TheRevelationofJesusChrist 10004396

Th e Revelati o n
of Jesu s C hrist
A S t u dy of the Ap o calyp s e
By
/
H . C. WILLIAM S
Bl i s he t h at re ad e th , and they tha t he ar t he

e s se d
wo rd s o f t he p ro phe cy , and k ee p t he thi n g s t hat are

’ —
w ri t t en the re i n : fo r the t i m e i s at hand . Rev .
CIN CINN ATI
IE S TANDARD P U B LISH ING CO M P ANY

C O NT ENT S
CH APT ER
P REFACE
IN TROD U CTO RY ESSAY—P RO P HE CY .
I . P RE L I M I N ARY EX A M I N AT ION .
P ART I .
II . V I S I ON OF T HE GO LDE N CA NDL E ST I C K S . 47
III . LETT ERS TO T H E S EVEN CH U R C HE S 61
P ART II
.
IV . V I S I ON OF HEAVEN T H RO U G H A N O P EN
DOO R 79
V . O P EN I N G T HE S E A L ED B OO K 96
VI . O P EN I N G O F T HE CH R I ST I A N S E A L S . 1 15
VII . T H E S EVEN T H S E A L A ND T HE FO U R
W I ND S 13 7
VI II . TH E TH R EE WOE AN G E L S 1 52
IX . T H E AN G E L W I T H T HE O P EN B OO K . 1 74
X . TE M P L E MEAS UR ED . 187
P ART I I I .
T H E WO M A N A ND T HE DRA GON .
T H E W I LD B E A S TS.
T H E D EC L I NE O F T HE P A P A CY
DE STRU C T I ON O F B A B Y LON T H E GR E AT .
Z I ON S GL AD MOR N I N G
’
TH E T I M E S A ND T H E S E AS ON S
M E A N I N G O F T HE MO R E I M PO RTA N T
S Y M B O LS
TO PI C A L INDEX
HIS book is not p ubli shed to exploi t any new .
theo ry b ut to ai d i f pos si bl e the great m ass

, , ,
o f the p eopl e who are gro pi ng thei r way in t he d ark

,
nes s see ki ng the l i ght but fin di ng i t not ; hungeri ng

, ,
for the tr uths o f Go d s wo rd but no t appr ehend

’
,
ing t hem . Feeli ng th at Go d wo uld not reveal him

sel f in a m a n ner that man could no t unders tand the ,
writer has devot ed m any ye ars to a p ati ent stu dy of

the s ym b o l i s m o f the S cript ure He has t ri ed f ai th
.
f ully to comply w i th the inj unct ion o f I s aiah : To “
the law and to the t es ti mo ny " i f they sp eak not ac

co r d ing t o thi s w o r d s ur ely ther e i s no mo rni ng fo r
,
them ”
. The B i b l e give s the di vi ne i nterpr et at ion o f
eve ry s ym bo l use d in t he p rophet i c po rti ons o f the
S cr i pt ure. T he und ers tan di ng o f the im ager y o f

any pr oph et i s s i mply a m att er o f di scoveri ng the
S cript ural us age O f the sym bo l s emplo yed . The

B oo k o f Rev el at ion i s easi ly the mo s t preci ous and
vit al vo l ume O f the S cri pt ure t o the child o f God .
It i s f ro m Revel at io n al one that the r ay s o f light

, ,
m ust co m e to l i ght up the p athway o f m anki nd

through the ev er d eepening gloom O f the pres ent
-
ti m e It reveals all o f the ev ents connected wi th the

.
Ch ri sti an di s p ensation fro m the tim e o f the vi sions

until Jes u s com es .
When the beauti ful i mag ery has been under

5
P REF ACE
s tood acco rding to the divin e usage the mat ter of

‘
its fulfillm ent is simply that o f pl aci ng the S crip tur e

r ecord sid e by sid e with auth ent ic history for ,
prophecy is hi story in a nticipation The f ulfillm ent .
O f ma ny Of the pro p heci es Of t he O ld Test am ent i s

fo und in the New T estam ent but the events which
,
J oh n wrot e O f w er e to be f ulfill ed cent uri es a fter

the B ibl e was co mpl et e History m us t com e to our
.
aid th er efore The r es ults are str iki ng F aith

, . .
gr ows b y l eaps and bo unds as event after event i s

fo und to be the acc urat e f ul fi l lm ent O f th at w hi ch
had b een fo r etold .
The s eco nd p urp os e i n p ubli shi ng this boo k is

t he h op e th at it will so simpli fy this rem ark ab l e b ut ,
u nr ead prop hecy t h at m any who hav e tho ught it a

,
-
my st ery will turn to its bl es sed p ages a nd h av e their

liv es enrich ed by th eir study The author is i ndebted
.
to many mi nds o f v ario us Opinio ns but m ost O f all to

,
the h eav enly F ather and to hi s pr ec io us wo rd o f ,
which David s aid : Th y wo rd is a l amp unto m y

“
f eet and a ligh t u nto my p ath Having fo und this

, .
s ubj ect O f i nt er es t to th ousand s o f p eople d uring a

b us y mi nistry the auth or co mm end s its p ati ent rev
, ,
erent s t ud y to all O f his br et hr en in the mi nistr y ,
t h at all O f tho s e for who m Christ di ed migh t be

r ead y and wai ting for the coming O f the King .
LINCOLN Nebraska
, . H C WILLI A M S
. . .
INTRO DUCTO RY ESSAY
PRO PHE CY
HE B ib l e i s t he mo st m arvelo us and wond er f ul
b ook i n w orld s liter at ur e It is
al l of t he
’
.
uniq u e It i s in a cl as s by it sel f W hen W alter

. .
S cott lay dy ing he sai d to his servant : B ri ng m e

“
,
t he b ook O n bei ng ask ed what b oo k was m eant

.
,
he repl i ed : The B i bl e There i s no bo ok b ut the

“
.
B i bl e .The charact eri st ic that d i st ing ui s h es the

B i bl e and rend ers it uni q ue i s t he di vi ne el em ent
, ,
wh ich s urcharg es e very p age T he m ighty t heme o f .
red emptio n un f old ed s t ep b y s t ep wi t h ever i ncrea s

,
-
ing cl earness f rom creat io n s d awn t hro ugh the

’
, ,
changi ng cent uri es and m i ll enni um s to i t s gl ori o us
cli max i n the B oo k o f Revel at io n reve al s a uni ty o f ,
tho ught and p urp ose w hich co uld co me only from

the m i nd o f Go d Rem em b er t he fo rmer t hings o f
“
.
Old : for I am God and there i s none el se ; I am ,
Go d and th ere i s no ne like m e ; d eclari ng the end

,
fro m the b eg i nni ng , and fro m anci ent ti m es thi ng s

that ar e no t y et d one
”
( Is a . Men live
and di e their b oo k s are d iscard ed by the suc
, an d
ceedi ng gene rati on The t heori es held as m o st su r ely

.
t rue by wr i ters o f o ne cent ury b eco m e O b sol ete and

are cont rad i ct ed by the t hi nk ers o f the s ucceedi ng
cent ury T hi s i s not so wi th the B ible although it

.
,
INT RO D U CT O R Y ES S AY
was wri tten by abo ut fo rt y di fferent autho rs d uring

a pe ri o d o f s i xt een centuri es It is li k e a wall l aid
.
co ur s e upo n co ur s e Each succeedi ng l ayer o f s tone

.
wo uld be impo ss i b l e w i tho ut the preced i ng l ay er s

upo n w hi ch to res t T he New T est am ent with its
.
,
cha act eri s ti cs t hat m ark it as s o di ff erent f rom the

r
O l d T es tam en t d ec l ares that one jot or o ne ti t tl e

“
,
S hal l in no wi se p as s away f ro m the law ti ll all ,
thing s be acco mpl i s hed M tt ”

( a T h e O l d .
Tes tament i s the fo und ati on upo n which the New

T estament res ts The New i s the f ulfill ing and un
.
fo ld ing o f the O ld and wo ul d be impo ss ib l e witho ut

,
SO that t he l aw i s becom e o ur t ut or t o
“
the O l d .
bri ng us unto Chri st th at we m ight be j us t i fi ed by

,
f aith ( Gal 3 :
”
. Thi s harmo nio us o utgro wth o f
each s ucceedi ng po rtion fro m the preceding one
r evea l s t he han d o f o ne m as t er B ui l d er who l ai d
“
li ne upon li ne and p recept upo n precept unti l the ”
com pl et ed b oo k reveal ed t he who l e co uns el o f

“
Go d .There i s abo ut the B ib l e a grandeur o f con

”
cep t io n and a s ub l i m ity o f ex p res s io n bey ond hum an
ab i l i ty There is a po tency in the boo k that t rans

.
fo rm s the l ives O f indivi d ual s and changes t he char

act er o f nat ions T he boo k i s po s s es s ed o f a vit ality
.
whi ch has p reserved it t o the p res ent tim e despit e

t he fi erce s t as s aul t s o f the com b ined fo rces o f evi l .
There i s a p urity so transcend ent and a mo rali ty so

co mprehen s i ve p e rv ad i ng t he t e aching o f the B i b l e
, ,
that co ul d co m e only f ro m the mind o f Go d Abo ve .
al l
, the B i b l e i s uni q ue b ecause it reveal s th e M an
who s e per f ec ti ons are di vine d e fying the ab i l i ty o f ,
the mo s t g i ft ed h um an i nt ell ect to cr eat e H e i s the .
8
INT R O D U CT O R Y ES S AY
heart and bo dy Of the bo ok . He is the one who

sa ti s fies the so ul hunger o f the human race When
-
.
the wo rld was yo un g Job felt the need o f a d ay s

“
,
man or an ump i r e to s tand bet wi xt him and Go d

” “ ”
.
Al l o f the p rophet s lo ng ed to see him se arching

“
,
w hat time or w hat manner o f ti m e the S p iri t o f

Chri s t w hi ch was in them di d po int t o when it t es ,
t i fi ed b e f orehand the s uff eri ngs o f Chr i s t and the ,
glo ries that sho uld fo llow th em ( 1 Pet 1 : The

”
.
ag e d S imeo n m i ght w el l s ay Now l ett es t tho u thy “

,
se rvant d ep art Lo r d fo r the re i s no thi ng mo re for

”
, ,
t he hum an hea rt to d es i re but to s tan d in t he p res

ence o f the Ki ng o f ki n gs H e i s the Ro s e o f .
S haro n t he Lily o f the v all ey the b right and morn

, ,
ing S t ar Hi s nam e and m i ght y wo rk s d i ff us e the

.
p ages o f thi s sacred boo k w it h ineffab l e glo ry and ,
it s far st ream ing l i ght gui d es the sto rm t os se d mari

- -
ner to the haven o n the etern al s ho r e .
No bo o k i s lik e the B i b l e It i s Go d s will m ad e .

’
known to ho ly m en o f o ld and tr ansm i tt ed to us

“ ”
.
,
as t hey w m oved by the Ho ly S p i rit It is

“ ” “
ere .
ab l e to m ak e o ne wi s e unto s al v ati on and f urnishes

co mpl et ely unto every goo d wo rk It s t reas ures .
are ri ch an d i nex haus t i b l e The f urther one f at ho ms

.
it s d epths the b ri ght er and mo re respl end ent ar e the

,
j ew el s o f truth d i scovered P e asant and ki ng the . ,
s i m pl e and t he s av ant the weak and the p ower f ul

, ,
drink alik e o f it s re freshi ng strea m s and rej oi ce ,

.
W ise i s the man who r everently s earches the Scrip

t ures wi th a prayer fo r gu id ance for the eyes o f hi s ,
und ers t and i ng w i ll be o pened and hi s l i f e will b e
enriched .
9
INT R O D U CT O RY ES S AY
The B ibl e contai ns history and poetry The .
mighty d eeds O f the h eroes O f the dim and di stant

p ast are embl az oned th ere th at al l generati ons might
know how the fabric o f our civilizati on has b een
w oven There we see the divi ne h and d eftly wo rk
.
ing i nto the w arp and w oo f O f hum an hi st ory the

cords m ad e scarl et with the bl oo d and s acrifice O f
men o f f aith and o f the Man O f Galil ee Fr om the .
loom O f the ages a tap est ry app ears w herei n he has

woven out o f t he tangl ed sk ei ns o f the nat ion al li f e
,
o f all p eopl es w ondro us fig ur es s hapi ng and f as h

, ,
io ning th em acco rd i ng to his own will The ear.
att uned to the m el ody O f the infi nit e will t here catch
the sw eet es t str ains o f song th at ev er f ell fr om

h um an l ip s There the divin est h arm oni es sw ept
.
,
f rom harp stri ngs b y angel hands giv e us a for e

-
,
tas te o f the heav enly m usic that shal l thrill the t e

d eemed in the cel esti al city Th ere tho ught divi ne
.
is v oi ced in sublimest ph rase .
The B ibl e co nt ai ns bi o gr aphy and lett er s o f ih

s t ruct i on
. In no o ther bo ok can o ne find tr uer
reco rd s o f the l i ve s o f men th an these f o und in t he
sac red S criptu re They rev eal the f aul t and imp er
.
fection as fait h f ully as the comm end ab l e tr ai t s o f

charact er . Th ese men w hose nam es have been
snat ched from O bliv ion and pl ac ed in the divi ne
scro ll o f f am e by the S cr i pt ure writ ers are t he o nes
who hav e wr ought for the b ett erm ent O f h um ani ty

and h av e m ad e pos s ibl e the h op e o f et ernal li f e .
The boo k s O f instr uct ion op en up to all m anki nd

the gl orio us privil eges o f the go sp el and guid e men
,
i n t heir cond uct to w ard each o ther as they are “
10
trans fo rm ed into the s am e im age from glo ry to

gl ory even as by the Lo rd the S pi rit
,
”
.
T he B i bl e cont ains p rop hecy The subj ect m att er

.
-
O f eight een o f the sacre d bo ok s Of the S cript ure is

pr ed ictiv e Here we find the reco rd Of the vis i ons
.
o f pr op het s and seers who f o r eto ld ev ents and the ,
m ovement o f men and natio ns c ent uri es and m i ll en

,
ni um s b efo re t hey oc curred Th ese p rop het ic rec

.
o rd s gi ve i n f o rmati on t hat o nly Go d could k now ,
and t hei r ex act and co mpl et e f ulfill ment i s t he s eal
and g uarant ee Of t he e ntir e bo o k P rop hecy i s the

.
i mp regnabl e f ortr ess that the ho st s o f S at an can not

ov ert hro w the un f ai li ng b ulw ark o f Chri sti an f ai th .
At t he p res ent tim e ther e i s a

P ph y a Neg
ro ec
t end ency to negl ect the st udy O f
l t d Th m e
ec e e
the pr op het ical p o rt io ns o f the
B i bl e The mi ni s t ry as w ell as the great m as s O f
.
,
pro fes se d Chri sti ans s eem s to be imb ued with the
,
idea th at the p red icti ve el em ent O f the S c ript ure de

fies reaso nabl e and s ane i nt erpr et ati on and t hat it
~
can no t be d efi ni t ely and cert ai nly und er s t oo d SO .
m uch has thi s sp i rit t ak en po ssess i on o f the B ibl e

r ead ers o f the pr esent tim e th at thes e eighteen bo ok s
might as w ell h ave been t rans l at ed i n an unknow n
to ngue o r l e ft out O f the B ibl enti rely T heir mes
e
.
s ages are unk nown ,

thei r w arni ngs are unheed ed
and t heir r i ch bl es s i ngs uncl ai med bec aus e f orso ot h
, , ,
we are Ob ses sed w i th the f all acio us noti on that the

h eavenly Father wo uld m ock hi s child ren by rev eal
ing t he m om ent ous f ut ure events in such a way that
.
th ey could not be und er stoo d As a res ult the r ace

. ,
has l os t i t s b eari ngs . Witho ut a c omp as s or a chart

u
hum ani ty drifts , and , bei ng

recognize the l
unab e to
meaning o f the gi gan ti c s tr uggl e betw een th e na

ti ons can not determi ne ho w near it i s to the j o ur
,
ney s end
’
.
Thi s hesitancy upo n the part O f B ibl e read ers

to inves ti gate p rophecy i s due to t wo m ai n caus es .
F i rs t the tend ency o f a certai n cl as s o f theo lo gi ans

,
t o d eny the m i racul o us and to d i scar d al l S cri pt ure
which can not be expl ai ned upo n a r ati ona l i sti c bas i s .
Whenever these men utter a statem ent it is us ually

b utt res se d wi th the cl aim that sc ho l ars
“
al l are
agre ed The number o f m ini s ters who are over

”
.
aw ed by t hes e ext rava gant cl aim s and hes itat e to ,
i nves t igate independ ently l est they sho uld be tho ught
uns cho l arly i s alto gether too l arge
, S eco nd proph .
,
ecy ha s b een b ro ught i nto d i s rep ut e beca us e o f the
tim e setti ng p ropens i ti es o f so m any mi s gui d ed

-
,
tho ugh consci entio us p eo pl e We can not fo rget the

, .
warning t hat the S cri pt ure pl ai nly fo ret o ld that

“ ”
the world was comi ng to an end in 1844 and

“
,
agai n i n 1 866 and 18 70 and 19 14 The f act that the .
world s ti ll m oves in its o rbi t undi s turbed m akes

men s us picio us o f al l cl aim s that any d efi ni te info r
m atio n may be Ob tai ned by a st udy o f p ro p hecy .
Thus o ne o f the po rti on s o f the S c ript ure o f mo s t

vi t al impo rt ance to the well be ing o f humani ty i s -
being negl ec ted by the mass es by reason o f mi s

concep t i on and thro ugh f ear o f ri d icu l e .
O ur m ind s have been too

V al u f e o
eas ily b l ind ed by the b oas t ings o f
P ph y
ro ec
so call e d scho l ars hip and by t he
-
p aten t b l unders o f pro f esse d s tud ent s o f p rop hecy .
12
that wh i le these erred as to the ch aract er of the

ev ent ex p ec t ed to h app en in a ce rt ai n y ear yet b y ,
the ai d O f p roph ecy th ey w er e abl e t o hit upon

tho se y ears in w hi ch events v i tal to the life and
progr ess o f the ch urch as we ll as to manki nd at ,
l arge o ccurr ed The year 1844 was the one in

, .
w hich the O ttom an Gov ernm ent was co mp ell ed to

i s sue a d ecree o f r eligi ous to l er atio n A mo s t event .
ful year was 1 8 66 and mark ed the s t ru ggl e b etw een

,
the Pap acy and Pr ot es tanti s m culm inati ng in th e ,
ev ent s o f fo ur y ea r s l ate r The y ear 187 0 was a

.
mo m ento us one in h um an hi sto ry The pretens i ons .
to tempo r al pow er by tha t arch co n s pirato r agai ns t -
C sh ri t a nd h i s c hu r ch— h
t e P ope o f Ro m e— received
thei r death blo w in that year He was fo rev er
-
.
b er e ft o f tempo ral p ower and Rom e with it s , ,
pr ovi nces was incorpo rated with the ki ngdo m o f

,
Italy O ct 9 1 870 The year 19 14 m ark ed the

, .
, .
b egi nning o f a tit anic st ru ggl e o f the nati ons o f

Europ e S ure ly t h at p ortio n o f the S cript ur e w hich
.
enab l es men to po i nt o ut une rri ngly the y ear s in
w hich cr uci al changes will occur al though at faul t ,
as to th eir nat u r e i s s o imp o rtant as t o m er it the m os t

,
caref ul and rev er ent study by all men .
Ano ther cons id er ati on should ch all enge the

t ho ught O f those who hav e negl ect ed the pr op hetic
bo ok s The B ibl e is Go d s boo k The p red ictive
.
’
.
p ort ions did not com e by the will Of man

“ ”
The .
am ount of sp ac e d ev ot ed to a s ubj ect o ught t o be
a tr ue gauge O f i ts rel ative impo rt ance in the divine

esti m ati on Thr ee fo urt h s o f the s ubj ect matter i s
.
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18
INT RO D U CT O RY ES S AY
devo ted to prophecy In addition to the eighteen

.
books already m entioned the ty p es and shad ows o f

,
the O ld T estam en t m ust be i nclud ed i n t his s ubj ect .
The liv es O f men lik e Ad am and J o s eph and J oshu a

are bu t pict ur es o f O ne to co m e in the f ut ur e .
Incid ents like th at o f the sacrific e o f I saac look

forward to a f ut ure ev ent Even the ev ents con
.
necte d with the j our ney O f the J ews fr om Egyp t

are s aid to have h app ened by way o f ex ampl e
“ ”
.
M os t O f the w ond erf ul p arabl es o f J esus and m uch

o f hi s t eachi ng are pr edi ct i v e M any O f the state
.
m ents o f P eter and Pa ul are concerning ev ent s in

the f ut ur e I f proph ecy i s unimpo rtant and can not
.
be und ers tood then t hr ee fo urths o f the B ibl e is

,
-
usel ess and might as w ell never h av e b een wr itt en .
The w ord o f God i s the s w o rd o f the S p i r it If .
thr ee fo urth s o f the sw ord can not be used the

-
,
rem aini ng one fo urth can d o but l ittl e executi on

-
.
O n t he l ast night O f hi s li f e J es us pr ay ed fo r his

di scipl es sayi ng : S ancti f y them thro ugh thy tr uth
,
t hy w o rd is t rut h ( Jo h n The W ord is

the m eans t hro ugh w hich s anct i fication i s attai ned ,
and i f thr ee fo urths o f the W o rd i s not av ail abl e as

-
a sancti fyi ng p ower our m eans o f grace is limited

,
i nd eed P roph ecy is the m ost vital sub j ect co n

.
t ai ned i n t he S cript ur e reco rd unl es s we chall enge

,
the goo d ness o f God and hi s wi s d om i n d ev ot i ng

so m uch sp ace to it s utt er ance The l ov e o f Go d
.
precl ud es the id ea o f a usel ess them e .
A t hi rd c onsid er ati on emp has izi ng the impo rt ance

o f pro ph ecy will be f ound in its use by J es us and
hi s i nspir ed apo st l es A striki ng ex ample o f J esus ’

.
14
us e o f proph ecy in his t eachi ng is found in Luke

4 : 16 2 1
-
Aft er readi ng fr om the pro p het Is aiah
.
,
he cl os ed the bo ok and said : To day h ath this

“
-
s cript ure b een f ul fi lled in yo ur ears ( v 2 1 )

”
.
B asi ng hi s s ermo n upon the d efi nit e f ul fi ll ment O f

p roph ecy it is not to be wo nd er ed that its pow er
,
sho uld be apparent and t h at his hear ers s ho uld

m arv el at the w ords o f grace w hich proceeded
“
out o f hi s m outh Ano ther i nst ance is f ound in

”
.
Luke 27 W hen J esus w ould lay an ev er

-
.
l asti ng found atio n for the f aith o f the two co m

p anions on the way to Emm aus he chided them ,
for their f ail ur e to b el i ev e all that the proph et s

“
hav e sp ok en And b egi nni ng fr om M o ses and

”
.
f rom all the prop hets he i nterpreted to t hem in all

,
the script ur es t he thi ng s concer ni ng him self Num ”

.
bers o f s imil ar i nst ances o f J esus use O f pr op he c y

’
may be fo und Ma tth ew con tin ually calls att ent ion
.
to the f act t h at the v ari o us i ncid ents in the li f e o f

J esus are the f ulfillm ent o f proph ecy and such ,
exp res si ons as T hen was f ulfilled that which was

“
sp ok en through the prop het s are comm on When

”
, .
P eter p reach ed the fir st gosp el s ermo n the m ajor ,
port io n o f i t co nsi sted o f argum ent th at the proph

ceies o f J oel and David h ad b een ful fi ll ed in t he
o utpo uri ng o f the Ho ly S piri t and in t h e res urrec ~
t io n o f J es us S O co nvincing was that argum ent

.
that abo ut t hree t ho us and soul s ob eyed the go sp el .
Agai n in hi s s erm on reco rd ed in the third ch ap t er

,
o f Act s Peter calls to wi tness all of the proph et s

,
“
from S amu el and th em t ha t follow ed after ”

The .
immedi ate result s w ere t hat the numb er o f men who

15
IN T R O D U CT O R Y ES S AY
bel i eved m e to be abo ut five tho us and

ca When .
S t ep hen mad e hi s m em o rab l e de f ense he chose t wo ,
p ro pheci es as the clirnax o f his argum ent ( Act s

'
7 : 42 When P hi l ip would win the Ethiop ian

for Chri s t he cho s e I s ai ah s p ro p hecy o f the s uff er
’
,
ing M es s i ah as hi s t ext W hen P eter wo uld preach

.
the go s pel to Co rneli us he d ecl ared : To him be ar

“
,
al l o f t he pro p he ts witnes s th at thro ugh his nam e

,
eve ry one th at be l i eve th on him s hall recei v e r em i s
s io n o f s i ns Paul had r eco ur s e to the p ro p hec ies

.
”
o f t he O l d T es t am ent and us es the m w i th co nvi ne

,
i ng po w er i n hi s a ddr es s at An t io ch i n Pi s idi a
( Act s 1 3 : 1 6 He that wo uld m i nimi z e the
i mpo rtan ce o f pr op hecy has f ai l ed to s ee the empha
s i s pl aced upo n i t by the M as t er and hi s i nspir ed
te achers When Chri s t s church is to be b ui lt it

.
’
,
is up on th e found at io n O f the apo s tl es and p ro p het s

“
,
Chri s t J es us h im s el f b ei ng the chi e f corner sto ne

”
-
E
( p h
. 2 : W hen t he o r ga n i z ation o f the church
was d et ermi ned upo n he gave so me t o be ap os tl es :
“
,
and so m e p rophets et c The prop hetic f unction

”
.
, ,
i s next to the ap os to l i c in the church o f Chr i s t .
The gl ori o us light o f p rop hecy i s as unto a l amp

“
s hini ng i n a d ark pl ace ll t t

”
and ,y e do w e ha ye
take heed until the day d awn and the day star ,
-
ari s e in y o ur h eart s It is a rich bl es si ng a

.
,
p recious gi ft and the no tio n that the pro phecy o f

,
the S cript ure can not be un d ers to o d i s fos t er ed by

the f ath er o f l i es to irnpo veri s h our l i v es I f we .
f ai l to invest i g ate these wonderf ul revel ati ons o f

Go d in type s ym bo l and vi s io n we ha ve d eni ed
,
‘
,
our s elv es the pr ot ectio n o f one o f the strong est

Io
INT R O D U CT O R Y ES SAY
the red eem ed and with the fo r ces o f sin are ,
i ncl ud ed withi n the scop e o f the proph etic record .
The proph ets are ent rust ed wi th the secr et of the

Lo rd s d oi ngs b efore they come to pa s s Now this
’
. ,
stor e o f wisdom c oncern i ng f ut ure h app eni ngs was

no t committ ed unt o t he pro ph ets for t h eir own
edi ficati on and i n fo rm at ion . I t was entr usted to

them for the edificat ion and i ns t r uction of others .
T his is i nd ic ated in an i ncid ent in the li fe o f

Abr aham as r eco rd ed i n Gen 18 : 17 3 3 : J ehovah
.
-
s aid S hall I hide from Ab rah am that w hich I do ;

,
s eei ng that Abrah am sh all su rely b ecom e a gr eat

and mighty nation and all the natio ns o f the ear t h
,
s hall b e bl es s ed in him ? I t was b ecaus e God

”
rega rd ed the p os t erity o f Abr ah am that he mad e

known unt o him the d estruction o f S odom and the
citi es O f the p l ai n.
Th at the r ev el ati on vo uch safed to the prophet s

was not gi ven fo r the b enefit even o f the generation
in whi ch th ey wro t e is pl ai nl y st at ed in 1 Pet 1 :
’
10 12 :
-
Co nc erni ng which s alv at i on the proph et s
s ought and s earch ed dil ig entl y ,who pr op hesi ed of
the gr ac e that sh ould com e u nto y ou : s earchi ng
wh at tim e or wh at m anner O f t im e the S pirit o f
Christ w hich was in them did poi nt unto when i t ,
testifi ed b e forehand the s ufferi ngs o f Christ and ,
the gl ori es th at s hould fo ll ow t h em To wh om i t

.
was rev eal ed th at not unt o t h em selv es b ut unto

, ,
y o u, did th ey mi ni st er t h es e t h i ngs ”
T
. h is p a ss age
o f S cript ur e is the end of all c ont rov ers y We .
l earn from it t he fo llo wi ng facts

1 T hat the thi ngs wri t t en in proph ecy are no t
.
Is
INT R O D U CT O R Y ESS AY
the resul ts o f human inven tion or knowl edge The .
S pirit o f Chris t spok e through the pr oph et s This .
is co r ro bo rated b y 2 P et .
“
For no prop hecy
ev er cam e by the will o f man : b ut men sp ak e from
God b ei ng m ov ed by the Holy S piri t

,
”
To neglec t
.
the p at i en t i nves t i g a t ion o f t h ese proph et ic m es s ages

is to negl ect the wo rds o f the S piri t o f Chris t To .
b ri ng discredi t upo n t h em in an y way i s to dis cr edi t

the S piri t o f Chris t .
2 We learn tha t the pro p het s did no t even com

.
p rehend th ei r o wn wri t ing

”
3 We find tha t the i nfo rma ti on g iv en to t he

“
prop het s was not for th eir advantage at all but ,
for the edi ficatio n o f generat io ns st ill in the f ut ure .
We o f this glo ri ous di sp ensat io n are the h eirs

o f al l the ages The t r eas ur e ho us e O f prO phet ic
’
-
.
t ruth is s tored with the wisdom O f the S piri t o f

Christ Its ri ches hav e not b een di sturb ed nor
.
dis sip ated They remain i nt ac t as our i nh eritance

. .
We have but to op en the door to enter i nto the full

enj oym ent o f wh at God has r ev eal ed With sp ecial
.
re f erence to the Bo ok o f Rev elation the angel ,
which signi fi ed i t prono unced a bles si ng upo n

“ ”
tho s e who w ould st udy it say ing : B l es s ed is he

,
“
that readet h and th ey th at h ear the wo rd s o f the

, ,
pro p hecy and keep the thi ngs th at are wri tten
,
therei n: for the t im e is at hand ( Rev ”

.
Agai n ano t h er p ass age o f S crip t ur e giv es us an

,
i ndicati on o f the scope and p urp ose o f proph ec y .
The sec r et thi ngs b el ong unt o J eh ov ah our God

“
b ut the t hi ngs th at are rev eal ed b elong un to us and

to o ur children fo r ev er th at we may do all t he
,
19
wo rds of this l aw ( Deu t . The sco pe of
o ur t y is here lim i ted to the things which ar e

s ud
“
rev eal ed We can make no inq ui ry into that which

.
has no t b een fo re to ld fo r t he s ecr et thi ngs bel ong

“
,
to Go d .The f ai l ures o f so m any in t he p ast have

be en d ue to the i r eag ernes s to wo rk o ut the d etai l s
of futur e events w hi ch hav e no t been reveal ed .
The day and the ho ur o f the com ing O f t he S on

“ ”
o f m an i s kno wn o nly t o th e m in d o f Go d Ho w .
ever the t hi ngs t hat have b een fo reto ld bel on g to

“
,
us and o ur ch i ld ren fo r eve r We have the ri ght

”
.
and pri vi l ege o f i nves tigat i n n d u i n l l t h t

g a s g a a
bel ongs to us We notice that what has been fo re

to l d belongs to us fo r a p urpo se— that we may do
.
al l the w o rk s o f t hi s l aw The knowl edge o f that

”
.
whi ch has been f oreto ld enab l es s t rengt hens and ,
help s us to do the will o f Go d and it i s es p ec i ally ,
no te d that that whi ch i s r eveal ed belo ng s to the

“ ”
cho s en peopl e o f Go d .
The d evelo pm ent o f f aith i s t he cle arly ex p res s ed

p urp o se o f p rop hecy as i s stat ed by J es us him sel f :
,
“
And now I have to ld yo u be fo re it com e to p ass ,
that when it i s co me to p ass ye m ay be li eve ( Jo hn

, ,
14 : What need we who are b uffet ed o n every

,
s i d e mo re t han f ai t h ?
, Living in an ag e o f careles s
indi ff erence to di vine things and o f the ext ravagant
bo as t ings o f scho l arshi p no gr eat er bo on co uld be
,
desi red than that o f the stro ng ass urance that Go d

s till l ives and i s o r d er i ng the mo vem ent s o f men
and nat i ons acco rd ing t o hi s w i ll and to the et ern al ,
red empti on o f hi s child ren th ro ugh Ch ri st J es us .
Wi thin the ho use ho ld o f f ai th perverse men have

so
a ri s en who through fei gn ed wo rds are attempting

,
t o des tro y its f o un d ati o ns We li v e in a grand and

.
aw f ul ag e when al l o f t he po wer o f S atan w i ll be

,
exe r ci s ed i n hi s d eath s tr uggl e to m ai nta in hi s r ul e

-
o v er the so ul s o f men It i s not strange th en th at

.
, ,
in the l at er tim es so m e shall d ep art f ro m the

“
faith no r that the M as ter should loo k fo rw ard to

”
,
the d ay s i n which we liv e and say w i th such m ani

,
f est anx iety : Neve rthe l es s w hen the S on o f man

“
,
com e th shall he find f ai th on the earth ? It will ”

,
be f rui tl es s fo r us to pr ay Lo rd incr ease o ur

“
, ,
faith if we negl ect the d i vinely appointe d m ean s

”
,
fo r the d evelo pm ent O f f ai t h Prop hecy is the

.
mighty fo rtres s in which the Christi an s f aith i s ’ ’
secure The hum an mi nd m ust y i eld to the con

.
vincing powe r o f the f ulfillme nt o f pro phecy I f we .
can pl ace o ur fi nger upo n event s that are occu rri ng
now and w hich wer e cl early p red i cted mill enni um s

,
ag o ,
no s to rm can s h ak e the f ai th w hi ch ha s b een
b ego tten in the B i bl e as God s bo ok and in the ’

,
Ch ri st o f the B ibl e as o ur S avio ur and in the ,
p romi ses o f the B i bl e w hich be lo ng to us .
-
We need com fort al so Wh at would the wo rld
.
,
wi th its b ur d en b earing it s bitte r di s appo i ntm ent s

-
, ,
and its so rro w be wi t ho ut co m fo r t ?

, Pro p hecy
comes t o us as the d i vi ne so urce o f co m fo r t Aft er .
g i vi ng i n bri e f o u tli ne t he e v ent s l ea di ng u p t o an d

in cl uding the fir st resurr ect ion and the uni on Of the
s ai nt s w ith th eir Lo rd P aul says : Wher e fo re “
, ,
co m f o rt one another with thes e wo rd s T

”
( 1 hes s .
4: We need l i ght Darkness li ke a p all

.
ens hro u d s o ur pat hwa y We can not choose our

.
21
INTRO D U CT O RY ES S AY
t ps unaid ed We can not wi th our mor tal eyes

s e . , ,
f ut ure We h ave the word o f prop hecy m ade

.
“
p enet rate the veil that hid es the h our yet in the
more s ure : wh ereunto ye do w ell that ye tak e h eed ,
as unto a lamp Shi ni ng in a d ark place u nt il the ,
day dawn and the day star aris e in yo ur h earts

,
-
”
.
Pr op hecy is the lamp pl aced in our hands and ,
wh ose far str eami ng light r ev eal s the s i gnbo ards

-
along the h eavenly highw ay Its gl eam even r each es

.
to the w all s and the tow ers O f the new J erusal em ,
and b at hes i t i n a h al o o f glory We are to use .
t hi s l amp for our g uidanc e all through the d ark

[
night and unt il the d aw n O f the gl o ri ous day w hen
we sh all be lik e him for we s hall see him as he

“
,
is.
”
Not u ntil we s tand withi n the gates of the
city will we h ave no n eed for the l amp o f “ ”
pr oph ecy to dis sip at e the wo rld s spi ritu al gloo m

’
.
The s ubj ect o f prop hecy pre

H w t Under
o o
sent s to the mind o f t he average
s t and P r ph
o y ec
Ch ri st i an m any di ffi c ulti es that
hav e no r eal b asis in f act but are im agi nary
, He .
has witnes sed the fail ur e o f m any vaunted cl ai ms

o f acc ur at e k nowl edge Of th i s po rti on o f the B ib l e ,
and has r ead so m any c ont radicto r y i nt erp ret atio ns ,
th at he feels that i t is a forbidd en fi eld Whil e we .
wo uld not mi nimiz e the r eal di ffi c ulti es encount ered

in any c aref ul st udy o f pr op hecy yet th ose w hich ,
app ear so forb idd ing to the m aj ority o f B ibl e

r ead ers are only s up erfi ci al and will d is appear b efo re
p ati ent and p ers i stent ex am inat ion and study O nce .
these are swept aw ay and the tr eas ures o f Go d s ’
m ess age are reveal ed the s oul o f man r espond s

,
22
wi th a new bo rn faith th at can b ear all thi ngs until

-
”
“
his app eari ng and his ki ngdom . Lik e J ason who ,
enc o unt er ed the b razen b ulls In his q uest for the
Gold en Fleec e and conqu er ed th em by a simpl e

e xp edi ent ,
so the r ead er o f proph ecy by boldly,
faci ng the Ob s tacles to his s earch will find him sel f

,
in po ssession O f a r ew ard gr eat er t h an t hat which

i nspi red the Argona ut s o f the long ag o .
To d ecl are t hat pr op hec y is i ncomp reh ensi bl e and

not s us cept i bl e to i nv estigatio n is to imp ugn m any
o f the pl ainest s t at eme nt s o f the S crip t ure So m e .
o f t hese fell fr om the lips O f S pi ri t fil l ed ap o stl es

-
,
and som e w er e utt er ed by the So n o f Go d hims el f .
Two di scipl es o f J es us w ere j our neyi ng to Emm aus .
The M as t er j oin ed t hem and d uri ng t he conv er

,
s atio n he s aid : O f ool i s h men and sle w of heart

“
,
to b eli ev e in al l t hat the p rop hets h av e sp oken It .
i s i nconcei vab l e th at he wo uld th us chi d e th ese men

fo r th eir ignoranc e o f the pr op heci es t hat had gone
b e fore i f t hey c ould no t be u nd ersto o d
, In the .
i nci d ent o f Di ves and Laz arus Ab rah am is repre

,
s ent ed s ayi ng to hi s p etit ioner : T hey h av e

“
as
M oses and the pro p hets ; let them h ear th em It .
w ould be a harsh and unreasonabl e thing to d em and

that the eternal salvation O f these five b rothers
sh ould d ep end o n an i nt ell i gent c omp rehens io n o f
the i nst r ucti o n O f M o ses and th e p roph et s i f s uch ,
was imp os si bl e . The i nj uncti on o f the apo st l e

P ete r to take heed to pr op hecy as unto a lamp
.
‘
shini ng i n a d ark pl ace w o uld be eq ually unr eason

”
,
abl e i f i ts m essage i s uni nt ell igi bl e We h ave

. ,
there fo re the S cripture w arrant for our i nv est iga

,
23
ti on, a l tho ugh so me may q ues tion our m ental po i se

on the o ne han d , or di ffi cul ti es seem ins urmo untab le
on the ot her .
The p ro per ter a ho use is to find the

way to en
doo r and i f it does no t r espo nd to our eff ort s to
, ,
-
op en it apply the key an d unlock i t

, This plain .
i ll us t rat io n w i ll s erv e to in d icate the o nl y ap pro ach

t o a pro fitab l e s t udy o f p ro p hecy T he doo r to the .
t reas ure ho use o f p redict ive w is dom will no t respo nd

-
to t he to uch o f every i nd ivi d ual The abi l ity t o .
und ers tand wi ll de pe nd up on the s p i ri t ual charact er .
No w the nat ural man recei veth no t the thi ngs o f

“
t he S pi ri t o f Go d : fo r they are fo o li shnes s unt o

him ; and he canno t kno w t hem fo r t hey are ,
s p i r it ually j u dge d It is onl y by

”
( 1 Co r 2 : .
the ai d O f t he S p i ri t o f Chri s t in us th at we m ay
“
kno w the th ings that are f reely given to us o f
In the co nc u l d ing t
chap er o f D ani el the p ro m i se
m ad e that the wi se shall un ders tand
“
is O ne .
m i ght hesit ate to mak e any confid ent s tatem ent as to

the t eachi ng o f the p ro phet s l es t he s eem t o bo as t ,
o f s up eri or wi s d om but the wo r d wi s e in thi s

“ ”
,
connect i on do es no t d esc ri b e one po ss es s ed o f pro
fo und l earni ng in the wi s dom o f the world The .
wo rd wi s e i s the oppo s i te o f the wo r d wi cke d

“ ” “ ”
in the p recedi ng p hra s e None o f the wick ed

“
.
s hall und er s t and ; b ut t hey t hat are wi s e s hall unde r
s tand It r e f ers to tho s e who p u r i fy them se l ves

” “
.
and m ak e them s el ves whi t e It carries the i dea ”

.
of p rudence as o f a se rv ant who faith f ully

“ ”
,
s tr ives to do hi s mas ter s will The man who

’
.
24
as cry st al fl owi ng from the lips o f the M aster and

,
P et er and Paul are add ed to its v ol um e and

, , ,
s weepi ng on ,
it fi ni shes its co urs e at the end o f
the first Cent ury and th ere i n the B ook of Rev ela
,
ti on we b eh old the mighty riv er o f prop hecy min

gli ng its w at ers in the crystal sea That enig rnatical.
utt eranc e th at f ell up on t he e ars o f o ur fir s t p ar ents
has b een d ev el op ed st ep by st ep as p at ria rch a ft er

patri arch sk etch ed in h ere a l ittl e and there a l ittl e ;
as p rophe t a f t er pro ph et wr o t e in div ers p orti ons
“ ”
,
until the b oo k O f p roph ecy i s c ompl et e Well m ight .
Jo hn say as his clos ing w ord : I tes ti fy unto ev ery

“
man t hat h eareth the w ord s of the pro p hecy o f t hi s

boo k I f any man sh all add u nto th em God s hall add
, ,
unt o him the pl ag ues which are writt en i n th i s b oo k :
and i f any man s h all t ak e aw ay fr om the words O f the
b oo k o f th i s p rop hecy God sh all tak e aw ay his part

,
from the tree o f lif e and out o f the ho l y c ity which

, ,
are writt en i n t hi s b ook

”
( Re v . T he
prop het ic stream had reached its j o urney s end ’

.
As the fi rs t course o f s t one l ai d in the f oundatio n

fo reca st s the o utl ine and general d et ail o f the
b uil di ng th at i s to be reared so the fi rst p roph eti c
,
ut terance r eveal s the s co p e O f al l t hat whi ch i s to
b e reveal ed a ft erward As the wo rkm en to il from

.
week t o week new d et ail app ear whi ch w er e not

, s
ob s er vab l e when t he fir s t co urs e O f st one was l aid ,
and not unt i l t he b uild i ng i s compl ete do all the
d etail s bl end together in an impo si ng str uct ure 8 0 .
with p rop hecy the b eauty and h armony O f al l it s

,
l ines do no t app ear until the ent i re struct ure has

'
b een fi ni shed by t he m ast er wo rkm an o f P atmo s .
20
INT RO DU CTO RY ESSAY
The fi r st proph et ic ut terances w ere but the most

m eager outli nes and the m atchl ess sy mmet ry of
,
the co mpl et ed f orm did not app ear un t il the h ol y

“
m en o f old each in his own t im e had add ed the

”
, ,
d etail s th at had b een r ev eal ed I t is plain th ere

. ,
fo r e th at no proph ecy o f the script ure is o f any

,
.
p ri vate i nt erpretatio n Ev ery d etail is onl y a p ar t

”
.
o f a harmo ni ous wh ol e and can onl y be f ull y com

,
p rehend ed in its r el ation to th at whole Onl y b y .
p at ient and cont inuo us s t udy until we hav e grasp ed

the scop e and p urp os e o f t he entir e body o f pr oph ecy
can we ho p e to compr eh end each d et ail in i ts
r el ati on to the wh ol e .
I t is als o evid ent that with each succeeding ag e

the p roph et s m es sage will b ecom e less obsc ur e and
’
dim as new and mi nut er d etails are given We s ee .
thi s ab und antly ill ustr at ed in pas si ng from the O ld

to the New T es t am ent In the O l d Tes t am ent the
.
proph eci es co ncerni ng the p as t and f utu re restora

t i ons o f t he c hild ren Of I s rael are so i nt ermi ngl ed
o
t hat in the J ewi sh mi nd th ey were bl end ed in to one

m om ento us ev ent wh en the ki ngd om of David w ould
be re est ab li sh ed
-
For thi s r eason the di scipl es
.
exp ect ed as they witnessed the d ivi ne app ro v al O f

,
J esus in si g ns and w onder s whi ch he did th at the ,
cons umm ati on of their h o pes was at han d The .
p rop heci es concerni ng the fi rst and second advents

Of our Lo rd are so bl end ed together in the O l d
T est am ent that it was easy for the s el f— conceit ed ,
Ph ari saic mi nd to concei ve o f him as ap peari ng but

O nc e and to mi st ak e his second comi ng for hi s
,
fi rst Aft er J es us consumm at ed the p urp os e O f his

.
27
first advent o n Calvary as the suff ering serv ant ,
a seco nd advent in p ow er and great glo ry is

“ ”
cl early rev eal ed in th e New T es tam ent As the .
New T es tam ent is wri tt en the r esto rati ons o f the ,
chi ldr en o f I s rael are cl early d is ti nguishe d from

each o ther O ne ha s alr eady t ak en place and t he
. ,
o th er a glo rio us o ne will occ ur at th e end o f the

, ,
Chri s ti an ag e a ft er t hat a p eo ple for hi s nam e

”
,
hav e been taken fro m the Gent i l es S O Paul s ay s .
Ho w that by revel ation was m ade kno wn unto me

t he my s t ery as I wrote b efo r e in a few wo rds
, ,
whereby when ye read ye can p erceive my under

, ,
s tandi ng in th e my s t er y O f Chri s t ; whi ch in o th er
gene r ations was no t m ad e kno wn unto the so ns o f

men as i t hath now been rev eal ed unto his ho ly
,
ap os tl es and pro p hets in the S pirit ( Eph

”
.
The New Tes t am ent wr i t er s w er e pri vil eged to have

a cl ea rer an d f ull er i ns ight i nto t he m eaning o f
ev ents w hich had previo us ly been fo re told th an

had b een accord ed to tho se who ha d g o ne b e fo re
'
I t is pl ain there fore that the p ro p heci es o f the

, ,
O l d Tes t am ent can o nly be f ully co mprehend ed as

we s t udy them in the light o f the t eachi ng o f t he
New T es tam ent The New f ulfill s and un f old s
.
the O l d . It ill uminates the O l d .
The pro pheti c po rti ons o f the New Test ament

show th i s s am e i ncr easing cl earnes s as we p ro ceed
f ro m the annunci ation o f the angel s through the ,
d ark sayi ngs and p arabl es o f J esus to the cl ose o f ,
t he insp i red B oo k S t ep by st ep as we p roceed

. , ,
t he l ight gro w s b ri ght er and bri ght er unti l in the ,
B oo k O f Rev el ati on i t shi nes fo rt h wi th a brill i ancy

28
as f ro m the f ull o rbed sun i ll um inati ng all o f the

-
,
d ark pl aces and m aki ng pl ain the co urs e o f all the

ev ents o f the f ut ure .The Boo k o f Reve l ati on i s
therefo re the cl eares t and mo s t comp rehensive o f
t he p ro p het ic po rt i o ns o f the S cri pt ur es How ri ch
.
i s that b le s s i ng whi ch has been b es tow ed upo n us

o f the Chri s ti an di s pe ns at io n that we sho uld be
,
p rivi l eged to read the mys teri es hidden f rom the

fo un d atio n o f the wo rld in the f ull fiood l i ght o f the -
cro wni ng rev el at i on o f J e s u s Chr i s t I f the aw ful

.
j ud gm ents o f Go d with thei r attend ant m i seri es in

,
t he d es tr uct io n o f J erus al em came upo n t he J ews

beca us e t hey knew no t the t i me o f th ei r v i s i t atio n
”
( L u k e w h a t t r i b u la ti on w i ll b e o u rs i f we
do no t kno w the tim e o f o ur vi s it at ion nor recog
“ ”
ni e th e appr o ach o f hi s co m i ng w i th t he an gel s

“
z
o f hi s po wer in fl am ing fi re ren d eri ng vengeanc e

,
to them that kno w no t Go d an d t hem that o bey no t

,
t he go s p el o f o ur Lo r d J es us T
”
( 1 h e ss .
Again ano ther pri nci pl e wi ll as s i st the st udent

,
in hi s s earch fo r the m eani ng o f any pro phecy .
Every p red i ctio n o f S cri pt ure has it s m at e ; that i s ,
the fulfillment co rres p on d ing i n eve ry d et ail with

the p red ict ion S eek ye out o f the boo k o f
“
.
J ehovah and read : no one o f these shall want her

,
mate ; fo r my m o uth it hath co mm and ed and hi s

, ,
S pi rit it hath gathere d them ( Isa 3 4 : Here

”
.
,
i s where B ib l e read ers h av e m ad e so m any m i st akes ,
s ei z i ng upo n an event as the o ne p re dict ed because
i t co rrespo nd s in a general way to the prediction .
A d es crip tio n o f a crimi nal i s sent to a st range

ci t y : the meas u rem en ts the co l o r o f the hai r and
, ,
29
y s
e e ,
and phy s i cal ma rks that will d istinguish
any
him fr om all o thers The d etecti ves k eep a looko ut

.
for him .They do not imp ri son every man who

co rr es p onds i n a g eneral way to the d escr ipti on .
T hey find the man who correspo nds in all d etails

t o t he d escripti on giv en S t ud ent s o f p roph ec y
.
sho uld be eq ually care f ul O cc as ionally a m an may

.
be fo und who cor res po nd s i n ev ery d et ai l t o the

d escripti on giv en He d eni es he is the one w anted
.
,
and pr o ves by rep utabl e w i t ness es t hat he was in
o ne city at t he t i me t hat t he crim e was committ ed
i n anoth er city T hus the t im e el ement d isti ng ui shes

.
wh en al l the o th er d etail s s eem to co rrespo nd with

t he event pred ict ed I f t hi s r ule had be en foll owed
.
,
no o ne w o uld hav e m ist ak en 1 844 or 18 7 0 o r 19 14 .
The ch ronolo gical d et ai ls must not be ov erl ook ed as

we s eek for the m at e to the pr ed ictio n .
Not only do the p re di cti ons Of t he S cript ur e have.
m at es in their f ulfillm ent b ut they are giv en in ,
co upl ets .That is the ev en t or series o f event s

, , ,
p red icted are fo retold in two or more correspo nd ing

p rop heci es A simpl e ill ust rati on O f thi s i s found
.
in the two d ream s o f J o sep h ( Gen 3 7 : 5 Here

.
,
in the first d ream Jo seph and hi s b rethren are

,
b indi ng sheav es in the fi eld and thei r sheaves m ade

Ob ei sance to his sh ea f In the second d ream the
.
s un and m oo n and el even s t ar s m ad e Ob ei s anc e unt o
him . B ot h Of th ese dr eams r e f er to one and the

s am e event still in the f ut ure There fo re the .
chrono l ogi cal el em ent is t he same in b ot h d reams .
The O bei sanc e o f the el ev en st ars co rr es po nds to

,
t he Ob ei sance o f the el ev en sh eav es b ut in the

,
so
second dream t here is the add ed d etail o f the

Ob eisa nce o f the sun and moon In Gen 23
. .
-
we h av e a noth er ill us t ration o f the s am e pri ncipl e .
The b utl er d ream ed of a vi ne havi ng t hr ee branch es .
He press ed the grap es th at rip ened upon the

bra nch es into a cup and gav e the cup into Pharaoh s
,
’
h ands The b aker dream ed that he had three whi te

.
b as kets o n his h ead and the upp ermos t one was

,
fill ed wi th b ak ed food for Ph araoh but the birds ,
cam e and ate the food Fr om the interpr etat ion

.
giv en we see tha t the three branch es o f the o ne

correspo nd to the t hr ee b askets o f the oth er Th ey .
are t hr ee d ays Th us we s ee the t im e el em ent is

.
the s am e in each d ream b ut o t h er d et ails are di ffer

,
ent. The f ulfillm ent o f one dr eam will co nc ern the

b utl er and the o th er will co ncer n the bak er Pharao h .
r ec eiv es the wi ne from the b utl er in one case bu t ,
i n the other Ph ar aoh r ec eiv es no bak ed f oo d from

the b ak er fo r t he bird s d evo ur i t
, An oth er ins t ance .
o f t he s am e pri ncipl e is r ec o rd ed in Gen 7 .

-
.
Her e we find dr eams do ubl ed al so The s even fa t .
ki ne corres po nd to the s ev en ears o f grain rank ,
and good . The s ev en l ean kin e corr espond to the

s ev en thi n ears B ot h dr eams r ef er to the s am e
.
s eri es o f event s and the t im e el em ent is the s am e

,
i n each d ream . Now the r eason for t his r ep eti t io n

,
o f a p redicti on i s exp r ess ly st at ed : And for tha t

“
the d ream was d o ubl ed u nto Ph ar aoh i t is b ec ause ,
t he th ing is est ablish ed b y God and God will shor tl y,
bri ng i t to p as s ( Gen
”
. Thus almost at ,
t he b egi nni ng of t he B ibl e the r ul e fo r the di vi ne

,
arrangem en t o f pr oph ecy is l ai d down for our

31
gui d ance . Eve ry p rop hecy of the Scripture wi ll t
have its mp anion or m ate and these s ho uld be

co ,
pl aced si d e by s id e and comp ared wi th each o ther .
I f the ti me el em ent is m entioned in one p ro phecy

an d no t m ent io ned in the o ther we may be sure ,
it i s the s am e in bot h fo r they are m at es

, I f o the r .
d etai l s m entioned in one are not found in the other ,
we kno w they bel ong t here because bo th pr ed ictions

co nce rn the s am e ev ent o r s eri es o f ev ents
, These .
m at es co rro bo rate each o ther s tr eng then each o ther

, ,
and ill us tr at e each o t her NO prop hecy can b e f ull y

.
und ers t oo d ap art fr om i ts co mp ani o n o r comp ani ons .
Thus again is emp hasiz ed the s tat ement o f P ete r

“
Knowing thi s fi rst that no p rop hecy o f scripture
,
i s o f pri vat e i nt erp retatio n A

”
( 2 P et n .
ex am i nat io n o f the B oo k O f Dani el s how s that t hi s
is the di v i ne ar rangem ent It naturally fall s into

.
t wo p arts one endi ng wi th the s i xth ch apt er and

,
the o ther b egi nni ng w i th the s eventh chap t er The .
vi s i ons o f the fi rs t p art are f rom the vi ewpo int o f
Neb uchad nezz ar a wo rld r ul er whil e the vi s ions

, ,
o f t he s eco nd are fro m the v i ewp oi nt o f Dani el a ,
prop het o f Go d They are co mp ani on p ropheci es

.
fo retell ing the p rog r es s o f event s unti l the fi nal co n

s umm ati on— the est ab l i shm ent o f t he ki ngd om O f
Chri s t . The tim e e l em ent is the s am e and the ,
vari atio n in d et ai l s i s due to d i ff er ence in vi ewp oi nt .
The s am e i s tru e O f the vi s io ns in chapt er s 2 and 4 .
O ne is the vi s io n o f a gr ea t im age and the o th er o f

a great tre e Whi l e the ti me el ement i s m ent io ned
.
only in o ne vi s ion it appl i es to bo t h fo r t he i m age

, ,
?
and the tr ee rev eal the s am e s eri es o f event s co n
32
tree so the s even literal y ears o f his i nsanity are

,
m ad e to repr esent that l arger p eri od o f y ears

that m ust el ap se unt i l the nati ons yi eld to the
s up remacy O f Chri s t The y ear i n w hich Neb uchad
.
nezzar s lit er al i nsanity b eg an is the y ear fr om

’
whi ch the y ears m ust b e co unted to d et ermi ne

the d at e o f t he comi ng O f o ur Lor d And t he.
nati ons shall co m e to thy light and k i ng s t o the
b rig ht nes s O f thy r i s i ng ( Is a 60 : Her e we see

”
.
ho w c are f ully the d at e o f the b egi nning o f

Neb uch adnezz ar s l i t eral m adnes s is o m itt ed and no
’
,
d et ai l is gi ven that will enabl e us to d et ermi ne it .
We only k now th at at som e t im e d uri ng a r eign o f

abo ut f o rty five y ears i s the po i nt fr om whi ch the
-
y ears are to b e co unted S tud ents o f pr op hecy

.
sho uld r ealiz e t hat the d ay and t he ho u r O f t he
co m i ng o f t he K i ng can no t b e d et ermi ned In the .
brie f p erio d O f ab out f o rty five y ears conti nui ng

-
,
f rom 19 14 to 195 9 will be accompli shed the o v er

,
t urning O f all fo rm s o f earthly governm ent Duri ng .
the bri e f er p er io d fro m 19 5 9 to 19 72 w i ll b e f ully

acco mpl i shed the r apid d ev el op ment o f the st one
i nto the great m o unt ai n o r k ingdom that fills the

who l e earth . In the l i f et i me o f m any now livi ng
thi s w ond er f ul r evol ut io n s h all be co mpl eted Thi s .
giv es us opp o rt uni ty to s et our ho uses in o rder that ,
we may not b e caug ht unawares It i s a gr and and

.
aw f ul t im e i n whi ch we are p rivil eged to li ve as ,
w il l be d evel op e d i n t he f oll owi ng chapt ers The .
King O f gl o ry is now even at the doo r

“ ”
The .
s ub li mest Sp ect acl e O f the ages will soon occ ur .
Aw ak e O sl eep er and wi th y our l amp trimm ed

, , ,
34
and burn ing be ready for his glori ous app eari ng
,
.
In the co nclu s i on o f this chap ter a tt enti on m us t

be call ed to im agi nary di ffi c ul ti es th at di scourage
the av er age B ibl e r ead er when he appro ach es the
s ubj ect o f proph ecy The even t s are fo r etold and
.
the d et ails are giv en in l anguage s eemingl y di ffi cul t

to unders t and He is confro nted wi th wild b easts
.
of vari ous ki nds drag o ns mo un tains earthq uakes

, , , ,
wi nds candl es t icks and o ther symbo l s eq ually

, ,
inc ompreh ensibl e as he ordinarily i nterpr et s wo rd s .
This di ffi c ul ty is more app arent than r eal In o rdi .
nary sp eech we un der stand w o rds in the sense

d etermi ned b y the commo n usage W hen the .
p roph et s use a wo rd its m eani ng is d etermi ned by

,
the pro phet ical us age in the S cript ur e When one .
com es to a symbol which he d oes not und er stand a ,
li ttl e pat i ent i nv es t igat i on will show the m eaning

att ach ed to i t by o t h er pr oph ets In the earli er .
written languages symbol s w er e used to expr es s

d efi ni te ideas The same is t r ue o f S crip t ure
.
s ymbo l s Each r epres ent s a d efi nit e and unch ange

.
abl e id ea The S crip t ure us age d et ermi nes wh at

.
this is I t will give a d efi ni ti on fo r ev ery s ymbol

.
us ed S O l et us sp eak wh er e the S crip t ur es sp eak

“ ”
. .
Pat i ent l y and rev erentl y we ha ndle the Bo ok As .
we t urn i t s pages we find th at wh er e th er e are

my s t eri es and conc eal ed t reas ures a key has been ,
l eft for our use J es us expl ai ned som e O f his own

.
p arabl es th at his discipl es might be guid ed in thei r

u nd ers t andi ng O f the o th ers Divi ne i nt erpr etati ons
.
h av e b een giv en to m any o f the mo st imp o rtant

pr ph ec s
o i e o f t e S crip t ure so t h at the c hildr en o
h f
35
God m ight have a r ul e o f i nterp retation ex actly as

in m at hemat i c s wh er e we us ually find a pr ob l em
,
so lv ed at the begi nni ng O f the l esson that the

s t ud ent might hav e a p att ern for the sol utio n o f
t he unsol ved p ro bl em s t hat fo llo w S o wit h t he

.
wo rd s and sym bol s : none will occur b ut the S crip

t ure will thoro ughly f urnish us its m eani ng .
Followi ng thes e p rincipl es no man can study

,
the pro p heci es Of the B i bl e wi tho ut hi s lif e b ei ng

enri ch ed and hi s f ai th st rengt hened and hi s hear t
purifi ed Esp ecially as he turns to the crowning

.
p r oph ec y o f t he ag es and b eho ld s,wi th t he ap o stl e
J oh n the sublim e clim ax O f i t all in the second

,
comi ng o f our Lo rd J es u s Chri st with po w er and

“
gr eat gl ory will he be th rilled by its i ndescrib abl e

,
”
grande ur and hi s lips will j oi n with the angelic

cho ir in a mighty p aean o f prai s e to Him that
reign eth for ev er and ev er .
CHAPTER 1 .
PREL IM INARY EXAM INATIO N

E now a ppro ach the t dy o f the s ublim est
s u
po r t i on o f the B i bl e I t easily s urp as ses al l

.
o f t he pr ecedi ng pr oph eci es In sw eep o f c oncepti on
and gr a nd eur o f expr es s i on It is the fitti ng clim ax

.
to the r ev el at i on o f God to m an Al l o f the

.
prop hetic utt erances o f the cent uries o f the p ast

find in th i s uniq ue b ook t h eir cl ear es t and mo s t
compr ehen s iv e e xpr es si on I t st ands in the s am e
.
r el atio n to the pr ece di ng proph etic record th at the

go rgeous f ull blo wn ro se s us tai ns to the pl ant th at
-
bears i t The root s found in that eni g m at ical

.
utt er ance i n Ed en— He sh all br ui se thy h ead and

“
,
tho u shalt br ui se hi s h eel —d ev elo pe d i nto a t ree

”
d uri ng the i nterv eni ng cent uri es and the B oo k o f

,
Revel ati on is as the rip ened fr ui t l uscio us and ,
s atisfyi ng Prelimi nary to an u nd ers tanding o f

.
the m es s age i t co nt ai ns a few facts in r egard to

,
autho r s hip tim e o f wri t i ng and cir cumstanc es sur

, ,
ro und ing its co mp osi t i on mu st be establi shed .
The writ er o f the Apo calyps e

Auth or
gives his nam e as Jo hn and de ,
s crib es himsel f as the s erv ant Of J es us Chri st

“ ”
,
and as a broth er and p artaker wi th the discipl es

“ ”
o f the s ev en church es in tribulation Tha t the .
37
TH E R EV EL AT IO N OF JES U S CHRIS T
a uthor is the apo s tl e J ohn is evid enc ed b y all the

earl y Chri stian writ ers Irenaeus d escrib es the
.
autho r o f the Apoc alyps e as t he di scipl e o f the

“
Lord and as the one th at l eaned upon his bosom

”
,
“ ”
.
This is confirm ed by other writ ers o f the fi rs t ‘
centuri es fo llo wing the ap osto li c ag e .
The tim e of the wri t ing o f

T i me
the Apoc al yp s e is a m os t vi t al
facto r for the t im e elem ent in the book is r elated
,
to this dat e The thi ngs r ev eal ed w er e to s ho rtl y

.
co m e t o p ass ch t hi gs whi h mus t “

( an d . n c
com e to pass h er eaft er ( ch”

I f we k now
.
t he tim e o f the writi ng of th e bo ok we h av e the ,
s t arti ng p o i nt fo r the event s r ev eal ed t o b egin

-
fo r ,
they m ust sh ortly co m e to pa s s ”

S i nce the .
autho r was J oh n i t s d at e m ust l ie d uri ng his li f e

,
tim e The par tic ul ar pe rio d o f his li f e in which

.
the bo ok was writt en was wh en he s uffer ed b ani sh

m ent in the i sl e o f P atmo s for the word o f God
“
and t he t estim ony o f J es us ( ch The d at e

”
.
o f t hi s p ar t icul ar exp eri ence i s giv en by Ir enaeus
( 1 3 0 202 ) i n th ese wo rds : It [ the rev el at io n"was

-
“
s een no v ery l ong t im e ag o but almost in our ,

”
gener ati on at the close o f Do mitian s r eign
,
’
.
J erom e gi ves the d at e O f the exil e in the fourt eenth

y ear o f Domiti an and s ay s that J oh n r et urned from
,
Patmo s und er Nerv a Accordi ng to Cl em ens he

. ,
r eturn ed a fter the d eath O f the tyrant

“
S ummi ng .
up the evid en ce we find that the r evel at io n was

,
giv en to the ap ostl e Jo hn in the y ears 9 5 o r 96 .
Do mit i an s r eign b eg an in 8 1 A D and the four

’
. .
,
_
teenth y ear w o uld be 9 5 A D The l as t y ear o f

. .
as
P R EL IM INAR Y EX AM INAT IO N
Domit ian s
’
r eign was 96 A D he b ei ng sl ai n on . .
,
S ept em ber 18 O f t hat y ear I f J ohn r et ur ned f rom

.
P atmo s d uri ng Nerva s reign the d uratio n o f hi s

’
ex i l e co uld no t be ext end ed mor e t han a y ear and
three mo nths for this r ul er d ied J anuary 2 5

, ,
98 A D . The y ear 96 A D may then be settle d

. . .
up on as the appr o xim at e dat e O f the bo ok .
The pl ace wh er e J oh n was

P l ace
p erm itt ed to beh old the p anor am a
O f h um an histo ry and the f ut ure t rib ul atio ns and
fi nal t ri umph ant vi ctory O f the c hurch was the isl e
call ed P atmo s T his was a ro cky isl et ab out a
.
mi le wid e and sev en long It was b ut eight een or .
t w enty m i l es f ro m t he m ai nl and Her e the aged .
ap o s tl e was p l aced a ft er b eari ng t est im ony t o the
Lo rd J es us for Sixty six y ears All o f the other

-
.
ap o stl es had lo ng s i nce d ep art ed to b e wit h Chri s t ,
and he alo ne rem ai ned to fill out the s uffering s

“
o f Chri s t i n the fl es h Lo ne ly i nd eed mu st hav e

”
.
, ,
b een the d ay s o f hi s impri sonm ent in s uch b arren

s urro undi ng s not k nowing how t ho se Chri s t i ans o n
,
the mai nl and w er e f ari ng und er the p er secuti ng

hand o f a cr uel ty rant That narrow wi nd sw ept
.
,
-
s ea wo ul d b ut t ant al i z e t hi s ag ed so ul as he g az ed
acro s s i ts heavi ng bo so m It was a b ar ri er b etw een

.
hi m and th o se he l oved and hi s gr eat h ea rt lo ng ed

'
to enco urag e t hem i n t hei r t ri b ul at i on and t ell t hem

to l ove one anoth er Und er s uch tryi ng circ um
“
.
s t ances .J esus Chri s t sent an angel unto the one

w hom he lo ved gr ant ing him a gl or io us VIS l Ol l and
,
'
, ,
thro ugh him s endi ng to all o f his s erv ant s a

,
.
rev el ation of i neff abl e glo ry .
89
THE R EV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
l r ead er pro f es ses to

The cas u a
H ow t o S tudy
find it d iffi cult to und er s t and the
B ook o f Revel at io n TO be s ure i t is a d iffic ul t
.
,
book and po ssibly it c ont ains my st eri es t hat will no t

be r eveal ed unt i l the S avio ur him s elf s hall co m e ,
but in the m ain m ost O f the di ffic ult i es wi ll di sap

, ,
p ear i f o ne gi ves to it that p at ient co ntinuous and ,
p ray er f ul st udy th at i ts vital and gl o ri ous message

dem and s There are three simpl e r ul es that m ust
.
be O b served i f we wi sh t o sens e the cl earnes s o f

the apo calypti c vi s i ons o f Jo h n and i f these b e , ,
f ollo w ed the st ud ent will be r ew ard ed wi th the

,
un fo ldi ng o f a bo ok o f m arv el o us b eauty and

s i mpli city and w ith a gr eat er f ai th .
First the bo ok should be r ead and r er ead m any

,
t imes without any attemp t to und er stand the m ean

i ng o f i t s my st erious s ymbo l s unt i l the outl ine O f
,
it s st ruct ur e i s cl early g rasp ed by the mi nd The .
more the Apo calyp se i s r ead the m ore app arent ,
it will be that i ts co ns t ructi on i s as symm et ri cal as

that Of a Greci an templ e and its pl an will becom e
,
mo re cl ear and t ransp ar ent .
S econd the o utli ne havi ng b ecome dis ti nct att en

, ,
t ion can be giv en to und erstandi ng o f the symbo l s

u s ed . The wo rd s which we us e to day are und er -
s too d by the m eani ng att ached to t hem at the pr esent
time The apo calyptic l ang uage o f Rev el ation m ust

.
there fore be und er stoo d acco rdi ng to its usage in

the S cript ur e S uch s ymbo l s as s un m oo n seas , , ,
beas t s hor ns etc

, , carry
.
, the m eani ng t hat t he
p roph et s commo nly giv e to them We have the .
op en B ibl e b e fo r e us
v
I t w ill sho w wh at is the
.
40
THE REV ELATI O N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
p ct ed
e p ers on will be suffi ci ent to sho w that he i s not
the m an so ug ht for if those m arks are g iv en as b ei ng
,
p o s se s se d b y t h e c rim i n a l T h
. e s a m e pri nc ipl e will
apply i n o ur s t udy o f pr op hecy The Ap ocalyp se
.
g i v e s a sym b o l i c d es cr i pti o n o f c er t a i n f ut ur e b i s t ori
c al ev ent s . Unl es s we can d efi nit ely i d enti fy t hem as

t hey co m e t o p ass o r a fte r t hey hav e o ccurr ed t he
, ,
p rop hetic reco rd would be o f no val ue t o us T her e .
fo re we m ust co nclud e that sufficient d es criptive de

t ail s have been gi ven by t he pr op het t o est ablis h t he
i dent i ty O f the event ref erred t o and to certainly dis ,
ti ng ui sh i t fro m al l others It only rem ai ns fo r the

.
reader t o be s ure th at t he es tabli shed f eat ur es o f an
hi sto ri cal event corr espo nd in every d et ai l to the pro

p h e t i c d e s cripti o.n T h i s pri n cipl e l eaves no o ppor
t uni ty for d i verg ent i nt erp ret at i ons o f p rop hecy NO .
t wo hist ori cal event s are id ent i cal i n ev ery p art i cul ar ,
and one can not b e mi s t ak en for t he oth er .
The t hem e O f the bo ok i s the

S t u tu
r c re
coming of Chri s t
,
T hi s is the
.
o utst andi ng utt er ance Of t he p rol o g ue : B eho ld he

“
,
com eth with the cl o u ds ; and ev ery eye sha ll s ee
him and th ey that p i er ced him ; and all the t rib es

,
O f the eart h shall mo urn o ver him

”
( Rev .
T his i s the l ast wo rd Of di vine revelation vouchsa f ed

to the ch i ldren O f men He who t esti fieth t hes e
“
.
thi ngs sai th Yea : I com e q uickly Am en : co m e

, . ,
Lord J es us ( Rev ”
. The i nt rod ucti on con
s i s ts o f the first ei gh t v ers es The Apo calyp se
.
pro p er b eg i ns w i th ch . and co nti nue s to ch .
The epil o gue begi nni ng with ch 22 : 6

, . .
concl ud es the b oo k .
42
P REL IM INAR Y EX AM INAT IO N
The Apo cal ypse prop er consists o f three part s .
Each p ar t i s i nt ro d uc ed b y a glo ri ous visi on P art I . .
i s i ncl ud ed in chs 3 z22

.
-
P art II is i ncl uded
. .
in chs . P art III is i ncl ud ed in chs

. .
—22 z5 The event s fo retold i n the di ff er ent

.
p art s do not fo llo w each other in chro nol ogical

o rd er fo r the t hree p art s are parall el to eac h o t h er
, .
Th ey are m ates and th ey b egi n at the s am e t ime

,
and end at t he s am e t im e T hey are t hr ee witness es

.
t est i fyi ng from thr ee viewp oi nts as to the progr ess

o f t he co urs e o f ev ent s fr om t he end o f the apo sto lic
ag e unto the t im e o f t he new h eav ens and t he new
earth . They th us expl ai n each oth er and corr obo r ate

each o t h er At the m outh o f two or three wit
“
.
nes ses ev ery wo rd may b e establi sh ed P art I is

”
. .
i ntr od uced b y a vi s ion o f sev en go ld en candl estick s

( ch
. P a r t II i s i
. ntro d uced b y a visi on
O f the doo r ope ned in h eav en ( chs 4 and .
P art III b egi ns wi th a visi on o f the op en templ e

.
in heav en ( ch . P art I r ecords the m oral

.
and spi rit ual ch anges whi ch are to o cc ur i n the
vi s ibl e ch urch t ill the co m ing o f Ch r i s t P ar t II . .
for et ells the pro gr ess O f the s t ruggle s b etw een

eart hly gov ernm ent s and the divine u ntil the “
,
ki ngd om of the wo rld i s b eco m e the ki ngdo m o f

o ur Lord and o f hi s Chr i s t
, ( ch 11 : P a
.r t I II .
is the record o f the str uggl es t o occ ur b etween the

s piri t ual ch ur ch and S at an and co nt i nui ng un t il
,
the ch urch i s ent h roned as the Lamb s wi f e and

’
S at an is c as t i nto the l ak e o f fire This proph etic

.
his to ry is sep arated i nto s ev en p erio d s marked in ,
Part I b y sev en church es and in Part II by seven

. .
43
l
s ea s . In this p art the p erio d i ncl ud ed und er the
s ev ent h s eal is sep arat ed i nto small er div is ions
m ark ed by seven t rump et s In P art III there are
. .
s eve n v i al s t hat are p ar all el to t he s even t rump et s
i n P art II . The rel ati on o f the p art s to each ot her

may be vi s ual i z ed i n the o utli ne chart bel ow .
I NT D UC T O N
RO I .
I i i
ns cr p t o n.
P Cl P
Ch 1 : 1 -3 .
.
r o og u e r o pe r .
h . 1 : 4 -8 .
CHAPTER II .
VISION O F THE G O L DEN CANDLESTICKS
EVERENTL Y do we r ead
p ening wo rd s o f the
the o
b oo k that cl oses the canon o f t he

s acre d S cript ure and wit h a pr ay er to the Giver o f
,
al l wi s do m t hat he will gu i d e u s i nt o all t he t ruth
he wi shes us t o k no w A sol em nity att aches to o ur

.
s t udy as we r ealiz e t h at t hi s i s t he l ast m ess ag e
w hich Go d will vouch sa fe to a lo st and r ui ned

world until J es us com es agai n It m ust fill up and
.
compl et e what was l acki ng to m ak e the m an o f

God compl et e
”
. We h ave al ways been t old that
the Apo c alyp s e was a d ark my st ery f o rb i ddi ng
sol utio n even by the m os t sc hol arly mi nds b ut the .
ve ry fir s t p hras e O f the i nscr ipt io n co nt rad i ct s o ur
mis app reh ensio n and i nspir es confid ence in Our

abi lity to und er stand the m ess age that i s w ritt en .
I f the book i s seal ed and it s my st eries can no t b e

p ene tr at ed the titl e as given in the fi r st phrase o f
, ,
the i nscr i pt io n i s a m i snom er and i s fal se

, The
.
w ord revelation m eans that whi ch i s di scl osed

“ ”
.
unc ov er ed o r mad e p l ai n TO s ay that i n thi s boo k

.
Go d has no t m ad e pl ai n the f act s that are g i ven

is b ut to at t rib ute mi s r epres entati on to t he Holy
S piri t and to impu te l ack o f wisdom in him who
,
47
TH E R EV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
redeem ed us in s endi ng a m ess age unto his

serv ants w hi ch wo uld be i ncomp rehensibl e to them .
There i s no po rti on Of the S cript ure but w hat

is o f val ue to the cl ass o f p eopl e for w hom it was
i nt end ed. Ev ery script ure i nsp i red Of Go d i s al so
pro fitabl e for teachi ng fo r r epr oo f for co r rect ion
, , ,
for i nstr uctio n whi ch i s i n ri ghteousnes s

”
The .
r ev el ati on O f J esus Chr ist was giv en unto him to

sh ow unto his serv ant s It w i ll b e especially
“
.
p rofit abl e unto ev ery d iscipl e O f hi s It i s a r ich

.
and a s ubl im e m es s ag e accord ed o nly t o the fo ll ow
ers o f Christ . The p ri vil eges o f d i scipl eship are

emp has iz ed her e as th ey are i n Luk e 8 : 10 w here ,
J es us s aid : Unt o you it is giv en to k no w the

“
my s t eri es o f the ki ngdo m Of Go d : but to the r est

in p ar abl es ; t hat s eei ng t hey may not see and ,
hear i ng t hey m ay not und ers t and Not only do

” ‘
t he chi ld ren o f Go d h av e a r ig ht to k now t he

tr uths hidd en in the v eil ed l ang uage and the
prop het ic symbo li sm o f Revel at io n but we are ,
enco urag ed to scan its p ages with a d es i r e to k no w

,
the t hi ng s writt en th er ein by the p romi s e o f a

,
di vine bl ess ing . B l essed i s he th at r ead eth a nd

“
,
they that hear the wo rd s o f the prop hecy and keep ,
t he thi ngs th at are written t her ei n : fo r the ti m e

i s at hand ( v . T h e s er vant O f Ch ri st will b e
bl es sed eve ry t im e he r ead s the b ook and mi ni st ers

,
s ho uld p reach fr eq uently up on the m i ghty t hem e s
s ugg es t ed t her ei n fo r those who hear are to b e

,
bl es sed
. Ev ery w o rd o f the i nscription t here for e, ,
cl early impli es tha t the m es s ag e that follo w s can

‘
b e und er s tood.
4s
TH E REV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CH R I S T
J esus Chri st co nsi s t s o f thi ngs w hich m us t sho rt l y

“
com e t o p ass The dat e o f the visi on i s appro xi

”
.
m ately 96 A D The thi ngs f or etold will begin to

. .
co m e to p as s shortly aft er th at tim e This begin .
ning t im e l im i t is unchang eabl y fix ed

-
The entir e .
s ubj ect m att er o f t he b oo k

-
is concerni ng thi ngs
which w er e th en s till i n the f ut ur e The ev ents .
which h ave b een f ulfill ed si nce ‘ t hat t im e are m att ers

o f hi s t ori c r ecord A r ef er enc e to t hi s r eco rd is
.
neces sary to any und er st andi ng o f the b ook A few .
wri t ers have ov erw ork ed the w o rd sho rtly givi ng

“
,
a meaning unw ar rant ed by S cr ipt ur e us ag e Acco rd .
ing to t hei r i nt erp ret ation all o f the ev ents f o retold

’
w ould occur in a very b ri e f sp ace o f t ime a ft er 96

A D and th ere f or e are o f no p art ic ul ar i nte rest t o
. .
,
t hi s gener ati on A r e ference to ch

. w i ll sho w
.
that s uch an i nterpr etati on is unj ustifi abl e T here .
the com ing O f J e s us i s to be q ui ckly The f aithful

“ ”
.
still w ait fo r the f ulfillm ent o f the p rom i se If we .
w er e to s ay th at we wo uld b uild a c astle s ho rtl y

“ ”
,
o ur m eani ng wo uld no t b e mi s und ers t ood Ev ery .
one wo uld underst and t hat we wo uld b egi n the
const ructi on soo n with no reference to the tim e

,
o f c ompl etio n ex cept t he impli cat io n t hat the wo rk
w ould cont inue f rom day to day and t hat the ti me

o f compl etio n wo uld d ep end up on t he s iz e o f the
s t r uct ure and the ci rcum s t anc es c o nnect ed wit h t he
b uildi ng This i s the tr ue m eani ng o f the w ord

.
shortly in thi s pl ace The thi ng s w hi ch m ust

” “
.
s h o rtly com e to p ass are the mo v em ent O f armi es

”
,
the co nfl ict s b et ween natio ns t he d ecad ence and f all

,
of k i ngd oms and the dev elopm ent o f ap ostasy .
so
V IS IO N O F T H E G O L D EN CAND L ES T ICK S
M any O f the ev ent s d es crib ed r eq ui r e centuri es fo r

thei r f ulfi l lm ent and v ery nat urally co uld not com e
,
w ithin the comp as s O f a few y ears The event s .
be g in to come to p as s S ho rtly a ft er 96 A D and

”
. .
,
co nti nue in s ucces s i on unt i l all are f ulfill ed in t he
new heaven and t he new earth In v er se 19 Jo hn .
record s the p rop heti c comm i ss i on i n these words

“
Wr ite there fore the thi ngs which tho u s awest [ the
vi s io n o f t he s ev en go ld en candl es t i ck s "and t he ,
things which are [ the circum stances s ur ro und ing

the givi ng o f the v is i on " and t he t hi ng s whi ch s hall
,
co m e to p as s herea ft er [ f ut u re V i s i ons and m es
A comp ari son o f thi s vers e with the fi rs t

ver s e will m ak e pl ai n t hat t he beat i fi c vi s io n d o es
not re f er t o the thi ng s which m u st com e to p as s

“ ”
.
It b elo ngs to the thi ngs t hat are and t he m es sage

“
,
”
that fo llows belo ngs to the things herea f t er .

