nthe torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days\nshall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die,\nand death shall flee from them.\" The Saracens, as here described under\nthe symbol of the locusts, sustained a two-fold relation, and the\ncareful and perfect manner in which the symbols are selected to set it\nforth is worthy of particular notice. In the first place, the Saracens\nwere a political body. As such, locusts would fitly represent them. But\nthey were also a religious body, and how could that fact be symbolically\ncombined with the other? It is done by the locusts' being forbidden to\nact out their own nature in eating grass and trees, and their being\ncommanded instead to \"hurt men,\" thus changing the field of their\noperations into the department of human life--the department that is\nchosen to symbolically set forth religious events. Thus the\npolitico-religious system of the Saracens is accurately set forth. This,\nalso, is nearly as clear as a demonstration that the position already\ntaken concerning the nature and the use of symbolic language is correct.\n\nIt was given that they should \"not kill\" men. We have already shown that\nkilling men when used symbolically signifies the destruction of the\npolitical or ecclesiastical organizations and institutions of society.\nWe could not consistently interpret it as literal slaughter, but as some\nanalagous destruction. Now, the Saracen power was, as already stated, a\npolitico-religious system, and its warriors were an infatuated set of\nreligious fanatics, described by historians as \"carrying the sword in\none hand, and the Koran in the other.\" Thus, they had it in their power\nto kill either religiously or politically--destroy either the church or\nthe empire--but they did neither, for their mission was not to kill, but\nto \"torment.\" \"They made extensive conquests and gained immense numbers\nof converts. But they did not overthrow the Eastern empire, although\nthey repeatedly attacked and besieged Constantinople, suffering,\nhowever, uniform defeat in the attempt. Neither did they destroy the\nchurch, corrupt and apostate as it was. To idolators and infidels they\nput the alternative of the Koran or death; but allowed the Christians to\nretain their church organization, laying them, however, under severe\ncontributions, and treating them to the ignominious appellation of\nChristian dogs.\" Concerning the character of Mohammed, Gibbon informs us\nthat \"he seldom trampled on a prostrate enemy, and he seems to promise,\nthat on the payment of a tribute, the least guilty of his unbelieving\nsubjects might be indulged in their worship, or at least in their\nimperfect faith\" (Vol. V, p. 129), and this, of course, would be the\nnatural tendency of his followers. The Armenian and the Greek churches\nsurvived, and still exist in that portion of the world, but they have\nindeed been greviously tormented. \"The proud Moslem, glorying in his\nprophet and religion, has heaped every possible insult and injury upon\nthe Christians,\" yet he suffered them to live, but live only for him to\ntorment. Surely the oppressions thus experienced are appropriately\ndescribed by the words, \"as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh\na man.\" Under such torments the professed Christians might court death,\nbut such is not granted; and still they survive, but only to be\n\"tormented.\" The Moslem had \"the Christian dog\" completely under his\nfoot.\n\nWe now turn our attention to the period of time during which these\nSaracen locusts were to continue their ravages. It is given as \"five\nmonths,\" or one hundred and fifty days. As this description is entirely\nsymbolic, we must consider the time symbolic also, for time certainly\ncan be symbolized as well as anything else. It is very appropriate for\ndays to symbolize years, for they are analagous periods of time; the\ndiurnal revolution of the earth being taken to represent the earth's\nannual movement. Such a system of reckoning time was known centuries\nago. When Jacob complained to Laban because he had been given Leah\ninstead of Rachel, \"Laban said, It must not be so done in our country,\nto give the younger before the first-born. Fulfil her _week_, and we\nwill give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve me yet\n_seven other years_. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week ... seven\nother years.\" Gen. 29:26-30. In this case it will be seen that a day was\nused to represent a year, since seven days, or one week, represented\nseven years. When the law was given, Moses recognized the week of seven\nnatural days, the last day of which was constituted a Sabbath of rest\nfor Israel; but he also instituted a week of seven years, the last year\nof which was a sabbatical year of rest unto the land. This last fact\nwill explain such expressions as \"forty days, _each day for a year_\"\n(Num. 14:34), and \"I have appointed thee each day for a year.\" Ezek.\n4:6.\n\nThis period, then, of \"five months,\" or one hundred and fifty days,\nwould represent symbolically one hundred and fifty years. As before\nstated, it was in the year A.D. 612 that Mohammed began to expound his\ndoctrines publicly and to gather adherents around his standard, from\nwhich point the locusts commenced, although the smoke had been let out\nof the pit a little previously. For a period of one hundred and fifty\nyears from this date, they continued their ravages, until A.D. 762. Then\nthey \"built Bagdad, which became their settled seat of empire; and\nhenceforth they became a settled nation, making no further conquests.\"\nFrom that date their power began to decline. But during this one hundred\nand fifty years they spread over the country like swarms of devouring\nlocusts. According to the well-known facts of history, \"they overran\nArabia, Palestine, Persia, Egypt, and the northern shores of Africa,\nfrom which they passed to the conquest of Portugal and Spain.\" These\nwere the countries that had been the most oppressed by a priest-ridden\nchurch and where especially were to be found those \"men which have not\nthe seal of God in their foreheads.\" Europe was trembling and filled\nwith apprehension at what her fate might be at the hands of these\nfanatic warriors who fought with savage fury, under the promise of their\nprophet that, if slain in battle, they should be immediately transported\nto Paradise. At the zenith of their power, and confident of success,\nthey passed from Spain into France four hundred thousand strong. But\nhere they exceeded their mission. The southern provinces of France\ncontained many Christians who had the \"seal of God\" upon them, and this\ncountry became the seat of the Waldenses and Albigenses, of which\ninteresting people we shall learn more hereafter. The invading host was\nmet at Tours by Charles, grandfather of Charlemagne, who dealt them such\na crushing blow that he was ever afterward designated by the surname\nMartel--the Hammer. This battle was one of the fiercest recorded in\nhistory. The Saracens who had scarcely ever experienced defeat fought\nwith the fury of despair, until, according to the accounts of that age,\nthree hundred and seventy-five thousand of their number lay upon the\nfield of battle with their general. This decisive victory saved Europe\nfrom her threatened subjection to the Mohammedan faith.\n\nThe next point in the vision to claim our attention is the particular\ndescription of these locusts. Some of the points mentioned might find a\nliteral fulfilment in the personal appearance of the Saracens--such as\nthe crowns signifying the turbans they wore, etc., but we must adhere\nstrictly to the symbolic mode of interpretation and look for their\nfulfilment in Saracen character. Their being like war-horses denotes\ntheir warlike disposition. The crowns on their heads signify their great\nsuccess and triumphs. Their faces of men and hair like women doubtless\nsignify their boldness on the one hand and their effeminateness on the\nother. Their teeth as the teeth of lions show their ferocity of\ncharacter. Their breastplates of iron indicate their invincibility or\nelse their insensibility to injuries inflicted upon them. The sound of\ntheir wings like horses and chariots running to battle denotes the\nmultitude and rapidity of their conquests. Their tails like scorpions,\ncontaining stings with which to \"hurt men\"--operating in the religious\nworld--symbolize their position as propagators of a false faith. Thus\nthey are set forth in their two-fold character--as invincible warriors\nand as the zealous professors of a delusion, whose sting was like that\nof a scorpion when he strikes a man.\n\n\"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless\npit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue\nhath his name Apollyon.\" The following fact of history will explain\nthis: \"The Saracens had their Caliphs, the successors of Mohammed, who\nunited in themselves the supreme civil, military and ecclesiastical\npowers. They were the high-priests of their religion, the commanders of\ntheir armies, and the emperors of the nation.\" This king over them\nsignifies a succession of rulers, and they are well described as \"the\nangel of the bottomless pit,\" for that is the very place where the\ndelusion is said to have originated. Mahomet, as a fallen star, opened\nthe pit and let out the smoke, and his successors, who grasped his power\nand authority, are fitly characterized as angels from the same place,\nbearing the name Abaddon or Apollyon, which terms both signify\nDestroyer.\n\nIs not this a wonderful combination of symbols which can be carried out\nwith surprising accuracy? What human ingenuity could have ever contrived\nsuch a marvelous series of events, and described them under such\nappropriate symbols? Finally, let me ask, Where in the whole compass of\nuniversal history can be found another series of events so perfectly\nmeeting every requirement of the symbols? In this we must acknowledge\nthe hand of God.\n\n    12. One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more\n    hereafter.\n\nThis announcement, that one woe is past, meaning that the period of one\nhundred and fifty years during which the Saracens were to continue their\nconquests has ended, serves an important purpose in enabling us to fix\nthe chronology of the events described. It proves that they succeed each\nother.\n\n    13. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the\n    four horns of the golden altar which is before God,\n\n    14. Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the\n    four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.\n\n    15. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an\n    hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third\n    part of men.\n\n    16. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred\n    thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.\n\n    17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat\n    on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and\n    brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of\n    lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and\n    brimstone.\n\n    18. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the\n    fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out\n    of their mouths.\n\n    19. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for\n    their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with\n    them they do hurt.\n\n    20. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these\n    plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they\n    should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and\n    brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear,\n    nor walk:\n\n    21. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their\n    sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.\n\nAt the sounding of the sixth trumpet, or the second woe trumpet, a voice\nis heard from the four horns (all the horns) of the golden altar. This\nprobably denotes that the very same altar where incense was offered up\nto God with the prayers of all saints was now crying out to him for\nvengeance upon an apostate church. That church had reached the summit of\napostasy and iniquity, the virgin Mary, the saints, and thousands of\nidols in the form of miserable relics being worshiped more than God.\nBecause of these abominable idolatries, a voice is heard crying from the\ngolden altar for the avenging judgments of Heaven, which were the\nloosing of the four angels bound in the river Euphrates. The symbols of\nthis vision are also of peculiar character and drawn from different\ndepartments. We have four angels bound in the Euphrates, an immense army\nof horsemen, then a large number of horses with heads as of lions, and\nfire, smoke, and brimstone issuing from their mouths. The horses thus\nparticularly described are evidently intended to have a definite\nsymbolical signification, and being objects of nature, they would\nindicate a political or military power. The horsemen, being objects from\nhuman life, would point us to some religious body; while the angels\nsignify the leaders that have control of these agencies. Their being\ncommissioned \"to slay the third part of men\" show that they will\noverthrow some of the established institutions of society. We are to\nlook, therefore, for some politico-religious power that should invade\nand overthrow the empire. We are, of course, directed to the Eastern\nempire; for the Western division was subverted under the symbols of the\nfirst four trumpets. With these specifications before us, we shall have\nno difficulty in identifying the power intended--_the Turkish, or\nOttoman, empire_. Its agreement with the symbolic representations of the\nvision will be manifest from a statement of the facts of history.\n\n\"The Turks were of Tartar or Scythian origin, from the northern regions\nof Asia, whence also the Huns hived upon Europe during the fourth and\nfifth centuries. The latter passed to the north of the Black sea from\nRussia, and swept the regions of the Danube and the Rhine. The Turks,\npassing to the east of the same, fell upon the empire from that quarter.\nThey took possession of Armenia Major in the ninth century, where they\nincreased, and in the space of two hundred years became a formidable\npower, being at the end of this period combined into four Sultanies, the\nheads of which were at Bagdad, Damascus, Aleppo, and Iconium. The first\nof these was erected A.D. 1055; the two next A.D. 1079, and the last\nA.D. 1080--all of them within twenty-five years, and the three last\nwithin two.\"\n\nThese four Sultanies are doubtless signified by \"the four angels\" that\nwere bound in the river Euphrates. The Euphrates here is employed as a\nsymbol, not of the Turks themselves--for the horsemen are their symbol,\nas we shall see--but of the binding of the angels. The use of this word\nas a symbol is derived from a fact of history, being the object,\naccording to Herodotus, that kept Cyrus back from entering the city of\nBabylon. While the Persian monarch surrounded the walls of that ancient\nmetropolis of the Babylonian empire, with his army, he was held in\nrestraint by the river Euphrates; and it was not until he had diverted\nits waters into an artificial channel that he gained an entrance. So,\nalso, these Sultanies, or leaders of the Turks, were held under\nrestraint as if bound by the river Euphrates, until the time appointed\nfor them to go forth on their mission of conquest. Different causes held\nthem back. For a long time they were involved in fierce and almost\ncontinuous wars with the neighboring Tartar tribes on the east and the\nnorth, and at the same time the Crusaders of Europe were carrying on a\ndetermined war with the Saracens for the possession of the Holy Land.\nFor two centuries the armies of Christendom poured into Syria and\nPalestine to recover from the hands of the \"infidels,\" as they were\ncalled, the holy sepulchre and the country that gave birth to\nChristianity; but when Europe finally abandoned the project, then went\nforth the command to loose the four angels, \"which were prepared for an\nhour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of\nman.\" To kill men symbolically, I have already shown, signifies the\ndestruction either of an empire as a political body or of the church\n(that is, the so-called church) as a religious body. The locusts under\nthe fifth trumpet were to do neither; but the symbolic characters of\nthis vision are \"to slay the third part of men,\" by which is set forth\nthe fall and subjugation of the Eastern empire and church; just as,\nunder the fifth trumpet, the fall of the Western empire was described by\nthe darkening of a third part of the sun, moon, and stars.\n\nBefore considering the time-prophecy in this vision, we will pass on to\nnotice a few particulars respecting the horses and their riders. The\nhorsemen possessed breastplates of fire, jacinth, and brimstone; while\nout of the mouths of the horses proceeded fire, smoke, and brimstone.\nThere is evidently a special design in distinguishing between the horses\nand their riders. These symbols, being drawn from different sources--the\nformer from the natural world and the latter from human life--point out\nthe two characteristics of the Turks as a politico-religious power. The\nsymbolic description of the two is almost identical. The horsemen had\nbreastplates of fire, jacinth (purplish or reddish blue), and brimstone.\nThis describes the character of the Turks as a religious system. Out of\nthe horses' mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and brimstone, which\nrepresents the Moslems as a political power. The only difference is that\nthe smoke is substituted for the jacinth, but they very nearly agree in\ncolor. We are thus brought to the conclusion that the political and the\nreligious power of the Turks is in harmony and agreement with each\nother--united in the closest manner possible, like a horse and its\nrider, and both animated by the same spirit. That spirit is perhaps\ntheir fierce, fanatical, aggressive, intolerant character.\n\nThe tails of the horses were like serpents with heads, their power being\nin their mouth and in their tails--the one a lion, the other a serpent.\nIt was by the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone that came from their\nlion-heads that the third part of men was killed, or their conquests\nwere made; then with their serpent-like tails would they torment or\n\"hurt\" all those who would not adopt the Moslem faith, being in this\nrespect like the scorpion locusts. Their lion-heads would denote their\ninvincible strength and courage; and their serpent-tails, the tormenting\nsting inflicted upon those whom they subdued but who would not accept\ntheir religion. It is not said that the riders were the direct agents of\ndestruction--not the Moslem faith as a religion--but it was the horses\nthat accomplished the deadly work--the Ottomans as a political body.\nThis was the power that extended conquests and established their empire,\nalthough it was accompanied by the religious system, working in perfect\nharmony.\n\nIt is said that the \"rest of the men which were not killed by these\nplagues\" repented not. This expression doubtless signifies the Western,\nor Latin, church. They saw these judgments of the Euphratean horsemen on\nthe Eastern empire, and the triumph of the Moslem sword and faith (the\nwoe fell as a judgment upon the Eastern church); still, they continued\nas before in their abominable idolatries, by which is probably meant\ntheir worship of the virgin Mary, saints, relics, and images. There was\nno reformation. Error, superstition, and ecclesiastical usurpation\nprevailed as before.\n\nThe Turks obtained their first victory over the Christians of the\nEastern, or Greek, empire in A.D. 1281. Within ten years the Latins who\ninhabited Palestine were entirely overthrown (see Gibbon, Vol. VI, p.\n47), and the way was now clear for Turkish aggression against the Greek\nempire. Before the end of the century the four Sultanies mentioned were\ncombined into one consolidated empire under Osman (corrupted by\nEuropeans into Ottoman) and from him took the name which it still\nretains--the Ottoman empire. From the time they were let loose, the\nTurks continued their aggressions until A.D. 1453, when Constantinople\nfell before their victorious arms, and the Eastern empire, with the last\nof the Constantines, sunk to rise no more. \"The Turkish sword and the\nreligion of the Koran were enthroned in the Christian metropolis of the\nRoman emperors; and the proud Moslem had the Christian dog completely\nunder his foot.\" The Ottoman power, however, continued to grow and make\nnew conquests until the year A.D. 1672, when they conducted a successful\ncampaign against Poland, in which forty-eight towns and villages were\nceded to the Sultan, with promise of an annual tribute of two hundred\nand twenty thousand ducats. See Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica, Art. Turkey.\nThis was the last victory they ever gained wherein the Ottoman empire\nobtained any advantage. A little later they marched against Vienna, but\nsustained a miserable defeat. \"Venice and Russia now declared war\nagainst Turkey; misfortune followed misfortune; city after city was rent\naway from the empire; the Austrians were in possession of almost the\nwhole of Hungary, the Italians of almost all the Morea.\" Encyclop\u00e6dia\nBritannica, Art. Turkey. So the power of the Ottomans to extend their\nconquests and to add to their empire, ended with the victory over the\nPoles in A.D. 1672. This fact is even admitted by Demetrius Cantemir,\nprince of Moldavia, one of their historians, in the following language:\n\"This was the _last_ victory by which any advantage accrued to the\nOthman state, or any city or province was annexed to the ancient bounds\nof the empire.\" In accordance with this statement, the same historian\nentitles the first part of his history up to the victory over the Poles\nin 1672 the History of _the Growth of the Othman Empire_, and the\nremaining portion, _The Decay of the Othman Empire_.\n\nCalculating now the time during which these horsemen were prepared to\nextend their conquests--\"an hour, and a day, and a month, and a\nyear\"--we find according to prophetic, or symbolic, time--thirty days in\na month, three hundred and sixty in a year--that it signifies three\nhundred and ninety-one years and fifteen days. This is exactly the\nperiod of time that elapsed between their first victory in A.D. 1281 and\ntheir last conquest in A.D. 1672. I can not verify the fifteen days,\nbecause no history at my command states the exact days of the month on\nwhich these victories occurred.\n\nOne more point of importance must be considered before we conclude this\nchapter, and that is the continuance of the Ottoman power. The first, or\nSaracen, woe had power to torment men \"five months,\" or one hundred and\nfifty years, during which time they continued their ravages. The second\nwoe began when the command was given to loose the four angels, or the\nbeginning of the Ottoman conquests. \"An hour, and a day, and a month,\nand a year,\" or three hundred and ninety-one years, marked the time\nduring which they were \"prepared\" to extend their conquests. But it is\nnot stated that the woe itself, or the Ottoman power, would then cease;\nfor it is not represented as ending until after the death and the\nresurrection of the witnesses (chap. 11:14), immediately following which\nthe coming of Christ and the general judgment, or the third woe, is\ndescribed. Verses 15-18. The Turkish power has made no advance for\ncenturies, but has been on the decline; yet it will endure for its\nallotted time. It furnishes us a way-mark by which we can determine our\nposition along the pathway of time; for when it falls, we may rest\nassured that the coming of Christ is imminent.\n\nFor nearly two centuries it has been the wonder of civilized nations how\nthat corrupt, tyrannical government, which has been described as a\n\"despotism tempered by assassination,\" could exist in the increased\nlight and onward advance of modern civilization. Concerning its position\nin Europe, Judson, in his recent history of Europe in the Nineteenth\nCentury, says: \"The Turkish empire has been an element of unrest in\nEurope. It has long been plain to all that it is not permanent. It has\ntaken no root. The Turks are merely encamped in Europe; and it is merely\na question of time when the last of them must return across the\nBosphorus.\" Pp. 269, 270. But Turkey will continue to hold this\nterritory of the old Greek empire until the time appointed by the Father\nfor her overthrow. The nations of Europe have often conspired for her\noverthrow. This is what is known as the great Eastern Question, which\nhas been described by one writer as \"the expulsion of the Turk from\nEurope, and the scramble for his territory.\" But it has not yet been\naccomplished, for the very reason doubtless, that it _could not_ take\nplace before the resurrection of the witnesses, of which we will speak\nlater. Judson thus continues his account of the matter: \"As soon as this\nidea was realized [that Turkish power in Europe must fall] by the\nWestern nations, in place of the dread of the Turk which had so long\nbeen part and parcel of European thinking, the question of the disposal\nto be made of the Turkish possessions became matter of live interest.\nAnd this is the Eastern Question. The Greek empire vanished forever when\nthe last Constantine fell in 1453. The only problem is one of partition.\nAnd the heart of it all is the disposal to be made of Constantinople.\nThat imperial city is a site that, in strong hands, means power and\nwealth. What shall become of it? Russia early formed designs of\nconquest.... The empress Catherine ... had a grand scheme for a\nrestoration of the Greek empire under a Russian prince. Alexander I., at\nTilsit, planned a partition of the Ottoman empire with Napoleon, but the\nlatter declined to see Constantinople in Russian hands.\n'Constantinople,' said he, 'is the empire of the world.' In 1844\nNicholas visited England and made guarded suggestions to the\nprime-minister about the Turkish lands. The Ottoman empire, said he, was\na sick man, nearly at the last extremity.... England declined to plan\nfor a share of the inheritance, and nothing was done. In 1853 Nicholas\nresumed the subject with the British ambassador at St. Petersburg. The\nsick man, he now held, was at the point of death.... But again England\ndeclined and, indeed, the next year went to war with Russia to save the\nsick man from a premature end at the hands of the would-be administrator\nof the estate. Another power doubly interested in the future of the\nTurkish dominions is Austria. That empire has been the traditional enemy\nof the Turk, and at the end of the seventeenth century was the actual\nbulwark of Europe against Mohammedan conquest. When the tide of war\nrolled the other way, Austria was ready to share in the spoils. Twice\nnear the end of the eighteenth century, was an alliance made between\nRussia and Austria for the partition of Turkey,\" etc. Pp. 270, 271.\nThus, we find that these designs of nations for the overthrow of Turkey\nhave so far been overruled; for God will not allow that power to come to\n\"a _premature end_.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\n\n    And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed\n    with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was\n    as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:\n\n    2. And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his\n    right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,\n\n    3. And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when\n    he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.\n\n    4. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was\n    about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,\n    Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write\n    them not.\n\n    5. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the\n    earth lifted up his hand to heaven,\n\n    6. And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created\n    heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the\n    things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are\n    therein, that there should be time no longer:\n\n    7. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he\n    shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as\n    he hath declared to his servants the prophets.\n\n    8. And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again,\n    and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand\n    of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.\n\n    9. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the\n    little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it\n    shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet\n    as honey.\n\n    10. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate\n    it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I\n    had eaten it, my belly was bitter.\n\n    11. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many\n    peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.\n\nIn the preceding chapter we had a history of the two great woes that\nbefell apostate Christendom. In this chapter we have in contrast a\nportion of the history of God's true church, to show us that all was not\nlost even though the Eastern church was greviously tormented by the\nserpent-tails of the horses and the Western church still continued as\nbefore in her sorceries, fornications, and abominable idolatries.\n\nThe symbol is that of an angel from heaven. This is not the seventh, or\nthe third woe angel, who ushers in the general judgment (chap.\n11:15-18), but it is a special messenger appearing on earth with the\nawful message that the end of time is near and that when the seventh\nangel soon begins to sound the mystery of God shall be finished and\nthere shall be time no longer. This mighty angel is symbolical of some\nhuman agencies of distinguished character; for it stands in striking\ncontrast with the destructive powers described under the preceding\ntrumpets. When angels appear on the panoramic scene only in the temple\nabove, they themselves are not symbolic characters, but only the\nconductors of the Revelation; but whenever they appear on earth, they\nrepresent distinguished agencies among men. In the present vision the\nsymbol is drawn, not from the natural world, but from the heavenly, and\nthe scene is laid upon earth; therefore we must look to the history of\nthe church to find its fulfilment in some distinguished agencies\nappearing for the defence of Christ and his truth. The cloud, rainbow,\nface as the sun, and feet as pillars of fire, are doubtless intended to\nset forth their beautiful, benignant character, and to show that the\nangel is not such an one as those that were bound in the river\nEuphrates. This one has the bow of covenant promise upon his head, and\nhis face shines as the sun.\n\nWhere, then, in the history of God's true church do we find the agencies\ncorresponding to the symbol? We find them in the _holy ministry_ that he\nhas raised up and is now sending forth to preach the pure gospel and to\ndeclare the speedy sounding of the seventh trumpet and the coming of the\nLord Jesus Christ to earth again.\n\n  \"Lo, the angel now is standing on the sea and on the land;\n  How his voice the air is rending as to God he lifts his hand!\n  What an awful, awful message! Help us, Lord, this truth to see:\n  When the seventh trumpet thunders, then shall time no longer be.\n\n  \"One more trumpet yet to summon us before the judgment seat,\n  Then the time of our frail planet will be said to be complete.\n  How the wicked will be wailing and the righteous overjoyed\n  When with fire the heav'ns are burning and the earth shall be destroyed!\"\n\nThis angel \"set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the\nearth,\" that his lion-like voice might be heard over all the world. This\nshows that the earth (the Apocalyptic earth--the territory of the Roman\nempire) was not the only place where the message was to be borne; it was\nto be sounded upon the sea, which would indicate its promulgation among\nall nations.\n\nWhen his mighty voice sounded, \"seven thunders uttered their voices\";\nand when about to record what they said, John was commanded to \"seal up\nthose things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.\" The\nfact that they were not to be recorded shows that they were to\nconstitute no part of this Revelation. John evidently thought so at\nfirst; for they had the appearance of revelation, something clothed with\ndivine authority, but they were not to be delivered to the church. What,\nthen, were they? The most probable supposition is, that they were things\nthat God for some reason did not choose to have revealed. Their sayings\nmay have described events just prior to the end so perfectly as to leave\nthe world in no doubt respecting the nearness of Christ's second coming;\nwhereas it appears in the Scriptures that God has designed that it\nshould be a matter of considerable uncertainty, especially to the\nunsaved. However, we can obtain no satisfactory explanation of the\nthings uttered by the seven thunders; for we can not identify positively\nwhat John was commanded to \"seal up.\"\n\nThis angel had in his hand a little book that John was required to take\nand eat. In advancing and taking the book, John himself becomes an actor\nin the symbolic scene, the same as was the book and the angel from whose\nhand he took it. Therefore we must now consider John a symbol of\nsomething in this vision. Some of the commentators have supposed that\nthis book signified the remainder of the book of Revelation. But John\nwas commanded to _write_ the Revelations, not to _eat_ them. And if he\nate them, how, then, could they constitute the remainder of the book?\nIts true signification is undoubtedly the word of God. In making such an\napplication we do not necessarily make one book merely a symbol of a\nlarger one, as the Bible is, but of God's _revealed will_, just the same\nas the sealed book of chapter V was the symbol of the divine purposes.\nWhen we come to explain the resurrection of the witnesses in chapter XI,\nit will be found that this is the time when the word of God is again\ntaught in all its purity, being restored for the first time, in its\nperfect sense, since the morning time of this dispensation. A great\nspiritual famine has for centuries overspread the earth. Since the time\nthe black horse of the third seal entered on his career, the people have\nbeen starving for spiritual food. The few crumbs that have been dropped\nduring the reign of Protestantism have been eagerly gathered up by the\nspiritually-minded; but, thank God! the time has now arrived when the\nmessengers appear with food from heaven, and the multitudes of earth's\nstarving millions can \"eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the\nname of the Lord God.\" Joel 2:26. Halleluiah!\n\nIn taking the book from the hand of the angel and eating it, John became\na symbol of the church, or people of God, who receive the Word from the\nhand of his ministers. The sweetness of its taste signifies the\neagerness with which people receive it and the gladness experienced when\nthey first partake of the heavenly manna; while the bitterness resulting\ntherefrom probably symbolizes the bitter persecutions and oppositions of\nwhich it is the occasion. \"Yea, and _all_ that will live godly in Christ\nJesus shall suffer persecution.\" 2 Tim. 3:12.\n\nJohn was told to \"prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and\ntongues, and kings,\" which signifies that the people of God must again\nbe witnesses of his saving grace throughout all the world. In the\nbeginning of this dispensation all his people prophesied among the\nnations; for Christ had said unto them, \"Ye shall be _witnesses_ unto\nme, both in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the\nuttermost parts of the earth.\" Acts 1:8. So, also, in this evening time\nwe go forth again on the same mission, inspired by the soon-coming of\nour Savior.\n\n\"Even so come, Lord Jesus.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\n\n    And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel\n    stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the\n    altar, and them that worship therein.\n\n    2. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and\n    measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy\n    city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.\n\n    3. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall\n    prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in\n    sackcloth.\n\n    4. These are the two olive-trees, and the two candlesticks\n    standing before the God of the earth.\n\n    5. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their\n    mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt\n    them, he must in this manner be killed.\n\n    6. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days\n    of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to\n    blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they\n    will.\n\nThe two principal objects of this vision is the city of Jerusalem with\nits holy temple and worshipers, and two witnesses prophesying for twelve\nhundred and sixty days. These are not objects from the natural world;\ntherefore we may conclude that we have not here to do with political\nevents, while the character of the symbols point us with certainty to\nthe history of the church.\n\nThere is a possibility that the speaker here is not the angel of the\npreceding chapter; for the words in verse 1 \"and the angel stood\" may be\nan interpolation, they being found in very few manuscripts. See the\nRevised Version and the Emphatic Diaglott, Greek and English. If not,\nthen he must be the angel through whom the Revelation was given. Chap.\n1:1; 22:8. Whether the angel is the same as the one in the preceding\nchapter or not, it is evident that that series of prophecy ends with\nchapter 10, and that he here introduces a new line of events running\nover the entire gospel dispensation[7], in which John as an active agent\nin the panoramic vision still stands as a symbol of the people of God,\nwho, in striking contrast with the blind devotees of an apostate church,\nare commanded to \"measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them\nthat worship therein.\" The temple with its altar and court and the holy\ncity itself, here used as symbols, are representative of something\nanalagous, and refer to no other than the outward, visible church of God\nwith its doctrines and worshipers. Its measurement is designed to show\nhow far it conforms to the true church; while the rod is a symbol of the\nrevealed will of God, by which the measurement is brought as to a true\nstandard.\n\n[Footnote 7: This statement may seem to conflict with the classification\nof events in the \"Diagram of the Revelation,\" where this prophecy is\ntreated, not as an independent series, but as part of a compound series\nbeginning with chapter 8 and ending with chapter 11. For thus\nclassifying it my reason is, that the line of prophecy beginning with\nchapter 8 introduces the seven trumpets, and therefore the series is not\ncomplete until the seventh trumpet is given, which event concludes the\nline of truth given in the present chapter.]\n\nBy noticing briefly the arrangement of the temple and the purposes to\nwhich the different apartments were put, we shall be able to understand\nbetter the design of this vision. The temple proper consisted of two\napartments. In the first stood the altar of incense and other things; in\nthe second, the ark of the covenant, etc. The priests officiated in the\nfirst apartment regularly, while into the second went the high-priest\nalone once every year. This, Paul informs us, was a shadow of a greater\nand more perfect tabernacle. Heb. 9:1-11; 8:2. The altar that is\nmentioned and that John was to measure is a symbol of the great cardinal\ndoctrine of the church--the atonement and mediation of Christ. He was\nthe sacrifice made for sin, through whom we have redemption and access\nunto God. John was also told to measure those who worshiped therein--the\nofficiating ministers in the sanctuary--who were thus made symbols of\nthe ministers and the teachers in the church. To measure the temple of\nGod, then, was to ascertain the great doctrines taught in the Scriptures\nand symbolized by the sanctuary, the altar, and the priests; namely, the\ndoctrines of the New Testament concerning God as the supreme lawgiver,\nthe atonement of Jesus Christ as the only ground for justification, and\nthe ministers whom he appointed to officiate in his church.\n\nThese are the great principles corrupted by the Papacy. Instead of the\none supreme God, we find another in the temple of God, \"showing himself\nthat _he_ is God.\" Christ was not recognized as the supreme and only\nhead of the church; but instead the Pope claimed the title of universal\nhead and legislated supreme, while his decrees and anathemas were\naccepted as from Jehovah himself. Christ was not regarded as the only\nmediator between God and man, but the virgin Mary and the saints were\nexalted to share the mediatorial throne, the mother being more honored\nthan the Son. Penance, counting of beads, works of supererogation, were\nbelieved to be more effectual in obtaining forgiveness of sin than\nliving faith in our only Redeemer. Finally, in place of the humble\nministers of Christ whom he appointed to officiate in his church, there\nwere haughty lords and rulers, making the most extravagant claims to\npower and authority over the minds and consciences of men. The court of\nthe temple was the space outside of the sanctuary occupied by the\ncongregation while the worship within was conducted by the priests. John\nwas told to leave this out and measure it not; for it was given to the\nGentiles to tread under foot, or profane, for the space of forty and two\nmonths, or twelve hundred and sixty days. In the estimation of a Jew,\nthe Gentiles were all idolaters and outside of God's covenant favor. As\na symbol, then, we are to understand that the great body of worshipers\nthus brought to view are not the true children of God at all, but are,\nas it were, uncircumcised, idolatrous Gentiles, having no connection\nwhatever with the great head of the church and no part in the covenant\nof his mercy. The whole city of Jerusalem was to be given over to this\nprofane multitude and by them desecrated for forty-two months, denoting\nthat this great company of worshipers was to constitute the visible,\nexternal church during the period specified. It is as though the city of\nJerusalem were occupied by the idolatrous heathen, and the Jews driven\nout as aliens. These Gentiles, then, were to constitute the one great\n(so-called) universal church--the Church of Rome.\n\nForty and two months, or twelve hundred and sixty days, are symbolic\ntime, signifying twelve hundred and sixty years, during which time the\npower of apostasy was to reign supreme over the minds of men. The same\nperiod is also referred to frequently in subsequent chapters. It is\nnecessary, then, for us to ascertain at what period of time the church\nwas given over to a profane multitude that was not the true people of\nGod. Some have supposed that this must refer to the time when Popery\nbecame fully established. Such, however, could not be the case (although\nthe time-period includes that important event); for the power of\napostasy was greatly developed centuries before the final supremacy of\nthe Popes was established, and was necessary in order to prepare the way\nfor their exaltation. The Popes obtained their authority by degrees. In\nA.D. 606 the emperor Phocas conferred the title \"Universal Bishop\" upon\nthe Pope of Rome. In A.D. 756 the Pope became a temporal sovereign. Yet\nthe power of Papal usurpation did not reach the summit until the reign\nof the impious Hildebrand, who succeeded to the Popedom in A.D. 1073,\nunder the title of Gregory VII. But according to the symbols before us,\nwe must look for a period not so much when the Popes were enabled to\ndefinitely enforce their arrogant claims, as when the ministry became\ncorrupted and when the inhabitants of the city, or the devotees of the\nvisible church, became a profane multitude entirely estranged from the\ncovenant of promise. The usurpations of the ministry that accompanied\nthis great change in the external church have been considered already\nunder the symbols of chapter VI. This mighty transformation to a church\ncontaining nothing but uncircumcised Gentiles was fully accomplished\nduring the latter half of the third century, from which date we must\nlook for the true disciples of the Lord as entirely separate from the\nhierarchy. A few quotations from standard and ecclesiastical histories\nwill show this important epoch in the rise of the Papacy that plunged\nthe world into almost universal apostasy.\n\n\"The living church retiring gradually within the lonely sanctuary of a\nfew solitary hearts, an external church was substituted in its place,\nand all its forms were declared to be of divine appointment. Salvation\nno longer flowing from the Word, which was henceforward put out of\nsight, the priests affirmed that it was conveyed by means of the forms\nthey had themselves invented, and that no one could obtain it but by\nthese channels.... The doctrine of the church and the necessity of its\nvisible unity, which had begun to gain ground in the _third century_,\nfavored the pretensions of Rome.\" D'Aubigne's History of the\nReformation, Book I, Chap. 1.\n\n\"At the end of the third century almost half the inhabitants of the\nRoman empire, and of several neighboring countries, professed the faith\nof Christ. About this time endeavors to preserve a unity of belief, and\nof church discipline, occasioned numberless disputes among those of\ndifferent opinions, and led to the establishment of an ecclesiastical\ntyranny.\" Encyclop\u00e6dia of Religious Knowledge.\n\nConcerning the Roman diocese, the Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica says, \"Before\nthe termination of the third century the office was held to be of such\nimportance that its succession was a matter of interest to ecclesiastics\nliving in distant sees.\" Vol. XIX, p. 488.\n\n\"Almost proportionate with the extension of Christianity was the\ndecrease in the church of vital piety. A philosophizing spirit among the\nhigher, and a wild monkish superstition among the lower orders, fast\ntook the place in the third century of the faith and humility of the\nfirst Christians. Many of the clergy became very corrupt, and\nexcessively ambitious. In consequence of this there was an awful\ndefection of Christianity.\" Marsh's Church History, p. 185.\n\n\"We have found it almost necessary to separate, and indeed widely to\ndistinguish the events of the two first, from those of the third\ncentury, for nearly at this point we are disposed to place the FIRST\nCRISIS in the internal history of the church.\" Waddington's Church\nHistory.\n\n\"This season of external prosperity was improved by the ministers of the\nchurch for the exertion of new claims, and the assumption of powers with\nwhich they had not been previously invested. At first these claims were\nmodestly urged, and gradually allowed; but they laid a foundation for\nthe encroachments which were afterwards made upon the rights of the\nwhole Christian community, and for lofty pretensions to the right of\nsupremacy and spiritual dominion.... Several alterations in the form of\nchurch government appear to have been introduced during the third\ncentury. Some degree of pomp was thought necessary.... The external\ndignity of the ministers of religion was accompanied by a still greater\nchange in its discipline.... Many of the Jewish and Pagan proselytes ...\nlanguished in the absence of ceremonies which were naturally adapted to\nthe taste of the unreflecting multitude, while the insolent infidel\nhaughtily insisted upon the inanity of a religion which was not\nmanifested by an external symbol or decoration. In order to accommodate\nChristianity to these prejudices, a number of rites were instituted; and\nwhile the dignified titles of the Jewish priesthood were through a\ncompliance with the prejudices of that people, conferred upon the\nChristian teachers, many ceremonies were introduced which coincided with\nthe genius of Paganism. The true gospels were taught by sensible images,\nand many of the ceremonies employed in celebrating the heathen mysteries\nwere observed in the institutions of Christ, which soon in their turn\nobtained the name of mysteries, and served as a melancholy precedent for\nfuture innovations, and as a foundation for that structure of absurdity\nand superstition which deformed and disgraced the church.\" Rutter's\nHistory of the Church, pp. 52-56.\n\nThis \"season of external prosperity\" mentioned by Rutter began with the\naccession of Gallienus to the imperial throne in A.D. 260. Up to this\ntime the hand of persecution had been raised against the church almost\nincessantly; but from 260 until the reign of Diocletian persecution\nalmost ceased, during this space of about forty years. But this period\nalso marked the greatest decline in spiritual things and a marvelous\ndevelopment of the hierarchy. Speaking of the bishop of Rome in these\ntimes, Dowling says, \"He far surpassed all his brethren in the\nmagnificence and splendor of the church over which he presided; in the\nriches of his revenues and possessions; in the number and variety of his\nministers; in his credit with the people; and in his sumptuous and\nsplendid manner of living.\" History of Romanism, p. 34.\n\nAmmianus Marcellinus, a Roman historian, who lived during these times,\nadverting to this subject, says: \"It was no wonder to see those who were\nambitious of human greatness, contending with so much heat and animosity\nfor that dignity, because when they had obtained it, they were sure to\nbe enriched by the offerings of the matrons, and of appearing abroad in\ngreat splendor, of being admired for their costly coaches, and sumptuous\nfeasts, outdoing sovereign princes in the expenses of their table.\" This\nled Proetextatus, a heathen, who was pr\u00e6fect of the city, to say, \"Make\nme bishop of Rome, and I'll be a Christian too!\"\n\nSpeaking of the period now under consideration, Eusebius, \"the father of\nchurch history,\" \"mentions one Paul, who was at this time bishop of\nAntioch; who lived in luxury and licentiousness, and who was a teacher\nof erroneous doctrines, and usurped so great authority that the people\nfeared to venture to accuse him. In the conclusion of the same chapter\nin which this is found, he shows that after a general council was held\nat Antioch, this Paul was excommunicated and robbed of his bishopric by\nthe bishops of Rome and Italy; from this it appears that they possessed\nan authority still greater than that usurped by Paul.\" The following are\nhis words: \"Paul, therefore, having thus fallen from the episcopate,\ntogether with the true faith as already said, Domnus succeeded in\nadministration of the church at Antioch. But Paul being unwilling to\nleave the building of the church, an appeal was made to the emperor\nAurelian, who decided most equitably on the business, ordering the\nbuilding to be given up to those whom the Christian bishops of Italy and\nRome should write.\" Eccl. History, Book VII, Chap. 30. The Encyclop\u00e6dia\nBritannica says that this council at which Paul was excommunicated was\nheld \"probably in the year 268,\" and that \"Paul continued in his office\nuntil the year 272, when the city was taken by the emperor Aurelian, who\ndecided in person that the church-building belonged to the bishop who\nwas in epistolary communication with the bishops of Rome and Italy.\"\nVol. XVIII, p. 429.\n\nThe above extracts show not only the development of error in the church,\nbut also the great power already obtained by the hierarchy. Geo. Fisher\nsays, \"The accession of Constantine [A.D. 312] found the church so\nfirmly organized under the hierarchy that it could not lose its identity\nby being absolutely merged in the state.\" History of the Christian\nChurch, p. 99.\n\nIn the year A.D. 270 Anthony, an Egyptian, the founder of the monastic\ninstitution, fixed his abode in the deserts of Egypt and formed monks\ninto organized bodies. \"Influenced by these eminent examples [Anthony,\nHilarion, et al.] immense multitudes betook themselves to the desert,\nand innumerable monasteries were fixed in Egypt, Ethiopia, Lybia and\nSyria. Some of the Egyptian abbots are spoken of as having had five,\nseven, or even ten thousand monks under their personal direction; and\nthe Thebias, as well as certain spots in Arabia, are reported to have\nbeen literally crowded with solitaries. Nearly a hundred thousand of all\nclasses, it is said, were at one time to be found in Egypt.... Although\nthe enthusiasm might be at a lower ebb in one country than in another,\nit _actually affected the church universal_, so far as the extant\nmaterials of ecclesiastical history enables us to trace its rise and\nprogress.... The more rigid and heroic of the Christian anchorets\ndispensed with all clothing except a rug, or a few palm leaves round the\nloins. Most of them abstained from the use of water for ablution; nor\ndid they usually wash or change the garments they had once put on; thus\n_St. Anthony_ [the founder of this order] bequeathed to Athanasius a\nskin in which his sacred person had been wrapped for half a century.\nThey also allowed their beards and nails to grow, and sometimes became\nso hirsute, as to be actually mistaken for hy\u00e6nas or bears.\" Hist. of\nRomanism, pp. 88, 89. Reader, what was the condition of the so-called\nchurch in A.D. 270 that could make the introduction of such abominations\npossible? Although many more historical quotations on this point might\nbe added, I will conclude with the two following extracts from Joseph\nMilner.\n\n\"We shall, for the present, leave Anthony propagating the monastic\ndispositions, and extending its influence not only into the next\ncentury, but for many ages after, and conclude this view of the state of\nthe _third century_, with expressing our regret that the faith and love\nof the gospel received toward the close of it a dreadful blow from the\nencouragement of this unchristian practise.\" Cen. III, Chap. 20.\n\n\"Moral, and philosophical, and monastic instructions will not effect for\nmen what is to be expected from evangelical doctrine. And if the faith\nof Christ was so much declined (and its decayed state _ought to be dated\nfrom about the year 270_), we need not wonder that such scenes as\nEusebius hints at without any circumstantial details took place in the\nChristian world.\" Cent. IV, Chap. 1.\n\nAfter reading the foregoing statements of historians, the reader will, I\nbelieve, agree with me that the year 270 is a consistent date to mark\nthe time when the visible external church was wholly given over to the\nprofane multitude of uncircumcised, idolatrous Gentiles to tread under\nfoot. Measuring forward the allotted period of twelve hundred and sixty\nyears brings us to the exact date of the first Protestant creed (_the\nAugsburg Confession_) in A.D. 1530. We must point to this date both for\nthe end of Rome's universal spiritual supremacy and for the rise of\nProtestantism. D'Aubigne, in his History of the Reformation, when he\ncomes to this period, says: \"The conflicts hitherto described have been\nonly partial; we are entering upon a new period, that of general\nbattles. Spires (1529) and Ausburg (1530) are names that shine forth\nwith more immortal glory than Marathon, Pavia, or Marengo. Forces that\nup to the present time were separate, are now uniting into one energetic\nband.\" Book XVIII, Chap. 1. \"The first two books of this volume contain\nthe most important epochs of the reformation--the Protest of Spires, and\nthe Confession of Augsburg.... I determined on bringing the reformation\nof Germany and German Switzerland to the _decisive epochs_ of 1530 and\n1531. The history of the reformation, properly so called, is then in my\nopinion almost complete in those countries. The work of faith has there\nattained its apogee: that of conferences, of interims, of diplomacy\nbegins.... The movement of the sixteenth century has there made its\neffort. I said from the very first, It is the history of the reformation\nand not of Protestantism that I am relating.\" D'Aubigne, Preface to Vol.\nV.\n\nThe next important object in the vision is the \"two witnesses\" that\nprophecied in sackcloth. From the description given, it would appear at\nfirst that these witnesses were active intelligent agents; and as such,\nbelonging to the department of human life, they would symbolize the\nchurch, the number two denoting the ministry and the people of God. But\nthe church is already symbolized in this chapter, the angel representing\nthe ministry, as in the preceding chapter, and John, who is clearly one\nof the symbolic agents in this vision, representing the church;\ntherefore the two witnesses must be representative of something else.\nSince the actions ascribed to them are drawn from the department of\nhuman life, it is evident that their interpretation is to be found in\nconnection with the affairs of the church. By way of explanation, verse\n4 represents them to be \"the two olive-trees, and the two candle-sticks\nstanding before the God of the earth,\" although it is not stated that\nany olive-trees and candle-sticks were shown in this prophetic vision.\nIn this reference is made to the fourth chapter of Zechariah, where two\nolive-trees are represented as standing one on each side of a golden\ncandle-stick, distilling into it their oil for light. When asked for the\nsignification of the two olive-trees and the candlestick, the angel\nanswered, \"This is the _Word_ of the Lord ... by my _Spirit_, saith the\nLord.\" Ver. 6. That the Word of God and the Spirit of God are special\nwitnesses is proved by many texts. Jesus said, \"Search the Scriptures\n... they are they which _testify_ of me.\" John 6:39. \"This gospel of the\nkingdom shall be preached in all the world for a _witness_ unto all\nnations.\" Mat. 24:14. \"The Holy Ghost also is a _witness_.\" Heb. 10:15.\n\"The Spirit itself beareth _witness_.\" Rom. 8:16. \"It is the Spirit that\nbeareth _witness_.\" 1 John 5:6. It is the Spirit acting in conjunction\nwith the Word of God that gives spiritual life, through regeneration,\nunto men, and which opens their understanding that they may know the\nthings of God. 2 Cor. 2:9-15.\n\nGod may have given us the explanation that these two witnesses were the\nsame as the olive-trees and the candle-sticks to prevent our being led\nastray with the supposition that they were actually intelligent agents.\n(I speak humanly.) Accepting this statement, the actions of these\nwitnesses here described can be explained only by the figure of speech\nknown as Personification, by which it is proper, under certain\nconditions, to attribute life, action, and intelligence to inanimate\nobjects. Thus, the blood of Abel is said to have cried from the ground.\nGen. 4:9, 10. \"The stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of\nthe timber shall answer it.\" Hab. 2:11. \"The hire of the laborers ...\nwhich is of you kept back by fraud crieth: and the cries ... are entered\ninto the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.\" Jas. 5:4. \"The mountains and the\nhills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of\nthe field shall clap their hands.\" Isa. 55:12. I would not attempt to\nvary from the general order and explain these two witnesses by the\nfigure of personification, were it not for the fact that the two\nolive-trees and the two candle-sticks are here given as a means of\nexplanation; and trees and candle-sticks, we know, are not active,\nintelligent agents, and consequently do not necessarily symbolize such.\n\nTo \"hurt\" the Word and Spirit of God is to oppose, corrupt, or pervert\ntheir testimony and to turn people away from them; and the judgments of\nHeaven are pronounced in that Word and by that Spirit against such as\nturn away from the truth unto fables. They shall have their part in the\nlake that burns with fire and brimstone. Rev. 20:15; 22:8. It is also\nsaid of them: \"These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the\ndays of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to\nblood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.\"\nThis indicates the fact that these were God's own special witnesses sent\nin his name and by his authority, as were the prophets of old. Elijah\nshut up heaven by prayer; Moses called down the plagues upon Egypt; and\nthese were God's attestations that they were his divinely commissioned\nservants. So these two witnesses had power to shut heaven and to smite\nthe earth with plagues, not literally, but herein is symbolically set\nforth the fact that they were God's appointed agents, even though\ndespised and rejected, like Elijah in the midst of apostate Israel and\nMoses amid idolatrous Egypt, yet, like them, with the seal of Heaven\nupon their ministry.