The Vicar Of Christ…

The Vicar Of Christ

St. Peter’s And The Vatican. "He as God sitteth in the temple of God." 2 Thess. 2:4.

1. What appeared unto Daniel in 538 B.C., the same year in which Babylon fell?

“In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.” Dan. 8:1.

2. Where was Daniel at this time?

“And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.” Verse 2.

3. What first attracted the prophet’s attention?

“Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.” Verse 3.

4. What power was represented by the ram having two horns?

“The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.” Verse 20.

5. How are the rise and work of this power described?

“I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.” Verse 4.

6. What symbol was next introduced in the vision?

“And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.” Verse 5.

7. What did the goat with the notable horn represent?

“And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.” Verse 21.

8. How was the conquest of Medo-Persia by Grecia foretold in this symbolic prophecy?

“And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.” Verse 7.

9. When the he goat “was strong,” what occurred?

“Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.” Verse 8.

10. Who was represented by “the great horn,” and what followed when it was broken?

“And the rough goat is the king [kingdom] of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.” Verses 21, 22.

NOTES.—From the interpretation given, it is plain that the notable “horn” upon the he goat represented Alexander the Great, who led the Grecian forces in their conquest of Medo-Persia. Upon the death of Alexander at Babylon, B.C. 323, there followed a brief period of confusion in the struggle for the kingdom, but the succession was definitely determined by the battle of Ipsus, B.C. 301. Alexander’s four leading generals—Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus—became his successors.

“The vast empire created by Alexander’s unparalleled conquests was distracted by the wranglings and wars of his successors, and before the close of the fourth century before Christ, had become broken up into many fragments. Besides minor states, four well-defined and important monarchies rose out of the ruins.... Their rulers were Lysimachus, Cassander, Seleucus Nicator, and Ptolemy, who had each assumed the title of king. The great horn was broken; and instead of it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.”—_Myers’s __“__History of Greece,__”__ page 457, edition 1902._

11. What came out of one of the four horns of the goat?

“And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.” Verse 9.

12. What interpretation is given to this little horn?

“And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.” Verse 23.

13. What did this little horn do to the people of God?

“And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.” Verse 10.

14. In what literal language is this persecution of the people of God further described?

“And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.” Verse 24.

15. How was this little horn to exalt itself against Christ and His mediatorial work?

“Yea, it magnified itself, even to the Prince of the host, and it took away from Him the continual burnt offering, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.” Verse 11, R. V.

16. In the interpretation of the vision, how is this self-exaltation set forth?

“And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.” Verse 25.

17. What similar language is used by the apostle Paul in describing the “mystery of iniquity,” or “man of sin”?

“That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thess. 2:3, 4.

NOTE.—The last two scriptures evidently describe one and the same power,—a power which, while religious and professedly Christian, is anti-christian in spirit, and the very “man of sin” himself. Possessed with the selfish ambition of Lucifer (Isa. 14:12-14; Eze. 28:17), he assumes to occupy the very seat and place of Deity in the temple of God. Professing to be Christ’s vicar, or personal representative on earth, he magnifies himself against Christ, and “stands up,” or reigns, in the place of, and “against,” the Prince of princes.

18. What was given into the hands of the power represented by the little horn?

“And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt offering through transgression.” Dan. 8:12, first clause, R. V.

19. What did this power do to the truth?

“And it cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered.” Same verse, last clause, R. V.

NOTES.—The interpretation already given to this vision shows plainly that the power represented by the little horn is the successor of Medo-Persia and Grecia. In the vision of the seventh chapter of Daniel, which is closely related to this vision, the fourth beast represented the fourth kingdom, or Rome, in its entirety, special attention, however, being given to the “little horn” phase of its history. As shown by the work attributed to it, this little horn, which arose among the ten kingdoms into which Rome was divided, was to be a religio-political power, which was to change the times and law of God, and persecute the people of God. In the vision of the eighth chapter the ecclesiastical features of this fourth world power are especially noticed and emphasized, and hence the only symbol there used to represent it is the “little horn” which waxed “exceeding great.”

The religion of all the four great monarchies mentioned in these prophecies was paganism; but the paganism of ancient Babylon was reproduced in pagan Rome, and then adapted and adopted by papal Rome. The little horn of the eighth chapter represents Rome, both pagan and papal, in its ecclesiastical aspect, with its union of paganism, and later of apostate Christianity, with the secular power; with its antichristian persecutions of the saints of God; with its perversion of the priesthood of Christ; and with its assertion of both temporal and spiritual power over all the world. It is evident that pagan Rome is introduced into this prophecy chiefly as a means of locating the place and work of papal Rome, and the ecclesiastical features of pagan Rome as typical of the same features accentuated in papal Rome, and that the emphasis is to be placed upon the fulfilment of the prophecy in the work of papal Rome. A careful comparison of Dan. 7:21, 25, with Dan. 8:10-12, R. V., and 2 Thess. 2:3, 4, will amply justify this conclusion.

“The Romans could not forget—never did forget—that they had once been masters and rulers of the world. Even after they had become wholly unfit to rule themselves, let alone the ruling of others, they still retained the temper and used the language of masters.... In the absence of an emperor in the West the popes rapidly gained influence and power, and soon built up an ecclesiastical empire that in some respects took the place of the old empire and carried on its civilizing work.”—_Myers’s __“__Rome; Its Rise and Fall,__”__ Boston, 1900, pages 398, 399, 442, 443._

The host and the stars of Dan. 8:10 are the same as the saints of the Most High of Dan. 7:25; and the Prince of the host of Dan. 8:11 is the Prince of princes, or Christ. When the same being appeared to Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15, margin), He applies the same expression to Himself.

In Dan. 8:11-13, in the Revised Version, the words “burnt offering” have been supplied by the translators after the word “continual,” but this rendering seems to place too restricted a meaning upon the word “continual.” The fact that no word is connected with “continual” in the original text, although in the typical service of the sanctuary it is used with “burnt offering” (Ex. 29:42), with “incense” (Ex. 30:8, here rendered perpetual), and with “showbread” (Num. 4:7), indicates that that which is continual represents the continual service or mediation of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, in which all that was continual in the typical service found its antitype and fulfilment. See Heb. 6:19, 20; 7:1-3, 14-16, 23-25. The action which made the Pope the vicar of God and the high priest of the apostasy, really took away from Christ, as far as human intent and power were concerned, his place and work as the only mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), and this took away from Him, as far as man could take it away, the continual mediation, according to the prediction in this prophecy.

The prophecies of Daniel are cumulative and widening in their view, each carrying matters farther than the preceding one, and bringing out more explicitly and more in detail important features down the stream of time. In Daniel 2, under the fourth universal kingdom, the Papacy is not represented under any direct symbol or figure at all,—simply Rome in its united and divided state; in Daniel 7 Rome is symbolized by the “little horn” coming up among the ten horns representing the divided state of Rome; while in Daniel 8 the only figure used to represent the fourth world power is the “little horn” which waxed “exceeding great.”

In each of these last two chapters the little horn is introduced to tell especially of the workings of the same terrible power—Rome papal. Both chapters deal with the same great apostasy. In the seventh chapter, the little horn takes away the law of God. In the eighth chapter, it takes away the gospel. Had it taken away only the law, this would have vitiated the gospel; for, with the law of God gone, even the true gospel could not save, because the law is needed to convict and give a knowledge of sin. And had the Papacy taken away only the gospel, and left the law, salvation through such a system would still have been impossible, for there is no salvation for sinners through even the law of God itself apart from Christ and the gospel. But to make apostasy doubly sure, this power changes, vitiates, and takes away both the law and the gospel.

In changing the Sabbath, the Papacy struck directly at the very heart and seal of the law of God, just as in substituting its own mediatorial system for that of Christ’s it struck directly at the heavenly sanctuary and its service, which, in his epistle to the Hebrews, Paul shows to be the very heart and essence of the gospel.

20. What question was asked in the hearing of the prophet?

“Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden underfoot?” Dan. 8:13.

21. What answer was addressed to Daniel?

“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Verse 14.

NOTE.—In verse 13, R. V., the vision is clearly defined. It is “the vision concerning the continual burnt offering [or continual mediation], and the transgression that maketh desolate,” which results in giving both the sanctuary and the people of God to be trodden underfoot. The time when the vision was to have its special application is stated in verse 17 to be “at the time of the end,” or in the last days. This is additional proof that this prophecy was to find its complete fulfilment in papal Rome only, as pagan Rome passed away many centuries ago. The sanctuary and the twenty-three-hundred-day period here referred to are considered at length in succeeding readings. See pages 230, 238.

22. What prophetic period begins at the time when the continual mediation of Christ was taken away by the Papacy?

“And from the time that the continual burnt offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” Dan. 12:11, R. V.

NOTES.—Inasmuch as the taking away of the continual mediation of Christ is made the beginning of a prophetic period, there must be some definite act at some definite time which, in form and intent, takes from Christ His priestly work in the heavenly sanctuary. This act was the official decree of an ecclesiastical council held at Rome in 503 A.D., by which it was declared “that the Pope was judge as God’s vicar, and could himself be judged by no one.” See Hardouin’s “Councils,” Vol. II, page 983; Labbe and Cossart’s “Councils,” Vol. IV, col. 1364; and Bower’s “History of the Popes” (three-volume edition), Vol. I, pages 304, 305. The work of Clovis, king of the Franks, who earned for himself the title of “the eldest son of the church” by his campaigns to subdue the kingdoms hostile to the Papacy, contributed much toward putting into practical effect this claim of the Papacy, which finally resulted in establishing the Pope as the head of the Roman priesthood which has usurped the priestly work of Christ, and has established another system of mediation in its place. This work of Clovis came to its climax in the period 503-508, and this period therefore becomes the natural one from which to date the 1290 years of Dan. 12:11, which would accordingly end in the period 1793-98, at the same time as the 1260 years of Dan. 7:25. See notes on page 223.

“With Rome would have fallen her bishop, had he not, as if by anticipation of the crisis, reserved till this hour the master-stroke of his policy. He now boldly cast himself upon an element of much greater strength than that of which the political convulsions of the time had deprived him; namely, that the bishop of Rome is the successor of Peter, the prince of the apostles, and, in virtue of being so, is Christ’s vicar on earth. In making this claim, the Roman pontiffs vaulted at once over the throne of kings to the seat of gods: Rome became once more the mistress of the world, and her popes the rulers of the earth.”—_“__The Papacy__”__ by J. A. Wylie, page 34._

23. What assurance was given to Daniel concerning the period of time mentioned in verse 14?

“And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true; wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.” Dan. 8:26.

NOTES.—By the expression “the vision of the evening and the morning” reference is made to the vision concerning the twenty-three hundred days, as may be seen by referring to the marginal readings of Dan. 8:14.

The interpretation of the vision of chapter 8 closes without making any explanation of the long period of time which was mentioned to Daniel in the answer to the question, “How long shall be the vision?” This important feature was left to be interpreted later. See next reading.

A Great Prophetic Period. (The 2300 Days of Daniel 8.) Or The Time Of Restoration And Of Judgment

Artaxerxes Restoring The Vessels Of The Temple. "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." Dan. 8:14.

1. Immediately after the vision of Daniel 8, what did Daniel learn from his study of the prophecy of Jeremiah?

“In the first year of Darius ... I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” Dan. 9:1, 2.

NOTE.—The first deportation to Babylon, when Daniel and his companions were carried captive, was in B.C. 606, and the seventy years of Jeremiah’s prophecy would therefore expire in B.C. 536. The first year of Darius was B.C. 538, and the restoration period was therefore only two years distant from that time.

2. What did this nearness of the time of restoration from captivity lead Daniel to do?

“And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.” Verse 3.

3. What urgent petition of the prophet connects this prayer with the vision of the taking away of the continual mediation and the desolation of the sanctuary recorded in Daniel 8?

“Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of Thy servant, and his supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.” Dan. 9:17.

4. At the conclusion of Daniel’s prayer, what assurance did Gabriel give him?

“And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.” Verse 22.

5. What previous instruction connected with the vision of Daniel 8 was thus being more fully carried out?

“And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.” Dan. 8:16.

6. Why was further instruction concerning this vision necessary?

“And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.” Verse 27.

7. To what did Gabriel now direct Daniel’s attention?

“At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee: for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.” Dan. 9:23.

NOTES.—There is abundant evidence that the instruction in the ninth chapter of Daniel supplements and interprets the vision of the eighth chapter. Note the following facts:—

(1) Daniel did not understand the vision concerning the treading down of his people and the sanctuary, and therefore searched the prophecies anew concerning the period of captivity.

(2) He evidently made a connection between the period of seventy years mentioned by Jeremiah and the twenty-three hundred days of the vision, and he at once began to pray earnestly for the restoration of the city and the sanctuary.

(3) The angel Gabriel, who appeared to him at the first, and interpreted all the vision with the exception of the twenty-three hundred days, now appears, and again directs his attention to the vision.

(4) The events of the vision begin with the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, the era of the restoration of the Jews to their own land. In the absence of any instruction to the contrary, this would be the natural time in which to locate the beginning of the period of twenty-three hundred days; and this is the very time given for the beginning of the seventy weeks, which are clearly a part of the twenty-three hundred days, and thus determine the time of their commencement.

(5) The seventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety years, extend from the restoration of literal Jerusalem and the literal temple to the preaching of the gospel to all the world. See Acts 15:14-17. This special preaching of the gospel was completed in one generation, and was followed by the destruction of Jerusalem.

(6) The twenty-three hundred prophetic days, or twenty-three hundred literal years, begin at the same time as the four hundred and ninety years, or seventy weeks, or in B.C. 457, when the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem went forth; and extend from the restoration of literal Jerusalem and the typical temple service after the captivity in ancient Babylon, in the time of the Medes and Persians, to 1844 A.D., the time for the restoration of spiritual Jerusalem and of the knowledge of the mediation of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, taken away by the little horn, after the captivity in modern Babylon. This work of restoration is to be accomplished in one generation by preaching the gospel to all the world (Rev. 14:6-12), and this will be followed by the destruction of the world, or fall of all nations, of which the destruction of Jerusalem was a type.

The 2300 Days

The heavy line represents the full 2300 year-day period, the longest prophetic period in the Bible. Beginning in B.C. 457 when the decree was given to restore and build Jerusalem (Ezra 7:11-26; Dan. 9:25), seven weeks (49 years) are measured off to indicate the time occupied in this work of restoration. These, however, are a part of the sixty-nine weeks (483 years) that were to reach to Messiah, the Anointed One. Christ was anointed in 27 A.D., at His baptism. Matt. 3:13-17; Acts 10:38. In the midst of the seventieth week (31 A.D.), Christ was crucified, or “cut off,” which marked the time when the sacrifices and oblations of the earthly sanctuary were to cease. Dan. 9:26, 27. The remaining three and one-half years of this week reach to 34 A.D., or to the stoning of Stephen, and the great persecution of the church at Jerusalem which followed. Acts 7:59; 8:1. This marked the close of the seventy weeks, or 490 years, allotted to the Jewish people.

But the seventy weeks are a part of the 2300 days; and as they (the seventy weeks) reach to 34 A.D., the remaining 1810 years of the 2300-day period must reach to 1844, when the work of judgment, or cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, was to begin. Rev. 14:6, 7. Then special light began to shine upon the whole sanctuary subject, and Christ’s mediatorial or priestly work in it.

Four great events, therefore, are located by this great prophetic period,—the first advent, the crucifixion, the rejection of the Jewish people as a nation, and the beginning of the work of final judgment.

8. What portion of the 2300 days (years) mentioned in the vision, was allotted to the Jews?

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city.” Verse 24, first clause.