”
T he Ap ocalypse i s add ress ed

S al ut at i on and
to the seven ch u rche s who s e
D edi cati o n
nam es are gi ven ,
a nd t hey b eco m e
Rev. I: 4 -8
it s t
cus o d i ans . Here for t he fi rst
tim e we find the number seven which i s “
used s o
f req uently thro ugho ut the bo ok It s igni fi es com .
p l et enes s o r p e r fe ct i o n W he n t.he Lo r d a dd resse s
thes e seven churches they r ep res ent the univ ers al

,
ch u rch i n it s s even fo ld charact er

-
The d ivi ne .
auth enti ci ty O f the m es s ag e i s especi al l y em ph as i ed z
in the i ns criptio n and i n the s al ut ati on Go d g a ve .
the revel at i on to Chri s t He i n t ur n s ent hi s angel

.
who s i g nifi ed i t to J oh n The sal ut ati on has a

“ ”
.
threefold d ivine signat ure : 1 The F ather him sel f . ,
i ndicat ed in the expressi on him who is and who

“
,
51
TH E REV ELAT IO N OF JES U S CH RIS T
was and who is to com e 2 The s even S pirits . .
that are b e fo re his t hrone Thi s indicates the .
Ho ly S pirit in his s ev en fold m ani festat io n S ix of -

.
thes e basi c fo rms or m anif estat ions are ment ioned

in Isa . In Rev 4 : 5 the s ev en S piri t s o f God
.
are des crib ed as s ev en l amps o f fi re b ur ni ng be fo r e

“
the th ro ne In Rev
. the s ev en S piri t s are
.
d escri bed as sev en ey es In Z ech t hey are. .
re ferred to as the eyes o f J eho v ah w hi ch run to

“
and fro t hro ug h the w ho l e eart h Furt her th an

”
.
th is we would no t attempt to i ntr ude i nto the

m y s t eri es o f divi ni ty 3 Last ly from J es us Chri st
. .
, .
All o f t hes e j o i n to gether in a sal ut ati on O f gr ace

(
and p eace to t he church univ ers al t hro ugh the s even
chur ches Whil e storm and str uggl e and strife may
.
eng ulf the church the i nfi nit e car e and l ove o f the
,
everl as ti ng God w ho se s even eyes run to and fro “

,
thro ughout t he earth w i ll not fail nor will the

”
, ,
threefold f unct ion o f Chri st cea se His O fli ce in .
i t s t riple x nat ur e i s expli citl y st at ed 1 He i s the

“
. .
faith f ul witnes s F aithf ully d oes he r ev eal the

”
.
will o f God c oncerni ng man He i s o ur P rop het .
and T eacher th e fi rs t bo rn fr om t he
“
2 He i s . .
d ead . He is ris en and as c end ed i nto h eaven and

b ecom e our gr eat High P ri est
“
3 He i s
“
,
the . .
r ul er o f the ki ngs o f the earth In thi s phr as e .
hi s di vi ne so vereignty i s de cl ar ed and t her e fo r e he ,
i s o ur L o r d J ohn th en burst s f ort h i nto an ascrip

.
tio n o f pr ai se to Chri st fo r a thr ee fold w ork w hich

he has do ne for hi s s ervants 1 H e lo v ed us
“
. . .
2 He l oosed us fr om o ur s i ns 3 He m ad e us
“ “
. . .
,
to be a k ingd om to b e pri est s unt o hi s Go d and

,
52
V IS IO N O F T H E GO L D EN CAND L ES T ICK S
Father . Thi s glo ri ous heritage o f the childr en O f

God 1 8 to be r ealiz ed at hi s app eari ng and hi s
“
k i ngdo m Hence i t f urni shes t he Oppo rt unity to

.
”
p as s nat urally to the announcem ent O f that tran

s cendent t hem e the s eco nd com i ng O f Chri s t
“
, Be .
hold he come th wi th the cl o ud s ; and every eye

,
s hall s ee him As the ey es o f the aged ap os tl e are

”
.
p erm itted to feas t upo n the gl orio us beauty o f the

heav enly w orld and my s t ery aft er my s te ry i s
reveal e d to him in d ivi ne sy mb o li s m that one ,
m omento us event is that toward w hich all o ther s

are t end ing The ab so l ut e cert ai nty o f hi s gl ori o us
.
‘
appeari ng i s g uarant ee d b t h n a t u r an d ch a r act e r
y e e
o f Go d . I am the Alp ha and the O mega saith the

“
,
Lo rd Go d who is and who was and who is to

,
com e the Al m ighty

, ( v J oh n wa s .writ i ng i n
t he G r eek l ang uage and Alp ha and O mega are

“ ” “ ”
,
t he fi rs t and l ast l ett er s o f the alp hab et T here fo r e .
he i s t he fi rs t and l as t the al l and i n al l ,

He i s .
t he go al t ow ard w hich al l event s are t endi ng Hence .
there i s ab sol ut ely no p ossibil ity o f fail ure in the

f ulfill ment o f the p ro ph ecy j ust b egi nni ng to b e
anno unced J es us will app ear in the clo ud s as the
.
crowni ng cli max o f t he mighty st ruggl e t hat shall
tak e p l ace in the meantim e and ev ery eye shall

“
,
At that ti me the entir e hum an race wi ll

”
s ee him .
b e p ri vi l eg ed to s ee in r eality the r eg al fo rm o f
him w hom J o hn saw b ut i n vi s i on .
The fir s t ex pres s i on O f t he
autho r as he b egins a d escripti on
of the t hi ngs w hich he s aw and
hear d i s rem ark ab l e No other S c ript ur e writ er

.
53
TH E R EV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
e x cept Dani el in the O l d Tes tam ent uses this fo rm .
The exp res s i ons I Daniel and I Jo hn l ink t he

“ ” “
two bo o k s to get her as bei ng o f t he s am e nat ure .
The s ubj ect m att er O f the B ook o f Revel at ion will

-
r un p aral l el wi th t hat o f t he B oo k o f Dani el in

s o far as t he pr op heci es o f the l att er w er e un ful
fill ed at the t im e The usages o f sym b oli sm will

.
be the s ame i n both b ook s S t rik i ng i nd eed i s t he

.
p arall el between t he ci rcum s tances s urro und ing bo th

writ ers . D ani el was an ex ile fr om his nati ve l and
in co mp any w i th t he chosen p eopl e o f Go d J ohn
.
i s an ex i l e o n a l onely isl e as w ell as a bro t h er

and p art ak er w ith the Ch ri sti ans i n their t rib u
”
As Dani el was f all en i nto a d eep s le ep

“ ”
l at ions.
a ft er t hat he r eceiv ed the divi ne vi s i t at i on so J o hn,
f ell at the f eet o f the glo rio us O ne that he s aw '
as o ne d ead
“ ”
.
The cir cum st ances s urro und i ng the app ear ance
o f the i ni t i al vi s i o ns are nar rat ed with ex act nes s .
Altho ugh in the s olit ude o f the i sl and pri s on house -

,
t he ag ed exil e was d eni ed the f ell owship and

sy mp at hy o f hi s b ret hren yet ,up o n t hi s fi rs t d ay
O f the w eek he ent ered i nt o a mo r e b l ess ed f ell ow
s hip and exp eri enc ed a m o re t end er sy mp at hy t han
was ever k now n to man b e fo re I was in t he

“
.
S pi rit on the Lo rd s day The Catho l ic Chur ch

’
did no t change t he day o f w ors h ip from the sev enth

day to t he fi rst as s ome o f her t eacher s cl aim .
Const ant i ne di d not m ak e the change as so m e

.
s abb at ari ans cl aim Const anti ne only l egal i ed the

. z -
fi rst day O f the w eek by fo rb i ddi ng cert ain ki nds

o f l abo r to b e p erfo rm ed j ust as has b een d one
,
54
V IS IO N O F T H E G O L D EN CAND L ES T ICK S
by var ious s tates The fi rst day O f the w eek had

.
been O bs erved as a day o f rel i g ious servi ce fr om

‘
t he very b egi nning o f t he chur ch o n t he d ay Of
P ent ecos t . Here in the y ear 96 A D we find
,
. .
,
it commonly k no wn and s po k en o f as the Lo rd s

“ ’
day .
”
This day was made memo rable by vis ions
o f heavenly s pl end o r and by r evel ati o ns o f v i tal
moment far surp as si ng anythi ng exp eri enced by

s ai nt o r p ro p het .
The s ol i t u d e o f t he barren ro ck was b rok en by

a gre at vo ice as o f a t rump et s ayi ng W hat t ho u
, , ,
s ees t ,
wr it e i n a bo ok and s end i t to the seven
churches
”
. T hus the Ap ocalyp s e is op ened with
the s o und o f a tr ump et The bl ow i ng o f th e
.
tr ump et was the S i gnal for the gather ing o f the

co ng reg at i on ( Num . In Ex it i s .
the s i gnal fo r the revel atio n o f the l aw Here .
the great vo i ce as O f a t rump et i s the s i gnal

“
, ,
”
that the Ievelatio n o f the p ano ram a o f all f ut ure

hum an hi s to ry i s about to be gi ven A pr evi ew o f .
these event s until the fi nal cons ummati on o f all

things i n the new heavens and new earth was to
be rec o rde d in a bo ok T urni ng to s ee the vo ice “ ”
.
,
J ohn gaz ed upo n a v i s io n o f di vine splendo r whi ch

held him entr anced S even go ld en candl est i ck s
.
s t oo d i n the f o r eg ro und Thi s was the fi rst and

.
mo st p rom inent f eat ure In a moment o f tim e .
the m i nd revert s b ack to t he anci ent t ab ernacl e , .
wherei n t he go ld en candl esti ck with s ev en arm s

was k ep t b ur ni ng conti nually and to the vi s i on O f ,
Z echari ah w here a simil ar candl estick with s even

,
l amps i s s uppli ed with O il f ro m two oliv e t rees -
55
TH E REV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
( Z ech . dl esti ck in this v ision do es

The can
not s t and al o ne as an arti cl e o f f urni t ur e as t hat ,
o f t he anci ent ho u s e o f Go d b ut i mm ed i at ely the

,
fig ure o f a heavenly b eing begi ns to m ater i aliz e in

the m i d s t o f t hem S O app arele d i n d ivi ne spl endo r
.
was he t hat the ag ed apo stl e f ell at his f eet as

“
one d ead He was l ik e unto a so n o f m an.

” “ ”
.
Dani el d escri bes the same b eing as a man i n Dan .
1 0 : 5 6 b ut s ix cent uri es had i nt ervened b etween

, ,
the two v i s i o ns It was not the S on o f man t hat

.
Jo hn knew as hi s d aily comp ani on b ut the tr ans ,
fig ured O ne t hat he saw on Mt Hermo n Here . .

,
as he s t and s i n the m i d s t O f the churches he is ,
array ed i n the garm ent o f hi s gr eat Hi gh P ri est
hoo d w ith a golde n gi rdl e abo ut his b reast s

, Wh en .
Dani el saw him he wo re the gi rdl e abo ut hi s l oins ,
denot i ng a p rep aredn ess for t ravel or l abo r Hi s

"
head and hi s hai r m ani f est ed t hat s am e di vi ne

whit enes s as the o ne who i s call ed the anci ent o f
“
day s i n Dan Hi s ey es and his f eet and hi s

”
.
vo i ce are t he s ame as t ho se o f the o ne who m
Daniel saw s i g nifi cant O f the overpoweri ng sple nd o r

,
and gl o ry wi t h w hi ch he app eared to t hes e t wo
prop het s Now as he stands i n the m i d st o f the

.
can dl est icks he has i n hi s ri g ht hand s even s t ars

“
and o ut o f hi s m o ut h p roceed ed a sharp two e d g ed -
s wo rd : and hi co unt enance was as the s un shineth

s
in hi s st rengt h As thi s glo rio us b ei ng

”
(v .
s t and s i n the m i d st Of the candl esti ck s array e d as ,
a hi gh p ri es t he i s eq uipp ed for b oth d e f ens e and

,
O ffense .
The
“
man who pres ented h im sel f to Dani el
56
TH E R EV ELA T IO N OF JES U S CH RIS T
an i nt erpr et ati on of first apocalyp t ic vis ion to

the
gui de us i n our und erstandi ng o f tho s e that fo llow .
When the di vine interp reter utters the w ord s the ,

“
my st ery o f the seven stars and t he s ev en golden

cand l est i cks , he m ak es us to und ers t and that
Rev el at i on is the unfol d ing Of thei r myst ery We .
al s o und er s t and t hat we are no t deal ing with

l anguage used in its l it eral sens e He shows us .
t hat sym boli sm I S Int ell igi bl e and may be trans l at ed

i nto l ang uage whi ch we m ay und ers t and lit erally .
We find that the stars in the vis io n are not to be

und er stoo d as s t ars t hat s hi ne so res pl end ently in
the Sky up on a cl ear ni ght b ut they are ang el s o f

“
,
The s even ca ndl es t ick s are

”
the seven churches .
not to be und ers to o d as s even a rt icl es m ad e o f
gold fo r they are the seven ch urches

,
“
We have ”
.
now the di vine r ule l ai d d own for us as we Stf i ve

‘
to und erst and t he r em ai ning m y s t eri es giv en i n

t he boo k . W hat d ivi ne t ruths stand o ut before us
as we und ers t and the s igni fi cance O f the candl e
s t i ck s
. The church is as a c andl es ti ck It i s a .
h —
l g t b earer It burns co nti nua lly The great High
i . .
P ries t w i th t he s harp two edged swo rd i n hi s m out h

,
-
,
i s i n the m i d s t o f the churches Whil e the candl e

.
s t ick s we re t he fi rs t v is ibl e f eat ures it was at the ,
app earance o f the gl o rio us O ne t hat t he apo stl e f ell
to the gr o und It is only when t he Chri s t is m ani f est

.
i n the ch urch t od ay th at men will be ov eraw ed and

f all p ro st rat e at his f eet .
Chri st di d not tr ansl at e t he symboli sm O f the

s eve n st ars i nto lit er al t erm s b ut gav e its m eani ng
,
‘
i n a figurativ e e xp r essio n th at wo uld be easily
5s
V IS IO N O F T H E G O L D EN CAN D L ES T ICK S
d
un ers oo t d by the ap ostl e Jo h n The t erm ang el s .
d oes not imply that thes e are heav enly being s fo r ,
in chapt ers 2 and 3 we hav e t he l et t er s to the

c hurches add res sed to the angel s The heav enl y
“ ”
.
ang el s are m es s ag e bearer s f rom God t o m en

-
b ut ,
thes e ang el s are co nnecte d w i th the churches A

”
.
S cript ure d efi ni t io n o f angel is : Are t hey no t all

mi ni s teri ng spi ri t s sent f o rth to do s er vic e fo r t he
s ak e o f t hem t hat shall inher i t s al vat io n ? T hey ”
are the s ervant s and m inister s O f the c hurches .
The apo s tl e J ohn was l ower th an t he heav enly

ang el s . It w o uld be contrary to r eas on and nat ure
that he s h ould writ e l ett ers to t hem The inscrip .
tion tell s us that this r ev elatio n was to be s ho wn

unto hi s s ervants and wh en J oh n writes t o the
“
,
angel o f t he chur ch he is a ddr es s i ng a s erv ant

“
o f Chri st The t erm sta r g i v es us an i nd i cat ion

”
.
o f the charact er is tics o f t hes e ang els o r s erv ants

“ ”
.
A st ar i s a co nspi cuous Obj ect i n the firmam ent .
These ang el s are then conspic uo us fi g ur es in the

, ,
‘
church es The conspic uo us nes s o f a star is due to
.
its l ight gi vi ng nat ur e T hese mi ni s ters o r s erv ants

-
.
O f the church es are men who in the midst o f a ,

“
cr ook ed and p erve r s e g ener at i on are seen as lights ,
i n the wo rld holdi ng f orth the w ord of li f e ( Phil

”
, .
J es us h ims el f is called the M orni ng

S tar . A so l em n th ought co m es to us as we b eho ld
th es e c onspi cuous men b eing h eld in the right
hand o f him who i s i n the mid st o f the candl e
s ti cks . Th ey are in his p ow er He i s abl e to .
cr ush t he mo st brilli ant as w ell as abl e to pro t ec t
and sus tain the w eak es t and humbl es t mi ni ster

59
un e d r all c i rc umstanc es Lord J es us m ak e us to

.
,
kno w that we are in thy h and at all t im es o f

s t ress and tr i al
, and t hat t ho u wilt s us t ai n us in
al l ad ver s i ty B l es s ed i s he t hat r ead eth and th ey

“
,
that hear the wo rds o f the proph ecy .

”
60
CH APTER III .
LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES
UT Of m any ch urches in exi st ence in 96

t he
A D sev en w ere c hos en t o be the r ecipi ent s
. .
,
o f the boo k t hat J oh n was commi ss i oned to writ e .
“
Wh at t ho u s eest write in a b ook and send it
,
unto the s ev en ch urches : unto E ph esus and unto ,
S myr na and unto P ergam um and unto T hy ati ra

, , ,
and unt o S ardis and unto P hil ad elph i a

, and unto ,
Lao dic ea ( ch ”
.
Eph esus was the s cene o f the l ab ors O f t he

ap ostl e in his d ecli ni ng y ear s and was t he po liti cal ,
as w ell as the r eligi ous m etrop olis o f pro co nsul ar

As i a It was also the s eat O f the wo rs h ip o f Di ana
. ,
t he go dd ess O f t he Eph es i ans S myr na was s it uate d .
o n t he E g ean S ea no rth o f E p hes us and was a

, ,
fl our i s hi ng c ent er o f co mm erc e und er the Rom ans .
It was the r ep uted bi rthpl ace o f Ho m er P ergam um .
was situat ed in M y si a and was the m ost no rtherly ,
o f the s ev en citi es nam ed It was a c ity o f t empl es

.
—Athene Ap ollo Aphrodite Dio nys i us and Zeus

, , ,
b eing wo r s h ip ed It p oss ess ed a f amous libr ary o f

.
t wo h und red t h ousand vo l um es wh i ch was f ound ed ,
19 7 19 5 B C
-
Thy atira was sit uat ed s outheast o f
. .
P ergam um and no rth O f S ardis I t was the hom e .
o f Lydi a P aul s fi rs t c onv er t in E urop e Its i nb ah

’
, .
51
TH E R EV ELAT IO N OF JES U S CH RIS T
itants w er e compo sed o f peopl es o f m any ra ces .
S ardis the anci ent cap it al O f Lyd i a was sit uat ed

, ,
so uth o f T hy at i ra and about thr ee d ay s j ourney ’
east O f Ep hesus S ardi s was the r esi d enc e O f

.
Cr oes us and i n the Old en tim e was not ed for i ts

, , ,
rich es and l ux ury Philadelp hi a was al so s it uat ed

.
in Lyd i a and was so ut heast o f S ardis It was .
found ed in 1 3 8 B C M any ti mes it s uff ered

. .
gr eatly f rom earthq uakes and in 17 A D was , . .
almo st wh oll y d est ro y ed Lao d icea was sit uat ed in

.
P hrygia and not far from Colo sse It was an .
im po rtant comm er ci al center in the i nt eri o r It was .
l aid in r ui ns by an earthq uak e i n 63 A D but i t . .

,
was soon r es t or ed .
The l oc al conditio n s i n t hese s ev en chur ches

n am ed may hav e b een s uch as are d escribed ia the -
l etters addr ess ed to them but we do not p ause to

,
sp ecul at e in regard t o the m atter The l ett er s .
them sel ves Sho w that th ey are not to be und ersto o d

as apply ing o nly to the cond i t i ons i n t he ch urc h
addres s ed Near the clo se O f each Epi stl e is an

.
ex ho rt ati on w hi ch cl early i ndi cat es t hat i t s m es s ag e ,
w hil e ad dressed to the ang el o f a p artic ul ar church ,
is O f l arg er app li cat ion He t hat hath an ear let

.
“
,
hi m hear what t he S p i rit s ait h t o the churches

”
.
Accord ing to thi s ex ho rt at ion t he mes s age to any ,
churches The ex pr ess io n

“
one church i s for t he .
,
“
He t hat hat h an ear let him he ar i nd i cat es that
, ,
t he l ett er to a p arti cul ar ch urch i s as a m es s age

to the univ ers al Chri sti an i nt ellig ence an d t here
fore a revel ati on to the univ ersal c hurch The .
s ev en l ett er s t ak en to g et her f orm o ne c onti nuo us
62
L ETT ER S T O T H E S EV EN CH U R CH ES
‘
reve a l t ion o f the church fro m 96 A D to the . .
s eco n d com i ng o f Chri s t .
The glo r io us v i si on t hat i nt ro d uc es t hes e l ett ers

i nd icates that they are concer ni ng the church u ni ver
s al rat her t han seven lo cal congregat io ns The .
vi s i o n o f t he s ev en candl est ick s w hich are i nt er
p r e t e d t o m e an t he s ev en c h u r ch es i s a u nit ed
who l e T he app earance o f one l ik e unto a son
“
.
ho ld i ng the s ev en s t ars i n one h and and

”
o f m an ,
s t anding i n the m i d st o f the candl es ti ck s d et erm ines ,
t he f act Of t he underl yi ng unity i n a seven fo ld -
fo rm Each candl es tick repr esent s a d ivis io n or

.
p e r i o d i n t h e m or a l a n d s pi ri t ua l h i s t or y o f t he
univers al church . T hese p eri od s b egi n w ith t he

co nd i tio ns t hat p revai l ed i n the church at l arg e i n
the v ear 9 6 A D . . and f o l lo w e ach o t her i n s ucces

,
s io n unt i l Chri s t s t ands at t he doo r and k no ck s

”
.
We r em ember that the revelat ion was Si g n i hed “

- -
by t he ang el to hi s servant
“
J o hn . Ep hesus ,
S m yrna P erg am um et c are b ut s ig ns o r sy mb ol s

, , .
,
o f t he chu rch i n i t s s eV en f old d ev el opm ent

-
har ,
mo ni i ng wit h t he st ruct ure o f t he seco nd and

z
thi rd p art s o f the book As the creativ e perio d o f

.
the e arth i s d i vi d ed i nt o s ev en part s so i n t he

.
g ene i s o f t he chur ch we fi nd th e s ept i fo r m d ivi s ion

‘
s .
Nhi le f ro m t he v ery nat ure O f thi ng s no accurat e

, ,
dat e can b e g iven fo r t he end i ng o f o ne p er io d and

t he b eg i nni ng o f t he next yet d et ail s ar e f urni shed
,
i n each l ett er s uffi ci ent t o enabl e us t o l ocate each

d ivision in a g eneral way The out st and ing char .
act er ist i cs o f each s uccess i ve hi s to ri cal p eri o d de
t erm ine the app roximat e l imits o f it s d uration .
63
THE R EV EL ATI O N OF E
J US
S CH RIS T
In commo n with the oth er l etter s

Eph s us
,
e
this o ne has a d efi nit e pl an 1 I t . .
R v 2: 1 7
e -
i s add ress ed t o the a ng el o f the
.
churc h .2 It i s i nt ro d uced b y a sal utati on o f the

.
o ne w ho m J ohn saw i n the visi on and ascr i b i ng to
him s om e o f the divi ne char act eristi cs m entio ne d in

hi s d escripti on 3 An add ress givi ng the co nd it ions
. .
o f the ch urc h and givi ng s uch w arni ng o r pr ai s e as
tho s e co ndi ti ons d em and 4 Announcem ent o f w hat. .
will com e to p ass in the f uture 5 A promi se to . .
him th at ov ercom eth 6 An exh ortation to h ear

. .
wh at the S pi ri t sa ith unto the c hurch es In each .
l ett er the add res s to the ch urch is i nt r od uced by

t he s am e expr es s i on 1 k now In five o f them
“ ”
, .
it is I kno w th y w orks ; in o ne i t is I k no w thy

,
“
,
“
trib ul ations and in the other it i s I k now wh ere

,
” “
,
thou dw ell est In ev ery c as e the f act o f the ab so

”
.
l ute knowl edge o i the sp eaker is the fir st tr uth

‘
r ev eal ed Nothi ng i s hid fro m the und er stand ing

.
and k nowle dge o f the Ch ri st ev en to t he mi nut est ,
d et ail All thi ngs are o p en to the eyes o f Him

.
with w ho m we h av e to do We h av e therefo r e .
, ,
the abs ol ut e as sur anc e that the d ev el opm ent or

retr og res sio n o f the spi rit ual l i fe o f the ch urch
w i ll be f oretold with as m uch accu racy as i f it w ere
alr eady a m att er o f hi story .
W hil e the co nd itio ns in the local congr egation

may hav e b een and mo st lik ely w ere t hos e d escribe d
, ,
i n the lett er to Ep hes us yet t his m anner o f addr es s

,
i s symb oli cal and appli es to the fi rs t p erio d o f

Chri stianity b eg i nni ng with t he y ear 96 A D T he
i
, . .
evid enc es o f this are fo und i n the l ett er i t self .
64
chu rch at l arge than in the one congr egati on that

enj o y ed the p res ence o f the o ne r ema ini ng apo s tl e .
In the thi rty y ears that p as s ed by s ince the d eat h

o f mo st o f the m i raculo us ly endo w ed men s uffi ci ent ,
tim e has el ap sed fo r fals e apo stl es to ari se and

thei r imp ost ur e to be mad e m anifest T hese con .
dit ions p revai l unt i l po ss ib ly 193 A D or the . .

,
o pe ni ng o f t he s eco nd seal .
It was d uring thi s p erio d that the r eli gi ous

sy s tem kno wn as Gno sti ci sm att ai ned i t s gr eat es t
i nfl uence The nature o f it i s ind icat ed by M ili nan

.
Cerinthus was the fi rst

who se t enet s we have any
, of
di sti nct stat em ent, who admi tt i n the t ruth o f

, g
hri st i anity C ,
att empt ed t o i nco rpo rat e wi th i t orei n and f

ri ent a t enet s g O l .
g l
Hi s s ys tem was a si n u ar and apparent y i ncon ru ous usi on l g f
o f J ewi sh Chri st i an and
, ri enta not i ons O
H e di d non i e l .
-
lk
S i mon o r enander M invest hi ms e
, in a sacred and mys lf
g
teri ou s chara ct er thou h he pr etend ed to ang eli c revela ti ons
”
.
—H is to y of
,
r Chris tia ni ty, Vol II , p 59. . . .
Gno st ici sm pread thro ughout Chri st end om and

s
was m os t po p ul ar ab out 140 1 5 0 A D Am ong the -

. .
mos t reno wned o f these t eache r s w er e Cerint hus ,
Tati an and M arci on The Ni co l ai tans were a sect.
havi ng an immo ral f orm o f wo r ship o riginat i ng with

Ni co l as o ne o f the s ev en d eacons and who tr aditi on
, , ,
s ay s,
was guilty o f apo st asy from the f ai th The .
Ep hes ian p erio d i s that in w hi ch Gnosti ci sm attai ned

it s g reat es t p rom inence ( 96— 193 A .
This p erio d o f the hi s to ry o f

S m y na r
Chri s ti ani ty i s m ark ed by ext rem e
R v
e -1 1
.
tribul ati on It i s i nt ro d uced by .
the exp res s io n : I know thy tr ib ul ation Then it ”

.
66
L ETT ER S TO THE S EV EN CH U R CH ES ~
l
c o s es with pro m i se o f tribul ati on for ten
the
day s ”
. The p eri o d i nd i c at ed by t he se expr es s i ons
i s 1 66 3 13 A D
-
It b egan w i th the persecutio n
. .
und er M ar cus Aur el i us i n the y ear 1 66 A D It . .
was d uring thi s p er secut io n that J us t in M artyr and

Po lycarp s uffered m arty rdom Follo w ing thi s there .
,
w ere si x period s o f p er secuti on : the one under

S eptim us 202 2 1 1 A D ; und er M aximi an 2 3 5
,
-
. .
,
2 3 8 A D ; und er Deci us 2 5 0 2 5 3 A D ; und er

. .
,
-
. .
Val eri an 2 5 7 260 A D ; und er Aurel ian 275 A D

,
-
. .
, . .
,
and und er D i ocl eti an 3 03 3 1 3 A D ,

-
. .
The fi rs t s tat em ent o f the l ett er d escribe s the

church as em ergi ng f ro m a bi tter and univers al
p ersecutio n in wh ich m any o f her go dly l eaders
s uff ered m a rt y rdo m The l as t st ate m ent d es crib es
.
t he p ers ecut io n w i t h which t he S my rna p eri o d w ould

clo s e T hi s was to l as t t en d ay s The q ues t ion
”
. .
at once ari s es Are t hes e lit eral d ay s o f t wenty f o ur

,
-
ho urs each or do t hey rep res ent l ong er p eri od s o f

,
tim e ? Th e q uestio n m ust be answer ed by the

S cri pt ure i t self It i s t rue t hat in so m e o f the
.
p ro p heci es o f the S cript ure we find the ti m e l imit

o f the p red ict i on pl ai nly gi ven as in t he seventy
years o f the J ewi sh capti vity b ut the pro p heci es o f ,
D ani el and Jo hn do not b el ong i n the s am e cl ass

wit h t ho s e o f J eremi ah Dani el and J ohn di d no t .
s ee the ev ent s o f the f ut ur e b ut they s aw the ,
s ym bo l s of these events They saw all o f the .
epo ch maki ng event s m ar s hal ed to g et her i n the sm all

-
comp as s o f a few vi s io n s S o m et im es t he hi s to ry o f.
cent uri es was s ymb o l i z ed in the vi s io n concerni ng
o ne b eas t t he ri se and f all o f a m i ghty k ing d om

,
67
THE R EV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
p ort r ay ed i n one horn When a geogr ap her w i shes

.
to d raw a map o f a co nt inent upo n a s heet o f

p ap er he is compe ll ed to r ed uce all m easurem ents
,
p ropo rti onat ely The architect does preci s ely the
.
s ame t hi ng w hen he d raws t he pl an o f a l arg e
build ing Each d raws to scal e O ne may us e an

. .
eig ht h o f an i nch to rep res ent a hund red mil es ,
whi l e the o t her may use it to repres ent one f oot .
There i s no d iffi culty in und erstand ing the measure

m ent s o f the co nt i nent or o f the b ui ld ing if we
und ers t and t he scal e us ed in each d rawi ng In bo th .
o f thes e pr op heci es we find m any cent uri es o f hi s
to ry b rought together in small co mp ass We kno w .

,
t hen that a day rep resent s a m uch l arger p erio d

,
”
o f tim e and the o nly p robl em we hav e i s to d et er

,
m i ne the s cal e to which this chart O f p roph et ic

hi st ory i s d rawn O ne scal e i s gi ven in 2 P et 3 : 8 :
. .
B ut fo rg et no t t hi s one t hing bel ove d that one , ,
d ay i s w i th the Lo r d as a tho us and y ears and a ,
tho us and y ears as one day Her e a day i s eq ual

.
t o a tho us and y ears b ut thi s scal e i s t o apply to

,
t he day O f j udgm ent m ent ioned in the p reced ing

vers e . Another s cal e i s gi ven in Num .
“
A f t er t he num b er o f d ay s in w hich ye sp i ed o ut
the l and even fo rty d ay s
, fo r every day a y ear
, ,
s hall y i q ti f ty year s ”
y e b ear o u r ni ui es ev en o r , .
Ag ain Ez ekie l i s gi ven the sam e s cal e o f a day

,
for a y ear : Fo rty d ay s each day fo r a y ear have

“
, ,
I ap po i nt ed it unt o t hee ( E z ek ”
Th e s ame .
d ecl aratio n is m ad e in verse 5 What scal e do .
J ohn and D ani el use ? Fo rt unat ely Dani el gi v es us ,
the answer t o o ur q uest i on In the ni nth chapt er.
68
of Dani el we have d efini te p ro p hecy co ncerning

a
the M essi ah : Kno w there fo re and d i s c ern t hat ,
fro m the go i ng forth o f the com mandment to

r esto r e and b uild J er usal em unto the anoint ed o ne ,
t he p ri nce s hall be s even w eek s and t hreesco re and

, ,
t wo w eek s t t l t i
”
( D a n T h e .o a o f h s i s
s ixty ni ne w eek s
-
o r 48 3 d ays The d at e O f the
, .
i s s uance o f t hi s d ecree was 4 5 7 B C T he d at e o f . .
the b eg inni ng O f the mi ni s try O f J esu s was t he

l atter p art o f the y ear 2 6 A D The l engt h o f . .
t im e i nt ervening was 4 83 y ears and Dani el in hi s ,
p ro phecy say s it i s 48 3 d ay s T here f or e the tim e .
s cal e whi ch Dani el uses i s a d ay fo r a y ear J ohn .
uses t he s am e ti m e l i mi t s as Danie l as can b e seen ,
by a co mp ari son o f the two bo ok s .
The ten d ay s o f t ribul at ion r e f erred to in the

S my rna p eri o d m ean ten y ears and w ere f ulfill ed ,
by t he p ers ecut ion w hi ch be g an und er D io cl et i an

in 3 03 A D and conti nued
. . unt i l 3 13 A D . .
Mil man say s co ncerni ng the extent o f this p ers e

cut io n
In a lm o st ever y part of the w or d l , Ch ri s t i ani t y f ound
i ts elf at once as s ai ed l b y the full f o rce o f the ci vi l po wer ,
cons t ant ly g o ad ed on b y the uni t ed in flu ence of the pa an g

pri es tho o d and th e phiIOS O phi c part y . Edi ct f ll o o wed
ed i ct ,g in gu l g d ti n
ri si n re ar ra a o s of an gy
r b arb ari ty . The
wh l l gy w d l d n mi
o e c er er e ec are e e es o f the st at e ; the y were
i d wh
s e ze v h til p f t
ere er a os e re ec cho s e to put f o rt h hi s
b undl i ty ; y ‘
o uth ess nd b i h p
a or a s o s, presb t ers and deacons
were i nt o pri s ons i nt ended f or the b as est mal e fac
crow d ed
t o rs —H is tory of Chri s tiani ty, Vol II , p 22 5

”
. . . . .
Thi s p eriod closes w i th Li cini us ’ “

Edi ct of
69
To l eration i ss ued Jan 13 3 13 A D How much

, .
, . .
those early Chri st ians need ed the com forti ng prom i se

o f t he M as t er : B e t ho u f ait h f ul unto d eath and
“
,
I w ill gi ve thee a crown O f lif e .

”
In the l ett er t o t he angel O f

P g m um
er a
t he church i n Pe rgam um
”
we
R ev : 27 12 -1
have i ndi cat io ns o f a t end ency
.
far mo re d angerous to the p ure f ait h o f the go sp el

than the bitt er p ersecut ions o f Dio cl et ian and hi s
s uccess ors I kno w w here thou dw elle st even
“
,
where S at an s t hrone i s ( v The evi l infl uence

’ ”
.
can not b ut s eri o us ly aff ect t he church t hat i s in
clo se p ro xi mi ty t o the s eat o f S at an s po wer and

’
aut ho ri ty In t he tw e l f th chapt er t here i s a descrip

.
tio n o f a great red d rago n t hat seek s to d est ro y the

man child and f ai l ing i n thi s p ers ecut es the church
, , , ,
s ym bo l i z ed by the wo m an and her s eed In Rev . .
this d ragon i s id entifi ed as S at an Now the .

,
power that p ers ecut ed the wom an and her seed

was t he p agan Rom an Empir e and its s eat o r ,
cap i t al was Rom e The p erio d O f church hi s t ory

.
d escrib ed by thi s l ette r i s that w hen Chri st ianity

cam e i nt o i nt i mat e rel ati o ns hip wi t h the civil go v ern
m ent O f Rom e begi nning abo ut 3 1 3 A D A , . .
q uot ation f rom M i lm an s Hi sto ry o f Chri st ianity ’ “ ”
s ho ws the r el at i ons hip that app eared w hen Con

st ant i ne wo n cont ro l He say s .
Th e Ro m an l i gi n
re o san k wi th the Roman sup re macy .
The new em pi re w l me co ed the new re l i gi o n as its a ll y and
as s oci at e in the g o vern ment of the hu man mind . T he empi re
l ent i ts count enance, its s anct i on, at l ngth

e i t s power, t o
Chri s t i ani ty .
”
—
Vol . II .,
p 249
. .
70
Com i ng i n l
t t with the po w er o f the
c ose con ac
Rom an s t at e and ent eri ng i nto f ri end ly rel at io ns

,
wit h i t apo s t asy begi ns t o d evelo p rapi dly

, T he .
d evelo pm ent o f the bishop ric w hich had its begi n ,
ni ng at abo ut t he end o f t he s eco nd ce nt ury was ,
now accel erat ed H i erarchi cal p ret ens i ons were o n

.
the i ncreas e The i nfl uence o f the b i s ho p o f t he

.
church i n Ro m e was b ei ng m o re fi rm ly es t ab l i s he d .
It was not to be wond ered th at d uri ng t hi s p erio d

ther e were som e that ho ld the t eaching o f B al aam ,
who t aught B al a k to cas t a s tumb li ng b l ock b efo r e -
the chi ld ren o f I s rael to eat thi ngs s acri fi ced to

,
i d o l s and to co mm i t fo rni cati on Ari ani sm had

”
, .
it s r i s e abo ut 3 1 7 A D The Co uncil o f Nice

‘
. .
,
s ummo ned not by t he chu rch b ut by t he Rom an ,
emp ero r as s em b l ed 3 2 5 A D
, an d p ro m ulg at ed t he
. .
,
Ni cean Creed ; The Counci l o f Ty re as sem b l ed in ,
3 3 5 A D and the Counci l o f Cons t ant i nopl e 3 3 6

. .
, ,
A D
. r esult ed in the d ivis io n o f Chri stendo m
.
, .
Duri ng t he reign o f Const ant i us ( 3 3 7 3 6 1 A D ) -

. .
one half o f t he i nhab i t ant s o f t he Ro m an E

-
mpir e
p ro f es s Chris t ianity and it i s es t abli shed as t he
,
rel i gi on O f s t at e Duri ng t hi s p eri o d M ani att empt ed

.
to uni t e t he co nfli cti ng el em ent s O f the O ri ent al

rel i g io ns wit h Chri st ianity It i s not s t range t hat .
whe n Chri st i anity s ucceed ed to the t hrone O f t he

Caes ars there should al so c om e a l ax ity O f mo ral s
, ,
and t hat t here s ho uld b e som e t hat ho ld t he t each

“
i ng o f the Ni col ai tans The g eneral t en d enci es o f

”
.
thi s p eri od unti l 476 A D w hich mark s the down . .

,
fall o f the west ern Ro man Emp i re were away f ro m ,
t he s impl ici ty and p urity o f t he Chri s t i an li f e .
71
t end encies to ap o stasy

The
Thyati ra
f rom the tr ue and simpl e f ai th
Rev : 8
2 1 9 -2
o f Chri s t w ere acc el erat ed by the
.
s uccess i ve i nv as io ns o f the Go ths ( 4 10 A the .
Va nd al s ( 422 A the H un s ( 4 5 1 A
. and .
by t he fi nal ov erthrow o f Ro m e by O do acer in

4 76 A D . It is nat ural t hat the religi on o f the
.
co nq uero rs w o uld l eave its imp res s upo n t he rel i gi on
O f t he co nq uere d Al so d uri ng the l as t p er io d the

.
, ,
i nfl uence O f the church at Ro m e had gr ad ually

i ncreased I nno c ent I b i sho p Of Ro me r eq ui red all
. .
, ,
wes t er n ch urch es t o con f orm to the ch urch o f

Rom e ( 4 16 A . Val entinian III d ecre ed that .
all b i s ho ps O f the w est ern empir e Ob ey the bi sh op
Of Ro m e ( 42 5 A The tim e i s now rip e fo r

.
t he d evelo pm ent O f the harlo t church The o ut .
s t andi ng s t at em ent s O f thi s l ett er are w arn ings con
cerni ng a wom an Foll owi ng the div ision o f the

.
ki ngdom O f David i nto the ki ngdom s O f Israel and

J ud ah the nam e O f J ez ebel bec am e a synonym o f
,
everyt h ing t hat was wick ed Now th at Chri st endo m

.
has b eco m e di vid ed i nto the eas t er n and we st ern

ch ur ches s i nc e 3 3 6 A D no m ore fitt ing s ymbol o f
. .
,
t he ap o st as y t hat i s d ev el opi ng c o uld be fo und than

the wi ck ed q ueen o f Ahab and she corr esp ond s to ,
the h arl ot d escri b ed in Revel atio n 1 7 as sitting

“
,
up on a scarl et co l o r ed b eas t The d escripti on giv en

”
-
.
in thi s l ett er i s so pl ai n that none co uld mi st ake the

p urp ose o f i t to d escribe that p eri od o f r eligi ous
hi story wh en the P ap acy was in the ascend ency ,
b egi nni ng wi t h 4 76 A D and conti nui ng until the

. .
Re for m ation O f M arti n Luth er .
72
T HE R EV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
s ti ll . Goo d m en in m any o f the sect s saw that

som et hi ng was v i tally w ro ng and independ ently , ,
O f each o ther began to seek fo r the r em edy As

, .
they o p ened thei r New T est am ent s they fo und that

d ivis i on in the f amily o f Go d was cont rary to the
will O f Chri s t They found that the ev angel i z ati on
.
o f the wo rld d ep end ed upo n the unity Of Chri s t en
dom for Chri s t p ray ed that they al l may be o ne“

,
that the wo rld may bel ieve ”

They fo und that the
.
p rimi tive church b uil t by Chri st and hi s apo stl es

, ,
was a unit ed chur ch and a church o f po wer Al l .
O f these i nves t i gat ors c am e t o the s am e co ncl us io n ,
that the rem edy for the evil cond itio ns o f the tim e
was to resto re the church o f Chri s t i n do ct rine and
p ractice S O di scarding all human traditio n s and
.
,
creed s and t ak ing t he New T es t ame nt al o ne as the
al l s uffi ci ent rule o f f ai th and p ract i ce

-
they began ,
to p r each t he go sp el as it was fi rs t pro m ulgat ed .
O n Chri s tm as Day 1 793 at M anaki n Town Nort h

, , ,
Caro l ina J am es O K elly Of t he M et ho d i s t Chur ch

’
, , ,
i nsti tut ed a congregat io n p atterned a f t er the New

T est am ent church The mem bers were call ed Chri s
.
t ians as they were at Anti och It was no t long .
unt i l co ngregatio ns in d i ff erent p a rt s O f the co unt ry
w ere i nstituted During the y ears 1800 1803 Dr

.
-
, .
Abner J o nes o f the B apt i s t Chur ch ti ri ng O f the

, ,
evi l co nd i t io ns o f t he ti m e est ab li s hed cong regat i ons

,
o f Chri st i ans at Ly ndo n Vermo nt and B radf ord

, ,
and P i erp o i nt New Hamp shi re B arto n W S tone

, . .
,
o f t he P re sbyt e ri an Church l ed a gr eat mo vement

,
o f t he s am e nat u r e i n K ent ucky and hi s f o llo w ers ,
were l ike wi s e call ed Ch ri st i ans Th ese w ere all .
74
c ry st all i z ed i nto o ne great m o vement to r es to re the

p rimi tive faith and p ract ice O f the New T es tam ent
church und er t he l eade r ship o f T hom as and Al ex
an d er Camp bell . Thei r epo ch m ak ing rel i gio us d ocu

-
ment k no w n as The D ecl aratio n and Add res s was

, ,
i s s ued i n 1809 . The p reacher s o f t hi s movem ent

ex alt t he B ibl e and i ns i s t up on t he aut ho ri ty o f
the New T es t am ent They re f us e to w ear any

.
nam e exc ept the nam e o f Chri s t Thi s l etter to .
the church in P hil ad elp hi a d escri bes t he m ovem en t

i n thes e wo rd s : Tho u d i d st keep my wo rd and
“
,
d i d s t not deny my nam e ( Rev ”

M any di ff er
.
ent ki nd s O f r eligi o us bo d i es ex i s t each pro f es s i ng ,
to b e
“
J ew s that is the cho sen p eo pl e o f God
, .
The w arning o f t hi s l ette r i s t hat t hey are not b ut ,
rat her b elo ng t o t he s ynago gue o f S at an

”
TO all .
O f tho se who co nsci entio us ly strive to co n f orm to

the t eaching O f t he New T es t am en t thi s p reci o us
p ro mi se i s gi v en : B ecaus e tho u d i d s t keep the
wo rd O f my p at i ence I w i ll k eep thee f rom t he
,
ho ur o f t ri al t hat ho ur whi ch i s to come upo n the

,
whol e wo rld to try t he f ai th o f them who dwell

,
upo n t he eart h fi ly
”
( Rev 3 : H
. ow rm t h e
ho s t s o f the Res to r ati on mo v em ent s ho uld cl ing to

t he o l d p at hs . The t ime w i ll not b e lo ng w hen t he
p rom i se given wi ll b real i ed for the anno unce
e z ,
m ent i s m ad e : B eh o ld I co m e q ui ckly : ho ld f ast

“
,
t hat which thou has t that no m an t ake thy cro wn

,
”
( Rev 3 :
. The end O f thi s p erio d t hen wi ll no t , ,
b e unt i l the seco nd co mi ng o f Chri st b ecause the ,
f aith f ul are to be kep t thro ugh the ho ur O f t ri al “ ”
i mmed i at ely p recedi ng that event ( v .
75
TH E R EV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
This l etter need s v ery little

L aodi a ce
co mm ent Any cl ose o b s erv er o f
.
R v 3: 4
e 1 -2 2
.
r el igious condit ions in general at
the p res ent t im e will no t f ail to und er s t and that
the l ette r t o t he church in L ao d i cea appl i es t o the
s t at e o f Chri s t i anity o f o ur o wn tim e M en ar e .
p uffed up Culture i s the go dd ess at w ho se f eet

.
thous and s O f congregatio ns wo rship P ro f es s ed.
f ollowers o f Chri s t are neither co ld nor ho t The “ ”

.
p ower O f Go d i s no l onger rel ied upo n but the

”
,
q ues tionabl e m etho d s o f union evangeli st s are re

so rt ed t o fo r the sp asmo d i c awak eni ng o f p eopl e .
Whi l e the b arriers between d enom inat io ns are being

brok en d own t hey are no t b ei ng b uild ed to gethe r on
,
t he New T es t am ent fo und at io n The i mp ort ant t hing

.
to no t i ce i n t he d escripti o n i s that J es us i s at ah a :
d oor. B eho ld I st and at t he d oo r and knock

“
,
”
The b ranches O f the fig t ree are

‘
( Rev .
-
even no w p utt i ng fo rt h it s l eaves SO we know t hat

,
Chri s t i s nigh e v en at the do ors ( M att 24 :

“ ”
.
,
The condit ions o f the p res ent t im e will end w i th t he

co m ing O f o ur Lo rd t o j u dg e t he house O f Go d .
76
C HAPTER IV .
A VISIO N OF HEAVEN THRO UG H AN

O PEN DOO R
S the l ast wo rd is p k en to the church at

s o
Lao dicea the sev en gold en candl estick s with

, ,
the gl o ri o us O ne w alki ng i n t he m i d s t O f t hem ,
begi n to di ss olv e . P atrno s again becom es the lo nely

pl ace o f ex i l e No sound d i st urbs the so l i t ud e o f
.
t he barr en i s l e s ave the mo ani ng o f t he sea o r t he

‘
ro ar o f the w av es as they b eat upo n its rocky sho re .
B ut i t was no t for lo ng that t he aged p rop het

w ould be l eft alone in his m edi tat io n upon the
vi s io n he had alr eady b een p ri vi l eged to b eho ld .
Anot her and a mo re e nt ranc ing vi si on would b urst

up on his ey es a ft er t hi s A f ull er and cl earer
“ ”
.
revel ati on wo uld b e g rant ed him .
The event s re v eal ed in the s eco nd p art o f Revel a

ti on w i ll be di ff erent i n thei r character f rom tho s e
unfo ld ed in the fi rs t p art , beca us e the scene has
ch anged . The s ett ing Of the vi sio n i s no l onge r
the so l i t ud e O f hi s i sl and p ri so n b ut t he gat es o f
,
heaven have s w ung aj ar and J ohn s enrapt ur ed ey es

’
are p ri vi l eg ed to gaz e up on scene s O f h eavenly

s pl end or and glo ry . He s aw the v ery throne o f
God embl azo ned wi th spl end or d ivi ne H e s aw t hat .
great hos t O f heavenly b eings and heard the angelic

,
79
cho i r hy mni ng i ts
p aeans o f prais e to Him who
i s and who i s to co m e
”
.
,
T he t hrone i s the se at O f the ki ng—the pl ac e

where aut ho ri ty i s ex erci sed and w here l aw s are
p rom ul gat ed F ro m the throne em anates the ed icts
.
t hat c oncern the states o r provinces o v er w hich

the k i ng has p ower The K i ng who s i t s upo n thi s
.
throne which J ohn s aw i s the r ul er o v er the ki ng

dom s O f thi s wo rld for he i s Ki ng O f ki ngs This
,
.
v i sion therefo re wi ll have to do w i th the v ari ous

, ,
k ingdo ms o f the w orld It w i ll have to do with

.
go vernment s and l aws I t will h av e to do with the

.
m archi ng O f arm ies and the mighty s tr uggl es be

tw een the nati ons O f men und er his provid enti al
cont rol unt i l all O f these ki ngdom s hav e been
bro ught i nt o s ub j ect i on to Chri st i n the ev erl as t ing
ki ngdo m As sym bol a f t er sym bo l is giv en we
.
,
know t hey all have to do with the ri se and f all O f

k ingdo ms and empi res and esp eci ally with the di vi ne
,
j udgm ents which are p rov i d ent i ally adm i nistered by

vari o us hum an agenci es cont ro ll ed by Him who s i t s
upo n t he t hro ne unt i l t he r ace r esp ect s hi s right eous

,
l aws and yi eld s t o his will .
T he s ub j ect m att er o f thi s p art o f Rev el at i on

-
will cons i s t o f the pr ed ict io n o f ep och m ak ing ev ent s

-
co nnect ed w i t h the nat io ns and gov ernme nt s o f men
u nt i l the k i ngd om o f the w o rld i s b eco m e the ki ng

“
dom o f our Lo rd and o f hi s Chri st ( Rev

”
.
,
Al l Of the p anor am a o f hum an hi sto ry f rom 96

A D to the s econd co mi ng o f Chri st sw eep s b e fo r e
. .
the ey es o f the enrapt ur ed seer fo r thes e are thi ngs

“
,
which must com e to p as s her eaft er

”
( Rev .
80
THE REV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CHR IS T
c ome p ass h er ea ft er
to No soo ner had the i ny i .
tatio n been gi v en than t he enabl ing p ow er was

granted and strai ghtw ay J ohn was in the S p i r it
,
“ ”
.
Heav en was vis ual i z ed J ohn gi v es a caref ul .
desc riptio n o f the scene in th ese wo rd s

Th w a th
e re n t in h
as v n nd n
ro i tt i n g
e se ea e , a o e s
up n t h
o th n ; nd h t hat at w t l k up n l i k a
e ro e a e s as o oo o e
ja p s t n er and as o di u e a nd t h w i nb w
s ar s: ere as a ra o
round ab ut th th n o l ik n m al d t l k up n
e ro e, e a e er o oo o
"
( Rev . 4: 2 ,
The throne was the fi rst and m o st p rom inent

O b j ect i n the vi s i on b ec aus e it i ndi cat es the d i v i nely
,
regal character O f him th at occup ied it The .
heavenly throne i s the seat o f he aven s K i ng T he

’
.
d escriptio n that follows i s O f the occup ant o f the

th rone Hum an l anguage i s too weak to convey
.
an id ea O f the b r i ght nes s o f the tr anscend ent gl ory
that enwrapp ed the one that Jo hn gazed up on T he .
go rgeous h ues O f the r ai nbo w and o f varicolo red ,
j ewel s w ith their b rill iant and sp arkl ing sheen can ,
only i ndi cat e i n a m eas ure the d a l ing b ri ghtness zz
o f the glo ry O f H im who s at up on the t hr one At .
t he time th at Ez ek i el recei ved hi s p rop het ic co m m i s

s io n he was pr i vil eg ed to b eho ld a s i m il ar v i s i on .
“
And ab ove the firmament that wa s ov er thei r head s w as
the l ik enes s of a throne, as the appearance O f a s apphi re
st one ; and upon the l ik eness of the th rone was a l ik en ess
as th e appearance o f a man upon it abo ve. And I s aw as it

were gl owi n gm t l
e a , as the appearance of fire wi th in i t roun d
ab out , f ro m the appearance of hi s l oi n s and upw ard ; and
f ro m the appearance o f hi s l oi ns and downward I s aw as it

were the appearance o f fire and there was b ri htnes s round , g
abo ut hi m As the appearance o f the b ow that i s in the c oud
. l
82
H EAV EN T H R O U GH AN O P EN D O O R
in the day o f rai n, so was the appearance O f the b ri htn ess g

round ab out . Thi s was the appearance O f the l ik eness of
th e gl yor of J ehovah ( Ezek ”

.
Ez eki el i ndicates that he i s st riv ing to find

here
l anguage to conv ey some i d ea O f the beauty o f the
vi s i on whi ch he behe ld He al so pl ainly i nd icat es .
that the O b j ect s in the vi sio n were not l iteral but ,
were s ym bo l s The t hr one was a l i k eness and the

.
,
one who s at upo n the t hro ne was a lik enes s Danie l .
was p rivil eged to hav e a si m i l ar vi s i on whi ch he ,
d escribes in thes e word s

I b h l d ti ll th n
e e w pl d nd n
ro th t w es ere ace , a o e a as
anci ent o f day s did s it : hi s rai m ent was whi t e as snow, and
th e hai r Of hi s head l ik e l
pu re w oo ; hi s th ro ne was fi ery
fl am es , and the whee l s ther eo f b u ningr fire ( Dan 7 : .
H ere t he co o rl
b ri ghtnes s o f fire as well and ,
as t he w hi t enes s o f s no w r ep res ent s t he app earance ,
O f t he glo ry O f t he Anci ent o f d ay s The apo stl e .
no w p as s es on t o a d es cripti on o f o ther heav enly
O bj ec t s t hat p res ent th em s e l ve s to hi s vi ew .
And round ab out the throne w ere f ou r and twenty

thro nes : and upo n the thrones I s aw f our and twent y e ld ers
g
s i tt i n , arra yed i n whi te g ar m ent s ; and on thei r head s crowns
o f g ldo . And out o f the throne proceed i htni n lg g s and voi ces
and thund ers . And there were s even l amps of fire burni n g
be f o re the throne, whi ch are the s ev en S pi ri t s of Go d ; and
be f o re the throne, as it were a sea o f gl ass l ik e unto cr s t a y l;

i n t he m i d s t
‘
and of the throne, and round ab out the throne ,
f ou r l iving creat u res full f y o e es be f o re and b ehi nd And .
the fi rst creatu re was l ik l i n

e a o , and the s econd creature was
l ik e a ca lf , and the thi rd creatu re ha d f a ace as of a man .
and the f u o rth creat ure was i lk e a fl yi ng gl ea e. And the f u

o r
l iving c reat u res , havin g each one o f them s ix win g s , are full
83
THE REV ELAT IO N OF JES U S CH R IS T
y
o f e es round ab out and wi thi n : and the y have no rest day
ght
and ni , saying ,
H ly o , hol y ho l y
, , L
i s the ord God the A mi hty, who ,
l g
”
was and who i s and who i s t o come ( Rev.
Next gl ori ous

s uccee di ng the
Th El d s
e er
v i sion o f Go d there i s the app ear
ance O f the heavenly att end ant s Enci rcli ng the .
thro ne O f the Alm ighty are fo ur and twenty thro nes ,
and the b ei ngs who s i t upo n t hem are d escr i bed
as eld ers The f act that t hey sit up on heavenly

.
thrones i nd icates that they are i nves t ed with d ivi ne

aut ho r i ty and p o wer The f act t hat t hey wear
.
crowns i nd icates that th ey are ex ercis i ng ki ngly

f unct ions in the di vine gov ernm ent W hat the .
sco p e O f t hei r auth o r i ty i s i s not gi ven We find

,
.
that w hen the l iv ing creatur es wo rs hip Go d t he ,
eld ers f all down be fo r e the throne casti ng thei r ,
crowns b e f or e hi m and j oi n i n t hei r as cript ion o f

,
p raise ( Rev . In Rev 9 w hen the .

,
li vi ng c reat ures and the elders j o i n in their w or ship

and ad o rat io n O f the Lam b each has a harp and ,
“
go ld en bo wl s O f i ncense w hich are the p ray ers O f
,
the s ai nts They are connect ed in so me way wit h

”
.
br i n gi ng the p et it io ns o f t he sai nt s in t he p resence

O f Go d . In Rev they j oin with all Of the
.
ang el i c b ei ng s i n a mighty p aean O f pr ai se at the ,
co ncl us i on o f whi ch the l ivi ng creat ures s ay

“ ”
Am en ,
and the eld ers f all d own and wo rs hip ( Rev .
In Rev 7 : 9 12 we find the eld ers agai n wo rship i ng

.
-
,
fo llowi ng the t ri umph ant so ng o f the m ult it ude o f

the r edeem ed In Rev 7 : 13 1 7 we find o ne Of
. .
-
these eld ers giving J ohn som e i nfo rm ati on as to

84
H EAV EN AN O P EN D O O R
'
T H R O U GH
who thi s m ul ti tude was the r eason fo r their b eing

,
there th eir d uti es and the bl ess i ngs whi ch they

,
will enj oy Agai n w hen the s ev enth t r ump et

.
,
so unds we find the eld ers agai n wo r s h ipi ng God .
F rom these S cript ures we und ers tand that these are
divi ne b ei ngs in the most i ntim ate a s so ci ati on with
the Almight y i n his co uns el s and hi s gov ernm ent .
Their f uncti ons are connect ed with the wo rs hip

an d ad o r atio n o f Go d and o f Chri s t and wit h th e ,
prayers o f the s aint s T hi s imm ed iat ely s ugges t s

.
the s ervi ces i n the J ewi sh t empl e w hich was d es igned ,
to be a p att ern o f h eav enly things

“
The pri est
”
.
hoo d was divid ed i nto twenty fo ur courses and each -

,
s erv ed i n t he t empl e O f Go d i n o rd er At the he ad .
O f each co ur s e was o ne who bo re the t i tl e o f chi e f

’
pri es t In 1 Chron
. they are call ed p ri nces
.
“
o f the s anct uary and pr i nce s o f Go d T hese are ”

.
,
typi cal O f those heav enly b ei ngs w hom Jo hn saw .
Hence t he eld ers o f the vi s ion are t wenty fo ur -
pri nces o f Go d who are over spi ri tual I s rael In -

.
Rev . 14 we hav e a des cripti on o f r ed eem ed

-
s p i r i t ual I s rael und er the figure the holy city

J er usal em ”
. There are twelv e gat es and tw elve
fo und atio ns Upo n the gat es we r e writt en the
.
“
nam es O f t he twelv e t ri b es and up on t he fo unda

”
,
ti ons wer e w ritt en the names o f the twelve ap o stl es

“
o f the Lamb Thus we hav e again the twenty

”
.
four fold di vi s io n in spi ritual Israel twelv e d ivi si ons

-
,
being repr esent ed by the le ad ers o f the twelve t ribes

Of the J ewish di spensati on and twelve d ivi sio ns
rep resented by the twelv e apo stl es o f the Chri sti an
d i sp ensatio n Thus each di sp ens ati on has eq ual
.
85
r epresentation in the div ine gove rnment F urther .
than thi s the S crip t ure do es not r eveal the f unctio ns

o f t he eld ers and we w ai t until we s t and i n t hei r
,
p resence fo r a fuller und er standi ng Of these pri nces

Of God .
Agai n o ur att enti on i s call ed t o the cent ral

throne Ther e p ro ceed out O f it l i ghtni ngs and
.
“
vo ices and th und er s ”

Thes e vio l ent v i sibl e and
.
aur icul ar d emo ns tr ati ons m ani f es t t he m aj es ty O f
the p resence o f God and the o mnip o t ence Of hi s

p ower .
“
B ut the t hund er o f hi s po w er who can
und ers t and ? T d p d f m
”
(Jo b 2 6 : hu n er ro cee s r o
and i s a r es ult ant o f hi s po wer These d emo nst ra

.
ti ons acco mp anied the p res ence O f J ehovah upo n

Mt S i nai in connecti on with the giving O f the l aw
. .
They str uck terro r to the p eopl e b ut M os es re ,
m inded the m that they need no t f ear ( Ex 2 0 : 18 .
David us es t hund er as a figure o f the vo ice

O f Go d ( P S 29 : . When the pr ay er o f J esus in
the t empl e was ans wered the p eopl e s aid t hat it “
,
thund ered J ohn the B aptis t is call ed the voice

”
.
“
O f o ne cryi ng in the wi ld erness announcing the ,

”
com ing o f Christ Li ghtni ng d i sp el s the d arknes s

.
m om ent ari ly w ith i ts unus ual b rilli ancy and i s ,
al so an i ns tr um ent o f d es t ruct ion These terms . .
there fo re v ery fitting ly symbo l i ze the maj esty and

,
po w er o f Go d and al so i nd icate a revel atio n o f hi s

,
wi ll or an ex ecut io n O f hi s j ud g m ent up on hi s
enemi es . These d em onstr ations o ccur three mo re
t imes in the B ook o f Rev el ation O nce b e fore the .
tr ump et angel s begi n to so und ( Rev o nce .
when Jo hn s aw the vi s i on O f the t empl e O p ened in

86
H EA V EN T H R O U GH AN O P EN D O O R
heav en R
( v
e . and agai n f ollo wi ng the
po uri ng o ut of t he seven h t bo wl o f wr ath ( Rev .
16 :
S tandi ng j ust be fo r e the cent ral throne are seen
s even l amp s O f fire b urni ng and thes e are sai d to ,
r ep resent the s even S p i ri ts O f Go d Thes e are .
m entio ned next in o rd er because it is through the

ag ency and o p er at io n o f t he Ho ly S p i rit that t he
r evel ation i ndi cat ed by the l ightnings and vo i ces

and thund er s i s t o b e m ad e F urther than thi s we
.
wo uld no t att empt to l i f t the ve il o f my st ery that

enwr ap s Di vi nity Al so b e fo re t he thro ne i s as
. ,
it w ere a sea O f gl ass l ike unto cry s tal

,
“
Rev
”
. .
gives the m eani ng o f sea as a sym b ol “

.
The w at ers which tho u sawest w her e the harlo t ,
s itt et h ar e p eo pl es and m ultit u d es and nati ons and

, , , ,
tongues The s ea w hich is a l arge bo dy O f water

.
”
, ,
rep res ent s all O f hum ani ty Cry s t al d enot es t rans

.
p a r e ncy All t hings are O p en and t ransp arent b e fo re

.
the ey es o f Him w i t h whom we have to do even ,
the secret t ho ught s and i nt ent s o f the heart Al l .
O f the struggl es and vici ssi t ud es that shall b e

exp eri ence d by humani ty unt i l et erni ty shall d awn
are cl early s een by H im who s it s up on t he t hro ne .
It s great und erly ing mo vem ent s are app arent to

H im fo r he l oo k s i nto the d epths O f hum ani ty as
,
o ne wo uld l ook i nto a cry s t al s ea .
Ne xt i n ord er t here app ear

Th L i vi ng
e
fo ur l ivi ng creatures They are .
C atu
re r es
d escr ibe d as bei ng in the m i d st “
O f the t hro ne and round abo ut t he t hro ne This ”

.
wo uld i nd icat e th at they s ust ai ned the clo sest r el a

87
TH E R EV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CH RIST
t io nship w i th the f unctions O f divine go ve rnm ent

as r ep res ent ed by t he t hrone They are all seeing.
-
,
and t hei r w i ngs ind icat e t hat th ey are creat ur es o f
m otion Thi s al so i s sho wn by the f act that th ey

.
have no r est day and night in ascri bi ng pr ai s e to

“ ”
t he Alm i ghty T hey are always as sociated w i th the

.
eld ers in thei r s ervice When Ez ekiel rec eived his

.
call to t he p ro p het ic O fli ce he s aw the s am e l i vi ng

,
cr eat ures ( Ez ek . In the tenth chapt er O f

E eki el these sam e livi ng cr eat ur es are d escribed
z ,
and are d eno m i nat ed ch erub im Thi s i s the

“
.
” “
li ving creat ure that I saw und er the Go d o f I srael

by the river Chebar ; and I k new t hat t hey were
cherubim
”
( E ek z .T hi s p ro p het cl early
i nd icat es that the cherubim are cl o se ly as sociat ed
wi t h Go d w hen he s p eak s And the sound Of t he
.
wi ngs O f the cherubim was heard as t he vo i ce ,
o f God Al m i ghty when he sp eak et h E

( ek z .
I s aiah al so was p rivil ege d to see thes e s am e l ivi ng

, ,
creat ures at the t ime he recei ved hi s prO phet ic co m
m i s s io n The gl ori o us scene i s d escri bed in the

.
si x th chapt er Of hi s p rop hecy He call s them .
se raphim . O ne o f t hes e s erap him p er f orm s the

functi on O f a mes s enger o f Go d to reveal the com
mi ss io n to the p ro p het and by m eans o f t he co al
,
O f fi re to cl eans e him and fit him fo r hi s wo rk .
Thus the S cript ures cl early indi cat e that the l ivi ng
creat u re s o f J o hn s vi s io n are h eavenly b ei ng s who
’
s erv e as s wi f t fl ying m ess engers to men with the

-
revel at i o n O f Go d s w i ll and t hat t he so und o f t hei r

’
,
wi ngs i s as t he vo ice O f Go d Al m ighty Very

“ ”
.
fitt ingly do t hey app ear t o J ohn as the grand p ano

88
TH E R EV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
t ents w ere compl et ely seal ed o r hi dd en from the

knowl edge O f every b ei ng in the univ er s e sav e him
who held it in his r ight hand T hi s i s ex actly w hat
.
J es us sai d s i x ty s ix ye ars be fo r e : No one not even

-
“
,
the angel s o f heav en nei t her the So n b ut the F ather

, ,
o nly This roll was compo sed o f seven l eaves fol

”
.
lo wing each o ther success i vely and each securely ,
s eal ed Thi s i s sho w n by the m anner in whi ch the

.
s eal s are o p ened .
AK A m om e n to us m o m ent has now come in the his

to ry o f the uni ver se T hat mysterio us r ealm O f the
.
f uture is abo ut to be unlocked and the far reaching ,

-
vi st a O f the y ear s is to be unv ei l ed th at Go d s chi ldren ’
might kno w the times and the seasons as i f they

were alr eady m att ers o f hi sto ry S o on the l as t O f
.
t he apo s tl es w ould j oin the b lo o d washed t hro n g o-

f
t he r ed eem ed i n the spi rit wo rld and t he church ,
w o uld no lo nger hav e the m eans by which i t m ight

recei ve d ivi ne rev el atio ns as i t need ed t hem All the .
knowl edge that Go d s children w i ll need to co m fort

’
them and strengt hen them in all the v aryi ng fo r

tunes and vi ci s sit ud es O f the centuri es as they co m e
and g o and esp eci ally i n t hat h o ur o f gr eat t ri bu
, , ,
l at ion that should com e upo n all the earth m us t now ,
be committ ed unt o t he l as t Of the m en who w er e

q ual i fi ed to hear hi s m ess age to men All O f the .
p rop het s who had go ne be fo re r ecei ved as it w ere

s eal ed b oo k s whi ch t hey t hems el ves could o nly di m ly
comp rehen d and t hey s earche d what ti me o r what

“
,
m anne r o f time the S p irit o f Chri st w hich was in

them di d po int unto w hen i t test i fi ed be forehand the
,
s uff eri ngs o f Chr i s t and t he gl o r i es that sho uld fol
90
H EAV EN T H R O U GH AN O P EN D O O R
lo w them ( 1 P et . They searched fo r the

1:
tim e O f the glo ri es that sho uld fo llo w as well as
t he s uff eri ng s o f Chri s t b ut t hey w er e not abl e to
,
und ers t and Go d t old the J ew s thr ough Is ai ah :

.
,
And all vi si on i s b eco m e unt o yo u as the wo rd s O f

“
a b ook that i s s eal ed f t r i el

”
( Is a A e. D an
had so ught v ai nly for an und er s t and i ng O f the mys

t eri es comm i tt ed unt o him he was co m m and ed :
“
, GO
t hy way Dani el ; for the w o rd s are shut up and
,
se al ed t i ll the t im e O f t he end
”
( D an T h e .
angel s O f heav en had al so d es i red to lo ok i nto t he
my s t eri es o f Go d s t reas ure ho us e O f i nfi nite knowl

’
-
edge and l ov e b ut had b een fo r b idd en

, The cr uci al .
m om ent has now arrive d The heav enly ho st are .
gathered expectantly around the th rone The l ast .
o f t he pro p het s i s i n the S piri t as an eage r s p ec
tator to be Show n thi ngs whi ch m ust co m e to p as s

her ea ft er
”
. He was an e sp eci ally i nvit ed gues t on
this p o rtento us occas i on .
A s trong angel in a vo ice that reached t o the

,
end s o f t he c el es ti al univ ers e call ed for o ne who,
was w o rthy to op en t he seal s o f the boo k b ut no ne ,
was f ound t o be wo rthy The ag ed apo s tl e over

.
,
whel med w it h the tho ught O f the i nfi ni t e lo ss to t he

church i f the cont ent s O f the s eal e d b o ok w er e no t
reveal ed , and wi t h t he g reat d ee p s O f hi s lo v i ng
heart s t i rr ed gave vent to a fl oo d O f t ear s

, O ne o f .
the heavenly b eing s i n fo rm ed him h owev er that , ,
there was one b ei ng who had not as yet material i zed

i n the s pl endo r o f the heavenly scene and who ,
hath o v ercom e to o p en the b oo k — the Li on t hat

“ ” “
i s O f the t ri be o f J ud ah t he Ro ot O f D avid J us t
”
, .
91
THE R EV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CHRIS T
one ( and only one all t)hbes

eieng
cir cl i ng in
s p heres or in al l t he far O ff wo rld s unknown was
,
-
,
f o und who was wo rthy to op en th at book and chart

t he unm ad e p ath s w hereo n t he natio ns should w alk
ti ll the str eams O f t i me are m erged w i th the ocean
et erni ty— t he bl es s ed bl es sed J esus he s the
“ ’
of , ,
o ne.
”
We do not r eal iz e how m uch we o we to him .
Hi s nam e i s the only nam e that can s av e and in ,

“
none o t her i s t here s al vatio n He i s t he only doo r .
to the s heep f o ld fo r he t hat climbeth up so m e

“
,
o t her way the s am e i s a t hie f and a ro bbe r

,
He .
i s the only one who was ab l e to Op en the seal ed

bo o k . T he w orld wo uld b e i mpo v eri shed O f it s
ri ches t t reas u re O f d ivi ne t rut h and t he r ace w ould ,
b e p lung ed int o the imp enetr ab l e m az es o f uncer

tai nty and d esp ai r with no cert ain knowl edge as to
,
-
t he m eaning o f t hes e mighty up heaval s t hat f rom
t ime t o t ime shak e the v ery fo und ations o f empi re s

and go vernm ent s o f m en .
M j ti w tn i t nth n d
a es c s ee es s s s e ro e
U pon t he S avi our s b row ;

’
H i s head wi th radiant ori es gl cro wned,
l
Hi s i ps wit h race o erfl ow
’
g .
No mortal can wi th hi m compare

“
Among the s ons o f men ;

Fai rest i s he O f al l the f ai r
Who fill the heaven ly t rai n.

