PREFACE
Since so many brilliant scholars have written on Revelation, it may seem highly presumptuous to add another commentary to the list. In undertaking the preparation of this book the author was not deluded by the thought that his efforts would prove entirely satisfactory to all his readers. When so many contradictory theories and conflicting views have been presented, one may well approach the task with misgiving.
As Revelation is a part of the divine record, it must have been designed to be of benefit to men, but this can be only in proportion to a knowledge of its contents. Paul’s command to study, "handling aright the word of truth," will apply to it just as to other New Testament books. Mistakes, of course, can be made easily in applying prophetic symbols; the same may occur in the study of the plain historical books of the Bible. The possibility of misunderstanding a text is no justification for refusing to study it. If it were, Bible investigation would be at an end.
The author gratefully acknowledges indebtedness to many scholars whose commentaries have been consulted. These, with the numerous quotations from others by them, have furnished a broad field from which to gather suggestive thoughts. Different views about the book as a whole, and conflicting expositions of various texts, have been candidly considered; and any explanation believed correct has been accepted, regardless of its source.
Consulting other writers has a twofold value: It opens fields of thought which otherwise might not be seen; and it often prevents radical or dogmatic assertions. Both are highly beneficial in striving to teach the exact truth. The introduction contains a brief general view of Revelation with the plan of study and rules of interpretation. As preliminary instruction, it should be read first.
With the sincere desire that this volume may prove helpful to its readers, it is prayerfully submitted to those interested in the study of this marvelous piece of divine revelation.
JOHN T. HINDS.
Nashville, Tennessee, January 1, 1937. (last copyrighted 1956 by Gospel Advocate Co., Nashville, Tn)
INTRODUCTION
It is not the purpose to discuss here in detail all matters involved in a relevant introduction, but only enough to enable the reader to understand clearly the nature and design of Revelation and the methods of interpretation used in this commentary.
I. THE AUTHOR, TIME, AND PLACE
The book itself declares that Jesus made known this revelation to "his servant John." (1:1.) The preponderance of evidence points to the apostle John as the author. He was in the right situation, both as to time and place, to have been the writer. But, supposing some other John wrote the book, it would not change God’s purpose in making the revelation.
The time written is affected somewhat by the plan of interpretation adopted. Those who think that most of its symbols were fulfilled by the time Jerusalem was destroyed (A.D. 70) place the time of writing previous to that date. Those who consider the symbols as prophetic pictures of the struggles of the church over a long period accept the year A.D. 95 or 96, in the reign of Domitian, as the most probable time. The most commonly quoted testimony, as well as apparently most decisive, is the statement of Irenaeus that "the Revelation was seen no long time since, but almost in our own generation toward the end of the reign of Domitian." This reign was from A.D. 81-96. Irenaeus was an intimate associate of Polycarp, who died in A.D. 155. He was contemporary with the apostle John for more than thirty years. There is little chance for Polycarp not to have known the true date, or for Irenaeus to have misrepresented his information. The testimony of Irenaeus is of the highest class.
We have direct proof in the book that John received the visions while in exile on the island of Patmos. (1:9.) The fact that seven churches of Asia were addressed is strong presumptive evidence that John was personally acquainted with the conditions that existed among them. Their nearness to Patmos is also evidence that John was sent into exile from that section. That fact, if true, would be sufficient justification for the tradition that Ephesus had been John’s home most of the time since the destruction of Jerusalem. It is not known whether John wrote the book on the island where the visions were received or later.
Those desiring a full discussion on the foregoing questions may consult the Bible (Speaker’s) Commentary, Vol. IV, of the New Testament, pp. 405 to 492.
II. NATURE AND DESIGN
The contents of the book and the conditions confronting the churches furnish the information on the nature and design of Revelation. The church was comparatively weak, subject to terrible persecutions from the Roman Empire, and in great danger of heavy apostasies. Warnings against evil and many promises to the faithful definitely indicate that the main purpose of the book is to encourage saints to steadfastness in their struggles against enemies of the truth. Paul had predicted a complete apostasy. (Acts 20:29-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12.) That another book should be written to describe the rise and fall of such an evil power is really what should be expected. Revelation meets that expectation. The Old Testament has its prophetic hooks why should not the New Testament have one?
Revelation contains the same great teaching in a large measure that is found in other New Testament books, but differs from them in two particulars: (1) It points out great epochal changes that would affect the church in the future. (2) It describes these changes in dramatic scenes and highly symbolic language. The latter feature furnishes the chief difficulty in its interpretation, but evidently has some merit, else it would not have been chosen for the purpose. The most plausible explanation seems to lie in the nature of the church’s enemies. Under the Jewish system the prophets named Israel’s enemies in plain terms, but the Israelites were a temporal kingdom with material means of defense, and had to understand plainly who were their foes. The church being a spiritual kingdom, not to be defended by a carnal sword (John 18:36), would stand no chance in meeting earthly powers with physical force. If the book had condemned their persecutors by name, it might have created more desperate opposition. Expressed in symbols, wise Christians would be able to know whom to watch, while their enemies, being ignorant of the true facts, would be less exasperated. It may be somewhat like Christ’s reasons for speaking in parables during his personal ministry. (Matthew 13:10-12.)
Symbolism, however, is nothing new in the Scriptures. The Old Testament prophets were much given to the use of such language, as the following passages will show: Isaiah 4:1-6; Isaiah 11:6-9; Isaiah 28:20; Isaiah 65:17-19; Ezekiel 37:1-23. An argument against the use of symbols in Revelation would be an argument against it in the prophetic Jewish Scriptures. Many Old Testament predictions are definitely mentioned by the apostles and about these there can be no room for doubt. Many of the symbols in Revelation have already been fulfilled, but this can only be determined by a careful comparison of the emblems with events that are plain historical facts. That this task is difficult, and there is danger of mistakes, must be conceded; that any understanding of them is impossible does not accord with facts. If that were true, then the writing of the book must be put down as a blunder; for, if none of it can be understood till the final state comes, then it will be too late to do anyone any good. The things to be revealed were to be shown to Christ’s servants. This implies ability to understand at least some, or the showing was a failure. The hook begins and ends with a blessing pronounced upon those who hear and keep the "things that are written therein." (Revelation 1:3; Revelation 22:7.) A thing quite impossible, unless there is some measure of understanding.
III. PLANS OF INTERPRETATION
There are some fairly well-defined plans of interpretation, and a great variety in the applications made in the details by different expositors. No one of them can be followed slavishly as an infallible guide in all views held, however much his suggestions may be worth. The truth will probably be found, if found at all, by carefully testing each human comment by the language of the text and what are known facts of history. Such has been the rule followed in this book.
As given by various commentators, the three most distinct plans may be stated substantially as follows: (1) The Preterist system, which applies the visions mainly to the Jewish nation and pagan Rome, with most of them placed before the destruction of Jerusalem. (2) The Futurist system, which makes the main part of the symbols to be fulfilled yet. This includes the return of fleshly Israel to Palestine, the rebuilding of the material temple, and the personal reign of Christ upon David’s throne here on earth for a thousand years. (3) The Historical system, which teaches that the different series of symbols show the future events of the church from soon after John wrote till the final states of men are reached.
Unquestionably some things John wrote have been fulfilled and are now passed, and some are necessarily future; for the Lord has not yet come and we are nearly eighteen hundred years toward the end of time. The author of this commentary has not allowed himself to be bound by any man’s system, or to reject any true statement just because its author happened to have an erroneous plan of interpretation. The historical system is that advocated by Mr. Elliott in his four-volume commentary, adopted by Mr. Barnes and others, and is accepted as substantially correct, though there is room for many differences in details
IV. REASONS FOR THE PLAN USED HERE
Since this commentary has been prepared on the supposition that Revelation was written mainly for the purpose of giving a pictorial history of the church till its ultimate victory, it is appropriate that some reasons shall be given for that view.
1. Regardless of the date when written, the book itself says (1:1) that its purpose is to show the things which must "shortly come to pass." This must mean that the fulfillment of the symbols would begin soon, not that all would be finished soon. By no fair handling of the text can any other view be taken.
2. There are too many symbols and too much evidence of a succession of events not to require a long period for the fulfillment. This alone is decisive proof against the theory that the major part of the book was fulfilled in the days of the apostles.
3. The statement that the things must "shortly" come to pass is equally decisive against the teaching that practically all the book is yet to be fulfilled.
4. Various reasons sustain the idea that the book was designed to picture the church’s struggles and triumphs from the apostolic period till its ultimate victory. The symbols depict the final war, the judgment, and the eternal city of God as the home of the redeemed.
1. That the churches in John’s day needed the instruction and encouragement that the book contains is evident from the letters to the seven churches. These brief letters clearly imply long-drawn-out opposition both without and within.
(2) Other congregations under equal or more severe persecutions would need the same incentives to make them persevere to the end. Such encouragement is always needed.
1.Paul foresaw and predicted a great apostasy which he called "the man of sin." That apostasy is now a well-known historical fact; denominationalism is an ever-present proof. That a revelation of things that "must" come to pass, including the coming of the Lord and his victory over that "man of sin" (2 Thessalonians 2:8), should not include that archenemy of truth is wholly incredible. Whatever else may be said, the world’s greatest religious apostasy would not be overlooked in a book foretelling the enemies of the church. Old Testament prophets made constant reference to the contemporary peoples with whom Israel had to do. In fact, no true history can be written of any people and not mention the nations involved in their existence. Why think that Revelation would give the church’s future and say nothing about her apostasies or her chief enemies? The very suggestions kill the idea.
V. RULES OF STUDY ADOPTED
The following rules have been adopted as both fair and necessary in a proper study of Revelation:
1. In the first chapter we have what may be called John’s own preface to the book. It is neither fair to the writer nor just to his book to interpret in conflict with his own prefatory explanation. John says he was told to write what he saw, things that are and those which must come to pass. (1:19.) Any interpretation that ignores the distinctions here made cannot be reliable. In verse 6 he says that Jesus "made us" a kingdom and priests--that is, a kingdom whose subjects are priests. The words to be in this verse, in italic letters, have been supplied by the translators. The sense is clearer, if they are omitted. In verse 9 John declares that he was a partaker with them "in the kingdom." If words can be depended upon to express ideas, the kingdom was in existence when John wrote. Any interpretation that conflicts with that statement rejects his words. Our rule then is this: All passages must be construed in harmony with the writer’s own prefatory explanations, which must be final regarding his meaning.
2. The whole tenor of Bible teaching is that man has ability, is free to act, and is personally responsible for his conduct. Revelation’s description of the final judgment holds rigidly to these facts. (20:11-15.) Any theory of the millennium which does not leave man such a free moral agent is of necessity false. Personal responsibility implies ability to do wrong; hence, there can be no age this side of the final judgment when man will be absolutely free from temptation and sin. As the millennium precedes the judgment, it can be no exception to this rule.
3. Any theory in this book, or any other, that places a meaning on figurative language that is contrary to the plain, literal statements of Jesus and his apostles must be false. Figures may beautify the thought, but plain words state the facts. If there is any doubt about the symbol, plain words must rule our decisions.
Note: In reference to texts of Revelation in this commentary the abbreviation "Rev." is omitted. For example (10:5) means the tenth chapter and fifth verse of Revelation.
THE BOOK OF REVELATION
AN APOCALYPTIC PREVIEW
By Foy E. Wallace
The current phrase “the book of revelation” is at once connotative of the apocalypse of John on Patmos--but the whole Bible is the book of revelation from God to man, and is the culmination of a divine pattern and policy of God’s communication with man.
The first two verses of the Hebrew epistle in the New Testament states the whole policy of divine revelation: “God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” This One who was the agent of the creation of the universe and of man became the heir of all things in God’s revelation to man, the culmination and fulfillment of the scheme of divine revelation. This chain of revelation, from the voice of God in the garden of Eden to the voice of the blood of Christ on the cross, follows a divine pattern from its first forms of communication to the completion of the divine purpose in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Primitive revelation was oral, when God addressed the patriarchs in direct verbal communication. Then revelation took the form of theophany--the manifestation of God in symbols and types and visions, inclusive of the long series of representations of God in the early ages. After this, revelation assumed an ethnic character in the formation of the Hebrew race, the existence of which was but an early form of divine revelation, from which developed the national feature of revelation in the establishment and organization of the nation of Israel, the whole history of which was a phase of divine revelation. Finally, revelation reached its documentary culmination and was committed to the records of the Old and New Testaments.
This gradual course and progressive policy of revelation is the meaning of Hebrews 1:1-2. God spake in time past (the old dispensations) unto the fathers (from Adam to Moses) by the prophets (the agents of ancient revelation) in sundry times (in various parts or portions) and in divers manners (employing many methods of communication), but in the last days (the gospel dispensation) God has spoken unto us by his Son (Jesus the Christ), whom he appointed heir of all things (spoken by the prophets). The various parts and portions were gathered into one, the many methods merged into the completed revelation, and the Bible thus becomes the longest thread of thought ever woven in the loom of time. This course of divine revelation is a basic principle of the present treatise.
PROPHECY AND THEOPHANY
The Book of Revelation being admittedly an apocalypse, the approach to its study requires a comparison of the meaning of certain related words, such as dream, vision, and prophecy.
The dream is usually understood as a vain image, formed in the subconscious mind or imagination, a series of thoughts and emotions of seeming reality, occurring during sleep. “He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.” (Job 20:8) From the earliest biblical times dreams were superstitiously regarded. Though the ordinary dreams and the dreamers, as well as the pretenders of the skill to interpret them, were condemned and forbidden, there are instances in the Bible where God made use of them to reveal his will and his purposes through individuals to whom he imparted the powers of interpretation. This use of dreams, and the supernatural gift to interpret them, manifestly had reference to future events known only to the Supreme Being who controls and disposes of the events of time. Since the fulfillment of divine revelation has been accomplished in the gospel of man’s redemption, foretold in the Old Testament and made known in the New Testament, all claims of faith in the validity of dreams as indicative of future events are pretentious, presumptious and delusive, and must be regarded as impious in character.
The vision in the periods of direct divine revelations was a means by which God, through persons whom he appointed, revealed Himself and communicated his will. In this sense the vision was an oracle from God, and in the Old Testament the term had reference to the Most Holy Place of the temple, where God through the high priests revealed and declared his will to the people of Israel. (1 Kings 6:5; 1 Kings 6:19; 1 Kings 6:23; 1 Kings 8:6) In the New Testament the word is used only in the plural, as in Romans 3:2; Hebrews 5:12; 1 Peter 4:11, and refers to the inspired Scriptures which contain the will of God, revealed to the men of God who were “moved by the Holy Spirit.” The oracles of the heathen world were uttered from their shrines, and at one time were consulted and held in repute and fear by kings, but did not long withstand the corruptive influences of bribery. The broad use of the term vision would include the divine oracles through the God-appointed men of the Old Testament, and the spiritually-gifted men of the New Testament, with the imparted powers of prophecy and inspiration during the time of the planting of the church in the miraculous age.
The word trance was of a more limited application. It is found only twice in the Old Testament (Numbers 24:4; Numbers 24:16) and in both instances the word is printed in italics, indicating that it was supplied by the translators and not in the original manuscript. In the New Testament the word occurs three times (Acts 10:10; Acts 11:5; Acts 22:17). The etymology of the word denotes a state of mind separated from the external world and occupied only with mental or spiritual contemplations. Psychologically, this state of mind may result in the effects of natural causes; but in the case of Simon Peter in Acts 10:1-48; Acts 11:1-30, and of the apostle Paul in Acts 22:17, the interposition of supernatural power for special divine purposes is evident. Such mediums served all divine purposes during the progress of revelation and are no longer existent as a divine means of communication.
The word prophecy is the far more frequently used word of the Scriptures, and its common use in the religious vernacular of today has been the root of all error. The prophets of the Old Testament were the “men of God” whom God authorized and inspired to reveal the things of the future, whose prophecies were not mere prognostication and human interpretation based on current events as the premise from which to draw their conclusions for future development. The character of true prophecy is such that there is no example in the present upon which to form a prophetic premise from which to draw a prophetic conclusion.
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21) Thus prophecy must be so far removed from anything in the present that there is no existing example of the thing prophesied upon which to base the prediction of the future event. Otherwise there would exist in the prophecy itself the element of human foresight.
The prophets of the New Testament were not of the same category--they belonged to the order of the “spiritual gifts” of 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, and were assistants to the apostles in the development of the scheme of redemption revealed in the New Testament, as mentioned in Ephesians 2:20; Ephesians 3:1-5. The reference to prophesying in the Corinthian epistle designated a form of inspired teaching of the specially endowed teachers in the exercise of the “spiritual gifts” for the edification of the church during this period of miracles before the revelation of the will of God in the New Testament was completed. Prophecy does not exist in either category today--neither in the foretelling of future events nor in the form of the special spiritual gift endowment.
Finally, the term apocalypse--the word employed to name the Book Of Revelation--was applied to anything viewed as a prophetic revelation, in the sense of an unfolding vision. The Book Of Revelation is termed a prophecy only in the modified sense of a vision of events--but not the foretelling of the distant future, such as characterized the old prophets. Prophecy in the authentic sense of the foretelling of future events was necessarily so detached from anything in the present, upon which to base the prophecy concerning things to come, that no example for it existed. But the whole vision of the Book Of Revelation was surrounded by existing events already in a state of development, and it was written in code as a warning to the churches living in that period, endangered by these conditions and facing the perils of persecution therein delineated. If Revelation is “a book of future prophecy,” then we are in a regime of prophecy still, and living in an age of prophecy. But the Lord declared in Luke 16:16 that “the law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” The phrase “until John” here does not mean until John appeared, but until John’s order ended. At the house of Cornelius, in Acts 10:37, Peter used the phrase “after the baptism which John preached.” Jesus said “until” John, and Peter said “after” John. Obviously after John meant after the cross; and until John meant until the cross. Jesus did not say that the law was until the cross--he said the law and. And what? The law and the prophets were until the cross--which means that prophecy ended exactly when and where the law ended. The word “until” expresses the point of termination. Paul states in Hebrews 9:10, that the ordinances of the law were imposed until the new covenant --the point of termination. So both law and prophecy were terminated by the cross of Christ and “since that time the kingdom of God is preached” and all men “press into it” under the Great Commission, the preaching of it.
In reference to this same point, Jesus declared in Matthew 5:17, that he did not come to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill them. And in Hebrews 1:1-14 the apostle affirmed that Christ is the heir of all things spoken by the prophets. The phrase all things in verse 2 must have an antecedent--Christ is the heir of what “all things”? The antecedent is in verse 1. In the former dispensation God spake unto the patriarchs by his prophets, the agents of divine revelation. In so doing he employed many methods and revealed his will in various parts. But “in these last days!"--the gospel dispensation--he speaks unto us by the Son whom he appointed to be the heir of all things spoken by the prophets. Jesus Christ became the heir of the “all things” spoken by the prophets in that he is the fulfillment of these “all things.” In Ephesians 1:10-11 the same apostle uses the same phrase “all things” in reference to the old and the new dispensations, saying: “That in the dispensation of the fulness of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ . . . according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will.”
The telescopes of the prophets were all focused on Jesus Christ; and the types of the old dispensation all pointed to Him who became “the heir of all things” thus spoken.
Like other students the author has in the past attempted to tread the tangled maze of “the future prophecy” theory of Revelation from A. D. 96 through the “dark ages” to the end of time--and like all the others who did so, he bogged down in the meshes of the wildernesses! Such an effort is as traditional as the Catholic calendar of popes from the apostle Peter in A.D. 33 to pope Paul VI of 1963-- and is as erroneous as the Baptist claim of the chain of succession back to John on the banks of the Jordan--the links fall out.
The historians use the word anachronism--meaning an error in the order of time. Taking an event out of the period to which it belongs and assigning it to a wrong period of time is an anachronism. The multiple theories asserting that Revelation is a book of future prophecy are anachronistic. The internal arguments--the contents of the book itself--are preponderantly negative to the future fulfillment theories, as many of the best scholars have admitted. After many years of intensive study it is the calculated conclusion of the author that the symbols of Revelation were fulfilled in the experience of the early church; that it bears a pre-destruction of Jerusalem date; and that it is prophetic only in the sense of an apocalyptic description of the struggle of the early church with the Jewish and Roman persecutors, and the spectacular and phenomenal victory over the pagan persecuting powers.
To accept this sensible application of the apocalypse is to walk in the light; to reject it and follow the future theorization is but to wander in the dark--in the maze of the medieval centuries--in search of some historical counter part for symbols that were fulfilled in the corresponding events of the century of the apocalyptic disclosure. This “dark ages” network of prophetic bewilderment has so trammelled the Book Of Revelation, and made it to bristle with so many difficulties, that most readers and students of all other books of the New Testament shrink from any effort to understand and apply the symbolic language of the apocalypse, in the vague dread of the fearful future events of a wholesale onslaught of reckless fury to be launched against the church, either to overwhelm us in our day or to overtake our children in another day. So they stop reading the New Testament at the end of Jude.
All who have followed these prophetic meanderings have been misled into theological back alleys. The relation of the contents of Revelation to the persecution of the church is undeniable, and there is no reason to look beyond the period of these persecutions for their fulfillment. The symbolism of the book offers no reason for future vagaries. Its code language has an obvious purpose--the same purpose the military has in communicating messages in code to its personnel in order to withhold the information from the public. If John had written Revelation in plain literal language it would have precipitated a premature onslaught against the church which would have obliterated it from the Roman empire and wiped it off the face of the earth.
It was therefore communicated in code for the information of the churches facing this era of persecution, and there were the spiritually-gifted teachers in every early church able to decode its message to the members. The Seer of Revelation speaks to his own time, which was, indeed, the time of crisis which the book envisions. The efforts to map an incalculable future, and attempt to force history to conform to it is a strange and curious method of exegesis.
With the foregoing deliberations in mind, the parallelism existing between the visions of the prophets in the Old Testament and the visions of John in Revelation will enhance the study preparatory to an exegesis of the book itself.
The visions contained in the Old Testament books presented in apocalyptic form the fortunes of God’s people Israel--the exile and the dominion of the wicked lords, and in short the cause of the Old. Testament church, the people of God, in conflict with the existing heathen powers.
The apocalypse of John in Revelation similarly portrays the struggle and triumph of the early Christians--the Nw Testament church--in conflict with the existing Jewish and Roman persecuting powers in the period of their persecutions.
All forms of apocalypse ended with the age of inspiration; there have been no revelations since, and there are no visions or apocalypses or prophecies of divine source today.
For every phase, feature and symbol of the visions of Revelation, there is a parallel in the Old Testament apocalypses. They are related in both character and description to the visions of John on the isle of Patmos. The classification and structure of the Old Testament books are essential to the application of the similar portions of the New Testament, such as the discourse of Jesus on the Mount Olivet, recorded in Matthew 24:1-51, Mark 13:1-37, and Luke 21:1-38, bearing on the siege and destruction of Jerusalem--and with these the Book Of Revelation. The apocalypse of John is the climax, consummation and crown of all biblical vision.
Let it be remembered that there is a distinct difference between the prophets and prophecies in the Old Testament and the use of prophecy in the New Testament, as indicated in 1 Corinthians 14:6, which reads: “Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?” Here, as in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, prophecy was listed among the “spiritual gifts” imparted by the apostles to edify the churches in the absence of the completed will of God in the New Testament, and it was a phase of inspired teaching in the churches. The prophets of the New Testament were thus the spiritually gifted teachers assisting the apostles in the completion of the plan of redemption, and they were not in the category of the Old Testament prophets. In the Book Of Revelation the word prophecy is used in the modified sense of apocalypse or vision. As before stated, prophecy in the sense of the foretelling of future events must have been so far removed from anything in the present that there could have been not even an example in the present of that which was prophesied--otherwise the element of human foresight, based on the development of the current events, would have obviously existed. But the visions of John were based on existent conditions and surrounded by events already in a state of development.
This fact removes the Book Of Revelation from the category of “future prophecy” and places it in the classification of apocalyptic vision relating to the fortunes of the New Testament churches in the midst of Jewish, Roman and Pagan persecutions, comparable to and parallel with the apocalypses of Ezekiel in relation to the fortunes of the Old Testament Israel.
The symbolic and typical system of the old dispensation, with its altars, visions and apocalypses, pointed to fulfillment in Christ and the church. The blood stream of the Old Testament began its flow from Abel’s altar and it did not cease until it was mingled with the crimson flow of the blood of Jesus Christ from the cross of Calvary
There are multiple passages in the New Testament gathered around the fact that the types and symbols and prophecies all pointed to Christ and were thus fulfilled. That is why Hebrews 1:1-2 declares that God appointed him to be the heir of the all things spoken by the prophets; and it is why Paul in Ephesians 1:1-23 stated that in this dispensation God has gathered together in one all things in Christ; and it is why in Romans 8:27-29 the apostle shows that the all things of God’s plan work together for the good, or the redemption, of all men who are called according to his purpose in the redemptive plan; and it is why in 2 Peter 1:19 that Christ was proclaimed the day star of all prophecy; and that is why Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament, in chapter 4, when seeking a figure of speech to adequately portray the grandeur of the One to come, selected the flaming orb of the day, and declared that the coming Christ should be the Sun Of Righteousness "with healing in his wings.” What the sun of the solar system is to the universe, Jesus Christ, the Sun Of Righteousness, would be to the darkened world of humanity in sin. In fulfillment of the prophecies He came; the Sun Of Righteousness had arisen, and it cast the beams of splendor across the crest of Calvary, glimmering and glistening in the blood of the crucified Son of God, who thus became “the heir of all things” spoken by the prophets. “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.” (Luke 24:44-45) “And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree.” (Acts 13:29) Jesus Christ is the heir of all things spoken by the prophets.
Having shown the object of prophecy and apocalypse, it is now in order to list the parallelism and application in the prophets of old and the apostle of Patmos.
(1) The sword and cherubims of Eden-- Genesis 3:24.
The flaming sword placed in the garden, after the expulsion of man and his mate from their Edenic home, was the symbol of divine justice; but the cherubims beside it were the symbols of grace and mercy. Together they symbolized the righteous judgment of God mingled with the grace of redemption in the unfolding plan for the restoration of man.
(2) The ladder of Jacob’s dream-- Genesis 28:10-22.
This dramatic and familiar experience of Jacob was the symbol of the mediation between God and man, set forth in a long series of typical images in the Old Testament, which culminated in Jesus Christ, as indicated in John 1:15.
(3) The burning bush of Midian-- Exodus 3:1-22 (1-10).
This burning bush in the desert of midian was a synbolic representation that the wrath of Pharaoh could not harm Moses any more than the bush could be consumed by the fire that was burning it; and that the people of God in Egypt were as imperishable in the afflictions of slavery as the bush was impervious to the elements which failed to consume it, and that they would remain so before all enemies. Here is a forecast, not only of the fortunes of the nation of Israel, but also of the “Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16.
(4) The song of Moses-- Exodus 15:1-27.
These richly poetic and prophetic verses compose a magnificent song of triumph and victory over Egypt and deliverance from Pharaoh’s power and sovereignty. It is comparable to the Song Of Moses And The Lamb in the apocalypse of Revelation
(5) The tabernacle in the wilderness-- Exodus 25:1-40.
This unusually remarkable and amazing tent of the wilderness of Sinai was a symbol of the manifestation, presence and dwelling of God in and with his people--an outward demonstration of an inward dwelling among them, and is again set forth spiritually in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 and in chapters 11:19 and 21:3 of Revelation.
(6) The sword of Jericho-- Joshua 6:1-27.
The siege and fall of Jericho were the signs and signals for the defeat and overthrow of any and all enemies who stood in the way of Israel, as further recorded in Joshua 5:13; Joshua 6:27. It has an unmistakable parallel in Revelation 11:8.
(7) The vision of Isaiah-- Isaiah 6:1-13.
This imagery of the judgments and fortunes of Israel is paralleled with the experiences of the church in the apocalypse of Revelation 6:9 --"How long, 0 Lord, how long.”
(8) The dominion and death of Israel’s lords-- Isaiah 26:13-19.
The prophet here depicts the oppressions of Israel under the rule of the despotic lords of Babylon during their exile. The phrases in this vision, “they are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise . . . but thy dead men shall live,” referred to Israel’s deliverance from exile.
The wicked lords were dead as lords, never to hold dominion over the people of Israel again; they should not again rise to power. But the people of God, who were represented as dead in exile would live and exult in triumph over deliverance from the lords of Babylon. The expressions “thy dead” and “my body” refer to the collective body of Israel, which would rise from the dead state of captivity, and finds parallel in the figurative resurrection of the persecuted saints in the throne scene of Revelation 20:1-6.
(9) The new heaven and earth for Israel-- Isaiah 66:22.
The deliverance of Israel from Babylonian exile is called their new heaven and new earth, when Israel returned from the Babylon of captivity to the land of their fathers. It finds symbolic parallel in the New Testament church emerging from the Roman persecutions into their new heaven and new earth of victory.
(10) The winged creatures of Ezekiel-- Ezekiel 1:4-28; Ezekiel 10:1-22.
The visions begin with the view of the opened heavens --the symbols of God’s presence, and of his judgments in the winds and fire. The creatures and cherubims are the visions of divine activity, indicating that God was not in repose. It is the apocalyptic symbol of the restoration of what Israel had lost in captivity, a parallel which is repeatedly envisioned in Revelation of the emergence of the church from the period of persecution to restored peace, unity and spirituality in the victorious cause of Christ.
(11) The valley of dry bones-- Ezekiel 37:1-28.
This vision is a graphic description of the grave of exile and captivity, and of Israel’s resurrection in deliverance from the Babylonian captivity. It parallels the resurrection ofRevelation 20:1-15 --the survival and resurrection of the cause of the martyrs.
(12) The temple of Zechariah-- Zechariah 8:9-11.
The horsem*n and horns of Zechariah’s vision symbolized that God’s hosts would put down oppressions, and restore and enlarge Jerusalem after the return of the exiles. The measuring of the temple, though it has a dual meaning, is a parallel of full import with the New Jerusalem of the gospel dispensation.
(13) The branch, throne, priest and ruler-- Zechariah 6:9-15; Hebrews 4:7-11; Hebrews 8:4.
The description of the priest and king on the throne and the apocalypse of the temple are typical of the spiritual priesthood and kingship of Jesus Christ, who in fulfillment of this prophecy was king and priest at the same time, as set forth in the Hebrew references and other parts of the New Testament, including the imagery of Revelation.
(14) The fountain for sin-- Zechariah 13:1-9.
This chapter points to Christ and to the crucifixion, where he was “wounded in the house of his friends”--by the Jews who crucified him, as declared in John 1:11. The vision channels the blood stream of redemption in the Old Testament forward to its crimson flow from the cross of Calvary.
(15) The living waters of Jerusalem-- Zechariah 14:1-21.
The sweep of the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of Zechariah carries the reader from Calvary to Pentecost and envisions the living waters of the gospel dispensation flowing from Jerusalem, as foretold in Isaiah 2:2-4, and quoted by Jesus Christ in Luke 24:47-48. Those apocalypses of the Old Testament merge into the remedial dispensation of the gospel.
(16) The image of Nebuchadnezzar-- Daniel 2:1-49.
This visional dream of the colossal image was a prophetic apocalypse of the succession of the world monarchies of Babylonia, Persia, Grecia and Rome, culminating in an imagery of the kingdom of God in the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, and in Daniel’s visions of the years, months, weeks and days--all pointing to the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of the kingdom of Christ “in the days of these kings,” fulfilled in the time of the Roman Caesars.
(17) The apocalyptic discourse of Christ-- Matthew 24:1-51.
The signs of this chapter all point to the siege and the destruction of Jerusalem, the demolition of the temple, the downfall of Judaism and the end of the Jewish state. There is no sign mentioned below the thirty-fourth verse of Matthew 24:1-51, and it reads: “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” They were fulfilled before the passing of that generation, in the events accompanying the destruction of Jerusalem.
(18) The apocalypse of John in Revelation--in twenty-two chapters.
The apocalypse of John in Revelation is but the extension of the descriptions of Christ in Matthew 24:1-51, of the destruction of Jerusalem, the signs preceding it, and the events connected with it, before and after the siege. It represents the blending of the apocalypses of the old and new testaments, which form the basis of this treatise of Revelation
AUTHENTICITY AND CHRONOLOGY
There is hardly a book in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, the authorship of which has not been disputed by the modern higher critics, to raise doubts and create distrust among all who accept the Bible as the Word of God. The seer of Revelation by-lines his apocalypse with the personal inscription, John. But the dissentient critics assert this signature to be pseudonymous, in keeping with the character of an apocalypse, and that it professes to be authored by someone other than the actual writer. All ecclesiastical sources ascribe Revelation to John the apostle, and this is confirmed by the testimony of the book itself, in chapters 1:4, 9 and 21:2 and 22:8
The claim that it was composed by another John compares with the efforts to take Moses out of the Pentateuch; and with the double-Isaiah theory, which splits the prophecy, attributing a part of the book to a second Isaiah of a later date; and to confuse the authorship of James, John and Hebrews--all for the purpose of destroying the credibility of the Bible and the inspiration of its authors and its books. These issues have been settled by various capable scholars, such as McGarvey of the church, and recognized denominational theologians and scholars such as Philip Schaff, the translator of the American Standard Version, published in 1901. and many others of his class who believe in the integrity, authenticity, credibility and inspiration of the Bible.
The claim regarding the differences in the language and style of Revelation, and of John’s gospel and epistles, are of similar nature and intent. Such differences, if their existence is actual, are attributable to the apocalyptic character of Revelation--that it is not an epistle of John’s composition, but was dictated to John by the angel; therefore it was the language of the angel and not in his own style. In his own epistles the Holy Spirit utilized John’s personality, style and language, but in Revelation it was that of the angel of Christ as plainly stated in chapter 1:1. It must also be considered that John was “in the spirit” when Revelation was dictated to him, and was no more than the visional amanuensis to write from dictation the words of the angel of Christ.
The argument on the chronology of the apocalypse is centered on the choice between two dates that have been assigned to it--first the latter part of the Domitian reign about A.D. 96; second, the pre-destruction of Jerusalem date in the period of Nero Caesar, about A.D. 58-64. The contention for the Domitian date is based mainly on two claims:
(1) That in the second century a “church father” named Irenaeus is said to have seen Polycarp who is also said to have said that John was seen by him in the latter part of the reign of Domitian--and that has been taken to mean that the apocalypse was seen, rather than John, at that time. The most that can be said of this contention is that it is rather a circuitous method of arriving at a point of chronology, and it sounds more like hearsay than history.
(2) On a supposition that apostasy in the Asian churches forms a case for the late Domitian date, based on the improbability of apostasies occurring so soon as the earlier date--hence, indicating a longer existence of the Asian churches than the earlier date would allow, as a necessary consideration of the time of the vision. But the apostasies of the Galatian churches “so soon removed” from Christ, as stated in Galatians 1:6; and of the Hebrew teachers and members, as mentioned in Hebrews 6:1-6; Hebrews 10:25-39, together seem to refute the impossibility of such an early apostasy of the Asian churches, if not altogether the claim of improbabilities that departures in the churches could have occurred and did occur that soon. The evidences of these early apostasies are also seen in such passages as Romans 16:17 and 1 John 2:15. The argument for the late Domitian date of Revelation, therefore, lacks finality and is entirely too inadequate for proof.
The argument for the early Neroan date has solid internal proof--within the book itself--and external historical support by recognized and respectable scholars of high standing.
In the first book of the eight volume set entitled The History Of The Christian Church, by the world recognized historian, Philip Schaff, the author cited a group of twenty reputable scholars who assign the date of Revelation to the early Neroan period before the destruction of Jerusalem, who also applied its descriptions to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, the overthrow of the Jewish theocracy, the fall of Judaism and the end of the Jewish state--all in the fierce conflict with the Roman empire.
Among these high ranking scholars are the names of Moses Stuart, Samuel Davidson, Ewald, Bleek, DeWitte, and Cowles, who were named by historian Philip Schaff on page 837 of the volume mentioned. Other notable names added from other sources who hold to this early Neroan date are, Westcott and Hort (authors of the New Testament Greek Text), Farrar, Lightfoot, and as Paul said of the honor roll of Hebrews eleven, the time would fail me to tell of them all. But historian Schaff, on page 219, places the beginning of “the Neronian persecution” in A.D. 64, the tenth year of Nero, according to Tacitus; and the martyrdom ofPaul and Peter either then or a few years later, and states that some of the best scholars in his estimation, from the internal indications, assign the apocalyptic epistle to the period between A.D. 60 and A.D. 70, before the destruction of Jerusalem.
In addition to the consensus of the views of such an impressive array of scholars as mentioned and commended in Schaff’s history, there are the testimonies of other eminents such as Charles Wordsworth, of Cambridge (author of the multiple volume Commentary On The Bible, and the long out of print volume entitled Lectures On The Apocalypse; and Milton S. Terry, of the Garrett Biblical Institute of the Northwestern University (author of Biblical Apocalyptics); and James M. MacDonald, of Princeton (author of The Life and Writings Of John). In the Commentary and the Lectures Wordsworth stoutly opposed the various forms of millennialism and committed himself to the view of the early origin of Revelation.
He argued forcefully against the theory of the future millennium based on the twentieth chapter of Revelation, saying in substance that the millennialists have all commonly supposed the apocalypse to be a continuous prophetic history, flowing in regular chronological stream from the beginning of the events to the end of time. Based on this assumption the millennial claims, that the twentieth chapter describes a future period beginning at the return of the Lord, cannot allow the transpiring of these events earlier than a time posterior to the coming of Christ. This conclusion is based on the erroneous premise of the late date for the apocalypse, disconnecting it from the events anticipated in its visions and imagery. The fundamental error is in the assumption that “the seven seals” extend from the apostolic age to the end of time. But the Book Of Revelation is not that kind of a consecutive prophecy, but rather a succession of immediate events.
It is further argued that the doctrine of the future millennium, based on the late date, caused the apocalypse to decline in repute because, said Wordsworth, “the doctrine of millennialism is repugnant to the Scriptures,” and the misinterpretations resulted in the rejection of the entire apocalypse as unauthentic vagaries. But with these misconceptions refuted the book takes its proper place with the other epistles, dealing with things present and immediate, and respect for the apocalypse was restored. The kingdom of Christ is spiritual and future wars and revolutions of political import are not the object in Revelation. of the visions
The importance of this phase of the study of Revelation justifies the further mention and consideration of History Of The Christian Church, by Philip Schaff, the international scholar, theologian and historian, who was the president of the translating committee for the American Standard Revised Version of 1885-1901, composed of one hundred one of the world’s ripest scholars. The statements that follow, gathered from the first volume of his history, summing up the views of a galaxy of scholars, historians, theologians and commentators, weigh heavily in favor of the early Neroan date for the Book Of Revelation.
The gist of the testimony of these authorities, as confirmed by Schaff’s history, is here submitted in the following abridged summation:
(1) That none of the leading apostles remained to record the horrible massacre (the destruction of Jerusalem) except John . . . who at all events was himself the victim of persecution and depicted its horrors in the vision of the apocalypse. . . . The seer must have had in view the Neronian persecution, the most cruel that ever occurred, when he called the woman seated on seven hills “drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus,” and prophesied her downfall as a matter of rejoicing for the “saints and apostles and prophets”. . . . Some commentators discover a direct allusion to Nero, as expressing in the Hebrew letters Neron Kesar (Nero Caesar) the mysterious number 666.--Page 385-386.
(2) That the internal evidence of the apocalypse itself, and a comparison with the fourth gospel, favor an earlier date before the destruction of Jerusalem. . . . The unmistakable allusions to imperial persecutions apply much better to Nero than to Domitian . . . that John was exiled on Patmos under Nero, where he wrote the apocalypse not later than A.D. 68 or 69, not only before the destruction of Jerusalem, but before the Gospel of John, and at least twenty years before his death at Ephesus.--Pages 428-429.
(3) That the traditional date of the composition of the apocalypse at the end of the Domitian reign in A.D. 95 or 96, rests on the testimony of Irenaeus, and has the support of some learned defenders, but the internal evidence strongly favors the earlier date, before the destruction of Jerusalem.--Page 834.
(4) That the apocalypse is a Christian counterblast against the Neronian persecution, with Nero represented as the beast of the abyss, and the number 666 signifying the very name of this imperial monster in the Hebrew letters-- NERON CAESAR--as follows: N-50; R-200; O-6; N-50; K-100; S-60; R-200 the sum of which is 666.-- Page 845.
(5) That the Neronian coins of Asia bear the inscription of Nero Caesar, the first and most wicked of all imperial persecutors of Christianity, and who was eminently worthy of being characterized as the beast of the abyss, and who was regarded as the embodiment of Antichrist. --Page 846.
(6) That the Hebrew letters for 666 correspond to the Latin and the Greek, with, the last letter N having been dropped by a copyist from the Latin, making the sum 616, which was the number in some of the texts.--Page 846.
(7) That the apocalypse of Revelation is based on the Lord’s discourse in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, describing the siege and destruction of Jerusalem.--Page 826.
On pages 253-270 in Biblical Apocalyptics, Terry (of Northwestern) makes numerous arguments in favor of the early date, before. the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, the salient points of which are condensed into the following summation:
It is therefore not to be supposed that the language, or style of thought, or type of doctrine must needs resemble those of other production of the same author . . . The difference of language is further accounted for by the supposition that the apocalypse was written by the apostle at an early period of his ministry, and the gospel and epistles some thirty or forty years later.--Page 255.
A fair weighing of the arguments thus far adduced shows that they all (referring to early writers) excepting the statement of Irenaeus, favor the early rather than later date. The facts appealed to indicate the times before rather than after the destruction of Jerusalem.--Page 258.
Now, there is no contention that Galatians and Hebrews were written before the destruction of Jerusalem, and, to say the least, the most natural explanation of the allusions referred to is to suppose that the Apocalypse was already written, and that Paul and many others of his day were familiar with its contents. Writers who cite passages from the apostolic fathers to prove the priority of the gospel of John are the last persons in the world who should presume to dispute the obvious priority of the Apocalypse of John to Galatians and Hebrews. For in no case are the alleged quotations of Gospel more notable or striking than these allusions to the Apocalypse in the New Testament epistles.--Page 260.
According to the following exposition the prophecies of this book are an apocalypse of the fall of Judaism and the rise and triumph of Christianity. . . . In our analysis and exposition we have been guided by the principles of interpretation which have already been tested and illustrated in the apocalyptic portions of the Hebrew Scriptures. We thus find that John’s Apocalypse is but an enlargement of our Lord’s eschatological sermon on the Mount of Olives. It takes the same line of thought and translates it into the more extended and formal elements of apocalyptic symbolism.
We have endeavored to support our exposition by abundant citation of illustrative analogies from the older scriptures, and to show how the successive revelations depict, in the most perfect harmony with apocalyptic methods, the fearful overthrow of that great city which had become a harlot . . . the corrupt and outcast Jerusalem . . . called Sodom and Egypt and Babylon.--Pages 269-70.
The subject-matter of the Apocalypse is here said to be things which must shortly come to pass. .. . The things thus destined to come to pass soon after the composition of this book were in substance the same as those of which Jesus discoursed on the Mount of Olives, and which are written in Matthew 24:1-51, Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 21:1-38. They concerned the approaching end of that age, the overthrow of Jerusalem, and with it the old covenant of Mount Sinai. .. . . It was necessary that these things come to pass shortly, for Jesus had repeatedly declared that the consummation of that age and his coming in his kingdom would take place before that generation passed away.--Page 276.
The exhaustive treatise on The Life And Writings Of John, by James M. MacDonald, of Princeton, was produced as a companion to the inestimable work of Conybeare and Howson on The Life And Epistles Of Paul, and ranks with it in worth and merit and scholarship. In this work the author, MacDonald, devotes an entire section to the affirmation that Revelation was written before the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Doctor Howson, of England, the co-author of the aforementioned Life And Epistles Of Paul, edited the Life And Writings Of John with notes, and wrote its introduction after the death of its author. Apparently agreeing with and indorsing the views of the author, Doctor Howson reviewed the contents of. the book, and in reference to the date of Revelation he commented as follows:
Concerning the Book of Revelation I will say nothing, except to invite attention to the arguments by which Doctor MacDonald endeavors to fix its date. The reasoning seems to me to be very well drawn out, which assigns the writing of this part of the Holy Scripture to a time intermediate between the Gospel and the Epistles of St. John.--Page xxxiii, Introduction.
It will be noted that in the foregoing statement, the editor Doctor J. S. Howson, agrees that the apocalypse of John was written before some of the other epistles of John. In the order of arrangement in his book, MacDonald places Revelation first, with the history of it and his comments on its text and contents. The general trend and tenor of the author’s argument in favor of the early date of Revelation are observed from the following quotations:
The question whether the Apocalypse was written at an early date or in the very closing period of the apostolic ministration has importance as bearing on the interpretation of the book. A true exposition depends, in no small degree, upon a knowledge of the existing condition of things at the time it was written; i. e., of the true point in history occupied by the writer, and those whom he originally addressed. . . . If the book were an epistle, like that to the Romans or to the Hebrews, it might be of comparatively little importance, in ascertaining its meaning, to be able to determine whether it was written at the commencement of the apostolic era or at its very close.
It is obvious that if the book itself throws any distinct light on this subject, this internal evidence, especially in the absence of reliable historical testimony, ought to be decisive. Instead of appealing to tradition or to some doubtful passage in an ancient father, we interrogate the book itself, or we listen to what the Spirit saith that was in him who testified of these things. It will be found that no book of the New Testament more abounds in passages which clearly have respect to the time when it was written.-- Pages 161-162.
Continuing and extending these comments on the internal evidences of the book, which favor the early date before the destruction of Jerusalem, author MacDonald concludes an argument with the statement: “So clear is the internal evidence in favor of the earlier date of the Apocalypse. And no evidence can be drawn from any part of the book favoring the later date so commonly assigned to it.” (Page 167) Then in a final statement, at the close of the section on “The Date Determined From Internal Evidence,” on page 171-2, the author concludes: “And when we open the book itself, and find inscribed on its very pages evidence that at the time it was written Jewish enemies were still arrogant and active, and the city in which our Lord was crucified, and the temple and the altar in it were still standing, we need no date from early antiquity, not even from the hand of the author himself, to inform us that he wrote before that great historical event and prophetic epoch, the destruction of Jerusalem.”
The present problem to this author is not to find the facts to sustain the premises of this treatise on the period to which the Book Of Revelation belongs, but rather to select them. Before passing from the external testimony of eminent authorities to the examination of the internal evidence of the book itself, this part of the section would not be complete without the inclusion of a few other references.
First: The chronology on Revelation on the title page of the Syriac Version of the New Testament assigns the date to the year A. D. 68--before the destruction of Jerusalem.
Second: Sir Isaac Newton advocated the early date, based on various references in the other epistles to the contents of the Apocalypse, as was later so ably affirmed by scholar Milton S. Terry. In reference to the view of Newton, MacDonald says on page 154: "Of all the arguments adduced by Sir Isaac Newton, none appears more cogent to Michaelis than that which is drawn from the Hebrew style of the Revelation, from which Sir Isaac had drawn the conclusion that John must have written the book shortly after his departure from Palestine, and before the destruction of Jerusalem.”
Third: In a short and concise Commentary On Revelation published prior to 1885, by Robert Young, author of Young’s Analytical Concordance, he states: “It was written in Patmos about A. D. 68, whither John had been banished by Domitius Nero, as stated in the title of the Syriac version of the book; and with this concurs the express statement of Irenaeus in A. D. 175, who says it happened in the reign of Domitianou--i.e., Domitius (Nero). Sulpicius, Orosius, etc., stupidly mistaking Domitianou for Domitianikos, supposed Irenaeus to refer to Domitian, A. D. 95, and most succeeding writers have fallen into the same blunder. The internal testimony is wholly in favor of the earlier date.”
Fourth: In a Catechetical Commentary on the New Testament (in question and answer form) William Hurte, of Edinburgh, Scotland, wrote in 1884: “That John saw these visions in the reign of Nero, and that they were written by him during his banishment by that emperor, is confirmed by Theophylact, Andreas, Arethas, and others. We judge, therefore, that this book was written about A. D. 68, ad this agrees with other facts of history . . . There are also several statements in this book which can only be understood on the ground that the judgment upon Jerusalem was then future.”
Fifth: In Dissertations, on the verbally parallel passages of the New Testament, pointing to the same tribulations Tilloch, a reputable early scholar, finds proof in these parallels for the early date of Revelation, before the destruction of Jerusalem, which was the object of these various references in other books of the New Testament.
Sixth: All of the writers who assign the date of Revelation to the Domitian period admit the uncertainty of the contention, granting it by the repeated use of probable and probability, and, while depending on the “external” evidences, it is conceded that the internal indications overwhelmingly favor the earlier date. It is this fact that Philip Schaff emphasizes is the History Of The Christian Church, Vol. I, which should give ground for considerable pause for those who hold to the theory of a continuous historical pageant character of the Apocalypse.
Seventh: It has been mentioned that the chief witness for the late Domitian date is Irenaeus, of the second century, and the admissions of the ambiguity of his testimony renders its evidence null and void. The claim for the Domitian date, based on the statement of Irenaeus, depends solely on a quotation from Eusebius, who made some reference to Irenaeus having said that he had seen Polycarp, who in turn mentioned having seen the apostle John near the end of Domitian’s reign, and from this is constructed the conclusion that the apocalypse was seen at that time. But the argument has been reduced to a logomachy, a war of words, as to whether the statement of Irenaeus meant that John was seen or that the apocalypse was seen, and it has little, if any value, as evidence. Moreover it is stated by Jerome that in the year A. D. 96 the apostle was so aged and weak and infirm that “he was with difficulty carried to the church, and could speak only a few words to the people.” This fact is incompatible with the interpretations of the alleged claim of Irenaeus, based on the reference in Eusebius.
Furthermore, the fact that Eusebius denied that the apostle John was the author of Revelation, and assigned its authorship to what is called “another John,” casts serious reflection on the worthiness of this particular testimony and renders its value as evidence virtually nil.
Commenting on the weight of the Irenaeus claim, as an argument touching the date of Revelation, Professor Milton S. Terry makes the following extended comment in Biblical Apocalyptics:
1. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, says that in his boyhood he had conversed with Polycarp, and heard him tell of his personal friendship with the apostle John. In speaking of the mystic number given in Revelation 13:18, he says: “If it were necessary to have his name distinctly announced at the present time it would doubtless have been announced by him who saw the apocalypse; for it was not a great while ago that (it or he) was seen, but almost in our own generation, toward the end of Domitian’s reign.” Here the critical reader (of the Greek sentence) will observe that the subject of the verb was seen, is ambiguous, and may be understood either of John or the Apocalypse. To assert, as some do, that the only grammatical and legitimate construction requires us to understand the Apocalypse rather than John as the subject of the verb, is arbitrary and presumptuous.
To say the least, in fairness, one construction is as correct and legitimate as the other. But why should he say that the book was recently seen? The point that he aims to make is that the man who saw the visions of the Apocalypse had lived almost into the times to which Irenaeus belonged, and had it been needful to declare the name of the Antichrist he would himself have done it. The time when John saw the Apocalypse was of no consequence for determining the name of the Antichrist so long as the apostle himself was yet alive. There is more reason for believing that the reference is to the Apocalypse in the fact that Irenaeus elsewhere says that John lived on into the times of Trajan.
2. But admitting that Irenaeus refers to the Apocalypse as having been seen near the close of Domitian’s reign, his ambiguous statement is the only external evidence of any real value for determining the question. All other statements are later, and like the numerous statements of Eusebius, seem to be either repeated from Irenaeus or based on mere inferences. And it is notorious that even Eusebius, after Irenaeus and others, leaves the question of the authorship of the Apocalypse in doubt--Pages 256-57.
The foregoing facts which are stated with authority and clarity by Terry, an accomplished scholar, are corroborated with the same indubitable and historical evidence by MacDonald in The Life And Writings Of John. This together with the statement of the scholarly Robert Young that Sulpicius, Orosius and others, had stupidly mistaken the reference to Domitius (Nero) for Domitian, and that “succeeding writers have fallen into the same blunder,” has created so much divergence of opinion and confusion regarding the credibility of the Irenaeus quotation as to render it worthless as external evidence for the later date of Revelation.
Seeing now that the late Domitian date of A. D. 96 for Revelation, so far as external evidence is concerned, hangs on the slender thread of assumptions, mostly taken for granted, that are too inadequate for proof; and that there are no certain indications within the book itself for the assumed Domitian date; it is time to turn to the solid internal evidences--the proof within the book--that it was written during the reign of Nero, before the siege and destruction of Jerusalem; that it was an apocalypse of the overthrow of apostate Jerusalem, the obliteration of the Jewish theocracy with the demolition of the temple, the calamitous downfall of Judaism and the catastrophic end of the Jewish state; that in apocalyptic imagery it describes the tribulations of persecution that engulfed the early church and overwhelmed its members in suffering; that the conflict with the persecuting powers ended in the victory of the Cause for which Christians suffered and martyrs died, symbolized in the triumphant scenes of a figurative resurrection and enthronement--and, all in all, that the visions of the Book Of Revelation were fulfilled in the experiences of churches of that period, and that the apocalypse does not extend beyond the era of the Roman persecution of the church
To establish these premises it must first be shown beyond reasonable doubt, by the contents of the apocalypse itself, that John wrote the Book Of Revelation before the siege of Jerusalem which ended with its destruction--and to that task we now boldly turn, as an assignment confidently accepted.
Our proposition is that the argument for the early Neroan date has solid internal and external support. In the arrangement of these points there may be some repetitions necessary to complete the following classification:
(1) The witness of the Syriac Version of the New Testament to the date of Revelation.
Of this ancient version, Philip Schaff’s Dictionary Of The Bible, under the term Syriac, has the following to say: "Syriac, the ancient language of Syria, a dialect of the Aramaean. The word occurs in Daniel 2:4, where it should be Aramaic, as it is in the Hebrew. The Chaldeans spoke in Aramaic in order to conform to the custom of the court, but this was not their proper or scientific language. . . . The language now called Syriac first comes to notice in the second century A. D., but ceased to be a vernacular before the twelfth century. It contains the most extensive literature of any Aramaean dialect, chiefly theological, and, of the greatest importance, a translation of the Bible--commonly called Pesh*to (“simple”), because it was literal and not paraphrastic--which was made in the second century. It is the earliest of the direct versions.”
It is of “greatest importance” now to observe that this “earliest of the direct versions” places the period of the Apocalypse in the reign of Nero, hence, before the destruction of Jerusalem. This fact is cited by MacDonald, in The Life And Writings Of John, on page 171, as follows: “In the Syriac version this book is entitled: ‘The Revelation which was made by God to John the evangelist in the island Patmos, into which he was thrown by Nero Caesar’. And Theophylact, in the eleventh century, places the origin of the Apocalypse during the reign of Nero.” Here is a double-barreled combined internal and external testimony in favor of the Neroan date of Revelation.
(2) The historical background of persecution in the whole book and in all of the visions--Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:10.
The basis of the book is in the conditions that prevailed in the relations existing between the church and the empire. The whole foreground and background of the visions are the threats of impending persecution. The Roman emperor and his votaries were to become the instruments of Satan in the empire’s furious assault on the church. Clement of Rome said that “the Neronian persecution had been a wholesale onslaught of reckless fury.” This persecution was directed against both the Christians and Jews, for the Christians were loyal to Christ, and the Jews were loyal to their Law. It was the Roman requirement that the Christians and the Jews must worship the emperor, compliance with which edict would constitute disloyalty to the Supreme Object of worship and of adoration by the orthodox Jews, and a complete renunciation of Christ by all Christians-- and it was this edict which initiated the conditions that called forth the Book Of Revelation. Here both Judaism and Christianity were involved for no lower loyalty to an earthly king or empire could warrant compliance or even a policy of compromise. Both Judaism and Christianity were incompatible with the Roman religion. With respect to Judaism, the empire could tolerate it; but the mere profession of Christianity was pronounced a crime worthy of death.
In the reign of Nero a great conflagration enveloped Rome. The old saying that “Nero fiddled while Rome burned” is due to the common belief that he instigated the burning of the city. High authorities considered the emperor guilty, others were inclined to leave it an open question, but whether guilty or innocent the emperor must have a scapegoat, and he found it in Christians. At the first Christianity had been regarded by the empire as merely a new Jewish sect, but it had now come into a position of distinction from Judaism, and the Roman world was aware of this distinction. The riots which had erupted in the reign of Claudius had created prejudice and engendered hatred against them in provinces other than Judea, and they were commonly believed guilty of the crimes for which they were charged. Before Rome burned the people of the empire had come to recognize the distinction between the Jews and the Christians, and the trials and martyrdoms which were staged subsequent to the burning of the city publicly crystallized this line of cleavage between Judaism and Christianity. In this hatred of the Christians the Jewish authorities instigated the persecutions of the church.
It is a fact of history that the burning of Rome occurred in A. D. 64 and that it was the event which precipitated the persecutions. Inasmuch as the persecutions in the Apocalypse were impending, and yet lay in the future, it identifies the date of the Book Of Revelation with the early part of the reign of Nero and before the destruction of Jerusalem. And it is timely to state here that it was Nero who gave the order for the siege of Jerusalem which resulted in the destruction of the city, followed by the tribulations symbolized in the visions of the Apocalypse.
(3) The reference to the early and impending events mentioned in the preamble to the visions--Revelation 1:2-3.
The exhortation to “read, hear and keep” the contents of the book, and the reason stated for so doing in the phrase “for the time is at hand,” is manifestly based on the imminence of these events; and if they were not to occur in their own time there was no point for such urgency of exhortation, considering the suppositions of the theory that makes these events so far removed from them and even now remote to us. These events had application to the persecutions resulting from the destruction of Jerusalem; the conflict with the powers of heathenism in the Roman empire, and in ruin of the Great City (Jerusalem) “where the Lord was crucified,” which had become apostate--"a faithful city turned harlot.” The description of these events is parallel with and an extension of the same events more briefly pictured in the Lord’s summary of them in Matthew 24:1-51. In this light the Apocalypse has a clear and unforced meaning and immediate application. But the application of these time elements and allusions, to events millenniums after the date of the visions, and to the centuries yet to come, renders the whole book unreal, its language unnatural, its interpretation conjectural, its understanding impossible, and is incompatibly inconsistent with the purpose, completion and fulfillment of divine revelation.
(4) The early persecution of and opposition to the church by the Jewish authorities--Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9.
On this point the pre-destruction of Jerusalem date of Revelation is indicated by apparent references to the persecutions of that time proceeding from the Jews. The early persecutions of the church in the apostolic age were in consequence of Jewish instigation, due to the bitter hatred among the Jews for those Jews who, in their view, had defected from Judaism by becoming disciples of Jesus Christ, which was the cause of the fierce zeal of the Jewish population against Christians. At the first, the Christians had protection and shelter from these Jewish persecutions by the Roman government, which considered Judaism and Christianity as nothing more than two major Jewish factions engaged in a quarrel between themselves, but later the government itself extended the persecution of Christians which had been initiated and instigated by the Jews in opposition to the church. The reference to these Jewish persecutions in the chapters and verses named identifies the date of Revelation with these early Jewish persecutions.
(5) The activities of the Judaizers mentioned in the letters to the seven churches—Revelation 2:1-6; Revelation 11:13.
There are clear and repeated references in the letters to the churches, and other parts of the apocalypses to the prevalent activities of the Judaizers, and to their existence and presence in the churches as a source of strife, trouble, discord and contention. But after the destruction of Jerusalem, the demolition of the temple, the overthrow of their theocracy and the end of the Jewish state, the activities of the Judaizers became nonexistent, and their influence null and void.
(6) The definite existence of the Jewish state at the time of John’s visions—Revelation 6:1-17; Revelation 9:1-21.
The contents of these chapters are based on the existence of the tribes of Israel, and the conditions prevailing in the Jewish state against which the warnings of imminent events were issued and directed. The description of the second rider fits the magisterial authority of the Jewish officials opposed to the church, and the third rider describes the imperial power to execute wrath and judgment. The symbols of chapter eight are Jewish and directed at the Jewish theocracy, and connects the events with immediate subsequent Jewish history.
(7) The representation in the vision that the temple of Herod was still standing—Revelation 11:1-19.
The temple, the court and the altar, were referred to as yet intact, and the reference in present tense to “the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified,” clearly refers to Jerusalem, and reveals that neither the city of Jerusalem nor the temple of Herod had been overthrown and destroyed--but their utter demolition was at hand and was shortly to occur.
The parallel of Matthew 24:1-51 points to the fulfillment in A. D. 70, in the siege and desolation of Jerusalem, and necessarily indicates an earlier period, before A. D. 70, for the date of the Apocalypse.
(8) The indication that other apostles than John were known to be living—Revelation 2:2.
If it were known that John alone survived, the claim of the pretenders “which say they are apostles,” thus claiming that there were other apostles than John yet alive, would have been so palpably false as to have been completely untenable, and none would have dared to make the claim. If the churches were aware that no other apostle than John was then living, as they would have assuredly known if the late date is correct, such a claim would have been so utterly false that no such crisis over it could have existed in the Ephesian church as that which made it necessary to bring the imposters to trial.
(9) The date of the Apocalypse and the time of John’s visions are definitely assigned to the period of the sixth Roman emperor—Revelation 17:10-12.
This reference marks the period when John wrote Revelation. It is the evidence within the book which decides its chronology. There had been five Caesars before the then reigning emperor. Of the “seven kings” the sixth was reigning and the seventh was yet to come--“five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come.” The order of the five is necessarily as follows: Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius--the sixth was Nero, and the seventh, which was “not yet come,” was Domitian. Though Julius was the head of the Roman Republic which merged into the empire, it would be folly to attempt to name the Roman Caesars and leave Julius out. There can be no reason for doing so, except to force the date of Revelation into the later period of Domitian, and it does not have the appearance of the honesty that ennobles authors and editors, not to mention historians. The name Caesar, which became the official title of the Roman emperors, was itself derived from the first and most famous of them all--Julius Caesar. Commenting on the passage in The Life And Writings Of John, on page 164, MacDonald says: “We have then only to reckon the succession of emperors, and we must arrive with certainty at the reign under which the Apocalypse was written or was seen.” And beginning with Julius Caesar he adds: “It stands thus: (Julius) Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius; these make up the five who have fallen. ‘One is’--Nero.” MacDonald then adds: “The ancients, although the empire was not fully established till the time of Augustus, reckoned from Julius Caesar.”
Considering the same passage in point, Milton S. Terry, in Biblical Apocalyptics, comments on page 259, as follows: “This (the early date) receives additional confirmation in the fact that the book assumes to belong to the period of the sixth king as mentioned in 17:10, ‘the one that now is’, and if we follow the most natural method of reckoning the Caesars, and the one which appears in Suetonius and Sibylline Oracles, we have (1) Julius, (2) Augustus, (3) Tiberius, (4) Caligula, (5) Claudius, (6) Nero. The reign of Nero extended from A. D. 54-68, and somewhere between these dates we must assign the composition of the Apocalypse.” These are the authentic facts of history and they identify the time with the reign of Nero, which eliminates the Domitian date. The five preceding rulers had passed and the sixth-Nero-was on the imperial throne. This succession of Caesars, and the person and time of the ruling emperor, places the date of the Book Of Revelation before the destruction of Jerusalem.
The only escape from this conclusion has been attempted in an effort to qualify certain vicegerents and mock rulers as bona fide emperors, and thus place them in the line of succession. This is done in the effort to eliminate Nero as the sixth emperor, but it would also clutter up the whole line of emperors, eliminate Domitian also, and nullify the whole argument for the Domitian period as the date of the Apocalypse. Without the juggling of some commentators, who are bent of the continuous historical and dark ages theory of Revelation, the facts of chronology within the book itself are understandable.
(10) The mystic number employed, as a code name for the beast, identifies the time of the Apocalypse with the persecutions of Nero--Revelation 13:16-18.
It has been shown by various scholars that the Hebrew consonants, the Latin letters and the Greek characters, in the official name of Nero Caesar, when broken down into numerals, all add up to the sum of 666. An impressive column of scholars, commentators and historians have verified this fact with a finality that cannot be questioned. The juggling of these numerals in different languages can be made to represent numerically this number, in the Latin, for instance, the name of Lateinus a medieval pope, and a variety of others in like fashion--but a relevant name is required to harmonize with the text of the Apocalypse.
By reason of the fact that the sixth ruler is mentioned in the context, nothing can be more relevant to the vision nor conclusive from the premises than for Nero-Caesar to be the persecuting beast of this mystic number. In the search for a “beast” to fit the number--why skip that old beast!
He was there, and is in both the Hebrew and Greek alphabets, according to the scholars; and in the words of one of them we have only to reckon the succession of the Roman Caesars from Julius to Nero in order to determine the date of Revelation and the period of time to which it belongs.
(11) The predication in the vision of the kings that the seventh ruler had not arrived places the time of the Apocalypse in the period of the Neroan reign before the siege of Jerusalem—Revelation 17:9-11.
That these verses refer to the city of Rome and the succession of Caesars cannot be reasonably disputed. The city is identified by the reference to the “seven mountains” describing the famed seven hills of Rome. The “seven kings” are identified by the expression “five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come.” The explanation that the seven kings refer to seven future dynasties offers no sound reason for such latitude of interpretation by mere assertion. The text of the vision says seven kings, the five preceding the sixth having fallen, and the seventh not having yet come, it follows that the expression “and one is” refers to Nero, the sixth, in the line of succession from Julius Caesar. It allows no alternative choice, and those who consider these points without pre-possession of mind concerning the continuous historical pageant character of Revelation can come to no other conclusion than that of the earlier date, in the reign of Nero, the sixth emperor of Rome in succession to Julius, the first of the Roman Caesars.
(12) The existence of only seven churches in Asia, at the time of the vision, sets the date before the destruction of Jerusalem—Revelation 1:4-11.
By reason of the fact that the preamble of the book addresses the seven churches, it is evident that the vision was received when there were only seven churches in proconsular Asia. But after the destruction of Jerusalem, as a result of the diffusion of Christianity, the Asian churches were numerous, as was foretold in the Lord’s description of these events in Matthew 24:1-51 --See Matthew 24:30-31 : “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
The darkening of the sun and the moon, and the falling of the stars, and the shaking of the heavens, in verse 29, were all figures of speech to describe the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the Jewish state; and the mourning of all the tribes of the earth meant that all the Jewish families in the whole empire had knowledge of the siege and desolation of Jerusalem, and mourned over the sorrows befalling the Jewish state and their beloved city. The sending of his angels to the four winds, meant the expansion of the church over the whole empire by the emissaries of the gospel, after the destruction of Jerusalem.
The passage of the Apocalypse, Revelation 11:15, is the parallel of the Lord’s statement in Matthew, and it reads: “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” Like the Matthew passage, this verse referred to the expansion of the gospel after the destruction of Jerusalem, and the everlasting extent of the kingdom and reign of Jesus Christ.
It has been offered as a counter argument that the churches of Colosse and Hierapolis were both in Asia, and are not included in the mention of the seven churches in the letters of the Apocalypse. But the historical fact is that after “the great earthquake,” by which this region was so dreadfully shaken, that these cities were not rebuilt and the congregations merged with Laodicea. Geographically, these cities were separated by only a few miles, and it was entirely feasible for the congregations to consolidate after this catastrophe. So the churches named did not maintain a separate existence after the earthquake, about the middle of the century, before the date of the Apocalypse. This fact is verified by Philip Schaff, in his Dictionary Of The Bible, in the article on LAODICEA, which reads: “Laodicea, the old city of Diospolis . . . a few miles distant from Colosse and Hierapolis . . . When in the middle of the first century of our era (A. D.) , an earthquake destroyed Colosse, Hierapolis, and Laodicea, the latter was rebuilt by its own inhabitants.”
So Laodicea was rebuilt but Colosse and Hierapolis remained in ruins, and the churches merged with the Laodiceans. In the article under COLOSSE, Schaff says: “A city of Phrygia, on the Lycus . . . twelve miles above Laodicea . . . The town in now in ruins.”
If further evidence is required on this point, on page 155, in The Life And Writings Of John, MacDonald states that in the reign of Nero an earthquake overwhelmed Laodicea and Colosse, and that the church at Colosse was not restored, but presumably became identified with the Laodiceans. In a volume entitled Dissertations, by Dr. Tilloch, he states on page 32, that “There were but seven churches in Asia when the Revelation was given”
These authorities settle the history angle, and the premise stands, that there were only seven churches in Asia Minor when John wrote the Apocalypse, which is a salient point in settling the time in which it was written. The evidence is accumulative in favor of the Neroan period before the destruction of Jerusalem for the date of Revelation.
(13) The numerous exhortations in the letters to the seven churches identify the date of the Apocalypse with the experiences of the churches of that period—Revelation 1-3.
There are terms employed and expressions used in each of the seven letters which clearly indicate that the events envisioned would come within the life and experience of these churches.
1. The repeated use of the phrase “he that overcometh,” in all seven of the letters, is indicative of an imminent trial of faith by ominous impending events, forecasting a momentous struggle. This word “overcome” is given an unusual emphasis in both the apocalypse and in the epistle of John, and the uses of it in his epistle may well be portents of the same approaching crisis.
2. The exhortation in Revelation 2:10, for them to “fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer,” is more than a general admonition for faithfulness in ordinary trials and temptations; it is rather of a portentous nature--a note of special warning concerning fateful forebodings of the impendent experiences, in which “ye may be tried,” and which held them in such fearful suspense.
3. The positive warning, “that ye shall have tribulation ten days,” can have no other meaning than that they themselves were to pass through this period of ten days tribulation. There were exactly ten successive persecuting emperors, beginning with Nero, as mentioned in chapter 17:10, and there can be no manufactured events of the future which could more accurately fulfill the figurative ten days period, which is supported by the actual history of that time.
4. The further exhortation to this church, in the words “be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life,” indicates that this period of tribulation would come upon them. The expression “be thou faithful unto death” cannot be taken to merely mean come to church every Sunday and you will go to heaven after death. The phrase “unto death” here means martyrdom; and “a crown of life” is in contrast the reward. Paraphrasing the passage, it reads: Be faithful even unto martyrdom and your crown will be life. It is an advance martyr scene, as verse 10 shows: “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death”; and it finds fulfillment in the victory scenes of chapter twenty. To apply these things of Revelation to a yet historical future is to “wrest the scriptures” and remove them from the context.
5. The commendation of patience, in Revelation 2:19, coupled with the advance warning to the church at Thyatira that the supreme trial to come upon them was in the seer’s crystal, was a dread portent of a yet unleashed assault upon the church. “And the last to be more than the first”-they were standing upon the threshold of events which would require patience in greater degree than at the first, or from the beginning of the church. The further indication of this truth is in verse 25: “But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.” The application of this verse to the second advent of Christ would mean that in this letter the Lord Jesus Christ deceived the church at Thyatira into believing that his second coming would occur in the lifetime of that church. But it does mean that He would come to them in the events described, and it proves that these events would transpire in that period of time.
Still further proof that this is the meaning of these references is in the next verses, 26-27: “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers.” This is a clear reference to the victory of the church over these persecutions and the defeat of the persecuting powers. Their “power over the nations” referred to the influence of the gospel; and ruling “with a rod of iron” simply meant the invincible force of the truth; and the “breaking into shivers” of the nations referred to the defeat of the persecuting powers in the triumph of the Cause for which these early churches suffered in tribulation.
6. The promise of the preservation of the Philadelphian church through this period of trial, in Revelation 3:10, is nothing short of prima facie evidence that the events of the Apocalypse belonged to and transpired in the period of the experiences of these existing churches—Revelation 3:7-13. The pivotal passage in the letter to Philadelphia is the tenth verse: “Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation (trans. “the hour of trial”), which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Here is the augur of the frightful onslaught that would strike the church in all parts of the Roman world. It is the invulnerable evidence that these portended events belonged to that period of time, and to assign them to a continuous historical future is anachronistic--an error in the order of time. And to say that the passage means that these events would not occur in the lifetime of the Philadelphian church reduces the Lord’s promise to the nonsense of saying that he would keep them from the hour of trial by not letting the hour of trial happen! The Lord’s promise to the Philadelphian church is historically factual--that hour of trial did come upon them, and the church at Philadelphia was kept, or preserved, through it. Here is the divine assurance for the preservation of the faithful then living through the period of persecution, designated the hour of trial, and these conclusions are irresistible and impregnable.
7. In a final reference to the contents of the letters to the seven churches, as evidence of the early date of Revelation, it is germane to mention the senses in which the promise of the coming of the Lord are employed. The three key words of Revelation are “signified,” “shortly” and “quickly.” The visions were signified to John --set forth is signs; of things that were shortly to occur-- these impending events of that time; and the Lord promised to come quickly--his presence in the occurring and transpiring events.
The coming of Christ in the Scriptures has various connotations: It refers to his first advent into the world (Genesis 49:10; Matthew 2:6; Romans 11:26); to his second advent (Acts 1:11, Hebrews 9:28); to his chosen apostles in the church (John 14:3); to the coming of his kingdom on Pentecost (Matthew 16:28; Mark 9:1); to the destruction of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:1-4; Matthew 24:30, Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27); to the death of a Christian at the end of life (Psalms 23:4; 1 Corinthians 1:7-8); to the end of time (1 Corinthians 11:26; 1 Thessalonians 4:15); to the last judgment (Matthew 25:30-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10); and to the rewards and judgments in the events of trial described in Revelation, as mentioned in the letters to the seven churches (Revelation 2:5; Revelation 2:16; Revelation 2:25; Revelation 3:3; Revelation 3:11; Revelation 3:20).
In the counsels to the declining and backsliding churches there are such phrases as “I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place”; and, "I will come to thee quickly and fight against them”; and, “I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee”--these are the warnings of the Lord’s coming in the events of judgment. But to the churches in which he found nothing to condemn there are the phrases: “That which ye have already hold fast till I come”; and, “I come quickly; hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown”; “and I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”--these are the promises of his spiritual presence and reward.
In the beginning John mentioned that the things to be signified in the apocalypse would shortly occur, and that the Lord Jesus would come in these events which were at hand. At the end of the visions he declared that “the things must shortly be done,” and the Lord said, “behold, I come quickly”--meaning that this coming of the Lord would be concurrent with the events. The seer, therefore, says at the end of the visions: “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
It is not agreeable with the context to make this last statement of Revelation refer to the Second Coming Of Christ. The epilogue must comport with the prologue (the ending with the beginning), and it means simply, that as the events that had been signified were so soon to occur, and the Lord had promised his presence, “even so, come Lord Jesus.” And He did come in the transpiring events of the Patmos vision.
There is no truth so evident, when the facts are brought into proper focus and perspective, as that of the present thesis--that the Book Of Revelation was written before the destruction of Jerusalem, and its visions fulfilled in the experiences of the early church.
(14) The parallels between the Lord’s forecasts of the destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24:1-51, and John’s visions in Revelation, join them together as being descriptions of the same events and as belonging to the same period of time. The following comparisions will show Revelation to be an enlargement and extension of the discourse on Mount Olivet in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew (and in the parallel chapters of the thirteenth chapter of Mark and the twenty-first chapter of Luke), of which Jerusalem and Judaism and the Jewish state were the subjects and objects.
1. Matthew 24:34 -- Revelation 1:1. “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled”--Matthew. “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass”--Revelation.
2. Matthew 24:21 -- Revelation 1:9; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 7:14. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be”--Matthew. “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation” . . . “And ye shall have tribulation ten days” . . . “These are they which came out of great tribulation"-- Revelation.
3. Matthew 24:2; Matthew 23:37 -- Revelation 11:8; Revelation 18:10; Revelation 18:21. “And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” . . . "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."--Matthew. “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified” . . . “When, they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come” . . . “Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more”--Revelation. (In the commentary on these verses it is shown that as Jerusalem was “spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, in 11:8, the Babylon of chapter 18 is the symbolic name for Jerusalem).
4. Matthew 24:16-21 -- Revelation 12:6. “Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: Let him that is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes . . . For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be"-- Matthew.
“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there two hundred and threescore days”--Revelation.
(In the commentary on these verses it is shown that the 1260 days is the exact length of the siege of Jerusalem, and the exile of the faithful in the mountain wildernesses).
5. Matthew 24:7-8 -- Revelation 18:8. “For nation shall rise against nation; and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrow”--Matthew. “Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning, and famine, and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her"-- Revelation.
6. Matthew 24:31 -- Revelation 11:15. “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other”--Matthew. “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever”--Revelation.
This last parallel refers to the end of the period of persecution and visualizes the success of the church, when gospel emissaries (designated as angels) would proclaim the gospel to the four winds--“from one end of heaven to the other”--as described in the Matthew account. And in Revelation the scene envisions the universal sway of the kingdom of Christ by the spread of the gospel, as the kingdoms of the world became the kingdoms of God and of his Christ. Both passages describe the universal expansion of Christianity after the destruction of Jerusalem.
(15) The statement implying that John expected to leave Patmos, after this apocalypse, and relate the visions in various parts of the empire, indicates the date and period of the Revelation 10:11.
After the visions John expected to be an active emissary to prophesy again, “before (or among) many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” It is hardly possible, and altogether improbable, that John, at the supposedly advanced age of ninety-six, would or could have undertaken a mission requiring several years to accomplish. And in the light of the testimony of Jerome, that in the year A. D. 96, the apostle John was so aged, weak and infirm, that “he was with difficulty carried into the church, and could speak only a few words to the people,” such an itinerary would have been wholly impossible. It adds evidence to the argument for the earlier date of Revelation and the younger age of John.
(16) The philological argument, based on the language element in the Hebrew-Greek idioms which abound in the book, is considered by many worthy scholars as solid proof for the early date. The chronology of an ancient document can be established by the period to which its language belonged. The Septuagint version of the Hebrew Old Testament (the Greek Old Testament) introduced the Hebraistic element into the Greek, about 270 B. C. It is claimed by these scholars that this element is definite in the style and language of Revelation; and that the comparison with John’s Gospel lends weight to the evidence that Revelation was composed many years prior to both the gospel and the epistles of John. And any supposition to the contrary has been declared to be a defiance of all observation and experience in critical processes. The fact that Hebraistic element had disappeared at the later time assigned to Revelation is considered by this class of ranking scholars as invulnerable evidence of the early date, before the destruction of Jerusalem.
(17) The various allusions in the other New Testament epistles to the contents of Revelation indicate that it was written earlier than these other epistles.
There are several passages in Galatians and Hebrews which are considered related by quotation to Revelation. The reference in the fourth chapter of Galatians to “the Jerusalem which is above . . . the mother of us all,” and in the twelfth chapter of Hebrews to “mount Zion . . . the city of God . . . the heavenly Jerusalem . . . to the innumerable hosts . . . general assembly . . . and church of the firstborn” --these phrases are considered too familiar in the apocalypses of Revelation not to be indirect quotations. There has been no disagreement over Galatians and Hebrews having been written before the destruction of Jerusalem, and as John manifestly did not compose “thewarp and woof” of the visions and apocalypses of Revelation from the few expressions in two preceding epistles, it rather follows that these allusions in the epistles were adaptations from Revelation. As Peter’s reference to the epistles of Paul in 2 Peter 3:15-16 proves the prior existence of Paul’s epistles, so these allusions indicate the earlier date of Revelation.
(18) The references in Revelation to the once faithful city that had become harlot identifies the apostate Jerusalem as the spiritual Babylon of the Apocalypse-- Revelation 17:5; Isaiah 1:21.
As the prophet in the Isaiah reference compared the former apostasies of Jerusalem to harlotry--“How is the faithful city become an harlot! It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers”--so the seer in Revelation envisioned apostate Jerusalem as the harlot and the mother of harlots in this later apocalypse.
There is not a line in either secular or sacred history to prove that Rome was ever a faithful city; but the once faithful Jerusalem that turned harlot, the apostate Jerusalem, the spiritual Babylon, was the harlot city of Revelation, and its fate along with the Jewish theocracy was the object of John’s visions. (Further references to these points will be found in the comments on these verses in the commentary section of this work).
(19) The nature of the contents of the New Testament apocalypse as counterpart to the apocalyptic books of the Old Testament, which parallel the experiences of the persecuted church of the New Testament with the exiled Israel of the Old Testament, is convincing evidence of the period to which it belongs. This sustained relation the old and new testament apocalypses carries through to the emergence of the church from the period of the Roman persecutions, in correspondence with the deliverance of Israel from the captivity of Babylonian exile. It is a clear parallel with the events and the date of Revelation, and the fulfillment of its symbols and visions must be brought within this range in order to be consonant with it.
(20) The coming of the Lord, signified in the events accompanying the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, is further evidence for the fulfillment of the apocalypses of Revelation in that period—Revelation 1:7.
As the prophecy of Zechariah 14:1-2, on “the day of the Lord,” foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, so “the coming of the Lord” in Revelation 1:7 applies to the events attending its destruction. The Jews that “pierced him” and the “tribes” (the Jewish families) over all the earth “mourned” for the destruction of their city, the demolition of their temple, the downfall of their theocracy, and the end of their Jewish state.
(21) The announcement of warning to the members of the churches living at that time is proof that the events envisioned would occur in their life time, and is evidence that the symbols of the apocalypse applied to that period.—Revelation 1:3; Revelation 22:10.
The emphasized imminence of these events in the repetitions of the phrases “the time is at hand,” and “shortly come to pass,” and “come’ quickly,” is the primary proof that the succession of happenings related to that period, not to the remotest times of the far future centuries.
(22) The code language of the Apocalypse, in the symbolic descriptions of the persecutors and of the persecuting powers, is the pillar and ground of all other evidences that the visions referred to the living emperors and existing governments of that period.—Revelation 1:1.
As the military and the government make use of the code system in the communication of messages to personnel, to be withheld from the public, so the use of code language in Revelation was for the purpose of “showing unto his servants” throughout the empire the ominous message of admonitory warning. The reason for this code system is plain, for if John had named the rulers and their offices it would have brought immediate reprisals against the church.
Herein lies another evidence: for if the events of the apocalypse did not refer to that period, but to the future centuries, there would have been no danger involved, and no crisis precipitated, by John’s employment of plain literal language, nor any more purpose for the use of such symbols than in the other epistles of the New Testament.
Our conclusion is that from the prologue to the epilogue the Apocalypse speaks to its own time. In any other concept its pageantry is pretentious and bizarre, and its imagery abnormal and grotesque. Such does not comport with the purposes of divine revelation in the scheme of human redemption.
III. SYMBOLOGY AND TYPOLOGY PREVIEW
As a further preliminary to entering into the analysis of The Book Of Revelation, and a commentary on its verses, a specific study of symbols and types, in addition to the previous discussion of visions and theophanies is in order for the symbolic character of Revelation is the culmination of all biblical apocalyptics
(1) The symbolic pattern.
The parallels and comparisons in the visions of the prophets and the apocalypses of John will demonstrate that Revelation is the climax and crown of them all. The similarities between the typology of the former and the symbolics of the latter, establishes a divine pattern of the typical and symbolical form of divine revelation, showing the otherwise unaccountable unity in the books of the Bible. It also constitutes additional evidence that Revelation is not the confused compilation of fragmentary history of future centuries, which the continuous historical pageantry theory demands, but is rather the grand finale in the transcendent design of all revelation, “according to the eternal purpose,” to make known “by the church the manifold wisdom of God,” in the time of its full establishment.
A grouping of these theophanies to show the unbroken chain of divine revelation in biblical symbology and typology is here arranged:
1. The prophet Isaiah’s vision of the throne-- Isaiah 6:1-13 and Revelation 4:1-11.
2. The prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the creatures-- Ezekiel 10:1-22 and Revelation 4:1-11.
3. The vision of the valley full of the dry bones-- Ezekiel 37:1-28 and Revelation 19:1-21.
4. The vision of the kingdom that would stand forever-- Daniel 2:44 and Revelation 11:15.
5. The vision of the new heaven and the new earth-- Isaiah 66:1-24 and Revelation 21:1-27.
6. The vision of the horses with mingled colors-- Zechariah 1:1-21 and Revelation 6:1-17.
7. The vision of measuring Jerusalem-- Zechariah 2:1-13 and Revelation 11:1-19
8. The vision of the ruling priest-king on the throne-- Zechariah 6:1-15 and Revelation 5:1-14.
9. The forecast of the siege and fall of Jerusalem-- Zechariah 14:1-21 and Revelation 14:1-20.
10. The vision of the holy city, the new Jerusalem-- Zechariah 14:1-21 and Revelation 21:1-27.
11. The vision of the seven golden candlesticks-- Zechariah 4:1-14 and Revelation 1:1-20.
12. The vision of the living waters flowing from Jerusalem-- Zechariah 13:1-9; Zechariah 14:1-21 and Revelation 21:1-27; Revelation 22:1-21.
The foregoing chart of comparisons of the old and the new testament apocalyptic passages reinforce the premises of this treatise that the apostolic visions of John in the Book Of Revelation sustain the same relation to the tribulation and victory of the church in the New Testament era of persecution as the prophetic visions of Isaiah and Ezekiel sustained to the captivity and deliverance of Israel in the Old Testament period of their exile.
These impressive parallelisms cannot fail to impress a pious peruser of the divine book with unity and continuity of its contents, from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation; that its prophecy and history are from the same divine hand; and that the events which they foretold and described were all unfolded and fulfilled “according to the eternal purpose” in the establishment and perfection of the divine institution, the church of Christ.
(2) The symbolic code.
It is virtually a truism to say that definitions of the code words of Revelation are necessary to an understanding of their use. These code words fall into various associations, such as earth and air; the land and the sea; the sun, the moon, the stars, and heaven. All the colors of the rainbow are employed, and beasts and birds, and names and numbers. The calamities of war, pestilence and famine, of conquests and victories, are all envisioned--and all these will be defined and applied in the progress of these commentaries. It is sufficient here to list their uses and meanings in their respective categories.
1. The air refers to the sphere of life and influence, as “the prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:1.
2. The earth designates the place of the nations, particularly Palestine, as in chapter 13: 11-12, where the earth and the beast of the earth referred to Palestine, in contradistinction from the emperor beast of Rome, from over the sea.
3. The quaking of the earth signified the shaking of nations, as in Revelation 16:18, where “the great earthquake” symbolized an upheaval in the nations.
4. The sea symbolized society and its state, or condition-- the tossed sea meaning a trouble society, and the placid sea a peaceful society.
5. The word heaven refers to existing government, authority, and dominion--the context determining this use of the term, as in Revelation 12:1; Revelation 12:8, where “the great wonder in heaven,” and “neither was their place found any more in heaven,” referred to position in earthly government.
6. The stars are the designations of the rulers and officials of government, as in Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:13, where the falling of the stars applied to the downfall of the officials of government, in connection with the calamitous events during and after the siege and fall of Jerusalem.
7. The term war is employed to describe various phases of hostilities and conflicts among the governments and inhabitants of the earth, such as Revelation 12:7; Revelation 21:17; Revelation 19:19, and numerous other examples. In the category of symbolic colors, all of the specific colors are engaged in the imagery of the visions. White was the emblem of purity and righteousness, like the Rider of the white horse in the scene of sixth chapter, the Christ. Black was the sign of distress and calamity, as signified by the rider of the black horse. Red was the evil omen of war and bloodshed, as symbolized by the red horse. Pale presented the aura of death, as is specified for the pale horse and its rider, in chapter 6:8. Purple represents the show of pomp and luxury, as in the great harlot woman of chapter 17:4, and of the once great city of Jerusalem in chapter 18:16. Emerald was the emblem of divine grace and goodness and patience, as in chapter 4:3.
(3) The symbolic drama.
In the classification of the animals in the visions, the composite beasts, with multiple heads and horns, tails and toes, were the representation of varied characters of the persecutors, and the various characteristics of the persecuting powers, whether Jewish or Roman, or the combined powers of the world of heathenism, both secular and spiritual.
In the symbolic acts, there were the riders of the horses, the measurements of spaces, the movements of armies, and the flying of fowls. In the symbolic numbers, the numerals of 3, 7, 10, 12, 100 and 1000 are employed. In the symbolic names, of cities and of characters, frequent mention is made of Babylon, Sodom, Egypt, Balaam, Jezebel, Nicolaitanes and Antipas, in respective figurative connections. As the multiple headed and horned beasts symbolized the diverse characters of the persecutors, the various types of calamities, famine and pestilence depicted the diversity of the forms of the persecutions.
The battle word Armageddon is a metaphor of conflict between the secular and the spiritual forces, the struggle between the pagan powers and the church, between heathenism and Christianity.
The shift from the altarscene of the sixth chapter to the throne scene of the twentieth chapter envisions the triumph of the Cause of the Martyrs in the victory of the saints over the powers of persecution; and the thousand years was the representation of saints reigning with Christ in complete victory. There is nothing said in the text or context of the reign of Christ, but rather the reigning of the saints with Christ, which represents the spiritual state after the victory over the persecutions. The words reigned and reign in Revelation 20:4-6 denote the same spiritual state as the same words do in Romans 5:17 and 1 Corinthians 4:8 and 2 Timothy 2:12, all of which are used in the sense of the spiritual reign with Christ in the sacrifice and service of our fellowship with him.
The word thousand is mentioned in Revelation about a score of times, and is a perfect number, as elsewhere in the Bible in such references as Deuteronomy 7:9 : “Know ye therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” Also in 1 Chronicles 16:15, in a song of praise. David said: “Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.” The use of the figurative term thousand in these references can only mean that God’s recollection of his word and his covenant is infinite, perfect and complete.
In the sixth chapter of Revelation the souls of the slain (the martyrs) were seen under the altar, which was the scene of seeming defeat in persecution and martyrdom. But in the vision of the twentieth chapter the same souls were removed from beneath the altar and elevated to thrones, which was the scene of victory over their persecutors, and they were said to reign with Christ a thousand years. The use of the word here, as elsewhere, is in the sense of that which is perfect and complete--they lived and reigned with Christ, in the spiritual state of triumph and victory; a thousand years, that is, in complete victory in deliverance from the persecutors and the persecutions, which they had overcome. During this period of persecution and distress Satan was represented as running loose in the land, but in the victory scene he was restrained, or bound--so the ebbing and the flowing of the tide of the persecutions were envisioned as the binding and the loosing of Satan, as the analysis of the closing chapters in the commentary section will disclose.
The vision of the new heaven and the new earth was descriptive of the state of victory and success after the period of persecutions through which they had passed, comparable to Isaiah’s description of the deliverance of Israel from exile in Babylon to their land of Judea, as recorded in Isaiah 65:17; Isaiah 66:1-24; Isaiah 22:1-25; Isaiah 23:1-18. This was called Israel’s “new heaven and new earth”; and the scenes of chapters 20 to 22 of Revelation were the like depictions, symbolically narrated, of the deliverance of the church from tribulation into the state of victory and blessing that followed.
The figurative resurrection of these chapters form that counterpart, previously mentioned, of the visions of the deliverance of Israel from captivity, figuratively set forth in Isaiah 26:13-19 and Ezekiel 37:11-14 as the resurrection of the people of Israel.
The symbol of the spiritual Jerusalem is used by the apostle Paul, in Galatians 4:26, as “the mother of us all,” and the metaphor of “the new heavens and the new earth” is used by the apostle Peter, in 2 Peter 3:13, as descriptive of our future eternal state of final victory in the heavenly home of the soul.
So the metaphorical phrase, “the new heaven and the new earth,” has been figuratively adapted to any state of success and victory, and by no stretch of imagination can the phrase be applied to a future dispensation on earth, with Christ reigning a thousand years in bodily presence among men, according to the literal millennium theory.
The new Jerusalem descending from God, pictured as robed in the attire and habiliment of the Bride of Christ, is the portrayal of the church as the new spiritual Jerusalem, in contrast with the old apostate Jerusalem, which had disappeared from the scene. The marriage supper of the vision means the continuous feast of fellowship in Christ, which must necessarily be as continuous as baptism, for in every baptism into Christ there is a marriage to Christ performed.
The descriptions of the holy Jerusalem, and the city that lieth foursquare, were the symbolic narrations of the grandeur of the victorious church, in keeping with the preceding vision of the gloriously arrayed Bride of Christ.
The scene of the great white throne, and the casting of the Dragon into the lake of fire and brimstone, was the symbolic delineation of the judgment of God against the persecutors and of the divine wrath that descended upon them.
Having completed this cursive preview, attention is now turned to the commentary on the visions and their significance.
REVIEW OF REVELATION
by Harold Winters
When I started writing my notes on Revelation, I did not know precisely where I was going; now that I have completed them, I am far from certain that I know where I have been. But one thing I do know and that is that my concept of its message (stated as clearly as I can state it in this introduction) has been deepened and strengthened in every section, in every chapter, and in every verse. I am now more convinced than ever that its basic message, that which we should learn from the book, is designed to encourage saints and warn sinners — encourage saints to be faithful unto death so as to be crowned with the gold crown of eternal victory, and to warn sinners to prepare to meet God or else suffer the eternal consequences of insulted grace and mercy. I read somewhere of an American soldier, after he had returned home from World War II, who said, "I do not believe I could have gone on but for my convictions that honor and decency belong on top in life." He thus believed that honor and decency would eventually be victorious. This is vitally important for a soldier to believe. But how much more important is it for a Christian, who is in a battle of such magnitude as to make World War II (and all other wars) fade into utter significance, to believe his ultimate salvation is as certain as the word of God and His rule on the throne of the universe; or as the poet put it:
"Truth crushed to earth shall rise again,
The eternal years of God are hers
But Error, wounded, writhes in pain,
And dies among her worshipers."
Regardless of how dark and dreary the present may seem, or how much the forces of evil may appear to be in the forefront, winning the battle over truth and right, the final outcome is not determined by current skirmishes. Christians need to be reminded that God is still in control, that He sits at the steering wheel of the universe, and that the truth is the mightiest force in the world. All who are opposed to Him by being enemies of truth are headed for a fearful and certain defeat. As the whole book depicts, the battle between truth and falsehood is fierce and the enemy often appears to be winning. Under such conditions the saints might despair. However, Revelation urges them to fight on, assuring them that regardless of how powerful the onslaught or how many hardships they may have to bear, they will ultimately win the victory. When the war is over and the smoke of the battle is cleared, they will be given robes of white, crowned the victors, and be honored to reign forever with their victorious King. This is the divine message of Revelation — the message that victory is as sure as their faithfulness in the battle. That is, Revelation is designed to show Christians they are fighting in a battle they cannot lose if they fight faithfully to the end. This is our hope. And this I believe the Lord has clearly revealed to us in Revelation.
Revelation has probably been subjected to more misuse, abuse, and misunderstanding than all the other books of the New Testament combined — some out of ignorance, some to satisfy curiosity, some to stimulate awe and fear, and undoubtedly some for selfish reasons. While it is generally admitted that it was written in signs or symbolic language (Revelation 1:1), probably to conceal its message from the enemies of the first-century church, this has not been widely applied in its practical interpretation (expositors literalize the symbolic when the literal best serves their needs, thus ignoring both the context and the overall purpose of the book). But since it is symbolic, it is obviously more difficult to understand and apply than the other books of the New Testament, which are written, for the most part, in literal language. But even so, I am convinced that it is cruel (to both God and man) and inexcusable to mutilate it in the fashion rendered by the class of exegetes who think they have been endowed with special powers to unravel its mysteries, who consider themselves experts in finding things God has successfully hidden from all others. In short, they conceive of themselves as being entrusted with the secrets (hidden by God Himself in remote crevices of the book) by which to decode its prophetic message. The book is thus treated as a deep mystery to be solved rather than a revelation to be received.
But when Revelation is considered a mystery instead of a revelation, hidden meanings are sought in every word, and every movement of man, beast, power, natural event, or unexplained phenomenon becomes a candidate for the fulfillment of some symbolic expression. This method of interpretation has gone on for hundreds of years, applying the symbols to first one event then another; yet man has not learned, or else refuses to admit, the folly of this approach. Every generation produces new interpreters and the new interpreters in turn see the symbols clearly describing events, people, places, and things of his own day. But this is not the unfortunate part (as unfortunate as it is); to add injury to insult, Christians have so long held the book to be so mysterious, so out of reach of the common intellect, so far beyond their comprehension, that they have stood defenseless in the face of abuse, fanaticism, and false teachings. Because they do not know the truth of the book they are at a terrible disadvantage in refuting the false notions that have been built up around it.
While I certainly do not profess to know all the answers, it is my conception that the Lord never intended for Revelation to be literally interpreted —that is. He did not mean for one particular symbol to be applied to one particular event in history, being then fulfilled and having no future application whatsoever. I believe that its purpose is to depict the never-ending battle between right and wrong, and to show that truth and right ultimately win. There are two sets of symbols in the book, one set representing the forces of evil and the other the powers of righteousness. They meet in conflict after conflict, but in the end, right always overcomes. The battle becomes furious at times and it may appear that righteousness is being crushed and defeated. But read on. Right in the end always triumphs. Or as it is expressed by the book itself, "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). That right will win the conflict of the ages, that Christ will reign over the defeated kingdoms of this world, is, in my conception, what the Lord wants us to see in this unusual book. But more of this as we proceed. Right now we need to turn our attention to the methods of studying Revelation that are generally used
APPROACHES TO REVELATION
Many approaches (or methods of study) have been used to interpret the book, and, as strange as it may seem, the approach chosen (and it must be chosen in advance) determines the conclusions reached concerning its purpose. Thus the interpretation most be based on a preconceived or predetermined plan as to why Revelation was written and what it says to us today. The interpretation, therefore, depends upon a predetermined approach, a thing that does not strike me as being commendable; yet, I have nothing better to offer. The three basic approaches that have been adopted by the vast majority of expositors are the preterist, the historic, and the futuristic. Or to simplify them we can state them as past, present, and future. While each approach excludes the others some intermingling can be granted), Revelation itself seems to embrace in some comprehensive way all three. The Lord instructed John, "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter" (Revelation 1:19). Nevertheless exegetes have approached the book to find its fulfillment all in the past (in some cases by A.D. 70 but usually by the time of Constantine), or being fulfilled over the centuries (starting with some point before it was written and extending to the end of the world), or that it is all, after chapter 3, yet to be fulfilled in the future (the first events starting with the time of the interpreter). This shows why the approach determines the conclusions.
But let us take a further look at each of these approaches by using the past, present, and future tenses.
1. The past tense or the preterist view. According to this approach the message is totally directed toward people and events in the distant past. It makes the message and application almost exclusively to the early Christians. Foy E. Wallace, Jr. who holds that the book was written before the fall of Jerusalem and that it is concerned with events leading up to and including the fall, says, "The author of the present volume believes that once the chronology of the book of Revelation has been established as belonging to the period of persecution, beginning with Nero Caesar, the harmony of its contents requires all parts and events of the apocalypse to be explained, and not to be mixed with later history; and he has consistently pursued that premise throughout this work" (The Book of Revelation, page vi). He parallels the whole book with Matthew 24 and sees its fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem. Other preterists, who accept a later date of composition, see it fulfilled
during the first three hundred years of the church. With all preterists, the conflicts described in Revelation are symbolic of the persecution of the church by the Jews and Romans. (Incidentally, brotherWallace’s commentary, as quoted above, gives a good defense of this approach and it is one of very few books coming out of the Restoration Movement that I feel has made a distinct contribution to the study of Revelation.)
2. The present tense or the historical approach. This view sees the book as continued history. It sees a specific symbol applying to a specific event in history, as does the preteristic view (the difference in the two is in the time-spread covered). The book is thus considered a history of the Christian era, usually covering the time from the first coming of Christ to the second corning, and even beyond. Once a symbolic event has transpired, there is no need to look for a repetition of that in history (except as history might repeat itself). Obviously, then, this approach sends the expositor to world history in search of events that are symbolized in Revelation, and he has a vast amount of material to work with and choose from. John T. Hinds states, "Unquestionably some things John wrote have been fulfilled and are now passed, and some are necessarily future; for the Lord has not yet come and we are nearly eighteen hundred years toward the end of time. The author of this commentary has not allowed himself to be bound by any man’s system, or to reject any true statement just because its author happened to have an erroneous plan of interpretation. The historical system is that advocated by Mr. Elliott in his four-volume commentary, adopted by Mr. Barnes and others, and is accepted as substantially correct, though there is room for many differences in details." (Brother Hinds, whose commentary is in the Gospel Advocate’s series, has done as welt, and in some respects much better, with this approach as anyone I know.)
3. The future tense or the futuristic view. With this approach, most (perhaps all from chapter 4) of the book refers to events yet in the future, and most of those who accept this view see the symbols as literal events that are yet to come, plagues that are to be let loose upon the earth. They generally believe that we are ready, at this very moment of time, to step into that period of time described in Revelation. Every current event is seen as the beginning of the end (and has been for centuries). It seems that everything that happens, regardless of how remote, political or otherwise, is the first in a long series of woe and destruction that is to come upon the earth. It is, therefore, with this approach that fertile imaginations play most with man’s emotions — expositors become merchants of fear.
But with few exceptions, those holding the futuristic view are premillennialists and literalists. John R. Rice says, "Everything in the book of Revelation looks forward to, and clusters around, that marvelous time when Christ shall come with clouds, revealed visibly to every human being on earth. Practically every book in the Bible refers to the second coming of Christ, but the book of Revelation centers altogether around that marvelous event." Then urging a literal interpretation, he adds: "Take God’s Word at face value. Do not spiritualize it away. Do not make everything symbolical or figurative. When God says blood, take it to mean blood, even if it is a river of blood, flowing to the bridles of the horses (Revelation 14:20) and for a course of 1,600 furlongs or 200 miles (Revelation 14:20). If God’s Word says forty-two months, or 1,260 days, or three and one-half times (or years), then take it as it was meant to be taken, that is, a revelation to be plainly understood. The days mean days, not years. The time element in Revelation is literal. And where symbolical language is used, the key is always given in the Scripture itself. The understanding of the Bible does not take a vivid imagination. It takes a simple, humble, childlike faith, willing to believe what God has said" (Bible Lessons on the Book of Revelation, pp. 3-4). While it does not take a vivid imagination to understand the word of God, those who embrace this futuristic, literalistic view of Revelation are the ones who have made it a fertile field for the exercise of their fancy. It is from this group that most of the fantastic theories, woeful forebodings, and gruesome pictures come. According to them, it is truly a time of "great tribulation."
While there are other methods of interpretation (such as the dramatic and the allegorical), one of the three just discussed, or some variation of them, has been adopted by the vast majority of expositors. Yet none of these represent my own views. Charles H. Roberson would probably class my method as spiritual. While I do not, in particular, like the classification, I do see, as he says, "The Revelation as presenting great principles which are working themselves out in actual history." He also adds, which approximates my view, "The Revelation is spiritual. Its symbols stand for the great invisible forces which are manifesting themselves in the history of mankind" (Studies in Revelation, pp. 8-9). I shall now try to state my approach and give a few reasons for it.
MY APPROACH
Simply stated, I see Revelation as designed to encourage Christians at all times, regardless of when they may live, in their fight against evil, and the symbols as signifying the constant battle between right and wrong, regardless of when the battle is fought, what form it may take, or who the enemies are. It seems clear to me that the theme of the book is stated in Revelation 17:14 : "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of lungs: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful." Here war is made with the Lamb (as is always the case — evil is constantly at war with the Lamb) but the Lamb overcomes (as He always does and always will). This can be absolute consolation for the Christian: for he is on the side of the Lamb. He will have to meet and battle with the forces of unrighteousness, but just as the Lamb overcomes, so does he. Christ cannot be defeated; nor can the Christians be defeated unless Christ be defeated first. Both stand together. Revelation thus pictures the great battle between good and evil, right and wrong. At times the battle may appear to be going against the forces of righteousness, good may appear crushed and defeated, but in the end it is always victorious. "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Romans 8:37). Thus Christians are in a battle they cannot lose if they continue to fight faithfully on to the end. Victory is sure! Evil is doomed! As the message of the book unfolds, I think this conclusion will become more obvious.
However, I am not so naive as to conclude that this approach solves all the problems of properly interpreting Revelation. It does not; and I readily admit that this approach has its difficulties. But it does remove the big question (or at least this one seems to loom the largest in my mind), namely, what specific event in history is signified by what specific symbol? If the symbols for righteousness represent any force for right and if the symbols for evil represent any force for evil, then the symbols can be applied whenever and wherever the forces of right and wrong appear. This makes the book concerned with principles rather than specific events in history. While there may be some specific events of history involved, they are incidental to the overall purpose of the book — they are events that illustrate the principles There are some tremendous advantages in viewing the book in this way. Here are five such advantages:
This approach makes the book practical, sensible, and understandable. Furthermore one’s understanding of it will not depend upon his ability to make the exact and proper interpretation of each specific symbol. There are onlytwo classes of symbols: one representing the forces of evil, the other the powers of righteousness. Nor will one’s understanding depend upon the truthfulness of some fantastic theory that is predicated upon the proper interpretation of specific symbols.
It makes the book useful and practical to all Christians in whatever period of time they may live. This cannot be said, except in some remote sense, for the other approaches. They make it all apply to the past, to the whole spread of history, or to the future. But if it was written for the first-century saints, it is of very little use to those who follow them — its message was fulfilled and its symbols exhausted before they were born. If it covers the whole span of history, only a small part, only a few symbols, can apply to any given time. To cover such a broad time-spread the symbols have to be scattered extremely thin. Perhaps not more than a verse or two, at the most, have to do with the twentieth century. If, however, it has only to do with the future, it has never had a message for anyone before now (and may not have one for centuries to come). To make it all future is to say that Revelation said nothing to the early Christians (to whom it was addressed) or to any Christian since. Its message is only to those who are on earth during the end-time events.
It makes fantastic theorizing powerless, impractical, and nearly impossible (some will exercise their fancy regardless of the approach taken). When the book is seen as picturing the age-old struggle between good and evil, regardless of what form it might take or what symbol may be used to signify it, there is no room for prophetic speculation and fanfare. Any evil force that appears in opposition to righteousness is symbolized. The evil may appear in the form of paganism, atheism, immorality, politics, or even religion, but still it is opposed to the truth and the principle is the same. And so wherever righteousness and unrighteousness meet on the field of battle, whether in the first century, the tenth century, or the twentieth century, the principles involved are depicted in Revelation.
It removes the mysterious elements from the book — it makes it a revelation to be received rather than a mystery to be solved. Furthermore, with this view the book becomes a practical piece of encouragement rather than a showcase of curiosity.
It makes Revelation a valuable contribution to the New Testament, perfectly filling out the overall picture. The first four books were written to introduce Christ and produce faith in Him (John 20:30-31). The book of Acts was designed to tell believers how to become followers of Christ, that is, how to be saved from their sins. The twenty-one epistles were written to instruct followers of Christ how to live or how to conduct themselves in this present evil world. Revelation fills out the picture by giving comfort and hope, by assuring the faithful followers of Christ that the Lord reigns supreme and that His cause will ultimately be victorious!
Thus my approach makes the book just as applicable to us today as it was to the first-century Christians, and it will be just as applicable to all Christians who follow us as it is to those now living. The symbols signify forces rather than events. While everything in the book is not figurative, the things that require a literal interpretation fit well into the overall purpose.
TIME OF WRITING
While my approach does not necessitate the establishment of a precise date (which cannot be done beyond question anyway), it might he helpful to say a few words about the probable date. With the preterist group (among whom is brother Foy E. Wallace, Jr.) who parallel it with Matthew 24 and say that it was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem, the date becomes extremely vital — in fact, imperative because the whole interpretation depends upon the accuracy of establishing the date. Obviously if the book was fulfilled in A.D. 70 or thereabout, it had to be written earlier, and to be effective, several years earlier, perhaps as early as A.D. 58 and not later than A.D. 64. When the interpretation depends upon the date, the interpretation can never be more certain than the date itself — if the date is wrong, then, of necessity the interpretation is wrong. The whole business of making the interpretation depend upon the date is therefore built upon a sandy foundation. Consider this fact: if the understanding of the book depends upon the date, then it depends upon something that is not in the book itself, something that is not revealed, and something that it is now impossible to establish beyond a reasonable doubt.
But besides this, the force of the evidence, whether internal or external, is against an early date. While my approach depends in no way on the date of composition (other than in the lifetime of the apostle John), and while I personally have very little interest in such matters (I am more concerned with what the book teaches than when it was written), the following reasons have convinced me that Revelation was written near the close of John’s life, probably around A.D. 96:
Revelation was almost certainly written after the three general epistles of John, and what evidence is available seems to indicate that they were written between A.D. 80 and A.D. 90. The epistles were written in a time of threat from false teachers, especially from a budding Gnosticism. Revelation, on the other hand, was written in a time of apostasy and persecution. While it is true that the persecution could have been earlier, it seems highly unlikely that the apostasy was (see 2 below). Since the apostasy and the persecution are both a part of the scene in Revelation, it is more likely that the persecution was the late one, under Domitian rather than under Nero.
The early date hardly allows enough time for the churches in Asia to have had the experience and reach the state of decadence ascribed to them in Revelation. The Ephesian church had left its first love. Paul had given his farewell address to the elders of this church around A.D. 60, and there is no hint of the Nicolaitans, or of the church’s lack of love. While he warns of the danger of apostasy, it is still something that is in the future. Smyrna had proven her faithfulness by enduring persecution and poverty. Usually such judgments are expressed after a considerable length of time. Pergamos had been faithful through the martyrdom of Antip. (which may point back to an earlier persecution; if so, it could well have been that under Nero) and had permitted those holding the teaching of Salaam and the Nicolaitans to remain among them (in all probability the Nicolaitans are a late development; if they had existed during the time of Paul he would have almost certainly refuted them in some of his epistles). Thyatira was commended for her works but had permitted Jezebel to seduce to fornication and make sacrifice to idols (sacrificing to idols seems remote from the time of Paul). Philadelphia had endured with patience (which could imply a long period of time). Sardis was dead, and the church at Laodicea had grown lukewarm and self-sufficient — it did not even need the Lord! Thus both the virtues and the problems seem to point to churches that have been in existence for a considerable time.
Tradition puts John in Ephesus from which he was in all probability banished by the persecution of Domitian to the isle of Patmos) for a long while before the end of the first century. In The Antiques of the Elders (Preserved in Irenaeus in The Apostolic Fathers) we have the following statement: “…. all the Elders witness, who in Asia conferred with John the Lord’s disciple, to the effect that John had delivered these things unto them: for he abode with them until the times of Trajan." Another statement made by Irenaeus (quoted in almost all commentaries) says, "The church in Ephesus, founded by Paul, and having John remaining among them permanently until the time of Trajan." Trajan’s reign was from approximately A.D. 98 to 117.
There was a new wave of persecution against Christians started by Domitian around A.D. 93. Mosheim, one of the greatest of all church historians, says: "Nero being dead, the fury of this first war against the Christians ceased. But in the year 93 or 94 a new assault was made upon them by Domitian, an emperor little inferior to Nero in baseness of character and conduct. The cause of the persecution if we give credit to Hegesippus, was the fear of losing his empire; for the emperor had learned in some way that a person would arise from among the relatives of Christ, who would attempt a revolution, and would produce commotion in the empire. This persecution undoubtedly was severe: but it was of short continuance, as the emperor was soon afterward murdered. The principal martyrs named, are Flavius Clemens, a consul, and his niece or wife, Flavia Domitilla. In the midst of this persecution, John the apostle, was banished to the isle of Patmos" (Institutes of Ecclesiastical History, Book I, Part I, chapter IV, pp. 58-59).
Tradition assigns the Revelation to the close of Domitian’s reign. Irenaeus says, "It (the Revelation] was seen no very long time ago, but almost in our own generation, at the close of Domitian’s reign." While tradition cannot always be relied upon, this belief was held almost universally during the second and third centuries. With such a widespread belief among those closest to the time of writing, this becomes a weighty argument, one that cannot be set aside lightly.
The evidence, therefore, while not beyond some question, seems conclusive to me. Thus I accept the late date, approximately A.D. 96, as the time of composition. But if the late date is correct, the whole approach that assigns Revelation as a prophecy fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem is false and must be totally rejected. It seems incredible to me that God would give His people a book, the proper interpretation of which depends upon establishing an exact date of composition, and yet not give to them the means to positively establish that date. I conclude therefore that the interpretation of Revelation does not depend upon the date of composition. Its interpretation must be based upon its contents rather than upon the date when it was written.
THE WRITER
Unlike the date of composition, it is vital to establish the writer. But fortunately there is more to work with here, both internally and externally. The first verse is revealing: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John." Here we see that God is the author. Jesus Christ is the subject — it is a revelation of Him. It was for the benefit of God’s servants. It was signified by an angel. And the receiver was John. And thus John says that he bore record or testimony to what he saw (Revelation 1:2). He was later commanded to write what he had seen, what was, and what he would be shown (Revelation 1:19). So the writer was John. But what John? I believe that it can be established beyond a reasonable doubt that it was the apostle John, the same John who wrote the Gospel According to John and the three epistles which bear his name. The following reasons are given to support this view:
The evidence against the apostle John being the writer is not convincing. The chief argument against him being the author is that the Gospel according to John and Revelation could not have been written by the same man because of the difference in character and style. But upon closer examination the difference is not as great as it at first may appear. The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia says: "Singularly there has been of late in the advanced school itself a movement in the direction of recognizing that this difficulty of style is less formidable than it looks — that, in fact, beneath the surface difference, there is a strong body of resemblances pointing to a close relationship of Gospel and Apocalypse. This had long been argued by the older writers (Godet, Luthardt, Alford, Salmon, et al.), but it is now more freely acknowledged. As instances among many may be noted the use of the term ’logos’ (19:13), the image of the ’Lamb,’ figures like ’water of life,’ words and phrases as ’true,’ he that overcometh,"keep the commandments,’ etc." And . it turns out that the similarities far outweigh the differences, so much so that this otherwise weighty argument loses its force.
Tradition almost unanimously assigns the book to the apostle John. Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History (one of the most important works that has come down to as from ancient Christian writers) gives us the following interesting account: "In this persecution [that of Domitian], it is handed down by tradition, that the apostle and evangelist John, who was yet living in consequence of his testimony to the divine word, was condemned to dwell on the island of Patmos. Irenaeus, indeed, in his fifth book against the heresies, where be speaks of the calculation formed on the epithet of Antichrist, in the above mentioned revelation of John, speaks in the following manner respecting him. ’If, however, it were necessary to proclaim his name (i.e., Antichrist), openly at the present time, it would have been declared by him who saw the revelation, for it is not long since it was seen, but almost in our own generation, at the close of Domitian’s reign.’ To such a degree, indeed, did the doctrine which we profess, flourish, that even historians that are very far from befriending our religion, have not hesitated to record this persecution and its martyrdoms in their histories" (book III, chapter XVIII). Irenaeus lived almost the whole of the second century, and he was acquainted with Polycarp, who personally knew John. A contemporary of Irenaeus was Justin Martyr. Justin sums up the tradition by assigning the Revelation to a "certain man, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ." The traditional view of John’s authorship has been almost universally accepted by Bible students, both ancient and modern. And with no sound reason to reject it, the tradition becomes a strong testimony in the case for the apostle John as the writer.
While the book itself is ascribed only to John, to accept the authorship of any John other than the apostle would greatly weaken, though not destroy, the claim of inspiration. If the apostle wrote it, no proof of inspiration is necessary. Theapostles were the ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:19-20) — they were His authoritative spokesmen. They had been specially endowed with the baptismal measure of the Holy Spirit (also called power from on high, Luke 24:49) to aid them in revealing, confirming, and delivering the gospel without error (John 16:7-14). All they wrote is therefore to be accepted automatically as the word of God. Paul said, "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 14:37). But this would not be true with other writers. if another John wrote Revelation his inspiration would have to be proven — that is, it could not be automatically accepted as is the case with the apostles. Of course another John could have been inspired, as were Mark and Luke (obviously by the laying on of the hands of the apostles). But at this late date there would be little or no way to prove it to the satisfaction of everyone. Thus the inspiration of the book would be thrown into question. At best its inspiration would have to be assumed. This could perhaps be a good assumption, based on a likely assumption that the writer had been endowed to write under the direction of the Spirit by apostolic approval, but still it would be an assumption. There is no reason to think that this is the case. I therefore accept the apostle John as the writer of Revelation.
The writer, John, gives his name in such a way as to strongly suggest that he was well known by his readers, that he was the best known John among the Christians in Asia. Since it is all but certain that the apostle John had lived in Asia for many years before the Revelation was received, and since we know that he was widely known and respected in that whole area (e.g., other disciples, such as Polycarp, were honored because they had known him personally or had heard him preach), he, and probably he alone, could have been well known enough to have been identified by all with no distinctive qualify. ing marks attached to his name. Thus because all of his readers would know him he wrote identifying himself only as John (Revelation 1:1; Revelation 1:4; Revelation 1:9; Revelation 22:8). The name John, without further identifying marks, would immediately identify him as the most widely known John. And that could be none other than the apostle John. Upon the basis of these reasons there seems to be but one logical conclusion to reach, namely, the apostle John, the last of the apostles of Christ to die and according to tradition, the only one to die a natural death), wrote Revelation.
THE NATURE OF REVELATION
When I speak of the nature of Revelation I mean its inherent characteristics, its basic components, its fundamental constitution, and its type of composition. Its nature is its underlying design or purpose. A failure to grasp this has led to many serious errors, misconceptions, and misinterpretations. The nature of any book must be respected if it is to be studied seriously, and this is especially true of Revelation. For example, if its nature is literal, it cannot be properly interpreted figuratively. The reverse is also true: if its nature is symbolic, it cannot be understood literally. So its nature, its inherent characteristics, must be understood before we can understand the book itself. The following, while not exhaustive, should be helpful:
It is symbolic in nature, that is, it was written in symbolic language. The very first verse so informs us. "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to skew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John" (1:1). Note in particular the word "signified." It comes from the Greek word semaino, which, according to Vincent, means to "give a sign or token." G. Abbott-Smith gives it as "to give a sign, signify, indicate." And Vine adds, "Revelation 1:1, where perhaps the suggestion is that of expressing by signs." In my judgment, the context of the whole book leaves no room for Vine’s "perhaps." Here it definitely means to show by signs. Thus Revelation was written in symbolic (sign) language. That is its nature.
It should be kept clearly in mind that in symbolic presentations the symbols always signify something other than that which is literally depicted — a symbol cannot symbolize itself. For example, the candlesticks of Revelation 1:13 could not be symbols of literal candlesticks. They are in fact symbols of the churches (Revelation 1:20). The great whor*, or Babylon, of chapter 17 does not signify a literal whor* or the literal city of Babylon. The great whor* is a symbol of something evil, polluted, or corrupted — a great moral impurity. Thus a symbol must always signify something other than itself. But the very nature of Revelation is symbolic — this is plainly stated in the first verse. It cannot, therefore, be treated as a literal production. To ignore this fact leads to a misapprehension of the whole message because it ignores the basic and fundamental nature of the book.
Its nature is apocalyptic. While apocalyptic is also symbolic, and what I have said about symbols would equally apply here, it is a particular kind of symbolism. The apocalyptic style of writing is characterized by presenting its message by visionary means, usually depicting future glories in contrast with present gloom — a way of saying the present is severe but brightness is just ahead. Its design was usually to encourage and instill hope by highly figurative visions. It thus used symbolic language or bold figures to impress a lesson. Apocalyptic writing is said to have been rather widely written during the period from 200 B.C. to A.D. 100. I must confess that I have done very little reading of it and not much more about it, yet as far as I can determine it was never used as an instrument to predict specific incidents of history. Its sweeping visions were used to picture the glorious future for those who would overcome the present. Revelation partakes of this nature. But it should not be classed with the Jewish apocalyptic literature of the period. While it certainly partakes of the same nature, there is a vast difference. Revelation is inspired. And this ultimately means that God is its author. Unlike the other apocalyptic writings of the time, it did not originate in the mind of an irresponsible visionary.
Its nature is that of revelation. The title of the book comes from its very first word, the Greek apokalupsis, which means to reveal, uncover, or unveil. It is the unveiling of something previously hidden — a mystery made known. It is not a mystery concealed, but a mystery revealed. Albert Barnes, in his notes on Revelation, says, "It (the word under consideration) would apply to anything which had been covered up so as to be hidden from the view, as by a veil, a darkness, in an ark or chest, and then made manifest by removing the covering. It comes then to be used in the sense of disclosing or revealing, by removing the veil of darkness or ignorance. It may be applied to the disclosing or manifesting of anything which was before obscure or unknown." It should therefore be observed with care that it is not the nature of Revelation to be a mystery (something unknown or unknowable), but rather the revelation of a mystery. Thus to view it now as a mystery is to ignore its very nature.
Its nature is practical. While I grant that this may not at first appear to be the case, especially among those who are fond of weaving fantastic theories out of the figurative expressions, it is a fact — a fact that is established within the book itself. How do we know that its nature is practical? First, it was addressed by the Lord to the churches (Revelation 1:11). The Lord’s message is never impractical — He never speaks uselessly. He is concerned with His people and their souls’ salvation. When He speaks, it is for some practical purpose, never just to satisfy or pacify curiosity. Second, it was designed to be read, studied, and applied (Revelation 1:3). While it is true that it is delivered in symbolism and is therefore not as easily understood as literal compositions, it promises a blessing to those who keep the things written in the book (Revelation 1:3). There is a purpose for the use of the symbolic rather than the literal. The Lord had a message for His own people, one of encouraging them to fight on in the war against evil, one that would likely be misunderstood and misapplied by the enemies of the first-century church. He thus sent it to them by signs which they could understand (with a little study and patience), but which would utterly baffle their enemies. Finally, it has for its purpose the encouragement of the downtrodden saints of the Domitian persecution (and consequently all saints to follow them). It simply says that victory is certain and sure for the faithful. The battle ahead for them would be long and severe land this is true of all Christians. regardless of when they live), but those who would remain faithful unto death (Revelation 2:10) would win the crown of life. Thus the nature of Revelation is practical — it is the Lord’s message to His people, a message they can study and apply in times of trouble to give them hope and encouragement.
Understanding Revelation
Bible Class Lesson #1
Granby church of Christ
When I was a young boy growing up I used to send my friends letters in code. We dreamed up elaborate encryptions for disguising our messages back and forth so that nobody but us could understand our communications. There were plenty of spy kits kids could get with the same thing in differing variations. I can still remember my secret decoder ring, ordered from a coupon off a box of breakfast cereal, it was used to translate coded messages into something understandable. Nobody else but us was allowed to know the real meanings of those top secret communications. I remember fondly the times when entire legions of imaginary troops would be dispersed in life and death struggles based on those communications with civilization as we know it hanging by a thread. Those were fun times to be sure. But what we need to take away from this is that first, my friends on the other end had the key to understanding my messages to them and vice versa. We knew how to de-code the encrypted language. And second, the coding of the message was for the purpose of concealing our messages from certain people. Those who did not know how to understand the messages would be utterly baffled as to the meaning and we could carry out our escapades of adventure and conquest right under their noses without them knowing anything about what was going on.
If we are going to have any hope whatsoever of unraveling the mystery of the Revelation, we are going to have to understand that it was written to an audience that would know what the message was and understand it the same as they did. God would no more write a letter to His children they could not understand than we would to our secret spy buddies in the spy games of our youth. The conditions surrounding the first readers of the Revelation were far more serious than any of those around which we as up and coming 007 spies had to contend with in the days of our youth growing up.
The first readers of John’s Revelation were engaged in a life and death struggle against the forces of evil who were committed to their annihilation. Backing up and looking at this great book from a distance reveals that it is obviously a book of encouragement, perseverance and hope to an oppressed people. the general theme of the book is the bad guys lose and the good guys win. The book paints very vivid and horrific pictures of the fate that awaits the bad guys while likewise portrays the joy and happiness that rewards the good guys. Time and again, we are taken on a rollercoaster ride through the book with numerous scenes of God’s wrath on His enemies and then His blessings and vengeful protection of his faithful children who are assured time and again that they will be victorious in the end and their enemies will suffer His eternal wrath.
The type of language used to write the Revelation is called "Apocalyptic". This word comes from the Greek word apokalupto (ap-ok-al-oop’-to), and simply means a "revealing" or to "reveal". This is where we get the word "Revelation". The book of Revelation is certainly not the only time God used this kind of language. The books of Daniel, Zechariah and others are instances where God used this kind of language in order to "reveal" what He wished to communicate. The words used in this kind of language have a symbolic meaning in the minds of the readers of the letter. For instance the word "Horn" is used in both Revelation and Daniel. To the Jews, the horn was an emblem of power (1 Kings 22:11). Samuel wrote, "and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed" (1 Samuel 2:10). David wrote, "But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn" (Psalms 92:10). The Jewish Christians who had converted from Judaism would be familiar with this and when they heard the word "horn" they would associate it with "strength and power" in their minds. So we see that the many words used as symbols in the Revelation have significant meanings to the people who would first read the letter. The symbolic meaning of the word "horn" would not be easily known to anybody who was not familiar with the Old Testament scriptures so those reading the letter would not be able to understand what it meant to the first readers of the letter. To you and I, a horn simply means the horn on some kind of animal like a rhinoceros or a water buffalo. So if we are to understand the Revelation, we must learn what the symbolic language contained therein meant to a particular group of the people who read the letter in the first century.
Why was Revelation written the way it was?
Language is symbolized in order to conceal it’s meaning to all but to whom it is intended. The Christians at the time Revelation was written were undergoing severe persecution from their enemies. Just about everybody that was not a Christian was their enemy. Their enemies were viciously brutal and their lives hung in the balance on a daily basis. It was a crime against the laws of the government under which they lived to even be a Christian and the penalty for transgressing this law was often death.
In the book of Revelation, the Christians are told they will be victorious in the end and their enemies will be crushed in defeat. They are also told by God not to give in to their enemies and worship who they want them to worship, but to worship God and only God. The persecuting powers under which the Christians were living wanted them to give up the one true and living God and worship their false god. Along comes a letter from one of the most beloved leaders of the Christians telling them just the opposite and in addition to this, it spells out in detail the downfall, destruction and ultimate fate of their enemies. One must ask, what would have been the consequences faced by the Christians if this letter fell into the hands of the authorities and they could understand it? The persecution of the Christians would have become worse and all copies of the letter would have been denied to them. The authorities who were oppressing the Christians don’t want them to have any hope. They wanted them to give in and worship who they wanted them to worship. John’s message of hope, perseverance and victory would have been rounded up and destroyed before it was copied and distributed all across the known world. One could only imagine how horrible it would have been for a Christian to be found in possession of such a letter.
The Revelation had to be copied and distributed freely across the known world in order for it to be effective. In order for this to happen, it’s meaning could not be easily understood by the oppressing authorities of the time. So with that in mind, the message of Revelation was "symbolized" or "signified" as we see it in the very first verse of the book so that its true message was revealed in such a way that it could only be understood by those to whom it was intended. How did God do this? By using language that meant things only a Christian with knowledge of and access to the rest of scripture could possibly know.
Someone who was not a Christian, who had never studied the scriptures, whether old or new, would never understand the message of Revelation. To them it would be a meaningless mass of nonsensical writing that only confirmed in their minds that the Christians were a bunch of loony fanatics who followed after a mystical and hard to understand God that posed no real threat to them and their way of life. The Christians were given a message of hope, perseverance and ultimate victory over their enemies that only they could understand and that would not bring any added persecution to them because of it.
How effective was it?
The message of Revelation exists today. It was copied and distributed throughout the known world as directed by God. While many Christians were slaughtered for their faithfulness, Christianity as a whole survived and flourished and is still alive and vibrant today and will, as we are taught in scripture, continue to the end of time. History teaches us that persecution of Christians was no by no means limited to the first century. For thousands of years, Christians have been slain for their faithfulness by those who would force their way of life on others. Even today in some of the Muslim countries a proclamation of faith in the one true and living God is the equivalent of a death sentence.
Many denominations today have their own understanding of Revelation and it becomes painfully obvious rather quickly that they do not all agree. The real meaning of the Revelation was purposefully symbolic and hard to understand when it was written and it’s obviously hard today in view of all the many interpretations of it from numerous writers of all times, especially in modern times where we see the emergence of the millennial beliefs and teachings.
What we need to take away from this study is that the Revelation was a message of hope, perseverance and triumph, written to a specific group of people at a specific time in history. The Revelation, being intended for them, was successfully understood by them. It was written in such a way that Jewish Christians of the first century familiar with the Old and New Testament scriptures would be able to understand its meaning.
In Summary
So with that said, we are going to look at the Revelation through the eyes of the first readers. We are going to examine their lives and the conditions under which they lived. We are going to discover and learn what all the figurative language meant to them through a thorough study of the rest of scripture both Old Testament and New. We are, to the best of our ability, going to learn how to look at John’s Apocalypse through their eyes and understand it how they did. If we are to understand it correctly today, we must realize that what it meant to them at the time it was written is what it must mean to us today.
John’s Introduction to Revelation
(Revelation 1:1-9)
Bible Class Lesson #2
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 1:1-9
Revelation is a letter of great importance to a readership of people John loved and was concerned for. It was a period of great uncertainty for those in the church because of the severe persecution coming at them from all sides. The Jews who rejected Jesus Christ and the Roman empire were violently opposed to Christianity. They were facing the hatred of the unbelievers and faced physical persecution and death no matter where they turned. To the Christians it must have seemed God had abandoned them to the evil forces and they were doomed to perish at the hands of their enemies because of their faith in one true and living God.