NOTES.—“As both the 2300 years of chapter 8 and the ‘seventy weeks’ of chapter 9 start from the Persian period of Jewish history, in other words, as they both date from the restoration era which followed the Babylonian captivity, their starting-points must be either identical or closely related chronologically.”—_“__Light for the Last Days__”__ by H. Grattan Guinness, London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1893, page 183._

“There is plainly a close correspondence between the two visions of Daniel 8 and Daniel 9. The seventy weeks are said to be cut off for certain distinct objects; and this implies a longer period from which they are separated, either the course of time in general, or some period distinctly revealed. Now the previous date (the 2300 days) includes two events,—the restoration of the sacrifice, and the desolation. The first of these is identical in character with the seventy weeks, which are a period of the restored polity of Jerusalem; and hence the most natural of the cutting off is that which refers it to the whole period of the former vision.”—_“__First Elements of Sacred Prophecy__”__ by T. R. Birks, London, 1843, pages 359, 360._

9. What was to be accomplished at the close of the seventy weeks?

“To finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.” Same verse, latter part.

NOTE.—For “the Most Holy,” the Douay version reads, “the Saint of saints.”

10. What portion of this period was to reach to Christ, the Messiah, or Anointed One?

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks.” Verse 25, first part.

NOTE.—The word Messiah means anointed, and Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38) at His baptism in 27 A.D. Matt. 3:16.

11. At the end of this time, what was to be done to Messiah?

“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off.” Verse 26, first part.

Rebuilding Of Jerusalem. "And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel." Ezra 6:14.

12. How was the destruction of Jerusalem and the sanctuary by the Romans then foretold?

“And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” Same verse, last part.

13. What was Messiah to do during the seventieth week?

“And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.” Verse 27, first clause. See Matt. 26:26-28.

14. What was He to take away in the midst of this week?

“And in the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” Same verse, next clause.

NOTE.—Ancient Babylon took away the typical service by the destruction of the temple at the capture of Jerusalem. This service was restored at the rebuilding of Jerusalem, but was perverted into mere formalism by the Jews, and was taken away by Christ at the first advent, when He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances, and “took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.” Col. 2:14. He then became “a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Heb. 8:2. Thus He established the service in the heavenly sanctuary. The little horn, the Papacy, as far as was within its power, took away from the people the mediation of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, and substituted for it the Roman priesthood, with the Pope as Pontifex Maximus, or high priest. Power over this truth of the gospel and over the people of God was allowed to the Papacy because of transgression (Dan. 8:12, R. V.), just as the people of Jerusalem were given into the hand of the king of ancient Babylon for the same reason. 1 Chron. 9:1. Thus has the Papacy “cast down the truth to the ground,” and has trodden underfoot the sanctuary and the people of God.

15. How are the judgments upon Jerusalem again foretold?

“And for the overspreading of abominations He shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” Remainder of verse 27.

NOTE.—Seventy weeks would be four hundred and ninety days; and as a day in prophecy represents a year (Num. 14:34; Eze. 4:6), this period would be four hundred and ninety years. The commandment to restore and build Jerusalem was brought to its completion by Artaxerxes Longimanus in the seventh year of his reign (Ezra 6:14; 7:7, 8), which, as already noted, was B.C. 457. From this date the sixty-nine weeks, or four hundred and eighty-three years, would extend to the baptism of Christ in 27 A.D., and the whole period to 34 A.D., when the martyrdom of Stephen occurred, and the gospel began to be preached to the Gentiles. Before the end of that generation Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, 70 A.D. The twenty-three hundred years would extend from B.C. 457 to 1844 A.D., when began the great second advent movement, which calls upon all to come out of modern Babylon, and to prepare for the next great event, the coming of Christ and the destruction of the world by fire.

16. What question was asked in the vision of Daniel 8?

“Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said unto that certain one which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the continual burnt offering, and the transgression that maketh desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden underfoot?” Dan. 8:13.

NOTES.—Literal Jerusalem was given into the hands of ancient Babylon, and the typical service in the earthly sanctuary was thus taken away. Dan. 1:1, 2. This was prophetic of the experience of spiritual Jerusalem in modern Babylon, foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and John, and of the taking away of the mediation of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. Dan. 7:25; 8:13. These two visions expose the work of modern Babylon, the Papacy, and determine the limit of its permitted power over the people of God, and of its perversion of the gospel of Christ in substituting another mediatorial system for the work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary.

The general theme upon which the book of Daniel treats is Babylon, both ancient and modern. Chapters 1-6, inclusive, present certain historical facts leading up to the fall of ancient Babylon, and an attempt to destroy the prophet Daniel himself and the final attempt to destroy the people of God,—a brief historical outline, which is in itself a prophecy of modern Babylon. Chapters 7-12, inclusive, contain prophecies relating especially to modern Babylon, which supplement the historical prophecy of the previous chapters, and which enable us to draw a very exact and striking parallel between ancient and modern Babylon. A brief outline of this parallel may be stated thus:—

(1) In the religion of ancient Babylon, image-worship found a prominent place. The same is true of modern Babylon.

(2) Ancient Babylon affirmed that the gods (or God) dwelt not in the flesh. By the dogma of the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary (that is, that she herself was born without the taint of original sin), modern Babylon teaches that God, in the person of His Son, did not take the same flesh with us; that is, sinful flesh.

(3) Ancient Babylon persecuted those who refused to accept her dogmas and worship according to her laws. Modern Babylon has done the same.

(4) The king of ancient Babylon set himself above God, and attempted to make his kingdom an everlasting kingdom. So does modern Babylon.

(5) Ancient Babylon rejected the true gospel as taught to Nebuchadnezzar, and the fall of Babylon came in consequence. Modern Babylon has done the same in her rejection of the true gospel as brought to her in the Reformation, and her fall is inevitable and impending.

(6) The fall of ancient Babylon came just at the time when it was giving expression to its contempt of all its enemies, and its confidence in its own permanence. This experience will be repeated in the history of modern Babylon.

17. What prophetic period, therefore, extends to the deliverance of God’s people from the captivity in modern Babylon, and the restoration to them of the mediation of Christ?

“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Verse 14.

NOTE.—The earthly sanctuary was a type of the heavenly sanctuary (Heb. 9:23, 24; Lev. 16:29, 30, 33); the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary was typical of the cleansing in the heavenly sanctuary; and this cleansing of the sanctuary accomplished on the great day of atonement is the closing work of Christ in His mediation for sin. And the commencement of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary marks the beginning of a new era in the experience of the people of God on earth; namely, the deliverance from the power of modern Babylon, the restoration to them of the knowledge of the mediation of Christ for them in the heavenly sanctuary, and a cleansing from sin in preparation for the second advent of Christ. The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary involves the investigative judgment, which will be followed by the plagues, and Christ’s coming. This period, therefore, determines the time of restoration and of judgment.

18. What is said of those who live to see the deliverance from modern Babylon, and the restoration of the true gospel?

“Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” Dan. 12:12.

NOTE.—The 1335 days (years) of Dan. 12:12 are evidently a continuation of the 1290 days (years) of the previous verse, which commence with the taking away of the mediation of Christ, in the period 503-508 A.D. See under question 22 in reading on “The Vicar of Christ,” page 229. The 1335 days, or years, would therefore extend to the period 1838-43, the time of the preaching of the judgment-hour, in preparation for the cleansing of the sanctuary, and the accompanying work at the end of the 2300 days, or years, of Dan. 8:14. At that time special blessings were to come upon those who were delivered from the errors and bondage of Rome, and had their minds directed anew to the mediation of Christ as the great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary.

GENERAL NOTE ON THE PROPHECIES OF DANIEL.—The second chapter of Daniel presents in brief outline the divine program of history leading up to the establishment of the everlasting kingdom of God. The seventh chapter of Daniel presents somewhat more in detail the history of those earthly kingdoms which were to precede the establishment of the kingdom of God, the objective point of the prophecy being the little horn and its effort to change the laws and ordinances of God, and to destroy the subjects of the heavenly kingdom. The period allotted to the supremacy of this power, the Papacy (the 1260 years), is also indicated. The prophecy of the eighth chapter of Daniel covers the period from the restoration era in the time of the Persian kings and the establishment of the people of God in their own land, to the restoration era just preceding the second advent of Christ and the setting up of His everlasting kingdom. In this chapter the leading theme is the effort of the Papacy to substitute its own mediatorial system for the mediatorial work of Christ, and the announcement of a prophetic period (the 2300 years), at the end of which the counterfeit system introduced by the Papacy was to be fully exposed. The remaining chapters of Daniel supplement the prophecies of the second, seventh, and eighth chapters, and show that at the end of the first portion of the 2300-year period (the 70 weeks, or 490 years) Messiah was to appear and be cut off, following which would come the destruction of Jerusalem. In the closing chapter two new periods are introduced (the 1290 years and the 1335 years), at the end of which, as with the 2300 years, was to come the movement preparatory to the setting up of God’s everlasting kingdom in the earth, in harmony with the prophecies of the second and seventh chapters.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

The Atonement In Type And Antitype

The Tabernacle In The Wilderness. "Which was a figure for the time then present." Heb. 9:9.

1. What did God, through Moses, command Israel to make?

“And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” Ex. 25:8.

2. What was offered in this sanctuary?

“In which were offered both gifts and sacrifices.” Heb. 9:9.

3. Besides the court, how many parts had this sanctuary?

“And the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.” Ex. 26:33.

4. What was in the first apartment, or holy place?

“For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary.” Heb. 9:2. “And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the veil.” Ex. 40:26. See also Ex. 30:1-6.

5. What was contained in the second apartment?

“And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all; which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was ... the tables of the covenant” Heb. 9:3, 4. See also Ex. 40:20, 21.

6. By what name was the cover of the ark known?

“And thou shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.” Ex. 25:21.

7. Where was God to meet with Israel?

“And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony.” Verse 22.

8. What was in the ark, under the mercy-seat?

“And He wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments.... And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made.” Deut. 10:4, 5.

9. When did the priest minister in the first apartment of the sanctuary?

“Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services.” Heb. 9:6, R. V.

10. Who alone went into the second apartment, how often, and for what purpose?

“But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people.” Verse 7.

11. What were sinners desiring pardon instructed to do?

“And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord ... then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and slay the sin-offering in the place of the burnt offering.” Lev. 4:27-29.

NOTE.—According to this, if a man sinned in Israel, he violated one of the ten commandments that were in the ark under the mercy-seat. These commandments are the foundation of God’s government. To violate them is to commit sin, and so become subject to death. 1 John 3:4; Rom. 6:23. But there was a mercy-seat reared above these holy and just commandments. In the dispensation of His mercy, God grants the sinner the privilege of confessing his sins, and bringing a substitute to meet the demands of the law, and thus of obtaining mercy.

12. What was done with the blood of the offering?

“And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.” Verse 30.

NOTE.—After a person discovered his sin by the law which demanded the death of the transgressor, he first brought his offering, then he confessed his sin while laying his hands on the head of the victim, thus, in figure, transferring his sin to the victim; the victim was next slain in the court, or outer part of the sanctuary, and its blood put on the horns of the altar and poured at the foot of the altar. In this way sins were pardoned, and, in the typical service, transferred to the sanctuary.

13. After the accumulation of the sins of the year in this way, what service took place on the tenth day of the seventh month of each year?

“And this shall be a statute forever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, ... for on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” Lev. 16:29, 30.

14. How was the sanctuary itself to be cleansed, and how were the sins of the people to be finally disposed of?

“And he [the high priest] shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin-offering.... And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.” Verses 5-8.

NOTE.—The Hebrew word for scapegoat is Azazel. See margin of verse 8. It is used as a proper name, and, according to the opinion of the most ancient Hebrews and Christians, refers to Satan, or the angel who revolted and persisted in rebellion and sin.

15. What was done with the blood of the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell?

“Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, ... and sprinkle it upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat.” Verse 15.

16. Why was it necessary to make this atonement?

“And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.” Verse 16.

NOTE.—Sins were conveyed into the sanctuary during the year by the blood of the personal sin-offerings offered daily at the door of the tabernacle. Here they remained until the day of atonement, when the high priest went into the most holy place with the blood of the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell; and, bearing the accumulated sins of the year in before the mercy-seat, he there, in type, atoned for them, and so cleansed the sanctuary.

17. After having made atonement for the people in the most holy place, what did the high priest next do?

“And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness.” Verses 20, 21.

NOTE.—The offering of the Lord’s goat cleansed the sanctuary. By this offering the sins of the people, transferred there during the year, were, in type, atoned for; but they were not by this offering finally disposed of, or destroyed. The scapegoat, symbolizing Satan, the great tempter and originator of sin, was brought to the sanctuary, and upon his head were placed all these sins which Satan had tempted God’s people to commit.

18. What final disposition was made of the sins of the people?

“And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” Verse 22.

The Scapegoat. "And Aaron shall ... confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel." Lev. 16:21.

19. What was this earthly sanctuary and its round of service?

“Which was a figure for the time then present.” Heb. 9:9.

20. Of what sanctuary, or tabernacle, is Christ the minister?

“A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Heb. 8:2.

21. Of what was the blood of all the sacrifices of the former dispensation only a type?

“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Heb. 9:12. See Eph. 5:2.

NOTE.—Through the sacrifices and offerings brought to the altar of the earthly sanctuary, the penitent believer was to lay hold of the merits of Christ, the Saviour to come. In this way, and in this way only, was there any virtue connected with them.

22. At the death of Christ, what miraculous occurrence signified that the priestly work and services of the earthly sanctuary were finished?

“Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.” Matt. 27:50, 51.

NOTES.—Type had met antitype; the shadow had reached the substance. Christ, the great sacrifice, had been slain, and was about to enter upon His final work as our great high priest in the sanctuary in heaven. The priestly work in the earthly sanctuary was typical of the work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. In the earthly, the atonement was performed on the last day of the ceremonial year. All who did not then have their sins atoned for were “cut off,” and the camp was cleansed from sin. The atonement day was virtually a day of judgment for Israel, and the people whose sins had been atoned for were free from sin, and could enter upon the services of the new year clean in the sight of God. This work was kept up year after year. In the heavenly sanctuary, the sacrifice is offered but once; and but one atonement, or cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, can be made, which must take place at the time assigned of God for it. And when the great atonement, or cleansing, of the heavenly sanctuary has been made, God’s people will be forever free from sin, and the fate of all will be forever sealed. See Rev. 22:11. This, as in the type, will be a day of judgment.

The round of service in the earthly sanctuary was God’s service. It had to do with the sins of the people; not that the blood of the sacrifices offered there could in itself take away their sins, for it is expressly said that it could not. Heb. 10:4. It could, however, show their faith in the efficacy of Christ’s blood yet to be spilled, and to which the sanctuary work was intended constantly to direct their minds. The work there was a type, or shadow, of Christ’s atoning work, and, as such, carries with it a significance that cannot be overestimated. Upon a correct understanding of the type depends a correct understanding of the antitype. The entire sanctuary service was an object-lesson of most important and vital gospel truth,—that of man’s salvation and the atonement of sin.

23. What relation does the earthly sanctuary sustain to the heavenly?

“Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.” Heb. 8:5.

24. By what comparison is it shown that the heavenly sanctuary will be cleansed?

“It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.” Heb. 9:23.

25. When Christ has finished His priestly mediatorial work in the heavenly sanctuary, what decree will go forth?

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Rev. 22:11.

26. What event is directly connected with the blotting out of sin and the final refreshing from God’s presence?

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19-21.

27. According to the view of the judgment presented to Daniel, what is to be given to Christ while still before the Father?

“I saw ... and, behold, one like the Son of man came ... to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him.” Dan. 7:13, 14.

28. What will occur when the Lord descends from heaven?

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:16, 17.

29. What statement immediately following the announcement mentioned in Rev. 22:11, indicates that a judgment work had been in progress before Christ comes?

“And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:12.

NOTE.—The typical sanctuary service is fully met in the work of Christ. As the atonement day of the former dispensation was really a day of judgment, so the atonement work of Christ will include the investigation of the cases of His people prior to His coming the second time to receive them unto Himself.