”
As tho s e f t ing wo rd s o f the heavenly elder

com or
f ell upon the ears o f the gri e f st rick en servant O f -
Chri s t hi s eyes f ell up on O ne who s e f orm he had

'
no t p revi o u sly r eal i ed W here he had b eheld the

z .
s even l amp s o f fi re b u rni ng t here b egi ns t o reso l ve

‘
92
H EAV EN T H R O UGH AN O P EN D O O R
itself figure o f a Lamb wi th sev en horns sym

the ,
b ol i zing hi s co mpl et e ki ngly autho ri ty and d iv i ne

po w er The l amp s o f fire are now seen to b e hi s
.
eye s and sym bo l i z e hi s po w er t o s ee all t h i ng s and

,
to enl i ght en the wo rld as t o al l O f tho s e event s ev en

then in the f ut ur e The Lamb now becomes the
.
cent ral fi g ure O f t he heavenly vi s i on s t and ing

“
in ,
the mid s t O f the t hro ne and O f t he f o ur liv i ng crea

t ur es and in the mid st O f the eld er s
, The L amb
”
.
s too d as it had b een s l ai n

“
Ev ery m ark o f that
.
aw f ul s cene Of Calv ary was o n hi s bo dy as i f it had
j ust been m ad e The nail pri nt s w er e there the

.
-
,
j agged sp ear wo und in hi s s ide with the b l ood and

-
w at er gushing fo rth and his f ace was torn and

,
bl eed i ng as i f the cr own O f t horns was bei ng p r es s ed

b y b r ut al hand s upo n his b row Hi s b ack was .
b rui s ed as if the cruel scourgi ng had j us t been in

“
fl ict ed and f ro m t ho s e f earf ul s tripe s there cam e

,
t he crim so n fl ow .W eak and t rem b l ing he stoo d as

i f b earing the w eight o f the great cro ss— tree .
S il ently he m o v es as a l amb led t o the sl aught er

“
,
and as a sheep b e f o re i t s shearers i s d umb s o he ,
o p ened no t hi s m out h There in the m i d st O f the

”
.
,
i neffabl e glo ry o f the great w hit e thro ne Jo hn had ,
al l o f that d ark t rage dy o f Cal vary m ad e f res h ag ai n
as i f it w er e b ei ng t e enacte d in hi s p res ence and

-
,
he was i nsp i red t o pen t he s ub l imes t m eaning

of that ev ent that has ever b een un fold ed to
the int ell i gence O f m en O h that m en could
.
co mp r ehend t he f ull meani ng O f Cal vary and

what unspeak ably p recio us thi ngs the S o n o f Go d
accompli shed for Ad am s r ace by O ff eri ng hi m
’
93
THE REV ELAT IO N OF JES U S CH R IST
se l f as the Lamb Of Go d " It is t r ue that in it he

f ulfill ed the p ro p hecies gone be fore and mad e Go d s ’
word t rue He re d eem ed us from the curse o f t he

.
bei ng m ad e a c urs e fo r us B y hi s d eath he

”
l aw , .
was enabl ed to O ff er eternal li fe w hi ch the l aw was ,
unab l e to do Hi s bl oo d was eff ect ive for cl eansi ng

.
from S in w hi ch the blo od o f b ull s and O f goat s Was

,
p ow erl ess to accompl ish B y his d eath he pur .
chased unto God men O f every tribe and to ng ue

“
, ,
and p eo pl e and nat i on and mad est t hem to b e unt o

, ,
o ur Go d a ki ngd om and pri es t s ; and they reign
upo n the e arth

”
( Rev .
B ut the s ub li mest i mp o rt O f the s l ayi ng o f the

Lam b r em ai ns yet to be r eveal ed in that di vi ne p aean
O f p rai se t hat f ell fro m t he l ip s O f t he heavenly crea
‘
t ure s The r easo n fo r the worth ines s o f the Lam b
.
to t ak e t he s eal ed b ook o f the f ut ure and the re a ,
son why he was abl e to b r eak the s eal s was becaus e ,
he was sl ai n and had p urchased m en unto Go d .
“
Worthy art tho u to take the book and to Op en the ,
s eal s t her eo f : for t ho u w ast s l ai n

”
( R ev .
0 ul d I p k th mat hl w th
co s ea e c es s or ,
0 ul d I und th gl
co i sof th e o r es or ,
Which in my S avi our shi ne "

Id
’
s o ar and touch the heav nl y
’
s t ri n g s,
And vi e t G
wi h ab ri el whi e he l s i n s, g
In l
not es a most divi ne
”
.
S car cely had livi ng creatures fi ni shed thi s

the
b ri e f ascription O f pr ai se when the l imi tless exp anse
,
Of Go d s univ er s e b ecam e voc al and l ed by the ti n

’
, ,
.
numb er ed angelic ho st the i nfi ni t e r eaches o f crea

,
tio n fill ed wi th its myri ads o f w orlds and s uns and

'
94
H EAV EN T HR O UGH AN O P EN D O O R
these p eo pl ed with the creat ures o f the mi nd o f

al l
Go d j oined the s ublim est ant hem O f p rai se to the

,
Lamb that d ivine ear s will ever hear The strains .
Of thi s m ighty co ro nation song swell until thei r

echo es s hall fill al l the c easel es s ag es o f et erni ty
wi th unsp eak able m el o dy .
0 th t wi th y nd
a , od th ng
er s acre ro ,
W t hi f t m y f ll
e a s ee a a
W ll j in th v l ti ng ng
’
e o e e er as so ,
And wn hi m L d f al l
cro or o .
95
C HAPTER V .
O PENING THE SEAL ED BOO K
EVERENT L Y ppro ach the i nves tigat ion

do we a
o f the s eal ed bo o k real i i ng i t s o ri gi n

,
z It is
.
Go d s boo k It was in his right hand f ro m the be

’
.
gi nning until O ne was found who was worthy to

o p en t he seal s In the p resence o f J eho vah and the
.
enti re m ult i t ud e O f heavenly b ei ng s the Lamb O p ens

,
t he seal s and here we have t he co nt ent s O f the b oo k

,
s pr ead o ut be fo re us In a vo i ce as o f thunder one

. fi
O f t he f o u r li vi ng cr eat ures i nvi t ed J ohn t o com e
and see the p ro c es s io n o f event s as each s eal was
o p ened . He was no t p er mi tt ed to to uch t he bo ok ,
b ut to gaz e and to h ear the di vi ne com m ent s upo n

it s symbo l i s m .He had p rev ious ly b ee n com m i s
s i oned t o writ e w hat he s aw i n a bo ok ( Rev 1 : .
The aged ap os tl e certifi es th at he has gi ven us a

faith f ul tr anscrip tion O f the things w hi ch he saw
and heard ( R ev . an d t he r evea l i ng an gel
att ached hi s s ignat u r e aft er J o hn had fi ni shed the
b oo k ( Rev .
The c haract er and nat ur e o f the s ubj ect m att er -
o f t he s eal ed boo k has b een al ready d et erm ined for
us . I t concerns the thi ngs w hi ch m ust come to

“
p as s her ea ft er ( Rev 4 :
”
. The s eal ed book i s a
foreca s t o f hi stori cal event s that w ere to o ccur a f ter
96
TH E REV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
var yi ng changes that t ake place esp ecially as they ,
aff ect t he k i ngdo m s o f the wo rld w i ll b e recount e d,
unt i l t heir cr us hi ng d e f eat i s fi nally adm i ni s t ered
and Chri st has es t ab l i s hed hi s di vi ne k i ngd om .
The d escriptio n O f t hi s fi rs t
p eriod i s bri e f but the d etai l s are
,
cl ear and s t rik i ng And I s aw

“
.
,
and b eho ld a whit e ho rs e and he t hat s at t he reon

, ,
had a bow ; and t here was g iven unto hi m a cro wn

and he cam e fo rth conq uering and t o conq uer ”
.
They are ( 1 ) a ho rs e ; ( 2 ) its colo r was whit e ; ( 3 )

it s ri d er had a bo w ; ( 4 ) he was crowne d b e fo re
he w ent fo rth to conq uer ; ( 5 ) he cam e fo rt h con
q ueri ng and to conq uer — he was uni fo rmly vic
”
to ri o us i n every st ruggl e Each d et ai l must hav e

.
i ts compl et e f ulfill m ent i n t he p eri o d o f hist ory

re f erred to Und er each o ne o f t he fi rs t f o ur s eal s
.
t he sy mbo l O f a ho rs e i s us ed so that w hat ever , ,
it s m eani ng m ay b e t he co nd it io n which it d enot es

,
cont i nues d uring the f o ur p eri o d s B ut each seal .
i s d i sti ng ui shed by t he co l o r o f the hors e as well ,

.
as by o ther d eta i l s .It i s app arent that the co nditio n

that conti nues d uri ng the fo ur p erio d s v ari es in
each o ne acco r d i ng t o the s i gni fi cance o f t he co l o r
o f t he ho rs e t hat m ark s t he p eri o d W i t h t he .
B ib l e as o ur di ct ionary to d et ermi ne the m eani ng o f

thes e p ro p heti c symbol s the re wi l l b e no d iffi culty
,
i n t rans l at ing t hem i nto t er ms eas ily und ers t oo d

by al l .
T H E H O RS E . T he hors e i s p repared agai ns t

the d ay O f b attl e ( P ro v . T hi s i s in
harm ony wi t h the l as t d et ai l . T he ri d er o f t hi s
98
O P ENING T H E S EA L ED B OOK
whi t e ho rs e w ent forth co nqueri ng as he l ed

vi ct o rio us arm i es The t erm ho rs e i s s ugg es t ive
“ ”
.
o f arm i es and m i l i t a y accompli s hm en ts i n b attl es

r .
Th e co lo r o f t he ho rs e wi l l i nd i cat e t he r es ult s o f
t he s t ruggl es t hat t ake pl ace whether they are s uc ,
c es s f ul o r un s ucces s f ul whet her the p ro j ect s und er

,
t ak en by the m i l i t ary p ower r esult in accompl i sh

m ent o r f ail ure In t he ninet eent h chapt er o f
.
Re vel at io n we have t he s am e s ymbo l i s m— a whi t e

ho rs e . T he d et ai l s O f t hi s l att er i nci d ent are d iff er
ent i n m any res p ect s f ro m t hat o f t he s eal w hi ch
we a re s t u dy ing b ut it wi ll enab l e us t o und ers t an d

,
t he s i gni fi cance O f t he sy m bo l o f a white ho rs e

“
.
T hi s inci dent d escri bes a victo rio us war und ert ak en

by Chri s t an d the arm i es o f heaven which f o ll owed
“
a f t er him up on whi t e ho rs es It i s s ai d O f him ”

.
who s at upo n t he w hi t e ho rs e that i n ri ght eo us ne s s

do t h he j udge and m ak e war In th e f urther
”
.
d es cript io n it is s ai d that he smo t e them and that ,
s hal l r u l e t hem wi t h a ro d O f i ro n
“ ”
h e The m ean .
ing O f t he whi t e ho rse then i s a p erio d when the

“ ”
, ,
m i l i t ary p ro j ect s O f Ro m e w hi ch was the wo rld ,
empi r e at t hi s t im e w ere crowned wi th s ucces s ,
and p ro spe o us and happy co nd it io ns p revail ed

r .
This i s f urther co nfi rm ed by Gibbo n ( D ecl i ne an d “
F all o f the Ro m an Emp i re Vo l V p , . .

,
.
Re f erri ng to an i ncid ent t hat o ccurr e d at P ari s he ,
s ay s :
Th e s u cc es so r o f Cons t ant ine was l

c ot h e d in a rob e o f
whi t e s i lk m ount ed on
an d a mi lk -
whi t e s t eed , a ci rcum s t ance,
i n t he French c er em o ni a l , o f s i ng ij l a r i m po rt ance : the whi te

co l or is c o ns i d er ed as the sym b ol f
o s ov er ei g n ty ; and in a
99
l at e vi s i t, th e G er man mpero r
e , a ft er a g
hau hty demand and
a peevi s h f
re u s a l , had b een reduced to cont ent hi m s elf wi th
a b l k
ac cours er.
”
At t hi s
p erio d then the so v ereignty o f Rome i s
, ,
i n the as cend ency and i s r eco gniz ed w here i t had

b een fo rm erly rej ect ed .
T H E RI DE R — T hi s p ro sp ero us p erio d had it s

beg inning with an empe ror o f Rom e T hi s i s .
i ndicat ed by the f act that a ft er the rid er was

cro wned t he co nq ueri ng b egan As to who he was .
,
m us t be d ete rm ined by t he d escripti on gi ven The .
di st i ng ui shi ng m ark O f the rid er was a bow

”
A .
few writ ers have i ns i s t ed t hat thi s r i d er i s Chri st ,
st art i ng o ut o n the go sp el conq ues t O f t he wo rld .
Thi s co n f us i on i s no d oubt due to a thoughtl es s

, ,
co mp ari so n w i t h Rev 1 6 where t he ri der

"
-
.
,
of a w hit e ho rs e i s pl ainly i nd icated as b eing

Chri s t An ex am inat io n o f the d es cript io n o f these
.
two ri d ers w i ll di sclo s e t he f act t hat t hey are not

t he sam e T he d i s t ing ui shi ng m ark o f the rid er
.
i n the ninet eenth chapt er i s a sharp sword

“
In .
t he v i s io n o f t he seven go ld en candl es ti ck s he
app ears wit h t he s am e s wo r d p roceed i ng o ut O f hi s
m o uth No where i s he r ep resent ed as having a

.
bo w .Again thes e event s i ndi cat ed by the fi rs t

,
s eal m ust come to p as s a ft er the t im e o f t he vi s io n

”
.
The b eginning o f t he gosp el co nq ues t i f we can ,
s peak o f t he p ro cl am at i on o f t he go s pel as s uch ,
b egan on P ent eco s t at l eas t s i x ty s i x y ears b e fo r e

,
-
the se event s co uld p oss ibly o ccur Chri st then is .

, ,
not the ri d er here and neit her i s he a Rom an,

The .
nat io nal weapo n O f t he Rom ans was ei ther a

1 00
If a m an were call ed to fix th e peri o d i n th e hi st o ry o f ,
th e l
w o r d d u ri n ,
g whi ch the con di t i on o f t h e hum an race was
m o s t happy an d pro sperou s he wou d wi thout hes i tat i on , l

nam e t hat whi ch e aps ed l
rom the d eat h o f D o m i ti an t o the f
acces s i o n o f Co mm o d u s The vas t e t ent O f t he Ro m an . x
Empi re wa s g ov erned by ab so ut e l po wer, und er the gui d ance
of vi rt u e and wi s dom . T he f o rm s of t he c i vi l ad
m i ni s t rat i on w ere car e u f ll y p res erv ed by Nerva, T ra j an,
H a d ri an Ant onines wh o d e i ht ed i n th e im a e o f
, and the , lg g
l l
i b erty an d w ere p eas ed wi th cons i derin t hem s e ves as the g l
account ab e m i ni s t ers O f the aws —Vol I p 13 0
l l
”
. . ., . .
Agai n ,
i n t he sa me vo um e, l he s p eak s Of the
co n q u es t s
T raj an in thes e wo rd s of
f Al x n d
“
Th p i e t n m i tt d by
ra ses u o i n e a er ra s e a s cces s o
o f p t nd hi t
oe s a i n h d k ndl d d ng u mul ti n
s or a s, a i e a a ero s e a o
i n t h m i nd f T j n Li k hi m t h R m n m p
e o und
ra a . e , e o a e er or er
t k n x p dit i n g in t th n t i n f t h E t ; but
oo a e e o a a s e a o s o e as
l m nt d wi th igh t h t hi dv n d g
a e e l y l f f hi m
a s a s a a ce a e s carce e
a ny h p f q u l i ng th
o es o n wn f th n f P hi l i p Y t
e a e re o o e so o . e
t he su cces s Of ,
T rajan , howev er t ransi ent, was rapi d and
sp eci o u s. The d e g enerat e P a rt hi ans b ro , k en b y i nt es t i ne di s

co rd fl ed b e f o re hi s arm s . H e des cended t he ri ver Ti ri s g
in t r i umph f , ro m th e m ount ai ns t o the P e rsi an Gulf . H e had
t he hono r of b ei n g th fi e rs t , as he was the l as t , O f th e Ro man
g ene ra s l who ev er navi at ed g that re m ot e sea. Hi s fl eet s
rava g ed th e c oa s t s o f Arab i a , and T ra j an vai n ly fl at t ered hi m

se lf that h e wa s appro achi n g t o war d s t he con nes o f Indi a fi .
Every d ay the as t o ni sh ed S enat e recei v ed the i nt e i ll g ence
Of new nam es and n ew nat i ons th at ac now ed ed k l g hi s swa y ”

.
—V ol . I .,
pp. 48, 49.
H ere we have p erio d ex t end ing f rom the a ,
re i gn O f Do m it i an to t hat o f Co mm o d us i n whi ch ,
t he w o rld w as m o s t p ro s pero u s and happy and ,
when ab so l ut e power was ex erci s ed The s o verei g nty .
O f Rom e w as i n t he as cend ency It b egan when .
1 02
O P ENING T H E S EAL ED B OOK
Ne a, t he m an w ith i d his crow n

the bo w, rece ve ,
and in t he p erso n O f T r aj an who m he ado pted , ,
w ent fo rth C a uering and to co nq uer

“
It was ”
.
s ho rtly a f t er the d at e o f the v i s i o n

“ ”
The d escr ip .
tio n o f Jo h n cor respo nd s in every d etail w i th the

r ecord o f hi st ory The lim it s o f the p erio d O f t he
.
fir s t s eal as giv en by Gi bbo n ex tend f ro m Do m iti an

, ,
to Comm o d us o r 96 1 80 A D ,
-
There i s no thing
. .
In t hi s p eri o d to s ugg es t the d ecay and d own f all
o f e art hly p o w er and the ex alt at i on o f Chri s t b ut ,
the g oo d s eed o f the k i ngdo m was b ei ng scatt ered

w i th a l avi sh hand and al l unseen and unreal i z ed
, ,
by men the fo rces that wo rk fo r the f ulfillm ent o f

,
Go d s p romi s es are acti ve unde r hi s cont rol

’
.
The sym bo l s o f t he fi rst s eal

S e nd S al
co e
b ei ng i mpr es sed up on his m i nd ,
R v 6: 3 4
e
t he s econd s eal i s no w o p ene d
. ,
and a new p eri o d o f hi s to ry r ev eal ed And anothe r .
ho r s e cam e fo rt h a red ho r s e : and to him t hat sat

,
thereon it was giv en to t ak e p eace f rom the earth ,
and t hat t hey should s l ay one ano the r : and t her e
was gi ven to him a great s wo rd T hi s red ho r s e

”
.
foll ows a f ter the w hit e ho r s e so the p erio d O f hi s ,
to ry w hi ch it symbo l i es w i ll begi n ab out 180 A D

z . .
,
and c ont inue until ano t her p eri o d i s us hered i n as
deno t ed by the Op ening o f ano th er seal .
As in the fi rst s eal the ho rs e s uggest s thi ngs ”

“
,
connect ed w i t h arm i es and mil i t ary po wer as exer
ci s ed t hro ugh arm i es b ut the hor s e i s no l ong er

“ ”
,
w hit e ; it i s red l ik e b l ood There will be uni fo rm .
victo ry no lo ng er The p eri o d o f t he ex p ans i on o f

.
the nat io nal so v er eignty has end ed and co ndit i ons ,
1 08
that d enoted by t he co l or O f red pr ev ai l We

are .
us e co l o rs as s ym bo l s t o day and t hink o f t hem

-
,
as s uch w i tho ut any di ffi culty b ut i f we read abo ut

,
a red ho rs e i n the B i bl e we imm edi at ely att ach

,
my stery to it and f eel it can no t be und erstoo d An .
emplo y e O f a r ai l ro ad p ut s o ut a red bo ard and all ,
trains will s top Workm en hang a red lant ern ov er

.
a ditch i n the s tr eet and al l d ri v ers t ur n so m e o t her

,
way . NO engineer eve r q uest i ons as to w hat t he

red s ignal bo ard may m ean
-
No t ev en a child w ould
.
att ach any my s t erio us m eani ng to the red l ant ern
hangi ng in the st reet All m anki nd attaches the

.
s am e me ani ng to i t I t is a symbo l O f serio us

.
d anger SO naturally d oes red sp eak o f bl oo d shed

.
,
carnage and reb ell ion agai nst o rgani ed forms o f z
gov ernm ent that a co mp any o f men carryi ng red

,
fl ags on the s treets O f o ur ci ties wo uld b e recogni zed

at o nce as anarchi st s It m eans the sam e in Revel a
.
tion and d enot es a p eri od o f civ i l st ri f e and rebell ion

,
agains t the r eco gnize d r ul ers An i nci d ent r eco rd ed

.
in 2 K i ngs 3 : 22 23 sho w s that t hi s i s the S cript ure

,
us age : And the M o abit es s aw the w at er over

“
agains t t h em as red as bloo d : and t hey s ai d Thi s ,
is bl oo d ; the ki ngs are s urely d estro y ed and t hey ,
have smitt en each man hi s f ello w This i s the ”

.
ex act condit io n t hat i s s ymbO l i zed by the red hor se

as t aki ng pl ace in the Rom an E mpire .
T hi s is confirm ed al so b y the oth er d etai l s gi ven .
The rid er O f the red ho r s e was giv en a gre at swo rd .
It was his m i ssion to take p eace from the earth

and men s ho uld s l ay one another NO pl ai ner .
descrip ti on o f civil di sco rd and i ntern al st ri fe c ould

1 04
t ens iv e m ona rchy t han in a s ma ll co mm uni t y . T he

P raet o ri an b an d s ,
who s e li cent i ou s fu y r w a s th e fi rs t sym p
t om an d cau s e O f the d ec l in e of th e Ro m an Em pi re , s ca rc e ly
am o unt ed t o the l as t m ent i oned nu m b er
”
—P . 1 56 .
“
Th es e a s s ert i o ns , h ow ev er d e f ecti ve i n r eas on, b ecam e
unans w erab e l when t he fi erce P raet o ri ans i ncreas e d t h ei r
g
wei ht by thro wi n i e t he b a rb ari an g lk c on q ueror Of Ro m e
—
, , ,
thei r s w or ds i n t o t he s ca l e P 1 58 . . .
“
l
Th e pub i c di sco nt ent w as s o on d i ff u sed f ro m th e cent er
to t he f
ro nt i ers O f t h e Empi re Th e a rm i es . of B ri t ain, of
S y ri a and of I ll y ri cu m l am ent ed t h e d eat h o f P ert i na x in ,
whos e co m pan y , o r u nd er who s e co m m an d , the yh ad s o O ft n e
f ught
o and co n q u ered . They recei ved w i th s u rp ri s e, w i th
i n d i g nat i o n and perhaps w i th env y , th e ext rao r d i na r y i nt el l i
g ence t hat t h e P rae t o ri ans had d i s po s e d Of th e e m pi r e at pub
l i c. auct i on ; and th e y s t er n ly r ef u s ed t o ra t i fy t h e
f
i gn o m i ni ou s
b ar g a i n. T hei r i m m ed i at e an d u nani m ou s r ev o lt wa s f at a l
to J ul i an ; b ut i t wa s fa tal at t he s am e ti m e to pu bl i c peace .
”
P . 16 1 .
" t ti
uo a
o ns f r o m t hi s s t an d a r d hi s t o ri an m i gh t
b e m ult ipl i ed regar d ing t hi s p erio d when the Rom an
Empi re was d el uged wit h the b l o o d o f it s o wn
so l d i ers The wo r d s i t al ici e d sho w t hat he has
. z
reco r d ed t he e v ent s O f hi s t o ry i n l angu ag e al mo s t
id ent ical with that us ed by the p rophet Jo hn in

f oret ell ing them D uring thi s b lo o dy p erio d fifty .
nine r ul ers ascend ed t he t hro n e and al l b ut t wo ,
O f t hes e d i ed vi o l ent d eat hs O ne mo re q uo t at i on .
wi ll b e gi ven f ro m S i s mo nd i s Fal l o f t he Rom an

’ “
Emp i re Vo l I p 3 6
,
It wi ll confi rm w it h
. .
,
. .
rem ark ab l e ex act ness th e f ulfillm ent O f t he p r ed i c
ti ons under the s econd s eal :

W i th Co mm o du s co mmenced the thi rd and m o st ca a l m
i f o u s p eri o d . It l as t ed ni net y tw
-
o y ears , f ro m 192 t o 28 4 .
1 06
O P EN IN G T H E S EA L ED B OO K
D u ri ng t ha t p eri o d t hi rt y tw-
o e mp ero rs an d tw enty - sev en
pret end er s l
a t ernat e ly hu r l ed each o t h er f ro m the t hrone by
i nces s ant ci vi l war fare. Ni n et y tw-
o y ea rs of a lm ost inc es
s ant ci vi l g
w a r f are t au ht the wo r d l on what a f il f und
ra o a
t i on the v i rt u e Of t he Ant oni nes had p l ac ed th f l i i ty

e e c of
”
th e empi re.
P eace was t ak en f rom the earth T hey sl ew .
o ne ano t her T he O ffi cers who s e sym b ol o f O ffi ce

.
was a great s wo rd were t he ins t ig ato rs and l ead ers

“
i n t he g r eat i nt ernal s t ri f e Fo ll ow i ng a mo s t co n
.
t empt i b l e rei g n O f tw el ve y ears by Comm o d us he ,
was s l ai n by t he P raet o ri an p ref ect i n 192 A D . .
T hen f o l lo w ninety two y ears O f m urd er that are

-
fitt ing ly s ym b o li ed by t he red ho rse

z Ho w was .
t he ag ed ex i l e O f P atmo s enab l ed t o fo ret ell wit h
s uch t ers e and vivi d d es cr ip tio n t he e vent s s t i ll
mo re t han a cent ury i n the f ut ure ? T here i s b ut

o ne an s w er H e g ave us an accurat e t ranscriptio n
.
o f t he b oo k t ha t w as i n t he right hand o f J eho vah .
T hi s will b e emphas i ze d m ore and m ore as new

pag es are s p read b e f o re us w it h t he op ening o f
t he s eal s and t he accuracy o f f ulfil l ment i s real i ed z .
Wi th the Op eni ng o f the thi rd

s eal w e s t i ll find t he s ym bo l i s m
o f the ho rs e p r ese nt S t ruggl e .
and s t ri f e w i ll co nt inue wi t hi n t he Ro m an E mp i re .
T he co lo r o f the ho rs e i s d i fferent s how i ng t hat ,
t he co nd i t i o ns o f t he s t ruggl e t ak i ng pl ace und er
t hi s s eal are di fferent in som e p arti cul ars f rom tho s e

und er t he p revi ou s s eal The i d ent i fyi ng cha r
.
act eri s t i c o f t he b l ack ho rs e ri d er i s a b al ance i n

“
-
hi s han d i nst ead o f a swo rd T he meaning o f

”
.
1 07
TH E R EV ELA T IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
bl ack i s univers a l
impo rt It i s the natur al in i t s .
co ns eq ue nce O f the hav oc w ro ug ht b y t he s word i n
a ci v i l co nt es t It wo uld b e app arent l ong b e fore

.
t he s wo r d had co mpl et ed i t s ex ecuti on The o ld er .
generati on who st ill hold in thei r memo ri es the

t ry i ng d ay s O f civi l war in the Unite d S tat es will
r ecall t hat the weep i ng o f wi d ow s and orp hans was
heard i n the l and l ong b e f o re the s ur rend er O f

Gener al L ee and th at the end O f the reb elli on di d
,
not m ark t he b egi nni ng O f mo urni ng hung er and ,
want . The cond i t i ons O f thi s p erio d ari s e o ut

of ,
and a re p artly co i nci d ent w i t h the cond itio ns ,
und er t he s econd se al T his i s pl ai nly i nd icated . .
Und er the s eco nd s eal another ho r s e cam e f orth ,
cl early d eno t i ng t hat the p eri o d s ymbo liz ed by the
whit e ho rs e was at an end When the third seal .
i s opened t he w ri t er s imply s ay s B eho ld a bl ack

“
, , ,
ho rs e . It did no t co m e f orth I t was alr eady

”
.
p resent The s am e i s t rue o f the p al e ho r se Of

.
“ ”
the f o urth s eal The cond i ti ons o f each p erio d

.
res ult ed f rom the co nd itio ns o f t he p eri o d i mm edi
at ely p rece di ng The m eaning to be gl eaned fr om

.
the sym bo l i sm o f t he third seal i s aptly i ndicat ed

by t he pro p het Je rem iah :
Thei r vi sa e g is b l k ac er than a coa ; the l y are not k n wn in

o
the s t reet s
T hei r s kin l c eaveth t o thei r b ones ; i t i s wi thered i t i s b ecom e

,
l ik e a sti c k .
Th ey that are s ai n l wi th the swo rd are b ett er than they that

are s ai n l wi th hun g er ;
Fo r thes e pi ne away s t ri c en throu h, fo r want k g of th e f ui t

r s
—
,
”
o f t he field
,
L am 4 : 8 9. . . ,
1 08
THE R EV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH RIST
re al ti ve p rices p revail ed to day that w ere ex acted -
d uring the b l ack ho rs e p erio d O il a nd wi ne w er e

-
.
l ux uri es O f li f e througho ut the Ea st and w hi l e the ,
nece s s it i es o f l i f e w ere beyo nd the r ea ch o f the
g r e at m a s s o f co m m o n p eopl e t he r i c h c o u ld s till ,
enj o y the l ux uri es w it ho ut any i nc reas e i n co st .
W i th the co nti nuance O f civ i l war the necess iti es

o f g overnm ent w o uld al so r eq ui re an i ncre as e O f
t ax at i on Gibbo n g i ves a v ery vi vid p i ct ure o f t he

.
d eso l ati on t hat re i gned at the ti m e Of M aximi n ,
ab o ut 23 7 A D .
When the t ro ops o f Maxi mi n , a dvanci n g in e x llce ent
o r d er, a r ri v ed at t he f oot o f th e J ul i an Al ps , the y were t er

rified b y th e l
s i ence and d eso l at i on that rei gn ed on t he f ron
t i e rs o f It a ly . T he vi ll g a es and o p en t owns ha d b een ab an
d oned on t hei r app ro ach by the inhab i tant s, t he cat t e l had

b een d ri ven aw a y , the pro vi s i ons re m oved or d e st ro y ed, the
b ri d g es b ro k en d ow n no r was ,
y
an thi n g l ft
e whi ch cou ld af
fo rd ei ther sh e lt er o r s ub s i s t ence t o the i nvad er. S uch had

b een t he wi se o rd ers of t he g enera s l of t he S enat e who se ,
d es i gn w as wa r t o rui n th e arm o f
t o p ro t ract the , y M x i mi n
a
by the s l ow oper a ti on of fami ne —D ecli ne and Fall

”
. o f the
R o man Empi r e Vol I p 2 3 9 , . ., . .
In t he sa me vo um e, l p age 22 1 , th e hi s t o ri an
co mm ent s u onp t he i ncreas e Of tax atio n ,
in these
wo rd s :
No r was the rapaci ous son of S everu s cont en t ed wi th

s u ch a m eas u re o f tax at i o n as had appea red s uffi ci ent t o hi s
m o d erat e p red ecesso rs . Ins tead of a t w ent i eth, h e ex act ed a
t enth O f all l g
e aci es and inheri tances ; and d u ri n g hi s rei gn
he cru shed a l ik e ev er y part Of the empi re und er th e we i ght
”
of hi s i ro n scept er.
110
O P EN I NG T H E S EAL ED B OOK
S p eaki ng b t
a ou the rei gn of thi s emp ero r , on
p age 189, he s ay s :
The S enat o rs , co mpe ll ed by f ear to at t end hi s ca pri ci ou s
lg
m ot i ons wer e ob i ed t o provid e dai y ent ert ai nm ent s at an
, l
x
i mmens e e pense whi ch he ab ando ned wit h cont empt t o hi s
,
g u ard s ; and t o erect i n every ci ty ma ni fi cent pa aces and

, , g l
theat ers , whi ch he ei th er d i s dai ned t o vi s i t , o r o rd ered t o be
i mmedi at e ly thrown d own. The m o st wea thy l f am i li es were
ru i ned l
by parti a fines and confiscati ons, and the g r ea t body
of hi s s u bj ects oppr es s ed by i ng eni ous and ag g rava t ed tax es .
The pp ress ions that b egan to m ani f est them

o
s el ves wi t h s uch v i ol ence and the w ant t hat w o ul d ,
nat u ral ly res ul t we re b ut the p recursors o f t he

,
p erio d th at w ould fo ll ow in the w ak e O f such

l o ng co ntinued and unnat ural co nditio n s
-
.
When the fo urth s eal was

F u th S l
o r ea
o p ened a p al e ho r se was al ready
R v
e 8
in t he V i ew O f t he p rop het It
.
.
di d not com e f ort h a f t er the se al was O p ened And .
he t hat s at up on him was D eat h ; and Had es fol

l ow ed with him An d ther e was given to them
.
aut ho rity over a fo urt h p art O f the eart h to kill ,

—
wi t h t he s wo rd and wit h f am i ne and w i th d eath

, ,
by t he wi ld b eas t s o f the e arth

”
( v .
A p erio d O f hi s to ry i ndi cat ed b y s uch vivi d

sy m bo l i s m co uld not b e m is t ak en by any one A .
fourth p art o f the ent i re p op ul at io n o f the Ro man

Emp ire wo uld b e cl aim ed by the rid er o f the p al e
ho rse and hi s com p ani o ns fo r t he y wer e g iven ,
aut ho r i ty o v er a fo urt h p art O f t he eart h M urd er ”

.
,
r api ne and p l und er wo uld b e t he d is tingui shi ng

char act eri s t i cs O f t he p erio d F am ine and p es ti l ence.
111
wo uld c ail m the ir

Wild b east s al so hav e sha e. r , ,
a p art i n the gener al so rr ow t hat ov erw helm s t he
unhappy natio n at the t im e The co lo r O f t he ho rse .
harm oni z es accurat ely w i th the ot her s ym b o l s He .
has the p allo r o f d eath that f o ll ows lo ng co nt i nued -
s i ck nes s It i s the S ign o f nat io nal w eakness and

.
d ecay p ro d uced by the i nternal d i ss ens ions so l ong

co nt i nued The p erio d d uri ng w hi ch t hi s sym bo li sm
.
,
was compl et ely f ulfill ed began ab out 2 5 0 A D , . .
It embr aces the reigns o f Decius Gall us ZEmi li anus , , ,
Val erian and Gall ienus Gibb on gives the f act s ,
as t hey o ccurre d and t he r ead er can j udg e fo r

,
hi m sel f as to the ex act agr eem ent betw een pr op hecy

and hi s to ry
Fro m the g r eat secu ar l gm a lb es ce e rat ed by Phi i p t o l ,
the d eath of the emperor G ll i nu th

a e s, ere e l aps ed t w ent y
years of s ha me and mi s ortune f Duri n . g that ca a l mi t ous

peri o d, y i ns tant O f t i me was mar ed k y province Of
‘
ever , ever
th e Roman wo r d was a l fl li t c ed, by b arb arou s i nvaders and
l
mi i tary ty rants and the , rui ned e mpi re seem ed t o app roach
th e l moment O f i ts di s s o l ut i on
as t and f ata l .
”
—
D ecli ne and
Fall of the Roman Empi re Vol I p 298 , . .

, . .
Again t he h i sto ri an reverts to th i s p eri o d in

th ese wo rd s :
O ur hab it s of t hin k ing so f ond ly connect the o rd er o f
the univers e wi th the f at e o f man , that thi s gl y peri o d o f
oom
hi st ory has b een d eco rat ed wi th inundati ons , eart hq uak es un ,
co mmon m et eors , pret ernatura l dar kn es s, and a crow d of
pro d i i es,g fi ctiti ous or e x gg

a erat ed. B ut a l n g nd
o a a g en
eral fami ne was l
a ca am i t y Of a more s eri o u k ind
s . It was
th e i nevi t ab l e conseq uence o f rapi ne and O pp res si on, whi ch
ext i p
r at ed the pro duce o f the present and the hope o f futu re
harv est s . Fami ne i s lm

a ost a l w y f ll a s o owed by epi d e mi ca l
1 12
each o ther m uch as cause to eff ect W ith the end

.
O f the fo urth p erio d p agan Ro m e has r eached that

s tage o f d ecay when her d i s so l uti on was cert ai n
.
and s he w o uld g ive pl ace t o a new and a m ighty
f orce which in sp ite O f the t urbul ence and s l augh

,
t er has now d evelo p ed to pro po rti o ns t hat m us t b e

,
reck oned wi t h With the O pening o f the fi f th s eal

.
t he s ubj ect m att er o f the v i s ions will co ncern t he

-
p ro gr ess Of Chri sti anity

.
114
C HAPTER VI .
O PENING OF THE CHRISTIAN S ALS E

HE ymb oli sm connected wi th the fi fth sixth
s ,
and sev ent h s eal s s t and s o ut i n m ark ed con
t ras t w ith that connected with the fir s t fo ur The .
vari co lo r ed ho rs es wi th th eir rid er s no longer

app ear and t he liv i ng cr eat ures do not i nvit e t he
,
seer to i ns p ect the uns eal ed p age O n the o t her.
h and ev en the casual r ead er can not but be

,
imp res sed that these have to do with s p i rit ual

thi ngs because o f the ve ry t erm s empl oy ed T hey .
sp eak o f the alt ar m arty rdom the Lamb seal ing

, , ,
O f the r ed eem ed and the m easur em ent O f the

,
t empl e Christi ani ty has been ins i nuati ng it sel f in

.
al l the r amifi cat io ns o f the empir e and t he ti m e has

,
alm o s t ar rive d w hen it wi ll t ak e i t s pl ace as t he
r uli ng infl uence in gov ernm ental aff ai r s I ns t ead o f .
p agani sm Chr i sti anity will soo n beco me the rel i gi o n

,
o f t he v as t Rom an empir e .
Fift h S eal
“
And when he had opened t he fi fth
R ev. 6 : 9 -1 1
sea l
, I saw und erneath t he l
a t ar the
so ul s of them that had b een s l ai n f or
wo rd
th e Of Go d and f or the t esti m ony whi ch they he d
, l
and they cri ed wi th a g
reat voi ce s ayi n H ow on g0 , l g ,
115
M as ter, the ho ly and t ru e, do s t thou not j udg e and aven e g

our b l oo d on ll up n th
th em that d we th ? (v 9 o e ear
”
s. ,
The p rom i nent and d i s t ing ui shing f eat ures Of

the o p ening O f t hi s s eal are ( 1 ) the alt ar ; ( 2 ) who
i t i s t hat speak s ; ( 3 ) th eir cry The J ewi sh t ab er.
nacl e w i th i ts f urnit ure was a p att er n O f heavenly

, ,
things The altar w hich J oh n s aw was the d ivi ne

.
p ro totyp e o f the altar Of b urnt O ffer ing w hich stoo d -
i n the o ut er co urt o r mo st p ubl ic pl ace O f the tabe r

nael e .I t was the place w here the Offi ci ating pr iest
p o ured o ut the bl oo d o f the sacrifi ce and w hereon
he b urnt the fat o f the vi ct im ( L ev It .
s p eak s Of the s l aught er O f i nnocent ones Thi s is .
f urther emp has iz ed by the d escr ipt ion that fo llow s .
Und erneath the al tar wer e s een the so ul s o f them

th at had been s l ain and the reas on fo r thei r sl ay ing
,
i s sp ec i fi cally m ent i oned They w ere sl ai n for the

.
wo rd o f God and fo r the testim ony w hi ch th ey

h eld NO l anguage could be s impl er They had
. .
b een Chri sti ans and had suffere d m artyrd om fo r

the t ruth The so ul s o f al l t he m artys f ro m S tep hen
.
unt il the tim e o f the op ening o f the fifth s eal w ere

co ll ect ed und erneath the ap ocalyp t i c alt ar What .
a comp any o f d ep art ed ones it m us t hav e b een It .
i s no w ond er th at wh en thei r sy mp athi es for their

b reth ren o n earth w ere m ad e vocal in on e united
app eal i t i s s p ok en o f as a gr eat vo i ce
,
The b itt er .
t ri al s thro ugh which they had p assed w ere now to

r each a culminatio n in the fi ercest and m os t w i d e
ex t end ed p ers ecuti on th at Chr isti ani ty had yet
e xp erienc ed .
The pr evio us p ers ecut i ons w er e m or e l oc al in

1 16
and s ac r i fice go d s Under even thi s li mi ted

to the .
e d ict t ho us and s w ere s l ai n .
M ar cus Aur el ius was r esp onsib le for the fo urth

p er se cut i o n b e
,
gi nni ng a bo u t 1 62 A D T h e cr u.el .
ties o f thi s p ers ecutio n w ere s uch that the onlooker s

were as t oni shed at the i nt repidity o f the s uff er ers .
O ne shu dd er s to r ead the de script ion o f the

i ngeni ous and cr uel fo rm s o f to rt ur e i nfl icted The .
p ersecutio n was esp eci ally sev ere in Lyons Franc e , .
D ur i ng i ts cont inuance m any w ere a ssembl ed

beneat h the alt ar .
D uri ng the r ei gn o f S ev er us b egi nning 192

‘
A D t he p agans becam e al arm ed at the p ro gr es s

. .
, ,
of Chri s t i anity and they i nci t ed the fifth perse

,
cut i on . It attained its l argest p ro po rtions in Afri ca .
M any em inent saint s p eri shed in thi s p erio d .
A s ho rt p ersecutio n was begun und er M aximi n ,
i n the y ear 2 3 5 A D Whi le it l asted b ut a bri e f

. .
perio d o f t hre e y ears num berl ess Chr i s ti ans w er e

,
s l ai n wit ho ut t ri al b uried i nd i scrim inately in h eap s

, ,
so m eti m es fi f ty or sixty bei ng cas t into a pit

to gether witho ut the l eas t d ecency
,
”
.
T he sp read o f Chri s ti ani ty i n t he Ro m an army

aro us ed Deci us t o i naugurat e t he se v enth p erse
cut io n and an att empt was m ad e to s t amp o ut t hi s
,
relig i on f rom every p art o f t he emp i r e Thi s b egan .
Fo x s ay s : It was un fo rt unat e fo r
“
i n 2 49 A D . .
t he go sp el t hat m any erro rs had ab o ut t hi s ti m e , ,
crept i nto th e church : t he Chri st i ans w ere at v ari
ance wit h each o t her ; s elf i nt eres t div i d ed tho se

-
whom so ci al l ove ought to have uni t ed and the ,
vi rul ence o f p ri d e o ccas i oned a v ari ety o f fa cti ons .
1 18
O P ENING O F T H E CH RIS T IAN S EA L S
The heathen in general w ere ambitio us to enforce

t he imp eri al d ecr ees up on thi s occas ion and loo k ed ,
up on t he m ur d er o f a Chri st i an as a m eri t t o them
s elv es The m arty rs on t his occas i on w er e i nnu

.
m erabl e .
When Val eri an as cended the thr one in 2 5 7 A D . .
he i nst it uted a p er sec uti on t h at conti nued fo r t hree

years and six mo nth s Rank ag e and sex w ere .
,
not r egar d ed In A fr i ca i t r aged w i th p ecul i ar

“
.
vio l ence ; m any tho usa nd s re ceived the cro wn o f

m artyrd om ”
Duri ng the r eign o f Aurel i an b egi n
. ,
ni ng ab out 2 74 A D the comp any o f m artyr s was

. .
,
gr eatly incr eased by the large number s who w er e

s l ai n fo r t he w o rd o f Go d and t he t es t i mo ny w hi ch
they held .
I nnume r abl e is the term that Fox uses to

i ndi cat e the number o f s oul s b eneath the alt ar at
t he o p ening o f the fifth s eal w hen Dio cl et i an ent ered ,
i nto Rom e as the tri ump hant r estor er o f the Rom an “
w orld 3 03 A D M i lman emphasiz es the i mp o r

”
, . .
t ance o f thi s ep och m aki ng d at e in these w ord s-
“
The final b etween pa ani sm and h ri sti ani ty d rew
co nt est g C
near. l
A most three hund red y ears had e aps ed s i nce the l
di vi ne Au tho r of the new re l i gi on had ent ered upon hi s
mort a l l if e in a s mall vi ll ga e in P a l es t i ne ; and now, havin g
g ai ned so pow er u f l ascend enc y over the ci vi li ze l
d wo r d the ,
g os pel was to und erg o i ts las t and mos t tryi ng ord eal, be f o re
it s ho u ld as s u me the rei ns o f e mpi re , and b ecom e the es t ab
l i shed re l i gi on of t he Roman wor d l —H i.

”
s tory of Chris ti
ani ty, Vol II p 207
. ., . .
That t hi s i s the d ate o f the ev ent s o f t he fi f th

s eal i s seen f rom the fact t hat i t f o ll ows next i n
1 19
s ucces s io n a ft erfo urth s eal w hich perio d end ed

the ,
upo n t he acces s i on o f Di ocl eti an t o the t hro ne i n
2 84 A . D . h n h—
No t i g o f epo c m ak i ng i mp o rtance
occur red i n r el ati o n t o Chri s t iani ty unt i l t hi s d at e .
The emp ero r was engaged in p aci f yi ng and r es to r

i ng o rde r a ft er t he ni nety two y ears o f civi l s t ri f e
-
that o ccurr ed und er the seco nd third and f ourth ,
s eal s
. When thi s seemed to be acco mpl i shed he ,
ret urne d to Ro me and i nfl uenced b arg um ent s as

, , y
to t he all eg ed d angers o f Chri st i anity as a r ep ub li c
growi ng up w ithin the emp ire he set the tw enty ,
t hird day o f February 3 03 A D as the t ime t o

, . .
,
s et bo und s to Chri s ti ani ty S uch i s the t ime t hat

“
.
harmo ni es p er f ectly with the sym boli sm emplo ye d

z
i n t hi s s eal It i s i n the ho ur o f great stres s the

.
s o ul cri es o ut to Go d No great er di s as t er ever

.
threatened the ex i st ence o f the rel i gion o f Chri st

than that w hich was i ndi cated by the r uthl es s
d est ructi on o f churches and the sl ayi ng o f Chri s
t ians which be gan w ith D io cl eti an s ed i ct ’
.
This great comp any o f m artyr s w ere not cry ing

o ut for r evenge fo r t he w ro ng t hat had al re ady b een
vi s it e d upo n t hem but in vi ew o f the t ri bul at io n

, ,
that was overshad owi ng the li ving thei r pl ea was ,
fo r t he M a st er to t ak e hi s p ower and ex ecut e

ri ght eous j ud m e nt to p revent t he e x p ect e d s uff er
g
i ng whi l e ano ther p ers ecut io n sho uld rage T he .
ans w er i s t end er and s y mp at het ic : And there were

“
gi ven them each one a whit e ro be ; and it was sai d

unto t hem that they sho uld res t yet fo r a littl e
,
t ime unti l their fell ow s ervant s al so and their

,
-
b ret hren who sho uld b e kill ed even as t hey were

, ,
1 20
Di ocl et ian d ivested him s el f o f the royal p urpl e b ut

'
it was co nti nued in the v ari o us p art s o f the emp ire

by his associ ates with all o f the m al i gnity o f the
p agan mi nd Thi s corres po nd s to the p erio d
.
d escri b ed in the l etter to the angel o f the church

in S my rna ( Rev 2 : 8 It s cl o se ( the y ear 3 1 3
.
A D ) m arks t he b egi nni ng o f a new ep och in the

. .
hi sto ry o f the Roman Emp ire as well as o f Chri s

ti ani ty as s ym b ol i z e d by the s ixth s eal .
T he imp ort ance o f the event s

Sixt h S al e
s ym bo li ed by t hi s s eal i s i ndi
z
R v 6:
e 7: 7
1 2 - 1
by the amo unt o f space
.
cat e d
d evo ted to them In p o i nt o f ti me the p erio d

.
,
d enot ed by the st range and wond er f ul im agery o f

t his p rop het ic vi si on f ollo ws a f t er that o f the fi f t h
s ea" It nat urally would fo llo w the y ear 3 1 3 A D
. . .
B old and s t ri ki ng i s t he s ym bol i sm empl oy ed .
The gener al impres s io n m ad e upo n the m i nd o f t he

cas ual read er i f he d o es not t ak e i nt o co ns id erat io n
,
t hat figurati ve s p eech i s b ei ng u s ed i s t hat t he ,
entir e cos m ical univer se i s b eing di srupte d and

d est ro y ed As the s eal i s o p ened a great earth
.
,
“
q uak e occurs Not o ne that sim ply d est ro y s a

”
.
city o r a p rov i nce b ut t hi s i s a great earthq uake “ ”

.
,
It i s one that shak es the v ery fo und at io ns o f the

wo rld The hill s and the ro ck s are rent asund er by
.
t he m i ghty di s rupti ve f o rces f ro m wit hi n The .
m o untains crumbl e as ashes as they are shak en with

it s t rem end o us p o wer The i s l and s o f the s ea
.
d i sappe ared Thi s great cat astro p he i nvolves no t

.
the earth al o ne b ut al s o t he creat ed universe

, The .
s un ce as es i t s s hi ni ng not b ecaus e it s f ace i s hi d

,
122
O P ENING O F T H E CH R IS T IAN S EA L S
by cl oud s , b ut b ecaus e di s so l utio n i s t aking pl ace

w ithin i t self Its p ow er to shine has
. gone and it ,
app ears as t he ebon bl ackness o f s ack cl o t h o f hai r .
T he f ull mo on t hat fill ed the w orld w i th the gl ory

o f her m ello w l i ght b ecam e as b lo o d The m ulti
.
t ud e o f stars w er e w reste d from their pl aces in

t he fi rm ament as i f in the s tr es s o f a m i ghty sto rm
of wi nd and t hey cr ashed up on the eart h as
,
bl azi ng b all s o f fire T erro r and const ernatio n

r eigned as t he firm am ent it s el f d i sappe ared and ,
humanity fl ed i nto the y awning r ent s o f the r ock ,
call i ng to the r eeli ng m o unt ai ns : F all on us and

“
,
hid e us f rom t he f ace o f him t hat s itt eth o n the

thro ne and from the wrath o f the Lamb : fo r t he
,
great day o f thei r wrath is come ; and who i s ab l e

to s t and ?
”
That thi s i s not d escrip t iv e o f the p hy s i cal

d est ructi on o f the univ ers e i s app arent a ft er a ,
mo m ent s tho ught fo r two si mpl e r easons F i rs t

’
.
, ‘ ,
it i s expre ss ly s t at ed i n the fi rs t vers e o f Revel at io n

that it s cont ent s w er e giv en in symbo l s o r si gns
“ ‘
he s ent and si gn— 1 fi ed -
it by hi s angel unto hi s
’
s ervant J o hn ( R
”
ev . W e c an n ot p o s s ib ly
t ak e thi s d escri ptio n as apply ing to the d i s so l uti on
o f the t hing s o f t he co sm i cal univ er se when t he
B oo k it s el f ex p res s ly s t at es that we shall no t so

und erst and it S eco nd the ev ent s reco r d ed in t he
.
,
s eventh chapte r o ccur a f t er tho s e d es cri bed he re i n
p oin t o f tim e After thi s I saw four angel s st and

“
.
ing at the f our co rners o f the eart h holdi ng the ,
fo ur w ind s o f the earth that no w ind s h ould blow

,
o n t he eart h o r upo n any t ree

”
, ( R ev . I n
1 23
Rev 7 : 3 t he
. an gel s are co mm and ed : H urt no t the
ear th ,
ther the s ea no r the t rees till we shall
nei , ,
have s eal ed the servant s o f ou r God on t hei r f o re

head s If the p hy s ical univers e had ret ur ned to
”
.
primo rdi al chao s s uch t hing s as hurt ing the earth

, ,
the s ea and the t rees w ould b e i mp o ss ib l e .
T hese phy s ical t erm s empl oy ed in the d escripti on

are sy mbo l s d eno t i ng d efi ni te t hi ngs T hei r sig nifi .
cance can be accurat ely d et ermi ned and t hei r m ean
ing m ay be eas ily co mp rehend e d It seems that all .
t he spi ri t s o f evi l have co mb i n ed to l eave t he

i mp ressi on on the m ind s o f men that the Ap ocalyp se
i s couched i n i ncomp rehens i b l e l anguag e t hat no ne
can und ers t and If s im i l ar l anguage w ere u sed in
. a
a new s p ap er o r i n o r d i nary conve rs at ion no one ,
wo uld att ach any d iffi culty to it We sp eak o f the .
“
po l it ical heavens the sci enti fic wo rld a sea
, ,
”
o f f aces s t ream o f i mm igrant s and we never

“ ”
a, ,
con f use t hes e t erm s with p hy s i cal t hing s Why .
not us e Go d s boo k wit h t he s ame com mon sense ?

’
H e has not l e f t us wi thout a wi tness to the m eaning

o f every s ym bo l em pl oy e d The m eani ng o f all .
B ib l e l anguage i s d et erm i ned by B i bl e us ag e If .
it is l ite ral it i s to be und erstoo d as the S cripture

,
uses l i t eral t erm s and i f t he l ang u age i s s ym bo li cal

, ,
as t hat o f the Apo calyp s e i s pl ainly s t at e d to b e i t ,
m ust be und erstoo d as carry ing the s ame m eani ng

as i nd i cat ed b y t hei r us e in o t her p o rtio ns o f the
B ib l e . S ymbo l s do not have s t rained o r forced

m eani ngs The i d eas co nv ey ed by sym boli c l anguage
.
are d et erm i ned by the general s g ini ficance o f t he

‘
literal t erm s Thus an earthq uak e is a vi olent
.
,
1 24
i n Gen 1 . : 16 : And God m ad e the two

great l ight s ;
t he gr eat er light to rul e t he day and the l es s er ,
l ight to r ul e the night : he mad e the stars al so ”

.
The s un and moon are r ul ers t he s un i s the ,
s up rem e r ul er T he mo on r efl ect s the light whi ch

.
i t r ecei ves f rom the sun The i d ea convey ed by

.
th i s symbo l fi nd s it s r epr esentation in therul er o r ,
s et o f r ul er s who w ere imm ed i at ely as so ci at ed wi t h

,
t he head o f the em pi re i n gover nm ent and receive

th eir pow er and authority di rectly f rom him The .
stars are repr es ented in the m ultit ud e o f p rom i nent

men who occupi ed pl aces thro ugho ut the empi re .
Th at thi s is the correct th ought may be easi ly verifi ed

by r efer ence to v ari ous p assages o f S cr ipt ure J aco b .
had no d ifli culty i n und er s t andi ng the d ream o f

Jo seph as record ed in Gen 10 : . B ehold I ,
h av e d ream ed yet a d ream ; and b eho ld the s un , ,
and the m oo n and el ev en s t ar s m ad e obei s ance to
me .
”
J acob did not thi nk for a m om ent that the
h eav enly bod ie s w ere m eant He answered : S hall .
“
I and thy m othe r and thy brethren i nd eed co me to

bow d own o urs elv es to thee to the earth ? Here ”
,
J acob the head and r ul er o f the f amily was the

, ,
s un. The mo ther associ at ed with the f at her in

,
the contr ol o f the f amily was the m oon , The .
el ev en so ns who w ere to be h ead s o f e l even t ribes

,
and co nsp i cuous in J ew i sh hi st o ry w ere s t ar s , .
Dani el sp eak s o f so ul wi nners as s t ars

-
“
They that .
turn m any to righteousness shall s hi ne as the stars

fo r ev er T l
”
( Dan . hi s i s a s o t he New
Testam ent usage J ud e sp eaks o f a c ert ai n cl ass
.
o f men who w ere c orr up t i ng the ch ur ch as wan

1 26
O P ENING O F T H E CH RIS T IAN S EAL S
d ering stars ( v . J es us is call ed the bright ,
the m o rni ng s t ar ( Rev .
In 3 08 A D t he Ro m an . . Empi re was r ule d o v er

by Gal eri us and as soci ated with him w ere Li ci nius
, ,
M axim in Co nstanti ne M axenti us and Maximian

, ,
.
Fo llo wi ng the d eaths o f M axim in and Gal eri us the ,
numb er o f emp ero r s was r ed uc ed to f o ur with ,
M axentius as chi e f G ibbon say s o f him .
“
Whi l he pa d hi ind l nt l i f wi thi n th w ll f hi
e s se s o e e e a s o s
p l
a ace o r i n th n i ghb i ng g d n
e ef S ll u t h w
or ar e s o a s , e as re
p t dly h
ea e d t d la
ear th t h l n wa mp
o ec nd
re a e a o e s e eror, a
tha t the other pri nces wer e no more than hi s li eu tenants , on

”
whom he had devolved the d efence of the fronti er pr ovi nces
—
.
D ecli ne and Fall of the Roma n Empi r e Vol I p 478 , . .

, . .
The mp eror is the sun and t ho se o n wh om

e ,
he had d ev o lv ed the d e f ence are r epr es ent ed by

”
the moon It was in 3 12 A D that Co nst anti ne

. . . ,
at the head o f an a rmy o f for ty tho us and so ld i ers ,
m arch ed through Gaul tow ards Ro m e to overthrow

Maxenti us who as the emp ero r o f t hat gr eat
, ,
empir e was the s un o f the p agan w o rld

“
, In .
b attle af t er b attl e Constanti ne was v ictori o us until

t he l as t st and o f the v anq ui shed arm i es was m ad e
at S axa Rubr a ni ne m i l es fro m Rom e
, Agai n the .
tid e o f battl e t urned to the s id e o f Constanti ne In .
the c on f us io n o f a crushi ng d e f eat the troops o f ,
M axenti us r ushed by t housand s i nto the d eep and

r apid s tream o f the Tib er Maxenti us attempted to es .
cap e b ack to Rom e by the way o f the M i lvi an bridg e .
The cro wd was so pr ess ed to get her how ev er th at , ,
he was f o rced i nto the w at er w her e he was im me ,
di ately dro wn ed by the w eight o f hi s arm o r Con .
1 27
stanti ne d eath the two s ons o f the tyr ant and

put to ,
care f ully exti rp at ed hi s w hol e r ace Thus di d the

“
.
t he mo s t conspi cuo us l i ght o f the p agan

“ ”
s un ,
wo rld cease to shi ne and b ecam e bl ack as the “

,
s ackcl ot h o f hair
”
.
Alm os t i mm ed i at ely M aximi n reso lv ed to t ry

t he f o rt une o f ci vi l war With hi s army he ”
.
m arched agains t Li cini us B yz anti um surrend ered .
t o him a ft er an el ev en d ay s s i ege He capt ured ’

.
H er acl ea b ut her e he heard t hat L ici ni us was b ut

,
eight een m il es away S oo n the fi nal battl e was on

. ,
and Li ci ni us won a d eci s ive vi cto ry and t he prov
i nces o f the Eas t acknowl edged hi s autho ri ty The .
v anq uished M ax imin di ed in T ar s us in three o r

‘
f our months aft erw ard and his f am ily was to t ally
,
d est roy ed by Lici ni us S carcely a y ear p as sed unti l

.
Lici ni us had ent ered into a consp i racy w ith B as si a

nus ano t her lesser light who had been el evated
“ ”
,
to t he r ank o f Caes ar by Co nst ant ine and g iven

aut ho ri ty over A f ri ca The i mm ed i at e res ult was
.
t he d es tr uct io n o f B as si anus and Li cini us t he l as t ,
o f t hes e asso ci at ed r ul ers eng ag ed i n civi l war wit h
Cons t anti ne Aft er two g re at b attl es he sued fo r

.
p eace whi ch l as t ed but for a few y ear s Again

, .
they engaged in combat at Had rianopl e The arm y .
o f Li cini us was d e f eat ed and h e fl ed to B y anti um z .
From here he fl ed into As i a After suff ering m any .
d ef eats he l ai d himsel f and his p urpl e at the f eet

,
o f hi s l o rd and m ast er He was imp ri soned and

.
soo n ex ecut ed in T hes s al oni ca Ci vil war b etween .
these ri val r ul ers who w ere associ at ed w ith and

,
received thei r power from the chi ef emp ero r char ac ,
1 28
m eani ng of p hr ase wo uld be that all the

t he ab ove
form er di vi s i ons o f the emp ire wo uld b e rem oved .
T hi s was the r es ult o f the civil st ri fe between the

ri val em p er o rs Gi bbo n s ay s o f t he res ult s o f the
.
vi cto ry o f Co ns t ant i ne
B y thi vi t y f C n t nt in th R m n w l d w
s c or o o s a e e o a or as
ag i n uni t d und th
a e th i ty fern mp ethi ty au or o o e e ero r, r
v n y
se e f t Di l t i n h d di i d d hi p w nd p v
ears a er oc e a a v e s o er a ro
i nces wi th hi s a s soci at e Maxi mi an .

—D ecli ne an d F all o f
the Roman Ent i re Vol , . I p 5 06
.
, . .
Thus no t only were the mo unt ains and

,
i s l and s removed and t he em p i re had be co m e a unit

”
ag ain b ut t he p agan p owe r had al so b een b ani s hed

,
i n t hi s s am e s t ruggl e Gibb on s ay s. on t he s am e ,
p ag e j ust q uot ed f rom : The f oun d at ion o f Con “
s t ant i nopl e and the es t ab l i s hm ent o f the Ch i st i an

,
r
rel i g io n w ere t he imm ed i at e and m em o rab l e cons e

,
q u e n c e s o f t h i s r e vo l ut i o n T h e d a t e o f t.h e
”
ex ecuti on o f Lici ni u s and t he rest o rati o n o f the
unit ed em p i re was 3 2 4 A D In t he f o undat i on o f

. .
Co nst anti nopl e and t he rem ov al o f t he capit al f rom

Ro m e t hat anci ent s eat o f p ag an g overnm ent the
, ,
v ery f o und at io ns o f heat hen rel i g ion cr um bl ed an d
the vivi d s y mb ol i s m o f t hi s part o f t he s i x t h s eal

i s compl et ely and accurat ely f ulfill ed T he s ecret .
o f the f ear and co ns t ernat i on t hat fi l l e d t he heart s
of m anki nd d uri ng t hi s peri o d as i ndi cat ed i n .
vers es 1 5 1 7 -
i s fo und in t he f act t hat Co nst ant i ne
,
p r o f e s s e d C hr i s ti an i ty A t t h e h ea d.o f h i s a rm i e s
was carried a lo ng whit e banner up on whi ch w as ,
t he s i g n o f the cro s s The p ag ans reco g ni ed the

. z
s t r uggl e as a cont es t b etw een p ag ani s m and Chri s
130
O P ENIN G O F T H E CH R IS T IA N S EA L S
t i anit y, and they

ll ied to the f oes o f Const ant ine
ra .
All o f t hese who call ed for t he rock s and m o un

“
tains to f al l upo n them w ere not t he f ri end s o f the”
L am b but hi s enemi es T hey were a f rai d o f hi s

,
.
wrat h As Co nst ant ine swept o n f ro m v i ct ory to

.
vi c t ory the p agan world was thrown into a chaoti c

,
s t at e . G ib bon d escri bes the cond i tio n i n l ang uag e

very s i m i l ar t o th at o f J o hn
f th p g n l igi n i d ib d by th ph
“
Th ui n
e r o e a a re o s e scr e e so
i t
s s as ad d f ul nd m i ng p di gy whi h
rea a v a d th
az ro , c co er e e
ear th wi th dar knes s and r es t or ed the anci en t

-
cond i ti on o f
”
cha os and ni g ht.
The t m s having p as sed away the l aws

old cu s o ,
were now t empered by Chri sti an p ri ncipl es In °

.
3 3 1 A D t he heat hen t empl es we e l evel ed an d

. . r ,
b e f or e t he d eat h o f Co nst ant ine i n 3 3 7 A D t he . .
Ro m an Empi re by i mp eri al ed i ct had becom e nom

i nal ly Chri sti an T he far reachi ng cat as t rophe ha s
.
-
wreck ed t he pag an uni ve s e an d t he vi s i on that r ,
f o llo ws will reveal t he d evel opm ent o f the Chr is t i an

uni ver s e upo n t he rui ns o f t h e ol d .
Fo llo w ing
l gi cal in chrono o
S l i ng G d
’
ea o s
o r d er t he m i g hty co nv ul si o ns
S v nt
er a s
thro ugh which Chri st i anity b e
R v 7
e 8 : 1-
cam e th e e s t ab l i s hed rel i g i o n o f
.
t he s t at e we hav e t he event s which are s ym b o l i z ed

,
by t he two vi s io ns reco r d ed i n chapt er 7 A f t er

“
.
t hi s d et erm i nes fo r us the re l at ion o f thes e o ccur

renees to the p r eced i ng ones T he p l ace whe e t he . r
ev ent s a e to occur i s al s o d et erm i ne d I saw f o ur “

r .
ang el s s t and ing on t he fo ur co rner s o f t he e art h

”
.
The eart h i s now p ro f es sed Chri st i an Ro m e s i nce

“ ”
,
13 1
it has t ak en the pl ace o f the p agan empir e They .
are s t andi ng o n t he bo und ari es t hat s ep arat e the
em p i re f rom the uncivi liz ed p o rt io ns o f the w orld .
Thes e angel s are ho ldi ng t he fo ur w ind s o f the

“
eart h t hat no wi nd s hould b lo w on t he earth o r on

,
t he s ea o r up on any t ree
,
An angel is a m i ni s .
t er ing spi rit W ind s are d es t ructi ve fo rces that

.
” “ ”
sweep over the eart h l eavi ng d eat h and d evast at io n

,
i n t hei r wak e T hi s i s emp has iz ed by the comm and

.
“
H urt not the eart h neit her the s ea nor the t rees
, , ,
given in the third verse The ang el s are the p ro vi .
d enti al ag encies that res train these d estr ucti ve fo rces

f rom at once sw eep ing over the p ro f essed Chri sti an
em p i re to i t s hurt T hey are held b ack as d ogs
.
st rai ning at t heir l eas h T he s ea i s a symb ol fo r

“ ” '
a m ult i t u d e o f p eo pl e as we have al ready fo und , ,
and s i g ni fi es here t he p op ul at io n o f the empir e A .
“
t ree rep res ent s a k ingdom o r a p ro v ince In the
”
.
d ream o f Neb uchad nezz ar r eco rd ed in the fourth ,
chapt er o f D ani el the great t ree i s s ai d t o be the

,
B abylo ni an Emp i re T he J ewi sh nati on i s calle d

.
an ol ive t ree ( Ro m-
The t rees rep res ent
.
t he p ro vi nces o r v as s al ki ngd om s w hich m ad e up

t he emp i re These wind s that t hreat en the ”
.
d est ruct ion are f our in number These are t he .
co nd i t io ns that p revail at the d eat h o f Cons t anti ne ,
337 A . D .
T hese f o rces d est ruct ion are r estr ai ned tem

of ,
po rarily at t he comm and o f ano t her ang el who

,
ascend ed f rom the s unri sing having the seal o f the

“
,
l i g Go d
i v n ” None o f these f o r ces co uld sweep
.
o ver Chri s ti an Ro m e t i ll we have s eal ed the s ervant s
13 2
t hat pro f es s ed Chris ti ani ty t he angel p l aces the s eal ,
upo n t he g enui ne and t rue f o ll o w ers o f Chri s t T he .
Lo d k nows hi s own T hey are el ect cho sen As

r .
, .
i n the d ay s o f El i j ah when t here was a rem nant ,
unk no wn by t he p ro phet b ut k no wn to Go d who , ,
had not bow ed to B aal ; so i n the unnumb ered m ul t i

t ude o f no m i nal Ch i st i ans the e is b ut a emnantr r r
who a re wo rt hy o f receivi ng the s eal o f the l i vi ng

Go d T hi s i s t he s i gni fi cance o f the numb er
.
Ag ai n i n the f o urt eent h chapte r we find it as t he

, ,
s y m bo l i cal n um b er repr ese nt i ng t hos e who

“
have
b een purchas ed o ut o f the eart h .
T hi s num b er i s made up o f an q ual num b er

t ak en f om each o f the tw el ve t rib es In p ass i ng
r .
f ro m l it e al Is rael to sp i rit ual I s ae l all t ribal

r r ,
p r e f e enrce ha s b ee n l o s t E a c h t r i be i s o n a
. pl an e
o f eq u al ity In t he O l d T est am ent the t ri b e o f L evi

.
had no i nhe i t ance in t he l and b ut i n thi s l i s t the

r ,
t ibe o f Levi fi nd s a pl ace w ith the ot hers s igni fy

r ,
i ng t hat t he prero g at iv es o f t he J ew i s h pri es t hoo d

a e no l ong er m ai nt a i ned
r T h e t r i b e o f D an i s not
.
m ent io ne d he e T hi s t ri be l e f t its inhe it ance and

r . r
co nq uer ed t he ci ty o f L ai sh and hence it b ecam e ,
m e g ed wit h Napht al i
r There i s now there f o re
.
, ,
no d i s t i nct i on betw een any p art o f s pi it u al I s rael r

.
It m att ers no t w het her Go d b e wo rs hiped i n J er u

s al em o r i n S am a ri a s o l ong as he i s wo s hi ed
“
, p i n r
s pi r i t an d i n t ru t h T he s eal d et erm ine s who d o es

”
.
o r who do es not have a right t o i t s b l es s i ng s a nd
pri vil eges I f any man have not the S pirit o f

“
.
Chris t he i s none o f hi s
, .
All o f thi s d escribe s a p erio d o f t emp o rary peac e

13 4
O P ENIN G O F T H E CH R IS T IAN S EAL S
fo r th e ch urch i n t he Rom an Emp i re , b egi nni ng wi t h

t he compl ete t hrow
o ver p agani sm d uri ng the
of
rei gn o f Co ns t ant i ne and p o rt r ay ed by t he i m ag ery

,
of Rev . 17
-
. Unmo l es t ed by her fo rmer
oppo se r s and p ro t ect ed f ro m t he d evas t at i ng p ow er
o f the fo u r wind s as t hey are re st ai ne d by the r
fo ur angel s the church i s f ree to ex erci s e all o f her

,
energi es i n enl a rg em ent and dev el o pm ent It i s the .
p erio d o f calm a f t er t he g eat s to rm that reso l ved

r
p agani sm i nto chao s and d uring whi ch a new creatio n

,
will ap pear i n b eauty and S pl endo r As t he b ud

.
u f old s i nt o t e f u l l b l o w n ro se a f t er t h e spri ng
n h —
t im e sto rm s o co ng reg at i ons o i d i sciples app ear
,
every wher e t hro ug ho ut t he em pi re as i f by m ag ic .
Heat he n t em pl es are t rans f orm ed i nto pl aces w h e e r
t he tr ue an d l i vi ng G o d i s wo rs hi pe d and t he pure , ,
g en tl e t eachi ng o f t h e C h r i s t b eco m e s i nt e rw o v en
wit h the fab ri c o f civi l i at io n z H ad t ho s e fo ur

.
w i nd s b een p e rm itt ed t o sweep acros s t he emp i re

b e f o re Chri sti anity had t im e t o b eco m e i ng ra ined
w i t h t he l i f e o f hum anity the rel i gi o n o f Chri st
,
wo uld have b een co m pl et el y bl o tt e d f rom t he wo rl d .
T here cam e there fo re a p erio d o f abo ut s eventy

, ,
y ears o f p ro vi d enti al q uiet t o the church ex t endi ng ,
f rom abo ut 3 3 7 A D to 4 1 0 A D D uring this

. . . .
ti m e it was uncontam inat ed by t he t ho ught o f the

unci v i l i ze d nat io ns wit ho ut t h e em pi re The o nly .
d ang er that could threat en wo uld b e f rom t he

co rr upt ing fo rces f rom w i t hi n .
When t he s eali ng i s co mpl et e and the fo ur wi nds

ar e abo ut to b reak f orth f rom their provi d ent i al
r es t rai nt in al l o f t hei r f ury to hurt t he Chri s ti an
135
TH E REV EL AT IO N OF J ES US CH RIS T
em p i re , the heart of p tle was s urcharged

the a os
wit h anx i ety for t he f ut ur e o f the church Is

‘
.
Chri s t i ani ty to b e b l ott ed fr om the earth a ft er ,
this bri e f p eriod o f s eali ng by these hurtf ul agen

,
ci es ? Do es t hi s sm all remnant w hich has alr eady

been seal ed co nst it ut e the ent i re harves t o f the
go sp el o f Chri st ? If so it wo uld be p i ti f ully s m all
,
and unw o rt hy o f the g reat p rice o f Calv ary To .
ans w er t hes e unsp ok en q uest ions t he s eer i s gr ante d ,
a heav en vi s i o n b e f o r e t he s event h s eal i s o p ened

-
and the wind s are lo o sed (

'
Rev 7 : 9 1 7 T hi s .
-
vi si on w i ll d i s p el all o f hi s anxi ety In it he i s .
p erm itt ed to have a mo m entary gli mp se o f the l ast

day . Altho ugh the m i ghty sto rm clo ud s are now -
b eg inning to envel op t he Chri s ti an wo rld and its

f ut ure hi sto ry is ob scured f rom hi s vi s i on for the
tim e yet he sees at the l ast day not a rem nant only
, ,
but a great m ult i t u d e w ho m no man can numb er

“
.
T hey are o ut o f every natio n and o f all t ribes

“
,
and p eo pl es and t ong ues Altho ugh they co m e

” “
.
o ut o f g reat t rib ul ati on he can vi ew wi th calm

”
,
co mpl acency t he d es t ruct iv e s weep o f the f our wi n d s
acros s t he empi re as t he s event h s eal o p ened D ur .
i ng t hi s l ast p eri o d o f hum an hi sto ry even wi t h it s ,
ap os t as i es and co r rupt io ns there S hall be gathered

,
o ut a great unnumbered m ultit ud e who sho uld be

, ,
array ed in w hi t e r ob es and uni te i n the t ri ump hant

'
red empt io n s ong : S al vatio n unt o o ur God who

“
s itt et h upo n the t hrone and unto the L amb

”
.
,
1 86
i nd i ca t ed : And t he an gel tak eth t he censer ; and
he fi ll ed it wi t h t he fi re l t ar and cas t it of t he a ,
upo n t he eart h : and t he e f oll owed t hund er s r and ,
and lig ht ni ng s and an ea t hq uak e

”
vo ices , , ( Rev r .
T he eart h i s no w p o f es s ed Chri s t i an r
Rom e M ighty co nvul s io ns wo ul d again d i st urb

.
and ch ang e t he charact er o f t hat a g e o l d w orl d -
po w er G i b b
. o n g i v es a n i n t er es t i n g a cco u n t o f a
g eat nat ural convul sio n t hat occurred a few y ears

r
pr ev i o us to t h e t i m e t h a t t h e fi r s t t r um p et a ng el
was to so und :
In t he s eco nd y ea r of t he rei gn of Val enti ni an an d
Va l en s , on th e m o rni n g of th e t w ent yfi -
rs t day of Ju l y ,
the
g r eat es t pa rt of t he Ro m an wo r d wa s l s ha k en by a vi o ent l
an d d es t ructi ve ea rth q u ak e The i mpres s i o n wa s co mmu ni
ca t e d t o t he w at e r s ; t h e s ho r es of th e M ed i t er ran ean w ere
d ry b y th e s u dd en ret reat of t he s ea b ut th e t id e
s o o n ret u rned , wi th t he wei ht g o f an i m m en s e a nd i rres i s t ib l e
l g
de u e, whi ch wa s s ev ere l y f l t n th e o e co a s t s of S i ci ly , of
D lma a t i a, o f G reece, and f Egy pt l g

o : ar e b o at s w ere t rans
po r t e d l dg d
, an d o e t o n th
di t n f fhu
e roo s o o s es , or a a s a ce
of tw m il o f m h es Th y ro n id d ths o re e co s ere es e
l mi n g t k
a ar th p l ud
s ro nl y f t i ll m
es as d df ul
e re e o o s o re r ea
l mi ti nd th i f f ul v ni ty w di p d t nf und
ca a es , a e r ear a as s o se o co o
th ym pt m f d l ining mpi wi th ink ing w l d

e s o s o a ec e re a s or .
”
D ecl i n e a nd Fal l o f t he R oma n Empi r e V ol , . II p 473

., . .
Whether t hi s p ro d ig i o us l p henom enon was a na u ra t

p o r t e nt o f t h e p o l i t i cal co nv ul s i o n t hat w a s t o re n d
t he em pi e we l eav e t he read er to j ud g e
r , It i s s u f .
fi ci ent t o s ay t hat t he p eopl e o f the emp i e at the t im e r
att rib ut ed it t o t he p art i cul ar w i ll o f t he D eity

“ ”
.
In any cas e the hi s tori an d at es the d i sas tr ous f all

,
o f theem pi re wi th thi s t i m e .
13 8
S EV EN T H S EA L A N D T H E F O U R W IND S
In the di s ast rou s peri o d o f the a o f the Ro man Em f ll

pi re w hi ch us t
, j ly
may b e dat ed rom th e r ei n o f Va ens f g l ,
t he happi n es s and s ecu ri t y o f each i nd i vidu a w ere pe rs ona l ll y

at t a c k ed ; an d t he art s and l ab o rs o f t h e a e s w ere rud e g ly
de f aced by the B arb ari ans of Sc yt hi a a nd G er many . Th e
invas i ons of t he Huns preci pi tat ed o n th e pro vi nces o f t he
Wes t , t he G o t hi c nat i o n, whi ch advanc ed , l
i n es s t han o rt f y
y ea rs , f ro m t he Danub e t o t he At l ant i c, and o pen ed a w ay.
by t he s ucces s o f thei r arm s, t o th e i nro ad s o f so man y hos
ti l e t ri b e s , m ore s ava g e than them se ves . l ”
—
Id em p 474, . .
Language co uld no t m ak e cl earer the f ulfill m ent

t he t hund ers and vo ices and light ni ng s and an
“
of , , ,
eart hq uak e which f oll owed t he cas t i ng o f fi e upo n

”
,
r
the eart h We have the d at e o f t he p rel im inary

.
p art o f t h e se ve nt h s eal d et erm i ned f o r us by t he
hi s t ori an as begi nning in the r eign o f Val ens and ,
cont i nu ing fo r abo ut f o rt y y ears o r f ro m 3 67 A D , . .
to 4 10 A D T he f und am ent al cau s es are t raced

. .
i n the vis io n to the p ray ers o f al l the s ai nt s that had

b een accum ul at i ng d uri ng t he p reced ing pe ri od s .
When the fi f th s eal was op ened a mi ghty p eti tion ,
w ent up f rom t he sou l s that were b eneat h the al tar .
B ut t hey were to ld t hat t hey m ust r es t a l ittl e

s easo n unt i l t hei r b ret hren who s ho uld be k i ll ed
“
as t hey were sho uld have f ulfill ed t hei r cou rs e

, .
D uring t he t rib ul at io n o f Dio cl et i an s p ersecut ion ’

,
an d t he t urmo il i nci d ent to the est abl i shm ent o f

Chri st i ani ty as the rel igi on o f t he empi re unnum ,
b e ed m il l i ons o f p ray ers m ust hav e as cend ed

r B ut .
,
w it h the em pi r e Chri s t i an In nam e sp i ri t ual condi ,
t io ns were no bett er Ap ost asy had s et in The . .
g o s pel w as no l o ng er p reached In i t s p urity The .
Co unci l o f Ni ce had b een held i n 3 2 5 A D whi ch . .