\n\nIn the beginning of this dispensation these two witnesses were the\nvicars of Christ in his church upon earth. The word of God and the\nSpirit of God were the Governors of his people. At that time they had\nperfect freedom of action among the children of God; but when the\napostasy arose, the governing power of the Word and Spirit of God in the\nchurch was gradually usurped by the rising hierarchy, until, finally,\nmen had entire authority in what was called the visible church. This was\nbrought about when, to quote Mosheim's words, the bishops grasped the\npower and authority \"to prescribe authoritative rules of faith and\nmanners.\" D'Aubigne explains it thus: \"Salvation no longer flowing from\nthe _Word_, which was henceforward put out of sight, the priests\naffirmed that it was conveyed by means of the forms they had themselves\ninvented, and that no one could attain it except by these channels....\nChrist communicated to the apostles, and these to the bishops, the\nunction of the _Holy Spirit_; and this Spirit is to be procured only in\nthat order of succession.... Faith in the heart no longer connected the\nmembers of the church, and they were united by means of bishops,\narchbishops, popes, mitres, canons and ceremonies.\" History of the\nReformation, Book I, Chap. 1. Thus, the Word and Spirit of God as the\ntrue vicars of Christ in his church were finally expelled from what was\nlooked upon as the one visible church, and with them the true worshipers\nalso were driven out; and nothing remained in the public view except the\ngreat company of profane idolaters already referred to. The same is\nreferred to in a subsequent chapter as the flight of the true church\ninto the wilderness, where, hidden from sight, she had a place prepared\nof God for twelve hundred and sixty days. So after all, God had a true\nchurch during the Dark Ages--a people that stood in opposition to the\nabounding corruption and iniquity of the church of Rome; a people that\nrejected the established hierarchy and gave heed to the Word and Spirit\nof God. But their numbers were so few, comparatively, that the\noperations of the two witnesses were greatly limited; hence they are\nrepresented as being clothed in sackcloth, a symbol of melancholy and\nmourning.\n\nAmong those who opposed the teachings of that apostate church were the\nCathari, Poor Men of Lyons, Lombards, Albigenses, Waldenses, Vaudois,\netc. The name Waldenses and Albigenses have frequently been loosely\napplied to all the bands of people that passed under various titles in\ndifferent countries and that opposed the doctrines and ecclesiastical\ntyranny of Rome. Speaking of the twelfth century, Bowling says: \"There\nexisted at that dark period, when 'all the world wondered after the\nbeast,' a numerous body of the disciples of Christ, who took the New\nTestament for their guidance and direction in all the affairs of\nreligion, rejecting the doctrines and commandments of men. Their appeal\nwas from the decisions of councils, and the authority of popes,\ncardinals, and prelates, to the law and the testimony--the words of\nChrist and his holy apostles.\" History of Romanism, p. 272. Egbert, a\nmonkish writer of that age, speaking of them, says that he had often\ndisputed with these heretics, \"a sort of people,\" he adds, \"who are very\npernicious to the Catholic faith, which, like moths, they corrupt and\ndestroy. They are armed,\" says he, \"_with the words of Scripture_ which\nin any way seem to favor their sentiments, and with these they know how\nto defend their errors, and to oppose the Catholic truth. They are\nincreased to great multitudes throughout all countries, to the great\ndanger of the church [of Rome].\"\n\nFor lack of space, an extensive history of these interesting people can\nnot be given; but a few references to them by their most inveterate\nenemies, the Papists themselves, are of such importance that I can not\npass them by unnoticed. The testimony given by Evervinus, a zealous\nCatholic, in a letter he wrote to the celebrated Bernard, at the\nbeginning of the twelfth century, relative to the doctrine and manners\nof these so-called _heretics_, is exceedingly valuable. Says he: \"There\nhave lately been some heretics discovered among us, near Colonge [sic:\nCologne], of whom some have, with satisfaction returned again to the\nchurch. One that was a bishop among them, and his companions, openly\nopposed us, in the assembly of the clergy and laity, the lord-archbishop\nhimself being present, with many of the nobility, maintaining their\nheresy from _the words of Christ and his apostles_. But, finding that\nthey made no impression, they desired that a day might be fixed, upon\nwhich they might bring along with them men skilful in their faith,\npromising to return to the church, provided their teachers were unable\nto answer their opponents; but that otherwise, they would rather die\nthan depart from their judgment.\n\n\"Upon this declaration, having been admonished to repent, and three days\nallowed them for that purpose, they were seized by the people, in their\nexcess of zeal, _and committed to the flames_! and, what is most\nastonishing, they came to the stake and endured the torment not only\nwith patience, but even with joy. In this case, O holy father, were I\npresent with you, I should be glad to ask you, how these members of\nSatan could persist in their heresy with such constancy and courage as\nis rarely to be found among the most religious in the faith of Christ?\"\n\nHe then proceeds: \"Their heresy is this: They say that the church (of\nChrist) is only among themselves, because they alone follow the ways of\nChrist, and imitate the apostles, not seeking secular gains.... Whereas\nthey say to us, 'Ye join house to house, and field to field, seeking the\nthings of this world.'... They represent themselves as the poor of\nChrist's flock, who have no certain abode, fleeing from one city to\nanother, like sheep in the midst of wolves, enduring persecution with\nthe apostles and martyrs: though strict in their manner of\nlife--_abstemious, laborious, devoted, and holy_ ... living as men who\nare not of the world. But you, say they, lovers of the world, have peace\nwith the world, because ye are in it. False apostles, who adulterate the\nword of God, seeking their own things, have misled you and your\nancestors. Whereas, we and our fathers, having been born and brought up\nin the apostolic doctrine, have continued in the grace of Christ, and\nshall continue so to the end.... They affirm that the apostolic dignity\nis corrupted by indulging itself in secular affairs, while it sits\n[professedly] in St Peter's chair. They do not hold with the baptism of\ninfants, alleging that passage of the gospel, 'He that believeth and is\nbaptized shall be saved.' They place no confidence in the intercession\nof saints and all things observed in the church, which have not been\nestablished by Christ himself, or his apostles, they pronounce to be\nsuperstitious. They do not admit of any purgatory fire after death,\ncontending, that the souls of men, as soon as they depart out of the\nbodies, do enter into rest or punishment ... by which means they make\nvoid all the prayers and oblations of the faithful for the deceased....\nI must inform you also, that those of them who have returned to our\nchurch, tell us that they had great numbers of their persuasion,\nscattered almost everywhere.... And as for those who were burnt, they,\nin defense they made of themselves, told us that this heresy had been\n_concealed from the time of the martyrs_ [by which is meant the early\nperiod of Christianity] and that it had existed in Greece and other\ncountries.\"\n\nAlthough Bernard began a strenuous opposition to these people, still he\ntestifies: \"If you ask them of their faith, nothing can be more\nChristian-like; and if you observe their conversation, nothing can be\nmore blameless, and what they speak they make good by their actions....\nAs to life and manners, he circumvents no man, overreaches no man, does\nviolence to no man. He fasts much and eats not the bread of idleness;\nbut works with his hands for his support.\"\n\nClaudius, archbishop of Turin, who joined in hunting and persecuting\nthem to the death, writes, \"Their heresy excepted, they generally live a\npurer life than other Christians.\" Again, \"In their lives they are\nperfect, irreproachable, and without reproach among men, addicting\nthemselves with all their might to the service of God.\"\n\nThe sum and substance of their offense is mentioned by Cassini, a\nFranciscan friar, where he says, \"That ALL THE ERRORS of these Waldenses\nconsisted in this, that they denied the church of Rome to be the holy\nmother church, and _would not obey her traditions_.\"\n\nIn conclusion I quote from the celebrated Roman Catholic historian\nThuanus. He states their tenets as follows: \"That the church of Rome,\nbecause it renounced the true faith of Christ, WAS THE WHORE OF BABYLON\n... that consequently _no obedience was to be paid to the Pope_, or to\nthe bishops who maintain her errors; that a monastic life was the sink\nand dungeon of the church, the vows of which [relating to celibacy] were\nvain ... that the orders of the priesthood were marks of the great beast\nmentioned in the Apocalypse; that the fire of purgatory, the solemn\nmass, the consecration days of churches, the worship of saints, and\npropitiations for the dead, were the devices of Satan.\" Lib. VI, Sec.\n16, Lib. XXVII. The chief offense of these so-called heretics seems to\nhave been that they denounced the Pope as \"Antichrist\" and the apostate\nchurch of Rome as \"the Babylonish harlot.\"\n\n    7. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast\n    that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against\n    them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.\n\n    8. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great\n    city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also\n    our Lord was crucified.\n\n    9. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations\n    shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall\n    not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.\n\n    10. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them,\n    and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because\n    these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.\n\n    11. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God\n    entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great\n    fear fell upon them which saw them.\n\n    12. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them,\n    Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and\n    their enemies beheld them.\n\nAt the expiration of the twelve hundred and sixty years the scene\nchanges. The prophecy of the witnesses in their sackcloth state, hidden\naway from sight in the wilderness, ends, and they are now brought out\ninto public view--but only to be killed. Their slaughter takes place at\nthe hands of the beast. When we come to consider chapter XIII, we shall\nsee that the Papacy is described as a beast reigning for forty-two\nmonths, or twelve hundred and sixty years, after which time another\nbeast possessing great power and authority appears on the scene. This\nsecond beast is Protestantism, and through it the murder of the two\nwitnesses at the close of the Papal supremacy in the vision before us\nwas effected.\n\nIt would seem, by the similarity of statement that the beast \"ascendeth\nout of the bottomless pit,\" that the slaughter of the witnesses was\neffected by the Papal beast (chap. 17:7, 8); but the Mohammedan delusion\nalso is said to have proceeded from \"the bottomless pit.\" Chap. 9:1, 2.\nThe expression _bottomless pit_ is doubtless used merely to signify the\nsource of certain powers in contradistinction to the heavenly source\nfrom which others proceeded. Although the Papal beast is said to have\noriginated in the bottomless pit, the second beast also doubtless\nproceeded from the same source, for he possessed many of the\ncharacteristics of the former, and caused the earth to worship the first\nbeast, as explained in chapter 13. That he was not of heavenly origin is\nshown by the statement that he came up \"out of the earth.\" Chap. 13:11.\nBut the direct proof that it was the Protestant beast, and not the Papal\nbeast--although the same expression as to its origin is used concerning\nit--that slew the two witnesses, is found in the fact that the reign of\nthe first, or Papal, beast was limited to forty two months (chap. 13:5),\ncorresponding to the twelve hundred and sixty years in which the\nwitnesses prophesied in the vision before us; while it was after the\n_close_ of this period, at the time when the second, or Protestant,\nbeast arose (chap. 13:11), that the witnesses were slain.\n\nTo many this may seem a hard saying; but I request that the matter be\ngiven the most careful attention in the light of prophecy and divine\ntruth. It is true that the Sixteenth Century Reformation at first\nbrought the witnesses out of the wilderness of seclusion where they had\nremained during the long night of Romanism and exhibited them to the\npublic view; but when thus placed upon exhibition, they were soon robbed\nentirely of their position as the Vicars, or Governors, of God's church.\nSince creed and sect-making first began, the Word and Spirit have not\npossesed governing power and authority in Protestantism; but men have\nusurped that place and prescribed authoritative rules of faith and\npractise for the people. The principles of Higher Criticism have so far\npervaded the realm of sectarian theology that a vast number of the\nclergy no longer regard the Bible as the inspired word of God to man,\nbut simply as a remarkable piece of religious literature recording the\nnatural development of the religious consciousness among a peculiarly\nsensitive race of people. Protestantism certainly has placed the Bible\non the dissecting table and dismembered it in a manner wholly unknown\nbefore. While Protestants will not for a moment allow the blessed Book\nto be hidden out of sight--put \"into graves\"--still they will not grant\nit that place it should occupy as the sole discipline of faith, so it is\na dead letter to them. That all-glorious doctrine of Bible _unity_,\nwhich fills the whole New Testament, strikes a deathblow to all the\ncarnal divisions and institutions of sectarianism; and so with one\naccord they unite in _fighting it_. \"Oh, the good old blessed Bible! we\ncould not do without it,\" say they; yet, as everybody knows, they are\ngoverned by the discipline and laws that they or their representatives\nhave formulated. Thus, the Word and Spirit of God are brought under the\npublic gaze, only to be treated with such indignity in God's sight, and\nkilled; while infidels look on, and tauntingly remark, \"Either the\nreligion of to-day is no Christianity, or the Word of God is a lie.\"\n\nIn the beginning of this dispensation the church of God not only\nconsisted of all those who were spiritual, but constituted a visible,\norganic body as well, made up of numerous local congregations that were\nseparate in the management of their internal affairs, yet interrelated\nwith each other, and were directed by humble pastors, who were, in\nreference to each other, _equal_. The Word of God was their only\ndiscipline, and the Spirit of God, their great Teacher and Guide. Thus,\nthe two witnesses were active in their official position, in the public\nview, as the Vicars or Governors of the church of God on earth. When,\nhowever, men usurped the place of these Vicars by ignoring the Spirit\nand rejecting the Word and making their own rules of faith, the effect\nwas a national hierarchy--the church of Rome, which for twelve hundred\nand sixty years stood in the public view. Yet the two witnesses were\nstill alive, though driven into obscurity and \"clothed in sackcloth\";\nfor they still acted in their official position in the congregations of\nthe medieval Christians already referred to, who resisted the doctrines\nof men and clung tenaciously to the simple, primitive form of church\ngovernment and allowed the Spirit and Word authority supreme.\n\nBut during the Protestant era Christians the world over became\nidentified with the various sects, hence were representing to the world\nthe beast power instead of the true church. Thus, during the Protestant\nperiod, the church of God, _in its organic form_, was not represented\nanywhere on earth; for its members were scattered among those who were\n\"worshiping the beast and his image.\" Hence the two witnesses, during\nthis era, had no place to operate in their official capacity as the\nGovernors of God's church and are therefore represented as slain. The\ngovernment of Protestant sects is not effected by the Word and Spirit;\nfor the institutions themselves are of human origin, and men are their\nlaw-makers and governors.\n\nWhen the two witnesses are deprived of their governing power and the\nrules and disciplines of men substituted in their place, a decline into\nworldliness is the invariable result. This has been the case repeatedly\nin sectarianism. In fact, Protestantism, as a component part of that\ngreat city Babylon, has so given herself over to \"revellings,\nbanquetings, and abominable idolatries,\" that a voice from heaven has\ndeclared her to be \"the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul\nspirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.\" Chap. 18:2.\nWitness the shows, festivals, frolics, grab-bag parties, kissing bees,\ncake-walk lotteries, and other abominations unnumbered, that are carried\non without shame, under the guise of religion, in the high places of\nthis modern Babylon! If the Word of God with the full power and\nauthority of his Spirit could be turned in upon them, it would be like\nthe torment of fire; but no, it is dead to them, and they rejoice and\nmake merry and continue in \"the same excess of riot.\"\n\nIn the description before us, this city of sectarianism in which the two\nwitnesses are slain is \"spiritually [or mystically] called Sodom and\nEgypt, where also our Lord was crucified.\" It is a mystical Sodom, Egypt\nand Jerusalem--a Sodom for wickedness and lewdness, an Egypt for the\ncaptivity and oppression of God's people, and a Jerusalem for the\ncrucifying of the Son of God afresh and putting him to an open shame.\nThus, this city mystically combines the wickedness of the three most\nwicked places on earth--Sodom, Egypt, and Jerusalem. These facts we\nshall notice more particularly hereafter.\n\nBut these two witnesses were not always to remain trampled under foot in\nthe streets of great Babylon; for a time came when \"the spirit of life\nfrom God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great\nfear fell upon them which saw them.\" In this is portrayed the\nreformation which is now taking place in the world. About the year A.D.\n1880 God began to raise up holy men and women whom he commissioned to\npreach the everlasting gospel of the kingdom again; and they went forth\nin his name calling upon God's people everywhere to come \"out of all\nplaces where they had been scattered in the cloudy and dark day\" (Ezek.\n34:12) and to take up their abode in the one true church of Jesus\nChrist, his body, independent of all sectarianism and the creeds and\ndisciplines of men. In this assembly of the faithful, gathered out of\nall nations, no man nor set of men attempts to form laws or regulations\nfor the supervision of spiritual affairs; but with one consent they\nhumbly bow before the only true Lawgiver (Jas. 4:12), and say, \"The\ngovernment shall be upon his shoulder\" (Isa. 9:6); and the Word and\nSpirit of God have perfect control of his saints. Halleluiah! They can\npreach, teach, and believe every word of truth placed in the Sacred\nVolume, without a conference or discipline of men forbidding. Standing\nupon this apostolic platform of eternal truth, they hurl the thunders of\ndivine judgment against the hidden works of darkness, causing the\ngraceless devotees of fallen Babylon to quake with fear and to \"gnaw\ntheir tongues for pain.\"\n\nAfter the resurrection of these witnesses, a voice from heaven is heard,\nsaying, \"Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and\ntheir enemies beheld them.\" This ascension to heaven in the presence of\ntheir enemies, which according to this chapter occurred before the end\nof time, has reference undoubtedly to their great exaltation. \"Thy\ngreatness is grown, and _reacheth unto heaven_.\" Dan. 4:22. We see that\nin this text a similar expression signifies great exaltation. So this\nwork is destined to assume such proportions that the people of earth may\nhave the privilege of seeing the truth. In the preceding chapter John,\nas a symbol of the church at this time, under the living ministry\nsymbolized by the rain-bow angel, was told that he \"must prophesy again\nbefore many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.\" Verse 11.\n\nThe signification of the time-period of three days and a half claims our\nattention next. According to the foregoing explanation, it will be seen\nthat the writer applies it as three centuries and a half, or three\nhundred and fifty years--from A.D. 1530 to A.D. 1880. It will be\nnecessary to adduce strong reasons for thus applying it. In the first\nplace, the time-prophecies of the Bible are by no means confined to the\nyear-day manner of interpretation. Many times in the Old Testament the\nexpression occurs, \"And it shall come to pass _in that day_,\" which\nexpression is admitted by all to have reference to the gospel day, or\nthe entire gospel dispensation. When the church of Philadelphia was\npromised deliverance from the _hour_ of temptation which was to come\nupon all the world (chap. 3:10), no one supposes that a short period of\nonly one week is specified. The rulers of the ten kingdoms were to\n\"receive power as kings _one hour_ with the beast\" (chap. 17:12), which\nexpression will be shown later to really cover many years. We might\npoint out many such exceptions were it necessary.\n\nAgain, it was the beast that came up at the expiration of the twelve\nhundred and sixty years, or Protestantism, that slaughtered the\nwitnesses, and we could not expect their resurrection during the reign\nof Protestantism, which every one will admit was longer than three and\none-half years, according to the year-day application. The events as\nthey have developed prove that it was just three and one-half centuries\nbefore Protestantism was entirely ignored and the Spirit and Word\nrecognized as the sole Governors in the church of God. Besides, the\ngeneral trend of events following the formation of Protestantism\nnaturally divide the succeeding centuries into separate periods. The\nfirst (sixteenth) was a fierce conflict for the establishment of\nProtestantism; the second (seventeenth) was a violent reaction, wherein\nthe church of Rome nearly triumphed over her hated opposers; while the\nthird (eighteenth) is specially noted in history as the period of\ninfidelity or reason. This division of time was so noticable that\nD'Aubigne, who wrote about A.D. 1835, in his famous History of the\nReformation, refers to it in the following remarkable language: \"It has\nbeen said that the three last centuries, the sixteenth, the seventeenth,\nand the eighteenth, may be conceived as an immense battle of _three\ndays'_ duration. We willingly adopt this beautiful comparison.... The\nfirst day was the battle of God, the second the battle of the priest,\nthe third the battle of Reason. What will be the fourth? [1830-1930] In\nour opinion, the confused strife, the deadly contest of all these powers\ntogether, TO END IN THE VICTORY OF HIM TO WHOM TRIUMPH BELONGS.\" Book\nXI, Chap. 9.\n\nThe writer is thankful to God that he is permitted to see the fourth day\nending \"in the victory of Him to whom triumph belongs.\" And may we, my\nbrethren, be grateful to our dear Lord that it is our privilege to have\npart in this glorious reformation of divine truth that is now sweeping\nover the world and gathering the elect together for the soon-coming of\nthe Savior.\n\n    13. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the\n    tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of\n    men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave\n    glory to the God of heaven.\n\n    14. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh\n    quickly.\n\nAt the time the witnesses reach their greatest exaltation, a great\nearthquake takes place upon earth, and the tenth part of the city falls.\nThe nature of the symbol would point us to some political upheaval.\nSince the great city of Babylon is composed of different divisions (as\nwill be seen hereafter), it is a matter of doubt as to which part of the\ncity is here referred to; but most probably that of the hierarchy as\nembraced in one of the ten divisions or kingdoms. Since the fulfilment\nof this prediction is yet future, I speak with hesitation and wait for\nthe event to make all clear. It is probable, however, that either in\nthis political revolution, or about that time, the Ottoman power will be\noverthrown; for immediately the announcement is made, \"The second woe is\npast; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.\"\n\n    15. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices\n    in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the\n    kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for\n    ever and ever.\n\n    16. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on\n    their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,\n\n    17. Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art,\n    and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy\n    great power, and hast reigned.\n\n    18. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the\n    time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou\n    shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the\n    saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and\n    shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.\n\n    19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was\n    seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were\n    lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and\n    great hail.\n\nThe seventh angel that here sounded is the third woe-angel, and\naccording to the description before us, ushers in the general judgment.\nWhen the temple of God was opened that this mighty event might take\nplace on earth, there were \"lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and\nan earthquake, and great hail.\" Wondrous commotions took place in the\nworld, for kingdoms and empires were all overthrown, and Jesus Christ\nwas the only king remaining, and his mission was to raise the dead that\nthey might be judged, to give reward to the prophets and saints, and to\nbanish with everlasting destruction those that corrupted the earth. The\ndescription itself is too plain to need further comment.\n\n\"The temple of God\" that was opened in heaven is to be understood as\nsymbolical (as explained in chap. 6:9), and not literal. In other words,\nthe heavenly world appeared to John symbolized after the sanctuary of\nthe temple on earth. Chap. 15:5-8; 16:1, 7, 17, etc. This is proved\nclearly by the fact that, when the real heaven, the future home of the\nredeemed, is described, John says, \"I saw _no temple_ therein.\" Chap.\n21:22.\n\nBefore dismissing the visions of this chapter, I wish to call attention\nto one more point hitherto referred to--that of parallelism and\ncontrast. While we have the history of the church apostate described by\nthe treading down of the holy city, we have also, in immediate contrast\nand running parallel therewith, a history of the true church existing\nduring the same period of twelve hundred and sixty years, although it\nwas in a sackcloth state. And while the reign of Protestantism is\ndescribed as a period during which the two witnesses were in one sense\ndead, we have in immediate contrast a history of the last great\nreformation, in which the spirit of life from God again enters these\nsame witnesses, and they stand upright on their feet, to the\nconsternation of all their adversaries. Amen.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\n\n    And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed\n    with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a\n    crown of twelve stars:\n\n    2. And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and\n    pained to be delivered.\n\n    3. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a\n    great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven\n    crowns upon his heads.\n\n    4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven, and\n    did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the\n    woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child\n    as soon as it was born.\n\n    5. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all\n    nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto\n    God, and to his throne.\n\n    6. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a\n    place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a\n    thousand two hundred and threescore days.\n\nThe three principal objects of this vision are the woman clothed with\nthe sun, the man-child born of her, and a red dragon with seven heads\nand ten horns. These, being drawn from nature and human life, would\npoint us both to the church and to the state for their fulfilment. The\nsymbols, also, are living agents, and we should expect the objects they\nrepresent to be such.\n\nThis woman is an appropriate symbol of the church of God, which is\ncomposed of living, intelligent beings; and that it is the true and not\nan apostate one, is shown by the fact that upon her flight into the\nwilderness she had a place prepared of God where she was nourished for\ntwelve hundred and sixty days. In a subsequent portion of the Apocalypse\na vile harlot is taken as the representative of the church apostate. In\nthis way a proper correspondence of character and quality is kept up.\nThis woman appeared, not in the temple above, but in the firmament of\nheaven, where she was clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and\nupon her head a crown of twelve stars. Thus the brightest luminaries of\nheaven were gathered around her. Arrayed in this splendid manner, she is\neasily distinguished from an apostate church, which would not be so\nhighly favored with such attire in this exalted position. Doubtless the\nobjects with which she is adorned have some special signification. The\nmoon is a fit symbol of the old covenant, above which the church had\njust risen, only to be clothed in the superior brightness and glory of\nthe new covenant. And as the moon shines only with a borrowed light,\nobtaining its illumination from the sun; so, also, the old covenant was\nonly a shadow of the good things to come and now stands eclipsed in the\nbrightness and transcendant glory of that new and better dispensation.\nAccording to the explanation given of the seven stars in the right hand\nof Jesus (chap. 1:19), we are authorized to regard stars as a symbol of\nChristian ministers, and the twelve that appear most prominently in the\nfirst history of the church are the twelve apostles of the Lamb.\n\nThe dragon, a beast from the natural world, would properly symbolize a\ntyrannical, persecuting government. This was a red dragon with seven\nheads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. In the following\nchapter we read that John saw a beast rising up out of the sea with the\nsame number of heads and horns, but ten crowns on his horns. And the\ndragon gave him (the beast) \"his power, and his seat, and great\nauthority.\" Verse 2. So far as the heads and horns are concerned, the\nonly difference between the two is that the crowns--a symbol of supreme\nauthority and power--have been transferred from the heads to the horns.\nIn chapter 17 John saw the same beast again and there received the\nfollowing explanation of the seven heads: \"And there are seven kings:\nfive are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he\ncometh he must continue a short space.\" Verse 10. Concerning the horns\nhe was told, \"The ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have\nreceived no kingdom as yet.\" Verse 12. With this explanation before us\nit will be easy to identify the dragon of chapter 12 and the beast of\nchapters 13 and 17 as the Roman empire, the first under the Pagan and\nthe second under the Papal form. The seven heads signify the seven\ndistinct forms of supreme government that ruled successively in the\nempire. The five that had already fallen when John received the vision\nwere the Regal power, the Consular, the Decemvirate, the Military\nTribunes and the Triumvirate. \"One is\"--the Imperial.[8] The\nidentification of its seventh and last head we shall leave until later.\nThe ten horns, or kingdoms, which had not yet arisen when the Revelation\nwas given, were the ten minor kingdoms that grew out of the Western\nRoman empire during its decline and fall. The historian Machiard, in\ngiving an account of these nations, and without any reference to the\nBible or its prophecies, reckons ten kingdoms, as follows:\n\n1. The Ostrogoths in Maesia;\n2. The Visigoths in Pannonia;\n3. Sueves and Alans in Gascoigne and Spain;\n4. Vandals in Africa;\n5. Franks in France;\n6. Burgundians in Burgundy;\n7. Heruli and Turings in Italy;\n8. Saxons and Anglis in Britain;\n9. Huns in Hungary;\n10. Lombards, at first on the Danube, and afterwards\nin Italy.\n\n[Footnote 8: The fact that commentators and historians differ in their\nenumeration of the forms of government that ruled in Rome is often a\nsource of confusion to ordinary readers. Hence an explanation is\nnecessary. Rome was first ruled by kings, and therefore the first form\nof government is designated by either the term _Kings_ or the term\n_Regal Power_. Upon the expulsion of the kings and the formation of the\nrepublic, the royal power was entrusted to two men who held it for a\nyear, and were called _consuls_. In times of great public danger the\nconsuls were superseded by a special officer called a _dictator_, who\nhad supreme power. As the early life of the republic was often\nthreatened with grave dangers, Rome was often governed by a dictator;\nhence this form of government is sometimes called the Dictatorship. The\nthird form was the _Decemviri_, a government by ten men, who compiled\nthe twelve famous Tables of Laws. In 444 B.C. another change was made by\nthe appointment of _Military Tribunes_ (whose numbers varied) with\nconsular power. These were frequently called _Consuls_. The fifth form\nwas the _Triumvirate_, a government by three men. The sixth was the\n_Imperial_. Hence the different forms can be enumerated thus: 1. The\nRegal Power, or Kings. 2. Consula or Dictators. 3. Decemvirate. 4.\nMilitary Tribunes, Tribunes, or Consuls. 5. Triumvirate. 6. Imperial.\nThe seventh form will be considered in another place. See remarks on\nchap. 17:7-11.]\n\nOther historians agree substantially with this. These kingdoms all arose\nwithin one hundred and seventy years. The dragon is described with the\nhorns, although they were not now in existence and did not arise until\nnearly the time when the dragon became the beast; likewise, he is\nrepresented with seven heads, although he really possessed only one head\nat a time, and five had already fallen and one being yet to come. He is\ndescribed with all the heads and horns he ever had or was to have.\n\nThe tail of this dragon \"drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and\ndid cast them to the earth.\" Some people who have never learned the\nnature of symbolic language try to imagine such a literal creature as\nthe one here described and picture in their minds what an awful thing it\nwould be to see the third part of the stars falling to the earth. But\nreal stars that are fixed or planetary never fall, and if they did, they\nwould be as apt to fall in an opposite direction as toward the earth.\nBesides, if one should come tumbling down here, it would knock this\nworld into oblivion. But with a knowledge of the proper use of symbols\nwe can easily identify this dragon with the Roman empire under its Pagan\nform; and the casting down of the stars, which were doubtless used as\nsymbols of ministers as in verse 1, signifies the warfare which this\nawful beast power waged against the church of God, in which her\nministers were always a shining mark for the first persecution and\nsuffered terribly for the cause they represented.\n\nThe man-child is the next object that claims our attention. Some have\nsupposed that it represented Jesus Christ in his first advent to the\nworld. But this could not be; for Christ is never represented as being\nthe offspring of the church, but, on the other hand, is declared to be\nits originator. Some, also, have supposed that it represented the church\nbringing forth Christ to the world in a spiritual sense. This, however,\nwould be in direct conflict with the known laws of symbolic language. A\nvisible, living, intelligent agent, such as this man-child evidently\nwas, could not be the symbol of an invisible spiritual presence.\nBesides, it has been clearly shown that Christ always appears in his own\nperson, unrepresented by another, from the fact that he can not be\nsymbolized. It is clear that this child can not signify a single\ndefinite personage; for after he is caught up to God, there is still a\nremnant of the woman's seed left upon earth. See verse 17.\n\nWhat, then, does the man-child signify? It symbolizes the mighty host of\nnew converts or children that the early church by her earnest travail\nbrought forth. The seeming incongruity that the church, or mother, and\nher children are alike only serves to establish the point in question\nwhen rightly understood. A child is of the same substance as its mother\nand is designed to perpetuate the race. So, also, the new-born babes in\nthe church are just the same spiritually as those who are older, and are\nintended to perpetuate the church of God on earth. But this explanation\nof itself is not sufficient to entirely satisfy an inquiring mind, and\nthe question is sure to be asked, Why was it necessary that the church\nof God in this dispensation should be represented by two individuals--a\nwoman and her son? I also will ask a question--Why, on the other hand,\nwas it necessary that the great apostasy of this dispensation should be\nrepresented by the double-figure of a woman and her daughters? The\nanswer to the latter question would readily be given--to symbolize two\ndistinct phases of apostasy. So, also, it was necessary that a\ndouble-symbol, such as a woman and her son, should be chosen to set\nforth _two phases_ of the church brought to view in this chapter. If but\na single symbol were used, how could the church be thereby represented\nas continuing on earth and fleeing into the wilderness and at the same\ntime be represented as \"overcome,\" persecuted to the death, and \"caught\nup unto God and to his throne\"? This double-phase of the church--the\nexperience of the saints on earth and the reign of the martyrs in\nParadise--will be made very clear to the reader hereafter. But it would\nbe impossible to set forth these two phases under one symbol, and\ntherefore two are chosen.\n\nThere is also direct Scripture testimony on this point. \"Before she\ntravailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of\na _man-child._ Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things?\nShall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be\nborn at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her\nchildren.\" Isa. 66:7, 8. According to Heb. 12:22, 23, this Zion, or\nSion, referred to is the New Testament church, and the man-child that\nshe is said to bring forth is interpreted by Isaiah as \"a nation born at\nonce.\" Such language perfectly describes the rapid increase in the\nChristian church on Pentecost and shortly afterward, when thousands were\nadded in one day. According to the apostle Paul, the host of Jews and\nGentiles reconciled unto God through Jesus Christ constituted \"one new\nman\" in Christ. Eph. 2:15. See also Gal. 3:28. R.V. This man-child was\nto rule all nations with a rod of iron. For an explanation of this rule\nsee remarks on chapter 2:26, 27. The twelve hundred and sixty days will\nbe referred to later.\n\n    7. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought\n    against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,\n\n    8. And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in\n    heaven.\n\n    9. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called\n    the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was\n    cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.\n\n    10. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come\n    salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the\n    power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast\n    down, which accused them before our God day and night.\n\n    11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the\n    word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the\n    death.\n\n    12. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.\n    Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil\n    is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth\n    that he hath but a short time.\n\n    13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he\n    persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.\n\n    14. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that\n    she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is\n    nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face\n    of the serpent.\n\n    15. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after\n    the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the\n    flood.\n\n    16. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her\n    mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon east out of\n    his mouth.\n\n    17. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make\n    war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of\n    God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.\n\nIn this vision we have a series of events covering exactly the same\nperiod of time as that of the preceeding one; namely, a history of the\nchurch up to and including her flight into the wilderness, and of the\nsame opposing dragon. In this description, however, the events are more\nperfectly detailed.\n\nBecause this dragon was called the Devil and Satan, many have been led\ninto the idea that it signified the Prince of darkness himself. But\nsurely we could not suppose that Beelzebub has any such appearance as\nthis dragon. The foregoing explanation concerning his heads and horns\nshows conclusively that the Pagan Roman empire is meant, and not\nBeelzebub. Why, then, was it called the Devil and Satan? Among the\nHebrews the term _Satan_ was frequently used in a very liberal sense and\napplied to different objects, signifying merely an adversary or opposer.\nAccording to Young's Analytical Concordance the Hebrew word for Satan is\ntranslated _adversary_ in a number of texts, a few of which I will refer\nto. Num. 22:22: \"And the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an\n_adversary_ [Satan, Heb.] against him.\" Here an angel of the Lord is\ncalled a Satan to Balaam. In 1 Sam. 29:4 David is called an adversary\n(Heb. Satan) to the Philistines. In 2 Sam. 19:22 certain opposers are\nsaid to be adversaries (Satans, Heb.) unto David; while in 1 Kings 11:25\na certain man was said to be an adversary (Satan) to Israel all the days\nof Solomon. A number of other instances could be given if necessary. In\nthe New Testament, also, the term _Satan_ is sometimes used to signify\nmerely an opposer. \"But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind\nme, Satan.\" Mat. 16:23. In 1 Cor. 10:20 Paul declares \"that the things\nwhich the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to _devils_.\" Paganism\nstood as the great opposer of Christianity, hence was a Satan\n(adversary) unto it; while the apostle denominated its religious rites\nas devil-worship. I do not question the fact that the spirit of\nBeelzebub was manifested in the thing; but the dragon itself was the\nempire, as is proved by the heads and the horns. However, the Devil and\nthe agency through which he works are often used interchangeably. Satan\nand the serpent in Eden stand in the same relation as do Satan, or\nBeelzebub, and Paganism in the New Testament; hence to bind Paganism was\nto bind the Devil and Satan in one important sense.\n\nThe dragon would be a beast from the natural world (if such a creature\nactually existed) and as such could represent nothing more than a civil\nempire; but in the vision under consideration he is represented as\naccompanied by _angels_ actuated by his spirit and defending his cause.\nBy this combination of symbols is set forth the politico-religious\nsystem of the empire--a religion that denied the doctrine of the one\nexclusive God and the divinity of Jesus Christ. It was the religion of\n_infidelity_. It was the dragon as a false religious system that\nChristianity attacked, and not the State itself. The following quotation\nfrom Butler's Ecclesiastical History will show the relation of\nChristians to the empire:\n\n\"The Romans were accustomed to tolerate all new religions if they took\ntheir place by the side of those already existing, and if they did not\ncast reproach upon them.... But Christianity, by its very nature\nexclusive in its claims ... was offensive to the Romans and to the\nState. A religion which cast contempt upon the religions and rites\nsanctioned by the laws, and endeavored to draw men away from them,\nseemed to express thereby contempt and hostility for the State itself.\nHence Christianity was branded as a malignant superstition, and\nChristians spoken of as the enemies of the human race.... From the\nletter of Pliny to Trajan, it was evidently recorded as an _religio\nillicita_, and the mere fact of being a Christian was counted of itself\na crime.... The exclusiveness of Christianity seemed also to place its\ndisciples in a position of direct disloyalty to the emperors and the\nState. 'The emperor was ex-officio _Pontifex Maximus_; the gods were\nnational. Cicero declares as a principle of legislation, that no one\nshould be allowed to worship foreign gods, unless they were recognized\nby public statute. Maecenas thus counselled Augustas: Honor the gods\naccording to the customs of your ancestors, and compel others to worship\nthem. Hate and punish those who bring in strange gods.' As the Roman\nempire was founded on the absolutism of the State, and made nothing of\npersonal rights, Christianity, which first taught and acknowledged them,\nwould be peculiarly offensive to the State. Moreover, the conscientious\nrefusal of Christians to pay divine honor to the emperor and his\nstatutes, and to take part in idolatrous ceremonies at public festivals\n... and their constant assembling themselves together, brought them\nunder the suspicion and obloquy of the emperors and the people.\" Pp. 49,\n50.\n\nThe dragon was stationed in the same heaven where the woman appeared.\nThis signifies his exalted position in the world. While the dragon was\nin the height of his power and glory, Michael (Jesus Christ--Jude 9; 1\nThes. 4:16; John 5:28) and his followers appeared on the scene, and a\nfierce battle for supremacy ensued, resulting in the final victory of\nthe hosts of Michael. That it was against the dragon as a religious\nsystem that the Christians fought is proved by the kind of weapons they\nemployed. \"And they overcame him by the _blood of the Lamb_ and by the\n_word of their testimony_; and they loved not their lives unto the\ndeath.\" Christianity never sought to overturn the civil empire, but did\nwith all the power of truth oppose the huge system of error sustained by\nit and gained such decisive victories that the cry was heard, \"Now is\ncome salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power\nof his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which\naccused them before our God day and night.\" The Devil himself suffered a\nsevere defeat when his favorite agents, the dragon and his followers,\nwere cast down from their lofty position and Christianity was exalted\ninstead. Says Butler: \"The final victory of Christianity over heathenism\nand Judaism, and the mightiest empire of the ancient world, a victory\ngained without physical force, by the moral power of faith and\nperseverance, of faith and love, is one of the sublimest spectacles of\nhistory, and one of the strongest evidences of the divinity and\nindestructible life of our holy religion.\" P. 40.\n\nBut the fact that many Christians lost their lives in this conflict\n(verse 11), insomuch that the man-child is represented as being caught\nup unto God (verse 5), shows that the dragon employed also the arm of\ncivil power in his opposition to the growing truth. The rapid increase\nof Christianity, despite the violent opposition and persecution of the\nPagan party, can be no better represented than by a quotation from the\nnotable Apology of Tertullian, who wrote during the persecution by\nSeptimus Severus, about the end of the second century.\n\n\"Rulers of the Roman Empire,\" he begins, \"you surely can not forbid the\nTruth to reach you by the secret pathway of a noiseless book. She knows\nthat she is but a sojourner on the earth, and as a stranger finds\nenemies; and more, her origin, her dwelling-place, her hope, her\nrewards, her honors, are above. One thing, meanwhile, she anxiously\ndesires of earthly rulers--not to be condemned unknown. What harm can it\ndo to give her a hearing?... The outcry is that the State is filled with\nChristians; that they are in the fields, in the citadels, in the\nislands. The lament is, as for some calamity, that both sexes, every age\nand condition, even high rank, are passing over to the Christian faith.\n\n\"The outcry is a confession and an argument for our cause; for we are a\npeople of yesterday, and yet we have filled every place belonging to\nyou--cities, islands, castles, towns, assemblies, your very camp, your\ntribes, companies, palace, senate, forum. We leave to you your temples\nalone. We can count your armies: our numbers in a single province will\nbe greater. We have it in our power, without arms and without rebellion,\nto fight against you with the weapon of a simple divorce. We can leave\nyou to wage your wars alone. If such a multitude should withdraw into\nsome remote corner of the world you would doubtless tremble at your own\nsolitude, and ask, 'Of whom are we the governors?'\n\n\"It is a human right that every man should worship according to his own\nconvictions ... a forced religion is no religion at all.... Men say that\nthe Christians are the cause of every public disaster. If the Tiber\nrises as high as the city walls, if the Nile does not rise over the\nfields, if the heavens give no rain, if there be an earthquake, if a\nfamine or pestilence, straightway they cry, Away with the Christians to\nthe lion.... But go zealously on, ye good governors, you will stand\nhigher with the people if you kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us\nto the dust; your injustice is the proof that we are innocent. God\npermits us to suffer. Your cruelty avails you nothing.... The oftener\nyou mow us down the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is\nseed. What you call our obstinacy is an instructor. For who that sees it\ndoes not inquire for what we suffer? Who that inquires does not embrace\nour doctrines? Who that embraces them is not ready to give his blood for\nthe fulness of God's grace?\"\n\nAnother writer has said: \"The church in this period appears poor in\nearthly possessions and honors, but rich in heavenly grace, in\nworld-conquering faith and love and hope; unpopular, even outlawed,\nhated and persecuted, yet far more vigorous and expansive than the\nphilosophies of Greece, or the empire of Rome; composed chiefly of\npersons of the lower social ranks, yet attracting the noblest and\ndeepest minds of the age, and bearing in her bosom the hope of the\nworld; conquering by apparent defeat and growing on the blood of her\nmartyrs; great in deeds, greater in sufferings, greatest in death for\nthe honor of Christ and the benefit of generations to come.\"\n\nThis triumph of early Christianity over Paganism was a theme worthy of\nthe song. \"Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our\nGod, and the power of his Christ.\" Even before the death of the\napostles, according to the younger Pliny, the temples of the gods in\nAsia Minor were almost forsaken. No wonder, then, that even the\ninhabitants of heaven were called upon to rejoice at so great a victory\nattained by the followers of the Lamb. But the same voice also says,\n\"Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is\ncome down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath\nbut a short time.\" This represents the violence of the Pagan party upon\nits defeat, being exasperated to the exercise of greater opposition and\ncruelty wherever the means and the power were still in their hands. Cast\ndown from his exalted position in the heavens--the religious sphere--his\necclesiastical prestige lost, he had no place to abide but in the\nearth--the political kingdom--whence he took up arms, and \"woe to the\ninhabitants of the earth.\" But \"the days of Paganism in the empire were\nnumbered.\" The Devil knew that he had but a short time, therefore he\ncame down in great wrath. This is in accordance with the facts of\nhistory. Paganism did not die an easy death, but struggled hard and\nlong.\n\nWhen cast from his high position, however, the dragon \"persecuted the\nwoman which brought forth the man-child.\" The true idea expressed in the\noriginal is that he _pursued_ the woman, and this signification is\nindicated by what follows--\"To the woman were given two wings of a great\neagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she\nis nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of\nthe serpent.\" The _time_ as a definite period signifies one year; hence\na time, times, and half a time would be three and one-half years, or\ntwelve hundred and sixty days, as before explained. There is an apparent\nincongruity or contradiction of statement in reference to the symbols\nhere; but it is a contradiction that when rightly understood throws\nlight upon the whole subject. It will be noticed that the woman and\nMichael with his angels symbolize the same object--the people of God.\nUnder the latter figure they were triumphant and the dragon was\ndefeated. Yet after he was cast down, he turned upon the woman and\npursued her, and thus, the church appeared to be the defeated party.\nAccording to this, then, the Pagan party is represented as _prevailing_\nsoon after he met _defeat_ and the church apparently _defeated_ soon\nafter her period of _triumph_. Here again we have two separate symbols\nof the same object in order to represent two of its different phases.\n\nThis is explained satisfactorily by noticing carefully the facts. The\nwoman, who is always the true church composed of holy people, was at\nfirst identical with the visible church, or the great body of\nChristians, and in this condition was successful in spreading the pure\ngospel and casting down the powers of iniquity symbolized by the dragon.\nBut the dragon politically, as symbolized by his being a beast from the\nnatural world, with heads and horns, remained in power for some time,\nhis religious prestige only being lost. Christianity did not attempt to\ncast down the dragon in the sense of destroying the civil empire. As is\nwell known, a great spiritual declension followed the period of the\nchurch's greatest triumph, which decline drove the woman, or the true\nchurch, into the wilderness; hence to all appearances the church became\na defeated party. About this same time, the dying cause of Paganism\nrevived for a season in terrible severity in the latter part of the\nthird century; hence to all appearances the dragon was triumphant. This\nsupreme effort of Paganism's to regain its former position will be\nbetter understood in connection with what follows regarding the flood\nwhich he cast out of his mouth. But that the dragon was not permanently\ntriumphant is shown by the fact that he afterwards resigned his power\nand position unto the beast. Chap. 13:2.\n\nAs to the meaning of the \"two wings of a great eagle\" given the woman to\naid her in her flight, I am not able to say positively. Some apply them\nto \"the grace and providence of God which watched over the church\";\nothers to the \"spiritual gifts of faith, love,\" etc., which, like\nsupporting wings, bore the church above her enemies. But I can not see\nhow the wings of a great eagle can properly symbolize such things. They\nare not drawn from the right source. Perhaps nothing more is intended by\nthe wings than to denote the fact of her successful flight. That this\nidea is the correct one seems quite clear when we consider the fact that\nthe remarkable deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage is\nset forth under the same figure, that of eagles' wings. \"Ye have seen\nwhat I did unto the Egyptians, and how _I bare you on eagles' wings_,\nand brought you unto myself.\" Ex. 19:4. With the wings of such a\npowerful bird she was able to escape, so that the dragon could not\novertake her.\n\n\"And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman,\nthat he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth\nhelped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the\nflood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.\" Here is a peculiar\ncombination of symbols from different departments--the serpent, a flood\nof water, the woman, and the earth. The last two as allies is a very\nunusual circumstance. Some refer the flood of waters to heresies that\narose in, or was connected with, the hierarchy about this time; but in\nthat case how could it be said that it was the serpent that cast it out?\nOthers apply it to errors that the Pagan party introduced baptized with\nthe name of Christianity, when they professed to become converts at a\nlater period. It is certainly an appropriate _figure of speech_ to say a\nflood of error or of false doctrine; but whether a flood of water is a\nproper _symbol_ of the same is another question. I do not think it is.\nWater, being an object of nature, would point us to something political.\nFalse doctrines are usually symbolized by something different from\nobjects in nature.\n\nThere is considerable difficulty in verifying the symbol, but I will\nsubmit what up to the present has seemed to me as the most satisfactory\nexplanation. It appears from the description that this was about the\nlast great public effort the dragon made to overwhelm the church and\nthat he was exasperated to this supreme effort by the humiliating defeat\nhe had suffered. The means he employed was _water_, an object of nature;\nhence we are to look for some great political event by which the dragon\nmade his master-effort to destroy the woman shortly after her flight\ninto the wilderness. In A.D. 284 Diocletian, a Pagan, succeeded to the\nimperial throne. Before the close of his reign (305), the Christians\nsuffered the most terrible persecution ever received at the hands of\nPagan Rome. It continued ten years--A.D. 302-312. It was the design of\nthis emperor to completely extirpate the very name of Christianity, and\nhis unfortunate victims were slain by the thousands throughout the\nempire. \"But the master-piece of [his] heathen policy was the order to\nseek and burn all copies of the Word of God. Hitherto the enemy had been\nlopping off the branches of the tree whose leaves were for the healing\nof the nations; now the blow was made at the root. It had once been the\npolicy of Antiochus Epiphanes, when he madly sought to destroy the\nJewish Scriptures. It was both wise and wicked. It had but one defect,\nit could not be carried into complete execution. The sacred treasure was\nin too many hands, and too many of its guardians were brave and prudent,\nto make extermination possible. An African bishop said, 'Here is my\nbody, take it, burn it; but I will not deliver up the Word of God.' A\ndeacon said, 'Never, sir, never! Had I children I would sooner deliver\nthem to you than the divine word.' He and his wife were burnt together.\"\nButler's Eccl. History, p. 66.