30. Is there a specified time for the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary?

“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Dan. 8:14.

31. How may one know that this does not refer to the earthly sanctuary?

“He said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.” Verse 17.

NOTE.—The prophetic period of 2300 days (years) extends to 1844 A.D., while the divinely appointed services of the earthly sanctuary ceased at the cross (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 27:50, 51), and the sanctuary itself was destroyed in 70 A.D., when Titus captured Jerusalem. For explanation of the period here mentioned, see the preceding reading.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

The Judgment

The Investigative Judgment. "The books were opened: ... and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books." Rev. 20:12.

1. What assurance have we that there will be a judgment?

“God ... hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world.” Acts 17:30, 31.

2. Was the judgment still future in Paul’s day?

“As he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled.” Acts 24:25.

3. How many must meet the test of the judgment?

“I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked.” Eccl. 3:17 “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 Cor. 5:10.

4. What reason did Solomon give for urging all to fear God and keep His commandments?

“For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Eccl. 12:14.

5. What view of the judgment scene was given Daniel?

“I beheld till the thrones were cast down [placed, R. V.], and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Dan. 7:9, 10.

6. Out of what will all be judged?

“And the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Rev. 20:12.

7. For whom has a book of remembrance been written?

“Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord harkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name.” Mal. 3:16. See Rev. 20:12.

8. Who opens the judgment and presides over it?

“I beheld till the thrones were cast down [placed], and the Ancient of days did sit.” Dan. 7:9.

9. Who minister to God, and assist in the judgment?

“Thousand thousands [of angels] ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.” Verse 10. See Rev. 5:11.

10. Who is brought before the Father at this time?

“I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him.” Dan. 7:13.

11. What does Christ as the advocate of His people confess before the Father and His angels?

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.” Rev. 3:5. See Matt. 10:32, 33; Mark 8:38.

NOTE.—During this judgment scene, both the righteous and the wicked dead are still in their graves. The record of each one’s life, however, is in the books of heaven, and by that record their characters and deeds are well known. Christ is there to appear in behalf of those who have chosen Him as their advocate. 1 John 2:1. He presents His blood, as He appeals for their sins to be blotted from the books of record. As the place of judgment is in heaven, where God’s throne is, and as Christ is present in person, it follows that the work of judgment is also in heaven. All are judged by the record of their lives, and thus answer for the deeds done in the body. This work will not only decide forever the cases of the dead, but will also close the probation of all who are living, after which Christ will come to take to Himself those who have been found loyal to Him.

12. After the subjects of the kingdom have been determined by the investigative judgment, what is given to Christ?

“And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him.” Dan. 7:14.

13. When He comes the second time, what title will He bear?

“And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords.” Rev. 19:16.

14. What will He then do for each one?

“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.” Matt. 16:27. See also Rev. 22:12.

15. Where will Christ then take His people?

“In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:2, 3.

16. How many of the dead will be raised?

“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.” John 5:28, 29. See also Acts 24:15.

17. What time intervenes between the two resurrections?

“And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not 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.” Rev. 20:4, 5.

18. What work did Daniel see finally assigned to the saints?

“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” Dan. 7:21, 22.

19. How long will the saints engage in this work of judgment?

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: ...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Rev. 20:4.

Lot Fleeing From Sodom. "Turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes." 2 Peter 2:6.

20. Who will thus be judged by the saints?

“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” 1 Cor. 6:2, 3.

21. How will the decisions of the judgment be executed?

“And out of His [Christ’s] mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” Rev. 19:15.

22. Why is the execution of the judgment given to Christ?

“For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man.” John 5:26, 27.

23. How was the opening of the judgment to be made known to the world?

“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.” Rev. 14:6, 7.

NOTE.—There are three phases of the judgment mentioned in the Scriptures,—the investigative judgment, preceding the second advent; the judgment of the lost world and wicked angels by Christ and the saints during the one thousand years following the second advent; and the executive judgment, or punishment of the wicked at the close of this period. The investigative judgment takes place in heaven before Christ comes, in order to ascertain who are worthy to be raised in the first resurrection, at His coming, and who among the living are to be changed in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trump. It is necessary for this to take place before the second advent, as there will be no time for such a work between the coming of Christ and the raising of the righteous dead. The executive judgment on the wicked occurs after their cases have been examined by the saints during the thousand years. Rev. 20:4, 5; 1 Cor. 6:1-3. The investigative judgment is that which is announced to the world by the angel’s message of Rev. 14:6, 7.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Thou Judge of quick and dead, Before whose bar severe, With holy joy or guilty dread, We all shall soon appear,— Our cautioned souls prepare For that tremendous day, And fill us now with watchful care, And stir us up to pray.

CHARLES WESLEY.

The Wise Men Of The East. "We have seen His star in the east." Matt. 2:2.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

The Judgment-Hour Message

The First Angel. "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come." Rev. 14:7.

1. What prophetic view of the judgment was given Daniel?

“I beheld till the thrones were cast down [placed], and the Ancient of days did sit: ... thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Dan. 7:9, 10.

2. What assurance has God given of the judgment?

“Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.” Acts 17:31.

3. What message announces the judgment-hour come?

“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.” Rev. 14:6, 7.

4. In view of the judgment-hour, what is proclaimed anew?

“The everlasting gospel.” Verse 6, first part.

5. How extensively is this message to be proclaimed?

“To every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Verse 6, first part.

6. What is the whole world called upon to do?

“Fear God, and give glory to Him.” Verse 7.

7. What special reason is given for this?

“For the hour of His judgment is come.” Same verse.

8. Whom are all called upon to worship?

“Him that made heaven, and earth.” Same verse.

NOTE.—There is only one gospel (Rom. 1:16, 17; Gal. 1:8), first announced in Eden (Gen. 3:15), preached to Abraham (Gal. 3:8) and to the children of Israel (Heb. 4:1, 2), and proclaimed anew in every generation. In its development, the gospel meets the needs of every crisis in the world’s history. John the Baptist in his preaching announced the kingdom of heaven at hand (Matt. 3:1, 2), and prepared the way for the first advent. John 1:22, 23. Christ Himself in His preaching of the gospel announced the fulfilment of a definite-time prophecy (the sixty-nine weeks, or 483 years, of Dan. 9:25), and called the people to repentance, in view of the coming of the predicted Messiah. Mark 1:14, 15. So when the time of the judgment comes, and Christ’s second advent is near, a world-wide announcement of these events is to be made in the preaching of the everlasting gospel adapted to meet the need of the hour.

9. What prophetic period extends to the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary, or the investigative judgment?

“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Dan. 8:14.

10. When did this long period expire?

In A.D. 1844. See reading on page 230.

NOTE.—Our Lord based His preaching of the gospel upon the fulfilment of the first part of the 2300 days, or years (Mark 1:14, 15), a prophecy which determined the time of the first advent. The whole period extends to the time of the judgment, just preceding the second advent, and at its expiration a special gospel message is sent to all the world proclaiming the judgment-hour at hand, and calling upon all to worship the Creator. The facts of history answer to this interpretation of the prophecy: for at this very time (1844) just such a message was being proclaimed in various parts of the world. This was the beginning of the great second advent message which is now being proclaimed throughout the world.

11. How is the true God distinguished from all false gods?

“Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth.... He [the true God] hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion.” Jer. 10:11, 12.

12. For what reason is worship justly due to God?

“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.... _The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed __ the dry land_. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” Ps. 95:3-6.

13. Why do the inhabitants of heaven worship God?

“The four and twenty elders fall down before Him, ... 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.” Rev. 4:10, 11.

14. What memorial did God establish of His creative power?

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.... For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Ex. 20:8-11.

15. What place has the Sabbath in the work of salvation?

“Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.” Eze. 20:12.

16. How many are concerned in the judgment?

“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 Cor. 5:10.

17. What will be the standard in the judgment?

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For He that said, Do not commit adultery; said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:10-12.

18. In view of the judgment, what exhortation is given?

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Eccl. 12:13, 14.

NOTE.—A comparison of Rev. 14:7 with Eccl. 12:13, 14, suggests that the way to give glory to God is to keep His commandments, and that in giving the judgment-hour message, the duty of keeping the commandments would be emphasized. This is plainly shown in the description given of the people who are gathered out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people as the result of the preaching of this message, in connection with the other messages which immediately follow and accompany it. Of this people it is said, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

The Fall Of Modern Babylon

The Second Angel. "Babylon is fallen, is fallen." Rev. 14:8.

1. What announcement immediately follows the judgment-hour message of Rev. 14:6, 7?

“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city.” Rev. 14:8, first part.

2. What reason is assigned for the fall of Babylon?

“Because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Same verse, last part.

3. How was the overthrow of ancient Babylon foretold?

“And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.” Isa. 13:19.

4. What call was made to come out of Babylon?

“Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; He will render unto her a recompense.” Jer. 51:6.

5. What did ancient Babylon do to all the nations?

“Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.” Verse 7.

6. What was the effect of this apostasy?

“Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.” Verse 8.

7. Just before the fall of Babylon, what did her king do?

“Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.” Dan. 5:1.

8. By what command did the king repudiate the religion taught in Babylon by Daniel and others who feared God?

“Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.” Verse 2.

9. What marked the climax of Babylon’s apostasy?

“Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.” Verse 3.

10. While drinking the wine, what gods did they honor?

“They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.” Verse 4.

11. What immediately followed this complete apostasy?

“In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.” Verses 30, 31.

NOTE.—The gospel of the kingdom was preached in Babylon (see reading on “The Gospel of the Kingdom,” page 209), and Nebuchadnezzar was brought to acknowledge and to worship the true God. But after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon relapsed into idolatry again, and this apostasy was rendered hopeless when Belshazzar used the sacred vessels from the house of God, dedicated to the worship of God, in which to drink the wine of Babylon while worship was offered to the false gods. Then came the handwriting on the wall, and the fall of ancient Babylon.

12. In the visions of John, what interpretation is given to the woman who sat upon many waters?

“And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Rev. 17:18.

NOTE.—The great city which reigned over the kings of the earth in John’s time was Rome, and that city has given its name to the church which is represented by the woman, the Church of Rome, or the Papacy.

13. In this same prophecy, how is the Church of Rome, the Papacy, designated as the antitype of ancient Babylon?

“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Verse 5.

14. What specific statement emphasizes this identification?

“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.” Verse 2. See verse 4.

NOTES.—The Church of Rome is called Babylon, and its religion is a revival of the religion of ancient Babylon. She claims a priesthood with exceptional powers and privileges, just as did ancient Babylon. Through the dogma of the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, she denies that God in Christ dwelt in the same flesh as fallen man has, just as ancient Babylon did. See Dan. 2:11. She claims universal spiritual jurisdiction, and demands submission under pains and penalties, just as ancient Babylon did. See Daniel 3. She repudiates the fundamental gospel truth of justification by faith, and boasts of works, just as ancient Babylon did. See Dan. 4:30. A careful comparison of the ritual of ancient and modern Babylon shows that the latter is copied from the former; and it is easy to trace the connection historically through the paganism of political Rome.

On the overthrow of Babylon by the Persians, who nourished a traditional hatred for its idolatry, the Chaldean priesthood fled to Pergamos, in Asia Minor, and made it the headquarters of their religion.... The last pontiff king of Pergamos was Attalus III, who at his death bequeathed his dominions and authority to the Roman people, 133 B.C., and from that time the two lines of Pontifex Maximus were merged in the Roman one.—_“__The False Christ,__”__ J. Garnier, London, George Allen, 1900, Vol. II, pages 94, 95._ Thus did the religion of ancient Babylon become the religion of modern Babylon.

15. What did Jesus say of the sacramental wine?

“This cup is the new covenant in My blood.” Luke 22:20, R. V.

16. What is the essential teaching of the new covenant?

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people.” Heb. 8:10.

17. When Christ thus ministers the law in the heart, what does it become?

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom. 8:2-4.

18. In what other statement is this same truth expressed?

“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63.

19. What kind of teaching have men substituted for the words which are spirit and life?

“Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.... And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” Mark 7:7-9.

NOTES.—There are two cups, the cup of the Lord and the cup of Babylon. The wine in the Lord’s cup represents the living truth, “as the truth is in Jesus;” the wine in the cup of Babylon represents her false doctrines, her substitution of human tradition for the living word and law of God, and the illicit connection which she has made between the church and the secular power, depending upon political power to enforce her teachings, rather than upon the power of God. By this very thing, while maintaining a form of godliness, she denies the power thereof. 2 Tim. 3:1-5.

The following quotation states the position of that church in regard to tradition: “Though these two divine streams [the Bible and tradition] are in themselves, on account of their divine origin, of equal sacredness, and are both full of revealed truths, still, of the two, tradition is to us more clear and safe.”—_“__Catholic Belief,__”__ Rev. Joseph Faa Di Bruno, D. D. (Roman Catholic), page 45._

The substitution of the law of the church for the law of God, in fulfilment of the prophecy in Dan. 7:25, testifies to the complete subordination of the Word of God to the authority of the church. The world-wide teaching of these doctrines in place of the pure gospel has led the world astray, and has made all the nations drink of the wine of her fornication. The Reformation of the sixteenth century was an effort to return to the pure truths of God’s Word. In this the Reformers denied the supremacy of tradition over the Bible.

20. What relation does the Church of Rome sustain to other apostate churches?

“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Rev. 17:5.

NOTES.—In the creed of Pope Pius IV, an authoritative statement of Roman Catholic belief, is found this statement: “I acknowledge the Holy Catholic Apostolic Church for the mother and mistress of all churches.”—Article 10. When the professed Protestant churches repudiate the fundamental principle of Protestantism by setting aside the authority of God’s Word, and accepting tradition and human speculation in its place, they adopt the fundamental principle of modern Babylon, and may be regarded as the daughters of Babylon. Their fall is then included in the fall of Babylon, and calls for a proclamation of the fall of modern Babylon.

Many representatives of modern Protestantism have, in one way or another, rejected many fundamental doctrines of the Bible, such as,—

The fall of man. The Bible doctrine of sin. The infallibility of the Scriptures. The sufficiency of the Scriptures as a rule of faith and practise. The Deity of Christ, and His consequent headship over the church. The miraculous conception and the virgin birth of our Lord. The resurrection of Christ from the grave. The vicarious, expiatory, and propitiatory atonement of Christ. Salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Regeneration by the power of the Holy Ghost. The efficacy of the all-prevailing name of Christ in prayer. The ministration and guardianship of holy angels. Miracles as the direct manifestation and interposition of God’s power.

Although many leaders of modern Protestantism known as higher critics have not formally adopted the creed of the Church of Rome, and have not become an organic part of that body, yet they belong to the same class in rejecting the authority of God’s Word, and accepting in its place the product of their own reasonings. There is just as much apostasy in the one case as in the other, and both must therefore be included in Babylon, and both will go down in the fall of Babylon. The warning message applies with equal force to both classes.

21. To what extent is the apostasy, or fall, of modern Babylon, the mother, and of her daughters, to be carried?

“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 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. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” Rev. 18:1-3.

NOTE.—In its largest sense, Babylon includes all false religions—all apostasy. The gospel message announcing her final overthrow should be a cause of rejoicing to every lover of truth and righteousness.

22. What final call to come out of Babylon is to go forth?

“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. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” Verses 4, 5.

23. How complete is to be the fall of modern Babylon?

“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.... And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” Verses 21-24.

24. What song of triumph follows the overthrow of Babylon?

“Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him.” Rev. 19:6, 7.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

The Closing Gospel Message. A Warning Against False Worship

The Third Angel. "If any man worship the beast and his image, ... the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God." Rev. 14:9, 10.

1. What indicates that the messages of the judgment-hour and the fall of Babylon are two parts of a threefold message?

“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice.” Rev. 14:9, first clause.