,
139
cause d d ivi sio ns A hierarchy was being d evelop ed

.
,
and was t aki ng the pl ace o f the s impl e pr im i t ive
o rg ani at io n o f t he church
z The church had come .
t o s us t ai n s uch rel ati o n with the p o lit ical govern

m ent that s he co uld not extr i cate her s elf and t he ,
p ray ers o f tho se who could r ightly be call ed s aint s

were cont inually go i ng up t hat Go d wo uld i nt ervene .
When the angel o f the alt ar was gi ven i ncense the ,

“
sm ok e o f t he i ncens e with the pray ers o f the

,
s ai nt s w ent up b e f ore God and the i mmed iate

, ,
res ult was the co nv ul s i ons t hat fo llo wed Every .
sai nt s ho uld b e p ers i s t ent in p ray er kno wing that ,
every p et i t ion i s r es erved unt i l t he p rop er tim e and ,
then the answer fo llo w s imm ed iately .
“
Th e Fir s t W i nd And the fi rst sounde d, and th ere
Rev. 8 : 7
f ll w
o o ed hai l and fire, mi n gl ed wi th
bl d
oo , and the y
were cast upon the
earth ; and th e th i rd part o f the earth was b urnt up and ,
the thi rd part o f th e t rees was burnt up, and all g reen g ras s
”
was burnt up.
T he hai l mi ngl ed wi th blo od w ere

and fire, ,
cast up on the eart h How s imil ar i s t his mani fes

“ ”
.
tat io n to t hat pl ag ue with w hi ch Egypt was affl i ct ed

when M oses so ught to l ead Go d s p eopl e o ut o f
’
b ond age ( Ex . Hail and fire i nd icat e “ ”
d ev astating agencies that l eave d es t ruct io n in thei r

p ath T hes e being m ingl ed with bl oo d d eno tes that
.
t he cont es t s b etw een armi es att end the m ani f es t at io n

o f the d es tr ucti on o f t he exi s ti ng o rde r o f t hi ng s .
The d esol at ing p ower o f the fi rs t wi nd i s f elt only

by a t hi rd p ar t o f the eart h At the cl ose o f
“ ”
.
,
Cons tant ine s r eign the Rom an Empi re was s ep ara

’
1 40
t he au tho r co nfi rmsd escription al ready given

the .
He d escri bes the i nvasi on as b egi nni ng wi th the

“
t em endo us sound o f the Gothi c tr umpet and al so

r ,
”
, ,
at t he fi rs t s o un d of the tr umpe t t he Got hs l e f t

“
t h ei r f a m s r The d evast ati on t hat w as w ro ught

by t hes e no rt hern t r ibes i s rep res ent ed by s uch
t erm s as the Go thi c conflag rati on and bl ood and ,
”
co n fl ag r a ti on and t he b ur ning f
o tr ees and her bag e
m ark ed t hei r p at h . W hen a herm it rebuk ed Al aric

fo r hi s rava ges , t he g reat l eader con f o und ed him by
t he as s e rvat io n that he fel t a secret and pr eter

na t ur al i mpuls e
”
t hat comp ell ed him to m arch t o
t he g at es o f Rom e .
T h es e wil l be fi
s u f ci ent to co nv nce i t he r ea d er
t hat t he Go t hi c i nv as i on which end ed i n t he s ac k

of t he ty o f Ro m e in 4 10 A D is the co mpl et e
ci . .
f ul fi ll m ent o f the sym b ol ism o f the seer o f P atm os .
S i x hun d ed an d ni net een y ears had el ap s ed s i nce

r
t he Et ernal City had b een m enaced by a f o rei g n

fo e b ut we ak ened by the preced ing peri o d s o f di s
, .
o rd er s he wa s u nabl e to p ro t ect hers el f and fo r s i x

, ,
day s she w as p l u nd ered o f her t r eas u res an d her

b ui l d i ng s b u rned w it h fire T he d esol at io n wo ul d
.
hav e b een comp let e b ut for the s u d den d eath o f

'
Al a i c and the co nseq uent withd rawal o f hi s army

r .
T he b arb ari ans by the u se o f ensl aved l ab or t u rned

, .
as i de t he channel o f t he st r eam B u s ent i nu s and .
b ui l t the t omb o f Al ari c i n i ts b ed The w ate r s .
we e ag ai n t urned i nt o t hei r nat ural co ur se where

r ,
they conceal the remains o f the b arb ari an l ead er b ut ,
t he m em o ry o f hi s t ragi c end was s ufli ci ent t o re

s t rai n ano t her i nva d er .
142
S EV EN T H S EA L AN D T H E F O U R W IN D S
The sco u r ge that deso l ate d

Th e S ec o nd
third p art o f t he emp i re fol
t he
Wi nd
l owi ng t he s ound ing o f the fi rst
R v 8: 8 9
e .
t rumpet affected only the land as
,
,
i s pl ai nly i nd i cat e d by t he s ym b ol i c l ang uag e S uch .
term s as t rees and grass d enote clearly that

“ ” ”
d evas t atio n was wro ught by arm ies and o n l and .
W hi l e t hes e are fig urat ive t erm s the i deas whi ch ,
they convey m ust be in harmo ny with thei r l it eral

m eani ng W hen t he s econd t rumpet i s so und ed
.
,
t he d es t ructio n that ens ues i s effect e d on t he

“ ”
s ea
cl early i ndi cat i ng a m ari ti m e

“
and on shi ps ,
war f are .
And th nd ng l e un d d
s ec o nd a it w e sog t e , a as ere a rea
m unt i n b u ni ng wi t h fi
o a wr t i nt th rend thas ca s o e s ea : a e
thi d p t
r f th
ar b o m b l d ; nd th
e s ea d i d t h thi d
eca e oo a ere e e r
pa rt of th e creatu res whi ch were i n the s ea, ev en t he y that

ha d l if e ; a nd t he thi r d part of the s hi p s was d es t ro y ed
”
( Rev 8 : 8. ,
If w e t co u ld
l anguage used in its
und er s and the
l it eral s ense we m ight gain a cl ear co ncept io n o f

,
what it i s i nt ended t o s i gni f y when u s ed i n it s

fig urat ive s ens e A burning m o unt ai n wo uld b e
.
“ ”
one i n v o l cani c e r upt i on em i tti ng fl am es smo k e , ,
an d l ava T he ca s t ing o f t hi s i nt o t he s ea wo ul d
.
p o d uce a vi ol ent co mmo ti on o f t he wat ers s t i rring

r ,
them to un f at ho m ed d ept hs Cl o ud s o f s team .
wo ul d ascend and the s ur f ace o f t he wat er wo ul d

b e l as hed into f ury B i l l ows wo u l d ri s e m ount ai n
.
hi gh eng ulfi ng the s hip s wi thi n rang e o f t he d i s

,
t urb ance W hen we und ers t and the l ang uag e i n its
.
proper fig urat ive m eani ng we have no difli cul ty in ,
1 43
grasp ing the ideas co nvey ed The mo untai n i s .
a k ingdom or a po wer In his threat against .
B abyl on the p ro p het s ay s :

,
B eho ld I am agai ns t ,
thee O destroyi ng mo untain sai th J ehovah which

, , ,
d estroy est all the earth ; and I wi ll st retch o ut my

hand up on t hee and ro ll t hee do wn f rom the rock s
, ,
and wi ll m ak e t hee a b urnt mo unt ai n ( Jer .
T he s ea
“
d eno tes p eopl es and natio ns ( Rev 17
”
.
Thi s kingdo m whi ch i s in eruptio n and ,
b ring ing t erro r and d eath by reason o f its vi o l ent

mani f estat io ns i s m oved fr om it s pl ace and i s
,
hurl ed i nt o the w es t ern t hi rd o f the Ro m an p eopl e ,
and a m i ghty d i s t urbance ens ue s .
T hi s accurately d escri bes the V and al i nvasio n

f rom 422 A D to 43 9 A D S o t erri bl e was the
. . . .
d evast atio n wro ught by these fi erce barbarians from

the no rt h that thei r nam e has b ecom e a sy no nym
fo r eve ryt hing d est ructi ve T hey swept thro ugh .
G aul S p ai n and i nt o Af r i ca
, ,
Here t hey es t ab .
l is hed thei r sw ay alo ng the coas t s o f the M edit erra

nean .The f rui t f ul provinces o f T angi er and
Tripo li were overw hel med A few sent ences f rom .
Gi bb on w i ll i nd icate the s ever i ty o f Vand al warf are

d uri ng thi s p erio d
Th h t i l i ti
e f th b b i n
os es infl m d by th
o e ar ar a s are a e e
fi erce nd l wl
a pi i t whi h i n
a ess nt l y di tu b
S r th i c cess a s r s e r
p eace ful nd d m ti a i ty Th V nd l
o es cwh th y
soc e . e a a s, ere e
f und i t n
o res s a l d m g v q u t ; nd th d th f
ce, se o a e ar er a e ea s o
th ie r v l i nt a unt ym n w
a co x pi t d by th
r ui n
e f th ere e a e e r o e
c iti esund wh w ll th y h d f ll n
er ose C la f th
s e a a e . are es s o e
d i t in t i n
s c f g
o s o x nk
a eth y mpl y d v y
or se or ra e e o e e er
—
,
s p i
ec es f i ndi g
oni ty nd t tu D li n nd F ll
a f th or re.
”
ec e a a o e
Roman Empi r e Vol , . III , p 13 2

. . .
1 44
TH E R EV ELA T IO N OF J ES US CH R IS T
T he barbarian p rinc es con f essed that they co uld

no t p res um e to gaz e w i th a steady eye on the
, ,
d ivi ne m aj esty o f the k ing o f the Huns All o f .

”
t he d et ai l s o f thi s v i s i on w ere bo t h figur at i vel y and

lit erally f ulfilled in the sw eep o f the Huns thro ugh
the wes t ern empir e The pri ncip al o p erat ions o f
.
thi s d ar ing and terr i bl e lead er we re carr ied on

al ong t he ri v ers t hat fo und their sources in the
Alp s Leavi ng the Danube he m ov ed his st and ard s
.
,
toward the w est Af ter a m arch o f sev en o r eight

.
hund re d m il es he r eached the confl ux o f t he Rhi ne

,
and the Neck ar A f ter b uilding a b ri dge o f boat s

. ,
hi s my riad s wer e po ured with resi s tl es s v io l ence

“
, ,
into the B elg i ac p rovi nces Fro m the Rhi ne and .
the M o s ell e Att i l a ad vanced int o t he heart o f Gaul ;

,
cro s sed the S ei ne at Au x er re He mov ed i nt o ”

.
It aly and sp read d esol at io n al ong the P o and the

Add ua . Heaps o f st one and as hes m ark ed t he
s po t s where t here had b een flo uri s hi ng citi es When .
an emb as sy c am e f rom Ro m e to tr eat wit h Attil a ,
he was encamp ed o n the bank s o f the s l ow wi ndi ng -
M i nci us Att i l a infl uenced by s up erst i t io us f ear o f

.
,
s udd en d eath as was v i sit ed up on Al ar ic a ft er hi s

'
, ,
s ack o f Rom e and by t he o ff er o f an i mm ense

,
rans om withd rew hi s ar m i es f rom It aly and ret i red

,
to t he Danub e In a sho rt t im e d eath s u dd enly

.
cl ai med him An art ery b urste d and int er nal

.
,
hemo rrhag e end ed hi s lif e The v as t em pi re o f .
the Huns was held to g et her t hro ugh the geni us o f

thi s bril l iant l ead er and up on his d eath it rapi dly
,
c ll ap s ed
o Duri ng the y ear s b etw een 43 3 A D
. . .
and 4 5 3 A D how ev er Att i l a was the t er ro r o f

. .
, ,
1 40
S EV EN T H S EA L A N D T H E F O U R W INDS
t he w orld and all the bi tt ernes s o f Wo rmwoo d

,
was ex p eri enced al ong the ri v er s in the p at h o f

“ ”
hi s i nvi nci bl e armi es .
T he wo rd ri ver i s a te rm t hat d enot es arm i es

“ ”
und er s t ro ng l ead ers o r k i ng s T hi s i s shown in .
Isa 8 : 7 : B eho ld t he L ord b ri nget h up upo n t hem

“
.
,
t he wat er s o f t he Ri ver stro ng and m any even , ,
t he k i ng o f As sy ri a and all hi s gl ory The m ean .
i ng i s that all the arm i es t hat O pp o se d him wo ul d

s u ff er t he b itt ernes s o f cr u sh i ng d e f eat s Thi s .
,
al so was f ulfi l l ed wit h ex act nes s

, Gibbo n s ay s : .
Th ey di ctat ed the t erm s of ,
peace, and each cond i t i on w as

an l
i nsu t t o t h e e mpi re t hat a fine o r ran s om o f
ei ght pi eces of g ld
o s ho u ld b e pai d f o r ever y Rom an capt iv e
that es cape d f ro m hi s B b ar ari an m a s t er ; t hat the em peror

"
s hou ld renounce all t reat i es o r en gg a em ent s w i th t h e enem i es
of t he H uns . Al l pri s oners k

ta en b y t he Ro m an s w er e t o b e
l
re ea s ed uncond i t i ona ll y , and at o nce.
” —D ecli ne and Fall
o f the R oman Empi r e; Vol . III p 1 44
., . .
Wormwo o d aptly d escrib es the b it t erness t hat

was ex p eri enced by the s ucces s o rs o f t he Caes ar s
as t hey y i el d ed to t he i ns ult ing d em an d s o f t hi s
c ruel b arbarian T he F ranks t he Ga ul s and the

.
, ,
o t her races t hat co mpo s ed t he wes t ern t hi r d o f t he
em p i re and w hich are d enot ed b t ”

, y t h e er m r i v er s ,
fo und nothi ng b ut t he bi tt ernes s o f wo rmwoo d as

they were vanq ui shed b y the S co urge o f God “
.
Three wi nd s have no w swept

ov er the anci ent empi r e wi t h
d est ruct iv e f ury As the fi st . r
trumpet so und s Al aric the Go th ,
comm ences hi s rav ag es and l eaves b u rned t rees

“
147
TH E REV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
and herb age p ath When the second t rump et

in hi s .
so und s , G enser ic the Vand al v ent s hi s f ury o n the

s eas and the m ar i t im e p ro v i nces When the thi rd
.
trump et so und s Att i l a the Hun f ur ther compl et es

,
t he do w n f all o f Rom e by his b attl es and hi s des t ruc

ti on o f citi es along the ri ver s When the fo urth .
tr ump et so und s thi s p art o f the emp ire a l ready

, ,
weak ened by t hes e dr ead f ul sco urges i s to experi ,
ence the fi nal s hoc k o f doo m Rome so lo ng the

.
,
queen city o f the wo rld emp i re will no longer ,
maint ai n her anci ent d i gni ty and the t errito ry will

,
p as s i nt o t he han d s o f b a rb a r i a n c o n q ue r o r s T hi s .
i s pl ai nly d enot ed by the figur at iv l anguage use d

e
“
in d es crib i ng the d i s so l utio n o f the t hi rd p art o f

“
t he eart h U nd er the fi rs t t rump et t he earth i s

”
.
,
b urned up .Und er the seco nd t rump et t he s ea ,

“
b ecam e b lood . Und er the thi rd t rump et the ,
w at ers o f the riv ers became wo rmwoo d T here ”

.
remains o nly the sk wit h i t brill i ant l i ght s t o b e

y , s ,
dark ened fo r ex tinct ion to b e compl ete

, .
T hi s i s w hat occurs as the fourth angel soun d s

the fo urt h wind b eg ins it s r avages
“
and T he .
thir d p art o f the s un was sm itten and the thi rd ,
p art o f the m oo n and the thi rd p art o f the stars ;

,
t hat the thi rd p art o f them should be dark ened ,
and the d ay s ho uld no t shi ne fo r the t hi r d p art
o f it , and the ni ght i n l i k e m anner We have ”

.
al ready f o und t hat t he i s a symbol d eno t i ng

“ ”
s un ,
the s upr em e r ul er or the s ource o f po liti cal po wer

, .
The s up reme aut ho rity o ve r the ent i re Rom an

Empi re was vest ed in the r ul ers o f the three
d ivis ions into w hi ch it had become sep arat ed at the
1 48
TH E R EV EL ATIO N OF E
J SUS CH RIS T
Ages op ed m ankind The flick er ing candl e

envel .
o f Chri s ti ani ty d i s app eared i n the wilderness and ,
an apo s t at e rel i gi on d evelop ed r apidl y The B ibl e .
was hi d away that it s light shoul d not b e s een i n

the g at heri ng gloo m and l onger d el ay the mani fes ,
“ ” “
t at io n o f the man o f s i n, who was to s it i n the
templ e o f Go d sett ing him self fo rth as Go d ( 2
,
”
Thess O n t he general eff ect o f the b arb ari an

.
r ul e G ibb on rem ark s

,
Not withstandi ng the pru d ence and success of Od oace r,
hi s kingd o m e xhib it ed the s ad pros pect o f mis ery and deso

l at i o n. In th e d ivi si on
dec i ne and
the t rib u l o f the empi re ,
g
t ary harv es t s o f E ypt and A rica were wi thd rawn ; the f '
numb ers o f the i nhab i tant s conti nua y di mi ni shed wi th the ll

means o f s ub si st ence ; and the coun ry was e haus t ed by the t x
l l
i rret ri evab e o s ses o f war am i ne and pes til ence S t Am , f . .
b ro se had d ep o red the ruin o f l a popu l ou s di st ri ct . which had

o nce b een ad orned wi th t h e fl g iti
ouri shi n c es of B l gn
o o a,
M o d ena, Reg i um and P l acent i a. Po p G l iu

e e as s w as ub j
a s t ec
ofOd o acer and he af r fi m s w i th

, s t rong x gg e a erat i on, that in
E mi l i a, Tu scany , and the ad acent j provinces , t he human
sp eci es was a lm o s t ext i rpat ed . T he p eb eians l of Ro me who ,
w ere f ed b y th e hand o f thei r mast er peri shed

, or di s appeared
as so on as hi s i b era i ty was l l suppres s ed ; the d ec i ne l o f art s
reduced the i ndus t ri o u s m echanic t o id l enes s and want ; and
the S enato rs , who mi ht g s uppo rt w i th pat i ence the rui n o f

thei r count r y , b ew ai l ed th ei r l
pri vate oss o f wea h and l ux lt
u ry. O ne- thi r d of th ese l
am p e es tat es , t o whi ch the ru i n o f
It a ly is o ri gin ll ya i m put ed was , ext ort ed fo r the u se o f the
q
con u ero rs . —
D ecli ne a nd Fall o f the Roman Empi r e Vol ,
.
III , p 2 62
. . .
m oo n and the st ars still conti nued t o shi ne

The
d imly a fter the acces sion o f O doacer but in the ,
co urs e o f the event s o f t he next fif ty y ear s t hese ,
150
S EV EN T H S EA L AND T H E F O U R W IND S
too , d to shine B yron d escrib ed thi s p eri od

ceas e .
und er im agery si mil ar t o t hat o f the ap os tl e :

“
S he
her g lo ries st ar by s t ar expi re ( Child e
” “
saw
H arold Canto
,
”
Thus the once gl or io us s un
o f t he Rom an wo rld was sho rn o f o ne t hi rd o f her
-
l ight her f ull o rb ed mo on was v ei l ed and one thi rd

,
-
,
-
of s t ars was ext i ng ui s he d f orever

.
15 1
CHAPTER V III .
THE THREE WO E ANG ELS

Ann ouncem ent
“
And I s aw, and I h ear d an ea gl e,
fl yi ng in mi d heaven , sa yi gn wi th a
g reat vo i ce, Woe , wo e w o e, f o r th em that dw e

, ll on th e earth,
by reas on o f t he of h er vo i ces of t he t rum pet of the three
an gle s, who a re yet t o s ound
”
( Rev 8 : .
HIS t m ark s the end o f the fi rs t

anno uncem en
di vi sion o f the seven t rump et s and the b eg i n “
ning o f the s eco nd T here i s t here fo re a pl ain

.
, ,
l ine o f demark at io n b etween the fi rst f o ur t rump et s

and the t hree whi ch f o ll o w j us t as b et ween the
,
fi rst f o ur seal s and the three which f ol lo w Thi s .
cl ear l y m ark ed d i vi s io n no t ice d i n b o t h t he s eal s
and t he t rum p et s has l ed s o m e t o t hin k t hat t hey
bot h rel at e to the s am e perio d o f t im e and t hat ,
t he s eal s and t he t rum p et s d es cri b e t he sam e event s

unde r d i fferent sym bo l s T he apo s tl e however i s
.
, ,
very care f ul to i nd icat e t hat the event s sy m bo l i ed z
und er t he s even t rum p et s f oll ow chrono l o gically

a f t er the s ev ent h s eal has b een o pene d
“
And when .
he op ened t he s event h s eal ther e f ol l owed a s i l ence

,
i n he aven abo ut the s pace o f hal f an ho u r ( R ev

”
.
It was fo llo wing t hi s s i l ence t hat t he

t rum pet angel s b eg in to so und T hi s sho ws co n .
cl usi V el y that the t rump et s s ymbo l i e the s even z
152
A . Cons t ant i ne as the head o f the s t at e do mi

, ,
mat ed the d eli ber at i ons o f the bi sho p s and t hi s co n ,
di t i on invo lve d the dir e di sast er The

church in .
f o und ing o f Constant inopl e as the sup reme cap ital

o f t he anci ent emp i r e d es tr oy ed i n a meas ure the
ag e— o ld p res tige o f Ro m e as the p o l i ti cal world
cent er. T hi s ve ry f act ho wever ai d ed the apo st asy

, ,
f rom t rue Chri sti anity that had been d ev elop ing .
T he p res t i ge o f the b i shop o f Rom e had b ecome

very g reat by t hi s t im e b ecause o f hi s offi ce i n t he
,
capi t al o f the wo rld The r emoval o f the p ol iti cal

.
capit al t o Co ns t ant inopl e s eemed to l eave t he Ro man
b i sho p f ree to m ak e Rome the rel i gi o us cap i t al o f

t he w orld with hi m sel f i n s up rem e co nt ro l
, W i th .
t he Ep i scopal i d ea al ready well d evel o p ed and w i t h ,
t he pow er f ul ai d o f t he emp eror it w as not l ong ,
unti l the o rgani at io n o f t he church had d evelo p ed

z
al o ng t he l ines o f t he or gani ati on o f the empi re z ,
w i t h t he Ro man b i sho p ass um i ng t he s am e rel ati on

s hip t oward t he chu rch t hat the empero r did t owar d
t he emp i re . The d ecadence o f t he st at e by reaso n ,
o f the d i s as t ers t hat o v erwhel med i t only accel er ,
at ed t he apo s t asy As the st at e was weak ened t he

.
,
i nfl uenc e o f the church i ncrea sed unt i l i n l es s t han ,
two cent uri es a ft er the do wn f all o f Ro me t he ,
church ab so l ut ely do m inat ed t he s t at e .
In 3 7 5 A D Grat i an r enounced the heat hen titl e

. .
,
P ont i f ex M ax i m us which t i tl e was a f t erward

”
of ,
as s um ed by t he p o pes Thi s was at the ti me when

.
t he fi rst t rump et b egan to so und and t he t hrone at ,
Rom e was so uncert ai n that the t i tl e co uld no l onger

b e cl aimed by t he po l it ical rul er In 4 1 6 A D . . .,
154
THE T H REE W O E AN G EL S
Innocent I , bi s hop . p res umed to req ui re

of Ro m e ,
.
all o f t he churches i n the wes t ern di vi s i on o f the
emp i re to co n f orm to t he cus to ms o f the church at
Ro me . He was ai d ed in t hi s by the emp ero r Val en

ti nian III who i ss ued an ed ict in 42 5 req ui ri ng
.
, , ,
t hat al l the bishop s o f the west ern empi reo bey the
bi s hop o f Rom e W i th the acces sion o f barb ari an
.
emp er o rs in 47 6 A D the i nfl uence o f the church

. .
,
was so great t hat t hey ack nowl edge d i t s s up eri ority

o ver the s t at e Duri ng t hi s pe ri o d fo reig n r el igi o us
.
el em ent s w ere i nco rp o rat ed wi t h the al ready d evel o p
i ng apo st as y s o t hat soon the s impl e Chri s t i anity o f

,
the New T es t am ent was compl et ely d i sp l aced by a

co unt er f eit rel i g io us s y st em t he m os t d amnab l e that ,
ever cur s ed hum ani ty .
It was d uri ng thi s p eri o d immedi at ely f oll owing

476 A D th at the anno uncem ent was m ad e that
. .
,
t hree woes wo uld b e vi s ited on t hem that d well on “
the earth D uring t he t im e co vered by the so und ing

”
.
o f t he p reced i ng angel s t he wes t er n di vi si o n o f t he

,
em p i re had b een b urnt up ( Rev 8 : 7 ) t hat i s it

“ ”
.
,
was no lo nger an i nt egral p art o f the empi re It .
was soon bro k en up i nto i nd ep end ent st at es d uri ng

t he cours e o f the b arb ari an rul e alt ho ugh m ai nt ai n ,
i ng for a t im e a mo re or l es s no mi nal r el ati ons hip

wi th the cent ral di vi si on T hes e w oes will t hen a f .
f eet the two rem ai ni ng d ivi sions mo re d i rectly .
W hat was know n as the c ent ral di vision cons ist ed o f

M oesi a Greece Illy ri cum and Rho etia The east ern
, , .
di vi s i on consis ted o f As ia M inor S y ria Arabia and , ,
Egypt T hes e co unt ri es t hen are to f ee l the weight

.
, ,
o f t hes e new cal amit ies .
155
Th e Fi r s t Wo e An d the fi f th an gl e sound ed and I
R ev. 9 : M I
sa w a s t ar f
m heaven a en unt o the
ro f ll
earth : and t he re wa s i ven t o hi m the g
key o f the pi t o f the ab y ss And he o pened th e pit o f the
.
y k
ab s s ; and there w ent up s m o e o ut o f the pi t as the s mo e , k
of a great f
u rnace ; and t he sun and t he ai r w ere d ar ened k
k ”
by rea s o n o f the s m o e o f the pi t ( vs 1 . ,
f al l en
T he
“
t
s ar fi rs t and foremost obj ect
i s the
the vi s i on He had al ready f al l en f ro m heaven
”
of .
,
o r had b e en d ep o s ed f ro m hi s pl ace o f po wer at the ,
so un d i ng o f t he fi f t h ang el B y ri ght s he was a

.
mem b er o f a r ul ing f am i ly b ut through so m e ci rcum

,
s t ance o i f o rt une he had l o s t t hat po s i ti on and when ,
J o hn fi rst s aw him he was on earth ; that i s he ” “

,
b elo nged to t he g reat cl as s o f t he co mmon p eo pl e .
As to who m thi s s t ar rep resent s m us t be d eter

“ ”
m ined by t he im age ry whi ch fo llo ws The p art .
which he p er f o rm s in b ri ngi ng abo ut the cal am ity

that f o l l ows is m erely to op en the pit to the aby ss
“
.
When thi s i s d one hi s wo rk i s ended The aby ss .

“
i s the g reat d ark wo rld t hat i s t he p res ent ho me o f

,
d emo ns and evil sp i rit s It i s in t hi s pit that S at an

.
i s to b e chai ned d uri ng t he t ho u s and y ears o f

Chri s t s rei gn o n eart h ( Rev 2 0 : l The s t ar
’ “ ”
.
,
opens t hi s abo d e o f evi l and evi l o nes and i ts m urky ,
at m o sphere co m es fo rt h and s ettl es l i k e a b l ack p all ,
hi di ng t he f ace o f the s un and d ark eni ng the ai r

”
.
The s un i s the chi e f s o urce o f p ol iti cal p ow er in

”
o ne o f t hes e d i vi s io ns o f t he Ro m an E m p i re The .
sy mb o l s that f o llo w m u s t d et erm ine whi ch o ne The .
ai r i s t he m ed i um by and t hro ug h which t he s un
t ransmits its l ight and po wer to the eart h When .
156
TH E R EV EL AT IO N OF JES U S CHR IS T
chas ti sed yowith w hip s but I w ill ch asti se yo u

u ,
wi th s corp i ons ( 1 K i ngs These lo cust s

” “ ”
hav e the s am e p o wer as sco rp i ons and w i ll i nflict ,
m uch s uff eri ng and m i sery up o n m ank ind Thi s i s .
pl ainly ind icat ed by vers e 6 : And in those d ay s

“
s hall men s eek d eat h and shall in no wi se find it ;

,
and t hey s hall d e s i re to d i e and d eat h fl eet h fr om

,
them . The woe o f t hi s p eri od i s ext rem e i nd ee d .
S o b itt er are the cond i tio ns t hat p rev ail that even
death seems p re fer ab l e to li fe .
The ravag es o f t hes e locusts w er e lim ited

“
,
ho wev er And i t was s ai d unt o them that they

“
sho u ld not hu rt the gr as s o f thé eart h ne i t her any

'
green thi ng neither any tr ee b ut only s uch men as

, ,
hav e not the s eal o f Go d on thei r fo reheads ( v

”
.
The l ocu st i s a d es t roy er o f v eget atio n b ut t h ese ,

“
locus ts w i ll i nfli ct thei r r av ages on men They
”
.
are f urt her lim i t ed i n t heir d es tr ucti venes s

“
And .
it was gi ven t hem that t hey s h ould no t k i ll t hem but ,
that they s hould be to rm ent ed five month s ( v .
These l ocust s wer e not giv en to r uthl es s and

“
who l es al e s l aught er but t hey b r ought ab out almost

,
unb earab l e conditio ns i n soci ety s uch as could be

,
l ik ened to the m is ery p rod uced by a scorpi on s sti ng ’

.
The ap o s t l e cl early i nd icat es t hat t hes e l ocus t s

“ ”
are no t t o b e und ers to o d i n the l i t eral s ens e o f the
term As he p roceed s to d es cr ibe th em we find

.
that t hey are both b esti al and human And the .
s hape s o f t he lo cu s t s wer e l ik e unt o ho r s es p rep ared
fo r war ; and up on thei r head s as i t w er e crowns l ik e

unto g old and t hei r f aces were as m en s f aces And ’
, .
they had hair as the hai r o f wom en and thei r teeth ,
158
T H E T H R EE WOE AN G EL S
were as teethli ons ( vs 7

of Here we find a .
,
p arti al reason fo r the sym bol o f lo cust s They ”

.
travel i n sw arm s o f unto ld numb er s l eavi ng destruc ,
t io n in thei r w ak e T hese l ocust s are great tro op s

.
“ ”
o f horses and m en ar m i es o f caval ry , infl i ct ing

m i sery up on mank i nd The men are p art icul arly de .
scri bed . Their head app ar el i s a y ell ow t urban pre ,
s ent i ng t he app earance o f a cr ow n o f go ld They .
wear t heir h ai r lo ng I t f all s upon thei r should ers

.
as t he hai r o f a w om an Th ei r teeth l ike thos e “ ”

.
,
o f li ons d eno te thei r fero city T hes e cav alrym en

, .
w ear armo r And th ey had b reas tpl at es as it were

.
“
,
b reas tpl at es o f i r on ( v
”
.
All o f the sym b ol s us ed i n thi s d es cr ipt ion p oi nt

uner ri ngly t o the p art i cul ar l ocal i ty f rom whi ch t hi s
scourge i s to app ear The nat ive habi t at o f th e

.
lo cust is Ar abi a W hen the plague o f l ocust s was

.
vi s it ed up on E gypt they cam e upo n a st rong east

wi nd f rom t he S i nai t ic d es ert s and t hey came i n ,
s uch numbe rs that the earth was d ark ene d ( E x 10 .
13 , M O livi er a travel er gi ves t es ti mony as

.
, ,
t o t he ho m e o f t he l oc us t He say s : W i th the “
.
b u rni ng s outh wind s ther e co me fro m t he i nt eri or o f

Arab i a and fro m the so uthern p art s o f P ers i a clo u d s
o f l ocus t s whos e ravages to t he s e count ri es are as
,
gri evo us and nearly as s udd en as tho se o f the heav

i es t h ai l o f Euro p e The scorp ion i s a nati v e o f
.
”
Arab i a and the d es ert s o f S i nai The Arab i ans are .
ho rs em en The t urb an w orn upo n the head i s char

.
acteri st ic o f Ar ab i ans and E as t ern p eo pl es Unl ik e .
o t her s o ld i ers the Arab i an ho rsem en wo re t hei r hai r

,
lo ng In Antar writt en at the very time the

.
“
,
159
p rop het i s sp eak ing o f we find sp eci al ref erence to ,
thi s charact eri stic : He adj usted him sel f p rop erly
“
,
tw irl ed his whi sk er s and folded his hai r under his

,
tur ban d rawi ng i t f ro m 0 1? his s hould ers

”
,
The .
Arab i an ho rs em en wo re arm o r F rom S al e s .

’
we t ak e t hi s sent ence : God hath gi ven

“
Ko ran ,
o u coats of mai l to d e f end yo u i n yo ur wars

y .
The ap os t l e co ul d no t have g iven a cl earer descrip

tion in lit eral t erm s than he has given here o f the
’
M o hamm ed an scourge which was vis ited o n m ank ind .
M oham med was a m em ber o f the mo s t i ll ust ri o us

f am i ly o f a t rib e to w ho m the car e o f the anci ent
t empl e o f M ecca was committ ed At the t im e o f .
hi s b i rt h hi s grandf at her was t he r u l er o f M ecca .
In the co urs e o f nat ur al event s M oham m ed wo uld

s ucceed to the o ffi ce S hortly a f t er hi s b i rt h hi s
.
father d ied and ano ther f am i ly us urp ed the office

o f governo rship and M o hamm e d lo st the pl ace o f
,
p ower and autho ri ty that right f ully b el onged to him .
H e was a f all en s t ar and engaged fo r a t im e in

“
,
”
t he o rd i nary p urs ui t s o f comm erce It w as no t unt i l .
609 A D t hat M ohamm ed decl ared him self t o b e

. .
t he p rop het o f Go d b ut p revio us to t hi s i t had b een

,
hi s cus to m to wit hd raw to the so l i t u d e o f the cave

o f H era o ne m ont h each y ear fo r rel i g io us m ed i t a
, ,
t ion It was then that he began to rel eas e the smo ke

.
o f t he aby s s Gi bbon sp eaki ng o f t he rel i g io us co n

.
,
d it ion o f the t ime say s ,
The Chri st i ans of the s eventh centu r y had i ns ens ib ly

l
re ap s ed i nto a semb anc e o f l pa g ani s m : the i r l
pub i c and pri
vat e vows were add ressed t o the re li cs and ima g es that di s
g raced the t emp l es o f th e East : the throne of t he l g
A mi hty
1 60
ex act f ulfillment o f J ohn s prop hecy whi ch p redi cted ’
that they should not hurt t he grass o f the earth ,
nei her any g reen t hi ng nei t her any t ree b ut o nly

. t , ,
s uch men as have no t the s eal o f Go d i n t hei r fo re

1
head s ( v In r egard to t hei r d eali ng s wit h al l

”
.
ot hers t han th o se above sp ecifi ed as rel ig i o us pe r

“
so ns M ohamm ed command ed
,
” :
And y u wi ll find n th o t f p pl th t b l ng t
a o er s o r o eo e, a e o o
th e s yn g gu f S t n wh h v h v n
a o e o wn ; b
a a u, o a e s a e cro s e s re
t o l th i
c eav e kull nd giv th m n qu t ti ll th y
e r s s, a e e o ar er e
tu n M h m t n ( m p g
”
i th
e er r p y t ibut
o a e a b v
s or a r e sa e a e, a o e
v l um )
o e .
Thus p rop hecy co nt inues to be co me hi story All .
who did not have t he s eal o f Go d in t hei r f ore

hea d s were hurt torm ented Chri sti an
” “ “
The , .
dogs were given thei r opt io n : the K oran the trib

”
,
ut e o r the swo r d The M os l em army capt ured .
D amascus i n 63 4 A D an d b ec am e m as t ers o f . .
,
S y ri a by vanq ui shi ng t he Rom an army at the b attle

o f Y erm o uk i n 6 3 6 A D O ne y ear l at er t hey cap . .
t ure d J erus al em and the abo m i nat io n o f d eso l a

“
,
t io n sp oken o f by the p ro p het Dani el was estab

, ,
li s hed i n the ho ly pl ace .
Rapidly do t hey sweep acro s s Egypt P ersi a and ,
no rt hern A fri ca and i n 7 10 A D t hey ent er S p ain

, . .
and p as s on i nt o Gaul wi t h t he i nt ent i on o f j o ini ng
a s econd M o sl em a rmy t hat had b een exp ect ed t o
conq uer Co ns t ant i no pl e and mo ve acr o s s s outhern
Europ e At the b attl e o f To ur s the hi therto uni

.
vers al s ucces s o f the M os l em s cam e to an end In .
73 2 A D the army o f Charl es M art el adm i ni s t ered

. .
to them a crushi ng d e f eat and thei r hopes o f ente r ,
1 62
THE T H R EE W O E AN G EL S
i ng Rom e v ani shed f orev er In a few y ears they .
were ex p ell ed f rom Europ e and the ancie nt capit a l ,
o f t he em p i re t hat had su ff er ed f ro m t he cal am it i es
und er t he fi rs t fo ur t rump et s was sp are d t he wo es
o f the fi ft h t r um p et Divi s io ns aro se am o ng cal iphs

.
,
and the S aracen emp i re was weake ned In 7 62 A . .
D th ei r cap i t al was es t ab l i shed i n B agd ad and in

.
,
7 82 A D und er the r eign o f Haro un Al Raschid

. .
, ,
the d ream o f a univers al M oham m ed an emp i re was
given up and their to rmenti ng ceased They were “ ”

.
to t orm ent m ank ind fo r five m onths

“ ”
F iv e .
”
mo nths eq ual s one hund red and fifty d ays whi ch de ,
riot e o ne hund re d an d fi f ty y ear s From 6 12 A D . . .

,
t he d at e o f t he as s um ptio n o f the pro p h et i c o ffi ce t o ,
7 62 A D the d ate o f t he es t ab l i shm ent o f the capi

. .
,
t al at B agd ad i s ex actly one hund red and fi fty y ear s

, .
F rom the begi nning o f the S yrian i nvasi on in 63 2

A D to the fi nal end o f t hei r rav ages i n 7 82 A D
. . . .
i s ex actly one hund red and fi f ty y ears Thus hi story .
v eri fi es t he s t at em ent s o f t he s eer o f P at mo s and ,
es t ab l i shes the f act t hat the B i bl e i s th e wo r d o f
Go d . The s ecul ar hi sto ri ans fi nd a prob l em in the

fact o f the ext rao rd inary p ower o f the S aracens
and t he s u dd en cess at i on o f hostiliti es t hat d efi es
thei r sol ut ion Hall am say s : .
Th nq u t
es e c o whi h t ni h t h
es s , l nd up c as o s e care ess a s er
fi i l
c a , l p pl xing t th ndi d inq ui th n th i
ar e es s er e o e ca r er a e r
ces s at i n—th l
o f h lf th R m n Empi r t h n th p
e os s o a e o a e a e res
e rvati on o f the rest

”
.
—M i d dl e Ag es Vol , . II .,
p .
Gi bbo n sa s y
“
Th e ca lm hi st o ri an , who st ri ves to f llo ow t he rapi d
cou rs e o f t he S aracens mu st , s tu d y to e p x l ain by what mean s

1 63
T HE REV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
the church and the state were saved f ro m thi s i mpendi ng ,
and, as i t wo u d l see m i nevi tab

, l e dan g er.
”
The t d ent o f the Ap ocalyp se writt en six hun

s u ,
d red y ears befo re the ev ents occurred fi nds no di f ,
ficulty i n fi nd i ng a s at is f act ory s ol ut ion Altho ugh .
in the y ear 7 3 2 A D t he S aracens held s w ay ove r . .
the g reat est empi re o n eart h ext endi ng fr om I nd ia ,
to the Atl ant ic O cean and from a hum an p oi nt o f ,
vi ew had t he m il i t ary abi lity to sw eep over and
torm ent so uthern Europ e J ehov ah was mighti er than ,
they He had alr eady d escr ibed the l imit s o f t heir

.
co nq uest and t ho ugh the heavens and the eart h

“
,
p ass away the s t at em ent s o f the S cript ur e m ust al l

,
”
b e f ul fill ed Go d s w ord will no t f ail

’
. .
The d om inat i ng spi rit o f the

Th S e nd W eco oe
fi rst wo e was a f all en angel ,
R v 9: 3
e 1 -2 1
.
k now n as Apolly on who em erged ,
f ro m the aby ss a fter i t had been op ened by M oham

m ed ( Rev The s ucceed i ng woe t hat i s
.
vi s it ed up on m anki nd will com e f rom a d i ffe rent
s o ur ce and be d ir ect ed b y a d i ff erent k ind o f i nt el

,
l ig ences
And the s ixth an e gl sound ed, and I heard a voi ce f m

ro
th e ho rns g l d n l t whi h i b f G d
of t he o e a ar c s e o re o , one s ay
i ng t tho ix th ng l th t had th t um p t L
e s a e a e r e , oo s e th e f our
a ng l th t
e s b und t t h g
a are t iv Euph t
o a e rea r er ra es . And the
f u ng l w l
o r a e s d th t h d b n p p
ere d f
o ose , a a ee re are or the hour
a nd d y nd m nth
a a nd y that th y h ul d k i ll
o a ear, e s o the t hi rd
”
part of men ( vs 13.
This l mity i s to occur aft er the S aracen inv a

ca a
s i on fo r t he ap ostl e s ay s : The fi rs t Woe i s p ast

“
,
b ehold t here co m e yet t wo Woes herea ft er ( v

”
, .
1 64
defi nit e num b er of ho rs em en, but ra ther agr eat ho st .
In the fi fty- f ourth chapt er o f t he D ecl ine and

“
Fall o f the Roman Emp ire, Gi bbo n

”
d escri bes t he
na tio n that inhabit ed thi s east ern region At thi s .
tim e a T urk i sh Emp ir e had d evel oped in cent ral

As i a T he uni ty o f t hi s emp i r e e x pi red wi th M al ek
.
S hah F ollo w ing his d eath it was di vid ed int o f our

.
p art s o r dynas t ies : P ers i an and t ho se o f Kerm an , ,
S y ri a and Ro um D uri ng t he l ast p eri o d t hese.
T urk is h p eo pl e had accept ed the Mo hamme d an

r el i gi o n b ut were no t s ub j ect to S aracen ru l e
,
Of .
t he ci rcum s tances o f t he loo s i ng we find t he fo ll o w

i ng record i n hi st o ry
The t wo armi es e xp ect ed the gn l si a [ refe rring to ci vi l

cont ent i o ns "wh , en th e ca l i ph , f g t f ul
or e of th e ma j ty
es t hat
l
s ec ud ed hi m f ro m vu lg ar e es,y i nt erpo s ed hi s venerab e l
m edi at i on .
‘
g th b l d f y u b t h n
Ins t ead o f s hed d in e oo o o r re re ,
y u b th n b th i n d c nt and f i th unit y u f
o r re re o in es e a , e o r o rces
a h ly w
o g in t th G k th n mi f G d nd hi
ar a a s e ree s, e e e es o o a s
p tl Th y l i t n d t hi v i ul t n mb
’
a os es . ; th
e s e d e o s o ce e s a e race
hi s b ll i u ki n m n
re e nd th ol d t th v l i nt S l im n
s s e , a e e es , e a a o a ,
acce pt d th y l t nd d whi h g
e e ro hi m
a nq u t
s a nd ar , c av e co es a
h di t y
ere mm nd f th R m n Empi
ar co af m E um o e o a re, ro r zero
to C n tantin pl and th unkn wn gi n f th W t

o s o e, e o re o s o e es .
Accompani ed by hi s four br others he pas s ed the Euphra tes : ,
k
the Tu r i s h camp was soo n s eated i n the nei hb o rhoo d o f g
g
Kut ai ch in P hry i a ; and hi s flyi ng caval ry aid w as t e the l
count ry as far as the H e espont and t h e ac S ea
”
-D
e ll Bl k .
cl i n e and Fal l of the Roman E mpi r e Vol IV p 7 19 , . ., . .
J ohn s ay s that there were fo ur angel s Hi sto ry .
s ay s there were four di vi si ons o f the T urk is h

Emp i re J ohn s ay s that the f our angel s bo und
.
at the E up hrat es w ere loo s ed ; t hat i s that they ,
1 66
THE TH REE W O E AN G EL S
were no longer river Hi s to ry

con fine d by the .
s ay s t hey pas s ed the Euphr ates J ohn say s that .
they were arm i es o f ho rs em en Hist ory s ay s flyi ng .
cavalry A f urt her q uot at i on will emp has i z e t he

.
accuracy o f t he f ulfillment J ohn say s that the .
numb er o f ho r sem en was t wo m y ri ad s o f myr i ad s .
G ibb on say s
f Tu k i h h d a f nt i
“
Th my i d
e r a s ov p r f s ors e o ers rea ro er o
si x hund d mi l
re f m T u i t E um nd th b l d
es , ro a r s o rz ero , a e oo
o f i x hund d nd thi ty th u nd Ch i t i n w
s re a g t ful
r o sa r s a s as a ra e
s acri fice t o the Arab i an prophet .

”
- Id em, Vol IV . .,
p 707.
.
B e f o re we p as s
ymbo li sm that fo ll ows
to the s ,
att ent i on m us t b e call ed to t he v oice that com m an d ed
t he angel wit h t he t rump et t o lo ose the f o ur angel s
that were b ound The vo i ce cam e f ro m the h orns

.
“
o f t he go ld en alt ar whic h i s b e f o r e Go d ( v .
T his i s the heavenly anti typ e o f the altar o f i ncense

that sto o d b e f o re the ark o f the covenant in the
J ewi sh tab ernacl e fo r it stoo d be fo re God , It “
.
”
w as not the alt ar o f b urnt o ff er i ng for t hat stoo d -

,
in the o ute r co urt The s ignifi cance o f the vo i ce

.
i ss u i ng f rom t he alt ar i s th at it had b een v i ol at ed

o r p ro f aned J eho vah said to Cain The vo i ce °
“
.
o f t hy b ro t her s b l ood cri et h unt o m e f rom t he

’
gro und ( Gen The vo ice cri ed o ut to Go d

.
fo r t he p uni shme nt o f t he m urd erer f rom the s po t

where Ab el s bl oo d had b een shed S ee al so Gen
’
. .
, ,
Is a . Hab .
J as . In t he
service t ment for si ns the ho rns o f the
for a one ,
a lt ar w ere spri nkl ed wit h b l oo d b ut i n t he sp i ri t ual ,
antityp e t hi s had b een negl ect ed The chu rch had .
dri ft ed far from the s impl e o rdi nances and services

1 67
TH E R EV EL A T IO N OF J ES U S CH R I S T
of New T est am ent tim es and had s ubst it ut ed p agan

,
rit es and c eremoni es The vo i ce call s f ro m t he

.
alt ar t here fo r e for j udgm ent up on apo s t at e Chri s

, ,
t i anity fo r t hei r aband onm ent o f Chri s t as the

o nly int erces so r T hey had begun to ask M ary
.
and the s ai nt s t o i nt erced e They had beg un the .
“
Worship o f d emons and the i do l s o f gold and
, ,
o f s il ver and o f b ras s

,
and o f s to ne and o f woo d
, ,
(V . The p urp o se o f t his wo e i s t hat it should

b e a j ud gm ent vi s it ed up on ap ost at e Chri st end om .
It i s s ig ni fi cant t here f o r e t hat the hi st ori an reco r d s

, ,
in one s ent enc e t hat the b l ood o f si x hund red and

“
t hirty thousand Chri st ians was a grat ef ul sacrifi ce

t o the Arab i an p ro p het
”
.
The ho rs es and th ei r ri d ers are part i cul arly

d es cribed The ri d ers w o re b r eastpl at es t hat look ed
.
li ke fire and hy aci nt h and br imsto ne

“
T he col o r .
”
o f the b r eas t pl at es i s r ef erred t o It wo ul d be red .

,
bl ue and y ello w Daubuz say s :. F rom thei r fi rst ?

appearance t he O ttom ans h ave aff ect ed to wear
,
warlike app arel o f s carl et bl ue and y ellow T his ”

.
,
est abl i s hes t he f act t hat the T urk s ar e t he ho r s em en
r ef erred to in th is Wo e The p art icul ar char ac

“
.
”
t eri sti c o f the h o rs es i s t hat fr om t hei r mo ut hs

there app eare d to come fire and sm ok e and b rim “
s to ne by th es e th ree pl ag ues was t he thi rd

” “
and
,
part o f men kill ed ( vs 1 7 T hese were the

”
.
,
d est ruct ive agent s by which the c ent ral div i s ion o f
the Rom an Empi re was to b e o v ert hrow n and they ,
s eem ed to i s s ue fr om the m o uth s o f the hor s es It .
wi ll be noti ced al so t hat t hi s Is t he fir s t t ime t hese

, ,
appear as ag ent s o f d est ruct ion The vrsro n whi ch .
1 68
THE R EV ELA T IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
from the mo uths o f the ho rses that w ere used in

battl e The t ai l s are s uch t hat t hey do not have
“ ”
.
a l i t eral s ens e T hey are l ik e unto serp ent s and “

.
,
have head s ( v ”
W e s p ea .k o f t h e h ea d o f
“
and have no di ffi culty i n unde rs t and ing

”
the ho us e ,
what i s im pl i ed The head i s t he o ne in aut ho rity

“ ”
.
— the l ead er Whi l e ord inarily t he tai l wo uld

.
“ ”
d enot e that whi ch is humbl e and lo wly and the

very opp os it e o f aut ho ri ty y e t am o n g t h e T u r k s , ,
even to t hi s d ay ho rse t ai l i s a sy mbol o f

“ ”
t he ,
-
p ower and autho rity The rel ati ve d ignity and .
i mpo rt ance o f a T urk i sh p as ha are di st inct ively

mark ed by the ens i gn o f one o r mo re t ai l s The .
T urk i sh vi ctori es were then to b e due to the use , ,
of gunpo wd er and to thei r eff ective l ead ership .
Gi bb on s i ngl es o ut Al p Ars l an as the great est “
p r i nce o f hi s ti m e C o mm e n t i n g f
. u r t h e r o n t hi s
s ub j ect he s ay s ,
“
Th m d t u ti v
e sa e t h d b n
es r c v l d t th
e sec re a ee re ea e o e
M l m by wh m i t w mpl y d wi th p i n g y
os e s, o as e o e su er or e er ,
zea l i h nd d p ti m Th g t nn n f M h mm d
,
r c es a es o s . e rea ca o o o a e
h as b n eep t l y
sen t i d
ara e— n i mp t nt nd vi i b l
o ce bj t a or a a s e o ec
i n th hi t y f t h t i m
e s or o F m th l in e th g ll y and
es . ro e es, e a e s
th b i dg
e r th O tt m n
e, t i ll
e y thund d f m l l i d ;
o a ar er e re ro a s es
a nd t h m p nd t h
e ca i ty th G
a k nd th Tu k w
e c , e ree s a e r s, ere
i nv l v d i n
o e l d f m k whi ha c ou ul d
o nl y b
s di p ll d
o e c co o e s e e
i n th fin l d l i v d t u t i n f th R m n Empi
”
e a n e era ce o r es r c o o e o a re
( s am e chapt er as ab ove ) .
O ne ther det ail o f this Turk ish Wo e m ust

o
b e es peci al l y not iced The p rop het g ives t he ti me .
l im it s o f it It i s to conti nue fo r an hour and

.
“
day and mont h and y ear ( v The w o rd t rans

”
‘
.
"
l at ed y ea i s not the one that s igni fi es 3 60 day s
r
”
,
170
THE T H R EE W O E AN G EL S
but , ra ther ,
3 65 d ay s
Then co unti ng a day fo r
.
,
a y ea r we have 3 65 y ears pl us 3 0 y ear s pl us 1

, , ,
y ear pl us a sm all f ract ion o f a y ear or 3 9 6 years

, ,
and a f ract i on H i st o ry co rrespo nd s ex actly by s ay

.
i ng t hat the T urk s went f ort h o n t heir car eer o f

“
w est ern co nq uest J anuary 18 105 7 and Cons tanti

, , ,
no pl e fe ll i nto t hei r han d s M ay 2 9 1 4 5 3 an d t he , ,
l as t o f the Caes ars l ay s b uri ed und er a mo unt ai n o f

s l ai n T hi s i s 3 96 years and 1 3 0 d ay s T ruly not
”
. .
a
“
j o t o r titt l e h a s b
”
ee n u n f u lfill e d .
The l as t ves t ig e o f t hat o nce m agni fi cent empi re

o f t he Caes ars has p as s e d i nto o ther han d s the ,
p r o u d c i ty o f C o n s t an t i n e h a v i n g s uccumbed to
t he T urki s h Woe in 1 4 5 3 A D It m us t be
”
. .
rem emb er e d t hat t hi s Woe d escended upo n t hi s

“
d ivi sio n b ecaus e the go lde n altar had b een vio l at ed

“ ”
,
o r b ecau s e o f apo s t as y Alt ho ugh churches and t em

.
l t d t M d q es fo l lo w
’
p es w er e ur n e i n o o h a mm e a n m o s u
i ng the d own f all o f t he em pi r e t he res t o f t he ,
wo ld did not heed t he j ud gm ent s vi s i t ed up on

r
thi s divi s io n b ut co nti nued in thei r apo stasy V ers es

, .
20 and 2 1 d es cr i b e t he charact er o f t he i do l at ry
and w o s hip p r acti ced at t he t i m e b
r t h e re s t o f
y
mank i nd T he res t o f m ank ind re f er s to
”
. t he
i nhab it ant s o f what was o nce the wes t ern d ivi si on
o f t he e m p i re wi t h Rom e as i t s capit al fo r the
, ,
eas t ern d ivi s i on ha d l ong s i nce f a l l en und er t he

sway o f M o hamm ed an i sm In t hi s w es t ern di vi s i on
.
the P apacy had b een d evelo p i ng fo r abo ut eight

cent ur i es D uri ng t he pe io d o f T urk i s h conq ues t
. r
it reached the enith o f its d evelo p m ent The Po p e

z .
had as s um ed s uperi o r aut ho ri ty to al l eart hly m o n

171
archs . r d and uncro wned ki ngs He

He c owne .
as s ume d t o b e v i car o f Chri st He ex alt ed him s el f .
agai ns t al l t hat i s call ed Go d o r t hat i s wors hipp e d ,
so t hat he s i tt et h i n the t empl e o f Go d s ett i ng him ,
s elf f o rt h as Go d T H p d
”
( 2 hess e r es um e .
to s et as i d e t he t eachi ng o f Chri s t and t he ap o stl es ,
and imp ose d p ag an i d o l at ri es and so rce ri es up o n
t he consci ences o f m en The cal m hi sto ri an will .
confi rm every d et ai l gi ven by the s eer o f P atm os .
“
T he fi rst int ro ducti on of sy m b ol i c wors hip was i n the
venera ti on o f the cr os s a nd i ts r eli cs The s ai nts and mar
.
tyrs , w ho se i nt erces s i o n was i mp l ored , w e re seat ed on the

ri ght Go d ; bu t the raci ous an d o t en supernat u ra
hand of g f l
f avors whi ch i n t he po pu ar b e i e
,
w ere show ered roun d
"
l l f , ,
thei r t o mb convey ed an unqu es t i o nab e s ahcti on o f t he d e

, l
vont pi ri m s lg
who vi s i t ed and t ouch ed 3 nd i ss ed thes e
, , , k ,
lf l
i e ess rem ai ns t he m em o r i a s o f t hei r m eri t and s u ff erin s
,
”
l g .
—D ecli ne and Fa l l of t he R oman Empi r e Vol , . IV .,

p 249.
.
“
In the res t o rati on o f t he mon k s, a t hou s and i m ag es w er e
expos ed t o the pu bl i c vener a ti on ; a thou s and l g
e end s were
i nvent ed of thei r s u ff erin g s and mi rac l es . Th ey
unan i m o u s ly p ro n ounced t hat the wors hi p of i mag es i s ag ree
ab e l to S cri ptu re and reas on, t o t he f athers and counc il s of
the chu rch. I sha ll on ly no t i ce th e j ud g m ent o f the

bi s hops on t he co mpara ti ve meri t o f i m ag e- w ors hi p a nd
m or al i ty . A monk had conc u d ed l a t ruce wi th the d cem o n

of f o rni cat i on, on cond i ti on o f int erru pt i n g hi s d ai ly pra y ers
t o a pi ctu re t hat hun g in hi s ce ll Hi s s cr u pl es p ro m p t ed hi m
‘
.
to con s u lt the ab b o t . Rath er than ab s tai n f ro m ado ri n g

Ch ri st and hi s M o the r i n thei r ho l y im g a es , l
i t w o u d b e b et t er
f or you
’
rep li ed the ca sui s t,
‘
to ent er ev er yb ro th e l and vi s i t
,
ev er y l
pro s t i tu t e i n the p y
ci t
’
( sam e vo um e, .
Deb auchery and vi ce o f t he m o st fl ag rant k i nd s

w ere p ract iced by m any o f thes e so call ed s uccesso rs -
o f P et er and t hei r hand s d ri p wit h t he b l oo d o f

,
172
CHAPTER IX .
THE ANG EL WITH THE O PEN B O O K
H IL E t he M ohamme d an lo cus ts and the

Turki sh my ri ad s o f caval ry had been d evas
tating the eastern and c ent ral d ivi sio ns o f t he
Ro m an Em pi re the P ap acy had s t ead i ly i ns i nuat ed
,
i t s el f i nto all the aff ai rs o f t he wes t ern d i vi s io n and ,
at the ti m e t hat Const ant inopl e was overt h ro wn it
had est ab l i shed i t s elf as s up rem e in pol it i cal as w ell

as S pi r it ual aff airs . The k i ng s o f earth s ubm i tt ed
t o t he aut ho rity o f the bl asp hemo u s mo narch o f
the Ti b er and t hey t rem b l ed at hi s f rown The .
he at hen t i tl e P ont i f ex M axi mu s reno unce d by

”
, ,
the empero r o f Rom e in 3 75 A D was no w

. .
,
as s um ed by the o ccup ant s o f t he P ap al t hro ne .
D uri ng that p eriod j us t p recedi ng t he M i d dl e Ag es ,
when d ark nes s settl ed d ow n over the wo rl d l ik e

an i mp enet rabl e p all ,
it was eas y fo r t he d evelo p
m ent o f an i nst it utio n o f t hi s k ind When p ag ani sm
.
was ov ert hrown by Co nst anti ne and the church and

,
s t at e cam e i nt o cl o se rel at i ons , the o ppo rt unity was

f urni shed for the d evelo p m ent o f ap o st asy When .
Cons t ant ine r em oved the s eat o f go ver nm ent f ro m

Ro me it f urni shed the b as i s fo r the f rau d ulent
cl aim s, a f t er ward m ad e by t he po p es that he had
,
ab d icate d the anci ent cap i t al in thei r f avo r When .
174
T H E AN G EL W IT H T H E O P EN B OO K
Rom e fell into the hands o f the barbari ans the ,
O pp o rt uni ty fo r the compl et e d evel op m ent o f t he
apo s t as y was rip e T hrough the use o f ev ery art

.
and d evi ce t hat co uld be c onj ured up i n the mi n d
o f S at an t o ut i l i z e t he s up er s tit io n o f t he ag e t he ,
P ap acy us u rp ed po lit i cal as well as sp i ri t ual s way

o v er me n In 666 A D the P ap acy was f eared
. . .
and o bey ed t hro ug ho ut the wes t ern d i v i s io n o f t he
em p i re F rom thi s t ime for m o re than eight cen

.
turi es i t s aut ho rity was unq ues t io ned and i n 1 5 1 5 ,
A D when T etz el began the sham el ess s al e o f

. .
,
ind ulgences i t had every charact eri s t ic o f a univers al

,
wo rld mo narchy It r emained there fo re for t hi s

.
, ,
p o w e r t o b e o ver t hro w n b e f o re t he k i ngdo m o f

Chri s t co uld b e es t ab li s hed The t ent h and el event h .
chapt ers wi ll t hen hav e to do wit h event s co nnecte d

, ,
wi t h t he j u dgm ent s and fi nal do wn f all o f the P ap acy

f o l l owing 14 5 3 A D . .
T h e S tr on g Ang el
And I sa w anot her st ron g an gl e
co min g do w n ou t of heaven , arra y ed

wi th a c ou d l ; and the rai nb ow was upon hi s head , and hi s
f ace wa s as t he sun, and hi s f eet a s pi ll ars of fi re ; and he
had i n h i s hand l i tt l b k
a e oo open : and he s et hi s ri ght f oo t
nd hi l f t up
”
u pon the sea, a s e on t he earth ( Rev 10 : 1 .
,
T he gel o f this vi sion i s d ecl ared to be a

an ,
o t her a g el
”
n — that i s he i s not the si xth angel ,
and t he e vent s connect ed w i t h t he wo rk o f t hi s
ang el have no co nnect i on wi t h t he T u rk i sh Woe “ ”
whi ch t hat ang el anno unced We m ust there fo re .
l oo k fo r the f ulfil lm ent o f the im agery o f thi s

vi s i on in anot her cl as s o f event s He s et hi s ri ght “
.
fo ot upo n the s ea and hi s l e f t upon the eart h ,

.
”
175
The ea rt h , or t he Rom an Emp ire ,

is now on ly a
p art o f the scene o f his act ivity : the sea which ,

”
s i gni fi es p eo ple s and nat ions and tri bes and

“
to ngues al so i s to be i ncl ud ed Hi s wo rk is that

,
.
in whi ch the great m ult i t ud es o f m anki nd are

co ncerne d .
The ad ornment o f thi s angel i s s im i l ar in a

d egree t o t hat o f the gl orifi ed Chri st He i s array ed .
“
wit h a clo u d ; and t he rai nbow was up on hi s head .
There was the sign o f d ivi ne p ro mi se q uickeni ng ,
the exp i ri ng hop e o f m anki nd The l ight o f hi s .
f ace w ill l ight en the w orld a fter the lo ng p eri od o f

t he Dark Ages He s et s hi s f eet up o n the
“ ”
.
eart h form ally t aki ng po s ses si on

“ ” ”
and the s ea ,
o f t hem in t he nam e o f heav en f rom w hence he ,
He had in his hand a littl e book Op en

“ ”
cam e . .
It was a di vine book and J ohn not i ced that it was ,
o p en as he d escend ed It s bei ng op en s i gni fie d

”
.
that it co nt ai ned a m es sage for m ank ind The bo o k .
was d el i ghtf ul fo o d for m ank ind T he p rop het to ok .
the boo k f ro m the ang el s hand and at e it up

’
and , ,
f o und it in his mo uth as sweet as honey ( v “

.
Ho wever bitt er nes s fo llo w ed i ts as si m i l at ion

, .
W hen the angel too k po sses

S v n T hund
e e er s
ea rt h
“ ” “ ”
s i o n o f t he and the s ea
by cryi ng wi th a great vo i ce as a l i on ro areth , ,
hi s p rocl am at io n was chall enged S even t hunders

“
.
utt ered t he i r v oices At the fi rs t the p rop het m i s

”
.
t oo k the charact er o f thes e seven thunders “

,
”
r em emb eri ng no d oubt the vo i ce o f t h und er t hat

, ,
accom pani ed t he g iving o f t he di vi ne l aw o n S i nai ,
and al so the i nci d ent in J erusal em when t hey had

'
176
fo r the l tio n o f hi s soul but found no p eace

s a va , .
Find ing a copy o f the S cript ures he was st artl ed ,
to d i s co ver t hat t he m um meri es t hat he had been

eng ag ed i n were no p art o f t he p l an o f s al vat i on ,
b ut t hat thro ugh f ait h i n Chri s t a p enit ent so ul

att ai ns to j us t i fi cati on .
When T etz el vio l at ed ev ery sense o f d ecency in

the nam e o f the P ap acy L ut he r t he el o q uent y oung
, ,
p riest was sti rred and he nail ed hi s ninety five

, ,
-
t heses o n the do or o f the church O ct 3 1 1 5 17 .

, .
O rd inarily an act o f t hi s ki nd wo uld have occas io ned

but littl e no t i ce b ut t he p ub l ic m i nd was in s uch
,
a s t at e that i t ki ndle d a confl ag ratio n that sp read

“
wi th t he rap i d i ty o f l ight ning f ro m W itt enberg to

t he f ro nti ers o f Euro p e Luther him self was ”
.
as t ound ed at t he m ig hty comm o t i on t hat he had
s ti rr ed up and f o und t hat he was at o nce t he l ead er

,
and s po k es man o f t he m o st far reachi ng rel ig io us -
m ov em ent si nce the day o f P ent eco s t The angel .
had cri ed with a great voi ce as a l ion ro areth

“ ”
.
,
It was hear d in the Vat ican In 1 5 2 0 A D L uther.

; . .
,
p ubl ished hi s f amo us t reat i se o n The B abylonian i “
Capti vity o f the Church i n whi ch the P ap acy Is

” :
d eno unced as the k ingdom o f B ab yl on and anti chri st ’

,
and the vo i ce o f t he ang el f all s o n the ears o f

Henry V III who wro te a D e f ense o f the S ev en
.
,
S acram ent s Fo r t hi s he r ecei ved the t itl e o f

.
De f end er o f the Fait h grant ed to him i n O ct ober

“ ”
, ,
1 52 1 A D by P op e Leo X
. .
, In Apr i l o f t hi s s ame
.
y ear Luther was call ed to acco unt be fo re the Diet

,
o f W o rms where he s t artl ed t hat aug u st as sem b ly

,
by re f us ing to s urrend er hi s convi ct ions o r hi s

178
T H E ANG EL W IT H T H E O P EN B OOK
co n sci ence to any p ow er o n eart h A hi sto ri an .
d escribing the i ncident says : Wi th the imp eri shabl e “
‘
wo rds Her e I st and I can no t do o therw i s e ; God
, ,
h elp me Am en he s ound ed the death knell o f

.
,
’
-
eccl esi as ti cal and p olitical tyr anny The angel .
had s et hi s f eet on the earth and t he sea and

“ ”
irr evocabl y d ecla red that b y r i ght they b elo ng to

Ki ng J es us and S hould be wr est ed f ro m the anti
,
chri st ,the us urp er o f Ro m e The g reat restl ess .

,
o f m anki nd was st i r red t o it s r em o t est d ept hs

“ ”
s ea ,
ear th t rembl ed as the p rocl am at ion was

“ ”
and the
ut t er ed .
Ro m e b egan to th und er fo rth her anathem as

agai nst t he p ri est and hi s col ab or ers The fi rst .
ses s i on o f the Co uncil o f Tr ent ( 1 5 4 5 A D ) m ark s . .
the p eri o d o f the anti Re f o rm atio n t hund ers The

-
.
accuracy o f t he pro ph etic r ecord i s f ur t her con

firm ed b y the actio ns O i Luther J ohn say s that .
wh en t he thund ers b egan to utt er t hei r vo i ces he ,
st art ed to writ e t hei r m es s ag e b ut was f orb i dd en ,
b y a vo i ce f rom heaven When Rom e b eg an to .
th unde r against the refo rmers L uther ackn owl edged ,
t hat he still f elt t hat the Pop e was the vi car o f

Chri s t and t hat t hes e b ulls w hich he is s ued had
,
divine authority Here are his w ord s : .
Wh n I b g n th aff i f th indulg n s I wa a
e e a e a r o e e ce s
m nk nd a m t m d P pi t
o a os S int x i t d wa I nd
a a s . o o ca e s , a
d n h d in P p l d gm
re c e th t I w ul d h v b n
a a o lm t
a s. a o a e ee a os
re ady t mu d
o tr i t th
er, o r in mu d ing
o as s s ny p o ers r er , a er
so n wh w ul d hav ut t
o o d a y ll ab l
e g in t th duty f
ere s e a a s e o
”
ob edi ence t o the P ope .
In d efens e of his ac tion in d enounci ng the sa el

1 79
TH E R EV ELATIO N OF JES U S CH R IS T
of i nd ulge nces Luther wro te to the Po p e in thes e

,
wor d s : I wi ll acknowl edg e thy voi ce as the voi ce

“
of Chris t s peaki ng i n thee Thus at the fir st the

”
.
re fo rm ers t hought th at the utt erances o f the P op e
wer e div i ne but wh en in Witt enberg t he B ull was

, , ,
burned L ut her had h eard t he vo i ce fr om heav en

“
, ,
s ayi ng S eal up the th i ng s w hic h t he s ev en t hund er s

,
ut ter ed and wri t e them not He no l onger reco g

”
.
,
ni zed the utt erances o f the P op e as Chri st Sp eaking

“
in him Thus we see that the p rop het him self

.
”
r ep resents the r eform ers in the f ulfillm ent o f his

pr ophecy .
Through the long centuri es d uri ng w hich the "

.
Pap acy had co ntrol o f the consci ences o f men the ,
B ible had been tak en aw ay fro m the p eopl e Here .
and t here in m onas t eri es a few cop i es o f the s acred
reco rd had b een hi dd en aw ay fr om t he l i ght o f

day b ut none sav e the pri est s ev er d are d to s o
,
m uch as touch the B oo k The kno wl edge o f its

.
p recio us truths was absol utely withd rawn f ro m the

hum an race In its stead t he p eopl e w ere fed upo n
.
f abricat ed t raditio ns and my st eri es i nvent ed by t he

p riesthoo d t o ent r amm el the i nt ell ect and conscience
o f m anki nd It has alway s b een ev en to the pr esent
.
,
ti me the p urp ose o f the P ap acy to k eep its d evo t ees

,
i n igno rance o f the t ruth and by t he t hreat o f

, ,
ex co mm unicat i on and conseq uent et ernal d amnat io n ,
t o k eep t hem f ro m read ing any b oo k ex cept s uch

as i s p erm i tt ed by the aut ho rity o f Rom e The .
b urni ng o f P rot es t ant B ibl es by Rom i sh p ri est s has

occu rr ed i n the tw enti et h cent ury No Cathol ic .
can l ead a secul ar b oo k whi ch has b een p l aced upo n
1 80
TH E R EV EL AT IO N OF JES U S CH R IS T
d ecl ared t o his serv ants the prop het s ( vs 5 .
The j udgm ent has al ready s at The p rocl am ati on .
o f the angel i s the anno uncem ent o f the p enalty
d ecid ed upo n and the ex ecut ion o f the p enalty

,
beg ins wi t hout d el ay The co mpl et ion o f t he .
ex ecutio n o f t he p enalty p rono unced agai nst the
P ap acy will end with t he s ound ing o f the s eventh

t rump et The t im e interveni ng b etween the procla
.
m atio n o f the p enalty and t he sound i ng o f the sev enth

t rump et will witnes s the p rogr ess o f the op en “
book and the de at h s t ruggl es o f the P ap al po w er

”
-
as it s eek s to m aint ai n i t s w eak ening g ras p up on
the nati ons and p eo pl es o f t he w o rl d The g reat .