\n\nBut \"_the earth_ helped the woman\"--another unlooked-for political\nevent. Worn out with the cares of State, boasting that the very name of\nChrist was abolished, and dying with a loathsome disease, the tyrant\nabdicated his throne. A number of individuals claimed imperial honors;\nbut Constantine, the ruler of Gaul, Spain, and Britain, fought his way\nagainst contending rivals and finally entered Rome, the capital, in\ntriumph. Enthroned as emperor of the West, he immediately issued an\nedict of toleration favorable to the Christians (A.D. 313) and soon\nbecame a professed Christian himself and by law made Christianity the\nestablished religion of the empire. In 324, having crushed all rivals,\nhe became sole emperor of the Roman world, and with a view of promoting\nChristianity convened what is known as the First General Council of the\nChurch, at Nicaea in Asia Minor, A.D. 325. The prestige of Paganism as a\nreligious power had been overthrown long before by the followers of\nChrist, but now its political importance received a death-blow, only a\nfew expiring struggles appearing subsequently before the final downfall\nof Western Rome. Thus, the earth helped the woman and swallowed up the\nflood of persecution which the dragon cast out.\n\n\"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the\nremnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the\ntestimony of Jesus.\" Finding that he could not destroy or exterminate\nthe church of God, he determined to make war upon its individual\nmembers.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\n\n    And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up\n    out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his\n    horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.\n\n    2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his\n    feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a\n    lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great\n    authority.\n\n    3. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and\n    his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after\n    the beast.\n\n    4. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the\n    beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto\n    the beast? who is able to make war with him?\n\n    5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things\n    and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty\n    and two months.\n\n    6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to\n    blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in\n    heaven.\n\n    7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to\n    overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and\n    tongues, and nations.\n\n    8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose\n    names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from\n    the foundation of the world.\n\n    9. If any man have an ear, let him hear.\n\n    10. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he\n    that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here\n    is the patience and the faith of the saints.\n\nIn this vision John beheld a beast rise out of the sea. His\nappearance--like that of a leopard with the feet of a bear and a mouth\nlike a lion--indicated that he was some terrible creature. He was also a\npersecutor of the saints, the same as the dragon that preceded him. As\nbefore explained, this beast, also, symbolizes the Roman empire; for he\npossesses the same heads and horns as the dragon, the only difference\nbeing that the supreme power and authority, as indicated by the crowns,\nis now vested in the ten horns, or minor kingdoms, instead of in the\nseven heads. The dragon as a political power represented Rome before her\noverthrow by the barbarians; the beast as a political power represents\nnew Rome.\n\nA careful study of the characteristics of this beast, however, will show\nthat he represents more than a civil power. As a mere beast from the\nnatural world he could symbolize nothing more than some political power;\nbut it will be noticed that, combined with his beastly nature, there are\nalso certain characteristics that belong exclusively to the department\nof human life--a mouth _speaking_ great things; power to magnify himself\nagainst the God of heaven; the ability to single out the saints of God\nand kill them, and to set himself up as an object to be worshiped, etc.\nThis combination of symbols from the two departments--those of animal\nand of human life--points us with absolute certainty to Rome as a\npolitico-religious system. Ask any historian what world-wide power\nsucceeded Rome Pagan, and he will answer at once, \"Rome Papal.\"\n\nWhile it is not my general design to explain the many lines of prophetic\ntruth described under similar symbols in other parts of the Bible, yet I\nwill ask the reader here to pardon the slight digression while I call\nattention briefly to a few thoughts in the seventh chapter of Daniel\nregarding this same Papal power.\n\nDaniel received a vision of four great beasts, which were interpreted to\nsymbolize four universal monarchies. Verse 17. These were the\nBabylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Greco-Macedonian, and the Roman. The\nfourth beast possessed ten horns, which were explained to signify ten\nkingdoms to arise out of the fourth empire. This is identical with the\ndragon of Rev. 12, except the latter possessed seven heads not mentioned\nby Daniel. In the midst of the ten horns (ten minor kingdoms) grew up a\n_little_ horn, which soon assumed greater proportions than his fellows,\ntaking the place of three of the original horns, and into his hand the\nsaints of the Most High were given for \"a time and times and the\ndividing of time,\" or twelve hundred and sixty years. This eleventh horn\ndiffered from the ten in that it possessed a mouth speaking great\nthings, and the eyes of a man. A horn with eyes and mouth in it is a\nvery unusual thing, yet it is just such a combination as we might expect\nwhen we possess a correct knowledge of symbols. Being drawn from two\ndepartments--human life and animal life--this double-symbol directs us\nto a politico-religious system that came up among the ten horns that\ngrew out of the old Roman empire. We instantly identify it with the\ngrowing Papacy, which arose to a position of great authority in\nconjunction with the new Roman empire.\n\nThree of the horns, or temporal kingdoms, were overthrown in order to\ngive room for the complete development of this politico-religious power.\nSince great changes have frequently occurred among the nations of Europe\noriginally embraced in the ten minor kingdoms, different powers have\nbeen referred to as the three described in Daniel's prophecy; but the\nmost satisfactory explanation to my mind is that of the three kingdoms\nin Italy that were overthrown as if to give the hierarchy room for\ndevelopment, and that gave the Papacy its _first_ temporal sovereignty,\nthus completing the symbol by constituting her a civil as well as an\necclesiastical horn.\n\nOdoacer, in A.D. 476, overthrew the old empire of the West and\nestablished the kingdom of the Heruli in Italy. Seventeen years later it\nwas subverted by Theodoric, who established the kingdom of the\nOstrogoths, which continued sixty years; then it, in turn, was\noverthrown by Belisarius, but was soon succeeded by the Lombards. The\nLombard kingdom was subverted by Pepin and Charlemagne, who, as\nchampions of the church, gave a large part of their dominions to the See\nof Rome and thus favored the Papacy with her first temporal power. Thus\nwere the kingdoms of the Heruli, Ostrogoths, and Lombards plucked up by\nthe roots upon the very territory occupied first by the Papacy as a\ntemporal power, and as if to give it room.\n\nThe careful student of Daniel 7 will notice immediately the striking\nsimilarity between the politico-religious system symbolized by the\nlittle horn and the leopard beast of Revelation 13 under consideration.\nThe following parallels between them prove their identity:\n\n\"1. The little horn was a blasphemous power: 'He shall speak great words\nagainst the Most High.' Dan. 7:25. The leopard beast of Rev. 13:6 does\nthe same: 'He opened his mouth in blasphemy against God.'\n\n\"2. The little horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against\nthem. Dan. 7:21. This beast also, Rev. 13:7, makes war with the saints,\nand overcomes them.\n\n\"3. The little horn had a mouth speaking great things. Dan. 7:8, 20. And\nof this beast we read, Rev. 13:5: 'And there was given unto him a mouth\nspeaking great things and blasphemies.'\n\n\"4. The little horn rose on the cessation of the Pagan form of the Roman\nempire. This beast rises at the same time; for the dragon, Pagan Rome,\ngives him his power, his seat, and great authority.\n\n\"5. Power was given to the little horn to continue for a time, times,\nand the dividing of time, or twelve hundred and sixty years. Dan. 7:25.\nTo this beast also power was given for forty and two months, or twelve\nhundred and sixty years. Rev. 13:5.\n\n\"6. At the end of the twelve hundred and sixty years the universal\ndominion of the little horn was to begin to decline, being consumed and\ndestroyed unto the end. Dan. 7:26. This beast, also, Rev. 13:10, was to\nbe led into captivity and 'killed with the sword.'\"\n\nThese points prove identity. To quote the words of a certain expositor:\n\"When we have in prophecy two symbols ... representing powers that come\nupon the stage of action at the _same time_, occupy the _same\nterritory_, maintain the _same character_, do the _same work_, exist the\n_same length of time_, and meet the same _fate_, those symbols represent\nthe same _identical power_.\" To this all must agree. Hence we have in\nthe vision before us a description of Papal Rome in her two-fold\ncharacter as a temporal and a religious power. The wounding and healing\nof the head of the beast will be explained in chapter XVII.\n\nHow the same heads and horns can serve both the dragon and the leopard\nbeast will be better understood later. For the present it will be\nsufficient to state that it is because they are the same beast in\nreality, being clothed, in its later form, in a Christian garb, instead\nof the worn-out garments of infidelity or heathenism possessed by the\nformer. This transfer is expressed in the following words: \"And the\ndragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.\" Verse 2.\nThis beast, then, succeeded to the dominion held by the dragon. It was\nlike an old, established firm retiring and giving its standing and\ncredit and well-earned reputation to a new partnership, to conduct a\nsimilar business.\n\nWhile this beast, as before observed, represents the developed religious\nand political power of the Papacy combined, still the actions ascribed\nto it show plainly that it is in its character as an _ecclesiastical_\nbeast that its terrible features are here delineated. No one would\nsuppose that a mere political power would set itself up as an object to\nbe worshiped, exalting itself above the God of heaven, and then single\nout and slaughter the saints for not complying therewith. As far as\nrendering obedience to civil governments is concerned, the Christians of\nall ages have been the most peaceful and obedient servants of all. So we\nshall hereafter refer always to the _beast_ as an ecclesiastical power,\nunless otherwise stated.\n\nThis beast all the world admired. \"And they worshiped the dragon which\ngave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is\nlike unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?\" The people\nworshiped the established hierarchy, and they also worshiped the dragon\nfrom which the beast obtained so much of his power. The expression\n\"_worshiped_ the dragon\" shows plainly that it is the dragon as a\nreligious system that is referred to, and not the old civil empire. How,\nthen, could the old heathen worship be perpetuated in the church of Rome\nand form a part of her religious services? By adopting rites and\nceremonies purely Pagan in their origin. Since I have already stated\nthat the beast and the dragon as temporal powers were about the same in\nreality, except the change of sovereignty from the heads to the horns,\nit will now be necessary to show the remarkable similarity in spirit\nthat existed between them as religious powers, the one being the\nsuccessor of the other.\n\n1. The high-priest of the Pagan religions was called Pontifex Maximus,\nand he claimed spiritual and temporal authority over the affairs of men.\nThe Pope of Rome possesses the same title and makes the same claims, and\nhe is clad in the same attire as the Pagan Pontiff.\n\n2. The heathen were accustomed to wear scapulars, medals, and images to\nshield them from the common ills and dangers of life. Romanists wear the\nsame and for the same purpose.\n\n3. The Pagans, by an official process called _deification_, frequently\nexalted men who had lived among them to a position worthy of special\nhonor and worship. Papists, by a similar process called _canonisation_,\nraise their former men of prominence to the dignity of _saints_ and then\noffer up prayers to them.\n\nThe foregoing practises are derived from Paganism; also from Judaism or\nPaganism came their practise of burning incense in public worship, the\nuse of holy water, burning wax candles in the daytime, and votive gifts\nand offerings. Other heathen principles are:\n\n4. Adoration of idols and images, a practise expressly forbidden by the\nMosaic law and unsanctioned by primitive Christianity;\n\n5. Road gods and saints (in Catholic countries);\n\n6. Processions of worshipers and self-whippers (especially in Catholic\ncountries);\n\n7. Religious orders of monks and nuns. One who has read of the vestal\nvirgins of old will recognize at once where monkery originated.\n\nIn the city of Rome there still stands an old heathen temple built by\nMarcus Agrippa and dedicated in the year B.C. 27 to _all the gods_. In\nthe year A.D. 610 it was reconsecrated by Pope Boniface IV. to \"the\nblessed Virgin and all the saints.\" From that time until the present day\nRomanists in the same temple have prostrated themselves before _the very\nsame images_ and have devoutly emplored them by the same forms of prayer\nand for the very same purposes as did the heathen of old. The only\ndifference is, that instead of calling this idol Jupiter, they call it\nPaul; instead of denominating that one Venus, they call it Mary, etc.\nWell has Bowling said: \"The scholar, familiar as he is with the classic\ndescriptions of ancient mythology, when he directs his attention to the\nceremonies of Papal worship, can not avoid recognizing their close\nresemblance, if not their absolute identity. The temples of Jupiter,\nDiana, Venus or Apollo, their 'altars smoking with incense,' their boys\nin sacred habits, holding the incense box, and attending upon the\npriests, their holy water at the entrance of the temples, with their\n_aspergilla_, or sprinkling-brushes, their thuribula, or vessels of\nincense, their ever-burning lamps before the statues of their deities,\nare irresistibly brought before his mind, whenever he visits a Roman\nCatholic place of worship, and witnesses precisely the same things.\"\nHistory of Romanism, pp. 109, 110.\n\nHaving failed in his direct attacks against the Christian church, with\nthe accession of Constantine, who established Christianity as the State\nreligion, the dragon soon clothed his pernicious principles in a\nChristian garb and made war against the remnant of the woman's seed that\nkept the commandments of God, through the rising hierarchy, under the\nname of Christianity; but his heads and horns being visible, and he\nbeing unable to control his tongue, his real sentiments crop out, and he\nis easily identified. It is not to be supposed, however, that the beast\nwould appear suddenly in full possession of the immense power ascribed\nto him in this chapter. On the contrary, Daniel represents it as a\n_little_ horn at first, whose look finally became \"more stout than his\nfellows.\" Dan. 7:8, 20. Such ecclesiastical power was attained only by\nthe process of gradual development. According to the vision his\nuniversal power was limited to \"forty and two months,\" or twelve hundred\nand sixty years. Since this has reference to the beast as an\necclesiastal power, which according to Daniel grew up by degrees, the\ntime should be calculated the same as in chapter 11:2, 3--dated from the\ntime when the external, visible church was wholly in the hands of the\nprofane multitude of Gentiles and the true church crowded into the\nwilderness. The nationalized hierarchy, however, continued to advance to\ngreater degrees of power over the nations, until it reached its zenith\nunder the pontificate of Gregory VII., A.D. 1073-1080.\n\nThe great things and blasphemies spoken by this beast are doubtless\nfulfilled by the prerogatives and rights belonging to God alone which\nthis apostate church, especially through her regularly constituted head,\nclaims. In fact, the Pope is the real mouth of this beast, the one who\ndictates her laws with great authority. He claims to be the vicar of\nChrist on earth and supreme head of the church, even, as in the case of\nPope Innocent, denominating himself the one before whom every knee must\nbow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the\nearth. He claims power over the souls of all men on earth and even after\ntheir departure from earth. If this is not blasphemy against God, his\ntabernacle, or church, and \"them that dwell in heaven,\" then I am wholly\nunable to imagine what would fulfil the prediction. Among the\nblasphemous titles assumed are these: Lord God the Pope, King of the\nWorld, Holy Father, King of kings, and Lord of lords, Vicegerent of the\nSon of God. He claims infallibility (which was backed up by the\nEcumenical council of 1870) and has for ages. Further, he claims power\nto dispense with God's laws, to forgive sins, to release from purgatory,\nto damn, and to save.\n\nAll the inhabitants of the earth were to worship him, except those whose\nnames were in the book of life. Thank God that even during the dark age\nof Romanism a people existed who were owned by the Lord and who refused\nto render idolatrous worship to this tyrannical beast. For further\ninformation regarding these medieval Christians, see remarks on chapter\n11:3. But these saints who opposed the Papal assumptions were made the\nobject of fearful persecutions, until Rome glutted herself upon the\nblood of millions of God's holy saints. This will be more fully\ndescribed in chapter 17, where this apostate church appears under\nanother symbol, \"drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the\nblood of the martyrs of Jesus.\" In all their severe trials, however,\nthey were comforted with the knowledge that Justice would not always\nsleep, but that a time would come when her retributive hand would be\nstretched forth to lead into captivity their persecuting enemies and\nbreak their world-wide reign of tyranny and usurpation. \"Here is the\npatience and the faith of the saints.\" To a number of people God gave\nspecial foresight of the coming reformation of the sixteenth century, in\nwhich the universal spiritual supremacy of the Papacy ended. A few of\nthe many examples will be profitable.\n\nSays D'Aubigne: \"John Huss preached in Bohemia a century before Luther\npreached in Saxony. He seems to have penetrated deeper than his\npredecessors into the essence of Christian truth. He prayed to Christ\nfor grace to glory only in his cross, and in the inestimable humiliation\nof his sufferings.... He was, if we may be allowed the expression, the\nJohn Baptist of the reformation. The flames of his pile kindled a fire\nin the church that cast a brilliant light into the surrounding darkness,\nand whose glimmerings were not to be so readily extinguished. John Huss\ndid more: prophetic words issued from the depths of his dungeon. He\nforesaw that a real reformation of the church was at hand. When driven\nout of Prague and compelled to wander through the fields of Bohemia,\nwhere an immense crowd followed his steps and hung upon his words, he\nhad cried out: 'The wicked have begun by preparing a treacherous snare\nfor a goose. But if even the goose, which is only a domestic bird, a\npeaceful animal, and whose flight is not very far in the air, has\nnevertheless broken through their toils, other birds, soaring more\nboldly towards the sky, will break through them with still greater\nforce. Instead of a feeble goose, the truth will send forth eagles and\nkeen-eyed vultures.' This prediction was fulfilled by the reformers.\n\n\"When the venerable priest had been summoned by Sigismund's order before\nthe Council of Constance, and had been thrown into prison, the chapel of\nBethlehem, in which he had proclaimed the gospel and the future triumphs\nof Christ, occupied his mind much more than his own defence. One night\nthe holy martyr saw in imagination, from the depths of his dungeon, the\npictures of Christ which he had painted on the walls of his oratory,\neffaced by the Pope and his bishops. This vision distressed him; but on\nthe next day he saw many painters occupied in restoring these figures in\ngreater number and in brighter colors. As soon as the task was ended,\nthe painters, who were surrounded by an immense crowd, exclaimed, 'Now\nlet the popes and bishops come! they shall never efface them more!' And\nmany people rejoiced in Bethlehem, and I with them, adds John Huss.\n'Busy yourself with your defence rather than with your dreams,' said his\nfaithful friend, the Knight of Chlum, to whom he had communicated this\nvision. 'I am no dreamer,' replied Huss, 'but I maintain this for\ncertain, that the image of Christ will never be effaced. They have\nwished to destroy it, but it shall be painted afresh in all hearts by\nmuch better preachers than myself. The nation that loves Christ will\nrejoice at this. And I, awaking from the dead, and rising so to speak,\nfrom my grave, shall leap with great joy.'\" History of the Reformation,\nBook I, Chap. 6.\n\nThis bold witness for Christ was burned at the stake July 6, 1415, by\norder of the General Council of Constance. When the fagots were piled up\naround him ready for the torch, he said to the executioner, \"You are now\ngoing to burn a goose [Huss signifying goose in the Bohemian language];\nbut in a century you will have a swan whom you can neither roast nor\nboil.\" Fox's Book of Martyrs. This was fulfilled in Martin Luther.\n\nHenry Institorus, an inquisitor, uttered these remarkable words: \"'All\nthe world cries out and demands a council, but there is no human power\nthat can reform the church by a council. The Most High will find other\nmeans, which are at present unknown to us, although they may be at our\nvery doors, to bring back the church to its pristine condition.' This\nremarkable prophecy, delivered by an inquisitor at the very period of\nLuther's birth, is the best apology for the reformation.\"\n\nAndrew Proles, provincial of the Augustines, used often to say: \"Whence,\nthen, proceeds so much darkness and such horrible superstitions? O my\nbrethren! Christianity needs a bold and a great reform, and methinks I\nsee it already approaching.... I am bent with the weight of years, and\nweak in body, and I have not the learning, the ability, and eloquence,\nthat so great an undertaking requires. But God will raise up a hero, who\nby his age, strength, talents, learning, genius and eloquence, shall\nhold the foremost place. He will begin the reformation; he will oppose\nerror, and God will give him boldness to resist the mighty ones of the\nearth.\"\n\nJohn Hilten censured the most flagrant abuses of the monastic life, and\nthe exasperated monks threw him into prison and treated him shamefully.\n\"The Franciscan, forgetting his malady and groaning heavily, replied: 'I\nbear your insults calmly for the love of Christ; for I have said nothing\nthat can injure the monastic state: I have only censured its most crying\nabuses.' 'But,' continued he (according to what Melancthon records in\nhis Apology for the Augsburg Confession of Faith), 'another man will\nrise in the year of our Lord 1516: he will destroy you, and you shall\nnot be able to resist him.'\"\n\nIn 1516 Luther held a public discussion with Feld-kirchen, in which he\nupheld certain doctrines of truth that made a great stir among the\nRomanists. Says D'Aubigne: \"The disputation took place in 1516. This was\nLuther's first attack upon the dominion of the sophists and upon the\nPapacy, as he himself characterizes it.\" And again, \"This disputation\nmade a great noise, and it has been considered as the beginning of the\nreformation.\" Book I, Chap. 9. The next year, however, he entered\npublicly upon the actual work of reformation.\n\nFrederick of Saxony, surnamed the Wise, was the most powerful elector of\nthe German empire at the period of the reformation. A dream he had and\nrelated just before the world was startled by the first great act of\nreformation is so striking that I feel justified in repeating it in this\nconnection. It was as follows:\n\n\"Having gone to bed last night, tired and dispirited, I soon fell asleep\nafter saying my prayers, and slept calmly for about two hours and a\nhalf. I then awoke, and all kinds of thoughts occupied me until\nmidnight.... I then fell asleep again, and dreamed the Almighty sent me\na monk, who was a true son of Paul the apostle. He was accompanied by\nall the saints, in obedience to God's command, to bear him testimony,\nand to assure me that he did not come with any fraudulent design, but\nthat all he should do was conformable to the will of God. They asked my\ngracious permission to let him write something on the doors of the\npalace-chapel at Wittemberg, which I conceded through my chancellor.\nUpon this, the monk retired thither and began to write; so large were\nthe characters that I could read from Schweinitz what he was writing\n[about 18 miles]. The pen he used was so long that its extremity reached\nas far as Rome, where it pierced the ears of a lion which lay there, and\nshook the triple crown on the Pope's head. All the cardinals and princes\nran up hastily and endeavored to support it.... I stretched out my arm:\nthat moment I awoke with my arm extended, in great alarm and very angry\nwith this monk, who could not guide his pen better. I recovered myself a\nlittle.... It was only a dream. I was still half asleep, and once more\nclosed my eyes. The dream came again. The lion, still disturbed by the\npen, began to roar with all his might, until the whole city of Rome, and\nall the States of the holy empire, ran up to know what was the matter.\nThe Pope called upon us to oppose this monk, and addressed himself\nparticularly to me, because the friar was living in my dominions. I\nagain awoke, repeated the Lord's prayer, entreated God to preserve his\nHoliness, and fell asleep.... I then dreamt that all the princes of the\nempire, and we along with them, hastened to Rome, and endeavored one\nafter another to break this pen; but the greater our exertions the\nstronger it became: it crackled as if it had been made of iron: we gave\nit up as hopeless. I then asked the monk (for I was now at Rome, now at\nWittemberg) where he had got that pen, and how it came to be so strong.\n[In those days they used goosequills for pens.] 'This pen,' replied he,\n'belonged to a Bohemian goose [Huss] a hundred years old. I had it from\none of my old schoolmasters. It is so strong because no one can take the\npith out of it, and I am myself quite astonished at it.' On a sudden I\nheard a loud cry; from the monk's long pen had issued a host of other\npens. I awoke a third time; it was day light.\" History of the\nReformation, Book III, Chap. 4.\n\nFrederick related the foregoing to his brother John, the Duke of York,\non the morning of Oct. 31, 1517, stating that he had dreamed it during\nthe previous night. The same day at noon Martin Luther advanced boldly\nto the chapel at Wittemberg and posted upon the door ninety-five theses,\nor propositions, against the Papal doctrine of indulgences. This was his\npublic entrance upon the great work of reformation. The importance of\nthe Reformation of the Sixteenth Century is incalculable. It gave the\ndeathblow to the universal spiritual supremacy of Rome. As we have\nalready seen, the Papacy had for centuries held despotic sway over the\nminds and the consciences of men. One potent cause of the Reformation\nwas the great Revival of Learning that marked the close of the medieval\nand the beginning of the modern period of history. This great mental\nawakening contrasted sharply with the blind ignorance and superstition\nof the Middle Ages, and caused many men to doubt the Scriptural\nauthority of many of the doctrines and ceremonies of the Church of Rome;\nsuch as invocation of saints, auricular confession, use of images,\nworship of the Virgin Mary, etc.\n\nScandals and abuses in the Church of Rome also hastened the Reformation.\nDuring the fifteenth century the morals of that church had sunk to the\ngreatest depths of iniquity. The Popes themselves were, in some cases,\nmonsters of impurity and iniquity, insomuch that historians are obliged\nto draw the vail over many of their dark deeds.\n\nBut the real occasion of the revolt of the northern nations of Europe\nagainst the jurisdiction of Rome was the controversy regarding\nindulgences. \"These in the Catholic church, are remissions, to penitents\nof punishment due for sin, upon the performances of some work of mercy\nor piety, or the payment of a sum of money.\" When Leo X. was elected to\nthe Papal dignity (1513), he found the church in great need of money for\nthe building of Saint Peter's and other undertakings, and he had\nrecourse to a grant of indulgences to fill the coffers of the church.\nThe power of dispensing these indulgences in Saxony in Germany was given\nto a Dominican friar named Tetzel. This fanatic enthusiast entertained\nthe most exaggerated opinion of the efficacy of indulgences. In his\nharrangues he uttered such expressions as the following:\n\n\"Indulgences are the most precious and the most noble of God's gifts.\"\n\"There is no sin so great that an indulgence can not remit; ... only let\nhim pay well, and all will be forgiven him.\" \"Come, and I will give you\nletters, all properly sealed, by which even the sins that you intend to\ncommit may be pardoned.\" \"I would not change my privileges for those of\nSt. Peter in heaven; for I have saved more souls by my indulgences than\nthe apostle by his sermons.\" \"The Lord Omnipotent hath ceased to reign;\nhe has resigned all power to the Pope.\" See D'Aubigne's History of the\nReformation, Book III, Chap. 1.\n\nMartin Luther was an Augustine monk and a teacher of theology in the\nUniversity of Wittemberg. Before Tetzel appeared in Germany, Luther\npossessed a wide reputation for learning and piety, and he had also\nentertained doubts respecting many of the doctrines of the church.\nDuring an official visit to Rome in 1510 he was almost overwhelmed with\nsorrow because of the moral corruption there; but while penitentially\nascending on his knees the sacred stairs of the Lateran, he seemed to\nhear a voice thundering in his soul, \"The just shall live by faith!\"\nThis marked an important epoch in his career.\n\nWhen Tetzel appeared in Saxony with his indulgences, Luther fearlessly\nopposed him. He drew up ninety-five theses against the infamous traffic\nand nailed them to the door of the church at Wittemberg, and invited all\nscholars to criticise them and point out if they were opposed to the\ndoctrine of the Word of God or of the early church Fathers. Here the\ninvention of printing proved to be a powerful agency in advancing the\ncause of reformation by scattering copies of these theses everywhere;\nand soon the continent of Europe was in a perfect turmoil of\ncontroversy. The Pope excommunicated Luther as a heretic. In reply\nLuther burned the Papal bull publicly at Wittemberg. Shortly afterward\nLuther produced his celebrated translation of the Bible in the German\nlanguage. Even a brief history of the entire Reformation would be too\nlarge for the limits of the present volume, therefore with a few words\nrespecting the nature of the work of the Reformation we will pass on to\nanother prophetic vision.\n\nThe great secret of the early success of the reformers was their appeal\nfrom the decisions of councils and regulations of men to the Word of\nGod. So long as the Word and Spirit of God were allowed their proper\nplace as the Governors of God's people, the work was a spiritual\nblessing. But this happy state of affairs did not long continue. Within\na few years the followers of the reformers were divided into hostile\nsects and began to oppose and persecute each other. Luther denounced\nZwingle as a heretic, and \"the Calvinists would have no dealings with\nthe Lutherans.\" The first Protestant creed was the Augsburg Confession\n(1530). This date marks an important epoch. From this time the people\nbegan to lose sight of the Word and Spirit of God as their Governors and\nto turn to the disciplines of their sects, which they upheld by every\nmeans possible. Thus we find Calvin at Geneva consenting to the burning\nof Servetus, because of a difference of religious views; and in England\nthe Anglican Protestants waged the most bitter, cruel, and relentless\nwar not only against Catholics, but against all Protestants who refused\nto conform to the Established Church. The Protestants placed armies in\nthe field and fought for their creeds, as during the Thirty Years' War\nin Germany and the long period of the Hugenot wars in France. The real\nwork of the Reformation, the promulgation of so much of the truth of the\nBible, was an inestimable blessing to the world; but the rise of\nProtestantism (organized sectism) in 1530 introduced another period of\napostasy as distinct in many of its features as was that of Romanism\nbefore it. The historian D'Aubigne recognizes an important change at\nthis period. He says:\n\n\"The first two books of this volume contain the most important epochs of\nthe Reformation--the Protest of Spires, and the Confession of\nAugsburg.... I determined on bringing the reformation of Germany and\nGerman Switzerland to the _decisive epochs of_ 1530 and 1531. The\nhistory of the Reformation, properly so-called, is then in my opinion\nalmost complete in those countries. The work of faith has there attained\nits apogee: that of conferences, of interims, of diplomacy begins....\nThe movement of the Sixteenth Century has there made its effort. I said\nfrom the very first, It is the history of the Reformation and not of\nProtestantism that I am relating.\" Preface to Vol. V.\n\n    11. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and\n    he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.\n\n    12. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before\n    him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to\n    worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.\n\n    13. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down\n    from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,\n\n    14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of\n    those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the\n    beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should\n    make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and\n    did live.\n\n    15. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast,\n    that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as\n    many as would not worship the image of the beast should be\n    killed.\n\n    16. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor,\n    free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in\n    their foreheads:\n\n    17. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the\n    mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.\n\n    18. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the\n    number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his\n    number is Six hundred threescore and six.\n\nThe symbolic description of this beast directs us also to a political\nand a religious system rising at the expiration of the twelve hundred\nand sixty years' reign of the first beast, but that he was no such\nterrible beast politically as the one before him is proved by the fact\nthat he had but two horns and they _like a lamb_. This beast rose \"out\nof the earth\"--the Apocalyptic earth, or the territory of the Roman\nempire. The first beast rose out of the sea, which, as before shown,\nsignifies the heart of the empire in an agitated state; for the ten\nhorns came up through the greatest political convulsions that the page\nof history records. When John beheld the second beast \"coming up,\"\nhowever, the empire was in a state of comparative quiet, although fierce\nwars followed afterward. He stands as a symbol of _Protestantism_ in\nEurope; although his power and influence afterwards extended beyond the\n\"earth\"--the Apocalyptic earth--into \"the whole world.\" Chap. 16:14.\nThat this beast came up upon the same territory occupied by the Papacy\nis proved also by the statement that \"he exerciseth all the power of the\nfirst beast before him.\" It was predicted in a subsequent chapter\n(17:16) that the ten horns, or kingdoms of Europe, after supporting the\nPapacy during the Dark Ages, would later turn against her. This has met\na remarkable fulfilment under the reign of Protestantism.\n\nThe first two nations to turn violently against Popery were England and\nGermany. They have ever since been the chief supporters and defenders of\nProtestantism, and they are doubtless the two kingdoms symbolized by the\ntwo horns of the beast. While at one time the Pope was a temporal\nsovereign and could, by his political and ecclesiastical power, humble\nwith ease the mightiest nations of Europe before him, his authority has\nbeen wrested from him by degrees, so that to-day not a vestige of his\ntemporal power remains, and his anathemas fall harmlessly. The nations\nhave asserted their rights as kings. When King Victor Emmanuel entered\nRome on the twentieth day of September, 1870, the Pope's temporal sun\nset forever, and he does not control even the city in which he\nlives--Rome. He is often referred to as \"the prisoner of the Vatican.\"\n\"He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity,\" said the\nprophecy; \"he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the\nsword.\" It was by force of arms that the Popes obtained and maintained\ntheir temporal power over the nations, and by the force of arms they\nhave had their authority torn from them. Religion has been referred to\nas \"the basis of government\"; for the legislators of any country are to\na great degree influenced in their deliberations by religious\nsentiments. In all Protestant countries that greatest of Protestant\nprinciples, religious liberty, is as truly recognized by statute as was\nthat infernal principle of the Papacy, religious intolerance, when\nformerly enforced by law. Protestant principles have so far permeated\nthe nations of Europe formerly controlled by the Papacy that religious\ntoleration is generally granted. In Italy, the headquarters of Popedom,\nwhere the Catholics are greatly in the majority, religious liberty is\ngranted by law. And even Spain, denominated by the Encyclop\u00e6dia\nBritannica \"the most Catholic country in the world,\" exhibits \"a general\nindifferentism to religion,\" meaning that the fanaticism and intolerance\nof former ages that caused thousands, and perhaps millions, to be slain,\nis rapidly dying out. In the vision before us, however, the special\nactions ascribed to this beast--_speaking_, working miracles, deceiving,\nmaking an image and imparting life to it, etc., which all belong\nproperly to the department of human life--show conclusively that it is\nthe character of this beast as an _ecclesiastical power_ that is the\nchief point under consideration. He was not to become such a terrible\nbeast politically (for his horns were only _like a lamb_), but \"he\n_spake_ as a dragon.\" As soon as we enter the department to which\n_speaking_ by analogy refers us, we find this beast to be a great\nreligious power; and it is in this character alone that he is dilineated\nin the remainder of the chapter. That the description of a religious\nsystem is the main burden of this symbol, is shown also by the fact that\nit is in every case referred to in subsequent chapters as the \"false\nprophet.\" Chap. 16:13; 19:20; 20:10. Therefore every reference I make to\nthis second beast hereafter should be understood as signifying the\nreligious system of Protestantism, unless otherwise stated.\n\nThat Protestantism in its many forms can be properly represented by a\nsingle symbol--a beast or false prophet--may seem a little strange at\nfirst; but when we come to consider next the making of an image to the\nbeast, it will be seen that the Protestant sects, from God's standpoint\nof viewing, are all alike in character, as were the multitudinous forms\nof heathen worship represented under the single symbol of the dragon.\nHence only one beast, or the making of one image, was necessary to stand\nas representative of the entire number. It will be noticed by the reader\nthat from verse 12 to the close of the chapter the term _beast_\nsignifies the first beast, or the Papacy, and that the second beast, or\nProtestantism, is designated by the pronoun _he_.\n\n_Image_ is defined to be \"an imitation, representation, similitude of\nany person or thing; a copy, a likeness, an effigy.\" The second beast,\nthen, is to manufacture something in _imitation_ of the first beast. If\nany doubt exists as to which phase of the first beast, political or\necclesiastical, is copied, it can be settled by considering what is said\nof the image made from the original. \"The image of the beast\nshould--_speak_.\" This directs us by analogy, as heretofore explained,\nto the department of religious affairs; hence the second beast forms an\n_ecclesiastical organization_ in imitation of the hierarchy of Rome. At\nthis juncture the Protestant will doubtless exclaim, \"Oh, our churches\nare nothing like the church of Rome!\" But consider a little in the light\nof truth. God's Word teaches that they bear the close relationship of\n_mother_ and her _daughters_ (Rev. 17:5), and by the help of the Lord we\nshall point out a similarity of character in this and subsequent\nchapters. The symbol of the church of Rome in chapter 17 is that of a\ncorrupt _prostitute_, while the symbol of Protestantism is that of her\n_harlot daughters_. The Roman church is a humanly organized institution\ngoverned by a set of fallible men, their claims of infallibility to the\ncontrary notwithstanding. Protestant sects, likewise, are all human\norganizations (even though they may sometimes deny it), and are governed\nby a man or a conference of men. The Roman Catholic church makes and\nprescribes the theology that her members believe. Protestant churches,\nalso, make their own disciplines and prescribe rules of faith and\npractise. The Word of God, inspired by his Spirit, could not be enforced\nin Romanism without destroying it; for its main spirit is Antichrist.\nSo, too, the whole Word in Protestantism would soon annihilate her\nGod-dishonoring sects; for they are all contrary to its plain teachings,\nwhich condemn divisions and enjoin perfect unity and oneness upon the\nredeemed of the Lord. What is said concerning the image of the beast\napplies to sectarianism as a whole and the human organization of all her\nso-called churches, regardless of the differences that exist between\nthem as individual institutions; for they may differ as widely as the\nvarious systems of heathen religions symbolized by the dragon, yet they\ncan be represented by the single symbol of an image to the first beast,\nbecause they are built upon the same general principles--are but human\norganizations, falsely called churches of Christ, and are all contrary\nto the Scriptures.\n\nImparting life to the image of the beast simply signifies the complete\norganization of the ecclesiastical institutions so that they are capable\nof self-government and their decrees possess authority. Every living\nbody is animated by a spirit. The sectarian spirit that animates the\nMethodist body will lead people into that body, etc.; but the one Spirit\nof God will, if permitted, baptize us all into the one body of Christ,\nwhere we can all \"drink into one Spirit.\" 1 Cor. 12:13. \"And he spake as\na dragon\" signifies the great authority by which his laws are enacted\nand enforced upon the people.\n\n\"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from\nheaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell\non the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in\nthe sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that\nthey should make an image to the beast.\" Fire from heaven upon Elijah's\nsacrifice was the attestation of God to his divine mission. Bringing\ndown fire from heaven, then, symbolically describes the claims of this\nbeast to being a true prophet of the Lord.\n\nAt this point we must make a distinction which, being true in the facts\nof history, must necessarily be intended in the symbolic representation.\nAccording to the symbols of the preceding chapter the woman, or true\nchurch, \"fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of\nGod, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and\nthreescore days.\" The time-prophecy is the same and covers the same\nperiod as the reign of the Papal beast; therefore just as an important\nchange in the Papacy occured at the expiration of the prophetic period,\nso also we must expect a radical change with respect to the true church:\nit must no longer be completely obscured in the wilderness.\n\nAs the Reformation, and Protestantism as a religion, was the means of\nending Rome's universal spiritual supremacy, so also the same movement\nmust be regarded as possessing sufficient light and truth to again bring\ninto prominence the work of the Spirit and the true people of God. \"Fire\nfrom heaven\" may therefore be regarded as describing the divine work of\nreformation, the unfolding of truth accompanied by the saving power of\nGod. Such spiritual work has accompanied the origin of various religious\nmovements during the Protestant era.\n\nThe general description of the two-horned beast, however, brings into\nprominence an evil characteristic--the disposition to lead people into\ndeception by making an image to the beast and then worshiping it. The\nevil does not inhere in the work of bringing down \"fire from heaven,\"\nbut in image-making and image-worship, for which the Spiritual work\nsimply furnished an occasion. The Spiritual work of reformation is\ntherefore to be distinguished from the later work of creed- and\nsect-making. And since the beast takes advantage of Spirit\nmanifestations, in order to deceive men, he becomes a sort of apostate\nand is denominated \"the _false prophet_.\" See Chap. 16:14; 19:20.\n\nEcclesiastically considered, the two-horned beast stands as the symbol\nof the religious system of Protestantism as a whole--a peculiar\ncombination of truth and error, of good and bad, of \"fire from heaven\"\nand false, miracle-working power (chap. 16:14); while the \"image to the\nbeast\" signifies the sectarian institution--the man-made,\nman-controlled, unscriptural sect machinery manufactured in imitation of\nthe Papal original. To exalt such earth-born churches and lead people to\nadore and worship them is but a species of idolatry and the rankest\ndeception. It is a sad fact that multitudes of people in Protestantism\nare more devoted to their particular church than they are to the Lord\nJesus Christ. They can witness the open rejection of God's precious Word\nand the vilest profanation of his holy name, without uttering a word of\nprotest; but let anyone say a word against _their church_, and instantly\nthey are aroused to the highest pitch of excitement--beast-worshipers!\n\nThe Protestant era has witnessed many wonderful reformations in which\nthe true fire of God fell upon waiting souls, but this initial work of\nthe Spirit has in each case been employed as an excuse for taking the\nnext step--making an image. Thousands of honest souls, lacking better\nlight, have been induced to submit to such human organization. But the\ntruly saved have always loved and adored their Lord more than the human\nchurch to which they were attached, therefore they should not be\nregarded as beast-worshipers. They are the ones whom the Lord\ndenominates his people when the voice is heard calling them out of\nBabylon. Chap. 18:4.\n\nThe \"mark of the beast\" next claims our attention. The beast referred to\nis the Papacy. How did the Papacy mark its subjects? Undoubtedly, by the\nfalse spirit which animated that organization, branding them all with\nits delusive doctrines and errors. In a previous chapter the servants of\nGod were represented as receiving the seal of God in their foreheads.\nThis was shown to signify the pure Word and doctrines of the Bible being\nplanted within them by the Holy Spirit. In making the sect image in\nimitation of the Papal original, then, the principle of marking subjects\nhas also been copied. The members of every sect organization are\nindelibly marked. You can not become one of them without solemnly\nagreeing to believe the doctrines taught in their discipline and\naccepting the government of their man-made institutions. Subscribing to\nthe rules of faith and practise that originated with the sect shows how\nits members worship the image. They are also said to worship the first\nbeast, the original of the image. How is this fulfilled? In the same\nmanner that the worshipers of the first beast worshiped the dragon that\npreceded it; namely, by accepting and believing false principles of\nfaith that originated in the system immediately preceding. Protestant\nsects have transferred many of the false doctrines of Romanism to their\nown creeds, hence they worship the first beast just as truly as the\nPapists worshiped the dragon by accepting heathenish principles. The\ngreatest principle of false doctrine that originated with Catholicism,\nand one that has been transferred to _every Protestant sect_, is, that a\nhuman organization is necessary to complete the church of Christ on\nearth. The church of Rome has an earthly head and a human government;\nand Protestants, also, firmly believe the unscriptural doctrine that\nthey must bow to an organization of men and thus be under a visible\nheadship: they receive the mark of the beast. Many sects have also\ncopied other Popish doctrines, such as infant baptism, the destruction\nof all outside of the pales of the church (?), infantile damnation,\nsprinkling, and other things too numerous to mention. Thus, they worship\nthe first beast as well as his image.\n\nThey also receive the \"name of the beast.\" Here again \"beast\" refers to\nthe Papacy. The Papal beast was represented as being full of the names\nof blasphemy, which blasphemy was shown to signify the usurpation of\nprerogatives and rights belonging to God alone. The greatest\necclesiastical usurpation reached by the Romish hierarchy was that of\nclaiming to be the head of the church and the right to prescribe and\nenforce their doctrines, naming their organization the _Holy Catholic\nChurch_. In making their sect organizations in imitation, Protestants,\nas above stated, have transferred the same principle and make the same\nblasphemous claim of a right to make disciplines to govern God's people,\nand then name their sect machinery a _church_ of God. The name may be\nMethodist, Baptist, Mennonite, Episcopalian, or what not, it is only a\n_beast name_, yet a name that you must accept if you desire to become\none of them.\n\nThey not only receive the name of the beast, but also receive the\n\"number of his name.\" It will be necessary first to explain what is\nmeant by the number of a name. \"The modern system of notation by the\nnine digits and the cipher, was not introduced until the tenth century,\nbut on account of its superior excellence, has since superseded every\nother. Previous to this great discovery, the letters of the alphabet\nwere used to denote numbers, each letter having the power of a _number_\nas well as a _sound_. The same system is still retained among us for\ncertain purposes. The Roman letters I. V. X. L. C. D. M., have each the\npower of expressing a number. This, however, was the common and the best\nmode of notation that the ancients possessed.\" The number of a name,\ntherefore, was merely the number denoted by the several letters of that\nname.\n\nThe number of the name of the beast--the first beast--is said to be the\nnumber of a _man_. When we enter the Romish hierarchy and search for a\nman the number of whose name will be six hundred and sixty-six, where\ncould we go more appropriately than to the Pope himself, its authorized\nhead? The Scriptures point him out particularly as the \"_man_ of sin,\"\n\"the son of perdition.\" 2 Thes. 2:3, 4. Has the Pope of Rome a name the\nletters of which, used as numerals, make six hundred and sixty-six? Yes.\nHe wears in jeweled letters upon his miter the following blasphemous\ninscription: _Vicarius Filii Dei_--Vicar of the Son of God. Taking out\nof this name all the letters that the Latins used as numerals, we have\njust six hundred and sixty-six. U and V were both formerly used to\ndenote five.\n\n    V ..... 5     F ..... 0\n    I ..... 1     I ..... 1\n    C ... 100     L .... 50\n    A ..... 0     I ..... 1\n    R ..... 0     I ..... 1\n    I ..... 1     D ... 500\n    U ..... 5     E ..... 0\n    S ..... 0     I ..... 1\n                        ---\n                        666\n\nIn some manner the worshipers of Protestant images also receive the\nnumber of this name--six hundred and sixty-six. The name is that of\n\"Vicar of the Son of God.\" In all Protestantism (see remarks on chapter\n11:7, 8) the true Vicars of Christ on earth--the Word and Spirit of\nGod--have been set aside, and conferences of men have taken their places\nin all the official acts relative to spiritual affairs. Hence the number\nof the name applies to them as well. What that number specially\nsymbolizes I do not know, unless it is, as has been explained by\nothers--_division_. While the policy of Romanism has been that of unity,\nstill the false claims made by one individual can be as well made by\nanother, and by many, which has been the case, as just explained;\ntherefore it would not be improper at all to make the Pope's number a\nsymbol of the whole, since his system has been so largely copied by the\nrest. The whole structure of sectarianism is built on the principle of\ndivision, and it so happens that there is always enough left to divide\nagain. So this special number is perhaps the symbol of endless division,\nsignifying the great number of human organizations claiming to be\nchurches of Christ. The church of God, however, is built on the\nprincipal of unity; division is destruction to its true nature and life,\nfor it is Christ's body.\n\nIt is further said that \"no man might buy or sell, save he that had the\nmark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.\" To \"buy or\nsell\" is to engage in the ordinary pursuits of life and have intercourse\nwith human society. Applying this as a symbol to the analagous\ndepartment of the church, we have the fact set forth that those without\nthe special mark have no more recognized standing in the so-called\nchurches than men that are not allowed to buy or sell have in a\ncommunity. But _selling_, as a symbol, would specially indicate the\ndealing out of truth, or the preaching of the gospel. A Holy Ghost\nminister in the clear light of heaven's truth, independent of all the\ncreeds of Babylon, will not be allowed the privilege of laboring freely\namong sectarians, after the truth for which he stands becomes well\nknown. And if he holds meetings in the community, the members of the\nsects are often warned by their leaders against \"buying\"--receiving--it\nfrom the Holy Ghost minister, because of his not having the mark or name\nof the beast. Their ministers are specially marked, for they come out of\ntheir colleges and theological seminaries with the stamp of their\nrespective doctrines upon them and a license from the sect to enter its\nministry; and those not thus marked or designated have no place among\nthem. This may also explain the manner in which the beast causes those\nwho will not worship the image to be killed--an analagous killing;\nnamely, an ecclesiastical cutting-off, or excommunication, as explained\nin previous chapters.[9]\n\n[Footnote 9: The early history of Protestantism shows that at that time\nthe principle of religious intolerance brought over from Romanism\nmanifested itself in the actual putting to death of numerous dissenters.\nFor example see pp. 252, 291-294 of the present work. It is possible\nthat the persecuting principle ascribed to the two-horned beast may\ninclude both the literal and the ecclesiastical cutting-off, reference\nbeing made directly to the intolerant spirit.]\n\nThe facts just stated are well illustrated by the following\ncircumstances. A few years ago a brother in the ministry went into a\ncertain town to find a place to conduct a series of holiness meetings.\nHe was directed by a Presbyterian lady to their pastor, who, she said,\nwas a believer in the doctrine of holiness. When he called on the\nminister and made known his errand, the first question asked him was\nthis, \"Are you a member of the Presbyterian church?\" The brother\nanswered in the negative. He did not have the _name of the beast_. The\nnext question that greeted him was this, \"Do you believe the Westminster\nConfession of Faith to be orthodox?\" He answered, \"No, sir.\" He did not\nhave the _mark of the beast_. The last question asked was, \"Do you\nbelong to any of the various orthodox Protestant denominations?\" The\nbrother said, \"No.\" He did not have the _number of his name_. The answer\nwas, \"You can not have our house.\"\n\nWhile on a missionary trip in the Near East, the writer, in company with\nanother brother, attended a Seventh-Day Adventist service in Bucharest,\nRoumania. After the sermon another brother requested that we be given\nthe opportunity to speak a little, but the request was absolutely\nrefused. It was explained that we would say nothing against them or\ntheir work but only speak about salvation; but we were not permitted\neven to testify in a few words. The difficulty was that we did not have\neither the \"mark of the beast\" or its \"name.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\n\n    And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with\n    him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name\n    written in their foreheads.\n\n    2. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters,\n    and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of\n    harpers harping with their harps:\n\n    3. And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and\n    before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn\n    that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which\n    were redeemed from the earth.\n\n    4. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they\n    are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever\n    he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the\n    firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.\n\n    5. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without\n    fault before the throne of God.\n\nThere is no difficulty in identifying this company on Mount Sion as the\ntrue people of God in marked contrast with the worshipers of all corrupt\nand false religion. As to the chronology of the event, it is evident\nthat we have here a continuation of the same series of prophecy\nbeginning with the apostolic period in chapter XII, describing\nalternately the true church and the false church.\n\nAt the beginning of this series the true church, symbolized by the\nstar-crowned woman, fled into the wilderness and was there lost to view;\nwhile the leopard beast and the two-horned beast of chapter XIII,\nsymbolizing the two leading forms of organized Christianity, were\nbrought into prominent view. It is therefore fitting that the true\nchurch should again appear and be given her proper position and work in\nthe world before the end of all earthly things.\n\nThat the company here brought to view represents the true church is\nshown by its agreement with the church of God before the apostasy began.\nIn the seventh chapter we have seen that before the political calamities\nbefell the Western Roman Empire the work of sealing God's servants was\naccomplished, twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel\nbeing sealed, thus representing symbolically the fact that God's church,\ncomprising the true Israel, was perfect and complete, no part being\nomitted. In the chapter under consideration we have this divine sealing\nprocess again after the apostasy, and once more the definite number\n144,000 occurs, showing that the church before the end is to be perfect\nand complete.\n\nThe contrast of this company with the ecclesiastical powers in the\npreceding chapter proclaims in an unmistakeable manner the fact that we\nhave here described a true reformation and work of God before the end of\ntime. In the morning-time of the dispensation the redeemed of earth were\nrepresented as singing praises to Christ; so also the company here\nbrought to view unite in singing a song which only the redeemed can\nknow. This company is on Mount Sion, not in the darkness of the\nwilderness, they are with the Lamb, not wandering after the beast; they\nare not even following the beast that was \"like a lamb,\" but they are\nwith the true Lamb, the Savior of the world; they have the \"Father's\nname written in their foreheads,\" not the mark or the name of the beast.