2. What apostasy from the worship of God is named in this message?

“If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand.” Same verse, last part.

3. What is to be the fate of those who, instead of worshiping God, engage in this false worship?

“The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Verses 10, 11. See Isa. 33:13-17; 34:1-10; 1 Cor. 3:13; Heb. 12:29.

4. How are those described who heed this warning?

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Verse 12.

5. What description is given of the beast against whose worship this closing warning message is given?

“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 a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” Rev. 13:1, 2.

NOTE.—In this composite beast from the sea are combined the symbols of the seventh chapter of Daniel, representing Greece, Medo-Persia, and Babylon. The blasphemous words spoken by it, its persecution of the saints, and the time allotted to it (verses 5-7) show that this beast, under one of its seven-headed manifestations, is identical with the little horn of the vision of the seventh chapter of Daniel, modern Babylon, the Papacy. See reading on “The Kingdom and Work of Antichrist,” page 218. The false worship here mentioned, the worship of the beast, is the rendering of that homage to the Papacy which is due to God alone. The system of religion enforced by the Papacy is the paganism of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, indicated by the composite character of the beast (verse 2), disguised under the forms and names of Christianity. The Pontifex Maximus of the ancient pagan religions was continued in the Pope, who is the head of the Roman priesthood, and who, in the exercise of his priestly functions, took away the mediation of Christ, and substituted a system of human mediation in its place, thus fulfilling the prophecy recorded in the eighth chapter of Daniel. See reading on “The Vicar of Christ,” page 224.

6. What challenge is made by those who worship 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?” Verse 4.

7. Whose sovereignty is thus challenged?

“Forasmuch as there is none like unto Thee, O Lord; Thou art great, and Thy name is great in might.” Jer. 10:6. See also Ps. 71:19; 86:8; 89:6, 8.

8. What specifications of “the man of sin” are thus fully met?

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thess. 2:3, 4. See pages 218-220.

Noah Preaching. "By faith Noah, being warned of God ... prepared an ark." Heb. 11:7.

9. What did Babylon give to the nations to drink?

“She made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Rev. 14:8, last part. See pages 256, 257.

10. What are those to drink who accept the teachings of Babylon, and thus render homage to the beast?

“The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation.” Verse 10, first part.

NOTE.—The cup of the Lord, which contains the new covenant in the blood of Christ, and the cup of the wine of the wrath of Babylon are both offered to the world. To drink of the former, that is, to accept the teaching of the true gospel, is to receive everlasting life; but to drink of the wine of Babylon, that is, to accept the false gospel taught by the Papacy, will result in drinking of the wine of the wrath of God from the cup of His indignation. The true gospel means everlasting life; the false gospel means everlasting death.

11. Under what threatened penalty is the worship of the image of the beast enforced?

“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause [decree] that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Rev. 13:15.

NOTE.—For an explanation of the image of the beast, see reading on “Making an Image to the Beast,” page 271.

12. What universal boycott is to be employed, in an attempt to compel all to receive the mark of the beast?

“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.” Verses 16, 17.

NOTE.—Regarding the mark of the beast, see reading on “The Seal of God and the Mark of Apostasy,” page 416.

13. Who is the real power operating through the beast and his image, and demanding worship?

“The dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” Verse 2, last part.

14. Who is this dragon?

“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.” Rev. 12:9.

15. How did the devil seek to induce Jesus to worship him?

“And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine.” Luke 4:5-7.

16. How did Jesus show His loyalty to God?

“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” Verse 8.

NOTE.—The threefold message of Rev. 14:6-12 is proclaimed in connection with the closing scenes of the great controversy between Christ and Satan. Lucifer has sought to put himself in the place of God (Isa. 14:12-14), and to secure to himself the worship which is due God alone. The final test comes over the commandments of God. Those who acknowledge the supremacy of the beast by yielding obedience to the law of God as changed and enforced by the Papacy, when the real issue has been clearly defined, will, in so doing, worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark. Such will take the side of Satan in his rebellion against the authority of God.

17. How many will yield to the demand to worship the beast?

“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.” Rev. 13:8.

18. In the judgment-hour message, whom are all called upon to fear, glorify, and worship?

“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.” Rev. 14:7.

19. Who will sing the song of Moses and the Lamb on the sea of glass?

“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. 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.” Rev. 15:2-4.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

Satan’s Warfare Against The Church

The Death Of Christ. "He [Satan] persecuted the woman [the church] that brought forth the man child." Rev. 12:13.

1. Under what figure was the Christian church represented to the apostle John?

“And there appeared a great wonder [margin, sign] in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” Rev. 12:1.

NOTES.—Frequently in the Scriptures a woman is used to represent the church. See Jer. 6:2; 2 Cor. 11:2. The sun represents the light of the gospel with which the church was clothed at the first advent (1 John 2:8); the moon under her feet, the waning light of the former dispensation; and the twelve stars, the twelve apostles.

“Woman in her innocence was attacked by ‘that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan.’ ... At the end of that first crafty assault and speedy victory the dragon met with his rebuff, in words like these: ‘The seed of the woman shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.’ ... In the Revelation the scene is changed from Eden to the heavens, and before you stand again the woman and the serpent, in the same position of antagonism as before, the serpent still the assailant, only this time more openly so.... The woman is no longer a simple, childlike personage, but a wonder; she walks not among the trees and flowers, but amid the orbs of heaven. She is clothed with the sun, the moon is under her feet, and upon her head is a coronet of twelve stars. In her you see the great cause of truth and righteousness embodied—she is, in fact, the church of God in all ages, the woman whose Seed blesses all the nations of the earth.”—C. H. Spurgeon, in The Tabernacle Pulpit, March 15, 1896.

2. How is the church at the first advent described?

“And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” Verse 2.

NOTE.—The church is in labor and pain while she brings forth Christ and her children, in the midst of afflictions and persecutions. See Rom. 8:19, 22; 1 John 3:1, 2; 2 Tim. 3:12.

3. How are the birth, work, and ascension of Christ briefly described?

“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.” Verse 5.

NOTE.—Specifically this must refer to Christ (see Ps. 2:7-9); but through Him is also prefigured the experience of the people of God, who finally in the judgment are to share with Christ in ruling the nations with a rod of iron (Rev. 2:26, 27), and, like Him, when their work on earth is accomplished be “caught up,” at His appearing, to God and to His throne. 1 Thess. 4:15-17.

4. What other sign, or wonder, appeared in heaven?

“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 in was born.” Verses 3, 4.

5. Who is this dragon said to be?

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.” Verse 9.

NOTE.—Primarily the dragon represents Satan, the great enemy and persecutor of the church in all ages. But Satan works through principalities and powers in his efforts to destroy the people of God. It was through a Roman king, King Herod, that he sought to destroy Christ as soon as He was born. Matt. 2:16. Rome must therefore be symbolized by the dragon. The seven heads of the dragon are interpreted by some to refer to the “seven hills” upon which the city of Rome is built; by others, to the seven forms of government through which Rome passed; and by still others, and more broadly, to the seven great monarchies which have oppressed the people of God; namely, Egypt, Assyria, Chaldea, Persia, Greece, pagan Rome, and papal Rome, in either of which Rome is represented and included. See page 269. The ten horns, as in the fourth beast of Daniel 7, evidently refer to the ten kingdoms into which Rome was finally divided, and thus again identify the dragon with the Roman power.

6. How is the conflict between Christ and Satan described?

“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.” Verses 7-9.

NOTE.—This conflict, begun in heaven, continues on earth. Near the close of Christ’s ministry, He said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” Luke 10:18. “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” John 12:31. From the councils of the representatives of the various worlds to which Satan, as the prince of this world, was formerly admitted (Job 1:6, 7; 2:1, 2), he was cast out when he crucified Christ, the Son of God.

7. What shout of triumph was heard in heaven following the victory gained by Christ?

“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.... Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.” Verses 10-12.

8. Why was woe at this same time proclaimed to the world?

“Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Verse 12, last part.

NOTE.—This not only shows that, since the crucifixion of Christ, Satan knows that his doom is sealed, and that he has but a limited time in which to work, but that his efforts are largely if not wholly now confined to this world, and concentrated upon its inhabitants. Better than many professed Christians, Satan knows that time is short.

9. What did the dragon do when cast to the earth?

“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.” Verse 13.

NOTE.—The persecution of Christians began under pagan Rome, but was carried on far more extensively under papal Rome. Matt. 24:21, 22.

10. What definite period of time was allotted to this great persecution of God’s people under papal Rome?

“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” Verse 14.

NOTE.—This is the same period as that mentioned in Dan. 7:25, and, like the ten horns, identifies the dragon with the fourth beast of Daniel 7, and its later work with the work of the little horn of that same beast. In Rev. 13:5 this period is referred to as “forty-two months,” and in Rev. 12:6 as 1260 days, each representing 1260 literal years, the period allotted to the supremacy of papal Rome. Beginning in 538 A.D., it ended in 1798, when the Pope was taken prisoner by the French. See notes on page 223. The woman fleeing into the wilderness fittingly describes the condition of the church during those times of bitter persecution.

11. What was Satan’s design in thus persecuting the church?

“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.” Verse 15.

12. How was the flood stayed, and Satan’s design defeated?

“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.” Verse 16.

NOTE.—The mountain fastnesses, quiet retreats, and secluded valleys of southwestern Europe for centuries shielded many who refused allegiance to the Papacy. Here, too, may be seen the results of the work of the Reformation of the sixteenth century, when many of the governments of Europe came to the help of the cause of reform, by staying the hand of persecution and protecting the lives of those who dared to take their stand for the right. The discovery of America, and the opening up of this country as an asylum for the oppressed of Europe at this time, may also be included in the “help” here referred to.

13. What did Christ say would be the result if the days of persecution were not shortened?

“Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” Matt. 24: 22.

14. Still bent on persecution, how does Satan manifest his enmity against the remnant church?

“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.” Rev. 12:17.

NOTE.—To the very end, Satan will persecute and seek to destroy the people of God. Against the remnant, or last portion of the church, he is especially to make war. Their obedience to God’s commandments, and their possession of the testimony of Jesus, or spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10), are especially offensive to him, and excite his intense ire.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Soldiers of Christ, arise, And put your armor on; Fight, for the battle will be ours; We fight to win a crown.

We fight not against flesh, We wrestle not with blood; But principalities and powers, And for the truth of God.

CHARLES WESLEY.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

A Great Persecuting Power (The Ten-Horned Beast of Revelation 13)

Early Christian Martyrs. "He shall ... wear out the saints of the Most High." Dan. 7:25.

1. What is the first symbol of Revelation 13?

“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.” Rev. 13:1.

NOTES.—As already learned from studying the book of Daniel, a beast in prophecy represents some great earthly power or kingdom; a head, a governing power; horns, a number of kingdoms; crowned heads or crowned horns, political rulership; waters, “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Rev. 17:15.

“The beasts of Daniel and John are empires. The ten-horned beast is the Roman power.... The head is the governing power of the body. The heads of this beast represent successive governments.”—_“__Romanism and the Reformation,__”__ by H. Grattan Guinness, pages 144, 145._

2. How is this beast further described?

“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion.” Verse 2, first part.

NOTES.—These are the characteristics of the first three symbols of Daniel 7,—the lion, bear, and leopard there representing the kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Grecia,—and suggest this beast as representing or belonging to the kingdom symbolized by the fourth beast of Daniel 7, or Rome. Both have ten horns. Like the dragon of Revelation 12, it also has seven heads; but as the dragon symbolized Rome in its entirety, particularly in its pagan phase, this, like the “little horn” coming up among the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel 7, represents Rome in its later or papal form. Both it and the little horn have “a mouth” speaking great things; both make war upon the saints; both continue for the same length of time.

Allowing a very broad meaning to the symbol, the Douay or Catholic Bible, in a note on Rev. 13:1, explains the seven heads of this beast as follows: “The seven heads are seven kings, that is, seven principal kingdoms or empires, which have exercised, or shall exercise, tyrannical power over the people of God: of these, five were then fallen, viz., the Egyptian, Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian, and Grecian monarchies; one was present, viz., the empire of Rome; and the seventh and chiefest was to come, viz., the great Antichrist and his empire.” That the seventh head represents Antichrist there can be little doubt. See page 265.

3. What did the dragon give this beast?

“And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” Verse 2, latter part.

NOTE.—It is an undisputed fact of history that under the later Roman emperors, beginning with Constantine, the religion of the Roman government was changed from pagan to papal; that when Constantine removed the seat of his empire from Rome to Constantinople in 330 A.D., the city of Rome was given up to the bishop of Rome, who, from Constantine and succeeding emperors, received rich gifts and great authority; that after the fall of Rome, in 476 A.D., the bishop of Rome became the ruling power in Western Rome, and by decree of Justinian, March 15, 533, was declared “head of all the holy churches,” and in a letter of the same year he was designated as “corrector of heretics.” See note on page 223. Thus Rome pagan became Rome papal; the seat of pagan Rome became the seat of papal Rome; church and state were united; and the persecuting power of the dragon was conferred upon the professed head of the church of Christ, or papal Rome. As Dr. H. Grattan Guinness, in his “Romanism and the Reformation,” page 152, says, “The power of the Cæsars lived again in the universal dominion of the popes.”

4. How are the character, work, period of supremacy, and great power of the beast described?

“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.” Verses 5-7.

NOTE.—All these specifications have been fully and accurately met in the Papacy, and identify this beast as representing the same power as that represented by the little horn phase of the fourth beast of Daniel 7, and the little horn of Daniel 8, in its chief and essential features and work. See Dan. 7:25; 8:11, 12, 24, 25, and readings on pages 218, 224. For an explanation of the time period mentioned, see pages 223, 229.

5. What was to be inflicted upon one of the heads of this beast?

“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.” Verse 3.

NOTE.—This wound was inflicted upon the papal head of this beast when the French, in 1798, entered Rome, and took the Pope prisoner, and for a time, it seemed, abolished the Papacy. But in 1800 another Pope was placed upon the papal throne, and the deadly wound began to be healed. Temporal dominion was taken away from the Papacy in 1870, but nevertheless its power and influence among the nations have been increasing since then. “In that year,” says Mr. Guinness in his work “Romanism and the Reformation,” page 156, “the Papacy assumed the highest exaltation to which it could aspire, that of infallibility.” To such a position of influence over the nations is the Papacy finally to attain that just before her complete overthrow and destruction she will say, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” Rev. 18:7. See Isa. 47:7-15; Rev. 17:18.

6. What is said concerning the captivity and downfall of the Papacy?

“He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.” Verse 10. See Ps. 18:25, 26; 109:17; Jer. 50:29; Rev. 16:4-6.

7. What questions asked by its worshipers indicate the great station to which this beast-power was to attain?

“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?” Rev. 13:4.

8. How universal is the worship of this power to become?

“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.” Verse 8.

9. What did John say was to be the end of this beast?

“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him.... These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” Rev. 19:20. See Isa. 47:7-15; 2 Thess. 2:3-8; Rev. 17:16, 17; 18:4-8.

10. In what similar language is the fate of the fourth beast of Daniel 7 described?

“I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” Dan. 7:11.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

Making An Image To The Beast. The Prophecy Of Revelation 13

Landing Of The Pilgrim Fathers. The vanguard of Protestantism, who established "a Church without a pope, and a State without a king."

1. When was the papal head of the first beast of Revelation 13 wounded?

In 1793-98, by the French Revolution, and the temporary overthrow of the Papacy in the latter year.

2. What did the prophet see coming up at this time?

“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.” Rev. 13:11.

NOTES.—Mr. Wesley, in his notes on Revelation 13, written in 1754, says of the two-horned beast: “He is not yet come, though he cannot be far off; for he is to appear at the end of the forty-two months of the first beast.”