,
s t rong ang el is t he sp i r i t t hat is incarnat e in the

“ ”
hos t o f the s erv ant s o f Chris t who hav e w aged war

agains t t he P ap al po wer .
Dani el d escri bes thi s j udgm ent and confi rm s the

d et ai l s giv en by Jo hn The l ittl e horn spo k en o f .
“ ”
by D ani el re f ers to the P ap acy as wil l b e s een in ,
a l ate r chap t er
I b ehe d t i l ll th rones l
were p aced and one that was anci ent
,
day s di d
"
of si t : hi s rai ment was whi t e as snowi and the
hai r of hi s head i lk e l
pu re wo o ; hi s throne was fi ery fl am es,
and the whee l s thereo f b ur ni ng fire . A fi ery s t rea m i ssu ed

and cam e f ort h f ro f
m b e o re hi m : thou sand s of thou sands
mini st ered unt o him and t en thou sand t im es t en thou s and
,
f j g
s t o o d b e ore h i m : th e ud ment was s et and the b oo s w ere , k
o pened . l
I b ehe d at that ti me b ecause o f the voi ce o f the
g reat wo rd s whi ch t he ho rn s pa k e ; I b ehe d l even ti ll the
b eas t was l
s ai n, and i t s b o dy des t roy ed , and i t was gi v n t e o
b e bu rn ed wi th fire . And as f or the rest o f the b eas t s, thei r

dom i ni on was ta
'
k en awa y: yet thei r l iv es were pro l ng
o ed
”
f or a s ea s on and a time ( Dan 7 : 9 .
1 82
T H E ANG EL W IT H T H E O P EN B OOK
The gel w i th the Op en book that j ohn s aw

an
was the ang el w hi ch cam e f ort h to ex ecut e the

j udgm ent s up on the P ap acy that w ere d et ermi ned
at t his s upr eme t ri b unal whi ch Dani el s aw Dani el .
was p arti cul ar to not e t he t im e o f the event Hi s .
att ent io n was call ed t o it b ecaus e o f the g reat

“
w ord s w hi ch the ho rn sp ak e It was a perio d .

” '
when the P ap acy was m o st arro gant in it s cl aim s

and had reached the z eni t h o f i t s po w e r and co rrup
tio n W i tness the f oll owi ng ex cerpt f ro m the cl aim s

.
o f o ne o f t he pO pes :
All earth i s my di ocese , and I the o rdi nar y o f all men ,
havi n g aut ho ri t y of Ki n g of k i ng s upon s ub ect s . j I am al l

in all and ab ove al l , s o God Hi mse and I t he Vi car that lf , ,
o f G o d b o th have one consi s t o ry and I am ab e t o d o a m ost

, , l l
all t hat Go d can do In al l thi n s that I i s t my wi i s t o
. g l , ll
st and fo r reas on f o r I am ab e by t he l aw t o di s pens e wi th
, l
the l aw, and o f w ron gt o ma k jue s t i ce in co r rect i n gl aw s and
chan gi ng th m
e . Wheref ore ,
i f thos e thin g s that I d o b e s aid
not t o b e d one of man but , of Go d what , can you ma ke me

bu t G od ? Agai n i f , pre l at es of th e Chu rch b e ca ll ed and
co unt ed by C onstant i ne fo r G o ds , I, then , b ein g ab ove all
pre l at es, s eem by thi s reas on to b e a b ove a l l Go d s . Where

f ore, no l
marve i f i t b e i n my pow er to chan g e ti m e and
l
t i m es , t o a t er and ab ro at e g l aws , t o d i spens e wi th al l thi ng s ,
”
yea, wi th the pr ecepts o f Chris t .
These tr uly are great wo rd s

, They came
,
fo rth f rom a po p e o f Rome They are t he i dent i cal .
cl aim s m ad e by the bl asp hem o u s horn o f D ani el ,
also o f t he man o f s in d es crib ed in the s econd

“ ”
chapt er o f 2 T hes s al onians T hese boas ti ngs o f the .
p op es were uttere d in the p erio d between 14 5 3 A D '
. .
and 1 5 1 8 A D wh en Luther chall eng ed the cri m es

. .
,
183
of Tetz el This is then the p eriod in w hi ch the

.
, ,
t r i bunal o f Go d i s s itt ing Dani el f urt her not ices .
the tim e that shal l el ap se f ro m th e dat e o f the

j udgm ent until the p enalty shall be compl etely
ex ecut ed He say s that their l ives wer e p ro longed
“
.
fo r a s eason and a t im e A t im e i s a t erm t hat

“ ”
.
s i gni fie s a p ro p heti c y ear “

In Dan we . .
find th e p rop het s ay i ng : He s hall com e at the end

“
o f t im es even o f y ears
,
In the t welfth chapt er
.
o f Revel at io n we fi nd that tim e and ti mes and “

,
hal f a ti me are eq ual t o d ay s o r three y ear s

”
,
and a ha lf ( vs 6 A p ro p heti c y ear s igni fi es

.
,
a p eri o d o f 3 60 y ears A s easo n t i s the fo urth

’
.
p art o f a y ear which would s igni fy ninety years

,
.
Thi s add ed to 3 60 y ears w ould mak e a to tal o f 4 5 0

y ears Co unting f rom som e y ear between 14 5 3
.
A D and 1 5 18 A D a p eri od o f 4 50 y ears will

. . . .
,
run unt i l the l i ttl e horn o f Dani el

” “
t he m an o f ,
o f P aul and the P ap acy o f hi s to ry w ill be

”
s in ,
d est ro y ed and its body b e burned with fire T he “

.
”
work o f t he s trong angel i s to carry the sent ence

”
into ex ecuti on The l at est d at e fo r the compl etio n

.
o f hi s w o rk w o uld b e 1968 19 72 A D Hence -

. .
,
there are those now l iv ing who shal l witness that

glo rio us day that the enemy o f manki nd and o f
hum an happ ines s s hall ce as e to ex i s t fo rever The .
P ap acy has b een the blight ing curs e o f t he nati ons

ever s ince i t s ri se It has p oi so ned the w ell sp rings
.
o f rel i gio n and m ad e s l aves o f the s o ul s o f m en .
It s b l ighti ng i nfl uence i s f elt i n ev ery avenue o f li f e .
Rul ers l awm aker s and men in pl aces o f p ower

, , ,
are too o ft en it s s ub s erv i ent too l s .
1 84
TH E R EV EL AT IO N OF J ES US CH RIS T
pr ea cher s sp read ing the ev angelical go sp el o f the

littl e b ook to the utterm ost p arts o f the earth
”
.
The r easo n why i t is s aid t hat he s ho uld pr op hes y

ag ain was bec aus e for t wel ve cent urie s the B ibl e
“ ”
had b een w i thdr aw n fr om the p eo pl e and t hey w ere

i n igno r ance o f it s t eachi ng Duri ng the fir st t hree
.
c entur ies the p rim itiv e pr eachers had procl aim ed the
gosp el with co mp arat iv e fid el ity Duri ng the tim e
.
o f the d evel opm ent and es t abli s hm ent o f t he ap o s t asy
i t had been s up ers ed ed b y count erf eit oracl es o f the

Pap acy but as the Reform ati on d evel op ed and men
,
w ere fr eed fro m the entr amm el ing sup ersti tio ns o f
Rome i t w ould again be procl aim ed i n th e simplicity
, d
o f the f o rm er tim es . The tim e l imit o f this c hapt er

is i ndi cated by the spr ead o f the gosp el amo ng the
nat ions , or ab out the b egi nning o f the ni neteenth
century .
1 86
CHAPTER X .
TEM PLE M EASURED
HE t im e
limit o f the l ast chapt er giv es the d ate
fo r the b egi nning o f the ev ent s sym bo l i z ed in
the p res ent ch apt er or ab o ut the b egi nni ng o f t he
,
ni net eenth century The p erio d d escr i bed in the

.
el event h chap t er will em brace all o f the ev ents

betw een t hat d ate and the so undi ng o f the sev enth
angel and the d aw ni ng o f Z io n s gl ad m orni ng
’
as ,
r ecord ed in v erses 1 5 and 1 8 i ncl usive The fi rst , .
ev ent o f t hi s p eri od is the m eas urem ent o f the

templ e
“
And th w gi v n m a d l ik unt
ere as e d : nd n
e ree e o a ro a o e
sa id Ri
, and m
s e, u th t mpl
eas f G d nd th al t
re e e nd e o o ,
a e ar, a
them that wo rshi p therei n . And the court which i s wi thout

the t emp e l l eave wi thout , and measu re i t not ; f o r i t hath
b een giv en unto the nati ons : and t he ho ly ci t y sha ll the y

t read und er f oot f ty
or and two months ( Rev .
Th R ed
e e
t d ar d o f m eas ure i s
The s an
reed l ike unt o a ro d

”
a A ro d .
i s an i ns tr um ent o f correct io n and p uni shm ent and ,
as s uch it i s us ed in the S cript ur e as t h e s y m bo l
o f divi ne autho rity and p ow er T hi s ro d co mes .
fo rth f ro m the m out h o f Christ And he shall .
s m i t e t he earth wi t h the ro d o f his m o ut h

”
( Isa .
It wo uld rep res ent the wo r d s or t eaching

187
THE R EV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
of Chr i st This i s co nfirm ed by m any statem ent s

.
o f the New T est am ent wh er e t he t eachi ng o f Chri s t
i s indi cat ed as the o nly s t and ard o f m eas ur ement .
In Matt 7 : 2 4 2 7 the wo rd s o f Chris t are m ade

“ ”
-
.
t he abs o l ut e st and ard by which the r es ults are

d etermined Heari ng and do i ng the w ord s o f
.
“
Chri s t settl es t he f act o f a man b ei ng wi s e wh i l e ,
hearing and do ing not s ettles the f ac t o f a man

b ei ng f ool i sh In cl ear unm ist ak abl e l angu ag e J es us
.
,
d ecl ar es that his w ord i s to be the stand ard By

w hi ch the j udgm ent i s to b e d et ermi ned He that
“
.
rej ectet h me and r eceiv et h no t m y s ay i ngs

, h ath ,
one t hat j udg eth him : the w ord t ha t I sp ak e the ,
s am e s hall j udge him in the l ast da y ( J o h n 1 2

This is st ill f urt her co nfi rm ed by the f act that
the r eed was g iv en i nto the ha nd s o f an apo stl e .
In the not abl e pr ay er o f J es us as r ec ord ed i n the

sev ent eent h chapt er o f J oh n he m ak es t hi s stat e ,
m ent : I have giv en th em thy w ord ( v

“
The
”
.
apo st l es are t he cust o di ans o f Chri st s wo rd

’
and , ,
th er efor e the New T estam ent is the r eed or

, ,
s t and ard o f m eas urem ent receiv ed by Jo h n i n the

,
vis ion t o d et erm i ne the divi ne pr opo rt io ns .
The m ea s uri ng t ak es pl ac e
Thi ng M
s ur d
eas e
abo ut the b eginning o f the ni ne
t eenth c ent ury and i t w i ll d et er m i ne w het her t he
,
“
templ e o f God and the altar and th em that, ,
worsh ip t herei n con fo rm to the New T est am ent

”
st and ard The t empl e o f God is the fir st obj ect

”
.
to be m eas ured Thi s has no r e f er enc e t o a t empl e

.
b uilt by human h and s be caus e the t empl e at J eru

,
s ale m had b een d estro y ed wi th t he overt hro w o f

’
1 88
are m old ing and shap i ng their liv es acco rd ing to

hum an id eal s or t hos e o f the P ap acy
,
Thes e are . .
l ef t o ut for it i s app arent witho ut meas urem ent

, , ,
that they do not confo rm to the divi ne st and ard A .
not e o f t i m e i s al so g iv en i n connecti on w i th t he
m eas ur em ent by the st atem ent : And the holy city “
s hall t hey tr ead und er foot f orty and two m onths

”
( v
. F o rty an d t wo m ont hs o f t hi rty d ay s each
w ould eq ual d ays w hich repr esent
,
y ears Duri ng this p erio d the nat ions t r ead down

.
the ho ly city In the tw enty first chapt er we find

“
-
.
the h oly ci ty d escri bed as the new J erusal em and

as the t ab ernacl e o f Go d In thi s case then i t
. _
, ,
I
re f ers to t he v i sibl e churc h Duri ng the l ong p eri od

.
of y ears it had b een trampl ed und er the fo ot

o f t he natio ns und er the co ntr ol o f the Pap acy .
Duri ng t hi s p erio d the church o f Ch ri st did not

m ani f est any s igns o f exi s tenc e and was seemi ngly ,
co nq uer ed and d evast at ed The P ap al p ow er ex ert ed

.
,
t hro ugh the po l iti cal governm ents effectuall y con ,
tr oll ed religious conditio ns unt il the Re format io n ,
vi siti ng w it h a m urde ro us p er s ecut io n any att empt
to wo rship Go d acco rd ing to the t eachi ng o f Chri st .
At the ti me o f the ev ents sym bo liz ed at the be gi n

ni ng o f t he el ev ent h chapt er Rom e was lo s ing her
,
p ower and her p ersec utio ns w er e no longer abl e

.
t o p revent the r i se o f a v i si bl e church Thes e .
d et ail s are f ulfill ed i n the hi story o f the p eri od

b eg inni ng in the l att er p art o f the ei g ht eent h and
t he b eg inni ng o f t he ni net ee nt h c ent uri es At t hat .
tim e the tr ue church was due to m ani f est si gns o f

awak eni ng .
1 90
T EM P L E M EAS U RED
Dur i ng the
l att er h alf o f the
Th R t o at i o n
e es r
eight eent h cent ury a gr eat w av e
o f i nfid elity sw ept o v er t he wo rld due in a l arge

,
m easure to the cond ition o f the vi si bl e church o f

Ch ri st The church was divid ed i nto w arri ng S ect s
. I .
Cr eed s had d est r oy ed the unity o f the church The .
Pr ot est ant cl ergy was alm ost as ar rogant as the

p ri esthoo d o f Rom e T hey l ord ed it o v er t he pew
.
and pr es um ed to shut the do o r o f the ki ngd o m o f
h eaven against al l who wo uld no t accept so m e nar

ro w ,s ect ari an d ogm as The sect s wer e j eal ous o f
.
each o t her and w ere d ev o uri ng each ot her P ro .
f es sed fo ll ower s o f Chri st w ere di ss ip ati ng their

energi es in d e f endi ng creed s The p ro g ress o f the
.
church was at a s t and s t i ll M en o f i nt ell i gence who

.
had es cap ed the shackl es o f the P ap acy re f us ed to

b e ensl av ed b y the creed mak ers o f P ro t est ant i sm
-
,
and
“
there rem ained only i nfidelity for them to

em b race At ab out the s am e t im e godly men in
.
d iff erent p art s o f the wo rld and m emb ers o f d iff e r

ent r el i g io u s bo di es b ut wit h a com mo n i mp ul se
, ,
beg an to invest ig at e the rel i g io us s it uat io n to di s

co v er a r em edy fo r t he d eplo rab l e co ndit i ons .
Am ong the M etho d i st s J am es O K elly led a ’
m ovement against the p revail ing Epi scop al fo rm o f

g overnm ent The Epi sco p al d evot ees w e
. re so s trong
that O Kelly and hi s fo ll owers were comp ell ed t o

’
wit hd raw and on Chri stm as D ay 1 79 3 at M anaki n

, , ,
To wn No rth Caro l ina a co ng reg ation was estab

. ,
l i s hed wit h the New T es t am ent as it s only di scipli ne .
The church was m eas ur ed by the New T est am ent

reed They call ed th em selves Chri sti ans
“ ” “ ”
. The .
191
THE REV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
si gnificant f eat ur e o f thi s movem ent o f O Kelly is ’
the da t e up on which the s ta ndard s w ere appli ed .
In 5 3 3 A D J ust i ni an Roma n emp ero r i ss ue d a

. ., ,
d ecree constit uti ng the bisho p o f Rom e Head o f

al l the Ho ly Churc hes and o f al l t he Holy Pri es t s ,
o f Go d T his m ark ed a lo ng step i n adv ance in

.
‘
the est abli shm ent o f t he P ap acy and t he treadi ng

do wn the church o f Chri st or the ho ly city ,
“
.
Ex actly for ty two p rop het ic mo nt hs or -

y ears , ,
el ap s ed unt i l 1 79 3 A D w hen the reed was used “ ”

. .
,
to m eas ur e the church .
O Kel ly was not alo ne in the m ovem ent to con

’
form the church to New T est am ent stand ard s Dr . .
Ab ner J o nes o f the B aptists est abl i sh ed co ngr e

, ,
g a t i ons at Ly n d on V e rm o nt an d B radfo rd
, and ,
Pi erpo int New Hamp shir e in 1 800 1 803 A D

, ,
-
. .
Th ey wo uld w ear no nam e b ut Chris ti an and hav e

no r ul e o f f ait h b ut t he B ib l e B art on W S t one . .
,
o f the P res byt eri ans est ab li shed m any cong regat io ns
,
in K ent ucky as early as 1804 us ing the New T est a ,
m ent as the only r ul e o f guid ance for thei r f aith .
In 1 807 T ho m as Campb ell cam e to Am eri ca and ,
hi s so n Alex and er Camp b ell

, fo ll ow ed in 1 809 ,
.
Thi s was the year in whi ch that not ab l e rel igi ous
d ocum ent The Decl arati on and Add ress was
,
“
,
”
i s sued Amo ng the p ri ncipl es that w ere s et f o rth

.
i n thi s ep och m aki ng do cum ent the chi ef one may

-
b e st ate d as fo ll ows
Re j ect i n g human opi ni ons and t he i nventi on s o f men as
o f auth o ri t y , o r as havi n g any p l ace i n th e chu rch o f God ,
we mi ht g f orever ceas e f ro m f u th r er cont ent i ons ab out such
thi ng s ; returni n g t o and h o l ding f ast b y the o ri g in la stand
192
p t l ic church Thus this mighty Restorat ion

a os o .
movem ent hol ding alo ft the New Testament as its

,
o nl y r ul e o f f ait h rel igio us pr act ice and Chri stian

,
li vi ng f ulfill s even the m inutest d etai l s o f the meas

,
urem ent o f t he temple o f God and the alt ar and

“
, ,
them t hat wo rship t h erei n .
Th T w Wi t
e o A nd I wi ll gi v u nt my t w w i t e o o
n nd th y h ll p ph y th u
es s es , a e s a ro es a o
n es s es
s and t wo hund red and t hreesco re d a s , y
l
c ot h e d in l
sack c oth. These are t he t wo o l iv
e t rees and the
t wo cand es ti c l k s, s tandi n g be f o re the L
ord of the ea rth
”
( Rev .
D uring t he s ame p eri od o f p rop hetic d ay s ,
or y ears Chris t s two witne ss es p rop hesy

,
’
clot hed in s ack cl o th S ack clo t h i s the garb o f

“ ”
.
affli ct i on and t es tifi es t o the mi s t reat m ent o f t he

,
two wit nesses and t hei r d eso l at io n d uring t hat

p eri o d T hey are al so sym bol i ed as two ol ive
. z
“
trees and as t wo c andl est icks As wit nes s es t hey

” “ ”
.
are to t est i fy as oli ve t r ees t hey s upply o i l fo r l i ght

,
-
and heat and as candl es t ick s t hey give light

,
The .
S c ript ures ex pl ai n th es e t erm s so that t here wi ll be

no d i ffi culty i n und ers t andi ng t hei r m eani ng b ecause ,
there are three di ff erent and i nd epe nd ent symbo ls

m eaning the sam e thing .
As w i t nes ses they p rop hesy In the S cript ural

“
.
s ense a p ro p het i s o ne who spe aks fo r ano t her as

, ,
in Ex 16 : And t ho u s halt sp eak unto him

“
.
,
and put wo rd s i n hi s m out h And he shall be

t hy sp ok esm an unt o t he p eopl e Here Aaro n is .
c all ed the s po k esm an o f M oses In Ex we

‘
. .
find t hat he i s call ed the pro p het o f M o s es : S ee I

'
,
1 94
T EM P L E M EA S U RED
have m ad e th ee as God to P haraoh ; and Aaron thy

brot her s h all be t hy p rop het M oses was to stand
.
in the s am e rel at i on to P har aoh t hat Go d d oes to

t he w o rld .M o s es gave the mes s age to Aaron and
he i n t urn d ecl ared it unto P harao h Aaron was .
the mo ut hp i ece o r p roph et o f M o ses T hese two .
witnesses are t here f o re two i nd epend ent ag encies by

which t he w i ll o f God i s m ad e k nown t o men A .
m oment s refl ect ion w i ll convi nce any one that the
’
only m eans by w hi ch we m ay k now Go d s w i ll is

’
thro ugh the O l d and the New T estaments The .
co mb i ned v oice o f the w ri t er s o f t he O l d T es t am ent
co ns t i t ut es t he fi rs t wit ness T he co mb i ned v oice

.
o f t he ap o s tle s cons tit ut es t he s ec ond wit nes s The .
w riter o f the Hebrew l etter makes thi s very clear

God having o f o l d ti me sp ok en unto t he f at her s
“
.
,
in the pr op het s by d ivers po rtio ns and i n d ivers

m anners hat h at the end o f th ese d ay s spo k en unto
,
( Heb
”
us in hi s So n . Here the t wo wit
ness es are pl ainly d escribed In the o ld ti me Go d .
“ ”
us ed the p rop het s as hi s s p ok esme n to decl are hi s
will to the f ath ers but ther e came an end o f t hese

,
“
d ay s and he uses a di ff erent mo uthpi ece He

”
.
spe aks now in hi s S on and the t eachi ng o f Chri s t

“ ”
,
can b e k now n to us only t hro ug h what t he ap os tl es
have reco rd ed in the New T est am ent Pet er con .
firm ed t his when he sai d : For no p ro phecy ev er “
cam e by t he w i ll o f m an ; b ut men sp ak e f ro m Go d ,
b eing m oved by the Holy S pi rit ( 2 P et ”

.
T hei r character as my wit nesses d em and s that

“ ”
they b ear t estim ony to the one that was sp eaki ng .
O f t he O l d T est am ent J es us s aid : Ye s earch t he

1 95
THE REV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
s criptur es b eca us e ye think tha t in th em ye hav e

,
et ern al lif e ; and th es e are t h ey which b ear witn es s
o f me
”
( J o hn S pe aking t o t h e apos t l e s
who se t es t im ony is found in the New T est am ent ,
J esus s aid : And ye s hall be m y wit ness es bo th in

“
J er us al em and in all J udaea and S amari a and unto

, ,
the ut t ermo s t par t of the earth t I f in

”
( A c s
th eir char act er as olive t rees and as c andl es t icks

“ ” “ ”
they d eno te the s am e thi ng th en th er e can be no

,
q uest i on as to what thes e may be for we hav e thr ee

,
wit nesses t est i fyi ng to the sam e thi ng S p eaking .
abo ut spiri t ual Israel und er the fi gur e o f a h ou se ,
J er emiah s ays : J eh ovah call ed t hy n am e A gr een

“
,
oliv e t r ee f air with goodly frui t ( Jer ”

, .
In Ro m . spiri t u al Isr ael o f the o l d di spen

s ati on is likened to a goo d o liv e t r ee and Spiri t ual
-
,
Isr ael o f the new disp ens at io n to a wild o live t ree -

.
B ut as t h ey are sp ok esm en t h ey can sp eak only

, ,
through the O ld and New Tes t am ent s In the .
fourt h ch apt er o f Z ech ariah we h av e a vi si on o f

two o liv e t r ees supplying o il to a candl estick with
-
s even l amps The angel expl ai ns thes e o liv e t rees

.
-
t he two ano i nt ed ones t ha t s t and by the Lord

“
as ,
o f the wh ol e earth v c dl sti k wi t

”
( . T h e a n e c h
the sev en l amps had o nly a local r ef er enc e a t t h at
tim e to the t empl e t hat was b ei ng b uilt by Z eruh
b ab el but in the New T estam ent i t has a larger
,
appli cati on Th ere i t d enot es the univ ers al ch urch

. .
The ligh t which the ch urch r adi at es i s its m essage ,
whi ch i t rec eiv es only thr ough the O l d and New

T estam ent s These f ur ni sh the conti nuo u s s upply
.
o f divi ne kno wl edge which the ch urch she d s abroad .
1 96
have p redicte d that the w aters w o uld beco m e as

bl oo d a perio d o f civ il war began j ust as i f the
, ,
pr op het s them selves co nt ro ll ed the t im es and event s

and had b ro ug ht th em to p ass by t hei r o wn wo r d .
Whenever t hes e p ro p het s fo reto ld that a pl ague

s ho uld occur it was vi sited seem ingly at thei r
, ,
co mm and .
Duri ng the p er io d that t he P ap acy was d eso l ati ng

the ho ly ci ty these two witnes s es were app arel ed
,
i n s ackcl ot h That was the peri o d o f mo urning

”
.
and affl i ct i on for t hem T he O l d and t he New

.
T es tament s we re bani shed f rom the wo rld Whil e .
no t d est roy ed t he p all o f heat hen i gno rance and

“
s up er s t i t ion v ei l ed t hei r fa ces As t hey t estifi ed

.
,
no o ne heed ed t hei r t esti mony Thi s s ackcl oth “ ”

.
p erio d ext end ed f rom 5 3 3 A D to 1793 A D At . . . .
thi s time the s ack clo th was r emoved T hey b egan

“ ”
.
to p rop hes y t o m ank i nd wit ho ut the i nt ervent io n o f

the P ap acy p resbyte ri es o r sy no d s and m en b egan
, ,
to i nv es t i gat e t he B i b l e fo r t hem sel ves and apply

i t s t eaching accor d ing to t he d i ct at es o f cons ci ence .
The B i b l e sho ne fo rt h wi th a l us t er undi mm ed by

a m a e o f hum an spe cul at i ons and t rad i t io ns
z Mis .
’
s io nari es b eg an to carry the go sp el l ight to the

nati ons T hi s was the s ignal for war The b east “
. .
that com eth up o ut o f the aby s s l eadi ng the co m ,

”
bi ned hos t s o f evi l at once engages i n a m i ghty

,
w arfare agai nst the B ible Thi s beast i s ref erred

.
“ ”
to ag ai n i n Rev .and d eno t es a p has e o f t he
P ap al po wer The P ap acy has al way s been the

.
enemy o f t he o p en B i b l e and i n 1 79 3 A D it
'
. .
,
ralli es the hos ts o f infid el ity to its aid The fir st .
1 98
T EM P L E M EAS U R ED
co m bat si gnal izi ng the b egin ning o f the war occurred

in F rance in the above nam ed y ear -
The nati onal.
as s embly o f Fr anc e abro gat ed t he w o rs hip o f Go d

’
and by d ecr ee e s t abl i shed t he wo rship o f Reas on .
Churc hes w ere t urned i nto t empl es fo r t he promul

g at io n o f at hei s m and i nfid el i ty T he w ar b e
.t we en
beas t and the two witnesse s i s s t ill b eing

“ ” ”
the
w aged At the p resent t ime a hos t o f the enemy
.
have i ns inuat ed them s el ves i nto the church und er

the g uis e o f d e f end ers o f the f ait h f rom w hich ,
vant ag e p o int t hey s eek to d es t roy bo t h t he O l d and

‘
-
New T es t am ent s B oasti ng o f t hei r scho l ars hip

. ,
they und erm i ne the f aith o f the co m mo n p eo pl e in

the d ivi ne charact er o f the wit ness es Any ex am i na.
t io n o f the Bo oks o f Dani el and Revel at ion i s

j eered at by these so call ed schol ars as being the
-
“
evi d enc e o f a di so rd er ed m i nd Acco rd ing to t hese

.
s elf app oi nt ed c u sto d i ans o f al l B i bl i cal u nd ers t and

-
i ng Dani el and Jo hn were no t p rop het s at al l but

, ,
w rot e fi ct io n o r o f p ast event s as i f t hey w ere st ill

,
in the f ut ure T hus at the p resent t im e the infl u

.
, ,
ence o f t hes e t wo g reat apo caly pt i c p rop het s has
been al m o s t d es t ro y ed by the ins i di o us att ack s o f

thei r j eeri ng sco ffing enem ies Few mini sters ever
, .
speak upo n p rop het ic t hem es eit her th ro ug h i g no

,
ra nce o r f ear t hat t hey m i ght be t ho u ght

“
unschol
arly
”
.
To the Chri sti an the s add es t event pred ict ed in

the B ook o f Revel at i on i s that whi ch i s m enti oned
in t hi s connecti o n The b east t hat co m et h up o ut
“
.
o f the ab y s s s hall o v er come and k i l l

”
t he two w i t
The t ho ught o f the B ib l e bei ng o ver come
“ ”
ness es .
1 99
TH E REV ELAT IO N OF JES U S CH RIS T
and kill ed is no t a pl easant one for a fai thful

foll ow er o f Chris t to cont empl at e yet i t m ust be so , .
Ev ery d et ail o f ev ery visi on o f the prop het has been

thus far f ulfille d to the mi nutest p ar tic ul ar This . ,
al so , s hall sur ely co m e to p as s Th er e was a pre

.
liminary f ulfillm ent o f this prop hecy in the banish

m ent o f r el i gion and the establ i shm ent o f the
wo r ship o f Reas on in 1793 Af ter a r eign o f terror
.
d uri ng wh ich Fr ance was d eluged in blood she ,
cam e to her s en ses and the d ecr ee o f the ass embl y

,
was r ep eal ed and the B i bl e was r es ur rec t ed Th at .

,
howev er was only o f loc al eff ec t The compl ete

‘
, .
f ulfillm ent o f this prop hecy m ust be fo u nd in an ‘
‘“
ev ent w hos e eff ec t is w o rld wid e fo r from am ong
-
,
the p eo pl es and t rib es and t ong ues and na t io ns do

men l ook upon th eir d ead bodi es thr ee day s and a
half ( v .
Duri ng a pe ri od o f thr ee and a half proph et ic

d ay s o r three and one h al f y ears the O ld and New
,
-
,
Testam ent s will be o v ercom e

“ ”
Am ong all the
.
nati o ns o f the w orld the t eachi ng precep t s and ,
w arni ngs o f the B ibl e will be entir ely disr egard ed .
Men will giv e th em selv es to war and bloo ds hed .
M urd er ro bb ery and oppression will prevail Un

, .
sp eak abl e wro ngs will be p erp et r at ed everyw here

witho ut scr upl e J ust as s oo n as the confl ag ration
.
that b ur st forth in Europ e in 19 14 A D spr ead s . .
to all t he nati ons as i t sur ely will t h en the B ibl e

, ,
will be k ill ed in the sense spoken o f her e The

“ ”
.
B i bl e i s kill ed in the gr eat er p art o f Euro p e now

“
.
They hav e the gentl e teachi ngs o f the Princ e o f

,
p eace but these are d i sregarded Non e o f the

, .
2 00
d eno t es the f act that a t that t im e a mighty revi val

o f Chri s t iani ty i s t aki ng pl ace as m en recogni z e t he
’
a ut ho rity o f t he t wo p rop hets T hi s reviv al has .
s carcely b eg un until a gr eat earthq uake occurs

“ ”
,
and t he to tt eri ng f ab ri c Of wo rld go ver nment begi ns
to be d i si nt eg rat ed The P ap al po w er und er t he

. ,
figur e o f a city receiv es a s taggeri ng blow as

“
,
di sas ter sw eeps a tenth p art to d es truct ion O nly .
o ne m or e Woe i s neces sary to d est roy thi s ag e o l d

“
-
po lit ical p ower that had been m asq uerad ing in the
garb o f r eligi on fo r y ear s .
The fi nal di s ast er fo r the

Th S v nth
e e e
P ap acy will come q uickly ( v
“ ”
-
.
Ang l e
,
It i s a day o f m o urning
for the P retend er o f the Ti ber fo r in that day he ,
w ill be sho rn o f all o f the p ow er with which he has

opp re s s ed m ank i nd and he will st and
,
fo rth w ith
al l of hi s f raud ul ent p ret ens es m urd ers and ad ul ,
teri es tr ansp ar ent b e fo re the e y es o f m ank ind ,
reveal ed as The tr ump et will

“ ”
the man o f s i n - .
so und and the heavens wi ll s udd enly b eco m e ab l az e
with the glo ry o f a heavenly host sweep ing to ward

the eart h . F rom all the grav ey ard s o f earth the
s l eep ing f oll owers o f Chri st havi ng heard the ,
t rump et call o f their Ki ng are co ming f orth from

-
,
thei r to mbs and with th ei r transl at ed brethren who

, ,
are ali ve i n t hat day they becom e a m ighty ho st

,
a s cendi ng to m eet t hei r S avio ur i n the ai r

“ ”
where ,
th ey crow n him Lord o f al l

“ ”
W hat a meeti ng .
that wi ll be "The b itt er sorrows and heavy burd ens

o f earth will b e i nco ns eq uent ial as c o mp ared wit h
t he jo yth at s hall b e r ev eal ed .
2 02
T EM P L E M EAS URED
The nati ons l ie prostrate at His f eet and havi ng

, ,
l earned f ro m bitter experi ence the v anity o f h um an

bo as ti ng s y i eld unto hi s aut hority and a mighty
, ,
s ho ut o f vict o ry echoes t o t he f art herm os t p art s
Of the univers e as the v oi ces f ro m heaven j oin

in the procl ama t i on o f Ch ri s t s glad r eign
’
.We
m ay wel l aff o rd to end ur e wh at ev er m ay be o ur
lo t d uri ng the few y ears t hat may el ap se until the
nat io ns be h um i li at ed
, and they are c omp l et ely
cr us h ed b y the st one cut out wi th out hand s
“
.
Then th er e r emai ns nothi ng sav e the setti ng up ,
upo n it s r ui ns o f the k ingdo m th at fills the

“
,
whol e ear t h
”
.
2 03
CHAPTER XI .
THE W O MAN AND THE DRAG O N
HE s eco n d i
ser e s of vi s i o ns has r each e d it s
cu l m inat io n i n the est ab li shm ent o f Chri st s ’
great wo rl d empi re In t hem t he s eer o f P atmo s

-
.
ha d b een p ivi l eg ed t o wi t nes s t he changi ng fo r

r
t unes o f t hat great Rom an Empi e as it perpet uat ed r
it s ei f in d i ff erent f o rm s fo r almo s t two t ho us and

y ears D uri ng all o f the vici s s i t udes o f it s ex i st en ce
.
t hro ugh t hese alm o st twenty cent u ri es whet her in ,
p agan pro f es s ed Chri sti an o r P ap al fo ms the

,
r ,
Ro m an po wer has b een es s ent i ally t he s am e bl a s

p h em o u s p
,e r s ecu t i n g o pp o s e r o f t u e Chr i s t i an ity ;
r
an d a s s uch the hi s to ry o f her fi nal o ve t hro w

, ,
r ,
and t he ex alt at i on o f t he chu rch s he has a l way s
p ers ecut ed co rrupt ed and t ram pl ed d own it i s the

, ,
p urp o se o f thi s seco nd s eri es o f V i s io ns to reve al .
T his s eries be ing fi ni s hed i s withd rawn and J o hn

, , ,
i s pr ivil ege d t o wit nes s a new s eri es o f a d i fferent

ch ar ac t er .
We are no t l e f t to any arb it ary d ivi s io n o f the r
Apo calyp s e The Ho ly S pi rit has pl ai nl y m ark ed

.
the t hree p arall el s eri es o f sy m b o l s s o t h at m en

co uld no t m ak e a m i s t ak e The pro phet i c event s
.
s y mbo l i z e d i n the l e tt ers to t h e s ev en churches ar e
i nt ro d uced by a vi s ion o f a d iv ine b ei ng in th e

2 07
mids t o f s ev en gold en candl esticks The prop heti c .
ev ents o f the s eco nd divi s i on are i ntro d uced by a
visi on o f a d oo r op ened in heaven In eac h case .
the nat ur e o f the vi s io n d et ermi ned t he char act er

of the ev ents symboliz ed in the s ub j ect m atter -
which foll ow ed Likewi se the b egi nni ng o f the

. ,
third p art o f Rev el ati on is cl early i nd ic at ed by the

visio n o f the op ened t empl e of God in heav en
The Vi oni s And th w a
“
p n d t h t mpl ere s o e e e e e
God that i s in heaven ; and there

Of
l
was seen i n hi s temp e the ark o f hi s covenant ; and there
f ll lg g
o owed i htnin s and voices , and thunders, and an earth
,
k g
q ua e and reat hai
,
”
l( Rev .
J ohn no l onger b eho lds th ro nes and them that

sit the r eon He is not no w co ncer ned w ith k ings
.
and r ul ers as t h ey l ead their armi es to gl o ri o us
vi ctori es o r to inglo ri ous d e f eat s He is now .
privil eged to gaz e up on the i nt eri or o f the t empl e

o f Go d t h at i s i n h eaven The t empl e has to do
”
.
w ith spirit ual thi ngs I t is the pl ace w here the

.
pri est s p erfo rm their d aily mi ni st r ati ons in ob edi ence

t o d i vi ne l aw and w her e Go d m eet s and sp eak s to
,
hi s peopl e at the m ercy sea t P arti cul arly was ther e

-
.
s een in his templ e the ark o f his co venant The

,
“
,
”
.
ark r est ed in the i nnerm os t s anct uary the Holy ,
Of Holi es It co ntai ned the t abl es o f s to ne the

.
,
po t o f m anna and Aar on s rod t hat b udd ed and

’
bloome d Thi s s eri es o f vi sions w ill hav e to do

.
wi th thi ngs connected with the templ e o f God .
Th ey will s ymbo lize Spi ri t ual pow er s r ath er th an

politi cal ; spiritual fo rces and m ov em ent s r ather than
phy sical Aft er J oh n had g az ed upon the ark
.
“
2 08
TH E REV ELAT IO N OF JES U S CH R IS T
that w ere str uggli ng for the m astery o f the w orld

i n 96 A D b ut Jo hn i s givi ng in t hese two s i gns
. .
,
s om e ant eced ent h istory in o rd er that his r ead ers

might be enabl ed to identi fy them with ex actnes s .
The scene pr esent ed her e r em i nds us m uch o f t hat

enact ed i n t he gard en o f E d en at the begi nni ng
O f the rac e Ther e the serpent com es b efor e the
.
wo m an not to d estr oy her but by d ec eption to ruin

, ,
and d estr oy the p rosp ects o f the seed o f the w om an .
Foll owi ng the accompli shm ent o f his p urpo s e there ,
Sp rang up enmity b etw een the s erpent and the

wom an and be t ween t he s eed o f the s erp ent and
,
the s eed o f t he wo m an In the s am e c onnectio n

.
i t was foreto ld that the promi sed seed sho uld

“ ”
br ui s e the s erp ent s head

’
.
The spi ri t ual co unt erp art o f the wom an i s no w

abo ut to b e d eli vered o f her child and t he ant agoni st ,
o f t he wom an i s w at chi ng t hat he may d evo ur t he
chi ld and null i fy t he w ord o f Go d The wom an .
i s re spl end ently app arel ed Her garm ent i s the .
s un . From her p er so n i s radi at ed all o f the di vi ne

l ight that i s shed ab ro ad in the w orld S he is .
id entifi ed however by her child It is a man

, ,
“
.
chi ld who s e d esti ny i s to r ul e the nat i ons with

” “
a ro d o f iro n caught up unto

“
and he was at once
,
Go d and unto hi s throne

, There is but one .
bei ng w hom this d escriptio n fits or can fit and , ,
that i s the res urr ect ed and asc ende d Chri st “

So .
then the Lo rd J esus after he had sp ok en unto them

, ,
was recei ved up i nto heav en and sat do wn at the ,
right hand o f God ( M ark ”
‘
Thi s wo m an how eve r is not the m other that
, ,
21 0
TH E W O M AN AND T H E DRAG O N
gav e him p hy sical b i rth neither is his p hy sic al ,
b i rt h sp ok en o f when the wo m an was d el iv ered .
J esus i ndic at es the ev ent s r ef err ed t o in Jo hn

22 : A w om an when she is i n t rav ail hath
“
so rrow ,
becaus e her h o ur is com e : but w hen she
i s d el iv ered o f the c hild s he r em embereth no ,
mo r e the ang ui sh for the joy th at a man is bo r n

,
i nt o t he wo rld And ye there fo r e no w have sor

.
ro w. T he hou r had c om e fo r the d el iverance

o f the man ch i ld The tr av ail pai ns o f the w om an
“
.
were the b itt er event s conne ct ed with t he cruci fi x io n .
The d iscipl es w er e so rr owi ng b ec aus e th ey w er e a

p art o f the w om an and w er e exp eri enci ng the
ang uis h o f her t r av ail The wo m an then is t rue
.
, ,
s pirit ual I s rael Mic ah spoke abo ut th i s event in

.
th ese w ords : No w why d ost th ou cry o ut al oud ?

“
Is t h er e no k ing i n thee i s thy c o uns ello r p eri shed

’
, ,
t hat p angs hav e t aken hold o f th ee as o f a w om an

i n t rav ail ? B e i n p ain and labor to b ri ng f o rth
, ,
O d aught er o f Z io n l ik e a w om an in t ravail : fo r
,
now shalt t ho u g o f orth o ut o f t he ci ty and shalt ,
dw ell in the fi eld and sh alt com e ev en unto

,
B abylo n ( M ic
”
.
Pa ul uses a sim i l ar fi g ure o f sp eech w hen he

s ay s :
“
We are not the child ren o f a handmai d ,
b ut o f the fr ee wom an ( G al The hand

” “
.
mai d spo k en o f h er e is spi rit ual I s r ael i n b ond age

”
to the l aw and the

,
“
free w om an is spi rit ual I srael
”
l o os ed f rom the bo nd age o f the law o r the chu rch ,

.
The wo m an sp ok en o f by J o hn i s sp i rit ual I s rael

at t he tim e o f the c ruci fix io n S he was d el ivered .
man chi ld when Chri st was r ai se d f ro m the

“ ”
o f the
21 1
T HE R EV ELATIO N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
d ead . And he i s the head of the bo dy the church

,
who i s the beginni ng fi rs tbo rn fro m the d ead ”

, t he
( Col .
( S ee Ro m . and C0 1 .
Chri st was the fi rstborn o f sp irit ual I srael and

“ ”
,
t he t ime o f his bi rth was w hen he cam e f ort h f ro m

t he g rave .
Whi l e thi s wo man was exp eri encing the p ains

o f app roachi ng m at ernity she i s s ai d to have had ,
t he moo n und er her f eet Thi s re f ers to the .
f act that the J ewish di sp ensati on that refl ect ed the ,
l ight o f the S un o f righteousness was no w about ,
at an end and s he was t o be i n b ondag e to t he

,
l aw no l onger The l aw and the p r op het s were

“
.
unt i l J ohn : f ro m that ti m e t he go sp el o f the k i ngd om
o f Go d i s p reached and every m an en ,

t ereth violently
into i t ( Luk e At the t im e o f the pr each
”
i ng o f Jo hn spirit ual I s rael pl aced her f eet up on

‘ '
m oo n and array ed hers el f wit h th e

“ ” ”
t he s un .
D uri ng the three and a hal f years o f J es u s min

’
i s try the f ull flo o d l i ght o f hi s t eaching fill ed I s rael

-
.
es us hi mse lf sai d : W hen I am in the wo rld I

“
J ,
am t he l i ght o f the w orld J t ”

( o hn A t hi s
t ime sp i rit ual I s rael did not comp rehend all o f the
J ews P aul say s : They are not all I srael that
.
“
,
are o f Is rael ( R o m O n ly t ho se
. wh o t u r n e d
aw ay f r om t he t radit i o ns o f t he eld ers and b ecam e
di sci pl es o f Chri st d uri ng his m ini stry could be

t erme d as right f ully being a p art o f sp i rit ual I srael .
Cent uri es b e fore M o ses had t estifi ed t hat every

,
s o ul t hat wo uld no t hear the wo rd s o f the P rop het
t hat was to co m e sho uld be cut o ff fro m among

,
the p eo pl e During hi s m ini s t ry J e s us gat hered

.
~
212
for w hen Jo hn saw the vi s io n they had no crow ns ;

that is they di d no t ex erci se any p ower The head s
, .
w ere crowned and had held sw ay over men T hi s .
d rago n was a compo site o f s even d iff erent fo rms

o f go vernm ent t hat had e x i s t ed at d i ff erent p erio ds .
J ohn say s o f these ki ng s o r fo rm s o f gover nment

“ ”
,
that five are f al len one no w i s and one i s yet to

“
,
co me . The Roman Emp i re ex i s t ed und er s i x

fo rms o f go vernment up to the ti me J ohn was
writ ing Rome had b een r ul ed s ucces s iv ely by
.
k ings cons ul s d ict ato r s tr ibunes d ecemvi rs and

, , , ,
empe ro rs The one yet to com e was the rul e o f the

.
ex archs T hus the great ant agoni st o f the church

.
”
was p agani s m and it ex ert ed its power t hrough

,
the Ro man Empire .
T hi s spi rit ual power is f urther i d entifi ed by the

apo s tl e a s t he Devil and S at an He i s call ed the
.
o l d s erp ent ; t hat i s the o ne that d ecei v ed Eve i n

”
,
o l d ti me s ( v He i s t he ag e ol d accus er and
.
-
p ers ecuto r o f the chos en p eopl e o f Go d He was .
the i nvi s i bl e sp i rit o f evil t hat co nt roll ed and d om i

nat ed al l o f the rap acio us beas tly f orm s o f govern
,
ment that had held sw ay o v er men f rom the b egi n

ni ng , so that no m atter whether it be ancient
B abyl on t hat ens l aves t he J ews or w het her it be ,
pagan Rom e t hat p ersecute s the church or P ap al ,
Ro m e t hat vi s it s her m urd erous hat e up on t he

s ai nt s ,it is S at an incarnat e i n them all who seek s ,
to d es t roy spi rit ual I s rael He i s the p rince o f “

.
t his w orld ( John Ancient B abyl on and

P ap al Rome are the s am e w het her rul ed by
Neb uchadnezzar o r by the Po p e fo r both are ,
214
THE W O M AN AN D T H E D R AG O N
dominat ed by B eelz ebub the pri nce o f d ev i l s Fo r , .
thi s reaso n J ohn uses the term B abylo n i n thi s “ ”
p art o f Rev el ati on to descri be the P ap acy as t hese ,
vi s i ons have to do wi th sp i r it u al agenci es .
War in H eaven And t here was wa r in heaven

Mi chae l and hi s an gl
e s g oi ng f or th to
war wi th the d ra g n;
o and th e d ra o n g warred and hi s an gl
e s ;
and the y preva il d n
e ot, nei ther wa s l
t h e i r p a ce f ound any
mo re i n heaven . And t he g reat d ra g on was cas t down, the

O l d s erp ent , he that i s ca ll ed the De vi l and S atan, the d ecei ver
of the who l e l
wo r d ; he Was cast down t o the eart h, and hi s
an gl
e s were cas t d own wi th hi m
”
( Rev .
When the man chi ld was caught up to Go d ,
unt o hi s t hro ne v J dd t t w
” “
( o hn a s ha . t he o m an
fl ed i nto the w i ld ernes s where she hat h a pl ace ,
p rep ared o f God that there they may no uri sh her

,
a tho usand two hund red and threescore d ay s .

”
Thl S in f o rm at io n was add ed at t hi s po i nt t o i ndi cat e

i n a few w o rd s t hat the w om an es cap ed uns ull i ed
and unharm ed f rom t he d rag on and co nti nued for
a lo ng s p ace o f t im e in a syl um It al so ind icat es .
t hat the true church o f Chri s t m aintai ns the sam e

p ure mater nal character altho ugh in hidi ng
, , .
Now b egi nni ng wit h v er s e 7 J ohn rel at es the

, ,
cau s es t hat l ed up t o the w om an s fl i ght and s ecl u

’
s i on When the man child ascend ed unto Go d ”

.
,
war was d ecl ared agai ns t the d rago n M i chae l the . ,
p rince who s t and s fo r the child ren o f sp iritual

Is rael ( D an att ack ed
. t he D evi l and hi s
ang el s .Michael and hi s angel s were the aggres so rs .
It conti nu ed unt il the D evi l and hi s ange l s were

cas t d own to the eart h The read er will see
“ ”
.
21 5
at o nce that o nly sp i ri tual fo rces are engaged in

this mighty s truggl e that is t aki ng pl ace and that ,
carnal weapo ns co uld not t he re f ore have b een u sed
in it . The att ack i s m ad e up o n t he D evi l and hi s

ang el s i n t hei r sp i ri t ual charact er and not i n th ei r
p hy s ical gui se as the po l iti cal Roman Emp i re The .
p ol it ical po w er o f Ro m e was not ex erted at al l

d uri ng this war .
J o hn could not have made his m eaning any

pl ai ner i f he had s aid he was d escribing the vic
t orio us p ro gress o f t he gos p el d uring the ap os to li c
ag e . Immed iat ely upo n the ascens ion o f Chri st the ,
ap os tl es b eg an a w ar f are ag ai ns t t he po wers o f
d arkness They pro cl aim ed t he go sp el with s uch

.
po w er that three thous and were add ed unto them

the fi rs t d ay They us ed no w eapon b ut the swo rd “
.
Of the S pi rit ( Eph Heb . The .
gosp el sp read out into J ud ea and S amar ia and to

Ant i och From Antioch the fi rs t attack was m ad e
.
by P aul agai ns t p ag ani sm In a g re at p it ched

.
b attl e at Ep hes us d escri b ed in Act s 19 p ag ani sm

, ,
was ro ut ed Those who f orm erly p ract iced the art s

.
o f t he Devi l b urned bo o k s val ued at fifty t hou s and
p ieces o f si l ver and the t empl e o f the go dde s s

,
Diana was b ei ng d es ert ed P aul in writing to the

.
,
Ep hesi ans d escrib ed the nat ure o f the war f are that
,
was b eing car rie d o n and t he weapo ns us ed : P ut

“
on the wh o l e arm o r o f Go d that ye m ay be abl e ,
to s t and agai ns t the wil es o f the d evil Fo r o ur .
Wr estl ing i s not against fl esh and b l oo d but against ,
t he pri ncip al i ti es against t he po wers

, agains t t he ,
wo rld r ul er s o f t hi s d arkness agains t the spi ri t ual

-
,
210
THE R EV EL AT IO N OF JES U S CH R IS T
Now i s com e the l

s a vat i on, and the po wer, and the k i ng
d om of our Go d , and the autho ri t y of hi s Chri st : f or the
accu s er o f ou r b rethren i s cas t d own who , accu seth them b e
f o re o u r g
Go d day and ni ht And the overcam e hi m b ecau se . y
of the l L
b oo d o f the amb and b ecau s e o f the wo rd o f thei r
,
t es ti mo n y; and the y l o ved no t t hei r lif e even unt o d ea th .
T here f o re j
re o i ce, O heavens , and ye that dwe ll i n them .
Woe f o r th e ea rth and f o r t he s ea : b ecau se t he devi i s l g o ne
d own unt o you, havi n g g reat wrath , knowi n g that he hath

b ut a sh o rt t im e ( vs . 10
The timent exp res sed in the t enth vers e i s

se n
s uch as wo uld b e v o i ced by t he s old i ers o f Chri s t
as t hey r eal i e d the i nvi nci b l e po w er o f the go sp el

z ,
and t hat t he spi ri t u al weapo ns o f the m i g hty p r i nce

“
o f d evil s co uld never wi t hs t and it s p rog re s s The .
el ev ent h vers e reco r d s t he m eans u s ed in cas t ing
S a t an d own T hey w ere the b loo d o f the Lamb “ ”

.
t he wo rd o f hi s t es ti mo ny The ap os t le s
“ ”
and .
us ed t hese weap ons w i t h al l o f the ab ando n o f
co unt ed thi ngs as lo s s that they

“
men who al l
might wi n Chri s t In t he t wel f t h v erse warni ng

”
.
i s given o f the woe that t he earth and t he sea shall

ex p eri enc e by re ason o f t he fact that the Devil
was in the earth ; th at i s i ncarnat e In the Ro man ,
Emp i re T hi s mafks an ep ochal d at e in t he l i f e

.
hi s to ry o f S at an s rul e In f o rm er tim es he had

’
.
b een ab l e to co rrupt spi ri t ual Israel by m eans o f

hi s se d uct ive ido l at ri es and t he abo m i nat io ns o f
p ag an wo rs hip I s rael and J ud ah f ell an easy

.
p rey to his sp irit ual devi ces and thei r l and was ,
po ll ut ed wi th heathen rel igio ns He only used hi s .
tempor al p ower to p uni sh them a f ter they had b een

tak en capt ive .
21 8
THE W O M AN AN D T H E D RAG O N
Now he has met t goni st that he can not

an an a
o verco me w i th all o f hi s de cei tf ul d evic es and he ,
him s elf has been v anq ui s hed F rom the d ate o f

.
J ohn s vi sio n he no lo nger p arad es i n hi s t rue

’
sp i ritual charact er but m ani f es ts him sel f i n the

,
great sev en h eade d mons ter that was id ent i fi ed as

-
the p agan Rom an Empi r e i n t he y ear 96 A D . .
Hencef orth until t he fi nal vi cto ry o f the tr ue

°
ch urch at t he s econd com i ng o f Ch ri s t those who ,
rul e at Ro m e are the me re p upp ets o f S at an ,
whether they be emp ero rs or pop es S atan is the .
d om inat ing spi rit i ncarnate in the empi re and he ,
us es it s rul er s and tho s e i n aut ho rity to g ive exp res
s i on t o hi s will and d eceitf ul m achi nati ons S at an .
has b een cas t do w n f ro m heav en to the earth

“ ” ”
,
o r t he Rom an E m pi re and there rem ains no pl ace

,
for him to esc ap e He m ust rem ai n i n the earth “ ”

.
unt i l h e i s com pl et ely v anq ui shed and chai ned i n
the aby s s There fo re S atan w i ll be i ncarnate

.
,
in ev ery fo rm o f wo rld empi re w hi ch has it s

capit al at Rom e f ro m 96 A D unt i l the co mi ng
,
. .
o f Chri st ,that glo ri ous e v ent st ill i n the f ut ure .
T hi s will be show n mo re cl early in the next chapt er ,
as t he hi s to ry O f the b eas t s i s t raced .
The h i s to ry r ecord ed i n v ers es 1 3 t o 1 7 i ncl u ,
s i ve
, begi ns wit h t hi s ep ochal d at e m ark ed by the
event s connect ed wit h t he i mp ri sonm ent o f J o hn .
96 A D . . and co nti nui ng

, unt i l t he w om an has
co mpl et e d her fl i ght and i s co mpl et ely conceal ed i n
t he wi lde rnes s i n 666 A D J ohn gives in b r i e f

. .
‘
thi s o utli ne o f the fi rst ep och o f the hi sto ry o f the
w om an that he may be f ree to d escribe in the next ,
219
chapt er the beasts ,

that ar se i be fo re s he has
compl ete d her fl i ght .
At the fi rst cent ury when the go spel

end o f the ,
had m ad e s uch rapid co nq ues t s o f p agani s m S at an ,
was d riven to hi s l as t ci t ad el the p hy s ical po wer ,
o f a w o rld emp i re Here he co nt inued the war ~
ag ai ns t Chri s ti ani ty w i t h great er f eroci ty t han

be fo re us ing all t he p hy s i cal m eans o f d es t ruct ion
,
which he could i nvent The Ro man e mp ero r and

.
his offi cers d i d his b i d di ng And when t he d ago n

“
. r
s aw t hat he was cas t do w n to the eart h he p ers e ,
cut ed the wo m an t hat b ro ught f ort h the m an

chi ld T his d escri bes the era o f p erse
”
(V .
cut io n b egi nning wit h t hat und er wh i ch J o hn

s uff ered to 3 1 3 A D
,
D uri ng thi s p erio d the
. .
Chri s t i ans s u ff ered t en p er secut io ns the l a st one ,
b ei ng perhap s the m os t vi rul ent o f t hem al l

, ,
The .
ex pres sed purpo s e o f t hi s l as t p e s ecut ion was to

“
r
ab o l i s h t he Chri s t i an nam e f rom t he eart h

”
The .
hi s t o ry reco rd ed i n t hi s vers e corres po nd s in po i nt

o f t im e t o t hat o f the E p he si an and S my rna perio d s
o f t he fir s t p art o f Revel at i on and to the p eri o d ,
Of the fi rs t five s eal s in the second s eries o f vis io ns .
The f ourt eent h vers e reco rd s t he f act that the

church recei ves mo m ent ary help And there were
“
.
gi ven to the w oman the two w ings o f the great

eagl e , that s he m ight fly i nto the wild ernes s unto
her pl ace w here she i s nouri shed for a ti m e and
, ,
t i m es, and a hal f a t i m e f rom the f ace o f the

,
serpent T hi s p erio d began with 3 13 A D when

”
. . .
,
Licini us i ss ued hi s edi ct o f to l eratio n and conti nue d ,
until 4 1 0 A D Du ri ng t hi s t im e S atan p ro f es s ed
. .
220
gi ven here ,
i n hi s d escriptio n of t he firs t b eas t in
chapt er 1 3 .
Th e
“
wom an p roces s o f fl i ght
is no w in the .
D i s s ens i o n i n the church p ro d uce d by the p ro m ul ga,
tion o f the Nicean Creed grew mo re b itt er The , .
weak ening o f t he po wer o f s t at e and d evel op ment ,
o f the church as repr es ent e d by the rap i dly i ncreas
i ng i nfl uence o f t he b i s ho p ri c has t ene d the comi ng ,
o f the apo s t as y and the co nseq uent d i s app earance
o f t rue Chri s t i ani ty In 4 1 0 A D the s t ream s o f

. . .
wi ld t ri bes o f the no rt h b egan to fl ow i nto t he

emp i r e and the p rophet i c st at em ent s o f the fi f t eent h
,
s i x t eent h were f ulfill ed

“
and vers es And the
s erpent cas t o ut o f hi s mo ut h a f t e r the w om an
water as a r i ver t hat he might caus e her to be

,
carri ed away b y t he s t ream And the earth help ed .
the wo m an and the eart h o p ened her m o uth and

,
s wallo w ed up t he ri ve r w hi ch t he d rago n ca st o ut
hi s m o ut h ea rt h this tim e was “

of T he. at
p ro f es s ed Chris ti an Ro m e T he wat ers are p eo pl es .

”
wit h a co rr upt rel i g i on as i f com ing f ro m the ,
mo uth o f S atan Und er O d oacer the Herul i

.
,
“
co mple t ed t he o vert hrow o f the wes t ern Rom an

s t at e i n 4 7 6 A D b ut not i ts rel igion
“
. .
,
It s wal .
l o wed up thes e no rthern t rib es fo r they embraced

”
,
t he rel i gi o n o f t he em pi re This ho wever hastened .

, ,
t he d i s ap pearance o f the t rue church B etween 47 6 .
A D and 666 A D the p agani sm o f thes e nort hern

. . . .
t ribes was int erm i ngl e d with t he al ready co rrupted

re l i gi o n o f the Rom ans so t hat i n the l as t m en ,
-
t io ned y ear t he s ecl us i o n o f t rue Chri st i anity was

complete and i n i t s s t ead t he co unt er f ei t Chri s t i ani ty
,
222
THE W O M AN AN D T H E D R A G O N
was w ho lly establ ished Tw elv e hund red and s i x ty

.
p ro ph eti c d ays o r ,
y ears are to elap se d uri ng , ,
w hi ch the P ap acy the mo nstro us p agan p ower is

, ,
to d om i nat e t he religi on o f the w orld In the .
y ear 1926 A D we may hop e to see thi s Dev i l

. .
b egott en i ns ti t ut ion compl et ely o verwhelmed in the

great confl ag ratio n w hich it i t self l ighte d in 19 14
A D . .
The woman havi ng di sapp eared i n 666 A D . .

,
Jo hn now rel at es do ings o f t he d ragon d uring the

y ears o f P ap al rule And the dragon wax ed .
w roth with the w om an and w ent away t o m ake ,
war w i t h t he rest o f her s eed that k eep the co m ,
mandm ents o f Go d and ho ld the t es t im ony o f

,
J esus : and he s too d up on the sand o f the s ea ”
( Rev 12 : 17
. The d rago n no l onger p ers e
cut es the for s he i s in a s a f e r et reat
“
wom an ,
“
p rep ared o f God but he p ersecutes the r est o f
,
” “
her seed He w ent away He no lo nger app ears

“
. .
i n hi s dr ago n f o rm i n t he west ern emp i re T he .
P ap acy w i ll do his wo rk eff ectu ally in t hat po rt i on

o f hi s d om ai n and will m ak e r el entl es s war upo n
,
any o f t he w oman s s eed i n t hat p o rt io n o f t he

’
wo rld und er the i mm ed iat e sway o f Rom e In hi s .
d rago n fo rm he gi ves his att ent ion to the rest o f

,
t he empi re w herever there m ay be t he child ren o f

,
the t rue ch urc h .
The Mo hamm ed an and T urk i sh i nvasi ons are t he

f ulfillm ent o f hi s war with the rest o f her s eed ”
.
Now he st and s on the s and o f t he s ea

“
that i s ,
o n the bo und ar i es o f civ il i at i on T here he rem ai ns z .
in hi s d ragon f orm a s t he d o minati ng spi rit o f the

223
heat hen w orld T here the bl i ghting p o wer o f the

.
d rago n st i ll ens l aves hum anki nd wi th the gall ing

s hackl es o f p ag ani sm d om inat ing it with ag e o ld
,
-
igno rance supers t iti o n and i dol at ry

, .
The app o int ed t im es and s eas ons are i n the po wer

o f Go d Twelve hund red and s i x ty years i s the
.
time appo i nted for the d uratio n o f the P apacy .
No p ower o n earth can change it W hen it .
comes to an end t he P ap acy wi ll co m e to an end

, ,
and not b e f o re D uri ng t hi s p erio d t he t rue church

.
o f Chri s t r ep res ent ed as a can not f ully

“
, wom an ,
app e ar ,
fo r her secl us 1 on co rres po nd s to the do mi
nance o f t he P ap acy A m i ghty mo vem ent lik e
.
t he P ap acy can no t s u dde nly appear It i s o nly .
f ully d evel op ed by a g rad ual gro wth thro ugh s uc

ce s s i ve s t ag es T he p ure rel i gi on o f t he Na arene
. z
became co rr upt ed by a g rad ual d et eri o rat i on t hro ugh

co rres po nd ing s t ag es T his fact reveal s ho w i ndel
.
ibly thi s —y ear p erio d is w ritten in the hi sto ry

o f t he P ap acy and the co rrupt i on o f Chri s t i ani ty .
B eg inni ng w i t h the vi ct o ry o f Co ns t ant ine and the

event s l ea d i ng up t o t he Co uncil o f Ni ce 3 2 5 A D , . .
,
an ep och m ak ing d at e in t he co rrupti on o f Chri s

-
ti anity t he re ex t end s a p erio d o f

, y ears to
t he event s concl u d i ng t he rei gn o f P op e Gr egory
XI II From 3 12 A D the begi nni ng o f the cam
. . .
,
p ga i n o f Co n s t anti ne t o 1 5 72 A D , the y ear o f . .

,
t he S t B art ho l om ew s M ass acre i s y ears

’
. .
,
F rom the cr ushing d e f eat o f his enem i es admi n

i st ered by Cons t ant i ne i n 3 1 5 A D t o the ed ict . .
,
o f pac i ficat io n wit h the P ro t es t ant s in 1 5 7 5 A D . .

,
is y ears It wi ll be seen there fo re that f rom

.
, ,
224
re l igio us o rgani ati ons styl ing thems el ves churches

z , ,
have a ri s en in the y ears gone by b ut f ro m none ,
o f t hem has rad i at ed t he g l o ri o us l ig ht o f t he S un
o f r i ght eo u s nes s
, beca us e the t ime was no t at hand
when al l o f the t ra d i ti o ns and s uper st i t ions o f a
p agan ins tit uti on w ere obliterated As L uther came
.
o ut o f Ro m e the fi rs t ray s b egan to di mly shi ne .
With each s ucceed ing rel igio us movem ent the l ight
has s hone a l ittl e b ri ght er and as we st and i n t he
,
b eg i nni ng o f the t went i et h cent ury the clo ud s o f

eccl es i as t ici s m s eem ready to p art a s und er and the
cl ea r sky o f Go d s et ernal t rut h be reveal ed

’
M en.
ar e b reak i ng away f rom the creed s cent u ri es o l d

, ,
and ar e s eek i ng fo r a b as i s o f f ait h and w o rs hip
f ree f rom the ent ramm eli ng s up erst it ions and reli cs
o f P apal d omi nat i on . Men are hung eri ng fo r an
env i ro nment where wo rld p eace will rei gn
-
and all
,
m anki nd wi ll be f ree to enj oy the f r ui ts o f to il .
2 26
C HAP TER X11 .
THE WILD BEASTS
AVING com pl et ed
to ry o f the st ruggl ethe hi s
b et ween t he D evi l in t he fo rm o f a d rago n , ,
and t he ch urch J o hn now ret u rns to t he po int w here

,
wom an was help ed to am pli f y hi s acco unt

“ ” “ ”
t he ,
and gi ve i n d et ai l the caus es and ci rcum st ances

that has tened her fl ight
Th e And I w b t mi ng up ut sa a eas co o
S v n h d d
e e -
ea
f th e ,
h v i ng t
o n h n nd v
e s ea, n a e or s a se e
h d nd n hi h n t n di d m
n d B
ea s, a o s or s e a e s,
T n h
e - or t e ea s
n d up n hi h d n m
a f b l ph my o s ea s a es o as e .
And th b t whi h I
e ea s w w l ik unt l p d nd hi
c sa as e o a eo ar , a s
f tw
ee th f
ere as t f b e nd hi
ee m th
o a th m th
ea r, a s ou as e ou
o f l i n nd th d g n g v him hi p w nd hi th n
a o : a e ra o a e s o er, a s ro e,
nd g i ty ( R v
”
a t ut h
r ea a or e .
T he de t ai l s co ncerning thi s b east are so clear

and d e fi ni t e t hat t her e i s no d i ffi culty i n i d enti f yi ng
t he p o w er t hat it repres ent s T he pro m inent di s .