It was under these circ*mstances that John wrote the Revelation. The first readers of John’s letter needed a divine message of hope and perseverance to encourage them to keep the faith and to let them know that God was still in charge of the affairs on earth and they needed to know that God was worth dieing for.
The first thing such a letter needed to say would be to identify who it was coming from, by what authority and to who it is addressed. The first readers needed to know immediately that this letter, no matter who it was written by, is coming from God Himself. The first sentence of the Revelation is loaded with information and worthy of a study all to itself. When we break the first sentence down into its individual thoughts we learn that:
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ", The message John is writing is coming from Jesus Christ, the one who came down here and died for all. The head of the church, the ruler of the kingdom of God. This is further reinforced in Revelation 1:5.
"which God gave him" The message coming from Jesus was given to Him by God the Father. This message originated and came from the highest authority.
"to show unto his servants" This letter is specifically for the servants of Jesus Christ. In our previous study of the opposition forces, we identified the good side as the Christians. God did that for the first readers of this letter in his first sentence.
"(even) the things which must shortly come to pass" The events described in this letter are going to take place in a relatively short time frame. Certainly not over a period of thousands of years. This letter is in reference to immediate concerns, not the concerns of future generations of people living millennia later. Notice this reinforced in verse three with the words "for the time is at hand". Christians of the day were being oppressed and killed for being Christians. People tend to associate messages addressed to them as being applicable to their immediate conditions. People 2000 years removed from the Revelation read it and try to associate it with current conditions. They see an earthquake or the heinous actions of an evil leader and they instantly try and draw a connection between it and the Revelation. We see this all the time. In this respect, people today are no different than they were in first century. The first century Christians would read the Revelation and draw comparisons between it and the conditions surrounding them at that particular time. And for good reason because the letter is addressed directly to them, not to Christians living today. And this is how we must look at this letter if we are to ever understand it.
"and he sent and signified (it)" And Jesus sent and "signified" it. This word in the Greek is semaino (say-mah’-ee-no), which means to express one’s thoughts by signs. The Revelation is not the only place in scripture where this word is used.
John 12:32-33 "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die."
Jesus expressed his thoughts to his disciples on how he would die by using the words "lifted up". He never used the word "crucified". Jesus "signified" what death he would die without ever revealing literally how it would be done. We see this again in almost the exact form in John 18:32 when Jesus was standing before Pilate and again in John 21:19. So we see from the first sentence of the Revelation, by divine inspiration from God, that the message being given was done so in signs and figurative language. This message was "signified" or "symbolized". Therefore the rules of Biblical interpretation which say that the Bible must be generally interpreted in the simplest literal terms unless cause can be shown otherwise, are reversed for the Revelation. The visions, creatures, time periods and scenes of Revelation must be understood to be figurative unless cause can be shown otherwise. As discussed in previous studies, the reasoning behind this is so that people ignorant of the scriptures would be incapable of understanding the real message and not perceive it to be any threat to them. And of course what better key to unraveling the mysteries could there be than with knowledge only a Christian familiar with the word of God would possess. What genius we see at work here in the plans of God. Only those who are familiar with the word of God can understand a message from God. God was communicating to His people in forms of speech, signs and symbols only they would be able to comprehend, thus concealing it from outsiders.
"who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, (even) of all things that he saw." John himself wrote in the first chapter of his Gospel account that Jesus Christ was the word of God. He identified himself here as the apostle who was there to witness the life of Jesus and his testimony and in the last part declared that he had seen these things with his own eyes. There were many people named John in the first century. But this John was special and the Christians knew it. These people knew John was an apostle and that when he said he had a message from God, it was genuine and God made sure the first readers knew it was being delivered through a reliable and trustworthy source.
Revelation 1:3
"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein: for the time is at hand."
Now that God has established who is the authority behind the letter, He then goes on to say that those who read and keep the the things written therein would be blessed. Much could be written about this statement but the key thing to bear in mind here is that for the most part religious groups today teach a salvation by faith only and some teach that once one enters into a saved state, they can do nothing to lose their salvation. The recipients of this letter were told they would be blessed if they did the things written in the letter. The letter tells them that those who persevere and keep the commandments of God will inherit life (Revelation 22:14), and those who worship false Gods will suffer eternal damnation (Revelation 14:11).
This declaration of a blessing on those who keep the things in this prophecy is not only stated at the beginning of the Revelation but also at the end. This book from God is opened and closed with the same exhortation:
Revelation 22:6-7
"And he said unto me, These words are faithful and true: and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angels to show unto his servants the things which must shortly come to pass. And behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book."
The Revelation is written to Christians. Many in the religious world today disagree about which Christians in what age it is referring to, but everyone agrees that they are Christians. Taking into consideration that the Revelation was specifically written to the Christians in the latter half of the first century and bearing in mind that they are going to make the immediate application of it to their circ*mstances, they were being told they had to do something which is contained in the book. They are being told they have to persevere and resist worshipping a false God or suffer eternal consequences. If these Christians were told they had to do something and had to persevere in order to inherit eternal life, what makes any Christian living at any other time in history think they don’t have to as well? Does this sound like salvation by faith only? Can the Christian today never lose their salvation but the Christians in the first century could? Is God then a respecter of persons after having said he wasn’t (Ephesians 6:9, Colossians 3:25, 1 Peter 1:17)?
The Christians of all ages need to take a long and thoughtful look at the situation the first readers of the Revelation were living under. Christianity was illegal, the Jews were reporting Christians to the authorities, Christians were being slaughtered for being Christians by the thousands. History is full of the records of the faithful who died for Christ. But the worst organized persecution of all time happened in the first century. The core message of the Revelation, written for "His servants", from "God", through "Jesus Christ" and to "John" (Revelation 1:1), is to keep on being faithful unto death no matter what (Revelation 2:7; Revelation 2:10-11; Revelation 2:17; Revelation 2:26; Revelation 3:5; Revelation 3:12; Revelation 3:21; Revelation 12:11; Revelation 21:7). The Christians of the first century were required to keep the commandments of God, keep living faithfully and resist bowing down to the forces of evil, unto death if need be. What makes anyone think Christians of today are any less obligated than they were?
If faith alone was sufficient for the first century Christians there would have been no need for them to die for their faith. There would have been no need for the Revelation to be revealed in the first place. Revelation teaches us today, just like it taught Christians 2000 years ago how to die faithfully in Christ if necessary, to receive eternal life. The Revelation was written to first century Christians with an application for Christians of all ages.
TheSalutation
Revelation 1:4
"John to the seven churches which are in Asia:" Here is the first usage of the number 7 in a figurative way. The Revelation was addressed to 7 churches, but the message was for all the servants of God as we saw in Revelation 1:1. There were more than 7 congregations worshipping in this area two of them being the Colossian and the Laodicean congregations.
"Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come;" This is a reference to the eternal God who exists now, always has existed and is going to come again.
"and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne" There were seven spirits mentioned one for each congregation. When Jesus addresses each individual congregation directly he used the words "unto the angel of the church" The word angel in the Greek means ’a messenger’ This is the second use of the number 7 in a symbolic way. It balanced out the churches and the spirits in the text, but there is only one spirit, (Ephesians 4:4). The number 7 here is denoting the sevenfold perfection and completeness of the Holy Spirit’s working.
Revelation 1:5
"and from Jesus Christ, (who is) the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood;"
Several key characteristics of Jesus Christ are illustrated here. He is described as a prophet, priest and king. Jesus as the faithful witness, "...Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth..." (John 18:37). "...I bear witness of myself, my witness is true..." (John 8:14). Jesus who was "the firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18), and was the "firstfruits of them that are asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20), thereby qualifying Himself to be our "merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." (Hebrews 2:17). Is now our "King of kings and Lord of lords" (1 Timothy 6:15).
What comfort this must have been to the oppressed saints to be assured that Jesus Christ was the ruler of those who crucified Him, having triumphed over death and risen to reign in heaven beside God the Father thereby guaranteeing victory to the faithful in Him.
Revelation 1:6
"and he made us (to be) a kingdom, (to be) priests unto his God and Father; to him (be) the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
"and he made us (to be) a kingdom,"
This is a statement here that the religious world advocating millennialism would do well to consider. Millennialists teach that Jesus is going to return to earth and literally reign an earthly kingdom from Jerusalem for a thousand years. They fail to realize that the Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom made up of God’s children. Jesus told Pilate at his trial that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36). When answering the Pharisees who asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered: "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, there! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21). So we learn from Jesus own words that the Kingdom of God is an intangible spiritual thing that is located within each Christian. It is the spiritual kingdom of God’s children which is also known as the "Ekklesia" or the "called out" which is translated "church" in the Bible.
Jesus prophesied the coming of the kingdom of God within the lifetimes of some of His disciples: "And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There are some here of them that stand (by), who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power" (Mark 9:1). Paul wrote that they had been translated "into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13) and we should walk worthy of God, who hath called us into "his kingdom" (1 Thessalonians 2:12). Peter wrote that those who added to their faith the things necessary would have an entrance ministered to them into the "everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:5-11 ). God referred to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ in Hebrews 1:8 and called Him God. Later in the Revelation John wrote that he was their "brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom" (Revelation 1:9). One cannot be added to, enter into, be called into, or be in a kingdom that does not presently exist.
When Jesus came, lived, died, was resurrected and ascended, he established something that was not here previously. He told Peter he was going to build something and he called it a church in Matthew 16:18. The church is made up of the children of God. It is the universal collection of Christians across the earth living faithfully in a spiritual kingdom that belongs to Christ, built, paid for and ruled by Him today. The church of the first century all the way up until today is the spiritual kingdom of God’s children.
It is noteworthy to consider the KJV translates this verse as "kings" instead of "kingdom". The Greek word used here is "basileia" which literally means "kingdom" or "realm". Nevertheless, one cannot have kings without a kingdom. Those who believe and teach millennialism need to realize God presently has a spiritual kingdom He is reigning over from Heaven.
"(to be) priests unto his God and Father"
John later wrote in Jesus made the saints to be "a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon earth" (Revelation 5:10). Peter wrote, "But ye are a elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for (God’s) own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:" (1 Peter 2:9). Under Jewish law, only the Levites could be priests. Under the "law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2), all Christians are priests with Jesus as our true king.
"to him (be) the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
This identifies God’s eternal nature to the readers. All Glory goes to God (Isaiah 48:11). This is in stark contrast to the emperors of Rome who’s reign ended with their mortal death. The King of the Christians rules forever and the oppressed Christians were reminded of this.
Revelation 1:7
"Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen."
Jesus ascended in a "cloud" (Acts 1:9), His return was said to be in "like manner" (Acts 1:11). Every Christian on earth had to know He had been pierced. The Jews and Gentiles both were equally responsible for this. The Jews requested it of the Roman authority because under law they could not put Jesus to death by crucifixion. They were so adamant about it that they declared to accept the responsibility of the blood of Jesus to be on them and their their children(Matthew 27:25). The Romans were the actual agents involved in the driving of the spikes through Jesus’ hands and feet, and it was a Roman soldier that "pierced His side" with a spear to determine if He was dead (John 19:34).
Paul wrote that Jesus’ return would be "from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:" This is not going to be a quiet peaceful event in any way shape or form. All the nations on earth are going to mourn His return, They are going to know what is happening and for the vast majority of the people on earth it is going to be a great day of sorrow. "Sudden destruction" will come upon them and "they shall not escape" (1 Thessalonians 5:3) This is in contrast to millennial teachings that say the unfaithful will remain behind on earth.
Revelation 1:8
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters in the Greek Alphabet. They symbolize the beginning and the end. Jesus was the active agent in the creation of the universe, (Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:2). Jesus literally was the beginning of what we on earth can perceive as the creation.
It is significant that Jesus here referred to Himself as the "Lord God" and the "Almighty." The words "Lord God" are translated from the words "kurios" which means supreme authority and is used like a title such as "Lord" or "Sir", and "theos" which is the word for God. Jesus is therefore one of the distinct personages of the Godhead, thereby sharing the attributes of God the Father. God, the Father, referred to "the Son" Jesus as "God" in Hebrews 1:8. When Moses asked God what he should be called, God answered: "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:14). In John 8:58 Jesus said to the Jews "Before Abraham was born, I am." In verse 8 Jesus referred to Himself as the one "who is" meaning in existence now, "who was" meaning in existence prior and "who is to come" meaning He plans to return which implies He will continue to exist into the future. Jesus shares the nature of Godhood thereby making Him Deity. He has always existed and in John 1:1 is described as being the word of God, existing before the beginning as God. Those in the religious world today who believe and teach that Jesus is a created being need to re-evaluate that belief and bring it into harmony with what the word of God teaches.
Revelation 1:9
"I John, your brother and partaker with you in tribulation and kingdom and patience (which are) in Jesus, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus."
John identifies himself again and this time he gives his readership some things they can relate to on a personal level. He is being persecuted, himself being banished to the island of Patmos. Patmos is a rugged barren rocky island about 24 miles west of the coast of Asia Minor. In John’s day it was used as forced labor prison island by the Roman Empire where the prisoners worked in the mines. History records that John was sent to Patmos by Domitian. However the internal evidence within the Revelation places the writing during the reign of Vespasian. If this is accurate, John found himself on Patmos twice in his life. Much disagreement among scholars has arisen over this and prevents the absolute dating of the writing of the book of Revelation. John, by inspiration, placed himself on the Island of Patmos and that much is certain.
It has been speculated that John was sent to Patmos prior to Domitian’s reign as a result of his battling the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. This sect was especially prevalent in Asia Minor and caused a lot of trouble to the faithful Christians. Briefly the Nicolaitans disobeyed the command issued to the gentile churches, by the apostles to refrain from the eating of "things sacrificed to idols" (Acts 15:29). Such a restriction prevented the Christian communities from joining in public festivals where meat that had been sacrificed in idolatrouspractices was eaten. This brought upon them suspicion and dislike, but was necessary to prevent a return to pagan worship which was prevalent all around them at the time. Eventually the Nicolaitans did return to the more base practices of pagan worship and they incorporated all kinds of adulterous and idolatrous actions into their worship.
As mentioned earlier, John also referred to himself as being in the Kingdom with his readership. Jesus Christ is the king of this kingdom and ruling it from heaven. If the first century Christians were in the Kingdom of God, then Christians today are no less in the same kingdom.
In summary
John’s introduction of the Revelation is marked with some very significant characteristics all of which one would find in any letter of this degree of importance written out of concern to loved ones. First, it came at a time of intense persecution of which John was a fellow sufferer (Revelation 1:9). It was addressed specifically to a particular group of Christians at a particular time in history (Revelation 1:4), which means the message must be understood as being to them specifically with an application for all Christians. This fact is brought out in great detail in later writings on the vision of Jesus Christ and the individual messages to the separate congregations.
The message originated at the highest source, given to Jesus by God the Father, to relay on to John (Revelation 1:1). The first readers would recognize that, coming from the beloved apostle John, who said it came from God, meant that this message was of great importance and from a trustworthy source.
The timeframe of the events in Revelation was said to be "at hand" (Revelation 1:3) and were going to "shortly come to pass" (Revelation 1:1). The events depicted within were claimed by the writer to be imminent, not projected 2000 years or more into the future.
The message was symbolized so that it is communicated in signs and visions (Revelation 1:1). Such a message would look like nonsense to anybody unfamiliar with Christianity and the way God communicated with His people in previous writings. The enemies of the Christians under their present tribulation would look at the Revelation and be utterly confused as it its content. This is vital in that the message had to be circulated among the known world in the Roman Empire and if the authorities knew and realized the revelation was a message of perseverance and ultimate triumph over them, it would have been collected and denied to the Christians. What better way to encode a message than to do so with language only a Christian well versed in scripture would be able to understand? To those outside Christianity, it was nothing more than a superstition of which they knew almost nothing.
Being addressed specifically to the Christians in the first century, we today must recognize that the first readers will see to whom the letter is directed, see that it says the timeframe for the prophecy is at hand, and make immediate associations to the things written in the Revelation to their current circ*mstances. The entire template for understanding this letter is to do so through the eyes of those to whom it was addressed. What it meant to them then is what it must mean to us today. The precepts and conditions that the first readers were obligated to adhere to apply to all Christians for all time. The Revelation, from God, to Jesus, through the hand of the apostle John was written to them with an application for all.
John’s Vision of Jesus Christ
Bible Class Lesson #3
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 1:10-20
The first vision in the book of Revelation is one of Jesus Christ. In previous studies we have learned that the purpose for the symbolic wording is to communicate with the Christians in a way they could understand while masking the meaning from their enemies. To we who are Christians this description of Jesus is not difficult at all. Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of man on numerous occasions. All Christians know that Jesus was dead and then resurrected never to die again. This is not a difficult vision for a Christian to understand because we are familiar with the imagery. But someone who knew little to nothing at all about Jesus Christ would look at this text and read about the sharp two edged sword coming from His mouth and His pure white raiment, flaming eyes and feet like fired brass and instantly develop a mental image of something bearing the literal features described in the vision. I still remember the outrageous mental images I had of this when I was a young boy reading the Revelation for the first time. I didn’t visualize Jesus Christ. I visualized a white clothed, fire eyed, brass shod man with a real sword coming out of his mouth and I remember thinking to myself that it had to hurt to hold a sword like that.
I cannot count how many times I have picked up a book, started reading it, only to set it down after reading a few minutes, never to look at it again. The book lost my interest so quickly that based on the first impression, I was unwilling to devote any more time to it. Someone utterly unfamiliar with Jesus Christ and the word of God would likely read to the first vision and instantly conclude that Christians are a bunch of superstitious nuts following after a nonsensical God and pay little to no attention to the rest of the letter. "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness" (1 Corinthians 1:23). "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). Once again the genius of God is apparent in His actions. It would have been easy to have just identified Jesus Christ by name at this time rather than go into a detailed description of the savior of mankind in figurative terms. But He did not, choosing to distract unbelievers with the figurative language at the beginning. It is no accident that unbelievers consider Christianity to be foolish. This has been designed into God’s plan since the beginning and God wasted no time whatsoever in implementing this in what was the most important letter the persecuted Christians would ever receive except for previous inspired writings. Jesus had some specific things to say to the individual congregations and this first vision of Jesus would both prepare the Christians for the message to come while causing instant confusion and distraction to those who have no knowledge of Jesus, thereby weeding out all but the most determined adversaries of the Christians.
For the Christians, this first vision sets the tone for what is to be expected later on in the Revelation. God starts with a relatively easy vision that any Christian would be able to understand before moving on to some direct and serious instruction to each specific congregation. As the book progresses through the first vision and the specific instruction to each church, we see the imagery growing progressively more difficult. The Christians are going to recognize this for what it is, realize that the key to understanding it is going to be found in the rest of scripture and prepare themselves as the book progresses. The unbelievers that make it past the first vision are only going to get more and more confused as they struggle with distractions brought on by their natural tendency to try and understand these visions literally. I like to think of this first vision as a primer for what is to follow.
With that said, we will now look at the particular elements of John’s vision of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:10-11
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, " which obviously means that John was directly under the influence of the Holy Spirit who was in the process of telling John what to write. We learn elsewhere that "all scripture is given by inspiration" which in the original language meaning "God breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16), and this declaration by John affirmed to the readers the means by which these visions were being communicated to John. "The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue" (2 Samuel 23:2).
"The Lord’s day" This day would be the day set forth each week set aside for the worship of God. Jesus was resurrected on the "first day of the week" (Mark 16:1-6). The resurrected Jesus appeared to His disciples on the "first day of the week" (John 20:19). The church of Christ was established on Pentecost which was the first day of the week (Acts 2). The first century Christians met to "break bread" on the "first day of the week" (Acts 20:7). Paul commanded the Corinthian Christians to "lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him" on the "first day of the week". When the first readers read of the Lord’s Day in the Revelation they knew instantly this meant the first day of the week, Sunday. They followed a pattern of worship which involved meeting on every Sunday. We being the Lord’s church today follow that same pattern. Of significance is that the first day of the week was referred to as the "Lord’s day." The Greek word used here is kuriakos (koo-ree-ak-os’) meaning belonging to the Lord (Jehovah or Jesus). This is the same word used in 1 Corinthians 11:20 in reference to the "Lord’s Supper." The Lord’s day here is described as being the day belonging to the Lord.
"and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,"
John did not hear a trumpet. He heard a voice that was compared to the sound of a trumpet meaning it was loud and clear. The Romans used trumpets to signal an important announcement or a call to attention prior to an event. This is the use of a metaphor and occurs often throughout scripture, notably in the parables of Jesus where the kingdom of God was described as being "like" something. Like a trumpet, Jesus voice came through loud and clear.
Revelation 1:11
saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send (it) to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
John is being shown these things in visions and he is commanded to write what he sees. As we saw earlier, all scripture is God breathed, so we know John wrote down exactly what the Holy Spirit wanted him to say. But it is worthy of note that John was told to write what he saw in the visions. The revelation is written as a description of spiritual visions in in first century man’s terms and addressed to first century mankind, specifically to the seven churches of Asiawhich we understand to be to them in particular but with application to Christ’s church universally.
Revelation 1:12
"And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks"
These candlesticks are representative of the traditional Jewish seven-branched lampstand called the menorah. Jesus tells exactly what these candlesticks represented in verse 20, "and the seven candlesticks are seven churches." In the tabernacle, God required a candlestick to be made of gold and placed on the table with the showbread. This candlestick was required to hold seven candles. Exodus 25:33-37. Zechariah saw a candlestick in a vision with 7 candles as recorded in Zechariah 4:2. Candlesticks are an image the first century Jewish Christians would be very familiar with.
Revelation 1:13
"and in the midst of the candlesticks one like unto a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle."
We are now getting into the central subject of John’s vision of Jesus Christ. John saw one who was described as being like the Son of man. Jesus frequently referred to Himself as the Son of man in his teachings; "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" (Matthew 16:13). This is the favored self-designation of Jesus in the Gospels. In Matthew it occurs over 30 times, in Mark 15 times, in Luke 25 times, and in John a dozen times. Jesus took this designation from the old testament where it occurs 108 times in the KJV. Probably the most significant Old Testament verse which could point to Jesus’ use of this designation is found in Psalms 80:17 "Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself." This was an appeal by the psalmist for the raising up of a hero to redeem Israel who had fallen away from God.
Jesus was described as being in the midst of the churches. The churches mentioned in Asia geographically formed a rough circle. Christ, as the head of the church, positioned in the center, is inseparable from them, being the head. He moves among the churches as the king and high priest, seeing and knowing every facet of their life and conduct as Christians. He provides counsel and leadership when necessary and comfort in times of affliction. This should give the Christians great comfort because Christ, being in their midst, was close to them, aware of their trials and tribulations and was aware of their suffering. He was also aware of their shortcomings which we will observe later in our studies of the various churches to whom the Revelation was specifically addressed.
"clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle." This attire is a sign of high rank and office. The band being of gold and worn about the chest indicates that Jesus is dressed to rule rather than to serve. The clothing Jesus is wearing in this vision is drawn from the attire of the Jewish high priest as described in Exodus. This is fitting that Jesus would wear this attire in that He is the high priest of the Christian era.
Revelation 1:14
"And his head and his hair were white as white wool, (white) as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire"
The white head and hair are symbolic of purity and holiness of which Jesus’ head is crowned. This imagery is probably borrowed from Daniel’s vision in Revelation 7:9, "I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit: his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool..."
"and his eyes were as a flame of fire" Fire was practically the only source of artificial illumination in the first century. Jesus eyes were described as being illuminating, penetrating into the hearts and souls of all Christians everywhere. "And there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13).
Revelation 1:15
"and his feet like unto burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters."
The imagery of the burnished brass comes from Daniel 10:6 and Ezekiel 1:7. This was a mixture of metals similar to brass or bronze which is unknown today in its exact composition. But the imagery is of Jesus with feet glowing fiery hot from the furnace and able to tread out and burn His enemies to ashes. This imagery is taken from Malachi 4:3 "And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make, saith Jehovah of hosts"
"and his voice as the voice of many waters." This imagery also reflects the vision in Daniel 10:6 "and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude." and again in Ezekiel 43:2 "and, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shined with his glory." Jesus voice can be described as filling a double role. It can be terrifying, thunderous and powerful as we see in Revelation 14:2; Revelation 19:6 while the same voice can also be gentle, soothing and comforting as we see in Zechariah 1:13 and Psalms 85:8. One can visualize the soothing calm of gentle waters for those in tribulation, while simultaneously visualizing the voice of roaring thunder of crashing waves on those who are His enemies.
Revelation 1:16
"And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."
The right hand of Jesus symbolized a position of favor in the minds of the Christians. Jesus is seated on His throne "by the right hand of God exalted" (Acts 2:33). On the great day of the Lord after the final trump, Jesus describes the lost as goats who would set on His left and the sheep who would be set on His right (Matthew 25:32-34).
The seven stars are explained in Revelation 1:20 as the angels of the churches. Angels are messengers. As we have previously studied, the message of God’s word comes from the Holy Spirit and there is only one spirit (Ephesians 4:4). Seven represents perfect completeness so it is likely the seven angels represent the perfect complete working of the Holy Spirit. Notice in Revelation 2:7 when Jesus is giving specific direction to the church in Ephesus, He says "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" Here is the demonstration of the singularity of the Holy Spirit we see represented in scripture elsewhere.
"and out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword"
Jesus is the word of God (John 1:1) and the "word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). This is some New Testament imagery having its origins in Old Testament writings.
Psalms 149:6
(Let) the high praises of God (be) in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;
Isaiah 49:2
And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
"and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."
Jesus is in heaven reigning as our King. Jesus is God the Son and in the presence of God the Father, seated at His right hand. When Moses had been in the presence of God on Mt. Sinai his face glowed white when he returned to the camp of the Israelites. The glowing face in the vision is something the Jewish Christians would be familiar with and something the Gentile Christians could find in old testament scripture to relate to it.
Exodus 34:29-30
29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of the testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him.
30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him
Revelation 1:17
"And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last,"
John was not the only prophet to exhibit a dramatic response when he saw the glory of God. When Ezekiel saw the vision of God in His chariot he fell upon his face (Ezekiel 1:28). When Isaiah saw his vision of God’s throne he cried "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5). Daniel fell on his face when Gabriel was told to explain a vision to him (Daniel 8:17) and after this Daniel was "sick certain days" (Daniel 8:27). It is obvious that seeing God’s glory in a vision has quite a physical impact on people. When Moses was on Mt Sinai God allowed him a glimpse of His glory as He passed by, but did not allow Moses to see His face. God shielded His face from Moses’ view as He passed by. Exodus 33:20 "And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live." No fleshly man could ever look upon the face of Jehovah and survive the event.
There is a time coming in the lives of all who ever lived when they will come face to face with God in His glory. For those who have not lived faithfully, this will be a terrible event. For those who have, it will be a glorious one. In either case, it is going to be a shocking experience to say the least.
"And he laid his right hand upon me"
It is interesting to note that it was Jesus’ right hand that was laid upon the shoulder of John. That is where Jesus was holding the seven stars. Again, this usage of the right hand is representative of a favored position or approval in the minds of the first readers. When Paul converted to Christianity, many of the Christians did not trust him, but when they realized he had genuinely converted, Paul was given their "right hands of fellowship" (Galatians 2:9). John was overcome with the glory of Jesus in this vision and was unable to stand. But the placement of Jesus’ right hand on Him, assured John that he was going to be ok and the first readers would see this as a sign of comfort, assurance and fellowship.
saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last,"
After having placed His right hand on John, Jesus told him to "Fear not" Do not be afraid. Imagine how horrific an experience this would be to be lying at the feet of Jesus Christ in His glory and not feel the comfort of His hand nor hear the assurance in His voice. Only His enemies are to feel terror at His presence. Those who belong to Him need have no fear and are to find peace and comfort before Him.
The expression "first and the last" is found three times in Isaiah:
Isaiah 41:4
"Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, the first, and with the last, I am he."
Isaiah 44:6
"Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God."
Isaiah 48:12
"Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he; I am the first, I also am the last."
Jesus often identified Himself to John through figurative expressions that described His characteristics. We see this here and all through the rest of the Revelation when Jesus is the subject of the visions. Any Christian familiar with the imagery of these characteristics and qualities of Jesus would be able to easily identify who this is. Those who are unfamiliar with these types of descriptions would be unable to understand who the subject of the vision is.
Revelation 1:18
"and the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades."
All Christians know that Jesus died and was resurrected from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), never to die again(Hebrews 7:16; Hebrews 7:24-25). This is another identification of Jesus by His characteristics. He is alive, He was dead, but he’s alive now forever.
"and I have the keys of death and of Hades."
Keys are always used figuratively in the New Testament. Jesus gave Peter "the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 16:19); Jesus accused lawyers of taking away the "key of knowledge" in Luke 11:52. The key or keys in scripture imply power and authority, either with the subject individual or delegated by another. Each time keys are claimed or used, they imply the exercise of power from without, or may be used to open from the outside. Jesus has the keys (power), to unlock (overcome) death and Hades. Hades is Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word "Sheol". These words represent the abode of the dead where both the saved and the unsaved await the final judgment of Christ. This is where Jesus went after His death (Acts 2:27, which was a quote from David in Psalms 16:10 where he used the word "Sheol").
Both death and Hades will be delivered up for Christ’s judgment and those who are not found in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:13-15), forever (Revelation 14:11).
Revelation 1:19
"Write therefore the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the things which shall come to pass hereafter"
John is commanded to Jesus to write down what he sees in the visions. He is to record the things which are happening now which indicates the events described are in progress at the time and will come to pass afterwards. Jesus had earlier indicated the timeframe of this is going to be relatively short (Revelation 1:1) and will repeat it toward the end of the prophecy (Revelation 22:6), so we know the events that shall "come to pass" hereafter will be in a relatively short timeframe.
Revelation 1:19
"the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks are seven churches."
Jesus explains to John what seven stars and the seven candlesticks in His right hand represented. Scholars are divided to this day on just what the seven angles represented. Some believe it was the elders or the ministers of the specific churches or men sent by the apostle to carry the letter to them. This is entirely possible and there is no reason why any of these could not be true. However, it is this teachers belief that the seven angels collectively represent the complete work of the one perfect and complete Holy Spirit represented in the words of the prophecy delivered to the churches. Ultimately, it was the Holy Spirit that was the primary active agent in the deliverance of all scripture to the inspired writers (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21). Disagreement over precisely what these seven angels represent does not alter the primary message to the Christians in any way. They were to persevere and remain faithful until death regardless of whether the seven stars were literally seven messengers, one for each church, or the one complete messenger from which all divine messages derived.
Of significance is the fact that Jesus acknowledged the fact that it was indeed a mystery. This supports the fact that this book is purposefully written in figurative language for the express purpose of it being a mystery. It is the intent of God that it be this way and as we have discussed previously, the reason for this is to mask the message from the enemies of Christianity while revealing it in ways possible to understand to those for whom it was intended.
Summary of John’s Vision
When John turned to see the vision of Jesus, he saw a figure clothed in royal attire, standing in the midst of the congregations of His people, with them, close to them and among them. He was Holy and pure, but strong and authoritative and commanded great reverence in His presence. He is able to deal harshly with His foes, but tenderly with His saints. His word was strong and true and trustworthy, being a comfort for His faithful children, but a fearful weapon towards His enemies. He had been slain, but death could not defeat Him. He overcame death and is alive and will remain alive forever.
Nothing is said in this vision about what would happen to the enemies of righteousness. It was not time yet to reveal their fate, being too early in the Revelation. To reveal the fate of the enemies of the Christians at this time would most certainly have been noticed and their persecutors would have paid a lot more attention to the details of the letter. Before the fate of the enemies of the Christians was revealed there first was numerous reprimands given to the Christians in the various congregations addressed after this vision. Those who would look at the Revelation with the intent of incriminating the Christians because of it would have to wade through a considerable amount of figurative language before perceiving any threat at all to themselves.
Jesus great power and authority is evident in the imagery. The Christians to whom this letter was addressed were watching cruel Roman emperors rise to power and die. These emperors did not have the ability to overcome death. Their words were not trustworthy, their practices were not pure and Holy. The Christians had a worthy champion in comparison to what the Unbelievers had. The cruel emperors, as vicious as they were, would not live forever. The champion of the Christians was just and merciful and would never die and the first readers of the Revelation were given this assurance from the beginning of the letter.
The Church at Ephesus
(The Church who Left Her First Love)
Bible Class Lesson #4
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 2:1-7
(ef’-e-sus) (Ephesos, meaning "desirable"): A city of the Roman province of Asia, near the mouth of the Cayster river, 3 miles from the western coast of Asia Minor, and opposite the island of Samos. With a harbor accessible to the largest ships, standing at the entrance of the valley which reaches far into the interior of Asia Minor, and connected by highways with the chief cities of the province Ephesus was the most easily accessible city in Asia, both by land and sea. See map
Ephesus, at the time of the writing of the Revelation, was a city of great importance in Asia Minor. This city, with an approximate population of 225,000 was the gateway to and the capital of the Roman province of Asia and as such it was a city of great wealth, great culture, and great corruption both politically and socially. Of the seven churches of Asia Minor, Ephesus is the only one that we can trace to the beginning.
It is believed Paul established this congregation of God’s people on the heels of Apollos who came through before him. On Paul’s third missionary journey he remained there two years preaching in the Jewish Synagogue (Acts 19:8; Acts 19:10). As a result of this, "all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10). Timothy was an evangelist in Ephesus when Paul wrote both letters to Him. The church in Ephesus had elders, "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church" (Acts 20:17). Thus we learn that the church in Ephesus was a tremendous influence on the spreading of the gospel throughout the Roman province of Asia.
This church was not a tiny little congregation of the Lord’s people nestled away in a remote community. This congregation was the result of years of evangelism and instruction by Apostles and other great teachers. This congregation was directly involved with the evangelism of the entire province of Asia. This congregation was large and influential, located in one of the richest cities in all of the Roman Empire. Thus the Christians in Ephesus developed a satisfied complacency in their service to God and allowed themselves to become a little too full of themselves. As such they were not motivated by love and it appears that they desired the praises of men more than the praises of God. It is with this background that Christ addresses this Church.
The message to them was threefold. Hard times are on the horizon, stop loving yourselves and return to your first love or suffer eternal consequences and he that overcomes will eat of the tree of life.
Revelation 2:1
"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, he that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks:"
As discussed earlier this is Jesus Christ who walks among the congregations of His church which is His body over which He rules as the head.
"I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."
Jesus calls attention to the good qualities the church was exhibiting. They were rich in works and labor, they were being patient and faithful, they had encountered people who were evil and they could not bear them. They had confronted and exposed false prophets. They had worked for the name of Christ and not given up in spite of some pretty severe persecution.
"Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."
Notwithstanding all the good works they had done, Jesus had something against them. The importance of being a well rounded Christian complete and sound in the faith cannot be overstated. We are commanded to Love Christ "out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned" (1 Timothy 1:5), and to "follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22).
Going through the motions of Christianity is not enough. Evangelizing, visiting the sick, helping the widows and afflicted is for nothing if it not done out of love for Christ and for each other. We are His bride, a bride is expected to love her husband.
"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
These Christians had fallen away from their first love. They were going through the motions of Christianity but they didn’t have their hearts in the right place. They were told to repent. Their departure from their first love was sin and Jesus said if they did not repent and return, He would remove theircandlestick. This can only mean one thing. Christians of the first century were warned by Jesus Christ that they could lose their standing as a congregation of His church. And they were doing everything right with only one exception and if they did not fix the problem, they were going to be rejected by Christ.
The Church who would claim Jesus as her head cannot depart or deviate from the truth and trust in their righteous deeds to pull them through. All of the good deeds and works we can do will not erase unrighteousness. Jesus was unwilling to overlook this one thing in favor of all the rest of the good things they were accomplishing. The importance of this cannot be overstated. An entire congregation of the Lord’s church can lose their candlestick, their light, their standing, their fellowship with Christ over a single shortcoming, except they repent.
"But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."
How significant this is that Jesus would mention the Nicolaitans at this time. The Nicolaitans started their apostasy with a single transgression. They had been around for a while when Revelation was written, but in the beginning of their existence they started by eating meat sacrificed to idols. There was a lot of pagan worship going on in the Roman Empire and many of them included animal sacrifices. When these sacrifices were completed, the meat from the dead animals was used for huge public feasts. The Nicolaitans wanted to participate in these feasts and they did so in transgression of God’s will (Acts 15:29). This was the beginning of their apostasy. As time went on, they assimilated many of the other idolatrous pagan practices into their worship until it resembled nothing of Christian worship. How fitting for Jesus to correct a church who was guilty of only one transgression and then conclude with an example of one that likewise started with one transgression and ended up far worse. When Jesus mentioned the Nicolaitans to the Ephesian church, He used them as an example of where they could end up starting with but a single transgression.
The application for us today is the same. We are to be diligent to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15), contending earnestly for the faith that was once delivered (Judges 1:3), realizing and accepting that the commandments of men constitute vain worship in the eyes of God (Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:7). Apostasy no matter how far from righteousness it may be in then end, starts with a single departure from the truth. Jesus’ warning to the church at Ephesus has just as much significance for the church today as it did for the church in Ephesus 2000 years ago.
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."
Finally, Jesus makes a promise to the faithful of Ephesus. He was saying to them and to us today that He will give eternal life to those who remain faithful and overcome all obstacles and remain faithful to the end. The application for us today is no different. Christians of the 21st century are not any different than those of the 1st. God’s will has not changed in 2000 years. Those of us today who hope to inherit eternal life must overcome and endure to the end.
The Letter to the Church at Smyrna
(The Suffering Church)
Bible Class Lesson #5
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 2:8-11
Smyrna is an ancient city (today İzmir in Turkey) that was founded by the ancient Greeks at a central and strategic point on what is today known as the western coast of the Aegean Sea. Founded at the head of the gulf of Smyrna (today the gulf of Izmir) that reaches about 40 miles inland it was ideally located as a distribution point for a large portion of the region.
The city originally founded by a people known as the Lelages was conquered and taken by the ancient Greeks about 1100 BC and became a prominent city of the region for hundreds of years. around 627 BC the region was conquered and became the Lydian Empire. Smyrna was conquered and sacked by a king named Alyattas III between 609 and 560 BC. Smyrna was not utterly destroyed and continued to exist for many years but not as the grand city it formerly was.
When Alexander the Great, a Greek, swept through with his conquests, Smyrna was included and became part of the consortium of nations united under him. This became what is known as the Hellenistic age. Alexander recognized Smyrna’s potential for trade and strategic advantage and ordered the city rebuilt. During the years 301 to 281 B.C., Lysimachus entirely rebuilt it on a new site to the Southwest of the earlier cities, and surrounded it by a wall. Standing, as it did, upon a good harbor, at the head of one of the chief highways to the interior, it quickly became a great trading-center and the chief port for the export trade. In Roman times, Smyrna was considered one of the most prominent cities of Asia Minor, alongside Pergamos and Ephesus.
Pagan worship in Smyrna
Smyrna was loaded with Pagan worship to false gods in the first century There were many temples dedicated to pagan worship built in the city. Among them were the temples of:
Zeus, who in Greek mythology was the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus, and the god of the sky and thunder. This is where the Olympian games were celebrated. The Romans worshipped Zeus as Jupiter.
Athena who was believed to be the daughter of Zeus and was an armed warrior goddess, and appears in Greek mythology as a helper of many heroes.
In 23 AD a temple was built in honor of Tiberius and his mother Julia, on the Golden Street, connecting the temples of Zeus and Cybele. Tiberius reigned as Roman emperor in imperial Rome after Augustus from 14 AD to 37 AD.
Cybele or according to the Romans, Magna Mater, which means earth mother was a particular favorite of emperor Augustus. Cybele represented the fertile Earth, a goddess of nature and of wild animals. This temple burned in 111 BC and was rebuilt during the reign of Augustus.
Recent archaeological discoveries in old Smyrna have revealed the figures of Hermes, Hestia, Dionysus, Eros and Hercules.
While this is not an exhaustive study of pagan worship in Smyrna, it is sufficient to demonstrate the level of false worship the Christians of the time were up against. They worshipped the one true and living God for which there were no statues or idols or alters. The God of the Christians was and still is absolutely intolerant of the worship of other Gods. In addition to this, Christianity requires us to stand against such pagan worship and this caused great tension and strife between the Christians and those who worshipped pagan gods.
Also worth mentioning along with the pagan worship is the false worship of the one true and living God. Smyrna also had a large population of Jewish people who were rightly proclaiming the one true and living God, but had rejected Jesus Christ as the messiah. In addition to the persecution of the Romans, the Christians also faced the Jewish persecutions which was considerable.
Christian Persecution in Smyrna
During the Roman persecutions many Christians suffered the most dreadful torments here. They were put to death at the stake, or by wild beasts in the amphitheater; their properties confiscated by the empire, enslaved, abused and tortured; and the only test applied to them was whether they would throw a few grains of incense into the fire as a sacrifice to the Roman emperor, or whether they would refuse.
The Jewish population hated the Christians and frequently turned them in to the Roman authorities as conspirators against the emperor for refusing to bow down to worship him.
John had a disciple named Polycarp who was a prominent Christian leader in Smyrna. Polycarp was probably 25-30 years old when John died. Polycarp himself lived until he was martyred around 156 A.D. in Smyrna. According to history. he was tied to a stake in the amphitheatre, pierced through the heart by a Roman soldier and then burned in front of an audience of tens of thousands of Romans screaming for his death.
Later on in the Revelation, John writes of the wrath of God being poured out on His enemies in the form of natural disasters which depleted the wealth of Rome and eroded her power. Smyrna was destroyed by an earthquake in 178 AD and had to be rebuilt by the Roman Empire. It was too important a city located strategically and geographically to leave in ruins.
Revelation 2:8
"And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These things saith the first and the last, who was dead, and lived (again):"
Angel means messenger. Some scholars believe this would be one of the men overseeing that particular congregation and some say it is the Holy Spirit symbolized in the perfect seven stars in Jesus’ right hand mentioned earlier. Either way, the message delivered is the same. It is my opinion that the messenger is the one perfect complete divine Spirit of God.
The first and the last, He was dead and lived again is obviously Jesus Christ. No Christian would have any difficulty recognizing this symbolism, however someone unfamiliar with the resurrection of Christ would have no idea what this was referring to.
It is significant to note here and in the individual messages addressed to the specific churches that Revelation is directed specifically toward them, not to people and circ*mstances 2000 years removed. Whatever the Revelation meant to those to whom it was addressed is what it must mean today. The principles taught within the Revelation are timeless, but the events depicted therein are of that time period.
Revelation 2:9
"I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty (but thou art rich),
Jesus told the church at Smyrna He was aware of the tribulation they were living through. The church at Smyrna was also poverty stricken. The reason for this was that during the time of the writing of Revelation, the imperial cult known as the "Concilia" was enforcing emperor worship. People who refused to worship the emperor were forbidden to buy or sell anything, their properties were confiscated and they found themselves homeless. They could not have good jobs, they were rejected by the population and consequently were poverty stricken as a result. The poverty they were suffering in this rich society was part of their persecution.
How ironic it is that the poorest, social rejects and outcasts of society were the real priests and kings of the times. All of the majestic wealth and shining temples meant nothing in the end. The poorest people of all were the real saints, living off the table scraps of the wealthy, being oppressed, hated and rejected. This was nothing new.
2 Corinthians 4:8-11
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
They were poor in material wealth, but in the wealth that mattered they were rich beyond description. What a wonderful way for Jesus to comfort them and assure them of their final victory. Our wealth today is by no means measured by our material possessions. We could have nothing and still be rich in Christ.
Matthew 16:26-27
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world , and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."
"and the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and they art not, but are a synagogue of Satan."
The considerable Jewish population were said to be guilty of blasphemy. Evidently they were participating in whatever they had to in order to avoid the persecution of the Romans. They were most likely burning incense to the emperor which was all that was required to satisfy the requirements to worship him in most cases. They claimed to be God’s children but they are not. The synagogues they met in for prayer were not of God, but of Satan.
"Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer:"
God is telling them it’s going to get worse, don’t fear.
"behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried"
The devil is not literally going to throw them into prison. This is going to be accomplished by his followers, those who are serving him, even out of ignorance. Christianity, if not already, will soon be illegal in the Roman empire. Christians are going to be thrown in prison and face death if they refused to renounce God and worship the emperor. Some of the Christians in Smyrna, not all of them are going to face this imprisonment.
"and ye shall have tribulation ten days."
Obviously this is not a literal period of time. All of the Christians in Smyrna were not going to be rounded up at the same time and thrown in prison to be persecuted for 10 literal days. The number 10 represents completeness so something is going to be brought to completion during this period of time.
"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life."(Revelation 2:10)
Those who are going to be cast into prison are commanded to be faithful unto death in order to receive the crown of life. Many of the Christians cast into prison by their enemies are going to die. God would not tell them to remain faithful unto death unless this was going to be necessary.
A Christian is to be faithful unto death. The thought is to be faithful even if the price you must pay is death. It is said that Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor, was once enraged at 40 Christian men because they would not bow down and worship his image. He commanded them to be stripped naked and to stand on a frozen lake until they were ready to renounce God. But when dawn broke the next morning, 40 nude men were found dead on the ice. They were "faithful unto death."
In the letter to the church at Pergamos Antipas was specifically mentioned as one who was "faithful unto death."
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches."
Those who can and will listen must heed what is being said. Notice the message is said to be what the "Spirit saith". Let’s call our attention back to the seven stars in Jesus’ hand. Seven being the number which represents the perfect divine. The message to the church at Smyrna like all the others is coming through the Spirit. The one perfect messenger to all the churches then and today through God’s written word.
"He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death."
The second death will be the great day of the Lord as mentioned by Him in John 5:28-29 "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." The second death is the resurrection of damnation where the unsaved will be cast into Hell.
Let’s note that Jesus does not offer to take away the suffering of the faithful Christians of Smyrna. In fact he acknowledges they are already being persecuted but informs them it is going to get much worse. Nevertheless, He makes a promise to all who overcome that He will give them a crown of life. Christ tells them not to fear death for eternal life awaits them. This promise should be a comfort to us as well for it is made to all who would live faithfully and overcome the wiles of evil. The Christians of the first century had to remain faithful unto death. We can be assured we must be likewise faithful unto death today. Those of all ages who overcome the persecutions, and tribulations to come and remain faithful unto death will not suffer the resurrection of damnation.
In summary, Jesus had nothing bad to say to the Christians at Smyrna. They were faithful. Their works were acceptable just like the works of the Ephesians but the Christians in Smyrna obviously had their hearts in the right place. Their deep poverty was nothing to be ashamed of, in fact they were rich in what really mattered. The church in Smyrna serves as a shining example for us today. Let us likewise be rich in works no matter what oppression may arise, and let us all be comforted by the fact that we serve a God that finds our works and love and dedication acceptable and offers us mercy and eternal life in the end.
The Letter to the Church at Pergamos
(The city in Hell’s Headquarters)
Bible Class Lesson #6
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 2:12-17
Pergamum, also called Pergamos from the KJV translation is another city of the Roman province of Asia Minor that still exists today. It is known as "Bergama", and is located in modern day Turkey. It is primarily a Muslim city now and as of 1996 had 15 Islamic mosques. One of its mosques is a church building from ancient times. Bergama (Pergamum), is built among the ruins of the ancient city, but is not nearly as large as it was in the first century. Among the ruins today can be seen the base of the altar of Zeus, the theater, the agora, the gymnasium and several pagan temples. Today, the chief export of Bergama is cotton, wool, leather and opium.
Ancient Pergamos was located 3 miles from the Caicus river, and about 15 miles from the sea. The Caicus river was navigable for small vessels. Two of the tributaries of the Caicus were the Selinus and the Kteios. The Selinus river flowed through the city; the Kteios ran along its walls on the outside. On the hill between these two streams the first city stood, and there also stood the acropolis, the chief temples, and theaters of the later city. The early inhabitants of the town were descendants of Greek colonists from before 420 BC.
From 283 to 263 BC Philetaerus founded the independent Greek dynasty of the Attalid kings. The first of this dynasty to bear the title of king was Attalus I (241 BC - 197 BC), a nephew of Philetaerus, and not only did he adorn the city with beautiful buildings until it became the most wonderful city of the East, but he added to his kingdom the countries of Mysia, Lydia, Caria, Pamphylia and Phrygia. Eumenes II was the richest king of the dynasty, and during his reign from 197 BC - 159 BC, the city reached its greatest height.
Art and literature were encouraged, and in the city was a library of 200,000 volumes The books were of parchment which was developed here. The word "parchment," is derived from the name "Pergamos." Of the structures which adorned the city, the most renowned was the altar of Zeus, which was 40 ft. in height, and also one of the wonders of the ancient world. In 133 BC Attalus III, the last king of the dynasty, died and bequeathed his kingdom to the Roman government. The original Roman province of Asia was formed, and Pergamos was made its capital. Upon the establishment of the province of Asia there began a new series of coins made at Pergamos, which continued into the 3rd century A.D.
Pagan Religions:
There were temples to the four pagan gods Zeus, Dionysus, Athena and Asklepios. Asklepios was the pagan Greek God of medicine and healing. The sick and crippled from all parts of Asia flocked to his temple. They would sleep in the court of the temple where they believed Asklepios would reveal to the priests and physicians the remedies which were necessary to heal their maladies. There was a school of medicine in connection with the temple.
Pergamos was also a chief religious center in the province for Roman emperor worship. In Pergamos, three temples had been built to the Roman emperors where they were worshipped as gods on earth. Being the capitol city of the province and having three temples dedicated to emperor worship, Pergamos was also the headquarters of the Imperial Cult known as the "Concilia". This cult was responsible for the enforcement of state religion. This city was loyal to Rome and with 3 temples dedicated to Emperor worship, it was only natural that it would become a center for this imperial cult. In 29 BC theConcilia built a temple for the purpose of worshipping Augustus Caesar. They were unrelenting when it came to the enforcement of emperor worship, especially under Domitian who insisted upon it. It was possibly this group that banished John to the isle of Patmos, most probably during the reign of either Vespasian or Titus. It was certainly the Concilia who saw to it that the material possessions were taken from the Christians when they refused to serve in the Roman army or refused to bow down to the "gods" of the Romans including the emperors. It was the Concilia who issued certificates to those who they witnessed burning incense and offering worship to the Roman Emperors without which no one could buy or sell food, participate in land transactions or benefit from any government programs. It is no wonder that the Christians located in Pergamum were suffering, as they were first in line for the dispensing of the persecution of this imperial cult empowered with the authority of the Emperors and supported by the full strength of the Roman army.
Smyrna was a rival city and was a commercial center as well. As it increased in wealth, it gradually became the political center. Later, when Smyrna became the capital, Pergamos remained the religious center.
Christianity was in Pergamos in the first century and it was to the congregation of Christ’s church located therein that this part of the Revelation was addressed.
Revelation 2:12-17
"and to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things saith he that hath the sharp two-edged sword:"
Jesus is depicted again as having the two edged sword. As mentioned previously this is a reference back to Hebrews 4:12-13 and from our study of Revelation 1:16; Revelation 2:16 we know this sword comes from the mouth of Jesus which means that the sword represents the words of Jesus. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul calls the word of God the "sword of the Spirit".
"I know where thou dwellest,"
Jesus is aware of where these Christians are. He is telling them He knows they are suffering, He knows of their persecution and their tribulations. The application for us is that we serve a God who knows us personally. He is aware of our goings on and our surroundings. He knows of our triumphs and of our failures. "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13).
"(even) where Satan’s throne is"
Pergamum was the capitol of Asia before Smyrna, home to three temples dedicated to the worship of Roman emperors and headquarters of the imperial cult called the Concelia. It was the chief religious center for the entire province and retained that status even when Smyrna became the capitol.
The worship of Aesculapius or Asklepios who was the pagan Greek God of medicine and healing was characterized by the use of snakes in the healing rituals. Non-venomous snakes were left to crawl on the floor in temple where the sick and injured slept. Asklepios had his own constellation called Serpentarius in Latin and Ophiuchus in Greek which means "serpent bearer" The name, "serpent-bearer," refers to the Rod of Asclepius, which was entwined with a single serpent. This symbol has now become a symbol for physicians across the globe today. The "star of life" is the modern international symbol for the Emergency Medical Services which features the Rod of Asclepius as the centerpiece.
Satan is often depicted as a serpent in scripture. All Christians of all ages are well acquainted with the imagery of the serpent associated with Satan. It is almost certain that when the Christians read of Satan’s throne, they instantly associated it with the worship of Asklepios. And if not, there was plenty of other activities going on around them that would identify Satan as having a seat of power and authority from this city.
"and thou holdest fast my name"
The Christians in Pergamum were commended for holding fast to the name of Christ. In the Greek, this word (onoma), means a name in authority and character. It is important as we work through these letters to the individual churches that we take note of the positive things Jesus says as well as the negative. We know from scripture that Jesus is God (John 1:1), and that Jesus never changes (Hebrews 13:8), so we can be assured that if we take all the good things Jesus said to the churches and make sure we emulate these things in our lives, that it will be commendable for us as well. It is as important to us that we assemble all the positive things Jesus says to all the churches and strive to add those things to our lives as it is for us to assemble all the negative things He said and eliminate them.
We hold fast, cling, hang on to Jesus name, character and authority when we seek His will, obey His will and glorify His name. We hold fast to His name when we insist on being identified as Christians only instead of manmade names which glorify someone other than Jesus. We hold fast to His name today when we call the body of Christ by what it is; the church of Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:11-13.
"and didst not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwelleth."
Jesus refers to the faith as being His faith. Jesus is the one who suffered, bled and died for us. He is the one that paid the purchase price for the faith, it is His faith. We today need to be very aware of the fact that it is to His faith we are to be faithful to and not some manmade faith with man’s ideas of righteousness. We are to seek only God’s righteousness (Romans 10:3-4).
Antipas was described as Jesus’ faithful witness. He had been slain among them. The Christian persecution was already well underway. Secular writings place Antipas as an elder of the church in Pergamum, appointed by none other than John during the reign of Domitian. History portrays the death of Antipas as having been publicly burned alive in the brazen statue of a Bull by the priests of Asklepios. In Pergamum, the Christians had already been given an example of what was to come and Jesus held the death of Antipas up as a shining example for the rest to follow if need be.
As a side note, the fact that Jesus here speaks of the martyrdom of Antipas in the past tense is strong internal evidence of the late dating of the writing of the Revelation. According to history, Antipas was martyred in 92 AD.
Revelation 2:14-15
"But I have a few things against thee, "
Once again, as in previous messages, Jesus points out that the good they are doing does not outweigh the bad. The application today is that we cannot do enough good in hope of offsetting the bad. Those in the body of Christ who are guilty of sin cannot stand on judgment day before God and point to their good works as justification for any sin they may be guilty of.
"because thou hast there some that hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also some that hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans in like manner."
There were some members in the church at Pergamum who were going along with the teachings of the Nicolaitans. We see here exactly what this teaching was, eating meat sacrificed to idols and committing fornication which could mean either physical or spiritual fornication, both of which the Nicolaitans were guilty of.
In old testament times, Balaam was guilty of instructing Balak, a Moabite king, of how to defeat the Israelites. Balaam knew that God would forsake the Israelites in battle if they were guilty of sin so he told Balak that if he would send women out to seduce and participate in fornication with the Israelites, that God would forsake them in battle and hand them over as punishment. The women that were sent to seduce the Israelite men were successful and they were caused to stumble. As a result of this stumbling block, twenty four thousand Israelites lost their lives.
Corresponding to this, eating things sacrificed to idols was also a stumbling block to the Christians. Under the Roman persecution, Christians were denied the right to buy food in the empire unless they offered worship to the emperors. Food was hard to come by for the faithful yet there was plenty to be had if they wanted to participate in the great public feasts where the meat of the animals who had been sacrificed to pagan gods was being served to the public. Hunger is a powerful incentive and many Christians gave in and participated in these public feasts which were often times accompanied with wild drunken, riotous and often times unrestrained sexual behavior which caused many of them to stumble. Benjamin Franklin once quoted: "He that lieth down with Dogs, shall rise up with Fleas." In scripture were are commanded to "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22) and "Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you," (2 Corinthians 6:14-17).
The Nicolaitans started out as Christians who participated in the public feasts and eventually stumbled and became just as bad as the pagans they associated with. The application for us today is the same. Stay away from evil influences. Avoid situations that can cause one to stumble. Shun activities that are not wholesome and righteous. Do not join in with sinful worldly activities, lest we too become tempted and stumble. It is a foolish individual who would dance with the devil and participate in activities where sinful behavior prevails. Satan makes sin attractive but those who company with Satan flirt with death.
Revelation 2:16
"Repent therefore; or else I come to thee quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth."
Jesus warns the church to repent. Repentance is a sorrow of heart that leads to a change of behavior. The church at Pergamum had to change their behavior. They were accused of tolerating something Jesus hated. This is a "repent or else" warning where Jesus said he would wage war with those who held to this doctrine. Being in a position where Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would wage war against someone who was a Christian is a serious thing. This is not a war that any Christian could hope to win. In short, Jesus told these Christians to repent or die. These were the options available to the Christians at Pergamum. These same options are the only ones available to Christians in similar sinful situations today.
Revelation 2:17
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches."
Notice what Jesus says here. He knows this is being written down in words that Christians will read. he knows this message is going to be delivered in written form. The Christians who read this letter were going to hear what the Spirit was saying through the words written by John. Today, we hear what the Spirit says in the same way they did in Pergamum. Through the written word. When we hear the Word of God, then we are listening to the Spirit.
"To him that overcometh"
To those who overcome. To those who resist temptation, to those who prevail no matter what, to those who do not give in to Satan and worship idols and eat meat sacrificed to them, who remain faithful against all odds will receive the following rewards.
"to him will I give of the hidden manna"
Manna is what God sustained the children of Israel with during their time in the wilderness after they left the Egyptian bondage and before they were allowed to enter the promised land. To the first readers of the Revelation, manna would represent that which sustains one’s soul. Hidden from those who refuse to see it, but available to all who would accept it freely. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).
"and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it."
The Greek word for Stone in this instance means a pebble, so there is some disagreement among scholars as to what is meant here. Following is my best guess as to it’s meaning. Those who overcome become "fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God" which is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:19-20). White is a symbol for purity and truth and the chief cornerstone all faithful Christians receive is Jesus Christ. The name written on the stone most likely represents either "Jesus Christ" or "Christian". Scripture teaches that the faithful "shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name." (Isaiah 62:2). "The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" (Acts 11:26). Peter referred to followers of Christ as "Christians" in 1 Peter 4:16 and Agrippa told Paul, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian" (Acts 26:28). Secular writings about followers of Jesus Christ contain numerous instances of the name "Christians". This name was a well established designation both historically and scripturally. Since all scripture is given by inspiration we know that the term Christian, being inspired by the Holy Spirit, is from the mouth of God.
And the only people who know this name are the ones who receive the name of Christ. Our lives are "hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Jesus prayed: "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes" (Matthew 11:25). There are things hidden from man which only be fully known when Jesus returns and we see Him as He really is. (1 John 3:2). Those who never receive the figurative white stone with the new name on it will never get to fully know Jesus Christ in all His glory.
In Summary:
The Christians at Pergamos were living in a tremendous center for oppression and persecution. They were for the most part faithful except for their leniency towards the Nicolaitans. They were warned to modify this behavior or suffer the consequences of a war with Jesus Christ.
In applying this to our Christian life today, we need to take heed to the words of Jesus. The circ*mstances under which the Christians in Pergamum were living did not have any effect on whether or not they were expected to be faithful to God. Likewise today, we must be aware that we too are required to be just as faithful as they were then. We must be intolerant of doctrinal error, ever vigilant and willing to persevere and overcome against all odds, even to the point of death if need be.
The Letter to the Church at Thyatira
(The church that condoned sin)
Bible Class Lesson #7
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 2:18-29
Thyatira exists today as the Turkish city of Akhisar, meaning "white castle". It lies in the far west of Turkey, south of Istanbul and almost due east of Athens. Although it is about 50 miles from the Mediterranean, it would have been closer in ancient times, as the sea has retreated some. In the Roman Empire, Thyatira stood on the border between Lydia and Mysia. It was famous for its dyeing and was a center of the indigo trade. Among the ancient ruins of the city, inscriptions have been found relating to the guild of dyers in the city. More guilds were present in Thyatira than any other contemporary city in the Roman province of Asia. Inscriptions mention the following: wool-workers, linen-workers, makers of outer garments, dyers, leather-workers, tanners, potters, bakers, slave-dealers and bronze-smiths.
Thyatira was never an important political city. It was located on a trade route between Pergamum and Sardis and never reached the prominence that some of the other cities in Asia achieved. Today Thyatira has a population of about 50,000 people. The name "Thyatira" means "the castle of Thya." Other names which it was known by are Pelopia and Semiramis. Before the time of Nicator the place was regarded as a holy city because of the temple of the ancient Lydian sun-god, Tyrimnos who was identified with the Greek God Apollo. Near this temple games were held in his honor. Upon the early coins of Thyatira this Asiatic god is represented as a horseman, bearing a double-headed battle-ax. A pagan goddess associated with him was Boreatene. Other pagan gods were worshipped here as well such as Asklepios, Baachus, Artemis.
There was another temple at Thyatira which was dedicated to the worship of the Chaldean Goddess, Sambethe. At this temple was a prophetess who was well known in the city and who claimed to receive knowledge directly from the pagan god. She then imparted this information to the worshippers who came to the temple. It is quite possible this well known prophetess was represented as the Jezebel Jesus mentioned in his message to the church here.
Lydia the seller of purple was from this city, "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple , of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us" (Acts 16:14-15). Lydia’s conversion happened when Paul was in Philippi. It is possible the Lydia and her household started the church in Thyatira upon her return. However if this is not the case, Paul spent 2 years in Ephesus preaching the gospel, "And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10). It is obvious that Paul was instrumental in starting this congregation of the Lord’s church in Thyatira.
Revelation 2:18
"And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like unto burnished brass:"
There’s no doubt here who is doing the talking. He identifies Himself as the Son of God. Any Christian on earth would know who this is referring to instantly. His eyes are described as being like a flame of fire, piercing, illuminating and consuming. The illuminating piercing eyes of the Son of God see everything; the good and the bad, the just and the unjust. Nothing escapes his notice. His feet are like burnished brass, which is a repeat of the imagery of Jesus in Revelation 1:15. Daniel used this imagery as well in Daniel 10:6, "his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as flaming torches, and his arms and his feet like unto burnished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude." Burnished brass was purified in a heated furnace. The imagery here is of feet, firm, strong and pure, that can stamp one’s enemies out in fiery judgment, which is exactly what is going to happen in the end to all the enemies of God (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).
Revelation 2:19
"I know thy works, and thy love and faith and ministry and patience, and that thy last works are more than the first."
As with the other churches, Jesus is well aware of their good qualities and they are commended for them. Their good qualities are very similar to the Thessalonians whom Paul praised as well; "remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father" (1 Thessalonians 1:3).
The Christians in Thyatira had"agape" love which is translated as "charity" in the KJV. Agape love is the one that will compel others to give of themselves to others. It is a self sacrificing love that expresses itself in the interest of the well being of others.
The Christians in Thyatira were commended for their faith, that by which we are to walk and work. Hebrews 11 lists a whole roll of Biblical people who lived and walked by faith. There are two faiths spoken of in the Bible. There is the faith that saves which is characterized as faith in action. Faith is absolutely necessary for our salvation, (Hebrews 11:6). But, it is a comprehensive term which includes many things. Belief is faith assenting; repentance is faith turning; Confession is faith speaking; baptism is faith submitting; the Christian life is faith serving and rejoicing.
The other faith spoken of in scripture is a dead faith which is devoid of works. James wrote of this faith; "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" (James 2:14). It is certain that the faith Jesus was commending the Christians at Thyatira for was not a workless, lifeless, dead faith.
The Christians at Thyatira were commended for their "ministry", or "service" in the KJV. Our service to God includes our worship. However this is not where it ends. Christians are commanded to "serve one another" (Galatians 5:13), "from the heart" (Ephesians 6:6). Jesus taught in Matthew 25:31-46 that when we serve one another, we are in fact serving God. And in contrast, Jesus also taught that when we do not serve one another, we are withholding our service to God. So we know from the praise of Jesus that the Christians in Thyatira were serving God and serving one another faithfully and acceptably in the eyes of God.
The Christians at Thyatira were commended for their patience. They were being steadfast under all circ*mstances. While they did not live in the religious and political centers of Asia, there were still plenty of pagan worship all about them. There was persecution, there was need, there was hunger. Faithful Christians were required to abstain from the worldly pagan practices in all forms. The riotous public feasts where the meat from the animals sacrificed to pagan gods were present here as well as in Pergamos and Ephesus and we will see later on that Jesus addresses this specifically.
The Christians in Thyatira were commended for all their works. Their works were increasing as they matured and grew. They were doing more and more as opportunities presented themselves. The application we can make from this for today is that God is pleased when we serve Him faithfully and grow in works which is commanded in scripture elsewhere (2 Peter 1:5-7). We will see in the next letter to Sardis what Jesus’ evaluation is for a church who’s works are not acceptable. The Christian today must add the good qualities that the Christians in Thyatira were exhibiting and grow in our works in order to be assured of living the faith of God faithfully. Our works and faith are the totality of our Christian walk.
Revelation 2:20
"Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols."
Once again as evidenced in previous letters to other congregations, good works do not justify disobedience. While the Christians in Thyatira were rich in good works and diligently serving God and growing, they had something wrong that threatened their standing with God. There was the presence of a woman who called herself a prophetess. She was guilty of teaching and or seducing God’s faithful servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. This is the second time eating things sacrificed to idols has been directly mentioned by Jesus and it was referred to as the deeds of the Nicolaitans in letter to Ephesus. Jesus made a direct connection between the doctrine of the Nicolaitans and eating things sacrificed to idols in his letter to Pergamos. While the Nicolaitans were not specifically mentioned, there is no doubting the presence of their doctrine which suggests that the eating of things sacrificed to idols was something not confined just to the Nicolaitans.
Pagan worship was prevalent everywhere in the Roman Empire. There were all kinds of Gods one could worship and then there were the Emperors everyone was forced to worship. Many of these pagan worships included animal sacrifices. With the sheer volume of pagan gods, it is easy to see that there is going to be an abundance of meat which unless consumed would otherwise be thrown away. So the question then arises, what to do with all this meat? The Roman citizens held public feasts where it was available to the general population. This seemed like a logical and efficient way to dispose of the slain animals and help to feed the poor citizenry. The problem here is that God forbad the Christians to partake in these feasts. Here was food aplenty for anyone who wished to eat their fill and the Christians could not eat of it. The Christian population of these cities were not the rich and powerful. They were poor, they were persecuted, distrusted and rejected. It was difficult for Christians to find paying jobs in order to feed their families. Hunger is a powerful temptation and it would be very difficult for the parents of anybody to watch their children go hungry while the rest of the population ate their fill at these feasts.
The Christians of the first century were living under some extremely difficult circ*mstances. One of the applications we can make for ourselves today is that our circ*mstances have nothing whatsoever to do with whether e must obey God or not. If the first century Christians had to remain faithful no matter what their circ*mstances were, then we can be assured today that we can be no less if we are to be faithful as well.
The Christians in Thyatira permitted this prophetess to teach error. She seduced them to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. We should keep in mind that idol worship is spiritual fornication. This woman either taught or enticed people to worship her god, or to directly participate in physical fornication, both of which is condemned by God. We don’t know which specifically is in view here. It is likely that this is inclusive of both. It’s certain she was not seducing the Christians to worship the one true and living God, else Jesus would have not condemned her.
Jesus chastised the church at Thyatira for allowing this woman to do this. They either did not speak out against her, or they allowed her to directly influence those within the church in some fashion without any kind of restraint. The application for us today is that when one tolerates error, he endorses it. Even silence can be an endorsem*nt of error. The church at Thyatira was doing everything right except they were not speaking out against error when it came to their doorstep.
Jesus called her Jezebel. In old testament history Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, the 7th king over the northern kingdom of Israel. she was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. Of particular interest to us is the similarity between Jezebel and the prophetess Jesus mentioned who was teaching the people in the church at Thyatira it was ok to eat meat sacrificed to idols. The story of Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal to a confrontation is a well known story from the Old Testament. Four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal sacrificed a bullock on an alter and called on their god to answer them. When Baal failed to answer, Elijah sacrificed a bullock to God and his sacrifice was answered by fire from heaven. Of interest to us in this study is that these four hundred and fifty false prophets of Baal ate at Jezebel’s table (1 Kings 18:19). The original Jezebel worshipped a false god and ate with his prophets. The false prophetess in Thyatira, represented as Jezebel, worshipped a false god and taught the Christians it was ok to eat meat sacrificed to idols with the people who were doing so.
Revelation 2:21-29
"And I gave her time that she should repent; and she willeth not to repent of her fornication."
Later in the Revelation chapter 9 and chapter 16 we read of God sending plagues and pouring bowls of wrath out on the Roman Empire. The purpose for this was to try and get the persecutors to repent and turn to God (Revelation 9:20-21; Revelation 16:9-11). God did not want to destroy the Roman Empire, rather He wanted them to repent and even though they were killing His people, He gave them warning after warning and chance after chance to turn from their wickedness and be spared.
Have we ever wondered about the Canaanites that Israel displaced when they took the promised land? Why were the Canaanites removed from their homeland? Was it fair that they lost the land and Israel received it? God’s longsuffering is the answer to those questions.
"And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full" (Genesis 15:12-16).
The iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full. The Amorites are, in this context, the Canaanites. Historically, the Amorites inhabited a larger region, but at this time they dominated the land of Canaan. A few chapters later, we learn that God would have spared Sodom if there had been as few as 10 righteous people in it. God does not immediately and swiftly destroy entire cities or nations, because of the evil of the majority. He is longsuffering and gives everybody a chance to repent and be saved. Thus it was with the Roman Empire. They, just like the prophetess represented figuratively as Jezebel, were given time and incentive to repent. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
Revelation 2:22
"Behold, I cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of her works."
God’s patience is running out with this woman. She obviously likes to spend time in a bed, so God is going to put her in one, but the bed He is going to throw her into is one of eternal punishment. There are only two options, repent or be punished. The penalty for sin is tribulation and it carries eternal consequences as we will see in verse 23. But even now, with God’s patience nearly gone, He still gives the exception that can save her soul and the souls of those who company with her. They must repent. What a message of hope, not only for the church of Thyatira, but for hose not within the church. It is never too late to repent as long as one is alive in the flesh.
Revelation 2:23
"And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto each one of you according to your works."
"The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). God wasn’t going to allow the churches in Ephesus and Pergamos to get away with sin, He sure isn’t going to allow Jezebel and her consorts off either. Jesus referred to those who company with her as her "children". Followers of Christ are called the "children of God" (Galatians 3:26). Those who follow after people like Jezebel and do not pursue righteousness are the "children of the devil" (1 John 3:10).
"and all the churches shall know"
Jezebel and her children are going to be made an example of to the other churches if they do not repent.
Jesus says here that He searches the reins and the hearts of men. Elsewhere in the New Testament we read, "Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men" (Acts 1:24). "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." (Hebrews 4:13). There is no mistaking in the eyes of the first century Christians who this is referring to.
"and I will give unto each one of you according to your works"
Jesus says that He will give unto each one of them according to their works. Jesus is speaking here to each individual in the church at Thyatira. The application for us here today is that we cannot take refuge in the collective works of a congregation. We are each going to be rewarded according to our works. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (2 Corinthians 5:10). "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Revelation 2:24
"But to you I say, to the rest that are in Thyatira, as many as have not this teaching, who know not the deep things of Satan, as they are wont to say; I cast upon you none other burden."
Not everybody in the church at Thyatira endorsed the teachings of this false prophetess. To those who did not, Jesus said he would not burden them any further. In other words, there were some in the church at Thyatira that Jesus found acceptable. The application for us today is that the membership of a congregation is not finally judged collectively, but individually. Just being in association with a congregation of the Lord’s people is not enough to please Jesus. The world had penetrated the church at Thyatira. They were guilty of allowing it. Not all of the membership were guilty and to them no other burden but rejecting false teaching was given to them.
Revelation 2:25
"Nevertheless that which ye have, hold fast till I come."
Jesus is speaking to the faithful in the church at Thyatira. Don’t give up what you do have. Don’t let the world come into the church any further. Don’t give in; hold fast; hold solid; be steadfast and don’t give up.
Revelation 2:26
"And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations"
Notice here that we have a definition of what it means to overcome and how to do it. Those who overcome are the ones who keep the works of Jesus Christ unto the end. That means following and obeying His commandments to the end. This means every end; the end of difficulties; the end of life and the end of the ages. Victory comes to those individualswho overcome all opposition no matter whether it comes from without, or from within the body of Christ.
The power over the nations means they will prevail as the Lord’s church over the nations. Rome is going to fall, but Christianity will prevail and history has shown this to be true. Many many nations have come and gone since the first century, but Christianity has emerged victorious no matter what has happened. Isaiah prophesied in chapter 9 verse 7 that of His kingdom there shall "be no end". Daniel prophesied that the kingdom of Christ would "never be destroyed" (Daniel 2:44). As long as the earth stands, there will be Christians somewhere.
The application for us today is that the world gains a foothold in the church and it widens and eventually becomes a breach. Slowly, insidiously, the desires of men work their way in and corrupt the purity of the church. God is warning us against the world creeping into His church. God has left the responsibility of the preservation of His kingdom in the hands of mankind. We are the watchmen and the soldiers. He is counting on us to carry the torch. The church was purchased by the blood of Jesus and since then has been upheld by the blood of the martyrs of centuries of persecution. Were it not for their staunch faithfulness and loyalty, the true New Testament church would not be what it is today. There would not be any hope for us or for the world.
In order for the church to be victorious over the nations in the future, we need to keep the church strong and pure for our children and their children. If they are to have the hope tomorrow that we have today, we must make sure the church is today what it was in the first century. We are told in scripture to watch and live as if Jesus’ return is upon us now, but we must plan for the existence of the Lord’s church beyond. If the church is to be tomorrow what it was in the first century, then it must be the church of tomorrow, today.
Revelation 2:27
"and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to shivers; as I also have received of my Father"
Here is another example of old testament language helping to shed light on the meaning of something in Revelation: "Ask of me, and I will give (thee) the nations for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel" (Psalms 2:8-9). Jesus is drawing on the imagery of familiar language in the minds of the Christians to paint the picture of what he means while leaving those outside Christianity in the dark. This is a continuation of the thought introduced in verse 26. Just as Christ received victory over the enemy by the Father, even so, shall Christians who overcome have victory over their enemies through Jesus Christ. They will destroy their enemies with rods of iron and dash them to pieces like a shattered piece of pottery. And this is accomplished with the only weapons available to the Christian. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds)," (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).
Revelation 2:28
"And I will give him the morning star."
This is the reward for those who overcome and persevere to the end. To those who have seen the last star shining at daybreak, this is what signifies the coming of light on the earth and the end of darkness. The literal morning star in the skies precedes the coming of the sun just like the morning star of Revelation precedes the coming of the brightest of all the stars. This is the light after dark affliction. This is the light shining on a world lost in the darkness of sin.
In Revelation 22:16, Jesus describes Himself as the bright and morning star. How glorious it will be for those who overcame in Thyatira and remained faithful till the end to be given the morning star. The application for us today is no different. We can receive the morning star just like they did by living like they lived.
Revelation 2:29
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches."
The Spirit was speaking to the church at Thyatira through the written words of the inspired apostle John. They were told to "hear" what the Spirit said through this medium. The word "hear" comes from the Greek word "akouo (ak-oo’-o)"; which carries the meaning of to "give audience to" or to "listen". They were to heed what was being written by inspiration. The Holy Spirit did not go to the individual churches or their members and reveal God’s message to them directly. God speaks to us today through His Son (Hebrews 1:2) and this is accomplished through inspiration of the Holy Spirit by the hands of inspired men. The Holy Spirit does not operate in conversion separate and apart from the word of God.
Today, we "hear" or "listen" to what the Spirit said in the same way they did at Thyatira. Through the inspired word of God, recorded for us in the holy scriptures. We are commanded to be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14). This is accomplished today when letthe word of God, revealed by inspiration through scripture, be our authority and lead us in all things.
The Letter to the Church at Sardis
(The Dead Church)
Bible Class Lesson #8
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 3:1-6
Today Sardis is a ruined city in western Turkey. Formerly an ancient capital of the kingdom and empire of Lydia located about 50 miles east of Smyrna. It lies in the Gediz Valley (earlier known as Hermus Valley) on a spur at the foot of Boz Dog Mountain, formerly known as Mount Tmolus. Through the city runs the little river Pactolus.
Sardis’ growth to wealth and importance was due to its rich deposits of gold, but it also benefited from having an excellent connection between the Anatolian highlands and the Aegean Sea. The gold was washed down from the mountains and was deposited in the sands of the Pactolus river. In the 6th century BC, Sardis made coins from the gold deposited in the sands of the river, which would come to revolutionize commerce. Sardis was one of the first places on earth to use coins for a medium of exchange for trade. This was the dawn of the age of currency.
The wealth of gold near Sardis was explained through this well known myth: According to legend king Midas came upon a drunken satyr named Silenus who was passed out in his garden. Silenus was believed to be the foster father of the pagan god Dionysus. According to legend, king Midas was kind to him and returned him safely to Dionysus in Lydia. Dionysus then offered Midas his choice of rewards. King Midas then requested that everything he touched would turn to gold. According to myth, this ability was granted and king Midas soon realized that it was hard to eat food that had been transformed into gold. Some accounts of this story record that Midas also embraced his daughter and transformed her into gold as well. Realizing the reward he asked for was really a curse, he prayed to Dionysus, begging to be released from his wish. Dionysus instructed him to bathe in the Pactolus River. He did so, and when he touched the waters, his power passed into the river, and the river sands changed into gold. This supposedly explained why the river Pactolus was so rich in gold. Now of course we know this is only a myth and cannot possibly be true but it is interesting to know where these well known stories we grew up with came from.
Sardis was likely started as an urban settlement as early as 1200 B.C. During the time of Daniel, Artaphernes, the brother of king Darius of Persia lived in Sardis. The Persian empire conquered Lydia about 547 to 546 B.C. under the rule of Cyrus. Sardis then became the administrative capitol of the newly acquired Persian province of Lydia. In 539 B.C. Persia then conquered Babylonia and absorbed the Babylonian empire into its own. It was from Sardis that Xerxes, the son of Darius invaded Greece. It was from Sardis that Cyrus the younger, son of the Achaemenian king Darius II and his wife, Parysatis, revolted and marched against his brother Artaxerxes and was killed in about 401 B.C. In 334 B.C. Sardis was then conquered by Alexander the Great. In 133 B.C. Sardis then passed to the Roman empire. In 17 A.D. it was destroyed by an earthquake and the ruling Roman emperor, Tiberius, gave back the taxes the city had paid to Rome for the previous 5 years and the city was rebuilt, however it never regained its former stature. In New Testament times Sardis was a city of no real importance. All that Sardis had was an ancient name and a reputation. In actual fact, it was almost a dead town. At the time the Revelation was written all of Sardis’ glory, wealth, and power lay in the past. In 1402 A.D. Sardis was utterly destroyed and was never rebuilt. Today, the original Sardis is not much more than an archaeological dig site.
Sardis was built on the edge of a mountain with three sides guarded by near vertical walls that dropped 1500 feet into the valley below with the Pactolus river running along its one open access in the front. With all this natural protection, Sardis was over-confident and none too vigilant a city. Guards and watchmen were rarely posted on the three sides where the mountain’s slope dropped 1500 feet into the valley below and because of this failure to watch, they were conquered twice. When King Cyrus of Persia first tried to conquer Sardis he failed in a frontal attack, but that same night, after watching a soldier of Sardis climb down a particular crevice to retrieve a lost helmet, a large number of Persian soldiers worked their way up that same crevice and thus entered and conquered the city from its unguarded rear. Then in about 218 B.C. by Antiochus the Great the city was again captured in a similar way. Sardis fell because of their failure to watch.
Pagan worship in Sardis
Sardis was a wealthy city with a tendency to become soft and complacent. They lived in luxury and splendor, and were a proud, arrogant, and overconfident people. The pagan goddess Artemis, also known as Cybele, was the principal deity worshiped at Sardis, as well as at Ephesus and other cities. Artemis and her brother Apollo were said to be the children of Zeus and Leto. In legends, Artemis is often pictured as a virgin huntress, fearless in opposing her adversaries. As the goddess of the city, she may have been perceived more in her role as a mother goddess, a provider of fertility and overseer of childbirth. The worship of this pagan goddess included sexual orgies during festivals held in her honour. It is interesting to note that the temple dedicated to the worship of Artemis was never completed. Sardis was a city of uncompleted works.
Sardis had a priesthood dedicated to the goddess Roma by about 100 B.C. Roma was principally used to instill loyalty among the provinces in the Roman empire, although, later on, she did have a temple in Rome itself. Temples to Roma were erected in Smyrna in 195 B.C. and a cult of Roma was reported in Ephesus and Delos. Her worship was made official by Augustus Caesar as part of a propaganda campaign. In this way he deified the concept of Rome, building many temples to her (often as a ’Temple of Rome and Augustus’ to make the imperial cult of Roma and emperor worship more acceptable to the people), with a copy of his Res Gestae, (The Deeds of the Divine Augustus), alongside inscriptions that popularized the new pagan goddess. The Roman emperors manufactured gods to help control the populace and with them, they appointed groups of officials responsible for establishing these manmade gods throughout the empire and enforcing their worship.
In about 27 B.C. Sardis tried to establish Asia’s first temple to Caesar Augustus. Although their initial attempt was not successful, the city had a local temple to Augustus by 5 B.C. To show their devotion to the imperial family, the city also consecrated a cult statue to Augustus’ son Gaius. Sardis competed for the honor of building a temple to the emperor Tiberius in A.D. 26, although it was built in Smyrna.
Revelation 3:1
"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead."
He that hath the seven spirits of God and the seven stars is an image of Jesus Christ. Seven is the symbol for perfect completeness. God has only one Spirit, not seven and the seven stars here is an image of the messengers to the churches as pictured in Revelation 1:20. As discussed earlier these seven messengers could either be the eldership of each congregation or they could represent the one perfect complete messenger which was responsible for getting the message to man by inspiration.
"I know thy works"
Jesus wastes no time informing the Christians he is aware of their works. The application for us today is that irregardless of who we are or where we live and worship, God is aware of our works. The denominational world will often say that our salvation is not by any works at all on our part, being saved by God’s grace alone. Yet it is the works of Sardis that Jesus first comments on.
"that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead."
The city of Sardis had a reputation of wealth and splendor. They were alive but they were not flourishing, not growing, setting back on their reputation of past glory and not looking ahead. The city of Sardis thought it was alive, but in reality it was dead. Jesus draws a parallel here between the overall state of Sardis and of the church. It appears the church in Sardis was a reflection of the city it congregated in. The church is Sardis had a name, but it was not growing. Jesus told them "thou art dead" I cannot think of anything worse than having Jesus Christ, the Son of God tell me that I am alive, but in reality I’m really dead. A church that is dead does not give off light, it does not bear fruit, it does not grow. They were once alive, they had a reputation, but now they are riding on their name, earned in the past, but not sustained in the present.
Revelation 3:2
"Be thou watchful, and establish the things that remain, which were ready to die: for I have found no works of thine perfected before my God."
Jesus says to be watchful. What a thing to say to a church in a city that had been twice conquered because of their failure to be vigilant. Jesus not only knew their present works, but He knew all about the city and all about their history and He made sure they knew He was addressing them personally when He emphasized something they could all relate to.
Parents do this all the time with their children. When a parent is confronting a child with an issue, it is common for them to bring something to the forefront that assures the child of the fact that He is indeed the one in the spotlight and that he is guilty before the conversation gets past the first sentence. The child knows upfront what he is up against. Jesus was two sentences into the letter and the Christians in Sardis already knew they were the ones being specifically addressed and they were the ones standing in condemnation. There could be no argument, there could be no denial, and there should not be any mistaking the message, especially when Jesus said "thou art dead". It was time for the Christians at Sardis to give pause, shut up and heed His words. This is serious business and Jesus hit them over the head with a figurative hammer to get their undivided attention.
Watchfulness should be the constant attitude of the faithful Christian. This commandment appears in the New Testament more frequently than any other. As vigilance was the price of liberty for the city of Sardis, so also is watchfulness a part of salvation. There are many things we are to watch for:
We are to watch against Satan, "Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
We are to be on the watch against temptation. Jesus said, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). The faithful Christian must be ever on guard against temptation. "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." Temptation is all around us every day. The resistance against sin begins with watching, recognizing and avoiding situations we know will cause temptation. "but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death" (James 1:14-15). In the Christian life there must be unceasing watchfulness against temptation.
We are to watch against false teaching. When speaking to the church in Ephesus, Paul had this to say: "Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Wherefore watch ye" (Acts 20:28-31). Jesus said "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15).
We are to watch for coming of Jesus Christ. He taught, "Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh" (Matthew 24:42). "And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch" (Mark 13:37). We do not know when Jesus is going to return, so if we are to be assured of being found faithful when He does, we must be watchful and keep ourselves in a suitable position to greet Him when He does. How ashamed the Christian would be to find himself in a state of sin when our Lord returns "as a thief in the night" (2 Peter 3:10), at a time when they do not expect it. "Be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Luke 12:40).
"establish the things that remain, which were ready to die"
Even though they were dead, there were a few things going on that showed a little life, but even these were in danger of dieing. Those things which were being done that was the last spark of life in this church needed to be fanned to flames quickly. Jesus is telling them to get lively, get out of their figurative pews and into the harvest. Do something. Show a little life, shine a little light, get something done before its too late.
"for I have found no works of thine perfected before my God"
The word "for" introduces an explanation of what Jesus said earlier. Why are the Christians at Sardis dead? Because Jesus did not find their works perfect before God. What does this say for the doctrine of Salvation by faith only? Proponents of salvation by faith only claim that since the works of man contribute nothing towards one’s salvation that this somehow excludes man from the necessity of obedience to the will of God. They teach that salvation is by the grace of God and that our works, including obedience to God, do not earn our salvation. And they are partly right. The punishment for sin is death. The only person who ever lived who could offer a life in place of ours did just that and He saved us from an eternity of separation from God. God gave up His life for us so that we could live. We can’t repay that debt, so those who teach salvation by faith or grace only are correct when they say our works won’t save us. But where they err is when they extend this to obedience of God’s will. The best definition for God’s grace I have ever seen is the "undeserved favor of God." We do not deserve the chance we got for redemption. We can’t earn it, we can’t buy it, but it is given freely to all who obey Jesus Christ, (Hebrews 5:9). By grace we are saved through faith. What kind of faith? An obedient, penitent, submissive, active, grateful, loving, faithful to the end, faith.
The Greek word for "perfected" means "finished" or "completed". The Church at Sardis had started things they had never finished and were condemned for it. The application for us today is that works are indeed necessary. And half planned, unfinished, unperfected works are not acceptable before God. We can’t play Christianity and please God. We have to live Christianity. The works of our congregations are expected to be organized, implemented and carried out to completion.
Revelation 3:3
"Remember therefore how thou hast received and didst hear; and keep (it), and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."
Jesus is telling them to remember what they received and what they heard. This would be the gospel in view here. The tense of the Greek word for "remember" is in the present imperative which means to keep on remembering. Do it every day and never allow yourself to forget what you received and what you heard and what you obeyed.
"and keep (it),"
Here is another present tense imperative which means continuous action. Never stop keeping the commandments of the gospel. Keep them, obey them, every day, never stop walking in the way of righteousness. John wrote in an earlier letter about "walking in the light". He says that "IF" we do this, the blood of Jesus cleanses us continually (1 John 1:7). Jesus is telling the Christians in Sardis to "walk in the light" daily, for life
"and repent"
Repentance is not a one time act on the part of the Christian. This is without question the most difficult command to follow. It requires a decisive action, a commitment on the part of an individual to change one’s life. A one time repentance for the moment is no repentance at all. True repentance is something that is maintained for life. Anybody can repent and walk the straight and narrow path for a day, or for a week, or for a month. But how about for a lifetime? It’s not possible to live a sinless life. So when we stumble, we need to repent anew and refocus our priorities and get back on track. The Christians at Sardis were guilty of sin. They were told to repent. Even though Jesus said they were dead, there was yet hope and the road back to life begins with repentance all over again.
"If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee"
Earlier Jesus instructed the Church at Sardis to watch. Now He gives the consequences if they do not. He will come suddenly upon them in the night, just like Cyrus and Antiochus came upon the city and conquered them. He did not have to tell them specifically what would happen if and when He came upon them sleeping. They already knew those consequences from their own history.
Revelation 3:4
"But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments: and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy."
Even though the church at Sardis was dead in her works, there were some Christians there in the church who were still living faithfully. They had not defiled their garments. They were walking pure and righteous in their faith. Those of the church who were not, needed to evaluate their position and use those who were righteous as examples to live by. The church at Sardis had some among them that the others could observe and emulate. They had a pattern of righteousness before them.
The application for us today is that even though a church is dead in her works, there can be within them a faithful remnant who are spiritually alive and who can be found faithful before God in the end. The exhortation here is for both parties, the unrighteous and the righteous. Those who are unrighteous need to identify those among themselves who are and emulate their pattern of faithfulness. And those who are righteous should recognize the importance of their example and keep on keeping on. It is possible to be righteous when the majority is not. Faithful unto death means faithful unto death.
Revelation 3:5
"He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."
To the faithful few who overcome Satan and to those who will repent and return to righteousness we have three promises.
"arrayed in white garments" White is the symbol for purity in the minds of the first century Christians. Being clothed in white garments is representative of being presented "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27).
"and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life"
The Christians at Sardis are told that those who overcome and remain faithful will not have their names erased from the book of life. There is a warning in this promise. The church that Jesus said is dead in her works is in danger of falling short of these three promises if they do not repent. Having one’s name written in the book of life is a blessing of incalculable value and to have that erased is the equivalent of losing one’s salvation.
The book of life is mentioned 7 times in the new testament. Once in Philippians 4:3; Philippians 4:6 times in Revelation. The Jews kept a register of their citizens which was called the book of the living (Isaiah 4:3; Ezekiel 13:9; Nehemiah 12:22). Jews who were alive had their names registered in this book while they were alive. Upon their death, their names were removed. The Psalmist David drew a comparison between the literal "book of the living" and God’s book of life when he wrote, "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous" (Psalms 69:28). Malachi wrote in 3:16, "Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name." God’s spiritual "book of life" is filled with the names of those who are spiritually alive, in Christ and living faithfully. Those who have their names erased from this book were alive once, but have spiritually died.
"and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels"
This is a direct reference back to what Jesus taught as recorded in Matthew 10:32 and Luke 12:8-9, "And I say unto you, Every one who shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: but he that denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God." Some will be denied by Jesus before God the Father, (Matthew 7:23; Luke 13:27). It is significant to note that this blessing is given to Christians as a contrast to what will happen if they do not repent. It is possible for the Christian to have their name erased from the book of life and find themselves denied by Jesus Christ before God. Faithful unto death means just what it says.
Revelation 3:6
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches."
Those who are willing to listen need to heed what the Spirit of God is saying to the churches through the inspired written words of John. Notice that the churches are mentioned in the plural form. The things being said to each one, in favor or in condemnation, are applicable to each and every one of them. The application for us today is that we can take these blessings and warnings and apply them to ourselves today in our local congregations. By emulating all the good things said to all the churches mentioned in Revelation and rejecting all the bad things which were condemned, we can be assured our local congregations are living and serving acceptably before God.
Philadelphia
(The church with Opportunity)
Bible Class Lesson #9
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 3:7-13
After the harsh words Jesus had for Sardis, it’s a relief to see the contrast between it and Philadelphia. Being the 6th of the seven churches we have not seen a single one yet that was doing everything right. Every single one of them so far were condemned for at least one transgression and were warned to repent or suffer the consequences. It is a sobering thought when one considers the state of the Lord’s church today and compares it with the fact that all but one of the churches addressed in Revelation had problems which threatened their standing with Jesus Christ. This is not enough of a model to build a worldwide comparison by any means but it is significant enough to give any Christian sufficient reason for some serious reflection of their own standing with God. It is truly an encouragement at this point to see that it is possible to please Jesus Christ with faithful and diligent service.
Philadelphia was the youngest of the seven cities of Revelation. It was founded by colonists from Pergamos in honor of, and named after, Attalus II Philadelphos of Pergamos during the reign of his elder brother, Eumenes II, king of Lydia. The word "Philadelphos" literally means "brother lover" so the name Philadelphia came to mean the city of brotherly love.
According to history, Attalus reigned over Philadelphia during the years of 159 to 138 B.C. Philadelphia was established for a specific purpose. It was a Lydian border town built where Mysia and Phrygia joined with Lydia. It is located about 105 miles from Smyrna near the Cogamus River and on one of the main highways which led to the interior of Asia Minor. The intent was to encourage the spread of the Greek language and culture into Lydia and Phrygia and this strategy was successful so that by A.D. 19 both of them had abandoned their native languages and spoke primarily Greek.
Pagan Worship in Philadelphia:
Philadelphia had a nickname of "Little Athens" because of its many temples and festivals to pagan gods. Philadelphia also preached loyalty to Hellenism. The word, Hellenistic, is derived from the word, Hellene, which was the Greek word for the Greeks. The principal meaning of Hellenism is the propagation of culture and religion from classical Greece to the rest of the world, with classical Greek culture and beliefs either replacing or joining with local culture and ideas. So Philadelphia was in reality a missionary city with the intended purpose being to spread Greek culture to the rest of the region.
The soil of the plain near Philadelphia was particularly fertile and was used for vineyards. Wine was the chief source of revenue for this city. Baachus (the god of wine) was worshipped in Philadelphia.
Revelation 3:7
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and none shall shut, and that shutteth and none openeth"
Jesus makes some statements here about Himself to the Christians in Philadelphia. First, He declares His holiness. In several New Testament passages holiness is applied to Christ (Mark 1:24; Acts 3:14; Acts 4:30). Holiness is a characteristic which sets Jesus apart from mankind. Jesus is without sin, guile or deception, in every way holy. He is to be reverenced and obeyed. This characteristic of Jesus is seen also in God the Father. "Holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts" was the song of the seraphs heard and recorded by Isaiah in 6:3. "To whom then will ye liken me, that I should be equal (to him)? saith the Holy One" (Isaiah 40:25). Throughout the Bible God is portrayed as the "holy one". The combination of words "God" and "Holy" occur 247 times in the King James translation. Here we see this title claimed by Jesus Christ which positively identifies Him as sharing the attributes of God the Father. John teaches us in chapter 1 of the Gospel account bearing his name that Jesus Christ was God in the beginning and took on flesh to live amongst man.
"He that is true"
This statement refers to the nature of Jesus Christ. In the Greek the word here for "true" is "Alethinos" which is similar to the word "Alethes". The latter carrying the meaning of a statement which is true, while the former refers more to the relation of the originator of the statement. In simple terms "Alethes" is something that can be believed without question. Jesus Christ who is here described as "Alethinos" is the originator of truth and can be believed without question. Jesus Christ doesn’t just make statements that are true. He is the source from which truth comes. Not only can we trust and believe what Jesus said and taught as the truth, we can trust and believe in Him because of His nature.
"he that hath the key of David"
A key is a symbol of authority. Keys are used to open locks and doors which protect things of value. Those who possess the keys have the authority and the right to grant access to that which is protected by locks or doors. Jesus Christ said He would build His church in Matthew 16:18-19 and to Peter He gave the keys to the kingdom. Peter and the others were given the authority and the right to grant access to the kingdom of Heaven. Peter and the rest of the apostles would open the door of opportunity to all who would believe and obey. There were no literal keys being exchanged, neither should we visualize a literal physical key in the possession of Jesus Christ. These word pictures are meant to convey an idea to the reader of someone who has the authority to grant access to things which are concealed from general view.
"he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and none shall shut, and that shutteth and none openeth"
This statement of Jesus is a direct reference back to Eliakim in Isaiah 22:22, "And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; and he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open" Shebna was an evil officer of King Hezekiah who was driven from office by God. Eliakim was entrusted with the power of the key of David. He was given the power to open doors of opportunity and duty to which no other could close and doors he closed remained closed. Jesus claimed for himself the authority of the key of David.
The key of the house of David is a reference to the promise God made to David as recorded in 2 Samuel 7:16, "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever." Jesus Christ in the flesh was a direct descendant through the lineage of David. The house of David here is therefore a reference to the everlasting kingdom that was to be established in the future before him. The "new Jerusalem" mentioned in verse 12 of this same letter is the spiritual kingdom that Jesus rules from the right hand side of God the Father in Heaven.
Jesus likewise opens and shuts doors. Doors represent the means by which something worthwhile is obtained or just opportunity in general. When Jesus opens the doors to anything, no man can shut them. And when He shuts those doors, no man can open them. The doors to everlasting life have been opened by Jesus Christ. And they will remain open until He shuts them. And when they have been shut, opportunity to gain access to salvation will forever cease.
Revelation 3:8
"I know thy works (behold, I have set before thee a door opened, which none can shut), that thou hast a little power, and didst keep my word, and didst not deny my name."
As we learned earlier, Philadelphia was built for the purpose of assimilating Greek culture and language into the heart of Asia Minor. It was built on a major highway that was used as one of the postal routes of the Roman Empire. The church at Philadelphia had the same opportunity to spread the gospel as the original Philadelphians did to spread the Greek culture and language eastward into the interior of Asia Minor. Jesus is telling them that this door of opportunity is open to them and that He put it there and it will not be shut by any man. They were strong, they had been obedient to His will and they have not denied His name no matter what persecution they faced. There was no shortage of Pagan worship in Philadelphia. Christian persecution naturally arose in the presence of pagan worship due to the fact that Christians utterly reject any association whatsoever with pagan gods or the worship thereof.
Jesus praised the church at Philadelphia for not denying His name. This would be a great comfort to them in light of the fact that Jesus made this promise earlier in His teachings while still on earth. "And I say unto you, Every one who shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: but he that denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God" (Luke 12:8-9). The church in Philadelphia had not denied His name and were praised for it.
It is interesting to note here that the reward for faithful service to God is more work to do. Philadelphia had proven to be faithful and her reward for this was the open door of opportunity for more work to do. The life of the Christian is never one to set back and be at ease, rather it is the life of high endeavor and self sacrifice in service to God. "...behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest" John 4:35. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).
Revelation 3:9
"Behold, I give of the synagogue of Satan, of them that say they are Jews, and they are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."
The Jews who rejected Christ were bitter enemies of the Christians in the first and second century. There were a lot of Jews living in Philadelphia They had a Jewish synagogue there and all Jews made the claim that God entrusted them with the key of David. They claimed that as God’s children they were the only rightful recipients of God’s heavenly kingdom and because of this, any member of the synagogue that dared to confess Christ as Savior or Lord was cast out (John 9:22; John 12:42).
What happened to Shebna, the servant of king Hezekiah, also happened to the Jews. The power of the key of David was stripped from them and given to others. The power of the key of David entrusted to the Israelite nation was taken from them and given to the saints of the church. The Christians in Philadelphia who were given the open door were able to take advantage of the opportunities associated with being the true Jews who were the "the children of God".
The Jews of the synagogue claimed to be the children of God but they were not. Paul taught that those who were Jews outwardly were not, rather those who were inwardly spiritual were true Jews (Romans 2:28-29). Paul was drawing a contrast between those who claimed to be Jews through the flesh from those who were true Jews of the heart. All who believe and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and the Son of God, and who serve Him obediently, are spiritual Jews. The Jews in Philadelphia falsely claimed something they did not have the authority to claim. Jesus called them liars and identified their synagogue as being of Satan. Certainly this bodes ill for them and in all their haughtiness and self important pride Jesus said they were ultimately going to be the ones who would come and worship before the feet of the spiritual Jews and know for a certainty that it was true children of God that He loves and not them. The application for us today is that all who serve Christ are of the spiritual "Israel of God", and who are the true "children of God" and these are the ones who God truly loves.
Revelation 3:10
"Because thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that (hour) which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
They had kept the word. This means they had been obedient to the words and will of Jesus Christ through hard times. Harder times were on the horizon for them. The first sentence of Revelation indicates that the hardships described in the letter are in the not too distant future. God promised the Christians at Philadelphia that because of their faith and obedience thus far, they would receive help from God in the trials yet to come upon them. This is a promise made to all faithful Christians who keep the words of Christ and remain faithful during times of difficulty:
1 Corinthians 10:13
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it."
All Christians are tried by the things that happen in the world. The door of opportunity is ever open to all mankind to repent and to come to God and find salvation. Unfortunately, it is the cross which Christians must bear to live with the consequences of sin in the world and with the consequences of the activities of the sinful. Throughout history, the children of God have suffered because of the sinful activities of the Godless. Our God is truly just and fair and every accountable living person on earth has the same opportunity that followers of Christ took advantage of. God desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, therefore the Godless are allowed to wreak persecution on the God fearing and it is the duty of the saved to shine the way to the door of opportunity in the face of it all, even unto death.
Revelation 3:11
"I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown."
Jesus says He is coming quickly. The Greek word for quickly also means suddenly and abruptly. Scripture teaches that His coming will be like "a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 2 Peter 3:10), suddenly and swiftly.
Jesus admonished them to hold on to what they had. Jesus had only praise for the works of the Christians at Philadelphia but they were warned here that they could lose it if they failed to remain faithful and persevere. All of the churches of Asia started out on the right path and none of theother six were told they had a crown. This crown could either be the crown of life or a crown of glory, either of which, if removed, put them into the same category as the others. In danger of judgment and eternal loss.
The entire core theme of Revelation is for the Christians to persevere, to remain faithful and never give in to the world around them, to overcome it, even to the point of death. And this warning was given even to the one group that was doing everything right. The importance of this cannot be overstated. If the Christians living under the horrific persecution of the first century had to remain faithful unto death in order to receive eternal life, we can be assured today that it is no different. Let us learn from the examples of the faithful Christians who went before us to glory and likewise strive to remain ever "faithful unto death".
Revelation 3:12
"He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and mine own new name."
Here again we see Jesus use the words "He that overcometh" All of the churches of Asia were exhorted to overcome. All of the churches of Asia in Revelation had to remain faithful. God was working against the Roman Empire from Heaven, but the Christians on earth had their part to play in it as well. It was their responsibility to stay faithful and overcome all opposition against them while God worked His will on their oppressors. The application for us today is no different. Nothing about God’s will as expressed in the New Covenant under which we live has changed in the last 2000 years. The principle of obedience and perseverance that applied to the first century Christians is likewise applicable to us today. If they had to remain faithful and overcome, then so do we.
"I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more"
Philadelphia was built on the edge of plain called the Katakekaumenē, which means The Burned Land. There was a volcano nearby and the ash deposits from it made the ground in that area particularly fertile for agriculture. While Philadelphia enjoyed a thriving agricultural benefit from this, there were also perils associated with living this close to a volcano. The same earthquake that destroyed Sardis in 17 A.D. also destroyed Philadelphia along with ten other cities in the region. In the other cities, the earthquake was over and done with, but in Philadelphia the aftershocks and tremors continued for years afterward. The citizens of Philadelphia would leave the city and go out into the plains and live in huts during these prolonged events when they would become severe enough to threaten their lives. Some of the citizens lived in the city during this, but were sometimes driven out to safety during the worst of these earthquakes. Eventually the earthquakes subsided but the memory of this lived on in the minds of the citizens of Philadelphia. People in Philadelphia were well aware of what Jesus was referring to when He told them they "shall go out thence no more". This promise of Jesus assured them of the ultimate peace and security that awaited those who "overcome".
"and I will write upon him the name of my God"
Those who overcome and keep the faith will have the name of God written on them as opposed to those who succumb to emperor worship and receive the mark of the god they serve. This was not a literal name written on their physical bodies, but a means of identification of ownership. Those who bear the mark of the beast belong to Satan, while those who bear the name of God belong to Him. What a tremendous blessing it is to belong to God. This is most certainly a blessing well worth the trials of life of the first century and any thereafter.
"and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem"
As with the earthquakes we see the history of Philadelphia reflected in the words of Jesus. After the earthquake in 17 A.D. destroyed the city, Tiberius gave them the necessary backing to rebuild the city. Philadelphia was grateful to Tiberius for this so in his honor they renamed the city to Neocaesarea meaning The New City of Caesar. During the reign of Vespasian, the citizens decided to change the name of the city yet again to Flavia, for Flavius was the family name of the Emperor Vespasian and of his two sons Titus and Domitian. Neither one of these names lasted, and the name of the city was restored to Philadelphia. Philadelphia was also nicknamed Little Athens because of all the pagan worship that went on there. The readers of this letter who were citizens of Philadelphia knew what it was to receive "a new name" And the name of the city promised to them was better than any that man could devise and would last forever.
The "new Jerusalem" is the name given to this eternal city with the eternal name. Old Jerusalem was where the Jewish Temple had been and from there worship to God was offered by the Israelite nation. The city had been destroyed by Titus, son of Vespasian and the temple was torn down stone by stone and burned so that the soldiers could get to the gold used in the stonework. Jerusalem represented the city of God in the minds of the first readers of the Revelation. The "new Jerusalem" would therefore represent to the citizens of Philadelphia a city after which they could be named, a holy city, an eternal home with an everlasting name. The application here for us today is that all who believe and obey Jesus Christ have their citizenship in this "New Jerusalem" The new city of God, that will never be destroyed, with a name that will endure long after the Caesars and the rest of the evil rulers of the earth have passed, and on into eternity. What a comfort this must have been for them and likewise what a comfort it should be for us today.
"which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and mine own new name."
The name of the eternal city being given to the overcomers is not coming from the earth, or from man in any fashion. This name is coming from God, on His throne, in Heaven.
Some in the religious world today who hold to millennial doctrine teach that this passage indicates that God will establish an earthly "New Jerusalem" here on earth some day. The primary subject of this narrative is the "name", not the "city". Jesus rules his kingdom from heaven (Ephesians 1:19-22). His authority comes down to us from heaven where He is pictured as being seated on the right hand side of God the Father. Christians on earth are members of His body, the church (Colossians 1:18), which he rules from Heaven; His spiritual kingdom. A literal new city, named Jerusalem, is never going to descend from Heaven and be established upon earth. The city mentioned here is a figurative term describing the church which is the body of Christ, the spiritual kingdom of God, ruled from Heaven, by Christ and already present in the first century and until this day and beyond. "For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20).
The new name of Christ which will be written on them can be non other than the term "Christian". As previously stated, the term "written" is not to be taken literally, but is a means by which we are identified. We are identified with and belong to God, as His children, when we live obediently and serve Jesus Christ before the world. The faithful were called Christians by inspiration in the first century, they are likewise identified as Christians today. This name given to us by God is the only name we wear. Coming from God, this name is holy and revered by faithful and true followers of Christ who will utterly reject being associated with any other name. This is the God breathed name given us by inspiration, it is therefore this name and no other that we should wear before the world.
Revelation 3:13
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches."
Every letter to the seven churches closes with this admonition. It is similar to the one Jesus closed the sermon on the mount with:
Matthew 7:24-27
"Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof."
Those who overcome and persevere to the end have listened, heard and obeyed what the Spirit said and therefore have their houses built on the rock.
Laodicea
(The Lukewarm Church)
Bible Class Lesson #10
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 3:14-22
Now we come to the seventh and final church Jesus specifically addressed. The Christians in Philadelphia received high praise and more opportunity from Jesus. It is with a sense of hope and high endeavor as we seek to emulate them in our own congregations. However, as wonderful as the praise and words were for Philadelphia, the words for Laodicea were just the opposite. Jesus described Sardis as being dead, but there were Christians in Sardis who were faithful. There were a few things in the church at Sardis that could be built upon. Jesus had no words of praise but only rebuke for the church at Laodicea.
Laodicea was located in the Lycos valley in the province of Phrygia. It was located at the intersection of three imperial trade routes, which favored its development as a commercial and administrative center. The city occupied an almost square plateau several hundred feet high about two miles south and above the valley of the Lycus River and flanked along its sides by the small rivers Asopus and Caprus, which discharge their waters into the Lycus. The city was protected by the Salbacus and Cadmus mountains to the south, which rise to over 8,000 feet above sea level. Laodicea was just over one hundred miles from Ephesus, six miles south of Heirapolis, and eleven miles west of Colosse. Directly opposite the city, a cliff of about a mile wide arose some 300 feet above the city. The city was originally called Diospolis, and afterwards Rhoas and then Laodicea,
Laodicea was originally founded by Antiochus II of Syria (261 BC - 246 BC), who named it after his wife Laodike. Antiochus populated it with Syrians and with about 2000 Jewish families who had been moved to Phrygia and Lydia from Babylonia. Laodicea had an extensive Jewish population numbering by some accounts to have over 7500 registered tax payers. In 62 AD the Jews collected and sent over 22 pounds of gold to Jerusalem for their annual temple contribution which the Romans seized.
Laodicea was built on the great highway from Asia Minor to the east, at the junction of several important routes. After the Roman province of Asia was formed in 190 BC, it grew to become a great and wealthy center of industry. The Syrians and the Pergamenes dominated the city from 190 BC until the death of Attalus III of Pergamum when it came under Roman rule in 133 BC. King Attalus III had no male heirs and left his entire kingdom in his will to the Roman Empire. The Romans reconstructed and improved the ancient trade routes so that the city became the major junction for traffic west to Ephesus and the Aegean, north and west to Philadelphia, Pergamum, and Smyrna, east through southern Galatia, and south to the Mediterranean. Although it had formally been a small city, it grew rapidly as a result of Roman rule and became one of the wealthiest cities in Phrygia. Laodicea received from Rome the title of free city. During the Roman period Laodicea was the chief city of a Roman conventus iuridicus, which comprised twenty-four cities besides itself. A conventus iuridicus was the capital city of a subdivision of some provinces such as Dalmatia, Spain and Asia, which functioned as an administrative and judicial center
Laodicea was famous especially for the fine black wool of its sheep and for the Phrygian powder for the eyes, which was manufactured there. Nearby was the temple of Men Karou who was the Phrygian God of healing. His Greek counterpart was known as Asklepios, and associated with their temple was a well known school of medicine. In the year 60 AD, the city was almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake, but so wealthy were its citizens that they rejected the aid of Rome, and quickly rebuilt it at their own expense. It was a city of great wealth, with extensive banking operations.
Pagan worship in Laodicea:
Along with the temple to Asklepios one could find the worship of Zeus and of Isis. Isis was an Egyptian mother god associated with the Phrygian goddess, Cybele. She was also associated with Aphrodite and Venus who were all characterized with orgiastic behavior in their worship. Imperial worship began early in the city, but no evidence exists that Laodicea ever had a temple for the imperial cults so their influence, while definitely oppressive may have been a little less severe than in some of the other cities.
The church in Laodicea may have been founded by Epaphras of Colossi, a companion of Paul, during Paul’s third missionary journey. A marble block bearing the name of Epaphras has been discovered in the city. There is no record of Paul visiting the city himself, but some of the Christians there were known to him by name. He wrote a letter to the church there which has been lost. Paul tells the Colossians that he was "struggling" for this city (Colossians 2:1), indicating he was aware of the situation in the church there, and passes greetings to them through the church in their sister-city, Colossi (Colossians 4:15). It is possible that the Philemon of the New testament may have been from Laodicea. There has been an inscription discovered in the city written by a freed slave to a master called Marcus Sestius Philemon.
Revelation 3:14
And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:
The word "Amen" literally means, let it be so. "The Amen" here denotes the one in whom reality is found. There is also the sense of completeness and finality in it. Before Christ, there was no other; and after him there is no other. The Christians in the Roman empire had hundreds of false pagan gods they could choose to worship but Jesus was "the Amen" .
"The faithful and true witness"
The faithfulness of Christ is affirmed in this. Jesus Christ had no need of faith in the sense of its use today; but "as a man" he walked in faith, implicitly trusting and obeying all that the Father willed of Him. All human justification hinges on the perfect faith and perfect obedience of Christ. Were it not for the perfect faithfulness of Christ, mankind would have no hope.
"The beginning of the creation of God"
Some religious groups today try and use this scripture to teach that God created Jesus. This flies in the face of a host of other scripture that affirms the deity and eternal nature of Jesus Christ such as John 1:1-14. Scripture also reveals, "For by him [Jesus] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist" (Colossians 1:16-17). The correct understanding of this verse is Christ as the Source of all the things God created. The church in Laodicea would be very familiar with Paul’s letter to the Colossians because they were instructed to read it aloud in their assemblies (Colossians 4:16).
Revelation 3:15
"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot."
Jesus told all seven of the churches that He knew their works. He knew what they were doing, He knew what they were not doing. Once again we are faced with the fact that it was the works of these churches that determined whether Jesus found them acceptable or not. The application for us today is that Saved by grace through faith does not mean saved without obedience to the will of God. The words of Jesus ring loud and clear: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).
The Laodiceans were lukewarm in their service to God. They were indifferent and uncaring. They were unconcerned about the things of the Kingdom. They had all they thought they needed. There was no passion, there was no driving force for them, There was no fire left, they no longer cared. The Christians at Ephesus were condemned for losing their first love. The Christians at Laodicea had lost it all.
The church is depicted in scripture as the bride of Christ. What groom wants a wife that is non-committal and uncaring? Husbands are commanded to love their wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). But what about the wife who gives nothing back, who won’t love her husband enough to do anything? A woman that is on fire and zealous for her husband is eager to serve and vice-versa. Similarly those of Christ’s bride in the church who show up on Sundays, set in the back, never ask questions, never participate in church activities, never involve themselves with anything, never help with the services or help out in congregational activities are like the spouse who never does anything. They are just along for the ride with no thought whatsoever of putting anything of their own into the relationship. Such an attitude is sickening to say the least. How does one deal with such a non-committal attitude? How does Jesus feel about it?
Revelation 3:16
So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
To Jesus, the Christians in Laodicea had come to stand for the most disgusting thing on earth, a fat, lazy, uncaring and complacent church, basking in their own presumed achievements, but wholly unacceptable to the Lord. The Christians at Laodicea were accused of being lukewarm, like the water they drank. The Greek word for "spew" literally means to vomit, so Jesus was telling the Laodiceans they made Him sick.
In Laodicea, potable water had to be transported to the city by aqueduct and raised to a tall water-distribution tower by siphon action. In fact, the city’s major weakness was its lack of an adequate and convenient source for water, its location having been determined by the road system rather than natural resources. As a result, water had to be brought in by this aqueduct from about 6 miles away. By the time the water reached the city, it was usually neither hot nor cold, rather it was the temperature of the surrounding environment.
The local water in Laodicea flowed down the river from the hot springs at Heirapolis where it was used for healing baths. The water, however, was rough with alum and sulphur which made it unfit for drinking. Drinking this water would make one sick if he tried. The city’s potable water, having flowed six miles through an aqueduct, arrived tepid.
The Laodiceans well knew what it was like to drink lukewarm water and what it was like to become sick and vomit from drinking the local water. Jesus purposefully used words that would positively identify those to whom He was addressing as the direct recipients of His teachings. In other words, this was Jesus’ way of saying, "make no mistake about this, I’m talking to you". The Christians at Laodicea or any of the other churches could not set back and say Jesus was not specifically talking to them. There was just too much of their history and circ*mstances pointed out in His words to make any mistake about it. All that was left for them to do was to look at each other, acknowledge to themselves that they had been found out and were not getting away with anything and make whatever necessary changes Jesus commanded. There was no way any of them could stand before God and make the claim they didn’t know Jesus was really talking to them. Jesus told them they made Him sick and they knew it was them He was talking to.
The application for us today is that even though Jesus pinpointed the Laodiceans specifically for this rebuke, His feelings toward any church guilty of being lukewarm would make Him sick. Let’s all examine ourselves and be sure that our service does not make Jesus want to vomit us up.
Revelation 3:17
"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked:"
Laodicea was a wealthy city. The fertile ground of the Lycus valley made good grazing for sheep. The Laodiceans had selectively bred sheep that produced black wool which was in high demand and brought fame to the region. Carpets and clothing was manufactured from the black wool and brought extensive wealth to the city.
Agricultural and commercial prosperity brought in the banking industry. Laodicea was well-known for its banks, minting its own coinage from the second century BC on. The city was so famous for its banking industry that even the Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero went there to exchange money. The city was so wealthy that after the devastating earthquake of ad 60 which caused its near-total destruction, it was able to rebuild itself while proudly refusing any help from Rome, which other similarly afflicted cities had been glad to accept. It was, in fact, one of the most prosperous of all the Asiatic cities.
Laodicea prided itself on its financial wealth. As mentioned earlier when an earthquake devastated their city, they refused Roman help saying they did not need it. By human standards, Laodicea was wealthy, but under the scrutiny of Jesus, they were not. They lacked the riches that count in His eyes.
Laodicea was well known for its medicinal concoctions, one in particular which was a supposed remedy for weak eyes. Yet Jesus said they were blind and could not see themselves for what they really were.
Laodicea prided itself on it’s clothing manufacture and trade industry which flourished as a result of the black wool developed in their area. Yet Jesus says with all the fine and luxurious clothing at their disposal, they were in fact naked.
As so often before, we see the history of the area surrounding the church pictured in the words of Jesus. In this manner, Jesus is able to make the point that "this means you". The Laodiceans would read these words and instantly associate them with their own conditions. This is a real slap in the face to them; a wake up call directed specifically at them and they well knew it.
Revelation 3:17
"I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and (that) the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see."
The Laodiceans had lots of material Gold but Jesus advised them to seek the gold that would make them rich. Jesus taught elsewhere, "For what doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? For what should a man give in exchange for his life?" (Mark 8:36-37). The material wealth of the Laodiceans was worthless. It could not buy them what they really needed. Gold represents something valuable and Jesus had the gold that is pure and valuable and was available for them to purchase. James spoke of corrupt riches of man being rusted in chapter 5. The most valuable Gold is refined through a process of fire. The goldsmith heats the metal up until it is molten and the impurities in it are then separated leaving only the pure gold.
The Hebrew writer wrote of the suffering of Jesus which made him the author of salvation to all who obey him (Hebrews 5:8-9). Jesus is the "way, and the truth, and the life" and no one can come to the Father but by him (John 14:6). The thing of value that Jesus has is the way, and the truth and life. And it was tried by the fire of his suffering on the cross. Jesus overcame everything just as he mentioned in verse 21 of this letter to the Laodiceans. So how does one buy from Jesus, the valuable gold, the way, the truth and the life? Jesus tells us:
"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed" (John 6:27). Paying close attention to the words "which the Son of man shall give unto you" we note that Jesus is going to give us something he told us to labor for. Everlasting life cannot be purchased by earthly riches or by the works of men. Nor can it be purchased with works of righteousness either. In order to pay for eternal life, we would have to be able to make the death of Jesus unnecessary and give Him back His life sacrificed on the cross. There is no way mankind can repay that debt. In the end, even though we should live a life of obedient service to Jesus, we are to consider ourselves unprofitable servants (Luke 17:10). The Christian life faithfully lived is a life of self sacrificed service to the will of God (Romans 12:1). And in so doing we have labored for the gold tried by fire, the real gold, the valuable gold. And in the end, even though we can never hope to fully pay for it, God will give it us anyway. That is called "grace".
"and white garments"
The Laodiceans were famous for their production of black garments. White symbolized purity in the minds of the first readers. The garments they were told to purchase from Jesus were white which symbolized purity.
"that thou mayest clothe thyself, and (that) the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest"
In the Old Testament, God told Nahum to tell the disobedient people, "I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame" (Nahum 3:5). Their disobedience made them naked and worthy of shame. The Laodiceans were likewise guilty of the same and Jesus told them to cloth themselves with obedience so that their shame would not be made visible to the world.
"and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see"
As mentioned earlier Laodicea was famed for its production of an eye salve for relief of swollen weary eyes due to traveling many miles. The sand and dirt from the roads would irritate the eyes of travelers and they could find relief from the eye salve of Laodicea. Jesus is telling them to use some of their own medicine so they can see their own condition and do something about it.
This is another one of those "I’m talking to you" statements that Jesus so frequently makes in these letters to the various churches. There was no doubt in the minds of the Laodicean Christians that Jesus knew all about them. Nothing was hidden from His view. Jesus knew all about the other conditions surrounding them. None of those Christians could claim that Jesus was just out of touch of their situations. They knew perfectly well that Jesus knew exactly what He was saying and to whom He was addressing.
The application for us today is that Jesus is as familiar with our life of service and the goings on around us as he was with them. Nothing we do or fail to do escapes His notice. There is praise and honor for the obedient and criticism and chastisem*nt for the disobedient.
Revelation 3:19
"As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."
Being told by the Son of God that they made him sick had to be devastating and disheartening to them. How many of us who discipline our children assure them afterwards that it is because we love them that they are disciplined? We do this so that they will not be crushed and left without hope. We do this so that they will know and be reassured that it is for their own good that they have been corrected and that they are still loved. Parents do not chasten children because they enjoy it. Young children cannot recognize the dangers around them in everyday life. It is vital that they are obedient to their parents so that they will stay out of danger as they grow up. For instance, parents teach their children not to play with fire. Obedient children will avoid lot of pain and suffering while disobedient children may go ahead and play with fire and bring disaster upon themselves. Parents know and recognize the danger of fire and though the children may not, if they are obedient, they will not be harmed by something they do not recognize as a danger.
Playing with fire often times looks like fun to a child, but they cannot fully appreciate the danger it holds for them. Parents do not forbid children playing with fire because they don’t want them to have fun. They forbid it because they know what it can do to their children.
God does not deny us things that are sinful because he does not want us to live enjoyable lives. God sees sin for what it really is. Like the fire to the children, sin sometimes looks like fun. We cannot always perceive the danger in light of the temptation. But God knows that sin is enslaving and ugly and that it ultimately leads to pain and suffering. God loves us and He knows what it will do to us and He wants us to avoid it so that we can live long and happy lives.
So, after having corrected the Laodiceans harshly, He then reassures them that they were chastened because He loves them. And they are then given the remedy. They need to be zealous. This is exactly what a lukewarm Christian is not. They have to repent, stop being lukewarm and start being zealous of good works as commanded in Titus 2:14.
The teachers of salvation by faith only need to take a long and prayerful look at the church at Laodicea who made Jesus sick because of her lack of works.
Revelation 3:20
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
Jesus is standing at the door of opportunity for all mankind. The Greek word for "hear" is "akouo" which carries the meaning of listening or giving attention to. Calvinist doctrine teaches the predestination of the elect. They teach that God in His sovereign authority chose before time began who would be saved and who would be lost. Jesus says here that He will come in and sup with "any man" who listens and opens the door. "I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" means he will be in fellowship with whoever may listen and open the door. Fellowship with God and with Jesus is taught by John in 1:3, "that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us: yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." Those who are "in Christ" and living faithfully are in fellowship with God and His Son, and Jesus says this spiritual blessing is available to all.
Of significance here is that Jesus is standing outside the door to the church at Laodicea wanting in. Jesus stands knocking at the door of opportunity from the outside but we have to open it from inside. Opening the door is a figurative term for doing those things necessary in order to bring oneself into a state of fellowship with Jesus Christ. Opening the door is our responsibility and it is up to us to learn what steps must be taken to open that door.
Revelation 3:21
"He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne."
Truly the Revelation was written to the overcomers. Those who would be faithful and zealous to the end. Jesus said "Be thou faithful unto death and I will give the a crown of life". How do we today receive the crown of life from Jesus? By being faithful unto death and overcoming all obstacles in our paths. Every single one of the churches were told to overcome, every single church was told to be faithful or to remain faithful, to stand fast, to persevere, to repent if necessary. The reward for submissive obedience is an eternal inheritance in heaven with God. The reward for rebellious disobedience is an eternal separation from God in the torments of Hell.
Jesus came to earth as a man and overcame everything. He lived a sinless life even during His torture and crucifixion. If Jesus had of ever sinned, He could not have served as our perfect sacrifice. Only the sacrifice of a perfect, spotless, sinless individual could do what needed to be done. Jesus endured the world to the end, even while on the cruel cross of Calvary. We would do well to pause and consider just what was hanging in the balance for all mankind while Jesus bled out His life on that cross. Scourged and staked naked to a wooden cross, spat on, reviled and hated by His own creation. He endured that shame and agony without a single sin and secured the hope of eternal life for the very people who killed Him and for us today. The eternal fate of all mankind hung on whether Jesus overcame or not. He overcame His cross and now we are called to do the same, whatever that cross may be.
Revelation 3:22
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches."
Any who will listen better heed what Jesus, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, by the hand of John, said to the churches. We notice that Jesus expressly used the plural form of the word church. All the things He said were applicable to all the churches He addressed. One Spirit; one message; many churches. The exhortation to the Laodiceans to be zealous does not apply just to the Laodiceans. It applies to the all the rest as well. The praises and condemnations given out by Jesus to each individual church were applicable to all of them. The application for us today is that they were likewise applicable to us.
Let us heed what the Spirit said to all the churches of Asia and realize that it has relevant applications to all the congregations of the Lord’s church today
The Letter to Your Church
Bible Class Lesson #11
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 3:22
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." This phrase occurs 7 times in Revelation, once for every church addressed by Jesus. And in every one of them, the word churches was in the plural form. In other words, what Jesus said to one of them applied to them all. We just finished Laodicea who was lukewarm. God told them to be zealous, this was not just meant for the church at Laodicea, it had an application to them all.
The letters to the seven churches are a priceless treasure of information for all Christians of all ages. We do not have to guess or to speculate as to what Jesus expects from His church. We have it right there in front of us. In all of Revelation, the language used in the letters to the churches is the least figurative and by far the easiest to understand. Any babe in Christ can pick up the Revelation and understand what "be zealous" and "he that overcometh and keepeth my words" means. It’s easy to figure out what Jesus is saying to these churches and this is probably why they are somewhat overlooked today. Most people pick up the Revelation and gloss right over the first three chapters and jump straight into the thick of all the imagery afterwards and sometimes miss some of the most valuable information in all of scripture.
The Gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John reveal Jesus Christ. The book of Acts teaches us how to get into Jesus Christ. The general epistles teach us how to live in Jesus Christ and Revelation teaches us how to die in Jesus Christ. "He that overcometh" and is "faithful unto death" is the one who dies in Jesus Christ.
So with that said, what if we take all the positive things Jesus said to all seven of the churches and put them all together? And then what if we took all the negative things Jesus said to them and do likewise? What would a church look like that had all of the good qualities of all seven churches, rejecting all the bad qualities and obeying all the exhortations at the same time?
Praiseworthy Qualities, Condemned Qualities, Exhortations Ephesus:
• Labored for His name’s sake
• Had patience
• Had borne their burdens
• Exposed and refused to tolerate false teachers
• Had endurance, did not faint
• Lost their first Love
• Remember from where they fell
• Repent of wrongdoing
• Heed the words of Christ through the Spirit
• Overcome
Smyrna:
• Good works
• Persevered against intense persecution
• Persevered against deep poverty
• Do notfear
• Be faithful unto death
• Overcome
• Heed the words of Christ through the Spirit
Pergamos:
• Held fast to Jesus’ Name
• Did not deny the faith of Jesus
• Tolerated false teaching
• Allowed false teachers to throw stumbling blocks
• Repent
• Heed the words of Christ through the Spirit
• Overcome
Thyatira:
• They were commended for their charity
• and service
• and faith
• and patience
• and works which were increasing
• Tolerated false prophets
• Tolerated fornication and eating of meats sacrificed to idols
• Hold steadfast
• Overcome
• Keep (Obey) Jesus words to the end
• Heed the words of Christ through the Spirit
Sardis:
• Some had not defiled their garments
• Spiritually dead
• Not vigilant
• Be watchful
• Strengthen what they do have
• Overcome
• Heed the words of Christ through theSpirit
Philadelphia:
• Good works
• They had opportunity
• They kept, (followed), Jesus’ word
• Patient
• Had not denied His name
• Be steadfast
• Take advantage of opportunity
• Overcome
• Heed the words of Christ through the Spirit
Laodicea:
• Poor works
• Lukewarm service
• Think too highly of themselves
• Wretched
• Poor
• Blind
• Miserable
• Naked
• Open their eyes and see themselves for what they really are
• Be zealous
• Sacrifice themselves in service
• Open the door of opportunity and let Jesus in
• Overcome
• Heed the words of Christ through the Spirit
Taking all in all and forming a total picture of what we see, we get a mental image of a church that first and foremost loves Jesus Christ and has Him as its head, heeds His word, is loving, patient, enduring, fearless, watchful, faithful, busy, growing, steadfast, self sacrificing, charitable and obedient to the will of God. Intolerant of sin and false teaching, zealous for and rich in good works, repentant of wrongdoing, eager for opportunity, not thinking too highly of themselves and faithful unto death.
These are the qualities we must seek in our own congregations. If we lack any of these, we need to heed the words of Christ through the Spirit and diligently try to add them. Some of these churches only had one or two things that Jesus Condemned them for. The penalty He warned them of was severe. Their fellowship with Christ was at stake.
The application for us today is that we need to recognize that we have before us a picture of exactly what Jesus Christ expects of His church. He died for it, He shed His blood for it, he built it, He heads it and possesses it, He loves it and rules it from heaven. It is up tous to make sure it is what He would have it to be. We know exactly what He expects and the responsibility for that has been given to us through the word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and authoritative for us today.