The previous beast came up out of the “sea,” which indicates its rise among the peoples and nations of the world then in existence (Rev 17: 15); while this one comes up out of the “earth.” This would indicate that the latter beast would arise where there had not before been “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” In 1798, when the papal power received its deadly wound, the government of the United States, located in the western continent, was the only great and independent nation then coming into prominence in territory not previously occupied by peoples, multitudes, and nations. Only nine years preceding this (1789), the United States adopted its national Constitution.

It is within the territory of the United States, therefore, that we may look, according to the prophecy, for an ecclesiastical movement to arise, and exercise a dominating control, not only in the civil government of this country, but also in the other nations of the whole world as well.

Signing The Declaration Of Independence. "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." Lev. 25:10.

3. What is the character of this new power?

“He had two horns like a lamb.” Rev. 13:11.

NOTE.—The Pilgrim Fathers were the vanguard of a great multitude of Protestants, who, when persecuted and outlawed in the lands of their birth, sought refuge in the New World, where they developed rapidly under the protection of a government founded on the great Christian principles of civil and religious freedom. The two horns may well symbolize these two fundamental principles.

4. Notwithstanding the lamblike appearance of this power, what is it ultimately to do?

“And he spake as a dragon.” Rev. 13:11.

NOTE.—The voice of the dragon is the voice of intolerance and persecution. This indicates that the ecclesiastical development dealt with in this prophecy, obtaining a foothold for its initial power and influence in the government of the United States, will repudiate the mild and lamblike principles of civil and religious liberty, and become like the beast before it, a world-wide persecuting power. This is why in Rev. 19:20 it is called “the false prophet.” Born of the Reformation, it will repudiate Reformation principles.

5. How much power will this beast exercise?

“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.” Verse 12.

NOTE.—The “first beast before him” (papal Rome) exercised the power of persecuting and putting to death all who differed from it in religious matters. The only way the earth can be made to worship is by causing work to cease on it through voluntary or enforced rest, or sabbath-keeping. “For as long as she [the land] lay desolate she kept sabbath.” 2 Chron. 36:21. Enforced Sunday observance is evidently implied here.

6. What means will be employed to lead the people back into this false worship?

“And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast.” Verse 14, first part.

7. What will this power propose that the people shall do?

“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.” Verse 14, latter part.

NOTE.—The beast “which had the wound by a sword, and did live,” is the Papacy. That was a church dominating the civil power. In other words, it was a union of church and state, and enforced its religious dogmas by the civil power, under pain of confiscation of goods, imprisonment, and death. An image to this beast would be another ecclesiastical organization clothed with civil power—another union of church and state—to enforce religious dogmas by law.

8. Is there any evidence that such an image will be made?

Large and influential organizations, such as the National Reform Association, the International Reform Bureau, the Lord’s Day Alliance of the United States, and the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, have been formed, by professed Protestants, and for years have been persistently working to that end. Many Roman Catholic societies recently formed in the United States, such as the Knights of Columbus and the American Federation of Catholic Societies, are looking to a like end—that of making America Catholic.

9. What, according to its constitution, is the avowed object of the National Reform Association?

“To secure such an amendment to the Constitution of the United States as shall ... indicate that this is a Christian nation, and place all the Christian laws, institutions, and usages of the government on an undeniable legal basis in the fundamental law of the land.”—Article II of Constitution.

NOTES.—Upon the question of making this a “Christian nation,” Bishop Earl Cranston, D. D., of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in an address delivered in Foundry Methodist Episcopal Church, Washington, D. C., March 13, 1910, made the following observation:—

“Suppose this were to be declared a Christian nation by a Constitutional interpretation to that effect. What would that mean? Which of the two contending definitions of Christianity would the word Christian indicate?—The Protestant idea, of course, for under our system majorities rule, and the majority of Americans are Protestants. Very well. But suppose that by the addition of certain contiguous territory with twelve or more millions of Roman Catholics, the annexation of a few more islands with half as many more, and the same rate of immigration as now, the majority some years hence should be Roman Catholics,—who doubts for a moment that the reigning Pope would assume control of legislation and government? He would say, with all confidence and consistency, ‘This is a Christian nation. It was so claimed from the beginning and so declared many years ago. A majority defined then what Christianity was, the majority will define now what Christianity now is and is to be.’ That ‘majority’ would be the Pope.”—“The Church and the Government,” page 7.

The National Reformers in their attempts to justify the legal establishment of Christianity as the national religion, have erroneously declared that the statement of Justice Brewer of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1892, “This is a Christian nation,” is a decision of the court, whereas it was only a statement in the argument leading up to the decision of the court.

In a sermon at the centenary of the establishment of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the United States, in 1889, Archbishop Ireland said: “Our work is to make America Catholic.... Our cry shall be, ‘God wills it,’ and our hearts shall leap with crusader enthusiasm.”

The theory of the National Reformers is thus expressed: “Every government by equitable laws, is a government of God; a republic thus governed is of Him, and is as truly and really a theocracy as the commonwealth of Israel.”—“Cincinnati National Reform Convention,” page 28.

10. How does this association regard the Catholic Church on this point?

“We cordially, gladly, recognize the fact that in South American republics, in France and other European countries the Roman Catholics are the recognized advocates of national Christianity, and stand opposed to all the proposals of secularism.... Whenever they are willing to cooperate in resisting the progress of political atheism, we will gladly join hands with them in a world’s conference for the promotion of national Christianity, which ought to be held at no distant day. Many countries could be represented only by Roman Catholics.”—Christian Statesman, Dec. 11, 1884, official organ of the National Reform Association.

11. What has the Pope commanded all Catholics to do?

“First and foremost, it is the duty of all Catholics worthy of the name and wishful to be known as most loving children of the church ... to endeavor to bring back all civil society to the pattern and form of Christianity which we have described.”—_Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, __“__Immortale Dei__”__ Nov. 1, 1885, __“__The Great Encyclical Letters of Leo XIII,__”__ page 132._

NOTE.—The prophecy says that this power will make an image to the Papacy. In the days of Constantine and his successors, the church made use of the civil power to carry out her aims: through this means the Papacy was developed. In our own day the same theory is advocated, and prominent men in the nation, in both church and state, are doing all they can to bring about the same result, which, when their work is completed, cannot fail to fulfil the specifications of the prophecy. The climax will be an image of the Papacy.

12. What is the object of the International Reform Bureau?

“The Reform Bureau is the first ‘Christian lobby’ established at our national capital to speak to government in behalf of all denominations.”—“History of the International Reform Bureau,” by its founder and superintendent, Rev. W. F. Crafts, page 2.

NOTE.—The securing of compulsory Sunday legislation is one of the chief objects of this and other like organizations. See pages 61 and 65 of the above-named work.

13. What are the objects of the Lord’s Day Alliance of the United States?

“(1) To preserve the Lord’s day [Sunday] for America; (2) to secure an active Alliance in every State not yet organized; (3) to induce the general government as far as possible to set the example of Sabbath observance; (4) to press the rest-day feature of the fourth commandment, until every toiler in the land has guaranteed unto him fifty-two full rest days a year.”—From leaflet published by the Alliance.

NOTE.—By all of which is meant the securing, as far as possible, of compulsory State and national Sunday legislation,—the very means by which the church gained control of the state and by which church and state were united in the fourth and fifth centuries of the Christian era.

14. What is the purpose of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America?

“That the great Christian bodies of our country should stand together” in dealing with “questions like those of marriage and divorce, Sabbath desecration, social evils.” etc.—“Report of Federal Council” (1908), pages 5, 6.

15. How does it propose that the matter of “Sabbath desecration” shall be dealt with?

“That all encroachments upon the claims and the sanctities of the Lord’s day should be stoutly resisted through the press, the Lord’s day associations and alliances, and by such legislation as may be secured to protect and preserve this bulwark of our American Christianity.”—Id., page 103.

NOTE.—Thus it will be seen that the securing of laws for the enforcement of Sunday observance is a prominent feature in all these organizations in their efforts to “Christianize” the nation. In doing this many fail to see that they are repudiating the principles of Christianity, of Protestantism, and of the United States government, and playing directly into the hand of that power which originated the Sunday sabbath, and gained control of the civil power through Sunday legislation—the Papacy.

16. What action of the American Federation of Catholic Societies indicates that Catholics will gladly “join hands” with Protestants in enforcing Sunday observance by law?

“Our societies in the various parts of the United States have been urging the abolition of Sunday labor, and have indorsed and assisted the movement of closing the post-office on Sunday.”—Tenth Annual Convention of American Federation of Catholic Societies, Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 20-24, 1911.

NOTES.—With the active cooperation of the Lord’s Day Alliance of the United States, a Protestant organization, a proviso was attached to the post-office appropriation bill, 1912, requiring that “hereafter post-offices of the first and second classes shall not be opened on Sundays for the purpose of delivering mail to the general public.”

The following resolution was adopted by the Boston Archdiocesan Federation of Catholic Societies:—

“We are unalterably opposed to any relaxation of the Sunday laws. Sunday is a day of rest to be devoted to the praise and service of God. We hold the safest public policy at present is to adhere to the rigid observance of the laws now safeguarding the sanctity of the Lord’s day.”—Boston Pilot, official organ of Cardinal O’Connell, March 16, 1912.

17. What complaint is made against Sunday trains and Sunday newspapers?

“They get a great many passengers, and so break up a great many congregations.” “The laboring classes are apt to rise late on Sunday morning, read the Sunday papers, and allow the hour of worship to go by unheeded.”—Elgin (Ill.) Sunday-law Convention, November, 1887.

NOTES.—In the fourth century, Sunday games and Sunday theaters, it was complained, “hindered” the “devotion” of the “faithful,” because many of the members attended them in preference to the church services. The church, therefore, demanded that the state should interfere, and enforce Sunday observance by law. “In this way,” says Neander, “the church received help from the state for the furtherance of her ends.” In this way church and state were united, and the Papacy was placed in power. The same course pursued now will produce the same results.

It is proper and right for the church to teach Sabbath observance, and to decry Sabbath desecration; but it should not attempt to secure Sabbath observance through compulsory legislation; nor should it seek to fasten upon the people by any means the observance of a day which God has never enjoined, and for which, as is admitted on all hands, there is no Scriptural command. See admissions on pages 441, 442, 455, 456, 560.

18. What does the prophet say the two-horned-beast power will attempt to enforce upon all the people?

“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.” Rev. 13:16.

NOTES.—This mark is the mark of the beast, or the false sabbath. See Rev. 14:9, 10, and reading on page 446. God’s seal, or mark, is set in the forehead (Rev. 7:3; 14:1), the seat of the mind, the Lord accepting only the worship of conviction and conscience. The mark of the beast, however, is said to be received in the hand or forehead. Some are deceived and give assent to the false teaching with their minds, receiving the mark in the forehead; others, coerced or indifferent, give formal, outward consent, and so receive the mark in the hand.

Let the reader note this twofold aspect of the Sunday sabbath, as expressed by one of the most ardent and active Sunday-law advocates in the United States: “We, the Sabbath Union, W. C. T. U., all the churches, and the Y. M. C. A., are laboring with all our might to carry the religious sabbath with our right arm, and the civil sabbath with our left. Hundreds of thousands will receive it as a religious institution, and all the rest will receive it as a civil institution, and thus we will sweep in the whole nation.”—Rev. W. F. Crafts, in Sunday Union Convention, Wichita, Kans., Sept. 20, 1889.

19. What means will be employed to compel all to receive this mark?

“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.” Verse 17.

NOTE.—That is, all who refuse to receive this mark will be boycotted, or denied the rights and privileges of business and trade, or the ordinary means of gaining a livelihood. Already this spirit has begun to manifest itself in the movement to enforce Sunday observance. In a sermon preached in Burlington, Kans., Sunday, Jan. 31, 1904, Rev. Bascom Robins said:—

“In the Christian decalogue the first day was made the Sabbath by divine appointment. But there is a class of people who will not keep the Christian sabbath unless they are forced to do so. But that can be easily done. We have twenty million of men, besides women and children, in this country, who want this country to keep the Christian sabbath. If we would say we will not sell anything to them, we will not buy anything from them, we will not work for them, or hire them to work for us, the thing could be wiped out, and all the world would keep the Christian sabbath.”

20. By what authority was Sunday sabbath-keeping instituted?

By the authority of the Catholic Church. See page 439.

21. Why were the ancient Sunday laws demanded?

“That the day might be devoted with less interruption to the purposes of devotion.” “That the devotion of the faithful might be free from all disturbance.”—_Neander’s __“__Church History,__”__ Vol. II, pages 297, 301._

NOTE.—In short, it was to secure the enforced observance of the day, and through this means church attendance, and control over the people in religious things.

22. Why are they demanded now?

“Give us good Sunday laws, well enforced by men in local authority, and our churches will be full of worshipers, and our young men and women will be attracted to the divine service. A mighty combination of the churches of the United States could win from Congress, the State legislatures, and municipal councils, all legislation essential to this splendid consummation.”—Rev. S. V. Leech, D. D., in Homiletic Review, November, 1892.

23. Who is responsible for the present State Sunday laws of the United States?

“During nearly all our American history the churches have influenced the States to make and improve Sabbath laws.”—Rev. W. F. Crafts, in Christian Statesman, July 3, 1890.

NOTES.—“These Sunday laws are a survival of the complete union of church and state which existed at the founding of the colony.”—Boston Post, April 14, 1907.

“Such laws [as the Maryland Sunday law of 1723] were the outgrowth of the system of religious intolerance that prevailed in many of the colonies.”—Decision of Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia, Jan. 21, 1908.

The first Sunday law in America, that of Virginia, in 1610, required church attendance, and prescribed the death penalty for the third offense. See “American State Papers,” edition 1911, page 33.

24. Why is a national Sunday law demanded?

“The national law is needed to make the State laws complete and effective.”—Christian Statesman, April 11, 1889.

25. Since the Sunday sabbath originated with the Roman power (the beast), to whom will men yield homage when, knowing the facts, they choose to observe Sunday, instead of the Bible Sabbath, in deference to compulsory Sunday laws?

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?” Rom. 6:16.

NOTES.—“The observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] church.”—“Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today,” page 213.

The conscientious observance of Sunday as the Sabbath on the part of those who hitherto have supposed it to be the Sabbath, has, without doubt, been accepted of God as Sabbath-keeping. It is only when light comes that sin is imputed. John 9:41; 15:22; Acts 17:30. See page 700.

26. What does Christ say about our duty to the state?

“Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” Matt. 22:21.

NOTE.—The Sabbath belongs to God. Its observance, therefore, should be rendered only to Him.

27. What special miracle is finally to be performed to deceive men, and fasten them in deception?

“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.” Rev. 13:13.

NOTE.—In the time of Elijah, in the controversy over Baal-worship, this was the test as to who was the true God,—the God that answered by fire. 1 Kings 18:24. Now, as a counterfeit test, fire will be made to come down from heaven to confirm men in an idolatrous and false worship.

28. To what length will this effort to enforce the worship of the image of the beast be carried?

“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause [decree] that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Verse 15.

29. What deliverance will God finally bring to His people in this controversy?

“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.” Rev. 15:2.

30. What song will they sing?

“And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.” Verse 3.

31. What was the song of Moses?

A song of deliverance from oppression. See Exodus 15.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

The Seven Churches

John On Patmos. "What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches." Rev. 1:11.

1. What title is given the last book of the Bible?

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 1:1.

2. To whom do those things which are revealed belong?

“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever.” Deut. 29:29.

3. For what purpose was the Revelation given?

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass.” Rev. 1:1.

4. What great event, according to this book, is imminent?

“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.” Verse 7.

NOTE.—This book not only opens and closes with the subject of Christ’s second coming, but its eight lines of prophecy all reach down to this as the great culminating event to the church and the world.

5. What encouragement is given to study this book?

“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.” Verse 3.

6. To whom was the book dedicated?

“John to the seven churches which are in Asia.” Verse 4.