\nIt is said of them that \"these are they which were not defiled with\nwomen, for they are virgins.\" Fornication and adultery, as will be\nexplained later, is a symbol of spiritual idolatry; and the chastity of\nthis redeemed company shows that they were free from the abominations of\nthe apostasy. They \"follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.\" Their names\nare in the book of life, and they do not worship the beast. Chap. 13:8.\n\nHere, then, we have a symbol of the church of God in the latter days\nstanding distinct from the great apostasy.\n\n    6. And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having\n    the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the\n    earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,\n\n    7. Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him;\n    for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made\n    heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.\n\n    8. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen,\n    is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink\n    of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.\n\n    9. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice,\n    If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark\n    in his forehead, or in his hand,\n\n    10. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which\n    is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation;\n    and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the\n    presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:\n\n    11. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and\n    ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast\n    and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.\n\n    12. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep\n    the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.\n\n    13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write,\n    Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea,\n    saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and\n    their works do follow them.\n\nAnother phase of the last reformation is here brought to view--its\ncommunicative genius. It not only stands clear from the apostasy, but it\nsounds the warnings of God and proclaims his message. The first\nmessenger had a very important message to deliver, even \"the everlasting\ngospel.\" His message was not limited to the inhabitants of \"the\nearth\"--the Apocalyptic earth--only, but included \"every nation, and\nkindred, and tongue, and people,\" showing that it was of universal\nimportance. It was not a new gospel, but the everlasting gospel, the\nsame gospel preached before the long period of apostasy. There is one\nphase different, however, and that is that the _nearness_ of the second\ncoming of Christ is a leading feature; the messenger with loud voice\nwarns the people to prepare for the awful judgment just at hand by\nturning to \"worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and\nthe fountains of waters.\" The apostle Paul cautioned the Thessalonian\nbrethren not to entertain the idea that the advent of Christ was then\nnear at hand, for it could not come until after the great period of\napostasy that he predicted; but here is a messenger now claiming that\nthe \"_hour of his judgment is come_\"--an event just at hand. He carries\nhis special message to all people; for Jesus declared, \"This gospel of\nthe kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all\nnations; and _then shall the end come_.\" Matt. 24:14. This represents\nthe restoration of gospel truth in the reformation that was begun about\nthe year A.D. 1880 and that is now being carried to all nations by a\nholy ministry.\n\nThe nature of this restoration work is clearly shown. Its leading\nfeature is its missionary character, the proclamation of the pure gospel\nto \"every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.\" Since the days\nof the apostles the whole gospel has not been boldly declared and\ncarried forward with burning missionary zeal. Romanism and Protestantism\nhave conducted their missionary work and, according to chap. 16:14,\ntheir sphere of influence will extend throughout \"the whole world\"; but\nhere is clearly set forth the fact that God has authorized another\nuniversal message and world-wide work wholly distinguished from all\nothers. The contrast between the worshipers of the beast and his image\nand those composing the redeemed company on Mount Sion is so clear, also\nthe nature of the work done by each, that we can not possibly identify\nthem as being one.\n\nThis work of conducting a world-wide missionary enterprise may appear to\nbe a gigantic task, but the seeming impossibility vanishes when we\nconsider the fact (to be more fully developed hereafter) that God calls\ninto this service all his people who are yet under the sectarian yoke.\nWith this great host already dispersed over the world, the work of\nmaking known this last message can and will be accomplished.\n\nThe positive statement that the _hour_ of his judgment is come shows\nthat the end is exceedingly near; hence the second and third angels must\nfollow the first in the closest proximity possible in order to introduce\ntheir messages before the wrath of God is poured out upon apostate\nChristendom. The time is so short that these three messengers can not\npossibly refer to three distinct reformations in the world; hence they\nmust signify three important phases in the one last reformation that\ncarries the gospel to all nations in the short period of an \"hour,\"\nwhich time also includes the final judgment.\n\nA careful study of these three messages will show that they are\ninseparably connected. The second cry was against Babylon, that she had\nfallen. Rev. 18:1, 2 proves this fall of Babylon to be a moral one--a\ngiving away to ungodliness, iniquity and all manner of deception.\nAccording to chapter 16:19 the great city of Babylon is composed of\nthree parts, being a confederation of the dragon[10] (heathenism), the\nbeast (Catholicism), and the false prophet (Protestantism). Chap. 16:13,\n14. It is evidently to this latter division of Babylon that this second\nmessage applies; for Paganism was always a false religion, and\nCatholicism was always a corrupt one, during whose reign the church of\nGod, as already shown, was separate. Protestantism, then, was the only\npart of the great city that could fall morally or spiritually. During\nthe space of three hundred and fifty years, from the formation of the\nfirst Protestant creed, she held reign and authority over the people of\nGod, who were scattered among her hundreds of opposing sects.\n\n[Footnote 10: That the dragon should be a part of great Babylon seems at\nfirst improbable; but in this statement reference is made, not to the\ndragon in his original, or Pagan, state, but to the form in which he is\nmanifesting himself in these last days to deceive the nations, working\nin conjunction with apostate Christendom. This phase of the dragon power\nwhich brings him into harmony with, and, in reality, a part of, modern\nBabylon, will be more clearly understood when we come to consider the\nthree unclean spirits that come out of the mouth of the dragon, the\nbeast, and the false prophet (chap. 16:13, 14), and the release of the\ndragon in chapter 20:7-9.]\n\nIn this condition the faithful children of God, although bearing the\nmark and name of the beast, longed for restoration of the divine,\nprimitive standard; but in the cloudy atmosphere of that period they\ncould not clearly discern the whole truth. Later, when the full tidings\nof the everlasting gospel came, there came also a revelation that\nBabylon is fallen and that God is calling his people out of confusion\njust before the end of time.\n\nI call to witness every child of God who has been with the present\nreformation from its beginning, if there were not three special phases\nof the development of the truth, as follows: 1. A wonderful revival of\nspirituality among a few of God's chosen ones, caused by the\n\"everlasting gospel\" being revealed to them as never before. 2. The\nknowledge of the truth and deep experience thus obtained prepared the\nway for the next step, which was the discovery that the \"churches\" were\na part of the great Babylon of Revelation and were in a fallen\ncondition, \"a hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and\nhateful bird.\" Chap. 18:2, 3. Hence the cry went up, \"Babylon is fallen,\nis fallen.\" 3. Then followed immediately the message to God's people to\n\"flee out of the midst of Babylon and deliver every man his soul,\"\nwarning them that no one could any longer bear the mark of the beast or\nworship his image without forfeiting eternal salvation and that the\nfearful judgments of heaven would soon descend upon every one who\nrefused to obey the message and to walk in the light. The last two\nphases, which apply to Babylon, are the same and in the same order as\nthe description given in chapter 18:1-4. First, an angel from heaven\ncries mightily with a strong voice, \"Babylon the great is fallen, is\nfallen\"; and then \"_another voice_\" from heaven says, \"COME OUT OF HER,\nMY PEOPLE.\" The three successive phases of the message are now all\ncombined in one, and God is gathering his holy remnant \"out of all\nplaces where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day\" (Ezek.\n34:12) into the one body of Jesus Christ. Halleluiah! John, also, saw\nthis glorious result of the three messages--\"And I saw as it were a sea\nof glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over\nthe beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of\nhis name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they\nsung the song of Moses the servant of God [a song of deliverance], and\nthe song of the Lamb [the song of redemption], saying, Great and\nmarvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways,\nthou king of saints.\" Chap. 15:2, 3. Let all the people of God rejoice!\n\n  \"Hail the day so long expected,\n    Hail the year of full release;\n  Zion's walls are now erected,\n    And the watchmen publish peace.\n\n  \"Now on Shiloh's wide dominion,\n    Hear the trumpets loudly roar:\n  Babylon's fallen, is fallen, is fallen,\n    Babylon's fallen to rise no more.\"\n\nThose of the Lord's people who through lack of sufficient light were\nyoked up with unbelievers in Protestantism, labored faithfully to\nupbuild the very sectarian institutions that God was against and that\nwere destined to be destroyed, though they themselves were saved as by\nfire; but from the time this reformation began the redeemed die in the\ntriumphs of a living faith, and their labors in upbuilding the true\ncause and kingdom of God are still blessed and fruitful, being\nperpetuated in the works that follow them.\n\n\"Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the\ncommandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.\" As before mentioned, God's\npeople during the reign of Romanism expected her universal supremacy to\ncome to an end, and their patience was greatly exercised in waiting for\nthe appointed time to arrive. It came with a great spiritual\nreformation. Then followed another period of apostasy, during which time\nGod's people again looked forward to something better in the future.\nMany remarkable predictions of this present holiness reformation were\nuttered by some of the most spiritual saints during the Protestant era,\nand I can not refrain from mentioning a few of them in this connection.\n\nD'Aubigne: \"The nineteenth century is called to resume the work which\nthe sixteenth century was unable to accomplish.\" History of the\nReformation, Book XV, Chap. 1.\n\nFletcher: \"Only He will come with more mercy, and will increase the\nlight that shall be at eventide, according to his promise in Zech. 14:7.\nI should rather think that the visions are not yet plainly disclosed;\nand that the day and hour in which the Lord will begin to make bare his\narm openly are still concealed from us. Oh, when will the communion of\nsaints be complete? Lord, hasten the time; and let me have a place among\nthem that love thee, and love one another in sincerity.\" This is an\nextract from a letter written by John Fletcher to Mr. Wesley, dated\nLondon, May 26, 1757, as given in Joseph Benson's life of Fletcher, pp.\n39, 40.\n\nD'Aubigne again: \"In every age it has been seen how great is the\nstrength of an idea to penetrate the masses, to stir nations, and to\nhurry them, if required, by thousands to the battle-field and to death.\nBut if so great be the strength of a human idea, what power must not a\nheaven-descended idea possess, when God opens to it the gates of the\nheart! The world has not often seen so much power at work; it was seen,\nhowever, in the early days of Christianity, and in the time of the\nReformation; and _it will be seen in future_ ages.\" Book VI, Chap. 12.\n\n\"It has been said that the three last centuries, the sixteenth, the\nseventeenth, and the eighteenth, may be conceived as an immense battle\nof three days' duration. We willingly adopt this beautiful\ncomparison.... The first day was the battle of God, the second the\nbattle of the priest, the third the battle of reason. What will be the\nfourth? In our opinion, the confused strife, the deadly contest of all\nthese powers together, to _end in the victory of Him to whom triumph\nbelongs_.\" Book XI, Chap. 9.\n\nLorenzo Dow, comment on Rev. 14:6-11; 18:1-5: \"The angel, or\nextraordinary messenger, with his assistants, proclaiming the fall of\nBabylon will be known in his time. Also the one warning the people of\nGod to come out of Babylon literally, spiritually, and practically, will\nbe known also, and such other threatening for the omission of compliance\nis not to be found in all the Bible.\" Dow's Works, p. 533.\n\nThe following extracts are from an old book written about 1812 by\nTheophilus R. Gates and entitled \"Truth Advocated.\" Through the kindness\nof a sister living in Allegan County, Michigan, the writer was enabled\nto secure the following from the only copy of this book known to be in\nexistence--she having borrowed it of her neighbor, a relative of its\nauthor.\n\nOn Rev. 14:11: \"I would here gladly drop the subject, lest I give\noffense; but duty compels me to remark, what can not be denied, that an\ninordinate attachment to certain systems and forms of religion, has\noccasioned all the strifes, animosities, and persecutions, that have so\nlong agitated the Christian world; and if God be just, every one must\ndrink of the cup of his indignation, according to his offense. The beast\nand his image, as it exists in Protestant countries, seems in this place\nparticularly meant; and our own land is full of the number of his name.\nThat such a testimony will one day go forth we must believe, or else St.\nJohn saw that which will never be: and the testimony will as certainly\nbe received; for a company in the next chapter are to be seen that had\ngotten the victory over the beast, his image, his mark, and the number\nof his name. It is also equally true that as yet it has never gone\nforth; and that at the time, great afflictions or suffering of some kind\nwill be undergone to exercise the patience of the saints.... It is at\nthis very time, no doubt, that the three unclean spirits, like frogs,\ncome out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet;\nspirits of devils working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the\nearth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the great battle of the\ngreat day of God Almighty. The greatest possible efforts, indeed will\nnow be made by all the sectarians to keep up their existence ... nor is\nit any wonder that hireling ministers and system worshipers, Demetrius\nlike, should be stirred up and raise no small stir about the way; for it\nis evident, not only their craft is in danger of being set at naught by\nthis testimony, but also the great Diana of systems and forms of\nreligion to be despised, and their magnificence destroyed, whom now\nalmost the whole Christian world worshipeth.\" Pp. 281-283.\n\n\"And now commences an era of light and suffering, when the corrupt\nchurches (with the kings of the earth and great men united with them)\nbeing about to be wholly brought down, make one general muster against\nChrist and his true worshipers. These things are clear to me as a ray of\nlight; and whoever lives at this time will see as great opposition and\nspite to the true way of righteousness then set forth from sectarians\nand professors generally, as there was from the Jews towards Christ and\nhis testimony: and also, like the Jews, at the very time they oppose the\ntrue way of the Lord with all their might, they will no doubt make the\ngreatest possible show of religion, will think they are the true church,\nyea will have a zeal for God, carrying on religion with great success,\nforming societies, sending missionaries among the heathen, etc., etc.\nThat such an event will take place is very clear.\" Pp. 286-288.\n\n\"This happy period I never expect to see: but known unto the Lord only\nare all things. I know that such a time will be; for we are assured by\nthe angel, these are the true sayings of God: and I also believe that it\nwill take place _within two centuries_ from this time. But oh! how\ncorrupt doth the world now appear to me.... Help me, O Lord, I pray\nthee, to do thy will.\n\n\"Whenever any body of people come into notice, establish their rules and\ninstitutions, and become a respectable sect, they are the people of God\nthen only in name; they cease to have the nature any longer; and whoever\nunites himself to the same, constitutes himself one of the beast's\nparty, and so far as his influence extends, he helps to establish the\nkingdom of Antichrist in the earth. This is clear from the prophecies of\nthe Revelation, and it will answer no purpose to take offense when the\ntruth is spoken. These things will, moreover, sooner or later be\ndeclared with great plainness by some one; and then will the man of sin\nput forth all his strength; then will persecution come, and the beast\nmuster his armies to defend himself and to destroy the assailants, but\nin vain; for however few their number may be at first, and however\nfurious the battle may rage against them, they are destined to conquer.\nAnd herein the words of Christ will fitly apply, 'Fear not, little\nflock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.'\"\nP. 313.\n\nSpeaking of sectarianism, he says further: \"The same round of things\nwill continue until the evil is remedied.... When this shall take place,\ntime only can determine with certainty. It will probably commence\nslowly, and not come with any great outward observation. Few will at\nfirst see or embrace the way, being strange to them, and appearing on\naccount of their prejudices, and the way they have been taught by the\nfalse prophet, to be wrong and improper: moreover, being opposed to all\nothers, they will have all others to oppose them. But though they are\ndespised and hated, and few in number, the Lord is with them.\" Pp. 322,\n323.\n\nOn Rev. 16:13, 14: \"I have already delivered my views with respect to\nthese unclean spirits ... and it is not necessary to say much here upon\nthe subject; only I would just observe, that this will be a time of\ngreater trial to Christians in general, and in a time in which more will\nbe deprived of every particle of true religion through the influence of\nfalse ministers belonging to the different societies in Christendom,\nthan any that has ever yet been in the world. But while they are making\nthese great exertions, they are only preparing themselves and their\ndeluded votaries for a more awful and complete destruction. For God\nAlmighty is against them, and they against Him; though they will know it\nnot, but think perhaps all the while they are his peculiar favorites,\nand that they are employed in maintaining his cause, like the Jews\nbefore them, when it is only their own cause and men's traditions.\" P.\n338.\n\n\"I am but as the voice of one crying in the wilderness of error and of\nsin, of wickedness and delusion, testifying according to the best light\ngiven me; and any light that I can possibly communicate will in a little\ntime become as the feeble shining of the sun, by reason of the greatness\nof the light that shall be hereafter.\" P. 354.\n\n\"A true and living testimony will go forth before this last period of\nthe awful judgments of God comes to a close, and in consequence of\nrejecting it, like the Jews of old, the wrath of God will come upon them\nto the uttermost. The testimony against the worshipers of the beast, by\nthe third angel, Rev. 14:9, is the testimony that effectually overthrows\nthe kingdom of darkness and establishes the truth as it is in Jesus,\npure and undefiled.... The authors of this testimony will ... unlike to\nall who go before them, attack the evil at its root, and expose the\ndeceit, hypocrisy and wickedness of the different sects in a way that\nhas never before been done; for which they will suffer the greatest\npersecution. You may look upon these things as the reveries of my own\nfancy; but some day or other, people will witness to the truth of what I\nnow write.\" Pp. 421, 422.\n\n\"All the reformations which go before this last great reform will only\nbe partial and temporary. They will only lop off the branches, or at the\nmost, only strike at the body of the corrupt tree, while the roots\nremain untouched and uninjured. But when this last testimony goes forth,\nthe very roots of the corrupt tree will be attacked.\" P. 426.\n\n\"Every sect is under an idea that whenever the Lord comes to establish\ntruth in the earth, it will be to establish their creed, raise up their\nsect, and bring the whole world into their way. And when the faithful\nwitnesses whom God will raise up shall openly declare that they have all\ngone out of the way, that the greatest professors have so much of guile,\nselfishness and party spirit about them as to be nothing but hypocrites,\nand that a person must be better than they are or be lost forever; that\nsects are an abomination to the Lord; denounce eternal death upon every\nadvocate and adherent of men-made establishments; ... I say when such a\ntestimony as this goes forth, as it sooner or later will, no wonder that\nthe sects, all with one accord, should set themselves against it--should\ncall it heresy--declare it will ruin the churches if it is not\nsuppressed.... Although, as I have before testified, I am only as the\nvoice of one crying in the wilderness--a mere babe in the knowledge of\nthese things which are to be revealed hereafter, yet I expect to raise a\nhost of bigots and hypocrites against me.... Nor can it be very long\nbefore the true light, in a very especial manner, will shine.... If\nthese things do not come to pass, then let me be called an enthusiast or\na deceiver.\" Pp. 444-446.\n\n    14. And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud\n    one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden\n    crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.\n\n    15. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud\n    voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and\n    reap: for the time has come for thee to reap; for the harvest of\n    the earth is ripe.\n\n    16. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the\n    earth; and the earth was reaped.\n\n    17. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven,\n    he also having a sharp sickle.\n\n    18. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power\n    over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp\n    sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the\n    clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully\n    ripe.\n\n    19. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and\n    gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great\n    winepress of the wrath of God.\n\n    20. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood\n    came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the\n    space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.\n\nThe special characters of this vision and their work have been very\ndifficult for me to identify positively. Until clearer light on the\nmatter is received, I choose to withhold an explanation rather than to\nindulge in speculation. Its usual explanation is to apply the gathering\nof the harvest of the earth to the work of the reformation now taking\nplace and the vintage scene to the final destruction of the wicked,\ntheir punishment being symbolized by the treading of the \"winepress of\nthe wrath of God.\" This may be its signification. It is certain,\nhowever, that in a subsequent chapter, the final judgment of the wicked\nis symbolized by the treading of \"the wine-press of the fierceness and\nwrath of Almighty God.\" Beyond this I can not now speak with certainty.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\n\n    And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven\n    angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up\n    the wrath of God.\n\n    2. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and\n    them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his\n    image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand\n    on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.\n\n    3. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the\n    song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works,\n    Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of\n    saints.\n\n    4. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for\n    thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship\n    before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest:\n\n    5. And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the\n    tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:\n\n    6. And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven\n    plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their\n    breasts girded with golden girdles.\n\n    7. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven\n    golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and\n    ever.\n\n    8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God,\n    and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the\n    temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were\n    fulfilled.\n\nThe scene presented to us in this vision is but an introduction to the\nsolemn scenes of awful judgment immediately following. The first thing\nthat attracted John's attention was a sign, great and marvelous, \"seven\nangels having the seven last plagues.\" The reason why these are\ndenominated the \"last plagues\" is because that \"in them is filled up the\nwrath of God.\" These are the completion, then, the finishing up of the\nwork of divine judgment against the persecutors of the church. When the\nlast one is poured out the work is done, the time of judgment is over.\nThese angels are not designed to symbolize any agencies on earth, for\nthey do not appear on earth; they are simply the conductors of the\nRevelation. God never commissions his people on earth to perform such\ngreat judgments upon their persecutors as the temporal judgments of the\nseven last plagues will be shown to be; but, on the contrary, he has\ngiven them the express command not to avenge themselves, but to suffer\nwrong. He himself lays exclusive claim to this prerogative, saying,\n\"Vengeance is _mine_; I will repay, saith the Lord.\" Rom. 12:19.\n\nAs soon as the subject of the plagues is introduced and before they are\npoured out, the narrative suddenly changes and a short history of God's\nredeemed saints is given. This, perhaps, thus occurs for two reasons--to\nassist us in fixing the chronology of the events described and to\nencourage us with the thought that, even while the awful judgments of\nGod are being \"made manifest\" upon the haughty oppressors of earth, God\nhas a chosen people who have \"gotten the victory over the beast, and\nover his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name.\"\nThey stand upon the \"sea of glass, having the harps of God\"--a symbol of\nmelody and praise--and sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.\nThe song of Moses was that sung by the Israelites when they had escaped\nto the further side of the Red Sea, thus securing perfect deliverance\nfrom their enemies. So, also, this company of worshipers sing a great\nsong of deliverance--deliverance from the beast and his image. In\nchapters 4 and 5 John saw the great host redeemed before the apostasy\nstanding on this sea of glass, singing the song of redemption--the song\nof the Lamb--but this company are enabled to sing another song as\nwell--the song of deliverance--for they have \"gotten the victory over\nthe beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of\nhis name.\" Halleluiah! \"Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God\nAlmighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.\"\n\nAs before stated (chap. 8:3), the heavenly world as opened up to John\nappeared symbolized after the sanctuary of the temple. By \"the temple of\nthe tabernacle of the testimony,\" out of which the seven angels came\nfully prepared for their work, is meant the most holy place of the\nsanctuary, called \"the tabernacle of the testimony\" because there was\ndeposited in it, beneath the wings of the cherubim, the ark of the\ntestimony, or God's covenant. It was therefore as from the most holy\nplace of the sanctuary--from the very presence of the Deity--that these\nangels went forth commissioned to execute the seven last plagues. This\nshows that they went by the divine command as ministers of vengeance.\nThe purity and beauty of their attire denoted both the spotless\nexcellency of their characters and the justice of the work in which they\nwere to engage. Although theirs was a work of awful avenging judgment,\nstill the garments they wore would not be soiled thereby; and their\nflowing robes of white were girded up with a beautiful golden girdle.\nTherefore there is no inconsistency between the purity and love of God\nand the work of his vengeance. It would seem to human reasoning that the\ntwo are irreconcilable, but these symbols teach differently.\n\nThese angels received their vials (goblets) of wrath at the hands of one\nof the four living creatures, who are symbols of the redeemed sons of\nearth. Their deliverance by one of these doubtless denotes that these\njudgments were to be executed in their behalf and in answer to their\nprayers. For centuries the wrath of deadly persecutors had been poured\nout upon God's people, until the cry ascended from the lips of the\nmartyrs, \"How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and\navenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?\" Chap. 6:10. Now their\nprayer is answered, and by their hand, as it were, the vials of wrath\nare delivered with the divine sanction unto the seven angels to be\npoured out upon these proud oppressors of the Lord's people. These\nvials, too, were \"full of wrath.\" What a fearful expression! _Full of\nwrath_, even \"_the wrath of God_, who liveth forever and ever.\" There\nwas nothing in them but wrath and that to the very brim.\n\nAs soon as the vials were delivered, \"the temple was filled with smoke\nfrom the glory of God.\" This symbol is taken from the Shekinah which\nfilled the ancient tabernacle. We read that when the tabernacle was\nfinished, \"a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory\nof the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into\nthe tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the\nglory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.\" Ex. 40:34, 35. The same thing\noccurred at the dedication of Solomon's temple. \"The cloud filled the\nhouse of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister\nbecause of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of\nthe Lord.\" 1 Kings 8:10, 11. So, also, in the symbol before us the glory\nof God filled the temple so that no man was able to enter. This is\nintended to set forth the fact that these avenging judgments were for\nthe manifestation of the divine glory and that there was no access to\nthe throne of God nor to his mercy-seat to alter them or to stay their\nexecution. Such is the sublime scene presented to our view preparatory\nto the pouring out of the seven last great plagues.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\n\n    And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven\n    angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God\n    upon the earth.\n\n    2. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth;\n    and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which\n    had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his\n    image.\n\nA great voice out of the temple, now filled with the glory of the divine\npresence, commanded the seven angels to enter upon their mission. It\ncame, therefore, from God, who alone fixed the time for these judgments\nto begin.\n\nBefore an intelligent explanation of these plagues can be given,\nhowever, the following points must be made clear: 1. _Where_ the vials\nwere poured out. 2. _Upon whom_ they were emptied. 3. _Why_ they were\nthus poured out. 4. _When_ they were fulfilled, or, rather, at what time\nthey began to be fulfilled. These points we will first briefly consider\nin the order named, after which we will discuss the _nature_ of the\nplagues and their individual application.\n\n1. The place where these vials of wrath were poured out was \"upon the\nearth\"; that is, the Apocalyptic earth, or that portion of the earth\nmade the special subject of Apocalyptic vision; namely, the territory of\nthe ten kingdoms. The last two vials, however, will be found to embrace\na larger territory.\n\n2. They were poured out upon those \"which had the mark of the beast, and\nupon them which worshiped his image.\" It has already been shown that the\nimage made by the second beast of chapter 13 was the Protestant\necclesiastical organizations; hence the \"beast\" here referred to, to\nwhich the image was made, must signify the ecclesiastical hierarchy of\nRome, the original. So the plagues fell upon the adherents of both\norganized Romanism and Protestantism in Europe.\n\n3. The reason why the judgments of the first three vials especially\ndescended upon them was because \"they had shed the blood of saints and\nprophets.\" Verse 6. That Romanism was a fierce oppressor of God's people\nhas already been noticed: Protestantism as their persecutor, also, must\nnow be considered further. Protestant sects after they first became\nestablished and got power in their own hands, acted much in the same\nmanner as the church of Rome did before them, persecuting, banishing,\nimprisoning, and even putting to death those who refused to receive\ntheir tenets or to conform to the system of religion they had adopted.\nThe Lutherans, at first a pious, persecuted people, on becoming numerous\nand exalted by the favor of the great, established a certain system of\nreligion and then, when it was in their power, persecuted, imprisoned,\nbanished, or put to death all that dissented. As early after the\nReformation as 1574, in a convention at Torgaw, they established the\nreal presence in the eucharist and instigated the Elector of Saxony to\nseize, imprison, and banish all the secret Calvinists that differed from\nthem in sentiment, and to reduce their followers by every act of\nviolence, to renounce their sentiments and to confess the ubiquity.\nPeucer, for his opinions, suffered ten years of imprisonment in the\nseverest manner. In 1577 a form of concord was produced in which the\nreal manducation of Christ's body and blood in the eucharist was\nestablished and heresy and excommunication laid on all that refused this\nas an article of faith, with pains and penalties to be enforced by the\nsecular arm. Crellius, in 1601, was put to death.\n\nIn Switzerland, before the city of Zurich was entirely safe itself from\nthe encroachments of Romanism, its Protestant council condemned a young\nman named Felix Mantz to be drowned because he insisted that the\nbaby-sprinkling of Romanism was not baptism and that all who had\nreceived the rite ought to be immersed. This sentence was carried into\neffect. The severest laws were passed in different countries of Europe\nagainst the Anabaptists, and large numbers were banished or burnt at the\nstake. See Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica, Art. Anabaptists. Protestants may\nclaim this was because of their fanaticism on other lines; but it\nremains a fact, nevertheless, that the chief sentiment at the base of\nthese laws was religious persecution and that Protestants sanctioned and\ncarried them into execution.\n\nKing Henry VIII., the founder of the Established Church in England,\nadopted the most stringent laws to enforce its doctrines. Certain\narticles of religion were drawn up, known in history as the \"Bloody Six\nArticles.\" Concerning these the People's Cyclop\u00e6dia says: \"The doctrines\nwere substantially those of the Roman Catholic Church. Whoever denied\nthe first articles (that embodying the doctrine of transubstantiation)\nwas to be declared a heretic, and burnt without opportunity of\nabjuration; whoso spoke against the other five articles should, for the\nfirst offense, forfeit his property; and whosoever refused to abjure his\nfirst offense, or committed a second, was to die like a felon.\" Art.\nHenry VIII. \"The royal reformer persecuted alike Catholics and\nProtestants. Thus, on one occasion, three Catholics who denied that the\nking was the rightful head of the church, and three Protestants who\ndisputed the doctrine of the real presence in the sacrament,... were\ndragged on the same sled to the place of execution.\" In speaking of that\nperiod of history and of the religious persecutions of the times, Myers\nsays: \"Punishment of heresy was then regarded, by both Catholics and\nProtestants alike, as a duty which could be neglected by those in\nauthority only at the peril of Heaven's displeasure. Believing this,\nthose of that age could consistently do nothing less than labor to\nexterminate heresy with axe, sword and fagot.\" General History, p. 553.\n\nThat religious intolerance even at a later date was practised in\nEngland, witness the twelve years' imprisonment of John Bunyan and the\nhundreds confined in jails throughout that country for not conforming to\nthe established religion. It was such severe persecution by that early\nProtestant sect that drove the Puritans from England's fair country to\nthe then inhospitable shores of America, that they might have an\nopportunity to worship God according to the dictates of their own\nconscience. In Scotland the Covenanters \"insisted on their right to\nworship God in their own way. They were therefore subjected to most\ncruel and unrelenting persecution. They were hunted by English troopers\nover their native moors and among the wild recesses of their mountains,\nwhither they secretly retired for prayer and worship. The tales of the\nsuffering of the Scotch Covenanters at the hands of the English\nProtestants form a most harrowing chapter of the records of the ages of\nreligious persecution.\" This list might be considerably augmented, but\nit is unnecessary. However, that Protestant persecution and tyranny\nshould never reach the enormous extent of the Romanists before them is\nproved by the fact that her horns were \"like a lamb.\" Chap. 13:11.\n\n4. It is very important for us to ascertain the _time_ for the beginning\nof these plagues; for they can not be identified unless we understand\nthe chronology of the events described. It is a fact no one can question\nthat the seventh plague is the judgment of the last day, for in the\nseven \"is filled up\" the wrath of God; hence they are denominated the\n_last_ plagues. It is also a fact, well-known to all who are spiritual\nand who understand the truth in the present reformation, that certain\nevents said to occur under the period of the sixth plague are _now_\ntaking place; namely, the confederation of all false religions to oppose\nthe people of God, led on by the \"unclean spirits\" that come \"out of the\nmouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the\nmouth of the false prophet.\" Verses 13, 14.\n\nTherefore five of the plagues precede the time in which we are now\nliving. It is evident that the plagues could not begin before the\nreformation; for the vials were poured out upon the \"image of the\nbeast\"--Protestantism--also. Hence we are directed to some period\nbetween the sixteenth century and the present day for their\ncommencement. The reason _why_ the first judgments especially were\npoured out will assist us in determining the starting-point--\"They have\nshed the blood of saints and prophets.\" This expression seems to\nindicate that the time for the plagues to begin was after Romanism and\nProtestantism ceased putting people to death because of their religious\nsentiments. That this is the correct idea is clearly proved by what was\nsaid to the martyrs when they cried unto God for the avenging of their\nblood on them that dwell on the earth. \"And it was said unto them, that\nthey should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants\nalso and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be\nfulfilled.\" Chap. 6:10, 11. For additional information concerning the\nterrible persecutions that followed the Sixteenth Century Reformation,\nsee remarks on chapter 6:10, 11.\n\nWe must now determine about what time the great persecutions referred to\nceased, or nearly ceased, and that will give us the right starting-point\nfrom which to reckon the pouring out of the first vial. In A.D. 1685 the\nrevocation of the Edict of Nantes, by Louis XIV. of France, took place,\nand in the terrible persecutions that occurred during his reign three\nhundred thousand are said to have lost their lives. The time that we are\nendeavoring to establish, then, must be later than the seventeenth\ncentury. Louis died in 1714. Persecutions continued from time to time in\nFrance, with considerable severity, until about the middle of the\ncentury. \"Soon after this ... the flowing of heretic blood ceased,\nthough an effort was made in 1765 by the Popish clergy to resist the\ntendency to toleration by a remonstrance to the king.\" History of\nRomanism, p. 608. A few individual cases of persecution may have\noccurred later in other countries; but in the main we are safe in\npointing to about the middle of the eighteenth century for the general\ncessation of these religious _murders_. We will now consider the nature\nof the first plague.\n\nThe pouring out of this vial produced the most painful malignant ulcers\nupon the human body. Such ulcers are evidently not political calamities;\nfor the symbol is drawn, not from nature, but from human life. Still, it\nis not drawn from a human being as a whole (in which case religious\nevents would be symbolized), but only from his body. What, then, is the\nanalagous object of which the human body may stand as a proper\nrepresentative? Evidently, the mind. We would naturally pass from the\nbodily to the mental; and what painful ulcers are to the one, marring\nits beauty and filling it with burning anguish, such are blasphemous\nopinions and malignant principles to the other.\n\nConsidering the time for this plague pointed out above, the student of\nRevelation who is acquainted with the history of the past will scarcely\nfail to discern at once, in the striking points of this symbol, those\nhorrible principles of infidelity, atheism, and licentiousness, which\nwere spread so extensively over Europe during the latter half of the\neighteenth century, and which were the most efficient causes in bringing\nabout the fearful convulsions which followed in the French Revolution.\nThat all may understand this matter in its proper light, however, it\nwill be necessary to state some of the facts respecting this \"noisome\nand grievous sore\" that fell at that time upon the inhabitants of\nEurope. In writing upon the causes that led up to the French Revolution,\nMr. Wickes gathered the following facts of history mainly from the\nEncyclop\u00e6dia of Religious Knowledge, under the articles headed\n_Philosophists_ and _Illuminati_. I will quote his own language, as it\nis very pointed.\n\n\"Philosophists was a name given to several persons in France, who\nentered into a combination to overthrow the religion of Jesus, and\neradicate from the human heart every religious sentiment. The man more\nparticularly to whom this idea first occurred, was Voltaire, who being\nweary (as he said himself) of hearing it repeated that twelve men were\nsufficient to establish Christianity, resolved to prove that one might\nbe sufficient to overturn it. Full of this project, he swore, before the\nyear 1730, to devote his life to its accomplishment, and for some time\nhe flattered himself that he should enjoy alone the glory of destroying\nthe Christian religion. He found, however, that associates would be\nnecessary; and from the numerous tribe of his admirers and disciples, he\nchose D'Alembert and Diderot, as the most proper persons to co-operate\nwith him in his designs. He contrived also to enlist Frederick II., king\nof Prussia, who became one of his most zealous coadjutors, until he\nfound that Voltaire was waging war with the throne as well as the altar.\nThis, indeed, was not originally Voltaire's intention. He was vain; from\nnatural disposition an aristocrat, and an admirer of royalty. But when\nhe found that almost every sovereign but Frederick disapproved of his\nambitious designs, as soon as he perceived their issue, he determined to\noppose all the governments on earth rather than forfeit the glory with\nwhich he flattered himself, of vanquishing Christ and his apostles in\nthe field of controversy.\n\n\"He now set himself, with his associates, D'Alembert and Diderot, to\nexcite universal discontent with the established order of things. For\nthis purpose, they formed secret societies, assumed new names, and\nemployed an enigmatical language. In their secret meetings they\nprofessed to celebrate the mysteries of _Mythra_; and their great\nobject, as they professed to one another, was to confound the wretch,\nmeaning Jesus Christ. Hence their secret watchword was 'Crush the\nwretch.' The following are some of their doctrines, as found in their\nbooks expressly designed for general circulation. Sometimes standing out\nin their naked horror, at other times enveloped in sophistry and\ndisguise. The Universal Cause, that God of the philosophers, of the\nJews, and of the Christians, is but a chimera and a phantom--The\nphenomena of nature only prove the existence of God to a few\nprepossessed men--It is more reasonable to admit, with Manes, of a\ntwo-fold God, than of the God of Christianity--We can not know whether a\nGod really exists, or whether there is any difference between good and\nevil, or vice and virtue--Nothing can be more absurd than to believe the\nsoul a spiritual being--The immortality of the soul, so far from\nstimulating men to the practise of virtue, is nothing but a barbarous,\ndesperate, fatal tenet, and contrary to all legislation--All ideas of\njustice and injustice, of virtue and vice, of glory and infamy, are\npurely arbitrary, and dependent on custom--Conscience and remorse are\nnothing but the foresight of those physical penalties to which crimes\nexpose us--The man who is above the law, can commit, without remorse,\nthe dishonest act that may serve his purpose--The fear of God, so far\nfrom being the beginning of wisdom, should be the beginning of\nfolly--The command to love one's parents is more the work of education\nthan of nature--Modesty is only an invention of refined\nvoluptuousness--The law which condemns married people to live together,\nbecomes barbarous and cruel on the day they cease to love one another.\n\n\"Such were the atrocious sentiments, though sometimes artfully veiled,\nwhich were disseminated in their books, and which, spreading all over\nEurope, imperceptibly took possession of the public mind, and prepared\nthe way for the subversion of religion, morals, and government. As soon\nas the sale of the works was sufficient to pay expenses, inferior\neditions were printed and given away, or sold at a very low price;\ncirculating libraries of them were formed, and reading societies\ninstituted. While they constantly denied these productions to the world,\nthey contrived to give them a false celebrity through their confidential\nagents and correspondents, who were not themselves always trusted with\nthe entire secret.\n\n\"By degrees they got possession nearly of all the reviews and periodical\npublications; established a general intercourse, by means of hawkers and\npedlars, with the distant provinces; and instituted an office to supply\nall schools with teachers; and thus did they acquire unprecedented\ndominion over every species of literature, over the minds of all ranks\nof people, and the education of the youth, without giving any alarm to\nthe world. The lovers of wit and polite literature were caught by\nVoltaire; the men of science were perverted, and children corrupted in\nthe first rudiments of learning, by D'Alembert and Diderot; stronger\nappetites were fed by the secret club of Baron Holbach; the imaginations\nof the higher orders were set dangerously afloat by Montesquieu; and the\nmultitude of all ranks was surprised, confounded, and hurried away by\nRousseau. Thus was the public mind in France completely corrupted, and\nthe way prepared for the dreadful scenes that followed.\"\n\nBut there is also another chapter to the dark history of this \"noisome\nand grievous sore.\" The same author says again:\n\n\"After Voltaire had broached his system of infidel philosophy, and\nbrought it unto perfection, it was taken up by the celebrated Dr. Adam\nWeishaupt, professor of canon law in the University of Ingolstadt, and\nby him perfected as a system of light or illuminism. On the 1st of May,\n1776, he founded, among the students of the above-named University, a\nsecret society under the name of the _Illuminati_, whose avowed object\nwas to diffuse the light of science, these secret societies being so\nmany radiating centers of light. But the science taught was the most\natrocious infidelity, and its object the overturning of all government\nand religion. Free masonry, being in high repute all over Europe when\nWeishaupt first formed the plan of his society, he availed himself of\nits secrecy to introduce his new order, which rapidly spread, by the\nefforts of its founders and disciples, through all those countries, and\nfound its way even to the United States. It would not be possible here\nto give even an outline of the nature and constitution of this\nextraordinary society--of its secrets and mysteries--of the deep\ndissimulation, consummate hypocrisy, and shocking impiety of its founder\nand his associates--of their Jesuitical arts in concealing their real\nobjects, and their incredible industry and astonishing exertions in\nmaking converts--of the absolute despotism and complete system of\n_espionage_ established throughout the order--of the blind obedience\nexacted of the _novices_, and the absolute power of life and death\nassumed by the order and conceded by the novices--of the pretended\nmorality, real blasphemies, and absolute atheism of the founder and his\ntried friends. Reference can only be made to these things as\nwell-established facts.\n\n\"It is important here to bear in mind one or two facts, in order to\nrealize what an engine of corruption this secret organization of the\n_Illuminati_ was. One fact is, the high popularity which these secret\nsocieties at that period enjoyed. It was unbounded. There is something\nwhich commends such secret organizations most powerfully to the depraved\nhuman nature. Men love them because they are secret, and because they\ncan wield such tremendous power. The other fact to be considered, is the\nabsence, to a such vast extent, of the controlling elements of true\nreligion in the European mind, and its predisposition to skepticism. The\nReformation of the Sixteenth Century had broken the shackles of priestly\nPapal superstition over the human mind; and [true] evangelical doctrine\nnot being introduced to supply the vacuum, the mass swung readily over\nfrom the regions of dark superstition to blank atheism. Thus were the\nelements ready prepared to hand for such spirits as Voltaire,\nD'Alembert, Diderot, Weishaupt, and others, to work upon, and by reason\nof their secret powerful agencies, to mould to their own liking.\n\n\"It was now this damning system of infidelity, under the specious name\nof philosophy, light, and science, spread with such untiring industry\nover the European mind, that unhinged the whole framework of society,\nand prepared it, like a vast magazine, for an awful explosion. All the\nprinciples that held society together in the fear of God and future\nretribution--regard for human law--respect for magistrates, parents, and\nthe marriage-tie--yea, in the very distinctions of virtue and vice, had\nbeen unsettled or taken away. They had been reasoned down and laughed\nout of the world; and when these only restraints, which God has imposed\nupon human selfishness and passion were removed, what was then to hold\nback those fierce passions and that deep selfishness from the most\nunbounded excesses? God was no more feared--government was no more\nsacred--religion was a delusion--immorality was a lie--virtue was a\nname--the marriage-tie was a farce--modesty was refined voluptuousness:\nand when men were persuaded of these things, society began to roll and\nheave under the long swells of that portentous storm of wrath which was\nsoon to break, in all its desolating fury, over the earth.\"\n\nIn the facts here presented it may be seen how far we are justified in\napplying to them this first vial of wrath. The vial was poured out \"upon\nthe earth\"--on the inhabitants of the ten kingdoms when in a state of\ntranquility. This was their condition, unsuspicious of danger, when the\ndread infection was spread through society. According to the testimony\nof Pres. Dwight, within ten years from the first establishment of the\nIlluminati, in 1776, \"they were established in great numbers through\nGermany, Sweden, Prussia, Poland, Austria, Holland, France, Switzerland,\nItaly, England, Scotland, and America. They spread with a rapidity which\nnothing but fact could have induced any sober mind to believe.\"\n\nThis system of infidelity is well symbolized by a noisome, grevious\nulcer, which is loathsome to the sight, offensive to the smell,\ncorrupting to the body, and productive of awful pain. That it appeared\nso to others besides the author of the Revelation is shown by the\nfollowing epithets which Burke, the celebrated English orator, applied\nto the spirit of the French Revolution, which was only the discharged\nvirus of these ulcers. He styled it \"the fever of Jacobinism;\" \"the\nepidemic of atheistical fanaticism;\" \"an evil lying deep in the\ncorruptions of human nature;\" \"such a plague, that the precaution of the\nmost severe quarantine ought to be established against it.\" The result,\nhe says, was \"the corruption of all morals,\" \"the decomposition of all\nsociety.\" What greater plague could fall upon Romanism and Protestantism\nthan this fearful scourge of infidelity?\n\nI have dwelt for a considerable length of time upon this subject,\nbecause of its deep interest, and also because I desired to verify the\napplication of the symbol as much as possible, on account of its close\nconnection with the pouring out of the vials which follow.\n\n    3. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it\n    became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in\n    the sea.\n\nThis vial was poured out upon the \"sea.\" The sea is a large body of\nwater within the earth, subject to violent storms and agitations. As a\nsymbol it would denote some central power or kingdom within the symbolic\nearth in a state of revolution. The effects produced by this vial were\ntwo-fold--the waters were changed into blood as of a dead man, and all\nthe living creatures in the sea died. The waters of the sea represent\nthe inhabitants of this kingdom (see a similar explanation of _water_ in\nchap. 17:15) as the earth does the inhabitants of the empire, or the ten\nkingdoms. The living creatures in the sea, therefore, could signify the\nrulers and princes of the kingdom, as they bear an analagous relation to\nthe people that fishes do to the waters. The statement that the waters\nof the sea became \"as the blood of a dead man\" is doubtless intended to\nsignify a much more dreadful state of things than if they had simply\nbeen changed to blood. They were converted into black and poisonous, or\ncorrupt, blood. This denotes the vast slaughter and massacre of the\ninhabitants of this kingdom; while the death of the living creatures\ndenotes the extinction of those in power.\n\nIt may appear at first that making the conversion of water into blood a\nsymbol of bloodshed is adopting the literal method of interpretation;\nbut not so, and for the following reason: The symbol is taken from\nnature, the waters of the sea representing the inhabitants of the\nkingdom. The waters are changed into an unnatural state or element, that\nof blood, and this change denotes an analagous one passing upon the\ninhabitants. Their continuing in life would be their remaining as\nwaters: their massacre and destruction would be the waters changed to\nblood--a horrible and unnatural element. Likewise, the death of the\nliving things in the sea is a similar destruction overtaking the kings,\nrulers, and princes.\n\nWith our understanding of the nature of the first vial, which prepared\nthe way for the pouring out of this one, we shall have no difficulty\nwhatever in identifying this symbol with the terrible convulsions of the\nFrench Revolution. It followed as a necessary consequence of the first.\nVoltaire and his coadjutors had insulted and trampled in the dust\neverything held sacred in human eyes, and this fully prepared the way\nfor the scenes of terror that followed.\n\nIn studying these vials the reader should bear in mind constantly the\nreason _why_ they were sent as judgments upon the nations of\nEurope--because of their former oppression of God's people. From the\ndays when the Popes received their first temporal authority at the hands\nof the Carlovingian king, Pepin and Charlemagne, France[11] constituted\nthe real backbone of the Papacy, the very center of her power and\nauthority, as all history will show. In the fourteenth century the Papal\nseat was removed from Rome to Avignon, in France, where it remained for\nabout seventy years. During this period all the Popes were French, and\n\"all their policies were shaped and controlled by the French kings.\" To\nwrite a history of the Papacy during the Dark Ages is to outline the\nhistory of France, so closely are their affairs interwoven. Hence it is\nonly natural that she should be symbolized as the \"sea\" in this part of\nthe Apocalypse, with the other nations as tributaries. Ver. 4-6. That\nthe French Revolution was in its effects a terrible blow to the thrones\nof despotism throughout Europe is shown by the following quotation from\nthe Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica: \"We are coming to the verge of the French\nRevolution, which _surpasses all other revolutions the world has seen_\nin its completeness, the largeness of its theatre, the long preparation\nfor it ... its _influence on the modern history of Europe_.\" Art.\nFrance.\n\n[Footnote 11: Pepin and Charlemagne were, properly speaking, simply\nGerman princes reigning in Gaul. The kingdom of France is usually dated\nfrom the accession of the first of the Capetian kings, late in the tenth\ncentury, 987. However, the Frankish nation, of whom the Carlovingian\nkings were leaders, laid the foundation of the French kingdom and gave a\nnew name to Gaul--France.]\n\nThis revolution commenced on the fifth of May, 1789, in the Convocation\nof the States General, for the redress of grievances and the extrication\nof the government and nation from the difficulties under which they were\nlaboring. A conflict had been going on between despotism and popular\nrights, the throne and nobility contending for absolute power, and the\npeople, for freedom. But when in this encounter the popular party\ntriumphed, there was no fear of God before the eyes of those who seized\nthe reins of government. The infidelity of Voltaire and his associates\nhad removed the last restraint upon human passion, and the scenes of\nterror that followed are without a parallel in history. The king was\ncondemned to death and executed. The barbarous execution of the queen,\nMarie Antoinette, followed in about six months, and this was immediately\nsucceeded by the decree of the National Convention, of the most infamous\ncharacter, that of the violation of the tombs of St. Dennis and the\nprofanation of the sepulchres of the kings of France. I will quote from\nSir A. Alison's noted History of Europe:\n\n\"By a decree of the Convention, these venerable asylums of departed\ngreatness were ordered to be destroyed.... A furious multitude\nprecipitated itself out of Paris; the tombs of Henry IV., of Francis I.,\nand of Louis XII., were ransacked, and their bones scattered in the air.