SSS zs Sane. SSiaeteasttstsictat ae oe RAISES = Se oa ape vr a Oo es ont ae rns amesees shy = *s Lanes raihomina crea crane a ASEH AST ISCR SRR SS Library of The Theological Semmary PRINCETON - NEW JERSEY DKS FROM THE LIBRARY OF THE REVEREND CHARLES ROSENBURY ERDMAN DD, ELD, P a Seog. 4 bt rie VM Wy x Dye z' Ase . Vea wens ae wae AY A ont Nh ok t cry aya vi é Me, Phi an i YN BD yt ‘; ) i Wit \ i HT ‘ ' Oh) iW 4! ‘ hs Mee \ ( i} be | Mi Ni Panta 9 | , } ‘ + \ ky far ‘y \ i ¢ By By Rev. J. J. Ross, D.D. The Kingdom in Mystery... . . . $2.50 George Wheaton Taft, D.D. (President, Northern Bap. Theological Seminary), says: « A devout and earnest student, an aggressive and wise leader and a positive and fearless Christian, who believes in the authority and integrity of the Bible.” Thinking Through the New Testa- ment, An Outline Study of Every Book in the New Testamentiyi'\.).))/: . BI.75 A volume for the individual student as well as for classes and study groups. His method is simple, direct, yet comprehensive. Subjects are clearly classified and subdivided with unusual point and carefulness. Our Glorious Hope. A Study of the Nature, Ground and Influence of the Glorious Hope of Our Lord’s Second Coming Dantel’s Half-Week Now Closing. A Study of Daniel’s Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks) oi: The true significance, design and time application of Gabriel’s Vision, contained in the Ninth Chapter of the Book of Daniel using the Bible alone to explain itself. Breaking the Seals A Spiritual and Devotional Study of all the Symbols in the Central Chapters of the Book of the Revelation y By “wi Te TAROSSe Dep: fastor of First Baptist Church, Vancouver, B. C. Former Lecturer in New Testament Introduction and Analysts in the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Chicago, Lt, Introduction by GEO. W. TRUETT, D.D. New York CHICAGO Fleming H. Revell Company LONDON AND EDINBURGH Copyright, 1924, by FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY Printed in the United States of America New York: 158 Fifth Avenue Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. London: 21 Paternoster Square Edinburgh: 75 Princes Street To efor COOL Le Lesa. Worthy Christian Layman, True Servant of God, My Friend and Brother, and one of My Former Devoted Deacons thes book ts affectionately and gratefully dedicated Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2022 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library https ://archive.org/details/oreakingsealsspi0Oross INTRODUCTION and so helpful a volume as Dr. J. J. Ross has given us, in Breaking the Seals. There is a notion more or less prevalent among Bible students that interpretative literature is unin- teresting and fanciful and unprofitable; and we are bound to confess that this feeling is based upon the character of much of the interpretative and eschato- logical discussions that are current among us. In this work from Dr. Ross, there is not a dull line. He is master of an appealing and a commanding English style, and there is a beauty and a rhythm in his diction that is at once attractive and alluring. This fact does not occasion surprise, when we re- member that Dr. Ross was an author of note before this last book was given to the press. Two of his books, especially, viz., Our Glorious Hope, and Think- ing Through the New Testament, have had a wide and appreciative reading. Now that he has entered upon the realm disclosed in the volume before us, no doubt can be entertained that his circle of readers will greatly increase, and all who shall have the privilege of reading this book will find their appreciation of the author greatly deepened and enlarged. There is extant to-day a vast amount of literature covering interpretations of the Book of Revelation. This literature is both pre-millennial and post-millen- nial. Dr. Ross, in his reverent and sanely discriminat- ing interpretation of the wonderful symbols in this book, is neither pre-millennial nor post-millennial. He wisely directs the thoughts of the reader to the con- templation of the glorious fact of the personal return 7 T is a privilege to briefly introduce so luminous x 8 INTRODUCTION of our Saviour and Lord. His interpretations of the central themes of the Book of Revelation are marked by a sanity and a reverence to the last degree praise- worthy. His expositions will, therefore, be eagerly and profitably read by earnest Bible students everywhere. No Christian can seriously read this book, whatever may be his views on the millennial question, without a distinct deepening of his spiritual life. And it be- hooves us all, in the perusal of this work and works of similar character, to maintain a spirit of intelligent and fraternal tolerance toward one another. Perhaps no two interpreters of the Book of Revelation have ever entirely agreed upon all the details, of even the essentials of John’s Apocalyptic vision; but surely we can all agree upon the vitalities of Christian service, and, so agreeing, can go faithfully forward in the matchless work of making Christ’s Gospel regnant throughout all the earth. The Second Coming of our Saviour and Lord may be near at hand, or it may be long delayed. The time of His coming again has been hidden from our view. The salient teachings of the New Testament, however, are so central and so plain that a wayfaring man though a fool need not err therein. Our duty to man- kind and to God is amply set forth in the Divine rec- ord. Whatever one’s interpretations may be of the symbols in the Book of Revelation, it is my profound conviction that he cannot read this book from Dr. Ross, except with a sense of renewed reverence and of a deepening veneration for all holy things. I count it a privilege, therefore, to bespeak a careful reading of this book at the hands of all students of the Bible everywhere. Dallas, Texas. Geo. W. TRUETT. PREFACE P “HE Reverend W. T. Graham, D. D., the hon- oured Pastor of the Fifth Avenue Church, Toronto, Ontario, humanly speaking, is largely responsible for this book. Doctor Graham is an able and devout expository preacher and teacher of the sacred Scriptures as the living Word of God. It has been his custom for years to expound in a con- tinuous course of addresses, whole books of the Bible, with the result that his people are greatly enriched and established in the once delivered faith of our Fathers. Some years ago when Doctor Graham had just com- pleted a series of sermons covering the complete epistle to the Romans he asked me to suggest to him another book for his next series of addresses. I suggested the Revelation, whereupon he said, “I will take it.” A few months later I met him and inquired, “ How are you getting along with the Revelation?” His reply was, “ I got as far as the end of the third chapter, but could not break through into the fourth.” I had had a similar experience. I, too, “could not break through into the fourth.” After learning of Doctor Graham’s experience and remembering my own, I de- termined, by Divine Grace, to “ break through into the fourth,” which ] have done, but with what success, the devout student of the Revelation must determine. In the study of the portion of the Revelation cov- ered by this book, I had to go my way practically alone. Commentaries generally touch this part of the book very lightly. The great preachers, seemingly, have found it difficult “to break through” into this part of the book. There are many sermons on the first three chapters and the final two chapters, but a very 2 AP % 10 PREFACE few on the central chapters of the book. Practically the only assistance I had in this study was the Old Testament Scriptures. No one can understand the Book of the Revelation without knowing, both intel- lectually and experimentally, the Old Testament. There are certain things brought out very clearly in this study. We cannot but observe the style of the Book of the Revelation. Everything in the book, and especially this part of the book, is “ signified” or un- + veiled by signs, figures, or parables. The Book of the Revelation is essentially a vision, a pictograph of things, events or occurrences, which in themselves are meant to be enigmatic. In fact, the symbolic style of the Revelation is so clear that it is difficult to un- ™ derstand how any student of the book should so far fail to realize this, to insist upon absolute literality anywhere. We must distinguish between the photo- graph and the original set forth by the photograph. The only way to look upon these wonderful pictures is to study them as symbols of great realities which we can perceive with proper ritPettsrau Spirituality and fullness of blessing. We may wish at times that these realities were made somewhat plainer, but God would invite us to seek with more energy and devotion, the true understanding of these things. The parabolic always enshrines the truth, while it puts the veil over it, a veil which itself may attract, and should attract the hearts of God’s people to learn what is hidden be- hind it. The veil is always meant to invite the search, not to discourage it. Let us dig deep in our study of the Revelation. There is another thing that is made plain throughout this study. As we think through these wonderful pic- tures, representing great realities, we observe the law, »» Peg Pes ea A pe of 4 . \ oo x \ Aer i ws ~~" PREFACE lo ital or principle, oflRecurrenceh operating freely and Pree ‘ quently in them. This law is common in all literature. The Author and the Writer of the Revelation start mh ot 4 mn 4 ; bid ae i i . te We h* ¢ al F: from a certain point and pursue a certain line of events _ original starting point, and then pursue another line of events through perhaps to the same or another point iaconilepamreneamens nV LIT OM TAN Ul. Catetdiabeitag 1 historical vate set forth in chronological order. As we read this book through, and study for our- selves the symbols explained we will be impressed with the fact that the Revelation is primarily a servant's book. In order to a proper understanding of what we have here, it is necessary to have the spirit of service in our hearts. We are safe in saying that all the things made known in this book have to do ite service. The Revelation is the most practical book' in the Bible. These pictures are not merely megrae| to excite the imagination, to inform the intellect or! even to illumine the soul with glory. They are spe-/ cially and distinctively realities that have to do prac- tically with the path of ministry. They are, so to speak, the revelation of the way of service that leads across the field. Instead of these visions being mere dreams there is nothing more pene than what we have in them. There is a companion volume to athe book entitled, “ Pearls From Patmos.” It takes up the study of all the symbols in the first three chapters of the Revela- tion. It ought to be read and carefully studied prior to this one. We give this book to the public praying that its study may be of as much blessing to its readers as its preparation has been to its author. Thi ose i to another point in history, and then recur to their ° a | ve Ni iV pei mi oa La Fy Pat it y Ly ¥ } Lea Ill. VI. VII. Contents DivinE Dominion UNDER Law (Chapter 4) DivinE DomINION UNDER GRACE (Chapter 5) BREAKING THE SEALS~ - - (Chapter 6: 1-8) 1. Counterfeit Christianity. 2. War. 3. Famine. 4. Pestilence. BREAKING THE SEALS (Continued ) (Chapter 6 : 9-17) 1. Persecution. z. Revolution. BREAKING THE SEALS (Continued ) (Chapter 7: I-17) 1. Sealing For Safety. z. Redemption From Sin. BREAKING THE SEALS (Concluded) (Chapter 8 : 1-5) 1. Half-Hour Heavenly Silence. 2. The Seven Trumpet Messengers. 3. The Seven Messenger Trumpets. 4. The High-Priest Messenger the Center of All, SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS - p (Chapter 8 : 6-12) ' 1. Repentance in View of Judgment Upon the Earth. z. Repentance in View of Judgment Upon the Sea. 13 15 26 36 50 69 84 98 14 CONTENTS 3. Repentance in View of Judgment Upon the Waters. 4. Repentance in View of Judgment in the Heavenly Bodies. VIII. Sounpinc THE TRUMPETS (Continued ) - Itt (Chapter &§ : 13-9: 21) 1. The Great Eagle Messenger. z. Repentance in View of Moral Evil in the Earth. 3. Repentance in View of the Fact that Re- straint Now Upon Evil in the Earth Will Be Relaxed and Removed. IX. SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS (Continued ) 130 (Chapter 10 : I-11) 1. The Mighty Messenger. z. The Open Book. X. SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS (Continued ) - 144 (Chapter 11 : I-14) 1. The Rod-like Reed. z. The Two Witnesses. XI. Sounpine THE Trumpets (Concluded ) - 168 (Chapter 11: 14-19) . The Mystery of God. . The Resurrection of the Dead. . The New Government. . The Church Triumphant. . The Judgment of the Nations. . The Revelation of God in Glory. . Judicial Righteousness Established. XII. THe Queen MoTHer ~ - - - 184 (Chapter 12) 1. Her Identification. 2. Her Adversary. 3. Her Historical Experience. N QAM PS WH DN = I DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW REVELATION 4 \ N J HAT we have in the fourth and fifth chap- ters of the Revelation constitutes the third vision of the book. The words “after this” or “ after these things ” do not suggest a change of time, but rather a change of vision, or of subject treated. The first thing that appeared in this new vision was an opened door in heaven, illustrating that all hindrances to spiritual sight had been rolled“ away. In order to sight of spiritual verities, there must be spiritual vision or perception. John was here given a glimpse into the Throne Room of glory. Not only was the door opened into this invisible sphere, but he heard a voice behind him calling him up into that sphere, which, for clearness and distinctness of message, was like that of a trumpet. He had heard this voice before, and recognized it to be the voice of the One “ Like unto the Son of man” (1: 10, 12, 18). This evidently was the voice of Jesus calling him, and us, into a higher realm of spiritual life. It first of all gave an invitation, “Come up hither,” and then it “issued a promise on the condition that the invitation was accepted, and “I will shew thee things which must be hereafter,” or in the future. Christ is always call- ing His own to higher ground, for on that higher ground He is personally pledged to give them larger blessing. As soon as John accepted the invitation, he was immediately in the Spirit, and translated into the 15 16 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW realm to which he had been summoned. When the Risen Lord invites and there is a willing eagerness to accept the invitation, He gives the ability forthwith to obey the summons. When John was transported into the invisible heavenly sphere, there was given to him a vision of a glorious Throne. He had heard the throne mentioned twice before this (1: 4; 38: 21), but it is only now that he is privileged to look upon the throne. The word “throne” in the English is used no less than thirty- three times in this book, and of that number it is men- tioned seventeen times in these two chapters. ‘These two chapters have to do specifically with The Throne - of God and of the Lamb. A throne in ancient times was an Official seat, symbolizing authority in the particular realm in which the throne was placed. There are different kinds of thrones mentioned in the Bible, and they always signify dominion, government, rule, or authority. There was the throne of the military chief which symbolized supreme authority in the realm of militarism. There was the throne of the teacher which was the symbol of authority in the realm of knowledge, or truth. There was the throne of the priest which signified authority in the realm of relig- ion. There was the throne of the judge which symbolized authority in the realm of justice and law, and there was the throne of the king which symbolized authority in the realm of politics. This throne was a composite one including all the others, and being high and lifted up above the others. The king had au- thority in all realms. The throne we have in this vision is not the throne of the military chief, the throne of the teacher, nor so much the throne of the priest but rather the throne of the king, who is Mili- DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 3 Wg tary Chief, Teacher, Judge, Priest, and King, all com- bined. God has authority, absolute and unlimited authority in all realms in the universe. The throne presented to us in this vision is the dominating symbol of the matchless glory, the transcendent power, and! | ‘ the absolute sovereignty of God and the Lamb. In these two chapters, we have the throne—the one throne, or royal seat throughout, but that throne has two distinct aspects. Not noticing these two distinct aspects, a good deal of confusion has resulted. In the fourth chapter, it is the throne of God alone; in the fifth chapter it is the throne of God and the Lamb. In the fourth chapter, Christ is not mentioned. He is not seen in this part of the vision. But in the fifth chapter, He appears and takes His place as the once sacrificial Lamb of God in the very center of the throne. In the fourth chapter we have Divine domin- ion or government in this earth on the basis of Law, which kind of government began with creation by Christ, and ended with the completion of redemption } 4 in the ascension of Christ. In the fifth chapter, we , have Divine dominion or government in this earth | on the basis of Grace, which began with the ascension of Christ and will end with the Second Coming of Christ. In the fourth chapter we are taken to the age or ages prior to the first advent; in the fifth chapter, from the moment the vision was given and received, we are taken forward into the age between the advents. In the fourth chapter we see God dealing with the race in righteousness; in the fifth chapter, we see God deal- ing with the race through His matchless mercy in Jesus Christ, His Son. In order to have a particular and proper understanding of the teaching of these two chapters, we must separate them and deal with them ae ees pe 18 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW in order. Let us notice the Throne of God as pre- sented to us in this fourth chapter. Several things are brought out very clearly, and there should be no mistake in our understanding of them. 1. In the first place, we notice the location of the Throne of God. This is clearly stated for John said, “Behold, a throne was set in heaven.” ‘The throne was not in the process of being set. It had been set for an indefinite period, and its foundations were eternally secure. It had endured the storms of millenniums already, and was standing firm, immov- able, and unimpaired. ‘Then, it was set in heaven. It was not on the earth, and neither was it on any other planet in the universe. The earth does not provide a sufficiently firm foundation for such a throne. The “heaven ’’ mentioned is the heaven of the heavens, where God has in a special way localized His mani- fested Presence, where Christ is, and where the saved of all ages who have died, and Holy Angels are. Heaven is the ‘Spiritual realm. Heaven is the place of absolute purity and abiding peace. Within the center of the spiritual realm, where there is truth un- sullied, justice unswerving, and righteousness eternal, God has been pleased to fix eternally His royal seat of dominion. It has been in this realm from the be- ginning of time, and His dominion will abide in it until the ages of the ages. Nothing, absolutely noth- ing, can shake God’s eternal throne. 2. Further, John is caused to fix his attention upon the Occupant of the throne of God as well. He said, “And One sat on the throne. And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper, and a sardine stone.” Here special emphasis is given to the fact that one and only one occupied the throne. When we come to the fifth DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 19 chapter, we will notice that there are twe on the throne, the Father and the Son. But in this description of the Occupant, symbolically presented, God the Father was like a jasper and sardine stone to look upon. ‘The jasper stone reflects a very white dazzling light like the bright rays of the sun reflected from the soft, white, new-fallen snow. ‘The sardine stone reflects a dazzling red light, so in this description we have the intense white and red light united, the one speaking of absolute holiness, and the other of absolute justice. _ This corresponds exactly with that definition of the character of God that John elsewhere gives. “ God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” What light is in the natural world, God is in the spiritual world. Light is pure, gentle, universally diffusive; God is pure, gentle, and present everywhere. The description of God given here is God as the race came to know Him prior to the time that He became in- carnate in human flesh, and atoned for the sins of the race by His own precious blood. 