7. What were the names of these seven churches?

“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.” Verse 11.

NOTE.—These seven churches, and the messages addressed to them, apply to seven periods or states of the church reaching from the first to the second advent of Christ. “Under this emblematical representation of the seven churches of Asia,” says Vitringa, in the “Comprehensive Commentary,” “the Holy Spirit has delineated seven different states of the Christian church, which would appear in succession, extending to the coming of our Lord and the consummation of all things.” Their good qualities and their defects are pointed out, with admonitions, exhortations, and warnings suitable for each, all of which are also applicable to individual Christian experience.

8. By what title is the first state of the church distinguished?

“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write.” Rev. 2:1.

NOTE.—The meaning of Ephesus is desirable, and fitly describes the character and condition of the church in its first state, when its members received the doctrine of Christ in its purity, and enjoyed the benefits and blessings of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This applies to the first century, or during the lifetime of the apostles. See dates in the accompanying diagram, showing the beginning and close of the seven periods.

The Seven Churches.

9. After commending this church for their good works, what charge did the Lord bring against them?

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.” Verses 4, 5.

NOTE.—The “first love” is the love of the truth, and the desire of making it known to others. The “first works” are the fruit of this love.

10. What name is given to the second state of the church?

“Unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write.” Verse 8.

NOTE.—The meaning of Smyrna is myrrh, or sweet-smelling savor, and applies to the period of time when many of the saints of God suffered martyrdom under pagan Rome.

11. How is the closing period of tribulation of the church during this time referred to?

“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.” Verse 10.

NOTE.—The most severe of what is commonly known as “the ten persecutions” under pagan Rome, began under the emperor Diocletian, and continued from 303 A.D. to 313 A.D., a period of ten prophetic days.

12. What name is given to the third state of the church?

“To the angel of the church in Pergamos write.” Verse 12.

NOTE.—The meaning of Pergamos is height, or elevation, and fitly represents that period of the Christian church, beginning with the reign of the emperor Constantine in 313 A.D., when the power which had put the Christians to death espoused the cause of the church, and by rewards, edicts, and promised promotions to office in the government, sought to induce the people to become Christians, thus bringing a flood of worldliness and corruption into the church. Many of the heathen rites and ceremonies previously introduced into the Christian religion, including the heathen festival, Sunday (sun’s day), were then established by law, resulting in the first day of the week taking the place of the Sabbath of the Bible.

13. How was the faithfulness of this church commended?

“I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast My name, and hast not denied My faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.” Verse 13.

NOTE.—Antipas comes from two Latin words, anti, opposed to, and papas, father, or pope, and denotes a class of people who were opposed to papal rule. Regarding Pergamos, see note on page 256.

14. What title was given to the fourth state of the church?

“Unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write.” Verse 18.

NOTE.—Thyatira means song of labor, or sacrifice of contrition, and points out the condition of God’s people during the long, dark period of 1260 years, beginning with the establishment of papal supremacy in 538 A.D., and closing with the downfall of that power in 1798. See notes on page 223. During that time, millions of the saints of God were put to death in the most cruel manner that wicked men and demons could invent. Christ referred to this time in His wonderful prophecy recorded in Matthew 24, in these words: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” The tribulation of the 1260 years was cut short through the influence of the Reformation.

15. What promise did God leave for these persecuted ones?

“But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth My words 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.” Verses 25-27.

16. By what name is the fifth state of the church addressed?

“Unto the angel of the church in Sardis write.” Rev. 3:1.

NOTE.—Sardis means song of joy, or that which remains. A cause for joy at that time was the fact that the great tribulation of the people of God was at an end. It was only as a result of the Reformation that any of God’s people were left remaining. See Matt. 24:21, 22, and note under question 14. The Sardis church continued from the close of the papal power, 1798 A.D., until the beginning of the great advent movement in 1833, which was marked by the falling of the stars on November 13 of that year, as foretold by Christ in Matt. 24:29.

17. What endearing title is given the sixth church?

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write.” Rev. 3:7.

NOTE.—Philadelphia means brotherly love, and applies to the church under the judgment-hour message. See page 251.

18. What words to this church show the second advent near?

“Behold, I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” Verse 11.

19. What is Christ’s message to the last church?

“Unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; ... I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.... Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing; ... I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed.... As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Verses 14-19.

NOTE.—Laodicea signifies the judging of the people, or, according to Cruden, a just people. This church exists in the time of the judgment and the proclamation of the final warning messages preceding Christ’s second coming. See Rev. 14:6-16, and readings on cages 251-263. This is a time of great profession, with but little vital godliness and true piety.

20. What encouragement is given to heed this message?

“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.” Verse 20.

NOTE.—The pointed, searching messages to the seven churches contain most important lessons of admonition, encouragement, and warning for all Christians in all ages. The seven promises to the overcomer found in this line of prophecy (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 21), with the eighth or universal promise recorded in Rev. 21:7, form a galaxy of promises as precious, as comforting, and as inspiring as any recorded in the Scriptures. See pages 558, 762.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

The Seven Seals

The Lisbon Earthquake. "When He had opened the sixth seal, ... there was a great earthquake." Rev. 6:12.

1. What did John the revelator see in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne?

“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.” Rev. 5:1.

2. What did the Lamb do with this book?

“And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat on the throne.” Verse 7.

3. Why was Christ declared worthy to open these seals?

“Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” Verse 9.

4. What was shown upon the opening of the first seal?

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, ... 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.” Rev. 6:1, 2.

NOTE.—The number seven in the Scriptures denotes completion or perfection. The seven seals embrace the whole of a class of events in which is narrated the history of the church from the beginning of the Christian era to the second coming of Christ. The white horse, with his rider going forth to conquer, fitly represents the early Christian church in its purity, going into all the world with the gospel message of salvation.

5. What appeared upon the opening of the second seal?

“And when He had opened the second seal, ... 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.” Verses 3, 4.

NOTE.—As whiteness in the first horse denoted the purity of the gospel which its rider propagated, so the color of the second horse would show that corruption had begun to creep in when this symbol applies. It is true that such a state of things did succeed the apostolic church. Speaking of the second century, Wharey, in his “Church History,” page 39, says: “Christianity began already to wear the garb of heathenism. The seeds of most of those errors that afterwards so entirely overran the church, marred its beauty, and tarnished its glory, were already beginning to take root.” Worldliness came in. The church sought alliance with the secular power, and trouble and commotion were the result. This symbol extends from the close of the first century to the time of Constantine, when a complete union of church and state was effected.

6. What was the color of the symbol under the third seal?

“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.” Verse 5.

NOTE.—The “black” horse fitly represents the spiritual darkness that characterized the church from the time of Constantine till the establishment of papal supremacy in 538 A.D. Of the condition of things in the fourth century, Wharey (page 54) says: “Christianity had now become popular, and a large proportion, perhaps a large majority, of those who embraced it, only assumed the name, received the rite of baptism, and conformed to some of the external ceremonies of the church, while at heart and in moral character they were as much heathen as they were before. Error and corruption now came in upon the church like a flood.”

7. What were the color and character of the fourth symbol?

“And when He had opened the fourth seal, ... behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell [Greek, Hades, the grave] 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.” Verses 7, 8.

NOTE.—This is an unnatural color for a horse. The original denotes the pale or yellowish color seen in blighted plants. The symbol evidently refers to the work of persecution and death carried on by the Roman Church against the people of God from the time of the beginning of papal supremacy in 538 A.D. to the time when the Reformers commenced their work of exposing the true character of the Papacy, and a check was placed upon this work of death.

8. On opening the fifth seal, what was seen under the altar?

“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.” Verse 9.

NOTE.—When the Reformers exposed the work of the Papacy, it was then called to mind how many martyrs had been slain for their faith.

9. What were these martyrs represented as doing?

“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?” Verse 10.

NOTE.—The cruel treatment which they had received cried for vengeance, just as Abel’s blood cried to God from the ground. Gen. 4:10. They were not in heaven, but under the altar on which they had been slain. On this point Dr. Adam Clarke says: “The altar is upon earth, not in heaven.” See note under next question.

10. What was given these martyrs?

“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 [have fulfilled their course, R. V.].” Verse 11.

NOTE.—These had been slain during the hundreds of years covered by the preceding seal. Their persecutors, most of them, at least, had died. And if they had at death passed to their punishment, as is by some supposed, why should the martyred ones still importune for their punishment? In this, as in other parts of the Bible, the figure of personification is used, in which inanimate objects are represented as alive and speaking, and things that are not as though they were. See Judges 9:8-15; Heb. 2:11; Rom. 4:17. These martyrs had gone down as heretics under the darkness and superstition of the preceding seal, covered with ignominy and shame. Now, in the light of the Reformation, their true character appears, and they are seen to have been righteous, and hence are given “white robes.” “The fine linen [white robes] is the righteousness of saints.” Rev. 19:8. Righteousness is ascribed to them; and when they have rested a little longer where they are,—under the altar,—till all others who are to fall for their faith have followed them, then together they will be raised to life and immortality.

11. What was first seen on the opening of the sixth seal?

“And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake.” Verse 12, first part.

NOTE.—This doubtless refers to the great earthquake of Nov. 1, 1755, commonly known as the Lisbon earthquake, the effects of which were felt over an area of 4,000,000 square miles. Lisbon, Portugal, a city containing 150,000 inhabitants, was almost entirely destroyed. The shock of the earthquake, says Mr. Sears, in his “Wonders of the World,” page 200, “was instantly followed by the fall of every church and convent, almost all the large public buildings, and one fourth of the houses. In about two hours afterward, fires broke out in different quarters, and raged with such violence for the space of nearly three days that the city was completely desolated. The earthquake happened on a holy day, when the churches and convents were full of people, very few of whom escaped.... The terror of the people was beyond description. Nobody wept: it was beyond tears. They ran hither and thither, delirious with horror and astonishment, beating their faces and breasts, crying, ‘Misericordia! the world’s at an end!’ Mothers forgot their children, and ran about loaded with crucifixed images. Unfortunately, many ran to the churches for protection; but in vain was the sacrament exposed; in vain did the poor creatures embrace the altars; images, priests, and people were buried in one common ruin.... Ninety thousand persons are supposed to have been lost on that fatal day.”

12. What was to follow the great earthquake?

“And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.” Same verse, latter part.

NOTE.—This refers to the dark day and night of May 19, 1780, when the darkness and gloom were such as to give the general impression that the day of judgment was at hand. See readings on pages 311, 319.

13. What other event is mentioned under this seal?

“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.” Verse 13.

NOTES.—This was fulfilled in the wonderful meteoric shower of Nov. 13, 1833. Describing the scene in the vicinity of Niagara Falls, one writer says: “No spectacle so terribly grand and sublime was ever before beheld by man as that of the firmament descending in fiery torrents over the dark and roaring cataract.”—_“__Our First Century,__”__ page 330; also The American Cyclopedia, edition 1881, article __“__Meteor.__”_ See readings just referred to.

A contributor, writing for the Journal of Commerce of Nov. 14, 1833, in regard to the falling stars of Nov. 13, 1833, said: “Were I to hunt through nature for a simile, I could not find one so apt to illustrate the appearance of the heavens as that which St. John uses in the prophecy. The falling stars did not come as if from several trees shaken, but as from one; those which appeared in the east, fell toward the east; those which appeared in the west, fell toward the west; and those which appeared in the south, fell toward the south. And they fell not as the ripe fruit falls,—far from it,—but they flew, they were cast, like the unripe fruit which at first refuses to leave the branch; and when, under a violent pressure, it does break its hold, it flies swiftly, straight off, descending; and in the multitude falling, some cross the track of others, as they are thrown with more or less force; but each one falls on its own side of the tree.” See page 321.

14. What is the next event mentioned in the prophecy?

“And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” Verse 14.

NOTE.—This event is still future, and will take place in connection with Christ’s second coming. We are now standing between the two events,—the last of the signs in the heavens, and the parting of the heavens and removal of earthly things out of their places. The great signs here mentioned which mark the approach of Christ’s second coming and the dissolution of all earthly things, are all in the past, and the world awaits the sound of the last trump as the closing scene in earth’s drama.

15. How will this great event affect the world?

“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 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?” Verses 15-17.

16. After the sealing work brought to view in Revelation 7, which takes place under the sixth seal, how is the seventh seal introduced?

“And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” Rev. 8:1.

NOTE.—The sixth seal introduced the events connected with the second coming of Christ. The seventh seal most naturally, therefore, would refer to that event, or to some accompanying result of it. When Christ comes, all the holy angels will accompany Him (Matt. 25:31); and it follows that silence will necessarily, therefore, reign in heaven during their absence. A half-hour of prophetic time would be about seven days. The seven seals, therefore, bring us down to the second coming of Christ.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

It may be at morn, when the day is awaking, When sunlight through darkness and shadow is breaking, That Jesus will come in the fulness of glory To receive from the world His own.

It may be at midday, it may be at twilight, It may be, perchance, that the blackness of midnight Will burst into light in the blaze of His glory, When Jesus receives His own.

O joy! O delight! should we go without dying, No sickness, no sadness, no dread, and no crying, Caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory, When Jesus receives His own.

H. L. TURNER.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

The Seven Trumpets

Symbols Of War. "The nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged." Rev. 11:18.

1. Following the seven seals, under what symbols was the next series of thrilling events shown the apostle John?

“And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.” Rev. 8:2.

2. With what do these trumpets deal?

With the wars, commotions, and political upheavals which result in the breaking up and downfall of the Roman Empire,—the first four with the downfall of Western Rome, the fifth and sixth with the downfall of Eastern Rome, and the seventh with the final downfall of Rome in its broadest sense, or all the kingdoms of the world. See Revelation 8 and 9 and 11:14-19. A trumpet is a symbol of war. Jer. 4:19, 20; Joel 2:1-11.

3. Under what figures is the first trumpet described?

“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.” Rev. 8:7.

NOTES.—“Twice, at least, before the Roman Empire became divided permanently into the two parts, the Eastern and the Western, there was a tripartite division of the empire. The first occurred 311 A.D., when it was divided between Constantine, Licinius, and Maximin; the other, 337 A.D., on the death of Constantine, when it was divided between his three sons, Constantine, Constans, and Constantius.”—Albert Barnes, on Rev. 12:4. To Constantius was given Constantinople and the East; to Constans, Italy, Illyricum, and northern Africa; and to Constantine II, Britain, Gaul, and Spain.

This trumpet describes the first great invasion upon Western or ancient Rome, by the Goths, under Alaric, from 395 A.D. to 410 A.D. In 408 he descended upon Italy, the middle “third part,” pillaging and burning cities, and slaughtering their inhabitants. Says Gibbon, in his “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” chapter 33, closing sentence, “The union of the Roman Empire was dissolved; its genius was humbled in the dust; and armies of unknown barbarians, issuing from the frozen regions of the North, had established their victorious reign over the fairest provinces of Europe and Africa.”

4. What striking figure is used to describe the destruction wrought under 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.” Verses 8, 9.

NOTE.—This describes the invasions and conquests of the Vandals under the terrible Genseric—first of Africa and later of Italy—from 428 to 476 A.D. His conquests were largely by sea. In a single night, near Carthage, he destroyed, by fire and sword, more than half of the Roman fleet, consisting of 1,113 ships and over 100,000 men. See Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” chapter 36.

5. What was to take place under 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 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.” Verses 10, 11.

NOTES.—The harassing invasions and conquests of Attila, the Hun, are foretold here. His conquests were characterized by fire; sword, and pillage along the Rhine, in Gaul, and northern Italy. He claimed descent from Nimrod, styled himself the “Scourge of God” and the “Dread of the World,” and boasted that grass would never grow again where his horse had trod. His greatest battle was at Chalons, in Gaul, 451 A.D., where of his 700,000 men from 100,000 to 300,000 are said to have been left dead on the field. See Gibbon’s Rome, chapter 35, and “Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World,” by Sir Edward Creasy, chapter 6.