\nEven the glorious name of Turenne could not protect his grave from\nspoilation. His remains were almost undecayed, as when he received the\nfatal wound on the banks of the Lech. The bones of Charles V., the\nsavior of his country, were dispersed. At his feet was found the coffin\nof the faithful Du Gueselin, and the French hands profaned the skeleton\nbefore which English invasion had rolled back. Most of these tombs were\nfound to be strongly secured. Much time, and no small exertion of skill\nand labor, were required to burst their barriers. They would have\nresisted forever the decay of time or the violence of enemies; they\nyielded to the fury of domestic dissension. This was followed\nimmediately by a general attack upon the monuments and remains of\nantiquity throughout all France. The sepulchres of the great of past\nages, of the barons and generals of the feudal ages, of the\npaladins, and of the crusaders, were involved in one undistinguished\nruin. It seemed as if the glories of antiquity were forgotten, or sought\nto be buried in oblivion. The tomb of Du Gueselin shared the same fate\nas that of Louis XIV. The skulls of monarchs and heroes were tossed\nabout like foot balls by the profane multitude; like the grave-diggers\nin Hamlet, they made a jest of the lips before which the nations had\ntrembled.\"\n\nHaving begun by waging this profane warfare upon their own glorious\ndead, another scene of the fatal drama immediately succeeded. The same\nauthor continues: \"Having massacred the great of the present and\ninsulted the illustrious of former ages, nothing remained to the\nrevolutionists but to direct their vengeance against heaven itself.\nPache, Hebert, and Chaumette, the leaders of the municipality publicly\nexpressed their determination 'to dethrone the God of heaven, as well as\nthe monarchs of earth.' To accomplish this design, they prevailed on\nGobet, the apostate constitutional bishop of Paris, to appear at the bar\nof the Assembly, accompanied by some of the clergy of his diocese, and\nthere abjure the Christian faith. He declared 'that no other national\nreligion was now required but that of Liberty, equality, and morality.'\nMany of the constitutional bishops and clergy in the Convention joined\nin the proposition. Crowds of drunken artisans and shameless prostitutes\ncrowded to the bar, and trampled under their feet the sacred vases,\nconsecrated for ages to the holiest purposes of religion. The churches\nwere stripped of all their ornaments; their plate and valuable contents\nbrought in heaps to the municipality and the Convention, from whence\nthey were sent to the mint to be melted down. Trampling under foot the\nimages of our Savior and the Virgin, they elevated, amid shouts of\napplause, the busts of Marat and Lepelletier, and danced around them,\nsinging parodies on the Halleluiah, and dancing the Carmagnole.\n\n\"Shortly after a still more indecent exhibition took place before the\nassembly.... Hebert and Chaumette, and their associates, appeared at the\nbar and declared 'that God did not exist, and that the worship of Reason\nwas to be substituted in his stead.' A veiled female, arrayed in blue\ndrapery, was brought into the Assembly; and Chaumette, taking her by the\nhand, 'Mortals,' said he, 'cease to tremble before the powerless\nthunders of a God whom your fears have created. Henceforth acknowledge\nno divinity but Reason. I offer you its noblest and purest image; if you\nmust have idols, sacrifice only to this.' When, letting fall the veil,\nhe exclaimed, 'Fall before the august Senate of Freedom, O Veil of\nReason!' At the same time, the goddess appeared personified by a\ncelebrated beauty, the wife of Momoro, a printer, known in more than one\ncharacter to most of the Convention. The goddess after being embraced by\nthe president, was mounted on a magnificent car, and conducted, amid an\nimmense crowd, to the cathedral of Notre Dame, to take the place of the\nDeity. There she was elevated on a high altar, and received the\nadoration of all present, while the young women, her attendants, whose\nalluring looks already sufficiently indicated their profession, retired\ninto the chapels around the choir, where every species of licentiousness\nand obscenity was indulged in without control, with hardly any veil from\nthe public gaze. To such a length was this carried, that Robespierre\nafterward declared that Chaumette deserved death for the abominations he\nhad permitted on that occasion. Thenceforward that ancient edifice was\ncalled the _Temple of Reason_.\"\n\nSuch horrible events are sickening to relate; but as I started out to\ndescribe the condition of this \"sea\" when it became as the blood of a\ndead man, I must be faithful to the task. God was now dethroned; the\nservices of religion abandoned; every tenth day set apart for the\nhellish orgies of atheism and Reason; Marat was deified; the instrument\nof death sanctified by the name \"the holy Guillotine\"; on the public\ncemeteries was inscribed, \"Death is an Eternal Sleep\"; marriage was a\ncivil contract, binding only during the pleasure of the contracting\nparties. Mademoiselle Arnout, a celebrated comedian, expressed the\npublic feeling when she said, \"_Marriage the sacrament of adultery_.\"\nWhat an awful harvest would be expected of such seed! Alison continues:\n\n\"A Revolutionary Tribunal was formed at Nantes, under the direction of\nCarrier, and it soon outstripped even the rapid march of Danton and\nRobespierre. Their principle was that it was necessary to destroy _en\nmasse_, all the prisoners. At their command was formed a corps, called\nthe Legion of Marat, composed of the most determined and bloodthirsty of\nthe revolutionists, the members of which were entitled, on their own\nauthority, to incarcerate any person whom they chose. The number of\ntheir prisoners was soon between three and four thousand, and they\ndivided among themselves all their property. Whenever a further supply\nof captives was wanted, the alarm was spread of a counter-revolution,\nthe _generale_ beat, the cannon planted; and this was followed\nimmediately by innumerable arrests. Nor were they long in disposing of\ntheir captives. The miserable wretches were either slain with poinards\nin prison, or carried out in a vessel and drowned by wholesale in the\nLoire. On one occasion a hundred 'fanatical priests,' as they were\ntermed, were taken out together, striped of their clothes, and\nprecipitated into the waters.... Women big with child, infants eight,\nnine, and ten years of age, were thrown together into the stream, on the\nsides of which men, armed with sabres, were placed to cut off their\nheads if the waves should throw them undrowned on the shore.\n\n\"On one occasion, by orders of Carrier, twenty-three of the\nrevolutionists, on another twenty-four, were guillotined without any\ntrial. The executioner remonstrated, but in vain. Among them were many\nchildren of seven or eight years of age, and seven women; the\nexecutioner died two or three days after, with horror at what he himself\nhad done. So great was the multitude of captives who were brought in on\nall sides, that the executioners, as well as the company of Marat,\ndeclared themselves exhausted with fatigue; and a new method of\ndisposing of them was adopted, borrowed from Nero, but improved on the\nplan of that tyrant. A hundred or a hundred and fifty victims, for the\nmost part women and children, were crowded together in a boat, with a\nconcealed trap-door in the bottom, which was conducted into the middle\nof the Loire; at a signal given, the crew leaped into another boast, the\nbolts were withdrawn, and the shrieking victims precipitated into the\nwaters, amid the laughter of the company of Marat, who stood on the\nbanks to cut down any who approached the shore. This was what Carrier\ncalled his _Republican Baptisms_. The _Republican Marriages_ were, if\npossible, a still greater refinement of cruelty. Two persons of\ndifferent sexes, bereft of every species of dress, were bound together,\nand after being left in torture in that situation for half an hour,\nthrown into the river. Such was the quantity of corpses accumulated in\nthe Loire, that the water of that river was affected, so as to render a\npublic ordinance necessary, forbidding the use of it to the inhabitants;\nand the mariners, when they heaved their anchors, frequently brought up\nboats charged with corpses. Birds of prey flocked to the shores and fed\non human flesh; while the very fish became so poisonous, as to induce an\norder of the municipality of Nantes, prohibiting them to be taken by the\nfishermen.\n\n\"The scenes in the prisons which preceded these horrible executions\nexceeded all that romance had figured of the terrible. Many women died\nof terror the moment a man entered their cells, conceiving that they\nwere about to be led out to the noyades; the floors were covered with\nthe bodies of their infants, numbers of whom were yet quivering in the\nagonies of death. On one occasion, the inspector entered the prison to\nseek for a child, where, the evening before, he had left above three\nhundred infants; they were all gone in the morning, having been drowned\nthe preceding night. Fifteen thousand persons perished either under the\nhands of the executioner, or of disease in prison, in one month: the\ntotal victims of the Reign of Terror at that place exceeded thirty\nthousand.\"\n\nAfter narrating scenes of terror in Paris, Alison says again: \"Such\naccumulated horrors annihilated all the charities and intercourse of\nlife. Before daybreak the shops of the provision merchants were besieged\nby crowds of women and children, clamoring for the food which the law of\nthe _maximum_ in general prevented them from obtaining. The farmers\ntrembled to bring their fruits to the market, the shop-keepers to expose\nthem to sale. The richest quarters of the town were deserted; no\nequipages of crowds of passengers were to be seen on the streets; the\nsinister words, _Propriete Nationale_, imprinted in large characters on\nthe walls, everywhere showed how far the work of confiscation had\nproceeded. Passengers hesitated to address their most intimate friends\non meeting; the extent of calamity had rendered men suspicious even of\nthose they loved most. Every one assumed the coarsest dress, and the\nmost squalid appearance; an elegant exterior would have been the certain\nforerunner of destruction. At one hour only were any symptoms of\nanimation seen: it was when the victims were conveyed to execution; the\nhumane fled with horror from the sight, the infuriated rushed in crowds\nto satiate their eyes with the sight of human agony.\n\n\"Night came, but with it no diminution of the anxiety of the people.\nEvery family early assembled its members; with trembling looks they\ngazed around the room, fearful that the very walls might harbor\ntraitors. The sound of a foot, the stroke of a hammer, a voice in the\nstreets, froze all hearts with horror. If a knock was heard at the door,\nevery one, in agonized suspense, expected his fate. Unable to endure\nsuch protracted misery, numbers committed suicide. 'Had the reign of\nRobespierre,' said Freron, 'continued longer, multitudes would have\nthrown themselves under the guillotine; the first of social affections,\nthe love of life, was already extinguished in almost every heart.'\"\n\nWith one more quotation from this historian I will dismiss this horrible\ntheme: \"The combination of wicked men who thereafter governed France, is\nwithout parallel in the history of the world. Their power, based on the\norganized weight of the multitude, and the ardent co-operation of the\nmunicipalities, everywhere installed by them in the position of power,\nwas irresistible. All bowed the neck before this gigantic assemblage of\nwickedness. The revolutionary excesses daily increased, in consequence\nof the union which the constant dread of retribution produced among\ntheir perpetrators. There was no medium between taking part in these\natrocities, and falling a victim to them. Virtue seemed powerless;\nenergy appeared only in the extremity of resignation; religion in the\nheroism of which death was endured. There was not a hope left for\nFrance, had it not been for the dissentions which, as the natural result\nof their wickedness, sprung up among the authors of the public\ncalamities.\n\n\"It is impossible not to be struck, in looking back on the fate of these\ndifferent parties, with the singular and providential manner in which\ntheir crimes brought about their own punishment. No foreign\ninterposition was necessary, no avenging angel was required to vindicate\nthe justice of divine administration. They fell the victims of their own\natrocity, of the passions which they themselves had let loose, of the\ninjustice of which they had given the first example to others The\nConstitutionalists overthrew the ancient monarchy, and formed a limited\ngovernment; but their imprudence in raising popular ambition paved the\nway for the tenth of August, and speedily brought themselves to the\nscaffold; the Girondists established their favored dream of a republic,\nand were the first victims of the fury which it excited; the Dantonists\nroused the populace against the Gironde, and soon fell under the axe\nwhich they had prepared for their rivals; the anarchists defied the\npower of 'heaven itself,' but scarce were their blasphemies uttered,\nwhen they were swept off by the partners of their bloody triumphs. One\nonly power remained, alone, terrible, irresistible. This was the power\nof Death, wielded by a faction steeled against every feeling of\nhumanity, dead to every principle of justice. In their iron hands, order\nresumed its sway from the influence of terror; obedience became\nuniversal, from the extinction of hope. Silent and unresisted, they led\ntheir victims to the scaffold, dreaded alike by the soldiers who\ncrouched, the people who trembled, and the victims who suffered. The\nhistory of the world _has no parallel_ to that long night of suffering,\nbecause _it has none to the guilt which preceded it_; tyranny never\nassumed so hideous a form, because licentiousness never required so\nsevere a punishment.\"\n\nProm this awful description, which might be carried to almost any\nextent, the reader will understand the force of the prophecy which\ndeclared that the \"sea became as the blood of a dead man, and every\nliving soul died in the sea.\"\n\n    4. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and\n    fountains of waters; and they became blood.\n\n    5. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous,\n    O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast\n    judged thus.\n\n    6. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou\n    hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.\n\n    7. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God\n    Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.\n\nFountains and rivers are tributaries to the sea, and thus, they\nsymbolize the inferior communities and nations belonging to the\nApocalyptic earth. France was the great central power and the sea of\nrevolution upon which the second vial descended. The surrounding nations\nwere the rivers and fountains upon which the third was poured. It is not\nsaid of them that they became as the blood of a dead man, nor that every\nliving thing in them died, but only that \"they became blood.\" This\nsymbol denotes the insurrections and desolating wars in which the\nnations of Europe were involved for a number of years, growing out of\nthe French Revolution. I shall not here take time nor space to enter\ninto the historical details relating to this statement; the facts are\nwell known. \"The blood-thirsty Jacobinism of France waged war not only\nupon its own monarchy, but sought to overturn all the thrones and\nfabrics of despotism in Europe. The same system of infidelity and\natheism had been spread through the kingdoms there, though not to so\ngreat an extent as in France, and prepared the elements for revolution\nin them likewise.\" The French republic encouraged these agitations and\nby a unanimous decree of the Assembly, in 1792, set itself in open\nhostility with all the established governments of Europe. It was in\nthese words: \"The National Convention declares in the name of the French\nnation, that it will grant fraternity and assistance to all people who\nwish to recover their liberty; and it charges the executive power to\nsend the necessary orders to the generals, to give succor to such\npeople, and to defend those citizens who have suffered, or may suffer in\nthe cause of liberty.\" \"The Revolution, having accomplished its work in\nFrance, having there destroyed royal despotism, ... now set itself about\nfulfilling its early promise of giving liberty to all peoples. In a\nword, the revolutionists became propagandists. France now exhibits what\nher historians call her social, her communicative genius.\" Napoleon was\nright when he said that a revolution in France was sure to be followed\nby a revolution throughout Europe. \"France conceived the idea that she\nhad a Divine mission, as the great apostle of liberty, to propagate\nrepublicanism through all the kingdoms of Europe. In her madness of\nintoxication she undertook the work, threw down the gauntlet, and the\nfierce tocsin of war sounded from nation to nation, until the continent\nwas converted into one vast battle-field.\"\n\nThe \"angel of the waters\" signifies the angel that had charge of the\nvial of wrath poured out upon the rivers and fountains of waters. In\nfull view of the awful plagues sent upon the inhabitants of earth, one\ngrand thought seemed to occupy his mind--the righteousness of these\njudgments. It is not such a thought as humanity would have in mind when\nreading the history of these fearful convulsions of society, one scene\nof terror only preparing the way for another more horrible, until they\nwould feel like closing the book and asking, \"When will this awful night\nof horror be over? When will these avenging judgments cease?\" These,\nhowever, were not the thoughts of this angel clothed in spotless\ngarments; for, draining his vial to the dregs and forcing the nations to\ndrink it, he said: \"Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and\nshalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of\nsaints and prophets, and thou hast given them _blood to drink_; for they\nare worthy.\" Truly, in this the Word of God is fulfilled, which says,\n\"My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.\" Isa.\n55:8. That class of people who represent God as a kind, loving Father\nonly, one who will not take vengeance upon the objects of his own\ncreation--let them visit in the pages of history these nations of\nEurope, scathed and blasted with the hot thunderbolts of divine wrath,\nuntil their minds sicken with horror at the sight of human agony and\nblood. In full view of these horrifying scenes let them hear the angel\nof the waters saying, \"Thou art righteous, O Lord ... because thou hast\njudged thus; for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and\nthou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy\"; while another\nvoice from heaven, even from the altar, replies, \"Even so, Lord God\nAlmighty, _true and righteous_ are thy judgments\"--and their theology\nmust here break down.\n\nThe thoughts just expressed confirm with certainty our interpretation of\nthe \"sea\" and \"rivers and fountains of waters\" as signifying those\nnations which had been the persecutors of the saints, and show, also,\nthe character of the divine judgments as being the shedding of their\nblood. They had shed the blood of saints and prophets, and now the same\ncup of wrath was placed to their lips, and they were forced to drink it\nto the dregs. God remembered the sighs and groans of his faithful\nfollowers; the cry of the martyrs for the avenging of their blood on\n\"them that dwell on the earth\" reached his ear; and now the time of\nretribution began.\n\n    8. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and\n    power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.\n\n    9. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the\n    name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they\n    repented not to give him glory.\n\nThe sun is the great central luminary of the earth, under whose genial\nlight and warmth everything rejoices and develops in forms of beauty.\nWhen, however, a scorching power is given to his rays, the earth becomes\nas a furnace in which every green thing is burnt up. What the sun is to\nthis world, such are the ruling powers to a kingdom; and power being\ngiven them to scorch as with fire denotes that the government would be\nadministered, not for the good of the people, but for the purpose of\noppression. A scorching sun, therefore, is a proper symbol of tyrant\nrulers.\n\nStill keeping in view the object of God in sending these first\nplagues--the punishment of the nations embraced within the territory of\nthe ten former kingdoms of Europe--we are directed with certainty to the\nnext great scourge that followed as a result of those already\ndeveloped--the almost universal military empire of Napoleon. The success\nof three of the four greatest military leaders the world has ever\nseen--Alexander, C\u00e6sar, and Charlemagne--has been so clearly predicted\nby inspiration that no believer in the truth of Revelation attempts to\ndeny it; therefore it is not surprising that the fourth--Napoleon--\nshould also be assigned a place in Apocalyptic vision: not so much\nbecause of his all-powerful military genius merely, but because of his\nmighty influence and effects upon the very nations that were especially\nmade the subject of prophecy, as they stand connected with the history\nof God's people for centuries. At the close of the Revolution the French\nnation had not virtue nor religion necessary to remedy the evils under\nwhich they had long been suffering from the oppression of their\nmonarchs; for when they undertook the work and demolished the throne,\nthey let loose all the wildest elements of wrath to rage without\nrestraint. The nation rejected God, and God rejected the nation. He gave\nthem up to their own madness, to the fury of the most atrocious\nwickedness that was ever developed under heaven. \"From the wild excesses\nand intolerable calamities of blood-red republicanism, the people were\nrejoiced at length to find a refuge in a gigantic military despotism,\nwhich became the terror and scourge of Europe.\" But the hand of God was\nin this thing, also. When the sun scorches the earth with burning heat,\nit is God that gives it its power. So Napoleon with his iron will and\ntowering genius was only an instrument in God's hand for scourging the\nguilty nations. In the ordinary sense of the term Napoleon was not a\ntyrant to his own nation. Still, his government was a despotism to\nFrance; while to the Apocalyptic earth, or the ten kingdoms, he was a\nscorching sun, for his empire extended over the whole. It finally became\na saying that \"if Napoleon's cocked hat and gray coat should be raised\non the cliffs of Boulogne, all Europe would run to arms.\" This agrees\nwith the statement of the historian Judson, concerning the monarchs of\nEurope, that \"the mere name of Napoleon was a dread to them.\" None of\nthem could stand before his terrible onset. \"Europe was shaken from end\nto end by such armies as the world had not seen since the days of\nXerxes. Napoleon, whose hands were upheld by a score of distinguished\nmarshals, performed the miracles of genius. His brilliant achievements\nstill dazzle, while they amaze, the world.\" The crowns and scepters of\nEurope he held as play-things in his hand, to dispose of at pleasure.\nSays Wickes: \"Never in the history of Christendom were ancient dynasties\noverthrown, and new ones created, kings made and unmade, within so short\na period, as during the unparallelled career of this great conqueror. He\nhad the crowns and kingdoms of all Europe in his gift, to settle as he\npleased, or bestow as presents upon his relatives and friends. To his\nbrother Jerome he gave the crown of Westphalia; to his brother Louis,\nthe crown of Holland; to his brother Joseph, the kingdom of Spain; to\nhis brother-in-law and general Murat, the kingdom of Naples; and others\nhe conferred upon his favorite marshals.\"\n\nWhen he invaded Russia, a territory outside of the Apocalyptic earth, he\nexceeded his mission, and there met with the most terrible overthrow.\nAlthough he entered that kingdom with the most magnificent army that he\nhad ever gathered together, yet for suffering and disaster that famous\nretreat from burning Moscow stands without a parallel in history. It was\nnot the Russian armies that prevailed against him; it was God that\nfought against him with the blasts of his north wind. These speedily\nsilenced those tremendous parks of artillery that had thundered upon the\nfields of Jena, Friedland, Wagram, Marengo and Austerlitz, and scattered\nthose invincible battalions that had marched triumphant over Europe.\nNey, at the head of the National Guards, ever before victorious, was\ncompelled to beat a hasty retreat, glad to escape with the smallest\nremnant of his host. Napoleon failed here because God had given him no\nmission to perform in that territory.\n\nConcerning his ambition, the Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica says: \"With a frame\nof iron, Napoleon could endure any hardships; and in war, in artillery\nespecially and engineering, he stands unrivalled in the world's\nhistory.... He could not rest, and knew not when he had achieved\nsuccess.... He succeeded in alienating the peoples of Europe, in whose\nbehalf he pretended to be acting. And when they learned by bitter\nexperience that he had absolutely no love for liberty, and encouraged\nequality only so long as it was an equality of subjects under his rule,\nthey soon began to war against what was in fact a world-destroying\nmilitary despotism.\" He was inspired with the most unbounded ambition,\nwhich was nothing short of despotism over all Europe, if not the world.\nUniversal empire was his grand object, or, as it has been expressed by\nhistorians, a desire to concentrate \"the world in Europe--Europe in\nFrance--France in Paris--Paris in _himself_.\" Says Wickes: \"The empire\nwhich he actually reared in Europe was a vast, oppressive, centralized\ndespotism.... To build it up, he desolated France through his terrible\nconscriptions, requiring the whole strength and flower of the nation to\nsupply his armies. It is stated that after the wars of Napoleon there\nwere three times the number of women in France that there were of men.\nThe fathers, the husbands, the sons, the brothers, had fallen upon the\nbattle-field, and thus desolated almost every household in the kingdom.\nSimilar desolation also he carried by his wars into the other kingdoms.\"\n\nThe dread of Napoleon settled down upon all the nations of Europe. They\ncould not cope with his mighty genius, and therefore his presence was a\nterror to them. When the allied powers secured his first abdication, in\n1814, and sent him to the island of Elba, the desolating results of his\nlong career were shown in the work that the Congress of Vienna was\ncalled upon to perform when it assembled in the fall of 1814. While the\nrepresentatives of the powers were laboring to repair the damage that\nhad been wrought and to adjust the territorial limitations of the\nvarious nations that had been altered or entirely demolished, the\nassemblage was suddenly surprised the following spring by the news that\nNapoleon had escaped from Elba and was enroute to Paris. The terror and\nconsternation in Europe then experienced is shown by the following\nquotation from Sir James Mackintosh, a man of high reputation as a\njurist, as a historian, and as a far-sighted and candid statesman:\n\n\"Was it in the power of language to describe the evil! Wars which had\nraged for more than twenty years throughout Europe, which had spread\nblood and desolation from Cadiz to Moscow, and from Naples to\nCopenhagen; which had wasted the means of human enjoyment, and destroyed\nthe instruments of social improvement; which threatened to diffuse among\nthe European nations the dissolute and ferocious habits of a predatory\nsoldiery ... had been brought to a close.... Europe seemed to breathe\nafter her sufferings. In the midst of this fair prospect and of these\nconsolatory hopes, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from Elba; three small\nvessels reached the coast of Provence; their hopes are instantly\ndispelled; the work of our toil and fortitude is undone: the blood of\nEurope is spilled in vain.\"\n\nThe bitterest ingredients in the cup of these nations was the\nhumiliating overthrow of their own government and their subjection to\nthe hated _republican_ despotism of France. It was a scorching sun that\nthey could not endure. Still, they repented not to give God glory; they\ncontinued as before. After Napoleon had accomplished the purpose for\nwhich he was intended, God permitted this stupendous genius to be\nsubdued; but it required the combined powers of Europe to secure his\ndownfall.\n\nCreasy, in his Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World, says concerning\nthe battle of Waterloo, \"The great battle which ended the twenty-three\nyears' war of the first French revolution, and which quelled the man\nwhose genius and ambition had so long _disturbed and desolated the\nworld_, deserves to be regarded by us ... with peculiar gratitude for\nthe repose which it secured for us and for the greater part of the human\nrace.\"\n\n    10. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the\n    beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed\n    their tongues for pain,\n\n    11. And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and\n    their sores, and repented not of their deeds.\n\nUnder this vial the symbols differ somewhat. The \"beast\" is evidently\nthe one of whom the image was made, referred to in verse 2--the Papacy.\nThe seat that the Papacy occupied from the time the dragon resigned in\nfavor of the beast (chap. 13:2) was his position of temporal power and\nauthority. In the following chapter the Papacy is described as _seated_\nupon a ten-horned beast, the ten horns of which symbolized the kingdoms\nof Europe. In this position it was able to exercise a guiding influence\nover the European nations. We have already seen what great power the\nPopes exercised in this direction during the Dark Ages. But the \"beast\"\nof chapter 17 himself, as distinguished from his horns, symbolizes the\nHoly Roman Empire, which was a revival of the old empire of the C\u00e6sars.\nThis revived \"world-empire\" was closely allied to the Papacy. When\nCharlemagne, the Carlovingian king, restored the empire of the West, he\nwas crowned \"Emperor of the Romans\" by Pope Leo III., A.D. 800. \"The\nPopes made the descendants of Charles Martel kings and emperors; the\ngrateful Frankish princes defended the Popes against all their enemies,\nimperial and barbarian, and dowering them with cities and provinces,\nlaid the basis of their temporal sovereignty, which continued for more\nthan a thousand years.\" After the decline of the Carlovingian power the\nimperial authority was again revived by Otto the Great (962), who was\ncrowned Emperor of the Romans by the Pope. Henceforth the empire of the\nWest was termed the _Holy Roman Empire_. \"From this time on it was the\nrule that the German king who was crowned at Aachen had a right to be\ncrowned ... emperor at Rome.\" So the general rule was that the Popes\nupheld the emperors, and the emperors sustained the Popes in their\nposition as the spiritual heads of the church and as temporal rulers\nover the Papal states, which were granted them originally by the\ndonations of Pepin and Charlemagne.\n\nIn chapter 13 the civil powers of Europe and the ecclesiastical power of\nRome are not shown by a double symbol--a woman and a beast--as in\nchapter 17, but are there represented by a combination of symbols drawn\nfrom the departments of human life and animal life, which shows that a\npolitico-religious system is intended, as heretofore explained; hence\nthe term _beast_, as there used, signifies either the Papacy or the\ncivil power. Thus the term is used in the present chapter under\nconsideration, and has reference here to the beast as an ecclesiastical\npower--the Papacy--and his \"seat\" refers to his temporal authority.\n\nThis vial, then, being poured out upon his seat, with the result that\nhis kingdom was filled with darkness--a symbol drawn from nature--points\nto the downfall of the Pope as a temporal ruler. Thus he would be\ndeprived of his \"seat.\"\n\nWe have already seen that each plague prepares the way for a succeeding\none. Under the reign of Napoleon the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved\n(1806). This was the beginning of the end of the Pope's temporal\nauthority; for the two had in a great measure been for ages\ninterdependent upon each other. Pius VII. was made a prisoner and the\ntemporal sovereignty of the Roman See declared to be at an end; while\nthe Pope himself was forced to disown all claim to rank as a temporal\nruler. Of course, this was but a temporary overthrow; for when the\nperiod of Reaction came, the Pope recovered also temporal authority. But\nthe vast territories of Avignon, Venaissin, Bologna, Ferrara, and the\nRomagna--representing fully _a third_ of all the Papal dominions--which\nhad been forcibly ceded to France under Napoleon, was never restored to\nthe Roman See. From that time the sun of the Pope's temporal kingdom\nrapidly approached the horizon; while the inhabitants of his dominions\ncontinued to blaspheme God through the atheistical Jacobinism that\ninfested to so great an extent the whole mass of society--symbolized by\ntheir \"sores\"--and the firm supporters of Popery were filled with\nexcessive chagrin and mortification of mind--symbolized by their\n\"pains\"--because the power of their leader, who professed temporal\nsovereignty over the whole earth, was being suddenly destroyed and his\nkingdom left in darkness. Concerning this matter the People's\nCyclop\u00e6dia, after speaking of the blow the Pope's spiritual supremacy\nreceived at the Reformation, says: \"But in her relations to the State\nthe Roman church has since passed through _a long and critical\nstruggle_. The new theories _to which the French Revolution gave\ncurrency_ have still further modified these relations.\" In the second\nrevolution of 1848 the Pope's temporal authority was about to be\nentirely destroyed by the attempted establishment of the republic of\nItaly; but at this juncture France, who, notwithstanding her plagues,\nhad not repented of her former deeds, not willing to desert entirely the\nPapal cause after upholding it faithfully for centuries, interfered, and\nthe Pope was sustained in his position by a French garrison until 1870\n(except a short time in 1867), at which time the success of King Victor\nEmmanuel and his capture of the Eternal City established the free\ngovernment of United Italy. The temporal sun of the Pope set forever;\nhis kingdom was left in darkness.\n\n    12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river\n    Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of\n    the kings of the east might be prepared.\n\n    13. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the\n    mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out\n    of the mouth of the false prophet.\n\n    14. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which\n    go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to\n    gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.\n\n    15. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and\n    keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his\n    shame.\n\n    16. And he gathered them together into a place called in the\n    Hebrew tongue Armageddon.\n\nThe symbols under this vial are so different that at first they scarcely\nlook like anything constituting a plague. By recalling a few\ncircumstances of history we shall understand why the river Euphrates was\nselected as a symbol, and also, its true signification in this\nconnection. This river was connected with ancient Babylon, and while\nrunning in its own channel was the protection of the city and an\nobstacle to its capture. By turning the water of this river from its\ncourse, King Cyrus (according to the account given by Herodotus)\nsucceeded in overthrowing the city, with the result that God's people\nwho were at that time in captivity there received permission to return\nto their own land and to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Ezra\n1:1-3. Under the sixth trumpet this symbol was applied to the four\nangels as a symbol of the restraint placed upon their operations, they\nbeing bound in that river. As there are no agents in this vision who are\nrepresented as bound, we must apply it to the city itself, the name of\nwhich is given in verse 19--Babylon--being a symbol of one of its\ndefenses. According to verse 19 this mystical Babylon is composed of\nthree parts, being made up of the dragon (in his modern form), the\nbeast, and the false prophet mentioned in verse 13. And its location is\nnot confined to the territory of the ten kingdoms; for its field of\noperations is not only that of the \"earth\"--the Apocalyptic earth--but\n\"_of the whole world_.\" Ver. 14. In one division of this great city,\nthat of the false prophet, God's people were long held in captivity; but\nits spiritual overthrow was to be accomplished by the drying up of the\nEuphrates of its defenses, that the way of the kings of the East might\nbe prepared.[12]\n\n[Footnote 12: Applying the Euphrates (an object from nature) as a symbol\nof ecclesiastical affairs in this manner appears to be in violation of\nthe laws of symbolic language laid down; but we should bear in mind the\nfact that events of whatever nature connected with the history of God's\nchosen people in the old dispensation are of themselves proper symbols\nof similar events in the New Testament dispensation. Thus the temple,\naltar, candle-sticks, incense, holy city, etc., of the former\ndispensation, although of themselves objects from nature, are\nnevertheless clearly used to represent affairs of the church, because of\ntheir former significance as connected with the people of God. The fact\nthat the great city of this chapter is spiritual Babylon (see verse 19)\nis positive proof that the river Euphrates is here applied in the proper\nmanner.]\n\nTo the Hebrews the term _east_ had a much more extensive signification\nthan with us, to whom its only distinction is that it is the point of\nthe sun's rising. But beyond this, it was to the Jews the cardinal point\nof the compass to which they naturally looked first. Their temple was\nbuilt toward the east, its principal entrance being in that direction.\nThe most powerful and enlightened kingdoms of the world lay to the east\nof Judea, and they included them all under the general term, sons or\nchildren of the East (Orientals) and kings of the East, comprehending\nnot only Arabia and the lands of Moab and Ammon, but also Armenia,\nAssyria, Mesopotamia, Babylonia and Chaldea. Travelers from these\ncountries would all enter Judea from the east, and they were considered\nOrientals. These nations were also distinguished for their proficiency\nin science and learning. The Magi, or wise men of the East, came to\nworship the infant Jesus at Jerusalem. They were eminent in the science\nof astrology, which was considered the greatest science of that day. The\nEast, therefore, was looked to for wise men; and it is a noticeable fact\nthat the pathway of science, of literature, and of empire has ever been\nfrom that direction, so as to have passed into a proverb, \"westward the\nstar of empire holds its way.\" \"The kings of the East,\" then, employed\nas a symbol of this sixth vial, is not intended to signify any persons\nliterally from that quarter of the earth, but represents the bringing in\nof knowledge and understanding. Thank God that we live in the time when\nthe defenses of spiritual Babylon have been broken through and when\nlight and knowledge on the Word of God has reached the hearts of many\nredeemed souls held in bondage there! And like the Israelites of old,\nwhen Cyrus, entered the ancient Babylon through the dry river-bed of the\nEuphrates, they have come out with rejoicing and made their way to Zion\nagain. Halleluiah! That the spiritual downfall of Babylon is a real\nplague to sectarians there can be no doubt, and it is plainly declared\nto be such in chap. 18:8, where the same event is described.\n\nAt the very time when the defenses of Babylon are thrown down, the three\nunclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon\n(Paganism), and out of the mouth of the beast (Romanism), and out of the\nmouth of the false prophet (Protestantism), to gather together all the\nwicked powers throughout \"the whole world\" for that last great day of\nGod Almighty.[13] There is no analagous object to which a _spirit_ can\nbe made a symbol; therefore we must regard them as being literally\nspirits of devils, here appearing under their own appropriate title.\nTheir mission is to form a confederation of all the gigantic powers of\nwickedness, slimy and loathsome as the animal to which they are likened,\nand to array themselves against the cause of Christ.\n\n[Footnote 13: I do not suppose that these three unclean spirits should\nbe limited in their operations to Paganism, Romanism, and Protestantism;\nfor that leaves out Mohammedanism, which is neither Pagan, Roman, nor\nProtestant, yet is certainly \"false prophecy\"; and the three spirits\nwere to gather the \"whole world.\"]\n\nArmageddon, where the spirits gathered all the enemies of truth and\nrighteousness together, means the mountain of Megiddo, the memorable\nfield of the overthrow of Sisera's mighty host by Barak. It was also the\nplace of great defeat to the Israelites in the time of Josiah and the\nscene of his death. The name, therefore, stands as a symbol for a field\nof slaughter or defeat and denotes that when the confederation of\nwickedness is complete, the united host of God's enemies will be utterly\ndefeated, as by the overthrow of Megiddo. This great conflict with\npowers of wickedness and spirits infernal will be further explained in\nchapter XX.\n\nSimultaneous with the notable events of this vial, the announcement is\nmade of the near-coming of Christ to the world--\"Behold I come as a\nthief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he\nwalk naked, and they see his shame.\" The children of God that have been\ngathered out of old Babylon rejoice in the glad announcement and say,\n\"Even so come, Lord Jesus.\"\n\n    17. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and\n    there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the\n    throne, saying, It is done.\n\n    18. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and\n    there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were\n    upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.\n\n    19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the\n    cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in\n    remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of\n    the fierceness of his wrath.\n\n    20. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not\n    found.\n\n    21. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every\n    stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God\n    because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was\n    exceeding great.\n\nThe application of this vial to the judgments of the last great day is\nso plain that but little comment is here necessary. It was poured \"into\nthe air,\" a region of vast extent, not confined to a given locality, but\nembracing the whole earth. Hence this plague is universal. When the\nseventh angel emptied his vial, \"There came a great voice out of the\ntemple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.\" All is now\nfulfilled. The work of wrath is finished. The description of the plague\nfollows, but it follows only _as a description_. As actually\naccomplished, it preceded that great voice, which was uttered in view of\nthe thing already brought to pass.\n\nThe dissolution of the earth itself upon which we live is not here\ndescribed, although according to the teaching of other scriptures it\noccurs at this time; but the symbols, being drawn from the department of\nthe operations both of humanity and of nature, show the complete and\nfinal overthrow of all the great powers civil and ecclesiastical. The\ndominancy of these great powers has been the chief burden of Apocalyptic\nvision, and here their utter destruction at last is set forth under\nvarious symbols. The weight of the Jewish talent is said to have been\none hundred and fourteen pounds. Such a mass of ice descending from\nheaven would beat down everything in its resistless, desolating fury.\nThere is no intimation, however, of men being killed under this or the\naccompanying symbols; therefore as individuals they survive, while the\nstorm of wrath falls upon the civil and ecclesiastical institutions of\nsociety, resulting in their utter annihilation. This is the \"great day\nof his wrath\" described under the sixth seal, to the symbols of which\nthis description bears a striking resemblance, as any one can see at a\nglance. Well may the oppressors of earth say to the mountains and hills,\n\"Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the\nthrone, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath\nis come; and who shall be able to stand?\" Chap. 6:16, 17.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\n\n    And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven\n    vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will\n    show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon\n    many waters:\n\n    2. With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,\n    and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the\n    wine of her fornication.\n\n    3. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and\n    I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of\n    blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.\n\n    4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and\n    decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden\n    cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her\n    fornication:\n\n    5. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON\n    THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.\n\n    6. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and\n    with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I\n    wondered with great admiration.\n\nHere again the narrative returns to take up another series of the\nhistory. A number of times we have been taken over the same ground. It\nis this feature of the Apocalypse more than any other that has misled\nand perplexed commentators. Attempting to explain it as one continuous\nnarrative from beginning to end, they have been compelled to consider\nnumerous passages as \"digressions,\" \"parentheses,\" or \"episodes,\" etc.\nAs already observed, however, the prophecy is not arranged after the\nordinary plan of histories, narrating all the contemporaneous events in\na given period, whether civil, religious, literary, scientific, or\nbiographical, thus finishing up the history of that period; but it\nconsists of a number of distinct themes running over the same ground.\n\nIn this chapter a more particular description of the church of Rome,\n\"that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth\" (verse 18),\nis given under the symbol of a drunken harlot. With this vile prostitute\n\"the kings of the earth have committed fornication\"--they have\nencouraged her in her corruption and idolatries--\"and the inhabitants of\nthe earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.\" This\nlatter symbol is doubtless taken from the cup of drugged wine with which\nlewd women were accustomed to inflame their lovers. So had this apostate\nchurch made \"the inhabitants of the earth\"--of the ten kingdoms--drunken\nwith her wine-cup and thus rendered them willing partakers in her\nabominable idolatries. She is described in two positions--first, as\n\"sitting upon many waters,\" which the angel informs us \"are peoples, and\nmultitudes, and nations, and tongues\" (verse 15); and second, \"upon a\nscarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads\nand ten horns.\" The first position denotes her wide supremacy in the\nworld over distant peoples and nations; the second, the close\nrelationship that she sustained to the civil power. That beast carried\nher in royal state. The civil powers of Europe have usually lent\nthemselves as a caparisoned hack for this great whore to ride upon and\nhave considered themselves highly honored thereby. This beast was full\nof the names of blasphemy, which were the same as the blasphemous\nassumptions of the Papacy, as explained in chapter XIII, showing that he\nagreed perfectly with this apostate church in her impious claims and\nsupported her in them, making himself equally guilty and deserving of\nthe same name. What is intended exactly by his scarlet color I do not\nknow. The same power under its Pagan form was represented as a red\ndragon.\n\nThe appearance of this woman was that of the most splendid character,\nnor are we to suppose the contrary because she was such an infamous\nprostitute. She may have been, and according to the description was, all\nthat, but still her appearance was such as to bewitch her admirers and\nvotaries. Robes of purple and scarlet, with the most costly profusion of\ngold and diamonds, were superb adorning, even regal splendor. All that\nskill and wealth could do in magnificence of attire was bestowed upon\nher to set forth her charms. The \"golden cup in her hand\" was as to\nrichness in harmony with her dress, while as to contents it set forth\nher character, for it was \"full of abominations and filthiness of her\nfornication.\" This cup was an appropriate symbol of her atrocious\nwickedness and idolatries.\n\nThis woman had also a name written on her forehead. It was not, indeed,\nplaced there by herself nor by her admirers; but He who drew this\nsymbolic picture placed it there that all might know her true character.\n\"MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF\nTHE EARTH.\" Although this apostate church was only in embryo in the\napostles' day, yet the apostle who gave us a careful delineation of its\nterrible characteristics declared that it was then developing and\ndenominated it a _mystery_. \"The mystery of iniquity doth already work.\"\n2 Thes. 2:7. The same apostle regarded as an unquestionable fact that\n_godliness_ was a mystery (1 Tim. 3:16); but he who peruses the history\nof the Papacy will be forced to declare with emphasis, \"Without\ncontroversy great is the mystery of Romanism.\" She is also styled\nBabylon the Great. This name is derived from ancient Babylon. This city\nwas the center of the earth's idolatry and stood first of all as the\ndirect enemy of God's people. So, likewise, this church is the center of\nearth's spiritual idolatry. There are other harlots, or corrupt\nchurches, in the world beside her; but she is the _mother_ of them all.\nThey are all children by her side. Some of them greatly honor her and in\ndeep veneration call her \"_our holy mother church_;\" but God brands her\nas the \"mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.\"\n\nBut the statement that she was a harlot merely, does not entirely\ndescribe her character. She was a _drunken_ harlot. Drunken with\nwhat--wine? No indeed; that were a very small sin for her. She was\n\"drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs\nof Jesus.\" Romanists positively declare that their church never\npersecutes; but with the picture of this drunken prostitute before our\neyes, we shall be hard to convince. To illustrate this point fully would\nbe to write a book of martyrs much larger than the present work; so, for\nlack of space only, we shall have to content ourselves with merely\nbringing forward a few of many historical proofs showing _that they\nthemselves_ claim the right to exterminate heretics.\n\nInnumerable provincial and national councils have issued the most cruel\nand bloody laws for the extermination of the Waldenses and other\nso-called heretics; such as the Councils of Oxford, Toledo, Avignon,\nTours, Lavaur, Albi, Narbonne, Beziers, Tolosa, etc. Since Papists will\nassert that these had no authority to establish a doctrine of the church\n(although they clearly reflect its spirit), I remind the reader that\nsome of their _General_ Councils have by their decrees pronounced the\npunishment of death for heresy. At least six of these highest judicial\nassemblies of the Romish church, with the Pope at their head, have\nauthoritatively enjoined the persecution and extermination of heretics.\nExtracts from the Acts of these Councils could be given if space\npermitted. 1. The second General Council of Lateran (1139), in its\ntwenty-third canon. 2. The third General Council of Lateran (1179),\nunder Pope Alexander III. 3. The fourth General Council of Lateran\n(1215), under the inhuman Pope Innocent III., which exceeded in ferocity\nall similar decrees that had preceded it. 4. The sixteenth General\nCouncil, held at Constance in 1414. This Council, with Pope Martin\npresent in person, condemned the reformers Huss and Jerome to be burned\nat the stake and then prevailed on the emperor Sigismund to violate the\nsafe-conduct that he had given Huss, signed by his own hand, in which he\nguaranteed the reformer a safe return to Bohemia; and the inhuman\nsentence was carried out, with the haughty prelates standing by to\nsatiate their eyes on the sight of human agony. This council also\ncondemned the writings of Wickliffe and _ordered his bones to be dug up\nand burnt_, which savage sentence was afterwards carried into effect;\nand after lying in their grave for forty years, the remains of this\nfirst translator of the English Bible were reduced to ashes and thrown\ninto the brook Swift. Well has the historian Fuller said, in reference\nto this subject, \"The brook Swift did convey his ashes into Avon, the\nAvon into Severn, the Severn into the narrow seas, and they into the\nmain ocean. And thus the ashes of Wickliffe are the emblem of his\ndoctrie, which is now dispersed all over the world.\" 5. The Council of\nSienna (1423), which was afterwards continued at Basil. 6. The fifth\nGeneral Council of the Lateran (1514). The laws enacted in each\nsucceeding Council were generally marked, if possible, with augmented\nbarbarity.\n\nSays the learned Edgar, in his Variations of Popery: \"The principle of\npersecution, being sanctioned not only by theologians, Popes and\nprovincial synods but also by General Councils, _is a necessary and\nintegral part of Romanism_. The Romish communion has, by its\nrepresentatives, declared its right to compel men to renounce heterodoxy\nand embrace Catholicism, and to consign the obstinate to the civil power\nto be banished, tortured, or killed.\" St. Aquinas, whom Romanists call\nthe \"angelic Doctor,\" says, \"Heretics are to be compelled by corporeal\npunishments, that they may adhere to the faith.\" Again, \"Heretics may\nnot only be excommunicated, but _justly killed_.\" He says that \"the\nchurch consigns such to the secular judges _to be exterminated from the\nworld by death_.\"\n\nCardinal Bellarmine is the great champion of Romanism and expounder of\nits doctrines. He was the nephew of Pope Marcellus, and he is\nacknowledged to be a standard writer with Romanists. In the twenty-first\nand twenty-second chapters of the third book of his work entitled _De\nLaicis_, he enters into a regular argument to prove that the church has\nthe right, and should exercise it, of punishing heretics with death. The\nheading is his, together with what follows.\n\n\"Chapter XXI. _That heretics, condemned by the church, may be punished\nwith temporal penalties and even death._ We will briefly show that the\nchurch has the _power and ought_ to cast off incorrigible heretics,\nespecially those who have elapsed, and that the secular power ought to\ninflict on such temporal punishments and even death itself. 1. This may\nbe proved from the Scripture. 2. It is proved from the opinions and laws\nof the emperors, _which the church has always approved_. 3. _It is\nproved by the laws of the church ... experience proves that there is no\nother remedy;_ for the church has tried step by step all remedies--first\nexcommunication alone; then pecuniary penalties; afterward banishment;\n_and lastly has been forced to put them to death; to send them to their\nown place_.... There are three grounds on which reason shows that\nheretics should be put to death: the first is, Lest the wicked should\ninjure the righteous; second, That by the punishment of a few many may\nbe reformed. For many who were made torpid by impunity, are _roused by\nthe fear of punishment_; AND THIS WE DAILY SEE IS THE RESULT WHERE THE\nINQUISITION FLOURISHES,\" etc.\n\n\"Chapter XXII. _Objections answered._ It remains to answer the\nobjections of Luther and other heretics. Argument 1. From the history of\nthe church at large. 'The church,' says Luther, 'from the beginning even\nto this time, _has never burned a heretic_. Therefore it does not seem\nto be the mind of the Holy Spirit that they should be burnt!' [He surely\nmisunderstood Luther.] I reply that this argument proves not the\nsentiment, but the ignorance, or impudence of Luther; FOR AS ALMOST AN\nINFINITE NUMBER WERE EITHER BURNED OR OTHERWISE PUT TO DEATH, Luther\neither did not know it, and was therefore ignorant; or if he knew it, he\nis convicted of impudence and falsehood,--for _that heretics were often\nburnt_ BY THE CHURCH may be proved by adducing a few from many examples.\nArgument 2. 'Experience shows that terror is not useful.' I reply\nEXPERIENCE PROVES THE CONTRARY--for the Donatists, Manicheans, and\nAlbigenses WERE ROUTED AND ANNIHILATED BY ARMS,\" etc.\n\nSo this high dignitary of the Catholic church, a cardinal, a nephew of\none Pope and the special favorite of others, freely admits the charge so\noften laid to Popery by creditable historians--the butchering of an\n\"infinite number\" of people that differed from them--and here labors\nhard to uphold it as a principle of righteousness. Their bloody crusades\nagainst the innocent, unoffending Waldenses, Albigenses, and other\npeoples, in which thousands, and in the aggregate _millions_, were\nslaughtered like venomous reptiles, stand out on the page of history\nwith a prominence that can not be mistaken; and they themselves can not\ndeny it. Dowling has well said that their \"history is written in lines\nof blood. Compared with the butcheries of holy men and women by the\nPapal Antichrist, the persecutions of the Pagan emperors of the first\nthree centuries sink into comparative insignificance. For not a tithe of\nthe blood of martyrs was shed by Paganism, that has been poured forth by\nPopery; and the persecutors of Pagan Rome never dreamed of the thousand\ningenious contrivances of torture which the malignity of Popish\ninquisitors succeeded in inventing.\" P. 541.\n\nIf any of my readers suppose that the character of Popery has changed\nwith the lapse of ages, I must tell you that such is not the ease.\nPopery is unchangeable and this her ablest advocates declare. Chas.\nButler, in the work he wrote in reply to Southey's book of the church,\nsays, \"It is most true that the Roman Catholics believe the doctrines of\ntheir church to be unchangeable; and that it is a tenet of their creed,\nthat what their faith ever has been, such it was from the beginning,\n_such it is now_, and SUCH IT EVER WILL BE.\" A copy of the eleventh\nedition of The Faith of Our Fathers, published in Baltimore, Maryland,\nin 1883, lies before me. It was written by Archbishop (now Cardinal)\nJames Gibbons, the highest authority of the Roman Catholic church in\nthis country. In page 95 he says: \"It is a marvelous fact, worthy of\nrecord, that in the whole history of the church, from the nineteenth\ncentury to the first, no solitary example can be adduced to show that\nany Pope or General Council ever revoked a decree of faith or morals\nenacted by any preceding pontiff or council. Her record in the past\nought to be a sufficient warrant that she will _tolerate no doctrinal\nvariations in the future_.\" So the doctrine of her inherent right to\npersecute and slay every one who disagrees with her, which has been\nenacted by Pontiffs and General Councils and so carried out in the past,\nis still in vogue and would now be enforced were it in her power to do\nso.