We do not want Jesus Christ standing on the outside of the door of fellowship like He was with Laodicea. We do not want Him knocking on the doors of our congregation from the outside. We want Him on the inside, in fellowship with us and the way to assure ourselves of this is to be what He would have us to be.
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches"
The Throne of God
Bible Class Lesson #12
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 4:1-11
The Throne of God (Revelation 4:1-11) The entire 4th chapter of Revelation is a vision of the throne room of God. The seven churches have been addressed and it is now time to move into the task of revealing those things that must shortly come to pass.
God is sovereign over all His creation, therefore it is only fitting for the first vision to establish His glory and supreme power. Before any of the trials of the Christians, before any of the atrocities of their enemies, we first get to see the supreme God, creator and ruler of the universe on His throne. As mentioned in previous studies, the figurative language is not meant to be taken literally, rather it is designed to illustrate things by association in the imaginations of the first readers.
Before we try and break every aspect of this vision down, we are first going to take a broad view of the vision as a whole. The throne scene of chapter 4 is a very easy vision to understand so this will be a relatively easy and straightforward exercise. The means by which we first look at this vision will form the pattern for later more difficult visions.
The primary goal of these lessons are not so much to break each aspect of the visions down and explain them, but to teach others how to do so for themselves. I can just about guarantee that I will not be completely accurate on my interpretation of all of these visions, especially in view of the broad range of opinion among scholars out there. The approach we are going to use for these visions is going to be to allow the Bible to explain the details to the greatest degree possible and to try to choose what would make the most sense to someone reading this letter in the first century. We are going to keep in mind that those living in the first century are going to read this letter and naturally associate it with the circ*mstances under which they are living. And for good reason because the Revelation was addressed to them, it was delivered to them first, the visions described therein fit their historical circ*mstances so closely that it cannot be coincidence. Therefore we are going to look at this marvelous work, to the greatest degree possible, through their eyes.
The Broad View of Chapter 4.
Who are the characters in the vision? What are they doing? What activities are taking place overall? The answers to these and similar questions will better help us to realize what these visions mean in the grand scheme of things.
God is the chief and primary subject in view. He is pictured as being seated on a throne. The language describing Him paints a picture of glory, power, and majesty in the imaginations of the readers. God is being worshipped and exalted by all the rest of the characters of the vision continually. Who worships God? All of His creation who willingly choose to do so. Now that we have formed a general picture of what the vision is all about, keeping that in mind, we will now move on to the specifics.
Looking back in the old testament we see Ezekiel’s vision of the throne scene. It is of great interest that we observe the similarities between the two and consider that the first readers of this Revelation, especially the Jewish Christians would be familiar with the imagery and would be able to visualize an association between the two. As we look at John’s vision of God’s throne, let’s keep in mind Ezekiel’s as well.
Ezekiel 1:25-28
25 And there was a voice above the firmament that was over their heads: when they stood, they let down their wings.
26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above.
27 And I saw as it were glowing metal, as the appearance of fire within it round about, from the appearance of his loins and upward; and from the appearance of his loins and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about him.
28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake
Revelation 4:1
After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, (a voice) as of a trumpet speaking with me, one saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter.
After the messages to the churches were delivered, John looked and saw into heaven. And he heard the same voice he heard earlier speaking to him. This voice was like a trumpet, coming through loud and clear and it was telling him to approach and see the things which must happen later.
Revelation 4:2
Straightway I was in the Spirit: and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting upon the throne;
And immediately John was under the influence of the Holy Spirit and he was shown a vision of a throne placed in heaven and there was someone setting on that throne. A throne represents a place from which someone of authority rules his subjects.
Revelation 4:3
and he that sat (was) to look upon like a jasper stone and a sardius: and (there was) a rainbow round about the throne, like an emerald to look upon.
And He that sat upon the throne shone like diamonds and sardius stones. Sardius stones were a bright red stone found mainly near Sardis and named for it. They are said to be the modern day equivalent of the carnelian. The first readers of Revelation knew exactly what they were and it is possible they would associate the blood red color of a sardius stone with Jesus’ blood of the new covenant. God’s everlasting covenant never to destroy the earth with a flood again was sealed with a rainbow in the clouds. The rainbow would likely symbolize an everlasting covenant with God to the minds of the first readers.
Revelation 4:4
And round about the throne (were) four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones (I saw) four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold.
The twenty-four elders were setting on thrones in this image. Thrones and crowns are representative of a position of authority so these elders are going to be prominent figures in the minds of the first readers. There were twelve Patriarchs of the tribes of Israel, the sons of Jacob, and there were twelve original apostles of Jesus Christ. It is almost certain the 24 elders mentioned in this vision are representative of these individuals. These elders, dressed in white which represents purity, were seated round about the throne of God which places Him as the centerpiece of their attention. All eyes are on God.
Revelation 4:5
And out of the throne proceed lightnings and voices and thunders. And (there was) seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
The lightnings, voices and thunderings are reminiscent of the conditions surrounding Mount Sinai while the people waited for the giving of the law. "And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly" (Exodus 19:16-18).
The seven lamps of fire are described as being the seven Spirits of God. We know God only has one Spirit (Ephesians 4:4), so the seven is therefore representative of the totality of God’s Spirit which rounds out the image of His complete power and sovereignty. It is only fitting that a vision of the throne room of God include His Holy Spirit, present with Him in a position of authority, glory and power.
Revelation 4:6
"and before the throne, as it were a sea of glass like a crystal; and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, four living creatures full of eyes before and behind."
In the imaginations of the 1st century Christians, the sea, being a source of many a storm and the death of many a mariner, represents something violent, unpredictable and dangerous. But the sea in this vision is still, calm and tranquil. Jesus calmed the storms as recorded in Mark 4:39. As powerful as God is and as ominous as the thunders and lightnings are, those in His immediate presence are on calm, peaceful waters, having nothing to fear. Those standing about the throne of God have come through the storms and are on a sea that has been calmed, at peace and is still.
The sea of glass like a crystal is a barrier between the Christians and God on His throne. Christians walk by faith and not by site, not being allowed in the literal presence of God in His throne room. At the end time when the redeemed inherit their home in heaven, they will have to access God through the limitations of any barriers. They will be in his literal presence. In Revelation 21 we are given a vision of Heaven and in verse one, the sea which is present in this vision is absent.
The living creatures in John’s vision are similar to Ezekiel’s vision of the four creatures in chapter 1; "And out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was theirappearance: they had the likeness of a man" (Ezekiel 1:5). "As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about" (Ezekiel 1:18).
The number four was symbolic of the world in which we live and when the first readers saw this number they would then associate it with all life on this earth. In interpreting what these living creatures are, it is important to examine their characteristics and what they were doing. They were alive and were assembled about God’s throne, in verse 9 they are worshipping God on His throne, giving thanks to Him. All mankind is commanded to give "thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20). Examine the activities and qualities of these figurative animals and compare them with who or what we know in existence that would best match their characteristics and behavior. The four living creatures assembled all around the throne are representative of all of mankind in God’s creation who are saved.
Revelation 4:7
"And the first creature (was) like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature (was) like a flying eagle."
These characteristics are exactly like those of the creatures in Ezekiel’s vision; "As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle" (Ezekiel 1:10).
Looking closely at the creatures in Ezekiel’s vision we see one of their characteristics that sheds tremendous light on what they represented. "And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went" (Ezekiel 1:12). The creatures in Ezekiel’s vision followed wherever the Spirit led never turning from their course.
All four creatures represented mankind as a whole, each individual creature exhibited one of man’s unique qualities when taken as a whole separate mankind utterly from the rest of the animal kingdom and from the lost. The saved who were assembled about the throne were noble like a lion, domesticated and in servitude like a calf or an ox, wise like men who had ears and listened to what the Spirit said they came from the far corners of the earth, soaring high above the lost of the world, like eagles on wings. Noble, in faithful service, wise, and soaring high above the lost on earth. Who is this a picture of? They are the saved of the earth that follow wherever the Spirit leads.
Revelation 4:8
"and the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and within: and they have no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, (is) the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come."
Here we have the four living creatures praising God in the same fashion as the Seraphim in Isaiah 6:2-3, "Above him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory."
Some have suggested that the living creatures of Revelation 4 are representative of the Seraphim in Isaiah because of the similarity of the six wings. The living creatures in Ezekiel have four wings each while the Seraphim each have six which match the wing count of the four living creatures in Revelation. It should be noted that the number of Seraphim in attendance around the throne of God is not mentioned while the living creatures of Ezekiel are and are described with the same facial features and animal likenesses. It is often the case in Revelation that John draws on the imagery of numerous accounts in order to complete the total picture of what he is seeing in his own vision. The purpose for this is to refer the reader’s mind back to other Biblical imagery to help form in his mind a picture of the vision in John’s mind. It is helpful to focus more on the activities than the specifics. What’s going on? What are they doing? Who is being worshipped and who is doing the worshipping and how are they doing it? It is this Bible student’s opinion that the imagery of the four living creatures is not an either/or case, rather they represent a combination of the two in appearance and activity.
The four figurative creatures in John’s vision had more wings than an ordinary eagle. The characteristics one would associate an eagle with are amplified in this vision threefold. These creatures never cease from worshipping and thanking and giving honor to God. This is representative of an everlasting eternity in presence with God where the saved will honor and glorify Him who existed before anything did, is living now and will come again which is representative of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 4:9-10
"And when the living creatures shall give glory and honor and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, to him that liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders shall fall down beforehim that sitteth on the throne, and shall worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying,"
And when all of saved mankind from the earth worship God on His throne who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before the throne and worship God with them, throwing their crowns on the ground at the foot of God’s throne. The elders are not in any way the recipients of worship. The worship of the living creatures and the elders is directed wholly and solely upon God. All the figurative crowns, which came from God, are removed and thrown at His feet. When God is worshipped, all eyes, all glory, all reverence, all praise and all attention is directed solely at Him.
Revelation 4:11
"Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created."
God claims to be worthy to receive glory, honor and power. This is in contrast to those of the first century who demanded to be worshipped as Gods on earth but were not worthy. The word "for" introduces an explanation of what was first stated. The Roman emperors didn’t create anything. It was not because of their will that anything existed. They built a lot of temples to their own glory but they didn’t create anything. It was God’s will that all things were created and existed. No man had anything to do with that and inspiration claims this makes God worthy of glory and honor. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork" (Psalms 19:1).
There were so many false pagan gods one could worship. These Gods were dreamed up in the minds of men and were a reflection of man’s capricious ways. These Gods were often portrayed as possessing the lustful and worldly characteristics of the people that dreamed them up. The God we serve is not like those gods. The pagan gods invented and served by men were no better than they were. The one true and living God we serve is true, just, trustworthy and pure. God is incapable of any unrighteous act and is the image of absolute holiness and perfection and is powerful beyond human comprehension. Inspiration used the creation in this example to illustrate God’s power. Consider for a moment just how vast the known universe is and what it must have entailed to bring about its creation from nothing. The Roman emperors who proclaimed themselves to be gods and required the worship of men couldn’t create the dust on their sandals. They were untrustworthy, cruel and followed after the lusts of their own hearts.
We serve a powerful, caring, just, honest, trustworthy, righteous and deserving God. Our God is perfect and is worthy of the honor and glory of His creation. Our God is worth living for and certainly worth dieing for if necessary. And as we will see later on, many did die for Him.
Summary Paraphrase:
Revelation 4
After Jesus finished addressing the seven churches, I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice which I had heard again addressed me like the calling of a trumpet and said to me, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place in the future. " And immediately I came under the Holy Spirit’s power and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it! And He Who sat upon the throne radiated light like diamonds and rubies and all around His throne was a halo that looked like an emerald rainbow.
Twenty-four other thrones surrounded the main throne, and seated on these thrones were twenty-four elders all dressed in white spotless clothing, with crowns of gold upon their heads. Out from the central throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder, and in front of this throne seven blazing torches burned, which represented the sevenfold perfect Spirit of God. And in front of the throne there was also what looked like a transparent glassy sea like a crystal, still and calm and safe. And around the throne, in the center at each side of the throne, were all the saved, seeing what is before and behind them, noble, penitent, wise and soaring on the wings of eagles, high above the earth.
And when they all offer glory, honor and thanksgiving to God who sits on His throne and will never die, all the elders throw their crowns at God’s feet and fall on their faces with them and join them in worship, crying out "Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things and by Your will they were brought into being and were created."
God the Redeemer Revealed
(Revelation 5:1-14)
Bible Class Lesson #13
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 5:1-14
Revelationchapter 4 was a vision of God on His throne, sovereign, powerful, worshipped by all creation and worthy of that worship. Chapter 5 is a picture of Jesus Christ who is the only one powerful and worthy enough to reveal the message of redemption and revelation to mankind. In chapter 5 we further see the power and righteousness of God. This is to set Him forth as the supreme authority which no man, especially the worldly Roman emperors could hope to usurp. Under the circ*mstances of 1st century Roman persecution, the Christians see those leaders who are corrupt and evil and they are comforted with these visions of a righteous and all powerful God who cannot be touched by worldly influences or swayed in any way by the Roman authorities no matter how powerful they may appear. God is in charge and He is the one true and living God, eternal, all powerful, ever righteous, supreme and unconquerable.
Looking at the big picture in chapter 5 we see a continuation of the throne scene. Here we are introduced to the lamb, also described as the lion of the tribe of Judah and the root of David. Obviously this is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the redeemer of mankind. The book He is worthy to unseal and open is, in part, the revelation of God regarding the Christian’s hope and perseverance in Christ and the fate that awaits the enemies of God. Jesus Christ lived in the sinful world and prevailed against all temptations and emerged as the only one powerful enough and with the authority to reveal what was going to happen.
So now all the persons of the Godhead are pictured together in the throne scene. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have all been represented and are the center and focus of the worship and adoration of the creation.
Revelation 5:1
"And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals."
God was holding in His right hand a book. The right hand is symbolic of a favored position. The right hand of God is where Jesus is pictured as ruling His kingdom (Hebrews 8:1; Hebrews 10:12; Hebrews 12:2, 1 Peter 3:22). Notice that the book in God’s hand was written on the inside and on the back. Typically things written in the first century were on scrolls and they would be rolled up. This scroll had writing on the front and back which gives the impression that there is a lot to be revealed. The book is full and complete. There is no more room for anymore writing or anything to be added to it or changed in any way and when it is opened the people will know all they need to know.
This scroll is also tightly sealed with seven seals. The number seven representing total completeness means that the book was sealed in such a way that it was not going to be easily opened. The picture here is that the future cannot be in any way known but by the intervention of Jesus Christ and will remain a secret until he comes along and reveals it. No one can know the mind of God until it has been revealed. Paul taught, "but as it is written, Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, And (which) entered not into the heart of man, Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him. But unto us God revealed (them) through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God." (1 Corinthians 2:9-11).
Revelation 5:2
"And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?"
And John sees in his vision a powerful angel. Obviously not all angels are created equally, there being some kind of hierarchy among them. We do not know how this works however we see in scripture where Michael the archangel contended with Satan for the body of Moses. In the Greek the word for archangel means "chief angel". This angel was powerful and high in authority which suggests that any angel less than he was not even in consideration as a candidate for the task of revealing the future.
Power alone is not qualification enough to reveal these secrets either. The proper candidate had to be worthy of this task. This is a significant point. Jesus was worthy in light of His righteousness, having lived life on earth as a man and successfully enduring having never sinned, not even when scourged and crucified by His own creation. Jesus earned the right to reveal the secrets of God.
Revelation 5:3
"And no one in the heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look thereon."
In particular, none of the emperors of the Roman Empire had the authority or were worthy to reveal what was going to happen. They were not even able to look at it. The first century people were being forced to worship the emperors as gods on earth. These emperors were being hailed as all powerful individuals and they certainly looked it to the those outside the church. But those in the church were being given a picture of the real authority, the real king and the real God.
Revelation 5:4
"And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon"
The Christians were living in desperate times. John was told to come see what would happen in Revelation 4:1. The persecution was bad and it wasgoing to get worse. Keep in mind that John was on Patmos at the time he received these revelations. Patmos was a forced labor prison facility for the Roman Empire. John was most likely not there of his own choosing so was feeling the pressure of the persecution. He was on an island of rock far away from his beloved brethren and was undoubtedly greatly concerned for their wellbeing. He was undoubtedly anxious, possibly frantic to know what the fate of his brothers and sisters would be, not to mention the fate of the Lord’s church in general. With the lives of his brethren hanging in the balance, it looked like no one would be able to tell him what he so desperately wanted to know. So in despair he wept for his brethren, the church and for himself.
Revelation 5:5
"and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof."
John was comforted with the words that Jesus had overcome sin and was able to reveal God’s message. The lion, because of its strength and courage is known as the king of beasts. The Lion of the tribe of Judah thus signifies the kingly power and majesty of Christ the Lord. He is the conqueror, the Ruler, the King whose lineage is traced through tribe of Judah. "For it is evident that our Lord hath sprung out of Judah; as to which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priests" (Hebrews 7:14). Reference also Genesis 49:10, Micah 5:2, Luke 3:33.
King David, son of Jesse (Ruth 4:22), was a descendant of the tribe of Judah. Therefore the root of Jesse and of David shows Jesus’ connection with that lineage. "And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit" (Isaiah 11:1). Reference also Isaiah 11:10, Jeremiah 23:5, Romans 1:3.
God spoke to David through the prophet Nathan; "And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee; but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for ever" (1 Chronicles 17:11-14).
Revelation 5:6
"And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth."
And John sees in the midst of it all Jesus Christ, the Son of God pictured here as both a powerful and noble lion, ruling over the other beasts, and as a sacrificial lamb with seven horns, meaning perfect power, and seven eyes, meaning perfect all seeing vision. Being pictured in the midst of the throne conveys the idea that Jesus was sharing the throne with God. "He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne" (Revelation 3:21). "for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17). "And there shall be no curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his servants shall serve him" (Revelation 22:3).
Jesus is pictured here as a lamb which is symbolic of the sacrificial system and thus represents the redemption of sin. "On the morrow he [John the baptist], seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). "...He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth" (Acts 8:32). "but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, (even the blood) of Christ" (1 Peter 1:19)
The seven eyes of the lamb which are the seven Spirits of God is representational of the perfect and complete Spirit, the Holy Spirit, given to Jesus without measure. "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for he giveth not the Spirit by measure. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand" (John 3:34-35).
Revelation 5:7
"And he came, and he taketh (it) out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne."
Jesus, the Son of God, the only one in existence worthy to unseal the revelation of God has taken it from the right hand of God the Father. John who wept because no one could be found who could reveal the will of God now saw the book containing that message in the hands of Jesus Christ. It should be noted here that this vision is not just a vision of the revelation at hand, but a general representation of God’s will overall being given into the hands of Jesus. Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth, (Matthew 28:18) and has the right to execute judgment (John 5:27). The book taken from the hand of the Father by Jesus is representative of the eternal purpose of God’s plan for man’s salvation. All authority has been passed to the Son in His ascension to reign at the right hand of God the Father. And only He is able to open this book and reveal the contents.
The things said to be in that book represented the plan formulated in the mind of God before time began and was a mystery until the fullness of time when it was brought forth and revealed. "making known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in him, (I say,) in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will" (Ephesians 1:9-11). See also Romans 16:25, 2 Timothy 1:9 and Titus 1:2.
In this vision we are seeing a grand scene of the overall passing of authority from God the Father to God the Son and His ascension to the throne where He now rules. One almost gets the feeling they are witnessing a coronation ceremony of sorts where the one who prevailed and has passed the test now assumes the role promised Him since before time began.
Revelation 5:8
"And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."
And when Jesus who had prevailed had taken possession, and the authority of, God’s word, all creation, represented as the creatures over whom the Lion of Judah reigns, fell down before Him. We notice here that the Son of God is worthy to receive worship.
All those around the throne have in their possession harps and vials of odours which are the prayers of the saints. These instruments of worship are figurative and have no bearing on manmade instruments in our worship today. Harps are old testament symbols of praise to God. Harps, psaltries and viols were instruments of praise in old covenant worship and were never used in the new covenant worship during the first century nor for about a thousand years afterwards. Paul referred to the harp, pipe and trumpet in 1 Corinthians 14:7-8 in order to illustrate a point, but gave no indication they were used in worship. John later wrote of hearing the one hundred and forty four thousand whose voice was "as the voice of harpers harping with their harps" (Revelation 14:2), and he saw those who were victorious before the beast and his image "having the harps of God" (Revelation 15:2). Whatever these harps are in the throne room of heaven, we know they were provided by God and were suitable for use there, but on earth, God "dwelleth not in temples made with human hands, neither is he worshipped with men’s hands as though he needed anything" (Acts 17:24-25 KJV). In contrast to the heavenly instruments mentioned here, they are all silenced in fallen Babylon (Revelation 18:22). If one is going to literalize the harps here and take them to authorize manmade musical instruments in worship to God on earth today then they better at least acknowledge that the harpers and other musicians would not have been completely silenced after the fall of the Roman Empire if there were any of them performing in the Lord’s church at that time.
The "golden bowls full of incense" were identified as being the prayers of the saints. In old testament worship incense was burned in the temple while prayers were being offered outside (Luke 1:10). In Revelation 8:3-4 the same figurative language we see in verse 8 is also used to illustrate the prayers of the saints; "And another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should add it unto the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand." The incense and the harps in this vision were old testament symbols which represented the prayers and the praise of the Christians. If we were going to literalize the harps, then consistency would demand that we also literalize the incense and start burning it during our prayer in worship to God.
In this verse we see the prayers of the saints coming before the Throne of God. Our prayers are heard by God. James taught that the "fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much" in 5:16. "And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15). "Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth" (John 9:31). What a comfort it must have been to the persecuted Christians to know that their prayers of affliction and supplication were heard by God.
Revelation 5:9
"And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood (men) of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,"
The new song being sung here is the song of redemption. A song never before heard because Jesus Christ was slain as the perfect sacrifice and with His blood accomplished something the blood of bulls and goats could never do; the removal of sin completely. The old law of Moses with the animal sacrifices was unable to make the Israelites perfect (Hebrews 10:1). The blood of bulls and goats could not take away their sin (Hebrews 10:4). It was only a temporary measure until Jesus’ blood would redeem them completely. Those who lived faithfully under the old covenant and offered the blood of the sacrifices were purchased by the blood of Jesus when He died on the cross (Hebrews 9:15). Those today who live after the cross do not have to offer the yearly sacrifices because we have been purged and been made complete (Hebrews 10:1-10). Today we have a covenant which is faultless, being established on better promises (Hebrews 8:6-7), with Jesus as our High priest and mediator (Hebrews 6:20; Hebrews 12:24, 1 Timothy 2:5). And this blood sacrifice of Jesus was for all mankind, not just for those living under the old law (Hebrews 10:10, Ephesians 2:12-18). All the faithful children of God who lived under the old law, and all the saved under the new covenant both Jews and Gentiles were singing the new song of redemption, never before heard or known until Jesus Christ came and offered His blood for all sins forever and then sat down on the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:12-14).
Revelation 5:10
"and madest them (to be) unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon earth."
Under the old law, the Jewish High Priest offered up the sacrifices for the sins of the people after he had offered up sacrifices for his own sins (Hebrews 7:27). The Jewish high priests were taken from among men so they were imperfect (Hebrews 7:28). Jesus blood purged the sins of all His children forever (Hebrews 10:14) and there is no longer a need for a Jewish High Priest to offer up sacrifices. Jesus is our High Priest now and because of the blood of His sacrifice all His children are now able to offer up their own sacrifices and praise and worship to God.
The kingdom mentioned here is the kingdom of God which is peopled by the "called out" or in the Greek is the word "Ekklesia" which is translated "church" in the new testament. The Ekklesia is not a building, rather it is a people made up of all the saved in Christ. And all the members of the Ekklesia have been purged of their sins by the blood of Christ and can therefore serve as a priest in their own capacity. In short, all who are saved can now offer their praise and worship to God directly without having to go through a Jewish High Priest as a mediator. Our mediator today is not some man who is himself sinful, but Jesus Christ who is sinless and is the perfect High Priest. The kingdom of God is the total assembly of His children today and it is called a kingdom because everyone in it is a royal priest unto God
"But ye are a elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for (God’s) own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Revelation 5:11
"And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands"
What John was seeing here was the whole creation; angels, elders and the redeemed assembled about the throne of God and they were too numerous even to count.
Revelation 5:12-13
"saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things are in them, heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, (be) the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever."
In chapter 4 we saw God on His throne with His Spirit receiving the worship of all creation. In chapter 5 we see His Son, Jesus Christ introduced, worthy and receiving all the worship of all the creation as well. Notice carefully the wording "Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb". The Lamb is equally worshipped with He who sits on the throne. The Godhead is made up of three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, perfectly united with one single nature, thus when God is worshipped on His throne, all three are.
Revelation 5:14
"And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshipped."
The word "Amen" means "be it so". Jesus Christ, the Son of God has been presented as the only one worthy to reveal the word of God and to receive the worship and adoration of all the creation. Looking at this through the eyes of the first century Christians living under the oppression of the Roman Empire we see a contrast between this and what the Roman Empire insisted on. The emperors who demanded to be worshipped as Gods were not Holy. They were not worthy of the worship of mankind. They didn’t purchase anything with their blood and couldn’t if they wanted to because it was unfit for the task. They did not come back from the dead when they died. They did not prevail against the world and emerge sinless. None of them were pictured standing around the throne of God receiving the worship of all creation. None of them reached up and took from God’s right hand the sealed book.
To the first readers of the Revelation, God is presented as the only true and worthy recipient of man’s worship and this has to be a tremendous comfort to those who are being persecuted because of their faith. Total and complete praise is seen as being offered to God and God alone. His throne rules, be it so.
Summary Paraphrase:
And I saw God seated on His throne and holding in His right hand a perfectly sealed scroll with words written on it inside and out. And then I saw a powerful angel announcing in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open this scroll?" And no one in heaven or on the earth or in Hades was able to open the scroll and reveal its message. And I wept greatly because no one could be found to open the scroll and read it. Then one of the elders said to me, Stop weeping! God’s Son, the Lion of the house of Judah, the offspring of King David has prevailed. He can break the seals and open the scroll.
And I looked and saw with God on His throne and among the elders and the saved of earth, His Son who had been slain but was now standing, having all power and authority and with the all seeing Spirit of God who has been sent far and wide into all the earth. And the Son went and took the scroll from the right hand of the Father seated on His throne. And when God’s Son held the scroll in His hand, all the elders and the saved bowed before Him and worshipped and the prayers of the saints on earth were heard and were like bowls of sweet incense before God.
And now they are singing a new song never heard before, saying You are worthy to take the scroll and to reveal its message for You were slain and with your blood you purchased all men unto God from every tribe and language and people and nation of the earth. And you made them a royal race in your kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign as kings over the earth.
And then as I looked, I heard the voices of many angels on every side of God’s throne and of the elders and all the saved and there were so many they could not be numbered. And they were all proclaiming loudly, "Worthy is the Son who was slain to receive all the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and majesty and blessing!" And then I heard every created thing everywhere crying out in unison unto God and His Son, to You be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the dominion for all eternity." And then all the saved said " AMEN!!!, Let it be so!" And the elders laid down on their faces and worshipped Him who lives forever and ever.
God, the Avenger of His Children
(Revelation 6:1-17)
Bible Class Lesson #14
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 6:1-17
Chapter 4 opened this vision with a picture of God on His throne and being worshipped by all creation. Chapter 5 introduced Jesus Christ as the one worthy redeemer, qualified to reveal the will of God and likewise being worshipped. The Holy Spirit is also represented as being with those who were pictured as being in the midst of the throne (Revelation 5:6). So we have all three persons of the Godhead, present in the throne room of God and receiving the worship, adoration, praise and honor of all the saved.
Something of significance to the first readers of Revelation is happening. Jesus receives the sealed book of God’s will from the right hand of the Father who sits on His throne. This book contains the totality of God’s will for mankind from the beginning to the end, however, of importance to John and His brethren living under the immediate circ*mstances of the persecution, the focus is on their immediate future and the future of the Lord’s church.
Revelation 6:1
"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come."
The Lamb and the creatures represent the same thing they did in earlier parts of the vision. Once their identity is established in a vision, it remains consistent throughout. Jesus is opening the first seal. A seal in this usage represents something that is hidden from view. The breaking or loosing of the seals in figurative for revealing the contents therein. Jesus is starting to reveal the contents of the scroll and the creation is telling John to come.
Revelation 6:2
"And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer."
Horses were always a war animal, especially when someone is pictured as seated on them with weapons of war in their possession. White is the symbol of purity and righteousness so this white horse is symbolic of something good. In the old testament prophecy of the coming of Jesus Christ we read:
"From him shall come forth the corner-stone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together. And they shall be as mighty men, treading down (their enemies) in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because Jehovah is with them; and the riders on horses shall be confounded. And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back; for I have mercy upon them; and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am Jehovah their God, and I will hear them" (Zechariah 10:4-6).
The cornerstone and the house of Judah is representative of Jesus Christ. Earlier in John’s vision, the lamb was also called the lion of the tribe of Judah. We know that Jesus Christ descended from the patriarch Judah (Hebrews 7:14). We see in the prophecy of Zechariah the conflict, the battle, and the battle bow. Jesus is pictured in Revelation as riding a white horse, carrying a bow and conquering. The prophecy of Zechariah 10:4-6 is fulfilled in Jesus Christ and confirmed in Revelation 6:2. The loosing of the first seal was the coming of the Gospel, the perfect plan of redemption for mankind, the law of Christ.
The crown given to Jesus was the crown of a winner indicating victory in the conflict as He went forth conquering and to conquer. Jesus overcame the world and lived a sinless life. He delivered the New Covenant, the law of Christ while He was on earth and after being crucified, He arose, conquered death and ascended to Heaven where He reigns as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords at the right hand side of God the Father.
Revelation 6:3-4
"And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come. And another (horse) came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great sword."
The persecutor of the church is introduced. He is pictured riding on a red horse. The color red was associated with bloodshed in the minds of the first century Christians so the red horse here is a symbol of bloody persecution. The rider on the red horse was given the power to wage war and would cause the inhabitants of earth to kill each other. Swords are used in battle to kill one’s opponents, thus we see more reference here to the shedding of blood. Jesus had come on the white horse and had delivered the way of righteousness and established His church. Close upon His heels came the rider on the red horse who would persecute the Christians in the Lord’s church.
This persecution was nothing new to the Christians. "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake" (Matthew 24:9). "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12). "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matthew 5:10-12). The churches had already been warned earlier that persecution was coming and who was the cause of it in Revelation 2:10, "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
Revelation 6:5-6
"And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he that sat thereon had a balance in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A measure of wheat for a shilling, and three measures of barley for a shilling; and the oil and the wine hurt thou not."
The color black is representative of darkness and oppression. Darkness came over the earth when Jesus died on the cross. The life of the light of the world was being extinguished and left darkness in its path. There were a lot of trade guilds in the Roman empire. These trade guilds were similar to the labor unions of today. One had to be a member of the trade guild in order to work in that profession. These trade guilds were idolatrous and would offer worship to various pagan gods and in to the Roman Emperor as well. A trade guild that properly worshipped the Emperor was well favored by the Empire and was allowed to conduct business unmolested. This presented a serious problem for the Christians. They could not be a part of these trade guilds and participate in their idolatrous practices. Not being a member of these trade guilds meant the could not get good jobs which resulted in leaving them poverty stricken.
Then to make matters worse, the imperial cults in charge of enforcing emperor worship in the empire had the power to deny the right to participate in any kind of trade to anyone refusing to bow down and worship the emperor. The main imperial cult that was responsible for this was called the "Concilia".
A balance was a simple set of scales used to evenly and fairly weigh out such things as silver, gold and food. They were constructed with a simple beam with a balancing point or fulcrum in the center. They worked by placing an object with a known weight on one side of a beam and when the food or other substance to be weighed was placed on the other side, the equal weights on both sides would cause the whole to balance. Balances were an emblem justice in Biblical times, (Job 31:6; Psalms 62:9; Proverbs 11:1) and today as well. Our justice system in the US today is represented by a blindfolded woman holding a set of balances on which truth is weighed out fairly. Balances were used to weigh out food in exchange for money and a shilling was about a days wages for a days work for someone in the lowest working class. The first century Christians, incapable of working the better jobs found themselves struggling just to earn money enough to feed their families.
Oil and wine were luxuries beyond necessary needs. The Christians who were forced to work the lowliest jobs were unable to buy such things, restricted to only that which would sustain their lives and barely enough of that. They couldn’t afford oil, wine or other luxuries and those who were represented by the the rider on the black horse held it out in front of them, taunting them with it.
The rider in the black horse with the balance in his hands had the power to tip the scales against the Christians thus causing poverty and hardship for them. In Jesus’ letters to the churches of Asia, one of the things stressed the most was the forbidding of participating in the riotous public feasts where the meat sacrificed to pagan gods was eaten. Hunger and poverty was a powerful means of persecution in the first century and we see this vividly portrayed in the rider on the black horse carrying the balances.
Revelation 6:7-8
"And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his name was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and withdeath, and by the wild beasts of the earth."
The color of dead flesh is pale. The rider on this horse is picturesque of our modern day grim reaper. His name is death and he is populating the realm of the dead with the souls of men, especially the righteous. The Christians were put to death by swords, they were starved out and they were slaughtered in the Roman arenas by gladiators and wild beasts. History records that Nero blamed the great fire of Rome on the Christians and used them as scapegoats in an attempt to detract the blame from himself. The executions of Christians was intended to be a spectacle. Those professing faith were often sewn up inside the skins of wild animals and thrown into the arena where dogs tore them apart. Others were covered in flammable material and burned alive to light Nero’s gardens at night while he rode around in his chariot among them. Some fell by the sword, others were beheaded, still others were tortured to death. All in all, this was the most widespread and brutal persecution of Christians to date. And it wasn’t over when Nero died. The Christians still had to deal with the persecution under the reign of Domitian, which was worse yet.
The fourth part of the earth is interesting. To those living in the first century, the number four was symbolic of the world in which we live. In Revelation 20:8, all of the people on earth are represented by the nations "in the four corners of the earth." so it is probable that the fourth part of the earth could well be the whole world. The persecution under Nero was bad in Rome, but under Domitian, it escalated to the whole empire. Christianity became illegal and the imperial cults were dispatched across the realm to stamp out Christians wherever they could be found.
To be fair to the scholarship of more learned men than myself, I feel compelled to point out the fact that many hold to Revelation 6:7-8 to be a judgment of God on Rome in some fashion. I disagree with this view of the fourth seal. Those following along with this study should be well advised to seek out for themselves the history and the facts and make a determination for themselves. It is my belief that seal number four is representative of the Empire, (world), wide persecution of the saints under the rule of imperial Rome. The judgments upon Rome were yet to come after the souls of the martyrs cried out for justice as we will see in the loosing of the fifth seal.
Revelation 6:9
"And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held"
In the vision of the opening of the fifth seal we see a picture of all the multiplied thousands of Christians who had been slain because of their faith. These are the Martyrs of Christ. These are the ones who sacrificed everything for the testimony of the word of God.
"Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when (men) shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you" (Matthew 5:10-12). "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it" (Luke 9:24).
Revelation 6:10-11
"and they cried with a great voice, saying, How long, O Master, the holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And there was given them to each one a white robe; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, who should be killed even as they were, should have fulfilled (their course)."
The souls of those who had been slain wanted to know when justice would be served to their murderers. This indicates that those who are dead are conscious and aware of the circ*mstances around their death. The account of Lazarus and the rich man portrays the lost rich man as being in torment and begging for relief while Lazarus was being comforted in the company of Abraham.
They were pictured as being given white robes. As is often the case, the book of Revelation often explains itself: "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These that are arrayed in white robes, who are they, and whence came they? And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that come of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." The tribulation was the great persecution of the saints by the Roman Empire. And the white robes they wore were made spotless by the blood of Jesus. Obviously this is figurative, not to be taken literally. Blood would not wash anything white. The imagery here is of the sacrificial blood of Jesus washing away the blackness of sin from the redeemed. Clothing is the first thing one sees when they see someone. Sin can not be hidden from God, therefore the stains of sin are pictured as being out there in plain view, on their garments and not hidden beneath. Those who are clothed in white garments overcame, kept themselves pure and are clothed in righteousness. "But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments: and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels" (Revelation 3:4-5)
They were told to rest "until theirfellow-servants also and their brethren, who should be killed even as they were, should have fulfilled (their course)". The Christians who were killed were told that more would die before it was all over. This persecution had been going on for some time and it was going to continue for a while. God was not going to out and out destroy the Roman Empire in one blazing torrent of destruction. In the garden of Eden, God granted man the freewill choice to decide whether to obey or rebel and this choice has never been taken away. When someone really loves someone, they give them a choice. God has never forced mankind to follow Him and is longsuffering of rebellion. The Roman empire was enormous and it was populated with millions and millions of souls all of which were given plenty of opportunity to repent. God did not want any of them to be lost, not even the evil emperors who were slaughtering Christians. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). No one who died lost in the Roman empire will ever be able to say they didn’t get a fair chance to repent. "And the rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood; which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk: and they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts" (Revelation 9:20-21).
Of importance also is that while so many had been killed because of their faith, and that so many more were going to be killed, the Christian facing such tribulation has the promise from God that they will never be tempted beyond what they are able to withstand. Paul wrote, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). This is an important promise in that it teaches us that God knows individually what each of His children can endure and that Satan will not be permitted to force a child of God to sin against his or her ability to withstand. A way of escape is promised and to the faithful martyrs of Christ, this way of escape was mortal death. "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints" (Psalms 116:15).
Revelation 6:12-13
"And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. "
We are getting into a part of the Revelation now that would be dangerous to the Christians in the first century in the hands of their oppressors. This is the beginning of the judgment of the enemies of God and if they could understand what it meant, it would make life for the Christians all the more difficult. The Revelation would be rounded up and denied from circulation by the authorities. The imperial cults in charge of enforcing emperor worship would have immediately confiscated all traces of such a letter and would likely have immediately put to death anyone found possessing it. By now, the Christians reading it know that the key to understanding the message is the rest of the Bible. The first visions were easily associated with Jesus Christ and have become progressively more difficult as we get deeper into the letter.
The genius of God is so evident in how this letter is presented. The Revelation is given in such a way that only those familiar with the symbolism could understand it and at the same time pointing His faithful children into a study of His word for the things they don’t understand. God communicates to His afflicted saints while protecting them from their enemies and at the same time sends them through a journey of scripture unlike anything else could have. One can visualize the old grey headed Jewish Christians who had grown up under the old law setting with the younger ones studying this cherished message of hope from God by inspiration of John and combing through the old testament scriptures to show them what all these symbols meant. Jerusalem had been destroyed and the Jewish Christians had been dispersed all over the Roman Empire. There were plenty of people with the knowledge and ability to comprehend the Revelation and to teach those who could not how to understand it.
What’s the big picture so far? Laying aside the imagery of all the symbols and focusing on the activities, what is going on so far in the opening of the seals?
• The first seal was the coming of Jesus,
• the second seal represented the coming of the persecutor of the church,
• the third seal saw this persecution on a worldwide scale,
• the fourth seal was thedeath of the saints by persecution,
• and the fifth seal was a picture of the slain crying out for the killing to end and for justice.
Since this letter is addressed specifically to those living in the 1st century and with seven of their congregations having been addressed specifically and in consideration of the fact that the first sentence of the letter told them the events contained therein were going to "shortly come to pass", we have no logical recourse but to conclude that this letter is in reference to their immediate situations and use that as the basis for how we understand it today and to make the appropriate applications to our lives as necessary.
The opening of the sixth seal brings the judgment of the persecutors of the church into view. The martyred saints had cried out for justice and were told to wait yet a "little time" and now in the opening of the sixth seal, we see God’s assurance to them that He will avenge their blood on those who inflicted their deaths and caused such hardship. By inspiration, John pictures a world in upheaval, with earthshaking natural events, the falling of earthly kings, the loss of the light of righteousness and the encroachment of darkness upon an evil oppressive people.
To illustrate this, inspiration draws heavily on old testament pictures and descriptions brought upon earlier heathen nations who had sought the destruction of God’s people. Isaiah used similar language to describe the downfall of Babylon, "Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine" (Isaiah 13:9-10). "She shall be visited of Jehovah of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire" (Isaiah 29:6). "I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering" (Isaiah 50:3).
The prophet Joel use these symbols to describe a future judgment against Israel in connection with the coming of the Messiah, "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh" (Joel 2:30-31).
And in the new testament Jesus used this same symbolic language to foretell the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).
Like many times before, the imagery of falling empires is pictured as the shaking of mountains, the falling of the stars, things turned to blood, loss of light, the encroachment of darkness, smoke, fire and desolation. This picture of the judgment of God coming on the Roman empire is nothing new in the minds of Christians familiar with similar events foretold in the old and new testament.
Revelation 6:14
"And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places."
Here is more old testament imagery used to visualize the judgment of God bringing about the end of an empire. "And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll; and all their host shall fade away, as the leaf fadeth from off the vine, and as a fading (leaf) from the fig-tree" (Isaiah 34:4). Mountains were symbols of permanence, strength and the foundations of the earth were going to be removed from their places. These are not literal mountains, but rather are used as a figure for the Roman Empire which seemed to be invincible and unconquerable in it’s power.
The islands represented to the 1st century people the outer reaches or most remote lands and far away possessions of a nation. At the fall of Tyre, God said the islands would shake, "Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to Tyre: shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded groan, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?" (Ezekiel 26:15) "Now shall the sles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be dismayed at thy departure" (Ezekiel 26:18. The coming of judgment of God on the enemies of the Christians would shake the powers of the earth to their furthest reaches.
Revelation 6:15-16
"And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:"
All the inhabitants of the earth from the slaves to the kings are stricken with terror as the judgment of God descends upon them. They will go anywhere to hide from the destruction associated with the fall of a great world power. There was always death and destruction and great fear when an empire was conquered. And this holds true today. Great world powers do not go quietly into oblivion. They are destroyed and the results are far reaching and devastating.
This is not a picture of the end times judgment as many today try and teach. These people have time to hide in the caves and the rocks of the mountains. There is not time to hide when Jesus returns for the final judgment. This return will be in the twinkling of an eye, (1 Corinthians 15:52), as a thief, in which day [singular] "in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10). The judgment in view here is not the judgment of all creation, rather the judgment of the Roman empire.
Revelation 6:17
"for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?"
Jesus has opened the sixth seal which is the judgment of the enemies of all righteousness. Nothing can stop it, nothing can stand in the way. God is seated on His throne, in complete control and nothing can interfere or stand in the way of His judgments. The evil Roman Empire for all it’s vast wealth and power cannot hope to stand.
Who is able to stand? Nahum asked this same question as God’s judgment was about to fall on Nineveh. Once repented at the preaching of Jonah, but forsaking God and returning to her evil ways, she faced the same fate as the Roman Empire before the wrath of God.
Nahum 1:3-6
"Jehovah is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means clear (the guilty): Jehovah hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel; and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt; and the earth is upheaved at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken asunder by him."
Summary Paraphrase:
And I saw Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah open the first of the book and the saved cried with a thunderous voice, "Come". And I saw a vision of Jesus riding on a white horse with the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and He rode forth to conquer the enemies of righteousness and He prevailed.
And then I saw Jesus reveal the second part of the book and the creation around the throne said "Come". And I saw a vision of someone riding on a bloody horse, who came to take peace from the earth and to compel mankind to slay one another. He was given great power to accomplish this from Satan.
And then Jesus revealed the third part of what is to come and I heard the voices of the creation around the throne say "Come". Then I looked and saw a rider on a horse of darkness carrying a set of scales. And then I heard a voice coming out from those around the throne saying "A measure of wheat for a days wages and three measures of barley for the same. And don’t even bother with the oil and the wine because you can never afford it."
And then Jesus, the Lamb of God revealed what was next and I again heard the voices of the creation say "Come". When I looked I saw a rider on a pale ghostly horse and the rider’s name was death and the realm of the dead was filled in his wake. And he was given the freedom over all the four corners of the earth to slay mankind with swords, famine, wild beasts and other forms of killing.
And then the Lamb revealed the next part and I saw underneath His alter, all the souls of the righteous who were slain because of their faith to the testimony of Jesus. And they cried out in unison with a loud voice saying, "Oh Holy and True Father, how long before you judge our murderers and avenge our blood on their heads?" And each one of them was clothed in robes of righteousness and told that they must rest and be patient awhile longer. For God’s righteous purpose is not yet fulfilled and many more of their faithful brethren will be slain and will join them before it’s done.
And then the lamb revealed the judgment of the enemies of the Christians. There were upheavals and the darkness on the earth was so thick, the sun could not shine through it. The moon shown only bloodshed and the leaders of the earth fell like green figs blown from their trees in a storm. The heavens revealed the coming judgment from God above and the unshakable powers and strongholds of the earth were moved out of their places to their furthest reaches.
And all the unbelieving kings of earth and all their princes and captains; everyone from the rich and powerful to the slaves will hide themselves wherever they can to try and escape. They will beg the mountains and the rocks to fall on them in order to hide themselves from the face of the wrath of God’s judgment. For their time of facing God’s wrath has come and who among them will be able to stand?
Who Will Be Able to Stand?
(Revelation 7:1-17)
Bible Class Lesson #15
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 7:1-17
Chapter 4 opened this vision with a picture of God on His throne and being worshipped by all creation. Chapter 5 introduced Jesus Christ as the one worthy redeemer, qualified to reveal the will of God and likewise being worshipped. Chapter 6 is the picture of our redeemer revealing the coming of the redemption and righteousness of God, followed closely by the enemies of it and a step by step progression which brings us to the point at which God’s fearful judgment upon the earth is imminent.
In times past, God’s wrath upon nations such as Sodom and Gomorrah, or in the case of the great flood, the destruction was sudden and total. But in these examples and many others, we see a period of time given where any who would be righteous had the opportunity to avoid destruction. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah had an opportunity to be spared if only a handful of righteous could be found. Noah was a preacher of righteousness all during the time he constructed the ark on which the entire hope of mankind relied (2 Peter 2:5). It took a hundred years to build the ark and during that time he preached to the masses. The unrighteous who lived at the time of the great flood had a hundred years to repent.
We see from a study of the deliverance of the promised land to the Israelites that God would not let the Canaanites be destroyed until after there was no hope of any of them being found righteous. In Genesis 15:16 and context, we have God speaking to Abraham in a dream where He was giving Abraham certain facts surrounding the land his descendants would inherit: "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." Backing up to Genesis 15:13, we see God telling Abraham his descendants would be enslaved for 400 years while this was taking place. The word "Amorite" was used there as a term for the pre-Israelite population of Canaan. When the Israelites arrived at the Jordan river after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Amorites of old were then identified as the Canaanites of the time.
What we see in Revelation chapter 7 is a parallel of God’s actions toward a people who are about to be destroyed. God will wait to utterly destroy a nation until there are no more souls among them who can be saved. God is longsuffering and is not willing that any should perish. In this we see the tremendous love that God exhibits towards the lost. Inspiration teaches us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). We also see that God places a high priority on the souls of the lost. He left the Israelites in bondage for four hundred years while the Canaanites degraded themselves completely into idolatry. Only after the Canaanites had utterly abandoned God’s righteousness and there was no more potential for the salvation of souls were they driven out. If the people of Canaan had been destroyed while there was yet any potential for righteousness, then souls would have been lost that otherwise would have been saved if God would not have destroyed them.
As evil and idolatrous as the Roman Empire was, there were souls among them that were righteous and there were those who would eventually turn to righteousness before everything was said and done. The faithful Christians, despite the persecution against them, were spreading the gospel, reaching the lost and helping people find their way out of idolatry and into the truth of God’s righteousness. We must keep in mind that God has a much broader perspective on things than we do. We are limited in our knowledge of the here and the now and what has been. God sees all that plus what will happen in the future. he knows if someone will respond to the truth tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. He knows who is going to respond to the opportunity for salvation and He wants them to be saved. And if God had swept in and utterly destroyed the Roman Empire while there were yet souls who would turn to God, then He would have destroyed their hope for salvation.
God so loved the world that He sacrificed the fleshly life of His only Son that whosever sought righteousness could have eternal life. John 3:16 does not limit God’s love to only the saved, but encompasses all of His creation. He loves the sinners and the saved alike. And we who are Christians must realize this and realize also that God who was willing to sacrifice the life of His Son, is willing also to sacrifice the lives of His saints to the purpose of the salvation of man. Saving the eternal souls of the lost is more important in the eternal purpose of God than the fleshly lives of His Son and the saved.
And with that thought in mind, we are going to use that as the backdrop for how we look at the 7th chapter of Revelation. Yes God is in charge, Yes He will punish and eventually destroy the Roman Empire for all the evil, pain and suffering they inflicted on the Christians, but not until their work on earth was complete and all the souls that could be saved were, "And there was given them to each one a white robe; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, who should be killed even as they were, should have fulfilled (their course)" (Revelation 6:11).
Who will be able to stand against God’s judgment? "Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13). While this is a picture of the last day when all of the creation is judged, the answer is still applicable; the righteous will stand in the end.
Revelation 7:1
"After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree."
Here we have the number four used multiple times which was symbolic of the world in which we live. We see the four corners of the earth, the four winds coming from all directions being overseen by four angels. This is figurative for the entire world which in the minds of the 1st century readers encompasses all of the Roman Empire and the nations it was unable to conquer such as the Parthians. The winds are an Old Testament symbol which was a figure of divine retribution. The winds being held back by the angels was the wrath of God on the enemies of righteousness. And we have a vivid picture in the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah what can happen when the winds of God’s retribution are released.
We also notice that God’s wrath is aimed at natural things of the earth. We learn in later accounts of John’s visions that God used natural calamities to pour out His retribution on the persecutors of the Christians. History records many devastating earthquakes and other natural disasters which occurred in the first century which can be associated with the Revelation. For example great earthquakes destroyed several cities in Asia Minor at different times and let’s not forget the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius which utterly obliterated the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the first century. Dealing with the consequences of these natural disasters seriously depleted the resources of the Roman Empire and were contributing factors to its ultimate downfall.
Revelation 7:2-3
"And I saw another angel ascend from the sunrising, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a great voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."
The angels who have the power to bring God’s retribution upon the earth are told to wait until the servants of God are sealed. The word "sealed" is translated from the Greek word sphragizo (sfrag-id’-zo); which means to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively). This is the same word used in John 6:27; "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed", and in Ephesians 1:13, "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise". When any person believes and obeys the gospel, they are said by scripture to be "sealed" or "marked for preservation". God’s retribution on the earth was to be postponed until all of God’s servants were marked for preservation. As we saw in Ephesians 1:13, this sealing occurs at the moment of one’s conversion, so the servants of God who are to be marked for identification include those who who will respond to the gospel and become Christians as well as those who already had.
Being sealed on the forehead is not to be taken literally. Paul taught in 2 Timothy 2:19, "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." All Christian have the assurance that God knows who His children are and that they are in fellowship with God the Father and with Jesus Christ, (1 John 1:3), so it follows to reason that God knows His children on a personal level. Anyone whom God knows and fellowships is identified for preservation. Being sealed on the forehead therefore means to be recognized by face on sight.
Rev_74
"And I heard the number of them that were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel"
The number 144,000 is the number 12, which is a symbol for organized religion, multiplied by the number 1000 which is the number 10 multiplied by itself three times. The number 10 is the number for completeness and the number 3 was symbolic for God. This brings the number to 12,000. This number is then multiplied again by 12 which is the number for organized religion which brings it to 144,000. Another way of expressing this figurative number is "the total sum of all God’s children from all nations."
Some religious organizations today try and literalize this number saying this is all that will be in heaven. They fail to read just a few sentences onward where John sees the same group of people in this same vision, "a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of (all) tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb." One must ask why anyone would literalize the 144,000 and then turn around and ignore the innumerable multitudes of the saved out of every nation of the earth standing before the throne of God. So often it is the case that Revelation explains itself but one has to look at the whole vision, taking into consideration all of what is happening, not just isolated components of them and then trying to build a doctrine out of it. The symbolic language in Revelation must be interpreted in light of what the rest of scripture says, not the other way around.
Revelation 7:5-8
"Of the tribe of Judah (were) sealed twelve thousand: Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Benjamin (were) sealed twelve thousand."
Of interest here is that Revelation 7:4 closed with the words "sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel". The twelve tribes listed are not the complete list of the actual patriarchs of the 12 tribes of old Israel. Ephraim and Dan are not mentioned. They were replaced with Levi who did not receive a land inheritance and Joseph, the father of Manasseh and Ephraim who were two of the Patriarchs. So we can rule out the original tribes of Israel and the original children of Israel as being the subjects of this vision. The Israel in view here is the spiritual house of Israel, not the old Israel. the term "house of Israel" occurs in the old testament 146 times in reference to old Israel. The New Testament Israel is referred to as a spiritual house in 1 Peter 2:5 so we see a contrast between the old Israel and the new. The Israel in view here in John’s vision is the Israel of the new testament which included all the gentiles. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body , whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13). The "children of Israel" under the new covenant is the body of Christ. Also known as the kingdom of Christ (Ephesians 5:5, Colossians 1:13), the body of Christ (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:27), and the church of Christ (Romans 16:16).
Revelation 7:9
"After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of (all) tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands"
As soon as John is finished describing the sealing of the children of Israel under the new covenant, the scene switches immediately back to the throne room of God where we get a vision of all the saved of all the ages.
Keeping in mind this is the answer to the question "who will be able to stand?", this is a picture of the souls who will be preserved and will be able to stand through God’s retribution on the unrighteous. The fact that every single one of them came from what was referred to as a "tribe of Israel" indicates that only the children of God will be preserved. This effectively leaves out everybody else.
Those who are arrayed in white robes is explained fully in Revelation 7:14. The palms they are holding is an Old Testament symbol taken from the Feast of Tabernacles and represents the joy resulting from deliverance and the peace which comes from assurance of future preservation
Revelation 7:10
"and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb."
The persecution of the Christians living under the Roman Empire was horrendous. They were starved, discriminated against, beaten, enslaved, captured and killed just for being Christians. It looked like oppression was coming from every conceivable direction and nothing could save them. The immediate application for them was that there was indeed salvation from the persecution, but only through God’s plan of redemption. The application for all is that the terms for salvation of all mankind is only through God and the sacrifice of the Lamb, His Son for the sins of all. The first century Christians were needing saved from their immediate circ*mstances, but that was secondary in importance to being saved from eternal destruction. This is the salvation which is of the utmost importance.
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). "And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Revelation 7:11-12
"And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and (about) the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, (be) unto our God for ever and ever. Amen."
This is another vision of the worship of God in His throne room. Interestingly, there are seven attributes given to God here in praise. Likewise in the throne scene in Revelation 5:12, there were seven given by the angels to Jesus as well. This cannot be a mere coincidence and serves to symbolize the sevenfold perfection of God.
Revelation 7:13
"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These that are arrayed in white robes, who are they, and whence came they?"
One of the elders in John’s vision asked him who those in the white robes were and where they came from. This question was asked so that it would be answered. This is one of those times when the visions explain themselves. The forthcoming answer will serve to identify the 144,000 as those who were of the great innumerable multitude clothed in white and standing before the throne of God. The words used to explain these victorious saints make up some of the most beautiful imagery in all of the Revelation. This is a wonderful and comforting picture of what awaits not only the 1st century Christians, but all who come through the trials of life and emerge triumphant over the evil influences of sin.
Revelation 7:14
"And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that come of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
The great tribulation in view here is the persecution of the saints under the Roman Empire. Those who shall stand are the ones who come through the great persecution, faithful unto death. The sacrificial blood of Jesus washed away all their sins and they are clothed in righteousness, having their garments without spot, white and free of the darkness of sin.
Revelation 7:15
"Therefore are they before the throne of God; and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them."
And because they were arrayed in white robes they are envisioned before the throne of God where they serve him constantly. There is no day and night in heaven as we know it. This is merely a figure of speech meant to form a picture of perpetual worship to God.
The tabernacle spread over them by God is an old testament figure of the old tabernacle where the Israelites worshipped before the first temple was built. The tabernacle was where God dwelt among the Israelites. Having His tabernacle spread over them would then mean that they are sheltered in the dwelling place of God. "LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart" (Psalms 15:1-2). The entire 15th Psalm is a description of who will dwell in the tabernacle of God.
Revelation 7:16
"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat"
These are pictures of various persecutions under which the Christians were living as described in the fourth seal. The hunger and the thirst they went through was very real. Christians were denied the ability to work good jobs and to buy or sell in the Roman Empire. Hunger was a very common trial for them. The sun or heat spoken of is probably an illusion to the fact that many of them were burned to death. History records that Nero would douse Christians in a flammable substance and set them on fire in his garden at night, using their burning bodies as night lights while he drove his chariot among them. We don’t know this for a certainty but tradition has it that Antipas, God’s faithful martyr was publicly burned to death in the streets of Pergamum
Revelation 7:17
"for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Jesus described Himself as the "good shepherd" that "giveth His life for the sheep" (John 10:11). The Psalmist wrote, "The Lord is my shepherd" who leads me "beside the still waters" (Psalms 23:1-6). Jesus is well known in the minds of His children as the lamb and the shepherd who gave His life so that His sheep could live.
There will be no tears in heaven, God having removed all cause for sorrow. Consider not only the tears of those who were martyred for Christ, but also the tears of those whose loved ones died leaving them without their fathers, or mothers, or wives or husbands. Think about the destitute survivors whose husbands and fathers were slain, all their possessions taken, leaving them bereaved, alone and without any means of support. Think about the families who saw their loved ones torn to shreds by wild beasts in the Coliseum for the entertainment of the Romans. Think about the families whose fathers were forced to fight the gladiators and die in front of tens of thousands of jeering Romans. Imagine how hard that would be and imagine the tears of grief and despair. All of this sorrow will be forever gone for those who overcome and emerge triumphant. God Himself is pictured here as wiping the tears from the eyes of His children. What a beautiful and comforting picture this is for any Christian but especially to those who are suffering greatly because of their faith.
The fountains of the waters of life. Fountains suggest that the living waters are plentiful and the waters of life is reminiscent of Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman He spoke with at Jacob’s well: "Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life" (John 4:13-14).
So many times in Revelation, John sees the faithful in the throne room of God. There are those in the world today who try and use these visions to set forth the teaching that all Christians who have died are presently in heaven. We must keep in mind that the Revelation is purposefully symbolized for the protection of the first readers who were living during the great persecution of the Roman Empire and therefore the language is obscured. Biblical teaching elsewhere in scripture places the souls of the faithful dead in a place of paradise within the Hadean realm where they await the coming of Jesus. The saved thief on the cross joined Jesus in paradise (Luke 23:43) and we know from other scripture that Jesus went to Hades after His death on the cross (Acts 2:27). Lazarus and the rich man likewise went to Hades upon their deaths (Luke 16:23). The rich man was in torment while Lazarus was pictured in a place of comfort in Abraham’s bosom. Inspiration records a conversation between Abraham and the lost rich man. Nowhere in scripture does it even remotely hint that those in their final destination of Hell will be engaging those in Heaven in conversations. Hell, (Gehenna), is described in scripture as eternal and total separation from God forever.
In Acts 2:34 we read that "David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand". Jesus Christ is the only one who has been resurrected from the Hadean realm and has ascended to Heaven. The faithful dead have not yet been resurrected and are therefore awaiting this event in the paradise section of the Hadean realm.
John 5:28-29
"Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment." This event has not yet occurred therefore nobody but Jesus has ascended to heaven.
It is often the case in Revelation that events which are to happen in the future are visualized as having already been accomplished. This is to give the impression of the absolute surety of the event. Notice later on in John’s visions that an angel declares, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, that hath made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Revelation 14:8). The Babylon here is a figure for the Roman Empire and God’s angel declares it’s downfall as having already occurred. The downfall of the empire is so sure that it is spoken of in past tense terms. Likewise the gathering of God’s saints about Him in Heaven is so sure that it is spoken of in the same past tense terms. It is also significant to note within the vision itself that the scene switches from the saints on earth under the persecution immediately to the throne room where they were again pictured in the presence of God while in reality many of the 144,000 were still living on earth, some who were yet to respond to the gospel and come into fellowship with God
Summary Paraphrase
Revelation 7:1-17
And after these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back God’s retribution like the wind so that it would not descend on the earth nor the sea nor on the trees. And then I saw another angel ascending from the direction of the rising sun with a message from God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels who were commanded to bring God’s judgment upon the earth, saying, "Do no harm to the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, until all the faithful servants of our God are saved."
And I heard the number of God’s children which were redeemed: and there were great multitudes of them from among all the corners of the earth. From each and every nation of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, all of those who would be redeemed were found and saved. And after this I saw them all again in a vision before the Throne of God and there were so many that no man could number them. They were standing before the throne of God, with the Father and with Jesus, clothed with righteousness, having been delivered from their persecutors and now at peace.
And they all cried in unison, "Salvation comes only from God on His throne and from His Son." And then all the angels standing round about God’s throne and all the elders and all the redeemed fell on their faces and worshipped God saying "Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Be it so."
And one of the elders asked me, "Who are these which are clothed in righteousness and from where did they come?" And I answered him, "Sir, you know these things" And then he said to me, "These are they which were faithful unto death through the great persecution, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the sacrificial blood of the Son of God. And now they are the only ones of earth who will be able to stand and they shall serve God day and night in His temple: and He shall shelter them where He dwells. They will never again go hungry or thirsty, neither will they ever again suffer under the persecution of the unrighteous. Because Jesus, the good shepherd who is enthroned at the right hand of God shall make sure they are fed and He will lead them to fountains of the waters of life and God Himself shall wipe all the tears of tribulation from their eyes.
The First Four Trumpets of Revelation
(Revelation 8:1-13)
Bible Class Lesson #16
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 8:1-13
We now know who will be able to stand when God’s retribution for the persecution of His saints is administered. The entire story has been laid out for John. The coming of righteousness, followed by the arrival of the unrighteous, the increasing levels of persecution by the Roman Empire and the retribution of God for the persecutors. Then we see the explanation of who will be protected and be able to stand when God unleashes His wrath against the enemies of Christianity and now we come to the climax of the saga. Everything has been building to this point. the seventh and final seal is opened and before anything happens there is a period of suspense and anticipation. What is going to happen? So many times in the past God’s children saw the vengeance of God on nations who opposed righteousness. Sodom and Gomorrah comes to mind as one of the most devastating and memorable of them all, having been utterly destroyed by fire raining down on them from above. Many were the unrighteous nations and empires toppled by God through the centuries and the readers are left for a suspenseful period of time before the wrath of God begins to fall on the persecutors of His faithful children.
God wants all mankind to be saved and He is willing to allow His people to undergo horrible hardship in order to give all mankind the opportunity to repent and come to His saving grace but as longsuffering as God is, there are limits to what He will tolerate against His beloved children and He has reached that point and is about to act. The Roman Empire has pushed God to the limit as we will see later on.
Many in the religious world today believe that these visions of John depict a series of events connected with the end times of all earth. Such is not the case. We must interpret Revelation for what it says it is and to who it claims to be written to. The first verse of Revelation provides us with two very important pieces of information. First the message has been "signified by His angel" which means the message contained therein has been given in symbolic language and not literal. The key to understanding what the symbols mean is to consider what they mean elsewhere in the rest of scripture and using those to shed light on the meaning of the visions John is seeing.
The second piece of information in the first verse which is vital to our understanding of it today is that the things revealed in the book "must shortly come to pass". This thought is reinforced in verse 3 and then repeated at the end of the Revelation in chapter 22:10 where inspiration says "the time is at hand". The time period of the 21st century is not "at hand" with the first century neither is a period of 2000 years or more to be understood as coming to pass shortly.
A third very significant clue as to how we should understand the Revelation is found in the 4th verse of the introduction of Revelation in chapter 1. By inspiration, John directly addresses His letter to "the seven churches which are in Asia". So in view of this fact and in consideration of the imminent time period under which inspiration places the events in this letter, we are forced to apply its primary relevance directly to the first readers of this letter in the first century. Whatever this letter meant to them, must be what it means to us today.
Following is the continuation of the vision John was given. The events seen thus far are already known to the first readers. They know about the coming of righteousness, they already know they are living under intense persecution. Most of the things John has described to this point are things the first readers are well aware of and can relate them to their immediate circ*mstances. What they want to know now is what is going to happen to the them and what is going to happen to their ruthless persecutors. This is what they have been waiting for. They have just learned that God is going to take measures to protect them during His retribution and now is the time.
As with the other parts of the visions, it is much easier to visualize the big picture of what is going on rather than focusing on the minute details. What is happening in the overall vision? God hears the prayers of His saints and visits His wrath upon the world of the ungodly.
Revelation 8:1
"And when he opened the seventh seal, there followed a silence in heaven about the space of half an hour."
The seventh seal is now opened. God is on His throne and He’s put up with the persecution of His children all He’s going to. The Angels are silent, all the martyrs and the redeemed are silent. In the earlier parts of the vision, all the attention was focused on the throne and on God and the lamb and His Spirit. All worship has stopped, all activities have ceased. There is not a sound made. All attention is now diverted to the earth. Everyone who would be saved out of the empire has been identified and preserved. The Roman Empire has run out of time just like ancient Babylon did as recorded in Habakkuk 2:20, "But Jehovah is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him".
Revelation 8:2
"And I saw the seven angels that stand before God; and there were given unto them seven trumpets."
The seventh seal will not be like the other six which came one after another with great action. This will be a series of seven trumpets. Let’s keep in mind that this is a vision which is intended to form in the readers mind an idea of what is taking place. We need to focus on the picture as a whole and not so much on the minute details. A trumpet was used as a symbol for announcing important events or actions so this was the alert to warn of the approach of the woes which are to fall upon the world.
The number 7 symbolizes the meaning of totality or completeness associated with God’s authority on the earth so the seven angels with the seven trumpets are a picture of unity, perfection, fullness and completeness of what God was going to do.
Revelation 8:3-4
"And another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should add it unto the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand."
Incense was a symbol of ascending prayers to God. It comes directly from the old testament alter of incense before the veil of the Tabernacle, nearest to the mercy seat where the Levitical priests burned incense every morning. The golden censer was a pan on which live coals from the alter were placed which was used to burn the incense.
We remember the story of Nadab and Abihu who died before the Lord for using strange or unauthorized fire. The fire which was to be used to burn the incense in the golden censer had to be taken from the alter. No other fire was acceptable. The golden censer and the alter in John’s vision is reminiscent of the one in the story of Nadab and Abihu.
In temple worship, the aroma of the burned incense represented the prayers of the Israelites to God and this meaning is carried forward into John’s vision. The assurance to the first readers of Revelation an all thereafter is that God hears the prayers of His children and He will answer. It must have seemed to the Christians living under the great persecution that God was not listening because they were being killed and mistreated because of their faith. And it is difficult when life’s trials get oppressive, we often wonder if God is even listening to our prayers. Think how much worse it would be if our fellow saints and loved ones were dying because of their faith. The Christians living under the great persecution needed to be reassured that God was hearing their prayers and that He was going to help them. But they also needed to understand that there would be persecution and many of them would die. We will see later on in this study of Revelation that so many did die that the enemies of righteousness thought they had stamped out Christianity forever. God never promises His faithful children a life of ease. Such a thing became impossible when God granted all mankind unconditional free will.
Yes God hears the prayers of His children. We know this from verses of scripture such as James 5:16, 1 Peter 3:12, 1 John 3:22 and 1 John 5:14-15. The vision of God receiving the prayers of His children served as a great comfort to those living under the great persecution and we know from the large quantity of incense given to the angel in the vision that here were a lot of prayers to be heard. God heard them all and those who overcome will emerge victorious in the end.
Revelation 8:5
"And the angel taketh the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it upon the earth: and there followed thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake."
The angel that offered the prayers of the persecuted Christians then fills the censer full of fire from the alter and casts it upon the world of the ungodly. This is God’s response to the cries of His oppressed children. The thunders, voices and lightnings were introduced earlier as expressive of the divine power, majesty and authority of God (Revelation 4:5). An Earthquake is a familiar Old Testament figure used to describe God’s judgment against the enemies of His people. God’s tolerance of the persecution of His children has reached His limit.
We need to keep in mind here that this vision is an overall picture of God’s handling of the enemies of His children throughout the Roman Empire over a period of time. All of these things did not boil up to a head with God destroying the empire in a single blinding act of Godly retribution. Yes there were severe natural calamities such as exploding volcanoes, earthquakes, plagues and famines, but these events were spread out over vast expanses of territory and decades of time. There are many instances in Revelation where plagues and woes were administered to the enemies of God and they repented not of their evil deeds. God gave the woman represented as Jezebel time to repent, (Revelation 2:21. In Revelation 9 we see later on in this vision where God released numerous plagues on the enemies of His children with the intent of bringing the survivors to repentance, (Revelation 9:20). In Revelation 16:9-11 we see that God poured out His wrath on the enemies of His children so that they would repent. God didn’t just reach his limit and destroy all the enemies of His children at once. Rather He selectively administered these judgments across the empire in a progressive fashion over a period of time with the primary purpose of bringing any who would to repentance.
What happens today when a horrendous natural disaster or major calamity befalls mankind? When people are faced with insurmountable, unexplainable events such as earthquakes, Tsunamis and terrorist attacks where hundreds and thousands of innocent people lose their lives there is always many who turn to God for comfort and support. Are we today so different than those who lived in the first century? Would there not be those who turned to God in the first century when Mt. Vesuvius exploded and incinerated Pompeii and Herculaneum? When people of all times who are comfortable and think they don’t need anything, including God, are slapped in the face with their own mortality and helplessness in the face of devastation and destruction, there are some who will turn to God for comfort. History records that the Roman Empire had more than her fair share of natural calamities, some of which were of such overwhelming magnitude as to leave one numb from the shock and disbelief. In the studies to come, we will observe many of the natural and self inflicted disasters that befell the Roman Empire along the course of her downward spiral into ultimate defeat and destruction.
The angel filling the censer with the fire from the alter and casting it upon the earth is a picture of God’s wrath unleashed on the elements of the earth with a twofold purpose. The primary purpose was to warn everybody in the Roman Empire against evil and to bring them to repentance and the second purpose was to deplete their resources to the point that they would be conquered. God’s primary purpose has always been the salvation of the lost.
Revelation 8:6
"And the seven angels that had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound."
In Amos 3:6 and Hosea 5:8, trumpets were used to sound an alarm to warn of approaching danger. The picture here is that angels were preparing to warn of the retribution and judgment of God on the enemies of righteousness. The visions of the seven trumpets are reminiscent of the plagues of Egypt, all of which were designed to demonstrate God’s power and bring Pharaoh to repentance. The Roman Empire made the same mistake Pharaoh did. If Pharaoh would have let the Israelites go, he would have saved himself and all of Egypt a great deal of misery. He was given numerous opportunities to do so and failed. Similarly the Roman Empire was given numerous opportunities to repent and refused and were now going to face God’s wrath for their actions.
It is key to note that when the first four trumpets were sounded, various parts of the physical world were effected. Natural disasters are a tremendous drain on the resources of any empire or nation whether it be the Roman Empire or a nation today. Vast resources are used to try and alleviate the suffering of the effected people and in so doing deplete a nations ability to protect itself from hostile enemies. It is not going to be possible to match any of these up with specific events in the natural history of the Empire, but there is no doubt the empire suffered more than its share of devastating natural disasters. Numerous cities were destroyed by earthquakes and some of them were outright incinerated by eruptions. There was a famine of such magnitude that sufficient food for the population was unavailable. The hunger of the famine was so severe, people were eating foods which were unhealthy just to survive and this sparked a plague which swept across the empire, lasting over a decade and killing untold millions of people. History records that entire cities were totally depopulated from this plague. Interestingly, many centuries after the writing of Revelation, there was an earthquake of such magnitude that it dried up the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the effected area. An entire mountain was said to have disappeared during this devastating earthquake. But that wasn’t the end of it. When the earthquake subsided and the displaced water returned, it came back with a vengeance. History records that boats were washed as far as 14 miles inland and lodged in trees and upon housetops. Those who did not die in the earthquake were drowned in the waves of the returning water. These natural disasters occurred over centuries of Roman history and were key in the decline and ultimate downfall of the Empire.
It is not going to be possible to match up the following events heralded by the trumpets with actual events in the history of the empire with any degree of certainty. We are going to have to recognize the fact that God did use natural events to help bring about the punishment and downfall of the empire and not try to pinpoint them to specific disasters. They were spread out over the empire separated by both geography and time. God later speaks of the downfall of the empire in the past tense as if it has already happened so we know that the visions revealing the fate of the empire are not depicting it in perfect chronological order. Later in Revelation we see a vision of the Empire being picked apart by birds, bit by bit, piece by piece, (Revelation 19). Also we have in the same vision with the birds and earlier in chapter 14 the description of God’swrath and retribution being pictured like the treading of grapes in a winepress. The image here is that of a slow, constant, deliberate, methodical pounding out and picking apart of the Empire over a period of time. History bears out the fact that this is indeed what happened. A combination of natural disasters and internal depravity and unrest combined to weaken the empire to the point that it was picked apart from within and without, eventually overthrown and finally destroyed.
Revelation 8:7
"And the first sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of the earth was burnt up, and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up."
The first trumpet sounds and we have God’s retribution in the form of intense weather. Fire and burned trees and grass are descriptive of a long hot dry spell which depletes the agricultural products for the people and grass necessary to graze livestock. Long hot dry spells leave a nation in a weakened state and are miserable to have to endure and live through. The third part of the earth indicates that this was occurring over a vast territory of land but was by no means empire wide.
Revelation 8:8-9
"And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and there died the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, (even) they that had life; and the third part of the ships was destroyed."
And when the second angel sounded his trumpet, earthquakes and burning mountains which are picturesque of volcanic eruptions are in mind here. When these events occur in the seas they can cause devastating tidal waves. The eruptions are often time accompanied with the release of poisonous or super heated gases which are deadly to life both in and out of the water. History records that this was indeed the case in the Roman Empire. We know of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and what it did to Herculaneum and Pompeii. And this was only one of several which occurred in the empire and was not the worst by any means. Offshore earthquakes cause monstrous tidal waves which wash ships and fish ashore and we know from history that this happened to the Roman Empire as well.
Again, the third part of creatures in the sea and the ships destroyed indicate extensive but not total destruction.
Revelation 8:10-11
"And the third angel sounded, and there fell from heaven a great star, burning as a torch, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of the waters; and the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter."
A star falling from heaven shows that this retribution was coming from God above. In this judgment scene, the fresh water supply is affected. During the time of the Roman Empire most fresh water came from springs, rivers or shallow hand dug wells. They did not have the technology to drill deep wells into fresh water sources and pipe it to all the people. When something happened to effect the water supply, there was little they could do to alleviate the problem.
Wormwood in the Old Testament was used to denote judgment, especially in instances of idolatry: "lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from Jehovah our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood" (Deuteronomy 29:18). Jeremiah prophesied of the judgment of the Israelites for the worshipping of Baalim: "therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink" (Jeremiah 9:15).
The term wormwood symbolizes Calamity, sorrow and bitterness of life. Now, because of their persecution of the Christians, the Roman empire will taste the bitterness of the wrath of God. It is not possible to relate this event to anything specific but our own experiences with natural disasters may give some insight on what is happening to the water supply in this vision. Destructive huge scale natural disasters kill many people leaving few to clean up the aftermath. Where the seas or oceans are involved, flood waters inundate the effected areas, killing on a massive scale and polluting the fresh water sources with sewage and the dead bodies of both animals and humans. This polluted water becomes disease ridden, foul smelling and bitter and to drink it without boiling it would be hazardous to the health of anyone or anything drinking it. People and livestock must have fresh water to survive and when the water supply has been disrupted and all that is available to drink is fouled then life is going to get difficult indeed.
Revelation 8:12
"And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; that the third part of them should be darkened, and the day should not shine for the third part of it, and the night in like manner."
The moon and the stars represented figures of authority in the minds of the first readers of Revelation. The Sun mentioned alongside the moon and stars here would put it in the same category. When a devastating natural calamity occurs the authorities in charge of maintaining law and order are often unable to function properly. Those without food or necessities and in desperate situations will take from those who have by force. There is all kinds of looting, stealing and profiteering going on and the people in charge of enforcing law are unable to keep these things in check.
People are displaced from their homes, millions are dead, food and water is scarce, violence is raging unchecked and where are the soldiers? Where are the authorities? Where are the rulers who have governed and kept the peace and provided protection and security from their enemies for so long? They can’t be seen amid the destruction and people are in despair. The rulers and kings they had worshipped and trusted for so long can’t help them in the face of God’s wrath. The times are indeed dim for those suffering the judgment of God. The powerful Emperors with their glistening armies all bright and shining and proud and the powerful rulers of the provinces in their shining palaces are eclipsed into darkness in the face of the wrath of the real authority in charge; the one true and living God.
Of importance here is that the judgments announced by the first four trumpets were a call to repentance and not the total destruction of the enemies of God. They were a selective application of God’s retribution over specific portions of the known world designed to bring the enemies of righteousness to a realization that their emperors, false gods, kings and governors were not the ones in charge and that there was a higher power that demanded their obedience and was intolerant of their persecution of His faithful children.
Revelation 8:13
"And I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, for them that dwell on the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, who are yet to sound."
The eagle was representative in this vision of a bird of ill omen as seen in Old Testament writings such as Jeremiah 49:22 and Hosea 8:1. This eagle is proclaiming to those who live on earth and have seen and survived the first four judgments that they haven’t seen the end of it yet and the worst is yet to come. The first four trumpets symbolized the smiting of the natural world and the consequences thereof, but now they will have far more to worry about than ever before when the last three trumpets are sounded.
Revelation 8:1-13
Summary Paraphrase
And when Jesus at last prepared to reveal God’s judgment on the world of the ungodly, all of heaven stood silent for a period of time in breathless expectation and awe. The angels charged with announcing God’s retribution were standing before His throne and were each given a trumpet with which to signal the coming woes.
Then another angel came and stood over an alter before God’s throne, holding a golden censer in his hands. And he was given an abundance of incense to burn therein, mingling its fragrance with the cries and prayers of God’s oppressed children coming up from the earth. And in answer to those prayers, the angel then filled the censer with the fire of God’s wrath from the alter and cast it upon the world of the wicked and God’s anger was like lightning in the skies and the earth was shaken from the thunderings of His voice.
And all the angels that were going to announce God’s retribution on the enemies of His children prepared themselves to sound. When the first angel sounded there followed severe weather, violent storms and heat waves so intense that the vegetation and the trees died over great areas of the earth. When the second angel announced the coming of God’s wrath there were great earthquakes and eruptions which set the mountains on fire and caused massive tidal waves that destroyed many of the inhabitants of the seas along with the ships that sailed on them. And the third angel sounded, and God’s wrath coming from heaven caused all the rivers and springs of water on the earth to be fouled and bitter. And many people died from drinking the poisonous bitter water. And then the fourth angel sounded and the great rulers and leaders of the afflicted people could no longer be seen.
And then I saw an eagle flying in the air over the earth saying in a great voice, "Woe woe woe, to all the people of the earth because of the terrible things that will happen when the last remaining angels blow their trumpets."
The Fifth Trumpet
(Revelation 9:1-12)
Bible Class Lesson #17
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 9:1-12
In Chapter 8 we saw God selectively using natural calamities and their resultant consequences to inflict His judgment on the enemies of righteousness. The fifth woe is a little different. The consequences here are applied directly to the unrighteous with the faithful Christians being excused from the torment. This is a lot more selective and specific than using an earthquake to devastate an entire region where Christians almost certainly lived and had to be affected in some way.
Looking at the figurative language it is easy to see that interpretations of the following chapter have been diverse and often timesunsatisfactory when it involves literalizing such amazing creatures as we see depicted here. As with the rest of the visions, we must look at the overall picture and try and pick out what the activities are and who is involved in order to properly understand it. We must also keep in mind that the message of Revelation is "signified" as indicated in the first verse of the first chapter so we cannot expect these creatures to be real. In fact, they are so incredibly unreal that one would almost certainly be aware of the fact that they are symbolic from the sheer degree of the abnormality in the characteristics they are described with. We must focus on activities more than actors and on the characteristics more than the characters. In short, we have to look more at the forest and less at the trees. Once we have discerned the forest, then we can go back and look at the individual trees and use them to compliment and complete the image of the forest.
First of all, who are the ones being punished here. Revelation 9:4 reads, "but only such men as have not the seal of God on their foreheads." Those who have the “seal of God on their foreheads” is a figurative term for "the servants of our God" identified in Revelation 7:3. Those who are not the servants of God are then going to be the only recipients of this divine punishment. We have just effectively eliminated a whole host of millennial beliefs about this chapter that put these fantastic creatures at war with Christians. The millennialists have it backwards. Whatever these creatures represent, according to God’s command, they are no threat whatsoever to the faithful servants of God. Faithful Christians have nothing whatsoever to fear from this plague, it being directed solely on the unrighteous. This is a key element in trying to figure out specifically what is being represented in this scene of the vision so let’s keep that in mind as we move forward.
The next key component is the realization that the plague of the fifth trumpet would not kill the enemies of righteousness. This is not the case with the sixth but for now, we have a valuable clue to help us determine what the plague announced by the fifth trumpet represents. This plague represented by some pretty fantastic looking locusts is not fatal to all the enemies of righteousness. In fact, verse 6 says the afflicted will be so miserable they will desire to die but they can’t. So what we have so far is a plague represented by locusts, which is going to afflict only those who are not faithful Christians and will severely torment them but not be fatal.
The next key component is seen in Revelation 9:10, "And they have tails like unto scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men five months." The number 5 is representative of human incompleteness or limited power. This is not a literal period of 5 months rather is representative of an incomplete or relatively short period of time as opposed to a complete destruction or a permanent affliction. In short, this was something the enemies of righteousness would recover from over time. By now it is fairly apparent that the fifth woe was some sort of terrible non-fatal disease. But what kind of disease would afflict only those who are unfaithful to God?
The next clue is that the power of the locusts to afflict the non-Christians is found in their tails. The Roman Empire was known for its decadence and sexual immorality. With sexual immorality come diseases of all sorts. Diseases that a faithful Christian who lives righteously would never ever have to worry about because they would not be participating in the activities that promote the spread of such diseases. Some of these diseases are painful in the extreme, especially in a society with no knowledge of antibiotics or other effective treatments for such maladies. They would simply have to live with these diseases until they ran their course. History records that sexually transmitted diseases were rampant in the Roman Empire. With all of the pagan worship to manmade gods, many of which included wild orgiastic rituals, it is not at all surprising. The practice of hom*osexuality was also extremely prevalent in this culture which further promotes the potential for disease. With the announcement of the 5th woe we see the Roman Empire becoming the victims of the consequences of their own decadent sexually unrestrained society. Now looking back at the locusts with the power to harm contained within their tails, we need to associate those tails with the part of the human anatomy involved in the carrying and transmission of a plague that affects only those who practice a decadent lifestyle.
Now that we have a working idea of what the overall vision represents, we can now look at the specifics.
Revelation 9:1
"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth: and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss."
First, this star represents an individual of some sort. Notice the keys were "given to him" and then in Revelation 9:2 it says "He opened the pit". Commentators are divided on who this star represents. Many able scholars and commentators believe this star is representative of Satan while others contend that this is a divine messenger from heaven such as the angel depicted in Revelation 20:1 who bound satan and cast him into the bottomless pit. There are difficulties associated with either view. The former places Satan with a key or the ability to open a door out of the bottomless pit with the ability to inflict suffering on the non-Christians in this instance. The image of Satan being pictured as a star in Revelation and in possession of a key to the bottomless pit he is ultimately going to be thrown into forever is difficult. However Satan is pictured by Jesus as falling from heaven like lightning and inRevelation 12:7-9 Satan is said to have been cast out of heaven into the earth. Noting the text of Revelation 9:1 which reads "fallen unto the earth"; this star whoever it may represent is a fallen individual whose destination was the earth. It is difficult to picture Satan as a star in any form, even a fallen one in a series of visions where he is so often depicted as the devil, a serpent or the dragon.
Other commentators associate the fallen star with the angel pictured in Revelation 20:1 who descended from heaven and bound Satan and cast him into the bottomless pit. The immediate difficulty with this interpretation is that we cannot discount the fact that the star had fallen to the earth. There is not one single account anywhere in scripture that I have ever seen that visualizes one of God’s favored angels, carrying out their duties in His service as having fallen from heaven to the earth. Satan having fallen to the earth is supported in scripture and as uncomfortable as I am with visualizing Satan with a key to the bottomless pit, I am forced to go where the preponderance of evidence leads.
With this said, let’s look to what Satan’s authority was on earth at the time and associate it with this key. In Revelation 13 we have the vision of the great beast rising up out of the sea. In Revelation 13:4 we read, "And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast". The dragon pictured in Revelation is always in reference to Satan so we see here that Satan was indeed given a considerable amount of power and authority and this could only come from God. Satan is depicted elsewhere in scripture as the prince of this world in John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11, the god of this world in 2 Corinthians 4:4 and of significance to this vision, Satan is described as a "ruler of the darkness of this world" in Ephesians 6:12. Since Satan is described as the ruler of this world and the darkness in it, he must be in possession of the ability to darken and rule it. And the source of this darkness can be none other than the bottomless pit from whence he rules. So in this way, Satan does indeed have a key to the bottomless pit from which he can release the influences of darkness and following in Revelation 9:2 we see that what was released from the bottomless pit was smoke and darkness that covered the earth. The only thing that the key opened from the abyss was the ability to send smoke or deception forth which obscured the light and darkened the earth. The key Satan possessed had limited capability.
Revelation 9:2
"And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit."
The fallen star released smoke out of the bottomless pit. Smoke obscures the path and dims the light. And this smoke was so thick it darkened the air and the sun. This language is figurative of the the evil influence and temptation that Satan releases on the earth. Evil is always described as darkness and righteousness is always described as light. The smoke which caused the darkness would be those things which are at Satan’s disposal to tempt mankind with. The darkness which overspread the sun and the sky would be then be representative of the success of Satan’s temptation as the majority of mankind was led away from the light of righteousness thus allowing the darkness of sin to prevail on the earth.
It is significant to note here that the key in possession of the fallen star from heaven released only temptation from the bowels of the bottomless pit. Satan is not allowed to force mankind to sin. Mankind either chooses the light of righteousness or the darkness of sin of his own free will. God never forces man against his will, neither does He permit Satan to force man to sin against his will or to tempt man beyond what he is able to endure (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Revelation 9:3
"And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power."
Locusts were one of the well known plagues of Egypt as written in Exodus 10:4-20. To God’s own people He later said that if they would turn away from Him and commit sin, He would bring locusts upon them to destroy their land (Deuteronomy 28:38). Locusts were used by God as written in Joel 1-2 to bring God’s wayward people back to Himself. The locusts in this vision are therefore certainly representative of a plague. 1 Kings 8:35-37 teaches us that God sent natural pestilences and famine on the unrighteousin order to bring them to repentance, "When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them: then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting (or) mildew, locust (or) caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be".
Notice that the plague came out of the smoke and not directly from the fallen star. Satan, the fallen star sends the smoky darkness of sin to cover the light and from this darkness is spawned all the ravages, ruin, sickness and destruction which afflicted the unrighteous. Retribution does not come directly from Satan, rather it comes from God as a consequence of sin.
Power was given to this plague represented by locusts similar to the power of a scorpion. A scorpion’s power is in his tail to sting and to cause pain and suffering. We will see more of this power in the tail of scorpion in Revelation 9:5 and again in Revelation 9:10.
Revelation 9:4
"And it was said unto them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only such men as have not the seal of God on their foreheads."
This plague represented by locusts is said to cause no harm to grass or trees or anything with vegetation. This is all the evidence we need to determine that these are not literal locusts in view here. Literal locusts destroy nothing but vegetation as they sweep across a land eating the leaves off of nearly every plant in their wake. These locusts are different from literal locusts and they are told to afflict only the people who "have not the seal of God on their foreheads". As seen earlier those who bear the figurative seal of God on their foreheads are identified as servants of God in Revelation 7:3, so this plague is specifically targeted at the unrighteous.
Revelation 9:5
"And it was given them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when it striketh a man."
This plague was not completely fatal to all that were afflicted by it. The number 5 is half of 10 and represented human incompleteness or limited power, therefore this plague was limited in its ability to kill. People afflicted by this plague would be able to get over it and survive.
The torment of this plague was said to be like being stung by a scorpion when it strikes. Again we see a picture of the scorpion’s tail. So what we have here is a plague which is generally non-fatal and afflicts people for a limited period of time stretching into months and is associated with the stinging tail or the hinder parts of a scorpion.
Revelation 9:6
"And in those days men shall seek death, and shall in no wise find it; and they shall desire to die, and death fleeth from them."
This plague is going to be so miserable that those who are afflicted with it are going to wish they were dead. However, death is not going to be found. The afflicted are going to be forced to bear the pain and torment as a consequence of their sin until they get over it.
Revelation 9:7
"And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for war; and upon their heads as it were crowns like unto gold, and their faces were as men’s faces."
John is giving us a description of the plague. With figurative language it is important to focus on the characteristics and not the characters. These locusts are not literal locusts, rather they are representative of a plague. The characters used to depict this plague are not any more literal than the locusts are. This plague is not a horse prepared for war. It is like a horse prepared for war. Looking into the old testament we see the plagues of locusts as prophesied by Joel in chapters 1 and 2. In J0el 2:4-6 we read: "The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsem*n, so do they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains do they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. At their presence the peoples are in anguish; all faces are waxed pale." Christians familiar with old testament teachings are not going to associate these horses prepared for war as anything good. This plague is going to overrun the unrighteous with such force and power that it’s going to be like an army of warhorses sweeping over them.
The crowns of gold are the crowns of conquest. This plague is going to conquer the unrighteous but from earlier text we know that this is not a permanent conquest and that the afflicted are going to survive. The men’s faces indicate thatthis plague is associated with men or mankind in general. The face or its features is a primary means of identification for people. When the first readers looked at the characteristics of this plague, they saw in its face the faces of men. This plague is not associated with the earth by floods, earthquakes or other natural disasters. It is associated and identified with mankind as a consequence of their own corrupt and immoral lifestyles.
Revelation 9:8
"And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as (teeth) of lions."
With the face of mankind and hair of women. This plague had an alluring tempting characteristic to it. It was appealing and beautiful but with all its beauty it carried with it the characteristic of lions teeth rending and tearing. This plague was deceptive giving out the appearance of beauty but having the rending savage bite of lion’s teeth hidden within. Such it is with all sin. Satan successfully disguises sin from being the ugly dangerous thing it is, masking its true appearance in ways that are appealing to the senses. James teaches us starting in James 1:14; "but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death". The plague in Revelation which came from the darkness was no different than any sin which looks good on the surface but underneath is the way of death.
Revelation 9:9
"And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to war."
This plague did not have literal breastplates of iron, rather this imagery illustrates the power and resistance of the plague. It’s resilient, strong and hard to overcome. Again we see similar imagery to what was written in Joel regarding the plagues God sent during that time. They were like a conquering army sweeping across the land like an army of horses would sweep across the landscape. Unstoppable, powerful, relentless and without mercy, striking down all who are unrighteous and participate in the immoral and decadent activities which were prevalent in this society. Keeping in mind that this plague was targeted specifically toward the unrighteous. The righteous had nothing to fear from this plague but to the unrighteous, this plague was armor plated.
Revelation 9:10
"And they have tails like unto scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men five months."
This is almost a repeat of Revelation 9:5 except that in verse 5 we learned that this plague was non-lethal. In verse 5 the tail of the scorpion as the source of the torment is alluded to in vague terms, however here it is specifically mentioned in this capacity. The power of this plague is found in the tail and it torments for a limited period of time. As mentioned earlier, diseases brought about by a sexually prolific society were rampant in the Roman Empire. Their society was noted for unrestrained hom*osexuality, orgiastic behavior associated with worship to sexual pagan Gods and widespread prostitution especially towards the Roman soldiers. The Roman soldiers carrying these various diseases and visiting the houses of prostitution in each town spread them all over the empire as they traveled from city to city. History records that sexually transmitted diseases of all kinds were of epidemic proportions and caused all kinds of misery and torment for the ones afflicted.
A faithful Christian, abiding faithfully under the rule of Christ would never ever have to worry about this plague. These locusts with the faces of men, hair of women, teeth of lions and tails like scorpions would have no effect on a faithful Christian. Even today we know that the best defense against these kinds of diseases is to refrain totally from these kinds of activities. With our technology today we have things like blood transfusions which can infect the innocent, but these kinds of things were not possible in the Roman Empire. Faithful Christians living in the Roman Empire who practiced celibacy for the unmarried and monogamy for the married had nothing to fear from sexually transmitted diseases and with extremely rare exceptions this holds true today. In the 21st century we have a plague worse than the Roman Empire ever faced. We have one today that kills and can be transmitted from the pregnant mother to her unborn child. This disease is a direct consequence of hom*osexual activity. The Roman Empire never faced AIDS but we do today. And sadly, the cure for the spread of this epidemic is the same as it was for the Romans. The Christian life, faithfully lived would eventually end the spread of this and all such diseases associated with this immoral type of lifestyle.
In the very first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he alluded specifically to the consequences of this kind of immoral lifestyle. It is obvious from the tone of Paul’s language that this sort of thing was widespread among the Romans and in his letter he said that, "God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves: for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due" (Romans 1:24-27).
Revelation 9:11
"They have over them as king the angel of the abyss: his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek (tongue) he hath the name Apollyon."
We know who the angel of the abyss is. This is none other than Satan himself, the deceiver, the Devil, the great red dragon. Abaddon means "destroying angel", and Apollyon means a "destroyer". Jesus is recorded as seeing Satan fall from heaven like lightning, (Luke 10:18). Satan is pictured in Revelation 12:3 as the great red dragon having seven diadems with seven crowns as ruling over those who are at war with God and His purpose. Satan is the source of all that is evil and from that comes the manifestation of all the consequences of evil, both on earth and in eternity hereafter.
Revelation 9:12
"The first Woe is past: behold, there come yet two Woes hereafter."
This again tells us that this woe is temporary and it isn’t over yet. There is more heartache in store for the evil Roman Empire.
Revelation 9:1-12
Summary Paraphrase:
Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw one who was once a great power in heaven but had fallen from the sky to the earth; and to him was given a key to the bottomless pit. Then he opened the abyss and darkness like the smoke of a huge furnace came out of the opening and was so great that it darkened the sun and the sky.
Then out of the darkness came forth a great plague like swarms of locusts on the earth, and power was granted to it as the power the earth’s scorpions have. They were told not to eat the vegetation of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree, but only to attack the people who are not living faithfully before God. They were not permitted to kill the unrighteous, but only to torment them for a period of time. And this torment was like the pain caused by a scorpion’s sting. And when this plague strikes, the afflicted will crave death but it will flee from them.
This plague in the vision was like a thundering stampede of horses trampling everything in its path. It was identified with the faces of men wearing golden crowns. Long beautiful women’s hair make it look appealing but the outward beauty only concealed the ravaging teeth of lions behind it. This plague is so hard to get over it seemed to be plated with armor and swiftly overtook the unrighteous like a vast number of horse drawn chariots going to war. This plague tormented the unrighteous for months at a time and it came from within the tail of the locusts and its affliction was like the sting of scorpions. And Satan, the angel of the abyss, also known as the destroyer of righteousness rules over the plague like a king.
This plague when it is finished is not the end of things for there are two more woes yet to come upon the enemies of righteousness.
The Sixth Trumpet Announcement
(Revelation 9:13-21)
Bible Class Lesson #18
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 9:13-21
The first five woes announced by the trumpets have passed. Before we go any further, it needs to be pointed out that these woes on the enemies of God’s children did not occur in a progressive step by step fashion over the Roman Empire. They overlapped and ran concurrent with each other to a large degree. There were earthquakes, famines, plagues and other natural disasters throughout the history of the Roman Empire and they happened at random times over diverse territories. One of the next major contributing factors to the decline of the Roman Empire was unsuccessful wars against their enemies. Their enemies were constantly attacking their borders and their most bitter adversaries were the Parthians to the east. The Roman empire tried to conquer the Parthians but were never successful at it. Part of the reason the Roman Empire could not subdue them was because of their own internal civil wars. Their internal conflicts kept them from a concerted effort to finally overtake them and destroy them.
In 53 BC, the Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus invaded Parthia in search of desperately needed gold to fund Roman military campaigns. The Parthian armies used both their light archery and heavy armored calvaries to hand Crassus a decisive defeat at the Battle of Carrhae. After the battle, the victorious Parthians fed Crassus molten gold as a symbolic gesture of his greed. This was the beginning of a series of wars that were to last for almost three centuries. In 39 BC, following a successful battle against the Parthians led by Marc Antony the Euphrates River became the border between the Roman and the Parthian Empire. As we will see in this vision, the Euphrates river plays a role in the vision of the 6th trumpet.
As we look into this vision, let’s keep in mind that this is still part of the seventh seal. Each seal picturing in a graphic waya progression of scenes beginning with the coming of righteousness, followed by the coming of evil and then the forces of evil at war with righteousness and now with the seventh seal, revealing the divine retribution of God upon the enemies of the Christians. Even when God has had enough and begins doing those things which will bring the empire down, his highest priority is still the salvation of the lost. The sixth trumpet announcement is another tool at the disposal of God with which He afflicts the Empire thereby chiseling away at its ability to remain in power.
Revelation 9:13
"And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the horns of the golden altar which is before God"
The golden alter here is likely the same one from which the angel in Revelation 8:3 offered the prayers of the saints with much incense to God.
Revelation 9:14
"one saying to the sixth angel that had one trumpet, Loose the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates."
At the time of the Revelation, the Euphrates river was the eastern boundary between the Roman Empire and the Parthian Empire. The Parthians were Rome’s greatest enemy at the time of the writing of the Revelation.
The Parthian Empire is a fascinating period of Persian history closely connected to Greece and Rome. Ruling from 247 B.C. to A.D. 228 in ancient Persia (Iran), the Parthians defeated Alexander the Great’s successors, the Seleucids, conquered most of the Middle East and southwest Asia, controlled the Silk Road and built Parthia into an Eastern superpower. The Parthian empire counterbalanced Rome’s dominance in the West. Parthia at one time occupied areas now in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaidzhan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Israel.
The Euphrates River is mentioned by name in this vision. This would certainly suggest that the actual river is in view here. Being mentioned before the horsem*n in this vision appears to mean that this river is going to be the area or the direction from which the sixth plague on the Roman empire will come. The Parthian cavalry was world renowned and dreaded for their war tactics from horseback. The Roman Empire, eager to push its borders further and the Parthians likewise desiring to conquer more territory were bitter enemies. The Euphrates River became a hotly disputed border between the two with each empire seemingly digging in their heels and refusing to retreat any further.
We see a parallel in this vision with the sixth bowl of wrath in Revelation 16:12, where the Euphrates river was effected in such a way as to prepare the way for the kings of the east. The kings of the east were the Parthians. Vassal kingdoms made up much of their territory and each one had its king and to say there was no love lost between them and the Roman Empire is a profound understatement.
The plague announced here with the sixth trumpet appears to be the incessant attacks of the Parthian Kings across the Euphrates and into Roman territory. It was a significant drain on Roman resources to defend this border from attack and served to contribute to the erosion of Rome’s power.
Revelation 9:15
"And the four angels were loosed, that had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men."
The number 4 was symbolic of the world in which we live so these four angels may have represented the enemies of the Romans on a worldwide scale. The Parthians, while bitter enemies of the Roman Empire were not its only adversaries. The Romans faced a number of other great enemies besides the Parthians, such as the Germans which included the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths. It was the Visigoths who paved the way for the final downfall of the Roman Empire defeating and sacking the city of Rome in 410 A.D. It is significant to note that the Germanic tribes which invaded the Empire from the west were horsem*n just like the Parthian Cavalry.
Being prepared for the precise time period stated simply means that God had them prepared beforehand to do His exact bidding at the time of His choosing. The third part of men killed does not literally mean that exactly a third of all mankind perished in this plague, rather it means that a lot of people perished in this judgment doubtless being represented by the slain on both sides of the conflict.
It does not say in this announcement that the saints of God are excluded from this plague. This is a picture of war and good people die as a consequence of it. The saints of all time can take great comfort in the assurance that all the faithful who die will be counted with the victorious and will inherit the rewards and promises of those who die in Christ.
Revelation 9:16
"And the number of the armies of the horsem*n was twice ten thousand times ten thousand: I heard the number of them"
This army of horsem*n numbered 2 times ten thousand times ten thousand which is 200,000,000. If we take this number literally and give space for each man to be on a horse the area of land which this would encompass would be roughly a strip of land 1 mile wide and 200 or so miles long giving each horse and horseman an area 4 feet wide and 8 feet long.
This number is not to be taken literally. In fact it is so fantastic a literal number that one should almost be aware of the fact of it’s figurative representation simply from the sheer enormity of the numbers involved. To put such a number in perspective, if each horse ate 10 pounds of grain a day that would be 2 billion pounds of feed every single day. That would be roughly 45,000 loads of feed from a full sized modern day grain trailer pulled behind an over the road truck every single day. If each horse drank 5 gallons of water every day we are looking at a billion gallons of water every day. It would take a good sized river to furnish that kind of fresh water and we need to keep in mind that they are going to need to fit 200 miles of horses one mile wide along the banks of this river just to give them a chance to drink. And if this isn’t enough, we still have not fed the horsem*n. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that there is an estimated 303,000,000 people, men, women and children in the United States in 2008. The number of horsem*n in the vision if they were literal would have been two thirds of the total population of the United States. When dealing with numbers of this magnitude, we need to be realistic about them. There simply were not enough resources and capability in that day and time to even consider mobilizing such a force at one time. In the first century, this number was symbolic of a sufficient number to carry out God’s retribution on the Roman Empire.
While the Parthians were the enemy behind the Euphrates River, in consideration of the fact that the Roman Empire had many more enemies than just them, being represented by the number which symbolized the world in which we live and considering the vastness of the number used to represent these horsem*n, it is entirely likely this number represented the sum total of all the horsem*n of all the enemies of Rome through all the centuries leading up to its downfall. The first readers would probably have been aware of that fact based on the sheer size of the number, knowing instantly that there were not even that many horsem*n and horses in any one cavalry in any one kingdom at any one time in history.
Revelation 9:17
"And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates (as) of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone: and the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceedeth fire and smoke and brimstone."
A large factor making the Parthians such a formidable foe was their vicious and effective methods of horsemanship warfare. The Parthians had perfected horseback warfare to the degree that they were a deadly foe whether charging forward or in retreat. They were proficient horseback archers with the skills to shoot enemies with arrows even from behind them. They also originated the fully armored type of horseback soldier known as the Cataphract. These horses and riders were heavily armored and made them especially difficult to defeat, especially for the Roman foot soldiers.
The heads of lions represented great strength. The armor they wore was dependant upon the role they played. The archers were lightly armored for speed while the Cataphracts were armored both rider and horse. The single most devastating weapon that could be used at a distance was fire. The invading horsem*n would burn everything in their path to the degree required to secure victory. Incendiary devices were standard weapons of war. Burning arrows were used to set flammable structures on fire. Military engineers of the day dedicated themselves to finding ways of ensuring that the fires burned long enough to catch. Liquid fire was used as early as 429 BC when the Spartans used burning charcoal saturated in pitch and sulfur to burn the walls down in the seige of Plataea. A century later Aeneas Tacticus mentions a mixture of sulphur, pitch, charcoal packed in wooden vessels, ignited and thrown onto the wooden decks of enemy ships. Arrows were dipped in flaming mixtures of liquid pitch and sulphur and then fired at the enemies, burning everything flammable in their path. This was all taking place centuries before the Parthians started invading the Roman Empire across the Euphrates River. This type of warfare had been around for a long time and the Parthians knew exactly how to wage it. It should be noted that brimstone is the ancient name for a sulphurous substance.
Revelation 9:18
"By these three plagues was the third part of men killed, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone, which proceeded out of their mouths."
Fire, smoke and brimstone in conjunction are always figures for divine judgment in scripture. Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown by fire and brimstone raining down on them from heaven (Genesis 19:24). The Psalmist wrote "Upon the wicked he [God] will rain snares; fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup (Psalms 11:6). In warning wayward Israel of God’s forthcoming judgment Ezekiel wrote, "And with pestilence and with blood will I enter into judgment with him; and I will rain upon him, and upon his hordes, and upon the many peoples that are with him, an overflowing shower, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone" (Ezekiel 38:22).
Whether all this fire and brimstone was literal or not, we can look back at old testament scripture and plainly see that some of it was and given the ancient use of fire as a weapon, we can easily infer that it was used many centuries preceding the writing of Revelation. This terrible form of warfare took a heavy toll on the Romans. Countless millions of people obviously perished as a result. There can be little doubt as to the literalness of the terrible consequences that came about as a result of these attacks upon the Roman Empire.
Revelation 9:19
"For the power of the horses is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails are like unto serpents, and have heads; and with them they hurt."
Twice now it is mentioned that these terrible plagues are issuing from the mouths and tails ofthe horses. Fire, smoke and brimstone do not come from the literal mouths and tails of horses. But horses with riders who can shoot flaming arrows dipped in burning pitch and sulphur and who are capable of accurately firing these weapons facing either forward or backwards on their mounts are certainly going to give the impression that the fire is coming both from the mouth or tail areas of the horses.
The image here is more of terror, panic and loss of life than it is of literal fire and brimstone. While we have a plausible explanation for all three plagues, we need to focus on the results and the objective more than anything. Many people were dying because they refused to repent. God’s primary purpose here was to bring people to repentance. Natural disasters, disease and internal corruption had not done the job. Now it’s time for a more direct approach.
Revelation 9:20
"And the rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood; which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk:"
The men who were not killed (worldly or evil men) still did not repent even though they were seeing their empire slowly disintegrating before their eyes. The righteous are not under consideration in this vision. God wants all men to be saved but these refused to repent. The whole purpose of this judgment upon the Roman empire was to bring the unrighteous repentance. God has gone to great lengths to try to get the ungodly to think about their fate, stop persecuting Christians and stop worshipping their manmade idols which were worthless, lifeless and represented nothing real.
The lifeless qualities of their manmade idols in this vision are reminiscent of language used in the old testament to describe them. In Jeremiah 10:1-6, Isaiah 44:9-20; Isaiah 46:5-7 we read of God’s utter disdain for these things and of His warning that they are worthless and of no benefit. In Isaiah 44:20, the prophet wrote that those who follow after such things "feedeth on ashes".
Revelation 9:21
"and they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts."
This is basically a repeat of Revelation 9:20 added for emphasis. By repeating Himself, God is making sure His readers understand what He is saying and driving it home by repeating it to them. The unrighteous who perished from the various woes inflicted upon them had their fate sealed. But those who survived had a wonderful opportunity to see the fate that awaited them if they failed to heed the warning. The unrighteous had it within their power to avoid everything evil that was happening to them and refused to change their ways.
This vision completes the three instruments God would use to bring about the fall of the Roman Empire. These three instruments were natural calamity, internal disease and decadence and external invasion by her enemies. These instruments of God’s judgment were already partially at work in the first century and history shows us that all three of these were significantly instrumental in the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
The text of Revelation 9:20-21 indicates that God’s judgment in these visions were aimed at the enemies of righteousness and not at the Christians. The Christians might suffer in the earthly application of these woes but they would not suffer the eternal fate of the unrighteous. This vision was given as reassurance that good shall triumph over evil and that those who overcome and remain faithful unto death will be victorious in the end.
Some additional thoughts to consider:
What an application we can make from this to ourselves today. There is a quote saying this, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Let us pause and give serious reflection to what we see going on in the most powerful nation on earth today. hom*osexuality and sexual decadence were an earmark of the behavior of the Romans and what happened to them? Disease, decay and corruption. The Romans practiced infanticide as a means of birth control. They slaughtered their babies. What about abortion today in the most powerful nation on earth? Consider the natural disasters that occurred in the Roman Empire and give pause to think about the storms and earthquakes and other natural disasters going on in the most powerful nation on earth in these current times. What about this sixth judgment where the enemies of the Roman Empire started attacking them and picking away at them bit by bit and piece by piece. Now what about this most recent enemy of the most powerful nation of the earth today rising up and causing death and destruction, depleting the resources at hand which are necessary to withstand them. We today know what the fate of the Roman Empire was and why. We can see the parallels going on right in front of our faces. Will we as a people repent before it is too late or will history see yet another world power rise and fall because of Godlessness? And while we are considering these things, we also need to give attention to how to get this message to the unrighteous. If the message of hope comes not from us, then from whence will it come?
Revelation 9:13-21
Summary Paraphrase:
Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and from the four horns of the golden altar which stands before God I heard a voice speak to the sixth angel instructing him to release a plague of horsem*n which had been held back at the great River Euphrates. This plague which had been prepared beforehand was ready to strike at the exact appointed time and was liberated so they would destroy about a third of all mankind in their wake. I was told the number of the armies of the horsem*n and they were two hundred million strong.
In my vision, I saw the horses and those who sat upon them and their riders were armored with breastplates red like fire and blue like sapphires and yellow like sulfur. The horses’ heads were powerful as lions and from before them poured out fire, smoke and sulfurous fumes. Many of mankind were killed in these attacks. The power of the fiery plagues looked like it was coming from their mouths and their tails. And I could see their heads like deadly serpents from their tails and they wounded people from behind them.
But the rest of humanity who were not killed in these attacks refused to stop worshipping devils and manmade idols of gold and silver and of brass and stone, and of wood, all of which are without life, unable to see or hear or walk. Moreover, they also refused to stop murdering and practicing sorceries and sexual immorality.
The Little Book and
the Unutterable Thunders
(Revelation 10:1-11)
Bible Class Lesson #19
Granby church of Christ
Text: Revelation 10:1-11
Between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals there was a pause to reveal four significant visions which would give assurances to the oppressed saints. In the first of these two visions the servants of God were sealed before the winds of God’s retribution were let loose upon the earth. In the second vision we saw a multitude of the victorious saints who had faithfully endured the tribulation and were standing before the throne, praising god and rejoicing in their victory. By these two visions, the Christians still living are assured that they will not be forgotten and will join their victorious brothers and sisters around the throne if they remain faithful to the end.
After this first pause we see the opening of the seventh seal which has been going on now since the first trumpet announcement beginning in chapter 8. The first four trumpets announced God’s use of various natural disasters to punish the Roman Empire in an effort to bring them to repentance. Horrific natural disasters often remind people of just how helpless they really are and sometimes causes them to seek answers in places they may not have formerly looked. It is a pretty humbling experience when one beholds the death of countless thousands of people and the destruction wrought by these disasters and wonders why it has to be. And this humble attitude of heart is precisely the one anyone should have when approaching God on His throne. These natural disasters were God’s way of telling His enemies that He is the one in charge and He is the one they should be seeking.
Then the fifth and sixth trumpets sounded and the enemies of righteousness faced woes that were a lot more direct and specific. Disease from their decadent lifestyle and then direct attacks from their worldly enemies. In the face of earthquakes, famine, weather, plagues and incessant attacks from one’s enemies, it should be easy to conclude that something is amiss. History records that some of the Romans did indeed seek answers to their problems. But they sought them in the wrong places. They thought their pagan gods were angry with them for tolerating the Christians and set out to destroy them all the more. They failed to recognize that no matter what they did, the Christians were still there. No matter how hard they tried to stamp Christianity out, it persevered. They tried to appease their false lifeless gods of wood and stone by persecuting and trying to destroy the children of the one true and living God. The God they should have been seeking all along.
Now we are approaching the seventh and final announcement which is God’s final and complete judgment against the enemies of the Christians. When this judgment has been concluded, it will be finished and those who live in the Roman Empire and are the enemies of righteousness will have no more opportunity to repent. We will see in this interlude between the 6th and 7th announcement that there comes a time when God no longer warns the unrighteous. He has said all he is going to say, has given all the warnings He’s going to give and has given them up to their vile lifestyles and going to let them suffer the consequences of their choices. We see this attitude in God on a personal level directed at individuals in Romans 1:18-32 but now it is seen on a much larger scale as the entire Roman Empire is given over to suffer the consequences of their unrighteousness.
In this interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets, we will see four main things in John’s vision.
• The unutterable thunders, Revelation 10:1-7
• The little book, Revelation 10:8-11
• The measuring of the Temple, Revelation 11:1-2
• The two witnesses, Revelation 11:3-13
Revelation 10:1
"And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire"
This word cloud or clouds occurs in the New Testament twenty seven times in the KJV. In all but a few usages, it is used in some relation to deity or of a divine appearance, often in judgment. Being arrayed in a cloud means this messenger is coming on a divine mission relating to judgment. This angel shares some of the attributes given to Jesus with his face as the sun and feet as pillars of fire. This angel being thus described is indicative of strength and the importance of his mission. Clouds and fire are symbols of judgment and the sun is the symbol of light which represents righteousness. This angel is of a similar rank as the angel seen earlier in Revelation 5:2 where we read of the strong angel asking who was worthy to open the book and loose the seven seals. Inspiration does not tell us whether this is the same angel seen earlier or by what name he is identified. All we know is that he is strong enough to make the declaration that is forthcoming.
The rainbow is symbolic of God’s everlasting covenant taken from the rainbow seen in the clouds after the great flood. The bearer of this message from heaven is wearing God’s covenant with mankind upon his head, meaning that it is at the head or forefront of all messengers from the throne. What is getting ready to come when the seventh trumpet sounds is terrible indeed but the righteous see that God’s covenant is there in a prominent place where it can be seen by all.
Revelation 10:2
"and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth"
In this part of the vision, the strong angel was holding a "little book" in his hand. The Greek word for these two words is "biblaridion", a diminutive of "biblion". This word could be translated as the single word "booklet" and be perfectly accurate. Books have been established in this series of visions as the figurative means which God used to express Himself. Certainly we know that these are not literal books with binding, paper and ink. In the first century this would likely have been a scroll. This little book or scroll is figurative for a message and with the book being open, it is obviously a message which was intended to be revealed to John. This is acontinuation of the vision where Jesus Christ unsealed the scroll containing the ultimate fate of the enemies of Christianity. This little book is a part of the message already unsealed by the Son of God.
This angel with his right foot upon the sea and his left foot upon the earth simply means the whole earth. The message contained within the little book is therefore directed at the inhabitants of the all the earth.
Revelation 10:3
"and he cried with a great voice, as a lion roareth: and when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices."
Lions represents great strength, boldness and bravery. The voice of this angel was powerful, bold and was accompanied by the voices of the seven thunders. The number seven represents the totality or completeness associated with God’s authority on the earth. Thunder signifies authority, power and volume and often is associated with a message from the divine. This voice thundering with the voice of the angel can only mean a direct response from the throne of God. All the messages to man originate from the throne but this one is given special notice in order to signify the authority and importance of it.
Revelation 10:4
"And when the seven thunders uttered (their voices), I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not."
John heard what the voices of thunder revealed but was commanded to refrain from recording this message. Scripture teaches that there comes a time when sinners are given over to suffer the consequences for their actions. Hymaneaeus and Alexander were disfellowshipped by Paul in order that they repent. Paul instructed the Christians in Corinth to do the same with the man who was in sexual sin with his father’s wife. The objective in both cases was so that they would repent. They were given over to their sin in order to suffer the full consequences of it in their lives. There are no more warnings, there are no more exhortations. The sinners were withdrawn from and left to face the ravages of sin alone.
I remember as a young spirited boy growing up the times when my misbehavior pushed my father over the limit. The time was not appropriate for punishment but I could tell from his stony silence that his mind was made up and at his earliest convenience, I was going to receive correction. The warnings which were few to begin with utterly stopped and when I looked at him I was met with a ice cold stony silent glare that boded ill for me. It was at these times when contemplating my forthcoming immediate fate that I considered my actions and my predicament. The thunder of my father’s anger was apparent in his silence. There is something about a father’s grim irresolute silence that is quite disturbing to a child. As long as the child is being corrected, he feels somewhat secure in the knowledge that Dad is still working with him. But when that stops and nothing but silence is forthcoming then an attentive child knows he has gone too far. It was during these times that I tried the hardest to be on my best behavior. I knew that my only remaining chance to avoid disaster was immediate and total surrender and impeccable obedience.
The Roman Empire had gone too far. God sent earthquakes, famines, diseases, violent weather and vicious enemies in an effort to get them to repent from their unrighteousness. They rebelled against God’s authority, insisted on worshipping their own gods and persecuted His children until He had enough. Everything God had done had not produced any change in their behavior and He was done talking to them about it. There was plenty more He could say, but like an earthly father who has put up with all he’s going to, it will be communicated in the actions soon to come. What a horrible thought it should be to an erring Christian to think that God had given up on him. It is no different for an unbeliever. When God gives up on them, talking is over, the last opportunity to repent is at hand and they better avail themselves of it. The wrath of our God is far worse and much longer lasting the wrath of an earthly father. The judgment is final and the punishment is eternal.
John knew what the thunders revealed but was commanded to keep it to himself. The utterances of the thunders were carried unwritten to John’s grave. We will never know this side of heaven exactly what those thunders said, but we can be assured it was serious indeed. The implication of receiving no more warnings from God is serious enough in and of itself to speak volumes to anyone left who might listen. Sometimes it’s the things not said that speak the loudest.
Revelation 10:5
"And the angel that I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his right hand to heaven,"
It is one’s right hand that mankind today raises to swear oaths such as to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in a court of law.
Revelation 10:6
"and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created the heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein, that there shall be delay no longer"
The angel seen standing on the earth with his right hand lifted in a solemn display swears an oath by Jesus Christ, the one who lives for ever and ever (Hebrews 7:24-25), who created the heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are therein, and the sea and the things that are therein (Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:16). The swearing of oaths was a big thing in old testament times. The swearing of an oath was the invoking of a curse upon one’s self if one has not spoken the truth (Matthew 26:74), or if one fails to keep a promise (1 Samuel 19:6; 1 Samuel 20:17; 2 Samuel 15:21; 2 Samuel 19:23). It played a very important part, not only in lawsuits (Exodus 22:11; Leviticus 6:3; Leviticus 6:5) and state affairs, but also in the dealings of everyday life (Genesis 24:37; Genesis 50:5; Judges 21:5; 1 Kings 18:10; Ezra 10:5). In new testament times, the swearing of oaths by man is prohibited by divine commandment, "Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: but I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black" (Matthew 5:33-36). A literal angel did not stand on the earth with one foot in the seas and one foot on land and lift his right hand and swear and oath on the name of Jesus Christ. The image here is to illustrate the solemn seriousness of the next phrase.
"that there shall be delay no longer"
Time was up. Judgment which had been partial and scattered over the Roman Empire at different periods of time was now going to be total. The Roman Empire was reduced to a mere shadow of what she once was and was about to be utterly destroyed and would never ever again rise to power. Today there are no more Caesars or crested Roman soldiers. There are no more temples built to worship the Roman Emperors and the other various pagan gods so prevalent in their culture. The shining magnificent cities are lay in ruins, the powerful legions of soldiers only march in the pages of history now. This is a grim testament to the utter and total finality of God’s judgment. The Roman Empire did fall and they had no one to blame but themselves.
Revelation 10:7
"but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God, according to the good tidings which he declared to his servants the prophets."
The seventh angel with the trumpet has not yet sounded but when he does, the mystery of God will be finished. The Romans had no idea why their empire was crumbling about them. The workings of God in opposition to their unrighteousness was a complete mystery to them because they refused to repent and turn to righteousness. The Christians knew what was going on. They had the good news of the gospel given to them. The mystery of God was the plan of redemption and the promise of eternal life for the faithful (Colossians 1:26-27), once delivered to his apostles and servants (Judges 1:3), now is almost finished and will be completed when the seventh angel sounds. This reference to the good tidings being completed is linked to the Book sealed with the seven perfect seals, the book that contained the coming of righteousness, followed by the influence of Satan and the steps progressing up to the rise of the great persecution and now with the little book at the end, we see the final chapter about to close on this greatest earthly enemy the Christians had ever known.
The good tidings in the view of the oppressed Christians is of course the victory they will achieve from their perseverance in Christ. This was good tidings indeed for them, especially in view of what is about to come chapter 11. The oppressed Christians are going to need all the reassurance they can get because the persecution was yet to get so bad that the enemies of righteousness thought they had successfully stamped out Christianity forever. The battle is almost over but the worst was yet to come.
Revelation 10:8
"And the voice which I heard from heaven, (I heard it) again speaking with me, and saying, Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel that standeth upon the sea and upon the earth."
The final chapter in the mystery of the good tidings is laying open in the hands of the angel. John is instructed to go take that book.
Revelation 10:9
"And I went unto the angel, saying unto him that he should give me the little book. And he saith unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey."
This is the second time John was instructed to take the book. It was not handed to him even after he asked for it. The meaning here is that God’s will is never forced on anyone. We must reach out and take it of our own free choice through a conscious act on our part.
The imagery of eating the book is taken directly from Ezekiel’s vision where he was similarly instructed to take the open roll of a book and eat it (Ezekiel 2:8 to Ezekiel 3:3). John was to take the message contained within this book and and ingest it into his being. He was to take this message into his bowels and make it a part of his life. This message of the hope of the victorious will be sweet as honey in his mouth but the message of the fate of the enemies of righteousness will be bitter and hard to deal with. The Psalmist wrote, "Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law" (Psalms 119:53). The good tidings of this final message for the righteous was honey in his mouth but the horrors it contained for the unrighteous was bitter and would make him sick. The application for us today is that while the good news of the gospel message is wondrous for us, it contains a very different message for the unrighteous. The horrors that will be the eternal fate of the enemies of the cross should make us sick to our souls. God was willing to sacrifice the life of His only Son in order to give people an opportunity to escape this horrible fate. What should we today be willing to sacrifice in order to help fulfill this great purpose?
Revelation 10:10
"And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it, my belly was made bitter."
John took the book and did as instructed which resulted in the bittersweet taste promised him. The reception and comprehension of God’s word is indeed sweet to the ears of the saints but fraught with bitterness of spirit in its condemnation of sinners and the declaration of the consequences awaiting the disobedient.
Revelation 10:11
"And they say unto me, Thou must prophesy again over many peoples and nations and tongues and kings."
While the fate of the enemies of Christianity is impending, John’s job is not yet complete. He is going to prophecy much more and over many nations and people of the earth. Being only half way through the Revelation it is easy to see what is being said here. Following the seventh trumpet announcement, John immediately starts over with the radiant woman which was the nation of Israel bringing forth the Messiah. The whole saga we are now nearing the conclusion of, repeats itself, but with different visions and a lot more detail. In Homer Hailey’s commentary, it is stated that the rest of the Revelation from chapters 11 thru 20 is the message within the little book. I see no reason why this cannot be the case.
Revelation 10:1-11
Summary Paraphrase:
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, robed in a cloud, with God’s covenant with man over his head like a rainbow. His face was bright and shining like the sun, and his feet carried the judgment of God like pillars of fire. He carried a message in a small open book in his hand for me to see. He set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land and stood over the whole earth. Then he shouted with a loud voice like the roaring of a lion; and when he had finished, the seven thunders gave voice and uttered their message in distinct words. And when the seven thunders had spoken, I was going to write down what they said, but then I heard a voice from heaven saying, "do not reveal what the seven thunders have said! Do not write it down!"
Then the mighty angel whom I had seen stationed on sea and land raised his right hand to the sky and swore in the name of Him Who lives forever and ever, Who created the heavens and all they contain, and the earth and all that it contains, and the sea and all that it contains. He vowed that no more time would pass and there would be no more delay. But when the days come when the trumpet call of the seventh angel is about to be sounded, God’s secret design and hidden purpose as He had announced in the gospel to His servants the prophets, shall be completed and accomplished.
Then the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, Go and take the little book containing the last message which is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land. So I went up to the angel and asked him to give me the little book. And he said to me, Take it and consume its message into your very being. It will be as sweet as honey in your mouth but in your bowels it will be bitter. So I took the message in the little book from the angel’s hand and consumed it and made it part of my life and its message was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but deep down inside it sickened me to my soul.
Then it was said to me, You are to make a fresh prophecy concerning these many peoples and races and nations and languages and kings.
Introduction From the East Hill church of Christ
An Introduction to Revelation
Part 1: Examining the Methods of Interpretation
Though the interpretations of Revelation are about as numerous as the interpreters, most interpretations fall under one of four categories:
• Futurist
• Historical
• Spiritual
• Preterist
The Futurist Method
• Those who take this method interpret everything in the book of Revelation as not yet fulfilled, and therefore all still in the future.
• Premillennialists are the most well-known within this method of interpretation, though there are other groups which assign the entire book to a time yet in the future.
• They call themselves "literalists," trying to make the book of Revelation (which is spoken in symbols) to be literal.
• This method contradicts the following passages within Revelation:
Revelation 1:1 – The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Revelation 1:3 – Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Revelation 22:6 – And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Revelation 22:10 – And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
• This method makes the book meaningless for everyone except for the final generation on earth.
The Historical Method
• This is also called the "continuous-historical method" or the "historicist method."
• Those who take this method interpret the book as giving an inspired history of the church from the first century to the second coming of Jesus Christ.
o Specifically, though, they view it as a history of the Roman Catholic Church, specific popes, the Protestant Reformation, and events afterward.
o This method was popular during the Protestant Reformation, and was held by Matthew Henry, John Calvin, Martin Luther, and others
• This method is also that which is taken by the Gospel Advocate commentary on Revelation.
o This commentary sees the work of Alexander Campbell specifically mentioned in Revelation.
• This method, instead of applying it to things "shortly come to pass" (Revelation 1:1) applies the majority of the book to a time in the distant future (from the standpoint of the first century readers), making the book impossible for the original readers to interpret.
• This method assumes that God would comfort Christians who were undergoing persecution by foretelling the apostasy of the church and giving an inspired history of the biggest denomination.
The Spiritual Method
• This is also called the "allegorical method," the "idealist method," or the "symbolic method."
• Those who take this method make everything in Revelation refer to spiritual principles instead of any actual events.
o The Catholics, in general, view most of Revelation as an allegory representing the Mass.
o There are those in the church who take this view, and state that Revelation is a series of seven visions, all of which show the ongoing battle between good and evil, but has no direct application to any specific events.
• This method contradicts the following passages from Revelation:
Revelation 1:1 - The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
• God’s word says Revelation was written about specific events.
Revelation 1:3 - Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
• It is called a "prophecy," which usually refers to a foretelling of future events.
a. Also Revelation 22:6; Revelation 22:10.
The Preterist Method
• A variation of this view is called the "historical background method," by those who wish to distance themselves from the term "preterist," though they are pretty much the same.
• Those who take this method view the book of Revelation as dealing with events that were imminent when John wrote the book, and that the events in the book have been fulfilled.
o There are those who are full-preterists, believing the entire book has been fulfilled (Foy E. Wallace’s commentary reflects this view).
o There are those who are partial-preterists, believing all of the book—EXCEPT for Revelation 20-22—have already been fulfilled.
o Most preachers and teachers within the Lord’s church take the partial-preterist view.
• There are two main views within the preterist method:
o. That the book was written describing the destruction of Jerusalem and Judaism, which was the biggest persecutor of the church through AD 70.
a. That the book was written describing the downfall of the Roman Empire, which was the biggest persecutor of the church after the downfall of Jerusalem.
• This view is in harmony with the statements of John that the events were "at hand" and "shortly come to pass."
• Objections to this method:
o. "It denies the second coming of Christ and the final judgment."
• Though some extremists take that view, most do not.
• The only thing the full preterist view denies is that the second coming is addressed in Revelation.
• The partial-preterist view takes Revelation 20-21 as describing the second coming, judgment, and eternity in heaven.
o. "It says we are presently living in heaven."
• Though some extremists take that view, most do not.
There are other passages that let us know heaven is not here on earth, so it is impossible for us to be living in heaven now (though our citizenship is there).
o. "This makes the book have no meaning today."
• This is the most popular objection to this method.
• This is only true if there is nothing to learn from the book.
• Using the same logic, we could say that the Old Testament has no meaning today (which is also false).
Questions:
1. Are there those who take a hybrid view (utilizing more than one method in interpreting the book) of Revelation?
2. Does everyone who uses a certain method agree on all the details and specifics within the book?
3. Can a method which makes the book meaningless to the original readers be correct? (see the blessing in Revelation 1:3)
4. Can a method which contradicts the opening statements (Revelation 1:1; Revelation 1:3) and the closing statements (Revelation 22:6; Revelation 22:10) of Revelation be correct?
Lecture 1:
Introduction to Revelation
by Joseph Martin
We have lying before us the Bible. I have proposed to deliver a series of discourses on the last Book of the New Testament; but, in order to understand the last Book, it is necessary that we should pay some attention to the first.
The Bible is a history of all time, from the morning of the first day until time on earth shall end. It is a history of all nations--of all great empires of earth--from the beginning to the end. It has in it a history or biography of some of the best men that ever lived, and, I presume, some of the worst. It gives an unvarnished statement of facts as they were, as they are, and as they will be hereafter. Two thousand years, or nearly that, had passed away before the first line of the Bible was written. Two thousand years passed away while the Bible was being written; and nearly two thousand years have passed away since the last line of the Bible was written.