Says Gibbon (chapter 34), “In the reign of Attila, the Huns again became the terror of the world;” and he proceeds to describe “the character and actions of that formidable barbarian, who,” he says, “alternately insulted and invaded the East and the West, and urged the rapid downfall of the Roman Empire.”

6. What was to occur under 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.” Verse 12.

NOTE.—This trumpet brings us to the fall of Western Rome, in 476 A.D., when the Herulian barbarians, under the leadership of Odoacer, took possession of the city and scepter of Rome; and the great empire which had hitherto been the empress of the world was reduced to a poor dukedom, tributary to the exarch of Ravenna. Its luminaries, or civil rulers, were smitten, and ceased to shine. “Italy now became in effect a province of the empire of the East. The Roman Empire in the West had come to an end, after an existence from the founding of Rome of 1,229 years.”—_Myers’s __“__General History,__”__ page 348._

7. What was to be the character of the last three trumpets?

“And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!” Verse 13.

The Seven Trumpets.

8. After the fall of Western Rome, what power in the East arose to harass and overrun the Roman world, East and West?

Mohammedanism, commonly known as the Turkish or Ottoman power, which arose in Arabia, with Mohammed, in 622 A.D.

9. How is the fifth trumpet, or first woe, introduced?

“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.” Rev. 9:1-3.

NOTES.—Attila is symbolized by the star of the third trumpet (Rev. 8:10, 11); Mohammed, by the star of this trumpet. The bottomless pit doubtless refers to the wastes of the Arabian desert, from which came forth the Mohammedans, or Saracens of Arabia, like swarms of locusts. The darkening caused by the smoke from this pit fitly represents the spread of Mohammedanism and its doctrines over Asia, Africa, and portions of Europe. Their power as scorpions is strikingly seen in their vigorous and speedy attacks upon, and overthrow of, their enemies.

“Over a large part of Spain, over north Africa, Egypt, Syria, Babylonia, Persia, north India, and portions of Central Asia were spread—to the more or less perfect exclusion of native customs, speech, and worship—the manners, the language, and the religion of the Arabian conquerors.”—_Myers’s __“__General History,__”__ page 401._

10. What command was given these locusts?

“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.” Verse 4.

NOTES.—When the Arabian tribes were gathered for the conquest of Syria, 633 A.D., the caliph Abu-Bekr, the successor of Mohammed, instructed the chiefs of his army not to allow their victory to be “stained with the blood of women and children;” to “destroy no palm-trees, nor burn any fields of corn;” to “cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any mischief to cattle;” and to spare those religious persons “who live retired in monasteries, and propose to themselves to serve God in that way;” but, he said, “you will find another sort of people that belong to the synagogue of Satan, who have shaven crowns: be sure you cleave their skulls and give them no quarter till they either turn Mohammedan or pay tribute.” In this, Mohammedanism, itself a false religion, is revealed as a scourge to apostate Christianity.

“In a short time they [the Mohammedan Saracens] had taken from the Aryans all the principal old Semitic lands,—Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Assyria, and Babylonia. To these was soon added Egypt.”—_Encyclopedia Britannica, article __“__Mohammedanism.__”_

11. What were these locusts said to have over them?

“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 [margin, a destroyer].” Verse 11.

NOTES.—For hundreds of years the Mohammedans and invading Tartar tribes, like the locusts (Prov. 30:27), had no general government or king over them, but were divided into bands, or factions, under separate leaders. But in the twelfth century Temuljin, king of the Mongols, or Moguls, who is described as “the most terrible scourge that ever afflicted the human race,” built up an empire “at the cost,” it is estimated, says Myers in his “General History,” page 461, of “fifty thousand cities and towns and five million lives.” This was followed by the more permanent Tartar empire founded by Othman a century later, commonly known as the Ottoman Empire, and ruled by the sultan.

From the first, the great characteristic of the Turkish government has been that of a “destroyer.” Speaking of a war by the Turks upon the Byzantine Empire in 1050, Gibbon (chapter 57) says: “The myriads of Turkish horse overspread a frontier of six hundred miles from Tauris to Erzeroum, and the blood of one hundred and thirty thousand Christians was a grateful sacrifice to the Arabian prophet.”

In 1058 the Turks wrested the Holy Land from the Saracens, desecrated the holy places, and treated the pilgrims to Jerusalem with cruelty. This brought on the nine unsuccessful crusades of the next two centuries for the recovery of the Holy Land.

12. What definite period is mentioned under this trumpet?

“And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.” Verse 10. See also verse 5.

NOTES.—“It was on the twenty-seventh of July, in the year 1299,” says Gibbon, “that Othman first invaded the territory of Nicomedia,” in Asia Minor, “and the singular accuracy of the date,” he adds, “seems to disclose some foresight of the rapid and destructive growth of the monster.”—_“__Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,__”__ chap. 64, par. 14_ This, then, we take to be the beginning of the period referred to.

A Bible month consists of thirty days; five months would be 150 days. Allowing a day for a year, 150 years from July 27, 1299, would reach to July 27, 1449. During this period the Turks were engaged in almost constant warfare with the Greek Empire, and yet without conquering it.

13. With what statement does the fifth trumpet close?

“One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.” Verse 12.

14. What command is given under the sixth trumpet?

“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.” Verses 13, 14.

NOTES.—These four angels are understood to refer to the four leading Turkish sultanies—Aleppo, Iconium, Damascus, and Bagdad—of which the Ottoman Empire was composed, situated in the country watered by the river Euphrates.

As a striking parallel it may be noted that under the sixth plague (Rev. 16:12-16), the four angels of Rev. 7:1-3 will loose the winds of war, the waters of the river Euphrates (the Turkish Empire) will be dried up, and the armies of the nations will assemble for the battle of Armageddon.

15. What warlike scene is given under this trumpet?

“The number of the armies of the horsemen was twice ten thousand times ten thousand: ... and the heads of the horses are as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceedeth fire and smoke and brimstone.” Verses 16, 17, R. V.

NOTES.—“In the year 1453, Mohammed II, the Great, sultan of the Ottomans, laid siege to the capital [Constantinople], with an army of over 200,000 men. After a short investment, the place was taken by storm. The cross, which since the time of Constantine the Great had surmounted the dome of St. Sophia, was replaced by the crescent, which remains to this day.”—_Myers’s __“__General History,__”__ edition 1902, pages 462, 463._

Thus Constantinople, the eastern seat of the Roman Empire since the days of Constantine, was captured by the Turks.

Reference also seems to be made here to the use of firearms, which began to be employed by the Turks toward the close of the thirteenth century, and which, discharged from horseback, would give the appearance of fire and smoke issuing from the horses’ mouths. In the battle of Armageddon, to which allusion may here be made, an army of “twice ten thousand times ten thousand,” or two hundred million, will doubtless be assembled.

16. What was the result of this warfare by means of “fire and smoke and brimstone”?

“By these three was the third part of men killed.” Verse 18.

NOTE.—This shows the deadly effect of this new means of warfare. “Constantinople was subdued, her empire subverted, and her religion trampled in the dust by the Moslem conquerors.”—_Elliott’s __“__Horæ Apocalypticæ,__”__ Vol. I, page 484._

17. What definite period is mentioned under this trumpet?

“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.” Verse 15.

NOTE.—An hour in prophetic time is equal to fifteen days; a day stands for a year, a month for thirty years, a year for 360 years. Added together, these amount to 391 years and fifteen days, the time allotted for the Ottoman supremacy. Commencing July 27, 1449, the date of the close of the fifth trumpet, this period would end Aug. 11, 1840. In exact fulfilment of the words of inspiration, this date marks the fall of the Ottoman Empire as an independent power. His empire wasted beyond hope of recovery in a war with Mohammed Ali, pasha of Egypt, the sultan of Turkey submitted to the dictates of the then four great powers of Europe, and his minister, Rifat Bey, on that very day, Aug. 11, 1840, reached Alexandria, bearing, not the sultan’s ultimatum, but that of the powers, to place in the hands of the rebellious pasha. Since then Turkey has existed only by the help or sufferance of the great powers of Europe, and has commonly been referred to as “the Sick Man of the East.”

18. With what announcement does the sixth trumpet close?

“The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.” Rev. 11:14.

NOTE.—The definite period under the sixth trumpet brings us to 1840, when Turkey lost her independence. Her final downfall, we understand, will come at the opening of the seventh trumpet.

19. What is to be finished when the seventh trumpet is about to sound?

“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.” Rev. 10:7, R. V.

NOTE.—The mystery of God is the gospel. Eph. 3:3-6; Gal. 1:11, 12, When this trumpet is about to sound, therefore, the gospel will close, and the end will come. The “time of trouble,” of Dan. 12:1, and the seven last plagues and the battle of Armageddon, spoken of in Revelation 16, will take place when this trumpet begins to sound.

20. What event marks the sounding of the seventh trumpet?

“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. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped 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.” Rev. 11:15-17.

NOTE.—The seventh trumpet, therefore, brings us to the setting up of God’s everlasting kingdom.

21. What is the condition of the nations, and what other events are due or impending at this time?

“And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” Verse 18.

NOTES.—The closing scenes of this world’s history and the judgment are clearly brought to view here. Ever since the loss of independence by the Ottoman Empire in 1840, the nations have been preparing for war as never before, in view of international complications and a world war which all fear is inevitable upon the dissolution of Turkey and the final disposition of its territory. Towering above all others, the Eastern question has been the one of paramount concern to them.

The investigative judgment began in heaven in 1844, at the close of the prophetic period of 2300 days. See readings on pages 230-253. When this is finished, the time of reward will have arrived, the end will have come, and the saints will themselves sit in judgment. See Rev. 20:4; 1 Cor. 6:1-3.

22. What scene in heaven was presented to the prophet as the seventh trumpet was about to sound?

“And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” Rev. 11:19.

NOTES.—This forcibly calls attention to the closing work of Christ in the second apartment, or most holy place, of the sanctuary in heaven, which began in 1844. See readings referred to in preceding note. The reference to the ark of God’s testament is a forcible reminder also of that which is to be the standard in the judgment,—the law of God, or ten commandments. See Eccl. 12:13, 14; Rom. 2:12, 13; James 2:8-12.

From its closing words—the reference to “great hail”—the seventh trumpet evidently embraces the seven last plagues (see Rev. 16:17, 18); and from its opening words—“the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord”—it marks the setting up of God’s everlasting kingdom.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

The Eastern Question

The Bosporus. "He shall come to his end, and none shall help him." Dan. 11:45.

1. What, briefly stated, is the Eastern question?

The driving out of Turkey from Europe, and the final extinction of the Turkish Empire, with the world-embracing events that follow. It has been otherwise described as “the driving of the Turk into Asia, and a scramble for his territory.”

2. What scriptures are devoted to the Turkish power?

Dan. 11:40-45; Revelation 9; and Rev. 16:12.

NOTE.—In the eleventh chapter of Daniel, Turkey is dealt with under the title of the “king of the north;” in Revelation 9, under the sounding of the fifth and sixth “trumpets;” and in Revelation 16, under the symbol of the drying up of the water of the chief river of the Turkish Asiatic possessions, “the great river Euphrates.” The actual drying up of the river Euphrates was the signal for the overthrow of ancient Babylon.

3. When did Turkey take Constantinople, and thus the northern division of ancient Greece and Rome?

In A.D. 1453, under Mohammed II. See pages 293, 294.

NOTE.—After the death of Alexander the Great, the Grecian Empire was divided by his four leading generals, Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy, into four parts,—east, west, north, and south,—the first three of which were shortly afterward absorbed into one kingdom, the kingdom of the north, Egypt remaining the king, or kingdom, of the south. In the breaking up of the Roman Empire, the Turks gained possession of the Holy Land in A.D. 1058, and finally of Constantinople, and considerable portions of eastern Europe,—the kingdom of the north,—in 1453, to which, with varying fortunes and shrinking geographical boundaries, it has held ever since.

4. How has Turkey been regarded by European nations?

“The Turks have ever remained quite insensible to the influences of European civilization, and their government has been a perfect blight and curse to the countries subject to their rule. They have always been looked upon as intruders in Europe, and their presence there has led to several of the most sanguinary wars of modern times. Gradually they have been pushed out from their European possessions, and the time is probably not very far distant when they will be driven back across the Bosporus.”—_Myers’s __“__General History,__”__ edition 1902, page 468._

5. When did the independence of Turkey cease?

In 1840, at the close of a two years’ war between Turkey and Egypt, when the fate of Turkey was placed in the hands of four great powers of Europe,—England, Russia, Austria, and Prussia. See page 294, under question 19.

6. What is one of the last predictions of the prophecy of Daniel concerning the king of the north?

“But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.” Dan. 11:44.

NOTE.—Upon this, Dr. Adam Clarke, writing in 1825, said: “If the Turkish power be understood, as in the preceding verses, it may mean that the Persians on the east and the Russians on the north will at some time greatly embarrass the Ottoman government.” Such indeed was the case, and these conditions brought on the Crimean war of 1853-56, between Russia and Turkey. In this war England and France came to the help of Turkey, and prevented Russia from grasping Constantinople, her coveted prize, and thus gaining access to the Dardanelles and the Mediterranean and so possessing herself of the gateway of commerce between Europe Asia. Without an outlet to the sea, Russia cannot be a strong naval power. In his celebrated will, Peter the Great of Russia (1672-1725) admonished his countrymen thus: “Take every possible means of gaining Constantinople and the Indies, for,” said he, “he who rules there will be the true sovereign of the world; excite war continually in Turkey and Persia; ... get control of the sea by degrees; ... advance to the Indies, which are the great depot of the world. Once there, we can do without the gold of England.” The authenticity of this will has been questioned, but it outlines a policy which Russia has quite faithfully pursued.

7. What since 1840 has saved Turkey from complete overthrow?

The help and interference of various European powers.

NOTE.—“It is not too much to say that England has twice saved Turkey from complete subjection since 1853. It is largely—mainly—due to our action that she now exists at all as an independent power. On both these occasions we dragged the powers of Europe along with us in maintaining the Ottoman government.”—_Duke of Argyle (1895), in __“__The Turkish-Armenian Question,__”__ page 17._

8. Why have these powers thus helped Turkey?

Not from love for Turkey, but for fear of the international complications that its downfall might entail.

NOTES.—In his Mansion House speech, Nov. 9, 1895, Lord Salisbury, responding to a wide-spread demand for the overthrow of the Turkish power, said: “Turkey is in that remarkable condition that it has now stood for half a century, mainly because the great powers of the world have resolved that for the peace of Christendom it is necessary that the Ottoman Empire should stand. They came to that conclusion nearly half a century ago. I do not think they have altered it now. The danger, if the Ottoman Empire fall, would not merely be the danger that would threaten the territories of which that empire consists; it would be the danger that the fire there lit should spread to other nations, and should involve all that is most powerful and civilized in Europe in a dangerous and calamitous contest. That was a danger that was present to the minds of our fathers when they resolved to make the integrity and independence of the Ottoman Empire a matter of European treaty, and that is a danger WHICH HAS NOT PASSED AWAY.”

“The Balkan, or Near Eastern, question has been one of the most complicated political problems of the world’s history for half a century. ... For four centuries and a half, or ever since the conquering Turk crossed the Bosporus and took Constantinople, the grim contest has been on to dislodge him by war and diplomacy.”—American Review of Reviews, November, 1912.

Nearly a century ago, Napoleon, while a prisoner on St. Helena, explained that when emperor of France, he would not consent for Alexander, the czar of Russia, to have Constantinople, “foreseeing that the equilibrium of Europe would be destroyed.”

9. What is the divine prediction regarding the future and final downfall of the king of the north?

“And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain: yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” Dan. 11:45.