\n\nWhile this statement of Gibbons' shows the unchangeable spirit of\nPopery, still it is the basest presumption upon the historical knowledge\nof the reader. The facts are that the _official_ acts of some of their\nPopes and General Councils have been so far wrong that Romanists\nthemselves have been compelled to admit it. Thus the _sixth_ General\nCouncil, which was held at Constantinople in 680, and which every\nCatholic accepts as Ecumenical, condemned, in the strongest terms, Pope\nHonorius as a Monothelite _heretic_. Let them attempt to deny it, and we\nwill bring forward our proof. Romish authors themselves admit it, the\nwell-known Dupin with the rest, as appears by the following extract from\nhis writings: \"The Council had as much reason to censure him as Sergius,\nPaulus, Peter, and the other Patriarchs o\u00a3 Constantinople.\" He adds in\nlanguage yet more emphatic, \"This will stand for certain, then, that\nHonorius _was condemned_, AND JUSTLY TOO, AS A HERETIC, by the sixth\nGeneral Council.\" Dupin's Eccl. History, Vol. II, p. 16.\n\nThe Decretals of Isodore furnish another example of Papal infallibility\n(?). For ages these documents were the chief instrument of the Popes in\nextending their power and the proof of the righteousness of their\nassumptions to excessive temporal authority. Wickliffe declared them\nfalse and apocryphal. For this he was condemned by the sixteenth\n_General Council_, held at Constance in 1414, and his bones ordered dug\nup and burnt because of his daring impudence. The spurious character of\nthese false decretals have since been proved beyond the shadow of a\ndoubt; and since it is impossible to deny it longer, it is admitted even\nby Romanists. So, after all, this _infallible_ Council was wrong, the\nPapists themselves being the judges.\n\nPope Benedict IX. was guilty of such flagitious crimes that he became an\nobject of public abhorrence, and he finally _sold_ the Popedom. One of\nhis infallible (?) successors in the Papal chair, Pope Victor III.,\npronounced this infallible (?) profligate a person \"abandoned to all\nmanner of vice. A _successor of_ SIMON THE SORCERER, and NOT OF SIMON\nTHE APOSTLE.\" I do not question the truth of this assertion, but what\nbecomes of their boasted uninterrupted apostolical succession? Baronius,\nthe Popish annalist, confesses that Pope Sergius III. was \"the slave of\nevery vice, and the most wicked of men.\" Among other horrid acts Platina\nrelates that he _rescinded the acts_ of Pope Formosus, compelled those\nwhom he had ordained to be re-ordained, dragged his dead body from the\nsepulchre, beheaded him as though he were alive, and then threw him into\nthe Tiber! This Pope cohabited with an infamous prostitute named Marozia\nand by her had a son named John, who afterwards ascended the Papal\nthrone, through the influence of his licentious mother, under the name\nof John XI. So the unlawful amours of Sergius produced this infallible,\nnecessary link in the _holy_ chain of uninterrupted apostolical\nsuccession! It must be remembered, also, that the Popes have for ages\nlaid claim themselves to infallibility; and in the last General Council\nof that body, held at the Vatican in 1870, it was declared a dogma of\nthe church. Romanists will tell us that this decree refers only to his\nofficial acts, and not to his personal character; but official acts have\nbeen the main thing under consideration in the case of Sergius,\nHonorius, and Benedict. But if such monsters of vice can produce good,\nholy, infallible acts, as Papists declare, then Jesus Christ is\nmistaken; for he declared positively that \"a corrupt tree _bringeth\nforth evil fruit_ ... neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good\nfruit.\" Mat. 7:17, 18. \"God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man\na liar.\" Rom. 3:4. During these dark ages thousands of priests, who were\nby the laws of the church denied their Scriptural right of possessing a\nwife (1 Cor. 7:9, etc.), lived openly with concubines; and the Council\nof Toledo decreed that they should not be condemned therefor, provided\nthey were content with one.\n\nBut the devil produced his master-piece of iniquity in the person of\nRoderic Borgia, who ascended the Papal throne in 1492 under the name of\nAlexander VI. The utmost limits assigned to Papal depravity were\nrealized in him, so that the very name Borgia has come to be used as a\ndesignation of any person unusually wicked. Says Waddington: \"The\necclesiastical records of fifteen centuries ... contain no name so\nloathsome, no crimes so foul as his.... Not one among the many zealous\nannalists of the Roman church has breathed a whisper in his praise....\nHe publicly cohabited with a Roman matron named Vanozia, by whom he had\nfive acknowledged children. Neither in his manners nor in his language\ndid he affect any regard for morality or decency; and one of the\nearliest acts of his pontificate was, to celebrate, with scandalous\nmagnificence, in his own palace, the marriage of his daughter Lucretia.\nOn one occasion this prodigy of vice gave a splendid entertainment,\nwithin the walls of the Vatican, to no less than fifty public\nprostitutes at once, and that in the presence of his daughter Lucretia,\nat which entertainment deeds of darkness were done, over which decency\nmust throw a veil; and yet this monster of vice was, according to Papist\n... the vicar of God upon earth, and was addressed by the title of HIS\nHOLINESS!!\" But why stir this cesspool of filth any longer? Is not that\nchurch of which Alexander VI. was for eleven years the crowned and\nanointed head--a necessary link in the boasted chain of _holy_\napostolical succession, the pretended vicar of Christ upon earth--is it\nnot, I ask, fitly described by the pen of inspiration \"MOTHER OF HARLOTS\nAND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH,\" as she reeled onward in the career of\nages, \"drunken with the blood of the saints\"?\n\n    7. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I\n    will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that\n    carriest her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.\n\n    8. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend\n    out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that\n    dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in\n    the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they\n    behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.\n\n    9. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are\n    seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.\n\n    10. And there are seven kings; five are fallen, and one is, and\n    the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue\n    a short space.\n\n    11. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth,\n    and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.\n\n    12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which\n    have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one\n    hour with the beast.\n\n    13. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength\n    unto the beast.\n\n    14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall\n    overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and\n    they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.\n\nThe angel promises to explain \"the mystery of the woman and of the beast\nthat carried her.\" The beast is the same as the secular beast with seven\nheads and ten horns, described in chapter 13. An explanation of its\nheads and horns has already been given. The expression \"the seven heads\nare seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth, and there are seven\nkings,\" requires further explanation. Many have understood the mountains\nto signify the seven mountains on which the city of Rome is said to be\nbuilt; but that is adopting the literal mode of interpretation, and is\ncontrary to the laws of symbolic language. The more obvious meaning is\nthat the seven heads represent seven mountains and also seven kings; but\nthis probably is not the idea intended. The heads of a beast are not the\nproper symbol of mountains. The fact, too, that the woman is represented\nas sitting upon these mountains, shows that they are to be taken as a\nsymbol, as well as the woman, and not the object symbolized. They are,\nthen, the same as the heads and denote the seven kings or seven forms of\ngovernment under which the Roman empire subsisted.\n\nThe seventh and last head has not yet been identified. Before\nconsidering it, however, I wish to call attention to another point that\nhas already been referred to. The beast that John here saw, with the\nseven heads and ten horns, was Rome under the Papal power. Did new Rome\nin reality have the seven heads? No. The dragon John saw in chapter 12\nis represented as having seven heads and ten horns, and signified Rome\nunder the Pagan power. Did old Rome really possess the ten horns? No.\nAccording to verse 12 in this chapter, they were to arise future of\nJohn's time. But notice carefully that the seven heads, which according\nto this description, belonged to the beast sustaining the Papal power in\nafter years, are here explained by the angel as signifying the very\nforms of government by which _Pagan_ Rome subsisted. \"Five _are fallen_\n[a past event], one _is_ [exists at this present time], and the other\n_is not yet come_.\" So according to divine interpretation, the same\nheads and horns serve for both the dragon and the beast. This could not\npossibly be a true representation unless they were both in reality the\n_same beast_, they being represented as two only for the purpose of\ndescribing the two phases of Roman history--Pagan and Papal.\n\nWith this point established, that these two forms of Roman history are\nthe same beast, we are now prepared to understand the statement that the\nbeast \"was and is not, and yet is.\" This is equivalent to saying that\nthe beast existed, it ceased to exist, and then it came into existence\nagain. This was exactly the history of Rome. Its downfall under the\nPagan form was described under the fourth trumpet as an eclipse of the\nsun, moon and stars, so that they shone not for a third part of the day\nand night. For a time it seemed not to exist. A little later the eclipse\nis lifted; the beast exists again under the Papal form. In this is set\nforth clearly the wounding and the healing of the beast. The wound was\ninflicted on its sixth, or Imperial, head (for the first five had\nalready fallen, according to the historical facts just related), being\naccomplished by the hordes of Northern barbarians overturning the empire\nof the West. It appeared for a time that the beast was indeed wounded\nunto death; but not so: to the surprise of all, he survived under the\nform of the seventh head. At this point the question is sure to be\nasked, How could the beast continue to live if its seventh head was to\ncontinue but \"a short space\"? This is accounted for by the fact that\nthere was what might be appropriately called an eighth head, but which\nwas in reality of the seven. \"And the beast that was, and is not, even\nhe is the eighth, and is of the seven.\" Verse 11.\n\nThe identification of the seventh head will now make the matter\ncomplete. The facts all meet in the Carlovingian empire, or the empire\nof Charlemagne. In the year 774 Charlemagne completed the work begun by\nPepin twenty years before and overthrew the kingdom of the Lombards in\nItaly, which was the last of the three horns plucked up before the\nlittle horn of Daniel. By this victory he became complete master of\nItaly, and he received the title Patrician of Rome. This was not merely\nan honorary title, such as had for ages been conferred upon certain\nindividuals; but it was a distinct form of civil government and supreme,\ntaking the same rank with that of the Consular, the Decemvirate, the\nTriumvirate, etc., in the earlier history of the nation. It lasted,\nhowever, only \"a short space,\" or twenty-six years, when Charlemagne,\nhaving extended his conquests over all the western part of Europe,\nassumed the Imperial title and thus revived the empire of Rome in the\nWest under its Gothic form. In his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,\nGibbon says: \"In the twenty-six years that elapsed between the conquest\nof Lombardy and his Imperial coronation, Rome, which had been delivered\nby the sword, was subject, as his own, to the scepter, of Charlemagne.\nThe people swore allegiance to his person and family; in his name, money\nwas coined, and justice was administered, and the election of Popes was\nexamined and confirmed by his authority--except an original and\nself-inherent claim of sovereignity, there was not any prerogative\nremaining which the title of emperor could add to the Patrician of\nRome.\" This decisive testimony by the highest authority on the subject\nshows conclusively that all the power of sovereignty resided in\nCharlemagne as the Patrician of Rome, and that this, therefore, is a\nproper head to be ranked with the other six that preceded it.[14]\n\n[Footnote 14: Commentators frequently identify the seventh head with the\nExarchate of Ravenna. After the overthrow of the kingdom of the\nOstrogoths in Italy by Belisarius, the general of Justinian, about the\nmiddle of the sixth century, the territory became subject to the emperor\nof the Eastern empire and was ruled by him through an Exarch whose place\nof residence was Ravenna. This Exarchate (sometimes called _Patriciate_)\ncontinued until about the middle of the eighth century, when it was\nterminated by Astolphus, king of the Lombards, who made Ravenna the\ncapital of the Lombardic kingdom in 752. Three years later the Lombards\nwere defeated by Pepin, who made the Holy See a present of the lands he\nconquered from them--the origin of the temporal power of the Popes.\nPepin was succeeded by his son Charlemagne, who was appointed\n_Patrician_ of Rome, by the Pope, in 774. During the last half century\nthat the Exarchate of Ravenna remained its existence was but little more\nthan a name, the real power of government being usurped by the Papacy.\nIt could hardly be considered an inconsistency were we to interpret the\nseventh head as signifying both the Patriciate of Ravenna and the\nPatriciate of Charlemagne that closely followed it; but in the present\nwork I have restricted its application to the latter form because of its\ndistinctive characteristic as constituting a supreme civil power\nentirely independent of the empire of the East, and because of its\nimportance in the revival of the empire of the West.]\n\nThis head, however, continued only \"a short space\"; and an eighth arose\non Christmas, the first day of the year 800 (as time was then reckoned),\nwhen Charlemagne was crowned emperor of Rome, and thus revived the\nempire of the West. This eighth head, however, was \"of the seven\"; for\nit was the same as the sixth, both being Imperial--the first being in\nthe Augustan line, and the other in the Carlovingian, and separated from\neach other by the seventh, or Patriciate. Considered one way, there were\neight heads, but two of them were alike, hence only seven; for the\neighth was of the seven. According to verse 11 it was under the eighth\nhead that the beast subsisted at the time he was carrying the woman of\nthis chapter, which exactly accords with the historical facts in the\ncase; and the same was continued in a line of emperors reaching down to\nthe time of the French Revolution.\n\nThe ten horns had \"received no kingdom as yet.\" This signifies that at\nthe time when the Revelation was given they had not yet arisen. When\nthey did come into existence they were to receive power as kings with\nthe beast and were to give to it their power and strength. It is a\nsingular fact that a distinct head should continue to exist after these\nhorns had arisen and developed into powerful kingdoms; but herein the\nremarkable accuracy of prophecy is clearly shown. It is said that they\nshould make war with the Lamb and that the Lamb should overcome them.\nSome think that this has reference to the persecution of the saints\nduring the Dark Ages; but it seems to me that it would have been stated\ndifferently if such were its meaning. It may be a prophetical reference\nto the battle of Armageddon, which will be terminated by the coming of\nthe Son of God himself to overthrow completely all the powers of\nwickedness.\n\n    15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where\n    the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and\n    tongues.\n\n    16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these\n    shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and\n    shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.\n\n    17. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to\n    agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of\n    God shall be fulfilled.\n\n    18. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which\n    reigneth over the kings of the earth.\n\nThe special thoughts contained in these verses have been so far\nexplained already that it is unnecessary to go over the same ground\nagain. Already the civil powers of Europe are beginning to cast this\nwoman aside as an old, wrinkled, haggard prostitute is cast off by her\nlovers. Already they have deprived her of all temporal authority such as\nshe possessed in guiding this beast of chapter 17, as explained under\nthe fifth plague in the preceding chapter. Whether they are destined to\nbecome a still greater enemy to her, the future will determine.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\n\n    And after these things I saw another angel come down from\n    heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his\n    glory.\n\n    2. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon\n    the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of\n    devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every\n    unclean and hateful bird.\n\n    3. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her\n    fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed\n    fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed\n    rich through the abundance of her delicacies.\n\nA movement of mighty power is symbolized in these verses. The chronology\nof the events described in the preceding chapter brings us down to the\ntime when the ten horns turn against the Papacy by depriving her of her\ntemporal authority. This, as we have already seen, was completely\nfulfilled in 1870 and constituted the fifth plague. In the description\nof the sixth plague which followed, it was shown that the great city\nwhich was invaded was composed of three parts--Paganism (the modern form\nof the dragon power), Catholicism, and Protestantism. The same great\ncity is here brought to view, and the angel from heaven, with a mighty\nvoice, cries, \"Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen.\" This fall of\nBabylon can not signify a literal destruction; for there are certain\nevents to take place in Babylon after her fall which entirely precludes\nthat idea; for instance, the calling of God's people out of her, in\norder that they may not receive of her plagues. In these plagues is\nembraced her literal destruction, or complete overthrow. The fall is\ntherefore a moral one; for the result of it is that Babylon becomes \"the\nhabitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of\nevery unclean and hateful bird.\"\n\nProtestants who make any attempt to interpret these prophecies usually\nlimit the designation \"Babylon the Great\" in these verses to the church\nof Rome, because the woman symbolizing the apostate church in the\npreceding chapter is denominated \"Babylon the Great.\" Ver. 5. But the\nsame verse also declares her to be the \"_Mother_ of harlots;\" and if she\nas a degraded woman stands as the representative of a corrupt church,\nher unchaste daughters, also, must symbolize churches that are her\ndescendants; and if the real name of the _mother_ is Babylon, as stated,\nthe proper name of her harlot daughters must be Babylon also. Whether,\ntherefore, the mother or the daughters are referred to, it is all\n\"Babylon the Great,\" because it is all the same family and is a part of\nthat \"GREAT CITY which reigneth over the kings of the earth.\" Chap.\n17:18. We must, therefore, have something besides the mere title\n\"Babylon the Great\" to determine which division of the great city is\nreferred to in a given instance--whether Pagan, Papal, or Protestant.\n\nA careful study of the prophecy now under consideration will show that\nit has particular reference to the Protestant division of Babylon. It\ncontained many of God's children; whereas Paganism was always a false\nreligion and never held any of God's saints. Under the reign of\nCatholicism, the people of God are represented in all the symbols of\nthis book relating thereto as existing entirely separate from that\ncommunion. The description of this apostate church given in the\npreceding chapter shows clearly that instead of being partly composed of\nGod's saints, she was their most bitter and relentless persecutor, yea,\nwas \"_drunken with the blood of the saints_, and with the blood of the\nmartyrs of Jesus.\" This is definite proof that the present phase of\nBabylon under consideration is the Protestant division; and her moral\nfall is the grand signal for the escape of God's people who have partly\ncomposed her number, as the fall of ancient Babylon was for the escape\nof the Israelites. In their younger days the Protestant organizations\n(symbolized by the daughters) were of much better character than the\nmother church from whom they descended. Many of them started out on\nreform. While a spiritual people, God worked with them; but when they\nmade their image to the beast, they suddenly declined, and this voice\nfrom heaven finally declares them to be in a fallen condition--entirely\nvoid of salvation, except a very few chosen saints that have not defiled\ntheir garments, contained therein.\n\nThat this application of the term _Babylon_ is correct, and also, the\nfallen condition ascribed to her in accordance with the facts, I will\nprove by the following testimonies of Protestants themselves. The first\nis from Vision of the Ages; or, Lectures on the Apocalypse, by B.W.\nJohnson, member of the Christian sect.\n\n\"It is needful to inquire what the term _Babylon_ means. It occurs\nseveral times in the New Testament. Here (in the Apocalypse) it is\nspoken of as 'that great city,' and her fall is doomed 'because she hath\nmade all nations drunk with the wine of her fornication.' In Rev. 17:5,\na scarlet harlot is seen sitting upon the seven-headed and ten-horned\nmonster, and upon her forehead is written, 'Mystery, Babylon the Great.'\nWith this woman the kings of the earth are said to have committed\nfornication. In chapter 18 the fall of the great city, Babylon is\ndetailed at length, and it is again said that all the kings of the earth\nhave committed fornication with her. The harlot with Babylon stamped on\nher brow, and the great city of fornication styled Babylon, in chapters\n14 and 18, are one and the same existence.\n\n\"There is an ancient city of Babylon often mentioned in the Old\nTestament, but ages before John wrote, it had ceased to be inhabited,\nthe only dwellers among its lonely ruins were howling beasts and hissing\nserpents. It has never been rebuilt to this day and has passed away\nforever. John refers therefore not to old Babylon, but to some power yet\nunseen (when he was upon the earth), that should be revealed in due\ntime, and of which old Babylon was a symbol. Let us notice some of the\nfeatures of ancient Babylon.\n\n\"1. On that site took place the confusion of tongues which divided those\nwho before had been of one speech and one family, into various tribes\nand schisms at variance with each other and of various tongues. The word\nBabylon, a memorial of this event, means confusion, and is derived from\nBabel.\n\n\"2. Old Babylon persecuted the people of God and destroyed the temple in\nJerusalem.\n\n\"3. It carried the people of God into captivity.\n\n\"4. It was a mighty, resistless universal empire. The antitype, the\nspiritual Babylon, must correspond. There is a power that exhibits all\nthese characteristics. By apostasy from the truth it originated the\nschism which has divided the family of God into different sects and\nparties which speak a different spiritual language. It has carried the\nchurch into a long captivity by binding upon it the thralldom of\nsuperstition. It has been a constant persecutor of the saints, and has\nenjoyed an almost universal dominion. That power is the woman that sits\nupon the seven-headed beast ... the false woman, symbolical of a false\nchurch, the great apostate spiritual dominion of Rome. And we may add,\nout of which have come--directly or indirectly--_all the religious sects\nof the present day_.\"\n\nDr. Barnes says: \"The word _Babylon_ became the emblem of all that was\nhaughty and oppressive, and especially of all that persecuted the church\nof God. The word here (Rev. 18:4) must be used to denote some power that\nresembled the ancient and literal Babylon in these characteristics. The\nliteral Babylon was no more; but the name might be used properly to\ndenote a similar power.\"\n\nWm. Kinkade, in Bible Doctrine, page 249, says, \"I think Christ has a\ntrue church on earth, but its members are scattered among the various\ndenominations, and are more or less under the influence of mystery\nBabylon and her daughters.\"\n\nAlexander Campbell says: \"A reformation of Popery was attempted in\nEurope full three centuries ago. It ended in a Protestant hierarchy, and\nswarms of dissenters. Protestantism has been reformed into\nPresbyterianism, that into Congregationalism, and that into Baptistism,\netc., etc. Methodism has attempted to reform all, but has reformed\nitself into many forms of Wesleyanism. All of them retain in their\nbosom--in their ecclesiastical organizations, worship, doctrines, and\nobservances--various relics of Popery. They are at best a reformation of\nPopery, and only reformations in part. The doctrines and traditions of\nmen yet impair the power and progress of the gospel in their hands.\" On\nBaptism, p.15.\n\nAgain, he says: \"The worshiping establishments now in operation\nthroughout Christendom, increased and cemented by their respective\nvoluminous confessions of faith, and their ecclesiastical constitutions,\nare not churches of Jesus Christ, but the legitimate daughters of that\nmother of harlots, the church of Rome.\" How any man could possess as\nmuch light on this subject as did Mr. Campbell, and then build a sect\nhimself, is more than I can understand.\n\nLorenzo Dow says of the Romish Church: \"If she be the mother, who are\nthe daughters? It must be the corrupt, national, established churches\nthat came out of her.\" Dow's Life, p. 542.\n\nIn the Religious Encyclopaedia, Article Antichrist, we read: \"The writer\nof the book of Revelation tells us he heard a voice from heaven saying,\n'Come out of her, my people, that ye partake not of her sins, and\nreceive not of her plagues.' If such persons are to be found in the\n'mother of harlots,' with much less hesitation may it be inferred that\nthey are connected with her unchaste daughters, those national churches\nwhich are founded upon what are called Protestant principles.\"\n\nIn the Encyclop\u00e6dia of Religious Knowledge we read: \"An important\nquestion, however, says Mr. Jones, stills remains for inquiry: Is\nAntichrist confined to the church of Rome? The answer is readily\nreturned in the affirmative by Protestants in general; and happy had it\nbeen for the world had that been the case. But although we are fully\nwarranted to consider that church as 'the mother of harlots,' the truth\nis that by whatsoever arguments we succeed in fixing that odius charge\nupon her, we shall, by parity of reasoning, be obliged to allow other\nnational churches to be her unchaste daughters, and for this plain\nreason, among others, because in their very constitution and tendency\nthey are hostile to the nature of the kingdom of Christ.\"\n\nOne of Martin Luther's guests remarked that the world might continue\nfifty years, and he replied: \"Pray God that it may not exist so long;\nmatters would be even worse than they have been. There would rise up\ninfinite sects and schisms, which are at present hidden in men's hearts\nand nature. No; may the Lord come at once, for there is no amendment to\nbe expected.\"\n\nMr. Hartly, a learned churchman, has remarked as follows: \"There are\nmany prophecies which declare the fall of the ecclesiastical powers of\nthe Christian world, and though each church seems to flatter itself with\nthe hope of being exempted, yet it is very plain that the prophetical\ncharacters belong to all. They all have left the true, pure, simple\nreligion, and teach for doctrines the commandments of men.\"\n\nSays Mr. Simpson, in Plea for Religion: \"We Protestants, too, read the\ndeclaration of the third angel against the worshipers of the beast and\nhis image, and make ourselves easy under the awful denunciation by\napplying it exclusively to the church of Rome; never dreaming that they\nare equally applicable not only to the English, but to every church\nestablishment in Christendom, which retains any of the marks of the\nbeast. For though the Pope and the church of Rome is at the head of the\ngrand twelve hundred and sixty years' delusion, yet all other churches,\nof whatever denomination, whether established or tolerated, which\npartake of the same spirit, or have instituted doctrines and ceremonies\ninimical to the pure and unadulterated gospel of Christ, shall sooner or\nlater share in the fate of that immense fabric of human ordinances.\"\n\nSays Mr. Hopkins: \"There is no reason to consider the antichristian\nspirit and practices confined to that which is now called the church of\nRome. The Protestant churches have much of Antichrist in them, and are\nfar from being wholly reformed from the corruptions and wickedness, in\ndoctrine and practice, in it. Some churches may be more pure and may\nhave proceeded farther in a reformation than others; but where can the\nchurch be found which is thoroughly purged from her abominations? None\nare wholly clear from an antichristian spirit and the fruits of it....\nAnd as the church of Rome will have a large share in the cup of\nindignation and wrath which will be poured out, so all the Christian\nworld will have a distinguished portion of it: as the inhabitants of it\nare much more guilty than others. There is great reason to conclude that\nthe world, particularly that part of it called Christian and Protestant,\nwill yet make greater and more rapid advances in all kinds of moral\ncorruption and open wickedness, till it will come to that state in which\nit will be fully ripe and prepared to be cut down by the sickle of\ndivine justice and wrath.\"\n\nMr. O. Scott (Wesleyan Methodist) says: \"The church is as deeply\ninfected with a desire for worldly gain as the world. Most of the\ndenominations of the present day might be called _churches of the\nworld_, with more propriety than churches of Christ. The churches have\nso far gone from primitive Christianity that they need a fresh\nregeneration--a new kind of religion.\"\n\nSaid T. DeWitt Talmage: \"I simply state a fact when I say that in many\nplaces the church is surrendering, and the world is conquering.... There\nis a mighty host in the Christian church, positively professing\nChristianity, who do not believe the Bible, out and out and in and\nin.... Oh! we have magnificient church machinery in this country; we\nhave sixty thousand American ministers; we have costly music; we have\ngreat Sunday-schools; and yet I give you the appalling statistics that\nin the last twenty-five years, laying aside last year, the statistics of\nwhich I have not yet seen,--within the last twenty-five years the\nchurches of God in this country have averaged _less than two conversions\na year_ each! There has been an average of four or five deaths in the\nchurches. How soon, at that rate, will this world be brought to God? We\ngain two; we lose four. Eternal God! what will this come to?\"\n\nBishop Roberts said: \"The popular religion of this country is not the\nreligion of the New Testament. It has some of its features but not all.\nIt is lacking in grand fundamental elements. It answers many good\npurposes--restrains, refines, elevates, and gives to society a high\ngrade of civilization; but fails to secure the great end which\nChristianity is designed to accomplish--the salvation of the soul. It\ndazzles but to blind, it promises but to deceive; it allures by worldly\nconsiderations to a heaven of purity, which no worldling can enter; it\ngives to its votaries, who long to eat of forbidden fruit, the assurance\nof impunity from the threatened evils, and leads them on by siren\nstrains from the Paradise of purity into the broad road which ends at\nlast in the blackness of the darkness of an eternal night of despair!\"\n\nSays the Golden Rule: \"The Protestants are outdoing the Popes in\nsplendid, extravagant folly in church building. Thousands on thousands\nare expended in gay and costly ornaments to gratify pride and a wicked\nambition, that might and should go to redeem the perishing millions!\nDoes the evil, the folly, and the madness of these proud, formal,\nfashionable worshiper, stop here? These splendid monuments of Popish\npride, upon which millions are squandered in our cities, virtually\nexclude the poor for whom Christ died, and for whom he came especially\nto preach.\"\n\nThe report of the Michigan Yearly Conference, even as long ago as 1851,\npublished in the True Wesleyan of Nov. 15, says: \"The world, commercial,\npolitical, and ecclesiastical are alike, and are together going in the\nbroad way that leads to death. Politics, commerce, and nominal religion,\nall connive at sin, reciprocally aid each other, and unite to crush the\npoor. Falsehood is unblushingly uttered in the forum and in the pulpit;\nand _sins that would shock the moral sensibilities of the heathen, go\nunrebuked in all the great denominations of our land_. These churches\nare like the Jewish church when the Savior exclaimed, 'Woe unto you,\nscribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.'\"\n\nRobert Atkins, in a sermon preached in London, says: \"The truly\nrighteous are diminished from the earth, and no man layeth it to heart.\nThe professors of religion of the present day, in every church, are\nlovers of the world, conformers to the world. Lovers of\ncreature-comfort, and aspirers after respectability. They are called to\n_suffer_ with Christ, but they shrink even from reproach. Apostasy,\n_apostasy_, APOSTASY, is engraven on the very front of every church; and\ndid they know it, and did they feel it, there might be hope; but alas!\nthey cry 'We are rich, and increased in goods, and stand in need of\nnothing.'\"\n\nI have by no means exhausted the supply of similar testimonies of\nProtestants now before me, but for lack of space I must conclude. In the\nface of these amazing facts can any one deny that Protestantism is a\npart of great Babylon and is in a fallen condition?\n\n\"The merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her\ndelicacies.\" A certain writer on this text has said: \"Who take the lead\nin all the extravagancies of the age? Church-members. Who load their\ntables with the richest and choicest viands? Church-members. Who are\nforemost in extravagance in dress, and all costly attire?\nChurch-members. Who are the very personification of pride and arrogance?\nChurch-members. Where shall we look for the very highest exhibition of\nthe luxury, even show, and pride of life, resulting from the vanity and\nsin of the race? Answer, To a modern church-assembly on a pleasant\nSunday.\" Though this writer interpreted the text literally, yet he spoke\na vast amount of truth, as every one knows.\n\nConsider, too, the wickedness carried on everywhere in sect Babylon\nunrebuked, with the preachers ofttimes in the lead. Shows, festivals,\nfrolics, grab-bag parties, cake-walk lotteries, kissing-bees, etc., etc.\nIf the apostle were here to-day and we should inform him of a modern\nchurch entertainment where a bared female foot, projecting from beneath\na curtain, was sold to the highest gentleman bidder, who had the\nprivilege of kissing its owner and taking her to supper, he would\nprobably answer, \"Have I not told you, 'Babylon is fallen'?\" If his\nattention was called to the fact that the members of a prominent church,\nin a novel entertainment, displayed the likeness of a donkey, minus the\ntail, while the members one by one were blindfolded, and, amid the\nuproarous laughter of the crowd assembled, were given the detached part\nto see who could place it the nearest where it belonged, he would say\nwith double emphasis, \"_Have I not told you_, 'BABYLON THE GREAT IS\nFALLEN, IS FALLEN, AND IS BECOME THE HABITATION OF DEVILS, AND THE HOLD\nOF EVERY FOUL SPIRIT, AND A CAGE OF EVERY UNCLEAN AND HATEFUL BIRD'?\"\nThe \"abominations\" are by no means confined to the _mother_ in the\nRevelation, but are also to be found in abundance in connection with her\nharlot daughters.\n\n    4. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of\n    her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that\n    ye receive not of her plagues.\n\n    5. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath\n    remembered her iniquities.\n\n    6. Reward her even as she rewarded yon, and double unto her\n    double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled\n    fill to her double.\n\n    7. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously,\n    so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart,\n    I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.\n\n    8. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and\n    mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire:\n    for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.\n\nHere we have a number of important truths brought before us--first, that\nGod had a people in Babylon who up to this time were free from her\ncontaminations; second, that they received a positive call from heaven\nto \"come out\"; third, that all who refused to obey the heavenly command\nwould become partakers of her sins and receive of her plagues; fourth,\nthat those who came out were to pour the strongest judgments upon\nBabylon--\"reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her\ndouble according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to\nher double.\" It is evident that the \"torment and sorrow\" which God's\npeople give Babylon after their departure is not a temporal\nretaliation--for they never indulge in such, and the Word of God forbids\nit--but is altogether of a spiritual nature; hence the fierce judgment\nthey inflict is executing the Word of truth, which brings to light all\nthe wickedness and abominations contained therein. \"Death, and mourning,\nand famine\" only remain. This symbolizes that all spiritual life has\ndeparted, while famine and mourning are left. That such is the actual\nfact is shown by the following lamentation of the late Bishop R.S.\nFoster concerning his own sect, the Methodist Episcopal:\n\n\"The ball, the theatre, nude and lewd art, social luxuries, with all\ntheir loose moralities, are making inroads into the sacred enclosure of\nthe church; and as a satisfaction for all this worldliness, Christians\nare making a great deal of Lent and Easter and Good Friday, and church\nornamentations. It is the old trick of Satan. The Jewish church struck\non that rock; the Romish church was wrecked on the same; and the\nProtestant church is fast reaching the same doom.\n\n\"Our great dangers as we see them, are assimilation to the world,\nneglect of the poor, substitution of the form for the fact of godliness,\nabandonment of discipline, a hireling ministry, an impure gospel, which\nsummed up is a fashionable church. That Methodists should be liable to\nsuch an outcome, and that there should be signs of it in a hundred years\nfrom the 'sail-loft,' seems almost the miracle of history; but who that\nlooks about him to-day can fail to see the fact?\n\n\"Do not Methodists, in violation of God's Word and their own discipline,\ndress as extravagantly and as fashionably as any other class? Do not the\nladies, and even the wives and daughters of the ministry, put on 'gold\nand pearls and costly array'? Would not the plain dress insisted upon by\nJohn Wesley and Bishop Asbury, and worn by Hester Ann Rodgers, Lady\nHuntington, and many others equally distinguished, be now regarded in\nMethodist circles as fanaticism? Can any one going into the Methodist\nchurch in any of our chief cities distinguish the attire of the\ncommunicants from that of the theater and ball-goers? Is not worldliness\nseen in the music? Elaborately dressed and ornamented choirs, who in\nmany cases make no profession of religion and are often sneering\nskeptics, go through a cold artistic or operatic performance, which is\nas much in harmony with spiritual worship as an opera or theater. Under\nsuch worldly performances spirituality is frozen to death.\n\n\"Formerly every Methodist attended class and gave testimony of\nexperimental religion. Now the class-meeting is attended by very few,\nand in many churches abandoned. Seldom the stewards, trustees and elders\nof the church attend class. Formerly nearly every Methodist prayed,\ntestified or exhorted in prayer-meeting. Now but very few are heard.\nFormerly shouts and praises were heard; now such demostrations of holy\nenthusiasm and joy are regarded as fanaticism.\n\n\"Worldly socials, and fairs, festivals, concerts and such like have\ntaken the place of religious gatherings, revival meetings, class and\nprayer meetings of earlier days. How true that the Methodist discipline\nis a dead letter! Its rules forbid the wearing of gold or pearls or\ncostly array; yet no one ever thinks of disciplining its members for\nviolating them. They forbid the reading of such books and the taking of\nsuch diversions as do not minister to godliness, yet the church itself\ngoes to frolics and festivals and fairs, which destroy the spiritual\nlife of the young, as well as the old. The extent to which this is now\ncarried on is appalling. The _spiritual death it carries in its train_\nwill only be known when _the millions it has swept into hell_ shall\nstand before the judgment.\n\n\"The early Methodist ministers went forth to sacrifice and to suffer for\nChrist. They sought not places of ease and affluence, but of privation\nand suffering. They gloried not in their big salaries, fine parsonages,\nand refined congregations, but in the souls that had been won for Jesus.\nOh, _how changed!_ A hireling ministry will be a feeble, a timid, a\ntruckling, a timeserving ministry, without faith, endurance, and holy\npower. Methodism formerly dealt in the great central truth. Now the\npulpits deal largely in the generalities and in popular lectures. The\nglorious doctrine of entire sanctification is rarely heard and seldom\nwitnessed in the pulpits.\"\n\nThis lengthy quotation shows clearly the spiritual condition of\nMethodism, and certainly she is no worse than the rest. God is calling\nhis people out of \"all the places where they have been scattered in the\ncloudy and dark day.\" Ezek. 34:12. Those who refuse to walk in the light\nwill go into darkness. God help people to \"flee out of the midst of\nBabylon, and deliver every man his soul.\"\n\n    9. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication\n    and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for\n    her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,\n\n    10. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas,\n    alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour\n    is thy judgment come.\n\n    11. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over\n    her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:\n\n    12. The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones,\n    and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and\n    scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory,\n    and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and\n    iron, and marble,\n\n    13. And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense,\n    and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and\n    sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.\n\n    14. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from\n    thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed\n    from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.\n\n    15. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her,\n    shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and\n    wailing,\n\n    16. And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in\n    fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and\n    precious stones, and pearls!\n\n    17. For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every\n    shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as\n    many as trade by sea, stood afar off,\n\n    18. And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying,\n    What city is like unto this great city!\n\n    19. And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and\n    wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made\n    rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness!\n    for in one hour is she made desolate.\n\nIn this description we have a continuation of the judgments of Babylon\nalready introduced. It must be borne in mind, however, that this is the\nspiritual judgments following her moral fall, and not her final and\neverlasting literal destruction. The latter is described under another\nsymbol a little further on in this series of prophecy.\n\nThe symbol here is that of a great city, the grand metropolis of the\nworld, the mart of earth's commerce; a superb city, their [_sic_] being\nno end to its luxuries and magnificence. In it everything that can\nminister to the appetite, gratify the taste, and feed the pride of the\nhuman soul is to be found in profusion, being described at length. This\ngreat city is suddenly afire, and her merchants and the great men of the\nworld who sustain her are overwhelmed with sorrow at the sight of all\ntheir wealth disappearing. Thus is great sect Babylon represented. She\nis a mighty city extending not only over the Apocalyptic earth, but, as\nsymbolized by the ship-masters, sailors, and foreign traders, over the\nwhole world. Suddenly she is set on fire by heaven's truth and her\nspiritual magnificence destroyed. The apostle Paul describes the great\napostasy as a system that the \"Lord shall _consume_ with the spirit of\nhis mouth, and shall _destroy_ with the brightness of his coming.\" 2\nThes. 2:8. That spiritual consumption is now taking place in accordance\nwith the symbols of this chapter, but the entire literal destruction of\nold Babylon will take place coincident \"with the brightness of his\ncoming,\" as described in the following chapter.\n\nThat sectarians are greatly alarmed over the sad condition of their\nfallen churches is clearly shown by the many quotations already given\nfrom Protestant writers. They may not be aware that it is a judgment\nfrom heaven upon man-made organizations; but such we know it to be in\nthe light of eternal truth. Not only are they bewailing the loss of\nspiritual life and the desolating famine in sectdom, as was Bishop\nFoster and others, but they are beginning to tremble for their own\nsafety and to wonder what the final outcome of it all will be. Wherever\nthe gospel truth has been preached in all its purity, the sectarian\ndenominations have been left destitute of spiritual life; for the\nchildren of God have heard his call, \"Come out of her, my people,\" and\nhave made their escape to Zion. Hence the ministers of Babylon cry out\ncontinually, \"Stop! you are tearing our churches down,\" \"You are taking\nour best members away from us,\" etc. But we can not withhold the truth;\nfor the time has come when God is gathering his people together out of\nall the \"places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark\nday\" (Ezek. 34:12) into the one church that Jesus built. \"Babylon is\nfallen, is fallen.\"\n\n    20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and\n    prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.\n\nThis verse is so clear that it requires no special explanation. God's\npeople are delivered from sect Babylon; and while the judgments of\neternal truth are being poured out upon her, all heaven and earth is\ncalled upon to rejoice and to give glory to God.\n\n  \"We stand in the glory that Jesus has given,\n    The moon as the day-spring doth shine;\n  The light of the sun is now equal to seven,\n    So bright is the glory divine.\n\n  \"Now filled with the Spirit and clad in the armor\n    Of light and omnipotent truth,\n  We'll testify ever and Jesus we'll honor,\n    And stand from sin Babel aloof.\n\n  \"The prophet's keen vision transpiercing the ages,\n    Beheld us to Zion return;\n  We'll sing of our freedom, though Babylon rages,\n    We'll shout as her city doth burn.\"\n\n    21. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone,\n    and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that\n    great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at\n    all.\n\n    22. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and\n    trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no\n    craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in\n    thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all\n    in thee;\n\n    23. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in\n    thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be\n    heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great\n    men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations\n    deceived.\n\n    24. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints,\n    and of all that were slain upon the earth.\n\nFollowing the moral fall of Babylon and the call of God's people out of\nher, a mighty angel predicts her eternal doom. \"With violence shall that\ngreat city Babylon be thrown down, and _shall be found no more at all_.\"\nThis doubtless has reference to the entire city of Babylon in all her\ndivisions brought to view in this series of prophecy and shows her final\ndestruction at the coming of Christ, when she shall suddenly be thrown\nwith terrific force, like a great millstone descending into the sea, and\n\"shall be found no more at all.\" According to the symbols here given she\nwill be like a city completely destroyed, not one inhabitant or living\ncreature remaining. Thus her eternal doom is pictured and remains to be\nyet fulfilled.\n\n\"And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all\nthat were slain upon the earth.\" We have already shown that\nProtestantism, as well as her mother Romanism, has been guilty of\nshedding innocent blood; and as the term Babylon includes both these\ndivisions, when the great city is thrown down with violence, Romanism\nand Protestantism will sink together, and then this awful treasure--the\nblood of prophets and of saints--shall be brought to light in that last\ngreat day of God Almighty.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\n\n    And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in\n    heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and\n    power, unto the Lord our God:\n\n    2. For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged\n    the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her\n    fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her\n   hand.\n\n    3. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever\n    and ever.\n\n    4. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down\n    and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen;\n    Alleluia.\n\n    5. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God,\n    all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.\n\n    6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as\n    the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty\n    thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent\n    reigneth.\n\n    7. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the\n    marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself\n    ready.\n\n    8. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine\n    linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness\n    of saints.\n\n    9. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are\n    called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto\n    me, These are the true sayings of God.\n\n    10. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me,\n    See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren\n    that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony\n    of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.\n\nThe scene of this vision is laid in heaven. John heard a great voice of\nmuch people saying, \"Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and\npower, unto the Lord our God.\" This great song of praise doubtless came\nfrom the lips of the angelic throng; for immediately the four living\ncreatures and the four and twenty elders reechoed the same shout of\npraise, saying, \"Amen; Alleluia.\" Then came a voice from the throne\ncalling upon the servants of God, both small and great, to unite on this\noccasion in one grand and sacred song of praise; and this sublime chorus\nfell upon the ear of the enraptured apostle \"as it were the voice of a\ngreat multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of\nmighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent\nreigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him for the\nmarriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife [or bride] hath made herself\nready.\" Was not here a hearty response to that call, \"Rejoice over her\nthou heaven\"? While this scene shows the interest all heaven takes in\nthese wondrous scenes of earth, it is doubtless intended especially to\nrepresent the joy and thanksgiving of God's people who have \"gotten the\nvictory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over\nthe number of his name.\"\n\nThe marriage of the Lamb which was about to take place was a special\ntheme of joy on this occasion. In the Scripture the term _marriage_ is\nfrequently used to represent a special union between Christ and his\npeople. Thus, the early church was represented as being free because of\nthe death of the law, that they \"should be _married_ to another, even to\nhim who is raised from the dead.\" Rom. 7:4. So, also, the eternal union\nof Christ with his people is here described under the figure of\nmarriage. In one sense they have been married to Christ all through this\ndispensation; in another sense they have not. The church has had the\npromise of this eternal union, hence she has been betrothed to Christ;\nbut left in the world, she has been driven into the wilderness, while a\ncorrupt and drunken prostitute and her harlot daughters have been in the\npublic view. Now, however, the judgments of God have descended upon\nBabylon, and the bride of Christ appears in all her beauty again,\n\"arrayed in fine linen, clean and white\"; and the next great event is\nher public marriage to Christ when he comes to claim her as his own.\n\nThe marriage scene is one of the most joyful that we witness on earth,\nand among Eastern nations especially was celebrated with great pomp and\nmagnificence, the joy and splendor of the occasion being enhanced\naccording to the rank and wealth of the parties. But earth has never\nwitnessed such an event as this special _marriage of the Lamb_. Well may\nthe inhabitants of heaven and earth, in view of this sublime spectacle,\nswell the song of praise--\"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to\nhim: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made\nherself ready.\" The special preparations that the bride is making\nrepresents the glorious holiness reformation that is now sweeping over\nthe world, gathering God's people together for the splendid event.\n\"Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the\nLamb.\"\n\n\"These are the true sayings of God.\" They are almost too glorious to be\nbelieved; still, they are no idle dreams of fancy: they are true, yea\n\"the true sayings of God.\" In the contemplation of such a wonderful\nevent, the beloved apostle was carried away, as it were, with holy\nenthusiasm, and he fell at the feet of the angel to worship. We do not\nknow just what the motives or impressions were that caused him to do\nthis. But his soul was full, full to overflowing, and he could not but\nadore and worship. The angel, however, refused the homage thus offered,\nby the declaration that he himself, also, was the servant of Christ and\none of the brethren that had the testimony of Jesus; \"for the testimony\nof Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.\" The idea is: \"I am a fellowservant\nwith you, and we both have his testimony. You bear witness to him now in\nthis present generation; I bear witness to those who are to come. You\nwitness now of his death and resurrection; I tell of his future glory\nand triumphs. We are both, therefore, engaged in the same good work. The\ntestimony of Jesus and the spirit of prophecy are the same. To God,\ntherefore, we must both bow.\" See remarks on chap. 1:1.\n\n    11. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he\n    that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in\n    righteousness he doth judge and make war.\n\n    12. His eyes were as a flame _of_ fire, and on his head were\n    many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he\n    himself.\n\n    13. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his\n    name is called The Word of God.\n\n    14. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white\n    horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.\n\n    15. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he\n    should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of\n    iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath\n    of Almighty God.\n\n    16. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,\n    KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.\n\nThat the person described in this vision is Christ is questioned by no\none. He is the same one who appeared to John in the beginning. Then he\nstood in the midst of the seven golden candle-sticks, the sure defense\nof the churches, holding the seven stars in his right hand. Now,\nhowever, he appears from the opened heavens on a white horse, his\nmission \"to judge and make war.\" The description of his person, his\nnames, and his attributes, unmistakably proclaim him the Son of God. He\nis the \"faithful and true,\" the name by which he made himself known to\nthe churches of Philadelphia and Laodicea. \"His eyes as a flame of fire\"\ndenotes omniscience; and as a searcher of all hearts he made himself\nknown to the church of Thyatira. \"Many crowns\" are a symbol of supreme\nsovereignty and doubtless signify his many victories. \"And he had a name\nwritten which no man knew but he himself.\" He had names by which he\nmight be known to mortals; but he had one name that no created\nintelligence could understand: it was known only to him. What that name\nwas, of course, is not given; it could not be. If the human mind could\nnot conceive it, human language could not convey it. We can know him as\nthe Faithful and true Witness, as the Word of God, and as King of kings\nand Lord of lords; but there is one name that we can not know. His\n\"vesture dipped in blood\" refers, not to the blood of atonement, but to\nthe blood of his enemies sprinkled upon his raiment in treading the\nwinepress of God's wrath, and denotes that he was going forth to the\ndread work of vengeance. To this I shall refer more fully hereafter. His\nname is also called \"the Word of God,\" which, when used as a personal\nappellation in the Scriptures, always signifies Jesus Christ.\n\nBefore considering his mission further and the armies that accompanied\nhim, I wish to call special attention to the nature and the chronology\nof this event. If the present series of prophetic symbols (which begin\nwith chap. 17) is a narrative of continuous events reaching to the end,\nthen the vision before us is a description of the second coming of\nChrist, the event which was just previously announced and for which the\nbride had made herself ready. The usual interpretation given it is, that\nit is a sublime description of the servants of Christ going forth under\nhis direction to spread the truth everywhere among the nations--in\nshort, that it is the triumph of gospel truth over error under the\n_providential_ government of Christ. That such a meaning can be derived\nfrom the vision by taking it in a _figurative_ sense there can be no\ndoubt, and this is what commentators generally do. They make the whole a\nfigurative description of the triumph of the gospel, Christ being\npresent only by his superintending providence. It is made simply a\nhighly poetic description of the victory of truth and righteousness. In\nthis case, however, the principles of symbolic language are clearly\nabandoned and a mere ordinary figurative meaning given. If we follow\nstrictly the laws of symbolic language, as we manifestly ought, we shall\nbe compelled to take another view of it.