We have, in the Bible, as we said before, a history of the time before Moses wrote, and we have, in the last Book of the New Testament, the history of all the time from the date of John’s exile, when he saw the Vision in the Isle of Patmos, down until the Lord shall come to judge the world.
I know it has been thought by some that this last Book of the New Testament is very hard to be understood, and some have even gone so far as to think it wrong--if not wrong, at least unadvisable--for a man to say or write anything on this last Book of the New Testament--called the Book of Revelation. I know this has been common, and some of the wise men of past ages, since the Christian Dispensation commenced, have said and written that it is a mystery that the Lord never intended men to understand. For my own part, I do not believe that; I think it was given for our instruction. I do believe it is for our good, and I purpose to notice, in a few discourses, the things which John saw in the Isle of Patmos--to find out, if possible, the meaning of the Vision; and I submit this proposition at the start: that there is but one way to ascertain the meaning. First, to find out the Scriptural meaning of each part of the Vision that John saw--what it really means in the Word of the Lord, and then look for its historic fulfillment; determine the meaning of the things seen, by the Bible, and then, when we ascertain by the Bible that the Vision means, look in history’s page to see its fulfillment. And if we cannot determine by the Bible the meaning of the Vision--the hieroglyphics, if I might use that expression--if the Bible does not determine the meaning, none can ever understand it.
The reason I say this is, men differ so widely. One man concludes it means thus and so, and another differs from him. Then, if the Bible does not settle the meaning, we are left forever in the dark.
But if the Bible does settle the meaning of all the Vision John saw, and we look over the page of history and find no fulfillment, again we are lost. So the Vision explained by the Bible, and the fulfillment seen on history’s page, settle the matter.
The order of the Book we will notice first of all. The Lord has arranged it himself. In the nineteenth verse of the first chapter, we have the divisions made out by the Lord. He says to John, "Write the things which you hast seen." That is Part the First. "Write the things which are," Part Second. That was present tense at that time.’ Write the things which shall be hereafter," Part Third. These are the three divisions of the Book of Revelation--the things John had seen, the things as they then where, and the things that were to take place in the future after that time. Don’t you understand that? But why say, "Write the things which you have seen, the things that are, and the things that shall be hereafter," if no man can understand it? In the name of my Master, I appeal to every candid listener, is there any propriety in the Lord himself--if I dare use such an expression--saying, "write down," if men cannot understand it, and he never intended that they should? But he intended that we should understand it, and it will do us good to understand it, from the fact that in the first part of the first chapter we have this declaration from the Lord: "Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of the prophecy of this Book." Who would say that it is much of a blessing to read a book we cannot understand? Who would dare, before the Almighty, to say it is a blessed thing to read that which is obscure, dark, and beyond our comprehension? Still the words of Jesus are here: "Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of the prophecy of this book, and keep those things which are written therein."
But at the first verse of this first chapter we have the expression—"the Revelation of Jesus Christ." The word revelation is there. Something that is dark, obscure, that cannot be understood? Are these the definitions that apply to the word "Revelation?" Hardly. It is a revelation--something made known. But what? It is stated here, I only know as the Lord himself has given it. "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John." Jesus, the Son of the living God, has revealed to his servants things which must shortly come to pass. For a mortal man to rise up in the face of the word of the living God, and say, we cannot comprehend it, is too absurd. But as he has revealed the things which are to come to pass, well might he add, "Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of the prophecy of this book, and keep those things that are written therein."
The First Part of the Book of Revelation is noticed first. John introduces, after he has asked the blessing of the Lord on those that read or hear these prophecies, by saying, "John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first-begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, amen."
That is a plain matter, my brother. This chapter of the Revelation is asking the blessing of God to rest on them, and says that Jesus will come again. It is not hard to understand; it is a plain statement. Jesus will visit this earth again, as certain as there is truth in the Word of God. And the propriety of His asking the favor of the Lord to rest on the churches, on the servants of the Lord, is shown in this same connection, where he says, Jesus is the "prince of the kings of the earth," and the "first begotten of the dead." His favor is worth securing, my brother; he is no mean mortal, no low, groveling creature whose favor John asks upon his servants. He is the prince of the kings of the earth. They may believe it or not-- it stands here, it is truth. Some have doubted it. One man, in talking to me some time since, said that he had no idea that Jesus had anything to do with the kingdoms of this world. His idea was that he exercised a general providence over all his creatures, in making it rain upon the fields of the just and the unjust, and in giving, daylight to all the nations of the earth But further than that, he had no idea that he concerned himself! I must add here a remark I made to him. He was a preacher). I told him that an old king, a long time since, had the same views of the matter, perhaps, that he had. That that old monarch said, "This is great Babylon which I have built for the house of my kingdom, and for the glory of my majesty, with the might of my arm;" and with that old monarch-- Nebuchadnezzar--it was I, and I, and I, all the time. He was the monarch of the whole earth, in his own estimation. But while the thought was in his heart, and the words were dropping, from his lips, a voice from heaven said:"Unto thee, O King, it is spoken: the kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, ant seven times shall pass over thee until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever he will." And the same hour it was fulfilled upon him, and he was driven from the face of men. Ho had the heart of a beast, and ate grass like an ox for seven years; and at the end of the seven years his understanding came to him, and he said: "The Most High rules in the kingdoms of men, and gives them to whomsoever he will." And he issued a decree that all his dominions should acknowledge the God of heaven and that he was the ruler. I said to this preacher, "All you lack now is a return of your understanding. You have the heart of a beast, at present! while you say that Jesus is not the prince of the kings of the earth--the rightful Monarch of the world. As soon as your understanding returns to you, you will say that Jesus is the rightful Ruler. "That is the great lack in the world now; people do not acknowledge the right of Jesus of Nazareth to rule in all the nations of the earth.” John declared, nearly eighteen hundred years since, that Jesus was the prince of the kings of the earth, and asked his grace to rest upon those that might read the words of the prophecy of this last book ever given to man by the Lord.
But when he had thus said, he said that Jesus would come again. The man that had been despised and set at naught, the man that died the ignominious death upon the cross, that he would come again with clouds, and every eye should see him. That Jesus, the prince of the earth, would make this earth another visit; and we need not ask our old sisters and brothers to tell us when the Lord comes,--we will see him.
I know that some have concluded that the coming of the Lord, spoken of in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, and in the other portions of the New Testament, had its fulfillment at the destruction of Jerusalem. But John writes, more than twenty years after Jerusalem was in ruins, and speaks of the coming of the Lord in the future. Then that old, false notion is wiped out, is it not?--that the destruction of Jerusalem was alluded to as the second coming of the Lord; for John wrote after that time, and said, "Behold, he cometh;"--he did not mean Titus or the Roman army, as some have concluded; but the Prince of the kings of the earth, the Son of the living God. He said, "Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. " That was not a Roman general, my brother, that washed us from our sins in his own blood "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him" - that One that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.
The question would naturally arise, How will he come? He was here once; Jesus visited this earth a little more than eighteen hundred years since. He was tempted; he was mocked; he was derided; was a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." He was persecuted and afflicted; went about with poor worms of the dust, as one of their number. And will he come again to weep and mourn; will he visit this earth once more to mingle with mortal men as a man among them? This is rather a leading question in this age of the world. John immediately describes His appearance at the time he saw the Vision.
He says, "I am Alpha and Omega," or the A and Z in plain English, "the beginning and the ending saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." That settles it, my brother; it is the Lord Almighty that is to come again. And every eye shall see him. Language could not be more definite than Jesus has given it through John to his servants.
“I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the Word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last; and, what you see (Part First) write in a book." Here we have a description of what the First Division of the Book of Revelation was. "And send unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea." In the first division we notice, he was to write the things he had seen, and here they are distinctly stated: "And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in tile midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shines in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
Then come in the divisions as named. Write what you have seen. It has just been described. John had just seen the Lord Jesus in his glory - had not only seen him glorified, but had seen him in that glory and majesty walking in the midst of seven golden candlesticks, and saw him too holding seven stars in his hand. Send word to the churches, John, what you have seen. You have seen the Redeemer despised of men glorified. I am glad that Jesus has had it written by John. I am not serving, am not calling on men to serve that which is degraded and low down - but the glorified Son of the living God. His face is like the sun, his eyes like flames of fire. He is so glorious that John fell at his feet as one dead. John not only saw him glorified walking in the midst of the golden candlesticks, but holding seven stars in his hand. It may be that this is a matter of very little moment; but Jesus said, Write just what you have seen. A matter of small moment it would be to us for Jesus to be seen walking in the midst of seven golden candlesticks and holding seven stars in his hand, if it were not that we are so intimately concerned in this matter.
I said we have to determine the meaning of the Vision by the Bible. "The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which you sawest are the seven churches." The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. In plain English, the messengers of the seven churches, or, as we more commonly say in this age, the overseers of the seven churches. Not angels up in glory, not holy angels up in heaven--the word angel meaning, as almost every school-boy knows, messenger only. They are the messengers, servants, or overseers of the seven churches; "and the seven candlesticks which you saw are the seven churches." Here we have the matter described by the Lord. I saw Jesus glorified in all his Father’s glory, walking in the midst of the sevenchurches of Asia, and holding their conspicuous men in his hand. Not only seven congregations, but all the churches of Jesus are included in this full number seven, as we will be able to prove. Jesus, then, my dear brother, is walking in the midst of the congregations; and, solemn as may be the thought, He is here. A revelation made by the Son of the living God himself, is that he is with his people; he is in their midst, though glorified in heaven. How many prayers it would spare if people would only keep the words as John said!
When men say, "Lord Jesus, do come now, O, come-- make one in our midst! Do come now, Lord, among your people here." If they would but remember the revelation that Jesus made, it would save them all that kind of praying. He is here.
Write that you have seen me walking in their midst. Write, too, that you have seen their illustrious men in my hand. Jesus is able to dash down the most haughty proclaimer that ever uttered a word, or to uphold and sustain in the humblest preacher. O, that we could realize it. There is not a bright star in all the kingdom of Christ on earth, but what is in his hand. That is a revelation worth treasuring up, keeping and remembering--and blessed is the man that remembers it.
But the things that John had seen are certainly worthy of our attention. When John has thus given the First Part, the things that he had seen, the Lord glorified in the midst of the churches, and holding their conspicuous men in his hand, to dash them down into the dust or hold them up at his pleasure, he writes in the very next chapter the things as they then were--the condition of the religious world at that time. And I said that these stars are men.
PART SECOND is taken up with the first of the second chapter; and now for the proof that I was right when I said that these stars that were in the hand of Jesus, were conspicuous men in the churches here on earth. "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write." Write a letter to the star of the church at Ephesus; for the stars were angels. To the angel or overseer of the church at Ephesus write a letter, John. Do you not know it would be absurd for the Lord to command John to write a letter to a heavenly angel, or to a star up in the firmament? Write these things, said he who holds the seven stars in his right hand; as much as to say, "As I hold him in my right hand, write to him, and through him to the congregation, write, of course." These things saith he that holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks ill the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: "I know thy works and thy labor and thy patience." He could not have written this of a literal star up in the firmament, or of a heavenly being that had been born before the throne of God in light celestial. "I know thy works, and thy works, and thy patience, and how you canst not bear them which are evil; and you hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars; and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast labored, and hast not fainted." It certainly was a man he was writing to, was it not? May be not. It may have been a heavenly being doing all these good things, laboring for Jesus’ sake here. But the fourth verse settles the matter. It was not Michael or Gabriel; it was not a heavenly angel that John was thus writing to by the direction of the Lord. Not a literal star up in the sky, either. "I have somewhat against thee, because you hast left thy first love.” "Good Lord, have mercy upon those who have their first love! That was the condition this congregation was in, and that one the very best informed, if I dare use the expression. "Write the things that are." And now he is doing it. “I have somewhat against thee because you hast left thy first love. Remember, therefore, from whence you art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come to thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place except you repent."
And it is just as true now as it was then. It makes me mourn, makes me grieve, fills my heart with sadness, while I read the revelation of Jesus, and remember that he is an unchangeable being; and that what he held against a congregation or individual then, he holds against a congregation or individual now. And he had somewhat against the church at Ephesus and their overseers there, because they had left their first love. And he did declare that he would remove the candlestick out of its place unless they repented and did the first works. And now, in the name of my Master, I make the appeal; would he not do it yet’’ It makes me shudder for the present Reformation, while I know this fills too well the character of many congregations. Left their first love! Lord, have we not, as a people, left our first love? And nothing but this revelation from the Son of the living God can ever bring us back to the point from which we started. I am glad from my heart today, however, for the encouragement we have in this same book, that if we repent and do the first works, there is hope. Brethren, it is the only chance to save ourselves in the cause of Jesus. So cold we are!
This star that John wrote to, this angel of the church at Ephesus, and the congregation with him, and doubtless under his instruction, as we sometimes remark--"like priest, like people;" they were wise in some things: they labored for the cause of Christ. Jesus said, "I know your labor, I know your patience, I know that you have tried those that say they are apostles, and are not, and have found them liars." This matter Jesus approved. He knows yet all we are doing for his cause- -he is in our midst as much now as he was then. He knows all about our opportunities for advancement in the knowledge of divine things. He knows whether we have tried false pretenders to the apostleship; he approves of that; it was right then and is yet. I have heard some men say they were apostles, some that they were ambassadors for the Lord! One man said, in my hearing, that the Lord converted him miraculously. The proof was, he went to meeting, and slept all the time the preacher was preaching, and just as he closed the sermon the Holy Ghost struck him on the thumb-nail and ran through it like a red hot knitting-needle, and immediately his tongue was loosed and he went off preaching the gospel. I heard another say and another declare, that they were apostles for Jesus, that the Lord had sent them out to preach. But do you know, my dear brother, that when a monarch sends an ambassador to another nation, he gives him some sign? When a monarch sends ambassadors, he gives them a certificate--gives them the seal of the nation or the monarch that sends them. And the business that they enact is then authoritative, as the affairs of the nation or monarch that sends them. So with ambassadors for the Lord. If a man were to come to this country from France or England, and declare to the authorities at Washington that he was an ambassador, do you suppose they would receive him if he had no certificate? And when a man says the Lord has sent him as an ambassador, we want the Lord’s signature. Paul says: "God bears his ambassadors witness with signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will." And as a proof, they opened the eyes of blind men, cured the sick, and raised the dead to life. They healed the lame man, cleansed the leper, and caused the deaf to hear. They said, "We are ambassadors for the Lord," and gave proof that they were ambassadors. When men say now, we are ambassadors for the Lord, we ask them to show their authority. No sick persons are cured, no dead brought to life, no blind are made to see nor deaf to hear. And we say, you are liars, and send them off--and it is right. We have proved them and found them liars. Jesus commended that in the church at Ephesus, and does yet. The church at Ephesus had knowledge of these things and Jesus ~as pleased with it; but he said, I have somewhat against you; there is a little matter standing against you, notwithstanding all your labor, all your patience, and all your detecting of impostors. Notwithstanding all this you have done, I have somewhat against you: you have left your first love. If they had the tongues of angels and knowledge to understand all mysteries, and lacked this love, which is worth more than all, they were gone then and are now. There is danger yet of an individual losing his first love or leaving, it. There is danger yet of whole congregations leaving their first love. And as certain as an individual or congregation leaves its "first love," that certain will Jesus remove that congregation out of its place, pull it down, or destroy the individual that loses his first love. Is it not a solemn warning?
"But this you hast, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate." This church had nothing brought against it, only that it had left its first love, and that was bad enough. The good Lord grant that we, as a congregation, and all that read this letter of the Son of the living God may profit by it, and that we may not leave our first love for the Lord and his cause. Hold on to the first love always; be zealous for the Lord and his cause, and rejoice in him as we did when first we commenced the Christian race.
But this congregation hated the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, of which we have some account a little further on. And the Lord said, I also hate their deeds. And this is written for the benefit of the congregations in every age of the world since that time until Jesus, the Son of the living God, changes; and he is not like a man, to change.
"He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." I have introduced for your consideration the glory of the Lord, walking in the midst of the churches, holding their most conspicuous men in his hand. I would say, let us not forget what we have learned in this little lesson. We must be zealous for our Master, and not leave our first love.
Lecture 2:
The Letters to the Seven Churches
by Joseph Martin
TO HIM that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." A very plain revelation from Jesus--that those who repent and return to him (though they have left their first love), and overcome the temptations with which they are surrounded, shall at last have a right to the tree of life-- to eat of its fruit and live forever.
"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write: these things saith the First and the Last, which was dead, and is alive." This needs no comment. It is Jesus that is addressing this short letter to the church in Smyrna--Jesus that was dead and is alive, and will live forever. He says to this church in Smyrna, and to all others that are in a similar condition, "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty." We remarked today that the Lord knows what we are doing; that he is in our midst all the time, though invisible to us. That he knew the labor of the church at Ephesus, but knew at the same time that they had left their first love, and he rebuked them sharply for it; and now, to the church in Smyrna he says, I know your works, your tribulation, and poverty. It would save us a world of trouble if we would bear this always in mind. Then we pour out our complaints to each other, if we would but remember, Jesus knows all our poverty. This plain revelation from Jesus has comforted me many times when in deep distress, when I was sure no mortal eye could see my troubles, but that Jesus knew them. When. prostrate upon the cold, damp ground in the evening twilight, to remember that Jesus knew all my distresses, all my losses, trials and poverty, was a consolation that the world could never give. He said to this church, I know your poverty, but you are rich. It seems rather a strange contradiction, if we may use the expression, to say that the poor church was the rich one; but I have been fully persuaded that, as a general rule, this is true; that the poor congregation in this world is the rich one in the sight of the Son of the living God--rich, not in things of this world, but in things pertaining to the world to come. Not always that which is apparent to the eye here, is the true riches. But not only did Jesus tell them they were rich; he said, "I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." This church at Smyrna had lost their earthly goods, which had doubtless been confiscated; and Jesus knew it. The opposers of the truth had oppressed them, ground them down to the very dust; but they were rich, not in the world’s goods, but in riches incorruptible--in the crown of glory which the Lord, the righteous Judge, would give them at his coming. It was true then, and is so yet, doubtless, in many cases, and in many places, that the poor disciples of Jesus have hard things spoken of them. Men blaspheme the God of heaven by speaking evil of his people.
But Jesus says: "Fear none of those things which you shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried; and you shall have tribulation ten days," or, for a period of time, ten persecutions that came upon the Christians. They should have tribulation here for a time. But the consolation of Jesus is, "Be you faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."(Revelation 2:10) In every case the promise is to persons that are faithful unto death. And the idea, that simply being a member of the church is all that is necessary, is erroneous. The idea that the merits of the church will save persons, is of the Dark Ages. Nothing but faithfulness to the Lord until we die, can secure to us the crown of life. Jesus has revealed it here:
He closes this letter to the church by saying, "He that hath an ear, let him hear." But 0, my soul! is it possible that some will say that this is a small matter--the letters of Jesus to the congregations? If I were to write you a letter, my brother, and you would lay that letter aside and never read it, I would take it as an insult, if I were to learn the fact. If you knew that the letter was from your old brother, and then would say, "I do not think it is of much account, I will not read it," I should feel myself slighted. But if we say the letters of Jesus are of small moment, the Son of the living God is slighted by such worms as we are! "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." O, may we open our ears to hear the lessons of Jesus! "He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death." Ah! that second death! Although we may be members of the church, unless we overcome the world, the lusts of the flesh, the eye, and the pride of life, and the adversary, through obedience to the Lord, the second death will hurt us. Jesus said it--not I.
"And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write." The angel of the church, one of the stars John saw in the hands of Jesus. Not a heavenly angel, because John writes no letters to them, and they would not be accused of the errors John here says this angel had fallen into. These angels are men here in the flesh, conspicuous men in the churches, as before stated. "I know thy works, and where you dwell, even where Satan’s seat is." He could not have been an angel in glory. This church at Pergamos, with its angel or minister, was located at Satan’s seat, was at the devil’s headquarters, as unfavorable a place as I have ever heard of a church being located at. I have sometimes heard persons say there were certain neighbors too bad, too wicked, too ungodly for a minister to visit; that no good could be accomplished there; but Jesus has revealed to us that one congregation was located where Satan’s seat is. We never can find, then, in this world, a place too bad in which to preach the gospel. And this is encouragement to every disciple of Jesus. But, notwithstanding, they were situated right at the devil’s headquarters, or where Satan’s seat was. He says: "You hold fast my name, and hast not denied my faith." The church at Pergamos held fast the name of Christ. In plain words, they said, We are Christians. They did not deny the faith of Jesus; they held on to their confidence’ in him and his holy word, and that was well for them. But some have concluded, I think, that this is about all that is necessary--just to say, I am a Christian; I believe in the Lord Jesus (Christ; I believe his Word as a correct and infallible rule of life; I am a member of the Church of Christ. To hold fast his name and not deny his faith, like the church at Pergamos, is well; but Jesus says they did it in the face of strong opposition. They said they were Christians when men were dying for that NAME; while one of their number suffered martyrdom for it. Jesus says: "Even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwells." I have been fearful some of us would shrink; if our life were at stake for saying we are Christians, and holding fast to the faith of Jesus. Would we not falter, would not some of us shrink from the monster Death, when called to face him’ for saying we are Christians? But this church at Pergamos held fast the name and faith of Jesus when subjected to death for it. They might have said, We are Jews, and their lives would not have been in danger. They might have said, We are Pagans, and no one would have hurt them for it. They might have said, We are Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, or the Lord knows what--it made no difference what they called themselves--their life was not in danger, unless they said they were Christians.
But this church held on. Was not that enough? Jesus says, no. "I have a few things against thee." What was it Jesus had against the church at Pergamos? Among them that were willing to lay down their lives for his name and faith? What could he hold against them? He tells them--does not leave it for me to guess at.
"I have a few things against thee: you hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast youalso them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate." Twice has Jesus said in his letter to the churches, I hate the doctrines of the Nicolaitanes. He hated the doctrine that Balaam taught Balak, and he has not changed since then, beloved brethren and friends; the Lord is unchangeable. What he hated eighteen hundred years ago he hates to-night.
But the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes--what is it? We have on history’s page the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes; we have in the Bible itself the doctrine of Balaam. We have, by the Lord’s express word here, what Balaam did and what he taught; and the Nicolaitane doctrine was similar to it. It was to get Israel to conform to the customs of the nations that they were among; to eat the sacrifices that the heathen nations offered to the idols; to mingle with the heathen around them, and conform to their customs. And the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes was about the same. They taught, according to the best information we have in history, before John was in Patmos, that Christians might conform to the world somewhat; that it would be better for the cause of Christ for them to do so; that, for the heathen’s sake, they must not be too particular; that they might go to the temple of the idols, and bow and worship (or seem to) with the idolaters; that they might partake of the offerings to the idols, and be on good terms with the idolaters, to get them to meet with them and hear the gospel preached. And then, hearing the gospel, they would be converted to the Lord, join the church, and be Christians; and thus they could do good to conform to the usages of the idolaters around them--get them to be Christians. And then, of course, the person converted to the Lord among the heathen would still go, as taught by the Christians, in the way of the idolaters around them, and it was a compromise between Christianity and idolatry. That was the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, in a few plain words. Jesus said he hated it, and he hates every such doctrine yet.
Sometime since, a brother said to me, "Uncle Lem., we would love for you to make a visit to the city, but, for the Lord’s sake, do fix up a little--you are too plain. We must conform to the customs of the world somewhat in order to get their hearing. We must conform to the usages around us in order to get the people out to hear us." And it has been only a short time since this doctrine rang in my ears in an adjoining State. "We must keep up with the times in order to get a hearing from the world." It is the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes still taught. If I were to conform to the world in order to get a hearing from the ear of the world, there would be at least one conversion-- your humble servant converted to the world, and the world bettered nothing. But it has been said, "In Rome we must do as Rome does." It has been said of my beloved brother Paul, that he taught this, but it is a slander on him; he never hinted it. I know he did say he became all things’ to all men. "To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law (being not without law to God, but under the law to (Christ), that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you." But Paul did not conform to the usages; he only became as a Jew to the Jews, by using the Jewish scriptures in showing them that they were wrong and Jesus was the (Christ. He only became as under the law by using the law in all its types, and showing them that they pointed to (Christ; and thus fought them on their own battle-ground. To those that were without law, that acknowledged no law as given by Moses, did not believe the Jewish scriptures, Paul never quoted the Jewish scriptures; he did not use the Jewish scriptures among the Gentiles to convert them; he did not make his appeal to those scriptures at all, but said, your own poets condemn you, while he was at Athens. To the weak he became as weak; that is, he used great plainness of speech that all might understand him. Now I ask your earnest attention for a little while. Did Paul conform to the world around him? Was it for being as the Jews are, in his preaching, that he received forty stripes, save one, at five different times? Was it for conforming to the customs of the Gentiles that they threw him among the wild beasts? Was it for saying that those that were under the law were right, that they abused him and beat him with rods? No; it was for saying they were wrong--by meeting them on their own ground and using their own arguments against them.
"Repent"--of this doctrine of the Nicolaitanes and Balaam--"or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against thee with the sword of my mouth." And the sword of the mouth of the Lord is the weapon still to be used to put down every error." But, says one, "we are not liable to run into the doctrines of Balaam or the Nicolaitanes." It has been argued by some that it is no harm to go to the little amusem*nts of the neighbors around us--to these little plays or parties-- these little civil dances. No harm! Oh, we must not be odd; we may conform to the world a little in these innocent amusem*nts--in having our lotteries (shall I say?) in the churches, in order to get something to support the Gospel. And the doctrine that Jesus declared he hated, is spreading all over the land now--the doctrine that we may do these things. Jesus hated the doctrine of conformity to the world, and does now.
"He that hath an ear, let him hear." And I would raise my prayer to-night that we may hear it. None are bound to hear--O, no! But, then, our eternal all depends upon the facts explained here. Jesus, the Son of the living God! How solemn and awful to realize that he is near me!" He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Let the churches go into the errors Jesus has pointed out, and the light of the world is blotted out. The Church is the light of the world and the salt of the earth. O, may we realize it, and worship accordingly!
"To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows, saving he that receives it." To persons that have overcome, in the sense in which Jesus had been speaking, their desire to conform to the ways of the world--all these errors that he had been speaking of--and have been faithful in the service of the Lord until they die, he would give them to eat of the hidden manna, and they would have that peace and joy that the world is a stranger to. He would give them a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knew but he that received it. It was customary for monarchs to give to certain persons who had been faithful to their service, a ring or gem, and in that the name of the monarch himself; and the person keeping that was protected by that monarch in every circ*mstance wherever he might be. Jesus has declared here that the persons that overcome shall have his pledge, that they shall be protected in all trials, troubles and difficulties that may come upon them, and only such persons.
"And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, who hath His eye like unto a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass." In the description given in the first chapter, John said he saw one walking in the midst of seven golden candlesticks, his eyes dike a flame of fire, and his feet like unto fine brass; but did not tell us, in so many words, it was the Son of God; but here it is. He here declares that that being with eyes like a flame of fire, and feet like fine brass, as if they burnt in a furnace, was the Son of God. "I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works, and the last to be more than the first." What a list! Jesus knows all that is going on. Does he know the work, the charity, the faith, and the patience of the church at Unity? Just as certainly as He knew the works of the church at Thyatira. He knows all that we are doing for his cause, knows all our patience in His service, knows all our love that we have for the Lord and for each other. I am glad from my heart he has revealed it, and praise him for it.
“Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee, because you suffer that woman, Jezebel, which calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her, into great tribulation’ except they repent of their deeds." He comes out in plain words here, and tells what the doctrine was they were tolerating in that church--seducing his servants to commit fornication, going into the wicked ways of the world, and eating things sacrificed to idols. But we are not liable to do that, are we? I am not certain that there is not as much idolatry in the world now as when this letter was addressed to the church Thyatira. We may not make the likeness of a human being or four-footed beast, and worship it; but we may worship idols in other fowls-- we may worship the things of this world--fine meeting-houses, our farms, or other worldly possessions. Covetousness is idolatry. If we covet the things of earth, the anathema of the Lord rests upon us. We ought to remember it.
She repented not. He is always calling on the members of the church to repent, when they have gone into an error. I would thunder it into your ears, if I could. If we have gone into any of these errors, let us repent. If we have lost our first love, let us repent and return to it. If we have gone into the ways of the world, let us repent, humble ourselves, and turn from the broad road.
"And I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am he which searches the reins and hearts; and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." I would emphasize that, if I could. The Lord here declares he would let the churches know that he was the one that searches the reins and hearts. He does not look at the exterior altogether. This same God of heaven said once, "Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart." It is true yet. Lord grant my heart may be right! Erring mortals may think that God does not try the heart and reins, but Jesus has declared that he does. He wants the churches to know it. Lord grant that we may.
"But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden." Than what? "But that which ye have already; hold fast till I come." The Lord will never put any other burden on his people--the Church of Christ--than that which he has already put upon them; and if they will hold fast till he come, it will be well for them. He has given us his word--a perfect rule--and will never add a word to it. Men have placed other burdens on the Lord’s people; erring mortals have made other yokes or burdens, but Jesus will not know them. He says, "I will put upon you none other burden; hold fast till I come."
"And he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." There is nothing hard to understand in that, but something hard to live up to. But, one promise made here I must refer to again. Jesus has promised to the faithful servants who keep his works unto the end, power over the nations, to rule them with a rod of iron. The saints shall possess the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens. I wish this borne in mind, because I shall refer to it again.
Lecture 3:
The Four Beasts
by Joseph Martin
I WISH to make a few passing remarks before taking hold of this subject directly. It has been thought by some, and said by some, that a lecture is not profitable--does not amount to much. So much for the improvement we have made. Only about thirty years ago, it was thought that nothing else was so profitable as lecturing; and some persons think that talking on this last book of the New Testament is not in the common line of preaching. They have forgotten that Jesus had it given for the instruction of his disciples, and almost think it sacrilegious for a man to talk about it on the Lord’s day; when John saw the Vision on the Lord’s day, and seven times Jesus pronounces a blessing on those that hear what the Spirit said. That is one reason why I think it strange that persons are so prejudiced against this portion of the Lord’s Word. "Blessed is he that reads," it is said, "and those that hear the words of the prophecy of this book;" and dare I say it is not so? And certainly we would be blessed if we would remember all the time what Jesus has revealed--that he is in our midst; if we could remember all the time that he knows all we are doing for his cause, it would be a blessing; if we could remember all that he has said against certain errors and vices that have crept into the Church it would be a blessing to us; and if we could remember and understand all that is said in this book of Revelation, it would be a blessing to us. If we would remember that Jesus is to come again in the glory of his Father, and give to every man according as his works shall be, it would be a blessing to bear in mind.
We have called attention to Part First and Part Second of the Book of Revelation--what John saw--that is, the Lord in his glory, walking in the midst of the churches und holding their brightest stars in his hand; the most conspicuous men of the churches, and the condition that the churches were in at that time; and just what Jesus said concerning their poverty, their riches, their labors, and their errors; and it stands forth for our instruction as well as theirs.
We come now to notice the Third Division of this Book of Revelation; for you will remember that John was directed to write the three divisions--the things that he had seen, the things as they then were, and what should be in the future. (9th verse 1st chap.) At the commencement, then, of the fourth chapter, we have this reading:
"After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven; and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter." He takes up, in regular order, the Third Division, after noticing the First and Second. "And immediately I was in the Spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was, to look upon, like a jasper and a sardine-stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thunderings, and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." At some future time I want to call attention to the seven Spirits of God. God has seven Spirits, or the Revelation is wrong. It looks a little dark, does it not? But it will be plain when we understand the matter.
"And before the throne there was a sea of glass, like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a dying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory, and honor, and thanks to him, that sat on the throne who lives for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that lives for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, You art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power: for you hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
One matter is clear at a single glance, as to who was on the throne. It was the Creator, John saw seated on the throne--the Maker of heaven and earth and all that in them is. But to understand what is meant by the four beasts that bowed and worshiped, and to understand what the Lord intended us to know by the wing), is a different matter. To show clearly what the twenty-four elders represent is, perhaps, to some, a little harder than to tell who was on the throne. I propose, by the Bible, to show what the Lord intended his people to know.
These four beasts I will notice first of all. I will say something about their wings, and what we are to understand by their forms and faces. There are various Opinions as to what these beasts represent. John, it is true, looked in at the door that was opened in heaven and saw them, but they signify something more than merely four beasts or living creatures. I know the views of some great men; I might give some of them. One writer says that he supposed it might be that they represent the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. But as the Father, Son, an’ Holy Ghost are only three, while the beasts, in number, are four, he made two of the Lord Jesus, and said that Jesus had a human nature and thus a divine nature; and thus he had the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, making the four beasts. But another writer differed with him, and said he thought perhaps it might have reference (and that is a strong argument, isn’t it? ’’Perhaps.’’ If I cannot do better, the Lord forgive me for ever trying!) to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. He had the four. If this one was right, the other was wrong. But another thought that probably the four boasts that John saw, were four angels up in glory, that crowned the Lord witch he ascended from Mount Olivet and took his seat on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven. And I think that almost all the brethren of all denominations arc falling into this view, at least in word if not in fact; for in their prayers I have often heard them say that, before the throne in Heaven the beasts and elders bow and worship.
These ideas are rather conflicting. Someone is wrong But another person that I was conversing with some time since, took a different view altogether. His idea was that these four beasts John saw in the Vision were the steam cars--he said so! And his proof was that they had eyes all around; he said they wore the windows in the passenger cars, through which the people were looking. It is said that they had six wings each of them, and he Said the wings were the six wheels that the cars roll on. But the old brother had not counted correctly. Sometimes coaches have twelve wheels, instead of six, and, I believe, none of them have fewer than eight; so it did not quite tally. I was certain that if this one was right, the others were wrong. It is not hard to find some fault, but I am investigating this matter. I was compelled to reject the idea that these four beasts were Father, Son and Holy Ghost, from the fact that it made the Father, Son and Holy Ghost bow down and worship themselves, and be yet in the future, and not eternal; for John was telling what was to come to pass in the future, after the days of his exile. I was compelled, my brother, to reject the second view that I gave--that they were Matthew, Mark, Luke and John-- because Matthew, Mark and Luke were not to come to pass hereafter, for they were dead already. I was bound to reject the third view--that they were angels up in glory--because they declared themselves to be saints on the earth, as we will see in the next chapter. I was very certain that the last view was wrong--that they had reference to the steam cars--when I heard the old brother give it, because I have no idea that steam cars ever get on their knees to worship the Lord, and say, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!" It is easy to find fault, but what do these four beasts mean? One thing is certain--they could talk. And they could sing, and did sing a song of praise to the Almighty. They could bow and worship, and they did bow and worship the Lord of hosts. They were rational creatures. They were worshiping beings.
I wish to make a remark at this point that I desire every person in the house to-remember, and that is, that the order of prophecy is to tell the last event first--to look down to the end from the beginning. I made that remark in the city of B--, not long since, and an editor there-- and an elder of the church--said that the proof would be better than the assertion; they had never so understood it. I want to ask of each one, and every one of you that will give me his attention, if it is not the order of prophecies, when men that are uninspired predict future events? You say of the little boy, he will make a great man one day. If you could see the future, you would not presume to tell what the little boy would be next week. You would be more apt to tell what he would be when a grown man. You look around and see a state or County, and say it will be a great state or a rich County one day, and it is yet a wilderness. You do not tell w-hat it will be next week, do you? In all our uninspired predictions we are apt to tell the last thing first; and then we tell how the little boy will become a great man, or what will make the state a great state, and fill up between the now and then. But while this is true of uninspired predictions, it is none the less true in the Bible of God. It is certainly true in the Book in which we are interested now, that the last event is the first prediction made. You would like to have the proof, would you? Let me read it to you, then.
"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him." Here he tells of the coming, of the Lord. In the first prediction that he makes of future events--the first one in the whole Book-- he tells us that the Lord will come in clouds. That is his first prediction of future things. I have proven that much, then. One good substantial proof from God’s holy Book is worth more than an hour’s gabbling.
Again, Ezekiel in his prophecy tells the last event first. The end of the matter is the first prediction Ezekiel makes in the first chapter of his prophecy. He had the same vision that John describes here of the four beasts, with their faces exactly as John names them, and winds up by saying it was the appearance of the glory of the Lord, and the whole earth was to be full of his glory. That time has not yet come. (We are for teaching, today, not exciting anyone). Not only does Ezekiel tell the last event in the world’s history in the first chapter, but Isaiah does the same thing. After introducing himself to Israel, and speaking of their sins and iniquities, he let them know the time was coming when nations should beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, and learn war no more. That is a little beyond our time, and it is the first prediction he makes. It is true he had previously rebuked Israel for their sins, but when he predicts future things, he tells the last event first. And that is not all. Again, after a brief digression from this glorious time he speaks of in the first prediction of future things, in the next prediction he brings up the subject again. In the sixth chapter he repeats John’s Vision almost word for word, and declares there that it was a vision of the glory of the Lord, when the whole earth was to be full of his glory.
Now, why have I said so much in reference to the last event being named first in prophecy, whether inspired or uninspired? To show that this Vision of the fourth chapter is yet in the future. Not, as some have concluded, that it was the first event to transpire after John saw the Vision in Patmos--but the last one, my brother, and I will prove it.
But these four beasts. We have not yet named what they are. I return now, and say that they could talk, and could sing; they knew the Lord, and bowed and worshiped God. They were rational creatures, and that is not all-- they were here on earth, as they themselves declare. I now make one declaration, and submit a proposition: that these four living creatures are four nations of men. Why do I say so? From the fact that they could talk. They are not four individual men, but nations of men. Nations can talk, as individuals can; and the reason I think these four beasts are nations of men, is that the Lord’s Book so instructs me. You do not know that, do you, brother? Listen. (We are for learning to-day).
In the seventh chapter of Daniel’s prophecy, he tells us he saw some beasts in a vision, and he inquired of the Lord what they were; and the angel of the Lord told him the sum of the matter, and said: The fourth beast you saw is the fourth kingdom (or nation of men) on the earth. The third beast was then, of course, the third kingdom on the earth, in Daniel’s vision. The second beast was the second kingdom on the earth, in Daniel’s vision; and the first beast was the first kingdom on earth, in Daniel’s vision, as the Bible of God teaches. Then we would read, with the Lord’s definition, "I saw four nations or kingdoms bowing and worshiping." Not the kingdoms or nations that Daniel was speaking of. Daniel was telling of the four kingdoms that were to rise and fall in succession,, one after the other. But John was talking about four kingdoms or nations that were to bow and worship the Lord at the same time--all together--not one after the other.
It is positively stated in the Bible that the word beast, when it is used in a figurative sense, means a kingdom or nation. Here are four. I would like to know what four kingdoms or governments are to worship the Lord at the same time. Has that already taken place? No; it is in the future. John is telling the last event in his history; he is speaking of the millennial age, as we sometimes call it-- the thousand years of peace on earth; and these four beasts that John saw bowing and worshiping, have, by the Lord himself, been four times, and more than that, designated the four quarters of the earth. Do you not think I will have a little difficulty to prove that? John looked, and in the Vision saw the four quarters of the earth bowing and worshiping the Lord. The proof would be better than the assertion, would it not? The proof I offer for these four beasts that John saw being the four quarters of the earth, I would give circ*mstantially.
First their appearance to John. He said the first one was like a lion, and it answers very well to Asia, the first quarter of the world in point of age, settlement, and the reception of the gospel. Asia, the first quarter of the world, in point of numbers, strength, and age, lion-like crouches down in her mighty strength, and none ever dares to rouse her from her lair. The first beast, the first quarter of the world, is like a lion, and Asia is stronger than any; half-civilized, untamed, she has crouched down for many ages.
But John said the second beast or nation was like a calf. And the second quarter of the world settled by the human family, was Africa. The gospel went there in the second place, too, after it was preached in Asia, and we look and see the likeness complete. Africa has bowed her neck like an ox, has worn the yoke, and ploughed the field for the nations of the earth. (I am not a politician; O, no! but this is a literal truth). Africa is the most humble, workable, docile, ox-like nation on the earth. They have been; how long they will remain so is another question.
John said the third beast or nation, had the face of a man. I call your attention to the third quarter of the world, and we see a man’s intellect developed as in no other quarter of the world; a man’s face is seen there in Europe. How did John know? It was a barbarous quarter of the world in his day, but it has been rising and man’s intellect developing there as in no other quarter of the world, and the arts and sciences, since the dark ages, were born in that country. We do not like to yield the palm, and say they are wiser than we. We may be standing on their shoulders, but they were our fathers in the sciences and arts.
But he said the fourth beast or quarter of the world was like an eagle--in a cage? “O, no! Like an eagle with its wings cropped’’ O, no! The fourth beast was like a flying eagle; the fourth division of the human family like a flying eagle; the fourth quarter of the world, in point of age or time of settlement, was like a flying eagle, with its wings spread out. He looked at the whole continent a little beyond the day in which we live, and saw the broad wings of the free eagle there rising, the free bird uncaged, with wings spread, rising higher and higher, with her eye fixed with an unblanched gaze upon the glorious sun of liberty, the freest land beneath the sun. Lord, help us to realize our privileges! You need not be uneasy, friends; the eagle’s wings are spread and she will rise. We may be chastised for our unworthiness, and whipped for our ingratitude, but the free land, the free eagle, will rise higher and higher; and the Lord grant that her wings may yet overshadow the ends of the earth! It makes me feel a little taller, while I think of being a citizen of the fourth quarter of the world, that is like the flying eagle. It is our national emblem. Have you not seen the likeness of the eagle upon our national currency, upon the half dime? You never saw our national ensign with wings folded. It is characteristic of the people in the fourth quarter of the world of this nation in which we live.
But this is only circ*mstantial proof. That is all, my brother. It would almost hang a man, if being tried for his life, would it not? Then, shall we bring in a little more proof that these four beasts that John saw are the four quarters of the earth--Asia, Africa, Europe and America?
My next argument is that the old prophet Ezekiel locates them, and tells just where they are. In the first chapter of his prophecy, Ezekiel says that he was upon the banks of the river Chebar, in the land of the Chaldeans, and that is the site of Jerusalem directly. He says:
"And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof, as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire: also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings, on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies."
And he closes this glowing description of these living creatures, by saying: "This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord."
That is nearly positive proof, is it not? Well, the positive proof I will read.
"And the Lamb came and took the book out of the hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, You art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for you hast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." And we are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John--angels up in glory--steam cars? No. Every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. The four beasts, then, with the elders, bow and worship, declaring themselves to be of every kindred, tongue, people and nation--the four quarters of the earth. But the time has not yet come when every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, bow and worship the Lord. John looked down and saw that time, and he adds, immediately in the next verse, in speaking of these living creatures or beasts, that they said, "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever."
Why in the name of reason would a wise man say these beasts were angels up in heaven, while they declare they are to reign on the earth. "He has made us kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth." They are saints, they are of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation. But you do not believe that the greatness of the kingdom will be given to the saints, do you? It does not look much like it now, my brother, while we have nine hundred millions of pagans on earth, at the end of nearly seventeen hundred years of warfare. We have not advanced upon the enemy’s outer pickets yet. Three hundred millions that have heard of the Lord, and nine hundred millions in darkness yet. It does not look as if the four quarters of the world would soon acknowledge Jesus, does it?
Let me offer a thought for your encouragement. This world has almost been made since I can remember. I can remember when there was not a match to light a candle with in this world. I can remember when my father used to send me a half mile to borrow some fire, on a cold morning. That is a small matter, however. I can remember when we heard the latest news from New York city in three weeks, where my father lived in Kentucky. I can remember when we had the last news from Europe in three months, by some fast-sailing vessel. I recollect when we got a message from St. Petersburg, in Russia, in six months, and it was late news! I recollect very well when it took me one whole week to come from Southern Indiana, near New Albany, to the place where I now live, hard traveling; to come from my home to this County. How long does it take now? I recollect very well when we sent a man on a swift animal to learn the particulars of a disaster in a far off neighborhood, and got tile news in three or four days sometimes, even if the disaster happened fifty miles from where we lived!
I want to say a little more than that. The time ’has not long gone by, when a man would have to work a long lifetime to earn enough money to buy one copy of the Bible.
We want to look at the now. We do not have to go half a mile on a cold morning for fire, for a match is really. We do not have to wait three weeks to get a message from New York or Washington. How long does it take to get the news from New York, London, Paris, or St. Petersburg now? Start the news from New York city to Greencastle, Lafayette or Indianapolis at twelve o’clock noon, and we are reading it in some of the Western cities at half-past eleven, nearly half an hour before it starts! I am not exaggerating. They start the news from London or St. Petersburg on Monday morning a little after twelve o’clock, and we are reading it here in New York on Sunday evening at nine o’clock, three or four hours before it starts! I do not mean that we really get it before it starts from there, but that it outruns old Sol that much. It is a matter of fact.
I said it used to take me a whole week to come from Southern Indiana to this County. How long does it take now? We get on the cars after dinner and get here a good while before supper time the same day; and they say it is a slow road.
It took a long lifetime to earn money enough to buy a Bible a few centuries since. How long would it take now?
Not long at all. They will give it to anyone that wants it; they are sending it to the benighted lands of the heathen as fast as they can take it there; it is flying by steam and running by lightning. In this land, if a man wants to buy a Bible, he can earn enough in a day to buy two; that is, if he is a good mechanic, and buys cheap books, he can get two copies of the whole Word of God for a day’s work. What a difference! Do not tell me that we cannot accomplish what the Lord has promised, when we are doing now more in a day than they could do in a century some three hundred years since; doing more in one hour than they could do in a hundred years any time in the twelfth, thirteenth or fourteenth centuries, in the sense in which I am speaking, especially Bible-making. And that is the great lever that is to turn the world over and get it right side up. They had to write their Bibles with a pen a few centuries since, and now we are throwing them off in the steam printing presses by the million per day. And, bless you, if a man were to write out a Bible a few centuries since, or had enough money to buy one, they would not allow him to read it; but how is it now? They are begging, pleading with men, entreating them to take the Bible for naught, and urging with all their might that men should read it. The Word of the Lord is going to shake the heavens this time. It shook the earth once, but the heavens must tremble this time before the onward course of God’s almighty Word. We can convert the nations, and we will, the Lord being our helper. We can bring about the glorious time when lion-like Asia shall bow and acknowledge Jesus instead of worshiping idols; when ox-like Africa shall join in with lion-like Asia in saying, Jesus is the Lord; when man-like Europe shall join with them in saying, Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords; and free America join in with the other three and say that Jesus Christ is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
John looked down and saw the time when the four quarters of the earth would acknowledge Jesus to be their rightful Ruler. He saw Asia in all its strength, Africa in all its docility, Europe in all its wisdom, and America with all her freedom, joining in one song of praise to him that sat on the throne and worshiping the Lord of hosts. A glorious time, my brother; it was well John said it. The churches were in a miserable condition in the day when he saw the Vision; but the gospel was yet to fill the whole earth with the glory of the Lord.
In my next discourse I will notice what the Lord has said to be the means used in bringing about this glorious time; how it is to be accomplished, bringing the whole earth to the feet of Jesus. May the Lord help us to work.
"And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that you hast a name, that you live, and art dead." Not the only church that is in that condition. "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die; for I have not found thy works perfect before God." But then Jesus does not tell this church at Sardis to be watchful and repent, and strengthen the things that remain, without telling them how to do it. He adds, in the next verse, "Remember therefore how you hast received and heard, and hold fast and repent." The way to strengthen the things which are ready to die, is to remember what we have received and heard of the Lord. And the way for us to perfect our works before the Lord, is to remember what we have received and heard of him; and there is no other plan we can fall on by which we can strengthen the things that are ready to die. Jesus said it.
"If therefore you shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and youshalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." The church would go down suddenly, in an unexpected hour, unless they were watchful, and remembered the teachings of the Son of the living God, and repented. It is as true now as then.
"You hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy." I want to pause one moment at that revelation. The Lord has mentioned here, that in the congregation that was ready to die as a church, a few were faithful and firm, and should walk with him in white. It is as true to-night as it was then, that the faithful servant of the Lord, though he might be a member of a congregation that had gone out of the way, that had a name to live only, but was dead in reality, that faithful servant would be owned by the Lord. Like faithful Caleb and Joshua, in the midst of rebellious Israel, the faithful (Christian has the promise of the Lord that he shall reach the promised rest, and walk with him in white.
"He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." What consolation! What encouragement for a person to be faithful! Do not, for heaven’s sake, say, I cannot do right, because others are doing wrong. Be faithful, and the Lord will confess you before his Father and his angels, though the world around you, and the congregation you are a member of, be put down to the dust of the earth.
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches," is the command of Jesus. I feel like getting on my knees and saying, " Lord grant that we may hear!’’
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; these things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that opens and no man shuts, and shuts and no man opens." Jesus opens the door to the people, the way to salvation, and no man can shut it. When he shuts no man can open it. All the teaching of the dark ages was wrong in that respect, that men had the keys to unlock the kingdom of heaven to man, or to close it against the human family. Jesus alone has that power. I know he gave to Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, but it was only a grant while Peter was here, and when Peter died he gave the keys to Jesus.
He says, "I know thy works; behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it." When the Lord says, I have set before you an open door and no man can shut it, it is impossible for a human being to keep us from obedience to the Lord and gaining a home in heaven, while Jesus has given us the privilege. They cannot shut us out of heaven; no man nor set of men on earth, no being in heaven but Jesus, has the power to keep us from a heavenly home, or give us life eternal.
"You hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name." They had kept the Word of the Lord at Philadelphia, and had not denied his name. and Jesus declared that he would work for them, because they had kept his word. Not long since I asked a brother the reason -why the churches of Christ were not so prosperous in large towns and cities as the various denominations. He said it was simply because we were not keeping up with the age. But Jesus tells another reason. That brother said if we would keep up with the age, have as good accommodations for the world, as easy seats for people to occupy, as good music as the denominations had, then we would keep up with the denominations, in large towns and cities; but until we do this, the young people especially will go off to the denominations, and we will be put down unless we keep up with the times. "Nicolaitanes," I thought. What did Jesus say?
"You hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because you hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Jesus tells precisely how to make our enemies come and bow before the Lord: to keep his word, do his commandments, walk in obedience to him, and then the enemies of Christ will come and worship at the feet of the Lord. Do you believe it, fellow citizens? Do you believe Jesus is right, or that brother who said we must keep up with the times? The Lord save me from trying to keep up with the times in this wicked age. I believe that Jesus was right. That if the congregation, however poor it may be, will just keep the Word of the Lord, they will let a light chine before men that the powers of darkness cannot put out. Jesus said that the congregation that kept his word should prevail so as to make his enemies come and worship at their feet.
"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which youhast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God. And I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Letters from the Son of the living God! One more letter and we shall have done with the letters of Jesus to the churches.
"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; these things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that you art neither cold nor hot; I would you wert cold or hot." We need not think we can palm off deception upon the Son of God; his eyes are like a flame of fire. "So then because you art lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth." And he would not ask whether they were willing to this arrangement or not. The Lord save us from luke-warmness! Are there not too many congregations in this condition? As certain as there is truth in the words of the Son of the living God, we know the fate of that congregation; He will spew them out of his mouth.
Says one, "I expect they were poor trash, anyhow." You do? Speaking of one poor church, Jesus said they were rich. But here is a church that is lukewarm, and Jesus states here that not only would he spew them out of his mouth on account of luke-warmness, but, "Because you say I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." It was a rich church at Laodicea, numbering thousands of members, with the wealth of the whole city and country around and about. In that congregation they had rich men; they had large possessions, and may have had, for aught I know, a fine meeting-house. They were not telling a falsehood when they said they were rich in this world’s goods, but they were lukewarm in the cause of Christ. I heard, some time since, some remarks on that subject, by a member of a congregation that I thought was in about the same condition as the Laodiceans. The brother said, "We have the wealth of the neighborhood in our church. We have the merchants, the lawyers, the physicians--all the great men of our town in the church. We have need of nothing." Jesus said of that church that had become lukewarm in his cause, "You know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." They did not know their wretchedness; they were trusting to earthly goods, to earthly honors--they were "keeping up with the times." They were ahead of all the congregations around them; were fully up with the idolaters around them in all that was counted great in this world, but Jesus pronounced them poor--said that the poor church was rich, and the rich church was poor. It is a revelation from Jesus.
But he gave them some counsel. He said, "I counsel you to build finer houses." O, no! "I counsel you to gather more gold." O, no! "I counsel you to keep up with the age." No, indeed! They were fully up with the times, and with all the earthly honors and wealth; and Jesus declared that they were wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Lord, help us to realize what Jesus said. "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire"--something that is durable, that which will stand the burning when the elements shall melt away. When all the metals and substances of this earth on which we live are burned up, we will need something more durable than silver and gold. "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white raiment, that you may be clothed; and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint shine eyes with eye-salve, that you may see." Better counsel could never be given. O! for the white raiment! the righteousness of saints! The righteousness of Christ is worth more than the finest suit of cloth, or the finest silks and satins ever worn by human beings, in the sight of the King of Glory. It is worth more than robes of purple. Do you believe it, brother? It is a revelation from Jesus, a letter from the Son of the living God to his followers here. Lord, grant we may not forget it! O! for the eye-salve, that we may see! Men are so blind. That congregation were so blind and everything so dark, they could not see the Holy City, the incorruptible inheritance; they could not see the "exceeding and eternal weight of glory;" they had lost sight of the prize at the end of the race. We want a little of the eye-salve of faith, and knowledge of the Word of the Son of God. I pray for more of it, that we may see the worthlessness of all things here. Now, I feel like humbly bowing before the Lord and saying, "Grant that I may see as I should the worthlessness of things pertaining to this world. O, that we may see, as we should, the worth of a home in heaven, of the crown of life, of a place in the paradise of God. I pray for eye-salve enough to give me a clear view of it. Jesus gave the counsel--it is well enough to take it. We are so short-sighted we cannot look a few days before us to the cold grave, the silent tomb, the dark charnel-house of the dead. I want my eyes enlightened enough to look into the grave, and beyond the tomb, to the awful world of darkness where the impenitent and the ungodly must go.
"As many as I love I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent." Jesus wrote this letter to the Church in love, telling them of their faults and errors in love; his rebukes to us are because he loves us, and he wants us to dwell in his peaceful presence forever. God grant we may hear his rebukes then.
"Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and I will sup with him and he with me." By all his words of kindness, of rebuke; by all his chastenings, he stands at the door of our hearts and knocks for admittance. He wants us to have Christ dwell in our hearts; he wants to be the sole dweller there--the one that fills our souls; he does not want our hearts to be divided between the world and heaven. He is knocking at the heart of every Christian that has gone astray, and seeking admittance again.
"To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
We have now done with briefly noticing the Second Division of the Book of Revelation, the condition that the churches were in at the time John saw the Vision in the Isle of Patmos--the present things at that time. The Third Division is the main matter that we have for consideration, and that mainly interests us. At the commencement of the fourth chapter begins the Third Division.
Lecture 4:
More About the Four Beasts
and the Authority of Christ
by Joseph Martin
MORE ABOUT THE FOUR BEASTS, AND THE MEANS OF GOD’S APPOINTMENT IN BRINGING THE WHOLE WORLD UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST.
WE RESUME the subject of these four beasts, or four quarters of the world, as we think we clearly proved today, if we can take their words as evidence; for they said they were of every kindred, tongue, people and nation.
That John did look down to the time when every creature on earth would acknowledge Jesus, is stated in the fourth chapter, when he is speaking to us of the language of these four beasts and twenty-four elders. We closed our remarks to-day by saying that we have the means to bring about this glorious time--we have the means to work with. But the Lord has not left us to surmise or guess at how the world is to be converted to himself.
John informs us that each of these beasts had six wings about him that the beasts themselves were full of eyes, before and behind, and within, and had each of them six wings. And the wings were used to raise them up above the world; to raise the nations up above the world. I use the term world in its common acceptation; not to raise the people up literally, physically, above the earth, but to raise them up in their minds, their feelings, their affections, their thoughts above earthly things. A wing is always given to rise up or fly with. And these four divisions of the human family had each of them six wings to raise them up. Ezekiel saw them in his vision. He describes the faces precisely as John does-- the face of a lion, the face of an ox, the face of a man, and the likeness of an Eagle. Ezekiel and John are alike about the faces, while Isaiah says the same thing (in the sixth chapter) of the wings, but not of the faces; Isaiah says each of them had six wings. And John heard these living creatures saying, "Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty." Isaiah says, in the sixth chapter, "I heard the seraphim saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." It is the same vision John saw, and the same language. Ezekiel makes a little difference in reference to the wings. He said these living creatures came out of a whirlwind, came from the North, and they had each of them four wings, only four, while John and Isaiah both say they had six. At a glance of the mind, that might appear a discrepancy or contradiction in the Bible, but it is not so; it is a beautiful thought, when properly understood. But what are the wings of the nation that raise them up in their affections, their thoughts, and their aspirations, above the groveling things of earth?
I take the position tonight that nothing but the Word of the Lord can ever raise the people up to the high position that Isaiah and Ezekiel spoke of. Nothing but the Bible can do it. I do believe that the Bible is the wings of these living creatures.
They had each of them six wings about him. It would seem rather a strange idea if we put the meaning of the word for the word itself, and say, "each nation had six Bibles." But I am almost certain, at a single glance of the mind, that the wings of these living creatures is the Bible, the word of the Lord. Would you give me much for that argument--"almost certain?" I may give you some very good circ*mstantial proof that I am right in saying the Bible is the wings. Not six Bibles, but the Bible divided into six divisions. There are just six grand divisions in the Word of the Lord--no more, no less. Do you wish to hear them? We have in the Old Testament scriptures, history, law and prophecy; and if you can imagine anything in the book of Psalms, or Job, or Esther, or Nehemiah, or Ezra, or Joshua, or Judges, or any book of the Old Testament that is not included in these divisions, I want you to tell me sometime. Every word of the Bible is history, law or prophecy. I know that some of the Psalms of David have all three of these, but it must be history, law or prophecy. That is the three divisions of the Old Testament. In the New, there is precisely the same number--history, law, and prophecy--making the six divisions into which the Word of the Lord, or Bible, is divided. You cannot get one out of it; you could not add one to it. But this is only very slight circ*mstantial evidence that the Word of the Lord is the wings. Another I give, is circ*mstantial proof from the sixth chapter of Isaiah, read in your hearing. Isaiah said that "the seraphim had each of them six wings about him. And they said, Holy, holy, holy Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of thy glory." That was away beyond our time, for the whole earth is not yet full of the glory of the Lord; the people do not say it, anyhow. But Isaiah said, with the first pair of wings, or twain, they covered the face; with the second pair or twain, they covered the feet, and with the third pair of wings they flew. You remember the reading, do you? Well, Paul says, of the first part of the Old Testament scriptures--the law and historical portion--that while it is read, a veil remains over the heart, as Moses put a veil over his face even until now. The first pair of wings covers the face, and they could not see to the end of all the types and shadows and offerings under the old law; while the historic portion and the law portion raised them up to some extent above earthly things, it left a veil over the face.
But, then, Isaiah said the second pair of wings covered the feet. Paul says of the New Testament scripture, We have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, that we may run the Christian race with speed and safety. The first part of the gospel shows the Christian’s feet: the second pair of wings used by the human family, covers the feet.
But there are two other divisions. The prophetic portion of the Old Testament, and the prophetic portion of the New Testament, pointing to the same glorious period, are two wings not much in use yet. They are the other pair. And I may as well say here, as at any other point, that we now discover why Ezekiel said they had four wings, while Isaiah and John say six. Ezekiel saw them when they were coming out of the whirlwind in the days in which we live just now. He looked at them and saw the four quarters of the world in a whirlwind; and if we are not in a whirlwind now as nations, the Lord save us from storms! And while they were in the whirlwind period, they had but four wings; that is, they understood to some extent the law and history of the Old Testament, and the law and history of the New; but the prophetic wings they did not understand, and, therefore, they have them not in that sense. We are said not to have that which we cannot use. But Isaiah saw them when they said the whole earth is full of the glory of the Lord; John saw them bowing and worshiping, when every creature on earth said, holy is the Lord of hosts; and at that time when they pass out of the whirlwind period, and the whole earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord, the prophetic wings are used and the nations fly with them; they are understood then, and will be at that time.
But that is only circ*mstantial evidence. Pretty strong for circ*mstantial evidence, isn’t it? The wings, I said, were the Word of the Lord;--I thought so. Directly, I will tell you why I know it. How do I know it? If you hear me read, perhaps you will know. Ezekiel says, in the first chapter, speaking of these creatures and their wings, "I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty." He heard the noise of their wings as the voice of the Almighty---the Word of the Lord; but it was not the Almighty speaking from heaven; he said the voice of speech--men speaking the words of the Almighty. And how many of them? Said he, the words of a host of men speaking the words of the Almighty. But in the tenth chapter of Ezekiel we have this reading: I heard the sound of the cherubim’s wings. He makes cherubim out of the beasts, just as Isaiah does. I heard the sound of their wings to the outer court--away off into the world, among the ungodly--not the inner court, not in the house of the Lord only; but he heard the sound of the cherubim’s wings to the outer court, and it was the voice of Almighty God when he speaks, not from heaven, but by men’s lips. Then I know that the wings of these beasts are the words of the Almighty, because Ezekiel says so twice. And they are divided into the six grand divisions just named. We have four of them partially in use among us in this age, and two we have no use for, it seems, and have never used them at all. Lord help us to gather up the two remaining wings! It will bless the world to understand the prophetic wings of God’s holy Word.
Here it is revealed to us as plain as language can be spoken, that the words of the Almighty spoken by men, and a host of them, are the wings to raise the nations up. It is a grand missionary enterprise the old prophet is looking at. But he said a little more than I have read.
"I saw - the hands of a man under their wings." I say praise the Lord for it! I heard a multitude of men’s voices speaking the words of the Almighty, and I saw the hands of men holding up the Word of the Lord. As it were, the hands of men under their wings; and we need not expect the God of heaven to come thundering down from his throne to raise the nations up to the high position that John had seen them occupy; we have to do it ourselves. We have to print the bibles ourselves. We have to send out the missionaries ourselves, and men’s hands must do the work, and hold up the Word of the Lord. Do not try, dying friends, to get out of the responsibility; it is the grandest offer ever made to a human being since the God of heaven has made offers to man--to renovate the world and bring about the long-prayed for millennium. Men themselves must speak the words of the Almighty, and we need a host of them; and men’s hands must sustain them while they are doing it. John saw this; Isaiah and Ezekiel saw this.
I am glad that we have the privilege of proclaiming the words of the Almighty to a ruined world!
But while John is describing these living creatures, with their wings (the words of the Almighty to raise them up), Ezekiel tells a little more about these four beasts. It is the same vision that the other prophets are talking about. Ezekiel said they had wheels on the earth; they were not only raised up by the words of the Almighty--their wings above the world--but they had their wheels on the earth, and the wheel was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. And they had feet-- straight feet; and the sole of their foot was like the sole of a calf’s foot. Someone has said, no word of the Bible was dropped in to fill up space, but every word is there by the wisdom of the Almighty. The nations’ feet are straight feet, and the sole of their foot like the sole of a calf’s foot. What is meant by the foot of a nation of men? Just what Paul meant, when, speaking of the feet of those who preached the gospel, he said, "flow beautiful are the feet of those that preach the gospel." There is not an ignoramus in the land, I suppose, that does not know that Paul did not mean tile literal, or physical foot of the preacher; but he meant their walk, their conduct; he was speaking of genuine preachers, not hypocritical ones. And so the prophet of the Lord meant the walk of the nation would be straight. But not in the wrong direction. The sole of their foot was like a calf’s foot--they moved on in obedience to the Lord, and served him. But while he is telling this, he adds, himself, that they went straight forward; that is what he meant by the straight feet.
But about their wheels on the earth. They declare, in the fifth chapter, they are to reign on the earth: "You hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we are to reign on the earth." Then they must have a government on earth, if they reign here; and the government of the millennial age is described right here--I mean the millennial earthly government of tile nations. He said it was a wheel in the middle of a wheel. I have heard some learned men say that the idea was that the outside wheel was inside the inside one; and the prophet of God says their wheels are all alike--they four had one likeness, and the wheel was full of eyes all around. And when the living creature went, the wheel went, and when the living creature was lifted up, the wheel was lifted up, for the spirit or life of the living creature was in the wheel. It was their earthly government described--the wheel upon which they moved along in an earthly sense. A wheel within a wheel! Did you ever see the like--the outside wheel within the inside one? One man said, some time since, it is utterly impossible. May be not. If tile Bible says it, it must be so; if that is the idea conveyed. But it does not look so hard when I tell you that the old prophet of God was speaking of a democratic republic--such a government as we are under. A government within a government. Do you not know that in a government like ours, the people rule? We, the people, are the ruling power of this land. Hence, John and Ezekiel both say they are full of eyes. They are all kings, all overseers, all electors, every one of them, every man in this nation, unless he has forfeited his right in some way. But then, while we are the ruling power, it is not convenient for us all to meet together to enact laws; so we elect fifty thousand servants in this great nation. It may be they are not always good ones, but they ought to be, and they rule over us. We are under their control, and inside of their government, and they are under our control and inside of our government. We are over, above, and outside of them, as far as power is concerned; and they are over, around, and above us as far as position is concerned. They are under our control, and we are under theirs. The outside wheel is the inside, any way you turn it.
The government is full of eyes, the whole living creature. In a government like this, we all watch, or ought to, for the general welfare. We look back, and draw instruction from the past; we look forward for the dangers that may be ahead--the people do, or ought to; we look within for the general welfare of the whole mass. So, the living creature is full of eyes before, behind, and within. The government, or wheel, was full of eyes all around. And the old prophet told us the time was coming u hen the four living creatures, or four quarters of the earth, would have their laws or governments all alike. I am glad of it, and it is when the Word of the Almighty has raised them up to the high position that the God of heaven intended they should occupy in the millennial age. We are not working in vain. There is a mighty revolution on hand just now, such as never was before upon the human family since time began. We had better open our eyes and look, open our ears and hear the warnings of the God of heaven, and work in his vineyard, that we may receive the reward and hear the welcome plaudit, "Well done yougood and faithful servant, enter youinto the joy of thy Lord." The opportunity is granted to us to proclaim the Word of the Lord, to bring about this time ~hen the four quarters of the earth shall have their governments alike, and not a one-man power; and the saints shall rule; at the ballot-box all over the earth, and righteousness shall cover the earth, and the wicked no longer rule,--when the nations shall learn war no more. Lord help us to work for that glorious result!
And when this time comes, then the twenty-four elders will bow and worship." I don’t know about that." You don’t? Do you know that I am right in saying, when this time comes, that the nations have their governments all alike--a democratic republic, raised to the high position by the Bible--is the time when the elders bow and worship on the earth? Let me read it. Will that satisfy you?" And when those beasts give glory, and honor, and thanks to him, that sat on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that lives for ever and ever." When the four quarters of the earth bow before the Lord, and acknowledge Jesus as King, then the twenty-four elders bow down and worship. Who are they? Just the Lord’s family on earth--the Lord’s Church on earth--the Jews and Gentiles united in one family of the Lord all over the earth. They will not all be members of the Church in the millennial age. While the nations all acknowledge Jesus, they will not all be Christians in the sense of church membership. The Jews will acknowledge Jesus; the twelve tribes of Israel will unite with those who are built upon the foundation of the twelve apostles-- making out the twenty-four names. They are saints, they say; they had crowns of gold; they will have crowns of gold, they are genuine disciples. They had the prayers of saints to offer, and say with these four beasts, We are kings and priests, and we are to reign on the earth, not up in heaven. These twenty-four say they are all redeemed of God, by the blood of Christ, and made kings and priests, and are to reign on the earth. They belong to the four quarters, it is true, but they are Christians in the four quarters. How do I know? Because the Lord tells me that; I know nothing but as I have learned it from the Bible. They are the city of the living God, as described after a while; and John says, a little further on, when the sixth seal was opened, and when the seventh trumpet sounded, the Jews had acknowledged Jesus. The twelve tribes of Israel are built upon the foundation of tile twelve apostles--making the twenty-four elders, or representative names. What did John see then? The gospel triumphing gloriously, and the four quarters of the world acknowledging, Jesus to be the Lord; the Lord’s people united in one family, bowing and praising him--Jews and Gentiles together. What more did he see?
"I saw seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”[Fourth chapter.] What are these seven Spirits of God? God has seven Spirits working in this world. What are they? They are the seven lamps that are burning before the throne; these are the seven Spirits, but what are the seven lamps? The Lord said, these lamps are the churches, and all the Spirit God works with to convert and save dying mortals, is in the congregation of the Lord. I expect to prove, before I am done, that seven is a full number, and in God’s Word it means all. And all the Spirit God uses in this work to convert the world, is in his people here--the churches and congregations. Woe to the man that folds his arms; woe to the congregation that loses its first love, and goes in the way of Balaam’s doctrine, that boasts of its riches and honors; woe to those that become careless and unconcerned; for the God of heaven will call them to account for it, and will bless them that labor in his cause to bring about the glorious time that Jesus left his Father’s courts to introduce.
Then, to sum up, and close for this evening: When the Lord said to John, I will show you what is to be hereafter, he saw the four grand divisions of the human family, enlightened by the Bible-- the Jews and Gentiles--united in one family, bowing before the throne; the churches bright and shining lights, burning before the throne. He saw a glorious company--that other part of the Lord’s family that had crossed over Jordan--united with the spirits of just men made perfect. They had crossed tile Jordan of death, and were before the throne of the Almighty.
May God grant we may lay hold of this work. Will we say that Jesus is dealing in nonsense? Will we conclude, for a moment, the Son of the living God is talking of light matters, while he is making known to his people what they may certainly expect? The thunders of his ire will fall on those that will not hear, that close their eyes and stop their ears, and fold their arms and die in idleness. Lord help us all to awaken to a sense of our awful responsibility!
Lecture 5:
The Millennial Age (chapters 4-5)
by Joseph Martin
The fourth and fifth chapters are on the same subject-- a revelation of the same things, and refer to the same period of time--the millennial age; and they should not have been divided as they are, into two chapters. They are not only speaking of things to come, the last event, the millennial age, but John, the Revelator, is, by the spirit of inspiration, living down in that time. And, instead of looking forward to the millennial age, he seems to have been, in spirit, living in it, and looking back--living in the spirit of inspiration away down beyond our day. But I have just said that, and my saying it is not worth much unless I have some proof for it. I have the proof in the first part, in the first verse, indeed, of the fourth chapter.
"After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter." "Come up" to the time. And John was brought up to the time he was describing, and he was looking back at all the history of the Christian dispensation; he was living in the millennial age in spirit. This door that was opened in heaven very beautifully represents the spirit of inspiration, from this fact, that it appeared to John as though the blue sky had separated and he looked beyond it. You know, and I do, that the sky that is over us is not a solid substance, as I, in my boyish days, used to think. We have learned by science and observation that it is only the end of natural vision. That is as far as natural vision reaches, and it looks blue. But John looked further than men could see naturally. He was inspired, and hence the door was opened to him further than men could see by their natural reasoning powers. (A word to the wise is enough.) And he was not only looking forward, but was invited to come forward to that period. And so he was, in spirit, living in the day when the four quarters of the world acknowledge Jesus, when the Jews and Gentiles, in one grand family of the Lord, bow and worship together, and the four quarters say Amen to the worship that is going up from the united family of the Lord. It seems to me that I could almost shout, Amen! if the time were now present, and all the Lord’s family were united and worshiping together with the "twenty-four elders."
But as John is living in the millennial age in the spirit of inspiration, he, of course, will tell us that there are many things to transpire before that time is reached; and in the first verse of the fifth chapter he says: "I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a little book written;" not being written, not in prospect, but written because he was living, in the spirit, beyond the day we are living in, and the whole book was written within, and on the back side, and sealed with seven seals, not sealed on the former part, or the back part of the book; but written on the back part of it, and within, and the book sealed with seven seals ~all written now, at the time that John is describing the millennial age. What book? We may as well ask the question now as at any time. The history of the (Church, the history of the Christian dispensation, from the day that John was in Patmos, in the year ninety-six, and even before -I might say from the commencement of the Christian dispensation until the Lord comes was all written in that book. The history of the Christian dispensation until the millennial age ends--that is, until the coming of the Lord. It was sealed up, however, and no person knew the contents of that book. No one knew the history of the Church, of the Christian dispensation, or of the world, from the beginning to the end of it. From the beginning to the end of the Christian age, no man could read it. It was sealed up, and in the hand of the Almighty, who was on the throne.
He said there was some writing, on the back part of the book; and that is so clear that I need only state it. John was in Patmos in the year ninety-six, and ninety-six years of the Christian dispensation had passed by when John saw this Vision in Patmos; and that much of the history of the Christian dispensation now on the back part of the book, was not scaled up; it was a matter of history already, and on the outside. All men could read it without a seal being broken. About that part of the history there is not one word said in the opening of the seals, because it was already plain.
But what is in the future, from the days of John’s exile until the time he seems, in spirit, to be living in? What is to take place between the year ninety-six of the Christian dispensation and that period when all the world will acknowledge the Lord, and the Jews and Gentiles in one united family will worship him? What mighty revolutions are to agitate the human family, and shake the powers of earth before that time comes?
"And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon." One might say, "I do think I could have looked at it." No, you could not; it was a sealed book then, and no man in heaven could tell the history of Christ’s kingdom from the day John saw the Vision until the millennial age is ushered in. They could not look at it. You try that little while, my brother, and you will understand this idea better. Look at the history of the future for a hundred years to come; single out some family, some town, or some city or County, and take a look at its history for a few years to come;--can you see it? So they could not look at the history of the Christian dispensation. That which was on the outside of the book--the ninety-six years past--they could look at; but that which was inside-- beyond the year ninety-six--they could not see or read. There was no man in heaven could do it; the angels did not know the history of the world--of the Church’s conflicts. There was no man on earth who could give the history of the kingdom of heaven, or the Christian dispensation, down to the days to which John had just called attention. But, brother, if they had only been as wise as some are now, they could have rapped up some spirit from the underworld, and they would have all the information then, would they not? If they had had some medium there to rap and tap, and jabber and thump around a while, they would have found out all about it. Not quite. There was no one in the underworld--under the earth--could tell.
John said, "I wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me," (I will give you an opinion here, that John just called to mind what had been said to him at the commencement of this book of Revelation; that it was the revelation of Jesus Christ that he was about to make known; that Jesus understood it, and was about to make the whole matter plain. And he, as one of the elders, called to make that promise in the first chapter, and his tears dried up. It is his style to speak of himself in the third person; he does it in his gospel all the time, and does again here. He is only a representative--one of the apostles, a representative man; and as such, calls himself one of the elders. The elders only signify the twenty-four representative men of the Jewish nation and the Christian world--the whole family of the Lord really, as is stated in this chapter before I have done. And John dried up his tears when he remembered that the Lord had said that Jesus had the privilege of making it known. He said to himself): "Weep not; behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." To make the whole history clear, break open every seal, and let the Lord’s people know what is certainly to come to pass. Someone said to me, I do not think the Lord’s people all understand it. The professors do not all understand it, and it is only for the Lord’s people; I have no idea that those who profess to be the Lord’s people and are not, will or can understand it. It is intended for the Lord s people, not for false professors, or the ungodly world. Why should they (the Lord’s people) understand it any more readily than the man whose mind is poisoned with the superstition of the dark ages, or the love of the world? From the fact that the Lord’s people delight in his Word, they read it day and night, and meditate on it continually; and the Lord’s people that love the truth and constantly engage in searching for it as a treasure, will come to understand all these things. Do not tell me that those who never study the Word of the Lord, or delight in it, and seldom read it, are the Lord’s people. I do not believe it; they arc foolish virgins, and the Lord does not know them.
"And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts." These four beasts were all around and about the throne, und in the midst of it. They were the throne in one sense of the word." In the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts and in the midst of the elders stood a Lamb, as it had been slain, having seven horns." The word horn means power or strength, and seven being a full number, means he had a full amount of strength. And we said, on last night, that these seven horns and seven eyes are said to be the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. John saw seven candlesticks, and these seven candlesticks he says are the seven churches. Then the power Jesus exerts, all the power, let me say it, that the Son of the living God exerts on earth; all the watchful care he has over a ruined world is his Church; I mean as far as turning them to the Lord is concerned. That is a hard saying with some, but it makes no difference. Jesus says to the Church, to his disciples, "You are the light of the world, the salt of the earth." (The eyes of the Lord, the powers of the Lord.) Take the Church out of the world, and have no congregations of the Lord here, and how many would he enlightened or saved, do you think?
"And the Lamb came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.’ And when he had taken the book, and when the whole matter is presented and clearly made known to the human family, is the time when the beasts bowed and worshiped. When he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors." What kind of odors? "Which are the prayers of saints." The elders and four beasts had the prayers or saints to offer. Do you think any being but a saint can offer a saint’s prayer to God? They were saints, unless some dumb brute or demon could offer a saint’s prayer to God; they must have been saints. And they sang, too, the beasts and elders-- the four quarters of the world and the Lord’s whole family in the four quarters--they sang a new song, saying, "You art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, for you west slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth." That is when all these beasts and elders--and they are the whole human family in the four quarters of the earth--acknowledge Jesus God’s people united, bow and worship and offer the prayers of saints to the Lord Jesus Christ.
We had better not say that around the throne of God on high the beasts and elders bow and worship; we had better not use such an expression in our exhortations, sermons and prayers. They say they are to reign on the earth. They are of every kindred, tongue, people and nation, redeemed to God by the blood of Christ, and are to reign on the earth. Could any of you tell why wise men have slid they were angels up in heaven, while they themselves declare they are nations of men here on earth? Why the wise Bishop Newton and others have declared that they were some celestial beings, before the throne of God, while they declare they are saints on earth? It seems strange that wise men will dispute the plain Word of the Lord, does it not?
"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." The angels, when the whole earth is converted to the Lord, will join with the saints on earth in singing praises, and in praising the Son of God, "Saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." He seems to have closed the account of the millennial age just here; and then sums up in these remarkable words:
"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as arc in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying: blessing and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped him that lives for ever and ever.”
The time has not come yet it is in the future. It is the millennial age John is talking about. Do you not all know that there are yet thousands and millions that do not even know the Lord Jesus? It will not always be so. Every sensible creature on earth will yet acknowledge him; and when this time comes, it is declared that the four beasts say, Amen; the four quarters of the earth, every nation under heaven, join in saying, Amen; and the four and twenty elders fall down and worship him that lives for ever and ever. He had finished the description of the time when every creature, every nation on earth, every sensible being joins with the angels in praising the Lord, and the four beasts say, Amen. Let Jesus have the glory.
And when he has thus given this full account he commences a revelation of historic events, from the day of his exile on down to that time in which He was in spirit living.
"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals." Not that part of the book that was already past. Now commences the first event in the future after the year 96. I saw, and behold a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering and to conquer." Lend me your imagination. Look out with John beyond the blue ether and see the white horse coming. And on that white horse is a rider having a bow, and a crown being given to Him, placed on his head, and moving on conquering, and to conquer everything that stands in His way. That was the Vision, but what does it signify? That was the first link in the mighty chain of future events, from the day of John’s exile to the millennial glory--the first seal of the future broken open. Says one, "I do not know what that white horse means.’ One writer said it was the Roman empire; that there was no other power going forth conquering and to conquer but the Roman empire, when John saw the Vision. He might have been mistaken. Another writer thought very differently from this one. He thought it might be possible that the white horse meant Lord’s preachers; there was considerable differences in the views of the two. But what does the word of Lord say on this subject? To the Bible we make our appeal, and I must lay down a rule by which to work; we must find out by the Bible itself the meaning of the Vision, or we never can know. I repeat, unless the Bible explains the Vision, no man can ever put his hand on his breast and say, "I know the meaning." Then the rule is to learn by the Bible the meaning of the Vision, or the hieroglyphics that John saw in the Vision, and that look for its historic fulfillment; we are left to grope in doubt and wonder. What is the scriptural definition of this white horse? Perhaps I may as well read it.
"In the first chariot were red horses, and in the second chariot black horses, and in the third chariot white horses, and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, what are these my lord? And the angel answered and said unto me, these are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth." Zechariah vi:2-5. This horse then signifies the prevailing spirit. And the Lord has not changed his definition since then; giving one to Zechariah and another to John. I saw the spirit prevailing thee,--a white one. It was some spirit going forth conquering and to conquer; but it was a white one. We have in the nineteenth chapter of the book of Revelation an account of this same white horse, and he that sat on him was Faithful and True, and his name is called the Word of God. It was the gospel Spirit that old John saw going forth with mighty power when the first seal was opened. It is the Lord’s definition, not mine. The true and faithful Word of God.
The Lord’s people full of the Spirit of our divine Redeemer, pushing forward, spreading peace and righteousness in the first quarter of the world. For half a century it went forth, as history s page declares, conquering and to conquer everything that stood before it, until the pagan powers begin to totter and tremble in the first quarter of the world, and our attention is called to Asia Minor for this gospel triumph, the very first event in the future after John’s seeing the Vision. It was a spirit of peace ad righteousness. White signifies peace in all nations, does it not? The white flag signifies peace in the army. White, not only signifies peace among the nations of earth, but righteousness in the Bible of God. How do I know? ’The Lord told me. He said, "The long white roses you see on them, is the righteousness of the saints." Then we have the Bible definition. It was a spirit of righteousness, the true and faithful Word going forth in first quarter of the world, and with the voice of thunder Jesus asks us to look at its fulfillment. It is literally true, historically true, according to the Bible definition of the term.
"I saw when the Lamb opened the second seal,"--and another white horse came out? O, no! With the opening of the second seal we begin the next lecture.
Lecture 6:
Opening of the Seals
by Joseph Martin
"AND WHEN he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red; and power was given to him that sat thereon, to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was given unto him a great sword."
This singular pronoun, here stands for all who are engaged in this work. A red horse went out when the second seal was opened. We have again to ask the Lord for the meaning of the Vision. He says it is a persecuting spirit, a red one, that is warring against the spirit of peace, to drive it from the earth. And those persons engaged in this bloody work were men; there is no figure about it. And there was given unto those persons that were engaged in moving or urging forward this red, bloody spirit, a great sword. How great? The sword of the Roman Empire-- the then reigning power of the world--was placed in the hands of those that withstood the gospel. It was truly a bloody spirit, a red spirit, a persecuting spirit.
And John just as clearly points out the persecution under pagan Rome, as a historian of the nineteenth century could have done it. When the great sword of the Roman Empire was unsheathed against the gospel, it was symbolized by the red horse, a bloody, persecuting spirit-- the rider meaning all those that were on the side of this persecuting spirit, guiding and moving it on.
"The second beast said, Come and see." The second quarter of the world said, Come and see. And now history tells us that this dreadful persecution spread not only over Asia, the first quarter of the world, but along the northern coasts of Africa, and the southern shores of the Mediterranean sea, where churches were thickly scattered, did persecution rage also. That is a historic truth. Not only is our attention called to Asia to see the power of the red horse, but to another division of the world; persecution rages in two quarters of the world, the first and second divisions. The first beast, or first quarter of the world, did not say, Come and see, when the second seal was opened; it had called attention already, and we are looking. The other only joins in with it to call attention to the opening of the second seal. I sometimes illustrate, and say that some years since, there was a call for a regiment of men to go to Mexico to fight the battles of our country; and after 3 while I remember there was a call for another regiment, but they did not send the first one home when the second was sent out,--it was an additional force; and after a while a call was made for a third regiment, but neither the first nor second came home. When the second beast has called attention, the first call does not cease; the second is an additional voice joining in with the first. Now, I think persons can understand my plain, simple illustration. Our attention is called to two quarters of the world for the fulfillment of this second seal--the red horse, the bloody spirit, the bloody persecution.
"And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo, a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say: A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see you hurt not the oil and the wine."
O, what a vision! From beyond the opened heavens, when the third seal is opened, a black horse comes out, and the third quarter of the world calls attention with the first and second to what is witnessed--to the vision of the black horse. What does this signify? Something in which three quarters of the world are concerned. It is only another quarter joined in with the first and second, to call attention to the fulfillment of the vision of the third seal. The third quarter is Europe. This seal has reference to Asia, Africa and Europe. But it was a black horse this time. I have now in my library a work that says the opinion of some is, that the vision of the black horse signified a time of famine; that there would be a very dry time--the earth would be parched, and but little grain raised; that grain would be very scarce and very high priced, and that the Lord God of heaven was giving in his valedictory to the world--a revelation that there was going to be a great famine! Who can believe it? Does it require a revelation from God to John, in Patmos, to make people know there will be famines occasionally? There have been famines since the days of Abraham. Jesus said, in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew: "There shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." And a new revelation was not needed to make known what Jesus had already said. I think he was mistaken, my brother.
I turned to read another man’s views on the subject. He said he thought the vision of the black horse and the opening of the third seal, signified a time of great plenty. The one that thought it meant famine, proved it from the fact that the horse was black. The one that thought it signified a time of great plenty, proved it from the fact that it said, " hurt not the oil and the wine"--the oil and wine meaning the good things of this life, as used in the Psalms of David. They both proved their points pretty well, didn’t they? But it would be hard for both of them to be right. It made me think of the old preacher’s discourse when he misquoted this text. He could not read very well, and instead of reading "balances in his hand," he read, "a pair of bellowses in his hand," and preached a whole discourse on it. He got a wrong start, and kept on wrong. However, he did pretty well, for he said the blacksmith with his bellows would blow, and blow, and blow, until a very little spark would kindle up a great flame, and weld two pieces of metal together, and mold them into any shape he liked. He said it was an illustration of the grace of God, for, like a bellows, it would blow, and blow, and blow upon the little spark of love in the sinner’s heart, until it would unite him to Christ, and mold him into the image of Jesus! When he was done, one of his auditors said to him, "You made a mistake in the text." "O, surely not!" He requested him to look, and it was "balances," instead of ·’bellowses." The old preacher begged him not to say anything about it, as he declared he had made a much better discourse on the bellows than he could have done on the balances! I thought a little that way about these writers I was speaking of. They started wrong, but made pretty good arguments on both sides, and were precisely opposite to each other.
We will ask the Lord what it means. He says to the prophet we have already named: These four colors are four spirits,--not visions of famine or time of plenty. The black horse was the prevailing spirit that was to follow immediately after the bloody persecuting spirit that is designated in the opening of the second seal. It was a spirit of darkness, a black spirit, and it was to exert an influence on three quarters of the world; for the third quarter joins in with the first and second, and says, Come and see, the spirit of darkness prevailing over the three quarters, or the then settled world. And is it true? Yes; immediately following it commences. In the fourth century of the Christian dispensation, the spirit of darkness commences; and it has been prevailing for century after century since that time--the dreadful incubus, the crushing nightmare of the long dark age John saw coming. We call it the Dark Ages--the black horse--and it followed the pagan Roman persecution. It is a historic truth. The Bible says, the meaning of the black horse is a spirit of darkness; and we find it historically fulfilled. John did not tell of it after it took place, but before; and it spread over three quarters of the world until it had blotted out the last ray of light--almost. And John tells us how that darkness is brought about. The rider on the black horse, the persons that were influencing or aiding to move on this power of darkness, are here spoken of as one, because they are engaged in the one dark work." I heard a voice say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; "but while you are selling wheat and barley for a penny a measure, do not stint or hurt the oil and the wine;-- showing conclusively that, by wheat and barley is meant something more than grain; for the oil and wine mean the good things of this life. What wheat was it they were selling for a penny? The precious wheat that Jesus spoke of, in one of his parables, in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew: "Behold a sower went forth to sow." But what did he sow? Jesus explained the parable and said, the Sower was the Son of man, and the seed was the Word of the kingdom. Have we anything more than that? Yes; in another parable Jesus said the good sower sowed wheat in his field. The Word of the kingdom is called wheat. It was not the children of the kingdom, the people, that Jesus sowed. Did Jesus sow the people down? It was the Word of the kingdom that made them the children of the kingdom; and it was as true as that John’s vision was from God, that this did take place. This commenced soon after the Nicene Council, and the preachers commenced making merchandise of the Word of the Lord. They sold a measure, and a very small one too, a little of the Word of the Lord, for a, penny--for so much money--and they said more than that. It is not meet that the common people should have it, or read it, but we will sell them measures of it for money; we will give them so much of the Word of the Lord in small measures for so much money. It is dangerous for them to handle it for themselves; but we will measure it out to them, and let them have, for so much, three times as much of our views or comments, our triple-hulled barley, for the same amount of money. It is literally true--a historic fact. And thus they made merchandise of the wheat, the good seed--the Word of the kingdom; and in that way they introduced a famine sure enough-- the famine that one of the lesser prophets spoke of:
"A famine, not of bread, but of my Word, saith the Lord."
They introduced, in this way, the dreadful famine of God’s Word--for twelve hundred years. It was a black horse indeed, and it spread its dark powers over Europe and the parts of Africa where the gospel had been preached, and over Asia Minor; and the third beast said: "Look at the miserable iniquity of these men that are making merchandise of the Word of the Lord, and bringing in the powers of darkness!" They are all dead, you think. Do you? A man that would say yet, in the nineteenth century, that he will only preach if he get so much for it, is still a penny merchant--if he could be. Pretty hard. I heard one man say, " I can make a thousand dollars clear money in my store and on my farm,"--he was worth ten or fifteen thousand, and was a preacher too;--if they will give me a thousand dollars I will preach for them; and if they don’t they may go to the devil, for me." He was a penny merchant, my brother, if he could have been. And that man was able to preach if he never received one cent for it; but he would not do it. Now, I think that a man that loves the Lord as he should do, and can preach--that loves poor dying mortals as he ought to, and has means to enable him to support his family and preach, and can preach-- ought to do it for the sake of dying mortals, and saving souls in heaven, and for Christ’s sake, if he never gets a cent for it. I do not say that the brethren ought not to give a man something, but he ought to preach anyhow. But I do think, my brethren and sisters’ that the poor man that can preach, and has not the means to support his family without help, ought to be helped; and I do think that the church that will let him labor for the support of his family, and have to quit preaching in order to do it, will be--I almost said damned for letting him work with his hands. "That is hard on both sides." Pretty hard, but true. We want no penny merchants; Lord save us from them! John saw that state of things in the opening of the third seal. He said it was the spirit of darkness prevailing in three quarters of the world--by the Bible definition--and it was brought about in the way named, by making merchandise of the good seed, and taking it from the people. One thing I want to name: they cannot now do what they did then; they cannot take the Bible from us now,--thank the Lord for it,--in this land. We will keep it, and if they don’t want to preach unless we pay them well for it, we will read the Bible for ourselves. I know that we ought to send it to the dark, benighted lands of earth, and preachers with it; we can do that and we will. They cannot crush us now as they did at the time when John saw this black horse coming out.
I now call your attention to the opening of the fourth seal:
"And when he had opened the fourth seal," I heard the fourth beast say, Come and see? Now, let me pause a moment. Did I not prove, in one of my lectures, that America was the fourth beast-- the fourth quarter of the world--the flying eagle? What, now, does John see when the fourth seal is opened? I will read it, as we are getting into a tight place. I want to get into all the tight places I can, to prove that God is in the matter. "I looked, and beheld a pale horse; and his name that sat on him was Death." It was a pale spirit, a spirit of anguish, a spirit of dismay, a spirit of terror, a spirit of death. John says, "and hell followed with him: and power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."--These powers that are guiding the pale horse and urging him forward--the spirit of death prevailing; and here John describes one scene that transpired in the dark ages, after fully noticing the seals in order as successively opened; gives a view of the dreadful Inquisition of the dark ages; says they killed Christians with the sword, they killed them with hunger, they starved them to death in the dark ages--the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries. They killed them with death--put them on the rack, and to the torture, until every joint was dislocated; put them on the griddles and fried them with slow fires until they died; tortured them in every way that human malice, wickedness or human hate could invent; threw them to the wild beasts; exulted and shouted and clapped their hands for joy while they were being torn to pieces. Did you ever read Fox’s Book of Martyrs? John describes just what Fox has written in his history of the Martyrs: they killed them with the sword; they killed them with death in all its horrid forms. Here is one of the tight places we are getting into. Was this a settled country in the days of the Inquisition? Was there a fourth beast to say, “come and see”? It is historical, isn’t it, my brother? Was this land known to the world in tile days of the Inquisition--in the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries? ["Not to the enlightened part of it."] How could the fourth beast say, Come and see, when there was no fourth beast or quarter? Ah! that is a hard one, and it would have been an insurmountable one if it had been in the Book; but it is not in the Book. The Lord God of heaven and Jesus, knew as well there would be no fourth quarter of the world known at the time he was speaking of as we know it now.
It is not said that the fourth beast said, Come and see. When the first seal was opened, the first beast said, Come and see; for Asia was a settled country at that time. When the second seal was opened, the second beast said, Come and see; for Africa was a settled country at that time. When the third seal was opened and the dark ages ushered in, the third beast said, Come and see; for Europe was a settled country then. But when the fourth seal was opened, John did not say the fourth beast said, Come and see. He said: "I heard the voice of the fourth beast," or the language of this country, which shows conclusively that he meant to convey the idea that the fourth beast was not yet in existence in the days of the Inquisition. It is so in every version, and in the original--the voice of the fourth beast. How did he hear the voice of the fourth beast? He heard the voice of the suffering martyrs, that said, men ought not to be put to death for reading the Bible; men that were being slain for the Word of God said, It is wrong to persecute men for conscience sake. Every martyr dying in the Inquisition, said men ought to be allowed to read the scriptures for themselves, and to worship God according to his Word. Is that the voice of this nation? Praise the Lord! it is the foundation upon which it rests. Long before this country was known to civilized man, the language of this nation was heard ringing from the lips of the dying martyrs in the days of the Inquisition. That is the language of our country. Men ought not to be persecuted for reading the Bible and worshiping God according to his Word. And it was heard long before it was a nation. The same language that we speak, religiously, was heard from the martyrs in the days of the Inquisition; and I have sometimes said, that if I had no other evidence that John was inspired by the Spirit of God to write, this would be enough to satisfy me. Why did he not say the fourth beast said, Come and see? Because God knew this land would not be known; but he said he heard the language of the nation; and sure enough, when the nation is born, it speaks the very language the martyrs uttered then.
"And when he had opened the fifth seal"--I heard the fifth beast? No! there are no more persons to call. And here is another positive proof that the four beasts are the whole human family. "When he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held;"--persons just spoken of in the other seal. And they were nothing but wind? No, sir; he did not say so; but I heard a foolish preacher say it,--at least I thought he was foolish. "I saw the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held." And they were electricity? No, sir; not that. I heard one man say that all the soul or spirit a human being had, was the air he breathed; but I thank my Father in heaven that Jesus has given us a revelation that is comforting on that subject. He here presents, in the opening of the fifth seal, the souls of them that laid down their lives for "the Word of God, and the testimony which they held." And when the fifth seal is opened, John declares he saw the souls under the altar. And these were unconscious? No; he did not say that. He said they cried with a loud voice. And it was the wind? No; I do not think so. There was articulation --something understood,--they were saying, "How long, O, Lord, holy and true, cost younot judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" Showing that it was after death and before the resurrection, that they were conscious--between death and the resurrection. One preacher said it was the voice of Abel’s blood, crying to God; and he had no idea that Abel’s blood could talk. Well, but Abel’s soul was alive too-- likely; I have not a doubt of it. But, then, there is a difference between this case and that of Abel’s blood,--it is plainer, stronger, and more positive. There is a consciousness between death and the resurrection; they asked the Lord how long it would be until he avenged their blood on them that dwelt on the earth. It was before the resurrection, for men were still dwelling on the earth. "And white robes were given to them"--to those souls. To say that white robes were given to the wind, or to electricity, would not make right good nonsense, would it? "And it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season." They could talk; they knew there was a God; they addressed him, and he spoke unto them, and said, "that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also, and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." You have been killed for the witness of Jesus, for the Word of God; rest now, the Lord says, with your white robes on, your righteousness with you. Remain quiet now a little while, until the last martyr dies for my name; and then the Lord’s fury will be poured out on the ungodly.
What else could have been done, after he told us that Christians died in the dark ages for the witness of Jesus, but to tell their condition--that they were still conscious. It is so reasonable that it should be named just here, that the man that reads it cannot help seeing the propriety of putting it in. Brother, if you die fighting for Jesus, you will not be unconscious; you will know the work you have done, unless Jesus has deceived you; and you don’t think the Lord has deceived us, do you, my brother, my sister?
"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there u as a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind; and the heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places: And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
When the sixth seal was opened, John felt the solid earth tremble; he saw the sun, the king of day, clothed in darkness, and made black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon suddenly seemed to be converted to a great ball of blood. The stars came tumbling down to earth, like figs would fall from a fig-tree when shaken by a mighty wind. The sky passed away and disappeared, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place; and the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, and the chief captains, are frightened, and all men hide themselves in the dens and rocks of mountains, and call for something to secure them from the face of him that sits on the throne, that declares the day of his wrath has come. What does it all signify? Has the end of the world come? O, no, we have not done with the sixth seal yet, and we know it has no reference to the judgment day or the end of the world, from the feet that he tells of a great many more things, in this same sixth seal, that are to take place after this, and that could not take place after the end of the world. I know we sometimes exhort, and pour this out into the sinner’s ear, and tell him that when the Lord comes and the world ends, he will call for rocks and mountains to fall on him; but he will not do it, my brethren and sisters; there is no hiding when the Lord comes. We will stand before his great white throne, and before his eyes, which are like a dame of fire. In this vision, John said they hid themselves in the dens and rocks of the mountains. They will not do that when the world ends; there will be no rocks and mountains to hide in. The sun never has turned black, and never will while time lasts, literally. The moon sometimes looks red, I know; but it will never turn to blood, literally. The stars of heaven never did and never will fall to the earth, literally. We must understand it figuratively, then. The sky never will part asunder, and the heavens pass away, literally. I know that one writer said, some time since, that he thought the meteoric shower of 1833 was what John alluded to here. I recollect very well, about two o’clock in the morning, an old Revolutionary soldier, in front of my door, was crying at the top of his voice, "Wake up, neighbors, wake up; the Lord is coming, the stars of heaven are falling!" I got up and looked out; and it looked as if every star might be tumbling down to the earth. It was the grandest sight I ever saw; and stubborn sinners that never had been on their knees before, were, some of them, on their knees in the street praying. I knew it was not the fulfillment of John’s Vision: the moon did not look like blood, and the sun rose as beautiful and bright the next morning as I ever saw it in my life. It was not black, the earth did not shake, no mountain moved and the next night every star was in its place, and had been all the night before. Some few careless souls were praying, I know; but some were merry and cheerful as ever, some were timid, and some were not. For my own part, I always pray, and did not feel in any more danger then than to-night. "I saw "-- stars literally falling? That was not it,--it is foolish to think so. Stars cannot fall to this earth. What are the facts? In the opening of the fifth seal, John advances not one step in the history; he only tells the state of the dead, and takes up history where he left off in the fourth. The dreadful shock in the days of the Crusade, and in the days of Genghis Khan, when the earthly powers were shaken to their centers, when the world of mankind were drenched in human gore, when nearly twenty million people perished in a few short years, was the earthquake he felt; and they had succeeded in putting out the Sun of Righteousness--the Church’s Sun. The Bible was made in the thirteenth century, and in part of the fourteenth, as black as sackcloth of hair. It was chained down; and that light that was to give light to the Lord’s people is blotted out indeed in a dead language that no man--no common person--can read. It is taken from the people, and the earth (the moon) is drenched in blood; and down come the bright men of the religious world, tumbling down to earthly politics. They are the stars; the stars of heaven are these stars that Jesus said were the messengers of the churches, or the conspicuous men in the churches. And while they have made the sun of the religious heavens black--blotted out the Bible light--and drenched the world in blood, the illustrious men that filled conspicuous places in the Church of Christ, tumbled down to earthly things; and the shock goes on. The whirlwind comes out of the north, and, still raging, it goes on increasing more and more. In the days of Luther, the Word of the Lord begins to shake the nations terribly; and it will shake on, and keep shaking, until every kingdom and empire is moved out of its place. These mountains and islands mean governments of earth. I will prove that after a while And the very next sentence proves it. John said, the kings of the earth were frightened, their kingdoms were tottering, governments were shaking and moving. Are they not shifting and changing now? and have they not been for a few centuries past? Has not the Word of the Lord been shaking terribly the nations since it has been shining too brightly for earthly kings, earthly monarchs? And their greedy grasp after earthly power has caused them to form alliances for the protection of their earthly governments. Not long since, Turkey formed an alliance with France and England for protection against the Russian government. The kings of the earth are affrighted now, and hiding from the face of the Son of the living God, or trying to hide. The next sentence proves I am right in what I said of this terrible convulsion of the nations. When the sixth seal is opened, it includes a long period of a great many centuries. It reaches from the tumbling down of the conspicuous men of the Church, in the days of the Crusades, down to our time; and the shaking is still going on until every kingdom and government is moved out of its place; it goes on a little further. In the darkest dark of the dark ages, the Church itself was rolled up out of the way, and was invisible to man. I say the real Church of Christ was folded up. I will prove it.
And after these thing--after the end of the world? No; after all this shaking, and hiding, and star-falling, and sun-darkening, after all these, "I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the winds should not blow on the earth. nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees;" that is, do not destroy the nations yet--they are shaking and tottering now; but do not destroy the powers or kingdoms of earth "till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads."
This seal. Do you know what it is? It is the blessed Bible. Says one, "I think it is the Holy Spirit." So it is; but the impression is made by the Bible. Paul says, in the first chapter of his second letter to the Corinthians, "You are sealed with the Holy Spirit." And in the first chapter of his letter to the Ephesians--"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." We use, by a figure of speech, that which makes the impression for the impression itself; as we sometimes say, the County seal is in the clerk’s office; but it is that which makes the impression called the seal. That which makes the impression is called the seal in this case. John looks in the midst of this mighty shock of nations, and sees an angel coming with the Bible; in the midst of all this shaking, along comes the Word of the living God, and the voice says, "Do not destroy the nations until they have the privilege of hearing and understanding the gospel. Then, if they acknowledge Jesus, all will be well; but if they do not, he will throw them into the wine-press of his wrath and grind them to powder. Wait until they are sealed in their foreheads. until they understand the Word of the Lord.” Man’s intellect is in his forehead; a man of no forehead has no intellect. It is equivalent to saying what Jesus did in his parable in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, when he said, they that hear his word, and understand it, receive it into good and honest hearts understandingly, are the ones that bring forth fruit--that are meet for the Master’s use. And it is said, Do not overturn the nations yet, until they have the privilege of hearing and understanding the Word of the Lord; and it is coming to them now. The angel is carrying the Bible now; nations are shaking, trembling, and tottering now; and the Lord spares them until they have the privilege of hearing his Word and understanding it.
That is not all. He said of the Jews, there were twelve thousand sealed of each of the twelve tribes--one hundred and forty-four thousand of the Jews, understanding the scriptures, the Word of the Lord. A definite for an indefinite number--meaning the whole nation of the Jews; for Paul says, in the eleventh chapter of his letter to the Romans, "And so all Israel shall be saved;" and the prophet Isaiah says, in the eleventh chapter, eleventh verse, that in the Christian dispensation the Lord "would set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea." And in the sixteenth verse of the same chapter, "There shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt."
Then I add--nationally, of course--they came up as a nation.
"After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." This multitude before the throne is John’s sea of glass, of which he spoke in the fourth chapter. He there said, a sea of glass was before the throne; and here states that it is an innumerable multitude before the throne The part of the family of the Lord who had passed over the Jordan of death, of which Paul speaks in the twelfth chapter of his letter to the Hebrews, when he said the Christians here had come to the general assembly, to the Church of the First-born, to an innumerable company of angels, and to the spirits of just men made perfect;-- showing that the Lord’s family is divided into two parts only by the Jordan of death; and that, in fact, it is but one family--part on earth and part in heaven. And this part of the family of the Lord which were before the throne, with their long white robes on (the righteousness of saints) appeared to John in the Vision like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal, as the nations here on earth looked to him in vision like a sea of water; and all the angels stood round about the throne, and the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces and worshiped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God, for ever and ever.
We see that the four beasts and the four and twenty elders spoken of in the fourth chapter, and also in the fifth, said to be saints on earth, are introduced at the close of the sixth seal; showing conclusively that the fourth and fifth chapters have reference to things which are to transpire at the close of the opening of the sixth seal; to that period of time when the Jews shall have received the Word of the Lord, and unite with the Gentile Christians in one family of Christ on earth.
"And one of the elders answered, and said unto me, what are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, sir, youknow. And he said unto me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God (just where John saw the sea of glass), and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sits on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more: neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
They are not, then, on this earth, in this world, but are free from all its sorrows: where they never thirst, and have no need of the light of the sun; they have all tears wiped from their eyes; they have crossed the Jordan of death, and are dwelling with God, and standing before his throne.
Lecture 7:
Winding Up the Sixth Seal,
Opening of the Seventh Seal
by Joseph Martin
WE CALL to your minds once more the declaration of the Revelator in the first chapter, when he says, "Blessed is he that reads, and he that hear the words of the prophecy of this book, and keep those things that are written therein," in memory, of course. We come to-night to the opening of the seventh seal. We closed our remarks last night with the opening of the sixth seal, and what John saw from the opening of the sixth seal until we reached the seventh. We refresh your minds a moment with the ground passed over: that John saw, when the first seal was opened, the spirit of peace and righteousness prevailing-- the gospel triumphing in the first quarter of the world. And when the second seal was opened, he looked out as it were, and saw a bloody, persecuting spirit following after, seeking to drive the gospel out of the land. And the persecution spread over two quarters of the world, John said, when we take the scriptural definition of the terms of the Vision that he saw; and then he tells us that the next event was a spirit of darkness spreading all over the then inhabited earth--the three quarters. It was literally true; this event was brought about. And then he says that in the dark time, the Lord’s people suffered death in all its horrid forms, for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. But the voice of this country was heard before it was settled, protesting against this--the very language that we would speak after we became a nation. He then tells us of the state of the dead; for he is talking about spirits all the time in this revelation of the seals that we have been going over. He tells us that the spirits, or souls of the martyrs, were still conscious after they were beheaded, and before the resurrection, -- while nations were still on the earth. He then tells us that in the opening of the sixth seal, the darkness became a perfect darkness; that the sun was black as sackcloth of hair; that the moon, which had a borrowed light, was turned as it were to blood; the sun of the moral heavens--the Bible--had its light put out; and then the nations were drenched in blood, and the stars of the moral heavens--the Church--tumbled down to earthly things; to the earth they fell, rapidly, and many of them; that the shock continued until every government (mountain and island) was moved out of its place, and the kings of the earth were affrighted. We are in that day now, and it has been on us some time. And while this shock was going on, an angel came with the Word of God, the seal of the living God--ascended from the East, from the source of light where the morning first springs, with the Bible, or the seal of God, to seal the servants of God in their foreheads; to get them to understand the Word of the Lord. If he had said, seal them in their heart, there would have been some room for believing that he had reference to some abstract operation of the Holy Spirit; but he said in the forehead,--to get them to understand it. Jesus said, those that understand the Word of the kingdom, are the ones that bring forth good fruit. I say, Lord God of heaven, grant that we may understand the Bible. While the nations are shaking, while kingdoms and empires are tottering, and kings are affrighted at the face of Jesus, as seen in his Word--the gospel light, the Word of the Lord, is going to make the darkness give way.
The Lord says, Do not destroy these kingdoms, or governments, until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. There we stopped after noticing the number of seals; that the Jews were sealed in their forehead, that one hundred and forty-four thousand Jews understood the Word of the Lord--and acknowledged Jesus, of course; that an innumerable company were before the throne; a sea of glass as clear as crystal--the spirits of just men made perfect; the part of the family that had crossed over Jordan were praising the Lord with all the angels, while all the people on earth, the twenty-four elders and four beasts, were united with them in saying, "Blessing, and glory and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever." John said that the sea of glass, or innumerable company, had gained the victory, had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; they were beyond the reach of hunger, sorrow, tears, or death. He just comes up to the very scene of the fourth and fifth chapters, when he has come to the end of the sixth seal: he gives us, in the winding up of the sixth seal, almost the very words he had given in the fourth and fifth chapters,--showing that the events named there, come in at the last part of the sixth seal. May the Lord have mercy on the man who cannot understand it.
But, then, there is a seventh seal to open. What of that? We have come to the end--from the gospel start until it comes out again and subdues the nations--Jews and Gentiles--and brings them to the Lord; and the whole family on the earth are united with the family in heaven, saying, Jesus is worthy. And the seventh seal is to be opened yet. (We are going to school now, not preaching.) I now call your attention to the opening of the seventh seal.
"And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour." A long silence there. Nothing more to tell. He is through with the whole line of events of the gospel struggles against the powers of darkness, from the start until it gained the victory, and brought the whole human family, in heaven and on earth, to the feet of Jesus. Well might he pause when the seventh seal is opened, and say that there was silence. He was through to the end of the chapter, to the end of the paragraph; a full line of the history of events until he reaches the point named first--the last event named first. But, then, in this seventh seal, when he has come to this awful pause, all the remaining part of Revelation is embraced. It can never go forward; it, then, must drop backward.
If I had only one prayer to offer to-night, I would say, Lord grant that we may now bear in mind the key to the understanding of this book, and that we may be blessed in reading it and hearing it. For John can never advance further than he has when the seventh seal is opened; and silence is there. He has taken our minds down to the seventh and last scene, and we are before the throne with palms of victory in our hands, and he must fall back; and, with the seventh seal, he brings up another full line of historic events, from the day of his exile, and of seeing the Vision, until the millennial age shall be ushered in. And I wish to illustrate.
Suppose that some stranger should ask me the history of this, our country, and that he never had heard one word about our history in his life--was a perfect stranger to all of it. He would ask me to give him an outline of the history, or a full history, of our country. I would say, "Sir, in the year 1620 there was but a handful of people landed at Plymouth Rock, and there was a little handful at Jamestown, Virginia. This whole land was a wilderness from Maine to Georgia, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. But now we are one of the mightiest nations on the globe." "Bless me, sir, that is wonderful; but you told me of the then und the now, the first and the last." Just so the Lord has told us of the then and the now. In the first chapter, John said he was in exile for bearing witness of him who is to come again. Tells of his exile for the witness of Jesus, which was the then; it was a dark time when the last apostle was in exile for the witness of Jesus; but, then, to say Jesus will come again--it was the Alpha and Omega, the A and Z.
But the stranger would ask me something more about our country. I would say: "Yes, sir; I can tell you something more. Our fathers, in 1620, were destitute of all the necessaries of life; now we have every luxury that heart could desire." "Well, but," the stranger would say, "you have given me the first and the last again--the then and the now." Just so the Lord did in this Book of Revelation; he said the churches were cold, had left their first love, and gone into idolatry; had become lukewarm; had departed from the right way, and that he would fight against them with the sword of his mouth; and then, in the very next chapter, told John that the churches should be bright and shining lights at a future time; and the whole earth would be full of his glory; but it was the Alpha and Omega. He had omitted the whole alphabet between the two.
But the stranger might say to me: "I would like to hear something between the then and now of the history of your country. You have given me the then and the now twice. Fill up the space between these two points, if you please." I would then commence to trace a line of the improvements in agricultural implements, from the days of the rude grubbing hoe and the old ox-cart, on down through all the modern improvements; tell him of the invention of the reaping and mowing machines, and the introduction of steam cars and telegraph wires, and say that we have all these improvements now, running through the land, as the old prophet said, like lamps of fire; and with the speed of lightning, nation communicates with nation. The old prophet said they would, when they came out of the whirlwind--that the nations would run and return (in their communications with each other, of course,) as the appearance of a flash of lightning; and they are doing it. Just so the Lord has given us a revelation of the time between John’s day, when he saw the Vision, and the millennial age, a whole line of spirits that would be brought out at different periods of time.
But the stranger would say to me: "I would like to hear something more about your country; you have given me a line of the improvements between the first settlement of the country and now, but I would like to hear something more." And I commence back at Plymouth Rock again, and give him a history of all our troubles with the red men, and tell him of all the Indian wars, from the time the first scalp was taken from a white man, and tell him of our succeeding in driving them back, and still further back, until I say, now they are a little handful, over in the Western wilds, while we are a mighty nation. They were strong then, and we were weak; but now, after all the wars I have told him of, they have dwindled to an insignificant handful, and we are this mighty nation. But I could go no further than now in the history, could I? So the Lord takes up another revelation when he is through with the first--having established his points of then and now, from the day of John’s exile in Patmos to the millennial age, as given in the fourth and fifth chapters, line after line, and revelation after revelation, between those points. I know this is right; I do not guess at it. I am going to prove it. That is the great key to the understanding of this book, and for the want of it, our wise men have stumbled and blundered and fell.
When John has run through the line, then, to the seventh seal, he drops back. I might illustrate further with this stranger’s inquiry. He would say, after I had gone through two lines from the then to the now of our country, "I would like to hear something more." I would say, "Yes; but I must go back to the starting point;" and I drop back to Plymouth Rock again, and tell him of all our troubles with the mother country; all the old laws and usages while we were colonies of the stamp act; of the tea tax; and that our fathers, the bright stars of American freedom, said, when they met in the Continental Congress, that they would die or be free; and then tell him of all the struggles our fathers had in the Revolutionary War; of the blood-stained paths from Valley Forge to Stony Point, and to Philadelphia, and over the Schuylkill; of all their toils and privations from one point to another; from the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill to the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Then, of the framing of the Constitution, and the improvements in our laws and usages, until I say, " Now we are not only the mightiest, but the wisest people in the world." But I only come to the now; and then I stop. I then run several lines (I might run seven,) from the settlement of the country until now, and drop back every time to the starting point; and it is common with a great many historians to do that. If they do not pursue that course entirely, they will advance a little way with one dine, and go back and take up another, and bring it up to that; and then take up another and carry it a little further, and go back and bring up a third and fourth, and keep them along together. But the Lord runs them through every time. I would do so in giving the history of our country, if I were bound to do my best. Now, with this illustration we are really to proceed with the opening of the seventh seal; for in that he brings up a new line from the first. Here is some proof of it at the start.
"And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets." He introduces the full number again--seven. Sometime during my lectures, I want to prove that seven is equivalent to all--a sacred full number. Therefore, as he has introduced seven angels with seven trumpets in this seventh seal, it is about equivalent to saying, I am going to show you another whole line, or panoramic view of the kingdom of heaven, from the days of the last surviving apostle until the millennium shall come.
But there came another angel beside the seven--"came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne." I have sometimes said it would be hard to get the prayers of all professing saints into one vessel now. Not so at the time of which John is speaking. They were all of one heart and one soul then. They were not divided into parties then as they have been since that time, and now are. The prayers of all saints were to be offered on the golden altar; and the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer (John was going to recapitulate, and explain more particularly what Jesus said), and filled it with the fire of the altar. He tells us first he saw the smoke ascend, and the prayers of all saints, as sweet incense to the Lord. Now, he says "the angel took the censer, and filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth; and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound."
John saw this angel that had the golden censer put fire from off the Lord’s altar in with the prayers of the saints, and pour it all out together. And he heard voices--something said--and thunderings shaking in the land; lightnings flashing and blazing in the dark corners of the earth, and the earth trembled. That fire of the altar is the fire that the old prophet spoke of,--not the fire that some of our modern preachers talk about. The fire that the old prophet Malachi spoke of when he said, "The day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." But he had spoken of that day in the preceding chapter. It was the gospel day, that was to be neither clear nor dark until the evening time; but then it was to be light; and it was that day that old Elijah was to come to introduce to the people, or as a forerunner of the Lord.
Malachi says, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of that day" that is to burn as an oven. And Jesus, in speaking on that subject, said, when the disciples asked him why the scribes said that Elijah was to come first,--they understood before the coming of the Lord, the hope of Israel. Jesus said that Elijah had come; and they need not conclude that that day is not ready to be ushered in, because Elijah has not come, for he has come already. They understood immediately that he had reference to John the Baptist. When John the Baptist came to introduce to Israel the long promised deliverer that was to send fire on the earth, Jesus said, "I have come to send fire on the earth;" for the prophet had said the day was to burn as an oven. What kind of fire did Jesus send on the earth? He said himself, he came to preach the gospel. And one of the Old Testament prophets said, The Word of the Lord is as a fire, as a refiner’s fire; and Jesus came to preach the gospel, that fire which burns on the altar of the Christian’s heart, by which he may offer an acceptable offering to the Lord. There is no other fire by which we can make an acceptable offering to the Lord, but God’s Word--the gospel. Then John, by the Lord’s definition given, saw the angel take the prayers of all the saints, and the Word of the Lord, and pour all out together; and they went everywhere preaching then; there were voices and thunderings; and these voices were the Lord’s people, speaking the Word of the Lord, with their prayers for its success ascending to the God of heaven, shaking the land, making the nations tremble; and the first beast said with a voice of thunder, "Come and see" what this gospel of peace is doing: what this white horse is accomplishing in the land before our eyes. And the lightnings blazed then in the darkest corners of the most benighted neighborhoods and cities in all that dark land; for the prayers of saints and the Word of the Lord are all poured out there. John tells us this by the Bible’s definition, and it is a historic truth.
And the seven angels prepared themselves to sound, and tell the conflicts the Word of the Lord will have to meet with--the battles it will have to fight from the day it is poured out over the first quarter of the world down to the millennial age.
"The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: nod the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up."--Or as we paraphrase it, a third part of all the green grass, and the third part of the green trees, was burnt up. Not a word said about the dry grass or dry trees being burnt. And this is so plain that we need scarcely pause at it. When the gospel started, persecution met it; when the Word of the Lord was poured out with the prayers of his people, opposition was raised, and a dreadful fire and hail followed, and the green trees (the Christians), the tall and noble ones, and the humblest in all the land, suffered; they were stoned to death; it was a literal hail. And they burned them at the stake, illuminated the streets of some of the large cities with their burning bodies. They were green trees, my brother. David says of the Lord’s people: "The man that delights in the law of the Lord, that stands not in the way of sinners, is not walking in the counsel of the ungodly--that is, not sitting on the seat of the scornful--is like the green tree whose leaf never withers." [Psalm I.] To be sure, all flesh is as grass; but the Christians are the green grass; and it was the highest and the lowest, the wisest and rudest, that suffered; but not all of them. A third part of the Christians died in the bloody persecution under the Roman Caesars. It was hail and fire when that political power fell upon them, and a third part of the green trees and grass was burnt up. They put the Christians to death, and there was blood mingled with it. You do not think trees and grass have blood, do you? No; but he meant men-- Christians--as I will prove.
"And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed."
This is all John saw when the second angel sounded. A great burning mountain dropped over into the sea, and sank never to rise. But it turned a third part of the sea to blood, in the Vision of John, and killed a third part of the creatures which were in it; and a third part of the ships were destroyed. It is a wonderful vision! And John looked back from his stand-point and saw this Vision; and it has a signification. Never has a mountain burning with fire been tumbled into the sea; never has the sea been literally turned into blood; never yet has a third part of the ships been destroyed at any one time. Never yet has one third part of the creatures in the sea died at any one time. It is not literal, then: it is figurative. I said, some time since, that a mountain, when used in a figurative sense, always, in the Bible, means a government. Then, we must look for some great Government to fall. But you would rather have the proof than my assertion, would you not? In the chapter that I read (Isaiah iv), he says: Suddenly the mountains commenced singing, and the hills rejoicing,--referring to that age when the Lord’s people were to return to him. Do you suppose he meant that mountains and hills, literally, would sing? He meant that the governments of earth would acknowledge the Lord, and sing praises to him; because he has so said in the fourth chapter of this book of Revelation--that it was every kindred, tongue, people, and nation, that were singing praises to the Lord Jesus, and acknowledging him.
That is not all. The old prophet said (Isaiah 2), that the mountain of the Lord’s house was to be established above the mountains and hills. You do not think Mount Zion will literally be put on the top of some other mountain, do you? He meant that the government of the Lord’s house would be above other governments. Every child can read it.
But that is not all. The Lord said, in the prophecy of Daniel, the little stone you saw cut out of the mountain, which became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth, was the kingdom or government of the God of heaven. That was not a little hill, was it? It was a government he was speaking of.
That is not all yet. In this book of Revelation, the Lord said: the seven heads that you saw are mountains, and the mountains are kingdoms or governments. In the seventeenth chapter we have a positive declaration that a mountain stands for a kingdom, or government, when used in a figurative sense. Then it reads: "I saw a government burning with fire tumbled over into the sea." Says one, "I do not know how you could tumble a government into the sea." But the sea is the religious world. How do I know? The Lord says, in a chapter a little further on in this book, the many waters that you saw are kindreds, and tongues, and peoples, and nations, upon which Mystery Babylon sits, the religious world that she is ruling. There was a sea church in John’s day; it was not a thousand little rivulets, rills, springs, and rivers. There was one family on earth; the whole family of the Lord here, in one body, made the sea John was talking of; and the great government dropped over among the Lord’s people when it was burning up. Did you ever see the historic fulfillment of this? Look, then, and see. In the days of Odoacer, the Roman Empire went down in its pagan form forever. It had caught on fire with the gospel in the days of Constantine, and had been burning until the year 488, when it went down forever in its pagan form. But where did it go? It went over into the Church; was tumbled down and lost there, in this sea Church--the universal Church; and its influence was seen afterward. And the third part of the creatures died-- the Lord’s people which were in the Church--and had spiritual life--died spiritually, lost their spirituality. And the third part of the Church’s usefulness is destroyed--the commerce among the nations is curtailed that much. The third part of her ships is destroyed, and she is prepared to do one-third part less work for the Lord than before she became thus corrupted. And the third part of the Church became a persecuting power, became blood. That is John’s Vision when the second peal from the God of heaven thunders from the trumpet to dying mortals here, to call their attention to it.
"And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a damp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; and the name of the star is called Wormwood; and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter."
Here we have an account that, at the sound of the third angel’s trumpet, a star falls; some illustrious man tumbles down from a high eminence to the earth, or earthly things; and he starts something like a Church; it looked like a lamp, or candlestick, which means a Church; but it was a bitter Church;--and he just calls our attention to the rivers and fountains of waters where this star fell--to where kingdoms and nations first started--away over in the East. That is where the human family, nations and kingdoms, first started. Hence it is called the fountain. And lo, there fell a bitter star (soon after the church was corrupted by pagan Rome, in the year 600, and declared it had one universal head to rule over it here on earth.) But immediately after this corruption of the Church in the West, Mahomet takes his rise in the Eastern country, and starts his Church. It was a bitter one--embittered against Judaism, against Christianity, and against idolatry. He gained his influence over one-third part of the then civilized or settled world, in the East, and had his power on the rivers and fountains of waters where nationality first commenced; and many men died of his followers because they were bitter. A bloody work has commenced in the East under Mahomet’s bitter Church; while in the West the Church of Christ is corrupted by pagan Rome falling into it.
"And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise."
A dark time that. But one might say, not so very dark. But John explains that, and says a third part of the time was entirely dark. That was the time when the sun was black as sackcloth of hair; the moon was smitten, and the stars gave no light for a third part of the Christian day, or dispensation,--and that was a little more than one thousand years. The Christian day is three thousand years, at least. How do I know? Why, it has lasted almost two thousand years now, since Christ was born; and we have the promise that it shall last one thousand years while Satan is bound. He is not bound yet; he deceives the nations yet. It will take a long time, and hard work, for all the Lord’s people, united together, to bind him. It must be three thousand years. One thousand years of darkness we have then, by the Bible. When the fourth angel sounds, the Church is corrupted in the West, and the penny merchants commence the work of selling the gospel. Mahomet is ruling in the East, and the dark age comes; and in the dark time of one thousand years’ darkness, there is a portion, a third part of the dark age, that is darker than the other part. And it is literally true, in history, that in the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries, and a little into the fifteenth, was the darkest time of the dark ages. They took the Bible entirely from the people; chained the Word of the Lord down, and would not let the people have it; and said the voice of the Church was above it. In the darkest time of the dark ages they did this, and John looked and saw it, and told of it.
"And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpets of the three angels, which are yet sound!” It had been in the sounding of the first four trumpets, woe to the gospel, woe to the Church, woe to the people that are religiously inclined; woe to the light of the Lord’s people. The day was made dark, and now the woe turns to the inhabitants of the earth, or the men that have made it dark. What about that? I remember of once going, when a small boy, into a deep, dark cavern, with some other boys about my own age; and while in there, at some distance from the entrance, we blew our candles out, to see how dark it would be; and then it was greatly to our disadvantage. And so the opposers of the truth had put out the gospel light to their own disadvantage, and the woe turned against them.
"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit."
Did you notice that personal pronoun there? Do you suppose it was a literal star from heaven? lf so, certainly the Spirit of the Lord would have addressed us in language that we could comprehend, and would have said "it;" and would not have used the pronoun "him." He says, "To him was given the key of the bottomless pit," and the Lord had told so plainly, in the former part of this book, that by stars he meant men, that by this time he takes it for granted that we know it, and uses the personal pronoun here to represent a man.
And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth; and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." When the first angel sounded his trumpet, it was a third part of the green trees and the green grass that was destroyed. I said they were men, and their blood had been shed; they had been burned and stoned to death, beheaded and sawn asunder. When the fifth angel sounded, a man fell from a high position to the earth, and he opened the bottomless pit and let a great smoke out; and locusts came out of the smoke, and hurt the dry tree- and dry grass-- not the green. It was woe to the men of the world now, and they were hurt. They hurt no green thing, but only those men that have not the seal of God in their foreheads. Does he not mean men, by trees and grass? The green trees and grass were men who had the seal of God in their foreheads. The command is, Do not hurt those that understand the Word of God, but only those inhabitants of the earth (men of the world) that have not the seal of God on their foreheads, that do not understand the Word of the Lord. Could language be plainer?
"And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle."
Who are these locusts? Not literal locusts, such as destroy the timber sometimes. They came out of the smoke of the bottomless pit, that fathomless abyss, to hurt men that have not the seal of God on their foreheads, that do not understand the Bible. One of the popes in the eleventh century (with his successors after him), claimed to have the power to change the state of the dead, and open the bottomless pit and let the souls of the condemned out. This assumed power let such a smoke of superstition out, that darkened the gospel light, and the swarms of locusts came out of this smoke of superstition.
Said one writer, these locusts ale the Mohammedans, the hosts under Attila, the Scourge of God. They are Mohammedans, because they have on their heads crowns like gold. They had on their heads yellow handkerchiefs or turbans. As though the Lord was giving an account of the peculiar style of head-dress the people wore! There is one thing said of these locusts--they had crowns like gold. Like gold, is not gold, is it? Anything that looks like gold and is not, is counterfeit. The elders had on their heads crowns of gold. They were saints of the Lord. These had crowns like gold, and were not saints; they only pretended to be. They were not Mohammedans, I know. How do I know? Because they never hurt Christians; these locusts could not hurt a man that had the seal of God in his forehead. Mohammedans did hurt Christians, and did kill them. One writer said, they did not kill all the Christians: and hence he concludes that, because they did not kill all the Christians, it was said they did not kill or hurt any Christians.
But such a loose and uncertain interpretation of the Scriptures would open the way for almost any error. John said, they could not hurt any green thing--only those men that had not the seal of God in their foreheads. The Mohammedans killed some, did they not? These locusts did not kill the men that did not understand the Bible; they could not hurt the Christians. It was commanded them to torment only the men that had not the seal of God in their foreheads, and it was given that they should not kill them. They did not kill anyone, while the Mohammedans did. These locusts did not hurt a Christian, and did not hill a man that was not a Christian; for the book says, "in the days (of these locusts) shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." Men did not have to pray long for death when Mahomet came with his troops with martial pomp, and trampled the earth under his feet. These locusts took the life of no one, although men would desire to die. They hurt the men that had not the seal of God in their foreheads, but did not kill them. Who are they?
They are the counterfeit preachers of the dark ages; they are men of greedy principles, the preachers that came out of the smoke of the superstition of the dark ages; the indulgence-sellers that pretended to pray men out of purgatory, and promised to remit sins for money; they would pray to change the state of the dead for money; and they swarmed out in the darkest time of the dark ages. But, with the knowledge you have of the Bible, would you give a dime for their prayers to change the state of your dead friends? Could they get one farthing from a man who understood the Word of the Lord, for indulgence for some sin he might commit in the future?
How did they hurt the men that did not understand the Bible? They took from them their last hard-earned shilling, to buy indulgences against some sin they were fearful they might commit; to have some kind friend taken out of the awful bottomless pit and reinstated in the paradise of God. They had on their heads crowns like gold; they professed to be very good; were very sanctimonious; they were but counterfeits; they were not the Lord’s people or his saints.
But I will have to stop here. I have not quite done with the sound of the fifth angel’s trumpet; and the sound of the sixth trumpet is one that will make our ears tingle. The man that cannot understand it, is in a deplorable condition. The sound of the next trumpet tells all about circ*mstances in which we are concerned now, so clearly that a school-boy can understand it.