,
t i ng ui s hi ng charact eri s t i cs o f t hi s beast

“ ”
ar e hi s
s even head s and t en ho rns These i d enti f y him as .
bei ng t he d rag on o nly p art i ally t rans fo rm ed He .
st i l l po s s es se s t he d i s ti ng u i sh i ng f ea t u re s o f t h e
d ragon S atan was not ab l e to d ivest him sel f

.
e nt i r ely o f t ho s e o utward m ark s a s he w as chang ed
f rom a d rago n into a b east

“ ”
Even thes e s even .
”
hea d s and t en ho rns ho wever had und ergo ne so m e

, ,
227
TH E R EV EL AT IO N OF ~
JES U S CH R IS T
chan ges . T he ho rns have the a sce n d ency o ver t he

head s i n t his vi s i o n . As a d rag on he had
“
s even
b east he has
“
head s and t en horns , b ut as a t en
ho rns and s even head s . T he horns are now b egi n
ni ng to m ani f es tp rom ine nce whi ch t hey di d no t
a
have i n the Vi s i on o f t he d rago n In the f o rm o f a .
d rago n t here were di ad em s o n the head s whi l e the ,
ho rns were o nly m ent io ned as b eing p rese nt In t he .
f o rm o f a b east the d i adem s are t rans f erred f rom

,
th e heads t o t he horns whi l e t he hea d s w ear nam es

,
o f b l as phe m y
”
.
In o r d er to comprehen d the f ull s i gn i fi cance o f

thi s t rans fo rmatio n it will be necess ary to d et erm ine
,
t he m eani ng o f t he sy m bo l s us ed In t he s event h ‘
.
chapt er o f D ani el we have t hei r d efi ni t io n

“
So he .
to ld m e and m ade me k now the int erpret at ion o f

,
t he t hi ngs T hese g reat beas ts which are f our are

.
, ,
f o ur ki ng s t hat shall ari s e o ut o f t he earth ( D an

,
”
.
A b eas t d enote s a k i ng b ut not In a ,
p e rs o nal s en s e Th e
. an g e l am pl ifi e s hi s i nt e rp re
t at io n and ex pl ai ns mo re f ully what he m eans by

t he t erm k ing t he ang el ex pl ai ns
”
In D an
. .
the te rm b eas t i n t hes e wo rd s : The fo urth beas t

“
s hall b e a f o u rt h ki n d om upo n the eart h T ”

g hu s .
the t erm k ing s ig ni fi es the sam e thing as t he

“ ”
t erm ki ngd om ; that i s it i s us ed with re f erence

“ ”
,
t o the o ffi ce o f k i ng as represe nti ng al l o i the

'
pow ers and aut ho rity in the k i ngd om d uri ng t he

ent i re perio d o f i t s ex i s t ence J ohn s beast t hen ’ “ ”
.
, ,
i s a g reat wo rld ki ngd om and al l o f t he vario us

-
,
s t ag es o f it s d evel opm ent f ro m i t s b e i nni ng t o i t s

g
end are co mprehend ed b t h e t er m
y .
22 8
wo r l d -
k ingdom . T he ra m whi ch tho u s awe s t that ,
had the two horns , t hey are t he k ings of M edi a

”
and P ersi a .
We a re pos it io n to und erstand the

no w in a
m eani ng co nvey ed by t he sy m bol s whi ch J ohn us es .
H e i s d escri bing a wo rld k i ngd om D uri ng i ts -

.
hi s to ry i t had s ev en d i sti nct fo rm s o f go vernment ,
and i n i t s fi nal st ag e i t was b rok en up i nt o t en
co nt em po rary d i vi s io ns o r k ingd om s J ohn defi nit ely .
i d ent i fi es t hi s b eas tly po wer It was ho l d ing sway .
o f t he wo rld i n hi s day fo r he s ay s that five o f ,
t he head s had al ready f al l en th e one is the o ther

“
, ,
”
is no t y t
e co me ( Rev .
(
T he Rom an
Em p i re was ho ldi ng s wa y ,
in o ne o f it s t ges
s a of
d evel opm ent in Jo hn s day T his mak es it abso

,
’
.
l ut el y cert ai n t hat t hi s g r eat ea t hly go vernm ent i s r
t he o ne t hat i s d es cri b ed by the t erm beas t It “ ”

.
had rul ed t hro ugh five s ucces s ive f o rm s o f g overn

m ent when J o hn w rot e T hese had b een ( 1 ) ki ng s .
,
( 2 ) cons ul s ( 3 ) d i ct at ors ( 4 ) decemvi rs and ( 5 )

, ,
t ribunes As J o hn was writ ing t he autho rity o f

.
,
t he e mpi e was ex erci s ed t hro ug h crowned emp ero rs

r .
This perio d b eg an with the rei gn o f Augustus ,
2 7 B C and w aS t here fo re the ex is ti ng head

' “ ”
. .
,
The s ev enth head

“
i n 96 A D . . was w hen the
empi re w as rul ed b y m i l i t ary em p ero rs who d i d
not a scend t o th e t hrone by right o f s ucces s io n .
T hi s s event h f o rm o f g overnment began wi t h the

r ei g n o f D io cl et i an 2 8 4 A D , . .
The d rag on has al ready b een i d entifi ed a s the

Ro man Empi re dom i nat ed by the spi rit o f pa g ani sm
,
.
‘
T he Ci ty o f Ro m e w as t he s eat o r cap it al o f t he
”
23 0
TH E W IL D B EA S T S
em p i re . T he b eas t , as d escribed
thi s vi s io n in ,
was t he p owe r t hat s ucceed ed t he p ag an em p i re ,
fo r it i s d i s t i nctly s t at ed that t he d rag on g ave him

hi s p ow er and hi s t hrone and g reat aut ho ri ty
”
.
, ,
T hi s to ok pl ace d uring the conq uest o f the emp i re

by Co ns t ant i ne ( 3 1 3 3 2 4 A -
D u ri ng t hi s.
p e r i o d p ag a n i s m g av e i t s p o w er a n d t hrone and
aut ho rity to p ro f es s ed Chr i s t i an em p ero rs T he .
Roman Em pi re was no l onger d om i nat ed by t he

Sp i rit o f p agani sm b ut by the sp i rit o f Chri st i anity
,
as i t wa s unders t o o d at the t im e T he beas t

”
as.
,
i t app eare d in t hi s vi s io n rep res ent s t he Rom an ,
Empi re as it b eg an to be d om i nat ed by the spi ri t

O f p ro f es s ed Chr i s t i ani ty i n 3 2 4 A D As a p o l i t ical . .
go vernm ent it was then in i t s seventh s tage o f

d evel o p m ent ; t hat i s when i t was rul ed by m
,
,
i l i t ary
emp e ro r s Thi s had begun in 2 84 A D as m en
. . .
,
tio ned abo ve .
It was in t he l ast end o f t hi s fi nal fo rm o f rul e

that the emp ire was s ep arat ed into t en di s t inct
co nt emp o rary di vi sions or i nd ep end ent k ingdo m s .
These at the fi rst were ( 1 ) the Angl o S ax ons ( 2 )

, ,
-
,
t he F rank s o f cent ral F rance ( )

3 t h e A ll e m a ,
n
Frank s o f eas t ern F rance ( )

4 t he B u r g,
u n d i an
Frank s ( 5 ) t he V i s i go ths ( 6 ) t he S uevi ( 7 ) the

, , ,
Vand al s ( 8 ) t he O s t ro Go t hs in It aly ( 9 ) the

,
-
,
B avari ans and ( 1 0 ) the Lo mb ard s As the cen .
t uri es pas s ed by t hese ho rns t hro ugh the va io us

, ,
r
changes b ro ug ht abo ut b wa r a n d t h e b r ea ki n g up
y
o f t he enti e t erri to ry o f t he anci ent emp i re as s um ed
r ,
t he fi nal fo rm i n whi ch they e x i s t to day T hes e -

.
di vi s i ons are Engl and S p ai n It aly F rance G er , , , ,
23 1
m any ,
M acedo nia Egypt S y ri a and P ers i a
Ru s s i a, , , .
When t he emp i re was b ro k en up int o ten co n

t empo ary d i vi sions the aut ho rity o f the fo rm er
r ,
uni t ed go vernm ent was exe rci sed t h o ugh t hem and r ,
ho rns are sai d to wea r di ad em s D uring t he

“ ”
t he .
pe io d when p ag ani sm d om i nat ed t he emp i re it was

r ,
unit e d an d al l aut ho ri ty was ex erci s e d t hro ugh the
ex i s t i ng head and hence at t hat t im e t he

“ ” “ ”
,
head
w as s ai d to wear a d i ad em Even thro ug ho ut t he .
d eca dent p erio d up to t he act ual b reak ing up o f

t he emp i re i nto s ep arat e d i vi s io ns f o ll o wi ng 4 76
A D the em p eror held a s emb l ance o f autho ri ty
. .
,
‘
o ve r t he ent i re k i ngdo m When t his b reaking up
.
o ccu red t he di ad em s pass ed f rom the hea d s and

”
r ,
w e e hence fo rt h wo rn by the ho rns

“ ”
r .
T he pro f es sed Chri s t i an Rom an Em p i re i s t hen , ,
what i s d es cri b ed by t hi s vi s ion o f the s eve n head ed -

,
t en ho rned b east
-
It i s i m p o rt ant t hat we no t ice
.
t he o t her d et ai l s g iven fo r t hey d ep ict the t rue

,
s pi r i t u al nat ure o f t hi s eart hly go vernme nt W hen .
the D evil i ncarnat e i n t he pag an em pi re p ro f ess ed

to b e a Chri sti an he di d no t d ives t hi ms el f o f hi s
,
f o rm er d i sti nguis hing mark s He was the d omi .
nati ng spi ri t o f t he p ro f es se d Chri s t i an em p i re as ,
he w as o f t he p agan f orm o f g overnm ent t hat

p reced ed it It had the S at ani c charact eri s t i cs o f
.
t he d rago n fo r i t had t he s am e s even head s and

,
t en horns Thes e b rande d it as b eing S atan s He

.
’
.
had t rans fo rm ed him sel f f ro m a d ragon in to a

bea st . That i s not a fit symbo l fo r an emp i re
d omi nat ed by the sp irit o f Chri st A b east can only .
‘
sym bo l i e a go v ernm ent t hat i s
z fi erce cruel and ,
23 2
hi s f eet w ere as the f eet o f a b ear and hi s mo uth ,
as t he mo ut h o f a l ion In the s event h chapt er o f

”
.
D ani el we have the t hree wo rld k i ngd o m s which had -
preceded t he Rom an Em p i re d es cri b ed by t he t erm,
beas t s . B abyl on was rep res ent ed by a l i on ,
M edo P ers i a by a b ear and Gree ce by a l eopard

-
,
.
T he characte ri s t i cs o f all o f t hese i do l at rous and

p ga an k i ng d om s a re p r es e r ve d a nd co m b i ned i n t hi s
b east which rep res ent s the p ro f es s ed Chri st i an em

p i re begi nning with Cons tant ine Co ntrary to the .
co mmo n no t io n that Chri s t i anity had achi eved a

m i ghty vi ct o ry i n i t s co nq uest o f Rom e the S crip ,
t ure reveal s the f act that it had o nly pl aye d i nto

“
S at an s hand and m ad e a lo ng s t ri d e to ward it s

’
co m pl et e pervers i o n . T he t rue nat ure o f the pro

f ess ed Chri st ian em p i re co uld o nly be d escribe d by
s ay i ng t hat it m ani f es t e d com b ined
, t he charact e r ,
i s ti cs o f the anci ent cr uel b l oo dt hi rs ty p agan mo n

, ,
a chi es t hat had t rampl ed d o wn Go d s chos en p eopl e

’
r
i n t he ce nt uri es gone by .
B abylo n m eans co n f usio n and it i s a r em ark ab l e

,
f act t hat in this beas t o f J ohn the p art icul ar por

, ,
t io n o f the l ion that rep res ent ed B abyl on and was

pres erved was i ts mo uth T he t eachi ng o f t hi s
“ ”
.
,
compo s it e be as t wo ul d be B abyl oni an b ecau se it

m u s t speak wit h t he l i on s m o ut h It d oes no t
’ ”
.
tak e lo ng under s uch co nd iti o ns for the religio us

wo rld to be fil l ed wi t h co n f us io n and a mo d ern ,
sp i r it ual B ab yl o n es t ab l i s he d H e al so m ani f est ed

.
the crue l charact eri sti cs o f the b ear and the l eo p ar d .
T he t en ho rns which are co mp onent p art s o f t hi s

b eas t mu st neces s ari ly p art ak e o f it s l i f e an d t rue
23 4
THE W IL D B EA S T S
na ure. t They
therefo re all o f them p ro f es se dly
are, ,
Ch i s t i an b ut t he s am e d evili s h sp i ri t i s i ncarnat e
r ,
in t hem and do m i nat es t hem T hey call them selves .
Chr i s t ian nat io n s e ven at the p res ent ti m e whi l e

, ,
t hey are d renchi ng the co untri es with the l i f e bloo d -
o f m ank i nd J ohn gives a f urther d escripti on o f

.
t hi s beast and hi s histo ry in the s ucceed ing vers es

And I w n f hi h d
sa th gh i t h d b n mi t
o e o s ea s as ou a ee s
t n unt
e d th ; o nd hi d th t k w
ea h l d
a nd th s ea -
s ro e as ea e : a e
wh l th w n d
o e ea r d ft th b t;
o n d th y w
e re h i pp d
a er e eas a e o rs e
th d e g n b u h g hi th ity unt th b t ; nd
ra o , eca se e av e s au or o e ea s a
th y w e h i pp d th
o rs b t ying Wh i l ik unt th
e e eas , sa , o s e o e
bl t m k w
”
b t?
ea s nd wh ai owi th hi m ? ( R v 13
s a e o a e ar e .
3 ,
W hen Rome l ai d asid e he r p agan garm ent s and

pos ed b e f o re t he wo rld as a Chri s ti an nat i o n s he ,
w a s unde r her s event h head or f o rm o f go vern

m ent Thi s is the o ne t hat recei ve s the death st ro k e
.
-
.
T hi s wo uld i ndicat e that thi s m onarchy received a .
b l o w t hat o r d inari ly woul d have m eant d eat h to it .
T hi s occurred when the west ern empi re was o ve r

thrown by t he ba b ari ans und er O d o acer in 476 r
A D . O rd i nari l y Ro m an cust om s and l aw s wo uld

.
,
hav e g iven pl ace to t ho s e o f t he co nq u ero rs as was ,
do ne when Co nst anti no pl e was capt ure d by the

T urks b ut i t was not s o at thi s tim e Rom e l ived
, .
on It s l aw s were no t chang ed i n any vit al part icu

.
l ar The b a b a i an co nq uero r came und er the s pe l l

. r r
o f a m y s t e r io us p ow er t hat i s d es crib ed l at er i n t h e
chap t er and he a l so pro f es s e d to b e Chri s t i an

, T hi s .
b eas t which has so m any s at ani c char act eri s t i cs

, ,
and which r ecei ved its autho r i ty and thro ne fro m
23 5
TH E . R EV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
the D evil in t he fo rm d ragon cont inues its

of a ,
e x i st ence as b e fo re . The po l i t i cal cat as t rop he had

no eff ect up o n the charact er o f t he b eas t .
Rel igi o n was a f t er thi s i n a s t at e o f gr eat con

, ,
f us io n The w ho l e eart h wo nd ered a ft er the

“
.
beas t they wo rs hipe d the d rago n and the

”
, and
b eas t . The wo rshi p was a m i xt ure o f p agani sm

and the k i nd of Chr i sti ani ty rep resent ed by the
beas t T hi s ex t end ed t hro ugho ut t he who l e eart h ;
“ ”
.
that i s t he ent i re emp i re

,
Ido l atro us p ract ices w ere
.
s ub s tit ut ed fo r tho se o f Chri s t i anity Faith was .
d ivo rced f rom m o ral s and the l ast t race o f the

,
p rim it ive s impli city o f the New T estam ent di sap

p e a r e d f ro m t he e a rt h b y 666 A T he. au t h o r i ty
o f t he b i s hop o f Ro m e was l arge ly i ncreas ed b y
Emp eror J ust ini an co nf err ing up on him autho rity

the hea d o f al l the Ho ly Churches and al l t he
“
as
Ho ly P ri est s o f Go d ,
”
in 5 3 3 A D B y the y ear
. .
666 A D the b i s hop had gai ned s uch p ower t hat

. .
he was no t o nly the head o f the churches b ut he ,
do minat ed the wes t ern di vi sion o f the emp i re as w ell .
T hi s was the st age when the beast was given “ ”
a m out h sp eak i ng g re at t hi ng s and bl asp hemies ;
and t here was gi ven to hi m aut ho rity to cont i nu e
f o rty and two mo nths ( v ”

Forty and two
.
months eq ual 1 2 60 p rop heti c d ay s o r y ears

, .
T hi s i s the p eri od that i s giv en unto him in which

t o po s e i n the ro l e o f d ivi nity It beg ins with
.
666 A D and will end t here f ore i n 192 6 A D

. .
, , ,
. .
,
whe n the m ask will b e to rn f rom hi s f ace and he

w i l l s t and reveal ed i n all o f hi s hid eo us bl asp hemo us ,
nat ure . The onenes s o f t he P ap al fo rm o f gov ern

23 6
And i t was gi v en unt o hi m t o ma k w with th int

e ar e sa s,
and t o o verco m e t h em : and th ere was gi n t hi m uth i ty

ve o a or
o ver ever y t rib e and peop l e and g

t o n u e and nati on. And al l
th a t dw e ll on the eart h ll w hip him v y n

s ha o rs , e er o e who s e
nam e hath no t b een w ri tt e n f m t h f u nd t i n f t h
ro e o a o o e wo r d l
i n t he b oo k of li f e of t he L mb th t h th b n l in
a a a ee s a . If any
man hath an ear, l et hi m hear . If any man i s f o r capt i vi t y ,
i nt o capt i vi t yh g e o eth : If any man sha ll k ll

i w i th the s w o rd ,
wi th the s w o rd mu s t he b e k lli ed H ere i s the pat i ence and

.
f ai t h o f th e s ai n t s
”
( Vs 7
.
Not ly did the P apacy becom e a b l asp hem ing

on
po wer p retend ing to be as Go d b ut fo r cent uries

, ,
it rul ed over the k ings o f the earth and o ver the

co ns ci ence s o f m en wi t h a s way as ab s o l ut e an d
unive s al as t hat o f any mo na rchy t hat eve

r ex i s t e d r .
T he pop es as s um ed t he heat hen t it l e o f P ont i f ex *

“
M ax im us that had been reno unced by the pro

,
”
fes s ed Chri st i an empero rs in 3 7 5 A D K ings . .
r ecei ved t hei r crowns f ro m t he P ope and acco rd i ng ,
to hi s wi ll
, D uri ng th e cent uri es fo ll owing 666
.
A D whi l e the P apal power was in the ascend ency

. .
, ,
t he b itt eres t and m o s t rel e nt l es s p ers ecut i o ns were
i nfl ict ed upo n m ank i nd T he m o st ho rrib l e and .
ex cr uci at i ng t o rt u res t hat co uld b e i nvent ed by t he
s at anic m ind were i nfl ict ed up on harm l es s and

de f ense l es s Chri s t i ans That l ong d ark night o f .
,
P apal rul e was m ade o ne o f t erro r by the s hri ek s

o f unnumb e red t ho u s and s o f m en and wo m en an d
chi ld ren as t hey w er e t o r n as und er o n t he d amnab l e
i nst rument s o f Rom i s h t ort ure o r b urn ed al ive at

the st ak e .
Laws w ere enact ed by the co uncil s under the ,
d i recti on o f the pop es that the work o f ext ermi ,
23 8
t
na i on o f t he s ai n s t m ight be carri ed o n systemat i
ca lly . In the fo ur th Ec um enical Co unci l P op e ,
I nnocent III l egi s lated as follo w s .
L t th e ul ul
e s ec b w n d nd i f n ar r ers y m e ar e , a , ecess ar , co
p el l d eb y l i t i l n
ecc es as u t t k pu
cab l i ce t h ts d res o a e a c oa , o o
a l l in th i p w t
e r xt mi n t h ti wh h ll h v b n
o er o e er a e ere cs o s a a e ee
d i gn t d
es a e b y th hu h Thi
so th v y m n h l l b
e c rc . s oa e er a s a e
o b l i g d t t k wh
e o nta up ne ny ffi o f i vi l p w
e ers o a o ce o c o er,
wh t h e th er fli b f e o lif fce l i mi t d tim And i f

e or e or or a e e.
a s ec ul ul ar r f t d w ning by th hu h n gl t t
er, a er ue ar e c rc , e ec s o
p u g
r h ie t i t s y f merrt h fil t h orf h y l ro t hi m b xe o eres , e e e
co mmuni t d by th m t p l i t n
ca e hb i h p nd t h b i h p
e e ro o a arc s o a e s o s
of th e p ro vi nce, and t he S uprem e P onti ff may de

l
c a r e the ru er s sub ect s ab s o l ’
j l ved f
rom th ei r a e i ance and ll g ,
hi s t erri t o ry open to s ei z ure by Catho i cs , who l S ha ll po s s ess

it ab so ute l ly .
”
“
Catho li cs who en g g in
a e a cru s ad e f or t h e e xt er minat i on
of heret i cs s ha ll be g nt d
ra e that i ndu lg ence and that ho ly
”
pri vi lg
e e which a re b es t o wed upo n Cru s ad ers t o th e Ho ly
”
L and .
“
P ri es t s mu s t f
re u s e the s acra ment s t o such pes t i enti a l l
w ret ch es [ the ru ers l and o ffi cers who f il a to xt
e er m inat e
hereti cs "d ny
, e them Chri s t i an b u ri a l , and sco rn t o ta k e t h ei r
a lm s and o ff eri n g s. S ho u d l any p ri es t act cont rar y , he i s t o
b e d epri ved o f hi s o ffi ce, and never res t o r ed t o i t wi tho ut a
ll
s peci a i n du t o f th e Apos t o i ca S ee
”
l l .
“
W wi ll e , d ec ree , and s r c t i tly co mmand , that i n the ex e
cu t i o n of thes e l aw s , b i s hops b e di i lg ent and vi gi l ant . If

t he y are no t s o , canoni ca l pena t i es l awai t them . S ho u d l any
b i s ho p b e ne gl i g ent or l ax i n pu r i n g g
hi s di oces e o f t he
l eaven o f he ret i ca wi c l k ednes s he sha , ll
b e d epo s ed rom the f
epi sco pa l ffi o ce and anot her put i n hi pl s ace who i s b o th ab e l
and wi ll i n g t o d est roy heresy .
”
—
L et ters to H i s H oli nes s ,
P ope P i us X .
, pp 18 —
23
. .
T hes e l aws are i nt eres ti ng b ecaus e they ind icat e

the ab s o l ut e s way of t he P ap acy as f u l fi l l i ng t h e
23 9
pr o p hetic record o f J ohn T he P ope command s

.
k ings and rul ers to car ry o ut hi s wi l l in exterm i

nat i ng al l o f t ho se who wo rs hip Go d and do not
accept the p ret ens i ons o f t he P ap acy W ith d evi l i s h .
cunni ng he wreak s veng eance up on eve ry s ecul ar
o ffi cer
, p ries t o r bis hop who f ail s to k ill Histo ry .
rev eal s t he f act t hat t he P ap acy d i d use the po wer
that was given unt o it so sy st emati call y that

,
.
p o bably fi f ty m illio n o f the s ai nt s have peri shed

r
s i nce i t b eg an i t s p ers ecut i o ns The vo i ce o f the

.
bl oo d o f the m arty red s ai nt s cries out f rom the

val l ey s o f the Alp s and f rom all o f E
,
uro p e to ,
J ehov ah for j udgm ent up on thi s S atanical imp osto r

in the fo rm o f the p ers ecuti ng b l as p hemous b eas t ,
.
Jo hn mak es a mo st startl ing st at em ent co ncern

ing t ho se who wo rship thi s P ap al mo nst er All .
who s e nam es have no t been wri tten f rom the f o u n

“
dat io n o f the wo rld in the book o f l i f e o f the L amb

that hath been s l ain w orship thi s monstro us po we r
,
”
.
The d evo t ees o f the P ap acy are b ut worship ers o f

the mo d ern B aal and as s uch co uld no t have t hei r
,
nam es wr itt en o n t he book o f l i f e P rot est anti sm .
has a f ear f ul re spons i b i l ity pl aced up on it to cry

al o u d to the m i l l i o ns o f igno rant w o rship ers at t he
f eet o f the P op e and warn them o f their d anger

, ,
s ay i ng Co m e o ut o f her my p eopl e t hat ye be

“
, , ,
not part ak er o f her i ni q ui t i es The j udgm ent s o f

”
.
Go d wi l l b e vi s it e d up o n t he P ap acy It has l ed .
cap ti ve the nat i o ns o f eart h and t hey have b eco m e

,
s l aves It shall there f ore g o into capti vity “ ”

. It .
has kill ed wit h the s wo rd and w it h the s wo rd it

“
,
m u st b e kill ed
' ”
.
THE REV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
teaching is p agan and d evil ish Thi s i s the m eans .
by w hi ch it ex erci ses i ts p ow er It ens l aves the .
w orld thro ugh f al se t eaching It had two ho rns . .
T hes e w ere the two di vi si ons o f hi s p ower T hi s .
d escri b es wit h all o f the accuracy o f de t ai l t he

, ,
r el i g io us condit i on o f the emp i re b etw een 4 7 6 A D . .
and 666 A D . .
As early as 42 5 A D Valentian III had . .

, .
d ecreed that all bi shop s o f the western emp i re

sho uld o b ey t he b i s ho p o f Ro m e Thi s d ecree com .
p l et el y es t ab l i s h ed t he s up rem acy o f t he Ro m an
b is hop . Thi s s up rem acy was bo l stered up by two

cl aim s t hat b egan t o b e m ad e : fi rst that t he apo stl e
h
P et er est abli shed the church at Rome and that it s ,
bishop was hi s l aw f ul s ucces so r ex ercis ing al l the ,
aut ho r ity t hat Chr i s t co n f err ed upo n that ap o s tl e ;
s eco nd , that w hen Co nst ant ine removed hi s cap it al

to Cons t anti no pl e Ro m e and i t s t errito ry had been
,
do nat ed to the bi shop by him T hus hi s p ret en sio ns .

,
to bo t h s p i rit ual and t em p o ral autho rity d evel op ed

wit h the p as s i ng y ears Anot her ci rcumst ance co n
.
t ribut ed to the d evelo p ment o f these two horns .
The i ncap acity o f the em p erors gave the bi s ho p s

m any o pp o rt unit i es i n po l iti cs even t o t reat ing wit h ,
t he b arbari ans who i nvad ed It aly L eo t he Great .
t re ated with Att il a the H un and k ept him f ro m ,
att ack i ng t he city Agai n when t he V and al s

.
,
s wo op ed d ow n upo n t he city L eo was s ent to mak e ,
t erm s with him Gibbo n d escribes the s it uat io n o f

.
thi s p erio d in these wo rd s

Th i t mp
e r e l p w in n ibl y
o ra o er f m th l m i
se s arose ro e ca a
ti
es o
~
f th t i m
e nd th R m n b i h p
es , a e wh h v d l ug d
o a s o s, o a e e e
242
TH E W IL D B EAS T S
Europe and Asia wi th b l oo d were compell ed to , rei gn as min

i st ers o f chari ty and peace [ l ook ed l ik e a
“
The
chu rch o f Rome , as i t has f ormer ly b een was en
ob s erved,
do wed wi th am p e l po s s ess i o ns i n It a ly , l
S ici y and t he more
di s t ant p ro vi nces ; and her a g ent s, who were common y sub l
deacons had acq ui red a ci vi ,
,
l an d even cri mi na l j
u ri s di ct i on
,
over th ei r tenant s and hu sbandm en. Th e rent s or
the prod uce o f th es e were t ransport ed t o the m outh

es tat es
o f the T ib er The mi sery o f t he t i mes had reduced

.
l
the nob es and matrons o f Rome t o accept wi t hout a b u sh , l ,
l
t he b enevo ence o f th e chu rch Th e mi s o rtunes o f . f
l l l
Ro m e i nvo ved the apos t o i ca pas t or i n the b u s i nes s o f peace
and war ; and i t mi ht b e d oub t u t o hi m s e g whether pi ety f l lf ,
o r amb i t i on pr ompted hi m t o s uppl y the pl ace of hi s a bs ent
s over ei g n —D ecl i ne and Fal l of the R oma n E

”
. mpi r e, Vol .
IV pp 47, 48
.
, . .
T hus we hav e a bri e f d escript i on by the secul ar ,
hi s t ori an o f the d evelo p m ent o f t he rel igio u s b eas t

,
unt i l G rego ry s uppl i ed the pl ace o f hi s ab sent

“
so ver ei gn and ex erci s e d al l the aut ho ri ty o f t hat

” “ ”
so verei gn T he bi sho p s had d eceiv ed by thei r f al s e

.
cl ai m s t o Sp i rit ual and t empo ral p ower by thei r ,
charit i es by f al s e m i racl es wo rk ed t o i mpo se up on

,
t he i gno rant m ult it u de s unt i l by the d eath o f , ,
Grego ry in 604 A D t he b i s ho p was bo t h t he

. .
,
sp i ri t ual and t em p o ral r ul er o f t he wes t ern empi re .
It only rem ai ned no w fo r t hi s two horned p o l i ti cal -
rel i g i o us sy s t em to b ecom e t ho ro ughly es t ab l i shed .
Th Im g e f th
a e o And h d i v th th m th t dw ll
e e ece e e a e
n th th b y f th i gn
B t eas
n o e ear reas o o e s s
whi h i t w gi v n him t d i n th
c as e o o e
s i ght f th b
o t; ying t th m th t dw ll in th
e eas sa th o e a e e ea r ,
t h t th y
a e h ul d m k s n im g
o t th b a t wh
e a h th t h a e o e ea s o a e
t
s ro k f th w d nd l iv d And it w gi v n nt hi m t
e o e s or a e . as e u o o
giv b th t it v n t th im g f th b t th t th
e rea o , e e o e a e o e eas , a e
243
i mag e o f the l
b east shou d b oth spea , and cause that as many k
as shou l d not worshi p the imag e of the b east shou d b e i l ed
”
l k l
( vs 14
. ,
The t wo-ho rn ed b eas t that lo ok ed lik e a lamb

d ev elop ed its pow er in the sigh t o f the first b eas t
“
.
That is w hil e the ba rbari an conq uer ors maint ai ned

,
a s embl ance o f the Christian empire the bis hop s ,
w er e es t abli shi ng a sway over the p eopl e that ov er

shadow ed t hat o f the emp erors The r eal r ul ers .
o f Ro m e w ere now the so call ed s uc ces sors o f S t -

.
P et er The s ec ul ar form of governm ent was not

.
c hanged but was simpl y adopted b y the church

, .
The c hurch s orga niza t io n con form ed to t h at o f the

’
.
Ro m an Empir e It was patt erned af t er the b eas t

“ ”
.
and b ec am e the im age of the beas t W esterman

“ ”
,
a s ec ul ar historian bears testim ony to this fact in

,
l anguage v ery similar to that of the apost l e

In th sy st m f th Roman Empi e as i t exi st d af t e
“
e e o e r , e r
the r eo gani ati on

r f Di ocl ti an and C on t ant in th
z o hu he s e, e c rc
f und a m d l of efii ci nt admini st ati n th g n al pl an of

o o e e r o , e e er
whi h it l
c l y f ll ow d A chu h tat a
c ose o e wi thin th
. rc s e rose e
p l itical stat e f Rom [ i e esponding t

“
o o th eo . ., e c rr o
i t i n i t g n ral divi i on [ an i m g "

s e e as f oll w
s s a e o s
TH E WORLD EM P IRE .
Munici pal l
offici a s.
Gove no r r.
Vicarius .
Emperor .
TH E U N IVERS AL C H URC H .
C ity tat hu ch
-s
e c r Bi shop.
Chu h p vince
rc ro Metropol itan .
Chu h Di rc oces e P at ri arch .
C ath l ic Chu h
o rc Bi shop o f Rome .
244
TH E R EV ELAT IO N OF J ES US CH RIS T
Ho w t ly hav e these p redictions been f ulfill ed

accura e
in the P ap acy The P o p e has al way s cl aim ed to

.
sp eak wit h di vi ne aut ho rity He i s the sole i nt er .
p reter o f the S cript ures and w hen he sp eak s upo n ,
any s ub j ect r el ated to f aith and mo ral s he i s ,
in f all ibl e acco rdi ng

, t o hi s d ev ot ees H e even .
ass umes to s et as id e the S cr ipt ure and s u bs tit ut e
hi s own p rono uncement s The hi s to ry o f more .
than tw elve hund red y ears o f P ap al r ul e sho ws the

compl et e f ulfillment o f the p red iction that it i s
t he p urpo se o f t he P ap acy to k i ll al l that do no t
y ield to it S p ace w o uld f ail us to mention t he
.
acco unt o f t he aw f ul pe r s ecut io ns th at hav e been
vi s it ed i n t he vall ey s o f Pi e dm ont and agai ns t the ,
Wal dens es and d uring the I nq ui s i t i on and agai nst

, ,
the H ugueno t s The r eco rd i s one o f bl oo d and

.
ho rro r .No r has the P ap acy chang ed it s charact er .
It i s the s ame p ers ecut ing po wer to day It would -

.
put every P rot est ant in t he Unite d S t at es to d eat h

i f it co ul d As i t i s the o l d t im e hat red fo r hereti cs
.
,
-
f req uently burst s fo rth During the year 19 1 5 .

,
t hi rt een ass ault s with i nte nt to kill were m ade in

d i ff erent p art s o f thi s county by P ap al rufli ans .
M ark of th e And he caus et h all , the s ll

ma and
B eas t
the g reat . an d the ri ch and t he po o r,
and the f ree and the b ond , that there
be gi v en them a mar k on thei r ri ght hand, or upo n t hei r
f orehead ; man s hou d b e ab e t o buy or s e

and that no l l ll ,
s av e he t hat hath t he m ar k
even th e nam e o f t he b east o r
,
th e nu mb er o f hi s nam e H ere i s wi s dom H e that hath

. .
und ers t and in g

l et hi m count the numb er o f the b east ; fo r i t
,
i s the numb er o f a man : and hi s numb er i s s i x hund red and

si x ty and si x ”
( vs 16
.
246
Agai n the P ap acy i s accur ately p oi nt ed o ut It .
f ulfill s every d etai l o f the p rop het ic d es cript ion We .
tak e a p as sage f ro m Co rp us J uri s the o ffi ci al “

,
”
l aw bo ok o f the P ap acy : I f any o ne p res um es to “

-
k eep hereti cs in his ho use o r l and s o r to carry on ,
b us i ness with t hem he i s to be ex com m unicat ed

”
,
( D e cr et G r eg l i b v c.
,
It i s a s t.at ut e.
,enac t ed
by the decr ee o f the p op es that no busi nes s be
trans act ed wi th hereti cs and it i s the p o l icy o f the ,
P ap al go vernm ent to bring fi nanci al rui n upo n its

opp onent s The bo y co tt i s the cl ub that it s ag ent s
.
s eek to u s e a ga i ns t m en and i ns t i t uti o ns t hat are
not s ub s ervie nt to th em In any comm unity wher e .
there is a s emb l ance o f Catholi c st rength thi s cl ub ,
has b een used It is held over the p ubl ic p ress so

.
threat eningly that b ut few p er io d ical s will d are

bre athe a wo rd co ncerning t he P ap al i nt ri gues
whi ch are being carri ed on to the d et rim ent o f the
nat io n B us iness men are b eing ho und ed by P apal
.
b eggars fo r the coff ers o f Rom e and i f they do no t ,
cont ri b ut e t he y are b oy co tt ed .
The t rue and f ait h f ul are d esi gnat ed by a

“ ”
Si g n o r a m ark that i s pl aced o n the ri ght hand o r

o n the f o r ehea d It was a brand pl aced upo n every
.
o ne t hat was a servant o f the i m ag e o f the b eas t .
The P apacy it sel f can t ell us ab out the m ark o r

b rand t hat it uses to d es i gnat e i t s wo rs hip ers b ett er
t han any one el s e We t ake f rom the P apal Cat e.
“
chi s m
”
thes e q uesti ons and answers
" Why n w n t
. ca iv B pt i m C n fi m ti n
e o nd
r ece e a s , o r a o , a
H ly O d
o rm ers th n n ?
ore a o ce
A W i v B p t i m C nfi m t i n nd H l y
“
. nn t
e ca o rece e a s , o r a o a o
247
O rders more than once, b ecause they i mpri nt a character in

the s ou l .
“
" Wh . at i s the charac er t whi ch these S acrament s im
t
pri n i n the soul ?
“
A. The charact er whi ch these S acrament s impri n in the t
sou l is a s pi ri tual mark which remains f orever.
”
The first ,
cr am ents to b e r eceived b y
o ne o f the sa
an i nd ivid ual is t hat o f b ap t i sm and acco rdi ng to , ,
the t eachi ng o f the Cat ec hi sm a m ark i s impri nt ed

“ ”
,
o n the s oul that rem ai ns f o r ever It i s a r em ark abl e .
f act that i t was not until a fter the establi shm ent o f
t he P ap acy t hat any ch ang e was m ad e i n the
manner o f b apti sm In 7 5 3 A D Whil e in e xil e
. . .
, ,
Po p e S tep hen said i t w ould be permi ssible to

s p ri nkl e wat er o n the h ead und er the ci rc umst anc es
und er w hi ch hi s p erm i s si on was ask ed b ut it was ,
not until 13 1 1 A D that thi s pr actice b ecame the

. .
s ubj ect of l egal enactm ent In that y ear the .
sp ri nkli ng o f w at er up on the fo r ehead b ecam e the
l egal i z ed act o f b apti sm and there fo re the means , , ,

-
o f imp ri nti ng t he m ark upon the forehead I f

“ ”
.
one do es no t r ecei ve t hat m ark

“
he can not be ,
num b ered wit h the Cat ho l ics for acco rdi ng to

” “
, ,
thei r t eachi ng bapti sm i s neces s ary to sal vati on

,
”
,
b ut the m om ent the m ark i s pl aced on the fo r e

“ ”
head it b eco m es i nd elibl e and r emai ns forev er

, .
It seems that so m e did no t receive the m ark up on “
the f o rehead but on the hand , These there fore . , ,
co uld no t be cl as s ed as tr ue Catholi cs fo r t hey are ,
req ui red to r ecei ve the sacrament s This latter .
cl ass are t hose who are the us e f ul t oo l s o f the
Pap acy th ough not act ually identifi ed wi th i t Their

, .
248
CHAPTER XIII .
THE DECL INE O F THE PAPACY
O RE than a m ill enni um is occup i ed in the

hi sto ry reco rd ed i n the thi rt eenth chapt er o f
Revel at i on D uring t hi s lo ng p eri od o f ye ar s the
.
beas t and t he i m ag e o f the beas t held abso l ut e

“ ” “ ”
s way over m ank ind D uring thi s ti m e the Rom an

.
Empi re as a po l it ical po wer di sint egrat ed and

, ,
becam e b ro k en up into ten gr eat d ivi s ions Desp i t e .
al l o f t he cat as t rop he t hat o verwhel m ed her i n t hi s
p erio d Rome nev er compl etely lo st her s upremacy

,
as t he cap i t al o f t he em pi re As her p ol it ical po w er

.
d ecl ined a p agani z ed relig io us p o wer having the

, ,
s ame id ent i cal f o rm o f org ani z atio n d evelo p ed in ,
i nvers e rat io and do m i nat ed the t en divi sio ns as

effect ually as i f t he em pi re had rem ai ned a po l it i cal
unit . T hese d ivis i o ns st ill s ubmitt ed to the autho rity

o f Rome as t hey di d i n the d ay s o f i t s po liti cal
p ower The l i f eti me o f this image Of the b east

.
“ ”
ha s al ready b een d et erm i ne d It i s y ears . .
D uri ng the p eri o d o f t he d evelo p m ent o f the

imag e o f t he b eas t t he church o f Chri st grad ually
,
d ecl ined as it d i sapp eared in the wild erness unt i l , ,
i n 666 A D i t was co mpl et ely ecl ip sed and the

. .
,
l i ht
o of the worl d went o ut Fo r mo r e t han eight
.
cent uri es m ank ind was env el op ed i n i m p enet rab l e
25 0
‘
T H E D EC L INE OF T H E P AP A CY
d arknes s , and P ap al po wer was not q uesti o ned

t he
by any co ns i d erabl e or fo rm i d ab l e g roup o f m en .
It p ers ecuted at will and its b l asp hem ie s b ecam e

,
mo re p ronounced unt i l at the cl o se o f the fi f teenth

,
cent u ry,
they had r eached the cul m inatio n and the
po p es had arro gat ed to themse lves all o f the f unc
tio ns o f Go d .
It was at this ti me that the suprem e co urt o f

t he uni vers e as s em b l ed as wi tnessed bv D ani el in
,
hi s v i s i ons ( D an 7 : 9 . and the d ecree concern
ing the P ap al gov ernm ent w as i s s ued to be ex ecut ed .
The d ecree was to the eff ect t hat the d o mi nio n o f

t he P ap acy s ho uld b e g rad ually l es sened and co n
s um ed unt i l t he en d ( Dan 7 : T he t en d ivi s io ns

.
would al so have thei r do m inio n t ak en aw ay b ut ,
not by a w as ti ng p roces s The t im e l im it gi ven

.
fo r the ex ecut io n o f the di vi ne d ecree ag ai ns t t he

P ap acy and ag ai ns t t he ten ho rns was a
“
s ea son
and a t i m e or 4 5 0 y ea rs
”
, ( D an T. he
seri e s o f vi s io ns b egi nni ng with Rev and .
co nt i nui ng to the end o f t he ni net eenth chapt er ,
d escribes the event s co nnect ed with the d ecl ine o f

the P ap acy and t hey cover a p erio d o f 4 5 0 y ears
, .
In chapt er 14 the pro p het i s p ri vi l eged t o s urvey

i n o utl i ne the p ri ncip al event s t hat have t o do wi th
t he o vert hro w o f t he ap o s t at e church unt i l i t s end ,
i s compl et e and the ki ngd om o f Chri s t i s es t ab l i s hed .
Thi s chapt er s erves the sam e p urp os e as the head

l ine s o f a new sp ap er at the beginning o f an arti cl e .
In the h eadli nes t he mo s t sal i ent f eat ur es o f the

,
a rt i cl e are br i efly s t at e d In t hi s chapt er the mo s t

.
impo rt ant ev ents o f the fo llow ing 4 5 0 y ear s are

25 1
TH E R EVELATI O N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
b ri efly tli ne d l eavi ng the r em ai ning chap t ers to

ou ,
fill in the d etails .
In the sev enth ch apt er o f Rev el atio n we hav e

an acco unt o f the s eali ng o f the one h und red and
forty four thous and T hi s is not to be tak en liter

-
.
ally fo r it is the my sti cal num ber r epr es enti ng the

'
red eem ed o f Spiri t ual Isr ael up t o the tim e o f the
compl et e di s app ear anc e o f the ch urch i n the wild er
ness for i t i s s aid to be the first fruits unt o Go d

“
,
and unt o the L amb ( Rev Th ey are mor e .
p artic ul arly d escrib ed as not havi ng b een defiled “
with wo m en ; fo r they are virgi ns S piri t ual

”
.
f orni cati on is the d ep art ur e from the t ru e faith and

w orship “
Ho w is the f aithf ul ci ty b eco m e a
.
harl ot "she th at was f ull o f j ustic e "righ teo usness

l odged in her but now m urd er ers ( Isa
,
”
.
T hese one hundred and for ty fo ur tho usand had -
pr e erv ed the t ru e f aith and Chr i sti an s t andard s o f

s
livi ng altho ugh ap ostasy was preval ent abo ut them

, .
The sp eci al pe ri o d o f seal i ng is d efi nitely m ark ed

as o ccurri ng w hi l e t he f o ur wi nd s o r the b arb ari an ,
i nvas io ns w er e b ei ng r estr ai ned ( Rev 7 : 1

, .
Thi s ext end s fro m 3 13 A D until the i nvasion by . .
the Go t hs 4 1 0 A D , . .
Now we h av e the answer to t hat f am ili ar q ues

ti on Are the d ead aliv e ? M or e th an a m ill en
,
“ ”
ni um has p as sed by s i nc e t he h ost o f the seal ed
recei ved their r ob es o f s po t l es s whit e Duri n g these .
cent uri es t r ut h and r i ght eo usnes s had been cr ushed
to the ear t h b eneat h the h eel o f the ap ost at e P ap al

pow er but w hen the decr ees o f the divi ne assiz e
,
are d et erm i ned up on b etw een 14 5 3 A D and 1 5 1 8 . .
25 2
known to mank ind Luther boldly fl ung o ut the

.
chall eng e to t he wo rld t o wo r sh ip Go d i ns t ead o f
In 1 5 2 0 A D he p ub l i s hed the B aby

“
t he P o pe . . .
lo ni sh Capti vity o f the Church This was the .
fi rs t serio us attack upon the p retens i ons o f the

P ap al impo s t ure t hat had eve r b een m ad e Ro m e .
t rembl ed and began to thund er fo rth anathem as

ag ai ns t t he i nt rep i d m es s engers o f t he new era .
Every eff ort was put fo rth to cr ush the ri s ing

m ovement b ut wi tho ut the s ucces s o f f orm er d ay s
, .
Here d ecl i ne had no w b egun as had b een d ecreed

by d i vi ne j ud g m ent In 164 8 A D t he G erm an
. . .
Gove rnm ent recogni ed and s uppo rte d the re fo rm ed

z
f aith by the concl us i on o f the P eace O f W estphali a .
T he P apal dom i nio n was d efi ni t ely weak ened by the

m ult i t ud es who had reno unced t he p o pe s and t hei r
p ret ens i o ns d uri ng t he i nt erv eni ng y ears .
T he nex t s al i ent f eat ure i n

Infi d l i ty
e
the d ecli ne o f the P ap acy is
fo und in the wave o f i nfid elity that swept o ver
Euro pe beg inning abo ut 1 75 0 A D and culm i
, . .
nati ng i n the F rench Revol ut i o n and t he event s
fo llo wi ng T he apost ate church was unab l e to

.
r es i s t t he m i ghty fo rces o f di s co nt ent t hat s eem ed
t o g at he r i n a g reat s t o rm cl o u d at t hi s t im e
-
In .
1 79 3 A D . F rance d ethroned Catho li ci sm and

.
,
es t ab li s he d t he wo r ship o f Reas on i n it s s t ead In .
1 79 8 A D P ope P i us VI was t ak en p ri so ner by

. .
, .
Nap o l eon and carri ed t o F rance The pres tige and .
do m inio n o f the P apacy had rece ived another

cr u s hi ng b l o w that it co uld no t r ecover fro m It .
co ul d neve r i ns pi re abj ect f ear agai n

'
.
25 4
T H E D ECL INE O F T H E P AP A C Y
The vo i ce o fthi rd angel

t he
o f d oom i s b ei ng hear d at t he
p res ent time The y ear 18 7 0

A D m ark s t he end o f t he P apal p re tens i on to
. .
t emp o ral p ower It was in t hat y ear t hat the P ap al

.
s t at es t o ex i s t t he Po p e s t empo ral
’
ceas ed , and
po wer was l im it ed to the confi nes o f the V ati can .
He re he s ecl ud es him s elf p ret end ing to be a p ri s

,
o ner . The civil i z ed nat ions however s t i ll conti nue

, ,
to reco gniz e him as a sovereign by receiv i ng hi s

ambas s ado rs at t hei r cap i t al s and by havi ng accred
ited amb as s ad o rs at the V at ican In the p ast few

.
y ears there has been a st eadily ri s ing t i d e o f

O ppo s i t io n d evel opi ng t o hi s f raud ul ent cl aim s T he .
vo i ces o f t he apo stl es unit e i n a ri ngi ng d ecl ar at i o n
that the race will soon be f reed f ro m the S at ani c

cl aim s o f the ag e Old im po st o r
-
He him sel f light ed
.
the fi re t hat i s s weepi ng the nati o ns o f t he O l d

Wo rld with the bes om o f d es t ruct io n and which ,
sh all enwrap hi s o wn city wit h a s eet hi ng co nfl a
g r a t io n . H i s d o m i ni o,
n as w ell as hi s fo ll ow ers ,
S hall be eng ulfe d in the great cat ast rop he that i s

s hak i ng t he t hrones o f t he t en ho rns o f t he old
Ro m an Emp i re . That secret co nco rd at that the

P apacy m ad e wit h S ervi a wi ll p rov e to b e i t s own
d eath sentence
-
.
It w i ll be no ti ced t hat t he t hi rd angel w hose ,
warni ng I S so undi ng at the p res ent mo ment an ,
no unces t he fi nal j udgm ent o n the i m ag e o f th e
beas t and hi s worshi p er s .I f the f oll ow ers o f t he

P op e d es i re to escape d rinki ng o f t he wi ne o f the
“
wrat h o f Go d ”
they should r eno unce the Po pe s ’
,
25 5
au tho r ity b efo r e the fi nal m om ent com es and o bey

Chr i st as their o nly Lor d The ang el adds a
.
p ecul iar comment t o his warni ng Her e i s the .

“
p ati ence o f the saint s they that k eep the co mm and

,
m ent s o f God and the faith O f J es us ( v

,
”
.
The m om ent o f the fi nal d estr ucti on o f the im age

o f the b east i s t he signal o f t he vict o ry o f the
s ai nt s . Pat iently hav e we st riv en to ob ey the com

mandment s o f Go d as r ev eal ed in the S cr ipt ure ,
and s t ead f astly h av e we clu ng to the s i mpl e faith
o f J e s us as pr eached by hi s apo s tl es alt hough t he ,
r n n —
w o ld s eem s to be r us i g to r ui heedi ng nothi ng
h
but the bl andi shm ent s o f the apo st at e p ow er The .
s i gnifi cance o f the ang el s str ang e comm ent i s that

’
t he s usp ens e o f the s ai nt s will not lo ng er b e d el ay ed .
AS soon as the fo r ces t hat w er e set i n m ot ion in

19 14 A D have reached t h eir culmi nati on the l ong
. .
,
exp ect ed ex alt ati on o f the chur ch o f the livi ng Go d
wi ll t ake pl ace T hi s is co nfirm ed by the voi ce

.
that sp eaks fro m h eav en at the s am e tim e

And I h a d a v i c f m h v n e r o e ro ea e
Fu t R ur c
as
s re
; y i n g W
sa i t Bl , d a th
r d e,ad es s e re e e
wh di i n th L d f m h n f rt h
o e e or ro e ce o :
yea, s a i th th S pi i t that th y may

e r , st f
e m th i l ab ; f
re ro e r o rs or
th i w k f ll w wi th th m ( R v 14
”
e r or s o o e e . :
What r easo n i s th ere for the bl ess edness o f the

s ai nt ed d ead at t hi s p arti cul ar t i m e mo re than at ,
any fo rm er t i me ? Wh at p arti cul ar r ef er ence d oes

t he d eat h str uggl e o f the P ap acy have t o t he
-
bl ess ed ness o f the sl eepi ng foll ow er s o f Chr ist ?

It can be easily seen that it will b e a ble s sed m om ent
when those who are aliv e realiz e th at they are fr ee
'
25 6
to reap has co me ,
and t he s c i kl e is s et f o rth into
t he harves t . It i s fi rst resurrect ion
t he ho ur of t he .
It i s t he t im e
o f t he d ea d B l es s ed are the d ead .
who d i e i n the Lord Al l o f t hem who s l eep i n

.
J es us co me f o rth T he wick ed dead are undi s .
t u rb ed at t hi s t i m e fo r the res t o f t he d ead l ived

“
,
not unt i l the t ho us and y ears s ho uld b e fi ni she d
( R e v . T h e n t h e g o d ly w h o a r e a l i ve
ex p eri ence a m arvelo u s t rans l ati on at the s ame

mo m ent We al l shall not s l eep b ut we S hal l all
.
,
b e chang ed i n a m ome nt i n the t wi nkl ing o f an

, ,
eye at t he l as t t rum p : fo r t he t rump et s h all s o und

, _ ,
and t he d ead s hall b e rai s e d i nco rrupt i b l e

"
an d we ,
shall be c hang ed ll be
”
( 1 Co r I t w i .
a mo s t aw e i ns pi ri ng s p ect acl e-
T hen S hall two .
m en b e in t he fi eld ; one i s tak en and o ne i s l e f t ,

:
two wo m en s hal l be g ri ndi ng at t he m i ll ; o ne i s

tak en and o ne is l e f t ( M att
,
”
The .
t aken ones are Chri st i ans The l ast fo ll ower o f .
Chri st has been t ran s l at ed and t ogether w i t h t ho s e , ,
who have b een r ai s ed i s l i f t ed out o f and above ,
t he fi nal t ri b ul at io n o f eart h .
T he wheat harves t havm g

A m g dd n
r a e o
been re aped and t he rip ene d
grain having b een sto red away In the M as t er s g ar ’
ner the t i m e o f t he t ar es has co m e

, Th e t i m e o f .
j udgment up o n tho s e who have re f used to obey the “
gosp el o f Christ ( 2 T hes s ”

The t ro ubl e s .
o f the ti m e as ind i cat ed i n Rev

, 20 b y the .
-
t d g t g p
'
g at her i ng an d rea i n o f t h e h a r v es o f r a e s
the vi ne o f t he earth will b e the b i tteres t

“
of ,
th at h ave ever been exp eri enced by m anki nd The .
25 8
T H E D ECL INE O F T H E P AP A C Y
f ruit t hat i s crushed i s gathered f ro m t he vine o f

the earth The t rue vi ne i s Chri s t and hi s t rue
” “ ”
.
,
di scipl es are the b ranches b ut thi s i s the vine o f ,

“
t he eart h The f rui t s o f t he l abo rs o f all m en

”
.
who have so ught t o att ai n t hei r hi ghes t go o d

thro ugh earthly means and i nst rument alit i es al one , ,
and not t hro ugh Chri s t wi ll all b e gat hered t o g et her

,
and t ro d upo n P o l i t i cal p art i es rul ers and k i ng s

.
,
w i ll be humi li at ed as w ell as t ho se who have

,
t rusted in them o r in cult ure s cience o r arm am ent s

‘
,
.
The f ruit o f t hi s vi ne p ro ves to b e ab so l ut e wa s t e .
W hen it i s crus hed the wine flo ws o ut as bl oo d

,
o n t he eart h T he ext ent o f t hi s st ream o f b lo o d

.
i nd icat es the b itt ernes s o f the cal am ity that has

overt ak en the wo rld at t hi s t i m e T he ent i re f ab ric .
o f eart hly po wer i s b ei ng rent and t o rn .
The church escap es t he t ri b ul atio n o f thi s di s

as t er to eart hly po wer fo r t he g rap es are t ro d d en
,
wi t ho ut the ci ty The church has b een rem oved

“ ”
.
tempo rari l y f rom t he earth T here wi l l not be a .
s ingl e f o llo w er o f Ch ri s t i n t he wo rl d d u r ing th e [
b attl e o f Arm ageddo n T hey were all changed at

.
t he t i m e o f t he fi rs t re s urrect i on and had g o ne to ,
“
m eet the Lord in the air We have here a .
”
d escript ion o f a p eri o d when the wo rld wi ll b e

wi tho ut the church The two wi tne s s es are s l ai n
“
.
and t hei r d ead bo d i es li e unb ur i ed i n t he s t reet s

”
.
The evil p rop ens iti es o f m ank i nd b u rs t fo rt h i n un re

s t r ai ned f ury T he vi ne o f the eart h
“ ”
. ho w ever , ,
mo r e part icul arly re f er s t o the co unt erf ei t o f t he

“
t rue V ine . The P op e cl aim s t o b e t he vi s ib l e
”
m ani f est at io n or repre sent ati ve o f the t rue vine

“ ”
25 9
o n ea rth It is the rip ened fr uitage o f that P ap al

.
sy s t em w hose b ranch es hav e b ecom e int ertwined

with al l the po l i ti cal aff air s o f the nat ions that i s ,
c rush ed in the wi nepress o f the wrath o f God The .
res ult i s a mighty s t ream o f b l oo d a b att l e d escri be d

,
as t hat o f Arm ag edd on .
T hus the pro p het has p rep ar ed the r ead er for

an i nt ell i g ent und er s t andi ng o f t he s ubj ec t m att er -
i n the fo ll owing ch apt er s o f the book by gi vi ng at ,
once br i e f st at em ents concer ni ng the pri ncip al st ep s
in the d ow n f all o f the P ap acy T hese are 1 ) the

.
Re fo rm ati on ; ( 2 ) the w av e o f i nfid elity and the

i nstit ution o f the wo r ship o f Reaso n as well as ,
the hum i li at io n o f the P op e by Napo l eon ; ( 3 ) the

great st ruggle b etw een the ten horhs o f the beast ,
‘
b egi nni ng i n 19 14 A D . the fir st r esurr ect io n and
.
the t ranslati on o f the l i vi ng s ai nt s i n connect i on

w ith the seco nd co mi ng o f our Lo rd ; and ( 4 ) the
b attl e o f Arm ag eddon .
“
The s ub j ect m att er o f chap -
An t h
o er Si g n
t er s 1 5 to 19 i ncl usiv e wil l fill
, ,
in the outl ine w i th i mpo rt ant d et ail s expl anato ry ,
o f s uch ev ents as may need amplifi cat io n Rev . .
1 5 : 1 4 d esc rib es the r ej o i cing o f the heavenly hos t s

-
in anti cip atio n o f the b egi nni ng o f the sy st em ati c

d est ructi on and overthro w o f the i niq uito us P ap al
sy s t em t hat fo r cent uri es had held the human race
in t hr alld om to its f raud ul ent cl ai ms The event s .
that fo ll ow thi s vi s io n are i d enti fi ed with the aff ai rs

o f t he d ragon and the wom an by the p rop het s ’
,
r ef erence to the seven angel s h avi ng the seven

“
pl agues as another Sign in h eav en

” “
At the .
2 60
TH E R EV ELAT IO N J ES U S
’
, OF CH R IS T
was at an end , fo r none co u ld en et r int o the

templ e . It was m ost
s enseless thi ng
a foo l ish and
for t he Chri s t i an p eopl e o f Am eri ca to heed t he

call t o
‘‘
p ray fo r p eace i ssued by the P resi d ent in ”
,
19 14 A D for none can app ro ach the t empl e unt i l

. .
,
t he pl ag ues are fi ni she d That is d emons t rated by .
the f act t hat p eace did no t com e i n ans w er to t he

comb i ned i nt erces s io ns o f the p ro f ess ed f ollowers
o f Chri st Go d t urned a d ea f ear to t hei r mock ery
.
o f p ray er ; t he war conti nues t o rag e wi t h relent
l es s f ury and the v ery p art icip ant s in that i nter

,
cesso ry sp ect acl e are cry i ng out fo r p rep arednes s “
The war in Euro p e i s t he w ork o f the

”
for war
s event h and l ast ang el and al l the p ray ers o f eart h
. ,
an d heaven wi ll no t st ay i ts ravage s unt i l it cul mi
nat es i n the co mpl et e d est ruction o f the d om inion o f
t he b eas t havi ng s even head s and ten ho rns

“ ”
.
Any ces s atio n o f t hi s struggl e will b e b ri e f B e fo r e .
thi s pl agu e i s comple t e Am erica her sel f shall drink ,
o f t he s am e cup o f wrat h The ext ent o f thi s .
pl ague w hich has been p o ured out in Euro p e i s

d escribed by J eremi ah in these wo rd s
And al l th e k i ng f th
s o e no rt h, f ar and near, one wi th
anot her ; and a ll th k i ng d m
e o s of the l
wo r d whi ch are upon
,
t he f ace o f the earth : and the k ing o f S h eshach sha drin ll k

a ft er t hem . And i t sh ll b a e, i f they f
re us e to t a k e
the cup at thy hand t o d ri n k , l

then sha t thou s ay unt o th em,
Thu s s ai t h J ehovah of ho s t s ; Ye sha ll s ure ly drin k . Fo r.
10 , g
I b e in t o wo r evi k l at the ci t y whi ch i s ca ll ed by my
name ; and s hou d ye g o l utt er ly unpuni shed ? Ye sha ll no t
be unpuni shed ; f or I wi ll ca ll f or a swo rd upo n al l the in
habi t ant s of the earth, sai th J ehovah of ho st s
”
( Jer 2 5 .
26 2 8,
,
2 62
T H E D EC L INE O F T H E P AP A CY
These statem ents are d efi nit e and cl ear All .
nat io ns shall be vi s i t ed by the swo rd and S hall ,
d ri nk o f the cup o f w rath The J ewi sh p eo ple .
and t he ci ty o f J er us al em w ere vi s i t e d and t hat ,
j udgm ent rem ai ns as a w arning that the nations

s hall not escap e t he w rat h o f God Why should .
Am er ica be thought to be i mm une f ro m the general

co nfl ag rat ion ? That natio n which has go ne pl easure
mad and mo ney m ad ; t hat nat io n w hi ch receiv es
amb as s ado rs f rom the P ap al anti chri s t and wi nk s
at t he p o l it i cal cri m es co mm itt ed ag ai ns t hum ani ty
by hi s m i nions—why s ho uld it es cap e p uni s hment ?
Go d challe nges the s ob er tho ught to the cat as t rop he

that shall surely co me Duri ng the p ast two y ears
.
Am erica has been d rawi ng b ack and re f us i ng to

“
take the cup that i s p resented her b ut Go d s wor d

”
,
’
s ha l l no t fail Interces si on will not avert the

.
im p end ing do om for none can ent er t he t empl e

“ ”
.
,
B ut one t hing can s ave Am erica f ro m the pl ag ue ,
and t hat i s a genui ne rep ent ance and a who l e

heart ed o b edi ence t o Chri s t And in no ne o ther
“
.
i s the re s al vati on : fo r neither i s t here any ot her

nam e und er heaven that i s gi ven among men ”
, .
wherei n we m ust b e saved ( Ac t”

s 4 : Ev en
thi s w ill only av ert the cal ami ty as to i nd ivid ual s ,
and not t o the nati on as an eart hly po l i tical po wer

,
.
That m ust be brok en and crushe d that the kingdo m

o f Ch ri s t m ay b e est abl i s hed .
Jo hn s att ent ion i s now d rawn

’
Fi t P l g u
rs a e
to the s even angel s as t hey s t art
o ut up o n thei r m i s s i o n o f j u dgm ent at t he co mm and
o f a gr eat vo i ce o ut o f t he t empl e that i s fill ed

26 3
wi t h the glory of Go d, and that no ne co uld enter .
“
And the wen fi rst t
, and poured out hi s b wl i nt th
o o e
earth ; and i t b ecame a noi som e and gri evous so re upon the
men that had the mar k o f the beast , and that worshipped hi s
g
i ma e ( Rev .
There is a strik ing analogy b etw een the wo rk

of h and the s ev en t rump et ang el s of th
( t ese ,
e
ei ght h and ni nt h chapt ers Al tho ugh they are di ff e r

.
ent angel s yet b ot h c omp ani es vi si t the s am e lo cali

,
t ies and the sam e territory ( the earth ) and in the ,
s am e o rd er The j udgm ent s O f the t r ump et angel s

.
w ere v i sited upo n the Rom an Emp ire as an earthly ,
p ol i ti cal go v ernm ent w hil e these angel s vi sit corr e

,
spo nd ing j u dgm ent s agai ns t the Ro man E mp i re as

s ep arate d i n t he t en divi s ions b ut unifi ed by the ,
d ominance o f the P ap acy The fir st j ud gm ent s are .
agai nst Ro m e i n the f orm o f a b east and cause “

,
it s d own f all so the second s er i es o f j ud gm ent s f all s

,
upo n Rom e as the i mage o f the beast“

As P ap al
”
.
Rom e or the image o f the b east i s t he Sp i rit ual

“ ”
, ,
co unt erp art o f the p o l it ical empi re so t he j ud g m ent s ,
are count erp art s and fo ll ow i n the s ame o rd er .
The d et ai l s are expl ici t The bo wl i s p oured .
o ut upo n t he fo llo w ers o f the P ap acy Th ey that .
worshipp ed t he i mage S om e great i nter nal i nfec

”
.
tion m ani f ested it sel f in a gri evo us f est eri ng ulcer ,

.
It was confined to one spo t although its ext ent i s ,
not i nd i cat ed It app ears in so me p art o f the

.
Cat ho li c wo rld a ft er the op eni ng o f t he t ab ernacl e

“
o f t est im ony o r the Re fo rm ati on

, As the P ap acy .
m ad e a lo ng step in its d evel opm ent w hen the

b i shop o f Rome was d ecl ar ed to be the head o f
“
2 64
that cont ro ll ed by the P ap acy Und er the s econd .
t rump et we have f ound it s f ulfillment in the destruc

t io n o f t he marit im e po wer o f p ro f ess ed Chri sti an
Ro m e by t he V and a l s s o that the co rresp ond ing ,
j udgm ent vi sit ed up on its im age m ust b e o f the

sam e g eneral imp o rt The navi es o f the Cat ho l ic.
nati o ns were vi t al to the m ai nt enance o f t he f rau d
ul ent do minion o f the P ap acy T he s e were a .
co ns t ant t hreat to any p eo pl e who m ig ht d are to
reno unce i t s aut ho ri ty S p ai n was t he fi rs t naval .
pow er t hen in o rd er P o rt ugal and F rance

, , ,
In .
1 79 3 A D b eg an t he s t ru ggl e b etw een P ro t est ant

. .
Eng l and and the Catho l i c nat ions for the mastery
o f t he s eas Thi s co ntinued until 18 1 5 A D on
. . .
,
every s ea an d i n every cli m e At it s concl us ion .
t he Cat ho l i c navi es were shatt ered In t hi s m ighty .
co nt es t two hund red s hip s o f t he li ne we re de

,
s t ro y ed and abo ut f o ur hund red f r ig at es

, as well ,
as all o f t he s m all er s hip s o f war and co mm erce .
FrOm t hat t im e t he navi es o f the P ap acy have never

be en a t hr eat or a m enace t o a P ro t es t ant p eopl e .
D r K ei t h s ay s : The who l e hi s t o ry o f the wo rld

“
.
do es no t p resent such a p erio d o f naval war f are ,
d est ructi on and b l oo d shed —S i g ns of the Ti m es

”
.
,
Vo l II p 2 09
. .
, T ruly every S hip in the sea
. .
,
p e r i s h ed an d i t be cam e as t h e b l oo d o f d e a d m en .
Th i rd P l a g ue And the thi rd p ou red out hi s b ow l

i nt o t he i
r vers and th e f o unt ai ns of
t he wat er s ; and i t b ecam e b l oo d . And I heard t he gl

an e of
t he wat ers sa yi g n , g
Ri ht eou s art thou, who art and who wa st ,
th o u y
H ol O ne b ecau se t hou d i d s t thus j u dge : f or they
,
po u red ou t the b l oo d o f sai nt s and proph et s and b l oo d hast ,
266
T H E D EC L INE OF T H E P AP A C Y
t ho u giv en them to d ri n k : t hey are w o rt h y . And I heard the

a lt ar s a yi gn ,
Y ea O , L o rd Go d , t he A m i ht l g y , t ru e and ri ght
co u s ar e thy j u d gm ent s
”
( Rev .
The d et ai l s
given in t his d escripti on are esp ecially
defi ni t e It had al ready b een s aid I f any m an “
.
,
s hall k i ll wi t h t he s wo r d wit h the swor d m u s t he ,
b e k i ll ed ( Re v An y o
. n e f a m i l i ar w it h
t he hi s t o ry o f t he P apal wars wo ul d k no w at o nce
n w hat lo cal i ty t he j us t ret ri b utio n fo r t hei r m u r
s
d ero ns s l aught ers wo uld be V i s it ed In t he vall ey s .
o f t he Alp s where t he f anat ical so ldi ers o f t he

,
P o p e had so m ercil es s ly put t o t he s wor d unnum

b ered t ho us an d s o f the s ai nt s wo u ld b e t he o nly ,
ap pro p ri at e pl ace w here t he P ap al ad he rent s co uld
recei ve ret r ib uti on T he att ack upo n po l i t i cal Ro m e

.
was al s o m ad e her e under t he t hi r d t rum p et angel ,
so t hat t he co rre spo nd i ng pl ag ue o f t h i s t hi r d ang el
ag ai nst i t s i m ag e m u s t f all here T he angel o f t he .
wat ers ex p ress ly d ecl ar es t hat t hi s pl ag ue i s the

r et ri b uti o n o f d i vi ne j u dgm ent v i s i t ed b ec au se o f ,
t he s l aug ht ers o f the sa i nt s .
In 1 796 A D the arm y o f Napo l eo n amo unt ing

. .
,
t o scarcely t hi rty th o us and m en was ho v eri ng at ,
the b a s e o f the Al ps W it h that bri l l iant co urage

.
t hat charact eri ed him that ge neral l ed his sm all

z ,
army i nt o t he vall ey o f th e S avo nna and vanq u i shed ,
an oppos i ng arm y o f ni nety t ho u s and t ro op s H ere .
he s eparat ed the arm i es o f S ard ini a and Au st ri a .
H e eas ily d e f eat ed t he arm y o f S ard ini an s and then

t urned hi s attentio n to that o f Aust ria Any o ne .
read i ng M ig net s H i s to ry o f the F rench Revol u

’ “
t io n, beg i nni ng wi th p age 3 26 will be str uck with

”
,
267
t he y with w hich Napo l eo n f ulfill ed the

accurac
pl ague o f the thi rd angel Hi s b attl es are all fought

.
up on t he riv er s o f the Alp s We find t hat the Po . ,
the Add a the Leck the Rhi ne and t he B ro mi di a

, ,
are al l m ent ioned as the s cene s of hi s c onq uests

‘
.
Withi n one y ear Napo l eo n had enter ed Rom e and

co mp ell ed t he P op e t o pay t rib ut e i n mo ney and ,
al so carri ed aw ay s uch m ast erpi eces o f art as he
cho s e The P ap al pr est i ge was shattered by thi s

.
d e f eat o f Catholi c sold iers T he thund ers o f the .
P op e will never excit e such fear amo ng men after

that he was carri ed aw ay a pri so ne r with such
imp unity by the Spo i l er Nap ol eon .
Fo u th P l gu
r And th f u th p u d ut hi b wl
a e
“
e o r o re o s o
'
it was g i ven unto i t
upon the s un ; and
t o sco rch m en wi th fire And men were scorched wi th reat

. g
l
heat : and they b asphemed the name o f G od who hath the
power over thes e pl ag u es and they repent ed not t o i ve hi m
I
g
gl o ry
”
( Rev .
The po uring o ut o f thi s bowl did not resul t in

any cal am i ty t o t he s un b ut r ather i n i ncreas i ng
,
hi s light and heat and po w er The s un i s t he .
b right est l ight in the heavens and do mi nat es all

o f t he cel es t i al s y s t em o f w hi ch it i s t he cent er .
Unt il 1 798 A D the P op e o f Rom e was t he s un

. .
o f t he P ap al empi re He dom inat ed the k ing s o f

.
the eart h accord i ng t o hi s w hi m Hi s i nfl uence .
and p ower we re g reat er t han t hose o f an o t her

y
m an . H e was the cent er and r ul er o f the Pap al
sy st em W hen he was tak en p riso ner by Napo l eon
.
he lo st hi s po s itio n as a s un and th at brilli ant ,
so ldi er b ec am e t he m os t b rilli ant light i n E ur op e .
268
j udg m ent s th at had been v i sited up on hi s empire .
th fi f th p u d ut hi b wl
“
Fif th P l ag ue
And e o re o s o
upo n the throne o f the b east ; and hi s

ki ngd o m was dark ened ; and the y g nawed thei r t on gu es fo r
pain, and the y b l asphem ed t he Go d of heaven b ecaus e of
th ei r pai ns and thei r s o res ; and the y repent ed not o f th ei r

wor k s
”
( Rev .
When fifth trump et angel sound ed the sun

the ,
and t he ai r w ere d arke ned by r easo n o f t he smo k e
that came o ut o f the aby s s ( Rev S o when .
thi s fi f th bo wl i s p oured o ut the Pap al k ingdom ,
i s dark ened The light o f the P ap acy ceas es to

.
s hi ne wi t h i t s f o rm er b ri ll iancy Th e p ower and .
i nfl uence o f t he P op e are l essened to a remark ab l e

d egree T here can be no d o ub t as to the lo cal ity
.
where t he pl ague i s vi s it ed It i s up on the thro ne “

.
o f t he beas t The t hrone o f the be ast has al way s

”
.
b een the city o f Rome The term i mpl i es m ore .
than j ust the m ere capital o f hi s k ingdo m for it ,
i ncl u d es hi s p ower and r i ght to rul e as sp i rit ual

an d te mp o ral so vereign .
In 1848 A D t he p eo pl e o f Rome it self reb ell ed

. .
ag ains t t he P apal p ow er and the p ret end ed mo narch ,
was d riven int o hid ing He was fi nally res to red .
und er the p ro t ect i on o f F rench sold i ers In 1 8 70 .
A D
. d.u ri
,
n h r n —
g t e F a co P russi an War France ,
was compell ed to wit hd raw i t s so ld i ers Victo r .
Em manuel notifi ed the P o pe o f hi s p u rpose t o

m ak e Ro me hi s cap it al and o n the tw el f th day o f ,
S ept em b er o f t hat y ear the It al ian t roops to o k

p o ss es sion o f the P ap al t errito ry O n O cto ber 2 .
o f t he s am e y ear a pl eb i s ci t e was t ak en and t he ,
27 0
T H E D ECL INE O F T H E P AP ACY
p eopl e o f the P ap al city voted o ve rwhelm ingly fo r
uni o n wi t h It aly T hus the very thro ne o f P ap al
.
temp o ral po wer was r em oved No r was thi s all .
o f t he d i s as t er f ro m the P ap al v iewpo i nt Liberty .
of wo rs hip was p rocl aim ed The g o sp el was .
p re ached agai n in the city where P aul was impri s

“
o ned . The B i bl e had b een ci rcul at ed T he wo r .
s hi pers o f t he b eas t rag e and gn aw t hei r t o ng u e s
b ecaus e o f t hei r po werl es s ness to pe rs ecut e as o f

yo re ; b ecaus e th ey s ee t hat with op en B ibl e the
ag e— o ld i m po s to r i s d oo m ed and hi s wani ng p res tige
an d p owe r ar e ab o ut ex t inct D esp it e the o nw ard .
m arch o f event s and the crumb l i ng o f it s d om i ni on

, ,
t he P apacy s t i ll utt ered i t s sham el ess bl as p hem i es .
The P ope whi l e p ret en d i ng t o b e a p ri so ner s till

, ,
cl aim ed to b e the vi car o f Chri s t and t he right f ul
s ov erei g n o f t he k i ng s o f the eart h In t he s am e .
y ear in whi ch he was d ethro ned hi s i n f al l ib il ity was

decl ared and in the ency cl ical l ett ers o f hi s s uc
,
ces s o rs o t her s ham el es s b l as phem i es are u tt er ed .
S i xt h P l gu a e
An d th ix th p u d ut hi b wl e s o re o s o
up n t h g t iv th iv Euo e rea r er, e r er
ph t
ra es ; nd th
a w t th e f w d i d up th t th w y
a er ereo as r e , a e a
m i ght b m d e dy f
a th k i ng th t
e r ea m f m th
or un e s a co e ro e s
i i ng
r s . And I w mi ng u t f th m th f th d g n
sa co o o e ou o e ra o ,
and ou t o f the m o uth of the b ea s t , and o ut o f t he m o u th of
th e f l a se pro phet th ree unc

, l ean s pi ri t s , as i t w er e f gro s : fo r
th e y a re s pi ri t s of dem o n s , wor in k g i gn s s, which g o f th or
unt o t he k i ng s of t he who l e wor l d t g th

. o a er th em t o g the er
unt o t he war of th e g reat day of Go d the A m i ht

,
l g y ”
( Rev .
16 : 12
The res u lts of po uri ng o ut o f this bowl are

t he
two fo ld . The fi rst effect i s f elt by the river
27 1
TH E R EV EL A T IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
Eup hrat es ,
whi l e the s eco nd , tho ugh
l t d to the re a e
fi rst is f elt by all the nat ions o f the earth When

,
.
t he si xt h t rum p et angel so und ed the res ult was ,
t hat a fi erce race o f M ongo l p eo pl es fro m beyo nd

t he ri ver Euphrat es s t art ed on an era o f exp ans i on
to t he westward . Lik e a mighty river swoll en to ,
to rrenti al p ro p ort ions the ho rd es o f T urki sh horse

,
m en swept t hro ugh wes t ern As i a and i nto Euro p e ,
devo uri ng everyt hi ng i n t hei r p at h T hey capt ured .
Co ns t ant inopl e in 14 5 3 A D and the l ast rem ai n

. .
,
i ng ves t ig e o f the emp i re o f the Caes ars became the

t errito ry o f the Eup hrat ean p eopl es Fo r three .
cent uri es it rem ai ned the st rong es t p ol it i cal p o wer
in the wo rld ho ldi ng d om i nio n over two t hi rd s o f

,
-
t he anci ent t erri to ry o f the Caes ars .
The st ud ent o f Revel at io n wi ll have not iced t hat

the bo wl o f t he fifth ang el was not p o ur ed o ut i n
t he s ame lo cal i ty t hat m et d i s as t er unde r the s oun d
ing o f t he fi f t h t rump et angel b ut i nst ead up on , , ,
t he t hro ne o f t he beas t
“ ”
,o r Rome The reason .
fo r the ex ceptio n to the r ul e t hat the s ame l ocal i ty

,
i s Vi s it e d by the co rresp ond i ng ang el o f the t rump et

and ang el o f wrat h i s hi s to rical
, The d i s ast er t hat
.
cam e t o t he s o ut heas t ern d ivi s i on o f the empi re
und er the so und ing o f the fift h t rumpet angel was
thro ugh a rel igio us mo vem ent It was not es s en .
t i ally po l i ti cal , b ut t he Arab ian l ocust s swarmed

o ver t he e art h fo r the p u rpo s e o f b r ingi ng it und er
the d om i ni o n o f a f al s e religi on Now bef ore the .

,
s even w rat h ang el s st art ed f ort h up on thei r m i s s ion
o f j ud gm ent , t he r el i g i ou s and po l i t i cal d om i nio n

o f t he ent i r e M o hammed an wo rld was combi ne d in
272
d ecli ne wo uld b e contempo rary No w since the .

,
s ix th is the w rath angel o f the Eup hr at ean emp ire ,
hi s w o rk w i ll r eally beg in at the s am e tim e t hat

the fi rs t angel p oured o ut his bo wl up o n t he P apacy ,
that bo th o f th ese antichri stian p owe rs might com e

to an end at the s am e ti m e . Hi s w o rk wi ll b e
esp eci ally no t iceab l e f o llo wi ng t he j udgm ent o f t he
fourth angel w hen the fi f th bo wl w o uld nat ur ally

,
h av e been po ured o ut o n the l ocal ity rav aged by

the M o hamm ed an l ocus t s .
The j u dgm ent o f the sixth angel i s t he d ryi ng

up of t he Eup hrat ean s t ream t hat o verfl o wed
s o ut heas t er n Eu ro p e i n 14 5 3 A D . In other w o rd s
.
,
the po l i t ico re l i gi o us po wer havi ng it s cap i t al at

-
Cons t ant i no pl e will d ecli ne by reaso n o f t he j udg

m ents o f thi s si xth angel j ust as the p ol itico
,
r eligio us pow er known as the P apacy will b e con “
s um ed The fig ure o f s p eech d ryi ng

” “
to t he end .
,
cle arly i nd i cat es what will occur J ust as a

”
up , .
s t ream o verfl o w i ng al l of i t s bank s b egi ns to

s ub s i d e and dry up at the ces s atio n o f t he s t orm ,
so will t he T urki s h po wer g ra d ually w as t e away
unt i l it ent i r ely di s app ears .
At the tim e that j udgm ent was overtak ing the

P ap acy w hen the fi rs t ange l po ured o ut hi s b owl ,
the d ecl ine o f the T urk i sh p o wer b egan In 1 774 .
A D the T urk s were conq uered by the Rus s i ans

. .
and were co mp ell ed t o s i gn a hum i l i at i ng t r eaty
o f p eace at Kainardji . NO f urther d ecl ine i s esp e

ci ally no t iceab l e unt i l a f t er the j u dg m ent o f t he
fourth angel against the P apacy was end ed in the

o vert hr ow o f Napo l eo n i n 1 8 14 A D Thi s begins
. .
274
the p erio d w hen the fifth angel w ould have p our ed

out hi s bo wl up on the M o hamm ed an po w er in
nat ural o rd er b ut fo r t he hi st ori cal r eason and the
, ,
s i xth angel visit s t he j udgm ent i nst ead In 18 1 6 .
A D S ervi a wo n no m inal i nd ep endence fr om t he

. .
,
S ult an In 182 3 A D Greece li berated hers elf

’
. . .
, ,
and becam e an i nd ep en d ent ki ngdo m aft er a war
of three y ear s O n O ct 2 0 182 7 A D the

. .
, . .
,
T urki s h fl eet was dest ro y ed in the b att le o f Nav a

r i no and her naval p ow er was gone In 1844 A D
, . . .
,
t he O tto m an Gov ernm ent was co mp ell ed t o i ss ue

D ecree o f Rel i gi ous T ol erat i on by the g reat
“ ”
a
po wers o f Europ e In 1849 A D Roum ania won

. . .
,
a no mi nal self go v er nm ent

-
In 1878 A follo w
. .
ing a war wi th Rus s i a t he S ultan was div est ed o f

,
a l arge p art o f Arm eni a ; Ro um ani an i nd ep end ence
was r ec o gniz ed ; the limit s o f S ervi a and M onte

negro w ere ext end ed and B ulgaria was er ect ed i nt o
,
an aut onomo us Chri s t i an p ri ncip al i ty o ut o f t er ri
to ry that was form erly rul ed by the Turk .
Fo llo wi ng the s igning o f the T reaty o f B erlin ,
Engl and und erto ok the p ro t ecti on o f T urk ey f rom

f urther i nroad s up on her do m i ni on B ut Go d had .
spo k en t hro ug h t he s eer o f P at mo s and t hro u gh
Dani el and Engl and w i t h al l o f her naval p ower

, , ,
can no t hi nd er t he j u d gm ent s o f God Duri ng the .
recent B alk an war T urk ey lo st alm ost all o f her

territo ry in Euro p e and in Af ri ca Italy stripp ed
, , ,
her o f m ore t errito ry It r eq ui r es no p rop het to

.
s ee t hat t he bo wl o f the s ixt h angel will b ri ng abo ut
t he co mpl et e di s app earance o f the Eup hratean po w er
d uri ng the course o f the gr eat co ntest that i s

27 5
taking pl ace in Euro p e HEng land the p rotect or o f .

,
s i ck man o f E ur op e has t urned agai nst him

“
t he , ,
as w ell as Rus s i a France and Italy Turk ey has

, .
no h elp i n her hour o f gr eat es t p eril exc ept Germ any
and Aust ri a These will hav e increasi ngly s eri ous

.
t ro ubl es o f th eir own as the war progres ses and ,
by 192 7 A D . w hen her d ur ation o f exi st ence

.
,
ex p i r es , Co nst anti no pl e as w ell as J er usal em w i ll

, ,
b e in o t her hands and the atr ocio us Eup hr at ean

,
p ow er will be but a m em ory Comp are Dan . .
12 with Dan 12 : 1 1 . The fir st p as sage ref ers to the

.
t ak ing over o f J erusal em by the M ohamm edan hor n ,
whi l e the s ec ond p ass age giv es the tim e that J eru
s al em S hall be t rampl ed d ow n The M ohamm ed ans .
capt ured J erus al em i n 63 7 A D and the y ear. .

,
-
p eri od wo uld end in 1927 A D shortly after the . .