\n\nIn the first place, if this does not describe the actual coming of\nChrist, then his second coming is nowhere described in the Revelation.\nThat so great an event should merely be alluded to in a few places and\nnowhere symbolically described seems incredible. At the judgment scene\nbrought to view in the following chapter the presence of Christ is\n_assumed_, but it is not stated. Again, there are no victories of love\nand mercy described at all in the vision before us; but, on the\ncontrary, it is a scene of fearful judgment--a terrible treading of \"the\nwinepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God,\" the complete\noverthrow of every opposing power; while the beast and the false prophet\nare represented as taken and cast alive into a lake of fire burning with\nbrimstone. Surely, this is not the work of the church of God. But let it\nbe remembered especially that this last event takes place under the\n_seventh_ plague, which is the \"filling up\" of the wrath of God, and\nthat Christ previously announced under the sixth vial, \"Behold, _I come_\nas a thief.\" Christ comes in reality when this seventh plague occurs. To\nrepresent the glorious triumphs of Christianity by the mission of the\nchurch, the gospel and the Holy Spirit, under the symbol of Christ,\ngoing forth to judge, to make war, and to tread the winepress of God's\nwrath, is at war with every principle of symbolic language.\n\nBut can this vision of Christ upon a white horse denote a mere\nprovidential superintendence, such as Christ constantly exercises over\nthe church and its spiritual affairs on earth? Certainly not by any\nprinciple of symbolic language. Throughout the whole prophecy thus far\nwe have seen that whenever any symbolic agent is brought upon the\npanorama, whether horseman, or beasts, or locusts, or harlot, or\nwhatever else, it always denotes some corresponding agents appearing on\nearth and beginning their appropriate work. The symbolic agent is real.\nBut here is a symbolic appearance of Christ. By what law could such a\nsymbolic appearance represent merely a providential superintendence? And\nif his appearance was necessary in this case, why was it not necessary\nin every event, to show that it was done under his direction? Again, if\nthis symbolic appearance of Christ is not his real appearance, how can\nwe tell that there is any reality in the appearance of the horsemen of\nthe first four seals, the ten-horned beast, or the harlot woman? What\nright have we to remove one agent from the panorama as an actual agent\nthere any more than another? And if this is not his real appearance,\nupon what principle of interpretation can we ever establish the fact of\nhis second coming? It is evident to all that, if we can turn this agent\ninto a mere providential one, we can do the same with another, and thus\nset aside his second coming altogether. Then, what shall we say in the\nnext chapter when some one steals our weapons and declares that the\ngreat white throne before which all the dead, small and great, stand is\nnothing but that providential government of God under which all sinners\npass condemnation upon themselves and their sins find them out? If we\ncan deal thus with symbols, we can do anything with them and can make\nout any meaning we please.\n\nThe laws of symbolic language require us to take the appearance of\nChrist in this vision just as we do the appearance of any other agent,\nas a real event. We can not consistently give it any other meaning. His\n_symbolic_ appearance must represent his _real_ appearance; otherwise,\nit can never be represented by anything. Jesus appears in his own name\nand person because there is no other that can represent his infinite\ndignity and majesty. And the symbols connected with him denote the\nobject of his mission and the work which he performs. His white horse\nshows him now a glorious conqueror; his crowns denote his supreme\ndominion; the sword of his mouth and his vesture dipped in blood denote\nthe dread work of vengeance upon his enemies; while the army following\nhim doubtless denotes the \"ten thousands of his saints\" that accompany\nhim when he comes. Jude 14. The bride has already prepared herself for\nhis coming, and now the eternal union takes place. \"Blessed are they\nwhich are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.\"\n\n    17. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a\n    loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of\n    heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of\n    the great God;\n\n    18. That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of\n    captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses;\n    and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both\n    free and bond, both small and great.\n\n    19. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their\n    armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on\n    the horse, and against his army.\n\n    20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that\n    wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that\n    had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his\n    image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning\n    with brimstone.\n\n    21. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat\n    upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all\n    the fowls were filled with their flesh.\n\nThe foregoing explanation so nearly covers this ground that little\nremains to be said. The symbol is that of vast slaughter on a\nbattle-field, which gathers all the birds of heaven and the beasts of\nthe forest to the prey. The enemies gathered for this battle were \"the\nbeast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,\" together with the\nfalse prophet. This is the grand confederacy of wickedness formed under\nthe mission of the three unclean spirits that went forth, not only unto\nthe kings of the earth, but also into the whole world. This is not a\nliteral collecting of armies, hence not a literal slaughter upon a\nbattlefield, nor a literal assembling of carrion birds; but it is a\nsymbolic representation of the final and eternal destruction of the\nallied powers of sin. As will be further described in the following\nchapter, they were gathered together for the purpose of overthrowing the\nchurch of God and anticipated a complete victory in the battle of\nArmageddon; but the sudden appearance of Jesus Christ to rescue his\nbride results in their complete overthrow. The special theme of this\nseries of prophecy has been the history of apostate Christendom; hence\nthe beast and the false prophet are represented as being taken and\nthrown into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. \"The remnant\" that\nwere slain refers to the other powers of wickedness not embraced in\nCatholicism and Protestantism This series being now traced to its close,\nthe narrative returns to take up another important theme of prophetic\ntruth.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\n\n    And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the\n    bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.\n\n    2. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is\n    the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.\n\n    3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and\n    set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more,\n    till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he\n    must be loosed a little season.\n\nIt is commonly supposed that the events here described are to occur at\nthe second advent; but by considering carefully the different things\nenumerated in this chapter--the binding of the dragon; then a thousand\nyears; after that the Armageddon battle; and last of all the judgment\nscene, in which all the dead, both small and great, are rewarded, and\nall the powers of wickedness cast into the lake of fire--it will be seen\nat once that this is not a continuation of the series of prophecy\nimmediately preceding, but an entirely new theme, running partly\nparallel with that series, and both ending at the same point--the second\ncoming of Christ and the general judgment, in which the lake of fire is\nthe final doom of the combined powers of wickedness. In that series the\nbeast and the false prophet--Romanism and Protestantism--were the chief\npowers of evil under consideration; in this series the dragon feature\npredominates. If this be not true, then there will be two judgment\nscenes and the wicked cast into the lake of fire twice. Positive proof\nof the position here taken will be given as we proceed.\n\nThe power here referred to as \"the Devil and Satan\" is also denominated\n\"the dragon.\" This use of the definite article shows clearly that a\nparticular character is designated--_the_ dragon--and implies that the\nobject has already been introduced. In his first appearance upon the\nsymbolic panorama (chap. 12:3) he is simply styled _a_ dragon, but in\nevery subsequent instance he is called _the_ dragon, which proves that\nthe same character is meant. In addition to the former remarks on\nchapter 12:9 relative to the terms applied to this antichristian power,\nthe following quotation from the People's Cyclop\u00e6dia will throw some\nlight on the subject: \"In the mythical history and legendary poetry of\nalmost every nation, the dragon appears as the emblem of the destructive\nand anarchistic principle.... Like the serpent, the dragon is always a\nminister of evil ... the object of which is to fight order, harmony, and\nprogress. In Christian art, the dragon is the emblem of sin.... It is\noften represented as crushed under the feet of saints and martyrs....\nSometimes its prostrate attitude signifies the triumph of Christianity\nover Paganism.\" Art. Dragon. Considering this usage of these terms for\nages, it is not strange that they were applied also to that great\nantichristian, persecuting system of Paganism, which stood before\nChristianity as its greatest barrier to \"order, harmony, and progress.\"\n\nThe angel that overthrew this public system of Pagan infidelity\nsymbolizes the primitive host of Christians, the ministers in\nparticular. Some have supposed that he represented Christ; but, as\nalready shown conclusively, Christ can not be symbolized by an inferior\nintelligence, hence always appears upon the scene in his own character,\nproclaiming his own eternal name. The fact that this angel possessed the\nkey of the bottomless pit is no proof that he is Christ, even though in\nchapter 1:18 Jesus is said to have certain keys; for in chapter 9:1 we\nfind that a _fallen star_--the symbol of Mohammed--is said to have \"the\nkey of the bottomless pit\" also. At the most, this expression is only a\nsymbol of power and authority, be it good or bad. In the gospel the same\nfigure is applied to God's ministers, where they are given authority to\nbind the powers of wickedness on earth. Mat. 16:19; 18:18. The chain is\na symbol of the power to bind.\n\nWhen Christianity first commenced its warfare with this huge system of\nerror, almost the entire then-known world was under its deceptive\ninfluence; but by a long conflict, in which thousands of the noble\nfollowers of the Lamb were slaughtered, this antichristian public system\nof Pagan infidelity was at last completely overthrown, and the final\nresult was, that the civilized world became as completely Christian\n(nominally at least) as it ever had been Pagan. This great\ntransformation could never have been effected without the undying\nheroism and whole-hearted consecration of the first disciples of Christ.\nFrom this time the dragon _as such_--as a public deceiver of the nations\nthroughout the Apocalyptic earth--was overthrown. This marks the\nbeginning of the thousand years mentioned.\n\nSince many of the principles of heathenism were copied by the church of\nRome, it may be difficult for some to understand at first why it is said\nthat the dragon no longer deceived the nations after being cast down by\nprimitive Christianity; but this becomes clear when we consider what the\ndragon really was and what the church of Rome was understood to be. A\ntime came when the entire civilized world knew that heathenism as such\nwas wrong and rejected the very idea of a plurality of gods; but they\nwere led to believe that they could adapt many of their former rites and\nceremonies to the worship of the one true God in whom they believed and\nthereby render acceptable service to him, and were sure that the Romish\nchurch was the one true apostolic church. It was not the dragon, or\nheathenism, that then deceived them; it was Christianity--_a false\nChristianity_. The manner in which the people were deceived during the\ntime following the casting down of heathenism in the beginning has\nalready been considered in chapters XII, XIII, XVII, XVIII, etc.,\ncovering the same period of time included in the one thousand years in\nthe vision before us.\n\nWe can not apply this period specified as literally one thousand years\nwithout varying from every principle of time prophecy in the Revelation,\nfor they are all symbolic; neither can we apply it according to the\nusual year-day method, which, signifying three hundred and sixty\nthousand years, would throw this series of events out of harmony with\nthe time-periods allotted to the other themes of truth running over the\nsame ground and terminating at the same point--the general judgment.\nTherefore, to be consistent, we shall have to apply it as (so far as\nhuman knowledge of the exact dates is concerned) an indefinite length of\ntime, on the same principle that \"the hour of temptation\" in chapter\n3:10, the three and one-half days in chapter 11:9, and the \"hour\" in\nwhich the ten kingdoms receive power with the beast (chap. 17:12), etc.,\nare applied.\n\n    4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was\n    given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded\n    for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had\n    not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had\n    received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and\n    they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.\n\n    5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand\n    years were finished. This is the first resurrection.\n\n    6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first\n    resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they\n    shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him\n    a thousand years.\n\nWe have in this description another division of the subject\nintroduced--a history of God's people, or one phase of the church,\nduring the same thousand years following the casting down of the dragon.\n\"They lived and reigned with Christ.\" It was those who had \"part in the\nfirst resurrection\" that were exalted to this honored position with\nChrist. Millenarians always _assume_ that this refers to a literal\nresurrection at the second coming of Christ, but no such thing is hinted\nat. Not one word is said about literally resurrected saints reigning.\nJohn says, \"I saw the _souls_ of them which were beheaded for the\nwitness of Jesus ... and _they_ lived and reigned with Christ a thousand\nyears.\" Nothing whatever is said about any reign on earth at all; but\nthe description shows plainly that it was disembodied spirits that were\nreigning with Christ in Paradise during the period that followed the\ncasting down of the dragon, which was in reality one of long apostasy\nand darkness on earth. Before and during this conflict with Paganism the\nchurch of God was publicly triumphant on earth. Afterward, during the\napostasy, a false church was, in the public view, triumphant, while the\nchurch of God was crowded out of sight into the wilderness. However, the\nreign of God's saints did not cease; for when they were slaughtered by\ntheir relentless persecutors and deprived of their reign on earth, they\nwere, as symbolized by the man-child, caught up to God and to his throne\nand there \"lived and reigned with Christ\" during the thousand years\nunder consideration.\n\nThis same thought concerning the reign of the martyrs in Paradise while\nthe powers of evil triumphed on earth, was brought to view on the\nopening of the fifth seal in chapter 6:9-11. \"And when he had opened the\nfifth seal, I saw under the altar the _souls of them that were slain_\nfor the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they\ncried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost\nthou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And\nwhite robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto\nthem, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their\nfellowservants also and their brethren, _that should be killed as they\nwere_ should be fulfilled.\" This quotation will make clear one point\nconcerning the refusal of the martyrs to worship the beast and his\nimage. We are not to understand that every soul of the martyrs John saw\nin these visions reigned during the entire period under consideration;\nbut he beheld the reign of the saints above during the one thousand\nyears, and he saw there the souls of all the martyrs--such as had been\nslain in the early days of Christianity (chap. 12:11); such as refused\nto worship the beast and were martyred therefor (chap. 13:7); and also,\nsuch as \"should be killed as they were\" (chap. 6:11) and were put to\ndeath shortly after the formation of the image of the beast. Chap.\n13:15; 16:6.\n\nThis company of souls that the apostle saw reigning with Christ above\nwere those who had had part \"in the first resurrection,\" which had made\nthem \"blessed and holy.\" They were not on earth; they were disembodied\nspirits above, hence had not been literally resurrected. The Scriptures\nclearly teach that mankind in their ordinary condition are \"_dead_ in\ntrespasses and in sins,\" and that through salvation, which makes them\n\"blessed and holy,\" they are \"quickened\" to a new life in Christ. Eph.\n2:1. That this is Scripturally \"the first resurrection\" is proved most\npositively by the words of Christ--\"Verily, verily, I say unto you, the\nhour is coming, _and now is_, when the _dead_ shall hear the voice of\nthe Son of God: and they that hear _shall live_. He that heareth my\nword, and believeth on him that sent me, _hath_ everlasting life, and\nshall not come into condemnation, but is _passed from death unto life_.\"\nJohn 5:25, 24. Although many other proofs could easily be given, this of\nitself is sufficient to establish the point that the host of early\nChristians who had \"passed from death unto life\" in Christ and who gave\ntheir lives gladly for the sake of Christ, constituted the ones referred\nto as having had \"part in the first resurrection.\" According to verse 6\nit was only on those who had part in the first resurrection that the\nsecond death had no power. The church at Smyrna received the sure\npromise from Christ himself that they should \"not be hurt of the second\ndeath\" (chap. 2:11); and this shows beyond all question that even at\nthat early date they had had part in this first resurrection that makes\nmen blessed and holy.\n\nIt is the trick of Beelzebub to deceive souls by causing them to\noverlook the fact that this first resurrection that made men blessed and\nholy is of a spiritual nature and to fix their hopes in two literal\nresurrections at the end. There will be but one literal resurrection\nthen, as is clearly shown by the account given of the judgment in this\nchapter, verses 11-15. The writer of the Revelation declared positively,\n\"Behold, he cometh with clouds: and _every eye_ shall see him, and they\nalso which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because\nof him.\" Chap. 1:7. If this does not prove that there is but one literal\nresurrection when Christ comes, then I would not know how to state such\na fact if I desired. Furthermore, Jesus himself, in the same chapter in\nwhich he described \"the first resurrection,\" says most positively that\nall the literal dead shall be resurrected at the same time. \"Marvel not\nat this,\" he says: \"the _hour_ is coming, in the which all that are in\nthe graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have\ndone good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil,\nunto the resurrection of damnation.\" John 5:28, 29. This _hour_\ncertainly can not signify more than a short period of time. In their\nefforts to prove two literal resurrections, millenarians always quote\nwith emphasis, \"The dead in Christ shall rise first.\" 1 Thes. 4:16. In\ndoing so they, either ignorantly or wilfully, wrest the Scriptures to\ntheir own destruction; for any one can see at a glance that no such\nthing as two resurrections is even hinted at. Verses 15-17 simply teach\nthis, that the righteous who are living on the earth at the time Christ\nappears will not ascend to heaven _before_ the righteous dead are\nresurrected, but the dead will rise first, then they will all be caught\nup together at one and the same time. The wicked are not mentioned in\nthis connection; for, as stated, Paul was writing this only for the\ncomfort and the edification of the church. In the following chapter,\nhowever, their \"sudden destruction\" at the second coming of Christ is\nmentioned as a warning to the church.\n\nIt is evident that the first resurrection as applied in this connection\nspecified particularly that phase of the church which, as symbolized by\nthe man-child, was caught up to God through martyrdom and there \"lived\nand reigned with Christ.\" The other phase of the church, symbolized by\nthe woman, is not said to reign with Christ a thousand years, but, on\nthe other hand, is represented as driven into the wilderness, her public\nreign on earth being ended by the holy city being trodden under foot of\na profane multitude of apostate beast-worshipers; and the two witnesses,\nclothed in sackcloth, were prophesying only in a few isolated,\nindividual hearts.\n\nA careful study of this scripture, taken in connection with others in\nthe Revelation applying to the same object, will show that all God's\npeople, both those here brought to view during the thousand years and\nthose following that period, are spoken of as dead people resurrected\nand reigning. They are considered under two phases--those who, as\nsymbolized by the man-child, were caught up to God through martyrdom and\nthere lived and reigned with Christ; and those who, as symbolized by the\nwoman, were deprived of their public reign on earth and were driven into\nthe wilderness during the same period. The first phase were \"priests of\nGod and of Christ\" and reigned with him in Paradise (chap. 6:9-11); but\n\"the rest,\" the phase symbolized by the woman, did not live and enjoy\ntheir public reign again, as in the early days of Christianity, until\nthe expiration of the thousand-year period. It is true that individuals\non earth received life from God and were thus spiritually resurrected\nduring the thousand-year period; but the dominant beast-power martyred\nthem by thousands, the two witnesses were then in their sack-cloth\nstate, and thus the public triumphal reign of the saints on earth\nceased. The statement of verse five that \"the rest of the dead lived not\nagain until the thousand years were finished\" should be applied not in\nan individual, but in a general sense, the same as the reign above\nduring the same period is considered. There is also some doubt as to the\nauthenticity of this sentence. It is not found in the Vatican\nManuscript, which is one of the oldest in existence; and the Syriac\nVersion, which has come down to us from early days through an entirely\nseparate channel, does not contain it. However, it is evident that the\nphase of the church symbolized by the woman actually reigns triumphantly\non earth after the thousand years is finished; for verses 7-9 of this\nchapter show that the dragon, combined with Gog and Magog, goes forth on\nthe breadth of the earth to compass the camp of the saints just before\nthe end of time.\n\nThe fact that the reign of God's people on earth is divided into two\ndistinct periods is shown also by other prophecies. In the seventh\nchapter of Daniel is recorded a vision of four great beasts, symbolizing\nthe Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires. Verse 18,\nconnected with Dan. 2:31-44, shows that the saints were to possess the\nkingdom of God before the overthrow of all these four kingdoms, which\nwas actually fulfilled by Jesus Christ appearing during the reign of the\nRoman empire and planting the kingdom of God in the earth. See Mark\n1:15; Luke 12:32; 16:16; Col. 1:13. Then follows a description of the\nrise of the Papacy, which was to \"_wear out the saints of the most\nHigh_\" for a time, times, and the dividing of times--three and one-half\ntimes, or forty-two months, or, prophetically, twelve hundred and sixty\nyears. This, as before explained, reaches to the year A.D. 1530. During\nthis period the public reign of the saints on earth ceased. Then\nimmediately following it is said, \"The judgment shall sit, and they\nshall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it _unto the\nend_.\" This does not refer to the final judgment; it is a spiritual\njudgment that commences before that time and continues \"_unto the end_.\"\nFor example of a similar _judgment_ see Acts 7:7.\n\nGod had a people during the Protestant era who walked in all the light\nthey possessed and who were filled with judgment against the beast-power\nthat had worn out the saints for ages. And though in places some were\nput to death for refusing to worship the image of the beast that\nlifeless professors had set up, yet there were from time to time\nreformations that resurrected many people to life in Christ. A little\nlater, however, the real spiritual reign of the saints is perfectly\nrestored in the pure gospel light of the evening time, and now the next\nverse is fulfilled, which says, \"And the kingdom and dominion, and the\ngreatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the\npeople of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting\nkingdom.\" It is only reasonable to suppose that the public reign on\nearth would commence gradually and would finally reach its perfect\nfulfilment, just the same as it ceased gradually in the beginning.\nTherefore we can not point to a definite date exactly marking the end of\nthe thousand years, any more than we can locate exactly the time of its\ncommencement; but we must be satisfied just to consider this symbolic\nexpression as covering a long period of time during which these\nimportant phases of deep truth are considered merely from a general\nstandpoint.\n\nThis special reign of a thousand years above is doubtless brought to our\nview for the express purpose of making the history of the triumph of\nChristianity continuous. When interrupted on earth, the scene is\nsuddenly transferred to Paradise; then when the woman comes out of the\nwilderness and the public reign on earth begins again, while the woman\nis being prepared as a bride for the coming of the Lamb, the scene, as\nthe following description in verse 9 also will show, is again\ntransferred to earth. The reign above does not in reality cease with the\nexpiration of the thousand years, but we are permitted to obtain a view\nof it only for that length of time during the down-trodden state of the\nchurch on earth. This reign of the martyrs' above is placed in direct\ncontrast with the public reign on earth during the same time, which\nconsisted of multitudes of people worshiping the beast, recieving his\nimage and his mark. What the \"thrones\" on which they sat and the\n\"judgment\" given them signifies, I do not know for certain, but it is\ndoubtless the same exalted privilege and authority which Christ promised\nto all his over-comers--to sit with him on his throne. Chap. 3:21.\n\n    7. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be\n    loosed out of his prison,\n\n    8. And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four\n    quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to\n    battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.\n\n    9. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed\n    the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire\n    came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.\n\n    10. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of\n    fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are,\n    and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.\n\nThe loosing of Satan, or the dragon, is the first important point to be\nconsidered. Before this matter can be rightly understood, however, we\nmust take into account carefully certain facts regarding his binding. It\nwas not the dragon as a political power that Christianity attacked (it\ndid not labor to that end), but it was its huge public system of false\nbelief that was overthrown. This great system, as opposed to\nChristianity, can all be summed up under the one word _infidelity_.\n_Infidel_ signifies \"a heathen; one who disbelieves in Christ, or the\ndivine origin and authority of Christianity.\"--Webster. This system was\npositively an antichristian power that sought by every possible means to\ndestroy the religion of Jesus and to blot out his very name. It failed\nin the attempt. It was bound. During the long reign of Popery, when the\ndoctrine was be-a-Catholic-or-die, infidelity could not publicly lift\nits head in the sense in which it was cast down by the early Christians.\nIt had no power over the nations of the Apocalyptic earth to then\ndeceive them; but they were greatly deceived by a false Christianity\nuntil almost all the world wondered after the beast. The release of the\ndragon, then, in order to be entirely satisfactory and consistent, must\nembrace the following points: First, it must at least include the\ndevelopment of a great public antichristian power whose avowed object is\nto destroy the whole fabric of Christianity. Second, being bound by\ndivine power, his release must be the result of divine permission for a\nspecial purpose. Third, the scene of his imprisonment must necessarily\nbe the place of his release; namely, the earth--the Apocalyptic\nearth--the territory of the Roman empire.\n\nWe find all these requirements meeting a most perfect fulfilment in the\nevents described under the pouring out of the first vial, which was done\nby the direction of Him that sat upon the throne. A sufficient history\nof that fearful system of infidelity which, through the labors of\nVoltaire and his coadjutors, spread throughout all Europe has already\nbeen given. The very object of the leaders of this movement was the\nextermination of the Christian religion, and their secret watchword was\n\"Crush the wretch,\" meaning Jesus Christ. The dragon was loose in all\nhis terrible features. The Pagans upheld a false belief; these modern\nworshipers of the dragon did likewise and publicly exalted the \"Goddess\nof Reason\" as an object of devotion, setting aside every tenth day for\ntheir hellish orgies in her honor. The former endeavored to overthrow\nthe Christian religion; the latter had for its special aim the utter\ndestruction of everything Christian either in name or in character. This\ndevilish system spread over all Europe and almost undermined the whole\nfabric of society, and threatened to convert the world from Christianity\nto the worship of the Goddess of Reason. Its foothold gained was so\nextensive and its effects so far-reaching that prominent historians,\nD'Aubigne among the number, have denominated the period of its greatest\ntriumph \"the day of Reason.\" It is one of the three and one-half days\ncovered by the prophecy in Rev. 11:9.\n\nI do not wish to be understood, however, as limiting the release of the\ndragon and his work to the system of infidelity that had its origin in\nFrance. I merely refer to that unfortunate system as the beginning of\nthe dragon's release and work--the re-introduction to the world of those\nprinciples of public hostility to Christianity which had lain buried\nsince the days of Pagan Rome. The dragon in the beginning was a\ndeceptive system, one that \"deceived the whole world\"; but its\ndeceptions were uncovered by the light of Christianity, and then it\nbecame the bitter public opposer of the religion of Christ. In the\nrelease of the dragon the order is reversed. He first appears as the\npublic enemy of Christianity in the form already mentioned, but\nafterwards changes his tactics to milder methods in order the better to\n\"deceive\" the people, as we shall see hereafter.\n\nBut there is another chapter in the history of the dragon's career that\nwe must not overlook--his partnership with Gog and Magog. The original\nsignification of the terms _Gog and Magog_ is difficult to ascertain, as\nall known accounts are conflicting. The terms occur in Ezek. 38 and 39\nalso. In the Revelation, however, it is clear that these terms are\napplied to Romanism and Protestantism, and under the special leadership\nof this spirit of antichrist they are gathered together to battle\nagainst the saints of the most High. I will again quote the description\nof this union as given under the sixth vial, which refers to the present\ntime: \"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth\nof the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth\nof the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working\nmiracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole\nworld, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God\nAlmighty.... And he gathered them into a place called in the Hebrew\ntongue Armageddon.\" Chap. 16:13-16. It will be noticed that the field of\noperations under this grand confederation of the three unclean spirits\nis enlarged so that it includes not merely the Apocalyptic earth, but\n\"the whole world.\"\n\nIn order to form a confederation of powers each of which holds its own\ndistinctive principles, it is necessary that each make certain\nconcessions, in outward appearance at least, so that they can work\ntogether in harmony against a common foe. In this case it will be\nnecessary that three points be conceded before the dragon, the beast,\nand the false prophet can agree. First, the dragon must not appear in\nhis true character as antichristian; he must be clothed in some\ndifferent attire in order to \"deceive.\" Second, Catholicism must stop\nher work of slaying those who disagree with her and cover up her true\nprinciples. Third, Protestantism must cease protesting against the\nabominations of Catholicism. We are living in the time when this\nconfederation of the powers of wickedness is being effected; therefore\nwe must not expect to see the dragon as a terrible creature with heads\nand horns standing as the open adversary of God, but we must look for\nhim dressed up in a garb \"to deceive.\" If necessary he can place himself\nunder a Christian garb without violating his conscience--of which he has\nnone.\n\nIt will perhaps be beneficial to give the reader a short account of some\nof the forms under which the dragon is manifesting himself at the\npresent time in order to \"deceive\" the people. It will be remembered\nthat, in the description of the first vial, which represented the awful\nsystem of infidelity that was spread over Europe, Dr. Adam Weishaupt of\nthe University of Ingolstadt, formed a secret society under the name of\nthe Illuminati in order the better to spread these wicked principles. A\nquotation was also made showing that \"_Freemasonry_ being in high repute\nall over Europe when Weishaupt first formed the plan of his society, he\navailed himself of its secrecy to introduce his new order, which rapidly\nspread, by the efforts of its founders and disciples, through all those\ncountries.\" Now, if Freemasonry was such an excellent channel for the\ndragon to begin his work through, is it not reasonable to suppose that\nhe would still retain his position in that order, and especially since\n_the very name of Christ_ is barred from its rites, rules, and\nceremonies? And this thought is especially convincing when we consider\nthe fact that Freemasonry is in its very nature and constitution only a\nform of Paganism. This vast body is founded on what they call the\n\"ancient mysteries.\" The following is taken from Masonic Salvation by\nFred Husted:\n\n\"Warburton says: 'Each of the Pagan gods had (beside the public and\nopen) a secret worship paid unto him, to which none were admitted but\nthose who had been selected by preparatory ceremonies called initiation.\nThis secret worship was called \"the mysteries.\"'\n\n\"Mackey, another member of this order, says: 'These mysteries existed in\nevery country of heathendom, in each under a different name, and to some\nextent under a different form, but always and everywhere with the same\ndesign of inculcating (teaching) by allegorical and symbolical teachings\nthe great Masonic doctrines of the unity of God and the immortality of\nthe soul. This one important proposition and the fact which it\nenumerates (states) must never be lost sight of, in any inquiry into the\norigin of Freemasonry; for the Pagan mysteries were to the spurious\nFreemasonry of antiquity precisely what the Masters' lodges are to the\nFreemasonry of the present day.'\n\n\"This is certainly a frank statement, coming as it does from a man who\nis an acknowledged and highly esteemed authority in matters pertaining\nto the craft. Daniel Sickles says, 'In Egypt, Greece, and many other\nancient nations Freemasonry, that is, the Mysteries, was one of the\nearliest agencies employed to effect the improvement and enlightenment\nof man.' Pierson says, 'The identity of the Masonic institutions with\nthe ancient Mysteries is obvious,' which means clearly to be seen,\nmanifest to any and all.\n\n\"Masons say that the order is founded on the Bible--that is, unlearned\nMasons say so. Geo. Wingate Chase, in the Digest of Masonic Law, says:\n'The Jews, the Turks, each reject either the New Testament or the Old or\nboth, and yet we see no good reasons why they should not be made Masons.\nIn fact, Blue Lodge [first three degrees] Masonry has nothing whatever\nto do with the Bible. It is not founded on the Bible. If it were, it\nwould not be Masonry; it would be something else.'\n\n\"Sickles says in speaking of the third, or Master Mason's degree, 'There\nare characters impressed upon it which can not be mistaken. _It is\nthoroughly Egyptian_.' He further says that the tradition is older by a\nthousand years than Solomon. 'That our [Masonic] rites embrace all the\npossible circumstances of man, moral, social, and spiritual, and have a\nmeaning high as the heavens, broad as the universe, and profound as\neternity.' Sickles in Gen. Chiman Rezon.\n\n\"The writer was informed when the charges were given him 'that our\nancient brethren worshiped in high hills and in low vales, and that\nguards were placed to keep off cowans or eves-droppers.' By referring to\nScripture we at once find the character of those who worshiped in high\nhills and low vales, and why they needed a guard to keep off\neves-droppers. 'Thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high\nhill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.'\nJer. 2:20; 3:6. 'Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the\nnations which ye shall possess served other gods, upon the high\nmountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree.' Deut. 12:2.\n'Enflaming themselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the\nchildren in the vales under the clifts of the rocks.... Even thither\nwentest thou up to offer sacrifice.' Isa. 57:5-7. They were not afraid\nof Ahab and Jezebel (2 Kings 7:10; 1 Kings 14:23), and they grew and\nmultiplied in their reigns, and in the reigns of all those of whom it is\nrecorded that 'they did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.'\nSome of the kings of Israel and of Judah destroyed their high places for\nthem and were highly favored of God for so doing.\n\n\"Again, 'The precepts of Jesus could not have been made obligatory upon\na Jew. A Christian would have denied the sanction of the Koran. A\nMohammedan must have rejected the law of Moses, and a disciple of\nZoroaster would have turned from all, to the teaching of his\nZend-Avesta. The universal law of nature, which the authors of the old\ncharges have properly called the moral, is therefore the _only law_\nsuited in every respect to be adopted as the Masonic code.' Mackeys'\nTextbook, Masonic Jurisprudence. If the statements just quoted do not\nplace the secret society of Masonry on a footing decidedly Pagan, it is\ndifficult to say just where it does stand....\n\n\"Tammuz, or Osiris of Egypt, who is declared to be the original of Hiram\nAbiff the temple-builder, is still mourned for. Ezek. 8:14. See Young's\nAnalytical Concordance or any standard Greek Mythology. Now see\nPiersons' Traditions of Freemasonry. 'The Masonic legend stands by\nitself, unsupported by history, or other than its own traditions. Yet we\nreadily recognize in Hiram Abiff the Osiris of the Egyptians, the\nMithras of the Persians, the Bacchus of the Greeks [god of drunkenness,\nor feasts and the like], the Dionysis of the fraternity of artificers,\nand the Atys of the Phrygians, whose passions, deaths, and resurrections\nwere celebrated by these people respectively.' Thus it is clearly shown\nthat each of these ancient nations had its counterfeit Savior and\nRedeemer, and it is here proved by the words of Masonic Grand Masters,\nauthors, and authorities, that Masonry is of Pagan origin.\"\n\nWhen we think of the millions of devotees of this form of Paganism,\nmultitudes of church-members and preachers, surely it is not difficult\nto see that the dragon is loose in deceiving power again. That he is\nmeeting with great success in forming his confederation of all false\nreligions, is obvious. The world's Parliament of Religions, held in\nChicago in the year 1893, is an illustration of this statement. The\ndragon, the beast, and the false prophet met in \"mutual confidence and\nrespect,\" a \"brotherhood\" of religions. Theism, Judaism, Mohammedanism,\nHinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Zoroastrianism,\nCatholicism, the Greek Church, and Protestantism in many forms--all\nthese were represented. And the devotees of these religions met, as they\nsaid, \"To unite all religion against all irreligion; to make the golden\nrule the basis of this union; and to present to the world _substantial\nunity of many religions_.\" The following are a few extracts from\naddresses made before the Parliament.\n\nPresident Charles Carroll Bonney, in the opening address, said:\n\"Worshipers of God and lovers of man: Let us rejoice that we have lived\nto see this glorious day.... That we are permitted to take part in this\nsolemn and majestic event of a World's Congress of Religions. The\nimportance of this event can not be overestimated. Its influence on the\nfuture relations of the various races of men, can not be too highly\nesteemed. If this Congress shall faithfully execute its duties with\nwhich it has been charged, it shall become the joy of the whole earth,\nand stand in human history like a _new Mount Zion_, crowned with glory,\nand marking the actual beginning of a _new epoch of brotherhood_ and\npeace. _For when the religious faiths of the world recognize each other\nas brothers, children of one Father_, whom all profess to love and\nserve, then, and not until then, will the nations of the earth yield to\nthe spirit of concord and learn war no more.... We meet on the mountain\nheight of absolute respect for the religious convictions of each\nother.... This day the sun of a new era of religious peace and progress\narises over the world, dispelling the dark clouds of sectarian strife.\n_It is the brotherhood of religions._\"\n\nChairman John Henry Barrows, in his address, said: \"We are here not as\nBaptists and Buddhists, Catholics and Confucians, Parsees and\nPresbyterians, Methodists and Moslems; we are here as members of a\nParliament of Religions, over which flies no sectarian flag, ... but\nwhere for the first time in large council is lifted up the banner of\nlove, fellowship, brotherhood.... Welcome, one and all, thrice welcome\nto the world's first Parliament of Religions! Welcome to the men and\nwomen of Israel, the standing miracle of nations and religions! Welcome\nto the disciples of Prince Siddartha, the many millions who worship\ntheir lord Buddha as the light of Asia! Welcome to the high-priests of\nthe national religion of Japan! This city has every reason to be\ngrateful to the enlightened ruler of 'the sunrise kingdom.' Welcome to\nthe men of India, and all faiths! Welcome to all the disciples of\nChrist! ... It seems to me that the spirits of just and good men hover\nover this assembly. I believe the spirit of Paul is here. I believe the\nspirit of the wise and humane Buddha is here, and of Socrates the\nsearcher after truth.... When a few days ago I met for the first time\nthe delegates who have come to us from Japan, and shortly after the\ndelegates who have come to us from India, I felt that the arms of human\nbrotherhood had reached almost around the globe.\" World's Parliament of\nReligions, Chap. III. Similar congresses have since been held. While I\nnever expect to see all these principles of evil under one organized\nform, yet it is evident that the spirits of devils that have gone forth\ninto \"all the world\" are uniting them all under one _spirit_--that of\nAntichrist.\n\nAnother form in which the old dragon is manifesting himself and uniting\nthousands of people against the truth, and one in which the \"miracles\"\nascribed to this latest confederation of Satan are performed, is that of\n\"Christian Science.\" Attracted by its healing doctrine, multitudes are\nlured into this deceptive communion of Mrs. Eddy's. At the very best her\nsystem is, as every historian knows, only a slight revision of the\nOriental Philosophy; and notwithstanding its forged name _Christian_, it\nis truly subversive of the doctrine of Christ. Her grand central\ndoctrine of the \"allness\" of mind and the unreality of matter is a true\ncopy of the \"fantastic idealism\" of the Gnostics. Gnosticism was based\non \"speculative knowledge.\" So is Mrs. Eddy's theory. Gnosticism denied\nthe \"_true humanity_ of the Redeemer, and made his person a mere\nphantom, and his work a mere illusion.\" So does Christian Science.\nAlthough Mrs. Eddy clamours loudly that her work is _Christian_ and her\nmultitude of followers believe her claim, still a careful study of her\nwork Science and Health will convince any unprejudiced person that she\nutterly repudiates the atonement-work of Jesus Christ by denying his\nperson and the reality of sin and matter. Though the system may contain\nsome good moral principles, yet it has no power to save men from sin,\nsince it denies the existence of actual sin. Her denial of the one\npersonal God--\"all is infinite mind, and its infinite manifestations,\"--\nis but a swing of the pendulum from the godless and graceless system of\nthe materialistic philosophy propounded by Darwin and Haeckel and is as\nabsurd and unscriptural (although opposite) as the rankest Pantheism.\n\nThe salvation of the soul through faith in Jesus Christ has absolutely\nno place in the Christian Science creed. It is nothing but a species of\nuniversalism. Individuals of every evil class and character--\nself-lovers, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to\nparents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers,\nfalse accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,\ntraitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God,\nprofane, murderers of fathers and mothers, man-slayers, whoremongers,\nliars, drunkards, sorcerers, perjured persons, backbiters, haters of\nGod, despiteful, inventors of evil things, implacable, unmerciful,\nabominable, and those unto every good work reprobate--any and all of\nthese characters can and do come to the healers of Christian Science,\nand _not one word is said to them about getting salvation_ through\nrepentance and living faith in the Savior; but, on the other hand, they\nare received as follows: \"As _children of God_ you have a right to the\nhealing of your bodies\"! The dragon is in it! I warn people to beware.\n\"They are the spirits of devils, working miracles,\" and form an\nimportant proof that we are near the end of time.\n\nAnother form in which the dragon is manifesting his power on the\ndeceptive and miracle-working line is modern Spiritualism. Multitudes of\npeople of all classes are believers in this soul-destroying doctrine.\nThe system is generally acknowledged to be but a modern form of what was\nanciently styled witchcraft, necromancy, magic, etc., while the mediums\nof to-day are of the same class as those formerly known as \"witches,\"\n\"sorcerers,\" \"magicians.\" This they themselves often admit. The system\nis so well known both in doctrine and in its pernicious effects that I\nwill not devote further space to the matter.[15] In many other forms the\ndragon is working his deceptions upon the people.\n\n[Footnote 15: For further consideration of this subject read the book\n\"Modern Spiritualism Exposed,\" by the publishers of this work.]\n\nMillions of church-members and thousands of preachers are numbered among\nthese antichristian organizations of Freemasonry, Christian Science,\nSpiritualism, etc., etc., gathered together under the influence of the\nspirits of devils working miracles, mighty signs, and wonders. On the\nother hand, the churches are filled with persons who in spirit are\nnothing but skeptics and infidels. Said T. De Witt Talmage on one\noccasion, \"There is a mighty host in the Christian church, positively\nprofessing Christianity, who _do not believe the Bible_, out and out, in\nand in, from the first word of the first verse of the first chapter of\nthe Book of Genesis, down to the last word of the last verse of the last\nchapter of the Book of Revelation.\" Is it any wonder that such is the\ncase when a large number of the preachers themselves are in reality\nskeptics? A newspaper clipping before me contains the following, uttered\non March 28, 1905, by the Rev. B.A. Green, pastor of the First Baptist\nChurch, of Evanstown, Ill., before about a hundred of his fellow\nministers: \"All the truth in the world is not contained in one book, nor\nin books of theology, God was too big for one temple and he is also too\nbig for one book. God is everywhere. His truth is found in all good\nbooks. The pastor of to-day should read the modern psychology and modern\nliterature, _especially the works of fiction_ which deal with religious\nor social phases of modern life.\" A large portion of the sectarian\nministry reject entirely the Mosaic account of the creation, and accept\ninstead the modern theory of evolution.\n\nThe following quotation is from the Rev. Minton J. Savage, pastor of the\nChurch of the Messiah, New York, N.Y., who is an acknowledged leader in\nthe \"higher criticism.\" This was in answer to an attack made on the\nhigher critics by a convention of the American Bible League. \"The men\nwho are leading in the higher criticism of the Bible and who are now\nbeing assailed so bitterly by the American Bible League, are\nrepresentative scholars of the world, scientific thinkers, leaders,\nteachers, who have given us a new universe, a new conception of God, a\nnew idea concerning the origin and nature of man. They are not seeking\nto support or to undermine anything. They are seeking for the truth as\nthe only sacred thing on earth.\n\n\"I would like to consider what this book is about over which all this\ncontroversy is raging. It is really not one book, but sixty-six small\nvolumes. They were written during a period of nearly a thousand years,\nin different countries, by different people. The first book was written\nabout eight hundred years before Christ. The first five books of the\nBible were written between five and six hundred years before Christ. The\nhistorical books tell us about the day of Judges, then of Kings, the\nwars of Israel, until the time of captivity. Then the book of Job,\npurely anonymous, and no one knows who wrote it. Then the book of the\nPsalms, the hymn-book of the people of Israel, and the books of the\nprophets. It would be more proper to call them preachers, for they make\nno effort to foretell anything, but merely told the people that if they\nfollowed certain lines of conduct certain things would happen.\n\n\"No book was placed in the Bible by anything that claimed to be divine\nauthority. No law concerning the Biblical canon was ever issued by the\nchurch earlier than the sixteenth century and that changed nothing; it\nsimply recognized what had come to be a fact. These books drifted\ntogether and came to be bound as one, by force of gravity, by common\nconsent, and there are one or two books in the New Testament which\nscholars could miss without feeling any the poorer.\n\n\"Nobody, then, is assaulting the Bible, for the simple reason that the\nBible as such has never made any claim. The Bible does not claim to be\ninspired; it does not claim to be infallible. No writer of one book is\nauthorized to speak for the author of any other book. One verse is\nsometimes referred to as meaning something. The writer of the last book\nin the Bible utters a curse against anybody who should presume to add to\nor take from the words of that book. He does not say that the book is\ninfallible; he simple curses anybody that interferes with it, as\nShakespeare uttered a curse against anybody who interfered with his\nbones. I suppose that God might have given us an infallible book, if he\nhad chosen, and if he had given us such a book he would have made us\nsure that it was infallible.\"\n\n\"If I were compelled to believe that God holds me responsible for Adam's\nsin and that the immense majority of the world is doomed to everlasting\ntorment, and that only a selected few here and there are to enter\neternal felicity, I might bow my head and accept it, but I could not\nrejoice in it. It is barbarous. Men who try to make us accept such\ndogmas are the real infidels of the world, and it is infidelity which\nthey are creating--infidelity a hundred times worse than that which they\ncall by the name. If you would blot out every Bible in the world to-day\nyou would not even endanger its life, nor would you destroy religion.\"\nFrom _The Toledo News-Bee_, May 14, 1904.\n\nAll these allied powers of wickedness in conflict with the few of God's\nsaints who serve him acceptably, constitute the battle of\nArmageddon--that battle of the last great day. It is not a literal\ncollecting of armies nor a literal conflict, but a fierce battle between\ntruth and error. The outward indications are that the enemies of God\nwill triumph; but let us remember that it is destined to \"end in the\nvictory of Him unto whom triumph belongs.\" Fire will come down from God\nout of heaven and devour them. This symbol is doubtless taken from the\ncircumstance of Elijah where he commanded fire to come down and destroy\nhis enemies; and it will be as with such an overthrow that the powers of\nwickedness shall meet their doom in that last great day of God Almighty.\n\n    11. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from\n    whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was\n    found no place for them.\n\n    12. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and\n    the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the\n    book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which\n    were written in the books, according to their works.\n\n    13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and\n    hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were\n    judged every man according to their works.\n\n    14. And death and hell were cast, into the lake of fire. This is\n    the second death.\n\n    15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was\n    cast into the lake of fire.\n\nThis series of events, as far as it pertains to the doom of evil men,\nends properly with verse 10, where the combined powers of wickedness are\nrepresented as being cast into the lake of fire. This last event,\nhowever, is in the present scene more fully described. It is fitting\nthat the judgment scene should be more fully described; for with this\nchapter we have the last special history of the powers of evil given.\nMany times we have been led up to the time of the final overthrow of all\nthe powers of wickedness, but the manner in which that great event\noccurs has not been perfectly detailed.\n\nHere we have another illustration of that principle of symbolic language\nlaid down in the beginning--that objects and events whose nature forbids\ntheir symbolization appear under their own names or titles and their\ndescription must of necessity be literal. The appearance of the great\nGod must be considered an actual event; for, as clearly shown, he can\nnot be symbolized, neither can he appear as the symbol of some other\nobject, from the fact that there is no other object of analagous nature\nof which he could stand as the representative. The resurrection of\nitself is an event of such a peculiar nature as to forbid its\nsymbolization. What is there analagous to it which could here be\nemployed? There are, perhaps, analagous changes in the vegetable and\nanimal kingdoms; but symbols drawn from that quarter would indicate some\npolitical change instead. Paul may, indeed, speak of the decay and the\ngrowth of seeds to _illustrate_ the resurrection; but the decay of a\nseed does not _symbolize_ the death of a saint, neither does its\ngermination _symbolize_ his resurrection. Nor is there any change that\ncan do it. There is the same necessity of speaking of the resurrection\nin its literal meaning as there was of representing the spirits of the\nmartyrs under their own appropriate titles.\n\nThe earth and the heaven fleeing away from before God's presence so that\nno place is found for them, must be understood as describing the literal\ndissolution of this world when Christ comes; for it is clear from the\nScriptures that such an event will occur at that time. Peter says that\n\"the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which\n_the heavens shall pass away_ with a great noise, and the elements shall\nmelt with fervent heat, _the earth also_ and the works that are therein\n_shall be burned up_.\" 2 Pet. 3:10. Nothing can be found to symbolize\nperfectly such a mighty event; hence it appears as a literal description\nof the final catastrophe of this old world.\n\nIt is evident that there are symbols connected with this appearance of\nGod, as truly as there were symbols connected with Christ in his\nappearance in chap. 19. The _throne_ is a symbol of judgment and of\nsupreme sovereignty, its dazzling whiteness indicating the impartiality\nand justice of the proceedings. The _books_, likewise, are symbols. We\nare not to suppose that there are literal books in heaven, in which\nChrist or some angelic secretary notes down all the affairs of earth.\nThe language and the symbols of Scripture are accommodated to the human\nunderstanding, hence books are used as a symbol to denote that the\ncharacter and the actions of men are all as perfectly known and\nremembered as if they had been recorded in the archives of heaven. The\n_book of life_, in which the names of the faithful are often said to be\ninscribed, denotes that God knows all his chosen people. In the\nfollowing chapter it is called the Lamb's book of life.\n\nThis scene, then, as a whole, is a sublime description of the\nresurrection and the final judgment of all men and the dissolution of\nthe earth on which we now live. That the righteous will be judged at\nthis time is shown by the fact that the book of life, in which the names\nof the righteous only are recorded (Chap. 21:27; Exod. 32:33), will also\nbe opened; and verse fifteen implies that the names of some during this\njudgment scene were found recorded in that book. The wicked receive\ntheir eternal portion by being cast into the lake of fire; while the\nreward of the righteous is described in the remaining part of this\nseries, contained in the two following chapters.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\n\n    And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and\n    the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.\n\n    2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from\n    God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.\n\n    3. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the\n    tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and\n    they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them,\n    and be their God.\n\n    4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there\n    shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither\n    shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed\n    away.