NOTE.—It would seem natural that the Ottoman government should make its last stand at Jerusalem. Around the city of the Holy Sepulcher and the tombs of the “saints” has been waged for long years a war between the followers of Islam and the believers in the Christian religion. In this place, many Bible students believe, Turkey will come to her end in fulfilment of this scripture.

10. Under which of the seven last plagues is the water of the Euphrates (Turkey) to be dried up, and for what purpose?

“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.” Rev. 16:12.

NOTE.—For years the drying-up process of the Turkish Empire has been in progress, as may be seen from the following:—

(1) In 1783 Turkey was compelled to surrender to Russia the territory of the Crimea, including all the countries east of the Caspian Sea.

(2) In 1828 Greece secured her independence.

(3) In 1830 Algeria was ceded to France.

(4) In 1867 Turkey was forced to recognize the independence of Egypt.

(5) In the same year Turkey lost possession of Servia and Bosnia.

(6) In 1878 the Treaty of Berlin granted autonomous government to Bulgaria, and independence to Roumelia, Roumania, and Montenegro.

(7) In 1912 Tripoli was taken over by Italy.

(8) In 1912 and 1913 the Balkan States and Greece dispossessed Turkey of nearly all of her remaining territory in Europe.

11. Under this plague, what incites the nations to war?

“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.” Verses 13, 14.

12. At this time, what event is near at hand?

“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” Verse 15.

13. To what place will the nations be gathered for battle?

“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Verse 16.

NOTE.—Armageddon consists of a great triangular plain in northern Palestine, twelve by fifteen by eighteen miles, extending southeast from Mt. Carmel, otherwise known as the plain of Esdraelon, or valley of Jezreel. It has been the scene of many great battles, such as that of Gideon’s overthrow of the Midianites (Judges 6, 7), when “the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow;” of Saul’s defeat by the Philistines (1 Sam. 29: 1; 1 Chronicles 10); and of Josiah’s defeat by Pharaoh Necho (2 Kings 23:29, 30; 2 Chron. 35:20-24): and, as this scripture indicates, it is the place where, under the influence of evil spirits just preceding Christ’s second coming, the great armies of the world will be gathered for their final struggle and utter destruction under the seventh plague.

14. When the king of the north comes to his end, what, according to the prophecy, is to take place?

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Dan. 12:1.

NOTE.—The expression “stand up” occurs eight times in this line of prophecy (Daniel 11 and 12), and in each case means to reign. See Dan. 11:2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 20, 21; 12:1. Michael is Christ, as will be seen by comparing Jude 9, 1 Thess. 4:16, and John 5:25. When the Turkish Empire is brought to an end, therefore, the time will have come for Christ to receive His kingdom (Luke 19:11-15), and begin His reign. This great change will be ushered in by the downfall, not only of Turkey, but of all nations (Rev. 11:15); by the time of trouble here spoken of; by the seven last plagues described in Revelation 16; and by the deliverance of all God’s people,—those whose names are found written in the book of life (Rev. 3:5; 20:12),—which shows that probation and the investigative judgment will then be past.

15. What will take place at this time?

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Verse 2.

NOTES.—At the resurrection of Christ there was a special resurrection, when many of the saints were raised from the dead, were seen of many, and were taken to heaven with Christ at His ascension. Matt. 27:52, 53; Eph. 4:8. So, just prior to Christ’s second coming and the general resurrection of the righteous, many of the sleeping saints, and some colossal sinners (those that “pierced Him,” Rev. 1:7), it seems, will be raised to witness His coming, and hear God’s covenant of peace with His people.

This line of prophecy, therefore, brings us down to the resurrection of the righteous, which takes place at the second advent.

16. What false message will go forth before destruction comes upon those unprepared for Christ’s coming and kingdom?

“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, ... and they shall not escape.” 1 Thess. 5:2, 3.

NOTE.—The so-called Christian nations will not go to Palestine merely to expel the Turks from the land. As in the crusades of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the idea will be to rescue the Holy Land from the Mohammedans, and make Jerusalem the center of a glorious kingdom, with Christ as king. The Papacy itself, it is thought by some, will at this time remove its seat to Jerusalem, and issue a great peace proclamation, directing the nations to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks, and calling upon all to come up to the mountain of the Lord, as described in Isa. 2:2-5 and Micah 4:1-5. Infatuated by the doctrine of a temporal millennium, many nations will join in the call, and say, “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Isa. 2:3. But this will be but the signal for the battle of Armageddon and the “sudden destruction” that is to overtake the world and bring to an end the present order of things. See Rev. 19:17-21; Eze. 38:14-23; 39:17-22. Toward this consummation passing events all indicate we are rapidly hastening.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Watchman on the walls of Zion, What, O tell us, of the night? Is the day-star now arising? Will the morn soon greet our sight? O’er your vision shine there now some rays of light?

Tell, O tell us, are the landmarks On our voyage all passed by? Are we nearing now the haven? Can we e’en the land descry? Do we truly see the heavenly kingdom nigh?

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

The Seven Last Plagues

Marshaling Of The Nations. "And he gathered them together into a place called ... Armageddon." Rev. 16:16.

1. What is God’s final warning against false worship?

“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 he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.” Rev. 14:9, 10.

NOTE.—During probationary time God’s wrath is always tempered, or mingled, with mercy. Thus the prophet Habakkuk prays, “In wrath remember mercy.” Hab. 3:2. God’s wrath unmixed with mercy is visited only when mercy has done its final work and evil has gone to the limit, so that there is “no remedy.” See Gen. 6:3; 15:16; 19:12, 13; 2 Chron. 36:16; Matt. 23:37, 38; Luke 19:42-44; 2 Peter 2:6; Jude 7.

2. In what is the wrath of God filled up?

“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.” Rev. 15:1.

3. How does Joel describe the day of the Lord?

“Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.” “For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” Joel 1:15; 2:11.

4. What has Daniel said of this time?

“And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Dan. 12:1. See Eze. 7:15-19.

NOTE.—The seven last plagues will be the most terrible scourges ever visited upon man. As Ahab accused Elijah of being the cause of Israel’s calamities (1 Kings 18:17, 18), so, in the time of trouble, the wicked and those who have departed from God will be enraged at the righteous, will accuse them as being the cause of the plagues, and will seek to destroy them as did Haman the Jews. See Esther 3:8-14. But God will miraculously deliver His people at this time as He did then.

5. What will be the first plague, and upon whom will it fall?

“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.” Rev. 16:2.

6. What will constitute the second plague?

“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.” Verse 3.

7. What will be the third plague?

“And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.” Verse 4.

NOTE.—The second plague affects the sea. The third plague comes closer to the habitations of men, and affects the land. The water supplies are contaminated.

8. Why, under these plagues, does the Lord give men blood to drink?

“For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.” Verse 6.

NOTE.—In this is shown God’s abhorrence of oppression and persecution. The plagues are God’s rebukes against colossal forms of sin.

9. What will be the fourth plague?

“And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.” Verse 8. See Joel 1:16-20.

NOTE.—Sun-worship is the most ancient and wide-spread of all forms of idolatry. In this plague God manifests His displeasure at this form of idolatry. That which men have worshiped as a god, becomes a plague and tormentor. Thus it was in the plagues of Egypt. Those things which the Egyptians had worshiped became scourges to them instead of benefactors and blessings. See “The Philosophy of the Plan of Salvation,” by “An American Citizen,” chapter 3.

10. Will even this terrible judgment lead men to repent?

“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.” Verse 9.

11. What will be the fifth plague?

“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.” Verse 10.

NOTE.—This plague strikes at the very seat of the great apostasy of the latter days, the Papacy. It will doubtless be similar in effect to the like plague in Egypt, which was a darkness that could “be felt.” Ex. 10:21-23. By this plague that iniquitous, haughty, and apostate spiritual despotism which has set itself up as possessing all truth, and as being the light of the world, is enshrouded in midnight darkness.

12. What takes place under the sixth plague?

“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.” Verse 12.

NOTE.—This, we understand, refers to the drying up of the Turkish Empire by the great world powers preparatory to the battle of Armageddon. See preceding reading.

13. What gathers the nations to the battle of Armageddon?

“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.... And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Verses 13-16.

NOTE.—This scripture shows that it is the spirit of Satan which incites men to war, and explains why the great nations of the world are now making such preparations for war. The dragon represents paganism; the beast, the Papacy; and the false prophet, apostate Protestantism,—the three great religious apostasies since the flood. The plain Esdraelon, in southwestern Galilee, is the Armageddon here referred to. See note on page 99.

14. At this time what event is imminent?

“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” Verse 15.

15. What takes place under the seventh plague?

“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air.... 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.” Verses 17-19.

16. What accompanies the earthquake?

“And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” Verse 21. See Job 38:22, 23; Ps. 7:11-13.

17. What will the Lord be to His people at this time?

“The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” Joel 3:16. See Jer. 25:30, 31; Haggai 2:21; Heb.12:26; Ps. 91:5-10.

NOTE.—To prepare His people and the world for these terrible judgments, the Lord, as in the days of Noah, sends a warning message to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. See Rev. 14:6-10.

18. Just before the pouring out of the plagues, what call does God send to His people still in Babylon?

“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. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” Rev. 18:4, 5. See Gen. 19:12-17; Jer. 51:6; and page 254.

NOTE.—As before the flood, many of God’s people will doubtless be laid away to rest shortly before the time of trouble. See Isa. 57:1; Rev. 14:13. Referring to the time before the flood, an ancient book says: “And all men who walked in the ways of the Lord, died in those days, before the Lord brought the evil upon man which He had declared, for this was from the Lord, that they should not see the evil which the Lord spoke of concerning the sons of men.”—Book of Jasher 4:20. See also chapter 5:21 of the same book.

19. How suddenly will the plagues come upon modern Babylon?

“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.... For in one hour is thy judgment come.” Rev. 18:8-10.

20. What famine will come at this time upon those who have rejected God’s messages of mercy?

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send a famine in the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.” Amos 8:11, 12. See Luke 13:25; Prov. 1:24-26; Heb. 12:15-17.

21. What announcement is made under the seventh plague?

“And there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.” Rev. 16:17.

NOTE.—God made man to bless him. Gen. 1:28. When His blessings are abused, He withholds them, to teach men their source and their proper use. Haggai 1:7-11. Judgments are sent that men may “learn righteousness.” Isa. 25:9; 1 Kings 17:1. That men do not repent under the plagues is no evidence that God has ceased to be merciful and forgiving. They simply demonstrate that all have determined their destiny, and that even the severest judgments of God will not move the ungodly and impenitent to repentance.

22. Just preceding Christ’s second coming, what solemn decree will go forth showing that the cases of all have been decided?

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:11, 12.

23. What psalms seem to have been written especially for the comfort and encouragement of God’s people during the time of the seven last plagues?

Psalms 91 and 46. See also Isa. 33:13-17.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

The great decisive day is at hand! The day when Christ will come, To call His children home And to seal the sinner’s doom, Is at hand.

Where will the sinner hide in that day? It will be in vain to call, “Ye mountains on us fall,” For His hand will find out all In that day.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

The Mystery Of God Finished

Watchman, What Of The Night? "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ." Rev. 11:15.

1. Following his description of the sixth trumpet, what did John see?

“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.” Rev. 10:1.

2. What did he have in his hand?

“And he had in his hand a little book open.” Verse 2.

NOTE.—The book of Daniel, which was to be “sealed,” or closed, till the time of the end, is doubtless referred to here. See Dan. 12:4, 9.

3. What solemn announcement did this angel make?

“And the angel which I saw ... lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, ... that there should be time no longer.” Rev. 10:5, 6.

NOTE.—Not literal nor probationary time, but prophetic time. The 2300-day period, which ended in 1844, must be alluded to here. See page 230. No prophetic period in the Bible reaches beyond this.

4. What did the angel say was to be finished when the seventh trumpet was about to sound?

“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.” Verse 7.

NOTE.—The mystery of God is the gospel. Eph. 3:1-6; Gal. 1:11, 12. The gospel, then, is to be finished as the seventh trumpet is about to sound.

5. What was John told to do with the little book?

“Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel ... and eat it up.” Verses 8, 9.

6. What was to be the result of the eating of this book?

“It shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.” Verse 9, last part.

7. What does the apostle say of his experience in this matter?

“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.” Verse 10.

NOTE.—In this is most strikingly foretold the experience of those who proclaimed the advent and judgment-hour message of 1843-44. Joyous in the hope that Christ was coming then, like the early disciples regarding His first advent (Luke 24:21; Acts 1:6, 7), they were bitterly disappointed, and found that there was still a work on earth for them to do, as did the early disciples following the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.

8. What words of the angel to John show that both literal and probationary time were to continue yet for a time, and that God had a still further message for the world?

“And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” Verse 11.

NOTE.—The message of Revelation 10 is the same as that of Rev. 14:6, 7; and the later messages of Rev. 14:8-12 answer to the instruction, “Thou must prophesy again,” of Rev. 10:11. But all are last-day messages, and indicate that the end of all things is near at hand.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

How long, O Lord our Saviour, Wilt Thou remain away? Our hearts are growing weary Of Thy so long delay. O when shall come the moment When, brighter far than morn, The sunshine of Thy glory Shall on Thy people dawn?

How long, O gracious Master, Wilt Thou Thy household leave? So long hast Thou now tarried, Few Thy return believe. Immersed in sloth and folly, Thy servants, Lord, we see; And few of us stand ready With joy to welcome Thee.

O, wake Thy slumbering people; Send forth the solemn cry; Let all the saints repeat it,— “The Saviour draweth nigh!” May all our lamps be burning, Our loins well girded be, Each longing heart preparing With joy Thy face to see.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

Great Lines of Prophecy

*The Great Image of Daniel 2.* This prophecy, written over twenty-five hundred years ago, is one of the greatest, briefest, and most comprehensive prophecies in the Bible. Under the symbol of a great metallic image, the rise and fall of nations is outlined till the end of time and the setting up of God’s everlasting kingdom. See reading on page 204.

*The Four Beasts of Daniel 7.* This line of prophecy covers the same ground as that of Daniel 2, but with additional features introduced, especially that concerning the development and work of the “little horn” power of the fourth beast, under which God’s people were to be oppressed until delivered and placed in possession of the kingdom “forever and ever.” See reading on page 213.

*The 2300 Days of Daniel 8.* This prophecy, after tracing the course of empire down through Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, introduces the longest prophetic period in the Bible, reaching from the beginning of the movement to restore and build Jerusalem before Christ’s first advent, to a similar work to be performed by God’s people in the last days preparatory to Christ’s second advent. See reading on page 230.

*The Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9.* This prophecy fixes the date of the beginning of the 2300 days, of which the seventy weeks are a part; definitely marks the time of Christ’s first advent; and briefly refers to the “consummation” and the overthrow of the last of earthly kingdoms. See pages 232-236.

*The Standing Up of Michael—Daniel 11 and 12.* A literal prophecy tracing the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms from the early rulers of Persia in the sixth century B.C., to the overthrow of Turkey, the “king of the north,” and the “standing up,” or reign, of Michael, the Great Prince, which is Christ. See page 296.

*The Prophecies of the Revelation.* These are supplemental to the prophecies of Daniel. Under the Seven Churches, the Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets, the Great Red Dragon, the Leopard Beast, and the Two-Horned Beast, the history and experience of the church and of earthly kingdoms are traced during the Christian era, to the end of the age. See pages 301-310.

*Christ’s Great Prophecy.* Christ’s claim to being a prophet, and the greatest of all prophets, is fully established by His prophecy recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. In this He depicts minutely the destruction of Jerusalem, the great tribulation of the Dark Ages, and the signs that were to herald His second coming. See pages 311-325.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us

VII. COMING EVENTS AND SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Siege Of Jerusalem, A.D. 70. "When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh." Luke 21:20.

Spotted a typo or a problem in this chapter? Tell us