3. This leads us to a consideration of the surround- ings of the Throne of God as John saw them. There were three things that surrounded this royal seat as presented in the vision, the first being that of a rain- bow, “And there was a rainbow round about the throne in sight like unto an emerald.” The rainbow completely encircled the throne, and being of the dull green colour, like the emerald, was easy and pleasing to look upon. The rainbow was used as a symbol of mercy and of faithfulness. Though this throne was based on holiness and expressed itself in justice, yet there was mercy exercised also, and the faithfulness of God, including all. But around about the throne also, there were twenty-four elders. ‘They sat on thrones » a Rist i 20 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW or royal seats like the Occupant on the throne high and lifted up. They were clothed in white raiment, which spoke of righteousness, and they had on their heads crowns of gold, which signified Royalty. They were a ruling class of some kind. Doubtless this illustration comes from the Old Testament, for we remember that the singers in the Temple were divided into twenty-four classes and the orders of the priests were divided into twenty-four classes. It is, therefore, a Jewish picture, and we will learn in the next chapter that the twenty-four elders \ are made the symbol of the saved on earth in all places and of all times. ‘Further, around about the throne | also were “ four beasts full of eyes before and behind. | And the first beast was like a lion, and the second * beast was like a calf, and the third beast had the face of a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of his six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is and is to come.” There are several things to notice about these beasts or living creatures. They are in the midst of the throne, unlike the elders, and around about the throne in the same manner as the elders. In some respects they are nearer to the Occupant of the throne than the elders are. They have eyes before and behind telling us that they can look-m two different directions. They look back into history, and forward into prophecy. Their likeness is specified in particular. One is like a lion, the symbol of royalty, the second is like an ox, the symbol of patient endurance and service, the third is like a man, the symbol of intelligence, and the fourth is like a flying eagle, the symbol of absolute dominion. DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 21 Further, each of the living creatures had six wings. This doubtless is taken from the vision in the prophecy by Isaiah (Chapter 6). According to that vision in Isaiah, the wings of each were used for the following purposes, “ With twain he covered his face’? which symbolized humility, “ with twain he covered his feet,” which symbolized reverence and awe, and “ with twain he did fly,” which symbolized promptness and swift- ness in service. But we are also informed in this vision, that the living creatures were “full of eyes within,” or around about and within. They had eyes so that they could look back, eyes so that they could look forward, and they had eyes “within” which literally means “on the side of them toward the throne.” ‘They kept their eyes on the throne that they might acquaint themselves with the will of the throne, and be ready to obey that will the moment the com- mand was given. ‘Their ascription of praise was, not of God’s Grace, not of His love, and not of His power, but rather of His absolute holiness, for they are repre- sented as saying, “ Holy, holy, holy, Lord God AI- mighty, which was and is, and is to come.” Now many will be interested to know the signif- icance of these living creatures. What do they illus- trate? Whom do they represent? I do not think that we are left at all in ignorance regarding this matter. If you will look in the fifth chapter (8-9) you will find that these living creatures are harpists, for along with the elders they take their harps, and they strike the strings with sweet music. They are worshippers also in the Holy Place, for they swing their censers, they being full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints. Then they sing and their song is, along with that of the elders, ‘‘ Thou art worthy to 22 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 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 nation and tongue and peo- ple; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” These four living creatures in the midst of and surrounding the throne are the redeemed from the earth and glorified in heaven. The elders represent the Church militant; the four living creatures represent the Charch triumphant. This wonderful picture presents the two classes, the saved living, and the saved dead as one, praying to- gether, worshipping together, singing together, serv- ing together, and reigning together. The people of God of all ages, dead and living, are one company in Christ Jesus. We sing, worship, and pray here, and along with us they sing, worship and pray there. 4, Furthermore, the vision tells us something about certain proceedings from the throne of God. The Seer beheld and lo, out of the throne itself, not merely out of the atmosphere surroundings and throne, proceeded lightnings, and thunderings and voices. Four times in the Revelation do we read about lightnings and thun- derings and voices (4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18). Some- times an earthquake follows upon the lightnings, thun- derings, and voices. These proceedings from the ta in the Revelation are the symbols of judgment, | or justice in expression toward man, the earth, the sea, \and all things that exist. This reminds us that though ‘the throne of God throughout the ages prior to the coming of Christ was one of mercy and grace, and it was mingled with justice as well. Not only was there the exercise of justice during that period; we have it also throughout this period, and hence, the mention in the vision of lightnings, thunders, and voices in the DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 23 visions following the fourth and fifth chapters of our book. God is gracious, merciful, and faithful now, but He is just as well, because His throne of govern- ment is based upon His absolute holiness. It is Divine wisdom on the part of men to beware, and seek to find mercy now in Jesus Christ, God’s Son. 5. Not only have we the location of the throne of God in this vision, its Occupant, its surroundings, and its proceedings, but we have two things mentioned as being before, or in advance of the throne. In the first place, we are told that before the throne, there were - seven lamps of fire burning, and that the seven lamps symbolized the seven Spirits of God. It was quite common in ancient times to keep lamps of fire burning before the royal seat of the king. This was to illus- trate that in the administration of the king, there was illumination for the people. Moreover, the lamps were kept burning before the throne, that the throne itself, and its Occupant might be revealed. These seven lamps of fire represent the Holy Spirit of God, who is mentioned eighteen different times in the Book of the Revelation. Four different times in the book he is spoken of as “ The seven Spirits of God” (1: 4; 3:1; 4:2; 5:6). Here the symbolism of number is em- ployed to set forth the absolute perfection of the One Holy Spirit, the third person in the glorious Trinity. He is the One on earth now, who in the Old Testa- ment times visited the world frequently to reveal God, and now on earth to reveal God and the Lamb. He was before the throne then, He is before the throne now, though on earth. In advance of the throne also, there was a sea of glass like unto crystal. This is evidently an Old Testament reference. In the tabernacle there 24: DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW was a vessel of brass called the laver. It con- tained water for the priests to wash their hands and feet before offering the sacrifice. ‘That laver stood in the court between the altar and the door of the tabernacle. It rested on a basis or a foot which, as well as the laver itself, was made from the mirrors contributed by the women. The exact form of the laver is nowhere specified in the Bible, though some think it was circular. In Solomon’s temple there were ten lavers, and they were raised on bases, five on the north, and five on the south. Each one of these lavers contained sufficient water for the washing of the ani- mals to be presented in the burnt offering. In Solo- mon’s temple also there was the Molten Sea. It was made of brass, or copper. It is said to have been capable of containing two thousand barrels of water. This molten sea was not for the purpose of washing the animals, but rather for the washing of the priests before entering into the service of the Lord. What John sees here in his vision was not the laver of the tabernacle which was meant to wash the animals, but _ rather the molten sea of the temple which was meant \ for the cleansing of the priests. This part of the picture is a symbol of cleansing from the physical, / moral, spiritual, and social evils. Down through the ages, God in His Grace provided this cleansing. It was always ready, always necessary, always offered. Just as the Holy Spirit reveals the throne, so the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, as the water in the molten sea, purges away the moral filth from individ- ual believing men and women. 6. It is of great interest to notice how this fourth chapter closes. There is an ascription of praise pre- sented unto God the Father, the Occupant of the throne DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 25 by the four living creatures, representing the saved in glory of all times. When the four living creatures present their ascription of praise, the twenty-four elders, representing the saved of earth of all time, fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne saying, “Thou art worthy O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” There is nothing about Salvation or Redemption in this ascription of praise. It is all about Creation. ‘The thought of Redemption is reserved for the next chapter when we will see the Lamb upon the throne. Here the living creatures, and the crowned | elders think only of Creation and all of its wonders. | They think of the heavens which declare God’s glory, \ and the firmament which manifests His handiwork; of ’ sun and moon, and stars in their manifold and re- splendent glories; of the mountains and the valleys; of the rivers and the fountains; of the waving corn fields and the swaying trees; of the animals both domestic and wild, and they praise God together for His won- derful power and wisdom in creating all things Him- self, and for Himself. To God, all things owe their origin. In Him all things live and move and have their being. For this reason, the living creatures and the elders cannot refrain from praising. Thus we have in the fourth chapter of this book, a wonderful, ; a sublime picture of the Dominion of God under Law| in and over the earth prior to the Ascension of Christ. | Il DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE REVELATION 5 P “AHUS we are led to think about Divine Do- minion under Grace as presented in the fifth chapter of our book. This, as I said, is the Throne of Grace, and, when related to time, covers a period beginning with the Ascension of Christ and closing with the Second Coming of Christ. Approxi- mately this period has run on now in human history and experience for about two thousand years. The Old Dispensation was an age of righteousness mingled with mercy: this is an age of grace mingled with righteousness. In this chapter there are also sev- eral very interesting things to notice. 1. ‘The first object brought to the attention of the Seer was a Book. He said, “I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne, a book.” This is also an Old Testament reference. Daniel saw a book in one of his visions, and he was commanded to seal it up until the time of the end (12:4). Ezekiel saw a book in one of his visions (2: 9, 10), concerning which he said, “‘ And when I looked, behold an hand was sent unto me; and lo, a roll of a book was therein, and he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein, lamentations ,and mournings and woe.” ‘The book in this vision was ‘in the hand of the Occupant of the throne, indicating that He was the author of it, its possessor, and that \its contents were absolutely under His control. It was 26 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 27 written both within and without, indicating that noth- ing could be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it. Moreover, it was sealed with seven seals, - signifying that its contents up to the time of the break- ing of the seals were secret. John hears a strong angel asking who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof. We will observe later that this strong angel is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, the High Priest, who ministers at the Golden Altar. None in heaven, on earth, nor under the earth are qualified to open the book, to read it and to carry out the items of its program. Man by nature has always — been a failure in the history of the race. On account | of none being qualified to open the book, John is — greatly grieved, and so he said, “I wept much.” In this he doubtless was a representative of all the people of God at that time, and were the book to this mo- ment unsealed, he would represent the people of God at this time. But what was the significance of this book? The Revelation has much to say about books. In one chap- ter (20: 12) there are an indefinite number of books mentioned. They are the books of personal human experience, which will be opened and read in the judg- ment to come. There are three individual books men- tioned in the Revelation. In the first vision, John 1s told to write what he saw and heard in a book, and to send it to the seven churches in Asia Minor (1: 11). The Book of the Revelation, as we have it, is the book that John was commanded to write. In the twenty- second chapter, no less than five different times the Revelation is spoken of as a “ book”’ or roll (verses _| a 7,9, 10, 18,19). Further, “ The Book of Life,” and ~ ; The Lamb’s Book of Life” are frequently mentioned smell LCI, 28 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE in the: Revelation’ (37551808 (010515, (20) dane 21:27). This is the Divine birth register which con- tains the names of all those who have been born again. The “sealed” book of our vision is not the Book of Revelation, and neither is it the Lamb’s Book of Life; it is rather the book of History, past, present and ' future. In the tenth chapter, we have a “ little book ” ) which is the Book of Revelation, of prophecy, which } John was commanded to communicate to the churches 'in Asia Minor. The book of this vision contained the ‘events of history, some of which had already taken ‘place, some of which were taking place when John ‘beheld the vision, and some of which were to take place in the near and distant future. ‘ When we come to the sixth chapter, we will see the different seals of this book opened, and the program which the book contained carried out in symbol. Since the ascension of Christ to glory, the program contained in the counsels of God for the race have been carried out exactly as planned by those counsels. Christ is the only one who is qualified to carry out the plan of God for the history of the world and the race. 2. Not only was John’s attention called to a book in this part of the vision, but his mind was fixed upon a new Person who appeared and took His place in the midst of the throne. When he learned that there was no human nor angelic being qualified to carry out_the program contained in the book, he wept much, but one of the elders, representing the saved of the earth, appeared and said unto him, “ Weep not: behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof.” This was good tidings to John, and his tears ceased to flow. There was One who had been DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 29 in battle, and had won the victory. He alone was qual- ified on account of the victory, to open the book, and to make its contents known. This was David’s greater Son, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He had gone forth in the conquering might of David, and had won against the enemy. Doubtless this is a symbolic refer- ence to the atoning death and justifying resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. He had met the strong man armed and had vanquished him. John saw Christ approach the One who sat upon the throne, and take the book at once from his hand. This is a figure taken from human government of olden times. Before one could govern absolutely a distant province of the Roman Empire, it was necessary for him to go\ to Rome, and be invested by the Emperor with king-. ship. He must present his credentials as being qual-, ified to rule in that distant province. When he was. invested with the authority to reign upon behalf of Imperial Rome, then there was placed within his pos- session the program of government which he was pledged at all costs to carry out completely. When Christ went home on high and took His seat at the right hand of God, having prevailed in death and resurrection, He was given the authority by the Fa-. ther to carry out the program of the ages. This is | what He has been doing for two thousand years, and | He will carry that program out to its ultimate con- clusion to the glory of God the Father. There are several things of interest about Christ presented to us here in a symbolic way. He is seen in the midst of the throne, and of the four living crea- tures, and in the midst of the elders. In heaven He is in the midst of the redeemed, and on earth He is at the very center of the visible church. There in the pe ager OS Me 30 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE glory, He is as a Lamb that had been slaughtered. He bears upon His body the marks even yet that He once in eternity and in time made a full atonement for the sins of the race. But special attention is given to the fact that He is not lying down, but rather stand- ing on foot, indicating that though He has been slain, He is alive again. In the center of the throne on high, He does not appear only as the crucified Christ, but as the risen and glorified Christ as well. Further, John sees Him also as having seven horns and seven eyes which speak of perfection of power and complete- ness of knowledge. The seven Spirits of God are sent forth into all the earth showing that the intelligence of the Christ now is all pervasive and extends to the utmost limits of the universe. At the right hand of the Father on high, we have an omnipotent, and an omniscient Redeemer. What a wonderful Saviour! 3. Not only have we the seven Sealed-Book in this vision, and the Lamb who appears and takes His place in the midst of the throne to open the book, because He had overcome in the battle, but we have the song of the redeemed as well. It says, “ And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb.” Each of the living creatures and elders had a golden bowl full of incense, and a harp. Both of these symbols are taken from the temple, the bowls being symbolic of prayer, and the harps being symbolic of praise. ‘There / were none without their harps and golden bowls. This _ speaks of the universality of the prayers and praises of _ the redeemed, both 1 in heaven and in earth. But they sing “anew song.’”’ It is a new song, because it is the /song of redemption. The old song was a hymn of creation. When they sing together, they ascribe their DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE ol praises unto Christ the Redeemer, and not unto God the Creator. They address their praises directly to: the Lamb of God in the midst of the throne, saying, “Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy. blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and- nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” By a comparison of the song of praise here, and the song of praise that we find in the fourth chapter, it will be easily seen that there is a great difference in the aspects of the one subject presented. In the living creatures representing the saved triumphant who are now in the Paradise of God, praying and praising, we are given a glimpse into the glory now, to see what the redeemed of the Lord do there. Then in the elders praying and praising, we are taught what the saved militant should be doing, and are doing, to a greater or less degree, at the present time. The Church of God is one, though a part is in heaven and the other part is on earth. No one person even on earth can pray and praise God and the Lamb truly without mil- lions upon millions of the saved, especially in heaven, joining with him. Our loved ones redeemed and triumphant, our Christian acquaintances and fellow church members who have gone on before join us in our prayers and praises here upon the earth. What we have in this part of our vision is not a future and ex- clusively a heavenly scene, it is a present and earthly scene as well. The saved in heaven are not indifferent when we on earth pray and praise, for our prayers and praises awaken a responsive cord in their hearts and they join with us in ascribing worship to the Lamb. 4. In the vision before us, the circle widens and in the next part of the scene a great multitude of the 32 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE Heavenly Host appears, and they ascribe their praise unto the Lamb in the midst of the throne. John said, “And I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders and the num- ber of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands.” It is interesting to note that the saved triumphant are the nearest to the throne, forming the first circle of which the Lamb is the center. Surrounding them, and perhaps mixed with them, are the saved militant represented in the elders. And then, the great multitude of the heavenly host around about and without the saved triumphant and the saved mili- tant, indicating that none can be nearer the throne than those who have been redeemed. Let us cease sing- ing then, “I would like to be an angel,’ for we are nearer to God than angels possibly could be. When the Heavenly Hosts of angels take up their ascription of praise unto Christ, they say, “ Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.” They ascribe their praise with a loud voice indicating their unanimity, heartiness, and cordiality. The redeemed sing their praises of redemption unto the Lamb; the angelic hosts recite their praises unto the Lamb. Angels do not sing. We have no account of their singing in the Bible, the reason being that they do not know experimentally the blessedness of redemption in their own lives. Only those can truly sing who know the bitterness of defeat, and the ex- hilarating joys of victory. Only those can sing, who have had their sins forgiven, and their transgressions covered. The angels say that the Lamb is worthy to receive from all created intelligencies and redeemed human beings, power, wealth, wisdom, strength, hon- DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 33 our, praise, and blessing. He made Himself worthy by overcoming in the Cross and the Resurrection, by con- quering in the Ascension, and His Session “in the midst of the throne.” Why is Christ thus worthy? He is worthy because He is the original proprietor of all such blessings: redeemed man is only the trustee of them. He is worthy because it is by His grace to- ward us that we have been enabled to procure them. They do not come to us merely through heirdom, legacy, or as the result of our own effort; they come to us from Him. All of our aptitudes for the pur- poses of securing these blessings also come from Him. Then He is worthy to receive such blessings from us because He has given us such qualifications to enjoy them and to administer them. Further, He is worthy to receive them because He will make the very best use of them. When we present in holy devotion the blessings here named, unto Christ, that will be a test of our character. It will detach us from all material- ism, and ennoble our conduct. Let us ascribe in reality such praise as the angels recommend unto the Lamb. 5. In this vision we have not only the song of the redeemed and the ascription of praise by the angelic hosts, but, looking into the future, we have the Grand Anthem of eternity as well. In the song of redemp- tion on the part of the universal company of the saved, and the ascription presented by the angelic hosts, we have events that are. going on at the present on earth, and in heaven. But in the grand anthem of eternity) with which the vision closes we have a glorious event | of the future. John said, “ And every creature which | is in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and such that are in the sea, and all that are in them heard | I saying, Blessing and honour and glory | and poner ‘le i Meta «foal Mh eh PD \ Loy out & al SF He me Abdul iC 3 a +P Ps fh , $05 Ce rfepet ae é ree ra so 4 gh i £ g FPL ead? Naty Privy! 3 ry ¥ CL. a tae Wa tant ‘ ! Yat $ & Py [3 2 } ‘ tofn ral P wll a Aes pe ePrr .* tty» AREY igs Be sinshe “a : fe 34 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” When this was done by every created thing the four living creatures chanted, Amen. Then the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth forever and ever. This is a scene which will take place in the future eternity, and will continue from the ages unto the ages. This is a wonderful conception before us. We learn that the whole universe, from its remotest star to the things around our feet is one toward Christ— one in feeling, in emotion, in expression; one in heart and voice. When this picture becomes a realized fact, evil will be no more. It will not be even thought about. We will listen and participate only in the uni- versal harmony of praise unto Him who sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb. We have noticed that the song of the redeemed is ¢o the Lamb and of the Lamb; we have noticed that the ascription of praise by the angelic hosts is concerning the Lamb, and now we see that the grand anthem of eternity will be to and of Him who sitteth upon the Throne and the Lamb. There is one thing that this sublime vision empha- sizes and keeps clear to our minds throughout, and it is that heaven now and in the ages of ages is a place of activity. The inhabitants there do not sit idly by purling streams, fanned by balmy breezes. It is true that heaven is a place of happiness, and to be truly happy, we must be active. Has the far-reaching mind of Newton ceased its profound investigations? Has Michael Angelo ceased his painting? Has David hung up his harp as useless as the dusty arms in Westminster Abbey? Has Paul, glowing with godlike enthusiasm, ceased itinerating the universe of God? Has Charles M, Alexander ceased to lead the great multitudes in DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 35 songs of praise? Are Peter, and Cyprian and Edwards and Payson and Everets and Spurgeon and Moody and Gordon idling away eternity in psalm-singing? Heaven is a place of restless activity, absolute purity, and the abode of never tiring thought. David and Isaiah will sweep nobler and loftier strains in eternity, and the minds of the saints, unclogged by cumbersome clay, will forever feast on the banquet of rich and glorious thought. Let us go on then in service here preparing for higher service yonder. Let us pray here that we may learn how to pray the better there. Let us sing here, that we may learn how to sing the better there. Let us fall down and worship here, that we may learn how to truly worship there. Heaven now and in eternity is a place of ceaseless activity. Ii BREAKING THE SEALS REVELATION 6: 1-8 ' N Y E noticed that the fourth and fifth chapters of the Revelation have much to say about the Throne of God and the Lamb. In the fourth chapter, God alone is the Occupant of the Throne, where He is symbolically described as holy, righteous, and full of mercy. We observed that the description of God in that chapter sets Jehovah forth as He was in the government of His universe prior to the work of Christ on the earth for the salvation of mankind. In the fifth chapter, we saw the same Throne of God occupied by God the Father, and Jesus Christ the Son, together. There Christ is in the midst of the throne, being at the right hand of the Majesty on High. The right hand, as a place, was always significant of the position of power. In the right hand of God, there is a scroll or book. In this Book, there are seven chapters or seals, and there is no angel or human being, dead or living, who is able to open the Book, or even to look thereon. When John saw that there was no one in heaven, in earth, neither under the earth who was able to open the Book, neither to look thereon, he wept much, and one of the elders, repre- senting the saved militant, said unto him, “ Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the Book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” John then turned about in his vision, and looked toward the throne, and beheld 36 BREAKING THE SEALS 37 in the midst of it a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven eyes, speaking of unlimited wisdom. That Lamb was Christ. He saw the Lamb approach the Throne of God, and take the Book out of the right hand of Him who occupied the Throne. When this was done, he beheld the living creatures, four in num- ber, representing the complete number of the saved militant, falling down before the Lamb and worship- ping Him as their Redeemer and King. It is of interest to note the significance of Christ taking the Book from the hand of Him who sat upon the Throne. This doubtless is taken from a custom that was in vogue in the Roman Empire at that time. When one was promoted to rulership of a certain dis- tant province of the Roman Empire, before he was permitted to exercise his authority over that province, it was necessary for him to journey to Rome, and to be invested with kingship by the emperor. When he was invested with kingship by the emperor, the em- peror presented to him a scroll or book which con- tained the items of the program for the dominion of that distant province. He took solemn oath to the emperor that he would enforce the laws contained within that roll. This is the illustration before us. When Christ went home on high at the time of the Ascension, He approached God the Father as the Sovereign of the universe. He was worthy to do this because He had accomplished fully and finally the re- demption of the race through His*death and _resurrec- tion. At that time, God placed i in His hand, as man, the government of the universe. At that time, Christ took the Book which contained the program of the ages, and has been carrying out that program ever sifice, VAN Giiiaes ne vi a mY Pe: 38 BREAKING THE SEALS It will be noticed in the beginning of the sixth chap- ter that when Christ the Lamb opened the seals, a voice was heard from each one of the living creatures which surrounded the Throne of God and the Lamb. When the first seal was opened, there was a noise like that of thunder. Thunder always speaks in the Revela- tion, of judgment, or of calamity. That particular thunder was like the roar of a lion, and at the same time, it contained a distinct message which said, “Come,” or “Go.” This was not an appeal to the lion who is represented as speaking, nor to Christ, but rather to the rider of the white horse. The words, “and see,” are not in the Revised Version. ‘The lion who speaks this word is the Christ who is opening the seals of the Book. He is calling for, or releasing, the first event on the program. Christ alone is the One who allows, releases, or introduces all the events into human history as they are represented symbolically by the visions of the seals in this chapter. We will now take these seals one by one, and endeavour to under- stand their symbolic significance. 1. The first seal when opened, released the white horse and its rider. When the Lion-Lamb spoke and said, “Come,” John said that he saw “and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and he went forth conquering and to conquer.” ‘There are several things to note in this vision. First, there was a horse, and a horse is always the symbol of conquest. That particular horse was white, which colour sig- nified heavenly righteousness. But the horse also had a rider, and that rider had a bow. ‘There is no mention of anarrow. The bow was not a Roman instrument of war; it was a Parthian instrument of war. The rider also had given unto him a crown, which was symbolic BREAKING THE SEALS 39 of royal authority. Further, the horse and its rider galloped forth, apparently without interruption, con- quering, and expecting to conquer. This part of the vision has received several different explanations. There are some who think that the white horse of this first seal is the same as the white horse about which we read in chapter nineteen. In chapter nineteen where we have the white horse and its rider, there is a vision of the Second Coming of Christ in Glory. There is no possibility of misunder- standing who the rider of the white horse is in the nineteenth chapter. The white horse and its rider in this seal are very much like the white horse and its rider in chapter nineteen. So much alike are they, that many have confounded them. ‘The rider here had a bow, while the rider in chapter nineteen had a sword, which symbolized the authority of life and death. What we have in this vision, is an invasion of the earth by some foreign power. This rider had a crown, while the rider in the nineteenth had many crowns. ‘The crown in this vision was not the diadem, but rather the laurel wreath, which was only a make- believe symbol of authority. The rider of the white horse in the first seal is so much like the Rider of the white horse in the nineteenth chapter, that he has de- ceived many into thinking that he is really the Christ. If we look down in the eighth verse of our chapter, we will find that the rider of this white horse has a power to “kill,” and so, surely, he does not represent Christ, though he is very much like Christ. The Horse and his rider do not represent the true Christ, nor the true Christian system. He is a mimic- Christ. He represents some one, or something which takes the name of Christ, and professes to be Christ. 40 BREAKING THE SEALS We have in this first seal exactly what Christ Himself predicted in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel by Matthew (vs. 4, 5), when He said to the dis- ciples, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many.”’ Right down through this age, there have been many false Christs, false Christians, and false systems of Christianity. They are rampant in the earth to-day. A false system of Christianity invaded this earth immediately when the true system of Christianity was first proclaimed to men. These Alalse systems of Christianity, taking the name of Christ, and having a little of the truth of Christ within them, have gone forth, and millions upon millions of human souls have been subdued into error, immorality, and death by them. This is what we have symbolically prefigured in the first seal of the Book of Events set forth in our chapter, and this is the first element of the tribulation concerning which Christ predicted fre- quently in His ministry. 2. Following upon the breaking of the first seal, there was the opening of the second seal. When the second seal was opened, the second living creature was heard to say, ‘“‘ Come,” and when he said, “ Come,” “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.” The second living creature mentioned was the ox. The ox was always the symbol of patient, enduring service. I take the ox individually in this symbol to represent Christ Himself, calling for, introducing, re- leasing another event in history. In the Gospel by Matthew, we have Christ as the Lion of the tribe of BREAKING THE SEALS 41 Judah, the King. In the Gospel by Mark, we have Christ as the patient, suffering ox, the Servant of Jehovah. It is the Christ in this second seal speaking and saying, ‘Come.’ The first horse was white, sym- bolizing a mimic, or counterfeit heavenly righteous- ness; the second horse in our passage was red, sym- bolizing bloodshed and war. ‘The rider of the red horse was given two things, authority to take peace from the earth, and a sword, indicating the power of future life and death. Bible students generally agree that in this second seal, war is symbolized. There is some dispute, however, over whether the war repre- sented is civil or international. It is known from his- tory, and that conclusively, that for two thousand years there have been wars of different kinds. Nations have been at war within themselves, and nations have been at war with one another. There have been wars in the world of commerce, in the world of industry, and also in the world of the social order. Even at this very moment, there are many wars raging in the world, and there are announcements and premonitions of greater future wars. Since the great World War closed, many think that the age of peace is upon us; but this red horse and its rider have not yet been cap- tured. The rider of that red horse is still armed with authority and with the great sword. Again we would say that we have represented here exactly what Christ predicted for this age in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel by Matthew (vs. 6, 7, 8). He said to the disciples, “ And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass. . . . For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” Christ predicted in His preview of this age that wars 42 BREAKING THE SEALS would continue between the dates of His Ascension and His Coming again in glory. It has come to pass, and is coming to pass precisely as He said, and it will continue until the consummation of this age. 3. This leads us to the opening of the third seal. “And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” The third living creature was the man. In the Gospel by Matthew, the Saviour is presented as a lion; in the Gospel by Mark as an ox; and in the Gospel by Luke as the Man. It is in Luke that we read ‘‘ The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost.” The Man in this vision who said, “ Come,” is the Man Christ Jesus. The horse in this case was black, which symbolic colour always signifies sorrow, gloom, famine and death. The rider of the black horse had a pair of balances in his hand, and went forth making the announcement, “ A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny.” throughout this age. i It is interesting also to notice just how these souls are described. It says, “They were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held.” Elsewhere they are spoken of as having been beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and because they had gained the victory over the beast (20:4). This does not mean that they had been literally slain. Keep in mind that we are dealing with a symbolic Book. Some think that they were martyrs only that John saw beneath the altar in his vision. | You will find in the Revelation that all true Christians \ are spoken of as martyrs. To be slain for the Word | of God andthe testimony of Jesus Christ is to suffer, in any way whatsoever, for the Christ in Whom we trust. The two witnesses in the eleventh chapter are represented as being slain on account of the testimony which they bore for Christ. It is not the fire, the stake, nor the sword that makes the martyr, it is rather the cause, the principle to which one is loyal. The fire, the sword and the stake may reveal or declare the martyr. I take it that these souls who were slain for the Word of God and the testimony which they held, include, therefore, all saved men and women. Christ was a martyr witness, and our vital union with Him makes us all martyr witnesses of Him. And again notice the cry of those souls under the altar. ‘They are represented as praying, “ How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth.” This 54 BREAKING THE SEALS prayer is evidently a call on the part of those “ souls” for the exercise of justice and vengeance. It may be too much to say that it savours of that which is vin- dictive. It was this prayer on the part of those under the altar which changed my mind about whom these souls really represented. I used to think that they were disembodied, saved, and glorified human beings, but this prayer seemed to be inconsistent with that position regarding them. We could not conceive of those who are now in the Presence of God offering such a prayer as this. Those who offer such a prayer 4. as we have here, have evidently not reached full per- * fection, or their glorified state. Surely the saved in ' heaven are not calling upon God for vengeance on those who dwell in the earth. What we have in this vision is exactly what is rep- resented in the eighteenth chapter of the Gospel by Luke (18: 1-8). There the Saviour gives a parable of how to pray and not to faint. In a certain city, there was a godless, unjust judge, and also in that city there was a poor widow (woman) who had been terribly distressed by her adversary. That widow (woman) carried her case to the judge, and she pressed it before him, and he ultimately vindicated her, and delivered her from the cruelty and tyranny of her enemy. What she wanted and needed was the protection of justice, and the vindication of her character and her cause. This she obtained from the unjust, ungodly judge, and now, said the Saviour, “Shall not God avenge His own elect which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them? I tell you He will avenge them speedily.” ‘This is precisely what we have in the vision before us. A great deal of wrong has been done throughout this age both to the national and BREAKING THE SEALS 59 spiritual people of God, and that wrong is crying unto God daily for His exercise of justice, and for the vin- dication of the wrongs done. ‘That prayer will be answered in a time that is fast approaching, and the world will suffer because of injustice, persecution, and all kinds of wrong done to the people of God. Even now the cry of saved men and saved women is as- cending before the face of God. The Church of Christ will be vindicated some day. We must not leave this part of our study without observing the ones upon whom vengeance is called down in this vision. The passage says that they are “them that dwell on the earth.’ Who are these? As you read through the Book of the Revelation you will discover at least four different classes of dwellers. There are those who dwell in heaven. They are not men and women who have died and gone to heaven, but are those who have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life from before the foundation of the world. The heaven dwellers of this Book are saved men and women of all ages and all countries, some dead, and others now living on the face of the globe. Many of them live on earth though their citi- zenship is in heaven. There are also the sea-dwellers mentioned in this Book. ‘The sea in its restlessness, barrenness, and waste, represents the nations of the earth in turmoil, and ceaseless commotion. ‘The sea- dwellers are the Jewish people scattered among the nations of the earth to-day. The earth-dwellers are the unsaved of this globe, whether dead or living, young or old, rich or poor, Jews or Gentiles. Those upon whom vengeance is here called down are the unsaved, even all of those who hate Christ. In the meantime, a Divine answer is given to the go ce antec 56 BREAKING THE SEALS cry of those under the altar. In answer to their cry, they were presented with white robes. The white robe in the Book of the Revelation is very significant and of a variety of kinds. There was the white robe of innocence. We cannot conceive of lifeless shades and disembodied spirits receiving such white robes. When one was tried to see whether he was guilty of the crime laid against him, and when the verdict was rendered, both a black and a white robe were used. If found guilty, a black robe was put upon him, and he was placed on the left hand of the judge; if found innocent and was justified, or declared righteous before the law, then a white robe was put upon him, and he was placed on the right hand of the judge. The white and black robes were also used in the athletic games. If a man were not victorious in the contest, a black robe was put upon him; if he were victorious, then a white robe was presented to him. Further, there was the white robe of honour at the feast. The white robe referred to here, I take to be the white robe of inno- cence and promised victory, the cheering answer to the _ cry of the souls under the altar, who, though suffering * at the hands of the enemy, are approved, precious, and | near to their Lord. White robes in such connections _ were always the emblems of Divine approval and _ blessed relationship with God. Such souls are precious in the sight of the Lord, and that is exactly where all Christians are to-day, because they are in Christ. The delight that the Father has in the Son is the selfsame satisfaction He has in all those who believe upon Him. The preciousness of the Son in the Presence of the Father is the preciousness of all those who are His in the Presence of God. Every child of God sheltered by the blood has had given to him the white robe, as a BREAKING THE SEALS oT declaration of righteousness, as a pledge of honour, and as a guarantee of victory in the future. Not only were they given white robes; they were also told to rest for a “ little season, until their fellow- servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” They were told to rest a “little season.” The word “ season” signifying the aggregate of ages. This implies that they had been resting for some time already. They are told that they are to rest until their brethren are also killed as they had been. This is given as a reason for delay in the avenging of their blood on those who dwell on the earth. The number of the saved or those under the altar was not then full, or complete, and those who dwell on the earth, or the unsaved, were not quite ripe at that time for their doom. What was true at that time, is true at this time, and in fact, it has been true right down through this age. At every moment in history, the Church was not yet full, though her com- pleteness was hastening on quickly to its full develop- ment. At the present time, the world is not yet ripe for its judgment, though it is hastening on to its doom as fast as time and the purpose of God can carry it. It is not difficult to see that persecution is the prin-) prank ad cipal idea set forth in the symbolism of this fifth seal, and that this is again exactly what our Lord predicted: for His people throughout the whole age in which we live. In the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel by Matthew (v. 9), He said, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” ‘Thirty years after the Ascension, under Nero, multitudes of Christians were apprehended, covered by the skins of wild beasts, torn to pieces by devouring dogs, fastened 58 BREAKING THE SEALS to crosses, wrapped in combustible garments, so that when the daylight failed they might, like torches, serve to dispel the gloom of the night. By such a scene as this, Nero lighted his own gardens, and'thus the shrieks of Christian women burning to ashes, supplied music ‘and diversion for the circus. Between 87 and 93 A. D., fifty thousand Christians were torn to pieces by the ‘lions in the Roman Coliseun. From that time on, the ‘persecutions of the Christians continued without abatement, when houses were filled with them and set on fire, and whole crowds of them were knotted to- gether by ropes and cast into the sea. In 303 A. D. in Rome, seventeen thousand Christians were slain in one month. In that year no less than a hundred and forty- four thousand believers died by violence, besides seven hundred thousand who died through banishment, or the public works, to which they had been condemned. Church history bears out the fact that these persecu- tions of the Christians by the nations of the earth have continued from the beginning of this age to the present to a greater or less degree, and this symbolic prophecy declares that such persecution will continue until the end. | 2. This leads us to a consideration of the sixth Seal Vision. John said, “ And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earth- quake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief BREAKING THE SEALS 59 captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman and every free man, 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? ”’ There are different views held by Bible students regarding the significance and historical application of this vision. Some think that it describes the destruc- tion of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jewish Nation, which had already taken place when this vision was viewed. Many such students claim that this vision was completely fulfilled in that event. Then there are those who think that the vision of the sixth seal sets forth the judgment which will take place at the end of this age. I am of the firm conviction that this vision covers, in its time application, the same period that is covered by each of the foregoing ones. It there- fore began in history with the opening of the Chris- tian Era, and will end with the closing of the Christian Era. Already, it has covered a period of nearly two thousand years, and it sets forth that particular aspect of the Christian dispensation which has to do with suffering or tribulation of the people of God caused by Revolution and Anarchy within the social order. ‘This will appear manifest when we look at it in particular. John said, “ And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo there was a great earthquake.” Again we are reminded that Christ told His disciples in that final address of His to them (Matt. 24:7), that in and throughout this age, there would be “ earth- quakes in divers places.” Earthquakes are woes in nature. In Asia Minor in 60 a. D., there was an earth- 60 BREAKING THE SEALS quake when some twenty thousand persons perished in a moment of time. In Campania, in 66 A. D., an earthquake swept away twenty thousand also in a moment of time. In 67 and 68 A. D., when the Roman soldiers were invading Palestine, and subjugating Gali- lee, there were several earthquakes in Crete, Phrygia, at Apania, and Laodicea, and also in Judea, which destroyed upward of one hundred thousand souls. In after ages, there were several earthquakes in divers places, and, strange to say, notwithstanding our Lord’s warning and caution, many Christians the world over were led through them into a false expectation con- cerning our Lord’s Coming. It is estimated now that there are twelve or thirteen great earthquakes every year, destructive more or less to life and property. Indeed, those who know tell us that the earth is never free from tremors as indicated by delicate instruments, which also record the fact that in even violent shocks, the actual movement of the ground is surprisingly small, and moreover, is often in direction so complicated that different persons give conflicting reports of them. In the most destructive shocks, whole cities and districts have been laid waste, and enormous masses of human beings have lost their lives. In 1755, no less than sixty thousand people perished in the great Lisbon earthquake. In the last century, fifty thousand persons lost their lives through earthquakes in Calabria alone. What of the great earthquake in Sicily and Calabria within the last few years, when upward of two hundred thousand people perished in a night? It is estimated now that upward of thirty millions of the human race have perished in this dispensation through earthquakes. An earthquake always means a great shaking, an BREAKING THE SEALS 61 upheaval of some kind or another. The word earth- quake in our passage is used to describe a great shak- ing, not only in the earth, but in the sea and in the heavens as well. There is always something dreadful, something mysterious about earthquakes, and the re- sults of the great earthquakes are generally visible. Sometimes they sink mountains, raise valleys, and islands, change the face of the earth, dry up lakes, alter watercourses, and, of course, overwhelm vast populations. When used as a figure or symbol, the earthquake always sets forth great disturbances or revolutions among men. ‘This is what we have de- lineated in the vision before us. ‘Throughout this age, at times, more than at other times, there have been great and serious revolutions which have changed the social order, and have caused great tribulation to the people of God. We must now notice some things that occurred when the earthquake took place, symbolic of the results of some of the great revolutions in history. When the earthquake took place in this vision, “the sun became black as sackcloth of hair.” Again this is what Christ promised for the age preceding His Second Advent (Matt. 24: 29), when He said, in “those days shall the sun be darkened.” In the Book of the Revelation, there are three suns, the orb of light which rules the day, the imperial sun which at the time that John wrote was the Roman Empire, and the Spiritual Sun, Who is Christ. Right down through the age, the imperial sun has been darkened upon several occasions, the eclipse being sometimes partial, and sometimes complete. Empires have risen, had their day, and then gone down and out again in blackness. But the sun mentioned in this symbolic prophecy is doubtless 62 BREAKING THE SEALS the Sun of Righteousness which rises in many lives with healing in Hi8“Wings. There can be no gain- saying this fact, for the Christ, as the Source of light for a spiritual world, has been eclipsed by the social revolutions within the history of the race. At the present time, there are approximately sixteen hundred million peoples in thé earth, and of that number, at most, taking the true and false Christians together, only about four hundred millions of them know any- thing about Christ and His Saviourhood. Not only was the sun darkened when the earth- quake took place, but the moon was turned into blood as well. This, too, was predicted in the Old Testament, and promised by our Lord for the present age. In the prophecy by Joel (2: 10, 81; 3: 15), we read “ the sun and the moon shall be dark.” “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come,” and, “the sun and the moon shall be darkened.’ In the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles (v. 20), we read “the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come.” This is a quotation taken from Joel, and a promise made by Peter of events that were to take place in the earth before the Second Coming of Christ. In the Gospel by Matthew (24:29), the Saviour promised that during the time of the great tribulation, the moon should not give her light. In Luke (21:25), the Lord predicted that throughout this age, there would be signs in the moon. In the Book of the Revelation, there are three moons, the body that rules the night, the national moon, which was in Old Testament times and in the time that the New Testament was written, the Hebrew people; and, BREAKING THE SEALS 63 the spiritual moon, which is the Church of Jesus Christ shining in this earth during the period of the Sun’s absence. The moon shines in the night, and that with a borrowed light. During the old dispensation and up to the destruc- tion of the Jewish Kingdom under Titus in 70 a. D., the Hebrew Kingdom reflected the light of the Reve- lation of God in His unity, power, wisdom, grace, justice, and mercy. They were the only people who stood for the oneness of Jehovah, and they told out the blessedness of worshipping and serving Him. But on account of the unfaithfulness of that people to Jehovah, they lost their light-giving power, and were scattered over the face of the globe. For two thou- sand years now, the national people of God have been unable to give forth their light, and hence the moon has been turned into blood. But what happened to the Hebrew Kingdom has transpired at times and in places with the Spiritual Moon, the Church, in this age. ‘The Church has risen to reflect her derived Light from Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, and then on account of a lack of faithfulness, has become dim and dark, and has disappeared altogether as the Reflector of the true Light. This is plainly seen when we study the history of the churches of Asia Minor, Palestine, Africa, and other countries. Yes, it is true that not only has the Christ Himself been eclipsed in this age, but the Church has been turned into blood as well, and that as a result of the revolutions, the anarchies, and the disturbances within the federated, organized, social order. What Christ predicted, and what this prophecy prefigured has literally come to pass. in history in re- lation to Christ, the Jewish Nation, and the Church. The next thing that followed as a result of the earth- 64 BREAKING THE SEALS quake that John saw, was that the stars of heaven fell into the earth, and they fell as figs from the fig tree, when the tree is shaken of a mighty wind. In the prophecy by Joel (2: 10), it was predicted that in the last days, the period of time in which we now live, “the stars shall withdraw their shining.” Again in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel by Matthew, the Saviour said, “ The stars shall fall from heaven.” In the Book of the Revelation, stars are often used as illustrations of persons. For instance, we read in the first chapter about Christ having a hand full of stars, seven in number. Then in the same chapter (v. 20), we are told that the seven stars in the hand of Christ represented the angels or messengers of the seven churches in Asia Minor. Further, we read about two individual stars, one a falling star which represents the devil, and the other a Bright and Morning Star, which represents Jesus Christ the Son of God. ‘The stars in this Seal Vision illustrate, or prefigure, both real and professed Chris- tian men and women, who, throughout this age, fall it morally, doctrinally, and spiritually from their orbits in the Sphere of divine privilege. These falling stars tell us of apostasy from the faith, and of error con- cerning the faith. In the twelfth chapter we read about the great dragon having a tail which sweeps through the heavenly regions and draws down to the earth many of the heavenly bodies. ‘The tail of the dragon is error concerning the Truth, and by the sys- tems of doctrinal error in the world, the devil accom- plished the downfall of many who profess, and who truly believe upon Christ as their Saviour. Surely what is here symbolically predicted has come to pass over and over again in this age, and will come to pass BREAKING THE SEALS 65 repeatedly, and perhaps increasingly, until the age finally comes to a close. Not only is the Sun eclipsed, the Moon turned into blood, and the stars made to fall from heaven, but the heaven itself is rolled up as a scroll, and then recedes from the earth. In the Gospel by Matthew, Christ said that before the time of His coming, “ the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” (v. 29). Keep in mind that there are three distinct heavens mentioned in this Book; the heaven of the atmosphere, the heaven of the stars, and the Heaven of the Heavens, where God has His throne, where Christ is, and where all the saved dead and the holy angels are. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, there is a region or sphere spoken of as “ The Heavenlies.” Heaven in Ephesians is used to signify that which is in contradistinction to all that which is earthly. ‘‘ The Heavenlies’’ may be defined as the sphere of the believers’ spiritual experience as identified with Christ in nature, in relationship, in serv- ice, in suffering, in inheritance, and in the future king- dom of glory. Now when this symbol speaks of the heaven departing as a scroll and being rolled up, the reference may be to the departure from the believer of his spiritual experience when he falls on account of heresy in the Truth, or his apostasy from the Truth. Further, perhaps it is a reference to the shaking of the powers of the heavens which would be disturbances among earthly governments which have been estab- lished by the authority of God in heaven. The Apostle Paul tells us (Rom. 13: 1-7) that we ought to be sub- ject to the higher or heavenly powers, for there is no power but of God, and the powers that be are or- dained of God. The “powers” to which He makes reference are not stellar, not spiritual, but rather 66 BREAKING THE SEALS political. It is true that when there are revolutions in the earth, human governments are terribly disturbed, and sometimes are put at their wit’s end. It appears to me that the rolling up of the heaven, and its reced- ing, refers to the political heavens that dwell and oper- ate upon the earth. _ You will also notice that under this Seal Vision some great changes took place in the earth. When John heard the earthquake, and saw its results, he said that every mountain and island were moved out of their places. A mountain is always the illustration of an Empire well established, and unshaken by any force that might be exercised against it. An island, a piece of land surrounded by water, stood for a pro- vincial or state government connected with and con- trolled by the Empire. John did not see the moun- tains and islands destroyed. He just saw them mov- ing or shifting from one place to another. That spoke to John and to the early Christians of governmental changes in the earth. Surely this has been taking place on the face of the globe for two thousand years. Em- pires have risen, human governments have been estab- lished, have had their day, and then fallen, to be suc- ceeded by empires and governments of a different kind. There was first government by absolutism, then by oligarchy, then militarism, and then the imperial form, and, for hundreds of years, a combination of government by absolutism and democracy. Kings have risen to their thrones, worn their crowns for a short period, and then have toppled from their royal seats in great disaster. Every change of empire, and every change of government in the history of the race for two thousand years, has been due to the earthquake of revolution within the social order. BREAKING THE SEALS 67 When this Sixth Seal Vision recorded the earth- quake, there was great terror and distress among the sons of men. “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 free man, 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.” It will be observed that the distress and terror symbolized here reach from the kings on their thrones right down to the bondmen working at the mill. None are excluded. They are represented as going to the mountains for shelter, and for protection from the anger of the One who sits upon the throne. I mentioned that the mountains symbolized empires, or human governments. Is it not true that all classes of society in this age have made, and are making ap- peals to the governments of the earth for protection and help in the causes they represent? ‘This is what is being done to-day by every section of society, with the result that there is “ upon the earth distress of na- tions, with perplexity’ (Luke 21: 25). This is the day of God’s wrath mingled with mercy. This day opened when the Christian Era began and will close when the Christian Era will end. God is not well pleased with the nations of the earth to-day. He is angry with the people, for the reason that they have rejected His Son, the rightful King of this earth. The cause of the terror and distress described in this symbolic way is the angry countenance of Him who sits upon the throne and the wrath of the Lamb. That which is a displeasure to Christ is so to God the Fa- ther. God the Father, and Jesus Christ the Son are 68 BREAKING THE SEALS so entirely one, that what pleases or displeases One, pleases or displeases the Other. Though Christ be a Lamb, He can be angry, even to wrath, and the wrath of the Lamb is exceeding dreadful; for, if the Re- deemer that appeases the wrath of God, Himself be the wrathful Enemy, where can a friend be found who will plead our cause? ‘Those perish eternally and ter- ribly, who perish by the wrath of the Redeemer. As men have their day of opportunity, and their seasons of grace, so God the Father and the Son have their day of righteous anger. All the judgments here pre- figured have already fallen upon the world, are fall- ing upon the world now, and they will all, to the ut- most degree, fall upon impenitent sinners in the judg- ment of the last day. We have seen in our study of these sealed visions that what Christ predicted in His preview of this age is here set forth in a symbolic fashion. What we have described throughout these Sealed Visions is suffering or tribulation for the people of God. It is first tribu- lation by a false Christian faith; then tribulation by militarism in war; and third, tribulation in famine and scarcity of food resulting from war; following upon this, tribulation from pestilence and disease; and then, following upon tribulation from pestilence and disease, there is tribulation from persecution; and finally, trib- ulation from revolution within the social order. This is truly “ The Great Tribulation ” predicted by Christ, and referred to in the Book of the Revelation (7: 14). ‘This Great Tribulation began at the opening of the Christian Era, has been going on ever since, is in progress now, and will increase in intensity until He comes Whose right it is to reign. « V BREAKING THE SEALS (Continued) REVELATION 7: I-17 HE words “after these things,” as in the opening of the fourth chapter, do not neces- sarily indicate anything chronological. They indicate rather a change of picture or vision, and hence a change of subject treated. The contents of this chapter is not a conclusion, and neither is it a paren- thesis. What we have here belongs to the sixth seal, is a part of it, both in the vision and in history, and runs concurrently with what we have in all of the seals. The subject of the first seal is religious error. It does not deal with any particular error, but all error con- cerning Christ and His Truth throughout this age. The subject of the second seal is war. It does not deal with any particular war, but all war in this dis- pensation. ‘The subject of the third seal is famine. It does not specify and predict any particular famine, but includes all famine. The subject of the fourth seal is pestilence, disease or plague, a condition arising out of famine. It does not specify any particular pestilence, disease or plague in the epoch between the first and second advents of Christ. The subject of the fifth seal is persecution, not any particular persecution, but a seat The eine of the first part of lar See but all. ‘revolution up to the second com- ing of Jesus. The ‘subject of the second part of the sixth seal, that which we have in this seventh chapter, 69 70 BREAKING THE SEALS is salvation (v. 10), a particular salvation, even that which issues from the work of the blood of the slaugh- tered Lamb. These subjects do not run along suc- \ cessionally in history, but rather concurrently. We | have had error concerning Christ, war, famine, plague, “persecution, and revolution right down through the age; in fact, we have them all now in different parts of the world. They do not succeed each other, but accompany each other, and throughout all, the Gospel of Grace is preached, and the Holy Spirit works with the result of salvation to all who believe. In the introductory part of this chapter, there are three sets of four each, three being the heavenly, and four the earthly number. There are “ the four corners of the earth,’’ or as we would say, “the four points of the compass ”’ which always signify world-wide ex- tension. ‘There are “the four winds,” not of “ the heaven,” as in Daniel (7: 2), but of “ the earth ” which testify of their moral origin. These winds are judg- ment evils which tend to beat upon the earth, repre- senting the Hebrew Kingdom, the sea, standing for the common populus at any time, and the living fruit- bearing trees which signify the institutions of both. These winds set before us in a very vivid fashion, uni- versal evils in the world which constantly tend to de- stroy the human family and the products of its efforts for the betterment of the race. Perhaps there is a direct reference in these judgment gales to the con- tents of the previous seals, error, war, famine, pesti- lence, persecution, and revolution. These winds signify destroying judgments of some kind, and, be- ing four in number, include them all. Further, there are four angels or messengers. These angels are represented as holding with firm hands, the PN a a ee on % Rios = pares BREAKING THE SEALS 71 winds, that they might not blow with totally destruc- tive power upon the earth, the sea, and the trees. They are holding, tempering, and restraining the gales of judgment. There have been, and are many hurtful evils in the earth, and as the days go by, they seem to increase in force, variety and number, but, thanks be unto God, no evil has arisen to “hurt” the family of man but what there has come into existence the angel of contrasting good to hold, temper, modify, and re- strain it. Truth restrains error, peace restrains war, plenty restrains famine, and life, practical life, always restrains death. The race would have been utterly destroyed ere this by the judgment winds of evil, had it not been for God’s restraining power. God has many of these angels in the earth. Think of Christian education, Christian legislation, Christian charity, and Christian evangelization! What if we had not the restraining force of these, and many other angels in the earth? What if these angels should relax and release their hold? They wil] relax and release their hold when all the servants of God are sealed for eternal salvation. Observe also that there is an individual angel or messenger depicted in this introduction. He is called manotien angels yy Vhe word! ;another”’ here, is.of a particular nature. It is “allos,” not “ beteros,” and denotes a similarity of nature, character, and office with a person or angel mentioned previously.. The angel “mentioned previously is the Author of the Revelation (compare 1:1 and 22: 8-21). This will help us to identify the angel of our chapter as He appears throughout the Book. He is referred to as “ another ”’ angel no less than eight different times, and every time the word means “ at another angel or messenger who is | 72 BREAKING THE SEALS the same.” He is therefore one and the same angel or messenger throughout. In the eighth chapter, we see this Angel at the altar holding the golden censer. In chapter ten, we see Him coming down from heaven clothed with a cloud, a rainbow about His head, His face shining as the sun, and His legs and feet like unto pillars of fire. In chapter fourteen, we see Him flying through mid-heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them who dwell on the earth. In the same chapter, we hear Him proclaiming the doom of Babylon, the false Christian system in the earth. Once more in chapter fourteen, we see Him as the Reaper of the harvest, and as the One who has author- ity to order the gathering in of the golden grain. It is not difficult to identify this Angel as the Christ. In the passage before us, this “ another”? Angel is seen ascending from the east, or the land of the sun- rising, the quarter whence there comes the light which dispels the darkness, gilds the loftiest mountain tops, and penetrates into the narrow gorges and the black- est recesses of the valleys. It will be recalled that the east was a quarter from which God’s glory frequently manifested itself. This Angel is doubtless Christ, and the fact that He is seen in this picture ascending from the east, is a reference to His first advent, and ’the glory that accompanied it. This angel also is represented as “having the seal of the living God.” The “ Seal” or stamp is the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1: 13), and the One who does the sealing is God the Father (2 Cor. 1: 21, 22). Originally to seal was to mark, or to stamp for identification, genu- ineness, ownership, or preservation. This Angel as- cending from the east, having the Seal of God, is a reference to Christ the Redeemer, in His birth, life, ee ee ee ———— FR ge ee ee he ee ee BREAKING THE SEALS 73 death, resurrection, and exaltation, and the result of all of this, the giving of the Holy Spirit to men on earth (Acts 2: 33). But this Angel has authority over the four angels whose office it is to restrain the judgment winds, for He is represented as crying with a loud voice, the voice of authority, and saying unto them, ‘“ Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees till we have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads.” These angels hear His voice and obey His order implicitly and promptly. Christ is not only the Source, Foun- tain, and Substance of all good in the universe, but He is its Master, and its Agent as well. All good in- stitutions employed to-day in restraining evil operate successfully only at the command and under the power of Christ our Angel Redeemer. The vision proper, as contained in this chapter, is double, first setting before us the saved from all Israel in this age, and second the great multitude of the redeemed in this age from all the nations of the earth. There are too companies here, and we must look at them separately. 1. Notice then, the sealed from among all the tribes of the Children of Israel (3-8). There are several things about them, the first being their title. They are called the “ servanis of our God.” As I said in a previous chapter, the word “ servants” is used nine different times in the Revelation. It is used first in a general way to describe all the readers of this book (1:1). In another passage (10: 7), they are spoken of as “ His servants the prophets,” including all of both the Old and New Testament ministry. In still another passage (11:18), they are described as the saints or sanctified ones who love God’s Person, both TA BREAKING THE SEALS small and great. It would seem from other passages in the Book (19: 2, 5; 22: 38, 6), that the word “ serv- ants”’ describes to us all the people of God both dead and living. The servants of our passage, however, do not include all the people of God in this age, but only those who are saved by Divine Grace, out from the midst of God’s natiorial people, the Jews. Not only have we their title given, but their number as well. John did not count them, but heard their number which was a hundred and forty-four thousand. This number, of course, like all the figures of the book, is symbolic. The number was twelve multiplied by twelve thousand. In twelve, there is three, the Divine number, multiplied by four, the human number, speak- ing of Deity united with humanity. Twelve was the number of the patriarchs, the tribes, and the apostles of the Lord, and so is appropriate to prefigure the saved from among the Hebrew people. Twelve among the Jews signified fixity and completeness, and multi- plied by twelve thousand, it told of something Divine extending throughout the whole earth, What we have illustrated here is the fixed and complete number of saved Jews scattered as they are and will be by the Divine plan and power over the whole face of the earth. It is of interest also to note that these people are represented as being “ sealed”? by the Angel who ascends from the sun rising, and that out of every tribe of the Children of Israel. Israel is the royal, literal, national people of Jehovah, the Jews. This is not a reference to spiritual Israel, for the tribal groups and relations have nothing to do in such a company of God’s people. There were twelve tribes of them, and though ten of the number is lost to man, and though BREAKING THE SEALS T5 they are all scattered throughout the world, yet out of every tribe, a certain fixed number are redeemed. God knows where the ten tribes are, and day by day He is saving some of them through the proclamation of the Gospel. But they are being “sealed,” stamped, marked, or branded. The seal was used to ratify a finished agreement, to mark as perfect, to identify as property, to proclaim as owner, and to make safe or secure. These were sealed or branded upon their fore- heads, the most conspicuous place, the part that pic- tured the whole personal life, the noblest part of the body, where the helmet was worn and where the golden band entitled “ HoLINEss TO THE LorD” was placed and carried. Sealing was an emblem of preservation amidst the judgment of earthly troubles, and so what we have here is salvation fixed and complete for eter- nity, notwithstanding the great tribulation through which these people are passing. The judgment winds: may blow, but the sealed of the Lord are eternally secure against them. 2. This leads to the second group in the chapter, the multitude that no man could number from every nation or race of men (9-17). The human family was one in origin, but afterward divided itself into tribes, peoples, and tongues, and hence the one singu- lar stands first, followed by three plurals, “‘ kindreds,” “peoples,” and “ tongues.’”’ As the hundred and forty- four thousand signified a saved elect from Israel, so the numberless multitude represents a saved elect throughout this age from among the Gentiles. We are told several things about this group, and we must summarize them and present them briefly. There is first their natural, general character. They are a “great multitude.’ ‘These two words do not only 76 BREAKING THE SEALS tell of a vast throng, but of a great variety, of age, race, colour, position, language, intelligence, belief, and service. ‘Their position is also described, for they “stood before the throne and before the Lamb.” Be- fore the throne was a place of the seven lamps of fire, symbolism of Divine illumination, and the sea of glass, symbolism of Divine cleansing (4:5, 6). These peo- ple then are both divinely illuminated and sanctified. But standing before the throne was a place and posi- tion which indicated readiness for service (v. 15). They are an illuminated, sanctified, and serving people. Their dress is described also, for the picture pre- sents them as “clothed with white robes.” They had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, and for that reason are “they before the throne.” It will be remembered that white robes were worn by guests at the feast, which spoke of royal honour, by victors from the games, which spoke of triumph, by those “not guilty”? in court, which de- clared their justification, and by the priests which testified of personal and ceremonial purity, and telling , of a right to service in the Presence of God. The _ white robes here speak of justification before God, and _ the privilege of service for Him. This group, then, are * justified and ready to serve. They also have “ palms in their hands.” The palm branch was a symbol of liberty, joy, and triumph. It was used in the Feast of Tabernacles on the fifteenth day of the month when they kept feast to God in holy praise and thanksgiving for their ingathered fruits, an emblem of the ingathering of the harvest of the elect redeemed as here described, which ingathering is now in progress. ‘These people are not only il- luminated, cleansed, and justified, they are free, joyful, eee at BREAKING THE SEALS 17 hopeful, and triumphant also, as all Christ’s own now should be, for this is not the heavenly scene, but an a *. The vision also tells us that while they stood before the throne robed in glistening whiteness, and grasping and waving their palm branches, “they cried,’—not “cried ”’ but, as the Greek has it, “Cry,” or shout, showing that the “Cry” or shout is their continuing ceaseless employment. What do they “cry”? “Sal- vation to our God which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb.” God is alone the Author of salvation, Christ alone, as the sacrificial Lamb, is the Medium of salvation. These precious souls from among the nations are saved or made safe, and they ascribe all the praise of their salvation to God. Those who have truly entered into the joy of a full salvation in Christ, know that it is all of God, and hence their ascription of praise unto Him. We are informed that, when souls are saved, there is joy, great and triumphant joy, in the presence of the angels (Luke 15: 7). This vision shows us clearly when souls are redeemed through the precious blood of Christ, that the angels in heaven are affected by it, for they are represented here as wor- shipping God and saying unto Him, ‘“ Amen: Bless- ing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour and power and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen.” Heaven is thrilled when men and women are saved in the earth. When the elders heard this sevenfold doxology of the angelic host, they were awakened to the importance and dignity of the white-robed throng, so one of them, speaking perhaps for the rest, and representing the Old Testament ministry, asked of John, the apostle Waite S 78 BREAKING THE SEALS of love, “ Who are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they?” This elder was comparatively ignorant of the origin, character, and destiny of the blood-washed multitude. We must not blame this elder too much, for to this very day, many professed Christians are comparatively ignorant of the origin, dignity, character, mission, and future glory of the Redeemed. But this elder was wise in that he went to the true source for information, and we would that all did the same thing. John answered, saying, “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God (justified), and serve Him day and night.” There are several things in this explanation of the palm-bearing throng, and one of them in particular we must notice. It has special reference to their origin. John said, “These are they which came (or come) out of great tribulation.” Behind the word tribula- tion, there is a picture. Imagine the oxen treading out the grain in the threshing-floor, and hauling after them a sled-like instrument, which sometimes was driven full of splints of stone or spikes of iron. That instrument was called the tribulum. That instrument separated the straw from the wheat, the chaff from the grain, and got it ready for the winnowing. Tribu- lation means trouble, but trouble that generally does us good. There is experimental trouble, or tribulation when the heart and mind are in great distress, or sor- row. That is the spiritual trouble or tribulation through which souls must pass before their robes are washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. We call this trouble “a sense of guilt,” ‘ conviction,” “ 4 a 2 { FA Be BREAKING THE SEALS 79 ”» “repentance.” Whatever it is, souls must pass through it before they can stand justified in the presence of God. ‘That tribulation or soul trouble is caused by the Holy Spirit in His use of the tribulum of the Word. Is that the tribulation here? Think of it! There is another tribulation, and we might call it now the prophetic, historical one. Daniel predicted (12:1) that there would come to the people of God an unexampled time of trouble, and during that time of trouble, many of the Lord’s people would be re- deemed, even those who had their names written in the Divine birth register. At the time when that prophecy was uttered, one period of tribulation was about closing, the seventy years of captivity in Baby- lon. The people of God at that time thought that their tribulation was over. They were mistaken regarding this matter, for another period of tribulation was pre- dicted for them which would be more intensive and extensive than the one they had just suffered. This period of tribulation pursued them through the Persian and Grecian Empires, and up to 70 A. D., under the Roman Empire, when the Hebrew Kingdom went down and out in blood, and the nation itself lost en- tirely its city, its land, and its polity, and was scat- tered over the face of the earth. That was a long period of terrible trouble for the people of God. It culminated in the invading of Palestine by the Roman army, and by the destruction of the Holy City, when literally hundreds of thousands of the people of God perished. The “ great tribula- tion’ and “ the tribulation of those days” referred to by the Lord (Matt. 24: 22, 29) was the terrible time of trouble through which the people passed from about 66 a. D. to 70 A.D, When the Lord spoke concerning 80 BREAKING THE SEALS that unexampled time of trouble, the event to Him and to His disciples was altogether prospective. It took place about thirty-eight years after He uttered that prophecy. Since 70 A. D., that “ great tribulation ” has been retrospective. ‘That great trouble for God’s people is passed and has been passed for nearly two thousand years. But dating from the destruction of Jerusalem, and running throughout the whole course of this age, the Lord predicted another “ great tribulation” for His people. This is what He referred to in Matthew (24:29) and Luke (21:24). This tribulation, or time of trouble, was to continue from the destruction of Jerusalem through the ages, past our own time, “until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled,” which fulfillment will be completed when this dispensation reaches its consummation. Jesus said (John 16: 33) to His disciples when He was about leaving them, “In the world ye shall have tribulation,” and they had it, and their successors have been having it ever since. Paul, in perfect agreement with the prediction of Jesus, said, that through much tribulation we must enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14: 22). The tribu- ‘lation of our chapter, literally, “the tribulation the ‘great, or the greatest one,” is the tribulation predicted by our Lord for His people in this age down to the end. It has been and is the greatest tribulation of all. It is the greatest in intensity, and the greatest in extent, for it has involved the whole round world. Its vortex is not one particular country, but all coun- tries on the face of the globe. It is greatest also in duration, for none has continued so long as this one. The Babylonian captivity only lasted for seventy years. The period covered when the people of God suffered BREAKING THE SEALS 81 so much under the Persian, Grecian, and Roman Em- pires, ending with 70 A. D. was only between six and seven hundred years. But from 70 A. D. to the pres- ent, it is now nearly two thousand years. The period has been so long that the Church has cried out again and again, “Oh, Lord God, how long?” Further, we can say that the tribulation of this age is the greatest in its multiplicity of elements. The people of God have suffered from heresy, war, famine, plague, per- secution, revolution, poverty, ‘“‘by schisms rent asunder,” and by the cruel, crushing power of the devil-dominated world system. This is the tribulation or the trouble, “the great tribulation’ we have por- trayed by the illustration of the tribulum in this vision. Tt will continue until He comes whose right it is to forever close it. These people are the redeemed both from among Jews and Gentiles, who are saved in this age, who have been washed and made whiter than snow in the precious blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they be- fore the throne, justified, and serve God perpetually. This is the Church in heaven and on earth declared righteous, cleansed, and ideally glorified, and looked at from the Divine viewpoint. What a glorious com- pany! Is it any wonder that the angelic host chant their praises to God for such a manifestation of His saving grace! | We do not lose sight of this company of the re- deemed until our attention is called to their future prospects. These are given in briefest outline, and the promises made for their future are no less than seven in number. Six times we have the word “ shall” in this part of the vision, and it always looks to the fu- ture. ‘And he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell 82 BREAKING THE SEALS among them.” The word “ dwell” is “ tabernacle.” When Christ first tabernacled on earth in the flesh, it was in great humility, but when He tabernacles on earth a second time in the midst of His people, it will be in great glory. “ They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more.” ‘They had suffered from famine, but they would do so.no more. Every longing of the redeemed soul will then be abundantly satisfied, and that because “the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters.” The food for the redeemed souls, then, will be Christ Himself, or God as revealed in Christ, and the fountains of living waters will be the spiritual refreshments provided by the Holy Ghost. “Neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat.” The intense heat of the eastern sun is made the symbol of tribulation or trouble of any kind (Matt. 13: 6, 21). These people had suffered much trouble, and their successors have suffered much trouble since, but, in the future, when the glory breaks, the sun of tribula- tion will set forever. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” What a blessed promise! These people had wept many tears, and were weeping many tears when John saw them in the vision. For two thousand years now, the people of God have been weeping. The Wife is a weeping Wife. Her Husband is absent and re- jected, and her children on earth are disloyal and un- true. But all tears are to be wiped away, and that by God Himself. We wipe away one group of tears, and another group immediately gathers. There are tears of sorrow, tears of loneliness, tears of persecu- tion, of plague, of war, tears of famine, and tears of disappointment, but God will wipe them all away. At BREAKING THE SEALS 83 that time, it will be glory for all who have been re- deemed from amidst the great trouble, and have washed their robes, and made them glistening white in the precious blood of the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. Brief life is here our portion; Brief sorrow, short-lived care; The life that knows no ending, The tearless life, is there. O happy retribution! Short toil, eternal rest; For mortals and for sinners A mansion with the blest! And now we fight the battle, But then shall wear the crown Of full and everlasting And passionless renown; And He Whom now we trust in, Shall then be seen and known, And they that know and see Him, Shall have Him for their own. O one, O only mansion! O Paradise of joy! Where tears are ever banished And smiles have no alloy; Thy loveliness oppresses All human thought and heart, And none, O Peace, O Zion, Can sing thee as thou art. VI BREAKING THE SEALS (Concluded) REVELATION 8: 1-5 HE, Roll or Book which was given to and taken by the Lamb amid the praises of the heavenly hosts is still in the hands of the Lamb. He has broken six of the Seals. The break- ing of the seventh and final seal, and the most im- portant of them all, now comes up for consideration. The contents of this Seventh Seal will occupy our at- tention for some time, for the reason that we will not reach its limit until we arrive at the end of the eleventh chapter. Some think that the contents of the Seventh Seal extend down to the end of the sixteenth chapter, where we have the conclusion of the bowl judgments. However that may be, we are sure that the trumpets all issue from the Seventh Seal and they are not com- pleted until “the time’ of the dead*® (11:18) a97; which will be at the close of this dispensation. In this passage we have an introduction to what follows right down to the blast of the last trumpet. We will pick out these symbols and look at them separately, and this will help us to see their connec- tion and application both to history and experience. The symbols contained in this passage are somewhat complex, and are therefore difficult to understand. 1. The first symbol to notice is the Half Hour of Heavenly Silence. “ And when the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” Here we have three things, 84 BREAKING THE SEALS 85 the sphere of the silence, the period of the silence, and the significance of the silence. As for the sphere of the silence, it was in heaven where God, Christ, holy angels, and the saved dead dwell. This heaven stands for the invisible spiritual region, that region in which mankind is so much interested. But the period of this heavenly silence is described as ‘about the space of half an hour.” In the Gospel by John, the writer of the Revelation, we read frequently of “an hour.’ At one time the “hour” included the whole period of our Lord’s public ministry (2:4) which was approx- imately three years and a half. Then it certainly com- prehended the whole period of our Lord’s suffering for human sin upon the tree, which was actually the space of about six hours (John 12:27). Further, John uses the word “hour ” to set forth the period of the Gospel dispensation, during which humans, through faith, are brought out of a state of death into a state of life (John 5: 25). Up to the present, this “ hour ” has lasted for about two thousand years. The passage under consideration speaks of a period of time as “about the space of half an hour.” It was not ex- actly half an hour, but “about ’”’ or somewhere near half an hour. We would say “a half an hour more or less.” ‘Thus we see that the space of time referred to, on the human side at least, was of an indefinite duration. It was not literally a half hour of thirty minutes. In the Book of the Revelation the half of anything suggests, not so much an actual half, as a) broken and interrupted whole—like five a broken ten, | six a broken twelve, and three and a half, a broken. seven. In the half hour, then, we have a complete | undetermined period of time broken, and therefore troublous. 5. - 86 BREAKING THE SEALS But it is to be noted carefully that this period is “about the space of half an hour,” during which there is “ stlence in heaven.” What does this silence mean? We can only get at its significance by remembering that, like many other pictures of this book, this one is taken from the temple service. In the old Jewish temple musical instruments and singing resounded continually during the whole time of the offering of the bloody sacrifices, which always formed the first part and the foundation of all the rest of the service. But at the offering of the incense, which signifies the presentation of prayers, praises, and worship unto God, solemn silence was kept while the priest was ministering at the altar, and the people praying se- cretly and silently without (Luke 1:9, 10). This is precisely the picture before us. The sacrifice of blood has been completely and finally made. The atonement for the race has been accomplished. Christ, the angel High Priest, is at the golden altar. He has been there since He went into the Holy Place in the Ascension, and will remain there until He, like the high priest of old, reappears with benediction for His believing, wor- shipping people. The silence mentioned in this picture *) is not the silence of awe or fear of impending judg- ment, but the silence of rest and peace in atonement having been accomplished. By the half hour of si- lence we have the suspension of judgment. It is a pause by and during which God gives space for re- pentance, and offers to the people a full and free sal- vation. The whole prophetic era from Pentecost to Parousia is “about the space of half an hour.” We have been in this half hour for a period of two thou- sand years, and will remain in it until Christ comes a second time. BREAKING THE SEALS 87 2. Not only have we the half hour silence, but we also have the Seven Angels. ‘And I saw the seven angels which stood before God.” There has been con- siderable conjecture about these angels. By the word “angels” we ordinarily understand a race of spiritual beings, of a nature exalted far above that of man, although infinitely removed from that of God, whose office is to do Him service in heaven, and, by His appointment, to help men on earth. There is such a race of spiritual beings, and they are ministering spirits sent forth to do service for them who are the possessors of salvation. But besides this use of the word “angels” in the Bible, we find the term employed to describe any messengers of God, such, for instance, as the Old Testament prophets (Isa. 42:19; Haggai 1:13; Mal. 3:1). The angels of our passage are of a unique character, because they are spoken of as ‘‘ The seven angels”’ as if there were none others quite like them. From the use of the definite article here I take it that the seven angels of this passage are the same as the seven angels mentioned in the first chapter of the book (v. 20), where we read ‘‘ The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.” The seven angels of the seven churches were not ruling angels, not guardian angels, and not the pastors or bishops of the churches, but the churches themselves, made up of regenerated men and women of all ages, colours, races, considered from the divine viewpoint. The angels of the seven churches and the angels of our passage are the same in character and office, are men and women in the flesh, but men and women made new in heart and life by the agency of the Holy Spirit. They are Spirit-born human beings. The things noted here about these angels are true 88 BREAKING THE SEALS in every respect regarding the Church from the Divine side. They are seven in number, signifying their com- pleteness and their Divine-human character. IJdeally, as in the future actually, the saved of the Lord have their complete number, and, as one body, constitute a Divine-human institution. These divine messengers “stood.” ‘This is the posture of willing obedience and ready service. But they “stood before God,” signify- ing their right attitude toward God, their right relation with God, and God’s justifying approval of them in that attitude and relation. All of God’s people are eternally justified in His sight. JI am_ persuaded, though contrary to the teaching of commentaries gen- erally, that the seven angels of the Revelation repre- sent the truly saved in the earth in history beginning with the first and ending with the second advent of Christ. If we be truly born of God we are num- bered among the seven angels or the messengers of Jehovah. 3. The third item of interest in our picture is the seven trumpets. “And there were given unto them seven trumpets.’ ‘There were seven angels and seven trumpets. ‘There was no angel without a trumpet. What are these trumpets and what do they prefigure? This figure is also taken from the Old Testament temple service, and hence we must go back to the Old Testament for our explanation. The far-reaching blast of the Old Testament trumpet was the most meaningful figure during those times. In the Old Testament the time of the blowing of the trumpet was the most important of all times. It was a time when men were to give earnest, concentrated, and intelli- gent attention, and to bestir themselves accordingly. There were different kinds of trumpets under the Jew- BREAKING THE SEALS 89 ish economy. ‘There was first the trumpet of legisla- tion when God manifested Himself in righteousness, in terrible majesty and power. When God appeared on the summit of Sinai, there was “the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud,’ so that all the people in the camps trembled (Exod. 19: 16). There was a military trumpet which summoned the armies of Israel to battle against their enemies (Num, 10:9; Jer. 4:19). There was also the musical trumpet, like all the other trumpets, a wind instrument, which formed a part of the temple orchestra (Psa. 98:6; 150: 38). This trumpet was never used in the synagogue service, but always in the service of the holy sanctuary. In addition to these, there was the sacrificial trumpet which was blown over the burnt offerings and peace offerings while they were being presented, announc- ing to the people outside that atonement was being made for sin, and peace with God was being estab- Pepeda Nut LOc LO Si Mevanma nets 25). Opava ne sacrificial trumpet was a testimony concerning forgive- ness of sin from God and fellowship, on the ground of the blood, with God. Further, there was the royal trumpet which was only blown when a new king was anointed and crowned. When Solomon was made king the trumpet was blown and the shout went up, “God save the king” (1 Kings 1: 34, 39; 2 Kings 9:13). The trumpet of jubilee was also used in Israel, but only once in every fifty years. Those who were privileged to hear that trumpet were made happy, for it proclaimed their liberty (Lev. 25: 8-12). At the sound of that trumpet all shackles fell from the arms and feet of the prisoners, and all who had been in bondage returned to their possessions and their fami- lies. During the year of jubilee the people ate of the 90 BREAKING THE SEALS increase of their fields and rejoiced with joy unspeak- able. There was another trumpet used in Israel, and it might be called the seventh month, or October trumpet. It was blown for one day only, and that on the first day of October, and then the whole day was given up to it, and the people generally participated in it (Num. 29:1-6). The first day of October was the Jewish New Year. That trumpet called the people to rest, for on that day they ceased from all servile work and kept holy Sabbath. It called them also to self-examination, repentance from sin, and consecra- tion unto God, and was the announcement of a new beginning in their individual, social, spiritual, and na- tional life. It is claimed by many that the October trumpet was the most significant of them all. With these facts before us, what is our conclusion concerning the seven trumpets in our chapter? They are truly a Jewish figure, and they are not now diffi- cult to understand. Are they the trumpets of Revela- tion? ‘Then they call us to give heed to the words spoken by Jehovah. Are they the instruments of music? ‘Then they invite us to prayer, praise and worship. Are they the military trumpets? Then they call us to battle against the enemies of the Lord and His people. Are they the festal trumpets? Then they announce a full and final atonement, and peace with God established. Are they the royal trumpets? Then they proclaim the fact that a new King is on the throne and that a new reign has begun. Are they the jubilee trumpets? Then they proclaim liberty to the captives, wealth to the poor, health to the sick, strength to the weak, comfort to the sorrowing, joy to the sad, and sight to the blind. Are they the seventh month or BREAKING THE SEALS 91 October trumpets? I think they are, and if so, they proclaim a new beginning, which is the new birth, and call to self-examination, repentance, and consecration in view of that new beginning. ‘Trumpets, especially trumpets of this kind, are symbols of testimony. Here we have illustrated the Church saved in Christ giving forth her testimony in a world of darkness and calling for repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in view of solemn, historical, pending, and future judgments. What a majestic and sublime picture is this!” The reality of which these trumpets are the symbol is the full gospel of Jesus Christ which He has commissioned His Church to proclaim through- out this age. Are we blowing our trumpets? 4, Another object of great interest here is the Angel presiding as a priest. John speaks of him as “another angel” or another messenger who is the same as the one mentioned in the first and seventh chapters (1:1; 7:2). The angel here is the author of the Revelation, and the one who sealed the servants of God upon their foreheads. A little consideration will make plain that the “another angel” of this pas- sage is Christ as He now carries on the work of in- tercession before the Father. This angel “ came and stood at the altar.” He was not always at the altar, for He was seen to arrive there, and He did not stand there forever. At the opening of the fifth seal (6: 9) we read of “ the altar’ which was the brazen altar, the altar where the blood was shed, the altar of the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering in the outer court of the sanctuary. Some tell us that the altar here was the golden altar which was in the holy place before the throne, or just in front of the second veil. There is no good ground for this differ- ane erect geyser cane 92 BREAKING THE SEALS ence of opinion, for the reason that both the brazen and golden altars are symbols in this vision. The phrase “the altar” is used five times in this book, and invariably it refers to the altar on which atonement was made, where justice was symbolically satisfied, and where peace was symbolically established with God. At this altar we see the sin offering a symbol of atonement, the burnt offering a symbol of consecration, and the peace offering a symbol of fel- lowship, all presented, and all a picture of Christ who offered Himself for our sakes without spot unto God. The brazen altar in the outer court where the blood was shed and where the sinner was reconciled to God was first and fundamental in the Jewish economy, and it is called “ the altar’ as if it were the only one. It formed the foundation and center of the Jewish re- ligious system, and hence when it was referred to as “ the altar’ the people always understood it to be the brazen altar in the outer court. The phrase “the golden altar” is used twice in the Revelation (8: 3; 9:13) and it refers to the altar in the Holy Place, just in front of the second veil, opposite the Ark of the Covenant. This altar is described in Exodus (30: 1-10). On the brazen altar outside all the blood was shed, and the fire was kept continually burning; on the golden altar inside no blood was shed, and the fire was kindled mornings and evenings. As the brazen altar in the outer court typified atonement, so the golden altar inside typified intercession, prayer, praise, and is a prefiguration of Christ through whom our prayers and praises ascend to God. Now note that this angel is seen first standing at or beside “ the altar’? which means the brazen altar, not the golden altar. He is first seen in the outer court BREAKING THE SEALS 93 of the world, officiating at the altar of atonement, securing forgiveness of sin for the people. This part of the picture gives us a glimpse of Christ in the flesh on the cross as He atoned in His death for the sins of the race. But this divine messenger had an empty golden censer, an implement which belonged to the Holy of holies, and was used only by the high priest. It was customary for the high priest to stand by the brazen altar with the empty golden censer in his hand while the sacrifice was being consumed. He stood there waiting until the fire had consumed the sacrifice that he might take the red-hot coals from the grating and deposit them in the censer. The fire that consumed the sacrifice must also consume the incense in the holy place. This angel standing at the altar outside is a picture of Christ, in fact He is Christ, undertaking on the cross on behalf of men. When the fire had con- sumed the sacrifice and the flame had died down, then with a small shovel the priest would lift the coals from off the altar and deposit them in his censer. After having received the coals of fire from the altar grat- ing, then there would be given unto him by his asso- ciate priests much incense that he might carry both into the holy place and burn the incense on the golden altar before the Lord, an illustration of our High Priest Who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. Christ has ministered at the brazen altar on His cross, and He is now ministering within the Holy Place at the golden altar of the throne. Just as that — angel was given much incense, so Christ in the presence of God is given much prayer and praise by His people. Christ is the Angel through Whom all persons, prayers and praises have access unto God (Eph. 2:18). It is alone through Christ that we offer our prayers and 94 BREAKING THE SEALS praises to God continually (Heb. 18:15). In the picture before us the angel only offered the incense that was given unto him, no more and no less. The object of giving of the much incense to the angel was “that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints,’ not for the prayers, as if in their stead, but in the sense of furthering them and prospering them. The prayers themselves were a part of the of- fering. The incense gave value to the prayers in God’s sight. There is a real offering of incense, and that incense