Lecture 8:
The Fifth Trumpet (Continued) and
the Sounding of the Sixth Trumpet
by Joseph Martin
ON LAST evening we closed our remarks while noticing what John saw when the fifth angel sounded. The smoke of the bottomless pit, out of which came locusts that hurt no green thing, no Christian that understood the Bible; but only those men that had not the seal of God in their foreheads. That those locusts were the greedy preachers or priests of the darkest time of the dark ages; that did devour the substance of those that knew not the scriptures, that did not understand the Truth, the Bible. They professed to be Christians, but were counterfeit, as their crowns indicated. Their crowns were like gold, but not gold; they were counterfeit;--and they were counterfeit servants of the Lord. We called attention briefly to these things on last night; we now refresh your minds a little up this point, and say a few words more about these locusts.
They had hair as the hair of women,--signifying their effeminacy, their celibacy. They had teeth as it were the teeth of lions; they had breastplates as it were breastplates of iron; they were shielded by the strength of the iron Roman Empire; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. The sound of their wings was not the words of the Almighty, as in the case of those four living creatures that worshiped the Lord; but they had a military power to uphold them. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and they had stings in their tails, and their power was to hurt men five months. Five months of years doubtless, or one hundred and fifty years; that they are in the zenith of their power, if the time of the rise and decline is not counted. And these indulgence-selling preachers, that prayed people out of purgatory, did exercise an undisputed claim to these things for about one hundred and fifty years. But then they had stings in their tails--they stung and poisoned men; spiritually poisoned their minds, and left their deadly poison after they had done their work. And the poison is not entirely out of the minds of the people to the present day. We still look to men too much; to the preachers too much; or to their prayers for the pardon of sins. And they so poisoned the minds of the people in the day of their power, that they looked to them for pardon as they would have looked to the Lord.
"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit." The star that fell, opened the bottomless pit; that papal authority that professed to have the power over the unseen world in the dark time of the dark ages. As we said last evening, one-third part of the dark ages was darker than the other parts; and here John tells us that that was so; the smoke of superstition from the bottomless pit darkened the air, and out of it these locusts came.
"Their king’s name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon;" and in the English tongue, I would add, his name is the Destroyer that destroys the Lord’s people.
"One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter." Two woes more to the men of the world that do not understand the Bible. At a single glance we see that this fifth trumpet, this day of the locusts’ power, was woe to the men that do not understand the Bible, because these preachers hurt no one physically; the Inquisition was not in their hands. They only poisoned the minds and robbed the ignorant of their substance; but they hurt no man, took no penny from a man that understood the Bible, for he would not give it to them--would not pay them for their preaching or their prayers, knowing that they were teaching error.
"And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men."
We inquire for a moment who these four angels are that were bound in the great river Euphrates, that John said were to be let loose when the sixth angel sounded his trumpet. And I answer, we will prove that they are the four quarters of the world--the whole human family that had been bound for a long time, by some strong power. But the proof that these four angels are the whole human family, or the fighting portion of them, comes next.
"And the number of the army of the horsem*n were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them." The four angels are two hundred millions. Two hundred thousand thousand, are just two hundred millions, and that is just about the fighting force of the whole world. We have a few more than one billion inhabitants on the earth, and in a few centuries past the average population on the globe has not varied much from one billion. But of that billion about five hundred millions (one-half) are females, leaving an average population of male inhabitants of about five hundred millions; and of that number about one-half are minors, leaving about two hundred and fifty millions of adult males on the earth at a time. But of that number of adult males about one-fifth are superannuated--too old to fight. These are statistical facts. This loaves exactly John’s two hundred millions of fighting men on earth. And when we prove a matter mathematically, we think it is pretty well done.
John thus saw the whole fighting force of the earth let loose--two hundred millions of soldiers let loose from some river that held them bound until the sixth angel sounded his trumpet. They were bound in the great river Euphrates; but what is that river? The river that runs through Mystery Babylon, as certainly as that type answers to antitype. There was a literal Babylon, a city in the plains of Shinar; and the literal river Euphrates ran through it, and was its strength and support for twelve hundred years, and then became the means of its overthrow. History tells us that Cyrus posted his troops above the city of Babylon, where the river Euphrates entered the city, and a portion of them below the city, where the river came out of the city, and dispatched another portion up the river to drain it into the great artificial lake, and by midnight they had 60 completely drained it that he marched his troops up and down its dried-up channel, through the gates and into the city, and took it the night Belshazzar was drinking wine out of the vessels of the Lord’s house. The river that sustained and enriched literal Babylon so long, was the means of its overthrow. And Mystery Babylon has its river--its ten kingdoms--its imperial political power that has sustained it, as the Lord says in the seventeenth chapter; and will until the purpose of God is finished, and then its imperial political river will turn against it. So says the Lord in the seventeenth chapter of this book of Revelation. That political power of the papacy, or Mystery Babylon, will finally turn (and it has turned already) against it, and be dried up to it. And that imperial power, here called a river, held the nations of the earth down, bound fast, that they could not move without its permission; they could not declare war or make peace, only as its mighty power permitted them to. And through the power of this imperial river the popes put their feet on the necks of kings, and had the monarchs lashed with rods-- had the whole world bound down under the control of Mystery Babylon, until the sixth angel sounded his trumpet. They are loosed now. No king asks that imperial power, the papacy, whether he may make war now. No monarch now asks the pope whether he shall make peace or form alliances. The whole world is let loose from the power that held them bound so long. The sixth angel is sounding his trumpet.
But when let loose, John tells us how they fought. We are now in the time of the sounding of the sixth angel’s trumpet as certain as that the nations of earth are loosed to fight; and there is no power to prevent them from it. "And thus I saw the horses in the Vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone." The heads of the horses, including the rider, were as the heads of lions.
John is pointing to the modern mode of fighting on horseback, with the rider leaning forward, which, to his sight, and to the sight of one looking on at a distance, would appear as the great mane of the lion; the man leaning on his horse’s neck. He would, in fighting with firearms, have to lean forward to discharge his piece, lest he might shoot down his own horse that he was riding. In John’s day the posture was very different. Then those Greek and Roman warriors leaned back, when fighting on horseback, in order to throw their javelins and darts with greater force. But in this great fight in the sound of the sixth angel’s trumpet, they lean forward, and it has the appearance of the head of a lion. "And out of their mouths" (I would rather paraphrase it, and say, out from their mouths) "issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed." By the fire, by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out from their horses’ mouths.
Now, I want to ask my friendly hearers if it is not as literally fulfilled before our eyes as anything can be? Are not all nations now engaged in this mode of warfare? Do they not kill men with fire and smoke and brimstone? "I do not know." Do you not know that this is just ignited gunpowder? Do not all men know, without calling in a chemist, that it is precisely the chemical division of gunpowder when ignited--fire, smoke, and brimstone? There is a little sulphur in gunpowder in its crude state; but when you touch a spark of fire to it, this is all taken up in the flame and smoke, and there is nothing of ignited gunpowder but fire, smoke and sulphur,--that is all. And if John had been living now, and been looking on a battle scene, where men are fighting with firearms, he could not have described the appearance better than he has here in this book. Fire and smoke and brimstone are doing the work. One said to me, some time since, that "gunpowder does not kill men; it is the ball that kills them." I know the ball kills the man, but I would not fear a shipload of bullets if you keep the powder away. It is the powder that does it after all. But, then, the powder itself is harmless as the ball of lead that it sends, until it is converted, by being ignited, into what John said--fire, smoke and sulphur. Then it does the work, and never before.
Could an uninspired man, in the last of the first century, have told of this matter? Could he have known, unless he had been inspired, that soon after the darkest time of the dark ages, when these greedy preachers hurt the men that had not the knowledge of God’s Word, that the nations would all be let loose from that mighty power that bound them, and engage in the fight with fire and smoke and brimstone? It is unreasonable to think that an uninspired man could have foretold it; it is utterly impossible.
"And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood; which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their thefts."
Says one, "I would have supposed they repented when such a dreadful plague was on them." But John told it correctly. They are as wicked as ever; as ungodly as before the gunpowder fight commenced. They blaspheme God on the battle-field; they worship their demons or dead heroes; they rap up the spirits of the dead, and they worship idols of gold in the shape of money; and brass, and wood, and stone, in the shape of buildings and earthly goods; and they still go on with their murders; and the most ungodly blasphemy that I have ever heard in my life, was right where the fire and smoke and brimstone were doing their deadliest work. They do not repent of their thefts; they steal as much as they ever did. It is woe to the men of the world; and the good Lord grant that Christians may not be contaminated by it.
How did John know that they would still be wicked while this fight with gunpowder was going on? How long? Was it a little trouble of our country, a few years ago, that we were talking about? O! no; not that alone. Lt is said that this fighting with fire and smoke and brimstone, or ignited gunpowder, is to last about four hundred years, prophetic count. Not one single battle, not that all the two hundred millions would engage in fighting at one time; but the whole world would be engaged in fighting in this way for nearly four hundred years. An hour, a day a month and a year, when reduced to days, make nearly four hundred days, and a day in the prophecies stands for a year; in the Old Testament, and all through this book of Revelation, it stands for a year. The proof of this will be brought up in due time.
This four hundred years of fighting with firearms does not date from the invention of gunpowder in the fourteenth century; but from the time that the nations are let loose to fight. And when were they let loose? Gradually, my brother, they have been let loose from the day that Germany slipped away from the papal power, in the days of Luther; and soon Switzerland went, and England followed, and they have been dropping away from that imperial power that held them, nation after nation, until not one remains bound by the papal power. Whether we date from the time they were all let loose, or from the commencement of the letting loose, is a question that the Lord intended we should not fully determine, I suppose. Gradually they are let loose; gradually the fight will die out. But the time of the battle’s raging must be something near four hundred years of fighting with firearms, and in the time they will kill one-third of the population. It is a mighty margin to fill up yet. The nations of the old world have not nearly done their dreadful work of slaughter. They will fight on in this way until every government and kingdom moves out of its place and tumbles down to ruins, and every crown drops from every monarch’s brow, and the whole earth is given to the saints, and they have a grand Democratic Republic all over the world, and no king but Jesus, and he reigning in heaven and through his saints on earth.
But we have not done with this sixth trumpet yet. There are several other matters to which God calls our attention, as it were with the sound of a trumpet in our ears.
"I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven" (while this fight with firearms is going on. This angel comes down from heaven), "clothed with a cloud; and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire." He looks very much like the description John gave of the Lord, in the first chapter. It was the Lord’s people doubtless; we will notice that in due time. "And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices."
At some time during this fight with fire, smoke and brimstone, there is a little book to be opened, a sealed book to he unsealed--a prophetic book to be understood. The Lord has said it, and we had better begin to examine it. He had in his hand a little book, open; no seal there. The fight will last until the prophetic book is opened.
This angel, with the a loud voice, as when open book in his hand, "cried with a lion roars: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not."
Here is a difficulty. What did the seven thunders say? John was commanded not to write what they said. Why was it not put down? Where is there a revelation to make known things to come, by saying, do not write what is said? I have an opinion as to what the seven thunders uttered, and my opinion is, that the seven thunders told John the meaning of the Vision he had seen--of all of it: that the four beasts signify, what their wings signify, what the white horse, the red horse, the black horse, and the pale horse, and all the Vision he had seen, what each single thing represented; and he was going to write it down. One reason I have for thinking so, is, that the book was open; another is, that seven thunders uttered their voices, and seven is a sacred full number; and it is just about equivalent to saying it told him all, and he was about to write it. But a voice from heaven said, "Seal up the things that the seven thunders uttered, and write them not;" that is, do not write down in plain words the meaning of the Vision. Why? O! do you not wish, if that be true, that he had written it? That he had just told us in plain language the meaning of the Vision? It would not be necessary, my brother; it was not right he should. It would have rather forestalled our free action. Men would have fought against it all the time, and it would have taken a miracle to bring about the very things the Lord said should come to pass.
I must give one illustration of the man that said he knew the doctrine of foreordination was true, and that God had determined, from all eternity, every act of our lives, and that nothing could be done, only as he had decreed it. But as he was about to cross a stream of water over which was a narrow foot-bridge, he felt doubtful as to whether he could walk the bridge; he was fearful he might fall in and drown. He just remarked that he knew that it was ordained, from before the world began, that he should undertake to cross that bridge, and fall in and be drowned. But he said, as he knew the decree beforehand, it should not come to pass; and he turned around and went the other way. Now, the point in this is clear: that if the Lord had permitted John to write down the meaning of the Vision in plain language, that every sinner would be bound to understand, they would have fought against it--they would have said the prophecy of the Lord shall not be fulfilled.
Julian said the temple should be rebuilt, when Jesus said it should remain in ruins; and it took a miracle from the God of heaven to keep him from rebuilding it. So it was better for John to leave the vision as he saw it, and not write the meaning as it was given to him by the seven thunders’ voices; for men to find it out, as the Lord’s people could, and would, by examining the Bible’s definitions; and sinners who did not care to understand it, could go on and blindly fulfill the whole prediction
I said this was my opinion; but I have more than an opinion for it.
"And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth"--upon the religious and political powers-- "lifted up his hand to heaven, and swear by him that lives for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he had declared to his servants the prophets." Do not write the meaning, John, of what the seven thunders uttered. Then, with a solemn oath he swore that when the seventh angel should begin to sound, the matter should be delayed no longer; that is, the mystery of God should be a mystery no longer. It would be opened in the days of the fighting with gunpowder; the seals would be broken, and the matter understood without John’s writing it; the angel swore to it. A mystery of prophecy is not finished while it is still a mystery. It is when it is understood, that the mystery is finished. John was forbidden to write the meaning of the Vision; for it would be made plain when the seventh angel would begin to sound. We have to investigate the matter a little before the seventh angel begins to sound.
When the seventh angel begins to sound his trumpet, the kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of Christ; the mystery is finished, the prophecy is understood. Then let us investigate it seriously. We have not done with what John saw when the sixth angel’s trumpet was sounding. He tells of a great many more matters that are to transpire during the sound of the sixth angel’s trumpet. We are now in that period of time. The nations are let loose from any and every power that ever held them down. There is no power on earth that holds the nation’s back from fighting now. The imperial river of the papacy is dried up so that it cannot hold them any longer; and they are fighting with fire, smoke, and brimstone, as certain as ignited gunpowder is this, and every chemist knows that is so. And the God of heaven tells us in this same sounding of the sixth angel’s trumpet what we ought to be about, that we may be ready to meet the Lord when he comes.
Lecture 9:
Sublime Incidents Under
the Sounding of the Sixth Trumpet
by Joseph Martin
WE CLOSED our remarks on last night at the close of the seventh verse of the tenth chapter of Revelation, where the Lord made known to John that when the seventh angel should begin to sound, the mystery of the prophets that God has declared to them should be finished. He said John need not then write the meaning of the Vision as made known by the seven thunders, but it should be delayed no longer than until the seventh angel began to sound.
"And the voice which I heard from heaven spoke unto me again, and said, Go, and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which stands upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey; and I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my bowels were bitter."
The little book that John ate up was, doubtless, this whole book of prophecy, that was at first sealed with seven seals, but at the time of the fighting with firearms, in our day, it was to be open, and all the prophecy made plain by the time the great battle ended. John had the meaning of the Vision, but was forbidden to write it. And it is so natural for him to say it was sweet to the taste!
Information on any subject of importance is very sweet. We speak of men eating books, but we do not mean that they literally masticate and swallow down the paper and leather of which the book is made; that is not the manner of eating books: we mean, they get the contents in their mouths. We speak sometimes of book-worms: we mean men that are studying books. John ate up the book only in this sense of the meaning; there can be no other way of eating a book than to get all its contents in the mind, and understand them. And it was sweet to John to have the whole matter made plain to him. But when it was made plain, there were so many bad things, so much bad news concerning the Lord’s people and the Lord’s cause, that it made his bowels bitter. And then he was forbidden to write it; and to keep the secret from all the people of the Lord, made it still more bitter. Some years since, I was in a northern city, and had made arrangements with my son that he should write to me by the time I reached that city; as I had been from home a week or ten days before I went to the city, I expected a letter as soon as I reached it. I went to the post-office, but there was no letter for me. The next day it was the same thing, "No letter for you," and the third day, the very same--no letter yet. On the fourth day that I was in the city, I went to the post-office again, as uneasy as I well could be, and the postmaster said, "there was a letter came for Elder J. L. Martin the first day you came to town, but one of the students at the college took it out." Said I, "was he an elder?" "No, sir; he was a young man." "Was his name J. L. Martin?" "No, sir; it was William Martin." "What right had you to let him have my letter?--I would rather have that letter than twenty dollars." O, how sweet it was to me to get news from home! It was sweeter than honey to my taste; and it may be said of the letter of the Lord’ that it was sweeter than honey. That is the sense in which the book was sweet to John; he got the meaning of all the prophetic vision. But when I got my letter at last, there was some bad news in it that made me feel bitter in soul. When John had got the Lord’s book all in his mind, had eaten it up, there was so much bad news for the Lord’s cause that it was bitter to him. And then the angel forbade him to write it. The bitterness is partly removed when we can have someone to share it with us; but John had to bear it all alone. But the angel offered him a word of consolation.
"And he said unto me, You must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings." You must prophesy again, John; you will tell the whole matter after a while. To a few choice friends? O, no! John must preach before many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings. It makes no difference how much poor, weak mortals may say this book is of no use. John will make kings hear it, and nations tremble before his preaching. He is not going to preach in person, brother; the old man was nearly a hundred years old when he was in Patmos, and never saw a king with his natural eyes after he saw the Vision; but here are his works, and it will go and make kings listen to it yet, or else the God of heaven has made a mistake. Tongues, every language, must hear it; nations must hear and listen to it, or else the Lord told John something that is not true. He can only preach in this book; he is not here in person to do it.
But there was something more to be accomplished in the sound of the sixth angel’s trumpet. We have not done with the sixth trumpet yet. We have revealed to us already, that all nations will be let loose to fight; that seven thunders will make known the meaning of the prophecy, and that John is to go preaching in this world before kings, and tongues, and peoples, and nations, while this sixth trumpet is sounding.
"And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein."
This is to be accomplished during the sound of the sixth angel’s trumpet. There is to be given to the Lord’s people a measuring reed to measure the temple of God. Do you know what the temple of God is? Paul said to the Corinthians, You are the temple of God--the Church. That is not a matter in controversy. The temple of God is a spiritual house, not made of timber, or brick, or stone, but of living materials--living men and women. Rise up, John, the angel said; here is a measuring reed to measure the Church of God; and that measuring reed was to be in the hands of the Lord’s people, as John represented them. And not only measure the temple, or Church of God, but measure the altar, or the worship; because the altar stands for the worship: it is so used in the scripture by Paul. He said, in speaking of the Jewish priests, They that wait in the temple are partakers of the altar; or they that wait at the altar, live of the altar; but he did not mean that they ate the altar,--it was the offerings that they dived by. And he uses the same style in his letter to the Hebrews, when he says, We have an altar of which they have no right to partake who serve in the tabernacle, the Jewish tabernacle. On that altar, he says, "we offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving continually; the fruit of our lips." He calls the offering the altar in both places; and so it is here. It is the offering or the worship, the sacrifice we offer, that he calls the altar. Then we have, measure the Church, measure the worship, and measure the worshipers.
In the days of this fighting with fire, smoke and brimstone, that same building of the Lord was to be reared that old Ezekiel spoke of in the fortieth chapter of his prophecy. He said he saw an angel with a reed six full cubits long; and the Lord God of heaven called his attention to what he was about to show him--the measuring of the Lord’s house. The old prophet said he saw the angel measure the whole building on the outside wall of it, and it was a reed long and a reed high, just the length of his measuring reed and just as high, the outside wall of the whole building. And then he measured a little chamber in the building, and that was a reed long and a reed broad, just one reed square. And then he measured eleven more on the four sides, and each of the little rooms was just a reed long, a reed broad, and a reed high. And he went on measuring little chambers in the building, and each of them was just a reed square, and the whole building on the outside wall of it, was just one reed square. And he kept on measuring, and he said that the building, as it went up, room after room, was each one just a reed square, and yet the whole building on its outside wall was just one reed square. What a saving that would be for builders! A brother said to me, some time since, "Bro. Martin, that is a physical impossibility. To have so many rooms, each one a reed square, about twelve feet square, within an outside wall that is only that large itself, only as large as one of the rooms." But the Lord said, "Set thy heart on it." Lord grant that we may! We know that the old prophet is speaking of this very building of the Lord, that John was to measure; as the representative of the Lord’s people, in the day of the fighting with firearms. Come up and measure now--the time has come--while the sixth angel sounds his trumpet.
But is it possible to rear such a building? Do we know how to get it up so as to have the whole building just a reed square, and each room in it a reed square, and hundreds of them? We will see. I thank the Lord for one thing, and that is, that we have the measuring reed. While the fighting with ignited gunpowder is going on, along comes God’s missionary angel, with the measuring reed, the Bible. And the whole building, the whole Church of God on earth, must be measured by it. It will not do to have the outside wall--I mean the whole family of God on earth-- any wider, longer, or higher than the Bible measure. The whole family must just fill the measure, if they are right. Can you see it? And then if we have a little chamber here at Unity, and another at Cloverdale, and one more at Greencastle, and another at Bloomington, another at Millgrove, and another somewhere else, they must be just as large as the Bible measure, if they are right. And it matters not, my brother, if there are only a dozen, they must fill the Bible measure--be as large as the whole building on the outside wall. Ten thousand must be no larger than ten; ten millions of the Lord’s people must not fill the measure any more than one hundred; every chamber or little congregation must be just as large as to fill the Bible measure, just as full, as the whole family of the Lord, though it may be all over the earth. And he tells us what the measuring reed is, directly; does not leave me to guess at it.
This precious old volume, that has been laid aside so long! And, sure enough, according to prediction, it comes along, side by side with the introduction of firearms. But we are to measure what, with the Bible? Why, the Church of God, and every little congregation in that Church. Not measure other measures, not try our sticks and strings that we measure with by it, but measure the building itself. It has, for a long time, been used as a kind of try-measure, to try other measures by, but that is not the use to put it to.
But does the building, as we now have it, and as men claim the building of God to be, fill John’s description? Does it fill Ezekiel’s description? Does every little congregation just fill one measure, take the world over? We measure.me congregation, it may be the Friend Quakers, in their rules and their order, their officers and their manners; and then try another congregation, it may be the Presbyterians, the Methodists, or the Baptists--and lo! the measure does not fit them. From Mormons to Campbellites, if there are any, and there may be some, we have every shape you could possibly imagine, there are no squares, they are of every shape, nearly, that the human mind could imagine. And I a m right certain, and I will say it with the deepest solemnity, that if all the congregations in all the denominations in Christendom, have been measured with one measuring reed, it has been made of gum-elastic, and will stretch and bend to any shape. It has not been the one that John described; that is, like a reed, straight, and will not bend or stretch. We have the measuring reed, the Bible, given to us; and the Lord grant we may up and measure the Church, measure all its officers, measure all their duties, measure all their titles, measure just what they shall be called; and away go all the reverends. There would not be a Rev. J. L. Martin, nor a Rev. Wm. Black, or Rev. James Blankenship, or Rev. Anybody Else, beneath the sun. When we measure the Church by the measuring reed God has given us, the reverends are not in it. We would not have one arch-deacon, nor one archbishop, in all the building of God, from one end of it to the other; they are not in reach of the measure; it does not reach that far. We would not have one doctor of divinity in the whole building of our heavenly Father; the rule does not reach that far--it is not in it at all. These are mere human appendages, put in by some fallible rule that men have made. They will not be in the Church of God when it is measured by this blessed old measuring reed. Do you not think there will be a wonderful trimming and lopping off, and, it may be, a wonderful stretching out for all of us to get up to the measuring reed of every congregation? And there is no other chance for the building to go up in its beauty without the sound of the hammer, but to measure every congregation by the one measuring reed. Not measure their measures, by it, because they may be a little careless, and get up the differences that we have; but measure all with the same measuring reed, the Bible. Could uninspired men make a better? Is it too long? Is it too short? Could they arrange it any better? And when we are all measured by the Bible, and measured correctly, we will all be just alike; then the building can go up in its glory, without the sound of so much hammering.
But we have to measure not only the Church, but the altar, the worship. And when we do that, the preachers will all preach alike, the singers will all sing alike, exhorters will all exhort alike, and prayers will all be alike, and go up as sweet incense before the God of heaven. We will not have one preacher preaching a certain doctrine, and another coming along and preaching one contrary to it, while all the worship is measured by the same reed. We will not have exhortations then that come in contact and in conflict with the Word of the Lord. We will not have old fables, and animal-exciting stories, to exhort men and women to worship the Lord, by working upon their animal passions. Measure all the sermons, measure all the exhortations, measure all the songs, all the worship, and then we will not sing a thousand errors while all the songs are measured by the Bible. No; we sometimes sing conflicting doctrines now (I mean the religious world). We used to sing, and if it is right, let us sing it yet,--
"Come, you Fount of every blessing."
Now, who is the Fount of every blessing? Every one answers, "God is the fount of every blessing." Then substitute the meaning, and say, Come God. But do what, when you come?
"Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above."
Now, in the name of my Master, by his measuring reed, have we ever been authorized to ask the Lord to come and teach a singing-school? To sing a melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above! John said they sung a new song there, that no man on earth could learn. Better measure up a little with our singing, brother) uninspired mortals made our songs. Better try our songs by the old measuring reed, as well as our sermons and exhortations. We used to sing--
"Tis a point I long to know,
Oft it causes anxious thought:
Do I love the Lord, or no?
Am I His, or am I not?
"Lord, decide the doubtful case,
Youwho art thy people’s Sun;
Shine upon thy work of grace,
If it be indeed begun."
If that fits the measuring reed, sing it; but if not, for heaven’s sake, drop it. If the Lord has not decided the case, will he come to do it? Can we sing him up to make the matter any plainer than he has? We are to measure all our songs and worship by the measuring reed. But that is not all: We are to measure our prayers by it; and if we would measure every prayer by the Bible, we would not have so many strange expressions. I have never in my life read in the Bible any direction or instruction for a man to pray for the Lord to "come down just now;" but I have heard men pray it. I never, in all the measuring reed, saw the notch that would justify a man in saying, "Lord, take the congregation off to heaven to-night;" but I heard a man pray it in a large congregation. I have never found, in all the measuring reed--the Bible--anything that would, in my estimation, justify a man in prayer, saying, "Lord, take sinners by the hair of the head, and shake them over the mouth of that awful world of darkness, hell;" but I heard a man pray it. And I am not right certain, I may add, that men are justifiable in trying to flatter the God of heaven, or to influence him, by saying, "Lord, come and work for us, and get a great name for thyself,"--as though the God of heaven could be moved on to work for the sake of a distinguished name among them! I am not right certain, brethren and sisters--in the fear of my God I must say it--that we always pray according to rule. I am afraid we are selfish, that we do not pray for the things the Lord has commanded. Measure up, for heaven’s sake; let us be about the work; let us measure all our worship in the Lord’s house, and at our homes.
Is there anything more to be measured by the reed? Yes; it is said, measure the worshipers. It is the blessed old measuring reed that measures the congregation and the worship in ail the house of the Lord, and then measures the man that worships; tells him precisely how he has to live; tells the king his duty while on the throne--how to rule in the fear of God; tells the President of the United States precisely what he ought to do, and tells every congressman his duty. It tells the Governor of the State his obligations to God, and what his duty is; and tells every officer of the land, from the highest to the lowest, just precisely how he ought to act and how he ought to live. It tells the husband his duty to his wife and family, and tells the wife her duty to her husband and children. It tells the neighbor his duty to his neighbor; tells every man his duty--the servant to the master, and the master to the servant. It tells the child his duty to his parents, and parents their duty to their children. It leaves no one out. It measures and gives the rule by which every mortal man that has an intellect may measure himself. It is a perfect rule. It is like a reed--it will not bend for our prejudices, it will not stretch for our little fancies. We have to stand up by it; and the God of heaven grant we may get to work soon. It tells when to be kind, and how to be kind; and how to bestow the fruits of our labors, and that we must condescend to persons low down in the valley of humility; and when we are fully measured up, and all that is wrong is taken away, we are ready then for lively stones in the building; and every material is fitted up by the same rule, and the worship is all as the voice of one man, and the building of God goes up in its grandeur all over the earth. And we are in that day now, when we have to begin to measure. But the Lord have mercy on us! We have not yet learned that this measuring reed is to try us; at least, some of us will make little sticks, and cut them off, only partly the length. We think this one is a little too long--one not quite as long would be handier. That will not do, for it at last will be too short at the judgment-day. Some think it is hardly long enough, and add a little to it. Then they will be unsuited for the great building at last. Some think the figures are arranged a little wrong, and that they can arrange them better; hence they make one that they acknowledge is imperfect; but they would rather measure by an imperfect rule that they have made themselves, than by one that is to try the great building of God in heaven at last. Is it not a pity? Will they not quit it?
The old measuring reed is before us. We have it as it was given to us in the days of the sounding of the sixth angel’s trumpet--just as John says. "Well, you said it was the Bible." Yes; I did.
"But the court"--here is another matter I wish you to notice--"but the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: (or those that are not the Lord’s people) and the holy city (he here calls the temple a city) shall they tread under foot forty and two months."
John tells us that this measuring reed that is to be used in the days of the fighting with fire-arms, shall have been out of use for forty-two months; the building is to lie in a kind of outer-court condition for forty-two months, and not to be measured by this reed. How long a time is forty-two months? In prophetic count, 1260 years. Do you not know that the Jewish month is thirty days, and thirty times forty-two make just 1260? A day stands for a year in the Book of Revelation and the prophecies. The Lord said unto Daniel, "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people," "from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince;" and we find, from Bible chronology, that it was seventy weeks of years-- 490 years. The Lord said to Ezekiel, "I have given you a day for a year;" and Ezekiel and John work on the same prophetic rule. There is no sense in the Book of Revelation to take a day literally, from the very fact that it would wind up the whole matter in a few short years, instead of being a revelation of the whole Christian dispensation.
That length of time--forty-two months, or 1260 years-- John tells us the Church was to be unmeasured, trampled down, and the Bible not used as a measuring reed at all. And, sure enough, history tells us it is literally true. For 1230 years of papal usurpation and tyranny, the Bible was kept in the dead languages, in the cloisters of monks and friars, and the people were not permitted to read it. It was thrown aside as a measuring reed to measure the Church; and those that professed to be Christians, but really were Gentiles, trampled down the holy city, or the Church of the living God, and they said, The voice of the Church is above the voice of the Almighty. They said more than that. They said the Church was infallible, and they made their own rules, they made their own laws, and threw the old measuring reed out of the way. It is as John foretold. It was put out of the way for 1260 years, and then it was to come into use in the days of the fighting with fire and smoke and brimstone; and it is so.
"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three-score days, (1260 days) clothed in sackcloth." John just tells us that at the time of the sounding of the sixth angel’s trumpet, when all nations are loosed to fight with firearms, that the Bible, that had been clothed in sackcloth 1260 years, is to be handed to them to measure with. How do I know the two witnesses are the measuring reed--the Bible? The Lord told me. That is all the way I know anything about it. What did he say? In Zechariah (chap. iv)--I saw two olive trees pouring the golden oil into the golden candlestick. And the old prophet said, What are these, my lord? Says one, Why do you say two olive trees? Because these two witnesses are called two olive trees in the next sentence. "And the angel answered and said, This is the word of the Lord," "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." It was the Lord’s spirit.
What are the two witnesses? The two olive trees, the two candlesticks standing before the God of all the earth. Do you not all know that the Old Testament and the New are the two witnesses for Jesus? They are his two witnesses to testify of him that every man may know that Jesus is the Lord. Take either of them out of court, and the evidence is incomplete. The prophets foretold his coming, and the apostles told of his coming. Jesus said to the Jews, "Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, (the Jewish scriptures he meant,) and they are they which testify of me."--One of the witnesses.
John said, The things that are written in this book, the New Testament, are written that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ. Here are these two witnesses, the measuring reed, clothed in sackcloth, and prophesying in sackcloth, unused as a measure for 1260 years. We are living in a day when the measuring reed is in our hands; it has done with prophesying in sackcloth--the old, ugly dress is taken off it. It was clothed in a bad translation, an ugly, unsightly dress, for 1260 years, and not used as a measure at all.
"These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth, and devours their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in like manner be killed."
If any man will hurt the Word of the Lord, the fire of God’s Word is to kill him; his part will be taken out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City. If a man adds a word to them, the plagues written in this book will be added to him, and into the lake of fire he will go. No wonder John said, fire proceeds out of their mouth, or from the Word of the Lord, that is to hurt the man that hurts the two witnesses. Hands off, then, from the Word of the Lord! Let me not change or mar it in the least, but measure by it.
"These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy." While these two witnesses are prophesying in sackcloth for 1260 years, there is no rain. He did not, surely, mean to say there should be a dearth of 1260 years. Rain makes the earth fruitful, makes it bring forth that which is for man’s good, for man’s support, literally. But John meant here, that while the Word of the Lord is lying in a sackcloth dress, unused as a measuring reed, the earth was in this barren, famine state, religiously; that there were none of those refreshing showers of God’s favor upon a ruined world that would have been if the witnesses had not been cast down. The putting down of the witnesses brought on a miserable long famine of the Word of the Lord.
"And these have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will."
No man could do this. Some writers think these witnesses are Moses and Elijah. Good Lord, save us from such errors! Moses and Elijah are dead, and will never walk on this earth 1260 years again. No fire will ever proceed out of their mouths. If we make the witnesses literal, we must make the dearth literal. This is to be fulfilled and done with in the days of the fighting with fire, smoke and brimstone; the witnesses are to be alive and in the hands of the Lord’s people then. There has been no literal dearth of rain from the clouds for 1260 years in any time past; but there has been a famine of the favor and grace of God, and of the knowledge of the Lord.
"And when they shall have finished their testimony," (these two witnesses) "the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit" (the king of those locusts he was speaking of) "shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the streets of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the peoples and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth." They told the sinners of their sins too plainly.
But when was this slaying, this three days and a half? Not after they have finished prophesying in sackcloth. That were impossible; if the Bible has dropped its sackcloth dress and is given to the people in their plain mother tongue, they could not kill it then. Some think it was the French Revolution, in the days of Robespierre; some think it is yet in the future. Some think that Paris is the great city where lay the dead bodies; some think Jerusalem is the place. But the Book of God says, "In the streets of Mystery Babylon. The Papal hierarchy, which, for her great iniquity, is called "Mystery Babylon, the Great."
This Mystery Babylon the Great rules over the kingdoms of the earth, and the three days and a half that the Bible lies dead is the whole 1260 years that they were prophesying in a dead language. Why say three days and a half? Because it is necessary in order to make the picture look complete. To say they were lying dead 1260 days, would look out of order; hence he calls a whole year and a day, three years and a half--called in the next chapter, time, times and a half A parallel explains it in the next chapter--that a time and times and a half is the same length of time that 1260 days are. In the seventh chapter of Daniel’s prophecy we have the very same style-- that a time and times and a half mean 1260 days, because three years and a half are just 1260 days. And they did lie dead; they had the Bible in a dead language for 1260 years, and war was made against it from the time the testimony was complete, when they had finished giving in their evidence; and they had not finished their testimony until the last word was written, and the whole book brought together in one volume. Then the penny merchants commenced their work-- commenced taking the Bible from the people, making war against it, and finally said, it shall not live; we will give it to them in a dead language: and it lay in the streets of Mystery Babylon, in the hands of her monks and friars, where her religious commerce was carried on for 1260 years, and the world rejoiced over it; the people of the world were glad, because the Bible told them of their sins and their obligations to God; and now they are clear from it, now they have no restraint--all nations rejoice. They of the kindreds, tongues, peoples, and nations, rejoice over the dead witnesses, to see them lying there. But that is all. They are in;` dead language; they will not suffer them burned. It was not the French Revolution when they buried the Bible; for in John’s vision it is said they let them lie in the street; they did not bury or burn them. They never can be killed in Jerusalem, in any time to come, more completely than they have been for the past 1260 years; but at the end of the 1260 years that they lie unused’ end out in the street of the great city, they come to life again. At the end of the three days and a half they rise up in the sight of their enemies, and stand upon their feet once more. And they hear a great voice from heaven, from the Lord’s people, saying, "Come up"--from the Lord’s Church, for the Church is called heaven, or a heavenly place. "Come up!"
When did they come to life, my brother? In the days of Luther, when Luther said, "I will go to Worms if there is a wall of fire two miles thick around it, and as many devils there as there are tiles on their housetops!" When Luther said, "The Germans shall have the scriptures in their living language," and gave it to them, it stood up once more. In the days of Luther it came to life; the spirit of life, a living language entered it, and it has been rising since, slowly mounting up in the sight of its enemies. the powers of darkness cannot put it down. Up it goes, still rising, and the wondering world looking on, and its enemies trembling at its upward flight. The voice is still crying, "Come up;" the measure of the Lord is in the hands of the Lord’s people. And John said, the same hour the witnesses came to life, the tenth part of the city fell--one-tenth part of the papal power the day the Bible stood up before the people in a living language, in Germany. And since that the city has been crumbling; and seven thousand titles of men fell. That many reverends, right reverends, doctors of divinity, arch-deacons and arch-bishops, gave up their titles. They are giving them up, and will have to give them up. The witnesses are still rising; we have now the Bible to measure the church, the worship, and the worshipers. I would not barter off this blessed measure of the Lord, alive in our hands once more, for all the crooked sticks ever made by mortals; for all the stretchy measures human ingenuity ever invented, if I were certain they could make a better rule; because I would have to be judged by this and tried by it at last. If such a thing were possible, it would be a vain work, while this is the one we must be tried by at last. These did not all give up their titles at once, but finally became affrighted and gave the glory to the God of heaven.
The second woe to the opposers of the Truth is past, and the third woe comes.
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." The very next blast from the God of heaven upon the angel’s trumpet will be, "The kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of Christ." How long it will be, I know not. I may not live to hear the seventh angel begin to sound. I do not expect to, but I will fight for it--fight to have the building measured up with the same old measuring reed. I will tell the people it is sufficient, and that they must be tried by it and judged by it at last. I will plead for the Bible, that the building may go up in its beauty, and each chamber be just as large as the whole house.
O! for such a saving of material as this! May the God of heaven grant we may work!
Lecture 10:
Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet
by Joseph Martin
WE CLOSED our remarks last night at the sounding of the seventh angel’s trumpet. "The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."
The temple had been measured up by the measuring reed; the little rooms all of one dimension, each one as large as the whole building. The worship and the worshipers all measured by the measuring reed--the Bible-- and then the kingdoms of earth are the kingdoms of the Lord. And I do feel like joining in with the old apostle, and saying, "Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of the prophecy of this book;" the Lord having made known that the measuring reed, the two witnesses for Jesus, the two Testaments, after lying dead 1260 years, after being clothed in a bad translation, in a dead language that long, was, in the days of the fighting with gunpowder, to be brought to life again, translated into the living languages of earth, and given to the Lord’s people to measure the Church, the worship, and the worshipers--the whole building and all its materials. And every man that has read history as much as he should, knows that it is literally fulfilled. We have it alive to-night, and I bless the Lord that made known to us that it was to be given to us as a measuring reed, in the days of the sounding of the sixth angel’s trumpet. And by the time we get all the worship measured with it, and get all the worshipers measured with it--as we said on last night--and all the congregations measured with it, we will be ready to sing out, "The kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of Christ." The only way to bring about that glorious time is, just to work by the one rule--not measure our measures by it, but measure the church itself. Not measure our rules and our notions by it, but measure by the Bible, by the reed itself. That forever turns over and throws down into the dust the argument that the Bible is a kind of constitution to try rules and laws by; it is the measure itself, to measure the Church, the worship, and the worshipers.
But when the kingdoms of this world are declared to be the kingdoms of Christ, John says, "The four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces and worshiped God." And John says that they bowed and worshiped when the four quarters of the world acknowledged Jesus. And I said that that had reference to the millennial age, when the kingdoms of this world all acknowledged Jesus. I said so in my lecture on the fourth chapter; and I said there would be some more proof of it, and right here it is; just at the point where he says the kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of Christ, he introduces the elders bowing and worshiping, the whole family of the Lord, Jews and Gentiles, united and worshiping the Lord. They not only bow and worship, but they say, "We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and west, and art to come." The most of our modern translations leave out "to come," here, but they do not in the fourth chapter, which is a parallel with this portion precisely. In the fourth chapter, these elders and beasts, while bowing and worshiping, at the time when the kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of Christ, say the Lord is to come. Do you know why I make this quotation? Simply to show that at the time when the kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of Christ--the millennium ushers in--the Lord has not come yet, in person; they could not say, "art to come," if he was here. Little words carry a large amount of meaning sometimes. "Because youhast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged." What class of the dead, "And that you should give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great." Just that many of them at the commencement of the reign of Christ on earth--the millennial age, those that fear the name of the Lord, small and great, will be raised and judged, and rewarded, John says. I just leave it with you; I know nothing more than he tells me.
And the Lord said at that time he would destroy them that destroy the earth; those that had been destroying his people and his word will be destroyed when the saints possess the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens. He is through with the history of the Bible, from the day that the testimony was all brought together into one volume; through with the dark ages while it was dead as a rule, and the time it was revived and stood up, and was given to the Lord’s people for a measure to measure the Church, until the Lord’s people rule all over the earth, by the Bible. John gives us an entire history of the Bible; and when he has done this, he has made known a matter that is of so much importance that he must give us a history of it, and that matter is the kingdom of Christ--the Church of the Lord. He has introduced it, and it is measured by the measuring reed, in the days of the fighting with fire, smoke and brimstone.
"And the temple of God was opened in heaven," (they were measuring it) "and there was seen in this temple the ark of his testament; and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail."
At the time when the Lord destroys them that had fought against his cause, the gunpowder, the fire, smoke, and brimstone, made a heavy hail-fall. John knew no other name for the balls--the cannon balls and the small ones, than to call them hail; and it was to destroy the nations and kill the third part of men; and no sensible man needs more proof than to read its fulfillment. It is literally fulfilled. Leaden hail falls on the nations and destroys them, and will destroy every one that will not acknowledge Jesus.
"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: and she being with child, cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days."
This was a wonderful vision. John said it was a wonder. He saw a woman clothed with the sun, a beautiful garment of light, and she had the moon under her feet, and she had on her head a crown of twelve stars. But here stood a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and its tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them down to the ground. I do wish you would lend your imagination, and try to look at the vision with John. The woman brought forth a man child that was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and that old red dragon tried to kill it, but failed. It is caught up to God on his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness and stayed there 1260 days. A day stands for a year, or there is no meaning in the prophecies. It would condense too much to take it literally. We have already proved that a day stands for a year, by the mouth of the Lord. What is this vision?--that is the question.
David says, in the second Psalm, of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he is to rule the nations with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel; and then he exhorts kings and rulers to kiss the Son, lest he be angry; and they perish when his wrath is kindled but a little. The matter is settled then.
Some writers say the man-child is the Lord Jesus. Then, the woman John saw must have been the Virgin Mary, for she was the mother of the Lord. They say that the red dragon must have been Herod the Great, for Herod did try to take the life of Christ; he sent forth his men of war, and slew all the children in Bethlehem of Judea, from the date of Christ’s birth down to that time, from two years old and under. But Joseph, warned of God in a dream, took the young child and his mother, and went down into the land of Egypt, and Herod failed to take the life of Christ. It looks like it fits, almost in every particular; but still it cannot be the true exposition, from the fact that in the vision of John, the man child and the woman were separated one from the other; but in the flight down into Egypt, Joseph took the young child and his mother together. It cannot be the true exposition from another fact: "down into Egypt," has never been, that I know of, in the Bible, called, "up to God’s throne." It cannot be the true exposition from another cause--the strongest one of all: John was telling of things that v ere to come to pass in the future--after the year 96, while the flight of Joseph and Mary down into Egypt was a matter that had taken place more than 90 years before John was in Patmos, and it required no revelation from the God of heaven to make known that matter of history.
But there is another matter that shows that this is not a correct exposition of this vision. This, Herod the Great was a man who had but one head. That is all. He was a bad man, but no individual man is, in the Bible, called a beast or dragon. This cannot be the correct exposition, from the reasons assigned.
We look for the true meaning, then. And the true meaning is just named, the matter just introduced by the Lord himself, when he says, "The temple of God was open, and in it the ark of his testimony." The Church of the Lord is open; John saw the Church measured up; he saw the bride of Christ--the Lamb’s wife. The Church is called the woman--the Lamb’s wife. Paul says, in one of his letters, A man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave unto his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church; that the Church sustains the same relation to Christ, that the woman does to her husband. And for that reason we ought to say as Paul said, that the wife should be named of her husband. The whole family in heaven and on earth is named of Him, and all married to Him. We know what the Church ought to be called, then,--married to Christ, the wife of Christ. The Lord save us from assuming any other name than that of the husband. No good wife would wear any other name than that of her husband; she would not consent to. It is an insult to the husband for the wife to call herself by any other name than his. But, for a long time the Church did it; for a long time the Lord’s people were in Babylon; but when they measure up by the measure of the Lord, they will have no name but the husband’s. John looked and saw the Church in all its beauty; saw the Church clothed with the sun; just what Jesus said about it,--"You are the light of the world.” O, that we might realize it! The Church clothed with the sun, putting on the true light! The light of a perishing world, putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true light. No wonder John said the woman was clothed with the sun. The Virgin Mary never wore that light; but the Church does. She puts on the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true light; and hence John said she was clothed with the sun.
But while he saw the Church in her beauty, clothed with the sun, he said the moon was under her feet. And the Lord intended we should know what was meant by that. The other is not hard. The Church is the light of the world. It is proper to say, then, she has a garment of light on. But what is the moon under her feet? One writer said, the old Jewish dispensation. May be not. I do not think the Church rests on that, or tramples it down, either. The Church has no business to trample down the Jewish dispensation, or to destroy it. She does not stand on it for a foundation; it is not under her feet, in any sense. What is it, then? Let the Lord tell. I quoted it just now, but you did not pay attention to it. Jesus says of the Church, "You are the light of the world,"--of the people of the world. The only light the world has, is the Church; and the only light the moon has, is the sun: the moon has a borrowed light from the sun. Every child of ten years knows, whether he has studied the science of astronomy or not, that the moon borrows all its light from the sun. And the world borrows all its light from the Church; for Jesus said, "You are the light of the world." Then that which has a borrowed light from the sun, is the moon, as certainly as the moon borrows its light, literally from the sun. And John saw the Church clothed with a garment of light, with the world under its feet. While it was giving light to the world, it stood above the world, not on it, as a foundation; but it put the world down under its feet, and stood above it; while the world borrowed light from the Church, the Church stood above it, when measured up rightly.
Then it had on the head, at the very start of the Church, twelve bright stars. The twelve apostles stood at the head of the Lord’s family, or Church, at the beginning. No wonder John said, on the head was a crown of twelve stars’ at the starting point. The stars were the foundation, laid upon the great corner stone that was laid first. And then the whole building was reared, and they stand at the head, or starting point, a crown of glory. O! what a beautiful Church! The light of the world, with the twelve bright stars for its starting point, or on its head!
And the Church, in all its beauty, stands travailing in birth, pained to be delivered. She was in travail, and brought forth a man child, that was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. But who is the man child? That is the question. I could not tell, if the Lord had not made it known. In this very connection, and in some other place, he said the seed of the woman are those who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. In this same connection--did you hear it?--the man child, or the seed of the woman, are those that keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. They are Christians. Language could not be plainer. The seed of this woman that John saw clothed with the sun, are Christians.
But why say, "a man child," in the singular number? Because the Lord always, in this book, has used the singular, when any number of persons were to do the same work, or to engage in the same thing. Do you want the proof of it? Are Christians to rule the nations? Jesus was to do that, was he not? Hear, then [Revelation 2:24-29]:
"But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not known this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden: but that which ye have already, hold fast till I come. And he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches."
Here we have the declaration of Jesus that the faithful Christian is to rule the nations with a rod of iron. And he speaks of them in the plural, first, and then says, in the singular, "He that overcomes." He means all the Christians, when he says "he," in the singular; language could not be plainer. And he says that these faithful Christians are to rule the nations with a rod of iron.
"But they are dead." O yes; those that were born then are dead; but it matters not, the spirit is the same; it is the same work, done by the brethren, measured by the same reed, though they may live at the end of the Christian dispensation; so Christians do the work, it is enough.
But, then, why did David say that Jesus was to rule the nations with a rod of iron? Because he will do it, but not in person. My friend, in Lawrence County, built a fine house last summer that cost $15,000. He did not do one stroke of the work; still, they all say he built the house. He paid for the materials, hired the hands, and superintended the work; gave the instructions as to how it was to be built, told the number of rooms and their size; and the neighbors all say he built the house. And he did, in one sense--by the workmen he employed. That is all. God created everything that is visible to human eyes. Who would say the Almighty did not create all things? He did it by his Son, Jesus Christ; but it is none the less the work of God.
But that is not all. The Lord God of heaven brought Israel out of Egypt, but not in person; he did it by the hand of Moses. Is it less the work of God, when he sent Moses and empowered him to do the work, and gave him instructions how to act all along the journey?
The Lord Jesus explains what David said. He says to the faithful Christians that keep his works unto the end, he will give power over the nations, and they shall rule them with a rod of iron, and as the vessel of the potter shall they dash them in pieces. My Father has given me that privilege, and I will do it through my faithful followers. It is Jesus ruling then, and reigning when the saints do, for he is doing it by and through them. That ought to settle a little quibbling and misunderstanding among the brotherhood, when some say the saints will reign, and others, that Jesus will reign in person. Jesus says he will reign through his faithful disciples; and I will not dispute his word.
John saw the woman--the Church--as she at first stood, in all her beauty and loveliness. She brought forth just such Christians as are yet to rule the world--to rule the nations; the same kind, of the same spirit. But the great red dragon, that had seven heads and ten horns, stood before the woman--stood before the Church, as soon as it was organized. And while Christians are being born again--turning to the Lord--that red dragon stood to kill them, to exterminate them, and blot out every one from the face of the earth. What is this seven-headed, ten horned monster, whose long tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven? If you know what power did fight against the Church, against the Christians, at the first, you hare the truth of the matter. And there was no power on earth, or beneath the skies, that could do it but pagan Rome; for the whole earth was in the arms of that mighty empire. There was no power on earth to withstand the Church when it was organized, but pagan Rome. That ought to settle it.
But that is not enough, some may think. May be that was not so. But then the Lord has said that this dragon stands for an empire or kingdom, as the beast does. It was a red one, and Rome was red, red with blood, a red horse, called in one of John’s visions. But here he says it had seven heads and ten horns; and in the seventeenth chapter he calls our attention to this very same red, or scarlet-colored, dragon or beast, and says he had seven heads and ten horns, and carried upon himself, or on his back, Mystery Babylon the Great. And then the angel said to John, Wherefore didst youmarvel? I will tell you what the vision is, what the horns are, and what the red beast is. hind he said, the seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman sits; five are fallen, and one is, and the other has not come yet. One stands, and the other is not grown up yet. Some commentaries say these seven mountains upon which the woman sat, were the seven hills upon which the city of Rome was built. I felt ashamed to read it. Of the seven hills, did five ever fall down? Was only one of them standing in John’s day? Had one of them to come up yet? There is no sense in that. "And these are seven kings" (or forms of government). Five of the kingly forms of this red dragon are fallen; one is, (in existence now) and the other form has not come yet. That is the Bible, almost verbatim et literatim.
Five of the forms of government of pagan Rome had fallen when John was in Patmos. I know it from history. The kingly form established by Romulus and Remus had its day, and went down. That was the starting head of pagan Rome; but that form died, and then they had consuls, who governed with kingly power. That lasted a while, and went down. And then they had dictators, that ruled with kingly power; and that form of Roman government lasted a while, and went down. And then they had their Decemvirs, that lasted a while, and then that form of kingly power went down. And then they had their military tribunes, that lasted a while, and then went down. First kings, then consuls, then dictators, then Decemvirs, then military tribunes. These five forms of pagan Rome had their day, and have gone down. Five heads, or starting points, have fallen; one form of the red dragon is now in existence. There is no man on earth but must know, if he is a historian at all, that pagan Rome was the then ruling power.
One of the heads now is. Of course, then, it was the imperial form of pagan Rome, for the emperors were reigning in John’s day. That was the sixth form of Rome. Then another form came in soon after, and lasted a little while. The Constantine age, or what was called Christian Rome in its pagan form; that lasted only a short time. And then there was another form of Rome--the eighth form, to come; that was to take the place of all these seven, and grew up out of them.
It seems to me that the red dragon, five of whose seven heads were dead, and one alive and reigning, was pagan Rome, for no other government was alive and reigning when John saw the Vision, but pagan Rome; and pagan Rome did unsheathe its sword and put Christians to death the man child, the strong servants of the Lord, as soon as they were born again. It tried to put down the Church in that way, but failed, for they were caught up to God and his throne. There is a good deal of literal- ness about this. This great red dragon did take the natural lives of Christians--not of all of them, but some of them. He fought, John says in the very next verse, through his angels, and Michael fought through his angels, and the dragon prevailed not. He did not kill all the angels; and those that he did kill were only taken to where the Lord was, and joined with the general army on the either side of the Jordan of Death. The death of one produced a hundred more; and Christianity on earth kept rising, and the old dragon, pagan Rome, could not stop it by killing the Lord’s people. One martyr caused a hundred more to confess the Savior; and Christianity kept on rising, rising, all the time that pagan Rome was trying to put it down.
John says, "there was war in heaven." This war was between the angels of the old red dragon and the angels of Michael, or the Christians. "And they loved not their lives unto the death." History tells us of the truth of it. John foretold it. That was the Church as it first started out, and the very first battle it had was with the red dragon--with pagan Rome.
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." The Church conquered pagan Rome; the Christians whipped the old Deceiver that was fighting through pagan Rome. The gospel triumphed over idolatry, as every man knows that has read history.
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." Ah! it was the brethren of the Lord, the man child, that war was made against. The accuser of our brethren is cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he hath but a short time. Pagan Rome was enraged at being cast down as a religious organization--at not being looked on by the people as being worthy of their attention, religiously. Pagan Roman idolatry went down, and the shout went up, "The kingdom of our God is prevailing!" It triumphed over Rome in its pagan form; put down idolatry, and made wonderful advances.
Not only this, but they said the kingdom of Christ is come. Listen, because this is in dispute. They said, "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ." That was in the days of the fight with pagan Rome, the kingdom of God had come, and was at work and fighting then. And some men stand up and say that the kingdom of our God and the power of Christ are not yet established on earth, and will not be until the second coming of Christ in person.
But while pagan Rome prevailed not to put down Christianity, there was one thing done: Pagan Rome could not stop the gospel--could not deceive the nations longer in its grosser form when the gospel met it in a hand to hand fight. But the woman went into the wilderness. The Lord have mercy on us! The Church got lost in a wilderness of humanism; went off and was not measured with the measuring reed for 1260 years; went off into error, went off into superstition, went away and was not governed by the Word of the Lord for 1260 years. John said the woman took two wings of a great eagle; after the Church had conquered pagan Rome, it mounted up upon the wings of the great Roman Empire, and Rome bore her off into the wilderness of humanism. She went off into the wilderness of the dark ages. It pains my heart to think of it. Paganism could not deceive men while the Church stood in her purity; but when the penny merchants commenced the dreadful work of taking the Word of the Lord from the people, then the Church took the wings of the Roman Empire, and went off into the errors of the dark ages; for 1260 years the woman was in the wilderness. The Lord save us from trying to go back to trace up a line of succession from the apostles until now, to prove that we are the true Church of Christ, because the Church was lost as an organization--not measured by the Bible for 1260 years. John tells of it in the eleventh chapter. "The court that is without the temple, leave out and measure it not, for it is given to the Gentiles;" and the holy city, or the temple, the Church of the living God, is to be trod under foot for 1260 years. There were Christians, but they were not in an organization measured by the Bible. They are the Lord’s people, but they are in Babylon, in its smoke. The Church on earth was prevailed against; but of the whole family of the Lord, the largest portion were before the throne--the Christians that gave up their lives. Death does not destroy the subjects of Christ’s family; the King himself has conquered death. While some foolish men think if there is no organization on earth, there is, therefore, no church, no kingdom; the Lord tells us that the whole family in heaven, which passed over the Jordan of death, are his people. The Lord’s family is in two parts--one part on earth, and the other part in heaven; so that if the part on earth is put down, there is a kingdom, or Church, in heaven. Men need not be so afraid to say the Church was lost to human vision as an organization. It was true in the dark ages. But when it is measured again, then it will stand in all its beauty, just as it did when John first saw it.
"And the serpent cast out of his mouth water, as a flood, after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood." Pagan Rome poured out its doctrine and its followers, to drown out the Church--did all it could to swallow the cause of Christ. The woman is gone off on the wings of Rome, into the errors of humanism, and the old dragon did try to swallow up and drown her if possible.
But the political powers of earth helped the woman, and shielded the followers of Christ. But while it protected and raised them up, it bore them off into the wilderness of error and humanism. It is literally true, and John wrote the history beforehand.
"And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." There it tells who the man-child was. Those that were left after the woman fled into the wilderness, the old dragon still hunted up and tried to kill. They died, isolated and alone, scattered, in the dark ages, in Mystery Babylon.
No writer of the nineteenth century could give the history of the Church better than John did when he was in the Isle of Patmos, 1700 years ago.
The measuring reed is in our hands again, and soon we will measure up, and then the Church will again stand clothed with the sun; and every little chamber, every congregation all over the land, will be of one dimension. Then the world will again be under the Church’s feet. Then the crown of twelve stars will be owned as the foundation, the starting point of the Church built on Jesus-- the chief corner-stone. We will not date back to Luther for a starting point; we will not date back to Campbell for a starting point; not to Wesley for a starting point, but go back to the twelve stars, and say they are the crown on the Church’s head; they are our directors; their writings our infallible rule, as given by inspiration, and the one we measure by; and when this time comes, the shout will go up, "The kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of the Lord Jesus Christ."
But we have a great many more things to notice in the sound of the sixth angel’s trumpet. One word more in reference to Church identity. We said we need not trace up a line of successors from the apostles until now. We can have the same Church that John saw in all its beauty, measured by the same rule it was measured by then. A gentleman said to me some time since, when traveling on the railroad, "I reckon, sir, you can remember when the Church of which you are a member was first organized." Said I, "No, sir; I cannot remember; it has been too long since." "Oh," said he, " I think you are old enough to remember when the Church to which you belong was first organized. How long has it been?" I said, "It has been something over eighteen hundred years." Said he, "Eighteen hundred years! Where was it organized?" "Oh," said I; "at Jerusalem, about the day of Pentecost, or soon after." He replied, "You need not talk that way. Show your line of successors." Said I, "Our King is alive. He was dead once before the Church was organized, but he has never died since. We have one living King, and his living laws are in force yet. If the Jews in your city were to get together and build a synagogue, and build an altar, and offer offerings precisely according to the directions given in Leviticus, would you say it was a new religion?" "No sir; I would say it was old Judaism." "I thought so. If the Mahommedans were to come and start a Mahommedan Church, according to the Koran, in some district in the United States, it would not be a new thing, would it?" "No; it would be the old Mahommedanism." That is the rule by which we work. Our King has never died since his Church was organized; his laws have been in force all the time; and if we go according to his Word, and do what he has required, we will come into his everlasting kingdom. His subjects can go to him with the same rule at any time. It is the same King, the same laws, and the same kingdom. God grant we may realize it, is my sincere prayer.
Lecture 11:
The Beast with Seven Heads and Ten
Horns – Another Beast with Two Horns
by Joseph Martin
AND I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were like the feet of a bear, anti his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear."
When John has given us a full historic line of the witnesses for Jesus, the Word of God, from the time it was all completed and brought into one volume, down to the day when it should be restored to the Lord’s people, after it had lain dead for 1260 years, and then given a historic line of the church, from the days of its standing clothed with the sun, and the moon (the earth) under its feet, he, of course, will tell us what power put down the Word of the Lord and drove the church into the wilderness, in the very next place. It could not well be otherwise. And he does it here. He just speaks of the power that is to wear out the saints, and war against the Word of the Lord; blaspheme the God of heaven, and them that dwell in his tabernacle; trample down the Church and put down the Word of the Lord.
This beast that John saw rising out of the sea, had just as many heads, and just as many horns, as the great red dragon. There is this difference, however: the dragon had the crowns on his heads, and the beast that was like a leopard, had the crowns on his horns. It is not hard, with the Bible in our hands, to understand what is meant by this beast. It means a kingdom. In the seventh chapter of Daniel is the proof that it was a kingdom: It says that beasts are kingdoms. John saw a kingdom rise up out of the sea, or the great body of the religious world, the Christian world. That sea that had become corrupt in one-third part of it, when the mountain, or great pagan government, went down. This kingdom comes up, then, out of the Church in one sense. It is like a leopard, spotted-- not all over red--when John sees it rising; there are some spots brighter than others; it is a little political and a little religious--a spotted, mixed-up kingdom. In fact, it is, by the Bible, the long tail of the old red dragon that becomes a kingdom. It is the last part of the Roman empire, the tail that drew the third part of the stars of heaven and cast them down to the earth. It is the papal power that grew up out of the seven heads of pagan Rome and belongs to them; hence it has the same number of heads that pagan Rome had, for it grew out of them.
The proof of it is the dragon gave this kingdom (beast) his power, and his seat, and great authority. We proved that the dragon was pagan Rome; and now, if we can find out what kingdom fills the place that the Caesars did, and has its seat in the city of Rome, and has been ruling there for 1260 years, we know who this spotted beast or kingdom is. There is no mistaking that. For the dragon, pagan Rome, gave this spotted beast (kingdom) his authority. All the power of the Caesars went over into the hands of this spotted beast, and not only the power of pagan Rome, but the city of Rome, the seat of the Caesars-- the "Eternal City," as it is called. And persons that are acquainted with history must know that it has been the seat of the popes from the day they declared themselves the head of the Church. There was a little quibbling once as to whether Rome or Constantinople should be the seat of the papal power; but Rome, the city of the Caesars, obtained it. Rome went down in her pagan form, in the days of Odoacer, and then the papal authority mounted the seat of the Roman Caesars, and has been ruling there ever since. That settles the matter to my mind. No other power has ever taken the seat of the Roman Caesars but the popes. They rule where old pagan Rome used to. And they have great authority. Pagan Rome gave the authority; the Lord never did. They claim to be the successors of St. Peter, but all the authority they claim, they get from pagan Rome--from that last kingdom that Daniel saw, that he said was diverse from all the others; that wore out the saints 1260 years, or time, times and a half. Here is one proof that three days and a half, named in the eleventh chapter, where the witnesses lay dead, are 1260 years of our count. This is clear in the seventh chapter of Daniel, where three times (days) and a half mean three years and a half, or 1260 days (’ears). And, in the twelfth chapter, speaking of the woman’s flight into the wilderness one time, he says she was in the wilderness a thousand two hundred and three-score days, and the next time he says three days and a half, meaning the same length of time in both places.
One of the heads of this spotted beast was wounded to death. They are the very same heads we were speaking of last night. The spotted beast, or papal power, grew up out of the pagan Roman power, and hence it has the very same heads that the old red dragon had; and it is only the tail of the old red dragon that caught the stars of heaven (the illustrious men of the Church), and drew them after it. One of the heads was wounded to death soon after John saw the Vision. The imperial head was wounded to death in the days of Odoacer, and then in the days of Charles the Great the deadly wound was healed, and the whole world united again in one imperial power under the popes. John sees it that way. "I saw one of his heads" (that is, his imperial head) "wounded to death." killed dead; the imperial power remained with Rome no longer than in the days of Odoacer--488, I believe--and his deadly wound was healed, "and all the world wondered after the beast." He gained imperial power to rule over all the world again. He had not this power for a while; his head was wounded to death for a while; then he regained it all, and all the world wondered after him. And they worshiped; that is, all the world worshiped the dragon, but they worshiped the dragon, or Rome, only by worshiping the spotted beast that grew out of, and was a part of, Rome. The time never has been when all the world worshiped pagan Rome since its downfall, only by worshiping that power that occupied its place. And in that way they worshiped the dragon--by worshiping that power that is on its seat; to whom it gave its seat and great authority. The man that serves my agent, serves me; the man that honors the Son, honors the Father; and the man that worships the papacy, worships pagan Rome, that placed it on its seat.
"And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth, speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." Just as long as the witnesses were clothed in sackcloth; just as long as the Bible lay dead in the streets; just as long as the woman was in the wilderness,--just that long this spotted, papal beast-- the tail of the old red dragon--is wearing out the saints.
"And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in the Church"--or in heaven, it is here. He said he was above the Almighty, this power did; that he could change, as Daniel said in his prophecy, the times and laws. He went to work to change the times and seasons to suit himself; to make out his own solemn days, his own holidays, his own feast days, his own saints’ days; and thus he changed the Word of the Lord, the law of the Lord, and the Sabbaths of the Lord. He blasphemed God, calling himself The Most High, Lord God our Father. He blasphemed his tabernacle, and made a wicked, worldly bauble of the Church. He blasphemed them that dwell in heaven, or the Christians that belonged truly to the lord, and persecuted them. John wrote it all out before it happened, and he wrote the history of the papal kingdom precisely that took the seat of the Caesars.
"It was given him to make war with the saints;" that was his business. It was that great battle that John described in the twelfth chapter, when the dragon fought, and his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven; he fought with Michael’s angels, but prevailed not. At first the dragon is put down, and then his long tail catches the stars of heaven--the illustrious men of the Church-- draws them after him, and the fight goes on. Pagan Rome, in its grosser form, is put down first in the battle, but here comes this spotted papal beast, and catches the stars, the illustrious men of the Church, and draws them in his wake; he prevailed against the saints, and made war with them, and overcome them in this way; and power was given to him over all kindreds, tongues and nations; the whole world was bound in his great and mighty river that we were talking about, his imperial power for so long a time.
John tells us what power it was that held the nations until the fighting with fire, smoke and brimstone commences, and lo! they are let loose and get away from his power; they fight as they like, and there is no mighty pope to send a prelate to whip some King John, to lash him into submission; to call the armies of France out against him; to excommunicate, and absolve all his subjects from allegiance. They could not make war or declare peace, only by the pope’s permission. It is a free fight now all over the world. This spotted beast warred with the saints in the world, overcame the people of the Lord, drove the church into the wilderness, and put down the Word of the Lord 1260 years.
But there were a remnant left. "All that dwell on the earth shall worship." He had power over all, and all worshiped him except those whose names are written in the book of life of the Lamb. There were a few Christians, a few noble martyrs all the time. A few understood the Word of the Lord, and would not worship this monstrous power. They were dispersed, scattered, trampled down, but there were some noble Christians throughout all the dark ages. The Lord says so here-- that this spotted papal kingdom was worshiped by all that dwelt upon the earth, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Some did not worship him. The Lord then immediately adds:
"He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword." He has reference to the power he had just been speaking of. This spotted beast, spoken of in the singular number; this spotted kingdom that has been wearing out my saints, and killing them with the sword, shall be killed with the sword; this bloody power that has been leading my people into captivity shall go into captivity himself. "Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."
I believe it. I could not help believing it after reading the seventh chapter of Daniel. I believe that power that wore out the saints, will as certainly go down and be utterly ruined, as I read it in the Book of God a while ago. I believe that power that has been wearing out the saints 1260 years, will itself be worn out, killed with the sword. I patiently wait for it.
I want to make one remark here, and that is, that the Church that claimed to be the Lord’s Church, is declared to be an abominable whor*. A man said to me once, Jesus said that "Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." "Now, sir," said he, "if the Roman Catholic Church is not the true Church of Christ, then the words of Jesus have failed, for there was no other organized Church on earth than the Roman Catholic Church for 1200 years and more." Well, for 1200 years and more, the Church was in the wilderness, and if the Roman Catholic Church was all the Church there was on earth, it was in the wilderness of error. I asked that man a question--What was meant by the gates of hell? He said it simply meant the powers of the unseen world, or hades. I asked him what the powers of the unseen world were?" The gates, or powers," he said, "is death." I then asked him if he thought death had prevailed against the rock or foundation on which the Church was built. Said I, "Jesus has conquered death, and his followers will." He paused a moment, and said, "That looks like it might be the true meaning--that death never conquers a subject of the kingdom of Christ, for the King himself has conquered death." We conquer by dying. They loved not their lives unto the death, and they conquered in that way. The Christian conquers when he dies; he is not unconscious, but lives on, and enters his rest. Said he, "If that is the correct view, we are ruined;" for he was a Roman Catholic, and a priest. He had built his hopes upon the idea that the Church was and always will be triumphant here on earth; while the Lord’s Word says the saints shall be worn out and overcome, while all the world are worshiping this monstrous papal kingdom-- the monster of iniquity.
"And I beheld another beast"--another kingdom-- "coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon." It looked Christian-like, but talked infidel-like. "And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him;"--or of the spotted beast--"and he causes the earth and them which dwell therein" (his subjects, for he came out of the earth, not out of the Church; he grew up a political power, this kingdom; he causes his subjects, the earth and them that dwell in his dominions,) "to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed;" the old spotted beast that was ruling over all the kingdoms of the earth. Then he was a subject of that power himself.
"And he doeth great wonders, so that he makes fire to come down from heaven in the sight of men." This two horned beast, or kingdom, made all his subjects worship the spotted beast, and then had power to cause fire to come down from heaven in the sight of men.
"And he deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live." To the spotted beast, or papal power, or Roman Catholic kingdom.
"And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast, should be killed. And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
Some of our wise men, some of our learned men, and some of our very talented men, have concluded that this two-horned beast was the kingdom of Italy, under the papacy; that the first beast spoken of--the spotted one--was the imperial power, and the second beast was the same imperial papal power under another phase; and then the image was another imperial papal power,--and they cannot get an inch away from the papal beast. They make the spotted beast, and the two-horned beast, and the image of the beast, all the same thing. I cannot understand such talk. This spotted beast is as clearly proved to be the Roman Catholic power, as language can prove anything; for it occupies Rome, the seat of the Caesars, and has been wearing out the saints for 1260 years. It has been blaspheming the name of God, his Church, and his worshipers.
No other power than the papal power has been doing that.
But another beast rises up and makes all its subjects worship the spotted one. Can we see another kingdom that is doing that’’--that rises up after this spotted beast has been causing the world to worship it so long? If we look across to Great Britain, we will see the complete fulfillment of this vision. That grew up a political power; from the days of William the Conqueror, it was purely a political kingdom. It had two horns, two crowns under the general rule; it was made up at last of England and Scotland--the kingdom of Great Britain; it grew up a political power, and looked lamb-like. And it caused all its subjects, from the days of the Conqueror William, on down, for century after century, to worship the spotted beast--the papal power. It was one of the most loyal portions of the papal power, and it continued so until the days of Luther, and King Henry VIII, and then it was called a defender of the papal faith. King Henry wrote a long piece in vindication of the papal power and against Luther, and made all his subjects worship the spotted beast that had had one of his heads healed of a deadly wound--worship that imperial power, or the pope that held it. This continued until Henry became angry with the pope, because he would not grant him a divorce, and just turned away from him with his whole kingdom, and told his subjects to make a Church of their own.
But, bless you, he told them to make it just like the old spotted beast; an image complete, in every particular, of the old papal Church--the Church of England, the Episcopal Church. There is one kingdom making an image of another kingdom in that Church that he formed; for the papacy was a religious kingdom, and he made the Church of England just like it; himself being instead of the pope--though he claimed not, as the pope did, to be infallible--who was the head of the Church. And then he had all the arch-bishops, all the arch-deacons, and all the offices in the Church of England that there were in the Church of Rome; and he was strong enough, after causing them to make an image of the old Roman Catholic Church, to give life to it; and he made it so alive that all must worship it, and all who refused to do so must die. Men were persecuted to death for not worshiping that image of the old Roman Catholic Church.
"And he had power to bring fire down from heaven." One might say, "I don’t believe it." You don’t? The Word of the Lord is called fire, and the kingdom of Great Britain has given us the translation that lies on the stand before me--this very translation of the Bible. Not under King Henry’s reign; but I am speaking of the whole kingdom under all its monarchs. And it not only brought fire down from heaven in the sight of men, or gave to them the Word of the Lord, but it worked wonders. It became very pious and very devotional, and all our religious miracles started there--where the image started, and brought fire down and gave to the people. All our shouting and swooning, and jerking and barking, and fainting and dying off at our big camp-meetings, took their start there. All these miracles, that deceive men so, started there, in their wildest form. Right there, all these things, that so much deceive and delude the people, had their rise; and John says that he deceived the nations in that way. No fire will ever literally come down from heaven; no miracle has ever been worked by any king only in this way.
They are deceiving yet, and keep on deceiving, and the Lord only knows when we will get over the deception, and stop making images. Image-making started, then, in the Episcopal Church; and since that time men have been trying it all over the land; and if they could not make an image of the old spotted beast, they would make an image of an image; and if they had an image of an image, try to make an image of that. And they have made them so often that they have almost lost the likeness of the old first beast, of which they commenced making images. But they will quit this image-making after a while. They are certain to.
There is another peculiarity about the beast that had two horns like a lamb, and that made the image of the spotted one. The peculiarity is, that no man, in all his dominions, should buy or sell, only those that had the mark of the beast or the number of his name, either in their foreheads or in their hands. That no man should buy or sell, or take stock or trade in the common things of this world? O, no! It was that no man should barter religiously, as he is talking on that subject. They should have no living as religious men; no preacher should be paid, unless he was either doing the work of the old spotted beast, or conforming to its usages under the image that had been made. No man that did not belong to the Church of England could have a living as a preacher or as a teacher. There were some few dissenters, after a while, but they had to beg for their bread, or work for it, in that kingdom. There was no provision made by law for their living--they had no salary;--John was right in that.
But who is the spotted beast of whom the image was made? I have proven already; but for fear someone might doubt it, the Lord has made it so plain that no one can be mistaken that is a wise man. He says: "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:" (that had the image made to it) "for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred three score and six," or six hundred and sixty-six. For fear scholars and wise men might not get down so low, and would be looking up too high, he said, let scholars count, and they will know who the beast is. Illiterate men cannot do it, but he that hath understanding--that is, he that is a scholar--let him count the number of the beast, the spotted one. It is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. What does it mean? In the English alphabet we have numeral letters. I stands for one, and V stands for five, X stands for ten, and C stands for one hundred, D for five hundred, and M for one thousand. All our letters are not numerals, but some of them are; but in the alphabet in which the New Testament was written, and in which the Bible was written--the Hebrew and Greek--all letters are numerals; each letter stands for a number; hence the propriety of saying let the scholar count what the number of these letters are that spell the name of the beast, for it is the number of a man. In the Greek language, the Latin kingdom, when spelled out, and the numbers for which each letter stands placed in a line and added up, is six hundred and sixty-six. Lateinos was the first king of that kingdom; and when the letters that spell his name are placed in a line, and the numbers for which they stand are added together, it is six hundred and sixty-six. But the strangest of all is, that the word Rome, in the Hebrew, when the numbers for which the letters stand are added together, is six hundred and sixty-six. These three could hardly meet accidentally; the chances are against it. It is the Latin kingdom, the number of the beast, six hundred and sixty-six. It is Rome, the number of the beast, six hundred and sixty-six. Scholars have to settle that matter, but it is plain without that. The Latin kingdom took the place of old pagan Rome, and has been wearing out the saints; for 1260 years it drove the Church of Christ into the wilderness, kept his Word down, and blasphemed the name of the Lord, and God has told its fearful doom; down it must go. I do not say that there are no good persons among them. I am speaking of the usurpation of that power, not the people.
John has, in the eleventh chapter, given us a history of the Word of the Lord through the whole Christian dispensation, and in the twelfth he gives US a history of the Church of Christ as it was at first, and of its going off into the wilderness, on down to the days in which we live through-out the whole period of the dark ages; and then he gives us a history of that mighty power that wore out the saints and drove the Lord’s people into the wilderness, into an unmeasured or disorganized state. He has placed us, to use a figure of speech, in prison bounds, from the time that he touches that point of time--the present, when the measuring reed is in the hands of the people again, and the people are fighting with fire, smoke and brimstone. Ile never goes back behind that time, only to tell the condition of things to which he has alluded up to that time. Having spoken of the coming to life of the witnesses, he necessarily has to tell of the time they had been lying dead. And, having spoken of the measuring reed--the Word of God being again used for the measuring of the Church, its worship and the worshipers--he necessarily has to tell of the time it had been unused. When he tells of the Church that is measured in the days of the sounding of the sixth angel’s trumpet, he necessarily tells of the period of time when it was not measured, and was not, in the true sense, the Church--but the outer court. And having spoken of the trampling down of the Church, and the killing of the witnesses, the Word of the Lord, he necessarily has to tell of the power that did this. And thus he brings all these lines of history down to the present time.
Lecture 12:
The Lamb Standing upon Mount Zion,
the Angel with the Everlasting Gospel,
the Fall of Babylon
by Joseph Martin
WE CLOSED our remarks to-day with the close of the thirteenth chapter, in which John gives us an account of -- that kingdom or power that warred against the Lord’s people, and wore out the saints 1260 years; that was on the seat of the old Roman Empire, and had the authority of old pagan Rome committed to it--the Roman Catholic power. He gave us an account, too, of an image that was made to that power which wore out the saints. We commence tonight with the first of the fourteenth chapter.
"And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the Mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are without fault before the throne of God."
We have a place where this comes in; it joins on with the account given in Revelation 11:13-16, where he gives an account of the two witnesses coming to life; the Bible being again given to the Lord’s people, or to the world of mankind to measure the Church, where he calls our attention to the twenty-four elders, bowing and worshiping. And that was to take place; the Bible was to be restored at the time of the fighting with fire, smoke, and brimstone-- the days in which we live. We are just in the commencement of them. True, we have for a long time been fighting with fire, smoke, and brimstone, but the work of pulling down the kingdoms of earth is not fully come.
The Bible is, however, in our hands. We have the measuring reed, and when John gets to this point, of giving the account of the measuring reed in the hands of the Lord’s people, to measure the Church, the worship, and the worshipers, he then gives us an account of its having lain dead for 1260 years. At that time he digresses, if we might use the expression, and tells that the Church itself was unmeasured, in the wilderness, for that length of time. He then tells us, as if enclosed in a parenthesis, of the mighty power that drove the Church into the wilderness, and killed the Word of the Lord as a rule, and then takes up the subject right where he left off--at the measuring reed.
So, while the Church is being measured on earth, there is a portion of the family of the Lord in heaven, before the throne. John gives a definite for an indefinite number; a great multitude--he says one hundred and forty-four thousand--were before the throne, a part of the family in heaven--the sea of glass as clear as crystal, he said in the fourth chapter; while the beasts and elders are bowing and worshiping on earth, they were only joined with the part of the family that was in heaven. He tells us (after having given an account of the slaying of the two witnesses, and the driving of the Church into the wilderness, and of the power that drove her there, of the measuring up,) of the family in heaven, joined with the four beasts and elders in praising the Lord. And it is in these days, in which we live, that these things are to be accomplished. I mean in the sounding of the sixth angel’s trumpet.
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." He comes out plainly at last; what he called the measuring reed in the eleventh chapter, he now calls the everlasting gospel. Borne as upon angel’s wings, it is now being carried, while the nations engage in the fire, smoke and brimstone war, to every nation under heaven. One person said to me that I ought to explain to the congregation that it was not the war that carried the Word, but the war that broke down the powers that were opposed to it. It is the fire and brimstone fighting that is preparing the way for the Word of the Lord to go to nations that have hitherto been hostile and would not let it come. Still the war never reforms anyone, never makes anyone better; but gunpowder and printing were invented nearly the same time, and the Word of the Lord is going while the mighty crash of nations is upon them. The everlasting gospel is being preached now. It was a missionary angel that carried it, not a heavenly angel, not an angel from glory, but the Lord’s people John saw carrying the gospel. Do you suppose I can prove that? The angels in heaven, or heavenly angels, have never in this dispensation been allowed to preach one word of the gospel. One made a visit to Philip, and directed him to go in a certain direction, while the Spirit told him to join himself to a certain chariot, in which the Ethiopian grandee was riding. But the angel dared not preach one word of the gospel, and that man Philip had to do it. An angel from heaven made a visit to Cornelius, but was not allowed to preach the gospel to him; he only told him to send for Simon Peter. "For unto the angels"--the heavenly angels--"has he not put in subjection the world to come whereof we speak," said Paul, second chapter of his letter to the Hebrews. The Christian dispensation is not in the hands of heavenly angels, but the Lord’s people are called an angel. It was the Lord’s people preaching the gospel in the sound of the sixth angel’s trumpet. And we live in that time. The nations are fighting with firearms; we now fight with fire, smoke and brimstone; ignited gunpowder is now the means of warfare. And we know, too, that what John spoke of is fulfilled. The gospel is being carried to every nation under heaven. John foretold it.
And that angel that has the gospel to preach said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." It had been a long time, more than 1200 years, that glory had been given to man; the idea of fearing God and giving glory to him, had not been in the minds of men; they had been fearing that power that said he was the Vicar of Christ, in the chair of St. Peter--had been giving glory to poor, dying worms like themselves. But, whenever a man comes with the heavenly gospel, and preaches as he should, he says, Fear God and give glory to him. Do not give the glory to councils or synods, or conferences, or presbyteries, or associations of erring mortals like yourselves. The gospel is to ring through all the land in every nation, and tell them to fear God, and give the glory to him by bowing to his authority.
He said, "Worship him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Man-worship has to cease. This miserable abomination of making rules to measure the Lord’s people, has to come down. Erring mortals like we are, making rules!
"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." How fitly it comes in! When the gospel is preached to every nation under heaven, and they are told to fear God and give glory to him, instead of giving it to man, the very next sound that is heard, is, Babylon is fallen, confusion has come to an end! The Lord’s building is being measured up by his rule. He is speaking of the very time when the witnesses came to life and are used as a measuring reed, to which our attention is called in the eleventh chapter. These other things are enclosed as explanatory. We are living in that time. May the God of heaven grant it may not be long until we hear the cry, Babylon is down!
What is Babylon? Ah, that is the question. Well, that great city that rules over the kingdoms of the earth, that great Church--that is, the earthly Church, the vine of the earth; that great Church that became corrupt, that went over to the kingdoms of the earth for 1260 years,--the Roman Catholic Church.
Yes, that is true, in part. That is all true, as far as it goes; but, why is it called Babylon? I want to say this, that there was a literal Babylon once on earth. In the eleventh chapter of Genesis, you read the account of it. The river Euphrates ran through it. It was built on the plains of Shinar, and it was the largest city ever built on earth, or that ever will be, I opine. It had the strongest wall, and the greatest wealth was in that city; it was the metropolis of the strongest and grandest empire on earth. And when that city commenced--at the very commencement of it-- the descendants of Noah said, Go to, let us build us a tower the top of which shall reach unto heaven. And they were all of one speech and one language. And the LORD said, Go to, let us go down and see what the children of men are doing; they are of one speech and of one language; and it shall come to pass--that they will never accomplish much? O, no! I heard a preacher say, some time since, that union would make the cause of Christ weaker; it would kill all our energies, and bring in a flood of corruption; and that division and different denominations were the Lord’s plan to prosper his cause; that everybody could be satisfied, and that no man, at the judgment day, could bring up a reasonable excuse for not belonging to the Church, because there are churches enough and different ways enough to suit everybody; and, therefore, a great many more would join the Church and be saved, than if there were not so many ways.
But what did the Lord say about the matter? "They are of one speech and of one language; and it shall come to pass that whatever they undertake, they will accomplish it." The Lord God of heaven thought there was strength in being united and all talking alike. The preacher was one way, and the Lord on the other side. Choose between them. And the Lord went down and confounded their language, so that they did not understand each other’s talk; and the Bible says, Therefore is it called Babylon, or Babel; because there language was confounded.
Now, why do I quote all this? Because it is the very type of the Babylon that is spoken of here. One is the type and the other the anti-type. Right there, where language was confounded, they built the mighty city after a while. Where is there any instruction as to the antitype? For 1260 years all kindreds, tongues, peoples and nations said, (religiously, whether they spoke the same language or not,) Who is like unto the beast? (the spotted one on the throne of the Caesars,) Who is able to make war with him? And this kingdom kept going up while all the people said, Who is like this beast? But, bless you, the Lord came down and saw what the children of men were doing,--raising an uninspired mortal king above the God of heaven, above all that was called God. Paul said so; he confounded their language. And one began to talk about the Word of the Lord being above the voice of the Church; another, that Jesus was above the saints in glory; and another said it was wrong to bow and worship idols, and another, something else. When they made the first image, in the days of Henry VIII, the papal power got into confusion, and spoke all these different languages, religiously; and, herefore, it is called Babylon, because it has gone off into miserable sectarianism. All humanism and sectarianism is but the one great city, and belongs to the apostasy.
But, says one, does this confusion do any good? O, yes; God brings good out of evil sometimes. It scattered the builders, and weakened the parties that were rearing the papal tower, so that it had to come down and crumble, just like that old tower did when its builders became confused, and their language was confounded.
All this confusion in the religious world will come down before the power of God’s mighty, everlasting gospel. Hold it up! If I were not in the Lord’s army, governed only by his Word,--if I were not a soldier for Jesus, I would not let to-morrow’s sun rise until I had enlisted in the victorious war of the Son of the living God. There is much work to do. We have pulled down the powers of darkness, and we will bring union and concord out of division and discord, and revolutionize the world by the everlasting gospel, until, at some future time, the Lord’s people-- his angel--will follow after and say, Babylon is fallen and confusion ended! John has just foretold the order of events.
"And the third angel followed," (that is one reason I would be a Christian,) "saying with a loud voice, if any man worship the beast and his image," (that is, the papal power, or any image made to him,) "and receives his mark in his forehead," (is deceived by his lying wonders,) "or in his hand" (does his miserable, dirty work,) "the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out, without mixture, into the cup of his indignation." God will not ask us whether we like the terms or not. We are on the Lord’s side or against him; now that we have the Bible to go by, there is no middle ground. God will pour out his fury without mixture on those that are not aiding in this glorious work. "And he shall be tormented;" (that man that is not working for the Lord,) "shall be tormented with fire and brimstone." If he is on the side of the beast, the false prophet, or his image, he shall be tormented "in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb."
"And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."
We patiently wait until the gospel does its work, and we labor on, believing that the Lord has told the truth, and that Babylon will come down.
"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.”
In the time of the sounding of the sixth angel’s trumpet, from the commencement to the end of it, there is a blessing pronounced on those that die in the Lord. The Spirit said this; that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them. I am right glad this is put in, my beloved brethren, because I shall wear out before the glorious fulfillment of this prophecy I have been reading, before Babylon is to come down. I shall not live to see it accomplished. O, no; but if I die fighting for it, if I wear myself out pleading for the honor and glory of God; if I die in the harness, as we are wont to say, I will only rest from my labors, and my works will follow me. The work I have been engaged in, if right, will still go on, while I am resting from my labors. "There is some work to do, brothers," as I heard the world-renowned singer, Mr. Phillips, sing in Decatur, Illinois. Work on; we have the world to convert, the confusion of Babylon to bring down Let us work until we do; work on until we are laid in our graves in peace; work on until we die in the Lord; then we will rest, a sweet, long, everlasting rest, all our works will still be doing good. It is enough to encourage us to work for the Lord in this trying time-- against humanism, against the errors of 1260 years; to fight for the Lord, and fight for his Word, and if we die fighting for it, we will have a reward. I want to illustrate. There are now, in my knowledge, not fewer than twelve or thirteen men who are preaching, and are able preachers, too, that came into the Church under my preaching. Some of them will be preaching after I am laid in the grave. If I had not preached to them, the possibility is, they might never have come into the Church. So, after I shall be laid in the grave, the fruit of my labors will still be going on in this world, through those that I brought into the Church. And so of every good man. The good he does exerts an influence on another, and that one exerts an influence on someone else, and hence it spreads and widens, and goes on until the end of time.
That is one reason, my brother, why I would not be on the wrong side for a thousand worlds--out of the kingdom of Christ, for a house full of silver, for a mine of gold; from the very fact that the evil consequences resulting from my wrong course might do mischief centuries after I am in the grave. So of every good man’s work. Its effects are never fully seen until time ends. That is one reason that the judgment is set for the end of this time world, because the effects of no man’s conduct are fully realized until time itself is ended, whether good or bad.
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, and having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap: for the harvest of the earth is ripe."
He is telling us of things that were to take place in the sound of the sixth angel’s trumpet, all the time. He will not go back, because he has done with all the time up to that. In the sound of the sixth angel’s trumpet, he said there was a reaping time. It is the Lord’s angel again-- the Lord’s people with the sharp sickle. Jesus explains that matter for me. He said to his disciples, Do not men say it is four months until the harvest? Lift up your eyes and look; the fields are white already. The people were ready for reaping while Christ was on earth; there was a reaping time to gather the ripe sheaves into his kingdom. But then the long midnight of the dark ages came on; the reaping time was not then: but now we have the Word of the Lord again,--the reaping time has returned. Bless the Lord for it! It is as clear as a sunbeam. John looked down to the time when the Word of the Lord was given to the people in their living languages, in the days of the sounding of the sixth angel’s trumpet, and said, the reaping time has come again; thrust in your sickle, you angel that sits on the cloud, for the harvest is ripe; never was a riper time than now.
And we have to gather in the harvest while we have the opportunity. Brethren, for heaven’s sake, send out reapers and labor a little in that direction. Better go on half rations than roll in luxury, and have no share in the rich dividend that will be made at the harvest-feast at the end of the world.
"And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped." He gathered in a rich harvest for the Lord. "And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle." The Word of the Lord is compared to a sickle. "And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire;" (that understood the Word of the Lord in its original language,) "and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe." Sever them from the Lord’s family. Draw a line between the Lord’s people and that false Church. Nothing but the sharp sickle, a correct version of the scriptures, can do that. We want a pure version of God’s Word. The time is coming when the Word of the Lord will be sharpened up precisely as sharp as when it dropped from the mouths of the inspired men. And that will show who are the Lord’s people; and it will sever between those that fear God and those that fear man. It will cut off the clusters of the vine of the earth, and when the line is drawn, the clusters of the vine of the earth-- that is, the false or earthly Church--will be thrown into the wine-press of God’s wrath, and trodden outside of the city. "The angel thrust in his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of God. And the wine-press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the wine-press, even unto the horses’ bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs,"--or, two hundred miles.
God has controversy with those that are not gathered in by his Word. The vine of the earth, or the earthly Church, and all its clusters, will be thrown into the winepress of God’s wrath after a while. John said so, or the Lord said so through him. May God forbid that I should belong to a church built upon mere humanism--upon the doctrines and commandments of men.
The world has been drinking for a long time of the wine of Mystery Babylon. Now we have a little respite in which to sober off--the reaping time is upon us.
"And I saw another sign in the heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues: for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God."
A sea of glass was before the throne. It was an innumerable company, that had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. And now John says that those who on earth had gotten the victory over the beast, over his image, over his mark and over the number of his name, that understand the Word of the Lord, they stood on the- sea of glass. They stood on the margin of the sea of glass, just as we speak of men living on certain rivers. We say Chicago is on Lake Michigan-- meaning, on the margin of the lake. A certain man lived on the Ohio River--on the margin of the stream. So John speaks here of those who got the victory over all those abominations, as on the margin of this sea of glass, ready to step over and join the general army. Lord grant we may realize there is but one step between the family on earth and that part of the family on the other side of Jordan! We are on the margin, ready to step over and join them.
"And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty: just and true are thy ways, you King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for youonly art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest."
God’s judgments will be made manifest after a while, and people must, unless they close their eyes on purpose, see that God’s hand is in the matter. The predictions of the prophecies, fulfilled. will be so plain that men cannot misunderstand them. unless they do it willfully.
"And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:" (ready for the measuring,) "and the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. And the temple" (that is the Church that Paul said,) "was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled."
It looks like a dark time, does it not? We are now living in the very period when the seven plagues are being poured out, or soon are to be. And at that time the Church is said to be full of smoke, so that no man is able to enter in until all these plagues have commenced their pouring.
Said one, "Don’t you think some get into the Church?" It looks dreadfully smoky! The Lord said, in the old prophecy, it was a smoky time; and I believe that thousands and thousands think they are in the Church, that are not in at all. When I was quite young, and beyond my memory a little, history tells me that, from the time the temple was opened (the time the Bible was given to the nations in a living language) they did not know whether they were in the Lord’s Church or not, though they had been professed Christians for forty years. Did not know how to get into the Church, and did not know whether they were in or not. And nine-tenths of the people do not know how to get in yet. John foretold it. Their eyes are put out; there is no mistake about that. They go by their feelings; they just feel along; they say, "I feel;" they constantly keep saying, "I feel," and there is no better sign that a man is blind, to some extent, than for him to go by his feeling. For two or three centuries past, it has been the order, "I feel like," and they are feeling along and think they are in the Church of Christ; they find some building, slip in at the first door they find, and think they are in the Church; and lo, when the smoke clears off, they find they are in some building made by dying mortals--not in the Lord’s house at all. They don’t know how to get in until the smoke clears away. I thank the Lord for one thing, and that is, the smoke is clearing away, and that a few know how to get in. A few know that Jesus said, "I am the door," and they know that no man can come to him unless he believes on him, and that no man can get into him unless he repents of his sins. And they know no unbelieving child or impenitent infant can get into Christ’s kingdom, or Church on earth; they are fit for heaven without it--they do not need it. They know, too, the Word of the Lord says to the humble, penitent believer, if you will confess me and be baptized, and so put on the Lord, I will forgive you your sins. As many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. The humble believer that confesses Christ, and is baptized in his name, puts him on, and enters into the door, right into the house of the Lord.
Backslider, it is a miserable thing to go out of the Lord’s house, to step back; we must stay in Christ and walk in him.
Do you not know, my brother, that after the measuring reed was given to the people, that more than two centuries passed away, and the people did not know how to get in, did not know the door? And John said, no man could enter in until the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled--had commenced being poured out. If anyone knows now how to get in, that is proof that these plagues have commenced being poured out.
The pouring out of these seven vials is the subject of our next lecture.
Lecture 13:
The Pouring Out of the
Seven Vessels of Wrath
The Battle of Armageddon
by Joseph Martin
HAVE to-day for our consideration the pouring out of the seven vials of the seven last plagues. I wish you to notice the style used. Not the last seven, but the seven last plagues--all of them last. These vials are all of them poured out at one time, at the same time, and all in the time of the sounding of the sixth angel’s trumpet. We dare not go back before that time, after the sixth trumpet has been introduced, and nations fight with fire, smoke, and brimstone. We are living in that time, and the millennial age has not yet come. Therefore we are in prison bounds between these two points, and these plagues are poured out in the time of the sounding of the sixth trumpet.
"And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image."
The pouring out of these vials is rather explanatory, in one sense, of the sounding of the trumpets; for we have in the order precisely, of the pouring out of the vials, the order of the sounding of the trumpets. When the first angel sounded his trumpet, hail and fire, mingled with blood, burnt up or put to death, shed the blood of tile green trees, and the green grass--the men that had the seal of God in their foreheads. It was the earthly powers, the political powers of earth, that were engaged in the first persecution of Christians. They were cast upon the earth in the sounding of the first trumpet; and the first vial of God’s wrath simply refers to his wrath on the power which first opposed his Word. The first vial is poured out on the earthly powers; and John says, "there fell upon men a noisome and grievous sore,"--upon the men of the world, the men who worshiped the beast and his image, or submitted to the authority of these anti-Christian powers. Upon the men that upheld them, a grievous sore falls, and in the sound of the trumpet, where he speaks of the introduction of firearms, he says men blasphemed God and repented not, though they were falling before the fire, smoke, and brimstone. The fire, smoke and brimstone war makes noisome and grievous sores, and it produces very great hail, and it is for the punishment of earthly powers that uphold the false doctrine. I have seen some of these noisome and grievous sores that the gunpowder war causes or produces. They are dreadful sores; a limb is sometimes taken off by some of them; an arm by some; sometimes an eye is taken out, or cheek is gone; they are not only dreadful, but they are sometimes grievous, in the sense of their being gangrenous, and taking the life of those that engage in the fight. This first vial alludes to the time of the sound of the trumpet, when fire, smoke and brimstone sends great hail upon the nations of the earth.
"And the second angel poured out his vial upo n the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea."
You that were present at my last lecture, will remember that at the sounding of the second trumpet, the third part of the sea became blood, by the burning mountain falling into it. The third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; the third part of the ships were destroyed; the third part of the Church’s life and usefulness was gone; the third part of her illustrious men had been caught in the coils of the dragon’s tail, and the Church was corrupted in one-third part; and the Church became a bloody power when it became corrupt; and God pours out the second vial of his wrath upon this same sea--the Church that became corrupted and persecuted his people. First, on the earthly powers that stood in the way of his Word, and then on the corrupt Church that stood in the way in the next place. God is now pouring out the vials of his wrath on anti-Christian nations, and earthly kingdoms, and the corrupt Church, at the same time.
Maybe, though, this sea is not the Church. Well, I believe I will forestall myself a little, and will read the proof—Revelation 2:18. "And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the Great is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."
That was the corrupt Church. Babylon is called the mother of harlots in another place. "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird." That corrupt Church, that was corrupted at first only in one-third part of it, turned to blood finally, when God’s vial is poured out, and it is altogether corrupt. It becomes as the blood of a dead man, all of it--a cage of unclean and hateful birds, and the habitation of devils. And it is Babylon that is thus to become entirely ruined, entirely corrupt.
Says one, Does the Lord corrupt them? No. Does the Lord pour out his violence to make them bad? No; but he invites his people out. We have already had the invitation to come out, and the Lord’s people will come out, out, and keep coming out, until they leave there a cage of devils and unclean and hateful birds--everything but the Lord’s own family. The Lord’s people are going to be united after a while, in the truth and on the truth, and leave Babylonish confusion the hold of devils, and as the blood of a dead man, entirely corrupt. It is because the Lord calls his people out that it is entirely corrupted. I feel like I want to be getting away from everything that is uninspired and human. Have you the matter settled in your minds that it is Babylon that becomes entirely corrupt? The Lord says it. And this sea that is as the blood of a dead man, is the same Church that was corrupted in part only at first, because it has reference to the very same thing that is spoken of in the sounding of the second trumpet. Where the second vial is poured out, it is upon the same thing--shall I say?--that was brought to light at the sound of the second trumpet.
The order is observed all through.
"And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters, and they became blood." When the third angel sounded his trumpet, John said there was a star fell upon the rivers and fountains of waters; the very thing named here; and the star was called Wormwood, and it made the rivers and fountains of waters, a third part of them, bitter; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. That is the account given at the sounding of the third trumpet. And now, in the pouring out of the third vial, the same rivers and fountains of waters are alluded to.
"And I heard the angel of the waters say, Youart righteous, O Lord, which art, and west, and shall be, because you hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy." In my lecture on the sounding of the trumpets, I said these rivers and fountains of waters were men--were nations in the East, where kingdoms first commenced--where Mahomet, the bright, but bitter star, fell upon one-third part of the then inhabited earth, in the East. The Church was corrupted, in part, in the West, by the burning mountain falling into it. Mahomet takes his rise in the East, and gains an influence over the third part of the Eastern nations, and made them bitter, and the Lord pours out the third vial on them, or those nations that withstood the truth. And he said these rivers and fountains of waters had shed the blood of the saints and prophets, and now the Lord gives them blood to drink; and if it does not say right out in plain words that these rivers and fountains of waters are nations of men, it says it so plainly that the man that runs may read. They were men, or they never could have shed the blood of the saints and martyrs, or have drank the blood either. Here is the proof of some things I have been saying this morning. The Eastern nations, the Mahommedan nations, have been drinking blood for some time; and while the Lord pours out his plagues upon the earthly powers that uphold Babylon, or any of her images, and upon the corrupt Church, the vine of the earth, he is pouring it out upon the Mahommedan powers also.
"And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments." You are pouring out the vials of your wrath upon the powers that stood in the way of the truth.
"And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire." When the fourth trumpet sounded, John said the third part of the sun was smitten, the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, and the day shone not for a third part of it. And that was the sun of the moral world. They darkened the Bible. Soon after Mahomet’s rise in the East, they put out the Word of the Lord; they darkened for a third part the Christian day or dispensation. And now the Lord has the fourth vial poured out upon the sun that had been darkened when the fourth angel sounded. The vials answer to the trumpets exactly.
But it looks a little hard to say that the Bible is the sun spoken of--the Sun of Righteousness that Malachi spoke of was darkened--and now to say that the vial of God’s wrath is poured out on the Bible. It might seem little hard to some. But wait until you hear the Lord’s explanation. The vial is poured out on the sun, it says, "and power was given unto it." It did not hurt the sun, bless you, but it gave it power to scorch men with fire; did not hurt the Bible, but made it shine the brighter. They made it dark when the fourth angel sounded, and now when the vial of God’s wrath is poured out, it gives the Bible power and makes it shine with such brilliancy that men are wilted down under it.
"And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues; and they repented not to give him glory." And, if a man will open his eyes, he will certainly see that the sun that was darkened through the dark ages--the Word of the Lord--is now shining as it never has shone since the black horse started out. There is power enough in it now, and it makes emperors and the great men of the earth wilt down. It is withering everything that stands in opposition to it. The Bible is not hurt; the sun is not injured by the pouring out of the vial, but it is scorching those that hold up their puny hands against it. Then, get to the Shade, run to the Rock, fly to the Shelter, and then you are safe. Get into Christ.
"And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds." That vial is being poured out at this time also; they are all being poured out now. The Lord is pouring out his judgment upon the earthly powers that are opposed to his Word--upon the corrupt Church--and calling his people to come out--upon the Eastern nations, the Mohammedan powers--and making the Bible shine so brightly all over the land, that men are scorched and wilted down under its burning rays. The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and John said locusts came out of the smoke of the bottomless pit--the preachers of the dark ages, the indulgence-sellers, that professed to be the Lord’s ministers, but were counterfeits; that had crowns like gold, but not of gold. When the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, our attention is called to this matter--to the seat of the beast, or the star that fell from heaven to earth and unlocked the bottomless pit. And I believe in my heart, that that awful world of despair is bottomless, because it is an eternal going down, and there is no end to eternity,--it is an eternal destruction.
But here is the proof that I was right when I said this star that fell was one of the popes of Rome--he and his successors, that claimed to have the key of the bottomless pit, and let the smoke of superstition out, from which came the swarms of greedy locusts (preachers) that hurt the men that had not the seal of God in their foreheads; that did not understand the Word of the Lord; that took from the poor their last hard-earned shilling, to have some friend taken out of torment, or to buy indulgence for some sin they were fearful they might commit. Here is the proof I was right in that. It was not the Mohammedans.
John said it was the beast that carried Mystery Babylon the Great, the spotted beast. Right here he says the fifth vial is poured out on the scat of the beast, upon the power that sent these greedy locusts out. The religious world are all agreed upon the question as to who the beast is, the spotted beast, the one that took the seat of the Roman Caesars. ’That was not Mahomet; it was the papacy that was on the seat of the Caesars, to whom the dragon, pagan Rome, gave his power and his seat. Right there this vial is poured out, upon the seat of the beast, upon the king of these locusts, and his kingdom is full of darkness. And John said they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, that this fire, smoke and brimstone war is bringing upon them.
Let us look over and see its fulfillment. While the deadly war is going on at the seat of the beast, and his kingdom is full of darkness, we cannot see one ray of light for the future. Do not know what a day will bring forth; everything is tottering there to its everlasting overthrow.
"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared." While the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, the four angels were let loose which had been bound in the great river Euphrates, and they were prepared for an hour, a day, a month and a year. And it was the whole human family that had been bound--the soldiery of all the earth, we proved, let loose to fight with fire, smoke and brimstone. They had been held by a river, bound in a river that held them down in its mighty grasp, and they were not permitted to do either right or wrong, only as the power that bound said. The political power of the papacy held the nations down for centuries and centuries together; and on that same river Euphrates the vial is poured--upon every political power that upheld Mystery Babylon. And they are dried up from her, they sustain her no longer. The Lord has dried them up so that they have lost their strength. John explains this in another place, and says that this river, or political power, is the ten kingdoms that were under the papal authority--his imperial power that held teem. The ten horns which yousaw upon the beast, these shall, in the future, hate the whor*, and make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire; but they were not doing this some centuries since; for he says, (loaf hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree and to give their kingdom unto the beast, unto Mystery Babylon, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And then they will hate the power they have been upholding so long, and dry up all their influence from it, and make it desolate, burn it with fire--the very thing that the Euphrates did for old literal Babylon.
Do you remember, my brother, the history of the river Euphrates, that was the life of the city so long,--that it became at length the means of its everlasting overthrow? For Cyrus drained it the night he had posted his troops above and below the city--drained it into the great artificial lake, and then marched his troops up and down the dry bed, and out through the gates into the city. The Euphrates was dried up, and the beast, or Mystery Babylon’s river, is now about dried up. Her political power is gone, and the armies of the Lord can march right in; and I hope, and I pray too, that they may convert the inhabitants--some of them, at least--to the Lord.
One is a parallel with the other; the type and the antitype agree precisely. That proves that it is the political powers that are called the river, for they are dried up from that beast that had kept them under so long. It is on Mystery Babylon that the Lord pours out the sixth vial-- on the seat of the beast.
And the waters thereof were dried up, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared. The waters of Mystery Babylon’s river--people, supporters, kingdoms that upheld her--are dried up from her, and turned against her, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared. What kings of the East are here meant?
"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet." Three distinct anti-Christian powers, and the unclean spirits came out of their mouths--the doctrines of these anti-Christian powers. Now I want you to look right seriously for a moment to the fulfillment, for it is being fulfilled now, right around us, and all the time. For a thousand years, and more, no man dared preach one word of doctrine, only as it was approved by the beast that held the world under its control--Mystery Babylon. If I had lived four or five centuries ago, and had got up and preached as I do today, off would have gone this little head of mine. Men were allowed to preach only that which was by this Mystery Babylon considered as orthodox; heretics that preached any other doctrine than that approved by this mighty church-power did not fare very well--they were roasted on slow fires. Those that would preach Quakerism, Campbellism, or any other "ism" upon the face of the earth, right or wrong the doctrine, they had to suffer for it, if it was not the doctrine of the mother Church. For centuries and centuries it was so, was it not?
How did she exercise so much power over them? Simply by her political power. She set her political powers to work on them--cut their heads off with swords, starved them to death in dungeons, if they used a word in their preaching that was not according to the ipse dixit of the mother Church. Luther came nigh losing his head, but he lived a little too near our time, and the waters had begun to dry up a little.
But when this sixth vial is poured out, the political river of Mystery Babylon is dried up, and the way of the kings of the East is prepared; men can go wherever they please, and men have the right to preach what they please. They can preach infidelity, if they wish, or the doctrine of the old dragon; they can preach idolatry, Mahommedanism, Campbellism, Lutherism, Mormonism, No-Soulism, or they can preach Materialism, or they can preach the doctrine of the old Eastern world and its magic arts; they can preach that the air is full of spirits, and that they have mediums that can rap them up, and have them muttering and jabbering all over the land. They can preach in every land the necromancy and the witchcraft of the old Eastern world. The way is prepared for men to preach just what they like. That power that forbade the investigation of the Word for 1260 years, becomes so weak, and gets its power so dried up, that men can preach the doctrine of the beast, the dragon, and all the false doctrines that they wish to.
But I thank the Lord for one thing,--they can preach the truth too. And there is a fair fight (shall I say a grand battle now?) between the dragon’s doctrine, the beast’s doctrine, and the false doctrines of the divided and corrupt Protestantism--all against the Bible. Do you suppose I can prove that before I have done? The Lord said so. The way is open now, and no power on earth can prevent men from preaching, or presuming to try, whatever they please. They can go right to the city of the Caesars, to the throne of the Pope, and preach anything and everything, even the Word of the Lord.
These are the three spirits that John saw when the sixth vial of wrath is poured out upon the political powers of the papacy. They are the spirits of devils--of demons which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty. He said there would be a great battle, a dreadful fight, between the Almighty and the earthly powers that are opposed to his truth. There is to be one more grand gathering.
But the Lord says, for our consideration, "Behold, I come as a thief." You would not like to be in the army against him, then. "Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." Keep the Christian’s raiment on; keep on the long, white robes of righteousness every day. Watch, brethren; the Lord’s battle is on hand, and Jesus himself will come in judgment to reward his faithful soldiers that fight in his army. He will throw into the wine-press of his wrath, and banish from his face and the glory of his power forever, those that are against his truth.
"And he gathered them together" (gathered the followers of the dragon, the followers of the beast, and the followers of the false prophet together,) "into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon," the field of strife. They are gathering there--forming their alliances; the power that held them down so long, the papacy, is weak; but there is another alliance forming; everything that is opposed to the Word of the Lord will form one grand army, and they will fight it; they may fight each other at little intervals, but just let the Word of the Lord go into the neighborhood, and they will all unite against it. How do I know? I know that men have gone with the Bible to some of our American towns, and just as soon as they introduced the Bible alone, slap! went every meeting-house door; tap! went the lock, and the key was lost, and the man could not get in. They will unite against it; the Lord said they would. They have the doctrines of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, and their followers are united in one grand army against the Lord’s cause. We are in that great battle now. It has just commenced, maybe. We are needing some soldiers, too.
"The seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done." When the seventh trumpet sounded, there was a great voice from heaven, saying, (the very language that is here,) "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ." When the seventh angel sounded, and the seventh vial is poured into the air, a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, says, It is done. The last plague of God is going to be poured out upon every power that is in the way of the kingdom of Jesus, and its universal triumph; upon the dragon’s power, upon the papal power, or the beast, and upon the false doctrines all over the land, whether Demonology, Materialism, modern Spiritualism, or No-Soulism, or Campbellism, or Mormonism, or any other "ism" beneath the broad heavens. God will pour out the vial of his wrath on it. They are in the way of the establishment of his kingdom all over the earth; and God pours out the vial of his wrath upon everything that stands in the way of the triumph of King Jesus.
"And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings." In this mighty struggle there were voices, many voices, too, and conflicting voices--different doctrines all over the land. Lord, save us from the mighty strife into which the world has gone! The Lord is going to thunder among the nations; the lightning is blazing in every direction, and the great earthquakes. The nations are being shaken now- as they never have been since John saw the Vision--"such as was not since men were upon earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great." If we have not felt its heaviest shock, it is sure to come. Earthly kingdoms, earthly powers, earthly governments, in the great battle of God Almighty with the doctrines of men, will be shaken as they never have been shaken before. Every government will move out of its place, and everything that is in opposition to the Lord’s kingdom will be found no more: they will go down forever. Men had better wake up to the mighty struggle which is on hand.
"And the great city was divided into three parts." The great Church became divided into three parts. I think it is in the future. We see the elements of the division. It is going off into infidelity, into Protestantism in its varied forms, and holding to this old doctrine, in part making the three.
"And the cities of the nations " (or earthly established churches) "fell: and great Babylon came into remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away," (meaning earthly governments,) "and the mountains were not found." I proved, in one of my lectures, that mountains and islands, used in a figurative sense, mean earthly governments. They will go down, they will not be found in their present form. Earthly kingdoms will be no more; there will be no crowned monarchs on earth, no mitred heads beneath the sun. There will be no kings claiming to rule by divine right, as they now do. Their crowns will crumble, and scepters will fall. Kingdoms will all change hands and be the Lord’s kingdoms, and the shout will go up, "The kingdoms of the earth are become the kingdoms of the Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign." I feel like getting on my knees and praying for it, but I had better stand on my feet and fight, and beg, and work for it, than to be praying, without doing anything.
"And there fell upon men" (in the tearing down of these kingdoms,) "a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great."
How large are these hail-stones that John describes as falling on men? About the weight of a talent. What is the weight of a talent? Do you remember? They are of various weights; some heavier and same lighter. From sixty to one hundred pounds, owing to the metal or kind of talent spoken of. But these stones were very heavy. Hail-stones weighing sixty pounds would be dreadful. John said men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail. It was a great plague. I was in a hail-storm once, where the hail-stones were not larger than hens’ eggs, not as large as my fist. They fell to the depth of five or six inches. Some persons in the house where I was, were praying, thinking that the last day had come. No one blasphemed; and if hail-stones were to fall from the clouds weighing from sixty to one hundred pounds weight, men would not feel like blaspheming. There is not that sinner in the land that would raise his tongue in blasphemy in such a case. It was not literal ice falling from the clouds. It is the hail that is to overturn the earthly governments just spoken of, that is to fall on men. This did make sores on them, and grievously tormented them. John as certainly not only saw the fire, smoke and brimstone--ignited gunpowder--doing its work, but he saw the hail sent, and gives us the weight of some of our large cannon balls, and they fall on men and make the noisome and grievous sores he had been speaking of. Men blaspheme God while this iron and leaden hail is falling on them, and they repent not of the work of their hands. Do you know that men, in the time of fighting, while the fire, smoke and brimstone send heavy cannon-balls into the ranks, are blaspheming the God of heaven on account of their pain, and the deadly wounds they receive? They die with the words of blasphemy on their lips. They do not all do it, but some of them do. John did not say all. He is describing the very hail, and that which sends it, that pulls down the nations and kingdoms of earth--the great battle of God Almighty. This is the wine-press of his wrath which he throws the nations into. He throws them into the deadly fight, not their future state; but nations, as nations on earth, are feeling his mighty power, and the hail will keep on falling. The cannon-balls will still fall until four hundred years have passed away, from the time the nations were let loose to fight. When that was, this deponent saith not. They have been let loose gradually from the days of Luther, until recently, when they are all loose. Whether it dates from the commencement of being let loose from the power that held them so long, or from the is not for me to say; but my opinion is, that the fight will go out gradually; as nations were let loose gradually, nations will go down beneath the mighty hail, which the fire, smoke and brimstone sends. Men know how the hail is made, how it is sent, and how it comes. And men’s hearts are hardened, and they blaspheme God in the midst of the fire, smoke and brimstone and great hail war.
I have just finished noticing the things contained in the sixteenth chapter. The seventeenth is only showing us God’s judgment upon that great Mystery Babylon, that corrupt Church that led the balance of the world into error. God has said he would have a controversy with these anti-Christian powers; and hence he introduces, and tells us of the one that stands at the head of all the rest.
Lecture 14:
Judgment of the Mother of Harlots
The Fall of Babylon Proclaimed
by Joseph Martin
WE CLOSED today with the pouring out of the seven last plagues. I stated that they were all last; that all of them belong to the sounding of the sixth angel’s trumpet; that they cannot belong to the seventh, for that has reference to the millennial age, when the kingdoms of the earth all belong to the Lord. No wrath is poured out on the nations when they all acknowledge Jesus.
We have been led in the history up to the sound of the sixth trumpet; the coming to life of the witnesses (the Word of the Lord), and their being given to the nations in their living languages; and these vials are not, according to the arrangement, to be poured out until the sixth trumpet sounds. We cannot go back, and we dare not go forward from that time, or we get into the millennial age, to have the vials poured out. The sixth trumpet is the last one before the millennium; and we noticed today how clearly they are all being poured out.
"And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whor* that sits upon many waters; with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." They were all drunk. For centuries past all the kings of the earth, or earthly governments, have been made drunk on Babylon’s wine. I know that sometimes persons are a little intoxicated end do not know it. I have been acquainted with some few that contended that all others were drunk and they were sober. It is somewhat the effect that the wine of Mystery Babylon has, to make the drunk ones think they are sober, and all the rest are drunk. As I am a citizen of one nation, and nations are composed of individuals, I have always feared, since I have read and understood these matters, that I was, myself, a little intoxicated on the wine of Babylon; I could not raise my hand and say that I am entirely sober. And nothing will sober the nations but the sincere and pure milk of the Word, nothing else. To drink largely in the Word of the Lord, will sober the nations, if they will do it. The inhabitants of the earth are made drunk on the wine of Mystery Babylon. He called our attention a time or two to Babylon, without telling much about it, and he is about to show its utter overthrow now.
"So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns." The beast had seven heads and ten horns; and it carried a woman--she was seated on it. "And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication." It was a Church he was looking at, Mystery Babylon, the great Church that ruled over the kingdoms of the earth, that was called Babylon, because she became divided and scattered, the type proves in Genesis. She had in her hand the means of conveying the truth--a. golden cup; but in the place of conveying the truth to the people in that golden cup, she had filled it with her own abominations and filthiness. She might have blessed the world; she had the scriptures and the scholars; she had the golden cup, but she had abused it "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF"--no one? No; I read that wrong: "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
It makes me almost tremble to think of John’s Vision! The woman drunk, and all the nations drunk; she had made them all drunk. The Church of Christ is called a woman, and Mystery Babylon is called a woman; it is a Church, too. It is the great Church that held the reign over the kingdoms of the earth; and any man that knows from history what Church ruled over the kingdoms of the earth for a long time, can tell what Church this Mystery Babylon is, for that is the one. And there is one painful thought about it; it is seen in the wilderness, where John saw the Church go; it is the Church that John saw flying into the wilderness, that became, instead of the chaste bride of Christ, a "great harlot," and the mother of "harlots." She had in her hand a golden cup--the Word of the Lord--and filled that which contained the Lord’s rules with the filthiness of her fornication. That Church that went into the wilderness of error, superstition, and humanism, became the monstrous Mystery Babylon. John said the Church went into the wilderness; and he said he was carried into the wilderness to see her condition there, and he saw Mystery Babylon written on her forehead. Is that the true Church of Christ? No; the true Church of Christ went off into the wilderness, and became a corrupt Church.
I said, in one discourse, the only chance to have the true Church brought out of the wilderness, is to measure individuals by the same old measuring reed; measure their worship by the measuring reed, and measure the Church itself by it, and we have it in its beauty, as at first. Come out, come out, come out of Mystery Babylon! is the Lord’s cry; not "Babylon, come out!" but, "Come out of her, my people, and leave her the hold of devils, the cage of unclean and hateful birds, and of every foul spirit."
This Church was the mother of a family of churches, and she was the mother of harlots; and it would become each one of us to examine closely and see whether the denomination we may hold to belongs to the family that have filled up their cup with humanisms and the commandments of men, instead of the Word of the Lord. I say it would not hurt us to examine it, because, as certain as the Word of the Lord is true, that certain there is a Great Mystery Babylon Church, and she has a numerous family of daughters. But I never saw a person in my life that would own he belonged to the family. Yet someone does and we cannot get out of it. That would be utterly impossible for all to get out and be free from this Church, while the numerous family lives; that could not be. We know who belong to Mystery Babylon’s family--those that are governed by the doctrines and commandments of uninspired men. That is hard, but it is as soft as I dare fix it. "I speak as unto wise men; judge ye what I say!"
"And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints." It was the same church that had been persecuting, putting people to death, and ruling over all the kingdoms of earth too." And [drunk] with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her I wondered with great astonishment. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst youmarvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns." This whole chapter is not much else than an explanation given by the Lord himself of the visions John had been looking at.
"The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, (whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world,) when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." It seems strange to talk about a beast that was, and is not, and yet is. But by filling up the ellipsis, it does not look so strange. It was in a state of preparation, or in a state of infancy, all along down through the seven heads, five of which had fallen in John’s day. Is not yet, John, while you are in Patmos, fully developed, but is to be brought out fully before the world yet; the eighth form of Rome, the imperial Latin kingdom;--it was of the seven; it was, in all the preceding forms of Rome, being brought up to the point of its final and full development. But it was not fully developed in John’s day; it was in the days of its infancy--is not yet grown up, but will be matured after a while,--yet is.
"And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits." And this woman was Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots. She was the corrupt Church ruling over all the earth. Some writers say that the seven mountains upon which the woman sat, were the seven little hills upon which the city of Rome was built. And they have a literal city on seven literal hills or mountains. But, then, here comes in something that would look a little like it might not mean that. In the original, and according to the best scholars we have, and some of our best translations, it goes on and says, These are seven kings or kingdoms; five are fallen, one is standing, and the other--the seventh--has not come yet. That would not answer for the seven hills on which the city of Rome is built.
These heads are mountains, and these mountains are kings, or forms of kingly government. Five of them that were, are already gone; one of them is now ruling; another will come up and last a little while--another form of Rome--and these seven will all give way to the beast John was describing--the eighth form which grew out of the seven. "Five are fallen, one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space." And the beast that was growing up when this form is coming on, and is not yet fully developed, even he is the eighth (mountain or head), and becomes a kingdom himself.
"And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition. And the ten horns which yousaw are kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast."
At the same time the beast--the eighth form, the papal form of Rome--is ruling, these kings rule under him. "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast"--unto the imperial power that upheld papal Rome.
"These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful." Here is an explanation I wish you to notice in the next verse, for I have alluded to it several times in my lectures. "And he saith unto me, The waters which you saw, where the whor* sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." "Waters" means people; and there is no variation in this rule, used figuratively in this book of Revelation. The waters that the woman sits on and rules over, are the kindreds, tongues, peoples and nations that are under her--the great sea of the human family, and that made the sea of water--the religious world the woman was ruling over-- for a long time.
"And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whor*, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire." The political powers that upheld her so long, and gave all their strength to the power that sustains her, will turn against her after a while. That is what the Lord said. "For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast," or the empire that carries Mystery Babylon, "until the words of God shall be fulfilled." And then they will turn against the very power they have sustained so long--the Church they have upheld so long; and that is fulfilling, if not fulfilled before our eyes in history’s page. I said before our eyes; I mean the eyes of our understanding. We see in the nations of to-day the fulfillment that the very divisions of the Roman Empire that held up the mother Church so long, have turned against her with all their might--the very kingdoms that held her up for 1260 years have turned against her.
"And the woman which you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth." He had just told of Babylon--what the beast was--the horns and the mountains. They are kingdoms, and under this mother-church abomination, that has the cup full of her abominations--the church of abominations, as I said, and that her overthrow is certain. There is but one Church that ever ruled over the kingdoms of this earth. No man can put his finger on history’s page and tell of more than one; and she is the mother of the great family of harlots in the land. The Roman Catholic Church did that very thing; she ruled over the kingdoms of the earth, and she has a numerous family, as I said. All the divisions of Christendom that are governed by uninspired men, belong to the same family, and make up the Babylon, and will all go down together.
"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power." After he had seen Mystery Babylon in the wilderness, drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs, and her numerous family with her--as he described the beast soon after, with its heads and its horns--he saw "another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory." The light begins to shine.
"And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." The Lord’s people have all left her; they have heard the cry, "Come out!" and the earth is lighted with the glory that this angel brought. He said, "all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."
If I had a voice fond enough, or strong to enable me to cry loud enough, I would sing out until all the inhabitants of the earth might hear it: Come out of Babylon, out of confusion--the Lord’s people, come out! But the Lord invites them, exhorts them, to come out. She is the hold of devils; she is the cage of every foul spirit. Come out, for heaven’s sake! Who would stay there-- who that wants the Lord’s cause to prosper? Come out! and leave her, as John said she was finally left, as the blood of a dead man--no vitality in her at all. She was corrupted only in one third part at first, when pagan Rome went down in the days of Odoacer; and finally, when the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, she was left as the blood of a dead man. The Lord’s people must come out, and keep coming out, until they leave her a cage of devils only. They must come out of all her confusion. Then the angel adds:
"For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her."
It is not a literal city--it is a Church; the great Church that rules over the kings of earth, is to be destroyed. The Lord uses this figurative language, foreshowing her entire ruin.
We will now read, briefly, the account of her ruin.
"And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth" (the same class of merchants John spoke of in the opening of the third seal, that sold the wheat, the Word of God, and the barley-- their comments on the Word of the Kingdom; not the merchants of the Lord’s house, but of the earthly Church,) "shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more: the merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thine wood, and all manner of vessels of ivory, and all manner of vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and you shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! for in one hour so great riches is come to naught. And every ship-master, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate."
That rich city, that wealthy city, for in her was great riches, has come to naught, and every ship-master--not a third part of the ships destroyed now, but all gone; not a third part of her means of usefulness destroyed now, as when the second angel sounded his trumpet; her means of usefulness are all gone; all her ship-masters are weeping now. Not a third part corrupt now; but she is as the blood of a dead man, all blood now, drunk with blood. Every ship-master, all the company in ships, as many as trade by sea, stood afar off and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, What city is like unto this great city! This is all figurative language, and has no reference to a literal city, but to the Church--Mystery Babylon--that sat on all the kingdoms of the earth.
"And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ship’s in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.’’ And the wailing may go up; it matters not, the Word of the Lord has gone forth. And the merchants, the penny merchants that were made rich by selling the Word, and their comments on it, for money, trading for all these precious things, joined in the mourning when Mystery Babylon fell, when that rich city fell; they will trade for them no more. The good things have gone from them, and they are bound to go down under the scorching rays of the Sun of Righteousness; the Word of the Lord is shining too brightly for them. These merchants, these penny preachers that traded for the good things of this world, will be out of employment, and then they will weep and wail in vain; Mystery Babylon is bound to go down with all her luxuries, for their merchandise will depart from her, and these penny preachers will stand afar off, looking and wailing. I do not know, but I have seen some of them rather shying off already, for fear of the torment they see is about to come upon her. I speak of everything human, that is not built upon this precious Word of the Lord--belongs to the Babylon that has to go down.
"Rejoice over her, youheaven," (for you are the Lord’s people,) "and ye holy apostles and prophets;" (and those that are built on them,) "for God hath avenged you on her."
"And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." It shall go down forever. This great Church, that corrupted the world, and made the nations drunk, with all her family of daughters, must go down and be found no more at all.
"And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and of trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth." They were the arch-bishops, arch-deacons, right reverends, doctors of divinity. They were the lords and nobles; they were none of them common traders. "For by thy sorceries were all nations deceived." They had made such pretensions, and so bewitched the world, that they were deceived by them.
"And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth." After Mystery Babylon is ruined, their blood is found in her, and she has caused the shedding of that blood.
"And after these things," (after Babylon goes down,) "I heard a great voice of much people in heaven,” (the Church,) "saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whor*, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up forever and ever." She is down, and the Lord’s people are rising, and shouting, Alleluia to the Lord. The time must come; the Lord has called attention to it again. In the fourth chapter, John gives us an account of the beasts and elders bowing and worshiping. That was the last event named first. Babylon is down! the Lord’s people raise the shout, Alleluia!
"And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia!" That is the time the beasts and elders bow and worship, when the kingdoms of this world have been turned over to Christ, when Mystery Babylon is down, when the whole earth is full of the glory of God, then the elders, the Lord’s people, both Jews and Gentiles, in the four quarters of the world, are saying, Alleluia! Salvation, and glary, and honor, and power, unto our God who reigns; Amen!
"And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of many thunderings, saying "Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigns." Babylon is down, sunk forever, and all her followers sunk with her.
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." The Church of Christ is measured up again; she is now in her beautiful garments, ready for a marriage to Christ. And John said, Let the Lord’s people rejoice. We have not reached the time yet, my brother. Babylon is not down yet, but it is tottering to its everlasting overthrow. Right now we are in the days of the fighting, and woe to the coward that skulks away from his duty! The bride is not yet ready for the marriage to Christ, not dressed up yet, but she will be.
"And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God." But the preceding verse says that the wedding garment of the bride, that she should be arrayed in, is fine linen, clean and white; and fire linen is the righteousness of saints. Dress up, for heaven’s sake! Let us put on the Lord Jesus in obedience to his requirements; fix up for the marriage-feast--it will be a happy time. Let us amend our ways, and get ready for the marriage.
"And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See youdo it not; I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." these are prophecies given to tell us what shall come, that when we see it we may believe that Jesus is the Christ. There is so much infidelity in the world now, that it will take a mighty chain to bind it down at last.
"And I saw heaven opened." He has told of the downfall of Babylon, of her utter destruction, of the Lord’s people shouting, Alleluia! while the Lord reigns; and then he sums up the matter, and tells how Babylon went down. Do you want to hear him tell a little about that fight? "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse: and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True." I said it was the gospel triumph when he first named it, and here is the same white horse again. One might say, "I thought he had been driven from the field long ago." When he first started out, the red horse came out against him, then the black horse, and then the pale horse came out in opposition to him; four trumpets sounded against him; the witnesses were killed, that was all against him. A mighty struggle of 1260 years has been going on, and the white horse not named; and, lo! he is here again in the mighty struggle, in the sound of the sixth angel’s trumpet-- in the days of the fighting with fire, smoke and brimstone, he is seen again. Who is he? He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True. There is something good about that white horse. What more? His name is called the Word of God. It is the true and faithful Word of God coming out on the white horse. I said that at first, that it was the gospel of peace, the Word of God was coming; and, lo! John tells it here himself; he saw the Word of God coming out.
But not perhaps in all its beauty yet. I am not right certain the nations have ever yet had the faithful and true Word of God since the dark ages commenced. Do not be offended, fellow citizens. We have many translations in the land, in different languages. Wickliffe tried to give a translation a long time since, but the door was shut against it. Tyndale followed him, and Coverdale; but the door was closed against their translations. I am not certain they were true and faithful to the original, either. Luther tried it, and I reckon old brother Luther gave as good a translation as any man before him had done, but the door was closed against it.
And the Bible that lies before me--this translation of King James--was given by the king of England whose name we have spoken; and some men of all denominations have concluded that there are some things in it not faithful to the original. To say that all denominations find a little fault, one here, and another there, would be literally true.