,
end o f t he Pap acy God s wo rd has b een accurat ely

’
,
f ulfill ed in the ev ents already m ent ioned and ther e ,
can b e no q ue st i on as to the fi nal dis app earance

o f the T urki sh pow er at t he t i m e r ev eal ed as w ell , .
We l eave for the f uture y ear s to rev eal the id enti ty

t he ki ngs t hat co me fr om the s unri si ng
“ ”
of .
The s eco nd result o f the

Th ree F og s
r
p ouri ng out o f the b owl o f the
s i x th ang el was the is suance o f thr ee uncl ean
spi ri t s f rom the m outh o f the dragon and the ,
mo uth o f the b east and the m outh o f the f al se ,
proph et Th ey are spi rit s o f d em ons w ork ing

“
.
,
Aga in the p roph et all ud es to the s at ani c

”
s i g ns.
,
charact er o f the dr agon the b east and the f al s e

, ,
p rop het ,
in the fact th at the d em on spi rit s i ss ue
f rom them The m eans by whi ch th ese uncl ean
.
276
in the presence o f the beast ref erri ng to the two

,
ho r ned b eas t m ent ioned in Rev 13 : 1 1 1 5 . I t there

-
.
fo re re f ers to the i nfl uences that changed the pro

fessed Ch ri sti an emp i re i nto the Pap acy D uri ng .
that tim e men who pro f essed to be Chri stian t aught

fal se d oct ri nes and so p erv ert ed the p ure gosp el
, .
Creeds w ere p rom ulgat ed men ex erci s ed unscrip

,
t ural p ower and m eddle d with polit ical aff airs until
666 A D w hen Chri s ti anity was compl et ely cor
. .
,
rupt ed and
, i nstead o f the ch urch o f Chri st ther e
, ,
was est ab l i shed a sham el es s count er f ei t .
The mo d ern f orm o f thi s two horned beast i s -
fo und in the body o f f al se t eachers that o cc upy

p ulp it s in the m o d ern religious w orld It w ould .
req ui re vol umes to describe all o f the p erversi ons

o f t he go spel o f Chr i st t hat are b ei ng cons t antly
taught to the p eo pl e at the p resent tim e The .
cry s t all i z at i on o f a mo d ern eccl es i ast ici sm s tyli ng ,
it self The F ed er al Co uncil o f Churches is rapidly

“
,
”
occurri ng be f o r e o ur ey es It l ook s lik e a lamb

.
j ust now but its real nature is b ei ng m ani fest in

,
the os t raci sm o f men who d ar e to o ppo s e it The .
p ries thoo d o f the Catho l ic Ch urch since the P op e ,
was f o rever sho rn o f al l t emp o r al p owe r in 1 8 70

A D
. . cons tit ut es
, the ex act count erp art o f the
f al se p ro p het It is com m on knowl edge that th ese
.
f al se teacher s i ns i nuate th em s elv es in all the aff ai r s

o f governm ent p o i so ning and co rr up t i ng the w ell
,
s pr i ngs o f h um an li ber ty .
It is us el ess to identi fy in p arti cul ar the teach

i ngs o f th ese thr ee spi rits that are the i nciti ng causes
Th ey may be bri efly s umm ed up
'
o f a worl d war .
27 8
un erd three h ead s : I nfid eli ty in its vario us form s ,
prev ail ing political doct rines held b y the r uli ng

cl as s es, and f als e te a chi ng o f pr o f es s ed minist er s
o f Chri s t i n al l r el i gi o u s bod ies .
We are p riv i l eged at the pr esent tim e to witn es s

the m i racl e o f t he f ulfillm ent o f thi s p rop hecy co n
c erni ng the three fro gs These uncl ean spirit s
.
i ncited a p art o f the ki ngs to war S uddenl y in ,
J uly 19 14 A D war b rok e o ut in Europ e witho ut

, . .
,
any app ar ent caus e None o f the p eopl es o f Euro p e

.
had b een i ns ult ed and wro nge d by any ot her p eo ple .
No fl ag had been di s ho no red by any natio n A boy .
b el onging to the co mm on p eopl e o f S erv i a sho t

and k i ll ed an heir t o the Au s t ri an throne That .
was all t hat app eare d on the s urf ace In a b rie f

.
sp ace o f t im e t he m att er wo uld have s p eedily b een
settl ed i n t he court s by t he boy p ayi ng the p enalty
fo r hi s crim e . There was ab so l utely no i nj ury

infl i ct ed upon nati onal ho no r o r p rid e such as i s ,
us ually t ho ught s uffi ci ent to pro v ok e war ye t i n ,
a m om ent E ur op e tr em b l ed b eneath the tr ea d o f
marching arm i es .
A no t iceabl e feat ure o f thi s st ruggl e i s that it

i s a war betw een ki ngs . There was no up ri s i ng
or cl am o r o f t he p eo pl e o f any count ry fo r war .
It was i niti ated and d ecl ared by kings w itho ut the

'
ad vice or consent o f t heir p eo pl e e x actly as J o hn

,
had fo retold . The p rop hecy as yet i s not co m

, ,
p l et el y f u lfill e d . T he ki ng s o f
“
t h e w ho l e w o r ld ”
m ust b e gathered togethe r T he war has al ready

.
envel o p ed mo re t han hal f o f the wo rld No one .
can p r ed i ct how soo n it will i nv olv e the ot her half .
27 9
TH E R EVEL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
The Unit ed S tat es r emai ns at pr esent ti me in

the
the neut ral r ol e , b ut the pr esence o f t he t hr ee
Sp irit s o f d emons is pl ainly m ani fes t in the exten
s ive mil it ary and nav al p rep arat ions b ei ng m ad e .
Att ent ion i s call ed t o the ev ent s o f the p ast two

y ears merely as a r ecitati on o f facts and not in the
, ,
spi rit o f cr i t ici sm . The r ule r o f t hi s nati on call ed

up on the Chri st i an p eo pl e o f Am eri ca to as sembl e
in t he vario us pl aces o f w ors hip o n the fir st S und ay

in O ctober 19 14 to p ray for peac e S ince t hat
“ ”
.
, ,
time the spi rit s hav e been at w ork and in the sp ri ng ,
o f 1 9 16 the s am e rul er vis i t s the l arg er ci ti es o f t hi s
co unt ry on a t o ur o f sp eechm aki ng fo r the exp res s

,
p urpo se o f aro usi ng in the Am er i can : peOple a p ublic

s ent im ent fo r mil i t ary p rep ared ness It w i ll be noted.
that there was absol ut ely no d em and up on the p art

o f t he p eopl e for l arg er arm i es o r nav i es but the ,
demand i s up on the p art o f the r ul er The tid e .
w i ll ri se unt il this natio n w i ll surely be i nvolv ed as ,
well as all o f the ot her k ings o f the earth fo r the ,
t ime o f the end is near at hand and the Lord hath ,
s ai d t hat he hath call ed for a s w ord up on all t he

“
i nhab itants o f the earth ”

.
T his war o f the k ings is not an ordi na ry war ,
as has alr eady been indi cat ed b ut the gather i ng

,
.
together i s in v iew o f the im minence O f the war

o f the gr eat day o f Go d th e Alm i ghty Thi s w i ll ”
.
,
b e mo r e f ully expl ained i n Rev 21 . M any -

.
at the pr es ent tim e are aski ng w hat will be the
end o f the p resent t i t ani c s t ruggl e The se er o f .
Patm os answ ers the q uestio n in the sixteenth

‘
v erse : And they gathered them to gether i nto the
“
2 80
co mp rehended t he co m n i g
J es us and the t em of
p o r a ry wit hd r aw a l o f t he s ai n t s f r o m t h e sc e ne Of
eart h s confl ict s No chi l d o f Go d wi ll ex p eri ence
’
.
the aw f ul m i s eri es t hat s hal l p revai l o n eart h d uri ng

t he wo rld war The Lord m erci f ully removes t hem
.
unt i l it i s o v er .
The s event h t rump et ang el and the seventh

wrat h angel are eit her i d ent ical o r one m ay so und ,
and t he o t her po ur o ut hi s bo wl at t he s am e m oment ,
for they us her in t he s am e event s T his angel .
p o ur s out his bo wl up on the ai r It i s easy to “

.
”
de t erm ine the nat ure o f the events symbo l iz ed here .
The ai r i s the m ed i um t hrough which t he l i ght ,
heat and po wer o f t he s un are t ransmitt ed to the

eart h . T hen as a symbol it s igni fi es the m ed i um
, ,
thro ugh which ki ngs and rul ers t ransm it their p ower
and aut ho rity In t imes o f p eace the autho rity and
.
,
p ow er o f kings are ex erci s ed through the m ed i um

of ci vil O fficers but in ti m es o f war the only
,
m ed i um t hro ugh w hi ch k ings ex erci se autho r i ty and

en f o r ce t hei r will i s t heir armi es .
J ust b e f ore the sev enth angel

A m g dd n
r a e o
p ours o ut hi s bo wl the kings and
thei r arm ies are gathered together i nto the pl ace
which is call ed in the H ebrew Har M ag edon
”
The -
.
bo wl o f Go d s wrath is p oure d o ut on al l the

’
arm i es o f the wo rld The scenes that ens ue are

. .
f ri g ht f ul in the ext reme T hey are d escrib ed as .
“
lightnings and vo ices and thund ers ; and there
, ,
was a great eart hq uak e s uch as was not s i nc e t here,
were m en upo n t he earth so gr eat an earthq uak e , ,
s o m i ghty v t p t t m
”
( Th e .em e s uo u s s o r o f
2 82
T H E D ECL INE O F T H E P AP A CY
b attle rages in u npr eced ent ed f ury and earthly ,
p ow er is s hak en as i t had never b een be for e The .
Sp irit o f m ilitari sm is so complet ely d es troy ed that

i t is no t r eviv ed in the th ought o f any man until
the tho us and y ears are fi ni shed
“ ”
( R e v .
In t hat g reat catas tr op he B abylo n d escri bed in

, ,
t he next chapt er as t he P ap acy m eets he r doom , .
Al l o f the fiercenes s o f the w rath o f Go d i s vi s it ed

up on the rel igi o us i mp os to r t hat has b light ed and
curs ed the w o rld fo r so lo ng T he cities o f the

.
n at io ns f all and nati onal bo und ari es are obl iterated

, .
There wi ll be no earthly gov ernm ent at the end

o f t hat b ri e f s t r uggl e ,
fo r eve ry i s l and fl ed away
and t he m o unt ai ns are no t f ound These d enote
”
.
s t at es and ki ngd oms . T hus through another s eri es

,
o f vi s io ns J o hn has t r aced t he ri s e d ecl i ne and f all

, ,
o f a spi ri t ual e mpir e as i t s tr uggl ed to o v erco m e
the s eed o f the w o man The f o llo w i ng chapt ers

“
.
are s uppl em ent ary , gi ving mo r e compl ete detai l s

concerning the fi nal doom o f B abylon and the
gl o ri ficati on o f the ch urch .
2 83
C HAPTER XIV .
DESTRUCTIO N OF BAB YL O N THE G REAT

HE s er ie s o f vi si ons r em ai ni ng ch apter s
of the
o f Rev el ati on are s uppl em ent al and expl ana
to ry In Rev
. . the v o ice m enti oned the nam e
o f B abyl on and i n Rev
, . whi l e env elo ped in
t he m i ghty s t orm o f Go d s f ur y J o hn had caught
’
a mom ent ary gli mp s e o f the s am e c i ty as s he was
crum bli ng to her f all So r ap i dly di d the vi s io ns

.
s weep o n to w ard t heir c ulmi nat ion i n the ov erthrow
o f the P ap acy , and t hat o f the ki ng s o f t he world
who had p erm it t ed it to d omi nat e th em t hat no ,
expl anati on o f the rel ati ons h i p o f B abyl on to the
b east i s giv en . Now t hat the prop het i s f ully

as s ur ed o f the d es tr uctio n o f al l the evil p owe r s
that hav e o ppo sed tr ue Ch ri stianity these suppl e ,
m entary Vi si ons are giv en th at he might be abl e

to f ully und erst and w hat p hase o f the evil po wer
B abylo n r epr es ents as w ell as the f or t unes o f the
,
ch urch a ft er her enemi es hav e b een d estro y ed .
T hat these chapt ers giv e s uppl ement al and ex

p l ana to ry d et ails conce rni ng t hi ngs m en t i o ned under
the m i s si on o f t he angel s havi ng the sev en b owl s ,
i s m ad e cert ain by the f act that i t i s one o f the

sev en ang el s th at had the s ev en bowl s who i nvi t ed
Jo hn to gaz e upo n a sp eci al vi si on o f the h arlot

.
28 4
tin g upon a l
scar et-co o red l me the holy ci ty J erus al em ,
b east , full of nam es o f b l as co mi ng do wn out o f heaven
phemy, havi n g seven head s from God ( Rev

”
.
( B ri de ly y
”
and t en horns ( Rev . and the ho ci t , the
And the woman was me under di fferent figu res ) ar sa .
rayed i n purpl e and s car l et

“
And hi s wi f e hath made ,
and d ecked wi th g ol d and hers elf ready And i t was .
.pr eci ous s tone and pearls , giv en unt o her t hat she shou ld
g
havi n i n her hand a o den g l ar ray hers elf i n fine li nen,
cup full o f ab o minat i ons , even bri g ht pu r e : fo r the fine
and
the unc ean l thi n g s of her l g

inen i s the ri ht eous act s o f
f o rni cat i on, an d upon her the s ai nt s
”
( Rev .
f o rehead wri tt ena And the d ra on wa ed

nam e ,
“
g x
MYS T ERY A Y B B LO
N wroth wi th the woman and
, ,
T HE R EA T G
T H E went away t o make war wi th
,
O
M T HER O F T H E H ARé the r es t of her s eed that eep , k
LO TS AND OF T H E t he commandment s o f Go d,
B M O
A O INATI NS O F T H E and ho d the t est imony o f l
EART H ( Rev
”
J esus ( Rev. .
“
And I s aw th e woma n
drunken wi th the b l ood o f the
s ai nts , and with the b l oo d
of th e martyrs of J esus ”
( Rev .
These two se ries o f v isio ns p resent two women

in comp ari s on and cont rast T hey are bo th d escri bed .
by the t erm wo man B oth are d escri b ed as a

“ ”
.
ci ty .Each has characteri sti c raim ent B oth are

”
.
d escrib ed as havi ng chi ld ren the one call ed the ,
mot her and t he o ther as havi ng seed

” “ ”
, .
T he co nt rast b et ween t he two i s s t r iki ng The .
har l ot i s as fo ul as can be concei ved o f All o f the .
t ime that J ohn sees her she i s in a state o f d runk en

d ebauchery groveli ng in the m i re o f d eep es t deprav
,
S he i s dr unk en wi t h the b l oo d o f the saint s

“ ”
i ty . .
2 86
D ES T R U CT IO N O F B AB YL O N
Not on ly does she p resent the di sgusting sp ectacle

o f a b es o tt ed wo m an w ho s e b rai n i s cra ed an d z
reeli ng w ith the l us t fo r blo o d but she i s a k eep er ,
o f a d o gg ery o r t ave rn S he d i sp ens es w ine “ ”

. .
“
And they t hat d well in the earth w ere m ad e
drunken w ith the wi ne o f her f orni cation S he
”
.
overpowers th e m as ses o f m ank ind w i th the i nto xi

'
cati ng and s t upe f yi ng wi ne o f her fo rnicat io n

“ ”
.
There t hey lie abo ut her with their b rains st upefied

and int ell ect s d ead ened by t he p o ti ons recei ved fr om
her hand Not o nly d o es S he d i sp ens e W i ne to the “ ”

.
co mmon p eopl e b ut s he carri es on t he d esp i cab l e

,
b us iness o f harlo try w i th the ki ngs o f the earth “

.
”
They are compl et ely in her po w er and under her

sp ell. They share with her in her v il e sin T hro ugh .
th eir overpo w eri ng l ust she owns and cont rol s them
compl ete ly .Her clo thes are no t b ed raggle d as one
would nat urally ex p ec t S he has care for her
.
o utwar d ap pearance array ed in p u rpl e

“
S he i s
.
an d scarl et an d
,
d ecked with go ld and p recious
sto ne and p earl s Her ad ornm ent i s gaudy ri ch
.
,
and co s tly .Her d aught ers are harl ot s l i ke hers el f .
S he i s al so a ci ty w hos e nam e i s B abyl on re f erred ,
t o in the pr ecedi ng v i sio ns .
The o t her wo m an ho w ev er i s the very o pp os it e

, ,
o f t hi s f all en w o m an S he i s as chaste and p ur e

.
as the angel s o f heaven The wi f e o f the p ure and

.
s inl e s s L amb o f Go d S he was s urr ounded wi th

.
t he gl o ry o f Go d H er app earance was l ust ro u s

.
“
like unto a s to ne mo st p reci ous as it w ere a j as p er ,
s to ne , cl ear as cry st al S he was array ed i n a

.
b ri d al go w n o f fine l inen b ri ght and p ure Her

“
.
,
2 87
TH E R EV ELAT IO N OF J ES US CH R IS T
s ee d is com p r i s ed of thos e that k eep the com

m andments of Go d ,
and ho ld the t es timo ny o f
J esus Thi s wom an
.
”
i s al so a city t he holy ci ty ,
“
J erusal em ”
.
As these cont rasti ng char acteri st ics o f the two

wo men p as s in review b efo re o ur m i nd s we are ,
fo rced to the unerri ng concl usion t hat w hil e the ,
wom en are the sam e as to fo rm they are the ,
opp os ite ext rem es as to char act er Then w hat ever .

,
one m ay r ep res ent t he o t her s i gni fi es but p ossess

, ,
ing a character o f the ext rem e opp osit e ki nd O ne .
i s a wo man di vi nely p ure and chast e w hi le the ,
o t her i s t he mo st s at ani cally imp ure w om an i m agi n
ab l e . O ne i s t he h oly c ity J er usalem whil e the ,
ot her i s the ido l atro us and ab omi nabl e city B abyl on .
If o ne i s a church the o t her m us t b e , .
The Script ure cle arly id ent i fi es the p ure w om an .
P aul i n w riti ng to the Ep hes i ans s ays

, ,
Hu b nd l v y u wiv
s a v n
s, Ch i t al o l v d
o e o r es , e e as r s s o e
th e c hu h nd g v hi m l f up f
rc , ai t ; th t h mi ght
a e n se or a e sa c
t i fy it h vi ng l
, n d i t by th w hi ng f wat
a c ea with th
se e as o er e
w d th t h mi ght p
or , ant th hu h t hi m lf a gl i u
e res e e c rc o se or o s
c hu h n t h ving p t
rc , o w i nkl any u h thi ng ;
a s o or r e or s c
Thi my t y i g
s t ; b ut I p k n
s er g d f Ch i t nd
s rea S ea i re ar o r s a
( Eph
”
of t he church .
We thi s vi si on the r ealiz ati on o f Chri st s

s ee in
’
pl ans and sacrifi ce as they cul mi nat e in the m ar ri age

f eas t o f the Lamb A wom an in sp otl ess w hite . ,
“
m ade r eady as a br id e ado rned fo r her husband ”
.
In Heb 2 3 the i nspir ed w rit er i d entifi es

.
the ci ty o f the li vi ng Go d the heav enly J erus al em

”
,
which is the church

,
ch ur ch o f the fi rs tbo rn
“
as the ,
288
And they that d well on the earth s hall wond er they who s e ,
name hath no t b een w ri tt en i n t he b oo k o f l i f e f ro m th e

f oundat i on o f t he l
wo r d wh en th e
, yb eho l d th e b eas t, ho w that
he w a s , and is no t , and s ha ll co me . H ere i s the mind that
hath wi s d om . The s even head s a re s ev en m ountai ns , on
whi ch the w oman si t t et h : and t he y a re s even k ing s ; t he five

ar e f lla en, th e o ne i s , the o the r i s no t yet co m e ; and when he
com et h, he m u s t cont i nue a l ittl e w hi l e. And t he b eas t that
was , an d is no t , i s h im s e lf l
a so an ei ght h , and is of th e seven
and he g o eth into perdi t i o n
”
( Rev .
T his is the d ivi ne int erpret ati on o f the my st ery

Of the w om an who has been d escribed as a harl ot
s i tti ng o n m any wat ers and o n the scarl et co l o red
“
-
b eas t A my st ery ex pl ained i s no l o ng er a

”
. _
my s t ery When the int erp etati on has be en gi ven

.
" r
there can be no lo ng er any uncertai nty as to who

t he wom an i s fo r s he b ears the i d ent i fi cat io n m ark s
, .
L et us not ice t he s e in d et ai l F i rs t the wo m an .

,
s i t s upon and i s carr i ed o r s uppo t ed b y a s ev en r
head ed t en ho rned b eas t

,
-
J ohn d escribes thi s s am e .
beas t in the thi rt ee nth chapt er There are som e .
d et ai l s given there whi ch fix the b east s pl ace in ’
hi s to ry T he p art i cul ar o ne i s t hat t he b east was

.
the i mm ed i at e s uccesso r t o t he d rago n

“
And the .
dragon gave him hi s po wer and hi s t hro ne and , ,
great aut ho rity ( Rev The d rag on i s de

”
.
s cri b ed i n t he t w el f t h chapt er a s t he pers ecut o r o f
t he wom an o r t he t ru e chu rch o f Chri s t f o l l owi ng

, ,
t he fi rst cent ury T hi s ident i fi es the d rago n as the

.
p agan Ro m an Empi re H i sto ry then fi x es the .

, ,
i d ent ity o f the b eas t P agani sm gave i t s po wer and

.
i t s t hrone and gr eat aut ho ri ty to t he pro f es sed

Chri st i an em pi re b eginning wi th Co ns t anti ne Rom e
, .
290
D ES T R U CT IO N OF B AB YL O N
was the cap ital ; it was the throne that was v acated
by the p agan emp ero rs The p ro f es sed Chri sti an
.
emp ero r s ex erci s ed al l of t he p ow er t hat was

ex erci s ed by thei r p agan p red ecessors Hi s tory .
abso l ut ely fi x es t he i d ent i ty o f the b eas t and hi s
pl ace in chro no lo g y He app ears in t hat fo rm in

.
3 24 A D and rep resent s the Ro man Emp i re as a

. .
,
p ro f es sed Chri stian and earthly gov ernm ent .
S eco nd the b east app ears in thr ee p hases d uring

,
his l i f e hi s to ry as d escri bed i n the thi rt eent h chapt er .
H e receives a d eath s t rok e i n 4 76 A D -

when . .
,
wes t ern Rome was co nq uered by O d o acer t he b ar ,
b ari an . T hi s end ed the fi rs t p has e T he p erio d .
d uring whi ch the w o und was being heal ed consti

t ut ed t he s econ d p has e o f t he b eas t s ex i s t ence
’
.
D uring t hi s p erio d it s po l i ti cal po wer aut ho rity ,
and i nfl uence wer e w eak When the wo und was .
heal ed i n 666 A D by the e s t ab l i shm ent o f the

. .
P ap acy w it h it s cap i t al at Rom e the t hi r d p has e ,
b eg an . It i s t hen a b l asp hemo us b eas t

, ,
He op ens .
hi s m o ut h to b l as p hem e ; t hat i s to m ak e di vi ne ,
p r et en s i o ns H e . m ak e s wa r w i t h t he s ai n t s an d ,
thi s was to conti nue forty two p rop hetic months o r -

,
years T hi s d escriptio n is rep eat ed und er

.
d i ff erent figures o f sp eech in the sam e chapter In .
this s econd d escription the s eco nd p has e o f the

b eas t s hi s t ory i s d es cri b ed by a t wo ho rne d b eas t
’
-
that l ook ed l ik e a l am b The o utward app earance .
i nd icat ed a so rt o f religi o us f orm o f governm ent .
It i s s ai d t hat he ex erci s ed al l t he aut hori ty o f the

fi rst beast i n his s ight T he third p has e i s ind icat ed
.
by t he i m ag e o f t he b east whi ch was es t ab l i s he d

29 1
TH E REV ELAT IO N OF JES U S CHRIS T
thro ugh the inst rum entali ty o f the two horn ed b east -
.
As s oo n as the im age o f the b eas t is mad e all ,
m anki nd is comp ell ed to worship the image o f the

b eas t or be kill ed I t th en is a univers al w orld
. , ,
p ow er His tory fix es the id ent ity o f th es e di ff erent

.
fo rms or p has es We hav e pr evio u sly call ed a

.
s ecul ar histo rian to wi tness to the fact that the f orm

of go v ernm ent o f the Roman Catholic Church is
p at ter ned aft er th at o f the Ro man Empir e and is , ,
theref ore i t s im age This b eas t th en duri ng the

, . , ,
thr ee ph ases o f i t s exis t ence is Ro m an I t s p ow er

, .
is ex erci sed from Rom e as the c en ter o f i t s

i nfl u enc e .
In the s ev enteenth chap t er the b eas t is d es crib ed

in the sam e t hr ee ph as es Und er the fi rs t p has e i t
.
is s aid o f the b eas t th at the b east that thou s aw est

“
was .
”
Tha t was the p eriod before he r eceiv ed the
d eath s t roke That was the p eriod wh en the b ea st
-
.
“
was ,
”
or had an exi stence as an earthly govern
m ent The s econd phas e is d escribed by the phras e
.
and is no t This was the p eri od b egi nni ng wh en

“ ”
.
the d eat h strok e was giv en and con ti nued whil e the
-
wound was b eing h eal ed During that p erio d the

.
b eastly p ow er was not ex ercis ed in the s am e d egre e

as b e for e I t now app eared in a r eligious fo rm
.
as w ell as political : i t b egan to look lik e a l amb

m or e t han a wild b east The third ph ase is d escrib ed
.
by the expr essi on and is abo ut to com e up out

“
of the abyss and to go i nto p erdit ion

,
”
This is .
the b egi nni ng and the end of the t hird p hase o f t he

b ea st s history In t hi s d escrip t ion th ey th at dwell
’
.
on e arth w ond er ed wh en t hey b eh eld the b ea st

“
292
t he thir d p ha s e of hi s e x i stence , and is abo u t to

co me up o ut o f t he ab s s . y
death st ro k e was
”
The -
ab o ut heal ed T he beas t had j us t abo ut ret urned

.
f rom the j aws o f d eath Hi sto ry fix es t he dat e .
as abo ut 666 A D Then thi s al so fi x es t he b egi n

. .
,
ni ng o f t he l i f e hi s t o ry o f t he harl ot wom an o r t he ,
Rom an Church It was abo ut that ti me or to be

.
, ,
ex act ,
in 66 3 A D t hat t he church was mad e a
. .
,
uni vers al and unit ed o ne by t he d ecree o f P o p e
Vit eli an t hat wo rs hi p in all the churches thro ughout

t he wo rld s ho ul d b e i n t he Lat i n t ongue T hi s i s .
t he hi s to ri cal s t art i ng p o i nt o f the Rom an Church

-
.
Thus hi s to ry and Revel at io n agree .
Lest so m e o ne be doubt f ul as to the id ent ity o f

t he harl o t wom an J ohn add s o ther id ent i fi cat ion
,
m ark s He call s spe ci al attent io n t o the seven head s

.
o f t he b eas t T hey correspo nd in every part icul ar

.
to the b eas t o f t he t hi rt eent h chapt er and t here fo re ,
i nd ic at e t hat t hi s w as the s ame Ro man p ower as

d escri bed there but when he gi ves two int erpre
,
t at io ns o f t he head s he em p has i es t he i d ent i ty so z
that t here wi ll be no room for doubt Here is t he .

“
m i nd t hat hat h wi s do m The seven head s are

.
s even m o unt ai ns o n w hi ch t he wo m an s itt et h He ”

.
,
had al ready d escri bed t he wom an as a ci ty— B abyl o n .
T hi s city res t s o n seven mo untains The top ograp hy .
o f t he wo rld d et e rm i nes what ci ty it i s t hat i s b u i lt
o n s ev en hi ll s It i s Rom e and no other

. It i s the
, .
city o f s even hi l l s It i s the very heart center

“
.
,
and s eat o f t he Rom an Church From the Catho l ic .
vi ewpo int t he church i s sep arate and d i s t i nct f ro m

,
it s m em b ers hip The great commo n herd i s

.
294
D ES T R U CT IO N : O F B AB YL O N
charac eri e t z d as the chil d ren o f the church T he .
church i s di ff erent f ro m it s chi l d ren T he church .
i s t hat p o wer which the child ren obey and reco gniz e
as p ar ent Th e P ap acy cons i s t i ng o f the P o p e and
.
,
the p ries tho od wo uld there fo re co ns t it ute the

,
chu rch f ro m t he Cat ho l ic vi ewp o i nt and f ro m i t s ,
very b egi nning t he Ro m an Church s at on t ho s e
s even hi ll s for that i s the seat o f its po wer

, .
Agai n he i nt erp re t s the seven head s as sev en

,
ki ngs ; five are fall en the one i s the o ther is not , ,
y e t co m e T u .rn
”
i ng t o D an i el w e fi n d t hat t he ,
wo rd k ing i s not used i n a p erso nal s ense b ut

“
,
i n an ofli ci al sens e i n which a s uccessio n o f ki ng s

, ,
o r a dy nas ty i s d enot ed ,
That i s what it m eans .
here . Each head was a s uccess io n o f rul ers o r

fo rm s O f governm ent T his is confi rmed by the .
s t at em ent o f J ohn t hat in 96 A D five o f t hese . .
we re in t he p as t t he s i x th was the t hen p r es ent

,
f orm and l ater that it wo uld be s ucceeded by a

,
s event h Hi sto ry fix es t hat as an ab so l ut e f act

. .
Ro m e had been rul ed und er s i x s ucces si ve fo rm s

of gov ernment to and i ncl ud ing the t ime J ohn
wrot e . These w ere ( 1 ) kings ( 2 ) consul s ( 3 ) , ,
d i ctato rs ( 4 ) d ecemvi rs ( 5 ) t ribunes ( 6 ) crowned

, , ,
emp ero r s and t hen

,
beginning wi th Dio cl eti an and
,
Co nst ant i ne Rom e e nt ered und er the l ast f o rm o f

,
p o l i t i ca l g ov ern m en t t h e m i lit a ry em pe r
,
o rs T h us .
the Ro m an b east i s again po int ed o ut The chu rch .
whi ch t hi s beast carri ed was none ot her than the

R om an Church .
Then ano ther id enti ficati on m ark i s giv en The

,
.
b eas t that was and i s not i s hi m self al s o an

, ,
2 95
TH E R EV ELAT IO N OF J ES U S CH RIST
e ighth and is o f the s even ; and he go eth in to

,
p erdi ti on ( v
”
After the s ev en fo rms of
.
go v ernm en t end in 666 A D an eighth h ead t ak es . .

,
its pl ace This eighth is o f the s ev en t hat is

“
. ,
it gr ew out o f the s ev en and i s a d ev elopm ent o f

the s even s ucc eedi ng fo rms Histor y establish es .
t he fact th at the P ap al f orm o f gov ernm ent s uc

ceeded the s ev en and gr ew o ut of t hem and t hus ,
agai n Rom e is id ent ifi ed and wi t h i t the Roman

,
Ch urch .
T his b east had ten horns and th es e al so b ecom e ,
id entifi cati on m arks We hav e alr eady found that

.
the t erm ho rns signifi es contemporary divi sio ns

” “
o f te rrit ory each rul ed b y an i nd ep end ent s over eign

, .
The gr eat po li t ic al Rom an Empir e becam e s epar ated

i nto ten i nd ep end ent and contemp orary divisions ,
each r ul ed o v er by an i nd ep enden t s ov er eign J ohn .
s ays t hat t hey had r eceiv ed no ki ngdo m as yet in ,
hi s t im e History confi rms thi s

. Th ese divi si ons .
’
o r ki ngd oms did not d ev elop until a ft er the f all o f
Ro me in 476 A D Th es e are s aid to be o f o ne

“
. .
mi nd and giv e their p ow er unto the b east ( v

, .
Thi s is exactly wh at th ese ten ki ngdoms did For .
ab o ut a tho u s and y ear s t hey gav e t heir pow er to
the Rom an Pap al b eas t When the P op e issu ed

.
a d ecree to sla ugh ter h er et ics thes e t en kingdoms ,
ex ec ut ed the d ec r ee Th eir armi es w ere at hi s

.
servic e . All o f t heir civil offi c ers wer e but his

s erv ants to do hi s bid di ng
, The Roman Ch urch is .
the only o ne th at t h ese ten divisio ns hav e support ed

and giv en t heir p ow er to The h arl ot and B ab y lon
.
‘
can there fore be no ot her
, , .
296
fo r t he p urp o se of l ib erati ng herse l f f ro m t he

abo m i na t io ns of the Ro man Church .
In this s event eent h chapt er th ere f ore t here i s a , ,
s even f o l d i d ent i fi cat io n o f an i ns t i t ut i on t hat can

-
be none o t her t han t he Ro m an Church S he f ul fil l s .
every p hy s i cal s pi r i t ual

,
and m o ral d etai l o f the
p rop het ic descript ion Even her fing er p rint s rem ain
.
-
in b lo od t hat s t ai ns t he p ag es o f hi s to ry The harlo t .
wom an o r B abylo n i s t he Rom an Church

, ,
As we .
havé ex ami ned and comp are d t he vari ous sy mbo l s

u s ed by t he p rop het i n d escri b i ng a s at anic b l as ,
p hem i n g p er s e
,cu ti ng po wer t ha t s ho u l d a ri s e a n d ,
up on w hich t he wrat h o f G o d sho uld b e p o ured o ut _
to it s to t al d est ruct i on we have fo und w hat p has e

,
o f t hi s po we r each sy mbo l es p eci ally d es ignat es .
T hese symbol s are t hree in number : a seven head ed -

,
t en ho rned be as t op ening hi s mo ut h in b l asp hem i es

-
,
the i m age o f the beas t ; and a harlo t wo m an o r ,
B abyl on ri d ing on the beast

,
When d escribing t he
.
P apacy as ex erci s ing t em po ral and p ol i t i c al cont ro l

o f P ap al t erri t o ry and th ro ugh t he cro wned r ul ers
o f t he t en d i vi s i ons t he s y m bo l o f t he be ast i s used

,
.
W hen d escri bing the P ap acy as compri s ing both

t empo ral and religio us do m inion the symbo l is the ,
im ag e o f the b eas t b ut w hen d es crib ing the P ap acy

,
as a p urely relig io u s i ns tit ut i on o r as a chur ch t he

, ,
s y mbo l i s eit her t hat o f the harlo t wom an o r

B aby l on .
Rej o ice and s hout fo r joy all ye s aint s o f

, ,
Go d fo r the doo m o f B abyl on t hat i ni q uit o us

, , ,
apo s t at e Rom an Chur ch has the sent ence o f an

, ,
aveng i ng and o ut rag e d D ivin i ty p ro no unced ag ai ns t
298
D ES T R U CTIO N O F B AB YL O N
her . The ixt h ange l has al read y po ured out his

s
bowl The stream o f t he Eup hr atean po wer w hi ch

.
,
was once a m i ghty o v erfl owi ng to rr ent engulfi ng, ,
t he nat io ns o f t he wo rld has now al mo st di s ap ,
p e ar e d f r o m E u ro p e It b ut aw a it s 192 7
. A D i ts . .
,
all o tt ed t im e to di sapp ear f ro m the gal axy o f

,
p ersecuti ng p owers The k ings o f the earth at the

.
p resent m om ent are being gathered t og ether unto the ‘
war o f the great day o f God t he Al m ighty We , .
only awai t t he p ou ri ng o ut o f t he sevent h vi al fo r
the fi nal d es t ro y i ng po we r to envel op t hat co rrupt ,
p ut re fyi ng Roman Ch urch in i ts fi nal and compl ete

,
d estr uct ion .
The hour i n w hich we liv e i s f raught with t he

great est sol emnity M i ll ions o f hum an b ei ngs at
.
the p resent ti m e are the d evot ees o f t hat harl o t

wom an d runk en with the w ine o f her fornication
,
or ap os t as y S t upefied by t he i nt o x i cat io n o f t wel ve

.
cent ur i es they are al l unco nscio us o f the aw f ul

,
doom that await s them It i s no w that the w arning .
o f Go d o ught to b e t hund e r ed in t he ear s o f every
ens l aved i nhab i t ant o f B ab yl o n : Com e fo rth my ,
p eo pl e o ut o f her that ye hav e no f ellow ship with

, ,
her si ns and t hat ye r ece iv e no t o f her pl ag ues

, .
The t im e has co me w hen ev ery Ro m an Catho li c

o ught to b urs t t he s l av i sh bo nd s o f the abo m i nab l e
ci ty , r eno uncing all al l egi ance to the arch i mp o stor -
that r ul es it and come out to be a f ree man in

,
Chri st J esus fo r t here i s no escap e fo r any who

,
rem ai n i n t he city an mo r e t ha n fo r t ho s e wh o
y
rem ai ned i n S o d om .
O th er S cript ur e w ri t ers hav e w ritte n o f t hi s

2 99
TH E REV ELAT IO N E
‘
OF J S U S CH RIS T
Romish p ow er In the s ev enth chap ter of Dani el

.
we hav e a d escrip t i on o f f our gr eat b easts or ,
wo rld empir es His tory fi x es the id enti ty o f thes e

. .
The gr eat empir e o f B aby lo n was t he first one

d escrib ed as a lion Th en follo w in successi on . , ,
M edo P ersia Gr eec e and Rome His to ry knows o f

-
, .
no ot h ers Dani el was esp eci all y ex ercis ed abou t

.
the f our t h b ea st whi ch he saw Ten t im es as m uch .
sp ac e is o cc upi ed in i t s descrip t io n and in the ,
angelic expl anat i on as is giv en to the o t h er beas t s

, .
It had ten horns I t s s ev en h eads w er e invisible

.
as disti nct enti t i es for th ey w ere s t ill in the fu t ure

, .
In the mids t o f t h es e ten horns th ere d ev el op ed a

li ttle h orn or form of gov ernm ent I t had ch arac
, . .
terist ics p ec uliar to its elf and which identi f y i t as

, ,
this same Pap al p ow er I t had ey es lik e the eyes

“
. ,
”
o f a man and a mo uth sp eaki ng g r ea t thi ngs
, .
His to r y agai n fi x es the id en t i ty o f the pow er

d escri bed wi th un err i ng cert ai nty The ten horns
, .
repr es ent n one oth er than the ten divi si ons into
which the t errito ry which regarded Rom e as i t s
,
capi t al, was divid ed The Papal gover nm ent grew

.
up in the mids t o f t hes e divisions and out o f the -
s am e head This P apal h orn act uall y plucked up

.
the V andal O s tr ogot h and Lombard horns and

,
convert ed th eir territor y in to Papal s t at es subj ecting ,
t h em to the abso l ute t emp oral pow er o f the p op es .
Dan . and 26 g iv es us the angelic in t erpr et a t io n
of t he charac t er of t his h o rn He shall sp eak

“
.
Words agai nst the M os t High and shall wear out ,
t he s ai nts o f the M ost High ; and he shall t hink t o

change the t im es and the law ; and th ey shall be
800
m eani ngl es s sp rinkl ing o f water on the f orehead ,
whi l e the beaut i f ul sy m b o l i sm o f the l oa f and the

cup has b een p ervert ed i nt o pag an i do l at ry B l es s ed .
be Go d t hi s littl e ho r n s hall co nt i nue b ut hi s all ott ed

,
t im e o f y ears and then it shall give pl ace to ,
the k i ngd om o f t he s ai nt s o f t he M o s t Hi g h
“ ”
and
it shal l end ure fo rever ( Dan .
P a ul al s o d es cri b es t hi s s am e po wer und er the

, ,
figure o f the man o f s in He ex pl ai ned t o the

“
.
”
Thes salonian Chris ti ans why they sho uld not exp ect
the co m i ng o f Chri s t i n t he i r d ay b y s ayi ng ,
L t n m n b gu i l y u i n ny wi
‘
e o a f e i t wi ll n t b
e o a se : or o e,
e x pt th f ll ing w y m fi t nd th m n f in b
ce e a a a co e rs , a e a o s e
re v l d t h n f p d i t i n h t h t pp t h n d x l t t h
ea e , e so o er o , e a O o se a e a e
hi m lf g i n t l l th t i
se a a ll d G d th t i w hipp d ;
s a a s ca e o or a s o rs e
so th t ha i tt th i n th t m pl
e s f G d
e tti ng hi m lf f
e e th e o o , se se or
”
as Go d ( 2 Thess .
No t i ce the d et ail s o f thi s d escription S t and ing .
i n the apo s t o li c p erio d t here m us t com e a f all ing

“
,
away o r an ap o s t a sy f ro m the t rue f aith and the

”
, ,
t rue church be f ore the man o f s in would be “ ”
reve al e d Thi s ap os tasy began right in the apos

.
t o li c p erio d The m y s t ery o f l awl ess nes s d o th

.
al rea dy wo rk The vario us warning s to the

.
churches as g i v en by P a ul and the o t her ap o stl es

, ,
co nfi rm t hi s There were incipi ent m ani fe stat io ns

.
o f the ex erci s e o f eccl e s i as t ic a l p o w er b y el d ers who
l oved to have pre em i nence in t he church T he -

.
r el igi ous hi s to ry o f six cent uries is the reco rd o f

the growt h o f apo s t as y f rom t rue Chri s t i ani ty an d
the co m pl et e es t ab l i shm ent O f the co unt er fe i t t em pl e
O f God in w hich the po p es s it mo u t hi ng thei r di vi ne ,
5 02
p retens ions None o ther than the Rom an Offi ce o f

.
t he p op es f ul fill s the d et ail s o f t his p ro p hetic

d escriptio n o f the man o f sin B l es sed be the .
m ercif ul Go d the o ffice o f p op e w i ll come to an

,
end ,
and ceas e t o ex i s t The Lo rd J es u s S hall
.
s l ay him wit h t he b reat h o f hi s mo ut h an d b ri ng ,
to no ught by t he m ani f es t at io n o f hi s com i ng

”
( 2 T h e s s .
T hus all o f the p rop het s who have Sp ok en are

j oined by the secul ar hi s to ri ans in po i nting to the
Rom an Church as the B abylo n and the harl o t
wom an who se d ecl i ne and d es t ruct io n are b eing
,
b ro ught abo ut by the p o uri ng out o f the bo wl s o f

t he s even ang el s o f w rat h W i th her in her aw f ul
.
, ,
fi nal d eso l at io n abo ut to b e accompl is hed wi l l be ,
i nvo l ved all o f thos e rule rs who pl ay into her hand s

and conni ve wi th her in her d evi li s h po l i t ical
sch em es as well as all o f t hos e who are s t upefied
,
by her mo ns t rous apo s t as i es .
Thus the nam e that i s upon her forehead po s

,
s e s s es t he mo s t so l em n and aw f ul s ignifi cance t o
tho s e P ro t est ants who wo uld h ave no co nnection

w it h her i n her s in T he nam e. M Y S T ERY ,
“
,
B AB YLO N T H E G REAT T H E M O T HER O F ,
H ARL O T S AND O F T H E AB O M I NAT IO N S

O F T H E EART H ( v i s the d ivine e s t im at i on
.
o f her charact er and al so o f her rel at io ns

,
Th e .
Rom an Church i s not only B abyl on t he my s t erio u s ,
city o f con f u s i o n and i do l at ry b ut s he i s the g reat ,
h arlo t S he has ex ceed ed all o ther like ins t it ut ions

.
i n apo s t as y for t hat is what s p i rit ual harlo t ry

,
s i gn i fies .
( S e e I s a . N ot o nly i s s h e
3 03
TH E R EV EL ATI O N OF J ES US CH RIS T
a h arlot but she is also the mother of harl ots Her

, .
d augh ters are harl ots lik e h erself The women who
.
h ave com e o ut of her are ap ostate wom en Wh at .
an awful i ndic tm ent o f Pr ot est an t religio us bodi es
who cam e for th fro m the womb of the apostat e

chur ch , Wh at a chall enge to the enlightened con
sci enc e o f good p eopl e who s till preserv e in a ,
meas ur e ap ost ate doc t rin es and pract ices o f their

,
ap ost a t e mo ther. How gladly o ugh t ev ery w ell

i nt ent i oned follow er o f Chris t to renou nce all d eno m
i nations and all forms o f ec cl esi asticism and f ollo w
the t eachi ngs o f Chri st compl et el y B ec aus e o f the
.
fact th at God co nsid ers all d enomi nations as harlots ,
the F ed era t io n of Church es am oun ts to not hi ng b ut

an att emp t to p erp et uat e ap os tasy whi ch is m anif es t
,
in each o f th em The m od er n form o f union

.
“
ev angelism in which each h arlot wi nks at and

”
c ompromis es with the apos tasy of every oth er h arlot ,
has a t end ency to popul arize and p erp et uat e the

pr es ent depart ur es from the New Testam ent faith
and pr actic e . The uni ty fo r which Christ pray ed
can only b e bro ugh t abo ut b y r eno u nci ng f or ev er
al l h um an c reeds , hum an nam es and confo rmi ng

,
to the New T est am en t as the onl y r ul e o f f aith

and pr ac t i ce. Fed erat io n is but a s atanic plan to
p erp et uate the apo st asi es th at are t ransmi tt ed to the
vari ous sects from th eir m oth er the great h arlo t
, ,
the Rom an Ch urch .
Th ese m arks o f the b east are easily n oted in all

o f the childr en o f Ro m e . The true church o f
Ch ris t was not know n by h um an nam es Her d ivi ne
.
ch aracter r end er ed this impo s sibl e I f a church

.
8 04
T H E REV EL AT IO N OF J ES US CH RIS T
V ers e 4 i ntro d uces the fir st plague that was

p oure d o ut on the P ap al p ower Thi s was co nnected .
w ith the w av e o f i nfid elity and the Rei gn o f “
T error from 17 5 0 A D to 1 793 A D T his b owl

”
. . . .
was the fi rst S i gnal o f t he execution o f Go d s j udg

’
m ent s and was there fo re a p remo nitory voice calli ng

,
to al l o f Go d s p eopl e to co m e o ut o f her As bo wl
’
.
a f t er bo wl i s po ure d out co ns t ernat ion rei gns amo ng

,
t ho s e who had b een enr iched by her and had been

eng aged in m erchand i s ing wit h her Am ong the .
art i cl es o f m erchand i s e t hi s harl ot chu r ch had b een
b art eri ng w ere t he so ul s o f men Thi s unerri ngly

“ ”
.
p oint s to the Roman Church It is the church that .
i nvent ed the do ct rine o f p u rgato ry and t o t hi s day ,
p ret end s to rel eas e s uff ering so ul s o f m en fro m

that i maginary region o f torm ent fo r a p ri ce .
‘
As the Roman Church began to l os e it s p resti ge
and p ower because o f the succeeding bo wl s o f
wrat h po ur ed o ut i nd icati ng the near app ro ach o f
,
her doo m a s t rong ang el by casti ng a mig hty m ill

, ,
s t one int o the s ea p rono unced the fi nal end o f t he

,
B abyl oni s h ap ost asy It wi ll end in v iol ence and be

.
ent i rely b l otte d f rom exi stence The act o f thi s .
st rong an gel was p rem oni to ry o f t he fi nal j ud gm ent
o f t he harlo t as the s event h angel p rep ares to po ur
o ut hi s bo wl .
The so l emn m om ent has arri ved T he .
y ears all otted to her are j ust exp i ri ng and all o f ,
t he angel i c ho s t break f o rt h i n o ne g rand t ri ump hant ,
so ng i n ant i cip at i on o f t he t ri ump hant vi cto ry o f
the p ure chast e vi rgin t hat Ch ri st lo ved and gave

, ,
‘
hi s l i f e for T he f o ur and tw enty eld ers and the
.
3 06
f our liv ing creat ures who ab id e in the imm ed i ate

p resence o f J ehovah f all d own and wo rship T hen ‘
.
,
at the s ignal o f the di recto r o f t he heavenly choi r ,
every di vi ne b ei ng i n t he univ ers e j o i ns in the fi nal
cho r us :
Hall el uj ah : f or the L
Go d the A m i ht y rei n
o rd ou r , l g , g
eth . j
Let us re o i ce and b e e ceedi n x
ad and l et u s i ve g gl , g
the gl
o ry u nt o hi m : for the mar ri a e o f t he amb i s com e, g L
and hi s wi e hath m ad e hers e f ready And i t was ivenlf . g
unt o her t hat S he s ho u d array herse l
i n fine i nen b ri ht lf l , g
and l
pu re : f o r the fine inen i s the ri ght eo us act s o f the s ai nt s
”
( Rev 19 : 6 8 ).
-
T hi s co rresp ond s in tim e to the p ar enthetical

s t at em ent m ad e i n Rev and i s pr emo ni t o ry
.
o f the s ame d ivi ne event It occurs at the clo se .
o f t he m i s s io n o f the Si x th w rat h ange l In 19 14 .
A D we w i tnes s ed the begi nni ng o f the gat heri ng

. .
to gether o f the k ings o f the earth fo r the l ast

great st ruggl e and Jo hn has reveal ed here the
,
event s t hat are t ranspi ri ng at t he p resent mom ent
aro und the t hrone o f Go d b ut bey ond the ken o f ,
human ear.
i x t eenth chapter the pro p het has reveal ed

In the s
the gathering to g et her o f t he ki ngs o f the earth

unt o the war o f the great day o f Go d
“
t he ,
Alm i ghty b ut he d i d not i ndi cat e as to how t hey

,
”
were al i gne d o r who w ere to cons t it ut e t he o pp os ing

arm i es Now he i s ready to gi ve thi s i n fo rm at io n
.
,
al so The s eventh t rump et ang el soun d s and the

.
s event h angel o f Wrat h p o urs o ut hi s vi al and t hen ,
the event s d escribed in Rev 19 : 1 1 2 1 begi n to o ccur .

-
.
Here we have gi ven in cl ear er d et ai l s a mo re compl ete

307
T H E R EV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
d escriptio n o f the event s r eco rd ed in Rev. 1 6 : 17-2 1 .
Th e Armi e s of
And I saw the heaven opened ; and
H eaven
l
whit e ho rse, and he that
beho d , a
s at thereon ca ed Fai th u and T rue ; ll f l

g
and i n ri ht eousnes s he doth ud e and ma e war. And hi s j g k
ey es ar e a fl
ame o f fire and upon hi s head are many di ad ems ;
,
and he hath a nam e wri tt en whi ch no one noweth but he k

lf
hi ms e . And he i s array ed in a arment sprin ed wi th
‘
g kl
b ood : and hi s name i s ca ed the Word o f God. And the
l ll
armi es whi ch are i n heaven o owed him upon whi t e hors es, f ll
l l
c ot hed i n fine inen whi te and pu re. And out o f hi s mouth
,
proceedeth a sharp sword that wi th it he shou d smi te the

, l
nat i ons : and he s ha ll l
ru e them wi th a rod o f i ron : and he
t readeth the wi nepres s o f the fierceness of the wrath of God,

the A mi htyl g And he hath on hi s thi h a name wri tten,
.
‘
g
KIN G
O F KIN S AND G
RD O F
"
LO
RD S ( Rev. 19 : LO
11
We have h er e another white h ors e similar to the

one t h at app ear ed at t he Op eni ng of t he fi rs t s eal .
Th ere i t i ndi cated a victo rio us war and i t d eno t es ,
the s am e h er e The rid er o f this whi t e h ors e and

.
his armi es will c om e off mo r e than co nqu ero rs in

the s t ruggl es w hic h are abo ut to ensue The rid er .
o f thi s wh i t e ho r se i s di ff er ent fr om the one on the
fir st w hite h ors e m ent i oned He has a sharp t wo .
edged swo rd proceedi ng out o f hi s mo uth whil e ,
the rid er o f t he first ho r se i s to be id entifi ed by a

bow Thi s rid er had ma ny di ad ems indi cat i ng that
.
,
he was the ki ng ov er m any ki ngdo ms whil e the ,
first rid er had but one crow n The event s d escrib ed .
are then enti rely diff erent The ev ent s signi fi ed

, ,
‘
.
by the fi rst white h ors e and his ri der occurred

duri ng the first s eal p eriod whil e the ev en t s symbol
-
,
ized h er e occur duri ng the s ev en th s eal and begi n

'
808
co m in g of J es us signifi es a calling out o f a porti on

o f i ts m em ber ship who will sit at the marriage
s uppe r o f t he L amb whi ch is announced as read y
,
in Rev 19 : 7 9
.
-
T hese call ed out ones are t hos e
.
“ ”
who g iv e no heed to the v oi ces o f eccl es i as ti cism

o r d eno m i natio nal i sm b ut hear the v o i ce o f Chri st
“ ”
.
,
The d aught er s o f the Rom an Church h av e alr ead y

b een fo u nd t o be apo st at e from the New T estam ent
s t and ard s . Chri st c all s to hi s p eopl e thro ugh the
p ure go sp el o f the New T estament Whereunto .
“
he call ed you t hro ugh our go sp el 10 the obt ai ni ng ,

”
o f the glo ry o f o ur L o rd J es us Chri s t T s ”

( 2 h es .
Tho se who sup with the Ma st er at hi s I

_
com ing w i ll , then b e tho s e who con f orm to the

,
gosp el o f the New T estament and rej ect all the

cr eed s and t raditi ons o f men The great q ues t i on
.
t o b e d ecid ed by eve ry church m emb er is Will I “

-
,
fo ll ow d eno m inati onal l ead ers o r w i ll I fo llow

,
Chri s t ?
The s econd seri es o f vi s ions giv es the pro p het i c
hi s t ory o f the g reat eart hly and p o l i t i cal ant agoni st ,
as m ani f es t ed i n t he vario u s s t age s o f the Rom an
Emp ire S o far as it i s concerned Chri st com es

.
,
to co nq uer it and s ubj ect all eart hly r ul e to hi s

o wn s pi rit ual do m i ni on The t hird s eri es o f vi s i ons
.
gi ves the p rop het ic hi sto ry o f the great spi ri t ual

ant ag oni st of the church as m ani fested i n t he
,
d evi l i sh co mbinat io n o f church and stat e app eari ng ,
sometim es i n p ur ely t em po ral fo rm as in t he tem ,
po ral powe r o f the P ap acy ; som etim es in a p oliti co

rel ig io us fo rm and som et im es in a p urely r eligi ous
,
fir m ; as i n the Rom an Church S o far as this i ns ti

.
3 10
tutio n concerned the second comi ng o f J es us

is ,
s ignaliz es i ts d es t r uctio n T hen thi s divin e sp ectacle

.
bet okens the gatheri ng o f the tr ue c hur ch the ,
s ub j ect ion o f al l go v er nm ent and r ul e to Chr i s t
and the to t al d es t ructi on o f all sp i ri t ual agenci es
and m eans that are s ubv er s iv e .
Thi s has generally b een co nc eiv ed o f as a p eri o d

o f aw f ul p hy s i cal co nv ul s io ns i n w hi ch the w o rld s
and s uns w o uld cr as h t oget he r and t he un i v erse
wo uld ret urn to pr im ev al chao s This erro r is due

.
to the use o f l ang uage in a s ens e diff er ent f rom

that in w hich the S cript ure uses i t We m ust rem em .
ber that these t hi ng s are s i gn i fied and m us t be

“ ”
- -
und ers t oo d i n t heir symbo li c s ens e P et er say s in . ,
sp eaki ng o f the wo rld o f the ant edil uvi an ag e :
The wo rld that then was b ei ng Overflo wed wi th

“
,
wate r p eri s hed

,
”
( 2 P et . W e know t hat
the s am e p hy s ical earth r em ai ned a ft er the fl oo d

that app eared be fore onl y wi th changed spirit ual
,
co nd i ti ons A r em nant o f men and anim al s that

.
li ved o n the eart h b e fore the flo od were br ought

o v er i nt o t he eart h a ft er the fl oo d Whil e fo llowing .
the app earance o f the whi t e ho r se r i d er there will

-
be t he m ight ies t eart hq uak e that it i s p os s i b l e to

conceive o f it d o es no t concern the p hy s i cal univ ers e
, ,
fo r it i s the shaki ng and crum bli ng o f the p oliti cal

earth . The k i ngdo m s o f the wo rld w i ll rock and
reel as t hey are d as hed to p i ec es by the m i g hty
i nt ernal fo rce s o f d i s so l ut ion The do w ntr o dd en

.
and t he Opp r es sed o f every l an d crushed t o eart h,
thro ugh the ages o f the dom ination o f the ruling

cl as s es , w i ll at that mo m ent be aro us ed to such
81 1
T H E REV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
e xtrem es o f vio lence as the w orld has nev er wit

nes sed b e fo re The war whi ch b egan in 19 14 A D
. . .
i s the agg rav ati ng cause o f the r eb elli on o f the

m ass es The s enseles s sl aught er o f the w orld s
.
’
l abo ri ng men and prod ucers with the eno rm o us ,
incr eas e o f nat io nal d ebt s will sp eed i ly b ri ng abo ut ,
a cond i ti o n th at h um anity w i ll not b ear The pre .
mo nit ory r umbl ings are already bei ng heard The .
cry o f the l abo r uni ons the soci alist s and the an
-
,
archi st s agai ns t the al ready pr evaili ng cond itio ns ,
w i ll be but a w hi sp er as comp ar ed to the mighty

s ho ut o f o utr aged hum anity w hich will ari s e t en
y ears f rom now .

i
In t hat l ast gr eat cont est b egi nni ng abo ut 192 7

A D and co nt i nui ng at i nt erv al s till 1972 A D the
. .
, .
s l aught er and the trib ul ati on o f the w o rld wi ll b e
i nconcei vabl e T hat slaught er will no t be i nfli ct ed

.
by the weap ons o f the heavenly army pr evi ously

desc ribed The w eap on o f th at army is the sharp
.
s wo rd t hat go et h f orth f ro m the mo uth o f the So n
o f God It i s no t a carnal w eap on but is the w ord

.
,
o f Go d It s s la ught er i s accompl i sh ed by t he p reach

.
ing o f its t ruths and t his i s not d one upo n t he

,
.
app earance o f the h eav enly army The app earance .
o f the So n o f God on t he w hi t e ho r s e and f oll owed ,
by hi s armi es was the s i gnal for the b egi nni ng o f

,
the f east o f the bi rd s anno unced b y an a ngel , .
Bi rd F eas t And I saw an an e gl standi n g in th e
sun ; and he cri ed with a oud l vo ice, to

all the bi rds that fly in mi d heaven , C om e and b e g athered
to g ether unt o the g reat supper o f God ; that ye may eat the
fl esh of
'
k ing s, and the fl esh o f captai ns , and the fl esh of
812
T H E R EV EL AT IO N OF JES U S CH R IS T
In thi s vi sion the b i rd s can no t b e cl assi fi ed as

being eart hly governm ent s for t he i r pl ace o f r ul e
,
“
i s i n m i d heaven -
T hey are therefo re p ow er f ul
”
. , ,
o rg ani at io ns o f men i n t he m i d s t o f t he natio ns

z ,
and t hat are hos til e to k i ngly rul e The appe arance .
o f the So n o f Go d at the s o undi ng o f t he s eventh
tr ump et and the po uring out o f the seventh bowl

, ,
i s the s ignal fo r the g atheri ng f ury o f l abo r u nio ns -

,
and all o t her o rg ani z at i ons ho stil e to the r uli ng

cl ass es to b urs t fo rt h
,
As a m i ghty ho s t o f eagl es
.
and vult ures t hey will att ack w i t h one accord and
w ill s woo p upo n all earthly r ul ers and rend their

k ingdom s as und er It wi ll be a struggl e o f l abo r
.
aga i ns t capit al the opp ress ed ag ai nst t he Opp re s sor

fl
, ,
the s l aves agai ns t t hei r m ast ers and ri ght ag ai ns t

,
wro ng The b i rd s will b e v icto rio us and wi ll d es po i l

.
t he t hrones and f eas t up o n the sp oil o f k i ngdo m s .
Al l the whi l e t hi s m i ghty st ruggl e i s bei ng wage d ,
the heavenly arm i es do no t t ak e p art They are .
onl ook ers T hey awai t the p rop i tio us mo ment

.
w hen in the m i d st o f the wo rl d s great t ribul at ion

,
’
,
t he k i ngs o f the eart h and all m ank i nd l earn f ro m

b itt er exp eri ence t hat Chri st s law i s the only b asi s
’
o f human happ i nes s The wo rld s l aws and m etho d s

’
.
have rip ened into an aw f ul harves t o f mi sery and

t ribul at ion and have utt erly fai l ed .
T he angel havi ng m ade hi s announcement o f

t he b eg i nni ng o f t hi s p erio d o f war f are t he o pp o s ,
ing fo rces are s een in b attl e array And I s aw

“
.
t he b east and t he ki ng s o f t he eart h

, and thei r ,
arm ies , gat hered to gether to m ake war against him

tha t s at upon the ho rse and against hi s army
,
”
3 14
R
( v
e . At the l
c o se o f the m i s s i on o f t he
s ixth wrath angel we saw the k ings o f the who l e

,
wo rld being gathered to g ether unto t he war o f “
the gr eat day o f Go d the Alm i ghty T hi s as sem ”

.
,
b li ng b eg an in 19 14 A D and wit hin t en y ear s

. .
,
wi ll be co m pl et e . The ali gn m ent o f the o pp os i ng

forces m ent ioned in Rev reveal s t he r eal
.
m eaning o f the str uggl e o f the Europ ean arm ies .
It i s a chall enge to the K ing of ki ng s In sub stance .

,
t he k ings o f Euro p e are s ay i ng to Chri s t : We “
wi ll not rul e accord i ng to yo ur t eachi ng We are .
go ing to d emons trat e that we can b ri ng p eace by

m il i t ary p rep ar ed nes s . We can bring in universal
p eace and the m illenni um by f orce and by t reaty
We can bring abo ut the wo rld k ingdo m that i s
s po k en o f i n t he B i bl e by co mp ell i ng a co ncert o f
,
natio ns by the f orce o f o ur d om inant po wer We .
w ill m ete o ut j usti ce in all the wo rld thro ugh an

int ernati o nal s up reme co urt whi ch we will es t ab li sh
to s ettl e al l f ut ure di sp ut es b etween the nat i ons .
This reveal s the r eal m eani ng o f the haste

m ani f es t ed i n t he Unit ed S tat es to arouse the spi ri t
o f mil i t ari s m Ch ri s t s we ap ons are s p i rit ual b ut
'
’
.
,
the rich m en and t he p ol i t ici ans are s ayi ng : We

do not need t hem ; the o nly guarant ee o f p eace i s
o ur army and o ur navy S O every eff o rt i s bei ng
”
.
p u t fo rt h t o en l arge o ur m i lit ary and nav al arm s .
Littl e do the yo ung men who r ush to enl i st in the

army and navy thi nk that they are to be used
ag ains t t hei r to il ing b ro t hers when t he b i rd f eas t
“ ”
begins in 192 7 A D Little do the taxp ay er s

. .
d ream that the arm ament which they are p aying

3 15
T H E REV EL ATI O N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
fo r is tos d agai nst thems elv es when t h ey

be u e
r eb el agai nst the unb earable b urdens w hich are

gr ad ually accr ui ng upon th eir o wn sh ould ers S uch .
,
how ev er are the r es ults that the prop het u nerri ngl y
,
po i nt s to in the pr ogress o f pr esent ev ents .
The p arti es that m ak e up the fo rc es t ha t chal

l enge Chri st to b attl e are n am ed The l ead er i s .
the beast We have already fo und t hat he repre

.
s ents the Pap acy as a t empo r al po litical fo rm o f ,
gov ernm ent I t is t r ue that the Po p e has b een

.
s ho rn o f his t emp oral p ossessions bu t he still claim s ,
to ex erci s e t emp or al so v erei g nty All civiliz ed .
nati ons r ecogniz e t he Po p e as a t emp o r al sov er eign .
Th ey r eceiv e amb as sado r s from the Vati can and ,
they enter i nto t reati es with him and thes e acts ,
constit ute an acknowl edgm ent o f his t emp oral sov

‘
erei nt y
g Th e U nit ed S t at es has in Wa shi ng ton a
.
regul arly accre dit ed amba ssad or o f the Pop e He .
ev en t ak es p reced ence ov er all o f the r epr es entativ es
o f t he gr eat so v er eigns o f t he w o rld The legal .
stat us o f the Pop e is giv en in The I nternat ional “
Digest compil ed by J o hn B asset M oor e i n com

”
,
p ance wit h an act o f Congr ess 1906 :

l i ,
The Ho ly S ee o ccupi es a po sit i on l g

ana o ous t o stat es,
and the P ope i s t reat ed l ik e a s overei gn , and even as a pri vi
l eg ed s overei gn ”
( Vol I
. .,
p.
Asa t emporal s over eign thro ugh the i ntrigues ,
o f hi s agents i n al l t he w o rld he em b ro ils t he ,
nati ons i n the l ast gr eat s tr uggl e He light ed the .
m atch w hich c aus ed the explo si on in Eur op e W hen .
the S ervi an p eople r ealiz ed t hat t he co nco rda t

3 16
T H E R EV E A L T IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
Ro maniz ed . The i f j usti ce o f the S up reme

ch e
Co urt o f the Unit ed S t at es i s a s ervant o f the P o p e ,
as w ell as an as s oci at e j us t ice The Tr eas urer o f

.
the Uni t ed S t ates i s al so a servant o f t he P o p e .
Another s ervant o f t he P op e a secreta ry to t he,
P res i d ent i s i n p o s s es sion o f al l o f our go vernm ent al

=
,
s ecret s T hro ug h P ap al i nt ri g ues wi t h o ur po l i t ici ans

.
and l awm ak ers hum an ri g ht s are g rad ua ll y s lipp i ng

,
f ro m the p eo pl e i nto the hand s o f P ap al o fficers

who have b een el ect ed on p arty t ick ets T hese .
i nt r ig ues can l ead to nothing b ut vio l ence and

reb ell io n by an out raged p eopl e w hen Ame rica
fi nally yi eld s t o P ap al dominion For these reasons .
the P ap acy as a sy s tem o f po lit i cal i nt ri g ue w i ll

, ,
be the mo s t pr om i nent p arty amo ng t he O pp o nent s

o f Chri s t. The P ope is very p rom i nent i n t he p ub l i c
p ress to day as hav ing p robably a chie f p art in
-
bri nging about s uppo sed p eace I f he had kept

.
hi s ap o s t at e han d s o ut o f the aff ai rs o f the nat i ons ,
the p res ent war wo uld never have b een s tage d and ,
no p eace can be bro ught ab o ut with hi s s atani c
co nnivance.
The ki ngs o f the earth are there They have .
all be en ent angl ed w ith pop ish schem es so long

that it wo uld be i mpo ss ibl e for them no t to be there .
The id ea o f ki ngly rul e wo uld l ong Si nce hav e been

not hi ng b ut a m emo ry had it not been fo r t he apo s
tat e teaching o f the Roman Church The P ap acy and .
the k i ng s are helpl ess wit hout each o t her The .
P apacy m us t be carr i ed by the p ol iti cal p ower o r el s e

i t p eri shes The k i ngs m ust be bo l ste red up by the
.
apo s t at e t eachi ng o f Ro m e o r els e t hey p er i sh They .
318
D ES T R U CT IO N OF B A B YL O N
ar e lik e S i am ese twi ns ; th ey m us t b oth liv e to gether

o r t hey m us t p eri s h t og et her O f course t he arm ies
.
are t here T hey are the only m eans k no wn ei ther

.
to the P ap acy or the k i ngs to acco mpl i sh t heir

p urp o ses Ther e co uld exi st n either kings no r
.
P ap acy wit hout arm i es .
The o ppo s i ng fo rces are li ned up in ar ray ag ains t

each o ther : p hy s i cal fo rces o n t he one hand and
Sp i r it ual fo rces o n the ot her Which will p reva i l ? .
The s event h angel p ours out his b owl o f w rath as ,
reco rd ed i n Rev 1 6 : 1 7 up on t hes e boas tf ul arm ie s ;

.
,
the opp res s ed o f earth al ready b ei ng org aniz ed ,
as bird s o f p re y Swoo p d ow n upo n them and the

, ,
battl e o f Arm ag edd on i s w ag ed wi t h all o f its f ury .
When the smoke o f the battl e has cl eared aw ay ,
the P ap al i nt rig ues w i ll be at an end fo r ever The .
monstro us id ea o f ab so l ute sov ereignty w hich is

r ep resent ed in the Po p e and the k ings o f the earth
will have been compl et ely bl ot ted from the eart h .
The f al s e pr op het al so go es do w n to d e fe at i n that

great st ruggl e The f al se p ro p het is here i d enti fi ed
.
with the t wo ho rned b eas t that created the i mage

-
o f the b eas t a f t er the p att ern o f the Rom an E m p i re

as reco rd ed in Rev .15 He rep resent s the
-
.
fal s e religious teach ing w hich m ad e the Rom an '
Ch urch p os s ibl e and w hich p erp et uat ed it a ft er it s

,
cr eat ion fo r he gave b r eath to the im age o f the

“
,
beas t
”
. It signifi es then that at the end o f Armag ed
, ,
do n al l o f t he apo s t at e P ap al d o gm as and t rad itio ns

will be blo tt ed fr om the earth f orev er as w ell as ,
tho s e who teach them With these will be al l o f

.
the o ther f al s e d o ctri nes that em anat e fr om the

3 19
T H E RE V EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
f ather o f l ies to p erv er t m anki nd and l ead th em

,
aw ay fro m Chri st .
The d octri nes o f ki ngs h avi ng pro v en a f ail ur e

in the fi nal t est and the P ap acy h avi ng dr unk to
,
the d regs o f the cup o f t he wr at h o f God and i t s

,
fals e teac hi ng b ei ng driv en from the earth i t is ,
no w the oppo r t une mo m ent for the arm i es o f the
S on o f Go d to ent er i nto ac t i on O nl y one w eap on

.
i s used and th at i s the B ibl e The r est w er e kill ed

“
.
wi th the sw ord o f him who sat upon the h or se .
Thi s signifi es that a mighty r eviv al of Chri st i ani ty

t ak es pl ace at this t im e and i t correspo nds to the
,
r es urr ect i on o f the two witness es r ef err ed to in

Rev . Men h av e c om e to t h eir s enses at
l ast and h ave l earned from bi tt er exp eri ence that
,
th eir th eori es w ere wro ng and that the teachi ng

o f Chri st i s the onl y t r ue b a si s o f character and
li fe Th ey r ead ily acc ep t Chris t as Ki ng and a
.
,
new o rd er o f thi ngs b egi ns t o ari se upo n the wr eck
o f thro nes and empir es and the ab ominabl e ap os
t as i es o f the o l d ord er
.
i
as cha ns ab o u t o ur nec s k ( Pro v . In thi s
case t he chai n l d be no ne o f these things but
co u ,
co u l d o nl y b e t he et ernal t rut h o f t he l ivi ng Chri st ,
and i ts l i nk s w ere f o rg e d by t he p re achi ng o f th e
g po s el f act s As .a r es u lt o f t h i s re v i v a l t h e ,
p rop hecy o f Is ai ah i s f ul fi l l ed The eart h s hall .

