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
.
- -
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

TheRevelationofJesusChrist 10004396

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

TheRevelationofJesusChrist 10004396

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

TheRevelationofJesusChrist 10004396

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

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