But one man said to me, I do not believe in meddling with the Bible. One lady said to me, "I believe the Lord made my Bible as it is up in heaven." And a gentleman, in Indiana, said to me, he wanted me to know that King James was one of the twelve apostles, and we had no business to meddle with his translation! Don’t you know, fellow citizens, that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew by the prophets, and the New Testament was written in Greek by the Apostles? Not one of you, perhaps, can read the Old or New Testament in the original language. I doubt whether there is a soul in the house to-night that can read the pure old original written by the apostles and prophets. Can you read Greek or Hebrew? Says one, What will we do about it? The Hebrew was dead in the days of Christ, and the Greek language died soon after; so they remained stereotyped, just so, forever unchangeable.
I want to make an illustration right here. Suppose some man would come into the house to-night that could speak the German right fluently, and some person listening to him did not understand a word of German--how could the Englishman understand what the German was saying? If there was someone here that understood German and English both, to tell him, he could understand it. That would be translating German into English. But suppose he did not understand the German very well--he might make a few blunders in telling the Englishman what the German said. And if another man understood the German better, and the English just as well, could not he give the Englishman a little better translation of the German than the first one did? Could he not come a little nearer the true idea? And if men that did not understand the original languages have given us an imperfect translation, and we have now better and riper scholars in the Hebrew and Greek, as well as the English, cannot they give us a little better rendering? There is not a man, ignorant of the Hebrew and Greek, that can ever have the Word of the Lord until someone translates it for him. We are dependent upon translations in other languages than the Greek and Hebrew. Why, in the name of reason, will men raise their hands against translation when they are reading one given by men not the best of scholars? Why are they unwilling to have a better? Says one, "I am afraid they will meddle with the original." They cannot; it is securely kept.
But John said, (I will take the Lord’s word for it,) "I saw heaven opened." The door has been closed against almost every translation. Kings, and monarchs, and papal powers, have said, "You must receive this one, but you shall not examine the original." Receive the one to which the king has affixed his signet, or that the pope has sanctioned. I thank God for one thing--that in this, the freest land the sun ever shone on, we have no established church at all. The religious heavens are thrown wide open, and the way made clear for a true and faithful translation of the original scriptures. The God of heaven intends we shall have it and give it to the nations. They are engaged at it now, and have been for several years. The Bible Union is made up of all denominations that will engage in the work, and they have for their motto, "The true and faithful word of God for all nations"--just what John saw 1800 years ago. That is their motto, the verse that I have read, a true and faithful version of God’s Word to all nations. And if they do not give it at once, the way is still clear. There is no king to shut the door, no monarch to say we shall not engage in the work. Certain as there is a God in heaven, the nations will have a true and faithful translation of the Word of God. It is the means God will use to pull down Mystery Babylon. Every word of this translation that is true and faithful to the original, is doing its part of the work; but when we have every word true and faithful, we have the army following.
I think we have nearly all of it here--enough to conquer the powers of darkness, if we fight valiantly. But the Lord is going to give us the true and faithful Word of God- every word every letter of it. John said the armies in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Lecture 15:
The Supper of the Great God
The Binding of Satan for 1,000 Years
by Joseph Martin
WE CLOSED last night by making a few remarks on the coming out of the white horse the second time, as named in the nineteenth chapter. John says, "He that sat on him was called Faithful and True; and in righteousness he cloth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called the Word of God."
When the Word of God went out in the opening of the first seal, it had one crown given to it; it had one battle to fight. It is distinctly stated there was a crown given to it; but at the end of a series of visions, John sees it once more in the field with many crowns: it had gained victories over the earthly powers--the corruption in the Church, Mohammedanism in the East, and the papacy, and all the false doctrines of the confused sects that the papacy has gone off into; and he had many crowns on his head. It has a name that no man knows but itself. No man knows the law of the Lord, the plan of salvation, the duty of the creature to God, but the Word of the Lord. This expression is dropped in here, not at random, but just to let the human family know they need not meddle with things pertaining to their duties to God. He has made it known in his Word, and besides that, no man knows it.
"And the armies which were in heaven followed him"-- he presents the Word of God as though it were a person-- "followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he treads the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."
Someone might conclude that this is none other than the Lord Jesus himself riding at the head of a victorious army. But John said it was the Word of God. But the Lord of man is man, and the Word of God, John said, is God. When the Word goes forth conquering, it is the Lord; when the Word of the Lord does anything, it is the Lord doing it; and so John speaks of it.
"And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast," (that spotted one that had been wearing out the saints for 1260 years,) "and the kings of the earth," (that had been upholding and worshiping the beast,) "and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army." All the powers of Antichrist gathered in one grand army to fight against the true and faithful Word of God. The battle will be fought, is being fought now, as a man with half an eye can see. The time is on us now, when those that have been making laws for the Lord’s people-- that power that had given laws for 1260 years to govern the Church, and that corrupted it--and all that unite in making laws for the government of the Lord’s people, are uniting their forces against the Word of the Lord. There is not an association, a general assembly, or conference of men, that meet to make laws to govern any part of the people calling themselves the Lord’s family, but what raises the war cry against those that say we will have nothing but the Word of God. Let the fight come on!
There is a little more than that in this revelation just here. They fight the true and faithful Word of God, the denominations all over the land; the sectarian denominations that make rules and laws to govern themselves are opposed to a correct rendering of the original, and fight it all the time. One preacher said to me some time singe, "We have no business to meddle with King James’ version, and add to the Word of the Lord." I quoted this revelation here, through John, that the kings of the earth, with the false doctrines of men, would combine to fight a true and faithful version, and were opposed to its coming out. I told him they were doing just what the Lord said they would. "And," said I, "you, among them, are determined that the people shall be kept in darkness, if possible, and will not let the true and faithful Word of God be given to them if you can help it." He paced the room briskly three or four times (be was in his own house), and then raised his hand and said, "God forbid that I should ever do it!" I hope he has never done it since.
We spoke on the subject of translation last night. The Lord has promised, and will perform it-- that the people shall have his Word, true and faithful to the original. The motto, the sign, is out now in the United States. When the Bible Union met, they have the very words that I have quoted, though not as a quotation there the very words that John saw written: "A True and Faithful version of the Word of God to all nations." They have not accomplished it yet, perhaps. It may be fifty years before they do; but as certain as God’s promises are true, that certain the world will have it, and true and faithful to the original; for without that, it is not the true and faithful Word of God.
We are in that time, as I said. John saw the great battle--the kings of the earth and their armies, the beast and the opposers of the Word of the Lord, united in one army, to fight the true and faithful Word of God and them that followed it--the great battle of Armageddon. It is so stated in the pouring out of the sixth vial, the sound of the sixth trumpet being a parallel, when he says that in the pouring out of the sixth vial he saw out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three spirits of devils come, unclean spirits. And they gathered the kings of the earth and their armies together in the field of Armageddon, the great battle of God Almighty. He then tells of the gathering of another army; in other words, the true and faithful Word of God, to the battle field, and the result is that the beast is taken, and with him the false prophet that worked miracles before him.
This false prophet has reference simply to the confused Protestantism that has been, and is, the result of the departure from the true and faithful Word of God at first.
The kings of the earth--that is, the earthly churches that are established by law--shall be annihilated, and all that are following the works of men combined together, shall be taken. They took those that had been deceived, had received the mark of the beast, and those that had worshiped his image,--it matters not which one of the images--I think there are a great many.
"These both"--the divisions of sectarianism and the papacy--"were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." They are not going to die off gradually, and then be decently buried; they will be taken fighting and alive. You need not fold your arms, fellow-citizens, and hope that error will die out of itself; you have to take it alive and fighting; for error--it is so stated here--is taken alive. O, my soul! how I shudder sometimes, while I hear men and women professing to be Christians and followers of the Word of the Lord, singing a lullaby, that they can do nothing; and fold their arms, waiting for error to die off itself. John tells us better than that; he says we have to take them alive. We have to expose their errors while they are fighting manfully for them.
But after they are taken, their miserable fleshly institutions exposed for every bird of prey to feast upon, the men of the world are looking on, filling themselves to satiety with the miserable fleshly institutions of these sectarian establishments--they are devouring them, all of them. They were only food for vultures, sure enough--worldly institutions--and must be exposed.
But there is another feature to this. There is a winepress of God’s wrath to be trodden. I have been talking about the battle of Armageddon just now, and that is to be fought "with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth;" and that is the Word of God. Some men think that the great battle of Armageddon is to be fought in the valley of the Mississippi, and that all the kings of the earth will be engaged in it; that there is no other place large enough for them to assemble and marshal their mighty armies; and right there it must be fought. And they think that the blood will gush out like rivers, and deluge the whole land in human gore, two hundred miles, to the horses’ bridles. John did not say a word about blood being shed in the battle of Armageddon--not a word; there was no need of it.
The place where the battle will be fought is right here, in Indiana; right here at Unity, and over at Greencastle, and at Indianapolis--all over the State of Indiana, and in Ohio, Kentucky, and Missouri, and Illinois; in all the Western States, and along the valley of the Mississippi, and over the ridge in the Eastern States; all over the continent of America, and over in Europe; all over and throughout Asia, and down in Africa--all over the world, the battle of Armageddon must be fought,--the battle of the Word of the Lord against every error. A great battle, a mighty struggle, too; all the earth will engage in it before it is through with, and the Word of the Lord will conquer.
But I dropped an idea a little while ago.
And the third part of the human family will have their blood shed in this struggle before it ends. A large portion have already been killed in this war; and it is stated that, by these three, a third part of men would be killed. That would make a river of blood as deep and long, if It were all put together, as John saw in the Vision. There never was, and never will be, one stream of blood, at one place and at one time, two hundred miles long, to the horses’ bridles; but to calculate mathematically we can make it out. If a third part of the population of human beings have their blood in one place, it would make this river John saw. He gives the sum total of all the blood shed during the four hundred years.
"And the remnant" those that were not cut off and slaughtered, but would not yield to the truth-- "were slain with the sword of him that sat on the throne, which sword proceeded out of his month; and all the fowls were filled with their flesh." I do not know precisely what words to use to express my idea clearly. He was not speaking of their being literally killed; for the Word of the Lord does not kill men physically; but their old fleshly notions and their old fleshly ways, when they are slain by the Word of the Lord, fill all the fowls that devour these things. They eat them up; they become food for them to feast on; they devour them, destroy them, and get them out of the way. I would like to eat up a few of them myself, in one sense; that is, to get them out of the way--these old fleshly notions--expose them, destroy them, and get them out of the way.
"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little season."
I am very glad of it! John saw an angel come down from heaven with a chain in his hand, and the key of the bottomless pit; and he just chained the old devil, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up for a thousand years there, so that he could deceive the nations no more for a thousand years. If we only knew what angel John saw doing this work! If we only could have him do the work right soon! O, Michael, why not? You chief of the angels, prince among the Lord’s heavenly hosts--why not bind old Satan soon? Michael dares not touch him; it is not Michael or Gabriel that binds old Satan down. Michael had a dispute with him once about the body of Moses, but did not dare bring a railing accusation against him, let alone bind him. If Michael could bind him, he might as well, it seems to me, have done it then. No heavenly angel will ever bind old Satan.
This is not done yet. Satan is not bound yet,--though one brother said to me, sometime since, that he thought Satan, the devil, had already been bound nearly a thousand years, and would soon be let loose. I could but shudder to think (if he has been bound a thousand years, and now is bound,) of the time when he would be let loose. It would be awful! But that brother was a ripe scholar, and he said that I had proved to his satisfaction, that the old red dragon, that was called the devil in the twelfth chapter, was pagan Rome; and Rome had been bound in its pagan form a thousand years, and would soon be let loose again. I told him that idea would do very well, if the nations had been undeceived for a thousand years, and if it had not been that John saw this binding of Satan take place when the spotted beast was put down--which was the papacy--and after the image of that beast and all the images were destroyed, and after the false prophet was put down; and that these powers were not down yet, and Satan was to be bound one thousand years after they were put down. And that brother (I would mention his name, if it were admissible to put it in print,) said that my argument was unassailable; that Satan was not bound yet--it was in the future; any man that will read, can see that it is in the future,--he is not bound yet.
But, then, the next question is, who is it that is called the devil? Why, old Satan himself. But then, who is old Satan? One man said to me some time since that there was no devil but man’s wicked disposition. Now, if that be true, in the name of reason, if there is no devil but the wicked disposition of the human family, has that ever been bound a thousand years any time since Adam lived? Would to the Lord that it were bound a thousand years. But if it is the old Satan, the old liar himself, if there is a devil beside man’s wicked disposition--and there is-- has he been bound?
This man that pleaded with me that there was no devil but man’s wicked disposition, had to give it up. I brought up the Word of the Lord, and asked him if Adam and Eve had a wicked disposition before they transgressed the law of the Lord?--and he said, no; they were very good. I asked him then if Jesus, the Son of God, had a wicked disposition? He said, no; he was without sin. I asked him then what it was that told the falsehood to old Mother Eve, and caused Adam and Eve to sin--if it was their wicked disposition? He said it could not have been, for they had not any. I asked him if it was the wicked disposition of Jesus that was tempting him in the wilderness to tell a falsehood?--and he said, no. I told him there was no human being but Adam and Eve in the garden; no human being with Christ in the wilderness, but there was something that tempted Adam and Eve from the right way, and tempted Jesus. That man said it looked like there might be a devil. I told him there was, and he was deceiving the nations and trying to drag them to his dark abode. I exhorted him for a little while to turn to the Lord, and not be deceived and ruined by the old adversary.
He said he reckoned it was too late. Said I, "You are not yet before the great white throne; your soul is not eternally lost yet; don’t let the devil cheat you out of a home in heaven by persuading you that you are too old to turn. "But, then," said he, "I have pleaded this doctrine so long, I reckon it is hardly worth while now." Said I, "If you see your error now, turn with all your might; for heaven’s sake, turn to the Lord." That night that old man, seventy-two years of age, pressed through the crowd, saying, "The devil has been deceiving and trying to ruin me, until I am seventy-two years of age, and by the grace of God, Jesus shall have the balance of my life." And a more faithful and humble Christian never confessed the name of Jesus than that old man was. There is a devil; but what angel will bind him, and what chain will he be bound with? I would say another word or two in reference to the conversation with this old man. Perhaps it would be better to do so, as we are talking rather familiarly about the devil. When I had convinced him that there was some wicked being, aside from man’s wicked disposition, he said there was one thing that bothered him. Said he, "If there is a real devil, going about like a roaring lion, why don’t somebody get to see him sometime?" Said I, "Do you think there is a God?" "O, yes." "A real being?" "Yes." "Everywhere present?" "O, yes." "Why don’t somebody get to see him, then?" "O, he is a spiritual being, and we cannot see him with these natural eyes." "So is the devil, and we cannot see him with these natural eyes." "But," said he, "if there is a real devil, I want to know how he came. Did God make him, or is he self-existent? If self-existent, he is equal with Almighty God. One self-existent being is just equal to another self-existent being, and I would as soon worship one self-existent being as another. Then, if he is self-existent, he is equal with Almighty God; if he is not self-existent, the Lord made him; and if the Lord God made him, be is not only a good being, but very good; for God declared that all that he had made was very good. Then you have a very good devil, or one equal with the Almighty." There I was, a poor soldier for Jesus, before that old man, bound with his mighty logic! What do you think I did? I just quit talking about it! I not only quit talking about it, but I changed the subject, and talked about the price of stock and grain; about the neighbors, about his farm, about his prospects and worldly matters, and diverted his attention from the subject we had been talking on, until he seemed to have let it pass from his mind. Then I told him I supposed his neighbors were all good. "Very good people," he said, "except one or two." Then he told me of some of his neighbors that were very bad men, and told me of some of their bad acts. I told him, from what I had learned since I had been in the neighborhood, they were very good men, all of them, and that he had better look a little nearer home for the fault. The old man became angry, and said that I knew nothing about them, and that he did not want me to throw the blame on him. I told him then that I had learned, since I had been in the neighborhood, that all the neighbors were good men. He said he knew they were not; they were very bad men. Said I, "I suppose I ’11 have to admit it, as you declare it is so. But I want to know now, sir, of you, who made these neighbors of yours that are so bad?" He said he supposed I knew who made them. I told him I thought I did, but would rather he would tell me. Said he, "You know God made them." I told him I had no doubt of it. "But you told me, sir, a little while ago, that God never made anything but what was very good; but from yourself I learned that your neighbors were not good; yet God made them. Now, you say they are very bad. I want you to explain that; how it is that God made these neighbors of yours, and they are very bad, while you say all that God made is very good." "Well," said he, after pausing a moment, "they made themselves bad!" Said I, "Angels are greater in power, and the devil made himself bad: and the secret of the whole matter is--and if I could make the world hear just now, I would--that no worship happifies the worshiper and glorifies God, only that which is voluntarily offered. Every good man on earth, or angel in heaven, if he honors God by worshiping him, and happifies himself in doing so, must do it voluntarily. It must be a voluntary act, for no other will do than that which is voluntary, whether from a man or an angel, for you have the ability to do or let alone. Men and angels are rational moral agents, worshiping God from choice, choosing whether they will obey the Lord or leave it alone--with the conditions placed before them, to serve God and live eternally, or let it alone, and be miserable and damned for ever. There is a weight of responsibility resting upon us. There is a devil, and he made himself; he fell from his high position, as the scriptures tell us, by being lifted up with pride; and the apostles said there was danger of some Christians falling into condemnation of the devil by being lifted up with pride.
That old liar, that lied to mother Eve, that deluged the earth in infidelity, that reared the man of sin to the zenith of his glory on the throne that governed the world, is to be bound after a while; the Lord grant the angel may get to work soon!
But what kind of a chain will the angel have to use in binding him? Is it a chain of metal, as large as the great chain that was on the twin snag-boats, that weighed several tons weight? Human might and human contrivance broke that chain, and the devil is as good at contriving as a mortal man could be. I would not like to risk a chain of iron, with the links as thick as my body, to bind the old fallen angel, with his legions of assistants. You cannot bind the devil, a spiritual being, or man’s spirit, with a chain of metal. They have tried that often; they tried it on old brother Paul-- had him bound with a chain, standing before the Roman governor; his hands and feet were manacled with fetters, but his spirit was still unchained; his mind was still free, and he made the Roman governor, Felix, tremble on his seat before his free, unchained spirit You can bind down the limbs, but you cannot chain the spirit. The devil is a spirit that works in the children of disobedience. They tried it again on Paul when he stood before Festus; but his unchained spirit is still free, and he peals forth such mighty words of freedom in the ears of the Roman governor as to make him exclaim, "You are beside yourself; much learning makes you mad." And King Agrippa said, "You have almost persuaded me to become a Christian;"--when it would have cost him his crown, his goods, all his earthly possessions, if not his head, to become a Christian...
Paul’s spirit was not chained. He said, "I would, King Agrippa, you were altogether such an one as I am, except these bonds." Was Paul’s spirit chained? They had others besides Paul chained in body, but they never have chained a man’s spirit yet with a chain of metal. Then, can we ever chain the old adversary with a metal chain? We have pictures of it, sometimes, and I would that men had never made them. They had Paul’s hands chained, his feet fast in the stocks in the city of Philippi; but his free, unchained spirit ascended in prayer and praise to the God of heaven, scaled the lofty prison walls, ascended to the throne of God; and He sent a strong angel that burst the prison doors open, and loosed all the bonds of the prisoners. Chain the devil with a metal chain? 0, no! you cannot do it.
What kind of a chain will bind a man’s spirit? A chain of evidence, my brother--a chain of testimony. We can have our minds, our spirits, chained down to facts in this way, and we cannot break loose, although it is sometimes against our will. I have had my mind chained by evidence against my will, sometimes, when the testimony was so strong, even to things I did not like, and I could not break the mighty links; my mind could not sever them; they were linked in each other so firmly, that yield I must Nothing else than a chain of evidence, a chain of fulfilled prophecy, of gospel facts, a chain that cannot be broken by even the spirit of wickedness itself. There is no other way to chain the old adversary so that he cannot deceive the nations, but to give the nations the testimony so strong that he cannot break the mighty links that bind him. A glance of the mind shows that to be true. It is not to bind him as a spirit, but only so that he cannot deceive the people; and the nations must have the chain of evidence that ties the old adversary fast.
Where do we find it? Right here I feel like I am just getting into the work. We have a few of the links in this book I have been noticing for a few days. A few of them? Yes. John, 1800 years ago, told in this book of Revelation all the history of the kingdom of heaven, from the day of his exile, on down until the mighty struggle between the Word of the Lord and the doctrines of men had been fought, and the Word of the Lord prevailed. He wrote that the spirit of peace would triumph in Asia, in the very first place after the Vision was seen by him when he was in the Isle of Patmos; and so it did. He said that a bloody spirit would follow after, and strive to drive this spirit of peace, or gospel, out of the land; and so it did. John foretold it! He said, that in the dark time Christians would be put to death. In the days of the prevailing spirit of terror and anguish-- represented by the pale horse--Christians would be killed with the sword, with hunger, with death, and with the beasts of the earth; and so they were. And John foretold it. He said that a mighty government was to go down, the Church was to become corrupted at the time that this great mountain went into the sea, in one third part. History’s page tells us it is literally true. And John foretold it. He said the dark time was to come, and after that the Eastern nations had been made bitter by some bitter star that fell on them. This has been fulfilled, precisely as John foretold. And then he said, in the dark time of the dark ages, the bottomless pit--the under, or infernal world--was to be opened, and a smoke come out-- a smoke of superstition to darken the whole land; and out of the smoke came locusts which had men’s faces, and hurt those that did not understand the Bible--that had not the seal of God in their foreheads; and, lo! it is literally fulfilled, as John said. They have hurt those men that did not understand the Bible--poisoned their minds, and taken from them their hard earnings, by selling them indulgences to sin for money, and indulgences from the guilt of sin for money, and offering their prayers to change the state of their dead for money. They hurt the men that did not understand the Bible--had not the seal of God in their foreheads; and John foretold it. Then he said that all nations were to be let loose from the power that had held them down, and were to fight with fire, smoke and brimstone; and every man that has two good eyes can see its fulfillment. And John foretold it. And he said it made a great hail fall upon the nations of the earth, and the stones were about the weight of a talent, and men blasphemed God on account of the hail--the great iron and leaden hail; and I have heard men do it in the midst of the fight, because of their pains and their sores on the battle-field-- blaspheme God because of the cannon-balls and the smaller balls that the fire, smoke and brimstone sent. These are a few links of the chain. Do you want another?
He said that the two witnesses--the two Testaments-- were put in an ugly dress, a sackcloth garment, for 1260 gears; and, lo! they were in a bad translation for that length of time. He said they were to lie dead--in a dead language--in the streets of the great city for 1260 years, and not be used as a measure for that length of time; and that has been literally fulfilled. He said they were to be given to the people--restored to a living language--in the days of the fighting with fire, smoke and brimstone; and, lo! that was true. He said that during the time the witnesses were lying dead--the Word of the Lord unused as a measure--the Church itself was in the wilderness-- went off into the wilderness of humanism, and became a corrupt monster--was borne off on the wings of the Roman Empire; and that is fulfilled. He said of the power that did the work of wearing out the saints, that it was the power that was on the seat of the Roman Caesars;--the Book says it, my brother. That is the papal power that has been doing that work. He said it became scattered after a while into images, and therefore it is called Babylon, because it became confused and scattered into sectarianism; and that is fulfilled. He said he saw the Word of the Lord rising, and the nations crouching down under its bright rays; and, lo! that is being fulfilled. No uninspired man could have guessed these things.
But we have other links to this mighty chain. The Bible tells us that that nation which was the mightiest beneath the sun when the Bible was first written, shall become the basest of all nations--that Egypt shall become the basest; and it is so to-day. It is said of the greatest city on earth-- Babylon, the glory of the Chaldees’ excellency, that mighty city which was sixty miles in circuit, whose walls were three hundred and fifty feet in highs, that had its one hundred and fifty gates, and its teeming millions thronging its busy streets, and provision at all times to last for twenty years--it is said, in the thirteenth chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy, that it shall become a desolation, it shall become a place for owls to hoot in, and satyrs shall dance there; the Arab shall not pitch his tent there, and it shall be a desolation forever; and it is true. Could a mortal man have foretold it, if uninspired? Suppose you try, my brother, to tell the history of some city or nation for a few thousand years to come. You would not like to try it, would you?
This is not all. The Bible tells us of the fate of Nineveh, the next greatest city on earth; tells us it shall be destroyed, and even tells the agency--the river shall become its enemy, and Nineveh shall be forgotten; and it has been for centuries. The Bible tells us of Tyre, which was once the mistress of the seas, and says it shall become a barren rock; and, lo! that is fulfilled. The Bible tells us there shall be four, and only four universal monarchies on earth ruled over by men; it does not take half a glance to know that the last one is passing away; there is no one man ruling the human family now. With the present views and feelings, books and conveyances, telegraphs and railroads, and steam printing-presses, the one-man power is out of the question in the future.
But this is not all. The Bible tells us that Assyria, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, these mighty universal empires, are to be scattered to the four winds, and not a vestige of them left. They are gone, three of them, and the fourth nearly gone. But while the Bible says that, it says too, that a little family of one man, a mere handful, the seed of Abraham, shall never cease to be a people while the sun shines on the earth and gives light. Could you guess the history of some man’s family five hundred years to come? Would you? Moses, in Deuteronomy, says, in his valedictory, You shall become an astonishment and a proverb, a by-word and a hissing among the nations whither you shall be scattered. And it is literally fulfilled. The Jews are an astonishment to-day. The Jews are a proverb in every nation under heaven. The Jews are a by-word everywhere. Did you ever hear a man say, "I don’t like to be Jewed?" Not long since I heard a little boy say, "That beats the Jews." I heard an old man say, "Well now, that does out-do the Jews!" I heard a mother say, "Now, don’t that beat the Jews?" I hear it from the old man and the young; in every land it is so, and Moses, in the Bible, foretold it, four thousand years ago.
Of the land of Judea, and the city of Jerusalem, it is said by the prophets, and by the Lord Jesus himself, they shall be made desolate; that is, the land and the city, and be trodden down of the Gentiles for many centuries. Yet Isaiah says, in the sixth chapter of his prophecy, thirteenth verse: "But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a tall tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof." And it is true to the letter. Never has been the day or the hour when the Jews (the holy seed) have all been driven from that land or city. They have lived there in the most abject poverty, but still they stay. Could a mortal man have guessed it? No.
Thank the Lord, we have the Bible, the chain of evidence. Its prophecy is fulfilled and fulfilling. We have the mighty chain that will bind the old adversary! We can read it and understand it. The devil cannot break the mighty chain of evidence that the Bible is from God, and Jesus is the Christ.
It is impossible to be an infidel, utterly impossible. So much so, that the Lord said, "He that believeth not shall be damned." The word of the Lord--his two witnesses in the hands of the people--is rising, and will fly above the world in spite of the devil’s wiles to pull them down.
But where is the angel that is to bind old Satan down? John said he saw an angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth. And another angel followed him, saying, Babylon is down, (the devil is bound, of course.) Then the gospel chain does the work, but what angel carries it? Which one of the angels? John has just told us in the few verses I read to-night. He said, I saw the armies of heaven united and following the Lord’s Word. He saw the fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus, in the seventeenth chapter of John, when he says, Father, I pray that they may be kept in the truth, and one, as we are, that the world may believe. When the Lord’s people unite on his Word, follow it, obey it, and live by it, they are strong enough to bind the old deceiver. Jesus said it--not I. United in the truth, and on the truth, in the Lord, and following his Word, they are strong enough to bind him-- but in their divided condition they cannot do it. It is union;--that is the mighty angel John had just spoken o£ The armies of heaven united, following the true and faithful Word of the Lord, is the angel, and the Word of the Lord the chain. It is so made out here. And I pray that the angel may come soon, that the Lord’s people may soon be united, that they may bind old Satan down. There is some work to do. There is a great deal of work to do.
But, says one, "don’t you think it is a heavenly angel that preaches the gospel?" Don’t you know better? We have said in one of our lectures that Michael never had the power to preach one word of the gospel. Gabriel never was commissioned to do it. Paul said, "Unto the angels"--that is, the heavenly ones--"hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak." An angel came to Cornelius, but was not allowed to say one word of the gospel to him, but told him to send for Peter. A heavenly angel came to Philip, but was not allowed to say one word to the eunuch, but sent Philip to preach to him. The angels in heaven are not allowed to preach the gospel.
The Lord’s people are the angel, then. They are the only ones the Lord allows to preach the gospel, unless he has changed since. Peter was at the house of Cornelius. The dispensation is the same; the laws have not changed since then; then let us be at work. Good Lord grant that Babylon may come down; that the mighty angel--the Lord’s united people--may lay hold of the mighty chain, the Word of the Lord, and present its evidences, and the fulfillment of its prophecies to the infidel world, so that the devil cannot break the mighty chain of testimony. He is to be bound a thousand years.
Could anything be better than to know that we--the Lord’s people here--have the blessed privilege of binding old Satan one thousand years? Could anything be better than this gracious and heaven-high promise of our divine Redeemer, that we can follow the Word of the Lord, and present its evidence to the world so that old Satan cannot break the chain of testimony; and the world will acknowledge Jesus, and bow and worship him?
Get up! do not fold your arms and say, "Lord send the angel from heaven to bind the old adversary;" we have to do the work ourselves. What a glorious work it is!
Lecture 16:
The First Resurrection
The Millennium
Satan Loosed a Little Season
by Joseph Martin
AND I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them and judgment was given unto them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished: This is the first resurrection." The resurrection of those souls that were beheaded for the Word of God, and for the witness of Jesus. The resurrection of those that had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, or received his mark (or doctrine,) in their foreheads, or in their hands, (or with their hands,) had been engaged in his work; this class of persons were in the first resurrection, and lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years--all the time that Satan is bound, all the time that he is not deceiving the nations. The rest of the dead (those that have worshiped the beast and his image, been led off by his doctrine, had been engaged in his work,) lived not during this whole thousand years. The revelator adds in the next verse, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
A question in the mind of many, is, "Where will they reign with Christ?" Will they reign with Christ at the city of Jerusalem in the land of Palestine? Will they reign with Christ in the United States, or in Europe? Where will they be during the thousand years that Satan is bound? It is clearly taught that there is a resurrection to take place at the commencement of the thousand years, and it is a resurrection of the martyrs for Jesus that have been dying in the dark ages, and those that have not been led away from the truth by the errors that were so common. The statement is plain enough; they are to live and reign with Christ,--but where? A very prevalent idea now is, that it will be in the land of Palestine, about the city of Jerusalem somewhere; that Christ will descend on Mount Olivet; that his feet will stand on that mountain. and it will be cleft asunder, and that he will greatly enlarge and beautify the city of Jerusalem; make it the metropolis of the world for a thousand years, and reign there with those resurrected saints. I say this is a very prevalent idea now; and as we are drawing very near to the time when Satan is to be bound, and this resurrection to take place, there is quite an anxiety in the minds of men as to this millennial reign of Christ. Some have even gone so far as to plot off the city that Christ would live and reign in with the saints, and have all nations come up once a year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, in Jerusalem. One of the prophets said they should; and the prophet adds that if Egypt go not up where there is no rain, then the plague shall be on that land. And if other nations go not up where the rain is common, then they shall have no rain. And men cannot tell how it is possible to go up once a year to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, unless the King is there in person with his saints. But I may as well name it now as at any other time, that in some neighborhoods we go up to the Lord’s house once a week to worship God, the Lord of hosts, and do not expect to meet him there in person. It is not hard language, is it, to say we go up weekly or monthly to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, without expecting to see him in person? It is strange that men will blunder at the idea of worshiping the King, the Lord of hosts, at Jerusalem once a year, unless he were present, while they talk about going to worship him once a week before that time rolls round. Will Christ be here on earth during the thousand years? That is the question. Almost half of the great men have come to the conclusion that he certainly will, and they are looking for him almost every day. Indeed, according to the predictions of some, he should have been here some years since; and there has not been a century since he left this earth that someone has not looked for his return. Indeed, Paul said, in his letter to the Thessalonians, that the coming of the Lord was nigh, and he told them to be ready and watch for his coming; and Jesus himself said that he wanted his disciples to watch and be ready at his coming, for he would come as a thief in the night. But, then, it has been a long time since Jesus told his disciples to watch. It has been a long time since Paul told the Thessalonian brethren that the coming of the Lord was nigh. But he undeceived them, and told them he would not come until after a long apostasy, and did not say how much longer. Until after the man of sin was revealed. But why did he tell them that the coming of the Lord drew near, when Paul, by inspiration, knew that it would be to the human family a long time first, and by the prophecies he could understand it? Simply from this fact, that death is very near; and if we die out of the Lord, out of obedience to him, we are not prepared to meet him when he does come; it makes no difference when that is. We have but an inch of time to prepare to meet the Lord when he does come. There is no preparation for meeting him after we die; hence it was just as necessary for Paul to admonish the brethren to be ready for his coming, while he was preaching to them at Thessalonica, as it would be to-night; because they had no more lease for their lives then than we have now.
What good would it do, or what harm would it do, any of the company here to-night, for the Lord to reign on earth a thousand years? I could not live many years of the time. If he were to come to-night, it would not do me much good, nor harm, either; I should enjoy but a very few days of that reign. According to the course of nature, I would have to die before I would hardly get a peep at it. But will Christ be on earth? The revelator has not said so. He never said one word about the Lord’s coming at the first of the thousand years, or any time during the thousand years while Satan is bound. He said a mighty angel came down with a great chain and bound Satan. I proved, last night, that no chain but a chain of testimony could bind him--a chain of evidence. And I proved, too, that no chain of evidence was strong enough to bind him but that of fulfilled prophecy--Bible facts, Bible evidence; and that no angel was strong enough to do that, but the Lord’s people united, following the true and faithful Word of God. Then the prayer of Jesus is fulfilled, and the world will believe, will not be deceived. But if so notable an event as the coming of the Lord in person was to transpire at the commencement of the years of peace, do you not suppose the Lord would have had something said about it? But it remains a blank. He tells us that an angel came to bind Satan, but there is not a word of intimation that the Lord came. But how can these saints live and reign with Christ unless he is here? Is it possible that our minds have become so worldly that we cannot think of ever existing in any place only on this footstool of the Lord? Could not consent to be taken to some other place, some other part of our heavenly Father’s creation, or some other mansion in our Father’s house? Are we to be concerned to this earth forever, even after death? Is it not possible for men, as John said, to be redeemed from the earth? John said the company that was before the throne, (fourteenth chapter,) were redeemed from the earth and from among men. He has just, in his series of events, come to the very point where the whole earth is full of the glory of the Lord, and Satan is not deceiving the nations; he says there was a portion of the family before God’s throne that were redeemed from among men, redeemed from the earth. I reckon if a man or saint is resurrected, he certainly could be redeemed from the earth--might be taken away from among men and be where Christ is. And John, even in the fourth chapter, speaking of the millennial age, of the whole earth being full of the glory of God, and every kindred, tongue, people and nation, bowing and worshiping the Lord on earth, said there was a sea of glass as clear as crystal before the throne, and that sea of glass was an innumerable company, which no man on earth could number. There is a part of the family in heaven all the time; and those saints that have died in the mighty battle could easily be taken there and joined with that part of the family before the throne; be with Christ, and follow him wherever he goes, just as easily as any way. I am not going to say, I know Christ will be on earth, simply because he said these martyrs live and reign with him after they are resurrected. There will be one thousand years when the saints shall possess the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens.
But is Christ to reign on earth? O, yes,--I proved that once, but not in person. David said he was to rule the nations with a rod of Iron (second psalm). Jesus said, in the second chapter of Revelation, he was going to do it through his faithful followers that keep his works unto the end. It is none the less the work of the Lord that he does it through his agents, his followers in his family. We have come to that very time we called attention to once before--when the kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the saints reigning, and Christ reigning through his saints, and his laws enforced by his people.
But you would rather the Lord would come, would you? Why, it seems to me that human reason would say, better not. If it is better for him to come, all my preaching will not keep him from it. But we are only trying to learn through his Word what we may expect. If he were to come before I die, why, then, I have no promise of having a part in the first resurrection. He would be on earth, and I would be--where? I could not be resurrected to be with him here, if he were to come before I die; and if I die in his army before the thousand years commence, I would just as soon be with him in some other place or mansion in my Father’s house, as here on his footstool. It is just as well for us to be with Jesus in some other place as here; so that the difference is in favor of his not coming to this earth, for the good of the human family.
But will he come? That is the question. The saints can reign with him without his coming here, as well as if he does come--those that are resurrected. Jesus is reigning in his Church now, for his kingdom is not of this world; nevertheless, he has a kingdom in this world, and he is the King ruling it; but he does it without being here personally. Queen Victoria rules the people in Canada without being there in person. It is not absolutely necessary for a king to be personally with his subjects in order to rule and reign over them. It were impossible in the case of all earthly rulers to be present with their earthly governments. They could not do it.
And when the thousand years are expired Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth." The same four quarters that had been bowing and worshiping the Lord for a thousand years, are to be deceived again "Gog and Magog," or the general and his army, or the whole mass, "to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea."
Now, here is a question. Would it be possible for Satan to be let loose, to deceive the nations all over the four quarters of the earth, at the end of the thousand years of the reign of peace, if Christ had been here in person all that time? Is it possible, or would it be possible, for the devil to deceive the human family when Christ is on earth in person, and has been for a thousand years? Said one, "May be they would not know him." Maybe they would! The Bible informs us (I call it the Bible indiscriminately - the Old and New Testaments,) that when the Lord comes, he will come in the glory of his Father, and all the holy angels with him. And he will change the living saints, and raise the dead, small and great. But suppose he raises only the saints--all the good--at his coming at the commencement of the thousand years, and brings all the holy angels with him when he comes in his Father’s glory, it would be a pretty full settlement in this little world, would it not? The company of the angels and resurrected saints, with all the saints that are alive and have not cried.
And then Christ will come in his glory, for he will never lay it aside again--never be a man of sorrows again, never! And his face shines like the sun, his eyes are like a flame of fire, and his voice as the sound of many waters. De was so glorious when John saw him in vision, that he fell at his feet as a dead man; and I suppose that John could bear the sight of Jesus nearly as well as any diving man could. I think some of us would fall at his feet as dead men, if he were here in his glory, with all his holy angels. I do not think he would be a very suitable associate for such poor, dying, sinful worms as we are.
But the question comes up again. Jesus here, with all the angels attending, and all the resurrected saints around him, in all his Father’s glory clad,--could any devil you have ever read of bring evidence enough to make a man think he was an impostor, if he had been reigning here a thousand years gloriously? Try it on yourselves. Do you think the old adversary could deceive the worst man in all the land, and make him believe Christianity was all an imposition, if Christ had been here in all his Father’s glory, with all the holy angels and resurrected saints, a thousand years? Believe that who can;--human reason revolts at it. What! The devil deceive men, and make them think Jesus an impostor and Christianity all a fable, if Christ had been here with the holy angels, and clad in his Father’s glory, for one thousand years! Turn it over and try it. The Lord would have to give us new heads and new hearts, and make a new set of men of us, before the devil could deceive us at the end of the thousand years. He could not deceive such creatures as we are, with our reasoning powers. It is utterly impossible. If we were too ignorant to know anything, we might not believe in the Lord, and could be deceived; or, we might be like dumb brutes--incapable of believing or being deceived. But with man’s reasoning powers as he now is (and I have no idea, have no room to believe for a moment that we will ever be changed to some other class of beings; but will always be human beings, as we are, and our children’s children after us), such creatures as we are could not be deceived if Christ were here in his glory for so long a time as that. The very idea of the devil’s deceiving the nations at the end of the thousand years, is proof positive that Christ will not be here in person in his glory. There is no intimation that he is to come at the commencement of the thousand years; but the saints are redeemed from the earth and taken to him. Indeed, there is scripture that confirms what Enoch, the seventh from Adam, as quoted by Jude, says, or prophesies, "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints." He was not talking of his first coming as a "man of sorrows," but of his second coming. Ile comes with ten thousand of his saints, to take vengeance on the ungodly; and of course they are redeemed from the earth, and with him, ready to come when he does come. How could he come with ten thousand of his saints, if they are saints on the earth until he does come? At the commencement of the thousand gears, the faithful soldiers who have died in the great battle, fighting for the Bible, will have the honor of being redeemed from the earth. At the commencement of the time when Satan is bound on the earth, those that have died in the battle fought in order to bind him, will have the privilege of being with Christ. They will be redeemed from the earth and from among men. They will, though through that very Word--the Truth--they died for, reign and rule with Christ during the thousand years, though not on earth; they are reigning and ruling with Christ, through the very Word they died for. It is the gospel that is to govern.
But, at the end of the thousand years, Satan is to be let loose, "and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." They will try once again to put down the cause of Christ at the end of the thousand gears.
"And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city," or the Church; and then what?--deceived them? Says one, "I do not know how they would be deceived after there has been perfect peace on earth for a thousand years." It is one of the most natural things, to my mind, ever contemplated. Give the whole world a thousand years of perfect peace, a thousand years of unheard of prosperity, (for peace and prosperity go together;) give the whole world a thousand years for accumulating all the luxuries of earth, for hoarding up wealth by the million: for such a time of prosperity as a thousand years of peace all over the world would give, such an amount of the good things of this world as the human mind has never yet conceived of,--and it is as natural as life, for their luxury and their wealth to draw their hearts away from God’s Word--from the Bible--until they despise it, and have their affections fixed on the things of earth and the wealth around them; and the Lord not there in person, they are easy to be deceived, and they say what Peter said they would, "Where is the promise of his coming?" They think only of working harder, growing richer, and heaping up more wealth They say the Lord is not going to come, for since the fathers fell asleep, everything goes on smoothly and prosperous, as at the beginning. They are again deceived, and say there is no promise of his coming.
The Lord has revealed to us that there will be persons living until he does come. Some of them will be living when he comes at the end of the thousand years. "They went up, Gog and Magog, upon the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; and fire came down from out of heaven and devoured them." Anything more? Paul said the Lord would come in a flame of fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel. There is no account of it at the commencement of the thousand years.
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever." Does John see anything more?
"And I saw a great white throne,"--at the end of the thousand years when fire comes down from heaven,--"and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them." The Lord comes on his great white throne, and away goes this little footstool of his--where? No place is found for it! At the end of the thousand years, John says, the Lord comes on his great white throne. If he came at the beginning of the thousand years, he must have retired, and then, if he had come at the end of the thousand years, it would be a third coming, and not a second. John says distinctly here, the Lord comes on his great white throne at the end of the thousand years.
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened;"--here is a general resurrection at the end of the thousand years of all the righteous that had lived and died during the thousand years, and of all the wicked that ever lived and died. Those that fought in the battle of the Lord during the dark ages--on such the second death has no power. But one question occurs to some minds: Will the second death have power over those who have no part in the first resurrection? The second death has no power over those who have a part in the first resurrection, and therefore they conclude that all others are subject to the second death. But the Book does not say so.
If I say of a man in the house, the cold has no power on him, because he is in the meeting-house, it would not argue that the cold had power on every other man that was not here; would it? O, no! Some might be in as secure a place as we are. But then the cold cannot reach those that are in this house. Those that have part in the first resurrection, of course, are safe, and will come with the Lord when he comes to judge the world. Those that are in the Lord when he comes, will be free from the second death also.
"I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God,’ in the general resurrection, at the end of the thousand years. "And the books were opened, and another book was opened, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." The Jews will be judged by their books--the law, of course--and the Gentiles, that have no law from God (as the Jews had), will be judged according to their opportunities and the light around them. All those that lived in the Christian dispensation will be judged by the perfect law of liberty--the gospel,--and all who have their names written in the book of life, all who have been obedient, are saved, and those who have not been obedient are not saved. This earth is gone from the face of him that sits on the throne, and there is no resting-place for the sole of man’s foot. When the Lord comes we have to meet him in the air; he does not come and set his feet on the earth; there is no earth when the Lord comes; there is no place found for it. Do you not see why Paul says we will meet him in the air? It is because the earth is gone. The Bible commences, in Genesis, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," and here, in this twentieth chapter of the book of Revelation, he tells us of the end of the earth and the heavens.
"They were judged, every man according to their works, and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death"--being cast into the lake of fire. The unseen world, the place of departed spirits, when they are out of the body, disunited, (while the body is in the grave, the spirit is in the unseen world,) and the place of deposit of the spirit and of the body, are both destroyed, cast into the lake of fire. That is the end of them; the resurrection has come; the spirit and body are reunited, and the place of deposit for the separate parts is, of course, no longer needed. And the judgment comes.
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire." This does not favor universal salvation much, does it? It is after the Lord comes, and the books are opened, and the earth is gone then the judgment after the grand resurrection; and those that are not written in the book of life, have not their names recorded therein, are cast into the lake of fire. Better not risk it; for heaven’s sake, don’t! That is not the strongest, however, but that is as strong almost as language can make it, that there is a separation after the general resurrection, and the earth is gone. It is as literal as anything can be; a literal resurrection; a literal driving away or destroying of the earth, and a literal judgment. I will not say it is a literal punishment; but figurative may not be more than equal to that which is literal, and it is the severest punishment the mind can conceive of, whether it is a literal lake of fire or not. It says a lake of fire here--the same lake alluded to, into which the beast and the false prophet were cast. Whether it is a literal fire or not, it is a place of torment for the ungodly.
But about this last resurrection. Will there be any Christians in the second resurrection? We hear brethren sometimes praying, "Lord grant me a part in the first resurrection;" which implies that they think no Christians have a part in the second resurrection. Lay down your life in the service of Jesus; then you will have a part in the first resurrection. Be like Daniel and the Hebrew children; go through lions’ dens and fiery furnaces; be beheaded as Paul and Peter were; be crucified as the old saints were; let them roast you to death on slow fires; let them throw you among the wild beasts; lay down your life for Christ,--then you have promise of a part in the first resurrection, if you are doing it all for Jesus’ sake. Some say, "Lord grant me a part in the first resurrection." What about those that are on earth after the first resurrection is past; will there be any saints on earth during the thousand years while Satan is bound? Don’t you think there will be some living men during the thousand years that will be Christians? Will there not be some living Christians in that thousand years’ time? The majority will be Christians for a long time, until the closing of it; they will be living, laboring, toiling, and rejoicing, and dying in the Lord, just as Christians do now. God will not make new laws of nature and a new order of beings here; they will just be toiling and meeting, living and dying, like we do now, for the whole thousand years that Satan is bound, and the gospel reigning and the world acknowledging Jesus.
A great many Christians will live and die during the thousand years, surely. The first resurrection of the martyrs and those that died in the dark ages for the witness of Jesus, will be as the sheaf of the wave-offering, compared with the grand resurrection at the end of the thousand years. It will be a small affair, compared to that great body of the Lord’s people, that mighty host that will be raised at the grand resurrection at the end of the thousand years. The other, the first resurrection, was fully pre-figured by the wave-offering, as the second is by the entire remaining harvest. These two resurrections are typified in the wave-offering of the first ripe sheaf, and afterward, the full remaining harvest, in which every man will be judged according to his works.
Well, but then, what good will a resurrection do us at the end of a thousand years, and the earth gone, and the atmosphere which surrounds it? John says he saw "a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth, were passed away, and there was no more sea." We will not need grand natural divisions or seas to divide the earth into four quarters. The Lord’s family can dwell together on the new earth without these natural boundary lines; they will all be one family on the new earth, for there is to be a new heaven and a new earth.
Says one, "Where will the old heaven and earth go to, when the new one comes?" The Book says there is no place found for them. Says one, "I would like to know where that is." Well, just wherever you will find no place.
Says one, "I do think there is some passage that looks like it would be deluged by fire and purified for our future dwelling place." If the Lord takes the old materials of this world and makes a new one out of it, I have no objections. He has plenty of materials, and can as easily annihilate the materials of the old earth as he could create materials out of nothing in the beginning. What he makes the new one of, is nothing to me. I would not turn my hand over to know. It is enough for me to know that this one, in its present form, will be gone; the Lord will drive it away from his face, and no place will be found for it--to make a new earth for the dwelling place of his saints, with a pure atmosphere around it, and no sea on it at all.
"And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men." Ah, we have now the new earth. Do you not suppose John would have said the tabernacle of God is with then during the millennial age, if Jesus was here personally? He never intimates a word about his coming or being here until the thousand years are ended. Then the great white throne comes, and the earth flies away from his face, and there is no place found for it. But there is a new earth for his people, and John declares he dwells among them on the new earth. "The tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." But it is on the new earth, after this one is gone.
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,"--thank the Lord for that!--"neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away." I look for rest on a better earth than this, in a better atmosphere than that surrounding this. I hope to be with God--not here on this earth, but on the new earth, where God dwells with his people forever--on that earth where there is no death, where there are no farewells spoken, no sad sighing. I am sick and must go down to the grave. I look for this rest. Lord grant we may labor for it!
Now we are living in the sound of the sixth angel’s trumpet, when the fire, smoke and brimstone are doing their work; and soon the sound will be, The kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of Christ, and the reign of peace for one thousand years will be ushered in. The Lord will raise and take to himself all those who have lived and fought for him here; and those who have not, will finally, at his coming, be driven from his face and the glory of his power forever. O, horrid! They will be driven from his face eternally. Driven from his face, and will have no possible chance of being restored to his favor--away with the miserable abominables forever outside of the city.
"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write, for these things are true and faithful." He will make all things new for his people on the new earth. It does not look much like the personal reign of Christ on this earth.
"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst, of the fountain of the water of life freely." He has given us that information now that we may know whether or not we will have this blessing. If we thirst for it, if we long to do the will of the Lord, if we are anxious to know the truth, and submit to the authority of Jesus, we will have large draughts of the water of life, and have it freely, when the Lord comes, and on the new earth for ever. But if we do not want it, if we despise his offers, if we fold our arms and fail to work to help bind old Satan--chain him down for a thousand years-- if we fail to do our part as servants of the Lord, woe to us when the Lord comes! We will have no place on the new earth, we will have no place in the holy city.
"He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." If he overcomes. Overcomes what? Overcomes the corruptions in the world, overcomes the lusts of the eye, overcomes the pride of life, overcomes the desire for the world, and all the lusts of the flesh, overcomes the adversary and keeps his body under, overcomes and conquers himself, he shall inherit all things. "I will be his God, and he shall be my son." Here is something to work for, offered to you. To those that overcome the world, the flesh, and the old adversary, God says he shall inherit all things--be a joint heir with Jesus, the Son of God. I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
But the others--those that do not overcome themselves, their fleshly minds and earthly ways, do not keep their bodies under and in subjection--what about them? All to be happy finally, a preacher said; all get a place in the new world, anyhow. But Jesus is talking about it here. He said those that overcome shall inherit the new earth, and be with God and Christ. But the others, “the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whor*mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." That is after the judgment, when the saints are on the new earth with the Lord, that these abominable characters have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone; that is the second death, the second separation from God, from life, and all that is desirable. It is not a cessation from existence; they will not be unconscious, but driven away from God. Death, in its scriptural use, does not imply an unconscious state; for we are said to be dead to sin when separated from sin. Still we are not unconscious. We are said to be dead to God while living in our sins. Still we are not unconscious. All persons are alive and dead, are both alive and dead at the same time; living to God, they are dead to sin; alive to sin, they are dead to God; but in neither case unconscious. So, when the body and spirit are separated, we are said to be dead, literally, but not unconscious. Even so the second death--a separation from God eternally--does not imply an unconscious state.
Lecture 17:
Conditions of Salvation
Recapitulation
by Joseph Martin
WE CLOSED our remarks today at the fourteenth verse of the last chapter of the book of Revelation. This verse reads: "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city;"--the New Jerusalem he had just been describing, where there is no night, where the throne of God and the Lamb is, and where there is no death; and those only who do the commandments of Jesus, have the promise of entering that city. How a man can say that those who regard not the Lord, who violate his commandments and requirements every day, can enter into that city, is more than I can imagine. If all men are going there, if all men are going to be saved, where is the propriety of saying, those that do the commandments shall have a right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into the city, if all are going there? It is not worthy of a serious argument. But what commandments must we do, or, as one of old said, "Which?" When the young lawyer came to Jesus, and asked him what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to do the commandments, and he said, "Which?" The Lord save us from asking such questions! It says nothing about which in this verse. Not to single out a few commandments, and leave the others undone; not for us to single out one, and leave all the rest as non-essential. Not for me to obey the one commandment of the Lord. which is to believe on his name to the exclusion of every other one. Not for you to obey the commandment of the Lord which says, "Repent," and do nothing more. Not for another one to submit to the ordinance of baptism, and say that is enough, and refuse to do anything else. Not enough for u man to say, "I am going to deal justly with my neighbor," and never submit to the requirements of the gospel at all in other respects. It is not for me to love my neighbor as myself, and not love the Lord any. It is not enough for me to say I will be honest and just in my dealings, and never be a citizen of the Lord’s kingdom. It is not for us to single out the commandments that we think are essential, and leave the others undone. It reads here in this verse, "Blessed are they that do his commandments," without a which, and without an assorting. But one man said to me, "We cannot do all." Then do what you can. The Lord has never commanded any man to do that which was out of his power: never, my brother. He never has commanded me to have the strength that Samson had. He has never commanded anyone to do that which he could not do. And that is almost a text to preach from.
As an illustration of the idea, I will just say, one man asked me, some time since, if a person believed with the heart, had repented toward God, had confessed Jesus, had started to the water to be baptized, and some man shot him down before he reached the water, if I thought he would be damned for not being baptized? I told him the man could not be; he was in the way of obedience, he was on the road, doing his best.
Two weeks ago a preacher asked me, "Don’t you think a man can be saved without baptism in certain cases?" "Yes, sir; and in certain cases without faith or repentance, either. If he is incompetent, if he is an idiot, if he has never heard the truth, if he is not capable of understanding it when he does hear it, I think he can be saved without faith, repentance or baptism. The Lord has commanded us to do what we can, and he has told us the things that become our duty. He has not commanded me to rule a nation, for I am not a ruler. He has not commanded me to attend to the things that a monarch is required to do, because I am not a monarch, and I could not do it. I know that is clear enough--do not quibble over it. I am not talking about things beyond the reach of our power. But those that do the commandments, and do not substitute, like the King of Israel did (I mean Saul), their opinions for the Lord’s Word, will do well. Saul thought that he knew a better plan than the Lord’s commandment. Saul thought that he could add a little to the Lord’s requirements, and he contended with the prophet that he had done what the Lord required, and had only done a little better, that was all. The Lord save us from doing better than his requirements. I have heard that same tune sung. Although the Lord’s command is for his people to be one, some men say it is better for them not to be. Did you ever hear it? When the Lord has commanded us to speak the same thing in reference to the name we are called by, some say it is not necessary--it is better not to do it. They are like old King Saul. The Lord said to him, "Kill all the cattle and all the sheep;" but he left the fat ones to give to the Lord. It was a little better to human view, wasn’t it, brother, so far as we could discern? But the Lord condemned him for it; the God of Abraham cursed him for it, and said, by the prophet, he should die for it. He lost his crown, lost his kingdom, and lost his life--lost his heavenly home for doing better than the Lord had commanded. It does not say, "Blessed are they that do better than the Lord has commanded," does it? No, sir. "Blessed are they that do his commandments."
Says one, "I think, though, the commandments are that we shall wait, wait, wait till the Holy Spirit operates on us. That is not the command of the Lord at all, is it? Has the Lord ever commanded us to wait for the Holy Ghost operation, or commanded us to have it? I have never read it in my life. If we do all he has commanded us, we will get through the gates into the city; and if that is not a commandment, we need not wait for it, nor contend about it.
But, then, we not only get through the gates into the city, but we will have a right to the tree of life. Adam was driven from that for the first act of disobedience. It was a small matter, but it has kept his whole family from the tree of life ever since. Some men say God will not punish man eternally for the sins of a lifetime here. I reckon the devil would have argued, God will not punish a hundred billions of human beings, and bring them to death, for the sin of one man. Still it is true. The whole family of Adam have been debarred from the tree of life ever since Adam sinned, and they will never get back until after the judgment day, not one of them. Says one, "Don t you orthodox preachers"--O, maybe I am not orthodox-- "don’t you preach that there is consciousness between death and the resurrection--that good men are happy as soon as they die, and bad men unhappy as soon as they die?" And then some wise men say, "Where is the necessity of the judgment day, away down at the end of the millennium, when the earth burns up?" A man asked me that question last week. I told him that a man was rewarded for his own personal goodness, and was happy as soon as he died; and for his own personal wickedness he was miserable as soon as he died--like the rich man and Lazarus. But a good man’s work is not done when he dies, according to revelation. "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors: and their works do follow them." From the time they die, they rest from their labor, and their works follow them. A good man’s work never ceases till time shall end. Old brother Paul’s work is doing wonders in the world yet; the works of John, the beloved disciple, are still exerting a mighty influence among the children of men. And do you not think that the works of Rousseau, Tom Paine, and Voltaire, are working wonders of mischief long after they are dead? No man or angel can tell the amount of mischief their works will do until time shall end. So the influence of the works of the good man extends to the end of time, and so with the influence of the works of the bad man; and hence the necessity of the judgment at the end of the world. And the result of their works, when the balance-sheet is made out, will be added to their personal piety or their personal wickedness. I would rather be working on the right side.
But he says of this holy city that we are talking about,--the holy city where there is no night, where the Lord God and the Lamb dwell with men, and men are seeing their faces--"outside the city are dogs." I must drop one remark here. Is there a person in this house so low down as to think that John meant a literal canine quadruped? Did he mean a literal dog? He meant men that had a dog’s disposition, of course. Here is the proof that I am right. They are dogs--doggish persons in their disposition. "And sorcerers;"--ah! they are men, are they not? "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whor*mongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie." And there never has been a man, since John penned that, able to find one passage of Scripture that will get them into the city of the living God after the judgment is passed and the earth burned up. There is no escape then, outside of the city--filthy still-- whosoever loves and makes a lie.
"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches." Among the different denominations? No, sir; no, no! If the Lord had wanted different denominations, this would have been a nice time to put it in, would it not? When John was writing this, they were beginning to pull off in that direction a little, for which the Lord condemned severely. We have no more use for other denominations, than for another Bible.
The God of heaven thought that it was necessary to send his angel to tell John to preach these things in the churches. You hardly thought it was worth much, did you? But the Lord differed with us, and thought it would be good. Testify in the churches--tell them what the end of their work will be--what it will result in, not only here on earth, but what their reward will be beyond the shores of Time. To the faithful, upright, holy, righteous one, that does the commandments of Jesus, a place in the paradise of God, abundance of the water of life, free access to the tree of life, beyond the reach of sorrow and of death.
But, then, when we testify these things in the churches, from the day John wrote, all along down, what must we say in addition to this? We testify the condition of the righteous and the wicked after death and the judgment, and testify all about what John saw, and then what must we say? Tell them, "I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come; and let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst, come: and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
The Spirit of the Lord says, come to this heavenly land now while we are in the churches. It does not say, come after we die, for then, if you are unholy, you stay so--if you are filthy, you remain so. But while this is being testified in the churches, the Spirit says, come; and the Church itself says, come; the bride says, come; and let him that hears say, come. Good Lord, what a time we would have, if they would all do it! If they would all join in saying, "come," would we not have a host of preachers then?
This word "come" implies ability on our part. Do you say to those trees out yonder, "come?" Do you say to those stones in the hills, "come?" Do you say to unintelligent quadrupeds, that could not understand you, "come?" Do you ask that which has no power or will, to come? It is inconsistent; and the very fact that Jesus has authorized the hearer to say, come, is proof that men can do it. As I said before, the Lord does not command us to do that which we are unable to do. The Spirit of the Lord says, come. Says one, "I thought it felt come." No, it does not; it says it; it is written down here in the Book. It spoke out by holy men, it talked, and its words are put down on paper. Thank the Lord, it is saying come, in words that can be understood. It does not feel come, nor imagine come, nor taste come; it says, come, right here in plain language. And the Spirit of the Lord says, come, just as the Church says, come, and as the man that hears the Word says, come. That is not all.
"And let him that is athirst, come: and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." That is the business of the Church, to tell men that they may come to the city--that they may come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and have a right to the tree of life by doing his commandments.
It is our mission now to say come, while we testify these things in the churches; the time will be too late after while. Now is the time, while we are testifying in the congregations of the Lord, to tell men to come to the King, to come to his terms, to come to his requirements, to come to his commandments and do them, and have a right to the tree of life. Language could not be plainer than the Lord has made it here. "For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book." It would be a dreadful thing to have all these horrid plagues added to us. Better keep fingers off, then. It is the finishing up of God’s words to the world by his Son, and we must add nothing more. John finished it, and if we add to the words of the Lord, we are ruined for doing it. I mean, add to the Lord’s words as a law by which we are governed. There is no danger of our adding to the Bible by putting words in the book; but we may add to it our notions, and opinions, and think-so’s, and make them rules, and finally make void the law of God by our traditions, as the Jews did, and bring the plagues upon us. But some say, " We will not add to it; we think there is already too much." But, bless you, he says, "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." It is as bad to leave some out as it is to add some to it; it is just long enough exactly, and it is none too long. It is arranged just right, and never can be made better; and I would not, for both these arms of mine, add to it, or make one commandment not found in it, with this fearful anathema of the Son of the living God resting upon the man that does it. "They don’t know any better." Can they not read? have they not capacity of mind to understand it when they read it? Then the Lord does not require it of them, if they are idiots.
"He which testifies these things saith, Surely I come quickly; Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." It will not be long until I reward the man according to his works. My coming is not far off--he said in John’s day, and it must be considerably nearer now; it is 1800 years nearer now than when Jesus said to John, "I am coming quickly." He said, by Paul, "The day of the Lord is at hand." It is a good deal nearer now. But they were, perhaps, as near death then as some of us are now; hence the propriety of the language, "I come quickly." The Lord will come, the judgment will set, and then, when he comes, woe to the man that has not done the commandments.
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." Now I want to recapitulate, and sum up a little, and then I shall have done.
In the first place, the Lord, through John, made known that, though despised by men, (and they had scorned him as an impostor, put to death his disciples, exiled his last living apostle--had no confidence in Jesus as the Son of God at all,) he would come again, and every eye should see him. He makes two grand stand-points in the first chapter. The infidelity in the world then, and the time when he would come, and every eye should see him--behold him in his glory--and those that pierced him, should wail because of him. That is in the first chapter; that fixes the two grand stand-points, the first and the last-- the then and the end. But, then, he makes two standpoints inside of that in the next place, and says the churches are now in a deplorable condition (in his day), but they will succeed. The Word of the Lord, through them, will triumph until they shall be burning, shining lights, and the whole four quarters of the earth shall bow and acknowledge Jesus--as is proven in one of my lectures--and the millennial age ushers in, when there shall be no infidel nations beneath the sun.
These are his grand stand-points made at first, and after making these two, he traces one line of events between the day he was in exile and the millennial age; and that, if you will allow me to use the expression, was simply a spiritual line. It was the prevailing spirit of the human family that was to move on through all the period from the days of John’s exile to the millennial age, a spiritual line. How do I know? The Word of the Lord said so. These horses are the different spirits that are to prevail. He first tells us of the spirit of peace triumphing in the first quarter of the world. In the next place, a spirit of murder, of slaughter--a spirit of death, started out in two quarters of the world; it was the prevailing spirit in two quarters of the world--a spirit of persecution, of murder, and of death. He tells us after that there was another spirit to prevail over three quarters of the earth, and it was a spirit of darkness--a spirit of ignorance and stupidity, a spirit of opposition to the Word of the Lord. They made merchandise of it, and that was the prevailing spirit all over the land. Tracing this spiritual line, without regard to nations of the human family at all, only in the four grand quarters, he shows the extent of the spirit’s influence. The next one was a spirit of death, of terror, of anguish and dismay. The pale spirit spread all over three quarters of the world; it followed after the spirit of darkness, and deluged the then known world. And the voice of the fourth quarter of the earth was heard, though it was not then in existence. And then he tells us of the condition of the spirits of the men that died martyrs for Jesus. Since he is telling of the spirits--the prevailing spirits--it comes in just right to tell of the state of the dead man’s spirit between death and the resurrection, and he said it was conscious; it talked with the Lord, and the Lord to it. And then he tells us that the next prevailing spirit was opposition to the Bible. It blotted out the sun of the moral heavens entirely, and gross darkness covered the whole land, until the sun was black as sackcloth of hair; the moon, that had a borrowed light, was drenched in blood, and the stars fell down to the earth. He winds up by saying that the word of the Lord was carried to the nations of the earth, and they received it, and the whole earth bowed down and worshiped God.
He gives us a political line next: will you allow me to use the term? In the sounding of the trumpets, he brings up an entire line of political events. He tells us that the first power that withstood the cause of Christ was the political power, or earthly power of pagan Rome; that it was the earth that stood against the truth, and that it burned Christians with fire, and stoned them with stones, and they were put to death with hail. That the next grand event was, that a great mountain or earthly government tumbled down into the sea, and was lost forever; pagan Rome, in its pagan form, went down. He was speaking of political events. He said it corrupted the sea, or the Church; that became corrupt in part at first. The next event was, a star fell in the East, and started something like a church there. And Mohammedanism comes in exactly in the East. He said the next event was, that these political powers combined--the Church became a political power in the West, and Mohammedanism a political power in the East, and made the dark time. I believe it is bad for politics and Christianity to be blended together--at least, such politics as we have now. He said the next event was, that a star fell from heaven to the earth, claiming to have dominion over all the earthly powers, and let the smoke out of the bottomless pit, and sent out swarms of greedy locusts, and they were upheld by this political power--the papacy. These greedy locust-preachers had on their heads crowns like gold, but not of gold; they were counterfeit--not the Lord’s people at all. He said then, he saw all the political powers of the earth-every one of the nations of the earth, engaged fighting with fire, smoke and brimstone, and let loose from the political power that had held them down a thousand years and more. He saw, let loose to fight with fire, smoke and brimstone, the whole human family--two hundred millions of them--that is, all the nations of the earth, and winds up the account of the mighty battle by saying that the kingdoms are thrown down, and become the kingdoms of the Lord Jesus Christ. The political powers of the earth yield to the Lord at last, and a great voice goes up in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world" (don’ you see, he is talking about kingdoms, about govern meets,) "are become the kingdoms of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever." And that is at the close of this second line, between the two grand stand-points that he made at first. That is a logical arrangement. While he is telling about the kings of the earth, warring and fighting with fire, smoke and brimstone, (which is ignited gunpowder,) he said there was a certain matter to come off which would be rather astonishing. They were to make known all that the prophets had ever declared-- open the whole thing to the people. Was it not open before? Yes; but, bless you, they took the key away from the people for more than a thousand years; but in the days of the fighting with fire, smoke and brimstone, (and we are in that now, as certain as there is a God in heaven,) he said the measuring reed was to be handed back--the two witnesses were to come to life again. And, having named that it was to be restored then, he gives us an entire history of it from the very commencement of it. It is natural he should do it, because it had been lying dead-- in a dead language--for 1260 years; it had been unused as a measuring reed for 1260 years; it had been down in the streets of the great city, trampled under the feet of men, for 1260 years, and it came to life in the days of the letting loose of the nations, the kings of earth, to fight with fire-arms, and was received again as a rule. John gave us a history of it, precisely. He said, when all the testimony was given in, then the war was made against the two witnesses. When the whole canon of scripture was made out, at the Nicene Council, in 325, the war was made, and the penny merchants commenced their work. They added only a few words to the two witnesses at first. for the people would not receive an entire change. Next, they took it entirely away from the people,--and the same principle will do the same thing again, forever. And that preacher, or that community, that will add one word to the law of the Lord, for a rule, or take one word from it, would add an entirely new volume, or take the whole Bible from the people. But, John said it was alive, and was going, and the powers of Hades cannot pull it down. Up it will go, and rise still higher and higher.
He has introduced the Church, as measured by the measuring reed--the Bible--and he must give an entire history of the Church, which he does in the twelfth chapter. He tells us the Church stood--the beautiful bride of Christ--with a crown of twelve stars on her head. That she was clothed with the sun, had put on the true light that lights every man that comes into the world; and that, while in her beauty and all her husband’s glory, there was a great red dragon stood before her, to destroy her seed and kill her children--put them to death. She brought forth such men as were ultimately to rule the nations with a rod of iron. But that the Church went into the wilderness for 1260 years; was lost in the fog and in the mists of the wilderness of tradition, superstition and humanism; was borne on the wings of the great, mighty Roman eagle, that mounted the throne of the Caesars for 1260 years, and became drunk with the blood of the saints; but in the days of fighting with firearms she is to be measured up again by the measuring reed. But, having said this--that she is driven by a great monster into the wilderness--he describes that power, and tells us that it was the power that was on the seat of the Roman Caesars, in Rome, for 1260 years. We know what power that is that called itself a Church. He gives us a full description of it, and tells us it was that power that took the seat of the old red dragon, of the pagan Roman Caesars, and grasped their authority; and that was papal Rome--the world that has read history knows.
He saw an image, made by one government. The Lord save us from making images o£ such a monster!
But the people--I have not said a word about the people. Honest people live and die in their own Catholic Church; honest people live and die in the Lutheran Church; there are honest people in the Church of England, in the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church, and in the Baptist Church; but that does not make the systems right, does it? Honest people live and die in the Mohammedan Church, but that would not justify me in joining them, would it? With my information, my opportunities, my means of knowing God’s holy will--would that justify me in joining any of them? Let me never hide behind a bush that is too small to cover me! We have the law of the Lord now in our hands, and there is no monarch to take it from us. We can read it for ourselves, and God has required it of us, according to our opportunities or means of knowledge. The Church is to be measured aright, and the measuring reed is to do this work until the kingdoms of earth are declared to be the kingdoms of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever. We are nearing the time; it may not be for a hundred years, my brother, but a hundred years is a short time. But I will tell you the best we can do for it, is to either date from the commencement of the letting loose of the nations from this power, or from the end. In the days of Luther, this letting loose commenced, and they have only very recently all been let loose. Get the Church right, from the commencement to the end. I opine the measuring of the Church will be as gradual in being accomplished as the letting loose of the nations. That is the best we can do for it that I have heard of. Better work on with a good will; we will certainly accomplish this mighty work of bringing the nations to the feet of Jesus. Old Satan must be bound; but the Lord’s people can only do it by being in the grand work.
John, then, from the close of the thirteenth chapter to the first of the twentieth, gives us an account of the mighty conflict between the Word of the Lord and the doctrines of uninspired men. He shows to us, from every imaginable stand-point, all the conflicts the Word of the Lord has to pass through, until the Lord’s people unite in following the Word of the Lord, and gain the victory, and bind Satan one thousand years. From the close of the twentieth chapter, he tells of the fate of the Christians, through the ceaseless ages of eternity, who have accomplished the work allotted them on earth. For them there is a glorious rest on the new earth--in the paradise of God--beneath the shady bowers of the tree of life--to drink of the waters of life, and never thirst. We are invited to go there; the ungodly will not disturb us there; they will be outside of the city. They will remain filthy still; he that is unholy will be unholy still; and he that is righteous will be righteous still. That does not mean, there will be nothing more of him; he will not be annihilated.
And death destroyed! O, my God! How can a man, in speaking of death, as far as the human family is concerned, say that two-thirds of the human family are unconscious? How, then, can this death that is destroyed, hold half or two-thirds of Adam’s family in an unconscious state eternally?
The Lord will come soon, and will give to every man according to his works. The judgment day is not far off for every one of us. There will be a thousand years when Satan will be bound, and at the end of that time he will be loosed a little season. We have the work of binding him to do. And then the reward hereafter. It is worth working for, it is worth dying for; a home in the holy city, a home at the right hand of the Majesty on high, and a drink of the water of life! O, my thirsty soul! May I once reach that happy clime, and stay there and eat of the fruit of the tree of life! It is worth our utmost effort, worth our utmost care--all we can do to obtain it.
O! why stay away from it? why not do his commandments, that we may go there? One commandment of Jesus is, Come to me, come to my yoke, come to my government. Take my yoke on you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and you shall find rest to your souls.
Lecture 18:
Recapitulation
by Joseph Martin
SOME time since, I commenced a series of lectures on the last book of the New Testament, at this place; and, on account of very disagreeable weather, was compelled to close a little while before I got through. I had resolved all the time to give this place the preference to all others-- partly on account of selfishness, it may be, and maybe not. My membership is here, my home is here, my friends are here, and I had commenced the work here; so I thought I would finish it here. It is a good thing to understand this book, and to talk about it.
We had progressed with our lectures as far as the twenty-first chapter of the book of Revelation, where we will now commence reading.
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write; for these words are true and faithful."
The heart that can remain unmoved while reading this portion of the Word of the Lord, is indeed very hard. In the latter part of the preceding chapter, u-e have an account of the general resurrection, when the grave in which the body was deposited, the sea where thousands of human bodies lie, and the unseen world, all give up their tenantry; when the body and spirit are reunited, and the great white throne is set, and all nations stand before it--every man to give an account of the deeds done in the body, whether good or bad.
And when that judgment is come on, or before it commences, rather, John said he saw from the face of him that sat on the throne, the earth and the heaven flying away-- this earth that we live on, (literally,) this atmosphere that surrounds it, this air that we breathe, all dying away from the face of him that sat on the throne, that judged the nations of the earth. And John adds a little more than that: that there was no place found for them--for the earth and the heaven, the atmosphere.
And I read, in the introduction, the account that Peter gives of that day, in the last chapter of his second letter, where he says--there is no figure used--emphatically and distinctly, that the world was once destroyed by water; the people were destroyed by water; he says the world. And the Word of God had threatened it--had promised it beforehand--but he says now that same Word has promised, that not the world, the people only, but the earth itself, with all its works, shall be burned up. The world means the people; the earth is that which the people dwell upon. And it is just as certain to come to pass as that I am talking to you to-day. This earth, these hills, these valleys, and all the works that are on the earth, will be burned up, for the Word of the Lord has declared it. And that Word of the Lord keeps it in its place to-day; it is by the Word of the Lord that it now exists, and by the Word of the Lord, by which the earth and heaven now exist, it will be destroyed, burned up, and no place found for it. And this, John says, is at the close of the millennial age after the thousand years of peace on earth have passed away.
We have, it is true, the promise that there shall be yet, on this earth, one thousand years when Satan is bound, so that he can deceive the nations no more for a thousand years. But, then, if that were all the promise that I have, I would feel sad, indeed. If I had nothing more to fight for than simply to help bind old Satan one thousand years, I would feel sad, indeed; because my life is short; because the earth I live on will be burned up at last; because the elements themselves will melt with fervent heat, at the end of all this happy period of one thousand years. Then, where is all our labor! All lost at last, unless the Lord gives us some other promise; it is lost after all, the earth is destroyed and no place found for it--no resting place for the Christian’s foot. But, after he has declared, in the closing portion of the twentieth chapter, that this earth, that is to enjoy a thousand years of rest, is destroyed, burned up, flies away from the face of him that sits on the throne, he immediately proceeds to tell us of something that gladdens my heart. After the judgment has passed, and the dead are judged according to their works, he says, "I saw a new heaven and a new atmosphere, that heaven that was made at the beginning, in which the fowls hew." And a new earth!--thank the Lord for it. That, after the judgment day has passed, there will be a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness, and no wicked one there. Then, Christians have something to work for. If this earth is burned up, and all that is on it is consumed, what need the Christian care, while he has the promise of being a citizen of the new earth with a new atmosphere around it? And on that new earth there will be no more sea, nothing to divide the nations from each other. There will be one family there; none of these natural divisions that we have on this earth, no four quarters to it; it will be a new earth, and the one dwelling place. How large it will be, or how small it will be, is not for us to inquire. Whether larger than this, whether smaller than this, the Lord has not made known. Whether he will work up the materials of the old one into the new one, is not for me to imagine. There is no place found for this one; what becomes of it, I know not; the Lord that created it out of naught, can annihilate it as easily; and he can create the materials for a new one as easily as he could work up the materials of the old one into it. It is enough for me to know that, after the judgment day has passed, there will be a new earth and a new heaven. and no sea; and that the holy city--the new Jerusalem--which comes down out of heaven, will be on it. Not old Jerusalem on this earth, that is to be burned up after a while, not the literal city out yonder in the land of Palestine, but the New Jerusalem that Christians belong to now--the heavenly Jerusalem will be on that new earth.
John declares that it came down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Beautiful, indeed!
And the next voice that he hears is out of heaven, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men;"--on the new earth, after the resurrection is past, the tabernacle or the dwelling place of God is to be with men on the new earth. "And he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God." It is enough, if I am on the new earth, and am one of the children of the Almighty, and their God is my God: it is enough.
But, then, he has said a little more still that adds to the interest of the matter. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes," from the eyes of those on the new earth. All tears! I know the criticisms of some; they will weep a little there, but it is not implied in the language here. As he will state directly there will be no weeping there; their tears are all wiped away by the time they reach there. There is weeping here, there is mourning here in this world, there are tears shed here, but there they are all wiped away--not one left.
"And there shall be," (the best of all, it seems to me, is coming) "there shall be no more death." When we get there, death will not disturb our peace; never separate us from those we love; "neither sorrow"--that teaches what I said in reference to there being no tears shed there. There is to be neither "sorrow nor crying"--that is the way it reads here in this book; "neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things have passed away." The old earth, with all its works, the old atmosphere, with all its malarial diseases, gone forever--no sea; and on the beautiful new earth--without its natural divisions, as this one has--no death, no crying, no sorrow, no pain forever. It is enough. If the human mind could ask for more, it would ask for that which is unreasonable. We have more, then, to labor for than simply to bind old Satan a thousand years. We have the promise, that after the resurrection is past, we will be citizens of the new earth, beyond the reach of death. I wonder, while I think of this and read it, that we for one moment can fix our affections on things beneath the sun. It seems strange that men can be so degraded as to give their hearts to things that perish, that must be consumed.
"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new." A new heaven, a new earth, a new atmosphere, a new order,--no death! All things new. "And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” It is enough again. It is the promise of the true and faithful God. It is the promise made by him through his Son Jesus to John. Write it down, John; it is no fancy sketch; you write it down, John; it is no figure: it is the true and faithful declaration of the Lord. These things will come, and he is dealing in facts along here, not figures. That is the rule by which we must always work to know we are right: take it literally, when it will bear a literal interpretation; and it will bear nothing else here.
"And he said unto me, It is done." That is the end of the matter, John. That is the finishing up of the whole of God’s works with man. It is done. There is a new earth, and a new heaven, and a holy city for the Lord’s people, and the wicked banished from his face for ever. It is the winding up of the matter, John; it is done. "I am Alpha and Omega." He said this at the commencement of the book of Revelation, when he was in the beginning of the subject. He has gone through with all the lines of historic events, and now it is done, he says. He is not only the Alpha, but the Omega--the end of the matter, too. He commences with John’s exile to Patmos, and now winds up with a new order of things after the general resurrection, and says Omega then--It is done. "I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." Here is the declaration of Jesus again, or God, our heavenly Father, through his Son; and I am glad it is here. He says, "I will give unto him that is athirst, that longs for it, desires it, to drink of the water of life, or of the fountain of life, freely." We need not buy it; there is no gold asked for it in exchange; the poorest man in all the land that begs his bread, that lies in the street with the dogs around him, if he longs for citizenship in this holy city on the new earth, and thirsts for the water of life, he can have it freely, as certain as if he were worth ten millions of money. If that had not been put in there by the Lord, I would not have known to-day but that it would take a large amount of money to buy a lot in that holy city on that new earth; but it is free, brother, for the poor and the rich, for the high and the low, for the bond and the free, for the beggar and the monarch, alike; it is offered freely if we are thirsting for it. And who would not ardently desire to drink of the fountain of the water of life in order to live; who would not want to live eternally in that happy home?
But he tells who shall inherit, after all, in the next verse. "He that overcomes shall inherit all things," the one that overcomes; hear! There is something we must overcome in order to inherit all things he had just been speaking of. Overcome our enemies? No, sir; he did not say that. Overcome our neighbors that might be esteemed enemies? No, sir; he never said it: but he is alluding to the very matter that had been so often stated by inspired men--to overcome ourselves, our selfishness, overcome the ways and follies of the world, and keep it down under our feet-- overcome the love of the world. I know I am right in that, because if the love of the world is in our hearts, the love of the Father, our God, is not, and we would be cursed and driven for ever from his face if we love him not. There is something to overcome; the lusts of the eye, the pride of life, the love of the world, the love of applause, the love of earthly honor, the love of earthly things--these things are to be overcome, and the man that overcomes these things shall inherit the new earth. And it is enough; let me say to you to-day, that it is more than a compensation. It is amazing grace to have a home on the new earth, where there is no death, for simply denying myself some foolish vanities here; it is more than pay, ten thousand times infinitely more than a compensation. Why, O, my soul, will men be so careless about it? There is a reward offered here. It is in the final winding up of the Book of Life. God carries our mind down to the final, the eternal reward of his people. Not only shall he inherit all things if he overcomes the world, its ways, its follies, its vanities, its besetments; and it is no light battle, but then the victory will be so great. Not only has he the promise of being heir to all these rich blessings--the water of life, the crown of glory in the world where there is no death--but God says, "I will be his God if he overcomes these things of earth; I will be his God, and he shall be my son." That is enough, to be a son of the Almighty; that is offer enough. There is something to prompt us; but he adds:--(now, this is all after death is destroyed, and the new earth is ushered in; he is talking about things beyond the judgment day in this connection that I am reading,)--after this earth is destroyed--and John knew as much about this as any man ever did since he was in Patmos, or before, either--he says, "But the fearful"-- listen--"and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whor*mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars’’ shall inherit the new earth, where there is no death? He never said it, brother. A foolish preacher, deluding the people, said that the abominable, and the murderer, and the whole line of Adam’s family, should all go to the new earth, where there is no death. John did not preach it. He said these persons just named shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death, the second separation from God, the final separation. And I believe it, because it is here in plain words. It is after the resurrection, after the judgment, after there is a new earth introduced, after the righteous are declared to be in the presence of God, that John says the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whor*mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. The Lord save us from it. There may be persons here that think all will be well enough after a while. Better take the solemn warning that is left on record in this last address of our heavenly Father. I am not debating that subject now--simply stating facts. He has finished up the brief account of the condition of the righteous and the wicked after the resurrection, at the end of the eighth verse, and simply states what will be the fate of the righteous and the wicked after the judgment day is passed and the earth burned up; and it is stated in unambiguous, unmistakable terms, so that the little boy can understand it, and the little girl cannot misapprehend if she will read it carefully.
"And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, come hither; I will show thee the bride-- the Lamb’s wife." John is only showing what will be, and drops back here to the day in which we live, when the fighting with gunpowder is going on. That is proven in some of my former lectures, I am sure. "Come hither; I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife; " and John journeys down the stream of time again, to look and see the wife of Christ. Says one, I know you said in one of your lectures--you came well nigh proving in one of them; some may say you did prove--that the Church is Christ’s wife. Paul said it, my brother, more than once. Then, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife, the Church really, in its future state--when it is all one. "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city--the holy Jerusalem--- descending out of heaven from God. He had described the city on the new earth, a little while ago. Some of our wise men seem to have so narrow a mind, they can never get more than one thought into it at a time. Some have come to the conclusion that the city is only a pile of precious stones, with gold paved streets; others conclude that the city is the Church of Christ, anti nothing more than that; and some will have a city without houses, made of people; and others a city of houses, without any people, while it takes both houses and people to make a city in fact; and the Lord addresses us according to our observation and reasoning powers. The bride--the Lamb’s wife--is there in that magnificent structure; the Church is there. It is not only a building with walls and streets paved with gold, but there were persons there--the Lamb’s wife was there, the Church was there.
But the idea of having a Church up in the air, of having his bride without a place to dwell in, would be absurd and ridiculous, would it not? To persons like we are, it would; we could not conceive of enjoyment without some place in which to dwell; hence Jesus said he was going to prepare a mansion for us. It will be a grand one, too-- all glorious, the Lamb’s wife, his Church, the inhabitants of the city.
And what did John see when he was carried away? "That great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and high." He is describing the mansion that the Lord’s people will have, that Jesus has gone to prepare for them. Not just a town without any people; no, the Lamb’s wife will be in it when it comes on the new earth. "And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel." He then gives the order of the encampment of the Israelites when they marched; they were in the form of a hollow square, three tribes on each of the sides--three on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. And the wall of this city had twelve gates; three on the east, three on the north, and three on the south, and three on the west, and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written in them. But they are only the gates that lead to that city. Israel of old, the seed of Abraham, is made use of figuratively here as only the introductory or schoolmaster dispensation--the gates that led up to the Church.
The names of the Israelites were written on the gates, but he said the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Strong enough, isn’t it? While old Israel only served as a gateway to lead to the city, the foundation had the names of the apostles on it, and they stand at the foundation of the city even in the new world.
"And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof." Now we will read a little more about our mansion-house. "And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length, and the breadth, and the highs of it are equal."
Now, I know that some men, in speaking of this matter, say that John gives the entire. measure of the city in its length, breadth and highs, as being twelve thousand furlongs altogether; they say it looks too large any other way. But I know enough about numbers to know that no man can extract the cube root of twelve thousand furlongs without running into an infinite number of fractions. He meant it was twelve thousand furlongs long, twelve thousand furlongs wide, and twelve thousand furlongs high. He measured the wall of the city twelve thousand furlongs, and adds, its breadth and highs are just that too. It could not be otherwise.
Says one, I would like to know how large a town that is--what sort of a building the Lord has prepared for his saints. It was fifteen hundred miles square, brother,-- English miles. But, then, it is possible, it is quite probable, it is almost absolutely certain, he was talking about longer furlongs than ours; but the shortest we can possibly dwindle it down to, is fifteen hundred miles long, fifteen hundred miles wide, and fifteen hundred miles high. Says one, it is too high. There will be no storms there, and it is very strong, too. And its streets are paved with pure gold.
Well, do you know how many persons that city would hold? I have made the calculation of the size of that city, and have thrown it into rooms ten feet square, and then calculated the number of rooms. I had considered that one billion of human beings would die every thirty-three years since Adam was created. That is a little more than a fact, is it not? And I counted from the commencement down till the end of the millennial age--7,000 years-- twenty-one hundred billions of human beings, and then I multiplied that by two hundred, and supposed there might be two hundred worlds like this, and three billions dying every century on each of them, and I had rooms enough ten feet square in that city for everyone to have one to himself or herself, and then had one-third of the city left for streets and pleasure-grounds. It is a large mansion; all will not get there, but there is room enough in that city for a thousand worlds like this,--for all of them that will be saved, I fear.
After all, John says, it is but a tabernacle, a little temporary residence for our Father and our God. It is large enough for us--it is grand enough, too. We can stay there or go abroad if we want to; we will be joint heirs with Christ. These little farms of Putnam County dwindle down to nothing in my sight. Who would miss the heavenly home, miss the holy city, and be driven away from the water of life for ever and ever, for the gratification of the flesh a few years--who would?
He tells us the building of the wall was of jasper, and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. That is richer than California; richer than Golconda’s mines; richer than any of the new mines we have found. "And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonix; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst." These are precious gems, worth, in our time, a great deal more than their weight in gold.
"And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." There was no meeting-house there dedicated to the Lord; there was no little building like this consecrated to the Lord of hosts; no temple in it dike in old Jerusalem in the days of Solomon: for the Lord God and the Lamb are the temple of it; they dwell there and the people worship in the city.
"And the city had no need of the sun,"--it was not here on this earth, certainly, but on the new earth. "The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."
That is not all. "And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it." Not their wickedness and their folly. "And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there." I heard one man say not long since, "If I had nothing more offered to me as heaven than the simple fact that there shall be no night there, it would make me happy for ever. I always dread the dark- to have the sable curtain of night thrown around me,--but the thought of being where there is one eternal day, is enough."
"And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination or makes a lie."
Some might have thought that there was to be no temptation there; that all would be saved, and there would be nothing there that would cause them to be defiled; there would be no temptation to work abomination or tell a lie; but John clinches the matter; no such persons were to get there. In the very next sentence he says, "They which are written in the Lamb’s book of life." Those that make a lie, will not get there. That is a fair deduction, according to the rules of language, I know. They will have no part in it at all; they will be outside of the city.
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." In that holy city men may drink of the water of life freely, in the city of the living God, where nothing impure can ever enter; no impure person can get there.
"In the midst of the street of the city, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." Nations are healed when they get there. It makes no difference to us whether it is used figuratively or not: those that get there will be kept healed by the leaves of that tree.
"And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of Gold and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him. And they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads." The name of the God of heaven, the Word of the Lord, they will understand; his name will be there, and they will know more about him than they do now…
"And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light; and they shall reign for ever and ever." That is the promise to the faithful. How strange it is we have to beg men and women to be the Lord’s children, the Lord’s servants, the Lord’s soldiers, the Lord’s followers, to go to such a home as this! How strange that every human being is not more interested in reading this book, and studying these things in their connection and order, than they have been, while the blessing of the Lord is pronounced on the man that reads it, hears it, and remembers it.
"And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done." The sayings of this book are faithful; this part we have just been noticing is faithful and true-- certain to come to pass.
But he adds another word. "Behold, I come quickly." That is the first thing John named when he introduced himself to the churches in Asia--the Lord Jesus will come. But, then, says one, Is he to come after this new heaven and new earth are brought in? No; just before it is introduced. He said, in the commencement of the twenty-first chapter, a great white throne was seen when the thousand years had passed by, in which Satan had been bound. Now, this is faithful and true, that this new order of things shall be introduced; the time is coming, and I will come quickly. That is the order in which it stands. I will not tarry long until I come to judge the world in righteousness, and separate the good from the bad, and take my people into the holy city, on the new earth, and turn the bad ones out for ever. It will not be a long time. Says one, It has been a good while since John wrote it- 1800 years almost. It has only been a little more than a day with the Almighty, for a thousand years are as one day with the Lord. And when he is talking of events that are to transpire, he says quickly; it is only a few days; it will not be long; when the time has flown away, it will be as the dream of the night.
"Blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book." Lord grant we may not only keep them in our minds, but may meditate on them continually. That we may remember every day this farewell address of our heavenly Father’s only Son. It is the valedictory of the King of kings and Lord of lords. That we may remember that he has declared, four or five times, the words in it are faithful and true. We have seen the fulfillment of almost all of them, except the binding of Satan and the millennial age, already.
"And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See you do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God." Says one, I wish you would stop a moment there; I have always been taught that there was unconsciousness between death and the resurrection. John was in Patmos before the first resurrection, brother, and the angel that was showing him the whole Vision, declared that he was one of the prophets--John’s fellow servants--and was not unconscious, at that. Which one of them it was, I know not. It might have been Enoch, it might have been Elijah, it might have been Jeremiah, or Isaiah--it makes no difference to me; but one thing, it forever sets aside the unconscious state of the dead. They are conscious after death, but that was fully proven in one of my lectures.
"And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand." The time of my coming is nearby; do not seal it up--let the people understand it. God grant that they may. Says one, I thought the Lord had sealed it. No; Jesus broke every seal to John in the Isle of Patmos, and it has never been sealed since then. There is no need of our saying it is a sealed Book, when Jesus broke the seals and told John what was written in the Book. Jesus broke the seals 1800 years ago, and told the contents of the Book--told it in figurative language, I know, but the Lord explains every word of it in his own Word of Truth. It has been sealed, but I have revealed it to you; seal it not, for the time is at hand when I will come again. And then what?
"He that is unjust, let him be unjust still." That is not here; does the Lord Jesus say now to men that are unjust, go on in your wickedness? Does he, anywhere? No; but when he comes again to judge the world--when that time rolls around, that is the time when he that is unjust shall remain unjust still. "He that is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still." Do not try to change them, then; let them remain as they are when I come. The Lord Jesus has said that, and the time of his coming is at hand. I want to say that death is nigh at hand all the time; and if we die in our sins, we will meet the Lord in our sins; if we die holy and in the service of the Lord, we will meet the Lord holy and in his service. Hence he says the time is at hand; and when Jesus comes, he declares there is no change of character or condition. He says, Let the unjust man remain so, let the filthy man remain so, and let the righteous man remain so, and let the holy man or woman remain so, when he comes, for there is to be no change then. It is all probation here--it is a life-time. We must form our character here, to be prepared for the coming of the Lord.
Here, you see, he has reference to his coming. The next verse says it: "Behold, I come quickly." He had stated before, that the time was at hand when he was coming, and then the condition and character remained unchanged, and adds again in the twelfth verse, "Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."
Lecture #1
Preliminary Observations
by B.W. Johnson
From "Vision of the Ages"
The Prince of Prophets is John, the Apostle. The grandest of prophecies is the Apocalypse. Its subject is the most sublime, its imagery the richest, and the panorama it unrolls the grandest of any portion of the Book of God. In order to approach the study of the closing book of the Bible with profit, it is necessary to make some preliminary observations.
It is difficult to have a clear understanding of any writer, unless we have some knowledge of the time, place and circ*mstances under which he wrote. This is essential in the study of prophecy. We must know the date at which it was written in order to determine what things were past and what were future to the mind of the writer. We need to know something of the place, for often the locality has something to do with the origin and meaning of the symbols employed. We should be familiar with the circ*mstances surrounding him and the times in which he lived, because these often explain the reason of the prophetic utterances and throw their tinge over the events revealed. We are definitely informed that John, the last of the Apostles and the beloved disciple, is the writer; that the place was the isle of Patmos, and that the time was the Lords day, but it is needful that we learn the year in which he wrote, and I will devote this preliminary chapter to the study of the date and place, when and where, and the circ*mstances under which the Book of Revelation was written.
THE DATE:--I shall examine with some care the date of John’s exile to Patmos, as the time when Revelation was written is a matter of importance to its correct interpretation. A certain class of expositors have held that John was banished to Patmos during the reign of Nero, about A. D. 64, and before the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place A. D. 70. This assumption is necessary to their system, which holds that the destruction of Jerusalem is the great subject in the mind of the prophet. Had it not been that a date earlier than the overthrow of the Jewish nation was rendered necessary by this theory, it is probable that no one would ever have held that John’s exile was earlier than the reign of Domitian.
Dr. Smith in his Bible Dictionary states the case as follows:
The date of the Revelation is given by the great majority of the critics as A. D. 95-97. The weighty testimony of Irenæus is almost sufficient to prevent any other conclusion. He says that "it (the Revelation) was seen no very long time ago, but almost in our generation, at the close of Domitian’s reign." Eusebius also quotes tradition, which he does not reject, that in the persecution under Domitian, John, the Apostle and Evangelist, being yet alive, was banished to the Island of Patmos, for his testimony of the Divine word. Allusions in Clement of Alexandria and Origen point in the same direction. There is no mention in any writer of the first three centuries of any other time or place. Epiphianus, evidently by mistake, says that John prophesied in the reign of Claudius. Two or three later and obscure authorities say that John was banished in the reign of Nero.
From this statement it will be seen that the testimony to the date of Domitian’s reign is strong and convincing. Irenæus lived in the second century, and was a convert and disciple of Polycarp, who had been a convert and companion of John His positive testimony is supported by the voice of the entire church until the latter part of the fourth century, at which time a writer, Epiphianus, assigns the date to the reign of Claudius Cæsar. This is certainly a mistake, as Claudius died in A. D. 54, and at that time the seven churches of Asia did not all have an existence, and as far as we know only one had been founded. The error of Epiphianus can be explained when we remember that the full name of Domitian was Nero Claudius Domitianus. It is probable that he meant the same Emperor named by Irenæus and Eusebius, but mentioned by him under another portion of his name. The fact also that the first part of Domitian’s name was Nero, is probably the only warrant of the " obscure later authorities" for placing John’s exile in the reign of Nero. As this latter prince ascended the throne in A. D. 54, and his persecution was only ten years later, it is still too early for the founding, experiences and condition of all of the seven churches in Asia, as they are described in the seven letters to them recorded in the second and third chapters of Revelation.
It is thus seen that the array of testimony to the date of Domitian’s reign is so strong as to leave no doubt, except where persons are compelled by their theories of interpretation to assume that John wrote, in the reign of Nero. It will be an aid to make some inquiry concerning Domitian and the persecution of his reign.
His father, Vespasian, was the first of the family who filled the throne. He had hewn his way to the scepter by the sword, having conquered and slain the Emperor Vitellius who preceded him. During his reign the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Roman armies, and the remnant of the Jewish race were either scattered or carried into slavery. The son of the Emperor, Titus, had conducted the war that had visited upon the Jewish nation the awful calamities predicted by Moses, Daniel and Christ. On the death of his father Titus became Emperor, but died after a short reign and was succeeded by his brother Domitian. The latter was one of the most contemptible tyrants that ever cursed a nation. Of him the great Roman historian, Tacitus, a contemporary, says in a delineation of his character:
Even Nero had the grace to turn away his eyes from the horrors of his reign. He commanded deeds of cruelty, but was never a spectator of the scene. Under Domitian it was our wretched lot to behold the tyrant and to be seen by him, while he kept a register of our sighs and groans. With that fiery visage of a dye so red that the blush of guilt could never color his check, he marked the pale, languid countenance of the victims who shuddered at his frown.
Conscious that he was odious on account of his crimes and ever mindful that his father had reached the throne by violence, he was filled with continual fear, and murdered many distinguished Romans out of suspicion. Having heard the story that the Jews were expecting a King who would rule the world, he was moved by the same dread that caused Herod to seek the young child’s life, and he began a persecution of the Jews. As, at this early period, Christians and Jews, both worshiping the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were associated by pagans, it is not wonderful that this fury of the Emperor involved Christians as well as Jews. Tacitus states that the tyrant accused some of his own relatives of "Jewish manners," a plausible charge against Roman Christians, and put them to death. Among others his niece Domatilla, who has been since, enrolled among the Catholic saints, was sent into exile and her husband put to death. All the ancient church historians testify to the fact of a persecution in his reign, and nothing is more probable than that John, the greatest living personage in the Church, should be seized by the proconsul of Asia, and either sent into exile, or put to death, both being common modes of punishment at this period.
We have now secured a firm starting point. John says that the things revealed "must shortly come to pass." The series of events must begin to unfold in a short time after his words were written, and continue onward until "Time shall be no longer." As the date at which he wrote is A. D. 95-97, we must examine the pages of history within a few years after this date, or about the second century, for the fulfillment of the predictions first in order.
THE PLACE.--The place where John saw the Lord and witnessed these wonderful visions must possess some interest to the reader. Sometime not far from the devastation of his beloved Judea by the Roman armies, he had taken up his abode at Ephesus, and was spending the evening of his life with the churches of that part of the Asiatic Continent which was then called Asia. This was the peninsula lying between the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and bounded on the west by the Ægean. When sent into exile he was imprisoned on a rocky isle, about twenty miles from the coast of Asia. If the reader will examine a map of the eastern Mediterranean, he will observe in the southern part of the Greek Archipelago a speck called by the name of Patmo, or Patmos. John leaves us in no doubt whether this was the place of his banishment. He was "in the isle of Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ." This place is a rock in the sea, within sight of the coast of Asia. It is only about a mile in diameter, by six or seven in length. It was a custom of the Romans to send those who had fallen under their pleasure into banishment, and no place was chosen oftener for a place of exile than some rocky islet. Patmos--isolated, small, unfrequented by the world, was exactly suited to their ideas of an island prison. Here John, torn away from the churches that he so loved, could still gaze upon the misty hills of Asia, in the far distance, and think of the saints who were hidden in their valleys.
CIRc*msTANCES.--A period of about sixty years had passed since the first church was founded in Jerusalem. The apostles had all received the crown of martyrdom except him concerning whom it had been said: "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee." Communities of Christians had been established in the principal cities of Asia and Europe, but the growth of the new religion had begun to arouse the fears of the paganism that swayed the Gentile world. Though to this time no edict of extermination had been fulminated against the faith by imperial Rome, yet the pagan hatred of Christianity found its outbreaks supported by the Government. As John stood on Patmos, an exile by the decree of the mightiest power the world has ever seen, he probably knew of no country which was not held under Roman dominion. All of Africa, as far south as the desert which stopped the progress of the Roman armies: all of Asia, west of the Euphrates; all of Europe, south of the Danube and west of the Rhine, with the island of Great Britain in the Northern Ocean, were a part of the mighty Roman fabric. Judea lay prostrate and bleeding and downtrodden under the tread of Roman legions. The Church of Christ, at this period, and for centuries later, as far as we can determine, was all embraced within the boundaries of the Roman Empire. No apostle ever passed beyond its limits, unless we accept a vague, tradition of Thomas penetrating India. At this period, and for many generations after this, when the Church is persecuted, the persecutor is always pagan Rome. With these facts before us, we need not wonder that the last of the apostles, standing on the confines of the first century, and forecasting the fortunes of the Church, should have much to record concerning the deeds, misdeeds, fortunes, and misfortunes of the mighty empire which was the persecutor both of the Jews and of the people of God.
CAN REVELATION BE UNDERSTOOD?
From the days of Emanuel Swedenborg, nay, even from ancient times, this book has been the favorite field of speculation for fanatical visionaries. So many idle vagaries and extravagant fancies have been published, that many intelligent Bible students have turned away from the Apocalypse as a mystery which cannot be penetrated. They have pronounced it a "sealed" book, which will not be opened to human comprehension until the end of the world. In some minds, grave doubts have been thrown upon its inspiration by its impenetrable obscurity. Some preachers of the gospel, men of sound minds and excellent judgment, have gone so far as to say that they would doubt the reliability of any man who professed to comprehend this portion of the word of God. I ask all such men to pause a moment for reflection. If the Book of Revelation is inspired, it can be understood.
1. No portion of the Bible has been written with the design that it should be sealed to human understanding. The Divine Author has proposed to make himself understood. It requires no clerical order, especially endowed by supernatural light, to act as a medium between God and the rest of their race, to enable men to comprehend the Divine will. It is necessary that men shall have the hearing ear and the understanding heart. They must diligently study the word of the Lord. If they do so faithfully, they will be rewarded by views of the Divine plan and purposes that will constantly grow richer and deeper. This is true of the Bible as a whole, and it is reasonable that it should be true of Revelation.
2. This portion of the Bible is called a "Revelation of Jesus Christ of the things shortly to come to pass". The Greek word for Revelation is transferred into the English by the word Apocalypse. This means uncovering. John uses a word in the opening verse, the meaning of which is that the covering was rolled off of the future so that it could be seen and understood. Did be tell the truth or not?
3. In the fourth verse of the opening chapter a blessing is pronounced upon those who read, hear, and keep the words of this prophecy. No more emphatic blessing is pronounced upon the study of any part of the word of the Lord. This language certainly implies that the student of Revelation will not wander through a region of impenetrable darkness.
4. Revelation is not a sealed book. If the reader will turn to the fifth chapter he will find that a sealed book, the book of the unknown future, sealed from mortal eyes, was in the hands of Him who sat on the throne, and that the Lion of the tribe of Judah prevailed to open the book. One after another in succession the seals are loosed, and the map of the future, especially the history of the Church and its enemies, is unrolled until its final triumph. Not only are the seals opened and the future disclosed, but the predictions have been in a great part fulfilled, and can be read upon the pages of history.
REASON FOR BLUNDERS.
Why, then, if the book can be understood, have many pretended interpreters blundered so ridiculously? There are three reasons.
1. They have often begun the study with a hobby in their heads that they wished to maintain. Any man who goes to the study of the Bible determined to find a certain theory or speculation, will be likely to insist that it is there. Such a state of mind totally unfits one for the, intelligent study of the Scriptures.
2. It is a book of symbolism. There passed before the eyes of John pictures of coming events. He heard the words that were spoken. He says that "he bore record of the word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw." As Daniel by the river Ulai, or Ezekiel upon the banks of the river Chebar, saw visions in which were rolled before the mind a series of pictures representing the events of the future, so John upon the Isle of Patmos, stands forth as the great New Testament prophet, by beholding a panorama of the "things shortly to come to pass." As the future was revealed to them by symbols which fitly represented the things signified, so his visions are filled with symbols. As in Old Testament prophecy it is needful for us to interpret symbols according to the laws for symbolism, so there is the same need in the Book of Revelation. I have met with intelligent persons who have told me that they were filled with dread every time they opened the book. They said they were horrified with the thought of earthquakes, burning mountains, the direful dragon, the dreadful beast, and other monsters. They expected a literal fulfillment, forgetting that these were symbols fitly representing events that would take place. in the religious or political world. To understand Revelation it is needful to turn to a symbol dictionary, and to learn there the meaning attached in the Bible and in Oriental lands to the various symbolical pictures presented. Let every reader remember that John records what he saw. A prophet is a fore-seer. John saw upon the sky, or upon the waters of the sea, or the sands of Patmos, the exact events he describes. He saw these events nearly eighteen hundred years ago. It is our business, as we read of what he saw, to examine the symbols and to determine the meaning by a comparison with history.
3. I give a third reason why the Book of Revelation has not been understood. Too many have failed to study it in the light of history. John says that the things referred to were "shortly to come to pass." They were future when he wrote, prophecy then; they are nearly all in the past, history now. The book of prophecy must be held in one hand and the book of history in the other. Who could understand Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the image with the head of gold without the aid of history? Who could comprehend Isaiah’s burden of woe, against Babylon, r Tyre, or Edom, without the aid of the historian? By this help all is plain. The general law for the interpretation of prophecy must, in the very nature of things, apply to Revelation. Too many would-be interpreters have been shamefully ignorant of the history of the Church, and of the perils of the Church from its political or spiritual foes. A familiarity with the great work of the Infidel Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a history of mankind for over 1300 years, will flood the meaning of Revelation with light. The Infidel historian has unwittingly fortified the word of God.
THE SCOPE.--Before we proceed to the interpretation, it is needful for us to determine the scope of the book. The visionary Baldwin found that in a portion, at least, the United States was in the mind of the prophet. Others have pronounced Napoleon Bonaparte the beast. Others have selected Louis Napoleon as a conspicuous figure, while others have gravely presented almost every idle vagary that could be conceived by the human mind. This blundering almost all results from misapprehending the scope of all prophecy.
The Old Testament prophets are confined in their predictions to the fortunes of Israel, temporal and spiritual, the typical nation, and the spiritual nation, or in other words, to the fortunes of the Jews and of the Church. With this great object before them they predict the fate of the great Gentile nations, with whom the Jews came in contact. Hence we have Assyria, Babylon, Tyre, Egypt, etc., made burdens of prophecy.
Exactly the same is true of New Testament prophecy. The prophets speak of the future of Israel and of the Church, and necessarily reveal much concerning the opposing and persecuting nations. It was not in the mind of Christ to give in Revelation the outline of all history, but to outline the fortunes, tribulations and triumphs of the Church. The Church was, in the earlier centuries, almost wholly within [29] the bounds of the vast, persecuting empire of Pagan Rome. Hence this opposing power would come before the prophetic vision, and we will find that the symbolism often refers to the Roman power. Let it be ever present to the mind of the reader that John was the victim of Roman persecution, and an exile on Patmos when he wrote; that he had never been beyond the boundaries of the Roman Empire, and that there is no historical authority for supposing that any apostle ever stepped upon soil that a Roman citizen would call foreign. Since this mighty empire affects so closely the interests of the Church, it is in harmony with all we know of prophecy to expect it to be the subject of prophetic vision, There also arises a great apostasy, a false church that produces for the time a mighty influence upon the saints of Jesus Christ. This is also a subject of prophecy. I am then prepared to affirm that the general scope of the Book of Revelation is similar to that of the Old Testament prophets; that its primary object is to outline the history of the Church; that, in subordination to this primary object, it portrays the fortunes of the two great persecuting powers, Pagan and Papal Rome. The rise and the development of the False Prophet, another source of persecution, a power that affects both the Roman Empire and the Church, are also given.
Lesson #2
The Seven Churches
by B.W. Johnson
From “Vision for the Ages”
The opening scenes of Revelation are of the most striking character. Though the apostle is confined upon a lonely rock of the sea and is far away from the saints assembled in the name of Christ, yet be is "in the spirit" upon the Lords day. This day, rendered sacred by the resurrection of the Savior, the day on which he appeared a second time, and upon which the wonderful scenes of Pentecost occurred, had been observed by the Church from its organization as a time set apart to congregational worship. John, though denied the privilege of joining in the exercises of a Christian assembly, evidently devoted the day to prayer and meditation, thereby setting an example for every lonely saint; and his soul was lifted to a spiritual exaltation that peculiarly fitted him for communion with God. While thus engaged, the silence and loneliness of Patmos were broken by the sound of a mighty voice which rang out loud and clear like the tones of a trumpet, saying:
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and what thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
John turned to see the speaker whose voice had startled him, and his eyes rested upon a vision of surpassing glory. Ile behold seven golden lamps, and among them walked one "like unto the Son of Man." He was not like the Son of Man as he had seen him when he walked in humility upon the earth with his divine glory vailed by the likeness which he had assumed to sinful flesh, but more like the transfigured Christ as he had appeared on the holy mount to his wondering disciples. He was arrayed in a kingly robe and girt with a girdle of gold. Heavenly purity was indicated by the dazzling whiteness of his head and hair, and the splendor that shone from his countenance was like that of the unclouded sun. Every manifestation of the divine glory is accompanied with brilliancy and splendor. "In him there is no darkness at all." The burning bush of Horeb, the glory of Sinai, the Shekinah of the tabernacle, the City of which God and the Lamb are the light, the transfigured Savior of Hermon, the Son of Man of Patmos, and all the visions of the prophets of both covenants, indicate that whenever Deity manifests itself, there is a revelation of heavenly splendor. The Son of Man, the Man of Sorrows, the Lamb of God, is also the Bright and Morning Star, and the Sun of Righteousness. It is thus, crowned with majesty, garbed in light, and shining as the sun, that John beholds the Son of Man walking amid the golden candlesticks and holding the seven stars in his hands. Though he had been familiar with the lowly Jesus is brother with brother, had leaned upon his bosom, and had seen the glory of the transfiguration; when he beheld the wonderful vision of Patmos, his heart sank within him and he fell to the earth as one whose life had fled; but when the hand that held the seven stars was laid upon him, it was with the same familiar tenderness that he had known in the bygone years in the earthly Christ. Then the Lord declared the purpose of his coming, saying:
Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth and was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and I have the keys of hell and death. Write the things which, thou hast men; the things that are, and the things that shall be hereafter.
A careful study of the first chapter shows: 1, That Revelation is a message of the Lord; 2, It is made directly to the seven churches of Asia; 3, It is written to the seven stars of the churches; 4, The book records what John had seen, or the vision of the Son of Man on Patmos; the things that are, or the condition of the churches as unfolded by Christ, and the things that shall be, or a revelation of events yet concealed in the womb of the future; 5, The vision of the Savior walking among the golden candlesticks and holding the seven stars in his hand, teaches a lesson of trust in him. He is with his people always; always in the midst of the churches.
The letters written to the angels of the seven churches occupy the second and third chapters. I shall not consider these in detail, but there are, certain matters which pertain to all of them, that it is not proper to pass over.
THE SEVEN ANGELS.--I shall not take up space to discuss the various views as to the nature of the angels of the churches. It has been held that they were heavenly angels, were diocesan bishops of the cities, were pastors or elders, or were messengers sent from the churches to visit John in Patmos. The word angel means a messenger, and is equally applicable to the messengers of God and those of men. John the Baptist is called in Mark 1:2, an angel, or messenger, and the term is often applied to human beings. It is certain that it is in this passage. John is told to write to these angels, and certainly the letters were not sent to the angels of heaven. Nor does this language suggest the idea of messengers sent to visit John in Patmos. In that case the letters might be sent by them to the churches, but would certainly not be written to them. It becomes evident, therefore, that the angels were men filling some office in connection with the churches. There is not the slightest evidence that diocesan bishops existed in this age, and hence I do not think that they are meant. The term can hardly apply to an elder, for there seems to have been a plurality of elders in all the churches, and it is not likely that one would be singled out. It is my judgment that the angels were the preachers or evangelists of the churches. As these evangelists not only labored at home, but were often sent out, and were messengers to carry the good tidings, there is a fitness in applying the term to them. We know from the epistles of Paul and from church tradition, that Timothy was long the evangelist at Ephesus, and it is possible that he may have lived and labored until the time of John’s banishment. If so, he was the angel to whom the epistle to the church at Ephesus was directed. Then we conclude that the seven stars held in the hand of the Lord, supported and strengthened by him, shining with his light, are the seven preachers of the churches of Asia.
THE SEVEN CHURCHES.--At the time when John wrote there were hundreds of churches in existence. On the Asiatic Continent many had been founded in Judea, Syria, and elsewhere, and in the district of which Ephesus was the commercial metropolis, and which was especially designated as Asia, we know that in the last quarter of the first century there were not only the seven churches named, but Colosse, Hierapolis, and perhaps many more. Why then should the Lord direct his message to the seven churches alone? If the reader will turn over the pages of Revelation he will be surprised by the frequency with which the number seven occurs. There are the Seven Spirits of God, the Seven Stars, the Seven Churches, the Seven Horns and Seven Eyes of the Lamb, Seven Trumpets, Seven Thunders, Seven Vials, etc., etc. It will help us to understand the reason for the use of seven in many instances to remember that it is the perfect number and denotes perfection, or completeness. In several of the instances just given this is evidently its meaning, especially where it refers to the Spirit, or to the Lamb, and I suppose that seven churches are named for a similar reason. This complete number would make them fitting representatives of the entire Church, and those selected probably represent every condition that ever prevails among churches that have not apostatized from the faith. There is first, the metropolitan church of Ephesus, where some had departed from their first love and zeal for Christ, and which is commanded to repent under the penalty of the removal of its candlestick. There is second, the persecuted church of Smyrna, whose members would be cast into prison and endure tribulation, and where a little later Polycarp was burned alive. There is third, the martyr church of Pergamos, persecuted by heathenism, where most had held fast to the name of Christ, but where some had fallen into the worldly sins of Balaam. Next comes the church of Thyatira, seduced by false teachings and induced to compromise with sin. In the fifth place, there is the spiritually dead church of Sardis, which is called to repentance. Sixth comes the tried church of Philadelphia, which had not denied the Lord’s name; and lastly, the lukewarm church of Laodicea, which he threatens to spew out of his mouth. In addressing these seven churches the Lord addresses the Church universal in every phase of its existence.
The plan of the seven letters to these churches is in each instance the same. In each we find, 1. An order to write to the angel of the church. 2. A glorious title of the Lord. 3. An address to the church which describes its condition and gives it an admonition to perseverance or repentance, as its state demands. 4. An announcement of what will come to pass. 5. A promise to him that overcometh. 6. A closing injunction: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
THE FATE OF THE SEVEN CHURCHES.--It will interest many to learn the subsequent history and fate of the seven churches thus singled out to represent the entire body. I will indicate briefly. 1. The church at Ephesus was founded by Paul (Acts, XVIII. and XIX.); enjoyed the labors of Aquila and Priscilla, of Apollos and of Timothy; had at one time the presence of the great apostle for three years and a half, and finally enjoyed the presence of John. The seat of government for the province of Asia, and the commercial metropolis of Asia Minor, the strong church established in this great center received an unusual share of attention, and was honored with two epistles, one from the apostle of Christ, and the other directly from the Lord. During the half century of its existence, which had passed when John wrote, it had fallen from its first love and was threatened with extinction. It continued to have a visible existence until the Mahometan torrent swept over Asia Minor about six hundred years after John wrote. When the light appears after a century of darkness, confusion, and carnage, the church at Ephesus has passed away, and the city is in ruins. In our generation explorers are excavating the ruinous masses to discover the remains of the great ancient city. 2. Smyrna appears first in sacred writ in this connection, and we know nothing of the previous history of the church. The letter to it speaks only words of praise. The city of Smyrna still exists as the most flourishing port of Turkey in Asia, and has a numerous Christian population. On account of the large proportion of Christians in its population it is regarded by strict Moslems as unclean, and is called "Infidel Smyrna." It is at this date the chief center of missionary operations in the East. 3. The city of Pergamos stood about twenty miles from the sea, and was once capital of a kingdom by the same name. It still exists, is called Bergamos, and has a population of about 14,000, of whom 3,300 are nominally Christians. 4. Thyatira is named first in Acts, chapter XVI. It is probable that Lydia and her household formed the nucleus of the church. The name is not mentioned again until it appears in Revelation. The city was situated near Pergamos, still exists under a new name, and contains about a thousand houses. The church was rebuked in the letter of the Lord, for falling under the influence of a woman whose likeness to the idolatrous Queen of Ahab gives her the name of Jezebel. There has always been a professed Christian population. 5. Sardis was the capital of the great ancient kingdom of Lydia, which was overthrown by the Persian Cyrus. It was the residence of the rich King Croesus, whose name has passed into a proverb. Of the history of the church we know nothing; but we do know on the testimony of Jesus, that it "had a name to live and was dead." The ravages of the Saracens and Turks, and the shocks of earthquakes have converted the ancient city into a ruin, with only crumbled walls to tell of its ancient glory. 6. Philadelphia stood about twenty miles from Sardis and was the second city in importance in the province of Lydia. It is first mentioned in Revelation, and the praises bestowed upon the church show that it was worthy of a city of Brotherly Love. Though the old name has been laid aside by the Turks, the city still has three thousand houses and a Christian population. There are said to be five churches in the place, and it is the seat of a Greek bishop. 7. Laodicea is last named. The city was situated about twenty miles from Ephesus, and near Colosse. The church was honored with an epistle from the apostle Paul. See Colossians 4:17. Still, it had fallen into the besetting sin of churches and had become lukewarm. This sin is rebuked in the severest language, and the consequences are indicated by a most vigorous figure. The ancient city and church have passed away, and the ruins are entirely deserted. It has been spewed out of the mouth of the Lord.
I have now briefly outlined the introduction and the letters to the seven churches. This carries us over the first and second parts of the Revelation, or the things John "had seen, and the things that are." The third part, which is strictly prophetic and begins with chapter IV., will be entered upon next in order.
Lecture #3
Vision of Heaven
by B.W. Johnson
From “Vision of the Ages”
With the fourth chapter there is a remarkable change in the nature of Revelation. Two parts, the record of the things John saw and the things that were (are) have ended; the third part, the declaration of the things that shall be hereafter, begins with these words:
After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was, as it were, of a trumpet talking to me; which said, come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. See also Revelation 1:19.
The prophetic portion, which embraces seventeen chapters, is now introduced by imagery of the most striking character. The scene has entirely changed. No longer does John behold Patmos and the sea, or the vision of the Son of Man moving among the golden candlesticks, with the seven stars in his hands, but in the spirit he is permitted to look through the open door of heaven and to behold Him who sits upon the throne in glory and surrounded by the tenantry of the skies. While the fourth chapter begins the prophetic portion it is not itself prophetic, but introductory. It is a picture of the divine glory, and it serves to introduce the book of seven seals in the hands of Him who sits upon the throne. This sealed book is the book of the future, sealed from mortal eyes, but which shall be opened and revealed by the Lamb. God and his throne must be seen in order to see this book.
It is well to understand fully the object of this glimpse within the portals of the heavenly world. John was led up thither in the spirit, not to signify that the Church was caught up to heaven, as some have erroneously insisted, but to behold and to reveal what took place with regard to the sealed book. About the throne of God are determined the destinies of men, and the, "open door" significantly declares that the secrets of heaven are to be revealed.
It is noteworthy that the two greatest prophets of the Old Testament, those who had the clearest visions of the reign of Christ, were permitted to behold a similar scene as a preparation for their revelations. Ezekiel (Ezek. I.) and Isaiah (Isa. VI.) are each allowed to behold the glory of God. As the Old Testament prophets, when about to enter upon their work, were inaugurated to the office of making known the future by a vision of the Almighty, so John, the New Testament prophet, the last prophet of the world, was permitted to have a similar vision. Though the visions differ, the most striking symbols are beheld by all three of the prophets. All see and describe the throne of God, with its sublime surroundings; all speak of the One who sits on the throne, though they make no attempt to describe his person; all record his glory; Ezekiel beholds living creatures around the throne, full of eyes, with four wings and two hands; Isaiah sees the seraphim with six wings who cry, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. In John’s vision the four beasts are about the throne, full of eyes, with six wings who cry, Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God Almighty. In the case of all the prophets the vision of God is preparatory and indicates that he is about to impart the secrets of the future, hitherto held in his own bosom, to men.
While the fourth chapter is the opening of prophetic vision, and is introductory rather than prophetic, it is important that it should be understood before we proceed to the interpretation of the events that follow. As from the throne of God proceeds all the revealed knowledge of the future, so from this chapter begins the, sweep of vision that reaches to the end of time. The throne of God, the four beasts, and the four and twenty elders reappear constantly throughout the book, and the grand panorama that begins in this chapter in heaven closes at the end of Revelation in heaven. John describes what he saw when he looked through the open door as follows:
Behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat upon the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And around about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, Clothed in white raiment; and they had or their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast was like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within; and they rest not day and night, saying Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
The object of this description, as well as that of the remainder of the chapter, is to unfold the divine glory. The things that attract our attention are the throne, indicating the sovereign power over the universe of Him who sat upon it, the majesty of Him who sat upon the throne, the sea of glass indicative of the serenity of the divine power, and the four beasts and the four and twenty elders. It will aid us to understand the significance of the two latter symbols to quote all the passages of Revelation in which they appear, and thus to witness in connected view, their words and deeds.
The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:10-11.
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one (each one, in the Greek) of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us (omit us) to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and bast made us (them) unto our God kings and priests; and we (they) shall reign upon the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voices of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying in a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped him that liveth for ever and ever. Revelation 5:5-14.
And the angels stood about the throne, and about the elders and four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped, saying, Amen; Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, Who are these which are arrayed in white robes? Whence came they? And I said, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came up out of great tribulation, and washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 7:11-14.
The elders do not appear again until the seventh angel (Revelation 11:15) sounds his trumpet and the kingdoms of the world are given over to Christ. Then, again, they join in ascriptions of praise to the Almighty. In Revelation 14:3 they next appear. Then the redeemed sing a new song "before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders." In Revelation 19:4, when Babylon has fallen, "The four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on the throne, saying Amen; Alleluia!"
With this complete view of the four beasts and the four and twenty elders, I will proceed to indicate what the Spirit has signified by these symbols; but first, it will be well to return to the translation of one of the above passages. In Revelation 5:8-9 the elders and four beasts sing a new song, in which the common version represents them as praising the Lamb for their own redemption "out of every kindred, and tongue, and nation, and people," and declaring that God had made them kings and priests unto God, and that they should reign upon the earth. If this fairly represents the new song they sung, they are clearly human beings redeemed by Christ. But since, in every other passage in the book in which they appear, they are surely separated from the redeemed saints, and in a different company, and sing a different song of praise, the want of harmony of this song with the rest of their revealed nature leads us to suspect that there is something wrong in the translation of this passage, or that the Greek text has been corrupted. It is found that the oldest Greek manuscripts give a different sense, and it is the testimony of the great critics and scholars that this passage has been corrupted. Tischendorf, Alford and Lange agree in saying that the correct Greek text is translated as follows:
Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made them unto our God kings and priests; and they shall reign on the earth.--Lange on Revelation, page 152
This gives an entirely different idea. They do not praise the Lamb for their own redemption, but for the redemption of the world. In the other passages they join in doxologies, but never hint that they are among the redeemed. They are each around the throne, are associated with the angels, are not among the martyrs, are always separate from the throngs of those who praise God for their redemption.
THE FOUR BEASTS.--There are few subjects concerning which there has been a wider range of opinion and wilder speculation than the four beasts. It has been held that they were symbols of the four Gospels; of the four leading churches of the first three centuries; of four ages of the Church; of the four quarters of the earth; of the four elements--fire, air, earth and water; of Asia, Europe, Africa and America! Where there has been such diversity of opinion modesty is becoming, and it is with some hesitation that I suggest the conclusions I have reached after long and patient study.
I am satisfied that the unfortunate rendering of the Greek zoa in our common version has greatly increased the obscurity. In the Septuagint the same word is used in Ezek. I., where it is rendered living creatures; in Psalms 68:11, where it is rendered congregation; and in 2 Samuel 23:11; 2 Samuel 23:13, where it is rendered a band; a troop of men. Its literal translation is living creatures, and almost all translators have so rendered it in this passage. The Greek word rendered beast in Rev. chap. XIII., is an entirely different term.
If the reader will turn to Ezek. I. he will find that the exiled prophet of the old dispensation saw by the river Chebar of Babylon, the same beings that John described in this chapter. While there are minor differences, the general features are the same. Each prophet, John and Ezekiel, sees (1) four living creatures; both see (2) four faces, like those of a man, a lion, an ox or calf, and a flying eagle; (3) the living creatures of each prophet are full of eyes; (4) in each case they are winged. There is one minor difference in the wings: John sees six wings, while Ezekiel mentions four wings and a pair of hands under the wings, making the six members. The seraphim of Isaiah had six wings. The similar appearance, and the fact that the same Greek term is used to represent them, proves beyond doubt that the "four beasts" of John are the "four living creatures" of Ezekiel. If we therefore can ascertain the significance of the symbols beheld by the Old Testament prophet, we will be able to ascertain what the same symbols mean in Revelation.
We are not left in doubt about the identity of the beings described by Ezekiel. In the tenth chapter he describes certain beings that he beheld the second time; and in Ezekiel 10:22 he says: "And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river Chebar, their appearances and themselves." He also says, in Ezekiel 10:13, that these are the "living creatures I saw by the river Chebar." Again, in Ezekiel 10:20 he affirms the same thing, and says: "I knew they were cherubim."
Here, then, is solid ground. The four living creatures, or "beasts," of John are not the four elements, four quarters of the earth, four continents, or four evangelists, but are cherubim or seraphim. The forms seen by these prophets are probably symbolical of their nature and work. The information given in the Scriptures is scanty, but they are always represented as being very near the throne of God. When man sinned, it was cherubim who guarded the way to the tree of life. In the tabernacle cherubim hovered over the mercy seat and were figured upon the curtains. The Almighty is addressed elsewhere as the One who dwells between the cherubim. The brightness of the glory of the Lord is represented as attending them in Ezekiel; and in the vision of John they are "in the midst of and around the throne." In the fifth chapter the Lamb stands "in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts." In some way the cherubim are immediately about the throne of God.
The forms seen by Ezekiel and John have a symbolical significance. These angelic intelligences represent the courage of the lion, the patient strength of the ox, the intellect of the man, and the swiftness of the eagle. They are full of eyes, or see all things; their wings are always in motion, or they are, distinguished by tireless activity, and they continually cry, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty;" or, without ceasing, they minister to the glory of God. Their position about the throne, and the frequent allusion to the Almighty dwelling between the cherubim, indicate that they are of the highest rank of the creatures who do the bidding of God. Thus much can be said concerning the "four beasts," or "living creatures," or "cherubim," without indulging in speculation. Cherubim are present at the fall of man; cherubim also celebrate his redemption and the triumph of the reign of Christ.
THE FOUR AND TWENTY ELDERS.--What has been said will aid us to determine the meaning of these heavenly elders. It has been usually held that they were men, representative of the redeemed. The number has been troublesome, but they have been supposed to represent the twelve apostles and twelve patriarchs. I think that a careful examination of all the passages in which they occur will show that they are of kindred character to the cherubim (the four beasts) and to the angels. 1. They are about the throne.--(Revelation 4:4.) 2. When the cherubim give glory to God, they also worship.--(Revelation 4:10.) 3. Together they sing the new song.--(Revelation 5:9.) 4. When the angels honor the Lamb, these unite in saying, Amen.--(Revelation 5:14.) 5. When the innumerable multitude of redeemed, clothed in white robes, praise God for salvation, the angels and elders, and four beasts are not with these redeemed ones, but about the throne, and join together in a separate ascription of praise from that offered by men.--(Revelation 7:9-12.) 6. One of the elders informs John concerning those arrayed in white robes, and it is evident that he does not belong to their number.--(Revelation 7:13.) 7. When the final triumph comes, and the seventh trumpet angel proclaims that "the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ," the four and twenty elders who were sitting on their seats before the throne fell upon their faces and gave thanks to God.--(Revelation 11:17.) 8. In chap. XIV., the Lamb has one hundred and forty and four thousand saints about him, who sing a new song "before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders." From all these passages it will be seen that the elders are grouped, not with the martyrs, or redeemed, or the one, hundred and forty and four thousand; not with saved men, but with the angels and the cherubim about the throne of God. This distinction marks their character. They belong to the heavenly intelligences; to the same class as the cherubim and angels. They are princes of heaven. They are twenty-four in number. This number is probably taken from the twenty-four courses of priests engaged in the service of the temple, the institutions of which were "patterns of things in the heavens." They are of the retinue that surround the throne and serve in the presence of God, and they constantly join in the adoration of the angelic hosts.
Having settled the character of the beings which appear in this heavenly scene, we are prepared to witness the march of events as the seals of the book are opened by the Lamb.
In chap. IV. John has described his vision of the throne of God as seen through the open door of heaven. The object of that scene was not primarily to reveal the glory of him who sat upon the throne, or to describe the living creatures and four and twenty elders, but to record the vision of the sealed book in the hands of the Almighty, and its delivery to the Lamb, in order that it might be opened and its concealed history of the future revealed to man. Chap. V. opens with these words:
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back side, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with aloud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the hook, neither to look thereon.