“
b e f ull o f the k no w l edge o f J ehov ah as the wat e s ,

r
cov er t he s ea ( I s a
”
T .h e D e v i l i s so
s t ro ngly bo und b y t he chai n o f t rut h t hat he i s
unab l e to di s t u rb m ank i nd fo r a t ho u s an d y ears .
T he apo s t l e no t w i shing to i nt e rupt the descrip

,
r
t io n o f the j udg m ent o f the P ap acy w ai ts unt il he ,
has fi ni sh ed the acco unt o f it s fi nal doom be f o e he r
d escribes the f o rt unes o f t he s aint s d u ri ng t hat
p er i o d .H e no w p r o c ee d s t o g i v e a n a cc o u n t o f a n
event that o ccurre d at t h e t i m e t hat t h e he avens
were o pened and th e whit e ho rse ri d er app eared

— .
F i r s t R es urr e c And I saw t hron e s, and th e y sat
t i on
upo n t h em , and j dg m
u ent w as gi v en
un t o t h em : an d I sa w th e l
so u s o f them
that h ad b een b eh ea d ed f o r th e t e s t i m ony of J es u s , a nd fo r
th e w o rd of God , an d s uch as w o r s hi pped no t t he b ea s t ,
n ei t h e r hi s i ma g e, an d r ecei v ed no t t h e mar k up on th ei r fo re
h ea d an d up o n th ei r han d ; an d the y li v ed , an d r ei g ned wi th
Ch ri s t a t h o u s an d y ear s . Th e res t o f th e l
d ea d i ved n o t u nt i l
the t h o u s and y ea rs s h ou l d b fi ni
e s h ed. Thi s i s th e fi rs t res u r
”
rect i o n ( Rev .
T ho se w ho enj o y ed the g l n us privi l eg e o f o o
thi s fi rst res urrect io n are i dentifi ed T hey had b een .
b ehead ed t he t es t imo ny o f J es u s and t hey

“ ”
fo r ,
h ad not be en as s oci at ed w it h t he P apacy Some .
woul d us e t he t erm b ehea ded in a l i t eral s ens e

“
3 22
Z IO N S ’
G LAD M O R NIN G
and m ak e thes e r ul ing ones as the marty s b ut it r ,
m us t b e unde rst o o d i n a fig urat i ve s ens e in ha rmo ny ,
wit h the rem ai nd er o f t he bo o k P a u l i d en t i fi e s

.
t ho se who have a p art i n the fi rs t res ur ect io n and r
t he t im e at which it t ak es pl ace Fo r the Lo r d

“
hi m sel f s hall d e scen d f ro m he aven wi th a s ho ut , ,
wit h t he vo i ce o f t he archang el an d wit h t he t rum p ,
O f Go d : an d t he d ea d i n Chri s t s hall ri s e fi rs t ;
then we t hat are al ive t hat are l e f t shall t og ether

, ,
wi th t hem be c aught up i n the cl o u d s t o m eet t he ,
Lo rd in the ai r : and s o shal l we ever be wit h the

L o rd ( 1 T h es s .
T he t im e at which the fi rs t res urrect ion o ccurs

i s t hen at the so und o f the t rum pet o f the s event h
, ,
ang e l ,
when the Lo rd fi rst appears The ex alt ed .
o nes are al l o f t he d ead in Chris t as well as the

“ ”
Chri s t i ans who are al ive at the t im e P aul g ives

“
ad d i ti o nal i n f o rm at io n co ncerning t hi s event i n

writ i ng to t he Co ri nt hi an Chri s t i ans B ehol d I .
,
t ell yo u a my s tery : We al l s hall not sl eep but w e ,
s hall al l b e cha ng e d in a mo m ent i n the twinkl ing

, ,
o f an eye at the l ast t r um p : fo r t h e t rum p et s hal l

,
so und ,and t he d ea d s hall b e rai s e d i nco r rupt ib l e ,
and w e s h al l b e ch ang ed
”
( 1 C o r 1 5 : 5 1 Th
. e ,
tim e i s co nfi rm ed here The res urrect ion will o ccur

.
at the appearance o f Chri s t and i t wi ll no t req ui e

,
r
a l ong t im e to accompl i sh it It occurs in a m om ent

.
,
i n t he t w inkl ing o f an eye In the t wenty t h ir d

.
-
ver s e o f thi s s am e chapt er he d escri b ed t hes e

a s cend ed s ai nt s as they who are Christ s at hi s
“ ’
com i ng .H e gi ves t he f u rther i n fo rm at io n in t hi s

c hapt er t hat t h es e wi ll b e g i ven s i r i t ual b o d i e s
p .
3 23
T H E R EV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
We wi ll p res um e to sp eak o f thes e spi ritual

no t
bo d i es , fo r t he S cript ure has no t s po k en f urt her

than to s ay t hat t he y d i ff er i n gl o ry ( 1 Co r 15 .
°
41 ,
J es us re f ers f act that Ab raham and I saac

t o the
and J aco b s ha ll b e i n the k i ngd om o f heaven ( M att .
H e pro m i s ed hi s ap o stl es that t hey s ho uld

s i t upo n t wel ve t hro nes j udg ing the twelve t rib es
,
o f Israel ( M att S o me o f t hes e ap o stl es

.
were no t b ehead ed Jo hn him s el f havi ng d i ed a ,
nat ural d eat h There f o re we k no w t hat the t erm

.
m us t be und ers to o d in a fig urati ve

“ ”
behead ed
sens e It d es cribes al l o f the go dl y
. P aul s ay s : .
Y ea and all t hat wo uld l ive god ly i n Chri st J es us

“
,
S hall s uff er persecutio n ( be behead ed ) ( 2 T im “ ”

.
3 :
great st ruggl es d escrib ed und er the

B e fo re t he
v i s i on o f t he s eventh w rat h ang el this fi rst resur ,
r ect i o n o ccu r s T he s ai nt s are ca ug ht up t o m eet

.
t he Lor d i n t he ai r where remo ved f ro m t he s cenes

, ,
o f s t ri f e and t urmo il t ak i ng pl ace o n t he eart h ,
they await the mom ent when t he heavenly arm y

ent ers th e confl i ct wi t h t he s harp swo rd In the .
m eant im e a new f act o r has ent ered i n the s i t uati o n

,
.
With the d own f al l o f the T urk ish Em pi re i n 192 7

A D the way fo r the k i ng s that co m e f ro m the
“
. .
,
s unri s i ng i s p rep ared J erusal em the holy city

”
.
, ,
wi ll ag ai n b e i nhabit ed by it s ri g ht f ul owners t he ,
s eed o f Ab raham Go d has not f o rs ak en t he Jew

. .
J o el i d ent i fie s the t im e o f the ret urn o f the Jew

to hi s nat ive l and wi t h t hat o f the g at heri ng o f t he
nat i ons t o get h er f o r b attl e .
3 24
them l es s on that Go d s covenants must b e k ept

t he
’
and t hey r et u rn to t he pr om i s ed l and i n co nt r i t io n
fo r t hei r past and rea dy fo r ob ed i ence t o all t hat

Go d mig ht req ui re o f t hem As they g o up to
.
J erus alem rej o icing they t urn to Jer 3 1 : 3 1 3 4 and

, .
-
,
di s co ver t ha t a ne w cov enant his b een o rd ai ne d fo r

them No lo nger will they O ff er the s acri fices o f
.
b ull s and o f goat s who s e bl oo d can no t t ak e away

,
s in, b ut the Lam b o f Go d i s t he p er f ect s acri fi ce

of t he new cov en ant T hey w ill accept Chris t
.
,
whom t hey fo rm erly rej ect ed .
T hes e J ews beco m e the bas i s o f the great world

revi v al when t he arm i es o f heaven ent er t he co nfl i ct
a f t er t he s t rug g l e i n t he vall ey Of J eho s hap hat .
W hen the K ing o f g l ory s hal l co me t he s econd

t ime t o J erus al em the hill s and val l ey s o f that
,
anci ent l and wi ll echo and re echo w i t h th e m i ghty

-
ho s annas and s ho ut i ng s o f al l o f ret urne d I srael .
Rem emb eri ng t hei r f o rm er t re at m ent o f him t hey ,
w ill m ak e am end s a s far as po s s ib l e by p reaching

t he g o spel t hro ug ho ut the w o r l d wit h burni ng w o r d s
po uring f rom so ul s afl am e w ith t he love o f J es us ’
nam e P aul wri t i ng co ncerni ng t he J ews s aid

‘
.
, ,
Fo r i f t he cast ing away o f t hem i s t he reco nc i l i ng

o f t he w o rl d what s hall t he receivi ng of them be
, ,
b ut l i f e f rom t he d ead ? g
”
( R o m 1 1 : A n.d a ain
he s ay s : Fo r I wo ul d no t b rethren have yo u
“
, ,
ig no rant o f t hi s my st e y l es t ye b e wi s e i n yo ur
r
,
’
o wn co ncei t s t hat a har d eni n i n t h t h b f ll n

, g p ar a e a e
Is rael unt i l the f ul nes s o f the Gent i l es b e com e i n

,
”
( R o m . T he attit ud e o f t he J ews t oward

Chri s t and Chri s t i an ity is onl y t emp o rary and wi l l
826
Z IO N S
’
G L AD M O R N IN G
d is app ear entirely by 193 4 A D when the f ull ne s s

. .
,
O f the G enti l es w i ll b e co mp l et e .
The gl o ri o us ag e so l ong f ore

The M i ll nnium to ld has no w b een real i ed in the
e
z
ki ngdo m o f which Chri st i s K i ng It i s that k ing .
do m whi ch Da ni el s po k e o f w hen he i nt erp ret ed t he
d ream o f Neb uchad ne ar ( D an zz . It i s t he

fi f th g reat univers al wo rld emp i re and it s t ranq ui l ity
,
and p eace shall b e und i s t u rb ed fo r a t ho u s and y ears .
T his is no i dl e d ream o f im ag i nary d ream ers The .
go ld en ag e o f the wo rld s hi st o ry has b een f o ret old

’
by al l o f the p ro p het s und er t he insp i rat io n o f the

Ho ly S p i rit ; P et er speak s o f i t as t he ti m es o f
“
re s t o rat i o n o f all t hi ng s whe r eo f Go d sp ak e b y t h e

,
mo ut h o f hi s ho ly prop het s that have b een f ro m o f

( ct s
”
o ld A
M an i s once agai n in harmo nio us rel ati on with
hi s M ak er as he w as p rev io us t o the ent rance o f
t he s erp ent i nto Ed en S om e i nd i cat ion o f t he
.
charact er o f t h at k i ngd om and o f the co n d i t i o ns
p revail ing d uring t hat peri o d m ay b e gl eaned f ro m

m any S cript ures re f erring to it The t wel ve apo stl es
.
ar e upo n t wel ve t hro nes Thi s would ind icat e that

.
the t eachi ng o f the ap o s tl es w i l l b e t he ab so l ut e

l aw d uri ng t hat p eri o d when al l who w ere privi l eg ed
,
to hav e a p art i n t he fi rs t r es u rrect io n w i ll hav e

a s ha re i n the go vernm ent In the parab le o f the
.
po und s record ed in Luk e

,
—2 7 J es us d es crib es
,
ho w t hi s s hare i s d et e rm ined H e l e f t hi s se rvant s

.
i n charg e o f hi s g oo d s and up o n h i s ret urn having

, ,
r eceived the k i n d om he c ll s h i e rv a nt s b e f o re
g ,
a s s
him to gi ve an acco unt O f ho w t hey had m anag ed

3 27
hi s go o d s . Unto po und had gained t en

one whose
p ounds he s ai d : H ave tho u autho ri ty over ten
,
“
ci t i es ( v T o t
. h e o n e w h o se p o u n d h a d g ai n ed
five p ounds he s ai d : H ave tho u aut hori ty o ver

“
,
fi ve ci t i es T g t ty
”
( v h u s t h.e d e r ee O f a u h o r i
whi ch we wi ll ex erci se in the k i ngd om w ill b e in
p p r
o o rt i o n t o t h e f a i t h f u l ness o f o u r s er vi ce i n t h e
Chri st i an d i sp ens at i on .
Is ai ah d es crib es the condit io ns p revai li ng d uring

that go l den ag e o f the m i ll enni um i n thes e wo rd s : ,
And th w lf h ll dw ll wi th th l mb nd th l p d
“
e o s a e e a , a e eo ar
s h ll l i d wn wi th th ki d ; nd th
a e o lf nd th y ng l i n
e a e ca a e ou o
a nd t h f tl ing t g th ; nd l ittl hi l d h ll l d th m
e a o e er a a e c s a ea e .
An d th w nd th b
e co h ll f d ; t h i y
a e ng n
ear s h ll a ee e r ou o es s a
l i d wn t g th
e o ; nd t h
o el i n h ll t t w l ik th x
er a e o s a ea s ra e e o .
And th kl ing hi l d h ll pl y n th h l f th p nd
e su c c s a a o e o e o e as , a
th w n d hi l d h ll p t h i h nd n th d n Th y
’
e ea e c s a dd u s a o e a er s e . e
s h ll n t hu t n
a o d t y i n ll my h l y m unt i n ; f
r or es ro th a o o a or e
ea r th h ll b
s full f th kn wl dg f J h v h
a e o eth o e e o e o a , as e
”
w at ers co ver the sea ( Isa .
T he beas t s
that are m entio ne d here d enot e
nat io ns and t he d escript i on d eno t es ab so l ut e i nt er
,
nat i o nal p eace No nat i on wi ll attack ano ther nor

.
wro ng anot her and t he reaso n i s al so i nd icat ed , .
T he wo rld i s f ull o f the k now l edge o f J ehovah T he .
B ibl e i s the g ui d e in t he co nd uct o f i nt ernat i o nal

aff ai rs I f it were so to day not another shot
.
-
,
wo uld b e fi red and every s o ld i er wo uld l ay do wn ,
hi s arm s and ret u rn to m i ll f acto ry or f arm Al l , .
nat io nal and raci al d i ff erences w o uld be f o rg o tt en
and no hat red o r j eal o u sy wo uld ever b e m ani f e s t ed .
Ag ain the sam e p rop het g ives add i t i o nal i n fo rm a

ti on
3 28
T H E R EV E A L T IO N OF JES U S CH R IS T
l abo r ,
l ittl e or m uch Duri ng that p erio d a
b e it .
m an wi ll no t l abo r i n vai n as i s f req uent l y t he ,
cas e no w No cal am ity wi l l com e to sw eep away

.
the com pet ence whi ch has b een s aved by f rug al i ty

and ho nes t l abo r He s hal l i nhab i t t he ho m e t hat
.
he b u i ld s and t here will be no s heri ff s to s ell i t

,
und er t he hamm er .
The r ul e of that p erio d ,

whi l e m i l d ,
wi ll b e
l t
ab s o u e. d escrib ed by t he fi g urative ex p res
It i s
s i on : He s hall rule the natio ns wit h a ro d o f
“
i ro n
. Chri st will not s uff er hi s l aw t o b e b rok en .
An i ndi cat i o n o f the m etho d o f l aw en f o rcem ent i n

that ag e i s fo und in Act s 2 3 : M o s e s i n d ee d
“
s ai d
,
A p o p het s hall the Lo rd G od rai se up unt o
r
yo u f rom amo ng y o ur b ret hren lik e unt o me ; t o ,
him s hall ye heark en i n al l t hi ng s what so ev er he

s hall speak unto yo u And it shall b e t hat every
.
,
so ul t hat s hall no t heark en to t hat p rophet s hall ,
be utt e rly d es t roye d f ro m am ong t he peo pl e

”
.
At t he end o f the t ho us and

S t n L
a a d oose
y ea s S at an i s lo o s ed f rom t he
r
aby s s . No i nt im at i on i s g iven as to why r i g ht eo us

nes s s ho ul d w ane s uffi c i ently to enab l e S at an t o
es cape f o m hi s pri s o n ho us e at t hi s ti me
r b ut t he
-
,
m o m ent hi s chai n i s b o k en h e g o es f o t h to d eceive

r r
and b ri ng abo ut a r eb ell i o n a ain s t Ch ri s t and hi s

g
peo pl e T he d es cript i o n o f the event s co nne ct e d
.
wit h t hi s reb el l i on i s i mpo rt ant b ecau s e o f t he pl ai n

s t at em ent s it co nt ains co nce ni ng t he pl ace whe e r r
the se event s o ccur T hi s is a his to ri cal event

.
whi ch occurs o n eart h and not i n so m e far o ff -
wo rld am ong t he st ars S at an s hall b e lo os ed o ut

“
.
330
Z IO N S ’
G L AD M O R NI NG
of hi s p ri s on ,
and s ha ll co me fo rth to d eceive the
na t i on s which fo ur co rners o f the earth
a re i n the
”
( R ev . T he po i nt to n ot i ce i s t hat t he re
are nat io ns o n ea rt h at t he cl o s e o f the m i ll enni um

”
p erio d The camp o f the saint s i s on earth at

.
“ ”
the cl os e o f and d uri ng th at go ld en ag e T he wo rld .
was not de st ro y ed in a p hy s i cal sen se when J es us

came no r w ere the re s ur rect ed d ea d t rans po rt ed t o
,
s om e d i st ant realm to s p en d t hei r t im e i n i dl en es s .
T hey were rai se d and cl o thed with sp iri tual bod ies
t o rul e i n the wo rld o ne over five ci t i es
”
,
o r one
“
o ver t en ci ti es M en l ive l ove and l abo r d uring
.
”
,
that p erio d have s unshine and rai n s eedt im e and

, ,
harves t s umm er an d wi nt er ex actly a s at p res ent

, , .
“
T hey b uild ho us es and d well in t hem : t hey pl ant
vi ney ar ds and eat t he f ru i t o f t hem T he only
”
.
t hi ng that rend ers the go l d en ag e any d i ff erent f ro m

t he p res ent i s t hat the l aw o f Chri s t p rev ail s t hen .
The rebel l io n t hat b urs t f o rt h at the end o f the

tho us and y ears was o f cons i d erabl e p ro po rt ions .
Gog an d M agog s eem to b e t he p ri ncipal d i st urbing

f act ors i n the reb elli on E ek i el re f ers to Go g and . z
M a g o g i n E ek z 3 From hi s d es cript i on we
. .
l earn that Go g i s the chie f p ri nce o f M eshech and

T ubal and hence co rrespo nd s to the rul ers o f the
,
Rus si an nat i on M agog is the t errito ry rul ed o ver

.
by Gog It wo uld t here fo re s eem t hat i t will b e

.
the d es cend ant s o f t he Ru ss i an p eopl e who wi ll

t ak e the mo st p rom inent p art in the attack upo n
cam p o f the s ai nt s o r t he church to d es t roy
”
the , ,
her i f p os s ib l e .
F ro m E eki el s re ference to the insurrect ion it

z
’
331
s ee ms that the s cene of t

t he di s urb ance wi ll b e in
P a l es ti ne aro und t he ver y ca p i tal of t he m i ll enni al
k ing do m It will be o f S ho rt d urat ion however fo r
.
, ,
t he d i s t u rbers are d es t roy ed and co ns um ed and the ,
D evi l was cast i nto t he pl ace call ed t he l ak e o f

“
fi re t hat b urneth wi t h b rim s t one T here in com ”

.
,
p any with hi s f o rm er co mp at rio ts i n ini q uity the ,
beas t and t he f a l s e p ro p het he s p end s et ernity , .
T he mo m ent has now arri ved

L t J ud gm nt
as e
fo r the l ast g reat a s s i e P aul z .
,
i n Writi ng to the Co ri nt hi ans s ay s that t he res ur ,
r ect i o n o cc urs i n t hree s ep arate s t ag es

“
Fo r as i n .
Ad am a ll di e so al so i n Chri st s hal l all b e m ade

,
a l i ve . B ut each i n hi s own o r d er : Chri s t the fi rst

f rui t s ; then they that are Chri s t s at hi s co m ing ’
,
.
Then com eth the end when he shal l de li ver up the

,
ki ngdom to Go d even the Father ; when he S hall

,
h ave abo l i s hed all rul e and al l aut ho ri ty and po wer

”
( 1 C o r . C h r i s t a ro s e f rom t he d ea d
o n t he t hi r d day and i s be com e t he fi rs t fr u it s T hi s .
i s the fi rst s t age At hi s s eco nd com i ng they that

“
.
,
a re Chri s t s S hall ari se T his i s the second stage

’ ”
. .
“
T hen com eth the end T hi s i s the t hi rd stage
. .
T he t im e o f t hi s t hi rd s t age i s d efi nit ely ind icat ed

when he shall have abo l i s hed al l rul e and al l
“
aut ho rity and po w er and m ad e h im s e lf ab so l ut e

”
,
m onarch o f the univers e Fo r he m us t rei gn t i ll

.
he hat h put all hi s ene m i es und er hi s f eet The .
l as t enemy that shall be abo l i shed is d eath ( 1 Co r ”

.
It is s trange that som e p eo ple i magine that

d eath co mes and takes away a l oved o ne at the wi ll
332
T H E R EV EL AT IO N OF JES U S CH RIS T
those who w ere no t fo und wri tt en in the boo k

o f li fe The o v ert hro w o f evi l i s compl et e
”
. .
AS the s eer o f P atm o s t urne d

N w H v n nd
ea e s a
e
f rom t he j udgm ent scene hi s ,
N w E th
e ar
wo nd ering ey es f ell upon a t rans
fo rm ed uni vers e Whi l e the l ast assi e had b een
. z
p rog res s ing the earth having been p urged o f

, ,
d eath and S atan and all o f the fo rces o f evi l that

have m arre d it has b een res to red to a pl ace s uch
,
as m an has never b eheld T he co nd it ions t hat were

.
form erl y kno wn to the human race have f orever

di s app eared and i ns t ead t here i s f ound only t hat
, , ,
envi ro nm ent t hat m eet s t he nee d s o f a s o ul i n i t s
et ernal s t at e We do no t p res ume to d escri be the

.
con d i t io ns i nd i cat ed b y th e b ea ut i f ul i m ag ery g iven
us by t he enrapt ure d p ro p h et o f Go d any m o re ,
than that i ndi cat ed by the l ak e o f fire We o nly “ ”

.
aw ai t w it h eag er ex pect ancy the gl o rio us mo ment
when we s hall hav e b l es se d f e ll ows hip wit h the

s ai nt s i n the new J erus al em .
It i s eno ug h t o k no w t hat the wonde r f ul ci ty

and t hat b l es sed s t at e wi ll b e i n t he t r ans fo rm ed
e art h. T here am i dst t he scenes o f o ur f o rm er co n

,
fii ct s and s u ffe i ng s and s o rrow s w e wi l l dw ell

r ,
et ernall y in he avenly b l i s s and wh at ev e r t hat expe i ,

r
ence m ay b e w e S hal l b e s at i s fi e d
“
, And I s aw the .
ho ly city t he new J eru s al em com i ng do wn o ut o f

, ,
Heaven f o m Go d m ad e ready as a b ri d e ado rned

r ,
fo r her husb and An d I hear d a g eat vo ice o ut

. r
o f t he thro ne s ayi ng B eho l d t he t ab e nacl e o f Go d

, ,
r
”
i s w i th m en ( R ev .
Th e cr y s t al s t re a m of t he wat er of l i f e fl o wing
,
334
Z IO N S ’
G LAD M O R NIN G
i n t he m i d s t ty q u enches every sp i rit ual

of t he ci ,
t hi rst the f ruit o f t he t re e o f l i f e sat is fi es every

,
s pi ri t ual d es i re an d t he l eaves o f t he t ree g uar ant ee

, ,
ag ai ns t any spi i t ual d i s ea s e t hat m i g ht ever att ack

r
t he redeem ed race T he g l o ry o f G o d fi l l s t he
.
wo rl d and al l o f hi s s ervant s s erve him

,
.
T he wo nd er f ul p ano ram a
whi ch s w ept b e f o re t he ey es o f
the enrapt ured e x i l e o f P atm o s
ha s com e to i t s cl o s e and a s t he g l im pse o f t he
,
g lo rio us co ncl us ion in which he s ees t he saint s

,
“
r e i ni ng fo r ever and ever f y l

”
g a d e s aw a t h e a
,
n g e ,
s t and s be f o e him r as s u i ng hi m t hat everyt hi ng

,
r
which he has s een i n vi s i on s hal l b e real i ed in z
f act T wenty cent uries have pas s ed by s ince that

.
t i m e nati o ns have s t r ug g l ed and fo ug ht w i t h each

,
o t her on t he fi el d s o f b att l e th o ne s have to tte ed ,

r r
and f al l en and m i g hty chang es hav e t ak en p l ace

,
i n t he aff ai rs o f m en s i nce t h at no t ab l e m om ent .
As we rea d the reco rd o f the unbel ie vi ng hi st o ri an ,
G ibbon as well as t hat o f o t hers w e a e f o rced

, ,
r
to real i e t hat we h av e b ehel d a m i racl e m o re

z
m arvel o us t han any t hat was pe r fo rm ed t wo t hou

s and y ear s ag o : t he com pl et e f ulfi l l m ent o f every
det ai l o f the t hree s eri es o f vi s io ns i n the o rd e i n r
which t hey were g iven unt i l the present t im e T he .
B i b l e i s then unq u est i onab ly a d ivine ly g i ven b o ok

, , .
AS we wi t nes s t he ex act f u l fil l m ent o f eve y r
d et ail o f prophecy i n t he m ig hty Eu ro pean s t rug g l e

,
w hi ch b eg an on t i m e i n 1 9 14 A D we real i e that . .
,
z
t he nex t event o f cert ai n f ulfi l l m ent i s t hat re f erred
to i n the l as t d iv inely s pok en wo r d i n the B ib l e :

335
H e who thes e things saith Y ea : I com e

t est i fie t h
q uickly Amen : co m e Lo rd J es us
.
, .
M ay the p revaili ng i d eas co ncerning the myst er

i es o f Revel at i on be b ani s hed f ro m t he m i nd o f
every s ai nt of Go d and may they all come to
,
s t u dy the S im pl e t r ut h s t hat i t cont ai ns t hat f aith

,
m ay grow s uffici ently s t rong to wi t hs t and the s ho ck

o f t he cr umb l i ng o f t he nati o ns as t he s event h ang el
app roaches to i naug urat e the k i ngdo m o f Chri s t i n
thei r final o verthro w May thi s st udy awak en i n

.
t hem s uch faith in the eter nal verit ies o f God s ’
wo rd t hat t hey m ay rely upon t hem wi t h ab so l ut e

as s u rance ,
and so und f o rt h to t he utt ermo s t p art s
o f t he eart h the g o s p el o f t he k i ngd om w i th a ,
f ervo r and z eal as in the day s t he apo s tl es i s ,
o u r p r ay er .
336
T H E R EV E A L T IO N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
even t whi ch m us t occur at t he ap p oint ed time ,

or
p
t he pro h ec y has f ai l ed .
B y way o f i ll us t rat io n ,
it wo ul d be im po s s ib l e to
s ay fo r cer t ain W hether th e war which b egan i n
Europe i n 19 14 A . D . was a f ulfil l me nt o f that
whi ch was p ok en in the p ro p het s o r not unl es s
s ,
that
dat e i s sp eci al l y po i nt ed to as the o ne in which the
titani c st rugg l e was t o begin M any dis ast ers have .
been s pok en o f by t he prophet s as event s to o ccur

i n t he f ut ure It wo uld b e a m att er o f m ere sp ec
.
ul at io n as t o whet her t hi s p art i cul ar ev ent was

re fe r ed to at al l
r It m ight f ulfill every det ail o f
.
the p rophet i c d es cripti on b ut s t i l l we co ul d no t b e

,
cert ai n unl es s t h e ti m e w ere g iv en T he p ro phecy

'
m i g ht re f er t o so me s im i l ar war in t he p ast o r to ,
o ne t h at m i g ht o ccur as yet in t he f ut ure B ut i f .
1 9 14 A D b e the t i m e l i m i t s et in t he S cr ipt ure fo r

. .
t he o ccu rrenc e o f t he w ar and it b reak s o ut and ,
co nt i nues i n a l l d et ai l s a s d es crib e d b y t he p ro phet s ,
it i s no t w i t hi n the real m o f specul atio n at all b ut ,
i n t he do m ai n o f ab s o l ut e c erta i nty Every s ane .
m ind m ust then real i e t hat it i s a com pl et e f ul fil l

z
ment o f t he p rophet i c reco rd an d t he i nt eg rity o f ,
t h e S cript u re i s es t ab l i s hed T hi s i s the need o f the

.
g en e r at io n i n w h i ch w e l i ve T h e av e r ag e . ch u r ch
m emb er do es no t have a fi rm f ait h an ab sol ut e , ,
uns hak ab l e co nfi d ence i n t he s t at em ent s o f Go d s

’
wo r d and i n the p ro m i s es o f Chri s t fo r t he S im pl e ,
rea s o n t hat it i s no t b ui l t u o n an t t h t h t h
p y r u a as
receive d a di vi ne d em o nst rat i o n in hi s Own e xperi
ence . T he d efi nit e f ulfi l l m ent o f prophecy f urni s he s

the d ivi ne d emo ns t rat io n o f t he i nt eg ri ty o f t he
338
TH E T IM ES AND T H E S EAS O NS
S cript ure which no s ane m i nd

q ues ti on o r d oubt
can ,
and t he f ai t h t hat res t s upo n t he unq ues tio nab l e
f ulfillment o f a seri es o f p ro p het ic vi sio ns ex actly ,
as p re d i ct ed i s o f a ki nd t hat wi ll W i t h st and al l o f
,
the as s a ult s o f t he i nvent iv e f o rces o f ev i l .
Thi s ti me el em ent o f the p redi ct ive p o rti ons o f

t he S cript ur e has b een m uch ab us ed and t he m i s us e ,
o f i t has no d o ubt b een a ve ry app reci ab l e cau s e o f
the preval ence o f t he no tio n t hat i t i s i m po s s i b l e to

und ers t and p rop hecy and t hat i t s i nt erp r et ati on i s
,
naught b ut s p ecul atio n An ex am i nat i o n o f t hi s

.
f eat ure i s there f o re neces s ary Thi s p revale nt

, ,
.
not io n ho wever i s l arg ely d ue t o care l es s r eadi ng

, ,
o f t he B i b l e T here are two s t atem ent s o f S cript ure

.
that mo s t sco ff ers general ly r e f er to as thei r excus e

fo r d i s reg ar d ing t he writ i ng s o f t he p ro p het s T he .
fi rst o f thes e i s : B ut o f that day and hour k noweth

“
no o ne no t even t he ang el s o f heav en neit her t he

, ,
S o n b ut the Fat her o nly M ”

, ( a tt T h e .
It i s no t for yo u to k now t im es or
“
s econ d i s :
s easo n s ,
w hich t he Fat her hat h s et wit hi n hi s o wn
a u tho ri ty t
”
( Ac s
’
B ot h o f t hes e v ers es re f er to t he sam e event in

tw o p has es o f i t s f ulfill ment T he fi rst i s t he
(
s eco nd co m ing of Chri s t and the s econd i s t he

,
e s t ab l i s hment o f hi s k i ngd om which i s connect ed ,
wit h hi s ret urn To im ply t hat b ecaus e t he d ay and

.
ho ur o f t he seco nd com i ng o f Chri st co uld no t b e

d et erm ined there fo re the d at e o f all other ev ent s
,
f oretol d co ul d not b e k no wn altho ug h the p rophet ,
had fi x ed the t im e i s t o read i nt o t he S cr ipt ure

,
what J es us d i d no t s ay It wo uld m ak e J es us di s
.
339
cred i t Danie l fo r he g ave the dat e when M es s iah

,
S ho ul d come To read t hos e wo rds o f J es us as i f

.
they w ere t rue now and al way s wo ul d b e i s b ut t o ,
m ak e J es us l im i t t he aut ho ri ty o f hi s Fat her whi ch ,
he di d no t do All t hat J es us s ai d w a s t hat at t he

.
,
t i m e i n w hi ch he wa s S peak i ng no one k new when ,
he w o uld co m e ag ai n o r when t he k ing do m s ho uld

b e res t o red t o Is rael It w as t hen a pro fo und
.
my s t ery lo ck ed up i n the m ind o f t he Fat her

,
He .
d i d no t s ay t hat Go d wo uld not reveal at any ,
f ut ure t im e the d at e o f thi s glo ri ous event He

j
.
,
s ai d o nly t hat t h e t im e o f hi s co m ing was no t k no wn
by any one b ut t he Fat her I f at any ti m e i n the

.
f ut u e Go d S ho ul d C hoo s e to reveal the t im e when

r
his S o n would co m e b ack t o eart h as Ki ng it was ,
hi s pri vi l eg e T his Go d di d Af t er si x ty six

. .
-
y ears Jo hn s aw in a beat i fic v i sio n t he s am e J esus

, ,
receive f rom the Father the s eal ed boo k o f the

f ut ure H e s aw the Lam b o f Go d break the s eal s
.
one by o ne unt i l t he s ecret s o f t he v ery l as t m om ent s
o f ti m e we re l aid b are Then no m att er what was

.
,
a f act when J es u s s p o k e t he f urthe r revel at io n o f

,
Go d has m ad e it po s s i bl e to unders t and no w what

was no t k no wn by ang el s o r even the S on him s el f
, ,
b e f o re hi s g l o i fi cat i onr .
The s t ud ent o f the S cript ure wi ll have not i ced

that where the el em ent o f t im e ent ers in the S crip ,
t ure writ ers are very speci fi c in thei r m ent io n o f it .
Not i ce ho w care f ul the aut ho r o f Genes i s i s to m en

t io n t he ag es o f each o f the ant ed il uvi an p at riarchs ;
ho w car e f ull y he d i vi des the creat ive p erio d i nto
s even d ay s and d i s ti ng ui s hes each o f t hem by t he
3 40
these p erio d s in any way . T he so ar l s ys t em m eas

u res o ff fo r q l p erio d s o f t im e and m anki nd
u s e ua ,
m ust con f orm t o i t s inex orab l e l aw O ne revo l uti o n .
o f the ea rt h upo n i t s ax i s co ns t i t ut es a d ay O ne .
r evo l ut i o n o f t he mo o n i n it s o rb i t aro u nd t he eart h
co ns t i t u t es a mo nt h O ne revo l ut ion o f t he e arth

.
in it s o rb i t aro und t he s un co ns t i t ut es a y ear S even .
r evo l ut i ons o f t he eart h o n it s ax i s co ns t it ut e a
w e ek . Go d d et erm i ned t hi s i n the b egi nning and ,
no t m an . T he s easons are d et er m ined by the rel a

t io ns hip o f t he e arth t o the s un i n i t s annual ci rcui t
The cy cl es are d et erm
.
ined by t he rel at i on o f the

‘
eart h to bo t h t he s un and t he m oo n as t h ey mo v e
i n t hei orb it s
r . When t hese three heavenly bo di es
are i n the s ame r el at i ve po s it i o n t o each o t her a
'
cy cl e has b e en m ea s u re d O ff .
Thus there i s ab so l ut ely no chance in t he m atte r

o f t he m eas ur e o f t i m e The p erio d s are m eas ured
.
w i t h in fi nit e preci s i o n b y the cl ock o f t he univer s e ,
t he s ol ar sy s t em As d urat io n co nt inues t he s un
.
,
an d t he mo o n m ark it o ff i nt o p er i o d s so unvaryi ng
that as t ro no m ers m ay d et erm i ne t he d at e o f ecl ips es

t o t he s eco nd at any t im e i n t he past o r f ut ure
,
.
T he s un and the m oo n rul e t im e and d ete rm ine it s
p e r i o d s ab so l u t el y W h
. en G o d m ad e t h e t wo g r eat
l i g ht s he s ai d that the s un was to rul e t he day “
t o rul e the ni g ht T hey were

“ ”
and t he m oo n w as .
fo r S i g ns and fo r s easo ns al s o
“ ”
to b e , ,
.
T he sy s t em o f t im es and
S l
o ar a n d Lu n ar
s easo ns u s ed i n t he S cri pt ure i s
D mi ni n
o o
i d ent ical w i th tho s e in the vo l um e
o f nat ur e fo r t hese are all un d er the d ivinely
'
3 42
TH E T IM ES AN D T H E S EA S O N S
t l i s he d
e s ab l
so ar l unar do m inion Not only
and .
ar e p erio d s o f t im e m ark ed O ff by t he s e heavenly
bo di es b ut t hey d om i nat e al l o f t he co nd i t io ns o f
,
t he phy s i cal uni vers e t hat m ak e l i fe and t he d eve lo p

m ent o f li f e po s s i b l e T he s un t hro ugh the l aw
.
,
Of att ract ion hol ds t he eart h i n its o rbit so that

,
these p erio ds o f t im e can no t change T he nat ural .
p henom ena m ay all b e t raced i n their o rigin to the

d ominion o f the s un and the m oon Evapo rat ion .
and co nd ens at i o n an d cons eq u ent rai n

,
s now dew , ,
and f ros t are cont ro ll e d by t he sun H eat and

,
.
C o ld
, el ect ric and chem i cal chang es are d ue to t he
i nfl ue nce o f the s un T he p henom eno n o f t he

.
'
ti d es is witnes s ed in the p er f ect cont ro l o f the

q ueen o f the ni g ht In f act al l o f t hos e changes
.
,
whi ch ar e neces s ary to t he d evel o p m ent o f all f orm s

o f l i f e are d i r ectly t raceab l e to t he s un and m o o n .
No t o nly do t hes e bo d i es d om i nat e th e changes

i n nat ur e b ut t hei r infl uence reaches even i nto the
,
d om ain o f l i f e it s el f T he rel ati ve p os it ion o f the

.
e art h t o t he s un d et e rm i nes t he v ario us z o ne s on the
eart h and t he co ns eq u ent t emp erat u re an d p hy s i cal

,
co nd it i o ns o f each o ne and no l i f e can ex i s t i n

z ,
any p arti cul ar zo ne t hat i s not s ui t ed b y nat u r e to
d evel op m ent und er the d et erm i ned co nd itio ns T hus .
we find i n the f ri gi d one only t ho s e f orm s o f l i f e

z
that are ad apt ed to its phy s ical cond it i ons We .
find t hat in di ffe rent s eas o ns t her e i s a vari at io n

i n the d ev elo p m ent o f li f e Du ri ng the w i nt er
.
,
d evel opm ent o f veget ab l e l i f e i s impo s sibl e but ,
when sp ri ng com es w it h i t s bal my wi nds and wi th

,
its i ncreas i ng heat f ro m the s un l i fe b eg ins to ,
3 43
T H E R EV E A L T IO N OF J ES U S CH R I S T
m ani f es t its el f i ncreas ingly unt il the s un b egins to

when the ri peni ng p erio d b egins H um an
'
r eced e , .
act ivi ti es ar e d ete m i ne d by the same d om inant

r
f o rce O ur acti vit i es as a rul e ass um e a d i ff erent

.
, ,
form with the chang ing s eas ons It has been .
noti ced t hat even cert ai n d i s ea s es are pfeval ent at
o ne s easo n and no t at ano t her .
Even l i f e it sel f i s und er t he s ub tl e s pel l o f t hes e

m ig hty rul ers o f t he p hy s ical univers e T he s un .
and t he mo o n fi x ab s o l ut ely t h e p eri od s i nto wh i ch
tim e i s di vi ded T he d evel o p m ent o f all p hy sical

.
l i f e i s mad e in s ucces s ive s tag es that co rresp ond

ex actly t o the do m i ni o n o f t he s un and m oo n In .
o t her wo r ds t he s am e perio d s into whi ch t i m e i s

,
divi d ed by t he s un and t he mo on i n t hei r rel at i on ,
t o t he earth are the per io d s t hat co nst i t ut e d i ff erent

,
s t ag e s i n t he ex i s t ence o f al l l i f e T he p rim ary .
p r
e i o d o f t i m e i s t h e d ay t h e ho u r s m i nu t e,
s an d ,
s eco nd s b ei ng a b it ra ry d ivi s i o ns es t ab l i s hed by m an

r .
The nex t l arg er peri o d o f t im e i s the w eek m ad e ,
up o f sev en d ay s It al so co r espond s t o o ne p hase

. r
o f t he mo o n i n i t s r evo l ut io n aro un d t he ea rt h T his .
s ev en d ay p eri o d r eal l y b ec
-
o m es the p r i m ary uni t
o f all t i m e m eas urem ent b ecaus e it i s de t erm ined

,
by b o t h t he s un and t he m oo n .
T he d evel opm ent o f al l phy s i

D u t i n f Li f
ra o o e
cal l i f e i s s epar at e d i nt o s ept i f o rm
p io d s us u all y o f s ev en day s each b ut s ome t im es

er , ,
o f s even hal f d ay s each -

T he ov a o f ins ect s are
.
hat ched in perio ds vary i ng i n l eng t h T he S ho rt es t .
perio d i s s ev en hal f d ay s as i n t he b ee and t he

-
,
wa sp . S om e are hat ched i n j ust one week whi l e ,
3 44
m ent s of t he heaven ly
t l i shed T hey
b o d i es are es ab .
are b ey ond and ab o ve the uncert ai nt i es O f hum an
l i f e The d eterm inat ion o f t he ex act d ate o f an

.
ecl ip s e,
3 t ho u s and y ears i n t he f ut u re i s a m att e r ,
o f m at hem ati cal cal cu l ati o n and not o f sp ecul at io n , .
T here f o re i f the sam e l aw that co nt ro l s in t he

,
vo l um e o f nat ure rul es in the S cript u re the s t ud ent

, ,
o f the S cript u e wi ll b e ab l e to p red i ct t he occu r

r
rence o f f ut u re ev ent s in the m ov em ent s o f nat i ons
wi t h as m uch accuracy as an as t ro no m er do es an
ecl ips e in the co urs e o f the mo vem ent s o f t he
heavenly b o d i es The as t ronom er o wi ng t o hum an
.
,
l iabi l ity to mak e m i s t ak es m ay err in hi s cal cul ati o n

,
and t he eclip s e m ay not occur up on t he v ery seco nd
whi ch he ha d p ub l i s hed b ut t his f act do es no t ,
b ring d i scred i t upo n the l aws which co nt ro l t he

mot i ons o f the heavenly bo d i es no r d oes it i nval i d ate ,
the event i t s elf The eclip s e w ill cert ainly occur

.
at it s d ivi nely app o i nt ed t im e even t ho ugh the ,
as t r onom er m ade a s l i ght m i st ak e o f a few s eco nd s
o r m i nut es as to t h e ex act mo m ent o f i t s b eg i nni ng .
It i s true t hat men have m ad e gri evo us erro rs

in t hei r p red icti o n o f f ut ure event s i n t he m ove
m ent s o f t he nat ions b ut t hi s i s d ue t o the f act t hat
,
the divine l aw w hi ch co nt ro l s i n t hese m atte rs ha s

not b een t he s ub j ect o f t he s am e ca re f ul el uci dat i o n
as has t he l aw o f the mo vem ent s o f the heavenly
bo di es . T hese m is tak es ho wever do no t aff ect in

, ,
any pa ti cul ar t he occur renc e o f t he p re di ct ed event s

r .
Chri s t cam e t o t he wo l d as a S avio ur in the fu l

“
r
n es s o f t i m e He wi ll app ear on eart h ag ain at

”
.
‘
hi S appo i nt ed t i m e no m att er how many m i s t ake s
,
3 43
TH E T IM ES A ND T H E S EA S O N S
m en m ay have m ad e i n regard to the d at e Every .
thing whi ch t he pro p het s have spo k en wi ll b e ful

i
fill ed exact ly on t im e W hen the f ulnes s o f the .

“
Gent i l es t hat P aul re f erred t o i s co m p l et e t hei r

”
,
do m inio n will wane and the bl es s i ng o f Go d ret urn

t o the J e w
.
It isj ust as vital to the s p i ritual we ll being that -
we b e abl e to co nnect d ivi ne event s t og ether as t hey

are rel at ed t o each o t her i n p oi nt o f t im e a s to ,
‘
co nnec t hi s t o r i cal event s to g et her i n rel at i o n to t he
ti m e in which they occurred T he no t io n t hat the .
p rogress o f d ivine events i s o f no p art icul ar

import ance in t he reg ul at io n o f ou r spi rit u al l ives ,
as g en erally p res ente d by m o d ern r el i g i o u s t eac hers ,
i s a d am nab l e heres y cont raveni ng the t eachi ng o f

,
Chri s t and t he apo s tl es a s w ell as cont rad i ct i ng t he

,
l aws o f nat ure i t sel f As we no t ice the s un g o d own

.
in the west and s ee t he s i gns o f ap pro aching night ,
o ur act i vi t i es are a ffect ed We ceas e o ur l abo rs .
fo r t he d ay and i f o n the f arm b eg i n to eare for

, , ,
,
t he s t o ck and p er f o rm o t her d ut i es i n vi ew o f
co m i ng d ark nes s T he Unit ed S t at es W eat her

.
B ureau i ss ues a w arni ng t hat a s t o rm i s d evelo p i ng

i n t he Caribb ean S ea an d wi ll sw eep acro s s the
G ul f O f M ex i co In t hree d ay s Who wo uld d are .
s ay t hat Such a w arning i s not o f v i t al i m p o t anc e r
t o every S hip o wne r who g oes d own to s ea and that

-
,
it w o uld no t aff ect their act io ns ? Every captai n

b egi ns t o m ak e s uch p rep arat io ns as are necess ary
t o pro t ect hi s s hip hi s p as sengers and hi s cargo
,
f rom the f ury o f the s to rm If he did not the . ,
w orld wo uld call him a f oo l and a criminal .
3 47
T hen who wo uld d are say that the warning o f

,
t he m i ghty s to rm o f Go d s w rath s weeping over

’
t he wo rld i s not o f vit al i m po rt ance t o t he chi ld

o f Go d ? Kno wi ng the t im e o f i t s app ro ach i s near ,
he co uld m ak e s uch p rep arat io ns as are neces s ary

to p ro t ect hi m s elf f rom i t s f u ry If he di d no t
.
know t he t ime the p rep aratio n wo uld not be m ad e

, .
T his i s nothing b ut comm on sens e .
T hi s s am e sept i f o rm l aw co nt ro l s divi ne event s

a s wel l as t he t hing s we have al ready ment io ned .
T hi s i s abundantly i l l us t rat ed i n th e S cript ure The .
very fi rs t chapt er o f Genes i s i s t h e hi s t o ry o f a
creat io n w eek o f s even p erio ds call ed d ay s : six

d ay s o f divine act ivity and one day o f d ivine rest .
Thi s sam e di vi s io n is re f e rred to in the acco unt o f

t he d el u ge and w as writt en on t he t abl es o f st one
,
at S i nai S i x d ay s s hal t t ho u l ab or and do all

“
.
,
t hy wo rk ; b ut the s event h day i s a s abb at h unto

J ehovah thy Go d ( Ex . T he M o s ai c s y s t em
was t ypical o f heaven l y r eal it i es s o the sy s t em o f
,
t imes inaugurat ed at t hat t ime has a special s ig nifi

cance.
Und er t his sy st em the s even day p erio d i s the

-
u ni t o r s t an d ard o f t im e m eas ur em ent T he nex t .
l arg er peri o d co ns i st s o f s even o f these week s It .
i s there fo re a w eek o f week s b eg i nning wi t h t he

, , ,
P a s s over and co nt i nui ng to P ent eco s t ( L ev .
T he nex t w eek i n the a scend ing s cal e i s the week

o f m ont h s ,
cons i s t i ng o f s ev en mo nt hs ( Le v .
D u i ng t hi s s event h mo nt h t he mo s t i mpo rt ant o f

r
J ewish rel ig io us ex e ci ses were to b e cond ucte d

r .
T he ne x t not ab l e week co n s is t s o f s even y ears It .
3 43
p eo p l e T hi s was a week o f w eeks o f decades or

.
,
s even t im es se venty y ear s T he l engt h o f t hi s peri o d

.
h ad a l r eady b een d et erm i ned and sy m bo l ical ly m ad e

k nown in the est ab l i s hm ent o f the week o f y ears .
T his p erio d o f whi ch Dani el spo k e co nce rned the

p pe o l e a s a n a ti o n ,
a n d t h e r e f o r e a d a y s t oo d f o r
a y ear .
T here i s al so the g reat di sp ens atio nal w eek call ed

s even t i m es
”
i n Le v . and i n D an . It
had to d o wit h bo t h t he J ews and the G entil es Fo r .
t he J ew s it m eant a p eri o d o f ch a st i s em ent whi l e ,
fo r the G ent i l es i t wo ul d repr ese nt a co rr espond i ng
p e r i o d o f d o m i n i o n a n d p o w e r T h e. p e i o d s a srs i g ed
n
to t he d o m i nio n o f t he l i ttl e horn o f D aniel 7

“ ”
,
and t he d rag o n t he b eas t and B ab yl o n i n Revel at i on

, ,
hal f o f t hi s d i sp ens at io nal w eek o f

‘
a r e e ach a
s even t i m es l ittl e horn had d om ini on

“ ”
T hi s
g i v e n u n t o h i m u n t i l a t i m e a n d t i m e s a n d a h a l f ,
”
o r w h i ch i s j u s t t he s am e as t h r ee an d a hal f t im es ,
o r hal f o f s ev en t i m es In the t wel f t h chapt er

o f Reve l at io n we have the ch u rch d es c i b ed as b ei ng r
i n the w i l dernes s d ay s and al so the same ”

,
p e r i o d o f t i m e m e nt i o n e d a s a t i m
“
e a n d t i m es a n d
a hal f T here f o re hal f o f the dis pens at io nal week
”
.
,
is p ro phet ic d ays and the f ull week would

,
be r
p p o h e t i c d a y s w h ,
a t e v er t h ey m a y s i g n i f y .
T hus t hi s d i s pens ati onal w eek t hat concerns b o t h

,
t he J ew s and t he G ent i l es i n t hei r rel at i o ns wit h
e ach o t her co n s i s t s o f s eve n peri o d s o f 3 60 pro phet ic

,
d ay s each . T his s am e s ept i fo rm d i vis io n i s pro m

i nent t hro ug ho ut Revel at i on T here are seven
.
cand l es t i ck s , s ev en ch u rches s even, se al s s ev en

,
3 50
TH E T IM ES AND T H E S EA S O N S
t rum p et s ,
thund ers and s even bo wl s o f wrath
seven .
T he s am e d ivi ne s eal i s s t am p ed o n t he S cri pt ures

“
t hat we find in the p hy s i cal univer s e T he t im es .
and t he s eas ons i n t he S cr ipt u res ar e an o r d erly
p roces s ion o f p eri od s d ivinely est ab l i s hed T hei r .
d uratio n is as fi x ed and as cert ain as t he d ay s the ,
y ears o r the cycl es meas ured o ff by the s un and the

mo on P aul say s that Go d hath d et erm ined the
.
“
app o i nt e d s eas o ns o f t he nat i o ns and t h ei r bo un d s

”
( A ct s a n d m a n can n o t ch a ng e t hem .
If t he p ro p het s have reveal ed

M ni n g f t h
ea o e
t he t im es and t he s easo ns they
“ ”
Tim
,
es
b el o ng unto u s and t hey can b e
k no wn as ce rt ai nly as the mo tio ns o f the heavenly
T he s ecr et t hi ng s b elo ng unt o J ehovah
“
bo d i es .
o u r Go d ; b ut t he t h i ng s t hat ar e reveal e d b el ong
unt o u s and to o ur chi l d ren fo r ev er t

”
( D e u 29 : .
If Go d has reveal ed t he ti me o f the occur

r enc e o f any event t hat b elo n s t o u s and i s fo r
g
o ur i ns t r ucti on Go d has g iven an unchan g eab l e l aw
,
to t es t al l p rop het i c s t at em ent s by When a

.
“
p rophet speak et h in the nam e o f J eho v ah i f the ,
thing f ol low not no r co m e to p as s t hat i s the

, ,
t hing whi ch J eho vah hath not spo k en ( D eut ”

.
We wi llthis rul e and ap ply i t to a sp ecifi c

us e
p ro phecy o f Daniel Know t here f o re an d di scern

.
“
,
that f ro m the go ing f o rth O f the comm andm ent to

re st o re and t o b ui ld J er u s al em unt o t he ano i nt ed
o ne, the p ri nce s hall b e s even w e ek s and t hree

, ,
s core and two wee k s ( D a n T h e.r e a
d efi nit e p eri od o f t im e i s given— si x ty nine week s -

.
351
The d at e Of g
t he b e i nni n g
thi s p erio d i s g iven
of ,
as w el l as t he end o f t he pe r i o d We can t hen .

, ,
b e ab s ol ut el y cert ai n w het her the p ophet m eant r
s i x ty ni ne w eek s o f s even d ay s
-
each o r w het her ,
they w ere day s on a l arg er scal e Hi sto ry estab .
l is hes the d at e o f the decree to es to re and buil d “

r
J er us alem as 4 57 B C J es us appeared o n the

. .
b ank s o f t he J o rd an t o b e b apti ed o f J o hn and to z
b e ano int ed wi th t he Ho l y S pi rit in the l at e f al l

“
o f t he y ea r 2 6 A D T he t im e t hat had el aps e d

. .
S i nce 4 5 7 B C was 48 3 y ears T hen s ixtv nine

. . .
,
-
week s eq ua l s 48 3 y ears A S im pl e cal cul atio n t hen

.
, ,
s how s t hat a p ro phet ic w eek i s seven y ear s and ,
there f o re one p ro phet ic day i s one year Thi s was r

'
what was sym b o l i ed when the week o f y ears was

z
es t ab l i s he d ( L ev . W hat had b een b ut

d im ly r eveal e d i n the O l d T es t am ent i s now m a d e
cl ear i n it s f ulfi l l m ent i n Chr i s t
,
S om e m i g ht q u es t io n whet her t hi s s am e scal e

was u s ed by t he s eer o f P at m o s T hi s i s a po i nt .
that m ay be d efi nit el y s ett l ed so that t here can be

no m i s t ake . T he du rat ion o f t he li f e hi s to y o f t he r
b east as a b l asphem o u s po w er i s g iven as f o ty “

r
t wo mo nt hs ,
o r the s am e as p po h et i c d ays r .
T im e eno ug h has now el apsed to d et erm ine the

ab so l ut e m eani ng of that expres sio n Natu rally . ,
the appearance o f a m ighty apo s t asy l ik e t he P ap acy

wo ul d not occur i n one y ear b ut s uch an i ns t i t ut io n
,
wo ul d req ui re d ecad es and cent uri es in the p ocess r
o f i t s d ev el o p m ent b e f o r e i t co ul d b e com pl et e l y
es t ab l i s he d
. Lik ew is e its end wo ul d no t com e in
,
a part i cu l ar y ear It wo uld naturally d ecl ine in

.
3 52
g i ven into hi s hand . The co unci l at Nice had

l egi s la ted in r egard to the t im e when Eas ter was
to be o b serv ed . Grego ry X III arbi tr arily d ecr ee d
.
that ten d ay s be remov ed f rom the cal end ar in o rder

to cure an erro r o f ni ne d ay s and a half that had
accrued s ince 3 2 5 A . D He i s there fo re the one
.
who changed the tim es and t he l aw and represent s

”
,
the f ull est and compl et e f ulfillm ent o f the wo rk o f

t he
“
l ittle ho rn”
. T he e nd o f hi s rei gn wo u ld
m ark the co mpl etio n o f the fir s t s tage o f t he
decl ine o f the P ap acy fo r it was d uring his reig n
,
t hat the Re fo rm at io n was fi nally es tab li s h ed by the

edi ct of paci ficat i on w i t h the P r ot es t ants
“ ”
.
Ano th er impo rtant d ate i n the d evel op ment o f

the P ap acy i s 5 3 3 A D . Thi S was the y ear that
.
‘
J us ti nian d ecreed that the bi shopo f Rome was the

he ad o f al l the Ho ly Churches Thi s gave the ”
.
apo s t as y a t r em en d o us i mp etu s Then in .

,
years there o ught to be another notabl e s tage i n the

d ecli ne o f the P ap acy Hi sto ry sho w s what occurred
. .
Rei gn o f Terro r o the rwi se kno wn as the

“ ”
T he ,
French Revo l ution began whi ch resulted in the

, ,
ab ol i s hm ent o f religio n and i n taki ng the P o p e a

‘
p ri soner to F rance Thus we have seen that the

.
p rop het ic d ays that m ark the d uration o f the

b ea s t ar e years o r a day for a y ear
,
.
The regul ar el ap s e o f years betw een

co rres p on d i ng s ta ges i n t he ri se and d ecli ne o f the
P ap acy d eterm ines the r ul e that a day s t and s fo r

a y ear . Thi s rul e m ay be i ll ustrated i n the fo llow
i ng m anner and the i ll us t rati on wi ll al so s how when
,
the l as t gre at catas t rophe will overtake the P ap acy :

3 54
TH E T IM ES AN D T H E S EA S O N S
C o u nci l f Ni
o ce . y e ar s . D ea t h of G re g o r y X I I . I
8 25 A D . . s 1 5 85 A . D .
J u s t l ni a n D
’
s e cree . y e a rs . i
Re g n o f T e rr or.
53 3 A D . . 1 7 93 A . D .
668 A D 1 923 A D
C
. . . .
P a p acy o mp l ete .
year s . D ea t h - s t r o k e .
666 A . D . 1 926 A . D .
d eterm ined that Dani el H avi ng

S v n Ti m
e e es
and J o hn us e a day t o r ep resent
a y ear we now t urn t o t he p ro p heci es w hose f ul fill

,
m ent is i nd icat ed as t ak ing pl ace in t hi s generat ion .
The fi rs t o f t hese i s the d i sp ens at io n w eek o f s even

“
ti m es ”
y ears In the s eco nd chapter o f .
D ani el we hav e a sy m bo l i c d escript io n o f t he f ut ure

hi s t o ry o f eart hly go vernm ent s und er t he fig ure o f
a g r eat im ag e co mp o sed o f g o ld s i l ve r b ras s i ron , , ,
and cl ay Dani el int erp ret s the vi s io n so t here i s

.
no uncert ai nty a s to it s m eani ng In the f ourt h .
chapt er we have ano t her vi s io n a mat e t o t he vi s io n ,
o f t he im ag e It there f o re rep res ent s the hi sto ry

.
o f t he s am e eart hly g overnm ent s d uring the s am e
p erio d O ne o f t he d et ail s o f thi s vi s io n i s the

.
s t at em ent t hat Neb uch a d nezz ar who in hi s p erson ,
r epr es ent ed the f o ur great wo rld k ingd oms symbol ,
i zed as o ne t ree w o uld have his heart chang ed ,
f rom a m an s and have a b east s heart given T hi s

’ ’
.
i nd icat ed the charact er o f thes e earthly governments

which he as an ind ivid ual rep res ent ed T hey would .
b e cr uel and beastly fo r y ears It was al so .
s ai d t hat at t he end o f the s even t im es he wo uld
ack no wl edg e th at the M ost H igh rul eth in the

ki ngd om o f men ; i n o ther w ord s that at the end ”
,
of ye ar s these earthly go vernm ents w oul d

24 355
co m e t o know t hat Go d was the r ul er and t hat

t hey wo uld y i eld to hi s autho rity Thi s y ears .
i s the p eri o d o f ex i st ence th ere f o re o f the Gent i l e

, ,
gov ernment s T his p er iod was to beg in with

.
Neb uchadnezzar fo r he r ep res ent ed t hem He was

, .
the head o f go ld in t he fi rs t vi s i o n and his k i ng ,
dom i s s aid to be t he fi rs t k i ngdo m The o t her .
emp i res aro s e a ft erward The v er y m ad nes s was

.
vi sit ed up on Neb uchad nezz ar in p ar abl e o n a ,
s m all er scal e So t hen th i s d is p ensat ional w eek

.
, ,
m ust hav e its b egi nni ng in the r eign o f that

m onarch .
Anot her r ef er ence to thi s seven tim es is f ound

”
in L ev .
—33 Here the J ews are w arned t hat
.
they wo uld be p uni shed seven t im es for their ”
s i ns The p uni shme nt i s indi cated by the f act t hat '
thei r l and w ould be a d eso l ati on that their enemi es ,
w ould dw ell in the l and and that they wo uld b e ,
scatt er ed amo ng t he natio ns Thi s w eek i s there

.
f or e co nnect ed w ith both Nebuchad nezz ar as the ,
r ep resent at ive o f the Gent i l e gov ernm ent s and the ,
J ews Hi sto ry f urni shes the record Neb uchad

. .
nezzar c apt ured J er usal em i n 606 B C A few o f . .
the p ro mi nent men w er e carried aw ay at t hi s tim e .
J ehoi akim was l e ft to reign as a v as sal o f B abylo n .
He r eb ell ed a ft er t hr ee and a half y ears and

att empt ed t o fr ee the J ewi sh p eo pl e Neb uchad .
nezzar cam e agai n and in 5 99 B C he carri ed t he

, . .
p eopl e aw a y ca ptiv e a n d d es p o i l ed the t em pl e o f i t s
gold en v essel s Agai n el even y ears a fterward

.
, ,
J erusalem was besi eged and the d esol ati on o f the

,
l and was compl et e in 5 86 B C From tho se d ay s . .
3 53
T H E REV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH R IS T
to J upit er O lymp us The d uration o f thi s d esol ating

.
p ower w o ul d be tw enty three hundre d ev enings -

“
and m o rni ng s an ex p res s i on conveyi ng the i d ea

,
o f d ay s as i n t he fi rs t chapt er o f G enes i s The '

.
,
G reci an Empi re b ecam e a wo rld p o w er unde r Al ex

and er t he Great i n 3 2 8 B C T wenty three hund red
. .
-
y ears f ro m t hi s d at e i s 1972 A D The d eso l atio ns . .
wro ught by t hi s l itt le horn w ere to com e to p as s

“ ”
i n the l atter p art o f the ki ngdo m ( v

“
T hi s .
ho n und ers t and s d ark sent ences He d eal s in

“
r .
s ay i ng s t hat are d ark and m y s t eri ous The t ent h .

,
el event h and twel f th chapt ers have to do w ith

Dani el s d es ire to underst and t he v i sio n o f t he
’
l ittl e horn and t he ang el ic i nt erp ret at io n B eg in

“ ”
.
ni ng wi t h D an . we find t he angel gi vi ng
f ull er d et ail s concer ning t hi s l itt l e ho rn so that “
,
”
hi s f ulfill m ent i s f ound in the overth ro w o f Je ru

s al em by t he M o hamm ed ans in 6 3 7 A D T hi s .
.
.
was t he t ime t hat t he abo m inat io n o f d esol at i on

“ ”
,
r e f err ed to by J es us was set up i n J erusal em F rom

, .
that ti me the ho ly mo unt ai n has b een in M o ham

medan hand s and the M o s q ue o f O m ar st and s o n
,
t he s i t e o f the t empl e o f Go d T he imp o rt ant ev ent s

.
o f hi s hi s to ry are g i ven unt i l t he end when t he ,
great tri bul ati on and the fi rs t resurrecti on occur

( Dan .
T he tim e el em ent i s al so m ent i n ed in the tw el fth o
chapt er And f rom the t im e t hat the cont inual

“
burn t ofieri ng shall b e t ak en away and the abom

-
,
i natio n that m ak et h d eso l at e set up t here s hall b e ,
a t ho u s and two hund r ed and ni nety d ay s B l es s ed .
i s he t hat wait et h and comet h to the t housand t hree

,
353
TH E TIM ES AN D T H E S EAS O NS
h undr ed and five and thirty d ay s ( Dan 12 : 1 1 .

,
Two p erio ds o f di fferent l engt hs are he re g iven

one o f y ears and one o f y ears T hey .
begi n wit h th e s et t i ng up o f t he M ohamm e d an

ab omi nat ion 63 7 A D The fir st p erio d w ill end
, . .
wi th the do wn f all o f Turk ey in 1927 A D The . .
s econd will end i n 19 72 A D The i nt erv ening . .
forty five y ears will be o ccup i ed w it h the ret urn

-
and c onv ersi on o f the J ew s t he co mpl et e ov ert hro w ,
o f al l f orm s o f ap o st asy and t he y i eld i ng o f all ,
earthly go v ernm ent t o the L amb o f Go d and t he
blessed Pri nce and o nly P ot entat e T hes e p eri od s .
m ay b e i ll ust rat ed in the followi ng m anner
M h mm d
o a e an D th t k ea -s ro e
D l i
eso at on . y ea r s .
68 7 A D 1 927 A D
y C m pl t l y
. . . .
M h mm d S
D i
o a e
es o l a t o n .
y
an
C d ea r s .
an ct u ar o
l ea n s e .
e e
6 7 A D 19 2 A D
8
. . 7 . .
Wh at a gl orio us day that will be w hen all o f ,
th ese f or ces o f ev i l are o v erthrow n and the L ord

him s elf shall s udd enly com e t o hi s t empl e T he .
go vernm ent th en shall be up on hi s should ers : and

“
hi s nam e shall b e call ed Wo nd er f ul Co unsell o r , ,
Mighty Go d Everl ast ing F ather Pri nce o f P e ace

, ,
.
O f t he i ncreas e o f hi s governm ent and o f p eace

there shall be no end up on the throne o f Davi d , ,
and up on hi s ki n d o m t o es t ab l i sh it and t o
g , ,
up hold i t w i t h j us t i ce and wi t h ri ght eousnes s f ro m
he nce f o rt h even for ever The z eal o f J eho vah o f .
ho st s will p er f o rm t hi s ( Is a
”
.
We are p riv i l ege d to l ive in a gr and and aw f ul

t im e The lo ng f or etold ev ents are hast eni ng to
.
-
359
T H E REV EL AT IO N OF J ES U S CH RIS T
t h eir r eal iz at ion and f ulfill ment The child i s now .
b orn w hose sp an o f l i f e will r each to 1972 A D . .
S c off ers will m ock at the pl ai n st at em ent s o f God s

’
word and will co nti nue to thei r dest ruct io n The .
nat i ons will c onti nue i n thei r st ruggl e until t hey
cr umbl e beneath the w eight o f d ebt and die becaus e

th eir c it izens are sl aughter ed but the w i se t hey , ,
who b el i ev e in Chr i st and hi s p ro mi ses w i ll t ri m ,
th ei r l amps and fill them with oil for the m i dni ght ,
cry has alr eady b een s ound ed : B eho ld the bri d e ,
g pr o m co m e t h J es us .s a id : W h en t he s e t hi ng s
beg in to co m e to p as s lo ok up and l i ft up yo ur
, ,
h ead s ; b ecause y our r ed empt i on draw eth nigh ”
( Luk e
W hen Noah w arned his c ont empo r ari es o f the
'
app roach ing d oom th ey m ock ed and w ere all

, ,
d est ro y ed W hen J es us came to the J ews they

.
,
“
knew not the day o f th eir vi si t at io n and as a , ,
co ns eq uence an aw f ul d es t ruct i on was vi sit ed upo n

,
them and the ir city The sam e will be t rue at thi s

.
tim e J esus has fo retold that the cond iti ons sho uld
.
be the sam e as th ey w er e in the d ay s o f No ah

( M a t t . B ut y e b r et hr en a
,
r e n ot i n ,
d arkness that that day sho uld overt ak e you as a

,
th ief ; for ye are all so ns o f light and sons o f the ,
day : we are no t o f the ni ght no r o f d ark nes s ; so ,
th en let us not s l eep as do the r est but l et us

, ,
w atch and be so b er ( 1 Th es s May thi s

”
.
cl os i ng S cr ipt ure be heed ed by a n e v er i ncreas i ng -
numb er un til J es us com es is our pr ay er

, , .
60
THE M O R E IM P O R T ANT S YM B O L S
As cens i o n of the Ind i cati ve of the x lt

e a ati o n o f th e
W i t nes s es . O ld New T es tam ent s S ee
an d .
Rev. I I, 1 2 .
“
Wi tness es ”
H ence a r evival .
of Chri s ti ani t y
B byl
a o n. Rev. I 7 . Th e Ro m an C ath o li c Church in
cont ras t wi t h the t ru e chu rch o f
Ch ri s t . Rev 17 : 1 -6 ; Rev 12 : 1.
. .
B l
a aa m T e a ch i n g
,
Fa l s e re l i gi o us t eachi n g . Num 3 1 .
o f. R ev. 2 : I4.
B l a an ces . Indi cat es s carci t y and i nt o l erab e l

R ev. 6 : 5 . t ax at i on. Ezek .
B ear Rev. I3 : 2 . M ed o - P ers i a. Dan .
y
S mb o l of a k i ng d o m . Dan 7 : 17
.
23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B e as t , S ev en P ro f es sed Ch ri s t i an Rom an Em
h e ad e d and T en pi re f ro m 3 24 A D . . t o 476 A .
h o rne d . D s ince the d ra g on g ave hi s

R ev. 1 3 : I. po w er t o the b eas t. Rev .
S ee
“
D ra g on
B e as t , Two West ern di vi si on of the Rom an

h o rne d . Empi re und er t h e g overnm ent
R ev. of b arb ari an em pero rs and b i sh

o ps o f the Roman Chu rch f ro m
476 A . D . t o 666 A . D ., and
whi l e the P apa lg overnm ent was

d eve l opi n g . Rev . 15 24 1
B eas t , Im a g e o f. The P apa o vernm ent l g as mani
R ev. -1
7. f es t ed b y the P apacy
B eas t , M k ar o f. O u t wa rd i ndicat i on of a ll gie ance to
Rev . I 7. t he P apac y
Bi rd s . R ev. 1 9 : I7 ; Or g ani zat i ons o f m en havi n o rm s gf
Ez e k .
3 9 : I 7. of se lf g -
overnm ent such as ,
po l iti ca l p art i es , l ab or- uni ons,
et c. Dan . Act s
Act s 35
8 62
TH E M O R E I M P O RT ANT S YM B O L S
L y i ng l i m t
a c a o divine prerog a
ti v M k 14
es . ar : 6 1 64 ; J ohn 10 -
Bl o o d. Rev. 8 : 8 . Indi cati ve of s ang ui nar y war f are.
1 Kin g s 2 Ki n g s 3 : 22 2 3 , 104
B o o k, S ea l ed . Indi cat es that i t s cont ent s are un
Rev. 5 : 1 . revea ed l
B k oo , Uns ea ed l . Ind i cat es t hat i t s content s a re re
vea ed l 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B k Li t t l
oo , e. Th e New T es tam ent b ei n preached g
Rev. 10 : 2. to t he p eop e and rea d b y t he l
peop l e O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
B ow l . R ev. Indi cat i ve of di vine j u d gm ent
Candl es ti c k s. Chu rches . Rev . H ence the

Rev. 1 : 12. co mp l et e li f e hi st o ry of the vi s
ib l e church thro u h s even peri g
od s 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 63 ,
Cas t D own. De f eat ed, humi i at ed l 21 7

R ev. 12 : 9.
Cro wn. Rev. 6 : 2 . S y mb o l of the ki ngl y offi ce and au
thori ty
Cup. R ev. Indi cat i ve of bi tt er j u d gm ent s . .
D ay. R ev. A day s t and s f or a y ear . Ezek .
D efi l ed wi t h S ee Fo rni cati on
W om e n .
Rev.
D rag o n. The De vi l incarnate i n the pa an g
Rev. 12 : 3. Ro man Empi re s i nce he i s the ,
ant a g oni s t of the wom an an d
her s eed at t h e t i me of J o hn s ’
vi s i on. Rev . 213 ,
Ear t h . Rev: 12 T erri to ry mb raced e u nd er the au
tho ri ty o f Rom e .
3 63
TH E M O R E IM P O RT ANT SYMB O LS
Di s rupt i on of po tli i l g
ca ov ern ment .
It indicat es the overthro w of
one f o rm of g overn ment and
t he es tab li sh ment o f another
Egyp t Rev
. . 1 1 8. P l ace where chosen peop e o f Go d l
suff ered b onda e hence indi g ,
cat es the t readi n down o f the g

church under the P apa do mi n l
i on
El d ers . Rev. 4 : 4. Heavenl y b eing s i nti matel y associ ,
at ed wi th the throne o f G o d
Euphrat es . A s ymbo l of the Tur i sh peop k l e
R ev. 9 : 1 4; and g overnment
F i re. Rev. 8 : 5 . l
S ymb o of divine ud ment G en j g .
eral ly indi cati ve o f the rava es g

of war
F o rni cat i o n. Apos tasy f ro m the t rit e faith . Isa
Rev. 1 7 : 2.
H ai l . R ev. 8 : 7. An instrument of dest ructi ve j udg

ments
The Roman Cath l i Chu
o c rch
Chu rches whi ch have co me out o f
the Roman hurch and s ti re C ll

tai n s ome o f her apo st ate char
act eri s tics
H ead s . Rev. 1 7 : 3. Fo rms of g v nm nt

o er e or dynasti es .
G enera ll y u ding
s ccee each other
Rev 17 : 10
.
P l ace o f throne and ru e, l hence in

dicat es t he p l ace where power
x
i s e erci s ed 79 ,
H eaven F all en
, Indi cat es l os s of power and eu
fro m . t ho ri ty
Re v. 12 : 9, 1 0.
8 64
TH E M O R E IM P O R T ANT S YM B O L S
th e Roman Cath o i c
Chu rch l
wh en ass oci at ed wi th t he t em
pora lg ov ernm ent o f
G reci an Em pi re . Dan 7 : 6 .
Indi cati ve of a l
po i t i ca d i stu rb ance l
k g pl
ta i n ace 86
Li o n. R ev. B b yl ni n k ingd m
a o a o . Da n . 23 4
L o cus t s . M h mm d n m i
o a e a ar es 15 7
Rev. 9 : 3 -1 1 .
M an Chi l d . Ch ri st rai s ed f ro m the dea d . J ohn

R ev. 12 : 5. 22 ; Is a .
M o nt h . Rev. 1 1 : 2. Thi rty yea rs , s i nce a day s t and s
f or a y ea r 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
M o o n. R ev. 6 : 12 . Receiv es i ts l i gh t f “
ro m the sun,
hence b eco m es th e s y mb l o of
t he ru erl who i s i m m ed i at e ly as
soci at ed wi t h t he chi e f ru er. l In

Rev . it s ymb ol i z es th e
M i di p n ti
o sa c s e sa on
M o u nt ai n. A k i ng d m C m p
o . o are Dan .
R ev. 6 : I 4. and Dan .
O ut er Co urt . The o ut er co u rt co nt ai ned t he al

R ev. 1 1 : 2 . tar of b u rnt- o fferi n g s and th e
l aver of l
c eans i n g , hence i ts
t rea di n g d o wn si gni fi es that the
o rdi nances of t he chu rch a re
chan g ed
Re e d . Rev. Th e New T es t am ent as the o n ly

l
ru e o f f ai th and pract i ce
Nati ons . Armi es i n mo ti on . Is a
Indi cat ive of b i tt er b u rdens and
e xp eri ences . 1 Ki n g s 2: 15 7
3 66
TH E M O R E IM P O R T ANT S YM B O L S
S ea. Rev. 7 : 1. T he m u t i t u d e l of man ind k . We

us e the s am e so rt o f a fi gurative
e xp re s si on in
“
a s ea
”
of f aces
S ee Wat ers ”
C i ty of
“
wi c k dn e es s , and, h ence ,
sa me as B by l a on o r th e Roman
Cat ho i c Chu rch l 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
S oul s und er t h e M a rt y rs . S ee A lt ar of Bu rnt
Al t ar. Rev. 6 : 9. o ff erin g

S t ar s . R ev. 6 : 1 3. C ons pi cuo u s m en in p l aces of
power and autho ri t y . G en 3 7 .
9 10, Hence in Re v 12 : l the

.
, . ,
twel ve apost l es Al s o Rev 1 . .
16 , s t a rs repres ent t he mi ni s t ry
du ri n g t he s even peri o d s of the
chu rch. T he y are i nt erpret ed as
an gl Rev
e s. . Hence min
i s t eri ng s pi ri t s . H eb . 5 9 1 26 ,
R ev. 6 : 12 . S up rem e ru er. l M t b ill ios r ant po

l i t i cal o r re l i gi u l do s ea er. G en .
10 . H ence Ch ri st i s re
f erred to as the S un of ri ght

eou s nes s . S ee Rev 1 2 . : 1
S un, D ar eni n k g L oss of aut ho ri t y by a s upre me

o f. Re v. 6 : 1 2 . ru er l
S wo rd . Rev. 6 : 4 . An ins t rum ent of d i vi ne j udgm ent ,
and i n d i cati ve of w ar . Ezek .
10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 104
S wo rd, Tw o T he B ibl e. Eph . 6 : 17 ; H eb 4 : 12 . . 3 20

e d ed g
Rev.
T ai l s. R ev . A s ymb l o o f auth o ri t y amon g the
Tur k s
T em p l e of G od . T he v i s ib e l chu rch of Ch ri st . 1
R ev. 1 1 : 1 . Co r 3 . : 16
3 67
THE M O RE I M P O RT ANT S YM B O L S
Thund er. Indicati ve of po i tica l l di sturbance . 86

Rev. 6 : 1.
Thund ers , S even. P apa l anathe mas hurl ed g

a ai nst the
Rev. 1 0 : 3 . Re f or mers
T i me, T i m es and S ame as prophet i c d a ys
Rev . .
H al f a T i m e. Hence y ears A .
Rev. 1 2 : 1 4. ti me, t here f ore, is one prophet ic

year
Tree. Rev. 7 : 1 . A k i ng dom . Dan 4 : 20 22 .
-
T rees , O li v e. l l
S pi ri tua Is rae under the ol d di s
Rev. pensat i on and s pi ri tua Is rae l l
und er the new di spensat i on .
Rom 1 1 : 17-24 S ee a so Z ech

. . , l , .
4 : 3 - 14 As wi tnesses the o i ve
. l
t rees indi cat e th e O l d and New
Testament s J ohn . Act s
Si gn l
a f o r the as se mb l y of armi es
and indicati ve o f mi l i t ary s t rug
gl es . Num 10 9 . 55
Waters . P eop l es and nati ons . Rev 1 7 : 1 5
. 222
R ev.
Wi nds . Rev. Des t ruct ive g
a enci es such as ar
mi es
Wo ma n . S pi ri tua l Is rael . The t rue church
Rev. of Ch i r st
Z i o n. Rev. The king d o m of Ch ri st, other wi se

the church. H eb 12 22 23
. , . 2 53
8 68
T O P ICAL IND EX
TOP IC PAGE TOPI C PAGE

Val ue of 12 S ept i f or m L aw in t he
H ow to 22 S cri ptu re
S even Ti m es
Reed The , . g
S i ns The Fi rs t
,
f
Re orm at i on The S eco nd
Res t o rat i on Th e Thi rd
Resu rrect i on , Th e Fi rs t So l ar and Lun ar Dom in
2 56 i on
Return o f the J ew s
l
Reve at i on Author ,
T em p l M e eas u red 0 0 0 0 0 0
P ace l i n H eaven 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
H ow t o S tudy The C l os i n g of
S t ructu re Thund ers T he S even ,
O l
u t i ne Ti m e
Inscri pti on Ti mes S even ,
Sa l ut at i on and D edi ca
ti on Vi s i ons Cease 33 5
1
S atan L
oos ed War i n Heaven 215
S eal s Winds Fi rst , 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 140
Fi rst S ea l 98 S econd 1 43
S econd S ea l 103 Thi rd 145
Thi rd S ea l 1 07 Fou rth 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 147
Fou rth S ea l 11 1 Witnes s es Th e Tw o , 194
f
Fi th S ea l 1 15 Woman and the Dragon ; 207
S ixth S ea l 122 Wo es
S eventh S ea l 13 7 Announcem ent
l gG
S ea i n od s
’
S ervant s . . 13 1 Fi rst
S econd Co mi n g of th e S econd
L o rd Thi rd
3 70

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Th e Revelati o n

Bl i s he t h at re ad e th , and they tha t he ar t he

wo rd s o f t he p ro phe cy , and k ee p t he thi n g s t hat are

CIN CINN ATI

IE S TANDARD P U B LISH ING CO M P ANY

theo ry b ut to ai d i f pos si bl e the great m ass

o f the p eopl e who are gro pi ng thei r way in t he d ark

nes s see ki ng the l i ght but ﬁn di ng i t not ; hungeri ng

for the tr uths o f Go d s wo rd but no t appr ehend

ing t hem . Feeli ng th at Go d wo uld not reveal him

writer has devot ed m any ye ars to a p ati ent stu dy of

f ully to comply w i th the inj unct ion o f I s aiah : To “

the law and to the t es ti mo ny " i f they sp eak not ac

S cr i pt ure. T he und ers tan di ng o f the im ager y o f

S cript ural us age O f the sym bo l s emplo yed . The

It i s f ro m Revel at io n al one that the r ay s o f light

m ust co m e to l i ght up the p athway o f m anki nd

ti m e It reveals all o f the ev ents connected wi th the

Ch ri sti an di s p ensation fro m the tim e o f the vi sions

When the beauti ful i mag ery has been under

s tood acco rding to the divin e usage the mat ter of

its fulﬁllm ent is simply that o f pl aci ng the S crip tur e

prophecy is hi story in a nticipation The f ulﬁllm ent .

O f ma ny Of the pro p heci es Of t he O ld Test am ent i s

J oh n wrot e O f w er e to be f ulﬁll ed cent uri es a fter

aid th er efore The r es ults are str iki ng F aith

gr ows b y l eaps and bo unds as event after event i s

The s eco nd p urp os e i n p ubli shi ng this boo k is

u nr ead prop hecy t h at m any who hav e tho ught it a

my st ery will turn to its bl es sed p ages a nd h av e their

to many mi nds o f v ario us Opinio ns but m ost O f all to

the h eav enly F ather and to hi s pr ec io us wo rd o f ,

which David s aid : Th y wo rd is a l amp unto m y

f eet and a ligh t u nto my p ath Having fo und this

s ubj ect O f i nt er es t to th ousand s o f p eople d uring a

erent s t ud y to all O f his br et hr en in the mi nistr y ,

t h at all O f tho s e for who m Christ di ed migh t be

uniq u e It i s in a cl as s by it sel f W hen W alter

S cott lay dy ing he sai d to his servant : B ri ng m e

t he b ook O n bei ng ask ed what b oo k was m eant

he repl i ed : The B i bl e There i s no bo ok b ut the

B i bl e .The charact eri st ic that d i st ing ui s h es the

wh ich s urcharg es e very p age T he m ighty t heme o f .

red emptio n un f old ed s t ep b y s t ep wi t h ever i ncrea s

ing cl earness f rom creat io n s d awn t hro ugh the

changi ng cent uri es and m i ll enni um s to i t s gl ori o us

cli max i n the B oo k o f Revel at io n reve al s a uni ty o f ,

tho ught and p urp ose w hich co uld co me only from

Old : for I am God and there i s none el se ; I am ,

Go d and th ere i s no ne like m e ; d eclari ng the end

fro m the b eg i nni ng , and fro m anci ent ti m es thi ng s

ceedi ng gene rati on The t heori es held as m o st su r ely

t rue by wr i ters o f o ne cent ury b eco m e O b sol ete and

cent ury T hi s i s not so wi th the B ible although it

was wri tten by abo ut fo rt y di fferent autho rs d uring

co ur s e upo n co ur s e Each succeedi ng l ayer o f s tone

wo uld be impo ss i b l e w i tho ut the preced i ng l ay er s

cha act eri s ti cs t hat m ark it as s o di ff erent f rom the

O l d T es tam en t d ec l ares that one jot or o ne ti t tl e

S hal l in no wi se p as s away f ro m the law ti ll all ,

thing s be acco mpl i s hed M tt ”

Tes tament i s the fo und ati on upo n which the New

fo ld ing o f the O ld and wo ul d be impo ss ib l e witho ut