\n\nThe events of this chapter are a continuation of the series of prophecy\nconsidered in the preceding one, only describing an entirely different\nphase--the final reward and eternal home of God's people. We have traced\nmany series of prophecies through the long weary pathway of centuries,\nonly to find the termination of the powers of wickedness in the lake of\nfire at the end of time or their overthrow otherwise set forth under\nappropriate symbols; but in no instance has the final reward of God's\npeople after the judgment been fully described. That glorious event of\nthe future was referred to in chap. 7 as the final in-gathering of the\nredeemed \"of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.\" The\ndescription however, was incomplete. Since the eternal abode of the\nwicked is referred to often, the subject would seem incomplete without a\ndescription of the final glories and triumphs of the redeemed in their\nfuture and eternal home. Though their earthly pilgrimage is fraught with\nsorrow, death, pain, wretchedness, and misery, by the hands of their\nviolent oppressors, yet they shall witness the complete overthrow of all\ntheir enemies in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, and they\nthemselves shall be rewarded eternally; for \"God shall wipe away all\ntears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,\nneither crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former\nthings are passed away.\" It is fitting that such a sublime theme should\nbe reserved as the grand climax of the book of Revelation.\n\nWith the dissolution of the earth on which we live, which event has just\nbeen described, it is evident that the many lines of prophecy leading up\nto that great event are no longer under special consideration, but that\na new theme subsequent to the judgment scene is introduced with the\nwords of the Revelator immediately following--\"I saw _a new heaven and a\nnew earth:_ for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away;\nand there was no more sea.\" The heaven, earth, and sea that passed away\ncertainly refers to the earth that now is and to the aerial heaven\nsurrounding it; therefore the new heaven and the new earth brought to\nview must signify the future and eternal home that Jesus went to\nprepare. We could not consistently make the one literal and the other\nsymbolical. This accords perfectly with the teaching of the apostle\nPeter where he says: \"The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the\nnight; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and\nthe elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works\nthat are therein shall be burned up.... Nevertheless we, according to\nhis promise, look for _new heavens and a new earth_, wherein dwelleth\nrighteousness.\" 2 Pet. 3:10-13.\n\nThe holy city of God, the New Jerusalem, is next introduced. Since this\nmeets its fulfilment in the new order of things subsequent to the\njudgment scene, it must have special reference to the future abode of\nthe saints in the new earth. Many of the symbols here describing the New\nJerusalem, and even New Jerusalem itself, are often used to set forth\nthe church of God in the New Testament dispensation. The church on earth\nand the church of God in heaven are in one important sense the same\nthing, as they constitute but one family (Eph. 3:15); yet in another\nsense there is a difference, and the proper distinction must be observed\neven when the same symbols or titles are used to describe or designate\nboth phases. A similar two-foldness is seen in many lines of truth. In\nHeb. 12:22, 23, we are represented as dwelling in the city of God in\nthis dispensation; yet verse 27 of this chapter and the fourteenth of\nthe following chapter plainly show our entrance into the city at the\nend. The Scriptures represent God as dwelling on earth in his church,\nwhich, of course, is considered in a spiritual sense; but his actual\nthrone and place of abode is in heaven. A new creation brought about by\nChrist in his first advent is set forth by various texts; still, it\nremains a fact that a new creation will actually be brought to view\nafter the present world is no more and that the same will be our eternal\nhome. We obtain spiritual life through Christ now, hence have right to\nthe tree of life; yet in another sense our access to the tree of life is\nat the end and we then enter in through the gates into the city. Chap.\n22:14. Hence it is proper to speak of the city of God as both present\nand future, by observing the proper distinction, just as the Scriptures\nspeak of the church in a twofold sense as being both on earth and in\nheaven, or of the spiritual kingdom in the present and the eternal\nkingdom in the end. It is Scriptural to speak of God's throne as being\non earth in the midst of his saints in a spiritual sense and also of its\nbeing located in heaven. The tree of life is a present realization\nspiritually and also a future reality. We dwell in the city of God\nnow--in the suburbs, as it were--but we shall \"have a right\" to it in\nthe future state when we are ushered into the very heart of the great\nmetropolis and stand before the actual throne of the Deity, in the\npresence of his August Majesty.\n\nIn the New Testament dispensation the heavenly elements of the New\nJerusalem have descended to earth in the form of the new covenant, and\nGod's people obtain a foretaste of heaven's glory and are made pure even\nas Christ is pure, and are therefore represented as having \"come unto\nMount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem\"\n(Heb. 12:22, 23); and God dwells with them in a very important sense. 2\nCor. 6:16. They are one with the redeemed above, and together they\nconstitute one \"family in heaven and earth,\" all loving the same Father,\nadoring the same King, drinking from the same fountain of life eternal,\nand all basking in the same divine light that beams from the throne of\nGod. In another sense, however, there is a difference between them; for\nthey are separated by the line of mortality, one phase being located on\nearth and the other in heaven. But when at the last day the redeemed of\nearth have access to the tree of life in its perfect sense, there will\nbe henceforth only one phase to the New Jerusalem, or church of God,\nwhich will be in its relation to the new earth, as specially described\nin the prophecy under consideration, when \"_all things_\" are made new\nand \"the former things are passed away.\"\n\n    5. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all\n    things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true\n    and faithful.\n\n    6. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the\n    beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of\n    the fountain of the water of life freely.\n\n    7. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be\n    his God, and he shall be my son.\n\n    8. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and\n    murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and\n    all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with\n    fire and brimstone: which is the second death.\n\nThe declarations contained in these verses proceed from God himself and\nannounce the fact that he hath now fulfilled all that he designed. His\npromises to his faithful children are brought to pass, as well as his\nthreatening to his foes. All things are made new and the former things\nare passed away. Not only has the strife, the commotion, and the sin in\nthe old order of things passed away, but the new creation, wherein\ndwelleth righteousness, has been introduced, the grand long-looked-for\nera of eternal blessedness to the saints. Oh, halleluiah! \"And he said\nunto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.\"\n\n\"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning\nand the end.\" When the seventh angel of chap. 16:17 poured out his vial,\nthe voice of God from the throne said, \"It is done,\" signifying that the\nlast judgments were complete. Here again the same voice is heard as\nbefore, referring to the same thing--the accomplishment of God's great\npurposes. The enemies of the church have been overthrown, her long\nperiod of warfare has ended, and the eternal day of Zion's glory has\ncome. Then follow his blessed promises held out to the faithful, and\nalso the reward to the wicked. These are to be understood as referring\nto these classes, not at the day of judgment, but when the Revelation\nwas given to John and therefore to us. \"I will give unto him that is\nathirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh\nshall inherit all things [in the margin, _these things_]: and I will be\nhis God, and he shall be my son.\" \"This is the reward in reserve for\nthose who endure through this period of trial and overcome at last. They\nshall drink of living waters, which will be sweet and refreshing indeed\nto those who have toiled through this fight; and they shall inherit\nthese things--these new heavens and earth. God shall be their God, and\nthey his sons. Oh, what an honor! what a destiny in reserve for the\nfaithful! with what glorious anticipations may the believer look forward\nto the revelations of that day, and with Paul say, 'If by any means I\nmay attain unto the resurrection of the dead.'\n\n\"What warning also to the wicked! The same voice that utters the\npromise, pronounces also the threatening. 'The fearful, and unbelieving,\nand the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and\nidolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which\nburneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.' God says,\n'These words are true and faithful.' They came from him who sat upon the\nthrone, the Alpha and Omega. He has put his everlasting seal to them,\nand pledged his veracity to their truth.\" Dear reader, will you accept\nthe word of Him who can not lie and choose to suffer affliction with the\npeople of God until our Lord shall come to call his ransomed home? Or\nwill you decide to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, only to be\nresurrected at the last great day to \"shame and everlasting contempt\"?\nThere is no intimation of future salvation for the transgressor. The\nlake of fire still stands as the symbol of eternal destruction, and into\nit the fearful and unbelieving and wicked of every name are cast.\n\n    9. And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the\n    seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me,\n    saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's\n    wife.\n\n    10. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high\n    mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem,\n    descending out of heaven from God,\n\n    11. Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone\n    most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;\n\n    12. And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at\n    the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are\n    the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:\n\n    13. On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the\n    south three gates; and on the west three gates.\n\n    14. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them\n    the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.\n\n    15. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the\n    city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.\n\n    16. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as\n    the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve\n    thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of\n    it are equal.\n\n    17. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and\n    four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the\n    angel.\n\n    18. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the\n    city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.\n\n    19. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished\n    with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was\n    jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the\n    fourth, an emerald;\n\n    20. The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh,\n    chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a\n    chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.\n\n    21. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate\n    was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as\n    it were transparent glass.\n\n    22. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and\n    the Lamb are the temple of it.\n\n    23. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to\n    shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb\n    is the light thereof.\n\n    24. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the\n    light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and\n    honor into it.\n\n    25. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for\n    there shall be no night there.\n\n    26. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into\n    it.\n\n    27. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that\n    defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a\n    lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.\n\nWe have here a magnificent description of the New Jerusalem,\nrepresenting the home of the redeemed. The various symbols employed in\nits description must of course he understood as symbolical. We have no\nmeans of knowing just what our future home will be like; but that it\nwill be a place of wondrous beauty and transcendent glory is shown by\nthe fact that everything which is considered grand and glorious in this\nworld is here chosen to represent the home of the redeemed. The symbols\nselected to describe it are objects of such priceless worth, even\nexceeding royal splendor, that we pause in astonishment and exclaim,\n\"What must the reality be?\" The conditions upon which entrance to this\ncity may be obtained (ver. 27; chap. 22:14) show clearly that our future\nand eternal home is the chief burden of this vision and not merely our\nspiritual inheritance in this world.\n\n\"In approaching Jerusalem, the traveller is not aware of its proximity,\nuntil, ascending an eminence, the glorious city bursts upon his\nastonished vision, when he is ready to exclaim with the\nPsalmist--'Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount\nZion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great king.'\" Psa.\n48:2. John was carried to \"a great and high mountain,\" from which\ncommanding point of view he was enabled to survey in all its boundless\nextent the surpassing glories of the New Jerusalem. Never did\nimagination conceive anything approaching the sublimity and grandeur of\nthe scene here described by the pen of inspiration. It was \"a great\ncity\"--how great we shall soon discover--the _holy_ Jerusalem,\ndescending out of heaven from God.\n\nThe ancient city of Jerusalem was regarded as sacred because in it God\nhad recorded his name, and it contained his holy temple, his place of\nresidence on earth. Thither the tribes of Israel went up to worship;\n\"Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.\" So, also, this New\nJerusalem was \"_the holy city_,\" an antitype of the former. It is\ndescribed as \"having the glory of God, and her light was like unto a\nstone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.\" \"The\nglory of God\" was that visible manifestation, called the Shekinah, which\nJehovah made of himself in the tabernacle of his ancient people. The\nfollowing facts concerning it will give us an understanding of its\nsignification as connected with the New Jerusalem:\n\n\"Jehovah was the accepted King and Lawgiver of his people Israel, and he\nhad his tabernacle among them, where he abode by his presence, where he\nmight be approached and consulted, and make communications of his will.\nThat visible presence was 'the glory of God' or the Shekinah; and the\nJews regarded it with the highest possible veneration, as the embodiment\nof the Deity. The sacred writers often speak of it in the same terms as\nof Jehovah himself. They refer to this when they speak of _seeing God_.\n'Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the\nelders of Israel, _and they saw the God of Israel_.' Ex. 24:9, 10. 'I\nsaw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his\ntrain filled the temple.' Isa. 6:1. And again in verse 5: 'For mine eyes\n_have seen_ the King, the Lord of hosts.' The spiritual essence of God\ncan not, of course, be revealed to mortal vision, yet there was a\nmanifestation of the Deity which was made visible to the eyes of men,\nand which Moses and Isaiah speak of as _seeing God_. It is spoken of as\nthe _presence_ and _face_ of Jehovah. 'And he said, _My presence_ shall\ngo with thee, and I will give thee rest.' Ex. 33:14. 'And the Lord spake\nunto Moses _face to face_, as a man speaketh unto his friend.' Ex.\n33:11.\"\n\nThe New Jerusalem that John saw descending from God--which denotes its\nheavenly origin--had \"the glory of God: and her light was like unto a\nstone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.\" It\ndazzled as the purest diamond. In verse 23 we are informed that it\nilluminated the whole city so that there was \"no need of the sun,\nneither of the moon, to shine in it: for the _glory of God did lighten\nit, and the Lamb is the light thereof_.\" In ancient times \"the glory of\nGod\" filled the _tabernacle_, the place of his abode; but here it filled\n_the whole city_. In that tabernacle the Shekinah was the manifestation\nof the divine glory of Jehovah. In the New Jerusalem Jesus Christ, who\nis \"the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,\"\nilluminates the entire city of God. Oh, halleluiah!\n\nIn olden times the cities were surrounded with walls, designed as a\ndefense against all enemies. The more important the city, the higher and\nstronger were the walls built. Having walls, it was necessary also to\nhave gates to furnish ingress and egress to the inhabitants. These gates\nwere in charge of faithful guardians, who had authority to open and to\nclose them according to the regulations of the city. In accordance with\nthis idea the city of God is represented as having \"a wall great and\nhigh.\" This wall represents the security of Zion, whose inhabitants\nwithin can rest in peace and safety. The three gates on each side\nrepresent the free and easy access into the city from every quarter.\nAnciently, it was customary to give names to the gates of a city, just\nas we now do to our streets. The gates of this holy city were named\nafter the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, which embraced all\nGod's ancient covenant people, and which denotes the perfection and\ncompleteness of our heavenly home as including all the spiritual Israel.\n\n\"And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names\nof the twelve apostles of the Lamb.\" The twelve foundations, or rather\nthe twelve courses of stone in the foundation, are more fully described\nhereafter. The names of the twelve tribes were on the gates to denote\nthat the city was composed of God's true and complete Israel, and the\nnames of the twelve apostles are on the foundation to denote that this\ncontains the church which was \"built upon the foundation of the apostles\nand prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.\" Eph.\n2:20. The system of truth that they preached to the world forms the\ndoctrinal basis of the church of God, they having received it from\nheaven \"by inspiration of God,\" and their names all appear; and together\nthey constitute one harmonious, solid foundation upon which the church\nshall stand forever.\n\nThe dimensions of the city as measured by the angel are next given as\ntwelve thousand furlongs, or one thousand five hundred miles. By the\nstatement that the length, the breadth and the height are equal, some\nhave supposed that the city was one thousand five hundred miles high. To\nquote the words of a certain commentator: \"The language, however, will\nbear another meaning, which is far more natural. It is not that the\nlength and breadth and height were severally equal to _each other_, but\n_equal with themselves_; that is the length was everywhere the same, the\nbreadth everywhere the same, and the height the same. It was perfect and\nsymmetrical in all its proportions. This is confirmed by the fact\ndistinctly stated, that the wall was one hundred and forty and four\ncubits high, or two hundred and sixteen feet, a proper height for a\nwall; while it is said only that 'the length is as large as the\nbreadth.'\" This writer reckoned but eighteen inches for a cubit, whereas\nsome figure twenty-two. A city one thousand and five hundred miles high\nwith a wall only two hundred and sixteen or two hundred and sixty four\nfeet high, would be altogether out of proportion.\n\nThe wondrous dimensions of this city set forth the fact that our future\nhome far exceeds in grandeur and extent everything that is looked upon\nas glorious upon earth. Who ever heard of a city one thousand and five\nhundred miles square? We have had empires so large, but no such cities.\nIn this representation the city does not encompass the entire earth as\nshe in one sense really does, because it would be impossible thus to\nrepresent her and at the same time she be represented as a city within\nthe earth, into which the nations bring their \"glory and honor.\" The\nancient city of Babylon with its beautiful hanging-gardens, the very\ntriumph of human skill, and the city itself lying in a foursquare, being\nfifteen miles on each side, was unsurpassed in human loveliness. But the\ncity of God is represented as _fifteen hundred_ miles square, which\ndimensions are out of all proportion with anything existing on earth;\nhence its beauty and magnificence must be ascribed to God only.\n\n\"And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure\ngold like unto clear glass.\" The jasper is the same crystal gem before\nmentioned. What a wondrous wall it must have been! It was not made of\nsuch common material as granite, freestone, or marble, which can make\nthe most imposing structures that human pride can rear, and which are\nfit for the residence of lofty kings; but it was of jasper, clear as\ncrystal. Think of the wall of this holy city being nearly three hundred\nfeet high and stretching around the city six thousand miles, all built\nof the purest diamond! No stretch of the human imagination can properly\ncompass such a vision. In rearing earthly structures men seek such\nmaterial as combine durability, cheapness, beauty, and ease of being\nwrought. Look at this wall! For _durability_, it has the most\nindestructible material that can be found on earth. For _beauty_, the\nlanguage of man can not even convey a meagre description of its amazing\nloveliness. For _cheapness_--God's riches were inexhaustible, hence it\nwas not necessary to take this into consideration. For _ease of being\nwrought_--think of the vast amount of labor it requires to cut and shape\neven one large diamond, it being said to require in some cases years of\nincessant toil; yet God could afford to build the wall of this city of\nsuch material. Oh, wonders of God's handiwork! How inexpressibly\nglorious! This, my dear reader, symbolizes the priceless worth of our\neternal home, secured through the atonement. Study the plan of\nredemption. There is nothing equal to it in the universe. \"What is a man\nprofited, if he gain the whole world, and _lose his own soul_?\"\n\nMen become greatly agitated over the announcement of the discovery of\ngold in the Klondyke, in the Australian continent, in California, and\nwith feverish excitement they abandon their homes and rush headlong to\nthe reputed El Dorado, fearing neither famine, storms, deserts, nor the\nicy northern blasts. But all the gold ever mined from the bowels of the\nearth is insignificant and forms no comparison with the representation\nof this city. Its streets and mansions were built, not of common cement,\nlumber, nor even granite and marble, but _of pure gold_.\n\nThe twelve courses of stone in the foundation of the wall have already\nbeen mentioned. It is here particularly described. One might suppose\nthat, according to human custom, rougher material would be selected for\nthe foundation. Not so, however. The most brilliant and costly gems were\nchosen to lay these courses. Nothing cheap nor common had anything to do\nin the construction of this marvelous city. It was altogether beyond the\nreach of men to imitate: it was God's own handiwork; and we can not but\nadmire its wondrous beauty. It is unnecessary to give a minute\ndescription of the gems of which these foundation-courses were composed.\nThey were the most beautiful and costly of which men possess any\nknowledge. In appearance they represent various colors of the most\ndelicate shades. Royal persons wear even the smallest of these gems upon\ntheir persons and imagine themselves richly adorned; but in this city of\nGod they appear in such abundance that they are even selected to form\nthe basis, or foundation, of the wall. \"And the twelve gates were twelve\npearls; every several gate was of one pearl.\" We have rich necklaces of\npearl; but where is the individual that was ever blessed with such a\nprofusion of wealth that he could ornament the gates of a city with\npearls? The gates of the New Jerusalem, however, were not merely\nornamented or studded with pearls--that were a very small thing for\nher--but each gate was of one solid pearl. To conceive the immensity of\nthis representation we must consider the size of the gates required to\naccommodate the multitudes constantly entering and departing from a\ncity. To be in proportion to the wall they would have to be of immense\nsize, and also of prodigious strength in order to resist the assaults of\nenemies, as they would be the first places attacked. The gate of the\ntemple called Beautiful, mentioned in the Book of Acts, which was in the\nwall surrounding the temple, is said to have been seventy-five feet high\nand sixty in width, built of Corinthian brass. Yet immense as they were,\nthose in the New Jerusalem were each of one solid pearl. Oh, beautiful\ncity of God, the home of the saints!\n\nThe most prominent object within the walls of the ancient Jerusalem was\nthe magnificent temple on Mount Zion. It was the chief ornament and\nglory of the city. In the New Jerusalem, however, no temple is seen.\nAlas! is not this a great defect? What is Jerusalem without a temple\nwhere the tribes may go up and worship before the Lord? Oh, they need no\ntemple in this glorious city of God; for there is one there greater than\nthe temple: \"the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.\"\nThis doubtless sets forth the fact that the worship of God is pure and\nspiritual and of free access to all. Under the old dispensation the high\npriest alone, and he but once a year, was permitted to enter the sacred\nprecincts of the Deity as limited to the inner sanctuary of the temple.\nNow God's people need no mediating priest to offer up a special\nsacrifice that the will of God might be known; but all are kings and\npriests who offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus\nChrist (1 Pet. 2:5); yea, as saith the prophet, \"they _shall all know\nme_ from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord.\"\nJer. 31:34. No temple is needed that the Shekinah of the divine presence\nmay take up its abode between the cherubim in the most holy place, but\n\"the glory of the Lord\" fills the entire city. It can not be confined to\na given locality. \"The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of\nit,\" and they constitute the glory of the New Jerusalem as did the\ntemple on Mount Zion that of the old.\n\n\"The nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it.\" Can\nany one conceive the grandeur and the sublimity of the scene when a\nlight that eclipses the sun and the moon is reflected from streets and\nmansions of gold, or comes streaming through a wall composed of the most\nbrilliant gems of different hues, with gates of solid pearl? No wonder,\nthen, that the poet has denominated it \"the beautiful light of God\"! The\ngates are open continuously, for they are not closed by day, and \"there\nshall be no night there.\" But \"there shall in no wise enter into it\nanything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or\nmaketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of Life.\"\nThis, my dear reader, is the reward of the New Testament church, \"the\nchurch of God.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\n\n    And he showed me a pure river of water of life, dear as crystal,\n    proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.\n\n    2. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the\n    river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of\n    fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the\n    tree were for the healing of the nations.\n\n    3. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and\n    of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:\n\n    4. And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their\n    foreheads.\n\n    5. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle,\n    neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light:\n    and they shall reign for ever and ever.\n\nThe description of the New Jerusalem continues in the first five verses\nof this chapter. By the \"river of the water of life\" is doubtless meant\nfull salvation, which as a mighty flowing stream issues \"out of the\nthrone of God and of the Lamb.\" To this fountain of living waters an\ninvitation is now given to all to come and partake to their\nsatisfaction. \"The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that\nheareth say, Come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life\nfreely.\" Verse 17. As a defense to God's people in this world salvation\nis represented as a great wall surrounding them (Isa. 26:12); but as a\nsource of joy, holiness and happiness, it is a living stream whereof all\nmay partake. While this symbol meets an appropriate fulfilment in the\npresent dispensation, yet salvation will also be the eternal possession\nof the saints in the world to come, when \"they shall hunger no more,\nneither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any\nheat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst thereof, shall feed them, and\nshall _lead them unto living fountains of waters_; and God shall wipe\naway all tears from their eyes.\" Chap. 7:16, 17.\n\nIn a most appropriate place, upon the banks of the river, grew \"the tree\nof life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every\nmonth: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.\"\nThe tree of life in the garden of Eden was a symbol of man's immortality\nor incorruption, or rather the _means_ of it; for after his fall it was\nsecurely guarded and he driven from the garden, \"lest he put forth his\nhand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever\"\n(Gen. 3:22) and thus frustrate the decree of God just uttered--that he\nshould return unto dust and corruption. In the New Jerusalem, however,\nthat tree of life blooms again and bears fruit abundantly, yea\ncontinuously, as symbolized by \"every month,\" and no cherubim with\nflaming sword are placed to guard all approach to it. The privilege is\nopen; for it is added immediately, \"There _shall be no more curse_.\"\nThis, then, symbolizes the removal of spiritual death and the\nimpartation of everlasting life in this world and immortality in the\nnext. The tree of life grew on both sides of the river. On this side of\nthe line of mortality we have access to it in one important sense, while\nthose in the future world are preserved also by its healing benefits.\n\nThe Father, Son, and Holy Spirit abide in this city. God reveals\nhimself, not to a few chosen priests only through the Shekinah of his\npresence, but to all his servants--\"they all see his face.\" As in the\nancient tabernacle he manifested himself by \"the glory of the Lord,\" or\nthe Shekinah, which was represented as \"seeing his face\"; so, also, the\n\"glory of the Lord\" abides in the New Jerusalem, filling the entire city\nwith the holy manifestation of the divine presence. His people are\n\"sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,\" by which they possess the\nname of their Father--not the name of the beast nor of his image, but\n_the name of the Father_.\n\n\"And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither\nlight of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall\nreign forever and ever.\" This city has no need of natural or artificial\nlight, \"for the Lamb is the light thereof.\" Chap. 21:23. The light of\nthe sun stands connected with the light of a candle and both are\nrepresented as unnecessary, which denotes that \"there shall be no night\nthere,\" but one clear eternal day.\n\n    6. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and\n    the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto\n    his servants the things which must shortly be done.\n\n    7. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the\n    sayings of the prophecy of this book.\n\nThe language of symbols is discontinued. With the description of the New\nJerusalem closes the grand panoramic scene of this book. Wondrous indeed\nhave been the events of earth prophetically outlined, but we have the\nassurance that \"these things are faithful and true.\" A continuous\npolitical and ecclesiastical history of that portion of the earth made\nthe subject of Apocalyptic vision, from the dawn of Christianity until\nthe last day, was here written down in advance. After the permanent\ndivision of the empire, which occurred under Valens and Valentinian[16]\nin A.D. 364, it was necessary that the political and the ecclesiastical\nhistory of the empire should be divided in the prophecy. This\ninspiration has done. The downfall of the Western empire is clearly\npredicted in the symbols under the first four trumpets; but the eclipse\nis afterwards lifted, and the same Western empire again appears in\nImperial form under the control of the Papacy. After giving their power\nand strength unto the beast during the Dark Ages, the horns afterward\nturn against the Papacy and rob her of all her temporal authority and\npower, thus pointing us clearly to the history of modern Europe, in\nwhich the prophecy has been actually fulfilled. They themselves end at\nthe judgment of the last day. Thus, the political history of the Western\nempire is carried through to the end. The Eastern division of the empire\nis also made a subject of prophecy, and its overthrow is described under\nthe sixth trumpet. This was effected by the second woe, or the rise of\nthe Ottoman power, and that woe is represented as continuing until after\nthe death and the resurrection of the two witnesses and terminating\nshortly before the end of time. Therefore the political history of the\nEastern empire, which has been under the power of the Turks for\ncenturies, is outlined until the end. The ecclesiastical history of the\nEastern empire is also given, its most prominent feature being the rise\nand the development of that pest of Mohammedanism, which rests like a\ndark cloud over that fair country until this day. In the Western\ndivision the rise of the Papacy, its continuation, the rise of\nProtestantism and its duration, are all clearly outlined, reaching down\nto these last days. Then the scene is suddenly enlarged and is carried\nbeyond the limits of the earth--the Apocalyptic earth--into \"the whole\nworld,\" when the powers of wickedness are combined in spirit to\nantagonize the reformation of holiness and truth which God is using to\ngather his faithful ones together in preparation for the coming of the\nSon of God to judgment. In view of these wonderful events of the last\ndays, how comforting the words of the text before us--\"Behold, _I come\nquickly:_ blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this\nbook\"!\n\n[Footnote 16: Some historians give A.D. 395 as the date of the permanent\ndivision of the empire. The government of the Eastern and Western\ndivisions was separate from the accession of Valens and Valentinian, in\n364, until during the reign of Theodosius the Great, when the West,\nthrough the jealous rivalries of different competitors for the throne,\nhad fallen into great disorder. Theodosius twice interposed to right\nmatters and finally took the government into his own hands for the space\nof four months, in 395, when he died, after arranging for the division\nof the empire between his two sons Arcadius and Honorius.]\n\n    8. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had\n    heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the\n    angel which showed me these things.\n\n    9. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy\n    fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them\n    which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.\n\nThe mind of the apostle was so enraptured with the visions he beheld\nthat he could not but adore and worship; but the angel that had been the\nchosen instrument to reveal these prophecies refused his act of homage\nand instructed him to \"worship God.\" Created intelligences are not\nworthy of such respect; to God alone all honor and praise belongs. Jesus\nChrist our Redeemer is God--God over all, blessed forever. As such he is\nworthy of the homage supreme of all our hearts, the praises of all our\nlips.\n\n    10. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy\n    of this book: for the time is at hand.\n\n    11. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is\n    filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let\n    him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy\n    still.\n\n    12. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to\n    give every man according as his work shall be.\n\n    13. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first\n    and the last.\n\n    14. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may\n    have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the\n    gates into the city.\n\n    15. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and\n    murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.\n\nThe popular opinion is that this book of the Revelation is sealed; but\nJohn received the direct command, \"_Seal not_ the sayings of the\nprophecy of this book.\" The majority of the teachers of Babylon to-day\nare fulfilling Isaiah 29:9-11, and that is the reason why it has become\nto them a sealed book. God makes known the blessed truths of the\nprophecies of this book to his own beloved children, who walk before him\nin sincerity and truth. A blessing is pronounced upon us if we keep\nthem. His coming is near at hand, and his reward is with him to render\nunto every man according as his work shall be. No offers of salvation\nwill be extended when Christ appears to give us access to the tree of\nimmortal life and an abundant entrance into the eternal city beyond; but\nit will then be said, \"He that is unjust, _let him be_ unjust still: and\nhe which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous,\nlet him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.\"\n\"Dogs\" are left without. This term as applied to a person is one of\ngreat reproach. It is so among us, and much more so among the Jews, by\nwhom that animal was regarded as unclean. It signifies evil workers.\nEvil characters of every class will have no part in the heavenly realm,\nbut will be cast into the lake of fire. It will be the perfection of\nmisery to be banished forever from the presence of God and the\ncompanionship of all that is good and holy. \"Blessed are they that do\nhis commandments, that they may have right to the tree of Life, and may\nenter in through the gates into the city.\"\n\n    16. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these\n    things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of\n    David, and the bright and morning star.\n\n    17. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that\n    heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And\n    whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.\n\nThe statements of these verses have been considered heretofore, hence\nthere is no necessity of further comment on them in this connection.\n\n    18. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the\n    prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things,\n    God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this\n    book:\n\n    19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of\n    this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of\n    life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are\n    written in this book.\n\nHere is the most solemn warning against any one who should presume to\ncorrupt the prophecies of the Revelation by adding to or taking away\nfrom them. Nor was such a warning needless. This book contains the long\nhistory of God's church, and also the history of all her persecutors,\npainted in colors of deepest infamy, and the final doom that awaits\nthem. These enemies were to ride in triumph over the earth during a long\ncareer of centuries, when the children of God should be trodden down\nbeneath their feet, as it were, while they boasted themselves as being\nthe true church, the anointed of heaven. These Revelations were to be\nhanded down to succeeding generations through these very persecutors.\nThe great whore of Babylon had her likeness taken and then committed to\nher for preservation. Would she not falsify them? Nearly all the early\nrecords of the church have been corrupted by the church of Rome. For\nages it has been a doctrine of that institution that pious fraud was\nconsistent and even commendable when practised to further the influence\nof that church. Yea, she has proclaimed openly and unblushingly that if\nher cause could be promoted by deception and lies they were perfectly\njustifiable; and her practise has been consistent with her teachings. In\nview of the fact that God's Word was to pass through the depths of this\n\"mystery of iniquity,\" it is not surprising that we find annexed to this\nconcluding portion of Holy Writ the awful anathema: \"If any man shall\nadd unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are\nwritten in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of\nthe book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book\nof life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written\nin this book.\"\n\n    20. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come\n    quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.\n\n    21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.\n\nWhat importance is attached to the second coming of Christ! Over and\nover again it is stated distinctly. It is the grand climax unto which\nall the series of events in this book leads.\n\n  \"Are you ready, waiting for the Lord?\n    See, the signs proclaim him near;\n  In the awful thunders of his Word,\n    Now his coming steps we hear.\n\n  \"Now are many running to and fro,\n    Spreading holiness around;\n  And the evening light begins to glow,\n    Soon we'll hear the trumpet's sound.\n\n  \"Hark! the solemn warning unto all,\n    Judgment's coming, oh, how soon!\n  Flee, O man, at Mercy's final call,\n    Heaven trembles at your doom.\n\n  \"Christ is coming, oh, the heavenly sight!\n    Our Beloved can't delay,\n  For his bride is robed in snowy white,\n    Ready for the marriage-day.\"\n\nAmen. \"Even so come, Lord Jesus.\" Then will appear the great \"Alpha and\nOmega, the beginning and the ending.\" In the beginning he \"created the\nheaven and the earth.\" In the end, John said, \"I saw a new heaven and a\nnew earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away;\nand there was no more sea.\" In the beginning Satan entered the domain of\nGod's people to deceive and destroy. In the end he is cast out, and will\ndeceive the nations no more. In the beginning sickness, pain, sorrow,\nand wretchedness found entrance to the world. In the end \"God shall wipe\naway all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more sorrow, nor\ncrying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are\npassed away.\" In the beginning the people of earth were placed under the\niron hand of death, who has claimed his teeming millions. In the end, \"I\nsaw the dead, small and great, stand before God.... And the sea gave up\nthe dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead\nwhich were in them ... and death and hell were cast into the lake of\nfire.\" In the beginning was a blooming garden containing the tree of\nimmortal life. In the end we find the tree of life again \"in the midst\nof the Paradise of God.\" In the beginning a curse was placed upon this\nearth. In the world to come \"there shall be no more curse: but the\nthrone of God and of the Lamb shall be in it.\" In the beginning the\nfirst Adam lost his universal dominion over the earth. In the end we\nfind Jesus Christ, the second Adam, crowned King of kings and Lord of\nlords, and reigning in triumph and glory forever. In the beginning man\nwas barred from the tree of life and driven from the garden of Eden. In\nthe end, \"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have\nright to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the\ncity.\"\n\n\n\n\nINDEX\n\n\nA\n\nAachen, 326.\nAbaddon, 162.\nAbubekr, first caliph, 155.\nAegean Sea, 36, 46.\nAfrica, conquered by Saracens, 160.\nAhab, 53.\nAlani, 145.\nAlans, 146, 215.\nAlaric, invades Italy, 136-141, 149.\nAla-Shehr, 63.\nAlbi, council of, 339.\nAlbigenses, 113, 161, 196, 270, 342.\nAleppo, 165.\nAlexander I., 172.\nAlexander the Great, 320.\nAlexander VI., Pope, 346, 347.\nAlexandria, 109, 110.\nAlison, A., quoted, 307-315.\nAmmianus Marcellinus, quoted, 188.\nAmiens, 140.\nAmmon, 330.\nAnabaptists, 292.\nAnglo-Saxons, 215.\nAnthony, founder of monasticism, 189, 190.\nAntioch, 104, 109, 110.\nAntioch Epiphanes, 230.\nAntipas, 49.\nApollo, 241.\nApollyon, 162.\nAquinas, Thos., 340, 341.\nArabia, 330; conquered by Saracens, 160.\nArras, 140.\nArcadius, Roman emp., 137, 138, 440, n.\nArgos, 137.\nArmageddon, 332.\nArmenia, 330; conquered by Turks, 165.\nArnout, Mme., quoted, 310.\nAsbury, Bishop, 368.\nAssyria, 330.\nAstolphus, k. of Lombards, 352, n.\nAthanasius, 190.\nAthens, 137.\nAttalus, 139.\nAtkins, Robert, quoted, 365.\nAttica, 137.\nAttila, 142, 145, 146, 149.\nAtys, 407.\nAugsburg, 191.\nAugsburg Confession (A.D. 1530), 191, 247, 252, 253.\nAugustine, 96.\nAugustines, Order of, 246, 251.\nAugustulus, Roman emp., 148.\nAugustus C\u00e6sar, first Roman emp., 222.\nAurelian, Roman emp., 189.\nAurelius, Marcus, Roman emp., 46, 98.\nAusterlitz, battle of, 322.\nAvignon, 327; removal of Papal chair to, 305, 306;\n  council of, 339.\n\n\nB\n\nBabylon, taken by Cyrus, 166, 329, 331;\n  great edifices of, 432.\nBabylonian empire, 330, 397.\nBacchus, 407.\nBagdad, founded (A.D. 762), 160, 165.\nBalaam, 49, 50.\nBalak, 50.\nBarak, 332.\nBarnes, Dr., quoted, 359.\nBaronius, quoted, 345.\nBarrows, John Henry, quoted, 409, 410.\nBasil, council of, 340.\nBayazid, Sultan, 61.\nBedford jail, 36\nBeethoven, 88.\nBehiston rock, noted inscription on, 18, n.\nBelisarius, general of Justinian, 148, 236, 351, n.\nBellarmine, Cardinal, quoted, 341, 342.\nBenedict IX., Pope, 345, 346.\nBernard, 197; quoted, 199.\nBeziers, council of, 339.\nBoetia, 137.\nBohemia, 244, 339.\nBologna, 327.\nBonaparte, Jerome, 321.\nBonaparte, Louis, 321.\nBonaparte, Joseph, 321.\nBonaparte, Napoleon, 172, 317, 320-325, 327.\nBoniface IV., Pope, 240.\nBonney, Chas. Carroll, quoted, 408, 409.\nBorgia, Roderick, 346, 347.\nBosphorus, 171.\nBouchard, M., 18, n.\nBuddha, 409.\nBunyan, John, his imprisonment, 36, n., 293.\nBurgundians, 215.\nBurgundy, 215.\nBurke, quoted, 303.\nButler, quoted, 222, 223, 224, 230, 231.\n\n\nC\n\nCadiz, 324.\nC\u00e6sar, 320.\nC\u00e6sar Augustus, Roman emp., 222.\nCalcedon, council of, 110.\nCalvin, John, reformer, 252\nCalvinists, 252, 291.\nCampbell, Alexander, quoted, 359, 360.\nCanoosa, 111.\nCanterbury, See of, 112, n.\nCarlovingian dynasty, 325, 326, 350-352.\nCarrier, 310, 311.\nCassini, quoted, 200.\nCathari, 196.\nCatherine de Medici, 118.\nCatherine the Great of Russia, 172.\nChaldea, 330.\nChalons, 146.\nCharlemagne, 236, 305, 320, 325;\n  restores the Western empire, 325, 326, 350-352;\n  patriciate of, 350, 351, also n.\nCharles Martel, 161, 325.\nCharles V., k. of France, 307.\nCharles IX., k. of France, 118.\nChase, Chas. Wingate, quoted, 405.\nChaumette, 308, 309.\nChristians,\n  persecutions of, 97, 295;\n  by the Roman emperors (ten seasons of), 98, 116, 230, 231;\n  by the Papacy, 113, 116-118, 196-200, 243, 295, 338-344;\n  by Protestants, 252, 291-294.\nChristian Science, 410, 411.\nChrysostom, 96.\nCicero, 222.\nClaudius, quoted, 199.\nClement of Rome, 95.\nCologne (wrongly spelled Colonge in text), 197.\nConstance, council of, 244, 245, 339, 345.\nConstantine the Great, 189, 231, 241.\nConstantinople, 158;\n  captured by the Turks (A.D. 1453), 169;\n  council of, 109, 344.\nConstitutionalists, 314.\nConsular power, 214, also n., 351.\nCopenhagen, 324.\nCorinth, 137.\nCouncil, first of church, 231.\nCouncils, general, of church, 109, 231, 321, 339, 340, 345, 346.\nCovenanters, Scotch, 293, 294.\nCreasy, quoted, 324.\nCrellius, 292.\nCroesus, k. of Lydia, 56.\nCrusades, 166.\nCyprian, 107.\nCyrus the Great, his capture of Babylon, 166, 329, 331.\n\n\nD\n\nDacia, 137.\nD'Alembert, 297-303.\nDalmatia, 136.\nDamascus, 165.\nDaniel, prophecies of, 235-238.\nDanton, 310.\nDantonists, 315.\nDarwin, 411.\nD'Aubigne, quoted, 96, 185, 191, 192, 195, 208, 209, 244, 245, 247, 253,\n  276, 277.\nDecemvirate, 214, also n., 351.\nDecius, Roman emp., 98.\nDecretals of Isodore, 344.\nDemetrius, 43.\nDemetrius Cantemir, quoted, 170.\nDiana, 241;\n  temple of at Ephesus, 42, 64.\nDiderot, 297-808.\nDictator, office of, at Rome, 214, n.\nDiocletian, Roman emp., 48, 98, 230.\nDionysis, 407.\nDiotrephes, 102, 103.\nDonatists, 342.\nDomitian, Roman emp., 36, 98.\nDomnus, 189.\nDow, Lorenzo, quoted, 278, 360.\nDowling, quoted, 187, 188, 189, 190, 196, 241, 243.\nDuke of Alva, 118.\nDu Guesclin, 307.\nDupin, quoted, 344.\nDwight, Pres., quoted, 303.\n\n\nE\n\nEaster, 105.\nEastern Empire, See _Roman Empire_.\nEastern Question, 172, 173.\nEdgar, quoted, 340.\nEdict of Nantes, 118, 295.\nEgbert, quoted, 196, 197.\nEgypt, conquered by Saracens, 160.\nElba, Island of, 323, 324.\nEphesus, fate of, 45, 64, 68; temple at, 42.\nEudoxia, 143.\nEuphrates, 164, 166; turned by Cyrus, 166, 329, 331.\nEusebius, quoted, 188, 189.\nEvervinus, quoted. 197-199.\n\n\nF\n\nFarrara, 327.\nFeldkirchen, 247.\nFisher, Geo., quoted, 103, 189.\nFletcher, John, quoted, 277.\nFormosus, Pope, 345.\nFoster, Bishop R.S., quoted, 368-370.\nFrance, invaded by Saracens, 161.\nFrancis I., of France, 307.\nFranks, 146, 215.\nFrederick of Saxony, quoted, 247-249.\nFrederick II., k. of Prussia, 297.\nFrench Revolution, 305-315, 324, 352.\nFreron, quoted, 313, 314.\nFriedland, battle of, 322.\nFuller, quoted, 340.\n\n\nG\n\nGallienus, Roman emp., 187\nGallus, Roman emp., 98.\nGascoigne, 215.\nGates, Theophilus R., quoted, 278-283.\nGeneva, 252.\nGenseric, k. of Vandals, 25, 142, 143, 149.\nGermania, 139.\nGepid\u00e6, 145.\nGibbon, quoted, 64, 136-138, 142, 143, 145, 158, 351.\nGibbons, Cardinal, quoted 343, 344.\nGieseler, quoted, 103.\nGirondists, 315.\nGnostics, 410.\nGobet, 308.\nGoddess of Reason, 209, 401.\nGoths, 136, 141.\nGreek Empire (Eastern Empire), See _Roman Empire_.\nGreen, B.A., quoted, 412, 413.\nGregory VII., Pope, 111, 184, 242.\n\n\nH\n\nHaeckel, 411.\nHamlet, 307.\nHandel, 88.\nHartley, quoted, 361.\nHeads, seven, of dragon and Papal beasts,\n  signifying seven forms of government,\n  214, also n., 235, 349, 350.\nHebert, 308, 309.\nHenry VIII., k. of England, 292.\nHenry IV., k. of France, 307.\nHenry IV., emperor of Holy Roman empire, 111.\nHenry, k. of Navarre, 118.\nHera, 154.\nHermus, 56.\nHerod Agrippa, 240.\nHerodotus, 166, 329.\nHeruli, 145, 148, 215, 236.\nHieroglyphics, 18, 19, n.\nHilarion, 189.\nHildebrand, See _Gregory VII_.\nHilton, John, quoted, 246, 247.\nHiram Abiff, 407.\nHolbach, Baron, 300.\nHolland, 321.\nHoly Roman Empire, 325, 326, 351;\n  dissolved (A.D. 1806), 327.\nHonorius, Roman emp., 136, 138, 139, 440, n.\nHonorius, Pope, 344, 346.\nHopkins, quoted, 362.\nHorn, the little, of Daniel 7,\n  a symbol of the Papacy, 235-238, 350, 357.\nHorn, of the goat, symbol of Alexander, 20.\nHorns, ten, of the Dragon and Papal beast,\n  signifying ten kingdoms, 14, 215, 235, 236, 349.\nHorns, three, plucked up before the little horn,\n  236, 350, 351.\nHorns, four, of the goat,\n  symbolizing four divisions of Alexander's empire, 20.\nHugenots, 118.\nHugenot wars, 252.\nHungary, 169, 215.\nHuns, 141, 145, 146, 215.\nHuntington, Lady, 369.\nHuss, John, 62, 244, 245, 249, 339.\n\n\nI\n\nIconium, 165.\nIgnatius, his epistles, extracts from, 104.\nIlluminati, 297-303, 404.\nIllyricum, 137.\nIndulgences, 250, 251.\nImperial power, 214, also n.\nInnocent III., Pope, 111, n., 339.\nInnocent XI., Pope, 118.\nInstitorus, Henry, quoted, 246.\nInterdicts, 111, also n., 112, also n.\nIonia, 64.\nIsodore, false Decretals of, 344, 345.\nIslam, See _Mohammedanism_.\n\n\nJ\n\nJena, battle of, 322.\nJerome, 36, 96.\nJerome of Prague, 62, 339.\nJerusalem, captured by Saracens, 110.\nJezebel, 53.\nJohn XI., Pope, 345.\nJohn, k. of England,\n  his quarrel with Innocent III., 112, n.\nJohnson, B.W., quoted, 357-359.\nJudson, quoted, 171, 172, 321.\nJupiter, 241.\nJustinian, Roman emp., 148, 351, n.\n\n\nK\n\nKinkade, Wm., quoted, 359.\nKlondyke, 433.\nKoran, 158, 406.\nKurtz, quoted, 95, 96.\n\n\nL\n\nLaodicea, fate of, 64, 67, 68.\nLateran, councils of, 329, 339, 340.\nLavaur, council of, 339.\nLeo III., Pope, 325.\nLeo X., Pope, 250.\nLepelletier, 308.\nLiszt, 88.\nLombards, 196.\nLombards (barbarians), 215, 236, 350.\nLombardy, 351.\nLord, Mr., quoted, 100.\nLouis XII., k. of France, 307.\nLouis, XIV., k. of France, 118, 295, 307.\nLucretia, 347.\nLuther, Martin, reformer,\n  62, 244, 246, 247, 249, 251,\n  252, 342; quoted, 361.\nLutherans, 252, 291.\nLydia, 56, 64.\n\n\nM\n\nMachiard, 215.\nMackey, quoted, 405.\nMackintosh, Sir James, quoted, 323, 324.\nM\u00e6cenas, 222.\nM\u00e6sia, 215.\nMahomet, See _Mohammed_.\nManes, 298.\nManicheans, 342.\nMantz, Felix, 292.\nMarat, 308, 310, 311.\nMarathon, battle of, 191.\nMarcellus, Pope, 341.\nMarcus Aurelius, Roman emp., 46, 98.\nMarengo, battle of, 191, 322.\nMarie Antoinette, q. of France, her execution, 306.\nMarozia, 345.\nMarsh, quoted, 186.\nMartin, Pope, 339.\nMary Tudor, 117.\nMaximus, Roman emp., 98, 143.\nMecca, 154.\nMegara, 137.\nMegiddo, 332.\nMelanchthon, Philip, 247.\nMentz, 140.\nMesopotamia, 330.\nMetropolitan, office of, 105, 106.\nMilitary Tribunes, 214, also n.\nMilman, quoted, 95.\nMilner, Joseph, quoted, 190, 191.\nMithras, 407.\nMoab, 330.\nMohammed, 61, 154-162, 389.\nMohammedanism, 25, 61, 134, 154-173, 331, 341.\nMoldavia, prince of, 170.\nMomoro, 309.\nMomyllus Augustulus, Roman emp., 148.\nMontanism, 105.\nMonasticism, rise of, 189, 190.\nMontesquieu, 300.\nMorea, 170.\nMoscow, 322, 324.\nMosheim, quoted, 94, 105, 106, 109.\nMozart, 87.\nMurat, 321.\nMyers, quoted, 293.\nMysia, 49.\nMythra, mysteries of, 298.\n\n\nN\n\nNantes, 310; edict of, 118, 295.\nNaples, 324.\nNapoleon, See _Bonaparte_.\nNarbonne, council of, 339.\nNational Convention of France, 307, 317.\nNero, Roman emp., 98, 311.\nNerva, Roman emp., 36.\nNey, Marshal, 322.\nNiagara Falls, 87.\nNicaea, council of, 109, 231.\nNicolaitans, 44, 49, 50.\nNicholas, 172.\nNicolas, 44.\nNotre Dame, 309.\n\n\nO\n\nOdoacer, 148, 236.\nOppede, 117.\nOriental Philosophy, 410.\nOrigen, 107.\nOsiris, 407.\nOstrogoths, 141, 145, 148, 215, 236, 351, n.\nOthman, See _Ottoman_.\nOtto the Great, 326\nOttoman, 61, 169.\nOttoman empire, 64, 165, 173, 441.\nOxford, council of, 339.\n\n\nP\n\nPactolus, 56.\nPache, 308.\nPaderewski, 88.\nPaganism, 97, 214-232, 331, 388-390.\nPalestine, conquered by Saracens, 160;\n  invaded by Crusaders, 166.\nPannonia, 215.\nPapacy, first steps to apostasy,\n  102, 184, 185; growth of its power,\n  103-107, 108, 110, 111, 184, 236-243, 352, n.;\n  Pope styled Universal Bishop, 110, 184;\n  blasphemous titles of, 242, 243, 264, 337;\n  its war against the saints, See _Christians,\n  persecutions of;_ at its height, 111,\n  also n., 184, 236, 305, 326, 236-243;\n  temporal power of, 184, 236, 305, 326, 336, 352, n.;\n  removal of Papal chair to Avignon, 305, 306;\n  spiritual supremacy lost at the Reformation,\n  191, 249-251;\n  revolt of the temporal princes, 255, 355;\n  end of its temporal power, 255, 327, 328;\n  decree of Papal infallibility, 243, 346.\nPapal States, See _Papacy, temporal power of._\nPatmos, 36.\nPatriarch, office of, 109, 110.\nPatriciate, 350, 351, also n.\nPaul of Antioch, 188, 189.\nPaulus, 344.\nPavia, battle of, 191.\nPepin, Carlovingian king, 236, 305, 326, 350.\nPergamus, fate of, 64, 68.\nPersecutions, See _Christians, persecutions of._\nPersia, conquered by Saracens, 160.\nPetrus Lombardus, 96.\nPeucer, 292.\nPhiladelphia, remarkable preservation of, 61-64, 68.\nPhilip Augustus, 111.\nPhilosophists, 297-303.\nPhocas, Roman emp. 184.\nPhocis, 137.\nPius IV., Pope, 327.\nPlatina, 345.\nPliny, 222, 226.\nPoland, 169.\nPolycarp, 46.\nPontifex Maxima, 222, 239.\nPoor Men of Lyons, 198.\nPopes, power of, See _Papacy_.\nPortugal overrun by Saracens, 160.\nPrague, 244.\nProles, Andrew, quoted, 246.\nProtestantism, rise of, 191, 252, 254;\n  its false miracles, 259-261;\n  its persecutions, See _Christians,\n  persecutions of._\nProetextatus, 188.\nPuritans, 293.\n\n\nR\n\nRavenna, 148, 351, 352, n.;\n  exarchate of, 351, n.\nReformation, the, 249-252;\n  predictions of by medieval Christians, 243-249.\nRegal power, 214, also n.\nReign of Terror in France, 306-315.\nRevival of Learning, 249.\nRheims, 140.\nRoberts, Bishop, quoted, 364.\nRobespierre, 307, 309, 313.\nRodgers, Hester Ann, 368.\nRomagna, 327.\nRoman Empire, forms of, See _Heads, seven_, and _Horns, ten_;\n  Christianity the State religion under Constantine, 116, 231;\n  division of under Valens and Valentinian, 440;\n  overrun by barbarians, 25, 125, 136-141, 142, 143, 145, 146, 148;\n  fall of Western division (A.D. 476), 133, 148, 236, 440;\n  fall of Eastern division (A.D. 1453), 167, 169, 172, 440, 441.\nRome, 109, 138, 139, 143.\nRosetta stone, 18, n.\nRosseau, 300.\nRubenstein, 88.\nRutter, quoted, 186.\n\n\nS\n\nSt. Anthony, 189, 190.\nSt. Aquinas, quoted, 340.\nSt. Bartholomew, massacre of, 117.\nSt. Dennis, 307.\nSt. Petersburg, 172.\nSalutaris Vibius, 42.\nSaracens, 26, 61, 110, 156-163.\nSardinia, 143.\nSardis, capital of Lydia, 56;\n  fate of, 58, 64, 68.\nSavage, Minton J., quoted, 413-415.\nSaxons, See _Anglo-Saxons._\nSaxony, 244, 250, 251.\nSchweinitz, 248.\nScott, 0., quoted, 363.\nScythia, 136, 139.\nSeptimus Severus, Roman emp., 98, 224.\nSergius, Pope, 344, 345, 346.\nSickles, Daniel, quoted, 405.\nSiddartha, 409.\nSienna, council of, 340.\nSimpson, quoted, 362.\nSisera, 332.\nSmyrna, preservation of, 48, 64, 68.\nSocrates, 409.\nSpain, overrun by Saracens, 160.\nSparta, 137.\nSpires, 140, 191;\n  diet of, 191, 253.\nSpiritualism, 411, 412.\nStates-General, of France, 306.\nStrasburg, 140.\nSuevi, 215.\nSultanies, Turkish, names of, 165.\nSunium, 137.\nSymbols, See _Hieroglyphics_.\n\n\nT\n\nTables of Laws, Roman, 214.\nTalmage, T. DeWitt, quoted, 363, 412.\nTemple of Reason, 309.\nTertullian, 107;\n  quoted, 134, 224-226.\nTetzel, 250, 251.\nTheodoret, 96.\nTheodoric, 148, 236.\nTheodosius the Great, Roman emp., 136, 440, n.\nThermopylae, 137.\nThrace, 137.\nThuanus, quoted, 200.\nThyatira, fate of, 64, 68.\nTiberius C\u00e6sar, Roman emp., 66.\nTilsit, 172.\nTmolus, Mount, 56.\nToledo, council of, 339, 346.\nToloso, council of, 339.\nTorgaw, 291.\nTournay, 140.\nTours, 161;\n  council of, 339.\nTrajan, Roman emp., 98, 104, 222.\nTrent, council of, 96.\nTribunes, 214, also n.\nTripoli, 143.\nTriumvirate, 214, also n., 351.\nTurenne, 307.\nTurin, 199.\nTurings, 215.\nTurks, See _Ottoman empire._\n\n\nU\n\nUniversal Bishop, Pope styled, See _Papacy._\nUrban II., 96.\n\n\nV\n\nValens, Roman emp., 440, also n.\nValentinian, Roman emp., 143, 440, also n.\nValerian, Roman emp., 98.\nVandals, 25, 142, 143, 215.\nVanosia, 347.\nVatican, council of, 346.\nVaudois, 196.\nVenaissin, 327.\nVenus, 241.\nVicarius Filii Dei, blasphemous title of the Pope, 264.\nVictor Emmanuel, 255, 328.\nVictor III., Pope, 345.\nVienna, attacked by Turks, 169;\n  congress of, 323.\nVisigoths, 138, 141, 146, 215.\nVoltaire, 297-302, 305, 306, 401.\n\n\nW\n\nWaddington, quoted, 94, 186, 346, 347.\nWagram, battle of, 322.\nWaldenses, 113, 117, 161, 196, 200, 270, 339, 342.\nWarburton, quoted, 404.\nWaterloo, battle of, 324.\nWeishaupt, Dr. Adam, 300, 302, 403.\nWesley, John, 368.\nWestern Empire, See _Roman Empire_ also _Charlemagne_\n  and _Holy Roman Empire._\nWestphalia, 321.\nWicks, Thos., quoted, 297-303, 321, 323.\nWittemberg, 248, 249;\n  university of, 251.\nWurms, 140.\nWycliffe, 61, 340, 344.\n\n\nX\n\nXerxes, 321.\n\n\nY\n\nYellowstone Park, 87.\nYosemite Valley, 87.\nYuruks, 58.\n\n\nZ\n\nZend-Avesta, 406.\nZoroaster, 406.\nZurich, 292.\nZwingle, Ulrich, reformer, 252.","title":"The Revelation Explained: An Exposition, Text by Text, of the Apocalypse of St. John","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":124677}