Let us look with John upon this symbolical picture. The book is in the right hand of God. It is not a printed book, such as we have upon our shelves. There were no printed books then in existence. It is a manuscript, written upon both sides, and rolled together in the form of a scroll, and sealed with seven seals. We learn, from what is recorded in the next chapter, that these seals were so arranged that when they were loosed in succession each one permitted a part of the book to be read. Possibly there were seven leaves to the book, since as each seal was loosed, a leaf of the book was revealed.
This sealed book is the book of the future, sealed to human vision, unknown even to the angels of heaven. No one (the word man does not occur in the Greek) was found able to open the book, for no one can penetrate the future. It is held in the strong right hand of Him who sits on the throne, the omnipotent disposer of the future, who controls the destiny of churches, men and nations. Let the reader take distinct note of this book. Revelation had not yet pictured forth the future. The sweep of the panorama, that has pictured forth upon its canvas the destiny of the Church and the world, cannot begin until the seals of this book are opened. Had no one been found able to open the seals, the closing book of the Bible would never have been written, or certainly would never have been a book of prophecy. Those who find symbols of the future before a single seal of the book that holds the record of human destiny locked in its folds is opened, have studied the meaning of the symbols in vain.
"And," continues John, "I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and read the book, neither to look thereon." The exiled apostle is filled with anxiety to penetrate the secrets of futurity, and to know the fortunes of that Church which he loved better than he loved his own life. He was then a prisoner on a rocky isle of the sea. It was a time of persecution. He was separated from the saints who dwelt upon the shores, and among the mountains that he could dimly observe as he gazed to the east; and when he looks upon the sealed book his burdened spirit implores, with flowing tears, that the seals may be broken and that he may behold the results, in the future, of all the struggles, sufferings and blood of a persecuted people.
And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not; behold the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
His anxious heart is cheered by the assurance that the book will be opened and that the Lion of the tribe of Juda, his own dear Saviour, will break the seals and reveal to him the wonderful history. It is an elder who gives him this cheering assurance, and let it be distinctly noted that such a duty as instructing a prophet in heavenly things was never laid upon a human being under either covenant. Such duties mark the elders as belonging to the angelic realm. When John was told that the Lion of the tribe of Juda had prevailed to open the book, he looked--
And lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood it Lamb, as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out or the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
When John looked to behold the Lion of Juda, the root of David, who should open the book, he behold the only being in the universe who could fake it from the hand of God. There is none other to whom the future is revealed. He only, to whom all power in heaven and earth has been given, can control the events of earth. He only can hold in his hand the book of destiny, open its leaves, and reveal its record to men. John looked to see this mighty one who was deemed worthy to exercise the prerogative of God. When his eyes rested upon him he saw, instead of the majestic symbol of a Lion, a Lamb, a sacrificial Lamb bearing wounds, the marks of having been slain. The Lion had become a Lamb. The Lamb became a Lion, a conqueror, and "prevailed," so as to be able to hold and open the book, or to hold the reins of all power, by submitting unto death. As John beholds the vision he observes seven horns and seven eyes, the symbols of unlimited power and the fullness of the divine spirit. The horn is always an emblem of power, and with the number seven, the number of perfection, indicates power that has no limit.
THE DOXOLOGIES.--The action of this chapter is wonderfully dramatic. The Being upon the throne with the sealed book in his right hand; the proclamation of the strong angel calling for some one who was worthy to open the book; the declaration that no created being of the universe could open it; the apostle weeping, in his anxiety to know concerning the future, and from disappointment that no one could open the book; the assurance of the elders that the Lion of the tribe of Juda had prevailed to open it; the appearance of the slain Lamb who prevails as the Lion, and his taking the book out of the right hand of God, are all calculated to fix the attention with breathless interest, and to strike the imagination with startling power. And the picture grows still grander as the heavenly tenants sing their doxologies in praise of the victory of the Lamb.
First, the four living creatures and the elders sing a new song; new, because it celebrates a new triumph of Christ, who has been deemed worthy to hold and open the book, or to control the future. They declare the reason why he had been counted thus worthy. He had secured the heavenly scepter by dying for a lost race.
Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and made them kings and priests unto our God and they shall reign on the earth. (See remarks on this passage on page 49.)
Then a countless number of angels, about the throne, the living creatures and the elders joined in the chorus, shouting--
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory and blessing.
These praises ring through the heavens, and the reverberations reach from heaven to earth, and every creature "in heaven, and on the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea" joined in the ascription of praise to the Lamb.
Before we behold the seals opened in succession we wish every reader to note that it is the Christ, not as a Lion, but as the slain Lamb, who is able to take and open the book. It is the Lamb in the following chapters who opens the seals. Nor should he fail to observe that the fact that Christ became a slain Lamb, or, in other words, the fact that he died for men, is assigned as the reason of that supreme majesty that enabled him to hold the book with the power of God. The scenery of this vision and the songs sung in heaven make the death of Christ the great central fact of his being. However earthly theologians may reason, these higher intelligences held the doctrine of the atonement. And finally, after beholding a scene of such grandeur, to which such importance is given, it ought to be clear that this sealed book contains the destiny of the world, and that as its seals are opened the future history of the Church and of the nations which affect the Church is unrolled. With the opening of the first seal a hieroglyphic, an emblematic picture, is given of the first historical epoch revealed by the prophet. What it was designed to reveal must be learned from a study of the symbol and by comparing it with history. The opening of the first seal leaves six seals yet upon the book. These conceal six more epochs that cannot be known until they are broken, and which follow in succession. As each seal is opened we will behold a symbol designed to reveal the character of a new epoch. This brings us to Chap. VI., and to the opening of the FIRST SEAL.
Lecture #4
The First Seal Opened
by B.W. Johnson
From “Vision of the Ages”
If the reader has followed the preceding chapter he is ready to behold the sweep of vision beginning with the opening of the first seal. Let it not be forgotten that the sealed book is the book of destiny, and that as it is opened the symbolical map of the future is unrolled. The sixth chapter opens with these words:
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
As the first seal was broken a vivid scene was stamped upon the apostolic vision. There swept along a white horse, upon which sat a crowned warrior, armed with a bow. And he went forth conquering and to conquer. This is what John saw. We are to remember that it is a picture of some event or events of future history. We are to remember that it is symbolical, and that, instead of looking for a literal fulfillment, we are to ask the meaning of the symbols. There are several features of the vision that fix our attention: 1. The horse. 2. His white color. 3. The armed warrior. 4. His crown. 5. His bow. 6. His mission. It is certain that none of these features would have been named if they did not possess a significance.
THE WHITE HORSE.--1. What does the horse signify in Bible symbolism? Any symbol dictionary will inform the reader that the horse is a symbol of war. He was never used by the Jews or Orientals as a beast of burden. The ox and the ass were devoted to that office, and the horse was reserved for war. Whenever the horse is mentioned by the prophets it will be found in connection with war-like employments. For the reason that he was solely a war-like animal, the multiplication of horses was forbidden to the Jews by the law of Moses. In the sublime description of the horse found in Job 39:19-25, there is only notice of those qualities which pertain to war. Hence this symbol points to a period of war, though it alone does not declare whether the conflict is carnal or spiritual, is triumphant or disastrous.
2. As there are three more horses in succession under the three following seals, each of different colors, the color must have a meaning. White must have a different significance from red, or black, or pale. What is indicated by the color of the first horse? White is the color of prosperity, of happiness. When the generals of that great empire of which Paul was a citizen, and John a subject, returned to the Roman capital from victorious campaigns over the enemies on the distant frontiers, they halted, without the city walls, until the, Senate decided how they were to enter. If it was voted that the general was entitled by his victories to a triumph, milk-white horses wore attached to his chariot, and, drawn by these, followed by the spoils of war and a long line of captive princes or generals, he entered the gates and marched through the streets of the imperial city. The white horse indicates conquering war. As a symbol it always indicates triumphant war. In the nineteenth chapter, when the mighty wearer of many crowns moves upon the nations with the two-edged sword of conquest, he is represented as riding upon a white horse.
We also know that the bearer of the bow, whoever or whatever may be signified, is conqueror. He went forth conquering, and he continued to conquer.
THE WARRIOR.--The facts already noted declare the mission of this warrior. His mission is to conquer. The language and symbols all point to a period of triumphant war. The bow is a warlike weapon. It could be an emblem of only two things--of hunting and of war. In this connection it certainly means the latter. There were bowmen in all the ancient armies; but if we can find any race whose national weapon was the bow, this symbol would seem to point to such a race. The crown upon the head of this conqueror indicates that he shall be a crowned monarch. Nor shall he be crowned as the result of his conquests. The crown shall be given him before he goes forth to conquer. The special mission of the warrior will be considered under the interpretation.
THE MEANING.--We have now determined the meaning according to the laws for the interpretation of prophetic symbols. It remains to ask whether, near the period when John wrote "shortly," there are events, in history which would correspond with the symbols. These events, too, must be within the, scope of prophecy. They must refer to the Church, or to the Roman Empire, within whose vast boundaries the Church was confined. The events will show that the reference in several of the seals is directly to the Empire and indirectly to the Church.
As this is the first seal, it is of the utmost importance to a correct interpretation of what follows, that its true meaning should be learned. A mistake made at this point will be fatal. He who starts wrong cannot escape the consequences of his error. I shall therefore take an unusual amount of space to determine its meaning beyond a reasonable doubt. John has indicated the time when the march of history symbolized in Revelation would begin. He has said that the events must shortly come to pass. This language implies that they would begin within a few years, at most, of the time when he wrote. As we have found that the date of his banishment to Patmos was about A. D. 95-96, it is therefore to be expected that the first epoch would begin about the commencement of the second century.
Many interpreters have held that the seal symbolizes the progress of the Church, and that the crowned conqueror is Christ. I dissent from this view for reasons that I will indicate. (1.) Christ appears often in Revelation, and there is always something symbolical about the manner in which he is represented. In the fifth chapter he appears under the symbol of a Lamb; and again, in chapter XIV., it is the Lamb who stands on Mt. Zion. In the fourteenth verse of the same chapter one "like the Son of Man" is seen upon a white cloud, with a sharp sickle in his hand, to indicate that the harvest time has come, when the earth shall be reaped. In chapter I., the Son of Man is seen, radiant as the sun, with a two-edged sword proceeding out of his mouth. In chapter XIX. one sat upon a white horse, who was called Faithful and True, wearing upon his head many crowns, clothed in a vesture dipped in blood, and out of his mouth proceeded a sharp sword, emblematic of the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The sword, the weapon by which the Roman soldier had conquered the world, is constantly used as a symbol of the Word, which is Christ’s instrumentality for reducing the world to his sway. The conquering Savior is constantly pictured forth with the sword proceeding out of his mouth, but never appears with a bow. His conquests are effected with the sword of the Spirit.
The bow must possess a significance. He who rides upon the second house has a great sword, and the rider of the third horse carries a pair of balances. If these symbols have a meaning, so also must the weapon carried by the rider of the white horse. It is evident, from the bow, that the rider is not Christ. I assign still another reason why Christ is not meant. There follow in succession, as the seals are opened, four figures riding upon horses of different colors. It cannot be that these kindred symbols refer to entirely different realms. If the first horseman represents a spiritual power, the three others cannot represent material agencies; yet nearly all interpreters admit that the red horse is a symbol of carnage; the black, of mourning, caused by distress and oppression; and the pale horse, of famine and pestilence. It therefore follows that the white horse also must represent some kind of an earthly agency. It must refer to some period of prosperity and triumphant war closely following John’s exile to Patmos. As it has an earthly signification, it is probable that we must look for an epoch in the history of the Roman Empire, beginning near the opening of the second century. I ask the reader to study the history of this period.
THE EPOCH OF TRAJAN.--I hold that those symbols are surprisingly fulfilled by an epoch beginning with the reign of the emperor Nerva, of which Trajan is the principal figure. John was an exile on Patmos in the last year of the reign of Domitian, A. D. 96. In that year the tyrant was slain. The humane Nerva succeeded him upon the Roman throne. With his reign begins a new epoch, it once the most brilliant and the most prosperous in Roman history. He was the founder of a new family of Cæsars. He adopted, as his son and successor, the warlike Trajan, and four years later that distinguished warrior and conqueror received the crown. His reign, beginning some four or five years after John wrote, constitutes one of the most remarkable eras in Roman history. He went forth "conquering and to conquer." His incessant wars were uniformly triumphant, and during his reign the Roman Empire reached its greatest dimensions, since a great part of his possessions were resigned by his successor, never to be recovered. Vast is were the limits of the empire under Julius and Augustus Cæsar, the empire ruled by Trajan was much more vast. The mighty kingdom of Parthia, in the heart of Central Asia, which had before successfully hurled back the Roman armies, was laid prostrate at his feet, and his victorious legions then turned southward, until they stood upon the shores of the southern seas. The terror of the Roman name was carried into kingdoms that had never before seen the face of a Roman soldier. While his greatest conquests were in Asia, in Europe, also, he ruled a vaster empire than any Roman, either before or after him. The fierce nations in the dark forests of the vast regions north of the Danube and east of the Rhine had, until his time, successfully resisted the progress or the Roman arms; but his legions forced the passage of the Danube, and, after five years conflicts, conquered the kingdom of Dacia, occupying the regions now marked upon the maps as Hungary and Roumania.
I will quote from Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; Vol. I., page 7. The edition of Gibbon that I use, and from which all my reference, will be made, is Milman’s Gibbon, in six volumes. After an account of the the conquests of Trajan north of the Danube, the historian speaks of his campaigns in the East:"
This remarkable period of conquest the period when the mighty empire of Rome reached its greatest magnitude, when a Roman emperor followed in the track of Alexander and stood upon the banks of the Arabian Sea, when his armies reached, and the nations obeyed his decrees, from the shores of that Southern Ocean which a Roman had never seen before, to the far distant waters of the Northern Ocean that bathed the British isles, is certainly fitly represented by the symbolism of the vision. Let it be remembered that these events did not follow in some distant age. It is the first seal of the book of the future that was opened. The visions under this seat represent the first events in the order of time that are the subject of prophecy. Those events, it is stated in the opening verse of the book, were "shortly" to come to pass. Trajan was a distinguished general when John wrote. Before John had passed from earth Trajan had received the diadem, and before a generation had passed he stood, the mightiest conqueror of the Roman name, save Julius Cæsar, upon the shores of the Southern Ocean. His age was not only an age of conquest and triumph, fitly symbolized by the white horse and his rider, but an age of internal peace and prosperity. Gibbon (vol. 1. p. 95) declares that "If a man was called upon to fix the period in the history of the world, during which the condition of the human race was most prosperous and happy, he would without hesitation name that which elapsed from the death of Domitian to the accession of Commodus." Of this happy period, Trajan, who ascended the throne four years after the death of Domitian, is the chief figure.
We have found that the symbols are strikingly fulfilled in the epoch of Roman history, known as the age of Trajan, or of the Antonines, beginning with the reign of Nerva. 1. It began immediately after John wrote. 2. It was a period of prosperity. 3. It was the period of the mightiest extent of Roman power. 4. It furnished one of the mightiest conquerors of the Roman name. 5. He was a crowned conqueror, after he received his crown, went forth to conquer. 6. This fulfillment is within the scope of prophecy, which embraces the Roman Empire.
There is one circ*mstance, however, that has as yet found no fitting explanation. The rider of the white horse was armed with a bow. This significant fact indicated that Christ was not signified, nor was the bow a Roman weapon. The Roman conquered the world with the short sword. The only weapons he carried to battle were the javelin, which he throw from a distance, and the sword, which he used at close quarters. There were bowmen in Roman armies, but they were not Romans. The bow marks some one else than a Roman warrior.
There were two races on earth at that time who were famed as bowmen. The bow was the national weapon of the Parthians beyond the Euphrates, and of the Cretans. These islanders were the most famous archers of the world. In all Grecian history the bowmen of their armies are Cretans. The Rhodian slingers, the Thessalian horsem*n, the Spartan spearmen, and the Cretan bowmen are constant features of Grecian history. The bow, the national weapon, might signify some one connected with Crete.
Now I am ready to indicate the astonishing historical accuracy of the prophecy.
The bow was not a Roman weapon. The national weapons of the Romans were the javelin and the sword. Though there were bowmen in their armies, they were not native Romans. If a Roman soldier was symbolized, he would not be represented as armed with a bow. This weapon would indicate that we must look elsewhere for its fulfillment than to a soldier of the Roman race. A remarkable historical fact is illustrated by the bow. Beginning with Julius, the "Twelve Cæsars" who ruled the empire in succession were all of pure Roman blood. Domitian, the last of the "Twelve Cæsars," the persecutor of John, was of the Roman stock, but he was the last emperor of an old Roman family that ruled for ages. He was succeeded by Nerva, the founder of a family that furnished five Cæsars in succession, Trajan being the adopted son and successor of Nerva, as was Adrian, of Trajan, Antoninus, of Adrian, and Aurelius, of Antoninus. Nerva, the first emperor of this new family, the inaugurator of this epoch of Roman history, was not of the Roman blood. Dion Cassius, a historian of that age, states that he was of Greek descent; and another Roman historian, Aurelius Victor, says that his family came from the Greek island of Crete; or, in other words, he was a Cretan. We have already found that the national weapon of the Cretans was the bow, and that they were famous as bowmen in all the ancient armies. The sharpshooters employed in almost every campaign were Cretans, and they were as famous for their skill with the bow as the Rhodians were for their use of the sling, or the Romans with the short sword. Let it be distinctly noticed that the first Emperor of this epoch, and founder of a family of emperors, was an alien--the first alien who ruled Rome; that his family was of Cretan blood, and that the national weapon of the Cretans was the bow.
With all these facts before the mind it is not possible to have a reasonable doubt concerning the signification of the first seal. We have therefore solid ground from which to start in our interpretation of the other seals.
Lecture #5
The Second, Third,
and Fourth Seals
B.W. Johnson
From “Vision of the Ages”
THE SECOND SEAL.
And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.—Revelation 6:3-4.
Next in order, the second seal is opened by the Lamb. Next in chronological order to the history foreshadowed by the first seal, we may expect the events of the second seal to follow. Will the reader stand with John on Patmos and behold the vision? John beheld the Lamb open the second seal of the book, and the voice of the second beast was heard to repeat the command "to come and see." Immediately the first vision is replaced by a second, of a startling character. There appears in the field of view a, second horse, no longer white, but as red as blood. Upon the horse sat one with a great sword in his hand, to whom "was given power to take peace from the earth, and to make men that they should slay one another."
The explanations already given will assist us in determining what this symbolism must mean. The horse is the symbol of war, but the changed color indicates that the conditions of war are entirely changed. It is no longer triumphant war in the dominions of their enemies, while within all is peace, but the land is drenched in blood. During the period of the first seal the fertile provinces of the Roman Empire, never saw the face of a hostile soldier, unless borne is a captive from the distant frontiers, where the Roman generals waged triumphant wars in the countries of their enemies. All was peace within.
At no other period of the twelve centuries that passed from the foundation of the city of Rome, until it was taken by the Goths, was the condition of the empire so happy, or its population so prosperous. Golden streams flowed from every land into the coffers of Roman citizens. No fear of hostile invasion or internal disturbance ever troubled the tiller of the soil, and artisan. Under the firm but mild rule of Trajan, and the Antonines, security, peace, and plenty smiled upon the civilized world. The epoch of the first seat was one of triumphant war, but of internal peace.
It is not such a period which is predicted by the second seal. It indicates the existence of war, but that internal peace will exist no longer. The "earth" contemplated by John was the Roman earth, or empire. From it peace shall be taken away. Nor is it to be destroyed by foreign invaders. "They are to kill one another." In as plain language as symbolism can disclose, it is indicated that the next great feature of history is that the land shall be torn by civil war.
CIVIL WAR.--The meaning of the symbol is plain. If it has been fulfilled, we must look for an epoch of civil war, following soon after the events of the first seal. History ought to point out a period of civil commotion following the glorious period of conquest indicated by the first seal. That period of peace ends with the reign of Commodus, who was slain A. D. 102. Let me repeat a passage of history that will serve to illustrate the character of the next period.
Commodus, the son of the second Antoninus, ascended the throne in A. D. 182. He was one of the most contemptible tyrants that ever cursed a people, but was borne, with for ton years on account of the virtues of his father. At last his excesses could be borne no longer, and he was slain by the Prætorian Prefect, aided by various inmates of the palace, ’whose lives were threatened by the tyrant. His assassination took place in A. D. 192, and immediately, the Prætorian Prefect induced Pertinax to ascend the vacant throne. Eighty-six days after, he was murdered by the Prætorian soldiers whom he refused to bribe. The crown was then sold to the highest bidder, and was bought at auction by Didius Julianus. As soon as the news of this shameful sale of the sovereign power reached the army of the Danube, it proclaimed its general, Septimus Severus, Emperor, and marched upon Rome. After a reign of sixty-six days, Didius was defeated, dethroned, and beheaded. The army in the island of Britain and also that in Syria, each considered its right to make an emperor as good as that of the army of the Danube, and each nominated its general for the throne. For four years the empire was torn by civil war, and Severus, after a desperate contest, vanquished successively and put to death two rival competitors for the throne. Thus, the next period begins, but this is not the end. It is marked in the history of man by the most prolonged and sanguinary civil commotion that history records.
"Peace was taken from the earth" for ninety-two years. During this long period of nearly a century, the Roman Empire, that portion of the "earth" which was the seat of civilization and of the Christian religion, was constantly torn by bloody, civil contests between rival competitors for power. The history of this epoch is epitomized by Sismondi in the following language:
With Commodus commenced the third and most calamitous period, it lasted ninety-two years, from 192 to 284. During that period thirty-two emperors, and twenty-seven pretenders alternately hurled each other from the throne by incessant civil warfare. Ninety-two years of almost incessant civil warfare taught the world on what a frail foundation the virtue of the Antonines had placed the felicity of the empire. Sismondi’s Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. I. p. 36.
A full history of this dark and unhappy period is also given in the first volume of Gibbon. That the reader may form a better conception of this era of blood, I will give a table of the emperors, indicating those who died violent deaths. The first column of figures indicates that the emperor whose name is opposite died by violence. The second column, with figures at such rare intervals, indicates when an emperor died a natural death.
| NAME OF EMPEROR. | WHEN SLAIN | WHEN HE DIED | |
| Commodus | 192 | ||
| Pertinax | 193 | ||
| Didius | 193 | ||
| Severus | 211 | ||
| Geta | 212 | ||
| Caracalla | 217 | ||
| Macrinus and hisson | 218 | ||
| Elgabalus | 222 | ||
| Alexander Severus | 235 | ||
| Maximin and his son | 237 | ||
| The Two Gordians | 237 | ||
| Maximus | 238 | ||
| Balbinus | 238 | ||
| Gordian the Third | 244 | ||
| Phillip and his son | 249 | ||
| Decius and his son | 251 | ||
| Gallus | 253 | ||
| Volusion | 253 | ||
| Æmillianus | 253 | ||
| Valerian | 260 | ||
| Gallienus | 260 | ||
| Nineteen Tyrants | 260-8 | ||
| Claudius | 270 | ||
| Aurelian | 275 | ||
| Tacitus | 276 | ||
| Florianus | 276 | ||
| Probus | 282 | ||
| Carus | 283 | ||
| Numerianus | 293 | ||
| Carinus | 284 |
In this list are thirty-four emperors, besides nineteen pretenders, known as tyrants. Of these all but two died violent deaths. What could more strikingly represent such a period of civil contention, of incessant civil warfare, of fratricidal bloodshed, than the red horse and its rider, "to whom was given a great sword, and the power to take away peace, that men should kill one another?" I suppose that no such prolonged and terrible period of civil warfare can be pointed out in the history of the world, and there is certainly a wonderful correspondence between the vision and the events of history.
There is one feature of the vision that has not yet been considered. There was given to the rider of the red horse a great sword. It has been found that the bow under the first seal had a special significance, and there is reason to believe that the sword marks particularly some feature of the fulfillment of the second seal. It is easy to understand that such a symbol points to the military order as the class "to whom it was given to take peace from the earth." Wherever there is a standing army there is a class whose profession is war. To this bloody trade their whole lives are devoted, as those of others are devoted to commerce, or to agriculture. They are men of the sword. At this period Rome kept immense standing armies upon all the frontiers, in the outlying provinces, in the great cities, and in the capital itself. It was the quarrels of this class among themselves, that filled the earth with blood and desolation.
Civil wars arise from various causes. Our own was a conflict of the citizens of the Republic over the extension of slavery; the last great civil contest in England was concerning the prerogatives of the crown, and divided the nation into two great parties, under Parliament and king; at an earlier date in Roman history, a mighty contest between the popular and aristocratic factions had convulsed the state for generations; but this terrible period of civil commotion, without parallel in the history of a civilized state, was due solely to the jealousy and ambition of the men of the sword. No principle was involved in the fearful struggles, and the nation had no interest, save in being ruled by the least ferocious of the contending generals. It is an era of the sword, of the total abeyance of civil rule for that of the sword, of the earth drenched in blood by the contests between the men of the sword. What could more appropriately describe such all epoch than the giving of a great sword, the military emblem, to the figure that marches before the vision of the prophet?
It is possible that a still more particular fact may be indicated. There was stationed at Rome an army corps which outranked all others, received the highest pay, and peculiar privileges. This band of soldiers was called the Prætorian Guards, and their commander was styled the Prætorian Prefect. When he was inducted into his office, by the emperor, there "was given to him a sword." This was a symbol of the fact, that he had jurisdiction over the life and death or citizens for one hundred miles around Rome. He was the only officer, besides the emperor, who had the right to inflict death at the capital. It was this Prætorian Prefect, inducted into office by the public investment with a sword, and the Prætorian Guards, who inaugurated this long period of blood. It was the Prætorian Prefect who secured the death of Commodus, and made Pertinax emperor. It was the Prætorian Guards who slew Pertinax eighty-six days after, and sold the crown to Didius Julianus. It was the Prætorian Prefect who slew Caracalla, the son of the successor of Didius. It was these lawless soldiers of fortune who precipitated the era of blood.
Those who dissent from this interpretation of the second seal, must admit that the imagery of a prophetic vision never received a more striking fulfillment.
THIRD SEAL
The first and second seals mark distinct epochs, clearly separated from each other. We can determine the exact number of years that] belongs to each period. It is not possible to separate, with the same distinctness, the events indicated by the third and fourth seals. The prophecies are fulfilled with startling accuracy, and the occurrences symbolized by each seal follow each other in the same order as the seals, but the events overlap, and are related to each other as effects to cause. During the terrible period of civil commotion, indicated by the red horse, the era of blood and anarchy produces the events symbolized by the black horse, and as the combined result of the two preceding seals there follow the events indicated by the pale horse. The opening of the third seal is described in these words:
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo, a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny: and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. Revelation 6:5-6.
Again there appear a horse and a rider. Again the color of the horse is changed, as well as the instrument held in the hand of the horseman. If the white and red colors, the bow and the great sword, had a significance, this must be true also of the black color and the balances.
It has been found that the horse, whatever his color, is the symbol of war. The black horse makes it plain that the land is torn by calamitous war, and is filled with sorrow, mourning, and despair. Black is the color of mourning. The prophet (Jeremiah 14:2,) says: "Because of the drought Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are in deep mourning (lit. black) for the land." This single illustration shows the idea attached to this gloomy color in all ages.
The things to be noted in this vision are, 1, the horse; 2, his color; 3, the balances in the hands of the rider; 4, the charge given to him. As to the first and second of these, the meaning is plain. There is more difficulty about the last two items.
If the balances were alone, we would say that they were a symbol of justice, but in the hands of the rider of the black horse, and in the connection that follows, they are an indication of a scarcity of food. "Bread by weight" indicates scarcity. The following passages indicate the significance of’ the weight in connection with food:
And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat and not be satisfied. Leviticus 26:26.
Moreover he said unto me, son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall cat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: That they may want broad and water, and be astonied with one another, and consume away for their iniquity. Ezekiel 4:16-17.
The balances were also, in those days, used in taxation. A portion of the produce was demanded in Judea, is still in Turkey, and was a part of the taxes extorted by the Roman Empire. The balances indicate a period of excessive taxation, as well as of scarcity. The prices of wheat and barley are famine prices. The "measure" was about a quart, and the term rendered "penny" is the Greek denarius, which was equivalent to about fourteen cents of our money. A bushel of wheat, at the price designated, would be worth four dollars and fifty cents, and of barley one dollar and fifty cents; but in those days the relative value of money was four or five times greater than at present. A denarius was the usual price of a day’s labor. Hence, when we consider the changed value of money itself, the prices of wheat and barley must be placed at about twenty dollars, and six dollars per bushel, respectively. Nothing but a period of extreme scarcity could maintain such exorbitant prices. Oil and wine were the common articles of food for the people, but the voice prohibits their use. Taken in connection with the context it is implied that in this time of want they are no longer in use by the common people. There is designated a period of extreme taxation, of enormous prices, of great scarcity and want.
This is just what continued civil war would effect. Military expenses would multiply taxes. This was done even by our civil war of four, instead of ninety-two years. Lands would lie uncultivated, crops would be destroyed, and vast regions would be desolated by the march of contending armies. High prices, scarcity, and want, would necessarily be the result.
I will not consider the historical fulfillment of those features of this seal, which refer to scarcity and want, until I explain the next seal. I have already stated that these seals are in part coincident in time, and under the fourth seal, the seal of Death, famine is one of the awful agencies employed. The feature of crushing taxation is, however, peculiar to the third seal, and I will make quotations from our usual historical authority, Gibbon, and also from Lactantius, a historian of the fourth century. Gibbon notes in strong language the ruinous edicts promulgated in the reign of Caracalla (A. D. 211-217) and his successors, as being among the prominent causes of the decline and fall of the empire. He says:
Nor was the rapacious son of Severus (Caracalla) contented with such a measure of taxation its had appeared sufficient to his moderate predecessors. Instead of it twentieth, he exacted a tenth of all legacies and inheritances, and during his reign he crushed alike every part of the empire under the weight of his iron sceptre. Vol. I. p. 95.
In the course of this history, we shall be too often summoned to explain the land tax, the capitation, and the heavy contributions of corn (wheat), wine, oil, and meat, which were exacted of the provinces for the use of the army, the court, the capital.
Swarms of exactors sent into the provinces, filled them with agitation and terror, as though a conquering enemy were leading them into captivity. The fields were separately measured, the trees and vines, the flocks and herds were numbered, and an examination made of the men. * * * The sick and weak were borne to the place of inscription, a reckoning was made of the age of each, years were added to the young and subtracted from the old, in order to subject them to the higher taxation the law imposed. The whole scene was filled with wailing and sadness.--Lactantius.
Could there be a more impressive symbol of such a period than is supplied in the vision and charge of the third seal?
FOURTH SEAL
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale, horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:7-8.
Again, for the fourth time, the exile Of Patmos beholds a horse. It is still a time of war. The horse is now pale, the bloodless color of the sheeted dead. Upon him sits an undescribed figure, called by the apostle, DEATH. Behind the dread destroyer follows Hades, the unseen world, swallowing up the dying mortals and hiding them from human vision. The means employed to destroy men are described. Death and Hades employ, (1), the sword, or war; (2), hunger, or famine; (3), death, or pestilence, for so is the word hero used often translated, and such is its meaning in this place; and, finally, (4), the destruction caused by the wild beasts of forests and field. The evident meaning of this symbolism is so plain that all can understand its application, and we need only ask if the facts correspond. Do we find the scarcity, want, hunger, and pestilence, indicated by the prophecy, during the latter portion of this period of civil commotion? Do we have an awful reign of Death in the forms signified by the seal?
Let the reader turn to the tenth chapter of the first volume of Gibbon’s Rome. It recounts the events of the reign of Gallienus, which ended in A. D. 268, or about seventy-six years after the death of Commodus. It details the attempts of no less than nineteen pretenders to the throne, who aroused rebellions that were quenched in blood, and themselves forfeited their lives by their presumption. It describes the dreadful sufferings of the Roman Empire during the period of disaster and gloom, and then the historian closes the chapter with the words we give below. I ask the reader to carefully read the words of the Scripture and then compare them with the following words of Gibbon:
But a long and general famine was a calamity of a more serious kind. It was the inevitable consequence of rapine and oppression, which extirpated the produce of the present, and the future harvests. Famine is almost always followed by epidemical diseases, the effect of scanty and unwholesome food. Other causes must, however, have contributed to the furious plague, which, from the years two hundred and fifty to the year two hundred and sixty-five, raged without interruption in every province, every city, and almost every family of the Roman Empire. During some time five thousand persons died daily in Rome; and many towns, that had escaped the hands of the Barbarians, were entirely depopulated.
Applying this authentic fact to the most correct tables of mortality, it evidently proves, that above half the people of Alexandria had perished; and could we venture to extend the analogy to the other provinces, we might suspect that war, pestilence, and famine, had consumed, in a few years, the moiety of the human species.
Let all notice the correspondence. The prophet asserts that one-fourth of mankind would be destroyed, but the infidel historian goes beyond the prophet, and doubtless exceeds the facts when he makes the mortality twice as great. The prophet names the sword, famine, pestilence, and beasts of the field as instruments of destruction. The historian affirms that half the human race were destroyed by the first, three of these agencies, but fails to mention the fourth. We might, without historical proof, dare to assert that on the terrible depopulation of large districts, the beasts of prey, wolves, hyenas and lions, would so multiply as to become objects of terror, but we are not left to this necessity. Not a generation later, about A. D. 300, Arnobius "Adv. Gentes," refuting the charges made by heathen that various calamities were due to the enormous increase of Christians, exclaims: "When were wars waged with wild beasts and contests with ions? Was it not before our time? When did a plague come upon men, bitten by serpents? Was it not before our time?"
I have thus far discussed the opening of four seals. The second verse of chap. VI. reveals to us the white horse and the crowned conqueror who was his rider. This I have pronounced the seal of conquest, foreshadowing the wonderful conquests of Trajan, in the second century. The red horse of the fourth verse is the seal of civil war, fulfilled in the awful convulsions that began about A. D. 186, and agitated the whole civilized world. The third seal, the black horse and balance of the fifth verse, is the seal of want, while the next, the pale horse of the eighth verse, is the seal of death.
Such is the symbolism of the first, second, third and fourth seals. About its meaning there can be no mistake. Nor can there be any doubt as to its wonderful fulfillment. Prophecy, on the one hand, points to the pictures upon the panorama of Patmos, and says, "Here is the future." Upon the other hand, history points to its undubitable records, and replies, "Here is the fulfillment." The intelligent reader beholds with astonishment the wonderful agreement.
Lecture #6
THE SEAL OF PERSECUTION
THE FIFTH SEAL
by B.W. Johnson
From “Vision of the Ages”
THE FIFTH SEAL.
It is evident, from the entire change of the imagery, that, after the fourth seal, the subject of prophetic vision is entirely changed. The horse now disappears, and is seen no more in connection with the opening of the seals. Along with the horse the armed warriors sweep out of sight. The reader should mark carefully the following language:
And when he had opened the fifth seal I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.—Revelation 6:9-11.
Instead of the warlike pictures which direct our thoughts to the changing fortunes of earthly kingdoms, the attention is turned to something passing in the altar court of the apocalyptic temple. This locality, an essential part of the new vision, shows that it refers in some way to the Church, of which the temple was the well-known type. I wish the reader to note distinctly that the subject of the fifth seal must be entirely different from that of the four preceding seals, and that it is conceded by all to find its fulfillment in the Church.
The scene now depicted in the altar court is one in which the worshipers are not living, but have passed from life. The voice that is raised is not of psalmody or praise, but of suffering. It is heard proceeding from beneath the altar, and comes from "the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus." From those shadowy forms the cry ascended: "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell upon the earth?" There comes the answer that they must wait until the time of the slaying of their fellow servants should be fulfilled. What does all this signify? Our attention is turned from scenes of battle, political convulsions, plagues, famine and general calamity to a suffering Church. It is a time of persecution. The fifth seal is the seal of persecution, and it evidently marks some notable era in the history of the Church, when more fiercely than ever before it felt the intolerant hand of "them who dwelt upon the earth." The fulfillment is to be sought in a war of extermination waged against Christianity. Again we ask if, following the events already described, history records events that fulfill this prophecy?
The persecution signified would not precede the events of the first four seals. It could not, if our interpretation of these seals is correct, be that of Nero, or Domitian, or Trajan, or Severus. It must be sought after the triumphs of Trajan, the calamities of the civil contest, the period of want, famine and pestilence. It must therefore be found after A. D. 284, when this calamitous period came to an end.
The ninety-two years of civil turmoil began A. D. 192 with the death of Commodus. They ended in A. D. 284. In that year Diocletian ascended the Roman throne and his reign was distinguished by the most terrible, most prolonged, and most general persecution known in the history of the ancient Church. The Emperor was not by nature a persecutor, but the great men or the empire, especially Galerius, whom he had associated in the duty of Government, were alarmed it the astonishing progress of the new religion, and demanded its extirpation. At last Diocletian yielded, and became a leader in the effort to root out the religion of Christ from the very face of the earth.
There seemed to be little probability that the empire, almost ruined by the calamities of almost a century, should be in a condition to engage in a persistent and sweeping attempt to blot out of existence a Church that had already become powerful, but at this period it was raised from a state of imminent dissolution to some of its ancient power. "Oppressed and almost destroyed, as it had been," says Gibbon, "under the deplorable reigns of Valerian and Gallienus, it was saved by a series of great princes, Claudius, Aurelius, Probus, Diocletian and his colleagues; who within a period of thirty years, triumphed over the foreign and domestic enemies of the State, and deserved the title of the restorers of the Roman world." During the period of restoration the churches enjoyed quiet, hut in the very year that was completed, the same year that Diocletian celebrated his triumph over all enemies and the pacification of the empire by triumphal entry into Rome, in A. D. 303, the persecution began. Early in that year secret councils were held in Nicomedia, concerning the destruction of Christianity. "Perhaps," says Gibbon, "it was represented to Diocletian, that the glorious work of the deliverance of the empire was left imperfect so long as an independent people (the Christians) were permitted to subsist and multiply in it." On the twenty-third of February, the first blow was struck. An armed force was sent to destroy the great church of Nicomedia, and to burn the sacred books, so carefully preserved in that day when the printing press was unknown. This was the signal for beginning a persecution which was, by the consent of all historians, the longest, the most general, and the fiercest ever waged against the Church. It is a remarkable fact that a chronological era, dating from the time when Diocletian began to reign, instituted not for religious, but astronomical purposes, and used until the Christian era was introduced in the sixth century, has received its name from the persecution, and has been called the era of martyrs.
Again we are indebted to Gibbon. In his second volume he recounts the gradual origin of the persecution, first foreshadowed by an imperial edict, issued about A. D. 301, prohibiting Christians from attending their religious assemblies. In A. D. 303, the unfaltering purpose of Christians to persevere in the duties of religion, aroused the Emperor to the sternest most extreme measures. The cruel determination of the monarch is recorded in Vol. II., page 69, in the following language:
The resentment, or the fears of Diocletian, at length transported him beyond the bounds of moderation, which he had hitherto preserved, and he declared, in a series of cruel edicts, his intention of abolishing the Christian name. By the first of these edicts, the governors of the provinces were directed to apprehend all persons of the ecclesiastical order; and the prisons, destined for the vilest criminals, were soon filled with a multitude of bishops, presbyters, deacons, readers and exorcists. By a second edict, the magistrates were commanded to employ every method of severity, which might reclaim them from their odious superstition, and oblige them to return to the established worship of gods. This rigorous order was extended, by a subsequent edict, to the whole body of Christians, who were exposed to a violent and general persecution.
The terrible persecution thus inaugurated has been described by all church historians. It differed from all others in various respects. They were local, this was general; those were for a little season, this raged ten years; those were only designed to stay the progress of Christianity, the purpose of this was "to abolish the Christian name from the earth." It is impossible for us to determine the number of martyrs who suffered from the imperfect statistics that have reached its, but if the estimate or 700,000 sufferers in Egypt is not an exaggeration, the aggregate slain through the Roman Empire must have numbered millions. Who shall doubt, when such a persecution occurs next in order after the events foreshadowed by the symbols of the preceding seals, that the prophet described this remarkable period of death and tribulation in the history of the Church by the prayers of the martyrs under the fifth seal? Is it strange that this notable era in the history of the Church, when it felt all the force of the iron hand of Rome, when it was engaged in a stern and deadly grapple with the monarch of the world, when the blood of the suffering saints flowed in rivers, when whole congregations were driven into their houses of worship and burned with the buildings dedicated to God, when from the suffering, bleeding, mangled Church throughout the world, arose the cry, "O Lord, how long;" is it strange that so striking a period should be the subject of an apostle’s prophetic vision? And, is it not certain that the fifth seal is the seal of persecution?
There is a feature of the cry of the martyrs, and or the answer, that calls for notice. The martyrs ask for judgment and retribution upon their persecutors. We know that at this period the Church held the belief that a terrible retribution would soon come upon their enemies. In the answer to the martyrs, there are three things that are noteworthy. First, it is said that they must await the great judgment, which would not be until another distinct set of martyrs was slain. These are evidently the martyrs slain, not by pagan Rome, but by anti-Christ. Second, they must wait "a little season." This season is to be measured by God’s standard, mid not by ours. Third, there was given unto them white robes. White robes are a symbol of justification and of triumph. "The white robes are to him that overcometh." These souls are not in the inner sanctuary, the type of heaven; but under the altar of the outer or court, the type of the world. The white I to robes. therefore, imply their triumph and justification upon the earth. This came within twenty-five years of their suffering, through the formal acceptance of Christianity by the Roman Empire.
CHRISTIANITY UNDER PAGAN ROME.
It will interest the reader in connection with the terrible outburst of imperial fury under Diocletian, which sought the utter destruction of Christianity, to study its condition under the various seals before that of Persecution. I have made extracts from Eliott which will be given in order. The first will relate to the treatment of Christianity before the period of the first seal began, under Domitian and Nero.
I. From the people the outcry against Christianity rose up to the Governors. At first they treated it with indifference, then other results followed. The first Imperial persecution of Christians, that by Nero, was on of singular character and origin, inasmuch as he took advantage of the odium prevalent against the Christian body in Rome, to fix upon them the charge of the incendiarism of the city. Under Domitian, the second Imperial persecutor, the case was different. The numbers had now so increased in the empire, that his jealousy, being awakened by informers against, sundry classes as plotting treason, naturally awakened against Christians among others. Besides the usual charge of atheism, it was said that this aspiring body was seeking a kingdom. So the jealous Emperor slew, in the person of his own uncle Clemens, the Christian of noblest blood and rank; banished the only surviving apostle of the Christian faith to Patmos; and summoned the nearest surviving relatives of him the Christians called their king. But he found the last-mentioned to be poor men, heard that it was a kingdom not of this world, and dismissed them with contempt. Thus far St. John himself had beheld the progress of persecution. Soon after, on Nerva’s accession, Christians, among other sufferers from Domitian’s tyranny, were set free. Against Christians, as Christians, no direct law as yet existed.
II. Under the first seal. About this time, however, or soon after, the effect on public habits and feelings had become so striking, and constituted a social phenomenon so entirely new, and on so vast a scale, is necessarily to arouse both the curiosity and anxiety of the ruling powers. The Governor of Bithynia, the younger Pliny, wrote to the Emperor Trajan of the temples being in disrepute and almost deserted in his province, from the influence of the body of men called Christians; and at the same time, of the popular fury being such against them, as to charge them with every crime and violently to call for their punishment, though on examination their morals seemed to him to be singularly virtuous and innocent. This was an æra in the history of the persecution of the Christian Church. In Trajan’s rescript, the law was first declared respecting them, thus far mildly, inasmuch as there should be no inquisition for Christians by the public officers; but that, when brought in regular process of law before the Governor, and tried by the test of sacrificing to the gods, the recusants should suffer punishment.
Now began the apologies of Christians. Quadratus and Aristides were the first to appeal in behalf of the Christian body to Trajan’s successor, Hadrian; then afterwards, Justin Martyr to Antoninus Pius. And both Hadrian, in the spirit of equity, issued his rescripts against punishing Christians for anything but political crimes, and the first Antonine, yet more decidedly though not uniformly with success, protected them against violence. But the second Antonine adjudged Christianity to be a direct crime against the State; enjoined inquisition against Christians, the application of torture if they refused sacrificing, and if still obstinate, death. The wild beasts, the cross, the stake--these were the cruel forms of death that met the faithful. Many were now gathered under the altar: among others the souls of Polycarp, of Justin Martyr, and of the faithful confessors of the Church at Lyons.
III. Under the second seal. As the period of the red horse succeeded, and when, amidst the civil commotions ensuing, they that shed Christian blood had it given them in a measure to drink blood, the Church enjoyed a temporary respite which lasted through the reign of Commodus and to the commencement of that of Sulpitius Severus. But, shortly after, a law of the last-named Emperor, forbidding conversions to Christianity under heavy penalties, at once indicated its increasing progress in the empire; and also, as Christianity could not but be aggressive and proselyting, revived persecution against it. Now Irenæus, Bishop of Lyons, suffered. But the brunt of the persecution fell on the Churches in Africa and Egypt. And Tertullian, the Carthaginian presbyter, rose up as their apologist.
IV. Under the third seal. Under the third seal, and when again, in God’s righteous retribution, the people that had so long instigated the malice and the rapacity of unjust provincial Governors against Christians, had their lot darkened by the letting loose of that very rapacity and injustice on themselves, at that time the same voice in the Imperial Government that called, but ineffectually, for equity in the general administration, called, but as ineffectually, for equity also against Christians. Alexander Severus confessed his admiration of Christian morality, and of Him too who had been its first and divine teacher. On a particular occasion he even recognized the Christians as a lawful corporation, and protected them A Rome against their enemies. But it was protection partial only and transient. Martyrs were still slain. The name of Hippolytus, Bishop of Porto, stands; eminent among them. Moreover, the former antichristian laws remained unrepealed. And, after his death, his successor, Maximin, renewed the imperial persecution against them; the rather as against a body which Alexander had favored. His edict was directed specially against the bishops and leaders of the Church. But in its effects it went further. It animated the heathen priests, magistrates and multitude against Christians of every rank and order. "Smite the shepherds, and the flocks shall be scattered."
V. Under the fourth seal. Such was at that time the anticipation of Origen; very soon it had its fulfilment. The period of the fourth seal succeeded to that of the third. It was seen by the Emperor Decius that if the State religion were to be preserved, the Christian must be crushed; that the two could not long exist together. Thereupon he determined on crushing Christianity. Like those of the second Antonine, his edicts commanded inquisition of Christians, torture, death. Then was the consternation great. The Bishop of Alexandria, Dionysius, expressly records it. For the Church had now lost much of its first love. There were some apostasies; there were many faithless:--the libellatici and the acta facientes--professors who neither dared to confess, nor to apostatize, and bribed the magistrates with money to spare them the conflict. But now Death on the pale horse, having received his commission, had entered the empire. The sword of the Goths, one of his appointed instrumental agencies, struck down the persecuting emperor. His successor, Valerian, presently after, animated by the same spirit, renewed the persecution. The bishops and presbyters, those that led on the Christians to the conflict--and the Christian assemblies, that which supplied the means of grace which strengthened them to endure it--against these the imperial edicts were now chiefly leveled. Then was Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, added to the glorious army of martyrs. But God again interposed. Valerian had his reign cut short by the Persian sword. And Gallienus, his son and successor, trembling under God’s sore judgments, though still unconverted, sensual, hard-hearted, issued for the first time (A. D. 261) an edict of toleration to Christianity. Their churches and burial-grounds were now restored to Christians; their worship permitted. Though the popular outbreaks against the disciples were by no means altogether discontinued, Christianity was legalized.
Such, in brief, were the persecutions of Christians in the Roman Empire prior to that by Diocletian. During the progress of the gradual restoration of the empire which commenced soon after Gallienus’ edict of toleration, the toleration continued. But as soon as the restoration was completed, persecution broke out afresh after its slumbering, like a giant refreshed with sleep. It combined in itself the bitterness of all the former persecutions, with the new feature superadded of war against the Holy Scriptures, by the destruction of which, it was now rightly judged, that Christianity might best be destroyed, "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held."
Lecture #7
THE ERA OF REVOLUTION
THE SIXTH SEAL
by B.W. Johnson
From “Vision of the Ages”
THE SIXTH SEAL.
I must ask the reader to attentively examine the latter portion of Revelation, chapter VI., before reading what I have to say under the head of the sixth seal. It runs as follows:
And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, bid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?—Revelation 6:12-17.
The scenes beheld by the apostle are startling, and calculated to fill the soul with awe and consternation. The earth reels in a mighty earthquake, that hurls mountains and islands from their places, and the awful agitation extends from the earth upwards to the heavens. The sun is black as sackcloth, the, moon is red as blood, stars fall from their places in the the heavens, and the heavens themselves are rolled away as a scroll. As he gazes, the face of the earth and sky is so changed that there might be said to be a new heavens and a new earth. At the same time he hears the agonized cries of men, both great and small, who cry to the hills to fall upon them and hide them from the face of the Lamb.
The imagery described is most striking, and certainly portrays remarkable changes. We have already found that this is symbolism, and we are not to look for a literal fulfillment, but for historical events which would correspond to the symbolical pictures. We are not to expect that this seal will be fulfilled by literal earthquakes, falling stars, blackened sun and moving islands and mountains, but by the events of which these physical signs are symbols.
Before we point out the fulfillment we must pause to indicate the symbolical meaning of some of the terms which are employed. These may be gathered from any good dictionary of symbols, and, indeed, the signification of most of the terms must be apparent.
An earthquake, in agitation of the earth, must refer to great political or religious commotion upon the earth. As John’s "earth" is constantly the Roman Empire, this commotion will be within its limits. The Lord, speaking of the revolution which would be effected by Christ, says, Haggai 2:6-7 : "Yet once, it is a little time, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land, and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come." The earthquake is often used by the prophets as a symbol of political or religious agitation. The sun, moon and stars refer to earthly dignitaries, great lights in the political or religious heavens. In the dream of Joseph, which so maddened his brethren, these terms are used in this meaning, as well as by the ancient prophets. In the East it was common to liken the king or emperor to the sun, and stars are the symbols of princes and rulers. For the use of the term we refer the reader to Daniel 8:10. The blackness of the sun and the bloody hue of the moon point out scenes of sorrow and bloodshed. The, falling of the stars would indicate the downfall of those who had held high places on the earth, or rather within the Roman Empire. Mountain and island are used to denote earthly the latter referring more especially to European provinces which were often called "the isles of the sea." From the period of Diocletian, the great persecutor, the title, "Your Eminence," or, in other words, "mountain," was bestowed upon princes. As a mountain stood above the plain, so the rulers or the earth were exalted.
With these definitions before our minds, it is easy to discover that the sixth seal is a period of mighty and startling revolutions, not in the heavens, but upon the earth, which are wrought out amid scenes of sorrow and blood. The various phenomena in earth and sky, the earthquake, the falling stars, the heavens rolled away, the mountains and islands moved out of their places, all foreshadow a violent, bloody, remarkable upheaval of systems, rulers, government, kingdoms, and the establishment of a new order upon the earth. It is on earth, it is in history that we are to look for the fulfillment of the prophecy. And since the "earth" that is present to the mind of John is the civilized world known to the ancients, the Roman Empire, it is within its boundaries that we must look for the fulfillment. There can be no doubt that this is "the seal of revolution."
Some who have held that we were to look in history for the explanation of John’s symbols, have thought that the sixth seal was fulfilled in the rush of the savage nations of the North down upon the decaying Roman Empire, a movement which resulted in the destruction of the old nations and the establishment of new kingdoms and races. We shall take a different view, for the reason that there is another revolution, nearer in point of time, closely following the great persecution of the fifth seal, that in a surprising manner fulfills the imagery; and, in addition, the invasions and destruction wrought by the savage hordes from the North are symbolized by, the events connected with the blowing of the first four trumpets, as narrated in the eighth chapter.
Several circ*mstances help us to fix the meaning. 1. The time. It follows immediately after the great persecution indicated by the fifth seal, which closed in A. D. 311. These events occur, then, near that time. 2. It is a time of blood and mourning. Who are the mourners? Kings, great men, rich men, bondmen and freemen. Are these Christians? They are enemies of the Lamb, who fear his wrath and mourn over his power. The mourners are the opposers of the Church.--(Verse 16.) 3. The seal is followed by a period of great joy and prosperity on the part of the Church.--(See chapter VII.) An innumerable multitude are sealed with the seal of the Lamb, of which the next chapter gives record. Have we, near A. D. 311, the time when the great persecution closed, a period of mighty revolution, that filled the unbelieving world with mourning, and which was followed by a time of triumph, prosperity and glory to the Church of Christ? We ask the reader’s attention to the history of that epoch.
Three years before, or A. D. 308, the vast Roman Empire had been broken up between no less than six emperors. Jealous of each other, each determined to grasp an undivided power, they watched one another, and prepared for mortal combat. They hesitated four years before the Roman world was dyed in blood. We will observe the course of only one of the six, Constantine, afterwards called Constantine the Great.
In the year 312, leaving Britain, marching through Gaul, he launched his armies upon Italy. The Church watched his progress with singular interest; for although he bad, as yet, made no profession of Christianity, his mother, Helena, was a Christian, and it was felt that he was favorable to his mother’s faith. The Italian emperor opposed to him, Maxentius, was a firm Pagan, and around him centered the interests of the Pagan faith. Indeed, he gave public assurance that he would extirpate the Christian religion, and vowed to Jupiter that, in the event he was successful, he would make his worship universal on the ruins of Christianity. He and his adherents were the avowed enemies of Christ, and Paganism staked all upon his success. Three great battles were fought, the last in the suburbs of Rome. In the retreat Maxentius was slain, and Constantine was master of Italy and the West. In the meantime Licinius, also a Pagan, another of the six, had made himself master of the East by the overthrow and death of rivals, and in A. D. 314 the armies of the West and East were arrayed against, each other, to determine who should be the master of the world. With some truces and treaties, which were made only to be broken, the mighty contest that convulsed the civilized world lasted until A. D. 324, when Licinius, defeated, powerless, a prisoner, was put to death, and Constantine remained the sole master of the possessions of the six emperors.
We have, then, surely a time of blood, a time of mourning, a time when kings and earthly dignitaries fall and mourn, a time when the kingdoms, signified by mountains and islands, are moved out of their places.
But these are not the most remarkable changes of this period. Let us note these: 1. The votaries of the old Paganism had rallied around the enemies of Constantine, because he was felt to be its unrelenting foe, who would compass its destruction. When he was seated in triumph upon the ruins of six imperial thrones, there was great mourning from the enemies of the Cross. They felt that theirs was a doomed religion. They were right. 2. In the year 319, before his final triumph, he had decreed that his mother’s religion should be tolerated as an acknowledged faith of the empire. 3. In 321 he decreed that Sunday, the sacred day of Christianity, should be observed in all the cities by the cessation of trade and labor, 4. In 325 he abolished by decree the bloody combats of the gladiators, where men killed each other to amuse the populace, a Roman institution that had existed for a thousand years. 5. He convoked, by imperial authority, a great council of Christian bishops, the one known in history as the Council of Nice. 6. In 331 he decreed that the Pagan religion should exist no longer, and that all the heathen temples should be leveled, or converted into churches, 7. At the same time the old Roman laws were remodeled according to the precepts of the Christian religion, and a Pagan empire was transformed into an empire of the Christian faith, under new institutions. Surely the old heavens were moved away as a scroll is gathered together. But this is not all. I name another wonderful change of this age of revolution. It was not enough that he was determined to destroy the old Roman faith and the old Roman customs and laws--he aimed a blow at Rome itself. For near eleven hundred years it had been the seat of empire, growing from a village, with a few miles of territory, to be the mighty capital of the world. In 324 he determined to shake the Roman world to its very center, and to deprive the imperial city of the crown worn for eleven centuries by removing the capital from Italy to a new city upon the banks of the Hellespont, that should henceforth be called Constantinople, from his own name. The mighty mountain of the West is moved from its place.
In these events, constituting the most remarkable revolution that has occurred in the history of the world, we realize a complete fulfillment of the symbolism. Sun and moon are dark and bloody, the stars fall, and mountains and islands are removed; but it is proper to ask whether, in the mourning of great men, and freemen and bondmen, there was a feeling that they were suffering from the wrath of the Lamb? It is apparent that all regarded the great contest as one between Christianity and Paganism, though Constantine did not proclaim warfare in behalf of the Church. It was also entirely in accordance with Pagan superstition for them to believe that Christ was fighting against them. It was held by Pagans that their gods fought upon the fields of battle by giving strength to the arms of those whom they feared; and when Pagan hopes were blasted by the success of Constantine, it was recognized as the triumph of Christ. The vengeance that was wrought, the sweeping revolutions that took place, the upturning of the old order, and the overthrow of the heathen temples, were all recognized as exhibitions of the wrath of the Lamb; and we are told that more than one imperial champion of Paganism called, in his hour of distress, to Christ, to have mercy. Some of the Pagan writers almost adopted the language of Revelation in describing this period. The ruin of the Pagan religion is described by the Sophists, says Gibbon, "as a dreadful and amazing prodigy, which covered the earth with darkness, and restored the ancient dominion of chaos and night."
THE FOUR WINDS WITHHELD.
While the sixth seal may be styled the seal of Revolution, the mighty changes of this period are not all violent. If the reader will turn to the seventh chapter he will find that it is a record of visions witnessed by the apostle which precede the opening of the seventh seal. The events of this chapter, however, belong properly to the period embraced by the sixth seal. We quote the beginning of Chap. VII.:
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Revelation 7:1-4.
It is "after" the events described in the preceding chapter, that these things are seen. Events are therefore described which follow, at least in their consummation, the great political revolution effected by Constantine. Four angels are seen standing at the four corners of the earth holding the four winds, lest they should be blown upon the earth. It is as though four dark storm clouds, charged with fury, were about to rush upon a land, and then some mighty hand was reached forth to stay them in their career and hold them suspended in the heavens, until another work was done. These four angels represent four hurtful agencies which are to do a work of destruction. This impending ruin is arrested and held back until some work of God is accomplished, which is described as the sealing of his servants. These four hurtful angels are ordered to suspend their proposed work by another angel, who is seen arising from the East, having the seal of the living God. He cries with a loud voice, commanding them to withhold their hurtful power until the servants of God should be sealed in their foreheads. Then there were sealed of Israel one hundred and forty-four thousand; and besides these, John says, "I beheld, and lo, a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds and peoples and tongues stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, who cried, Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."
It will be observed that there are two classes here represented. There are twelve thousand who are sealed from each tribe of Israel, and then a great multitude, out "of all nations." The first company is composed of Jews, while the second and larger company is composed of Gentiles. In the fourteenth chapter we find again a company of one hundred and forty-four thousand with the Lamb upon Mt. Zion, evidently, from the same number, to be identified with these. We are there told that they were a term whose spiritual signification is that they had never been defiled by idolatry, and that they were "the first fruits" unto the Lamb. These marks, as well as the literal statement here that they were of the tribes of Israel, identify them as the Jewish members of the Church. These had never been guilty of idolatrous fornication, and had been the first fruits of Christianity. Though, at the period we have reached, the original first fruits were no longer upon the earth, yet they were represented by the Jewish Christian element The thought, as it appears to me, is to bring before the wind that ,it this period of triumph there were the Jew and the Gentile elements. I am aware that many commentators have held that this refers to spiritual Israel. All Christians belong to this spiritual Israel, but it is evident that a different meaning is intended here. 1. Those sealed are taken out of the tribes of Israel. They are a remnant, while the great body of the membership of the tribes is left unsealed. 2. The Gentile Christians are named immediately after. These are of the spiritual Israel also, but since they differ from the one hundred and forty-four thousand, the latter must belong to the literal Israel. There are twelve thousand from each tribe, except Dan, which is omitted, and the number twelve is completed by enumerating Levi and the two sons of Joseph. I suppose that this number, small compared with the whole number of Israel, is chosen to show that it was only a remnant of Israel which had accepted Christ. These are said to be sealed in their foreheads. The sealing of the servants of God with the seal of God in their foreheads, must refer to an open and real acknowledgment of Christ by men. The seal is the mark of God, as the seal of the United States is the mark of the United States. This mark is not in some secret place, but where it may be seen by all who meet and behold the sealed face. In Chap. XIII. the servants of the beast receive his mark on their foreheads and their hands. Here a mark on the forehead is understood to be an open profession, while a mark in the hand indicates service. In our present passage the mark on the forehead evidently refers to an open profession of service. It is not a seal in the heart or spirit, which would refer to the Holy Spirit, but a visible mark, seen of all men. An open profession of Christ, an acknowledgment of his name, a public testimony of his grace, a life devoted to his service, a warfare that kept continually unfurled the banner of the Cross, the fellowship of the sufferings of the Master, would be equivalent to the seal of God in the forehead. The four angels of destruction are held back until a countless multitude are thus sealed. This can only be satisfactorily explained by regarding it as foreshadowing a glorious triumph of God and the Lamb.
The same meaning must be attached also to the song of salvation. An innumerable multitude, from all nations and tongues ascribe praise to God, who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb. I regard this as susceptible of no other explanation than the one we have already given. We quote:
After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 7:9-12.
Here is, 1. An innumerable multitude. 2. They are of every nation. 3. They are clothed in white robes. White robes are the mark of triumph. 4. They have palms in their hands. Palms belong to victors. 5. They join in a song of praise to the Lamb as the author of their salvation. This is evidently a heavenly picture, representing a great triumph of the saints immediately after the events last described. The subsequent portion of the chapter is in harmony. "Who are these," it is asked, "arrayed in white garments?" It is answered: "These are they who have come up through great tribulation and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Then, in the remaining verses of the chapter, the constancy of these saints in the service of God, their enjoyment of the presence of God and the Lamb, the fulness of their souls fed upon the bread of Heaven, and the blessedness of their present and everlasting state, are outlined, presenting a sublime picture of a triumphant Church,--triumphant on earth, triumphant in heaven. Those who have come through the (there is an article in the Greek) great tribulation of a suffering and persecuted Church, are permitted to witness its justification and victory.
Having indicated that the chapter describes a suspension of four destructive powers which were about to be let loose, until a great triumph of the Church was accomplished, I return to inquire concerning these powers. There are four angels of destruction that are restrained from their work until a great triumph of the Christian religion has been wrought. An angel is a messenger. The term may represent a pure spirit sent from the skies, or any earthly agency chosen to accomplish certain work. "He maketh the winds his messengers," as well as the spirits of the sky. There are here four angels--four agencies of destruction. They are appointed to a certain destructive work, but are held back for a time. Will the reader turn to the eighth chapter and examine the events that occur upon the opening of the seventh seal? He will find seven angels with seven trumpets. The angels are divided into two bands; the first, of four angels, and the second, of three (verse 13). The first four trumpet angels of the eighth chapter are the four hurtful angels of the seventh. Both evidently represent four instruments of destruction. There is, then, a work of destruction that will be accomplished. There are four instruments of destruction that will accomplish it. These four instruments are restrained until another work is done.
What is doomed to destruction? We will find in the sequel that it is the Roman Empire, which is now in its decline and hastening to dissolution; and we will discover also what the four angels signify who wrought its destruction. What is the work which must be accomplished before the angels are let loose to destroy? The four agencies or invasions that utterly overthrew the Roman Empire, ended ancient history and gave birth to modern nations. Before we listen to the trumpet angels and behold the tides of invasion pour down upon the Roman world, we must ask if these agencies were kept back from their destructive work until a glorious triumph of the Christian religion took place? Before the trumpet angels begin to blow, was there of every nation, kindred and tongue, a countless multitude who ascribed the glory of their salvation to the Lamb? Did Christianity effect a great conquest in connection with the reign of Constantine and before the tide of Barbarian invasion set in? We ask these questions concerning the records of the history of the Church, for we think there can be no doubt in the mind of any candid and discriminating reader concerning the meaning of the symbolism of this chapter. Let the student of prophecy always bear in mind, first, that this is a symbolical picture of great historical events connected with the history of the saints; and, second, that the scene of these events is not heaven and eternity, but the earth and time. These hurtful winds are held back that they may not blow upon the earth. Hence, sure or the meaning of the symbolism, we repeat the question: Does history record such a triumph before the accomplishment of the destruction to be wrought by the hurtful angels? Was there such public recognition of Christianity as signified by the mark of the seal of God upon the forehead, upon the part of the civilized world?
THE FALL OF PAGANISM.
We have already found that the religion of the Roman Empire was revolutionized in the reign of Constantine. For three centuries the ceaseless conflict between the old and the new faith had gone on. Christianity had grappled with hoary religions, entrenched in. the superstitions and affections of men, with the mighty Roman power, and with sin in the human heart. It had been crushed to the earth, but, bruised and bleeding, had risen and continued the conflict. At last, after ages of trial and suffering, it had triumphed over all opposition and become the religion of the civilized world. The temples of Jupiter and Mercury and Mars had been. closed, and their idols broken into dust, never to be restored. An old religion had been utterly destroyed. One century before, if Paul had returned to the earth, he would have looked upon a Pagan world. Had he returned in the last half of the fourth century, he would have looked upon a land of churches and Christians, probably more generally devoted to the Christian religion than any country now upon the face of the earth. Until this sealing, this mighty triumph, is effected, the four winds are held. We repeat that it is significant that we will find following close upon the, triumph of Christianity the Roman Empire utterly overthrown by four agencies, symbolized when four angels blow their trumpets under the seventh seal.
It was a part of the providence of God that these agencies should be restrained until the empire was converted to Christianity. Indeed, to this providence we may attribute the fact that Europe at this day and for a thousand years, as well as the descendants of Europeans in America, acknowledge the Christian faith. Had the overwhelming hordes of northern barbarians rushed down upon the civilized world before the new faith had been firmly planted, it could hardly have survived the wreck of empires and civilization; but, deeply rooted in the hearts of the vanquished, when all else was lost, Christianity rose above the ruins of the past and pointed the ferocious invaders to the Cross of Christ. The conquerors, in their new lands, laid aside the Paganism of their fathers and accepted a new religion from those whom they had vanquished. The new nations that emerge from the darkness of the Middle Ages, seated within the vast boundaries of the old Roman Empire, all acknowledge the Christian faith. We have thus briefly explained what events were predicted by the four hurtful angels who were restrained, and have shown the fulfillment in the glorious triumph of the Cross of Christ before the downfall of the Roman Empire.
Lecture #8
THE FOUR WINDS LET LOOSE
THE SEVENTH SEAL
by B.W. Johnson
From “Vision of the Ages”
We now pass down the records of the world’s history to the beginning of a new period. In the seventh chapter the prophet has portrayed the four winds as held back from the work of destruction until the servants of God are sealed. That work has now been accomplished. They can be held back no longer, but will now burst upon the world in fury. Their movement and the consequences that follow when they are let forth, are presented in the opening of…
THE SEVENTH SEAL.
I quote from the beginning of the eighth chapter:
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. 8:1-6.
The Lamb opened the seventh and last seal of the mysterious book. This is not followed by immediate action as in the other seals, but there fell upon heaven and earth an awful silence. A hush is in the heavens for half an hour. It is the calm, before the storm; the hush before the rush of battle; the quiet that precedes and presages the awful play of the stormy elements. Then seven angels appear with seven trumpets in their hands. As there have been seven seals, so now under the last seal there are seven trumpets. The last of these seven trumpets, the seventh trumpet under the seventh seal, will be the trumpet of the great archangel who shall summon the tribes of earth, the sleeping as well as the living nations, to the bar of eternal judgment. The seventh seal will not be completed until the last trumpet contained under that seal is blown. I wish every reader to note particularly that the full period embraced under the seven seals, does not close until the seventh trumpet effects its mission. The trumpet is a warlike instrument used to sound the charge of armies. It is a symbol, therefore, of the rush of hosts of war. We have found that four angels held the four winds; it will be found that four angels with four trumpets stand arrayed first, separated from the remaining three angels, and that these four correspond to four invasions that crushed Rome, the mistress of the world, into final ruin.
Before the awful blast is blown an angel is seen with a golden censer filled with incense to which are added the prayers of all the saints, and "the smoke of the incense from the prayers of the saints ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand," a cheering assurance to the Church that, during the terrible scenes through which she should pass, God would hear the prayers of his people and deliver them from every evil. Voices and thunderings, and earthquakes might move the earth, but they would be safe. Then the seven angels prepared to sound. The awful hush before the storm is over. The prayers of the saints are heard.
Before I proceed to explain the meaning of each trumpet, it will be well to give some general idea. It has been found that the symbolism thus far has mostly referred to the history of that great empire which held the Church in its bosom, and was equivalent to the ancient civilized world. A period about the close of the fourth century has been reached, and the forces that shall bring the empire to dissolution are now ready to burst upon it in fury. These are symbolized by the trumpet angels. There are four winds that were held back, represented by four angels, and when these blow their trumpets there move, in succession the four great invasions that bring the old Roman Empire, the Western Empire, with Rome as its capital, to ruin. The date, of the first of these invasions, or rather the sack of the Imperial City, was A. D. 409. The second began earlier, but reached its culmination in A. D. 422, when Rome was a second time pillaged. In the third invasion eight hundred thousand fierce warriors scourged and scathed and blackened all Gaul and Italy until about A. D. 440, and in 476 the last vestige of the imperial power passed away forever.
In the East, however, there remained another Roman Empire, with Constantinople for its capital. There remain three trumpet angels, called the woe angels. Of these, two symbolize the Saracen and the Turkish invasions, which resulted in its overthrow.
THE FIRST TRUMPET.
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. Revelation 8:7.
The angel sounds and the trumpet blast of battle is blown. Then the apostle sees hail and fire mingled with blood cast upon the earth, and they destroy one-third part of the trees and the green grass of the earth. It is not hard to discover the meaning. The trumpet must refer to the rush of armies. Hail is a destroying agency sent of old by God upon Egypt in the days of its sin. This would imply that God was sending elements of destruction of some kind. Fire and blood point directly to war.
Look upon a scene of war. See the running blood of the slain, the burning towns and cities, the trees leveled with the earth, the blackened, scathed, and desolated lands. Look upon the desolation in the lands torn and rent by contending hosts, and then see how appropriately these figures describe the ravages of war.
Have we corresponding facts of history? About A. D. 400, the "four winds" could be held no longer. The Goths gathered out of the mysterious lands of the unexplored North, and, like a mighty torrent throw themselves, a mighty, dauntless, savage host, upon Rome. Barbarous as the Indians of the desert, they left behind their march, scarred, scorched, blackened, bloody and desolated lands. Countries blooming like gardens were turned into treeless deserts. In A. D. 409, under Alaric, their king, they descended on Italy. It had not seen the face of a foreign enemy for eight hundred years. At last the hosts gathered around the Imperial City. After a long siege, in the dead hour of night, the gates were opened by the hands of traitors and the barbarians rushed in. For three days the sack went on before they were glutted with blood and spoil.
Rome was taken, but this did not end the Roman power. Eight days after the fall of the great city, Alaric was dead, and the Goths, bereft of their king, left without a leader, hurried from the country and buried themselves from sight in the regions of the North. Rome was dreadfully weakened, but still survived.
The iron hail of war, the fire of burning towns and cities mingled with the blood of the slain defenders, the scorched and blackened lands denuded of their fruit trees, and the grass trodden under foot by the march of armies, all correspond surprisingly with the language of the Scripture. It is strange, also, how the infidel Gibbon has chosen the very language of inspiration to describe some of the events of this period. I will quote a few phrases found in his thirty-first chapter and descriptive of the great invasion of Alaric and the Goths. "The tremendous sound of the Gothic trumpet" stirred the hosts to invasion. "At the first sound of the trumpet the Goths left their farms" to rush on in invasion. "The Gothic conflagration" consumed the empire. "Blood and conflagration and the burning of trees and herbage marked their path."
THE THIRD PART.
There is one expression that I have not yet noticed, which occurs several times in the book of Revelation, and about which there has been considerable discussion. Under the first of the trumpet angels "one third part of the trees was burned up, and all green grass." As we have already found that the "earth" meant by John, is the Roman Empire this would imply that one-third of that empire was particularly scourged. When the second angel sounds (Revelation 8:8-9) the third part of the sea became blood, a third part of the creatures in the sea died, and a third part of the ships were destroyed. When the third angel (Revelation 8:10-11) sounded, a burning star fell upon a third part of the rivers, and a third part of the waters became wormwood. When the fourth angel sounded (Revelation 8:12) a third part of the sun, and or the moon and stars was smitten. If the reader will observe the reading closely he will see that these four "third parts" described may all refer to the same third of the Roman world. The first third refers to the scourging of one third of the land; the second, to one third of the sea; the third, to one third of the rivers, and the fourth, to one third of the heavens above. All combined, land, sea, rivers, and sky, would imply the scourging of one third part of the world. Let it be noted particularly that these need not be in different quarters of the earth, but all together, and that the first four of the trumpet angels may unitedly scourge the land, sea, rivers and heavens of one third of the earth which was present to the mind of the prophet, or one third of the Roman Empire.
In the ninth chapter we have a description of the work of devastation wrought by the fifth and sixth trumpet angels, called also the woe angels. It is stated of the sixth angel that, by the agencies loosed when his trumpet is blown, one third part of men were killed. This angel, therefore, scourges a second third of the world inhabited by civilized men. As the first four have together scourged one third, these, united with the sixth angel, scourge two thirds of the earth. There remains one third, and there also remains the fifth angel, whose work is described in Revelation 9:1-11. It is not expressly stated that he scourges the remaining third, but is apparently implied, and the implication is confirmed by the facts.
I now inquire if the earth of John, or the Roman Empire, was divided into three distinct parts at the period when these prophecies were fulfilled. I quote from Gibbon, Chap. LIII:
From the age of Charlemagne to that of the Crusades, the world (for I overlook the remote monarchy of China) was occupied and disputed by the three great empires, or nations of the Greeks, the Saracens, and the Franks.
The common appellation of Franks was applied by the Greeks and Arabians to the nations of the West, who stretched beyond their knowledge to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
The three great nations of the world, the Greeks, the Saracens, and the Franks, encountered each other on the plains of Italy. Chap. LVI.
After the restoration of the Western Empire by Charlemagne and the Othos, the names of Franks and Latins acquired an equal signification and extent--Ibid.
We may still farther quote Harris (Philological Inquiries. Part III. Chap. I.), who, in discussing the literature of the Middle Ages, speaks of the division of the world into three parts, from the fifth to the fifteenth centuries. It will be seen that he makes the same divisions that are noted by Gibbon:
A cursory disquisition illustrated by a few select instances, will constitute the subject of the present essay; and these instances we shall bring from three classes of men, who each had a large share in the transactions of those times; from the Byzantine Greeks, the Saracens or Arabians, and from the inhabitants of Western Europe, at that time called Latins. * * * Three classes of men during that interval are conspicuous, the Saracens or Arabians, the Latins or Franks, inhabitants of Western Europe, and the Byzantine Greeks.
It is thus apparent that during the long period of a thousand years, a period embraced in the fulfillment of the visions of John, the civilized world was divided into three distinct parts, and that these were clearly marked in history. According to this view the first four of the trumpet angels combine to scourge one part, the sixth angel scourges a second part, and the fifth scourges the remaining third. As we trace, the fulfillment of prophecy this will be found to be in harmony with the facts. The first four angels desolate Western Europe, the Latin portion of the earth, and the Mediterranean sea, and together put an end to the western Roman Empire. The fifth angel lets loose the Saracen invasion which scourges and conquers the Saracen third of the world. With the blast of the sixth angel the Euphratean horsem*n are loosed to pour their myriads, on the Greek third of the world, to overthrow it and to establish the Turkish Empire upon its ruins.
I have been thus particular in explaining the term third part, because it occurs a number of times in Revelation, and may be explained once for all.
THE SECOND TRUMPET.
And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. Revelation 8:8-9.
When the second angel sounds, the apostle sees a great burning mountain cast into the sea, and one-third part of the sea becomes blood. There follows a destruction of one third of the ships, and all the inhabitants of the sea.
The trumpet, the blood, and the destruction all point us again to war. The theatre will now be the sea; before, it was fixed on the land. The third part has already been explained, and implies that the scene of these ravages will be in the western Roman Empire, the Latin "third part of the world." The devastation will be mainly upon and around the Roman Seas, the Western half of the Mediterranean. The "burning mountain cast into the sea" will scourge and ruin the seas and sea coasts of the Latin "third part" of the world. The terms employed indicate that the destruction will be very great.
We are to ever bear in mind that this is a vision. The apostle sees a mighty mass of fire like a burning mountain cast into the sea, and then he beholds the sea turning the color of blood. In that bloody sea death reigns, and it appears to him that one third of the ships and of the inhabitants of the sea are destroyed. A part of the symbolism is plain, but what does the burning mountain signify?
We have before said that a mountain signifies a great kingdom or power. It may mean a mighty, conspicuous king or kingdom. The Savior’s kingdom is so alluded to in Daniel’s vision: "The stone that smote the image became a great mountain." This burning mountain would then indicate a raging volcanic power that should smite from the sea. Is there such a power that had a part in the overthrow of Rome?
About A. D. 422, another mighty horde poured down from the North, whose savage desolation and destructive course have added their name, as a new word, to our language. The principal tribe was called the Vandals, from whence our word vandalism. They rushed over Gaul, swept through Spain, leaped over the narrow straits] of Gibraltar, and wrested northern Africa from the Roman dominion. Then, in order that they might assail Rome on the seas and carry their armies to the islands and to Italy, they built fleets and struggled for the mastery of the Mediterranean. For six hundred years no ship hostile to Rome had disputed the mastery of the sea, but now it becomes the theatre of war. Fleets meet in the shock of battle; the sea is reddened with the blood of the slain; the Roman ensign goes down, dyed in blood; the islands of the sea fall into the hands of the fierce barbarian, and at last, near thirty years after the contest began, their fleets land their armies in Italy, and they rush upon Rome. The city is besieged, falls, and for fourteen days a pitiless barbarian soldiery spare neither age nor sex. The spoil gathered for eight hundred years, from a hundred conquered nation, is carried away and loaded upon the Vandal fleets, and the blasted, scourged, and pillaged Capital is abandoned as unworthy to be held as a permanent possession.
The second of the "four winds" held back by the great angel has rushed forth, a second "trumpet" has blown; Rome has been terribly smitten from the sea, but she is not yet destroyed. In a few months Genseric, the Vandal king, was dead, and Rome was again for a little season, free from its invaders. The reader will not fail to note that this great disaster to Rome comes from the sea, that the, seas of the "third part" of the world are conquered, and that their dominion passes out of the hands of the Romans after being held six hundred years.
THE THIRD TRUMPET.
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon a third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; and the name of the star is called Wormwood; and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. Revelation 8:10-11.
The third angel sounds the charge of battle. Now the apostle beholds a mighty meteor, a burning star, a shooting star, that falls upon the rivers and fountains of waters. Where it falls they become bitter as wormwood, and are full of death. This evidently presages a time of great calamity and death in some way connected with the rivers of the Roman Empire. A star, as I have before said, would refer to some mighty chieftain. This is a blazing meteor that flashes with brilliancy and then expires. Who can be meant? None other but Attila, who styled himself the scourge of God. The next of the series of the four invasions that precipitated the downfall of Rome was that led by Attila the Hun.
Before A. D. 440, the Roman had never heard of the Hungarian nation. About that time there suddenly appeared, as a meteor would flash in the sky, a warrior upon the banks of the Danube, with eight hundred thousand fighting men under his banners. They had come from the depths of Central Asia, marched north of the Euxine Sea through Russia, and now knocked at the river boundary of the Roman Empire. Overcoming opposition to their passage of the Danube, they rushed westward, crossed the Rhine, and on the river Marne were met in conflict by the hosts of Rome. The historians tell us that the blood of slaughtered heroes made the river run with blood, and that from one hundred and fifty thousand to three hundred thousand bodies of the dead attested the fury of the conflict.
Turning southward, on the banks of the river Rhone, the hosts met again in fury. Then, descending from the Alps, the fierce warrior, on the banks of the river Po, contended for the mastery of Italy. Victorious, he marched southward to seize the imperial prize. Unable to contend longer, Rome sent a priestly deputation to ask him to depart. They told him that Alaric had pillaged Rome, and in three days after was dead, that Genseric had sacked it again, and in a few months had expiated his crime by death. They worked upon the superstitions of the fierce warrior. Loaded with spoil, he turned his armies from a ruined country, and, leaving Italy behind, made Buda on the river Danube his capital, and founded the Hungarian nation. When he died, his followers turned the waters of the Danube from its course, buried him in its bed, and then let them return to flow over the grave of the hero. Beneath the waters of the river Danube still lie the bones of the star called Wormwood, that fell upon the rivers. Rome, weakened, ready to topple to ruin, was left standing to await the blast of the fourth trumpet. The first trumpet sounds the invasion of Alaric the Goth, who sacked Rome in 410. The second trumpet sounds the Vandal conquest of the sea, and the second sack of Rome by the pirate Vandals, who assailed it from their ships. The third trumpet sounds the fierce rush of Attila the Hun, the Wormwood of the rivers, the fierce warrior who first appeared to Roman view on the river Danube, then fought mighty conflicts on the Rhine and Marne, then in the river system of Italy, on the Po, ruined the Roman armies, and, at last, was buried under the turbulent current of the river Danube, where his moldering ashes will rest until the resurrection. How much like a "burning star," a meteor, was Attila, when we remember that in three years from his first appearance on the borders of the Roman Empire he had run his brilliant course and was dead! How much like wormwood of the rivers when we remember that he made them bitterness and mourning and death to the Roman world!
One of the four hurtful angels yet remains. Rome, scarred, bleeding, pillaged, great in her mighty past, trembling with weakness and fear, yet survived. The feet of iron seen by Nebuchadnezzar in the image of the vision interpreted by Daniel, had become weak as miry clay. The empire that had given its official sanction to the crucifixion of Christ, had carried the great apostle to the Gentiles a prisoner in chains to its capital city, had sent him to the dungeon and to the scaffold, and had striven in vain to "abolish the Christian name from the earth," still showed the breath of life in its decaying body, but required only the rush of the fourth wind to fall into helpless ruin.
THE FOURTH TRUMPET.
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. Revelation 8:12.
The fourth "wind" rushes forth as the fourth angel blows the charge of battle. The effect is darkness. The smitten sun, moon, and stars refuse to give their usual light, and a third part of the day and night is filled with darkness.
I have before stated that, in the interpretation of symbolism, the sun, moon, and stars are the symbols of kings, dignitaries, and great men of the earth. The blast of the fourth trumpet then, evidently shows that there shall again be the rush of war, that the shock of battle shall overthrow a multitude of these earthly luminaries and the result shall be darkness. As we have found that this is still limited to the Latin third part of the world, this would be fittingly fulfilled if a period of calamity and mourning was inaugurated by the overthrow of the kings and great men of the Roman Empire, the extinguishment of its government, followed by ages in which the human mind was shrouded in mental and spiritual darkness.
This is just what we find to have occurred in the last series of events that led to the final overthrow of Rome. We are to seek the fulfillment in the next final invasion of Rome. It occurred A. D. 476. Odoacer, king of the Heruli, a Northern race, encouraged by the apparent weakness of the falling empire, besieged and took the almost helpless city. Augustulus, the feeble emperor, was hurled down, the Roman Senate that had met for twelve hundred and twenty-eight years, was driven from the Senate chambers, the mighty fabric of empire fell to the dust, and the great men were humbled never to rise again. Sun, moon, and stars, emperor, princes, and great men, are smitten, lose their power, and cease to give light. Nay, more. There now began the period called by all historians the "Dark Ages." The fall of Rome introduced the period when, intellectually and spiritually, the day and night were darkened; when the minds of men were blinded, and when the Church, falling gradually into apostasy, gave forth for ages only a feeble light to human souls. In the period that follows, the barbarians who had ruined Rome fell gradually under the sway of an artful priesthood, the Bible was wrested from the hands of the people, and buried in the recesses of monasteries, superstition usurped the place of religion, and the gloom of the "Dark Ages" diffused itself over the Latin third part of the world.
Thus, in the overthrow of the western Roman Empire, ends the work of the four hurtful angels, who were held back, for a season, from destruction.
There remain three angels, the woe angels, who are grouped together by the angel that flits across the heavens and who foreshadows the terrible calamities that shall fall upon the earth when they blow their trumpets. These will be considered in the next chapter.
Lecture #9
THE ARABIAN LOCUSTS
by B.W. Johnson
From “Vision of the Ages”
The blast of the fourth trumpet, the last of the series of trumpets, representing the four winds that were held back, marks one of the most important eras in history. As the trumpet angels come forth in succession the mighty tide of invasion rolls upon the vast empire that had long ruled the world, and after the fourth trumpet, Rome, for twelve hundred years a seat of power, and for over five hundred years the capital of the world, was overwhelmed and hopelessly crushed beneath the barbarian wave. Ancient history ends with A. D. 476, when the Roman fabric finally gave way before the Goths, the Vandals, and the Huns. From that period a new Europe begins. The fresh blood of the northern hordes, mingled with that of the civilized inhabitants of western Europe, begins the formation of the new races that lead the world at this day. The Saxons, the Franks, the Goths, and the Lombards are represented in the nineteenth century by the Anglo-Saxon, the French, the Spanish, and the Italian. The Christianity of the West was deep-rooted and vigorous enough to overcome the Pagan faith of the northern invaders, and the new kingdoms which were formed out of the fragments of old Rome, all became Christian states.
It has already been seen that the trumpet angels are divided into two groups. There remain the three who have been called the woe angels, on account of the language applied to them in Chap. 8:13. It is manifest that the first four have completed their work, and that the others are devoted to another and a distinct work, which shall be the source of great woe to a part of the inhabitants of the earth. This work must be at a later period, and hence must be after the year 476.
In order to enable the reader who is not well read in history to appreciate what will follow, it will be needful to give a short view of the condition of the world about one hundred years later. In all western and southern Europe, as far east as the Adriatic Sea, and in northern Africa, the, Gothic nations were moulding their new kingdoms. In the East there existed a fragment of the old Roman Empire, with Constantinople as its capital. Its dominions embraced a part of the territory of modern Turkey in Europe and in Asia, and also Egypt in Africa. It professed the Christian faith, but there has seldom been a more corrupt state of society than existed in A. D. 600. Idolatry and saint worship had supplanted the simple faith of the apostles; luxury had undermined society; frivolity, effeminacy and licentiousness had taken the place of manhood. The hierarchy ruled the Church, instead of Christ, and bishops were more ambitious to supplant rival bishops than to convert heathen, or to promote the spiritual condition of their dioceses. The worldliness, excesses, license, and corruption which held unchecked sway in the cities and towns had caused tens of thousands who sighed for a purer life to flee from the haunts of men and to hide themselves, as hermits, in the recesses of the desert, or to bury themselves, as monks and nuns, in monasteries. Monasticism, unauthorized by the letter or spirit of Christianity, and destined finally to become utterly corrupt, was born of a yearning for a holier life.
In the two centuries that had passed since the triumph of Christianity over Paganism, the unholy alliance of Church with State had led the former into practical apostasy from her ancient faith. The spiritual despotism which had overthrown the liberty of the children of God seemed to be almost universal, but the corruption of society was far greater in the East than in the West. The hierarchy ruled absolutely, and idolatry prevailed in both quarters of the world, but the recent acceptance of the Christian faith by the conquerors of the West, and their pure, vigorous blood, saved them from the effeminacy of the luxurious East. Western rulers had little taste for theatres, eunuchs, dances, and harems. In the East a rottenness prevailed of which it is hard for us in this nineteenth century to form even a conception. The Western world had died and risen again. The East was slowly dying of corruption.
THE FIFTH TRUMPET.
We are now prepared to listen to the trumpet of the fifth angel, and to behold the symbolism described by the prophet. I quote:
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of the scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes, more hereafter. Revelation 9:1-12.
When the angel blows his trumpet, the apostle sees a key given to a falling star. This is used to open a pit. From it a smoke ascends, and the heavens are filled with darkness; from out of the smoke there emerge swarms of locusts that descend upon the earth to devour. It is needless that I should pause to describe the insect now mentioned. The grasshoppers that sweep down from the rainless deserts near the Rocky Mountains are the American representatives of the Asiatic locust. But these locusts are peculiar, and John describes their features with great minuteness. These are instruments of destruction under the fifth trumpet, and it will be well with us to note closely the characteristics that he names.
The locusts go forth in countless numbers to destroy wherever they descend. We would expect them to symbolize a numerous and destructive host. The term is often used by the prophets as an emblem of a numerous and destroying army. We quote from Nahum 3:15. "The sword shall cut thee off. It shall devour thee as the locust. Thy crowned princes are as the numerous locust, and thy captains as the grasshoppers," etc. John notes a remarkable circ*mstance. Other locusts destroy every vestige of vegetation. These destroy no green thing. Their hurtful power is turned upon men,--men who are not engaged in the service of God. Whatever may be signified, they shall spare the fields and turn their rage upon the inhabitants of the earth. Still, while they shall torment men, their object shall not be to kill them. They will not blast nations from the face of the earth. They shall continue this work of torment for five months. We are told in Ezekiel, that a day shall stand for a year. It does commonly in prophetic language. We will find that such is its usual meaning in the book of Revelation. This torment would then be continued for a period of one hundred and fifty years.
It has been seen, thus far, that each angel represents the movement of some people upon the Roman Empire. Though Rome had fallen, still the Eastern Empire remained, and it would be entirely in harmony with the probabilities if the next movement should strike it with overwhelming force. It will be needful to inquire, from what quarter of the world the blow will come, what people will strike the blow, and what is the meaning of the various symbols. It is manifest that the scene is transferred from the West to East, and all the symbolism points with unerring precision to one country which had not before this figured in history. That country is
ARABIA.
The locust, the groundwork of the symbolism, is peculiarly Arabic. It was the "east wind," the wind that swept from Arabia, that brought the locusts into Egypt, at the time of the exodus of the children of Israel. The inhabitants of Syria declare that the locusts come to them from Arabia. Like the American grasshopper, they are bred in rainless desertsat irregular intervals, sweep down with resistless power upon more fertile lands. The sandy wastes of Arabia have always been a breeding ground for locusts. The locusts of the vision have teeth like lions; the lion has always had its home upon the Arabian deserts. They also have a shape like horses; naturalists consider Arabia the native country of the horse, and from time immemorial it has produced the most famous horses of the world. Finally, the tail and sting of the locusts is like that of the scorpion, another animal bred on the Arabian sands. The zoology of the symbolism points beyond a doubt to the portion of the world in which Arabia is located. I will presently inquire whether any mighty movement, fitly described by the imagery, was inaugurated in Arabia in the age to which we have been led.
Not only the facts just mentioned, but the description of the men symbolized by the locusts, point to Arabia. The locusts "were like unto horses prepared for battle." The Arabians, unlike the Goths, Vandals, and Huns, were an army of horsem*n, and moved over a country almost with the swiftness of the locust. Let the reader note the following facts concerning the Arabs: 1. They came forth from the home of the locust. 2. They all fought on horseback. There was not a foot-soldier in the armies which in A. D. 632, assailed the Eastern Empire. 3. They wore upon their beads something like crowns of gold. The historians of the period often speak of them as the "turbaned Arabs." Ezekiel (Ezekiel 23:42) speaking of the Sabeans, which were an Arabian tribe, says, "The Sabeans of the wilderness who put upon their heads beautiful crowns." The yellow turbans of the Arab horsem*n, at a little distance, would strikingly resemble "crowns of gold." 4. The locusts had "the faces of men." The Jews and Arabs wore long, patriarchical beards. The Roman and northern races shaved the face. John notes that these locusts have the distinguishing mark of manhood in the East,--the unshorn board. 5. But to the faces of men is added "the hair of women." The female distinction is long hair, and evidently John beholds, as the riders rush by, long hair flowing from their shoulders and streaming in the air. Did the Arabs in the seventh century wear long hair? Pliny, who was the contemporary of John, speaks (Nat. His. 7:28) of "the turbaned Arabs with their uncut hair." Ammianus Marcellinus in the fourth, and Jerome in the fifth century, each speak of the long-haired Arabs. An Arabian poem, Antar, written in Mahomet’s time, often speaks of the hair of its heroes flowing down upon their shoulders. We quote: "He adjusted himself, twisted his beard, and folded his hair under his turban, drawing it up from his shoulders." 6. But the locusts had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron." The historians of the Arabian wars constantly speak of the iron coats of mail. Gibbon, Vol. V., p. 132, speaks of seven hundred horsem*n with steel cuirasses. Again, Vol. V., p. 13: "Three hundred cuirasses were a part of the spoil." Mahomet, in the Koran, 11-104 says: "God hath given you coats of mail to defend you in your wars."
From this array of facts it seems certain that we are pointed to Arabia, and that we must look there to see the locusts gather that rush upon the earth. Do we find any remarkable historical movement arising in this region and subsequent to the fall of Rome?
THE SARACENS.
Before the beginning of the seventh century the Arabs were little known to the historian. Occasionally they had made a marauding excursion beyond their borders, but they were only feared, as troublesome robbers who could hide themselves from pursuit in their deserts. While their trackless sands and poverty had protected them from conquest, they had never proved formidable to neighboring states, and had exercised as little influence upon the political destinies of the world as the blanketed Indians of the Northwest. But early in the seventh century they rush out from their native wastes, and throw themselves upon the world with a swiftness, a fury, and a success that hardly finds a parallel in the history of nations. The creation of the Arabian, or Saracen Empire as it is usually called, was due to the work of Mahomet.
About A. D. 609, in the deserts of Arabia, one of the most remarkable, most talented, most brilliant leaders of men that the world has ever known, began his work. He claimed to be the prophet of God. He was a star, but a fallen star; a prophet, but a false prophet. To extend his religion and reign he resorted to the sword, and his converts became a race of warriors. By the year 632, all Arabia had been subjected to his dominion, and in that year, the Arabian armies, countless as the locusts of their own deserts, all on horseback, not a foot-soldier among them, all the fierce followers of Mahomet rushed forth from the country of the locusts to assail the world. They appeared with "horses prepared for war."
In the year 632, the Saracens marched out of Arabia to subvert the world to the sway of the Koran. Syria, a part of the Eastern Empire, was instantly overrun by the swift bands of cavalry who dashed in every direction, with a rapidity unknown before in war. In A. D. 634, the city of Damascus was taken, and has ever since been a Mahometan city. In 637, the city of Jerusalem fell, and the churches were converted into mosques. In 638, Egypt was conquered, and their armies then pushed westward to the banks of the Atlantic Ocean. In 675, they had poured northward to the borders of Europe, had crossed the Hellespont, besieged Constantinople, and after a long siege had been driven back from its walls. In 711, they crossed the Straits of Gibraltar into western Europe, and conquered Spain. In 716, they laid siege to Constantinople a second time, and were, a second time baffled. In 721, they crossed the Pyrenees into France to attempt the conquest of northwestern Europe.
At this period the Saracen dominion extended from Central Asia over Persia, Arabia, Syria, westward over Africa to the Pillars of Hercules, and in Europe it embraced Spain and Portugal. Within a hundred years from the time that the Arabs emerged from the desert they had secured the dominion of Asia, Africa, and southwestern Europe. As a mighty conquering force, history makes no record of one more remarkable than the establishment of the Arabian dominion. Surely we have a movement significant enough to meet the demand, springing from the very country, and carried on by the very people indicated by the prophet. It remains for me, to inquire whether this movement corresponds to the details of the inspired description.
THE DETAILS.
I have shown that the rise of Mahometanism. corresponds, in its time, country, people, and character, fully with the general features of the prophecy. I will next take up the various features of the symbolism in the order they are presented. The first thing that we notice is that the apostle saw a falling star which inaugurated the invasion of the locusts. We have already found that a star is symbolical of a leader. Attila was represented by a burning star. This falling star would evidently refer to some brilliantly endowed, but wicked leader of men. That a man, and not a literal star, is referred to is shown by the next statement that to him were given the keys of the bottomless pit. The fact that the star had fallen would seem to indicate that, at the time the keys of the pit were given to it, it did not possess the pre-eminence it once enjoyed. If a star represents a king or prince, a fallen star would represent a prince who had been shorn of his power.
It is remarkable how these details are fulfilled in the case of Mahomet. He belonged by birth to the princely house of Koreish, the ruling family of Mecca. At his birth his grandfather was the ruling prince. His grandfather and his father, in the view of surrounding nations, were prominent stars. But, just after his birth his father died, and very soon after, his grandfather also. The boy, apparently destined to rule his country, was set aside, and a different family received the headship of the tribe, the governorship of Mecca, and the keys of the Caaba. Though by birth a star, he becomes now a fallen star, his prospects for life apparently blasted, and at manhood he entered into the service of a rich widow as a servant, in which capacity he visited Damascus, to traffic in the markets of that great city. It is probable that be brooded over the thought that he was a servant in a city where his ancestors ruled at his birth, and that this thought caused him to devise the means by which he should attain to power. Thus it is seen that he was a star, a fallen star, and his history shows us that he again attained to the prominence of a star of the first magnitude, though shining with a baleful light.
THE KEY.--To this star was given a key. The key can have only two uses. It may indicate that the doors of the bottomless pit shall be closed, or that they shall be opened. The sequel shows that they were opened, and the language evidently foreshadows that the hosts of hell shall come forth, or that there shall be a gathering of the instruments of wickedness. Perhaps the term has not only this, but still further significance. The "star," or ruler of Mecca, held the key of the Caaba, a kind of idol shrine, and the possession of that key in a family was significant of its princely power. The loss of the key had made Mahomet a fallen star. The key of the bottomless pit now given him, not only restores him to the position of ruler of his own countrymen, but makes him a prince among the kings of the earth.
THE BOTTOMLESS PIT.--The term translated pit is used in Ezekiel 31:17, Luke 8:31, and Revelation 20:1, in the sense of hell, or the abode of the prince of darkness. That is evidently the sense here, and it is implied that the fallen star shall employ hellish agencies to aid him in his work. This could not be fulfilled more effectively than by a system of imposture, or false religion, proceeding from the father of lies, and deceiving a large part of the race. This idea is confirmed by the statement that a smoke should come forth that darkened the earth. It is a fact that at this period a false religion arose, led by Mahomet, an impostor; a vile system which taught men inhumanity and lust, to live bloody and sensual lives, and to look for a sensual heaven. This false and hellish system "darkened" a large portion of the world, and there are still vast regions where the light of Christianity once prevailed which have exchanged the Bible for the Koran. The Christian faith was buried under the ruins of a country tracked and desolated by the Arabian locusts. I wish the reader to distinctly note that it is not stated in the case of any other trumpet that the powers of the pit are employed. No other leader appears as the prophet of the new and false religion. It is Mahomet alone who employs the powers of the bottomless pit to secure empire and rule the earth.
THE LOCUSTS.--It is said that the "locusts came out of the smoke." This is a statement of great importance. It means that the armies symbolized by the locusts were gathered by means of the imposture indicated by the smoke which Mahomet let out of the pit. Never was a prophecy more accurately fulfilled. The Arabians were unknown as a conquering power until they had been filled with the fierce, stern, pitiless fanaticism taught by the Koran. Out of the "smoke of the new religion" they emerged and rushed upon the world to torment, to sting, and to darken. Let us observe the work of the locusts as described by the apostle.
1. They do not destroy the grass of the earth, or trees, or any green thing. They injure men. Did the Saracen hosts adopt such a policy? Moses (Deuteronomy 20:19,) from motives of mercy had commanded the Jews to abstain from devastation in time of war. Mahomet adopted the same course from policy. At the very time when the Saracens rushed forth upon the Eastern Empire, the Caliph Abubeker, the successor of Mahomet, commanded, (Gibbon Vol. V., p. 189,) "Cut down no palm trees, nor burn fields of corn. Cut down no fruit trees." They shall not endeavor to destroy lands, but shall attack the human race. The policy of the Saracens was in great contrast with that of the Goths. They destroyed "the trees of one third of the earth, and every green thing." The historians speak continually of the "desert places" that they had made; but the Arabs had learned in their almost treeless deserts to cherish the tree as heaven’s choicest blessing, and they went forth with the avowed purpose to conquer and occupy the countries they assailed. Hence, in their own interest they sought, and were commanded, to preserve the trees in the regions which they invaded. It is a remarkable circ*mstance that the opposite course of both the Goths and the Saracens should be so particularly noted in Revelation.
2. It is also stated that they "shall not kill them." It is remarkable that these warriors did not go forth to slay. They were missionaries. They went to save. They attacked their enemies upon the battle-field, but when resistance ended, and their foes were converted, they ceased the work of destruction. A part of the same marching orders from which we have just quoted, also gave command that they "should not kill religious persons who were trying to serve God in another way." Gibbon, Vol. V., p. 189.
Perhaps, however, this has another meaning. It may mean that they did not politically kill, or annihilate either Church or State in Christendom. Though they besieged Constantinople twice, the Eastern Empire still survived, and the Eastern Church continued to exist.
3. But their torment should be terrible, like the sting of a scorpion. Though the Saracens did not seek to exterminate, they sought to reduce all to slavery or to submission to the Koran. They gave to the nations where they marched their choice of three things. (1) The Koran; (2) the payment of tribute and subjection to slavery; or, (3) to be put to the sword. Abubeker commanded, "Cleave the skulls of the priests unless they will become Mahometan." Gibbon, Vol. V., p. 189. The condition of Christians in the countries overrun was terrible. Under the fierce sting of the scorpions of the desert the torment was almost unendurable. It was so hard to bear that perhaps the majority of the population abandoned their old faith, which they regarded true, and accepted one that they esteemed false. Those who did not, no doubt, were often constrained "to seek death" as a refuge, but instead of being slain, were reduced to a pitiless slavery.
THE FIVE MONTHS.
We will next consider the duration of this torment. It was to continue five months, or one hundred and fifty days. We have already stated that in Revelation uniformly, and usually in all the prophets, the day is the symbol of a year. This would imply that the locusts should scourge the world for one hundred and fifty years.
It has been seen already that, although Mahomet began his work earlier, it was not until about A. D. 632, that the Arabs had been compacted, organized, and filled with the fanatical fury needful to enable them to burst forth upon the world. Before this they did not begin their "torment." Marching forth in that year, they began an almost uninterrupted series of conquests in the countries then occupied by the Church. Within a few years the congregations planted by the apostles, those of Palestine, Syria, Egypt and Asia Minor, had been crushed under the tread of the Arabian horsem*n, and within a century, the "torment" had extended from the Euphrates to the Pyrenees Mountains. In 732, just a century after they emerged from the desert, their armies crossed into France, were met by Charles Martel in the battle of Tours, defeated, driven back over the Pyrenees, and their progress stayed. In 750, the vast empire of the Caliphs was rent by dissensions and divided. The family upon the throne, the Ommiades, was supplanted by the Abassides, and fled from the East to Spain, where it established a new capital; and in the year 762, the usurper removed his capital from Damascus to Bagdad, upon the Tigris. Thus moved to a distance from Christendom, and weakened by division, the Saracens gradually gave up their designs of universal conquest, and the rude Ishmaelites whose hands had been against every man, who had sought to conquer the world, now began to cultivate the arts of peace, and to think of living on friendly terms with other nations. In 781, the Caliph Haroun Al Rashid was their ruler. This is the golden age of the Saracen power. This is the era of the Arabian Nights. Bagdad was called the "City of Peace." How long is this from the time when the torment that had stricken half the world began? In A. D. 632, the Arabs assailed the nations, to which date one hundred and fifty years may be added. This would bring us to 782, the second year of Haroun Al Rashid’s reign. Did the torment continue longer? Nay. He was engaged in friendly correspondence with the Christian rulers of Europe, and from this time the Saracens ceased their efforts to make the world Mahometan. Their aggressive wars were forever ended. Their weakening effect upon the Eastern Roman Empire was over. As far as they have to do with its destruction their work was finished,--completed one hundred and fifty years after it began!
Thus we find, next in order after the fall of Rome in 476, signified by the fourth trumpet, that the scene of the mighty events is transferred to the East. From the deserts, the home of the locusts, there emerge a people corresponding in all respects to the symbolism. That people changed the map of the world and founded a mighty religious empire. For a period of one hundred and fifty years they continued to torment the nations of the earth by their conquests, but after that period the Saracen Empire abandoned the attempt to conquer the Christian world. Its aggressive warfare was forever ended.
Other questions might arise, but I will only take space to ask: Did they assail men who had not the seal of God in their foreheads? They assailed an apostate Church. Of the condition of the Eastern Church at this time I will have more to say under the discussion of the next trumpet, but the remarks in the introduction to this chapter indicate its lamentable corruption. I believe that every candid reader will admit that prophecy was never fulfilled more surprisingly than John’s prediction of the scourge of Arabian locusts
Lecture #10
THE EUPHRATEAN HORsem*n
by B.W. Johnson
From “Vision of the Ages”
We have found that four trumpets were separated by the interlude of the woe angel from the remaining three. We have also found that the events indicated by the first series of four trumpets were all fulfilled in the same part of the, world, viz: The western Roman Empire. The next two trumpets are blown consecutively without any intervening symbolism. We have reason to believe that they refer to events which transpired in the same portion of the earth, and as we have located the first of these, the fifth trumpet, in the East, I will anticipate that the scene of the sixth trumpet will be the East also. The first four trumpets proclaimed the march of armies that rushed to the destruction of the western Roman Empire; the fifth trumpet announced the mighty Mahometan movement that so nearly subverted that portion of the Roman Empire which yet survived in the East. The sixth then, in all probability, would herald another tide of invasion which poured upon that doomed and decaying relic of former greatness. With this probability to direct us we may proceed to examine the passage which describes its work.
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsem*n were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their months issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood; which neither can see, nor hear; nor walk; neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. Revelation 9:13-21.
The student who wishes the meaning of this passage should carefully seek: 1. The place; 2. the time; 3. the agency employed; and, 4. the work accomplished, as indicated by the symbolism employed under the sixth trumpet. Concerning the time it will be sufficient to remark, at present, that whatever historical events are signified must be located after the Saracen movement predicted by the fifth trumpet had expended its force, or after A. D. 782. Concerning the place from whence the movement should proceed there can be no discussion, as it is pointed out without the obscurity of a figure. When the sixth angel sounded, the apostle heard a voice from the golden altar before God, commanding the sixth angel to loose the four angels, which were bound by the river Euphrates. The common version of the Scripture reads, "bound in the Euphrates," but the Greek preposition is not en but epi, which means at, upon, or by. The four angels were not bound in, but at or by the river. They were restrained by it from advancing to do the work assigned to them, until the time appointed by God for them to execute their commission. The blast of the sixth trumpet is the signal that that time of God had come, and although these angels may be utterly unconscious of the fact, the work that they advance to execute is one that is overruled and directed by the Almighty. Though their purposes may be even wicked, yet they are so held in the hands of God as to become "angels" to carry out his will with regard to the inhabitants of the earth. They move at the command that issued "from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God."
Set at liberty to move by this voice, the four angels were bound to enter upon a work of destruction that was to continue an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year. The four angels, four messengers to execute the mandates of prophecy, will represent four powers, or one power made up by a combination of four powers, or which develops into four powers, located at and held back by this great river.
This power of the Euphrates, bound for a season, was "prepared" for a work of destruction to continue an hour, a day, a month, and a year. We have already found that, in Revelation, a day is the symbol of a year. This period would then be three hundred and sixty-five days, thirty days, one day, and an hour, or three hundred and ninety-six days, and one-twelfth of another day. This would give a period of three hundred and ninety-six years and one month, or if the year be considered three hundred and sixty-five and one-fourth days long, a period three months longer.2
I will now inquire if any power, following in order after the Mahometan or Saracen Empire, also aiding in the destruction of the eastern Roman Empire, may be found that will correspond to this symbolism.
THE BOUND ANGELS.
A few years before the thousandth year of the Christian era, a fierce Tartar race, formidable by numbers and bravery, left their seats east of the Caspian Sea and moved southwestward, until they rested upon the river Euphrates. A vast region of country east of that river fell before their arms. Persia became one of their provinces, and India, as far as the ocean, was subjected to their sway. But for two generations they "wore bound by the river Euphrates," and, lying upon its eastern banks, their armies were restrained by the river from ravaging the countries that lie to the west. Though originally idolaters, they had accepted the Mahometan religion which they found in the countries which they had conquered in central Asia, and pretended to receive orders from the successor of Mahomet who sat upon the throne at Bagdad, while really undermining his power. After being bound on the east of the Euphrates, with the stream for the western limits of their power for a period of half a century, in the year 1055, they occupied the city of Bagdad, and their leader was invested by the feeble Caliph with a commission to cross the Euphrates as his lieutenant, and to wage a religious war, in order to reduce the regions lying, to the northwest to a belief in the Koran. This appointment took place in 1057, and in that same year, sixty years after their appearance upon the east bank of that stream, after being bound for two generations, they crossed the Euphrates and marched upon the eastern Roman Empire. This people were called the Turkomans or Turkmans; we call them the Turks.
It is thus seen that a people who have made a remarkable figure in the history of the last eight hundred years were "bound" at the Euphrates for a half century before they commenced that invasion of western Asia and Europe, which has made them known to Christendom. As yet we have no explanation of the fact that there were four angels. This would imply, in some way, four powers. It is remarkable that this people were divided into four bodies, which formed four kingdoms, under the four grandsons of the leader who established the empire of the Turks in western Asia. The prince who was commissioned by the Caliph to attack the Greek Empire was named Togrul, but dying, his son Alp Arslan led the Turks across the Euphrates, and when he was slain in battle, he was succeeded by Malek Shah. If the reader will open at the 532d page of Gibbon, Vol. V., he will find that the mighty empire of Malek Shah was divided into four principalities, under his four sons, which are described by the historian under the names of Persia, Kerman or India, Syria, Roum or Asia Minor, extending from the shores of the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean. There are then four angels or messengers of destruction.
THE HORsem*n
Before we speak of their work there is another characteristic of these powers which we must not pass by. When the four angels are loosed the apostle sees an innumerable body, of horsem*n. He gives the number as two hundred thousand thousand, or, in the original, two myriads of myriads, which we may interpret as a countless multitude. The locusts also were a force of horsem*n, and we have seen the Arabians rush out of the desert, destitute of infantry forces, all on horseback. Were the Turks likewise an army of cavalry?
Again Gibbon says:
"The myriads of Turkish horse overspread a frontier of six hundred miles, from Tauris to Erzeroum, and the blood of six hundred and thirty thousand Christians was a grateful sacrifice to the Arabian prophet." Vol. V., page 512. Again, page 515. "On the report of this bold invasion, which threatened his hereditary dominions, Alp Arslan flew to the scene of action at the head of forty thousand horse." Again, on page 525. "The valiant Soliman, accompanied by his four brothers, passed the Euphrates. The Turkish camp was soon seated in the neighborhood of Kataish, in Phrygia, and his flying cavalry laid waste the country as far as the Hellespont and the Black Sea."
These are a few of the many passages that might be quoted showing that at this period of invasion the Turks were an army of horsem*n. It is also curious that the Turks counted their cavalry, not by thousands, or regiments, as is customary in European armies, but by "myriads," using the very same term that John employs to denote the numbers of these Euphratean horsem*n.
The apostle notes that these horsem*n have breastplates of fire, and jacinth, and brimstone. These terms may be translated red, blue, and yellow, and I suppose, refer to the attire worn by these Turkish riders. Historians assure us that until the reorganization of the Turkish armies upon the European plan,--within the present generation,--these were the prevalent colors of the Turkish uniform.
The description of the means employed by these strange horsem*n to injure and destroy their enemies is remarkable. The heads of the horses appeared to the apostle like the heads of lions, and out of these lion-like mouths went forth fire, and smoke, and brimstone, by which were slain the third part of men. The reader will bear in mind that John saw a picture of coming events and records the series as they appear to him. The head and jaws of the lion are mighty to destroy. As the lion springs upon its victim he utters a deafening roar. John says that the instruments of death were the fire, smoke, and brimstone that proceeded out of the mouth of the horses. Evidently then there is a terrific roar like that of the lion, and fire and smoke and brimstone leap forth. These last become a deadly instrument of destruction to men.
If you were to look from a distance upon a cavalry soldier, as he charged, carbine in hand, and fired upon his enemy, the fire and smoke would seem to leap from the horse’s head, the enemy would fall, and the brimstone smell of burning powder would be left behind, for I need not say that sulphur is a chief ingredient of this instrument of death. If, indeed, we were to search for a symbol of the use of firearms in war it would be hard for us to find one more appropriate. If gunpowder was used in this Turkish invasion it would certainly correspond with the description.
Gunpowder was unknown to the ancients, was never employed by the northern races that overthrow Rome, was unthought of by the Arab followers of Mahomet who attacked the Eastern Empire. Was it unknown to the Turks?
Again we turn to Gibbon, and we learn that during the period of these Turkish wars a complete revolution took place in modes of warfare. Then, for the first time, upon an extensive scale, gunpowder was used for slaying men. We quote The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. VI., pp. 379-80, and 388-89, in which he speaks of the adoption of artillery by the Turkish Sultan who laid siege to, and took the city of Constantinople, after breaches were battered in its walls by cannon.
Among the implements of destruction he studied with peculiar care the recent and tremendous discovery of the Latins; and his artillery surpassed whatever had yet appeared in the world. A founder of cannon, a Dane or Hungarian, who had been almost starved in the Greek service, deserted to the Moslems, and was liberally entertained by the Turkish Sultan. Mahomet was satisfied with the answer to his first question, which he eagerly pressed on the artist. "Am I able to cast a cannon capable of throwing a ball or stone of sufficient size to batter the walls of Constantinople? I am not ignorant of their strength; but were they more solid than those of Babylon, I could oppose an engine of superior power: the position and management of that engine must be left to your engineers."
The great cannon of Mahomet has been separately noticed; an important and visible object in the history of the times: but that enormous engine was flanked by two fellows almost of equal magnitude; the long order of the Turkish artillery was pointed against the walls; fourteen batteries thundered, at once on the most accessible places; and of one of these it is ambiguously expressed, that it was mounted with one hundred and thirty balls, or discharged one hundred and thirty bullets.
It is thus seen that gunpowder was employed by the Turks in the overthrow of the Eastern Empire, and was a leading agency by which this conquest was effected.
I now ask the attention of the reader to a very singular statement concerning this army of horsem*n that John saw engaged in the work of destruction by means of fire and smoke and brimstone. That statement is that the horses had
POWER IN THEIR TAILS.
I will again quote the remarkable statement, "their power is in their mouth and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents and had heads, and with them they do hurt." The fire, smoke, and brimstone vomited from their mouths explain the first part of this strange statement. Some have supposed that the second part refers to the terrible desolation left behind the Turks in their destroying path and the blighting effects of their rule after they had effected a conquest. I believe, however, that the explanation is found in the fact that the tail of the horse is a badge of power on the part of Turkish officials. If the reader were to visit the Turkish armies, instead of a flag, he would see over the tents of their generals, horses’ tails flung to the breeze. Every leading pasha flings out a banner of three horses’ tails, inferior pashas, banners of two horses’ tails, while a bey or regiment commander is only allowed one tail. The tail is then an emblem of power; the number of tails indicates the degree of power. There is "power in horses’ tails." These strange banners flung to the breeze have signified to many a subject people that a power blasting as a Simoon and venomous as the serpent, had been sent to curse them by its baleful presence. The provinces of the Turkish Empire are under the rule of the pashas, and it is especially fitting that the symbol of their power should be likened to a serpent. Never was there a more deadly, poisonous, wasting, desolating rule than that of these horse-tail chieftains, who lorded it over the subjected provinces of the ancient Roman Empire. In order that the reader may see its terrible brutality I will mention two occurrences of this century, the desolation of the Greek island of Scio in 1822, and the Bulgarian massacres a few years ago. Scio, a beautiful island of the Archipelago, had, at that date, a population of one hundred and four thousand, mostly Greeks and professing Christians. Being suspected of sympathy with the uprising in Greece, the Turkish pasha turned his myrmidons upon them, and in two months butchered twenty-three thousand and sold forty-seven thousand more into slavery. In a few weeks the Christian population was reduced by these measures and by flight to two thousand persons. The horrible atrocities in Bulgaria, which led to the late Turko-Russian war, are too recent occurrences to require a description in these pages. These two examples are fair illustrations of what has occurred in many instances under the rule of the pashas. Rapacious, licentious, bloodthirsty, brutal, educated by their religion to believe that all unbelievers are fit subjects for spoil, or death, each pasha an absolute lord in his own province, their rule has been one of the most grinding and intolerable ever borne by man.
Thus far there is a remarkable correspondence. I have identified the Turkish invaders of the Empire, by the following remarkable facts: The Turks were "bound" by the river Euphrates for sixty years. As there were four angels bound, the Turkish power was divided into four kingdoms under the four sons of Malek Shah. They were an army of horsem*n. The colors of blue, and red, and yellow were seen in the Turkish uniform. Fire, and smoke, and brimstone, or gunpowder, were instruments of death, and first employed upon a large scale in the Turkish wars. The tail of the horse was an emblem of power among the Turks. It remains for us to examine the time indicated by the prophet as that in which they would accomplish their work of destruction, and to see whether it corresponds with the facts of Turkish history.
THE TIME.
It has been already shown that the prophetic period is three hundred and ninety-six years and four months, and it must evidently begin at the time when the angels were "loosed" in order to commence their work. It was in the year 1057, that the Turkish armies crossed the river and assailed the Empire. By the beginning of the next century their conquests extended to the Hellespont, and embraced all that portion of the world now portrayed upon the maps as Turkey in Asia. Then came the mighty uprising of Europe in the Crusades, which for the time beat back the torrent of Moslem invasion and recovered a portion of Asia. Between Europe and Asia the contest continued for two centuries, when Europe, weary of the fruitless struggle, abandoned the attempt, and the Turkish Empire, re-organized with the Ottoman Turks in power, passed over into Europe. The Eastern Empire was soon shorn of all its territories and reduced to the city of Constantinople. In the year 1453, assailed by two hundred thousand Turks, its walls battered down by the first cannon ever used in a siege, one hundred thousand of its citizens lying dead upon the ramparts, it was stormed by the Turks, and the last relic of the mighty empire which had existed for two thousand two hundred years was swept away forever. The work was done. The Empire fell in 1453. In 1057 the work began by the passage of the Euphrates. The interval between is three hundred and ninety-six years!
This remarkable prophecy is still more exact. The reader cannot fail to note the particularity of its language. The four angels were prepared for a work that was to last an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, or as we have found, a period of three hundred and ninety-six years and four months. Early in January 1057, the Turks marched out of Bagdad on their career of conquest. On the 29th day of May, 1453, they stormed Constantinople and ended the Empire, or three hundred and ninety-six years and four months, lacking a few days, from the time when they entered upon their work and crossed the Euphrates! Who can note this exact correspondence of the time with that predicted by the prophet and yet remain in doubt?
It is affirmed that during this period they should slay by means of fire, smoke, and brimstone a third part of men. It has been shown (page 136) that, for a thousand years extending to the time when the Turks overthrew the Eastern or Greek Empire, the races of men were spoken of as under three divisions; that the Goths and Vandals subverted one "third part" of the world then known, or the Western Roman Empire, described prophetically under the first four trumpets; that the Saracens conquered a second "third part," known from that time as the empire of the Caliphs, or Saracens, and that the third "third part" was the Eastern Empire, generally called from the language which was spoken,--the Greek. This Empire, the remnant of the old Roman Empire, embracing one of the three divisions of men as described by writers in that day, was destroyed and passed out of existence forever through means of the artillery of the Turks.
APOSTATES ASSAILED.
The nation that "died" of these plagues, or was overthrown, was the Greek Empire. It was composed of a people who called themselves Christians, but had apostatized from the true faith. "The rest," that is, others who partook of the apostasy, but were not overthrown by the Turks, "repented not." There can be no doubt that this refers to the Catholic world. All central and western Europe was then under the dominion of the Roman superstition and was never subjected to destruction by the Turkish power. Of these, "the rest of the men, who were not killed of the, plagues," it is affirmed that they remained impenitent. The character of their misdeeds is delineated. They were demon and idol worshipers. They engaged in murders, sorceries, fornication and thefts. Had the Christendom, assailed by the Arabian and Turkish armies, apostatized and relapsed into such heathenish sins? I will ask in succession questions concerning the various sins alleged, and answer them in detail.
1. Did they worship demons? A demon, as all critics concede, is the spirit of a departed man. The saint worship of the great Apostasy is demon worship. For the evidence of its existence at this period we quote Gibbon, Vol. V., p. 2:
The first introduction of a symbolic worship was in the veneration of the cross, and of relics. The saints and martyrs, whose intercession was implored, were seated on the right hand of God; but the gracious and often supernatural favors, which, in the popular belief, were showered round their tomb, conveyed an unquestionable sanction of the devout pilgrims, who visited, and touched, and kissed these lifeless remains, the memorials of their merits and sufferings. But a memorial, more interesting than the skull or the sandals of a departed worthy, is the faithful copy of his person and features, delineated by the arts of painting or sculpture.
2. Did they worship images, or engage in idolatry? Upon page 37, Vol. V., will be found a record of the, proceedings of the second General Council of Nice, held in 787, from which we quote the following passage:
They unanimously pronounced, that the worship of images is agreeable to Scripture and reason, to the fathers and councils of the Church; but they hesitate whether that worship be relative or direct; whether the Godhead, and the figure of Christ, be entitled to the same adoration.
3. Did they engage in murders? I need only speak of the crusade against the Albigenses, those Christians who rejected the abominations of Rome, begun in 1250, in which it is supposed that one million persons were put to death. The history of the great Apostasy is a history of blood.
4. Did they engage in sorcery? What is a sorcerer? One who deceives by tricks. Simon, the Sorcerer, passed himself off on the Samaritans as a being of supernatural power by means of his magical arts. The Papacy in every age has palmed off upon the credulous pretended miracles. Statues of the Virgin weep; the blood of a saint liquefies; children see apparitions; miraculous cures are performed. Hardly a month passes but the press records some pretended miracle. True, when examined, they are found to be the tricks of monks and nuns, but the superstitious masses receive them with unquestioning faith.
5. The next count against the survivors is Fornication. Is this true of the pretended Christians who survived the scourge of the sixth trumpet? Ah! who shall tell of the libertinism of the priests of Rome! Where the confessional robs woman of her native modesty, virtue is likely to become an empty name. I call attention to well-known and acknowledged facts. No priest can remain within the Romish church if he marry. No priest is unfitted] for his work by keeping concubines. I quote once more from Gibbon. He records the meeting of a great Catholic council, recognized as one of the General Councils of the church, and of the disposal of a question that came before it. We quote from Vol. V., p. 38:
"I shall only notice the judgment of the bishops on the comparative merit of image-worship and morality. A monk had concluded a truce with the dæmon of fornication, on condition of interrupting his daily prayers to a picture that hung in his cell. His scruples prompted him to consult the abbot. ’Rather than abstain from adoring Christ and his Mother in their holy images, it would be better for you,’ replied the casuist, ’to enter every brothel, and visit every prostitute, in the city.’"
6. The last charge made against the impenitent people is thefts. Every dollar that a spurious religion has extorted from the people by false pretences is a theft. We need no further proof that the disasters of 1453 did not produce penitence, than the fact that in 1516 the Dominican friar, Tetzel, was peddling Catholic indulgences to commit sin through the cities of Germany. Nor is further proof required than the knowledge that every confessional is a means of extorting money from the masses, through the delusion that thus they may purchase the pardon of sins.
Lecture #11
THE OPEN BOOK
by B.W. Johnson
From “Vision of the Ages”
The feature of the tenth chapter which is most prominent is a radiant angel with a small book open in his hand. This little book we are assured, and the reasons are given below, is the New Testament. The chapter presents one of the sublimest pictures found, even in this book of sublime imagery. In order to understand its meaning, we must keep before us the time in which this great angel appears. The sixth trumpet under the seventh seal has been reached, and this angel, together with the events described in the tenth and eleventh chapters,--the open book, the oath of the angel, the eating of the book, the measuring of the temple, and the death and resurrection of the two witnesses, all lie after the appearance of the sixth trumpet, and before the seventh and last trumpet is blown. It has been found that the imagery of the sixth trumpet was fulfilled in the uprising, history, and conquests of the Turkish power,--the power which finally overthrow the Eastern Empire, occupied the Holy Land, and established itself in the lands of the Bible. Its conquests were completed, Constantinople occupied, and its empire erected triumphantly on the ruins of its rival in 1453, the close of the prophetic period marked out for the duration of its destructive work. We must then look after that date for the historical events which correspond to the symbols found in the tenth and eleventh chapters.
It will be observed also that the character of the symbols undergoes a change. The angel of the tenth chapter differs widely from the six trumpet angels. The student of prophecy will conclude that he not only symbolizes a movement of vast importance, but that this movement is religious in its nature.
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not."—Revelation 10:1-4.
If the preceding interpretations are correct these symbols will find a fulfilment in events that occur after 1453. Their character seems to describe some mighty religious movement of a grand, imposing and beneficent character. In the verses just before, in the ninth chapter, the great Romish apostasy has been described, and it would seem natural that these passages should have some connection with the preceding verses, and that they would probably refer to some movement to destroy its influence.
There is a movement which, beginning in the fifteenth century, under the auspices of Wicliffe, John Huss, and Jerome of Prague, was fully developed in the sixteenth century, about seventy years after the fall of Constantinople, and which appears to me to fully meet the demands of the prediction. The great Protestant Reformation, coming at the right time in history, is the mightiest religious movement that the world has known since the introduction of Christianity. If the apostate Church is a subject of prophecy it is only reasonable that the mighty movement which sought to break the power of Rome, and to bring back the children of Israel from their long Babylonish captivity, would also be portrayed by the prophet. It would be hard to find more fitting imagery than that of this passage, to portray that event. It indicates a mighty and beneficent interposition of God, and there are certain points to which I ask the reader’s attention:
The angel holds in his hand an open book. The roll is not only unsealed, but it is unrolled so that it can be read. This open book occupies a very conspicuous place in his work. The book in the angel’s hand must be an emblem of some fact. I think that we need be at no loss to understand its meaning when we remember that the Reformation was the work of a book. Whatever the Romish clergy may pretend now, there is no doubt that before the Reformation they had taken the New Testament from the people. The whole influence of the Catholic Church was opposed to its circulation, and in many instances persons have been burned for no other crime than having the Bible in their houses. The book was left sealed up in dead languages, and it was impossible for it to be read in the native tongue of any European people. This radiant angel, however, has in his hand a book open, significant of the fact that in God’s providence the Reformation should present the New Testament, on open, to the world.
Wicliffe translated the- New Testament into the English language from the Latin Vulgate; at a later period this was followed by the translations of Tyndale and Coverdale. Luther grew up in ignorance of the Bible and of true religion, but after he had reached manhood, found a Latin Bible in the solitude and gloom of an Augustinian monastery. Until he saw this he did not even know that there were other scriptures than those given in the Catholic Breviary. The study of that Bible made him a reformer. The Reformation was caused by the book, and it in turn translated the New Testament and scattered it broadcast throughout Germany. Indebted for its origin to the book, it made it an open book to the world. It has caused the Bible to be translated into every tongue, and to become the cheapest book of the world. A movement that rescued the banished New Testament, that was itself due to its teachings, and which has resulted in that book being printed in every tongue of earth, and being furnished at prices that enable every family to possess the sacred volume, is certainly fitly symbolized by a book open in the hands of a radiant angel.
THE SEVEN THUNDERS.
This angel "cried in a loud voice," likened to the deafening roar of the lion. We are not told what he said, but there is no doubt that it was his purpose to call the attention of the inhabitants of the earth and sea upon which he stood, to the book that he hold in his hand. "When he cried seven thunders uttered their voices." In all the best manuscripts the definite article precedes the seven thunders in all three of the instances in which it occurs. This would imply that something definite and well known was meant. As there has been no allusion before to the thunders, they must be pointed out by well-known facts of history which give them prominence. We speak of the sun, the moon, the president, even if they have not been mentioned before, because they are well known. Certain facts will help us to understand what is meant. 1. The apostate power which had taken away and closed the book of the New Testament was called the seven-hilled city, and is alluded to in Revelation as the woman that sat on seven mountains (Revelation 17:9). 2. The word thunder has been constantly used to describe the threatening, blasphemous, and authoritative fulminations issued by the seven-hilled power against its enemies. To illustrate this, Le Bas says in his life, of Wicliffe, page 198: "The thunders which shook the world when they issued from the seven hills, sent forth an uncertain sound, comparatively faint and powerless, when launched from a region of less devoted sanctity." These ecclesiastical thunders derived their power from the fact that they were hurled from the seven-hilled city.
Very appropriately the bulls and anathemas of Rome may then be called the seven thunders. 1. It is a historic fact that the opening of the book by the Reformation, called forth the loudest voices of the seven thunders. The anathemas that had been wont to shake the nations were hurled at Luther and his supporters. Scarcely had Luther published his Theses, when an attack was made upon them by the Papal Censor at Rome, which was dedicated to Pope Leo and, ere a year had elapsed, a solemn Papal bull was issued and committed to Cardinal Cajetan, the Papal Legate in Germany, for promulgation against Luther. This was followed by others, and at last the thunders of damnation were launched against the German reformers by the seven-hilled potentate, who claimed to be the vicegerent of God. It is clear that the seven thunders did utter their voices.
John says that he was about to write what they uttered. His act is symbolic. He becomes himself a part of the symbolism. His act shows that the voices of the seven thunders claimed a record as of divine authority. There was something uttered, and what was uttered was so presented that John was about to record it in the word of God. Then he heard a voice from heaven which bade him seal up what was uttered and write it not. It was to have no part in the words recorded by the divine sanction, and as far as the divine authority is involved, was to be consigned to oblivion.
When we remember that the thunders that issued from the Vatican were regarded by the nations as the voice of God, and that the Pope claimed to be the vicar of Christ, we can understand the meaning of John’s symbolical purpose to record them as a part of the word of God, and also that of the heavenly voice which forbade them to be written. It simply represents what did take place among the reformers. There was an open book offered to the world. This resulted in the voices of the thunders of the seven-hilled city. At first there was a disposition on the part, even of Martin Luther, to listen to these thunders as divine. Let us listen to his own words:
"When I began the affair of the indulgences I was a monk and a most mad Papist. So intoxicated was I, and drenched in Papal dogmas, that I would have been most ready to murder, or to assist others in murdering, any person who would have uttered a syllable against the duty of obedience to the Pope."
Again he says:
"After being enabled to answer every objection which could be brought against me from Scripture, one difficulty alone remained--the Church ought to be obeyed. If I had then braved the Pope, as I do now, I should have expected, every hour, that the earth would be opened to swallow me alive, like Korah and Abiram."
In 1518 he wrote to the Pope defending his course in attacking Tetzel, but adding, "I will acknowledge thy voice as the voice of Christ presiding and speaking in thee." Thus, when the seven thunders uttered their voices, he was about to write them in the Scripture; that is, to receive them as of divine authority. This was, at first, the disposition of all the reformers, but by some means the voice of heaven forbade them, and "they wrote them not." When in 1520, the Pope’s Bull of anathemas and excommunication was hurled against Luther, he refused to listen to the voice of the thunders, and in return did an act that electrified Europe. Having summoned a vast audience at Wittemburg, he committed the Bull to the flames by the hands of the common hangman. He had then heard the voice from heaven, which said, write not. This memorable deed marks the completion of the first epoch of the Reformation.
"And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea, and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets."—Revelation 10:5-7.
The reader will observe that this follows immediately after the seven thunders uttered their voices. It seems to be in the nature of a response. The seven-hilled power had always been a persecuting power, claimed universal dominion, and that its kingdom would be eternal. In response to the anathemas, thunders, and persecutions, called forth by the Reformation, the great angel who stands on both sea and land lifted his hand and uttered his solemn oath that the period of probation, persecution and suffering on the part of the Church, soon shall end. In Revelation 6:11, the suffering martyrs of Pagan persecution are told that they should "rest a little season (chronos), until their fellow-servants and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." That second great period of persecution, here predicted, came when the seven thunders uttered their voices to anathematize the Reformation; but then the apocalyptic angel gives the suffering church the assurance of a solemn oath that time (chronos, the same word which is used in Revelation 6:11,) should come, to a close when the seventh angel, the only remaining angel, should begin to sound. He does not affirm that time shall end until the last trumpet has blown. As that is the next great epoch in the world’s history, outlined by the trumpets, it is affirmed that the days of tribulation are drawing to a close, and that the long-looked-for day of triumph, when Christ shall reign with his saints over every enemy, is near at hand. Nor does he affirm that absolute time shall end, but the great period of human history, stretching from the first sin to the glorious consummation when the kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ. This is evident from the declaration that, when the angel sounds and time shall end, then "the mystery of God shall be finished, as he hath declared to his servants, the prophets." Then shall all the mystery of God, the mystery of godliness, of redemption through Christ, the whole history of the grace of God as manifested in the struggling Church, be completed as the prophets have declared in portraying its history and that of the world.
"And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey; and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings."—Revelation 10:8-11.
I have already taken it for granted that the acts of John himself in this book of symbols, are symbolical. His readiness to write the things uttered by the seven thunders, and the command that he should not write them, the command to take the open book, to eat it, and the effects, are all probably symbols of events that have occurred in the history of the Church. What I suppose to be meant can be explained in a few words, but in order to have a connected view, I will give a synopsis of the events of the chapter. 1. The angel holds in his hand an open book. 2. He calls attention to it in a loud voice. 3. The seven thunders launch their thunderbolts against the reception of the open book by the world. 4. John is about to record their words, but is forbidden. 5. The angel affirms with an oath, that the duration of the power and terror of the seven thunders shall be short, and that soon the seventh angel shall sound universal redemption and triumph. 6. John is bidden to take the book. 7. He receives it and is told to eat it, or to receive and devour its contents. 8. Its words are sweet like honey. In the nineteenth Psalm the word of the Lord is compared to the sweetness of honey. 9. There are bitter effects that follow. The great object of this angel seems to be to present the open book to the world. The book is mentioned four times in the chapter; twice it is stated that the book was open. John, in behalf of humanity, receives the book; a symbol of the reception of the New Testament in their own tongues, received by the nations as a result of the Reformation. The word of the Lord was received by the people with great eagerness and joy. They found it "sweeter than honey in the honey comb." But while they devoured the word with great enjoyment, the results that followed were full of bitterness. In many countries the New Testament was a forbidden book and those who accepted it were subjected to bitter persecution. The Catholic Inquisition was organized in order to persecute and destroy those who had "devoured" the book. It would be impossible for the pen of history to portray the bitterness, horror and bloodshed wrought by this engine of Satan. In a single province, the Netherlands, under a single governor, the Duke of Alva, no less than 18,000 persons were put to death.
There is portrayed last another consequence of eating the book. "Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings." To prophesy is not only to foretell future events, but to declare the message of God. This message had been declared once by the apostles, both in person, and by those who preached their words. For long ages before the Reformation this proclamation had almost ceased, but when the open book was received by the world and was devoured, the consequence was a revival of the apostolic preaching. John, the last of the apostles, and the representative of the apostolic body, again preached before peoples and nations through those who faithfully presented the apostolic gospel.
The division of the New Testament into chapters is often unfortunately made, and especially so in Revelation. The separation between the tenth and eleventh chapters breaks a subject in the midst, and serves to mislead the reader. The great thought from the opening of the tenth chapter until the seventh angel sounds in the eleventh chapter, is the OPEN BOOK. In the tenth chapter it is seen in the hands of the angel, and is received by John symbolically. In the eleventh it appears as the divine measure by which the Church and its worship are measured; and again as the two witnesses, crucified, resurrected, exalted. As the result of this exaltation the grand triumph is reached, and the kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ. Our attention is called in the beginning of the eleventh chapter to….
THE MEASUREMENT OF THE CHURCH.
"And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months."
There are several points that must be noticed: 1. Who measures? 2. The measure used. 3. What is measured?
1. A reed is given to John to be used as a measure. It is not an angel who measures, but an apostle, the sole representative of the apostles then living. The apostle is a representative of the apostolic body. It is the apostles who are to measure.
2. The measure is not a human one. John did not make it, nor did any other apostle, nor any man, or body of men. The reed was given to him. It is a divine measure. Whatever is measured is to be compared with a divine standard. There is a divine standard for measurement which was given by our Lord to the apostles. That is the New Testament of Jesus Christ.
3. The temple is to be measured. There was no temple, then standing in Jerusalem. Near twenty years before it had been destroyed, never to be restored. There was no temple of God made with human hands upon the earth. There can then be no reference to a material temple, but rather to the spiritual temple of which the tabernacle and temple were types. Every student of the Scripture knows that this spiritual temple is the Church of Jesus Christ. "Do you know," says Paul, 1 Corinthians 3:16, "that you (the church at Corinth) are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwells in you?" The temple measured is undoubtedly the congregation of God’s people. But the altar is also measured. What does this signify? In the Jewish temple the altar was the place where the worship centered. Without the altar worship was impossible. The temple worship was the worship of the altar, and the altar is taken] as a symbol of worship. It evidently then means that the worship of the Church shall be measured. Those that worship at the altar shall be measured also. By this divine reed the apostles shall measure the Church, the modes of worship, and the character of the worshipers. After this explanation of the meaning of terms, the significance becomes plain. This prediction will be fulfilled if, under the sixth trumpet, before the seventh is blown, a corrupted Church, corrupted during long ages of apostasy, shall be compared with some divine standard. Or, in other words, after 1453 there ought to be an effort to reform the Church, and to conform it to the New Testament. Let us ask again who shall measure the Church? Not Popes, not councils, not apostolic fathers, but the reed is given to an apostle, the living representative of the apostolic body. The twelve to whom were given twelve thrones, to judge the twelve tribes of Israel, shall also measure the Church of Jesus Christ in the day signified by the symbolism employed. How? The reed was not their own creation but was given to them. There is but one, divine measure that has ever been given. The. New Testament, written by apostles, given to them by inspiration, is the divine standard with which the Church, the worship and the worshipers, must be tested. Not the traditions of men, not the decisions of councils, not the decrees of synods, or conferences, not the creeds of any uninspired body that ever met on the face of the earth, but the standard measure, is the New Testament.
THE TRUE CHURCH.
This is not the only place where the reed is named as the appointed instrument for the measurement of the Church. If the reader will turn to the twenty-first chapter he will find that the New Jerusalem, the holy city, is measured by an angel with a golden reed. In Ezekiel, chap. 40, the prophet sees an angel measure with a reed a temple such as has never been seen by mortal vision. The temple itself is just equal to the measure, and it is composed of many chambers, all equal in size to the reed, to each other, and to the temple itself, of which they are parts! This strange symbolism, this representation of what is apparently impossible, most beautifully represents the character of the true Church, when it has reached the fullness of the divine measure, and appears as the New Jerusalem.
The whole temple is just the size, neither larger nor smaller than the reed. The true Church corresponds exactly with the divine measure of the Word. It neither adds to itself things unknown to the apostles, nor omits the things therein enjoined. As the temple of Ezekiel was composed of chambers, each of which was the same size of the temple, so the Church is composed of many congregations, each of which should correspond exactly to the measure of the whole body. These individual congregations which make up the spiritual temple, cannot therefore differ from each other in name, in creeds, in rites, in observances, as do the sects of modern times. In the true Church there will be one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one hope, one name, one practice.
The symbolism recorded by the apostle evidently describes the measurement of the Church, its worship, and of its worshipers by the divine standard of the New Testament. Our next inquiry is whether history records the fulfilment. Do we find aught in history, subsequent to 1453, which can be regarded a fulfilment of the prophecy? Earlier reformers, such as Waldo, Wicliffe, and Huss, made an attempt to reform the Church, but the whole world dates the beginning of the Protestant Reformation with Luther. It was in 1517 that he nailed to the doors of the church in Wittemburg his Theses, by which he broke with Rome. It was held by the Papacy, which then lorded over Christendom, that the writings of the Fathers, tradition, and the decrees of councils were not only an additional measure, but might even set aside the Word of God. The great Reformation planted itself upon the principles maintained by Martin Luther, and the cornerstone of Protestantism is that the Bible is the only rule of faith and practice of the Christian Church.
It is true that Protestantism has not always been faithful to its own principles. Even Luther forgot them, and substituted the Augsburg Confession as a measuring reed; others adopted the Thirty-nine Articles, the Westminster Confession, or some other human standard, but the principle survived, and ever since the days of Luther men have been studying the New Testament and testing churches, rites, and professed Christians, by this divine standard. For long centuries before the era of Luther the Christian world had lain wrapped in slumber, and trusted to popes, councils, and priests, for the interpretation of the Bible, but since that day the world has awaked from its slumbers. The Bible has been wrested from the hands of the clergy and restored to the people. There have been three centuries of search for the old land-marks, long obscured by the rubbish of tradition and priest craft. For forty-two months the Holy City had been trodden down by the Gentiles, and to tear away the ruins and discover the old paths has been the work of ages devoted to the study of the Bible.
The court without is not to be measured. The connection shows that the court of the Gentiles, which surrounded the temple on all sides, is meant. This was typical of the world, and the fact that it is not to be measured, shows that the world, and those who follow the world, whether sinners or professing Christians, do not come up to the divine standard. This outer court is said to be given to the Gentiles, and it is added that they shall tread the Holy City underfoot for forty-two months. The Holy City is a type of the Church, and this language implies its oppression for a period of twelve hundred and sixty days, or years. This period is referred to at least five times in the Bible, and I will consider its meaning at length in connection with the two witnesses, introduced in the third verse.
THE TWO WITNESSES.
The third verse introduces these two witnesses, to whom power is given to prophesy in sackcloth for twelve hundred and sixty days. There has been little agreement among expositors concerning the meaning of this passage. I think, however, that a close examination will, guide the reader into the truth, and that he will find in the passage, when understood, a wonderful fulfilment of prophecy.
"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as. they will." Revelation 11:3-6.
The reader will note certain facts here stated concerning these witnesses:
1. There are two witnesses, and only two.
2. These two are witnesses. Their business is to testify to certain facts or truths.
3. The Lord says they are "my" witnesses. They testify for the Lord. 4. The Lord gives these witnesses power. "I will give power," etc.
5. They shall testify in sackcloth. This implies that they shall testify in sorrow, robed in mourning.
6. They shall do this 1260 days, or, since a day in prophecy is the symbol of a year, for a period of 1260 years.
7. These witnesses are likened to two olive trees and to two candlesticks.
8. It is stated that they shall have power to destroy their enemies. 9. Also to intercept blessings. 10. At the end of three and a half years, or 1260 days, shall be slain.
11. Shall he unburied, but after three and a half days shall rise again.
12. Shall have great power and glory and be exalted to heaven.
13. The city of sin shall then be overthrown, and
14. The kingdoms of the earth become the kingdoms, of the Lord.
There are a number of facts recorded here which must be true of the witnesses, and the business of the interpreter is simply to ascertain whether there is anything of which they are true and which would correspond with these facts.
1. The first one of the fourteen facts I have noted is that there were only two witnesses. I have lying before me an open Bible. I find that the Book of Revelation is in what is called the New Testament. The whole Bible is divided into two great divisions, which are called the Old and New Testaments. There are then two Testaments. Note further that the term testament is a word that signifies to bear witness. It is derived from a Latin word, testor, which means, I testify. The two testaments then mean simply two witnesses. We have, therefore, in the Old and New Testaments, two witnesses, whether they are those described by John or not.
2. These two witnesses of the Bible each testify of the Lord. He said to the Jews concerning the Old Testament Scriptures, "They testify of me." The Apostle John says concerning his life of the Savior, "These things were written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." One of these witnesses testifies of the Lord in type and prophecy; the other testifies by its history of facts.
3. The two witnesses are the Lord’s. He gives them their power and they testify of him. Thus far the two witnesses of the Bible correspond exactly with the two witnesses of the prophecy. I will pass over some of the marks that we have already noted, for the present, but will return to them when I have considered other marks that are more apparent. The seventh mark noted above is that the witnesses are two olive trees and two candlesticks. The office of the candlestick, or rather of the lamp, for such is the meaning of the original term, is to give light. The olive tree furnished the oil needful for the lamp. The idea evidently is that the two witnesses are, like the lamp fed with olive oil, sources of light. This fact is also true of the Bible. "Thy word," says the Psalmist, "is a lamp unto the feet and a light to the path." The souls of all the saints testify to the light shed in upon them by the Word of God. The eighth mark is that the two witnesses have power to destroy. The Word of God can save and it can destroy. It can justify and it can condemn. In the Judgment the fate of men will be decided by the Word. If the reader will turn to Revelation 19:11-21, and read what is written of the conquests, triumphs, and destruction of the Word of God, he will require nothing more upon this point.
IN SACKCLOTH 1260 DAYS.
The two witnesses are to prophesy, or testify, in sackcloth for 1260 days. Sackcloth was, among the people of the East, the garb of mourning. It is a symbol of sorrow and of tribulation. For the long period of 1260 years the two witnesses shall testify in times of mourning, and shall be in tribulation. There shall be hindrances and restraints to their testimony. Such is the meaning of the prophecy. Does history show this to be true of the two witnesses of the Bible?
Every one knows how the facts correspond. When the Romish apostasy was developed, it took the Bible out of the hands of the people and buried it in the cells of monasteries. It was regarded as unhallowed for one not a priest to read the Scriptures. It was urged that priests only were able to interpret them. Even the priests were compelled to preach the Word just as the Church directed. When some of them were honest enough to preach what they found in the Bible, they were put to death. A whole army of martyrs, John Huss, Savonarola, Latimer, Ridley, and others, suffered because they preached faithfully what they read. During many centuries it was a crime for one of the people to have a Bible in his possession. Wherever the Bible was found it was burned, and thousands of saints were sent to the stake for no other crime than having in their possession a copy of the Word of God. In addition to all this the Bible was locked up in languages that the people did not understand. When it was read in the churches the Latin version was used, and it was the fixed policy of the Papacy that it should not be translated into living tongues. Certainly, during a long period, when the Scriptures were locked up in dead languages, and never read nor translated into the tongues spoken by the people, when it was a crime to own a Bible, and when the Bible in a living language was burnt whenever found, the two witnesses prophesied in sackcloth.
This period of mourning, during which the witnesses shall prophesy in sackcloth, is 1260 days. The same period is named in several places in this prophecy. In Daniel 7:25 it is stated that the youngest horn of the sea monster shall have dominion for a time, times, and half a time. This is understood to be a period of three and a half years, forty-two months, or 1260 days. The outer court of the Holy City shall be trodden down by the Gentiles for forty-two months, or 1260 days (verse 2). The woman was fed of God in the wilderness for 1260 days (Revelation 13:6). She was nourished a time, times, and a half time, or three and one-half years, or 1260 days (Revelation 13:14). In five different passages the same period of time is named, and evidently covers in each case, the same period of the history of the Church. The day being used as a symbol for a year, we know that for 1260 years, the horn spoken of by Daniel, which speaks great words against the Most High, shall have dominion; that for the same period the Gentiles, the enemies of the saints, shall be in power; the two witnesses prophesy in sackcloth and the woman, the type of the true Church, flee into the wilderness. This remarkable period is that of the power and glory of Rome. It becomes us, once for all, to settle when this period began and when it ends.
It has been usual to begin it in A. D. 606, when the Emperor Phocas bestowed upon the Pope the title of Universal Bishop, but from this view I am compelled to dissent. The period would then end in 1866. There is nothing seen in history at that time that would correspond to the slaying of the witnesses.
The rise of the great Apostasy was gradual. Even in Paul’s time the mystery of iniquity had begun to work. It is somewhat difficult to mark the exact point in this development of the Romish power, which may be regarded as the beginning of the 1260 years. It is easier to mark the end, when the witnesses were slain. I therefore selected an event which it appeared to me would be fittingly represented by the slaying of the two witnesses. I found such an event in 1793, and I then counted back from it 1260 years in order to see if I could find aught that would correspond to the beginning of such a period. This brought me to A. D. 533. What do we find at that time?
In A. D. 527 Justinian ascended the Imperial throne. Before his reign the schism had begun between the Greek and the Roman churches. He healed that schism by force in favor of Rome.. If the reader will open Gibbon, Vol. IV., p. 528, he will find an account of a terrible persecution, inaugurated by this monarch, in order to make all conform to the Papal rule. "His reign," says Gibbon, "was a uniform, yet various scene of persecution. * * Churches with their congregations were surrounded by Catholic soldiers, and the houses were burned with the congregations in them." At this period then the Church is drenched in blood in order to make the Romish power universal. The witnesses certainly prophesy in mourning. What more? In A. D. 531, Justinian decreed the subjugation of the whole Church to the Roman Pope, and A. D. 5339 he bestowed upon him the title of Rector Ecclesiæ, or Lord of the Church. (D’Aubigne’s Reformation, Vol. 1, p. 42.)
In A. D. 533 the "Man of Sin" was certainly fully revealed. The Papacy was completely established. The secular ruler of the world sanctioned the claims of the Pope to the supremacy, declared him by edict to be absolute ruler of the Church, and supported his pretensions by a terrible persecution of all who refused to do him homage. The climax of the long series of encroachments upon the purity and freedom of the Church was reached at this time, and it is certain that when those who sought to follow the Bible rather than obey the Pope were persecuted unto death, then the witnesses began to testify in sackcloth. The prophetic period began in 533. This is shown by every mark connected with the beginning of that period. At this time the little horn was fully developed, the Holy City trodden down by Gentiles, the Church driven into the wilderness, and the two witnesses were certainly clothed in sackcloth. For these reasons then I would place the beginning of this period at this date. It remains to be seen whether the witnesses were slain 1260 years after, or in 1793. I will quote the words of the apostle:
"And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, and where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entereth into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear full upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up higher. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies beheld them."—Revelation 11:7-12.
Let the reader note the facts here affirmed concerning the slaying f the two witnesses. 1. It will take place when they have finished their testimony. This does not mean when they have ended testifying, but when they have made their testimony complete. 2. It is the beast from the "bottomless pit" that makes war upon them. This pit is referred to in Revelation 9:2. Out of it then came a diabolical, false and infidel power. The power that wages war upon the witnesses will be a similar unbelieving power and will like it wage bitter warfare upon all who profess to follow Christ. 3. Their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city. Two cities are named in Revelation. One is the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, the true Church and finally, the redeemed and glorified Church; the other is "that great city which reigneth over the kings of the, earth," and is variously called "Sodom, Egypt, the city where our Lord was crucified," and "Babylon." It represents the apostate Church. These witnesses will then lie exposed in the broad street of the false Church, or somewhere in the dominions or presence of Rome.
During the long period extending from A. D. 533 to 1792, a prophetic period of 1260 years, the two witnesses, the Old and New Testaments, remained in sackcloth. Even where the light had begun to spring up and the Protestant Reformation had taken the place of the Romish faith, there was still intoleration. Puritans were persecuted in England, Baptists in Lutheran Germany, Calvin burnt Servetus in Geneva, Quakers and Baptists were punished for their religion in the American colonies. Still, although the Bible had been translated into various tongues, the witnesses, until nearly the close of the eighteenth century, everywhere testified in sackcloth, for the reason that the world had not yet learned the principles of free religious toleration. Men were not allowed to read and understand the Bible for themselves. At the close of that period it might be said that their testimony was complete. The Bible was translated into every civilized tongue.
"War was made upon them." Near the close of the last century the most determined attack ever known was made upon the Bible. Voltaire and Rousseau led in France; Frederick the Great in Germany; Tom Paine, Hume, Gibbon, and Bolingbroke in England; Thomas Jefferson and Paine in America. At last the culmination was reached in France. The nation rose in a crusade against all religion. The Convention, composed of the representatives of the mightiest nation then upon the earth, by national law abolished not only the Bible but God. They decreed that France would worship no gods but Reason and Liberty. Atheism became the law of the State.
This is the only instance known to all history of a deliberate legislative enactment abolishing all religion. Most fitly might such an event be styled the slaying of the witnesses who testify of the Lord. For 1260 years the testimony of the witnesses had been in part suppressed; in 1793 it was enacted that they should testify no more, or henceforth should be silent as death. It was decreed that time should date no more from the Christian era, and that the week itself should be abolished because it was a Bible division of time. Let it be borne in mind:
1. that the war was waged by the power from the bottomless pit; an infidel power;
2. the witnesses were slain by the state which had done more than all others to build up and uphold the temporal power of the Pope. They lie in the street of the great city.
3. It is just 1260 years, the prophetic period, from the time when the Pope was styled Lord of the Church by imperial authority, until the date of the abolition of the Bible and of God by "the eldest son of the Church," or from A. D. 633 to A. D. 1793.
They lie unburied in the streets. Some have supposed that this refers to the contemptuous treatment given to the witnesses. None but the most savage power will leave its slain enemies unburied. There was never a more savage power than this infidel France of 1793. I suppose that it rather refers to the fact that they could not get the witnesses out of sight. Though slain by law, the Bible still remained and haunted its enemies. Its enemies could not abolish it from their remembrance.
THE TRIUMPH OF THE WITNESSES.
After three days and a half the witnesses came to life. This implies that they regain their power and influence. The French "Convention," which inaugurated the Reign of Terror, guillotined all the royal family and many thousand citizens, decreed the dethronement of God, and made itself a terror to mankind, continued in existence for a little more than three years, and in about three and a half years the French nation began to recover from its madness. Its atheistic laws were repealed, and Christianity was acknowledged as the religion of the State. This was not all. The resurrected witnesses were in sackcloth no longer. The age of religious toleration had come. With the beginning of the present century a movement began to sweep over every civilized land in favor of religious liberty. It began in the United States, it extended to Great Britain, and has swept on until there is not a Catholic country where the laws do not permit the reading of the Bible and the preaching of the gospel. The sackcloth is laid aside, and the witnesses are taken up to heaven. This signifies, not their removal, but exaltation to a power and glory unknown for 1260 years. Do we behold it?
1. With the nineteenth century began a mighty movement to extend the circulation of the Bible. It is now translated into every written tongue of earth, and the Bible societies have made it the cheapest book in the world. To all who are not able to buy it is freely given. All are free to study it for themselves.
2. Ours is also the age of missions. At the same time began a movement to preach the truths of the Bible to all nations. There is no accessible land on the face of the earth where the voice of the missionary is not now heard.
3. But even beyond these facts there began, at the close of the last century and developed itself in the first quarter of the present, a movement to tear away the human creeds that had fettered the Word of God. The watchword of the reformers was the Bible alone. The movement has gathered power as it has gone on, until the creeds of men are as weak as the green withes of the Philistines. The day is near at hand when they will be laid aside forever. There is certainly manifested in these facts an exaltation of the witnesses to heaven.
"And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven."
Here we have presented the results of the exaltation of the witnesses. At the time of the exaltation a great earthquake takes place. This earthquake is not a physical agitation of the earth, but a moral and religious upheaval, an agitation of thought. The shaking of the earth is a symbol of the convulsion of society. This earthquake prostrates a tenth part of the city, "Sodom and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified," and after the destruction of a part of its population, the rest give glory to God.
I have reached a part of Revelation where I speak with great modesty. The events here described are in part at least yet in the future. It is perhaps possible for us to form a correct idea of the unfulfilled part from its connection with what has already passed into history. The following conclusions seem to be justified:
1. As a result of the exaltation of the witnesses, or in other words, of the general diffusion of Bible knowledge, the power of Rome must be shaken. This has already taken place. The Bible is being distributed in France, Spain, Italy, and in Rome itself. The people are fast breaking loose from the superstition of ages. Priestcraft has lost its hold upon all the more intelligent portion of society. A great moral earthquake began the very hour the witnesses were exalted and has continued to the present time.
2. A tenth part of the city shall be shaken down. As there were ten kingdoms which upheld the papacy, (Revelation 17:12) this prophecy means that one of these kingdoms shall fall away from Rome. I think that we can see that this event is in progress. The Italian nation has seized upon the property of the monastic orders, established universal religious toleration, wrested from the Pope the States of the Church, and occupied Rome itself. The Pontiff, secluded in the Vatican, holds no communication with the King of Italy who occupies an old Papal palace in Rome. Victor Emmanuel died in excommunication, and the present King of Italy is under Papal censure. Protestant churches are being established in every city of Italy, and it would not be surprising that the State, at any time, should formally dissolve all connection with the Romish Church. A similar tendency has prevailed in France since the fall of Napoleon III. The State has exiled the Jesuits, prohibited other religious orders from teaching the children and taken education out of the hands of the priests. It has also placed Protestant churches on the same footing before the law as the Catholic, and it is certain that if the Republic is perpetuated, France will be lost to the Papacy.
The slaying of seven thousand men refers to some event that will clearly fulfill the prophecy, but cannot be described because it has not yet occurred. As a consequence "the remnant are affrighted and give glory to the God of heaven, which probably signifies their repentance and return to the true faith. The "Great City" is to be overthrown and the instrumentality by which this shall be accomplished is the Word of God. When this event is fully consummated the period indicated by the sixth trumpet,--the age of the world which embraces the nineteenth century,--shall come to a close.
"The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever."—Revelation 11:14-15.
Here is the final triumph. It is the brightness of Zion’s glad morning, the long-deferred day of victory, the ushering in of the conquering reign of Christ. The agency by which this conquest is effected is the exaltation of the witnesses, or the diffusion of the Word of God. This exaltation causes the earthquake, the fall of a part of the Great City, the destruction of a part of its inhabitants, and the repentance of the remnant. These events are followed by the seventh trumpet and the proclamation of the universal reign of Christ. Then the heavenly inhabitants join in pæans of victory and songs of praise and thanksgiving.
"And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroyeth the earth."—Revelation 11:16-18.
Revelation 11:18 will sufficiently explain why this also should be called a woe trumpet. It is the trumpet of judgment. The same events are given in detail in the closing chapters of Revelation.
Revelation 11:18 brings us to the end of the first series of visions. The seventh trumpet of the seventh seal sounds the general judgment and the triumph of righteousness. In this series of visions the outlines of secular history have been prominent; the fate of the persecuting nations, and especially of the Roman Empire, have been foreshadowed; the final overthrow of wickedness is revealed, and suffering saints are cheered by beholding the ultimate triumph of the Church. This brings us to the end of the world and of the first part of the Book of Revelation.
Lecture #12
THE CHURCH IN THE WILDERNESS
by B.W. Johnson
From “Vision of the Ages”
The book of Revelation divides itself into two parts. There are two series of visions, one giving the fate of the world and ending with Revelation 11:18; the other beginning with the next verse and extending to the close of the book. The first series has brought us to the fall of the great city of sin, the triumph of Christ, and the general Judgment; the second begins with the infancy of the Church and traces its career and struggles until the New Jerusalem is revealed from heaven. While the object of the second series is to outline the history of the true Church, at the same time it necessarily reveals the history and fate of a false Church, a great apostasy, which shall be the mightiest enemy of the truth. It is unfortunate that the last verse of the eleventh chapter has not been attached to the next chapter where it properly belongs, as it is the beginning of
A NEW VISION.
The reader will observe that the language with which the first series opens in Revelation 4:1, is quite similar to the opening words of the verse that begins the second series. "I saw a door opened in heaven" is the opening sentence of the prophecy, Revelation 4:1, language which implies that the secrets of heaven are to be revealed. In Revelation 11:19, it is said that "The temple of God was opened in heaven." Even the Ark of the Testament in its most secret place is brought to view. There is to be a revelation of facts connected with the temple of God. We have already shown that the reference is, not to the Jewish temple which no longer existed, but to the spiritual temple, the Church of Jesus Christ. Its door is opened; its history is foretold; the visions now beheld, will relate to its fortunes, sorrows, trials, triumphs.
"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: and she being with child, cried, travailing in birth, and pained, to be delivered."—Revelation 12:1-2.
After the announcement that it is the door of the temple that is now opened, the vision sweeps onward and the facts of history are portrayed in the symbols beheld by the apostle through the opened portals. His attention is fixed upon a great wonder. There appears in heaven a beautiful woman, clothed with the sun, standing upon the moon, and crowned with twelve stars. Let us pause before we proceed further, to inquire what this may mean?
A woman is used as a symbol many times in the Scriptures. "Say you to the daughter of Zion, behold thy salvation cometh." (Isaiah 62:11.) Here the reference is to the Church. Again Paul, Galatians 4:31 says, "Ye are not the children of the bond woman, but of the free woman." All are agreed that here the free woman represents the Church. Again, Revelation 21:2, John sees the New Jerusalem descending adorned as a bride to meet her husband. The bride, the Lamb’s wife, here and in the ninth verse, indeed in every place spoken of, is the Church. Once more; Paul speaks of Jerusalem, the mother of us all, alluding again to the Church. This symbol, then, is a, common one to represent the Church, and we are justified in declaring that to be its meaning in this passage. Indeed, in the verse preceding, we have the Church named under the designation of the temple of God.
This woman is clothed with the sun, shines with sunlight, the light of the Sun of Righteousness, whence cometh all her glory. Let Christ, her light be taken away, and she who is as fair as the moon, as clear as the sun, is changed into darkness. The woman stands upon the moon. I suppose this refers to the Jewish, the shadowy dispensation, to Moses and his law. Their light is all reflected light. Unless flooded with the rays of the Sun of Righteousness the Old Testament would cease to shine. Upon this old dispensation, the Church following it in time and superior in excellence, stands not as upon a foundation, but as following in succession.
Twelve stars were in the diadem that rested upon her brow. It is so evident that this refers to the twelve apostles, inspired by Christ to carry on his work, establish the Church and give it laws, that I need only to refer to the explanation.
The Apostle not only notes the attire of the woman, but speaks of her peculiar condition. She is about to become a mother. We may be assured that this would not have been noted if it had no significance. Again we must let the Scripture explain its own meaning. "As soon as Zion travailed she brought forth children." (Isaiah 66:8.) The travail of Zion causeth an increase. The condition asks our attention to a Church in sorrow a suffering Church, but out of whose suffering there cometh an increase of the saints. It is a period when the saints are multiplied in the midst of persecution.
The symbolism points us to a period when the Church is pure. She shines brightly with the light of the Sun of Righteousness. There is no spot to dim the lustre of her garments. The twelve apostles are the only stars. She has no uninspired leaders whose light has dimmed that of Christ and his apostles. But, in this time of purity there is sorrow. The Church cries out with pain. Saints are imprisoned, tortured, martyrs die, but amid the pain and flames of death, exhibit such constancy, such devotion, such moral grandeur, that the blood of martyrs becomes the seed of the Church.
"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born."—Revelation 12:3-4.
The Apostle also sees….
A RED DRAGON...
with seven heads and ten horns. Seven crowns are upon his heads. With his tail he draws one-third part of the stars of heaven. He is the woman’s enemy. He stands waiting, ready to devour her offspring.
I shall more fully describe in a subsequent chapter the meaning of the various marks of the dragon. The dragon, the seven heads, the ten horns, are named several times in the book of Revelation, and are also described in the seventh chapter of Daniel. In all these places they describes the same baneful power. The proofs that they represent various features of the Romish sway, of Pagan Rome, followed by spiritual Rome, are complete, and will be laid before the reader ere we close this series.
But there is another power behind these manifestations, a power that, assuming various forms, has animated both heathen and Papal Rome. That power is named in the ninth verse. The great dragon is the old serpent, called the devil and Satan. He is the source of all the opposition that has ever sprung up against the Church. He can transform himself into an angel of light. He can take the form of a church to compass his ends, or he can incite secular authority to the persecution of the true Church.
At this time, the period already indicated in the history of the Church, he assumes the form of Rome, of imperial Rome, the seven-hilled city, for says the Apostle, Revelation 17:9, "the seven heads are seven mountains." This, then, is the period when the Church is sweeping on with a mighty increase; when imperial Rome seeks to check that mighty growth; when Diocletian decrees the utter abolition of the Christian name; when Maxentius, the competitor of Constantine for the empire, vowed to Jupiter that if he would give him success, he would exterminate Christianity from the face of the earth. It is a period of mighty conflict, of a stern grapple between the moral resistance of the Church and the murderous legions of Rome. It is the period when the dragon, red, bloody, mighty, seeks to destroy the offspring of the woman, the saints, from the earth.
THE MAN CHILD.
"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne."—Revelation 12:5.
If the reader will turn to the seventeenth verse he will learn that the remnant of the woman’s seed is "those who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." The offspring of the woman, the "woman’s seed," then refers to the saints. It is they that the dragon seeks to destroy. But how shall they rule the nations with a rod of iron? It is usually supposed that this denotes the sternness of the dominion, but the use of the same expression elsewhere shows that it refers rather to the completeness, strength and universal prevalence of their sway. An iron rod, or sceptre, is one that can not be broken. In Revelation 19:15, it is declared that the Word of God shall rule the nations with a rod of iron. This is accomplished through the saints. They shall yet possess the earth. Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess. The kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ. The man child, the woman’s seed, the saints, shall have a complete, an undisputed, a resistless dominion. They shall rule with an iron sceptre. But the man child is caught up to heaven. What means this? It means that the saints, protected by God, shall have a glorious exaltation. There was a signal fulfilment of this promise in the complete triumph of Christianity over Paganism. Before the end of the fourth century the long struggle of the dragon to devour the offspring of the woman was over. Paganism was utterly overthrown. Christianity was the acknowledged religion of the civilized world. In this mighty change, the exaltation of a suffering, down-trodden, bleeding Church, to a sway over the civilized world, we witness the seed of woman lifted to the skies.When, in A. D. 325 Paganism had fallen, the old Pagan temples were converted into Christian churches, the Lords day was observed by law throughout the Roman world and Christianity the recognized, protected and prevalent religion, this symbolism was fulfilled. We have this glorious conflict and triumph depicted by the symbolism of a conflict in heaven.
WAR IN HEAVEN.
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she bath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."—Revelation 12:6-9.
The flight of the woman into the wilderness I will consider in connection with Revelation 12:14 which refers to the same event. In the order of time this flight occurs after the events related in Revelation 12:7-14. These verses describe a conflict which John saw in heaven, the overthrow of the dragon and the song of victory sung in heaven. If we will remember that the dragon is a symbol of bloody Pagan Rome, and the woman of the Church, it will be easy to explain the passage.
John had seen the woman in heaven and then the dragon appeared before her ready to devour her offspring. Then he beholds a champion of the woman appear who assails the dragon. This is Michael, the "Great Prince," the Archangel, described in Daniel as the guardian of the people of God, supposed by many to be the Lord. The dragon is vanquished in the conflict and is cast down from heaven.
This symbolism indicates the defeat of the dragon in his attempt. He is not only vanquished, but humiliated, "cast down." The first mighty attempt of Satan to "abolish the Christian name from the earth," signally fails. We have already written enough to show the reader that this represents the facts of history. Pagan Rome, the dragon, struck at the heart of the Church. Blood flowed in rivers, the blood of the saints, but the grandeur of their lives and the heroism of their deaths struck fear and conviction to the hearts of their enemies. Each martyr called forth an army who were ready to die for Christ. God exalted the man child, caught it to his bosom, protected it, and Pagan Rome went down. The dragon prevailed not. Baffled, he is cast to the earth.
We have next the songs of triumph sung in heaven. "Now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ. For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before God day and night." Then the means by which this mighty triumph has been won is disclosed. "They overcame him by the blood of Christ, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." They were ready to die for the Master.
Did the dragon, under the form of Pagan Rome, assail the Church? Every reader knows that it made repeated, determined and bloody attempts to destroy the faith of Christ. Did it meet with defeat in this effort? The bleeding, mourning, suffering, crying Church grew stronger and stronger. The dragon prevailed not. Was the dragon cast down? At last, Pagan Rome, vanquished in the struggle, went down. Paganism fell to rise no more. Was this followed by a triumph of the Christian religion? The persecuted faith become the religion of the civilized world. What was the means by which this triumph was won? Not the might of arms, not the subtlety of human wisdom; "they overcame by the blood of Christ and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death."
The first great struggle between the woman and the dragon ended with the triumph of Christianity. There is to be another. The first is seen in heaven. The next great conflict is to be
THE CONFLICT ON EARTH.
"And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."—Revelation 12:13-14.
The dragon, cast down, continues the contest. It is transferred to earth. This indicates some great change in the nature of the struggle. We are told that he persecuted the woman that brought forth the child. And there was given her two wings as of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, to her place, and be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. Let us seek what this language implies:
1. The Church shall be assailed, after its triumph over Pagan Rome in some way.
2. The true Church shall be persecuted, and the dragon (Romans 12:15) shall seek to overwhelm her.
3. The true Church shall flee into the wilderness a place where men will not see her, into obscurity. This implies that she shall cease to be visible to men. She will yet exist, but in a form that men will not recognize her.
4. This period of obscurity shall continue through a time, times, and half a time. In Daniel the word time is used to denote a year. The period here is a time, or one year, times, or two years, and one-half a time, or one-half year. The whole is three and one-half years. This, reduced to days, is 1260 days. As a day is a symbol of a year, this period is 1260 years. In the fifth verse it is presented as 1260 days.
What are the facts of history? Did Rome make an effort under a new form to destroy the Church? Did the true Church disappear from human view in a visible form?
1. I hardly need to reply that after Pagan Rome fell, gradually the Church of Rome adopted Pagan ideas and rites, and usurped universal dominion. We do have a new and long continued persecution of all who do not consent to receive the mark of the beast.
2. Did the true Church disappear? An Apostate Church is visible, but for a long time the true Church is hidden from view. It exists in the hearts of those who love the Lord. It is hidden among the rocks and in the caves, behind the family walls, in true hearts, but in public it is not seen upon the earth. It is vain to seek it. It is in the wilderness. Any church which is visible during this period can not be the true Church.
3. How long does it remain in the wilderness? The period has already been indicated as 1260 days, or years. In the last chapter I said that this period of time is named no less than five times. I also urged that it began during the persecuting reign of Justinian, in A. D. 533, when the Pope was styled the Lord of the Church. For 1260 years from that period the persecuted Church remains in the wilderness. The period ends about the beginning of the nineteenth century, and to this last epoch we may look for the re-appearance of the visible Church, or in other words, the Church will reappear about the beginning of the nineteenth century in a form that will prove its identity with the Church of the apostolic ages.
4. During this period of the true saints, the dragon, through the temporal power of Papal Rome, makes war upon the seed of the woman, the true worshipers.
In the twelfth chapter there appears a monster with seven heads and ten horns. He is the deadly enemy of the woman and her offspring. The result of his first conflict is disaster to himself. The divine help given to the woman overcomes the dragon, and he prevails not, but is cast down to earth.
John, in the same chapter, beholds another conflict. The defeated dragon changes the scene of combat. On earth he wages a war of "persecution" which results in the exile of the woman to the wilderness for a period of 1260 years, there in silence and obscurity to be nourished of God until the time appointed for her to come forth. We have pointed out the fulfilment of this portion of the vision in the establishment of the Papal power and in its persecution of the true worshipers; a persecution that results in the apparent disappearance of the true Church from the earth. Though not visible to the eye of the historian during this period, yet the true Church, fed of God, survives in the hearts of hidden and persecuted saints. The period of her exile began about 533, in the reign of Justinian, and ends about the beginning of the nineteenth century. Before the end of the period, the Divine measure, the reed of the apostles, was used to measure the temple, altar and worshipers, and, as the result, over three-fourths of a century ago, the true Church began to appear, as a visible body, once more in the world.
In the thirteenth chapter, there again appears a monster with seven heads and ten horns, which it will now be our purpose to show to be a symbol of....
THE TEMPORAL POWER.
The fourth beast of Daniel’s vision (Daniel 7) is a ten-horned monster. The dragon who assails the woman in Revelation 12, has seven heads and ten horns. Here again, in chapter XIII. appears a beast with the same characteristics. In Revelation 17, there is recorded a vision of a harlot who sat upon a scarlet beast of seven heads and ten horns. I believe that all the best commentators, Catholic as well as Protestant, are agreed in the opinion that these various monsters are all symbols of the same mighty power, and all, with one consent, admit that power to be ROME. Here, however, there is a divergence. Romanists contend that the reference is to Pagan Rome alone, and that Papal Rome is not signified. This involves them in a labyrinth of difficulties, from which there is no deliverance unless we throw aside religious prejudice, let the Word as illustrated by history interpret itself, and accept the evident meaning. The reader will see that these monsters, all represent Rome, the enemy of the saints, the persecutor of the true faith, under the different phases of her existence. As Pagan Rome she is a persecutor; as a temporal power professing to be Christian but apostate, she is still a persecutor; as a spiritual power, true to her character for 1800 years, she still makes war upon the saints. Let us now turn to
THE SEA MONSTER.
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."—Revelation 13:1-2.
As John stood upon the sands of the sea he saw a wild beast ascending out of the sea. I ask first, what is the significance of this fact? It might refer to the geographical seat of the Roman dominion. As John stood upon Patmos, if he were to turn his eyes towards Rome he would look over a wide waste of waters. Rome, seated on a peninsula, stretching from Europe nearly to Africa, and dividing the sea into two parts, was situated in the very midst of the Mediterranean. But I suppose that the term is used rather in its symbolical meaning.
The ever restless, constantly changing, billowy, stormy sea, is used as a symbol of commotion. Out of a period of commotion, disturbance, change, spiritual Rome will establish her temporal dominion. Every student of history knows that never was a prediction more signally fulfilled. I have already described the sweep of the northern barbarians from their homes in the dark forests of Germany, the snows of Scandinavia, and the wilds of the East, upon the fair provinces of the Roman empire. I have alluded to the utter overthrow of Rome and Roman civilization, and to the establishment throughout the West of new nations with new modes of life. I have not spoken, however, of the fierce contests over the spoils of conquest that sprung up among the victors; how Frank and Saxon dyed the soil of France and Germany with blood; how Celt and Saxon strove for 150 years for the dominion of England; how Greek strove with barbarian for the mastery of Italy; how, at last, the Lombard went down before the iron legions of Pepin and Charlemagne; how the Pope, who during all these commotions had industriously strengthened his hands, was recognized by Charlemagne as the rightful ruler of the earth; how the great conqueror was honored by the "vicegerent of God," and crowned by the Pope as "Emperor of the Romans;" or how, in addition to his recognition as the disposer of crowns and kingdoms, he was endowed by Pepin and Charlemagne with the fairest Italian provinces they had wrested from the Lombards. It was in the mighty period of commotion that overthrew the old civilization, ended ancient history, produced the Middle Ages and the chaos from whence there gradually arose modern nations and civilization, that the Popes, little by little, almost imperceptibly created their wonderful dominion.
THE SEVEN HEADS.
I will defer a particular examination of the ten horns until we consider the scarlet beast upon which the woman sat, described in chapter XVII. and will now pass that feature with the statement that the horn is an emblem of power which here represents ten European kingdoms by which the Papacy exercised dominion over men. I ask the reader to now direct his attention to the seven heads of the monster. Let John himself explain what this symbol means. Turn to chapter XVII. "The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman sitteth." The woman is the scarlet lady, the harlot, the Apostate Church. She sits on seven hills or mountains. Rome has passed into history as the "seven-hilled city," from the seven mountains or hills upon which she stood. No feature of Rome has been made more familiar by her poets and historians than her seven hills, usually called by them, mountains. These were Mt. Aventine, Mt. Capitaline, Mt. Palatine, Mt. Esquiline, the Cæian mount, the Quirinal and Viminal. We might quote from Horace, Ovid and Livy, as well as the Church Fathers, Tertullian and Jerome, all of whom speak of the seven-hilled city. The last-named writer who was born A. D. 342, in an epistle to a Christian lady, a resident of Rome, urges her to "Read what is written in the Apocalypse of the seven hills.
But the seven heads are also seven kings. (Revelation 17:10.) They not only symbolize the seven hills of Rome, but also seven kings, or kingdoms, or governments, for the original term may signify either of the three. It evidently means the last. These were not contemporaneous, but follow each other. "Five are fallen, and one is (in existence at the time John wrote), and the other is not yet come, and when he cometh he must continue a short space" (Revelation 17:10). Five of these kings, or forms of government, had passed away in the year 96, one was in existence at that time, one was yet to come and should continue for a short time. They therefore follow each other and evidently refer to the governments, or rather to the forms of government that ruled, at the various stages of its history, the Roman dominion. Let us see whether the facts correspond with the hypothesis. The first form of the Roman government was kingly. The first king was Romulus; the last was Tarquin the Proud. There were seven kings in all. This is form of government No. 1. The kingly power was overthrown by the elder Brutus and, instead of kings, two consuls, elected annually, were made the chief magistrates of Rome. The second form was therefore consular, or Republican, with two chief magistrates, the usual form of government to the time of Julius Cæsar.
In the course of Roman history the State was subjected to great disasters, and crises came when it seemed that its last hour was at hand. The limitations of the consular government did not meet the demands of the hour; all laws were suspended, and one man was invested with dictatorial powers. The third form is the Dictatorial. At a later period the down-trodden common people of Rome who had long been struggling for liberty, at last succeeded in humbling the proud patrician, or aristocratic party, and putting the government into the hands of their own order. Under this arrangement the chief magistrates were the Tribunes of the people, invested with the same powers as the ancient consuls. The fourth form is that of consular Tribunes. Amid the commotions through which Rome passed for a period, the powers of senate, consuls, and tribunes, were suspended, and the absolute government was invested in ten men, superior to all laws. The fifth form is the government of Decemvirs.
These had all passed before John wrote, "Five are fallen and one is." What form of government existed in A. D. 96?
The mighty convulsions that had begun in the time of Julius Cæsar, had finally ended in the establishment of an empire under Augustus Cæsar, who reigned when Christ was born. From thence there followed a long line of emperors, or Cæsars. It was the Emperor Domitian who sent John to Patmos. The sixth head was therefore the imperial. We have, then, (1) kings, (2) consuls, (3) dictators, (4) tribunes, (5) decemvirs, (6) "One that now is," or existed when John was writing on Patmos, viz., emperors. It has been found that the sixth did actually exist in John’s time. It is declared in Revelation 17:10 "that one is not yet come." Another still was in the future at the time John wrote. After the fall of the empire there was revived a government of Rome and the contiguous territories. The rulers received the titles of Dukes of Rome and Exarchs of Ravenna. Their dominion began A. D. 566. Gibbon, speaking of this form of government, which was yet in the future when John was living, says:
"Eighteen exarchs were invested with the full remains of civil, military, and even of ecclesiastical power. Their immediate jurisdiction, which was afterwards consecrated its the patrimony of St. Peter (States of the Church), extended over the modern Romagna. The Duchy of Rome appears to have included the Tuscan, Latin, and Sabine conquests of the first four hundred years of the city."--Gibbon, Vol. 3, p. 202.
It has been needful for us to consider this passage in connection with Revelation 17. In order to complete, the subject of the heads, I will here discuss an eighth head, which is described as follows: "And the beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth to perdition."—Revelation 17:11. There is then an eighth head yet to appear after the seventh; another form of government that is to combine the features of the seven. There can be no mistake in declaring that the eighth, the beast, is the Papal government, which, like ancient Rome, arising from a small dominion, at last grasped the government of the nations, and in addition claimed, in the right of the Pope as a temporal prince, the absolute rule of all Central Italy, extending from sea to sea, under the designation of the "States of the Church."
I think that all unprejudiced readers will now be prepared to admit that the seven-headed monster certainly symbolizes Rome, but this will appear yet more clearly, when a closer examination has been made of the ten horns, which will be deferred until chap. XVII. is reached.
Let us proceed to examine the other features of the beast. It is truly a monster, uniting the features of the pitiless, blood-thirsty leopard, the mighty feet and claws of the bear, and the rapacious and deadly mouth of the lion. To this monster, a composite creature, combining many attributes, the dragon gives his power. The dragon, "that old serpent called the devil and Satan," had first appeared as the deadly, organized enemy of the Church, under the form of the persecuting power of Pagan Rome, as we found in our examination of the twelfth chapter. The power of the dragon of Pagan Rome is now yielded to the sea monster. He also yielded his seat and great authority. He gave up the seven-hilled city itself, his former throne, to the now power, which should henceforth rule from Rome as the capital of its dominion. It is also a fact of history that "the great authority," grasped by the Papacy, could never have been gained had it not occupied the seven-hilled city, the "seat" of the dragon, and succeeded to its dominion over the nations.
"And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast."—Revelation 13:3.
The heads have been found to mean governments or forms of dominion. The mortal wound inflicted would apparently put an end to the dominion. This evidently symbolizes some mighty shock that the secular authority would receive, and would seem to be sufficient to bring it to an end. The imperial head did receive such a wound. In A. D. 476, the last of the Roman Emperors of the West was hurled from his throne, and Italy became the prey of contending barbarian hordes. It would seem as though the fate of Rome was forever sealed. Nineveh fell, but it was to rise no more. Babylon fell before the armies of Cyrus, and after a few generations it became the abode of "doleful creatures." Tyre fell, and on the bare rock, which was once the seat of a mighty city, "the fisherman spreads his nets." Carthage fell, and a century after the exiled Marius sat among its ruins, musing upon the fickleness of earthly fortunes, and returned the answer to the Roman officers who ordered him from the coast: "Go, tell your masters that you have seen Marius sitting among the ruins of Carthage." Other cities have fallen and lost their glory, their dominion, their existence, and have been converted into heaps of ruins, where wild beasts have lurked, serpents hidden, and desert winds howled; but in the case of Rome, the deadly wound was healed.
Mysteriously, wonderfully, the captive city, by the development of a new power, binds her conquerors in the chains of superstition, and by establishing a spiritual dominion over the souls of men, she yet succeeds in holding the secular authority over a vast portion of the world. The means by which the deadly wound was healed is clearly pointed out, not only in history, but also in the latter portion of this chapter. It is the two-horned beast, "like a lamb, and with a voice like a dragon," "which commanded all the earth to make an image of the beast that had the deadly wound and lived," and then "gave breath to the image of the beast" (Revelation 13:14-15).
"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies: and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months."—Revelation 13:5.
This beast had a mouth given unto it that spoke "great blasphemies." Upon its heads were written (v. 1) the names of blasphemy. It is evidently a blasphemous power. Blasphemy is not simply profanity, but the claim of divine or undue power by a human. The Savior was condemned to die by the Jewish Sanhedrim, for affirming that he was the Son of God. They found him guilty of blasphemy. Has the beast claimed divine attributes? It claims to be "The vicar of Christ," "The King of kings and Lord of lords." It has claimed the power of legislation for the people of God, the power to forgive the sins of men, or to anathematize them to eternal perdition. It has long claimed that the decisions of its councils were as infallible as the voice of God, and in our own generation it has decreed that the Pope of Rome, "sitting as God in the temple of God," speaks with the infallible voice of the eternal God. If these facts do not constitute blasphemy, it is a crime beyond the compass of the human will. This power of the beast is to be exercised for a period of
FORTY-TWO MONTHS.
We have found that this period of 1260 days, or 1260 years, since a day is the symbol of a year, has been several times mentioned. The "Holy City," the true Church is trodden down by the Gentiles for forty-two months; the two witnesses prophesy in sackcloth for one thousand two hundred and three-score days; the woman, or the true Church, is driven by the dragon into the wilderness for twelve hundred and sixty days, and the beast exercises power for forty-two months, which is the same period once more. There can be no doubt that the treading down of the Holy City, the two witnesses in sackcloth, the flight and sojourn of the Church in the wilderness, and the power of the beast, all take place during the same period, begin at the same time, are different parts of the same history, and end at the same epoch. I have decided these to begin in the reign of Justinian, when the Bishop of Rome was pronounced ruler of the Church, and when the secular power becomes the servant of a tyrannical and ambitious ecclesiastic, and is employed to force all to submit to his dominion. From that period there can be no doubt that Rome, either indirectly or directly, becomes the secular ruler of the West.
We have found that this period of 1260 years would end about the beginning of the nineteenth century. At the end of that time there is certainly an exaltation of the two witnesses, a return of the Church from the wilderness. Is there also a fatal shock to the temporal power of Rome? In 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte effected the conquest of Italy, and the Pope, a prisoner, was a supplicant at his feet. In 1804, he ordered the Pope, who was now his puppet, to come to France to crown him emperor of the French. In 1805, he assumed the title of King of Italy. During the years of his power be ruled the Pope with an iron hand, broke up the old European system, emancipated the nations from the terror of Rome, and when he fell, the temporal authority of Rome had received a fatal wound. The influence of the Pope in the politics of the world was broken, and although the States of the Church were for a time placed in his hands, it was impossible for him to hold them in the new Europe that had been created. Shorn of his sceptre as a temporal prince, the Pope now locks himself within the walls of the Vatican, and gazes forth upon a Rome that is the, capital of a restored Italy, and in which Protestant church bells are ringing. These mighty changes which have gone on through three-quarters of a century, were all precipitated when the young General of the Directory, in 1798, scaled the Alps and descended on the plains of Italy.
"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."—Revelation 13:7.
Another fact in the history of the beast is given. It shall make war upon the saints and for a season shall overcome them. After what has been said, it is needless that I should long dwell upon the pitiless, bloodthirsty, and persecuting character of Rome. From the reign of Justinian, when, according to Gibbon, the "Catholic soldiers burned the conventicles with their congregations," down through the awful crusades against the Protestants of the Cevennes and Alps, the massacre of Bartholomew, the autos da fe of the Inquisition, to the murders of Barletta in the States of the Church, in our own memory, her history has been stained with blood. Some historians have roughly estimated that the persecuting hands of Rome have been reddened by the blood of 50,000,000 saints, but I rather believe that no man can estimate the number.
"And overcome them." The Church was driven into the wilderness for 1260 years. During many generations Rome carried her work with a high hand, and was "drunken with the blood of the saints." But the day of retribution shall surely come, for he who leads the saints "into captivity shall be led captive, and he who slays with the sword shall himself be slain with the sword" (Revelation 13:10). The day of retribution will surely come, yet for many centuries Rome lorded it over "all kindreds, tongues and nations" of the civilized world (Revelation 13:7).
Revelation 13:1-10 describes the seven-headed and ten-horned beast which arose out of the sea. The rest of the chapter describes another beast, different, yet allied to the first. The second arises from the earth. Dean Alford remarks that both the beasts are alike as to genus. The original term denotes that they are both ravaging powers, hostile to God and his fold. The second, arising from the earth, grows up with the history and progress of man. It is subsidiary to the first and exists in order to preserve the existence of the first and to subserve its ends. It is described as follows:
"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns, like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed."—Revelation 13:11-12.
John sees this second monster coming up out of the earth, a beast that lifts two horns like a lamb and a voice like the voice of a dragon. I ask the reader to closely examine the connection described as existing between the ten-horned and the two-horned beast. The latter (1) exercises the power of the first beast before him, (2) causeth the earth to worship the first beast, (3) says to the earth that it should make an image of the first beast (Revelation 13:14), (4) gives life unto the image of the first beast, and (5) causes those who will not worship the image to be slain (Revelation 13:15). These statements show that there exists a close connection between the two and that the last is the supporter and restorer of the first. We have found the first to be a symbolical representation of the temporal power of Rome. What great facts of history are foreshadowed by the appearance, work and characteristics of the second beast? I believe that all judicious Protestant commentators are agreed that it can represent nothing but the
PAPAL SPIRITUAL POWER.
The Romish dominion, ever since its full development, has been of a two-fold nature. The Papacy has claimed to be the Vicar of Christ and therefore the rightful spiritual ruler of men, but it has gone further, and claimed also the temporal rule of the world. I have in my library a copy of the Missale Romanum; authoritative directions to Romish priests for the conduct of their ritual. My copy was published in Italy by the authority of the Popes of Rome, bearing their stamp upon the title page. On the title page, sitting in the shadow of St. Peter’s Cathedral, a figure designed to represent the first of the Popes holds in one hand the sword of temporal empire, and in the other the keys of spiritual dominion. The unblushing claim put forth in this official and authoritative work simply represents what Rome has asserted during all the period of her dominion. Why did the Spaniards at the, time of the discovery of America obtain a grant of the lands discovered? Because the Pope claimed the disposal of the territories of the earth. Why was Brazil settled and possessed by Portuguese? Because the Pope granted to them the lands east of a certain meridian. Why was Charlemagne crowned by the Pope, Emperor of the Romans? Because the Pope claimed the disposal of the imperial crown. Indeed, no fact stands forth in greater prominence during a long period of more than a thousand years, than the usurped rule of the kingdoms of the earth by the Roman potentate. He claimed the right to make and to unmake kings; all crowns were placed upon royal heads by his own hands or by those of his bishops; rulers were dethroned, subjects incited to rebellion, provinces taken from one ruler and bestowed upon another, and all the rulers of the Catholic world made to swear obedience to the Pope as their liege lord. Other kingdoms rise and fall but the one great, standing fact of mediæval history is the mighty, resistless, unscrupulous, all-pervading, continuous dominion of Rome. All history bears witness, therefore, to the two-fold nature of the Papal power, and it is fitting that these two powers, which acted together, one of which sustained the other, should be represented by two symbols. I will now ask the reader to study closely the characteristics of the second beast, and to ascertain whether they correspond with the nature of the spiritual power. And first, let it be noted that the beast is....
A LAMB-LIKE DRAGON.
I suppose that no symbol could better represent the true character of the Romish Church. It claims to represent the Lamb of God and to have him for its heavenly head. When it suits its purposes it puts forth the gentle traits of the lamb. In Protestant countries where it seeks to make an impression, Sisters of Charity and Morey do a holy work. When it can best serve its ends by such a course, the claws and fangs of the leopard are clothed in velvet, and the pitiless boast appears as a gentle lamb.
But the beast spake as a dragon. It can hardly be necessary to state that symbolism could choose no language more appropriate to represent the harsh, arrogant utterances of Rome when she puts forth her power, or asserts her authority. Whoever has heard the harsh orders of the priest to his flock, has heard the dragon’s voice. How appropriately this language describes the bulls of Popes, or the fulminations of anathemas and excommunications against their enemies! When Popes have proclaimed crusades against Protestants, authorized inquisitions, or celebrated Te Deums over such massacres as that of St. Bartholomew, it is impossible not to recognize the voice of the same old dragon that, under the form of Pagan Rome, warred against the Woman and the man child, and sought to abolish from the earth the Christian name. The next important fact stated is that the second beast exercises all the power of the first before him. He not only enjoys the same power as the first, but exercises it in the same place. They act in harmony. There is a close connection. They are allied; indeed are different manifestations of the same power. This is shown in the facts that follow.
The second beast causeth the earth to worship the first beast. The spiritual power of Rome is exercised before, or in the presence of, the temporal power. They have dwelt together and it is the spiritual power, that has made those that dwell upon the earth regard and pay homage to the temporal. The mighty dominion swayed by the Popes over the kingdoms of Europe, until within a recent period, could never have been secured had it not been for their spiritual rule. They worked upon the superstitions of men. They sat as God in the temple of God, and an ignorant and deluded race believed that to resist them was to secure eternal damnation. If an earthly ruler refused to heed their mandates his subjects were absolved from allegiance and bidden to depose him. If they refused the whole kingdom was laid under interdict, the churches were closed, religious rites were suspended, the dead were not buried in the consecrated grounds, and a superstitious population soon demanded deliverance by submission. By such processes the Emperor of Germany, who had sought to rule his own country, was compelled 800 years ago, to kiss the toe of Gregory VII., after waiting three days barefooted at the door of his palace for admission. By the same policy, John, King of England, who had dared disobedience to a Papal mandate, was in A. D. 1213, forced by Innocent III., to humbly bow and to consent to hold the English throne as a vassal of the Pope of Rome. By the exercise of this spiritual power Rome was made again the mistress of the world, and the kings of the earth held their kingdoms as her subject provinces.
"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which be had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live."—Revelation 18:13-14.
The means by which this dominion over the souls of men was obtained and maintained is next pointed out. The second beast did great wonders, pretended to perform miracles, and thus "deceived them that dwell upon the earth." Rome has claimed the possession of miraculous power in all ages, and no fact of history is better established than that she has continually resorted to lying miracles. The Romish traditions are full of wonders; the lives of the saints placed in the hands of the Romish laity for their religious reading, are a tissue of miracles. The Breviary is the religious book which is used as a substitute for the Bible. I give a specimen of some of its legends. St. Francis Xavier turned enough of salt water into fresh to save the lives of five hundred travelers who were perishing with thirst. The surplus was sent over the world and performed miraculous cures. St. Raymond laid his cloak upon the sea and sailed upon it, as a boat, 150 miles in six hours. The dying St. Juliana could not swallow when the priest came to offer her the consecrated wafer. He laid it on her stomach and it immediately disappeared from view. Upon such stuff the Catholic masses are fed. These false miracles are no less common in our own time than in earlier ages. In Italy the statue of the Virgin Mary was made to weep by a trick of the priests; at Naples, yearly, a reddish solid in a vial, said to be the blood of St. Januarius, liquefies in the presence of the awe-struck throng, and another conjurer’s trick is pronounced a miracle. At the grotto of Lourdes, the Virgin Mary is said to have frequently appeared within a few years, and a whole budget of miracles is reported. Hardly a month passes that the Catholic papers do not record Romish miracles.
The object of these false miracles is indicated in the latter part of the fourteenth verse. It said "to those who dwell upon the earth, that they should make an image to the beast that had the wound by a sword and did live."
"And be had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed."—Revelation 13:15.
The sword had overthrown the Roman Empire. To all human appearance the sway of Rome over the world was gone forever, but the second beast, the spiritual power, by its sorceries and its power over the superstitions of men, succeeded in restoring that dominion, and within three or four centuries of the fall of Rome she had again grasped the empire of the world. The "image" of the old temporal dominion was established. It was not the old temporal dominion in its ancient form, but it had the likeness of that old power. The Pope, a spiritual ruler, restored "the image," and established a likeness of the power of imperial Rome, by usurping the rule of kings of the earth as his own vassals.
The image was not a mere likeness. The image had life. The second beast gave it life. The spiritual power made the restored temporal power of Rome a stern reality. This living image, endowed with life by the second beast, had power to speak and slay those whowould not do it homage. There can be no doubt as to what this means, nor as to the facts of history. The dragonnades of southern France, the relentless wars waged upon the Huguenots, the 18,000 victims of the inquisition in Holland, and the cruel wars of Alva for the extermination of the Protestants, the persecution conducted by Bloody Mary in England, all demonstrate how those were put to death who would not worship the image of the beast. The Pope has demanded implicit obedience to his temporal as well as spiritual demands, and, in the days of his power, those who refused him homage, brought down the terrors of both temporal and eternal ruin.
"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 13:16-17.
It is next stated that he caused a mark to be placed upon the right hand or foreheads of all his subjects. The mark of the beast is some stamp or sign, by which all its worshipers should be known. In ancient days slaves were sometime’s branded as cattle are in our own age. The brand or mark of the beast would be some indelible sign which would designate with certainty those who were subject to his authority. A mark in the hand is supposed by some to represent the practice, while a mark in the forehead indicates the profession of life. It is remarkable, however, that a mark on the forehead converts a person into a Roman Catholic, and without this mark none are regarded as heirs of salvation. If the little infant should die without this mark it has no chance of salvation, but if the priest makes upon its forehead the sign of the cross with water, it is safe forever. Jesuit priests upon fields of battle have gone around among wounded and dying savages who had never heard of Christ, and made this sign, the mark of the beast, upon the foreheads of the dying Pagans and thus converted them into good Catholics and heirs of eternal bliss. In Mexico and Peru, Pagan natives, doomed to execution, have had this mark made upon them by zealous priests, the language and meaning of which the unhappy victims could not understand, and whose object they could not know, then, (as soon as baptized?) were sent out to die as converted Christians. That mark makes the infant, the heathen, the infidel, all subjects of Rome.
I fear, too, that Protestant Pedobaptists, though they do not design it, are unwittingly following in the footsteps of Rome, and imitating the mark of the beast.
It is next stated that traffic was forbidden to all but the servants of the beast, It has been common for Catholics to be forbidden to patronize those who were not loyal to the Pope. At least three councils are named, those of Tours, of Constance and the Lateran, which have expressly forbidden business intercourse with heretics.
THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; for his number is six hundred, three score and six."—Revelation 13:18.
The seventeenth verse speaks of the name of the beast. It has, then, a name. It also speaks of the number of its name. Its name, then, is some number. We wish to discover its name, and if we can learn the number we will find its name. Is it possible to do this?
"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast." This language shows that it is not a simple matter. It requires an exercise of the powers of the human understanding--nay, it requires learning--in order to solve the problem. But the apostle gives a clue that will help us through the difficulty. "The number of the beast," that is, the "number of its name," is the number of a man, and that number is six hundred and sixty-six. It is, then, plain that the number six hundred and sixty-six, is the number of the name of the beast, and this is a man’s name. Six hundred and sixty-six is English. John did not write in English, hence those words in English will not give the word we seek. 666 are the Arab characters for the numbers, but they were unknown until many hundred years after John wrote, and hence afford no help. John wrote in the Greek language for readers who understood that tongue. The number is evidently, then, to be expressed in Greek characters. The Greeks did not express numbers by figures, but by letters, just as among the Romans, X stood for ten and C for one hundred. Six hundred and sixty-six could be expressed by spelling out the words in the Greek language, or by using the letters which were symbols for various quantities. Let us try the latter method:
| 30 | == | L | |
| 1 | == | a | |
| 300 | == | t | |
| 5 | == | e | |
| 10 | == | i | |
| 50 | == | n | |
| 70 | == | o | |
| 200 | == | s | |
| 666 | == | Lateinos. |
And what is this name? The number of a man; the Greek method of spelling the name of Latinus, the reputed founder of the Latin race. But what more is it? Rome is the ancient capital of the Latins. The Romans were a Latin race and spoke the Latin language. The Romish Church is continually officially called the Latin Church, to distinguish it from the Greek Church, the other branch of the great ancient schism; the Catholic sacred books are written in the Latin tongue; the worship is conducted in every country in the Latin alone, and when a Catholic council convenes, all its conferences are conducted in the tongue of the ancient Latins. There is, then, a Latin Church whose official and sacred speech is the Latin language, which has for its seat the ancient Latin capital. That Church is the great Apostate Church, upon whose head the names of blasphemy have been written, which has claimed universal dominion upon the earth, and has slain the saints of the Most High. Its name is the number of the beast, and that name, Lateinos, the name or number of a man, is 666.
This is so wonderful that there is no possibility of error. The Papacy, beyond possibility of doubt, is the beast. To the learned reader I would say, that I have used the English letters for the name, Lateinos, rather than the Greek, as I am writing for an English audience.
Lecture #13
THE FALL OF BABYLON
by B.W. Johnson
From “Vision of the Ages”
The reader has learned that the thirteenth chapter is devoted to a description of two mighty powers of wickedness which, hand in hand, have waged war upon the Church of Christ. It is a gloomy picture, well calculated to fill the saints with fearful foreboding. A persecuted, suffering Church, beholding these mighty enemies, their terrible work, these fearful struggles of the future, these triumphs of the wicked, might almost be led to despair of the final victory of the Redeemer’s cause. Hence, for the encouragement of the saints, their eyes are turned, in the fourteenth chapter, upon a brighter vision. The dark clouds are lifted off the future, and they are enabled to look beyond and to see the glorious fruition of all the tears and sorrow, the struggles and trials of the Church. The vision of this chapter cheers the saints and encourages them to press on in the hour of darkness, by leading the child of faith to the end of time. The prophet first describes a glorious revival of true religion upon the earth, next points to a triumphant proclamation of the everlasting gospel by this zealous, purified, Christlike church, then shows us the result of a conquering gospel in the fall of Babylon, the city of fornication, and the punishment of all who worship the beast or his image, and finally sweeps on beyond the mighty event to the last scenes of earthly history. The coming of the Son of Man, sitting upon the clouds of heaven, is then portrayed upon the great panorama that sweeps before his vision. The earth is reaped by the angels sent to gather the elect; after this the sickle is put forth again to cut off the clusters from the vine of the earth, and these are cast into the winepress of the wrath of God. The chapter closes with a delineation of the awful terrors of the great day when God shall forbear no longer, when he shall listen to prayers no more, but when the wicked shall be trodden in the winepress without the Holy City. The first thing that invites our attention is the GLORIOUS REVIVAL.
"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: and they sang as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God."—Revelation 14:1-5.
John beholds upon Mount Zion the Lamb of God, and with him 144,000 saints. Mount Zion, the city of the great King, the seat of the worship of God in Jerusalem, was a type, and is used as a symbol of the true Church. In Hebrews, chapter 12:22, the saints who have entered into the covenant of Christ are said to have come, not to the mount that could not be touched, but to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. It is there used for the church of saints, and such is its meaning in this passage. The number, 144,000, seen with the Lamb on Zion, has been used once before in portraying the grand triumph of Christianity after the seals of Persecution and Revolution. I do not suppose that it, is designed to represent ail exact number, but these stand forth as the representatives of a class. "They are first fruits unto God and the Lamb." As the first fruits, devoted to God, were representative of the whole harvest, so these stand forth as the representatives of the harvest of souls. We are to behold in them as they stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb in their midst, a picture of the Church in some age of the world. Let us observe the facts stated of them:
1. The Lamb is in their midst; a characteristic of the holy saints.
2. They are engaged in the praise of God.
3. They sing a song that none but the redeemed can sing. It is the song of redeeming grace.
4. They are pure, unspotted, undefiled, not fornicators, nor sullied with unholy desires.
5. They follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes. They are sheep that hear the Shepherd’s voice. They are obedient to all his commandments. They follow his example as well as his words. They live a Christlike life.
6. In their mouths was found no guile, and they were without fault before the throne of God.
Whenever the Church of God becomes purified, ceases unholy fornication with the world, these are the marks which it will exhibit, and I hold that this beautiful description of a pure, holy, devoted, Christlike band of worshipers, with the Lamb in the midst of them and following him whithersoever the goes, Is the picture of a day yet in the future, when Zion shall put off her soiled garments, adorn herself with the pure white robes of Christ’s righteousness, and as the spotless bride of the Lamb follow him in holy obedience, to his will.
This is the first great step towards the redemption of the world and the triumph of Righteousness. Before that triumph comes there must be a revival of Zion, a purification of the Church, a self-sacrificing, devoted, earnest people. In the age that the apostle points out this grand consummation will have been attained. There follows the legitimate result, the second great step in the pathway of triumph, the proclamation by a holy, fervent, Christlike Church of a successful, triumphant gospel.
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying, with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him: for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."—Revelation 14:6-7.
The Savior taught that a true church alone could successfully extend the glory of his name when he said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they seeing your good works may glorify your Father in heaven." The apostle has here described a shining Church, and it must necessarily follow that the Gospel should be proclaimed actively and successfully to the nations of earth. This wide-spread proclamation is fitly symbolized by the angel flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to proclaim to the inhabitants of the earth, and to every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people. I have before said that an angel is simply a messenger. The term may represent the bright spirits who carry the messages of God. It may represent any agency of earth chosen to carry out the purposes of God. Since the ascension of Christ the preaching of the gospel has been committed, not to the angels of heaven, but to the saints. This glorious angel that flies across the heavens with the blessed message, the grand old gospel, the gospel of Pentecost and Cæsarea, Philippi and Rome, evidently represents an earthly agency, a sublime missionary spirit on the part of the revived Church. Full of zeal, breathing the spirit of the Master, permeated with the apostolic spirit, as in the days of old it will go everywhere preaching the word. The old, old, story, told by a holy people, told with a burning zeal and overflowing love, shall exhibit its divine power in the salvation of the nations.
As these grand principles of divine truth are proclaimed and accepted, as the pure ancient gospel prevails, the foundations of every evil institution will be gradually undermined and they shall, at last, fall in ruin. I have, therefore, presented as the third step in this series, the third milestone on the path that leads to the consummation of earthly history in the triumph of Christ
THE FALL OF BABYLON.
"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture, into the cup of his indignation; and the shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb."—Revelation 14:8-10.
It is needful to inquire what the term Babylon means. It occurs several times in the New Testament. Here it is spoken of as "that great city," and her fall is doomed "because she had made all nations drunk with the wine of her fornication." In Revelation 17:5, a scarlet harlot is seen sitting upon the seven-headed and ten-horned monster, and upon her forehead is written, Mystery, Babylon the Great. With this woman the kings of the earth are said to have committed fornication. In Revelation chapter 18 the fall of the great city, Babylon, is detailed at length, and it is again said that all the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her. The harlot, with Babylon stamped upon her brow, and the great city of fornication, styled Babylon, in the fourteenth and eighteenth chapters, are one and the same existence.
There is an ancient city of Babylon often mentioned in the Old Testament, but ages before John wrote it had ceased to be inhabited, and the only dwellers among its lonely ruins were howling wild beasts and hissing serpents. It has never been rebuilt to this day and has passed away forever. John refers, therefore, not to old Babylon, but to some power yet unseen, when the was upon the earth, that should be revealed in due time, and of which old Babylon was a symbol. Let us notice some of the features of ancient Babylon:
1. On that site took place the confusion of tongues which divided those who before had been of one speech and one family, into various tribes and schisms at variance with each other and of various tongues. The name Babylon, a memorial of this event, means confusion, and is derived from Babel.
2. Old Babylon persecuted the people of God, and destroyed the temple of God in Jerusalem.
3. It carried the people of God into captivity.
4. It was a mighty, resistless, universal empire.
The antitype, the spiritual Babylon, must correspond. There is a power that exhibits all these characteristics. By apostasy from the truth it originated the schism which has divided the family of God into sects and parties which speak a different spiritual language. It has carried the Church into a long captivity by binding upon it the thraldom of superstition. It has been a constant persecutor of the saints, and has enjoyed an almost universal dominion. That power is the woman that sits upon the seven-headed beast, the seven-hilled city, the false woman, symbolical of a false Church, the great apostate spiritual dominion of ROME.
This passage shows the means by which this dominion shall be overthrown. It will be done by a pure and holy Church, filled with missionary zeal. It is the preaching of the ancient gospel which shall bring Rome to destruction. When this shall be done is not revealed, but I am led to cherish the idea that it is near at hand. The Church is undoubtedly becoming purer. Let him who doubts it contrast the Church of a century ago with the Church of to-day. This reviving Church is preaching the gospel with renewed fervor. It appears as though we were on the eve of a great missionary age. Missionaries dare the dangers of savage lands, pierce the remotest jungles of Africa, knock at the gates of China and Japan, and are traversing every Catholic land. The purer faith preached by Luther, Calvin, Wicliffe, Huss, and others, has already shorn Rome of half her power, and to-day the bells of Protestant churches ring out the call to another worship within the walls of the Eternal City. Let the Bride of Christ clothe herself in the white robes of purity; let a true and faithful Church sound forth the Gospel of Life with power, then the mighty fabric of Roman superstition will give way; the, beast will receive a mortal wound that will never be healed, and the impenitent votaries of the beast, those who receive his mark in the forehead and the hand, shall meet the merited doom of their sins. Those who have mocked God shall drink of the wine of his wrath, poured without mixture into the cup of his indignation, and their ultimate fate shall be a part in that dread abode from whence the smoke of their torment shall ascend for ever and ever.
"Here is the (reward of the) patience of the saints. Here (is the day of triumph) for those who keep the commandments of God, and of the faith of Jesus Christ."
After describing this overthrow of the great enemy of the true Church, the apostle sweeps on over the coming ages, over the millennial period described elsewhere in Revelation, and draws the same vivid picture of the end of time presented by the Savior in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew. A voice is heard to pronounce a blessing upon the dead who have died in the Lord, and then he beholds the coming of the Son of Man, the beginning of the end, the glorious but awful event that shall usher in the day when the shall judge the world.
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped."—Revelation 14:14-16.
This personal coming of Christ, to close the dispensation begun at the Cross, is a doctrine most emphatically and fully taught in the New Testament. Some of the incidents of his coming have been described by the Savior himself. He says that the Son of man shall be seen coming upon the clouds of heaven (Matthew 24:30). John here sees the Son of man sitting upon a white cloud. The Savior says that his coming shall be with great power and glory. John now sees upon the head of the Son of man a golden crown. The Savior says (Matthew 24:30) that he will send his angels to gather the elect. John hears in angel bid him who sat upon the cloud, to reap the earth, for its harvest was ripe. There is gathered first the ripened harvest of the elect of God. It is an angel that came out of the temple of God as a messenger of God, carrying to the Son the Father’s command to gather the elect from the four corners of the earth. Then a longing, waiting Church, "loving the appearing of the Son of man," shall first be gathered into the heavenly garner. The ripe sheaves are gathered, "the earth is reaped," and the harvest of souls is ended forever. But those who are upon the earth "shall not prevent them that are asleep." At the voice of the archangel the dead shall wake, from their long sleep in the embrace of earth. Death shall be swallowed up in victory. "Blessed henceforth forever are the dead who died in the Lord. Yea, saith the Spirit, they do rest from their labors and their works do follow them."
"And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."—Revelation 14:17-20.
Bright is the sunrise of the eternal morning that has dawned upon the saints of all ages. But dark is the night that settles down forever on the enemies of God and the Lamb. Long have they defied his reign. with impunity, but the great day of accounts has now come. The righteous, the salt of the earth, have been gathered; the wicked nations that remain are vessels of wrath, fit for destruction. Another angel comes forth with a sickle in his hand. Christ was the great reaper of the righteous harvest. They that are Christ’s are gathered by him at his coming, but the wicked are gathered by another, here presented as an angel reaper.
This angel, one that has power over fire, comes forth from the altar where fire was kept burning. Fire is an emblem of punishment, of destruction. He bids the angel who holds the sickle to begin his work, "to put forth his sickle and cut off the clusters of the vine of the earth, for they are ripe." Grapes are chosen as a symbol of the wicked because of their harmony with the figure that describes the fate of the wicked. They were cast into the wine-press, then trodden under foot, and from the bruised and bleeding mass ran red juice like blood. John now sees the great wine-press of the wrath of God, without the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, filled with the clusters from the vine of the earth and then trodden. Blood flows, and a mighty lake is formed as deep as the bridle of the horses, 1600 furlongs across, of the blood of the trodden.
Why these dimensions are chosen I cannot tell. Some have said that 1600 furlongs is the width of Italy, others that it is the length of Palestine. I suppose that, these scenes symbolize a mighty final destruction of the hosts of wickedness. When the final day comes, they shall be trodden in the great wine-press of the wrath of God, and the startling imagery drawn from the blood of the crushed grapes, portrays in vivid colors the extent of their fearful doom.
THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES.
"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God."—Revelation 15:1.
In Revelation chapter 14 the apostle has given a swift summary of the events to the end of the world. Among these he has announced the fall of the great city Babylon, the source of persecution, the stronghold of sin. He has entered into no details concerning the events connected with its fall, save to show that the revival of true religion and the proclamation of the gospel had gradually sapped its foundations. Beginning with the fifteenth chapter the prophet enters upon a series of pictures that portray the secondary causes which co-operate with the power of the gospel, and he leads us on until the dragon, beast and false prophet are overwhelmed in the battle of Armageddon. The fourteenth chapter gives a summary of future events; the fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth chapters present the same events in detail.
These chapters are all connected with the fall of spiritual Babylon, and open with these words: "I saw another great sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues." The seven seals carry us to the triumph of Christianity over Paganism. The seven trumpets lead us onward to the overthrow of the western Roman Empire by the Goths, Vandals and Huns, and the ruin of the Eastern Empire by the Saracens and Turks. The last trumpet of the seven reaches to the close of secular history with the trump of the Archangel. The seven vials also give the history of an epoch, and, like each of the series of seven, bring us to the end of that epoch. They present the series of calamities that first weaken and then destroy the power of Papal Rome.
I do not venture an idle conjecture when I state that the seven vials are poured out in order to the destruction of the spiritual Babylon. Each one of three series of seven leads to the completion of a well-defined purpose. The seven seals have, a definite object, and lead us to the accomplishment of that object in the overthrow of Roman Paganism. The seven trumpets have a definite object, and lead us to the fulfilment of their design in the overthrow of the Roman Empire. Equally definite is the object of the seven vials, and equally certain that the last vial will accomplish the utter overthrow of that blasphemous power, which is variously described as a "city of fornication," "the great city Babylon," the scarlet adulteress, and the seven-headed and ten-horned beast. The reader will have no doubt of this if he will note the following facts:
1. Revelation chapter 15 introduces the seven vials of wrath in immediate connection with those who have overcome the beast, his image, mark, and the number of his name. 2. The first vial, it is recorded in the next chapter, was poured out upon the, men who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. 3. The third angel pours out a vial that brings judgments upon the murderers of the saints and prophets. 4. The fifth vial is poured out upon the throne of the beast. 5. When the sixth is poured out unclean spirits come out of the mouths of the dragon and beast, and call the kings of the earth to battle. 6. When the seventh angel pours out his vial, "Babylon the great came the into remembrance before God, to give her the cup of the wine of his fiercest wrath," and she fell to rise no more. Thus the reader will see that the end of this series of seven plagues is to destroy the great spiritual despotism which then falls forever.
Since we have ascertained the object against which these plagues are directed, we know just where to look to observe their fulfilment, and it will not be difficult to find historical events occurring successively, that correspond with the symbols as far as they relate to what is already past.
"And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints."—Revelation 15:2-3.
The scene opens in heaven. The apostle beholds a multitude of joyous ones having the harps or God, and singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. We are left, in no doubt concerning the identity of these singers. They are "them in who had gotten the victory over the beast and his image, and over his mark and the number of his name." The ground of their rejoicing is also recorded. "All nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest." The mighty arm of God is to be revealed in bringing to naught the powers of evil, and especially all the great enemies over whom they had been victorious. The saints who have undergone the persecution of the beast are represented as rejoicing because the day of its judgment has come.
"Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled."—Revelation 15:4-8.
The apostle looks again and "behold, the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven is opened." The tabernacle of the testimony was the Holy of Holies. Into it none but the High Priest entered, and he only to make intercession for the forgiveness of sins. Then the seven angels having the seven plagues, come forth. There is given to them seven golden vials full of the wrath of God. Then the temple is filled with "smoke from the glory of God and his power, so that no man can enter it till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. Does this mean that the heavens are shut against man during this period? Does it mean that no one can enter the true Church until the plagues are poured out? So some have mistakenly maintained. The doors of the kingdom were opened on Pentecost, and will never be closed until the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The true meaning is plain. The place of intercession has just been seen. The seven wrath angels came forth. The smoke then fills the temple so that no one can approach the place of intercession. The Greek original says no one, instead of no man. It means that the Divine purpose is fixed; the wrath angels shall pour out their vials; there is no place longer given for intercession to prevent the just judgments of God. The time of intercession has passed by, and the time for judgment has come. "No one can enter the temple" to the tabernacle of testimony, the place of intercession, to avert these judgments "until the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled."
"And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth."—Revelation 16:1.
Out of the temple wrapped in the thick garment of eternal power and glory, a mighty voice is heard to command the seven angels to begin their work. Before we observe them as they obey the divine decree, I wish to make an observation upon the plagues.
In the time of the bondage of Israel in Egypt a series of plagues had been sent upon the oppressors. These had cursed Egypt, but proved a blessing to the people of God. Another series of plagues is now to be sent. They fall upon the oppressor of the true Israel, upon the great city which is "spiritually Sodom and Egypt," and their design is to compass the deliverance of the saints by effecting its destruction. These plagues all refer in some way to Rome. They may be fierce and terrible curses to her, but they help the world onward and are disguised blessings. The storm that sweeps down upon a plague-stricken city is terrible, but the play of elements purifies the atmosphere and brings health to the suffering.
THE FIRST VIAL.
"And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image."—Revelation 16:2.
In order to understand what historical event is foreshadowed, it is needful for us to keep several facts in mind.
1. As I have already shown, these vials portray a series of calamitous events that befell spiritual Babylon, or papal Rome.
2. They will begin, therefore, not in the zenith of her power, but are connected in some way with the history of her decline and fall. We would hardly expect them during the 1260 years of her power and glory when the Church is hidden from the oppressor in the wilderness. It has been elsewhere shown that 1260 years have been repeatedly assigned as the period of her greatest glory and, since this is so, the first vial would not be poured out until that period had ended. I have dated, in preceding lectures, the beginning of this period in A. D. 533 when, amid the flames and blood of persecution, the Bishop of Rome was first designated by imperial power as Lord of the whole Church. If the first vial is poured out it the end of this period we may look for it about 1793.
3. The first vial is expressly limited to those who have the mark of the beast, or the devotees of Rome. It certainly describes a calamity to the Papacy, and one of a series that culminates in its ruin. It is described as a grievous ulcer, that afflicts those who have the mark of the beast. An ulcer is not only a painful and dangerous sore, but is often malignant and foul with corruption. The term is often used to describe moral corruption, and the ulcers described may be moral or spiritual. Can we find aught in history about the end of the 1260 years of papal domination that corresponds with the symbolism? We will look in France. It was Charlemagne, the emperor of France, who bestowed the temporal power upon the popes. The ruler of France was long styled the eldest son of the Church. It was France that had perpetrated the massacre of St. Bartholomew, the dragonnades of the Cevennes, and the banishment of the Huguenots. The French nation had the mark of the beast to at least as great an extent as ally other nation.
In 1793, exactly at the close of the period of 1260 years, there breaks out in France a fearful, moral ulcer that had long been festering. The French revolution, the uprising of enslaved masses who were maddened into fury, sent Catholic king, royal families, nobles, and priests to the guillotine by tens of thousands, impelled the nation in its madness to publicly declare itself atheistic, leavened it with skepticism, and broke the hold of Rome to such a degree that she can never more control France. The ulcer was awfully corrupt and deadly. At one time 200,000 citizens of all conditions and both sexes were in prison, and often in Paris alone, fourscore were sent to the scaffold in a day. As the result of the breaking forth of this ulcer, the mightiest Catholic nation was convulsed with civil war, every Catholic country in Europe was deluged in blood, and the papal power received a shock from which it never can recover. The first vial, the breaking forth of grievous, painful, malignant ulcers, most fitly represents the breaking out of the French revolution, points to the elevation of the foulest and most fiendish leaders of the rabble to the government of the nation, and to the scenes of madness and fury that have marked this fearful period as the Reign of Terror.
THE SECOND VIAL.
And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea."—Revelation 16:3.
Another vial follows swiftly. Another blow is aimed in some way at the walls of the great city Babylon. The first calamity has been upon the earth; the second is upon the ocean. The second angel pours his vial upon the sea. Then the waters become red as blood and in the great mortality that follows it seems to John as if every soul in the sea was dead. Again we ask if, in this series of calamities, there is one that smites the Catholic powers from the sea?
Under the second trumpet a great and burning mountain Cell into the sea. The Vandal power swept the Mediterranean, destroyed the Roman navy and then laid siege to the old imperial Rome. From the sea spiritual Rome, under the second vial, is weakened. The symbolism is fulfilled in the mightiest naval strife ever known.
In 1780 France and England, upon the ocean, were nearly equally matched. Along the shores of the struggling colonies of the United States sometimes the English, sometimes the French fleets, rode in triumph. At Yorktown, the superiority of the French at sea cooped Cornwallis in until Washington compelled his surrender. With 1793 begins another contest for the mastery of the seas. It continues after Napoleon sits on the imperial throne, and did not end for twenty years. France, again a Catholic power by Napoleon’s concordat with the Pope, rallies under the imperial flag with herself, Catholic Spain, Portugal and Italy, in the struggle. Protestant England and Catholic Europe strive together upon the ocean. From the Indian ocean to the Nile, the Atlantic, the North sea and the the waters are reddened with blood. The Catholic flag is dipped into the sea. The old Catholic powers, those which in the past have been the vile instruments of papal wrong, the nations whose kings have committed fornication with the great spiritual harlot, suffer the loss in this long and deadly struggle of six hundred ships of the Line, the largest war vessels that go to sea, besides thousands of ships of war of smaller size. At the close of the contest, the naval power of Catholic Europe had been swept from the ocean. Spain, the discoverer of America, once the first naval power of the world; Portugal; France, long the rival of England on the seas, did not have a ship left that dared to hoist its flag upon the open seas. The destruction was the mightiest and the most complete recorded in modern annals. The earthly powers which supported Rome had been swept from the ocean.
THE THIRD VIAL.
And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments."—Revelation 16:4-7.
John sees the third "vial poured upon the rivers and fountain or waters; and they become blood." This vial will symbolize another event calamitous to Rome. The seat of the disasters is described as the rivers and we may expect some historical events, connected in some way with rivers, that result in the injury of the papacy. There are two marks given which help us to locate the seat where the plague of the third vial is poured. 1. It must be a region of rivers and fountains of water. 2. It has evidently been the scene of terrible persecutions of the people of God. When the judgment is inflicted the angel of the waters exclaimed, "Thou art righteous, O Lord, who art and wast and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets and thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy." A land of persecution is to become the scene of calamities which are justly visited upon it for its sins.
If the reader will look upon the map of northern Italy he will find it crowded with rivers. The streams rush down from the Alps and haste away to the sea. This river region of Italy has been the battle ground of nations. Here Gaul and Roman contended for the mastery of Italy; here Hannibal crushed the Roman legions in a succession of battles; here Attila the Hun, the "blazing Star," the wormwood of the rivers, laid Rome prostrate at his feet; here France and Spain wrestled for the possession of the decrepit Peninsula; here the French armies under the young General of the Directory humiliated Austria and destroyed the temporal power of Rome.
We ask first, has this country been the scene of persecutions? None more terrible, more bloody or more continued, have been known in the dark history of Rome. This very region was the home of the Albigenses. Against them the Papacy had hurled its fanatical legions from generation to generation. The blood of the Protestants of the Alps had for centuries dyed the rocks and streams with crimson. One of the mightiest services that Oliver Cromwell did for the human race, was to announce to the Pope of Rome that unless he called off his wolves from preying upon the flock of God in Piedmont, the cannon of a Puritan army should teach him mercy around the castle of St. Angelo. This river region is then a theatre of persecution.
We ask next whether this region of rivers, this region red with the blood and hallowed by the sufferings of martyrs, was the theatre of any great historical events in this series of steps towards the destruction of the power of Rome?
Thus far there has been a connection between the plagues. The first, the French Revelation, the Reign or Terror in France, for a time destroyed and forever weakened the papal grasp upon that nation. Out of it sprang the second plague, which resulted in driving the Catholic powers from the ocean. Still springing from that same revolution there follows the descent of the French armies upon Italy, and the destruction of the spell by which Rome for more than a thousand years had held the nations.
In 1796, a General, aged 27, then comparatively unknown, led an army of 35,000 Frenchmen into Italy. Bold, unscrupulous, "with no god but ambition," he was not held back by veneration of the successor of St. Peter. On the river system of Italy, on the Rhone, the Po and its tributaries, he battled with the Austrians and their allies. It is remarkable that every one of his great conflicts were fought upon the rivers. Who has not heard of the Bridge of Lodi, the first of his great victories, fought upon the river Adda? or of the Bridge of Arcole, the scene of another triumph upon the Adige? or of Marengo, begun with the river Bromida between the armies? Listen how history records the exploits of the young Napoleon in this campaign:
"The French crossed the Po at Piacenza on the 7th of May, and drove back Beaulieu upon the line or the Adda; the strongly fortified bridge of Lodi was carried after a severe struggle, and the enemy retreated, in the utmost confusion, upon the line of the river Mincio."--Student’s France, page 581.
Again: "Marching secretly from Verona, the French descended the Adige (river) as far as Ronco. There they crossed the Adige, and on Nov. 14th made it furious attack upon the village and bridge (over the Adige) of Arcole."--Ibid. page 583.
Again: "From the theater of their triumphs upon the Adige and Mincio (rivers), Bonaparte led his armies into the territories of the Pope, against whom the Directory had resolved to proceed to extremities."--Page 584.
Again: "Bonaparte took up a position with his whole force upon the great plain of Marengo, being separated by the river Bromida from the enemy’s lines."--Page 598.
Again: "A convention was signed the day after the battle by which the Austrians agreed to retire beyond the river Mincio."--Page 598.
Thus it becomes apparent that the scene of ancient persecution, the region of rivers, again becomes the theater of a mighty struggle, in which the rivers, curiously the scene of every conflict, are reddened with blood. We have yet to ask whether these events were disastrous to the Papacy. I will briefly give the results of the struggle. In 1796 Bonaparte entered Italy. The next year his armies take the city of Rome and proclaim an Italian Republic. Previously an armistice had been granted, for which the Pope paid 21,000,000 francs and gave up a hundred masterpieces or art to be carried to Paris. In 1798 Pope Plus VI. was carried as a prisoner into to die. His successor was not elected in Rome, which was still in the hands of the spoiler, but in Venice. Other results that follow from this invasion will be given under the fourth vial.
Ah! how triumphantly the long persecuted Waldenses, as they saw the Pope carried a prisoner into exile, must have joined in the voice from behind the altar: "Yes, O Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments!"
THE FOURTH VIAL.
"And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire."
"And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues; and they repented not to give him glory."
We have now reached the fourth vial of the wrath of God. It will be another of a series of calamities that befall the Papal power. We may expect it to follow closely those already described.
The symbol employed to represent the fourth calamity is the sun. I have stated elsewhere in these chapters that the sun is symbolical of a ruler or king, Anyone who becomes a great light and occupies a pre-eminent position, may be indicated by this symbol. The Savior is described as the Sun of Righteousness. In the dream of Joseph, his father Jacob, the patriarchal ruler, is represented by the sun. Among orientals it is the well-known symbol of a king or ruler. The fourth vial is poured upon this sun, and power is given it to scorch men with fire. Fire, the instrument of bitter pain, is a symbol of suffering. It is therefore evident that the ruler, symbolized by the sun, shall be the means of inflicting great suffering upon men. As we have found that these calamities are directed against the Papacy, it would follow that the sufferers are those who have received the mark of the beast. Though these adherents of Rome are in great anguish from the calamities that befall them, still they do not repent of their crimes. Like ancient Egypt under the plagues, Rome will still persist in her wicked deeds, still refuses to liberate the people from her spiritual slavery.
We have now ascertained about what the symbolism must mean. Let us next inquire whether history confirms the interpretation by events which correspond to the prophecy.
In 1801 a scorching sun had arisen in the political horizon of the old world. The victor or Lodi and Marengo, the conqueror of Italy, had become the ruler or the French nation. At first he ruled under the old Roman title of Consul. A few years later he was crowned as Emperor of the French. No such scorching sun had arisen in the political horizon for more than a thousand years, and I do not know that the world has ever seen so great a scourge of man. From 1796 to 1815 he was engaged in war without a moment’s cessation. He converted Europe into a great camp, and every nation was blackened and torn with wars. From Spain to Moscow, from Egypt to Holland, the march of his armies left behind a track or blood. In his wars it is estimated that 2,000,000 men perished by the sword, and none can tell of the want and misery and despair that brooded over the bleeding and desolated lands that were tracked by his armies. There was hardly a home in Europe that did not suffer; hardly one that was not in mourning for slain fathers, brothers and sons, or for wives and daughters who had met a fate worse than death.
This scorching sun, which parched, burnt and blackened the earth, exerted a most baleful influence on the power of the Papacy. In 1796 Bonaparte entered Italy; in 1797 his armies entered the Papal dominions, and a peace was made by which the Pope was not only shorn of half his provinces, but was compelled to buy off the invader by the payment of large sums of money. The next year the French armies entered Rome, tore the Pope from the Vatican, sent him a prisoner to France to die, and robbed Rome Of its hoarded wealth. It was despoiled of its treasures of art, which were sent to Paris as legitimate spoils of war. The historian Allison speaks as follows of this spoliation in his history of Europe. Vol. 1, page 546:
"But long before the Pope had sunk under the persecution of his oppressors, Rome had experienced the bitter fruits of Republican fraternization. Immediately after the entry of the French troops commenced the regular and systematic pillage of the city. Not only the churches and the convents but the palaces of the cardinals and of the nobility were laid waste. The agents of the Directory, insatiable in the pursuit of plunder, and merciless in the means of exacting it, ransacked every quarter within its walls, seized the most valuable works of art, and stripped the Eternal City of those treasures which had survived the Gothic fire and the rapacious hands of the Spanish soldiers. The bloodshed was much less, but the spoil collected incomparably greater than at the disastrous sack which followed the death of the Constable Bourbon. Almost all the great works of art which have since that time been collected throughout Europe, were then scattered abroad. The spoliation exceeded all that the Goths or Vandals had effected. Not only the palaces of the Vatican, and the Monte Cavallo, and the chief nobility of Rome, but those of Castel Gandolfo, on the margin of the Alban lake, of Terracina, the Villa Albani, and others in the environs of Rome, were plundered of every article of value which they possessed. The whole sacerdotal habits of the Pope and cardinals were burned, in order to collect from the flames the gold with which they were adorned. The Vatican was stripped to its naked walls; the immortal frescoes of Raphael and Michael Angelo remained in solitary beauty amid the general desolation. A contribution of four millions in money, two millions in provisions, and three thousand horses, was imposed on a city already exhausted by the enormous exactions it had previously undergone. Under the direction of the infamous commissary Hallar, the domestic library, museum, furniture, jewels, and even the private clothes of the Pope, were sold. Nor did the palaces of the Roman nobility escape devastation. The noble galleries of the Cardinal Braschi, and the Cardinal York, the last relic of the Stuart line, underwent the same fate. Others, as those of the Chigi, Borghese, and Doria palaces, were rescued from destruction only by enormous ransoms. Everything of value that the Tolentino had left in Rome became the prey of Republican cupidity, and the very name of freedom soon became odious, from the sordid and infamous crimes which were committed in its name.
"Nor were the exactions of the French confined to the plunder of palaces and churches. Eight cardinals were arrested and sent to Civita Castellana, while enormous contributions were levied on the papal territory, and brought home the bitterness of conquest to every poor man’s door. At the same time, the ample territorial possessions of the church and the monasteries were confiscated, and declared national property; a measure which, by drying up at once the whole resources of the affluent, classes, precipitated into the extreme of misery the numerous poor who were maintained by their expenditure or fed by their bounty. All the respectable citizens and clergy were in fetters; and a base and despicable faction alone, among whom, to their disgrace be it told, were found fourteen cardinals, followed in the train of the oppressors; and at a public festival, returned thanks to God for the miseries they had brought upon their country."
The imprisoned Pope died in captivity. The next Pope was elected in 1799, not in Rome, which was held by French soldiers, but in Venice. In 1800 he was permitted to return to his desolated capital as the dependent of France. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte determined to place upon his head the old imperial crown as emperor of the Romans, and the Pope was compelled to journey by land to Paris in order to gratify his master by serving in the ceremonial. Four years later Plus VII. was dragged from his palace, as his predecessor had been, and sent a prisoner into France. His States of the Church were confiscated. The grant made by Charlemagne near 1200 years before was resumed, and until the fall of Napoleon, the Pope was without temporal possessions. The imprisoned hierarch was not only shorn of his worldly estates, but was compelled to sign a compact by which he gave up the power of appointing bishops in the French empire to Napoleon. It was only when the power of Napoleon was broken that he was permitted to return to his pillaged city, to reascend a throne and to grasp a broken sceptre.
Napoleon had broken the spell of Rome. He taught the world that the power of the Popes might be successfully dared. The terror of Papal bulls, anathemas and interdicts, was then dispelled forever. Since his day the Pope has ceased to be the most powerful factor in the history of nations. But, notwithstanding these scourgings, the Papacy has not abated its exorbitant and blasphemous pretensions. They have not repented of their sins.
THE FIFTH VIAL.
"And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds."—Revelation 16:10-11.
The next angel pours out his vial upon the seat or throne of the beast, and his kingdom is filled with darkness. They gnaw their tongues in pain, and revile God for their sufferings. They repent not of their wicked deeds. There can be no doubt concerning what is meant by the throne of the beast. The scene of the calamities of the fifth vial will be Italy and Rome. That has been the seat of the beast for 1300 years. In the very seat of his power the beast shall receive a blow that will fill his kingdom with darkness, and those who worship him with anguish. Something shall occur that shall cause great dismay and anguish to the Roman priesthood.
It would be well for the reader to note the fact that, when the disasters came upon the Papacy through the rule of Napoleon, the people of Italy were sufferers also. That country was still loyal to the Pope. He was driven forth, not by the consent of the Italian people, but by foreign power. Rome remained a Catholic city, under the dominion of priest craft, devoted to the Pope. But within the present generation a change has come. The Italians have shaken off the yoke that had been borne for over 1200 years. The light has penetrated the thick darkness of Rome itself.
In the year 1848 the people of Rome arose in rebellion to the Papal authority and drove Pius IX. into exile. A few months later he was restored by a French army. Nor did he dare remain when restored, save under the protection of French bayonets. With a French garrison he continued to rule his circ*mscribed territory until 1870. In that year France was compelled to withdraw her soldiers to defend her soil from German invasion. That was the opportunity of Italy. The Papal army was scattered by the soldiers of Victor Emmanuel; the Pope shut himself in the Vatican, and Rome became the capital of new Italy. The temporal power of the Pope is gone forever.
But this is not all that this vial symbolizes. The Italian government has seized upon the overgrown possessions of the church. The lands it claimed have been confiscated, monasteries and convents have been closed, and universal religious toleration declared. The days of Papal persecution have forever departed. The free church of Italy has been organized by the long persecuted Waldenses, and Protestant missionaries preach in every important city.
This is what has been done. This is how the vial has been poured out on the throne of the beast, It remains to inquire how these reverses have been received by the devotees of Rome.
The lately deceased Pope was declared by a Catholic General Council, sitting in Rome, to be infallible. He then shut himself up in the Vatican and styled himself a prisoner. He had previously issued a syllabus claiming a right to rule the nations of the earth. He fulminated anathemas against those who opposed him, as bitter, as hostile, as arrogant, as those of Pope Hildebrand. He and his supporters have metaphorically gnawed their tongues in anguish. When Cavour, the great Italian statesman, died, the priests were forbidden to attend the last moments of the dying patriot. If any one wishes to know the rage felt by all devout Catholics over the scenes I have depicted, let him engage in conversation with any devotee of Rome.
By these events none can doubt that the power of the Papacy is much weakened. She can no longer resort to violence as a means of suppressing rebellion against her spiritual despotism. A time has come when in Italy and Rome Protestant missionaries may raise the cry to the citizens of Babylon, "Come out of her, my people," and there is no power that will hinder their coming.
This brings us to….
THE SIXTH VIAL.
"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared."-Revelation 16:12.
The sixth vial is poured out upon the river Euphrates, and its waters were dried up that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared. If the reader will turn back to Revelation chapter 7, he will find that the sixth angel there is also connected with the river Euphrates. When his trumpet is blown the command is given to loose the four angels that are bound by the river Euphrates. We have found that these angels and the accompanying symbolism evidently describe the Turkish invasion of the eastern Roman empire.
As there were four angels, so there were four Turkish kingdoms. They were restrained (or bound) by the Euphrates, and prevented from crossing it for generations. They were an army of horsem*n. They employed in their wars the smoke and fire and brimstone of gunpowder, unused before. By these and other marks the power of the Euphrates is surely identified as the Turkish empire. I have elsewhere described its capture of Constantinople. At that time it was the mightiest empire of the world. It held under its sway all of northern Africa, all of western Asia, including Judea, and all of southeastern Europe, embracing parts of Hungary, Poland and Russia. Its armies repeatedly marched into Germany; Vienna was besieged by the Turkish host, and at one time it was feared that all Europe would be subjected to its sway.
In Revelation chapter 7 it is the sixth trumpet angel that unlooses the angels bound by the river Euphrates. Here the sixth angel pours his vial upon the river Euphrates. Evidently the power affected by the sixth angel and described by the river Euphrates in both cases, is the same in Revelation chapter 7 and in the present chapter. Prophecy has described the rise of the Turkish power. It also foreshadows the fall of this mighty scourge of the nations. The cruel and sensual invader, who has desolated the Holy Land and plowed with destruction regions in which flourishing churches were founded by the apostles, is destined to fall. A vial shall be poured out upon it and it shall be dried up. But will its fall be a calamity to Rome? We may let the Papacy determine that. Rome does not love the Turks, but she loves the followers of the prophet much better than she loves Protestant or Greek schismatics. If Turkey should fall before a Protestant power, or before Russia, the head of the Greek communion, the Papacy would regard it as greatly to be deplored. In the recent war between Russia and Turkey the Papal sympathies were all in behalf of the Crescent.
I wish to ask the reader to observe the effects of pouring out the vial. The Euphrates is dried up. This symbolism does not indicate a sudden destruction but a gradual decay. Earthquakes, and falling cities and lands, or mountains swallowed up, are symbols of sudden destruction, but a drying up indicates an extinction by slow degrees. This is just what is taking place in the case of Turkey. I do not know when her end will come, whether soon, or far in the future; but her end will come, and I do know that for more than a hundred years the foundations of her power have been slowly drying up. Three hundred years ago she was the mightiest power in the world, and she has not fallen from that high position to her present weakness at a bound. We can trace the steps downward.
In 1774, one hundred and seven years ago, she received her first great reverse in a war with Russia, and was shorn of her provinces north of the Black Sea. In 1816, Servia, after a long contest for liberty, wrested self-government from the Sultan and has since only given a nominal allegiance to the Turks. In 1820 Greece revolted.
In 1823 the Turkish naval power was destroyed by England, France and Russia at the battle of Navarino, and in 1829 the independence of Greece was completely established. In 1849 Mehemet Ali revolted in Egypt, invaded Syria, marched on Constantinople, and was only restrained by the powers of Europe. Since that time Egypt has been practically independent. In 1849, Roumania also, then called Moldavia, demanded self-government and is now independent under the King of Roumania. Thus province after province has been lopped off, and the process still goes on. In 1876 Herzeovina revolted, and Montenegro raised its warlike standard. In 1877 the Russians intervened, and the war that followed resulted in the loss of the greater part of the Turkish possessions in Europe, as well as Cyprus and a part of Armenia. At this date the Turkish empire seems on the very verge of dissolution. To the human eye it appears as though the very foundations of its life and vigor were "dried up."
The apostle says that the Euphrates shall be dried up, that the way of the kings of the East may be prepared. In the infancy of the Christ, the wise men of the East, also called kings in the Psalms, came to offer homage to the kingly child. The prophecy implies that when this obstacle is removed, the way of the inhabitants shall be opened. There can be no doubt but that the fall of the Turkish power would give a mighty impetus to the evangelization of the world. All western Asia is Mahometan Turkey is the head of the Mahometan faith, and its fall would be looked upon as the doom of the religion of the Prophet. It has long been death for the disciple of Mahomet to forsake his religion, but when the Euphrates is finally dried up, the nations from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates, Tigris and Indus, will seek for a new religion. The sword established the religion of the False Prophet. When it loses the dominion of the sword, its votaries will demand another faith.
The next great event in prophetic history after the drying of the Euphrates, is the battle of Armageddon. We have found that the sixth and seventh vials represent events that have occurred, or are occurring, in our day. The great calamity to the papacy, symbolized by the vial poured upon the throne of the beast, has fallen upon Rome since 1870. The drying up of the Euphrates is still going on.
Before the final destruction of the Mahometan power it is destined to secure powerful allies, which will aid it in its last struggle, and go down with it when that struggle is ended, in a final and utter destruction. This conflict is described as follows:
"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together in a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."—Revelation 16:13-16.
The reader will observe that, before the seventh vial is poured out, there is an alliance of three powers described as the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. From their mouths came three unclean spirits, like frogs, who go forth to the kings of the earth, rally their forces under the banners of the three allied powers, and march them to the battle of the great day of the Almighty. And the hosts join battle in a place called in the Hebrew tongue,
ARMAGEDDON.
I wish the reader to understand that in venturing upon this portion of Revelation, I do so as one who goes through a dim, mysterious and untraveled country. Thus far I have been writing of the past, and I have asked my reader to tread with me the solid ground of history. I have pointed him first to the sublime panorama of the future described, as an eye witness, by the prophet of Patmos. I have then turned to history and have shown the march of events corresponding to, and in precise order of the Apocalyptic symbols. But in this application we have now reached the year 1881. The symbolism next proceeds to map out what is future to us as well as what was future to John eighteen centuries ago. The gathering of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, belongs to the future. It is unfulfilled prophecy, and of the meaning of unfulfilled prophecy we should always speak with modesty. The blunders made by so many learned men in trying to teach the world what prophecy of events yet future should mean, ought to admonish the interpreter to lay aside all dogmatism before he begins his work.
Yet, in the interpretation of this passage we are furnished with solid ground where we can place our feet. The dragon and the beast are symbols that have already been identified. All Protestant commentators are agreed that the dragon is a symbol of old, persecuting, imperial Rome, and that the beast represents the no less tyrannical and persecuting power of Papal Rome.
Here a difficulty arises concerning one of these powers. Papal Rome still exists, but imperial Rome, once the mistress of the world, is gone forever. How then can the dragon appear in a conflict that is yet future? It cannot appear as imperial Rome, but it may appear as some great despotic power of kindred character, representing its work and spirit. We may, perhaps, receive some assistance by comparing the passage before us with the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth chapters of Ezekiel. These chapters are understood by President Milligan, and other judicious commentators, to describe the gathering of the hosts to the battle of Armageddon. We quote: "Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief Prince, of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him." Ezekiel 38:2. Magog was one of the seven sons of Japhet. His sons were Gomer, Magog, Maadai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. Josephus says that Magog founded the "Magogae, whom the Greeks call Scythians." The people called Scythians anciently inhabited southern Russia. We are justified, then, in pronouncing that country the "land of Magog." Ezekiel, in the passage quoted, not only names the land of Magog, but "the chief prince of Meshech." Meshech we have named already is the sixth son of Japhet. There can be little doubt but that the name survives in Russia. Muscovy is the ancient name of Russia, and the word is probably a corruption of Meshech, and the other Russian terms, Moscow, Moskwa, Mesoc and Mosc, are all variations of the same word. This resemblance is rendered still more striking by a correct translation of the Septuagint version. It there reads: "The prince of Roos and Meshech and Tubal."
We have then found that the land of Magog was Scythia or Russia; that the prince of Roos, or Russia, is named; that Meshech corresponds with Moscow and Muscovy, and the remaining name, Tubal, or Tobol, as it is in the Septuagint, is also a Russian name. The capital of Asiatic Russia is Tobolsk. Tobol is its chief river.
I think that these facts clearly show that Ezekiel marks Russia as one of the powers destined to take part in the battle of Armageddon. In despotic form. of government, in extent of dominions, in ambition, in military power, it more fitly represents imperial Rome than any other modern State, and since it is definitely described by Ezekiel, we are justified in regarding it as the revived imperial despotism symbolized by the dragon.
ARMAGEDDON.
Two of the powers that enter into the conflict can now be conjectured, viz: Russia, the great modern secular despotism, and the spiritual despotism of Rome, symbolized by the beast. These, are not at present in union, but they will unite. They each have a system of Episcopacy, worship images, invoke saints, and nourish monasticism. They have so much in common religiously that it will not be impossible to make an alliance in the future.
Papal Rome in the zenith of her power would have disdained an alliance with the eastern church, but in the humiliation brought upon her by the pouring out of the vials she will stretch out her hands for help. In the reign of Justinian when the Pope first received the title of Lord of the Church, the Greek and Latin churches were united under his sceptre and will be again united at their fall.
The third power described as the false prophet, remains to be identified. The reader will note two facts: 1. The sixth vial treats of the fall of the Turkish power. We have not yet passed to the seventh vial. The Sultan is the recognized "commander of the Faithful;" the head of Islam. The false prophet represents the Mahometan power; possibly not under the Sultan, but still existing. It is the religion of "The Prophet," as his disciples term Mahomet; of the false prophet, as the rest or the world suppose. 2. By turning to Ezekiel we find that it is stated that Persia, Ethiopia and Lybia with them, are joined in the conflict. These are the very countries that are peopled by Mahometans.
"The power of the Euphrates" will probably be dried up, and before this conflict, but there will be a marshaling of the followers of the false prophet from Persia, Ethiopia, Lybia and other countries. Let the reader note the significance of the historical fact that the Mahometan lands are fast passing under the dominion of Russia. Already central Asia to the borders of China acknowledges the Czar, and Turkey is suppliant at his feet. It seems, then, to be already foreshadowed that after the drying up of the Euphrates there will be a grand alliance of secular despotism led by Russia, spiritual despotism embodied in Papal Rome, and false religion as exemplified in Mahometanism. Their aim will be to check the progress of political and religious freedom and of the gospel of Christ. The final gathering of the hosts will be it Armageddon, where the last conflict in which the beast and false prophet shall ever engage, will be fought. It will not be the world’s last battle. There remains yet another which closes the scenes and struggles of time, but the great victory of Armageddon will secure the peace of earth for a thousand years, and usher in the glories of the Millennium.
I have endeavored to identify the powers which shall contend upon the one side in the battle of Armageddon. Of two of these there can be no doubt. The beast is ever a symbol of the Papal power. The connection, as well as the name indicates that the false prophet represents Mahometanism. The dragon represents, not old, imperial Rome, but the spirit of imperial Rome revived in some modern power, or powers. I have urged that Russia is that power. It may be that it is an alliance of despotic powers under the leadership of Russia. A passage to which I ask the reader’s attention suggests that this is probable.
In Revelation 13:16, the beast, false prophet and dragon are named. In Revelation 19:19-20, there is another description of the same conflict. There John saw the beast and the false prophet as before, but instead of the dragon he names the kings of the earth. These would represent the imperial despotism of ancient Rome. The language would suggest an alliance of despotic rulers. The dragon represents the spirit of them all. What has been written renders it probable that Russia will exercise a preponderance.
The sacred writer saw that, they were gathered to a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
If this is a literal conflict of arms the place where it will take place is probably indicated. Possibly the conflict will be moral and spiritual, but if not, it is of interest to know where this great final conflict will be fought. It is at a place. The place would therefore probably be found where the Hebrew tongue was spoken, and where the Jews were wont to bestow Hebrew names upon places. The fanciful Baldwin has chosen the United States as the theatre of this conflict, a supposition about as probable as many of the prophetic theories of which he is the advocate. The place named is not only Hebrew, but is a famous spot in Hebrew history. Armageddon means simply the Hill Megiddo. Upon the hill Megiddo was fought the battle in which King Josiah was slain. It was in the midst of the battle-ground of Israel. The plain of Esdraelon, the depression between Judea and Galilee, was tracked with armies. Philistines, Midianites, Syrians, Assyrians, and Egyptians contended with each other and with Israel. Upon this plain arose the hill of Megiddo. It may be that the last conflict before the fall of Babylon and the ushering in of the Millennium will be upon this ancient battleground. If Ezekiel 37:8-17 is understood literally it signifies that Palestine shall be the theatre of his struggle, but of all these passages I am inclined to believe that they have a spiritual signification. The Israel of Ezekiel represents the church, the true Israel. Armageddon, the battle-ground of Israel, is used metaphorically to describe the great conflict of the Israel of God.
But against whom are these wicked powers arrayed? Revelation 19:11-16 describes him. Christ is the leader. The conflict is with the true church. The word of God is the instrument of offense. Christ rides upon the white horse of triumph and in righteousness doth he judge and make war. The splendid description of chapter 19th, is a fuller presentation of Revelation 16:14, where the conflict is described as the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
As this conflict was waged the seventh angel pours out….
THE SEVENTH VIAL.
"And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple or heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath."—Revelation 16:17-19.
I have shown that these vials each represent calamities that befall the Papal power and follow in succession. The number seven, is the perfect number. The seventh vial which completes the perfect number must be the grand consummation of the catastrophes of Rome. It is in harmony with the fitness of things that it should bring her utter destruction. Hence it is followed by commotion and mighty upheaval of the powers of the earth, such as had never before been known. The results are presented in detail. We learn, 1. That the great city, Babylon, fell. It was broken into fragments. Revelation 16:19. It fell with violence, as a millstone cast into the sea and disappeared forever. Revelation 18:21. The beast, the symbol of the Romish power, was taken and cast alive into the lake of fire, from whence there is no return to trouble the nations. . The false prophet which shared the alliance of the beast (Revelation 16:13) also shares its fate. Revelation 19:20. The dragon, "the kings of the earth," gathered to make war against him who sat on the horse, were also discomfited. The cities of the nations fell. Revelation 16:19. Of three powers allied in wickedness two are utterly destroyed. They are consigned to the eternal prison-house where doors open to receive, but from whence none come forth. They disappear forever. Rome and Mahomet disappear from history. These anti-Christian powers cannot be reformed. It is folly to think of recalling an apostate church to the purity of the gospel. It waxes worse and worse. Its end is destruction. Every false church and every false religion, incapable of reformation, must be destroyed.
The third power, the dragon, is not at this period cast into the lake of fire. His time has not, yet come. He represents a spirit that assumes various forms. At one time he is imperial Rome; later he has assumed the form of the secular dominion of the Papacy; later still he represents Russia and the allied despotisms of the earth. He is ever Satan, the adversary, the old serpent, the devil, but to accomplish his work assumes Protean forms. At the end of this great conflict, his power is broken. He has not passed out of existence forever, but is bound. For a long period he ceases to exercise power upon the earth, and there is ushered in after the fall of the beast and false prophet the golden age of our race, the glorious period sung by ancient prophets, the MILLENNIUM.
THE GREAT HARLOT.
The sixteenth chapter presents the series of historical events that lead to the overthrow of spiritual Babylon. Our interpretation of these has been for the most part determined by the facts of history which have already transpired. The sixth vial brings to the present date. Concerning what follows the seventh vial I speak with diffidence, as it is yet future, but of this we can be certain, that it foreshadows the final overthrow of the anti-Christian powers. In chapters XVII., XVIII. and XIX., the downfall of these powers, the overthrow of Rome, the triumph of the Word of God, and the victory of Armageddon, are described with greater detail. The limits to which I am confined will only permit me to outline these chapters. Chap. 17:1-6 describes spiritual Rome under the figure of a great harlot. The true Church is described throughout Revelation as a pure woman, the Bride of Christ; the false church as a harlot. That this harlot refers to the same wicked power already described as Babylon is evident from the words on her forehead.
This woman sat on a scarlet beast and was clothed in purple and scarlet. Scarlet is the color worn by cardinals and Pope. Purple indicates not only luxury but royal power. The woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, which is true of Rome.
The beast has, throughout indicated the secular power that upheld the church. This was first, old imperial Rome. The beast had seven heads. I have shown that there are seven hills on which Rome sat, and I have indicated (p. 250) that this refers to seven forms of government that Rome had during her existence. There were ten horns. The horn is a symbol of power, and often is used for a kingdom in prophetic language. See Daniel 7:24. This, then, implies ten powers which sprang out of Rome and supported the false church. These are given by Sir Isaac Newton, as follows: 1. Kingdom of the Vandals in Spain and Africa; 2. Kingdom of the Visigoths; 3. Kingdom of the Suevi in Spain; 4. Kingdom of the Alans in France; 5. Kingdom of the Burgundians; 6. Kingdom of the Franks; 7. Kingdom of the Britons; 8. Kingdom of the Huns; 9. Kingdom of the Lombards; 10. Kingdom of Ravenna. The Roman empire was broken up into these kingdoms, and they were all supporters of the Papacy. These ten kings or kingdoms did not exist in the time of John, but should afterwards receive authority and do the will of the beast (verses 12-15). At a later period still, the ten horns (verse 16) shall hate and desolate the harlot. We have seen this fulfilled in the fact that the kingdoms that have been developed from these have in the last three centuries either become Protestant, or have broken with Roman rule. The historical facts given under the seven vials show how they have waged war on Rome.
In Revelation 18 and Revelation 19:1-10, a vivid description of the great judgment is given. The mourning of one class and the triumph of the saints are each painted in vivid colors. The latter portion of the nineteenth chapter again describes the battle of Armageddon, which has already been alluded to under the sixth vial in Revelation 16:12-16.
After the battle of Armageddon comes the Millennium. "The kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ." Men may scoffingly say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." "But the Lord is not slack concerning his promises." The glorious day when righteousness and the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the whole earth will certainly come.
APPENDIX OF SYMBOLS.
by B.W. Johnson
From "Vision of the Ages"
Revelation is a book of symbols. The proper interpretation depends on the right use of these symbols. The meanings usually attached to them will be found in any symbol dictionary. I have condensed for this table from the dictionaries the definitions of the principal symbols used in Revelation.
ADULTERY.--Idolatry or apostasy. As Christ is represented as a Bridegroom, and the Church as his Bride, apostasy, or unfaithfulness to him, would be spiritual adultery and a false church properly represented as a harlot.
ANGEL.--Any agent or messenger of the divine will. It may be a Celestial spirit, or a movement of earthly nations, etc.
ASCENSION TO HEAVEN.--Exaltation in power and glory. Prosperity.
BABYLON.--The city that carried God’s people into captivity. Rome.
BALANCES.--A symbol of justice, but when used in connection with food they are a symbol of scarcity.
BEAST.--A wild, savage beast indicates a usurping, cruel, tyrannical, persecuting power.
BINDING.--This symbol implies to deprive of power, to weaken, or render helpless.
BLACK.--The color of mourning or affliction.
BLACK HORSE.--The horse is a symbol of war. A. black horse would mean calamitous war.
BLOOD.--A symbol of carnage and therefore of war.
BOOK.--To seal a book is to conceal its meaning; to open a book is to reveal its meaning. The book with seven seals is the book of destiny. The opening of the seals is the revelation of future history.
BOW.--A bow held in the hand is a symbol of war. [353]
BRIDE.--The spouse of Christ, the Church, the New Jerusalem.
BRIDEGROOM.--Jesus Christ.
CANDLESTICK.--A symbol of a church, which is the light of the world. The seven golden candlesticks are the Seven Churches.
CHAIN.--A symbol of bondage or affliction. To chain is to render powerless. To bind Satan with a chain is to destroy his power.
CLOUD.--An emblem of power and majesty. To ride upon the clouds is to appear in glory and exaltation.
CROWN.--The symbol of royal majesty. To enjoy exaltation and honor. To receive the crown of life is to receive the honors of eternal life.
DARKNESS.--The well known symbol of calamity and affliction.
DAY.--"I have given you a day for a year." One revolution of the earth on its axis is a symbol of its annual revolution in its orbit. "Twelve hundred and sixty days" means as many years.
DEATH.--A symbol of destruction.
DRAGON.--The old pagan Roman Empire. The dragon was originally a symbol of a monarch. In Revelation it means the persecuting monarchy of Rome.
EARTH.--The ancient civilized world, which corresponded in John’s time with the Roman Empire.
EARTHQUAKE.--Political and moral revolutions and convulsions of society. The shaking of the established order of things. The subversion of states and fortunes.
ECLIPSE.--Or the darkening of heavenly bodies, means the obscuration of the glory of kings and potentates of which sun, moon and stars are symbols.
EGYPT.--The place of spiritual bondage. A condition of sinfulness. Opposition to Christ.
ELDERS.--Probably heavenly princes.
EUPHRATES.--The symbol of the Turkish power. To be "bound by the Euphrates" is to be restrained at that river. [354] The "drying up of the Euphrates" is the gradual decay of the Turkish power.
FIRE.--Fierce destruction. Never the symbol of a blessing, but of a curse.
FIRE FROM HEAVEN.--Divine destruction, but fire brought down from heaven by the two-horned dragon, means excommunications and anathemas of Rome.
FLOOD.--Symbol of overpowering. Distress from persecution or any cause.
FOREHEAD.--A mark in the forehead means a public profession.
FORNICATION.--Idolatry. See
GRAVE.--To put into the grave, signifies to consign to oblivion. "Not to suffer dead bodies to be put into the grave," means that they shall be remembered.
HAIL.--Ravages and destruction.
HAND.--A mark in the hand means the manner of life.
HARLOT.--An idolatrous community. The great Harlot is the apostate church. See
HEAVENS AND THE EARTH.--The world. The political and religious universe. A new heavens and new earth implies a passing away of the old order of things and the establishment of a new order.
HORNS.--"The great horn is the first king;" Daniel. A symbol of kings, kingdoms, or power.
HORSE.--Used only for warlike purposes by the ancients and hence a symbol of war. The color of the horse indicates the condition of his rider and the state of the war.
INCENSE.--The prayers of the saints.
ISLANDS.--European States. In the prophets the "isles of the sea" meant the countries in and beyond the Mediterranean; hence, Europe.
JERUSALEM.--The capital of Judea and the seat of the temple becomes a symbol of the church of Christ. The "holy [355] city" is contrasted with the "great city," Jerusalem with Babylon, or the true with the false Church.
KING.--Supreme power of any kind.
LAMB.--The Lamb of God is the Messiah, slain as a lamb from the foundation of the world.
LOCUSTS.--Devouring armies, who pillage and ravage a country. The Arabians under Mahomet.
MANNA.--The bread of life. The truth of Christ.
MERCHANTS.--Those who traffic in religious privileges. Those who make merchandise of religion.
MOON.--A symbol of rulers or great men, but not supreme.
MOUNTAIN.--A mountain denotes one highly elevated and conspicuous among men. A great and powerful prince or government. A burning mountain is a destructive conqueror.
PALE HORSE.--A symbol of war and of the reign of death.
PALM.--A symbol of joy or victory.
RED HORSE.--A symbol of cruel, bloody war, distinguished by awful carnage.
RIVER OF LIFE.--Christ is the fountain of life. The abundant, everflowing life that the Savior. bestows is symbolized by the river of life. The tree of life means virtually the same.
ROD.--The symbol of rule. A rod of iron is a strong rule.
SCARLET.--Bloody cruelty. The color worn by the cardinals of Rome.
SEVEN.--The perfect number.
STARS.--Conspicuous men. Shining lights in the world.
SUN.--A supreme ruler. The moon and stars indicate great lights of society, but inferior to the sun. The moon is also a symbol of the Jewish state, and the sun of the Christian.
SWORD.--A symbol of slaughter, or of conquest. A sword proceeding out of the mouth indicates the spiritual conquests of the word of God.
TEMPLE OF GOD.--The Church. The Temple of God open in heaven, is the abode of God, or heaven itself.
THRONE.--A symbol of authority.
TIME.--Time, times and half a time is an annual revolution of the earth, a year, two years, a half year, or three and a half years. "Seven Times" passed over Nebuchadnezzar, or seven years.
TRUMPET.--The blast of the trumpet means the forward [356] march of armies, or the proclamation of war or peace.
WHITE.--To be clothed in white is to be innocent, pure, and to be triumphant.
WHITE HORSE.--Triumphant and glorious war. See
whor*.--Apostate church. See
WINDS.--Symbol of commotion; of mighty movements. The "Four Winds" are four invasions of the Roman empire.
WINE PRESS.--A symbol of an effusion of blood and of distress.
WITNESSES.--The two witnesses are the two Testaments, for such is the meaning of the latter word.
WOMAN.--A body politic, civil or religious. The "woman clothed with the sun" is the pure and faithful church. The Great Harlot is the false, faithless, apostate church.