is made up of the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. His merits are added to our prayers and praises and they make them true prayers and true praises before Jehovah. Christ’s merits added to our prayers are offered to God as the prayers themselves. Christ’s merits, like the incense, are given to the prayers, with the prayers, and for the prayers. Christ above offering at the golden altar makes our prayers successful in the sight of God, and according to the passage, the prayers and praises offered unto God are not in vain, for it says, “and the smoke of the in- cense, which came with the prayers of the saints, as- cended up before God out of the angel’s hand.” The angel, you will now see, is in the holy place at the golden altar; he has passed through the veil, for in- cense was never offered in the outer court at the brazen altar. Thus we see that the two altars are mentioned in this sublime picture. The ascension of the sweet vapour or cloud into the presence of God was the symbolic announcement that the prayers were heard. Through this age much prayer has been offered, and the presence of Jesus before the Father makes those prayers successful. Those who cry unto God in prayer in the name of Jesus do not cry in vain. Jesus BREAKING THE SEALS 95 lives, and is in the Holy Place now making interces- sion. This angel did another very significant thing. He “took the censer and filled it with fire off the altar and cast it into the earth.” We first see this angel stand- ing at the brazen altar in the outer court. Then we follow him through the first veil as he enters the Holy Place with his fire-filled golden censer in one hand and his much incense in the other hand. Now we see him in the outer court again, and going to the brazen altar, not to offer sacrifice, but to secure more fire, not to carry it within the Holy Place, but to cast it, or scatter it, over the face of the earth. Here we have most vividly portrayed the first coming of Christ to atone for sin, His exaltation to the Father’s right hand to save from the power of sin, and His coming again in glory unto salvation, apart from sin, for all those who look for Him. The sacrifice has been made and incense has been offered, and as a result of both the fire comes down to earth. What does this fire signify? Some tell us that it bespeaks wrath, torture, and de- struction of the wicked. Those who tell us this say that fire is the exclusive and common figure of divine terribleness toward the guilty, the chief torment of the lost. If the act of the Messenger be a prophecy of what will take place at the second advent, then the casting of the fire in the earth is a prefiguration of the wrath of God on men in that day. But it is not true that fire is the exclusive and common figure of the wrath of God. Fire, and especially the altar fire, is made the symbol of the Holy Spirit in the Bible (Matt. 3:11, 12; Acts 2:3). ‘What fire is in the natural world, God the Holy Ghost is in the spiritual world of men. Fire warms, beautifies, protects, 96 BREAKING THE SEALS purifies, glorifies, consumes, and rapidly spreads. It was when the atonement was finished, and the incense with the prayers of the saints presented that the fire was cast into the earth. The Holy Spirit is here on earth inhabiting the Church and working through the Church convicting men of sin as the result of what Christ did on the cross and what He is doing now in the presence of the Father. If Christ had not been glorified by death on the cross, resurrection from the grave and ascension to the glory the Holy Spirit would not have come down (John 7: 39; 14: 6; 16: 7; Acts 2:83). Iam persuaded that the fire in this vision is the Holy Spirit Who has been sent down to earth as a result of what Christ did on the cross and is now doing on the throne. There is one concluding item in this vision. When the angel, who is Christ, cast the holy fire into the earth, “there were voices and thunderings and light- nings.and an earthquake.’”’ It does not say that the fire cast into the earth produced or became the cause of the voices, thunderings, lightnings, and the earthquake. We are not even told what time elapsed between the two events. These are signs of God’s judgments upon His enemies. We will remember that we saw those signs in the fourth chapter (v. 5) which told of God’s judgments on His foes in the old dispensation. At the sounding of the seventh trumpet (11:19) we will see these signs again. That will be the time of the judgment when wrath will be visited on the un- believing. The voices, thunders, lightnings, and earth- quake speak of God’s judgments upon His foes throughout this age, culminating in the final judgment which will take place by and by. No age has been without these judgments, as no age has been without BREAKING THE SEALS 97 foretokens of that great day. We have these judg- ments on the face of the earth at the present, and hence the call to self-examination, repentance, and con- secration that is to follow in the blowing of the trum- pets. Thus we see many great and precious truths in this vision, and Christ our High Priest is the center of them all. There is the half-hour silence which tells us that the atonement is finally and fully made. There are the seven angels or messengers of God who tell us of the Church called and saved of God for specific ministry of evangelization in the earth. Then there are the seven trumpets which tell us of testimony to be borne by the Church. And further, there is “ an- other angel’ who speaks to us of Christ on the cross, on the throne, and sending down the Holy Spirit in answer to His intercessory work. And then we have judgment of the age through which the world is pass- ing, and culminating in the great judgment yet to come. Let us always give Christ His proper place and respond to the trumpet call for repentance toward God, and faith in Him Who loved us, Who died in our stead, and Who now lives for us at the right hand of the Father. Vil SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS REVELATION 8: 6-12 ‘ N Y E come now to the actual Sounding of the Trumpets. “ And the seven angels that had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.’ We must keep in mind that the seven angels or messengers represent the saved element in the visi- ble Church, and the seven trumpets signify the testi- mony the saved people of the earth are called upon to deliver. But we are told that those angels “ prepared themselves to sound.” In the case of those angels actually, as John saw them in the picture, in what did their preparation consist? In that preparation there doubtless was the erecting of the figure, the standing upon the feet, grasping the instrument, the bending of the arm, and adjusting of the head, the inflating of the lungs, the swelling of the cheeks, and the pressing of the instruments firmly to the mouth. All of this, and much more, were necessary to the production of a clear, far-reaching, and reverberating sound. With- out that preparation there could not be the intelligent and effective blowing of the trumpets. As these angels prepared themselves to sound, so the priests and the people in olden times had to pre- pare themselves to sound. ‘They prepared themselves ceremonially, by self-examination, according to the law of Moses, by repentance from sin, and by holy con- secration unto God. They could not sound the trumpet without this preparation. As the apocalyptic mes- 98 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 99 sengers prepared themselves actually, and the priests and people of old time prepared themselves ceremoni- ally, so the individual, the group, or the Church must prepare themselves spiritually to sound the trumpet of testimony. With the saved on earth, there must be separation from the world, cleansing from sin, a fuller knowledge of God and His Word, and the inflating of the whole personality with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The reason so many of God’s peo- ple have no testimony for the world, is because they have not gotten themselves ready by prayer, Bible study, holy living, and above and through all the in- filling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Divine breath that makes speech possible, eloquent, and effective. Let us all prepare ourselves to sound. 1. In the sounding of the first trumpet we have a call to repentance in view of the judgment upon the earth. ‘And the first angel sounded, and there fol- lowed hail and fire mingled with blood, and it was cast into the earth; and a third part of the earth was burnt up, and a third part of the trees was burnt up and all the green grass was burnt up.” The earth is mentioned eighty times in this book. At first God created the earth by His own power and wisdom with- out the aid of preéxisting material, prepared it for the abode of men, planted it with trees for shade, food, and ornament to the eye, spread over it a mantle of green, and then pronounced it very good. Every tree of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil man was allowed to eat, while grass covered the earth for his cattle and herbs for their service. All nature was to minister to the needs of man, and in cultivating the ground he was to find easy and happy employment. But sin came in, and thorns and thistles \ ‘ora, 100 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS sprang up on every hand to pierce and wound the flesh of man. Cultivating the soil became a burden, and a fruitful field became a barren wilderness which would only produce by constant, patient and often disap- pointed toil. This, doubtless, is the thought that lies back of the message of the first trumpet. The punish- ment of the world was drawn down upon the world by itself, by it having risen in opposition against Him Who prepared the earth for the blessing of mankind. In this vision there is a terrible storm with hail and fire, the two opposite extremes, mingled with blood which speaks of death. It is claimed by some that one of the plagues of Egypt was in the mind of the Seer when he had this vision (Ex. 9: 28-25). It is difficult to say definitely what is meant by “the third part.” It was the “third part” of the earth, and “ the third part”’ of the trees that were burned, charred and con- sumed. It would seem that partial destruction only is illustrated by this figure. In the Book of the Reve- lation and also in Jeremiah and Ezekiel where the earth is used as a symbol, it represents the Hebrew race as a kingdom, and the trees, their gréat men, and the green grass, the glory of that kingdom, namely, its religion. In the destruction of the Hebrew king- dom, we have the burning of the earth, and in the downfall of their great men, we have the destroying of the third part of the trees, and the consuming of the green grass. Israel was destroyed nationally, po- litically, socially, and religiously in 70 A. D., and yet Israel lives, works, and contributes her part to the life of the race. There has not been, and there will not be total destruction of the Hebrew race in the earth. In view of what happened to the earth when man first rebelled against God, in view of what happened in SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 101 Egypt when there was that terrible electric storm, and in view of what happened to the Jewish Kingdom when it rejected their Messiah, this first trumpet says in clear unmistakable tones, ‘ Repent, and believe the Gospel.” | 2. The Blowing of the Second Trumpet is a call to repentance in view of the judgment inflicted upon the sea, “ 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.” The sea is mentioned twenty-one times in this book. It is represented as having been created by God, filled with creatures which have life, and being visited by Satan, the prince of the power of the air. The study of the sea as presented in this book is most fascinating, and we discover that there is something more than the real sea intended by the illustration. The word “sea” is used to describe the gathering of the waters encompassing the earth, or what we call in a more or less definite sense, “ the ocean,” especially that part of it called the Mediter- ranean Sea. John was familiar with the Mediter- ranean Sea in all its moods. At the time of the vision, the sea surrounded Patmos, his island home. He was afraid of the sea, as were the Jewish people then quite generally. The land of Palestine owed much to the great sea then, as it owes much to the great sea now. During the hot months of summer, a soft breeze from the sea at dawn fans all the seaside face of the central mountain range; at sunset the chilled air slips down the slopes, and the higher strata drifts toward the up- lands charged with priceless moisture, giving rise to 102 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS refreshing dews which make the Palestine mornings so sweet. The “ great sea” or the “hinder sea” is an absolute necessity to the life of the lands where Jesus lived. When used as a figure in the Scripture, the sea is most significant. For ages among the ancients, the sea was the emblem of that which is mysterious, pow- erful, dangerous, and, when ferocious, as in storm, set forth tumultuous commotion and turbulent rage. In _ apocalyptic imagery, as here, the sea stands for the populus, the mere unorganized mass of mankind, hu- . manity in its natural unrestrained state and condition. It is a picture of the human family, apart from Christ, throughout this age, under the domination of the evil one, restless, and at times turbulent, and often dan- gerous. In the vision that followed the blast of the second trumpet, the Seer also beheld a burning mass, like that of a huge mountain, fall from the heaven above, and plunge into the sea. What was this burning moun- tain-like appearance? There are two such mountains mentioned in the Old Testament Scriptures. ‘The first one is spoken of as a “ destroying mountain” which afterward became “a burnt mountain” (Jer. 51: 25, 26). That mountain was Babylon, and the earth de- stroyed by it was the Hebrew Kingdom. Babylon was not a burning mountain as here, but a destroying mountain, which, by the judgment of God, was dashed upon the rocks, and reduced to dust and ashes. The, other and only real burning and smoking mountain mentioned in the Old Testament was Sinai. When God descended on Mt. Sinai, ‘ the mountain burned with fire unto the heart of heaven with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness” (Deut, 4:11), When SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 103 the law was given by the Lord from the summit of that mount, we read, “and Mt. Sinai, the whole of it smoked because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly” (Ex. 19:18). In writing to the Hebrew Christians (Heb. 12: 18-31), and those people fully understood the ref- erence, the apostle said, “For we are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness and tempest, and the sound of his trumpet and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the words should not be spoken to them any more: for they could not endure that which was commanded, and if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: and so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.” In the giving of the law, there was the appearance of fire, smoke, darkness, blackness, tempest, and the blowing of the trumpet loud and long, while at the same time, there was the sound of mysterious voices. All of these things are represented in our vision and chapter. What we have in this mountain-like burning mass is the proclamation of the law of Moses from Mt. Sinai, and the preaching and the teaching of that law in the earth from that day to this. It is im- possible not to think that John had Mt. Sinai in his mind when he heard the blast of the second trumpet. But John saw this burning mass plunged into the sea. It is somewhat strange that the falling, burning meteoric masses always make for the water. Doubtless John saw many of them shoot through the air. We will remember that the sea represents the nations of the earth, or the social order as we have it now. When 104 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS that burning mass plunged into the sea, three wonder- ful effects followed. The sea was partially turned into blood, the apt symbol of death, either physical, moral, spiritual, or judicial. In their natural state the law of Moses finds men dead, and under the con- demnation of death. By the Law, people learn of the infinite holiness of God, and their own terrible sinful- ness. Before the Law, the whole world of mankind, apart from Christ, is guilty and under the Divine curse (Rom. 3: 19; Gal. 3:10). Not only was the sea partially turned to blood, but “there died the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, even they that had life.” These creatures, or created things which died were only such as “ had life.” There were creatures in the sea that did not have life, and yet they were living. The word for “life” here is not the term used generally to denote the lower and beastial life, but the word that describes the higher and renovated nature of human beings. This is a hint to the students that the creatures in this dream rep- resent persons, but persons who have had their na- tures changed by Divine grace. In the Gospel by Luke (5: 1-10) the creatures of the sea are made to repre- sent men generally. In the Gospel by Matthew (13: 47-50) they illustrate true and false Christians together in the draw-net of the kingdom. So these creatures who died by reason of the burn- ing mountain mass plunging into the sea, are persons. But what persons? At this point, for the sake of future clearness, we ought to notice that there are four classes of “dwellers” in the Book of the Reve- lation, and they include the whole human race, past, present, and future, dead and living. First, there are those “under the earth,’ or the Hadean dwellers SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 105 (5: 3,13). They are the lost who died without Christ. Then, there are the heaven dwellers (12: 12; 18: 6). The heaven dwellers are the saved in Christ whether living or dead. Those who dwell in heaven in the Book of the Revelation are the same as those who are in the “ heavenly places” in the Book of the Ephesians (Eph. 1:3). The believers are a heavenly people, and strangers and pilgrims in the earth. This book also speaks of earth dwellers, and they are mentioned the Inosbairequentiy.(37) 105529362. 107412 105,182 8) 14. 14:6; 17:8). Twice over we are told that those who dwell on the earth are the people living who have not their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (13: 8; 17:8). The earth dwellers are the unregenerated of the world, whether they be Jews or Gentiles. But the Book also speaks of the sea dwellers. In the pas- sage before us, we read about the creatures in the sea which have souls. In another passage (12:12) we read about the inhabiters of the sea, upon whom a Divine woe is pronounced, and down to whom the devil has gone with great wrath. In another pas- sage, we read about every living soul in the sea dying (16:3). Those under the earth are the dead out of Christ. Those who dwell in heaven, are those who have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, whether living or asleep. Those who dwell upon the earth are the unconverted of all classes at any time living, and those who dwell in the sea are the Jews scattered throughout, and held in bondage to the Gen- tile nations. They are the ones upon whom has come the great wrath, by reason of their treatment of the Messiah. Our passage says that a “third part,” or a portion of the living creatures in the sea, even those who had 106 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS the renovated life, died. Death here is not the phys- ical, but the spiritual death. It is the death to self, sin, law, the world, and all things contrary to the mind of God resulting in a resurrection into a new life. There are a certain elect number of the Jews in the midst of the nations, who, on hearing and receiving the law of the Lord, die in Christ, and live again unto Him. This has been going on throughout the age in which we are living. The creatures of the sea who had souls and died, are the saved Jews of this dis- pensation. We get glimpses of them again and again throughout this symbolic book. John also said that “the third part of the ships were destroyed.” These, of course, were not real ships but ships seen in a vision or dream. ‘The Old Testament prophets and psalmists drew many of their pictures from seafaring life. They referred fre- quently to the merchant ships of the ancients, and often personalized them. ‘This led them to paint an eye on each side of the bow, or to carve symbols, like those of the two heroes, Castor and Pollux, in conspic- uous places on their floats. At the time of John’s banishment to the Island of Patmos, and for a con- siderable period afterward, there was great destruc- tion of ships along the Mediterranean coast, with great loss of property and human beings. Perhaps John actually saw some of the ships destroyed. Ships car- ried much grain, gold, silver, brass, iron, and many people from one land to another. Those who gave themselves to seafaring life amassed great wealth thereby, and hence the ships became the apt symbols of commerce, trade, wealth, and international rela- tionships. John saw the ships destroyed in his dream. They were ruined by reason of being broken, disabled, SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 107 and sunk in the depths of the sea with great loss. The law of the Lord when applied to individual lives, to the lives of groups, or, if you like, the whole social order, is destructive of many old relationships, and is constructive of many new relationships. The second trumpet blast is a call to Repentance in view of the judgment upon the sea. 38. The Sounding of the Third Trumpet is a call to Repentance in view of Judgment upon the Water. “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon a third part of the rivers, and upon the foun- tains of water: and the name of the star is called wormwood, and the third part of the waters became wormwood: and many died of the waters, because they were made bitter.’’ In the first part of what followed from this trumpet blast, there was seen falling from heaven a torch-like burning star. This illustration was also taken from the Old Testament, for in Isaiah (14: 12) we read, “ How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning?” This passage is evidently a reference to the fall of Satan, who, as prince of the world system, is the real, though invisi- ble ruler of all the world powers. It is also a reference to the fall of the Babylonian Empire, and the empires that should succeed Babylon. Satan, by self-will, fell from heaven, and at that moment sin began in the earth. ‘There are two individual stars mentioned in the Book of the Revelation, the one being a fixed star, called the Bright and Morning Star (2: 28; 22:16). ‘The fixed, brilliant Morning Star is Christ Himself; the falling star is Satan, who fell at the beginning and has been falling ever since, in the lives of men and of nations. In view of the fall of Satan, 108 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS and in view of the fall of world empires, by this trum- pet blast, men and women who know not God are called to repentance. The star that John saw falling from heaven, and burning, fell into the running rivers, and upon the springing fountains with the result that the waters became like wormwood, bitter, and poison- ous. Men drank of those waters, and died. This pic- ture, too, is taken from the Old Testament (Jer. 9:15): for the prophet in pronouncing judgment upon the rebellious people said, “ Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; behold, I will feed them, even this people with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.” Wormwood was a bitter, in- toxicating and most poisonous herb. Used freely, it would produce convulsions, paralysis and death. It was nearly always fatal. The falling, burning star, possessed the quintessence of all bitterness and poison. It fell upon the rivers and fountains and made the waters bitter, poisonous, and death dealing. Rivers and fountains of fresh pure waters are often men- tioned in this book, and stand for the fullness of God’s blessing and truth as revealed in the Gospel of His grace. These rivers and fountains of truth have been made bitter and poisonous by error, and immorality. Think of Romanism, which is Christianity paganized! Think of Mohammedanism which has an element of Christianity in it, but oh, how deadly to moral and spiritual life in its effects. Think of Protestantism, charged and surcharged as it is with error of all kinds, leading blind men and women to death and damnation instead of to life and salvation in Christ. There is not a truth of Christ but what has been perverted by error. In view of this, the call is Repent, Receive and Believe the Gospel. SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 109 4. The Fourth Trumpet is a call to repentance in view of judgment upon the sun, moon and stars, “ 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.”’ In the first trumpet, we have judgment upon the earth, trees, and green grass; in the second, we have judgment on the sea, the fishes, and the ships; in the third, on the running rivers, and springing fountains; this trumpet lifts our thought skyward to the heavenly bodies. We are made to look upon their partial obscuration. Jesus said (Luke 21:25) that throughout this age, “ There shall be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars,” and “upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity.” He also predicted for this age (Matt. 24:29) that the sun “shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken.” Peter said in his sermon (Acts 2: 20) that before the great and notable day of the Lord’s Second Coming, “‘ The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood.” Peter was repeating what was predicted by Joel and the Saviour. What we have under this trum- pet is exactly what the prophets foretold, Jesus pre- dicted, and the Apostle Peter declared would come to pass in this dispensation leading up to the consumma- tion of the age. Many a political sun has been dark- > ened; many an ecclesiastical moon has ceased to give » its light; and many political and religious stars have fallen from their orbits in this dispensation ; world government again and again has been overturned; ec- clesiastical systems and institutions have risen and 110 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS fallen, and many leaders in both the nations and the Church have risen to honour, to high position, and have fallen and disgraced that for which they stood; they ceased to shine in the night time of the world and the Church’s history. The age in which we live has never been without the judgments we have here symbolically described. Thus we have the present-day significance of the four first trumpets. Sin on earth, whether it be in- dividual, social, ecclesiastical, or governmental, has its voice calling for revenge in heaven. Judgment against it may not always follow speedily but it will surely fall. Ahab’s queen may flourish in her personal, so- cial, religious, and national sin for many years, but finally the horses trample her body in the streets, and the dogs gnaw, and crunch her royal bones. Long was the old world left to pursue its sins, make fun of the preaching of righteousness, and to fling defiance in the face of the gracious God: but presently the promised judgment broke upon the earth of men, and their dead bodies dashed upon each other as they sank amidst the billows of God’s righteous anger. Trampled and dis- honoured blood will assert its rightful place, and, Christ will not suffer the smiting, taunts, and insults of the world forever. The judgments under these trumpets have been in the world increasingly for ages, and they are with us to-day, giving us foregleams of the terrible judgment yet to come, and their clear and insistent call is both to the cold Church, and to the condemned world, ‘ Repent, and believe the Gospel.” VIll SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS (Continued) REVELATION 8: 13-9: 21 OUR of the trumpets have sounded, and there H is a line of demarkation drawn by which each series of judgments is divided into four and three. We noticed this line of demarkation under the breaking of the seals. Here it is more distinct than it was there. In this case, the line is drawn by an alto- gether new, but most significant vision. John says, “And I saw, and I heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven saying with a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, for them that dwell on the earth, by reason of the other voices of the three angels who are yet to sound” (v. 138, R. V.). Inthe Authorized Version we have the word “angel,” but that is not supported by the ancient manu- scripts. The Revised Version gives us the word “eagle,” not “angel.” John both heard and saw this eagle flying through the upper air, and he was calling with an intelligent, great voice, the pronouncement of certain woes, and thereby uttering an exclamation of grief. These woes were for the inhabitants of the earth who are the ungodly or the unregenerate of the social order. The eagle was seen flying through the midst of heaven, that is, the heaven of the atmosphere, the part of the sky where the sun reaches the meridian. In such a position as that, the eagle would be an object conspicuous to all. That eagle was visible, audible, heavenly, and intelligent, showing that he represented III 112 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS wise, human instrumentalities of some kind. With his great and far-reaching voice, he was solemnly giving warning of the judgments past, present, and future. The eagle has some very significant characteristics, and by noting these together with what the Old Testa- ment has to say about the eagle, we will be helped to a clear understanding of the symbol before us. The eagle is, first of all, a kingly bird. It stands pre- eminently at the head of the feathered families, as the lion among the beasts. Many nations, on account of the royalty of this bird, have chosen it as their govern- mental insignia. The eagle is also famous for its ex- alted, and exalting instincts. They prefer the heights both when at rest, and when flying. They build their nests among the highest crags, and outstrip all other birds in their lofty ascensions. It is said that the eagle is the only bird that can look the sun in the face. The eagle is famous also for its keen, far-reaching sight. “The eagle eye” is a common proverb. They have a quick, clear, penetrating vision. So quick and sharp is the sight of the eagle that it is almost impossible to surprise or deceive it. The eagle is known for its strength. Its swiftness and power are so astonishing ' that the ancients used it as the symbol of omnipresence, and omnipotence. John saw and heard a great eagle flying through heaven, and warning the earth dwellers of coming judgment. That was not a real eagle that he saw, but the image of one in his dream. That eagle, though, represented a great reality. It was not a rapacious bird hastening to pounce upon its prey, but an intelli- gent heavenly messenger, warning the guilty of pend- ing judgment. In the Old Testament, the eagle is used as a symbol several times. In two places (Ex. 19: 4; SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 113 Deut. 32: 11) God Himself is represented as the Par- ent Eagle, and His people are described as young eagles whom He feeds, upbears, and teaches to fly, and rise to Himself. In this very book (12: 14) God, Jehovah, is spoken of as the Great Eagle. Under the fourth seal, the eagle who said, “‘ Go,” is Christ, and hence we see again that what God Jehovah is in the Old Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ is in the New Testa- ment. The symbol of Christ in the fourth Gospel is the eagle, and the symbol of Christ in the Book of the Revelation is the eagle. But the two different aspects of Christ as presented in these two books are quite widely contrasted. In the Gospel by John, we have Christ in His Divine Majesty; in the Book of the Rev- elation, we have Christ in His Judicial Majesty, throughout this age. The eagle of this vision repre- © sents Christ primarily in His royalty, power, intelli- gence, and quick, far-seeing vision. But did that flying, heavenly eagle prefigure Christ personally, or representatively, as set forth in His elect? Israel in the wilderness, three and a half mil- lion strong, was spoken of as eagles (Ex. 19:4). Those who wait upon the Lord were spoken of, in Isaiah’s time, as young eagles who mount upon wings (40: 30, 31). Some of the old fathers thought and spoke of the elect in Christ as eagles. Chrysostom said, “The congregated eagles are the assembly of the saints.” Origen declared, “Christians are compared to eagles because they partake of the royalty of Christ.” Jerome affirmed, ‘“‘ Eagles are the saints whose youth is renewed (Psa. 103: 5), and who, ac- cording to the saying of Isaiah (40: 31), mount up with wings as eagles, that they may ascend to Christ.” The consecrated people of God are like eagles because a pint Pants — 114 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS they love the heights. It is their constant desire to look the Sun in the face, and the nearer they are to Him, the happier they are in heart. The “ One Eagle” that John saw in his vision is the Parent Eagle of which the people of God are the offspring. That Eagle stands for the Church of God in her spiritual sphere over the earth, warning. the earth intelligently, and with grief in her heart, of judgment, past, present, and fu- ture. This brings us to the Sounding of the last three trumpets. They are quite different from the four preceding trumpets. Under the first four trumpets the judgments announced fell only upon physical nature. The first judgment smote the land, that is, the land of Palestine, representing the Jews, the trees, and the grass. ‘The second smote the sea, the fishes, and the ships. The third judgment smote the foun- tains, the wells, and the rivers, and the fourth partially obscured the sun, moon, and stars from shining upon the world. All of these trumpets are called to Re- pentance from sin to God, in view of these terrible historic and future expressions of God’s righteous anger. Now what about the following trumpets? 5. The Fifth Trumpet is a Call to Repentance in View of the Power, Malignity and Universality of Moral Evil in the Farth (9: 1-12). I ask the student to keep his Bible in hand while studying this remark- able vision. ‘There are several things to notice, the star, the bottomless pit, the smoke out of the bottom- less pit, and the unnatural locusts that come out of the smoke, the authority of the locusts themselves, and the king who ruled over them. As for the star, John said, according to the Revised Version, “‘ And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen, and SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 115 there was given to him the key of the abyss.” John did not see the star falling, but beheld it after it had fallen. He does not tell us when, how nor where it fell. He only knew that it had fallen sometime out of the heavenly sphere, and that it fell into the earth. Under the third trumpet, he saw the star in the process of falling, and in that process, it burned and flared like a mighty torch. These two stars are the one and same star, in the process of falling, and having fallen. Some think that this star represents an eminent bishop in the Christian Church, such as Boniface, the third bishop of Rome, who assumed the title of Universal Bishop, by the grace of the Emperor, who, being a usurper and tyrant in the state, allowed Boniface to be so in the church, as the reward of his flattery. I do not think that this star represents any human individual whether political or religious. We read of the angels that sinned whom God did not spare (2 Peter 2:4). Among them was one of special dignity and power, the leader and head of the rest, named “the great dragon, that old serpent called the devil and satan” (Rev. 12:9). Hence, we read elsewhere of the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). There are then falling, and fallen stars of a spiritual sort, and one of par- ticular distinction answering to the description given in the passage before us. The devil is the one who is represented by this fallen star. “He fell, but we know not where. He has fallen locally, morally, and in every other sense. He has been cast down from the heaven of purity and glory, and though not yet con- signed to hell, he has his empire here upon the earth. The Saviour referred to this when He said, “‘ I beheld Satan as lightning fallen from heaven” (Luke 10: 18). Whatever that fall of Satan is, whether moral, local, od pegs ME Se 116 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS voluntary, or the result of force, it includes a fixed, malignant determination for mischief, and overflow- ing of hate toward God and the children of men. To this fallen star, the devil, was given the key of the bottomless pit. The key in Scripture is always the symbol of authority and ability. Christ alone has the keys of death and of Hades. He wrenched them from the grasp of the devil when He came forth into resurrection life (Rev. 1:18). The devil now has the key of the bottomless abyss. The devil having ceased to be the servant of God, became the enemy of God; and by the sovereign permission of God, who had taken from him the keys of the nether world, he be- came the turnkey, to let loose the powers of hell against God, Christ, and His Church in the earth. | The devil, as the fallen star, opened the bottomless _ abyss, and that doubtless by the Divine sovereign per- } mission. The bottomless pit is mentioned seven times in the Book of the Revelation (9:1, 2, 11; 11:7; 17: 8; 20: 1,3). The political anti-christ ascends out of the bottomless pit (11:7; 17:8). The devil himself is ultimately bound and consigned to the bottomless pit (20:1, 3). What is the bottomless pit, and where is it? I do not know. I cannot conceive of this figure describing a place. It is easy enough to imagine something of this-kind, “a lower deep still threatening , to devour me opens wide.” As soon as one attempts \to suppose a physical reality corresponding to this im- agination, he falls into éefidless difficulty. My impres- ‘sion is that we have here a picture of moral character. /Whatever may be the reason, it is true that righteous- ‘ness is associated not only with light, but with height, and evil is associated not only with darkness, but with depth. Joseph Cook spoke of the fact that holiness SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 117 seems to be naturally associated with the power to rise, and that vice and crime render the spirit heavy and sodden, and that this exaltation, or downward drag, are communicated by the spirit to the body. Evil beings belong in a pit, but beings who persist in evil grow more evil. It is one of the terrible results of sin that it becomes more powerful with each hour’s supremacy. This is a universal experience of men. One thing we can say definitely, there is a world of being, and of darkness upon which man has never looked. There is a bottomless pit of moral evil which the demons know, and concerning which they besought the Saviour that He would not send them into it. It is a damp, dark, and terrible prison in which all evil has its origin and inspiration. Satan knows of that world, and has brought forth its malignant spirits to work pain and death in the earth around us. Not only have we here the falling star, the devil, and the abyss, or bottomless pit, but we also have the smoke ascending out of that pit. As soon as the mouth of the pit was opened, there issued from it a thick black smoke, as if from a great furnace, and that thick black smoke filled the air and obscured the sun. The smoke that John saw was smoke in a dream or vision, but it stood for a terrible reality, ; a reality this world has experienced and willéxperience increasingly to the end. The appearance of that smoke from the bot- tomless pit told that hell was let loose on the earth, and that there was fo htitnan hand that could stay its power. This smoke darkened the sun from the earth. The demons are the powers of darkness, and hell is © the place and condition of darkness. The devil carries | on his designs by blinding the eyes of men, by con- © fusing the thoughts of men, by obscuring light and 118 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS knowledge and promoting ignorance and error. He first deceives men and then destroys them. Wretched souls follow the devil in the dark, being led captive by him at his will. The air of the spiritual realm is now filled with the smoke of error so much so that the face of the Sun of Righteousness is almost totally obscured from twelve hundred. million souls. Out of the smoke there came a great and quickly multiplying swarm of unnatural or supernatural lo- custs. This part of the vision is coloured by the prophecy of Joel (2: 1-10), and one of the plagues of \ Egypt (Ex. 10: 12-25). ‘These unnatural locusts rep- \ resent the devil’ Ss ae in promoting superstition, ‘all other forms of evil. “ane fact, “these locusts repre- ' sent the evils themselves, and their description of those evils is absolutely true to fact. They had crowned heads which set forth their authority to do evil; they had faces like men which speak of their intelligence; they had long, and flowing hair like that of women which speak of fascinating immoral attractiveness; they had teeth like the teeth of lions which illustrate their cruel ferocity. They had breastplates of iron which symbolize the fact that they were practically invulnerable; and in flight, the sound of their wings was as the sound of many chariots, showing that they were terrorizing. They also had tails like those of scorpions and stings in them, which prefigure their power to make secret and surprise attacks. These lo- custs were unnatural; they were supernatural. Evil in the earth is not natural; it is supernatural. It is not a part of human nature; it is below human nature and against human nature. It has come from the nether world, and its tendency is to the nether world. This SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 119 is truly a perfect symbolic description of general evil \ as it appears in the human family. Evil of allkinds | is rampant in the earth to-day. Behind it, there is intelligence, authority, and in it there is attractiveness, t ali eer cruelty, and, in dealing with it, we find that it is prac- | tically invulnerable and terrorizing. Evil is the cause of all pain and death in the human family to-day. We are glad that the power of evil in the world is limited. That, too, is illustrated in our picture, for it was commanded the locusts that they should not hurt the grass, any green thing, nor the trees, but only those men who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. The unsealed ones referred to are the un- converted ones in the earth to-day, whether they be Jews or Gentiles. There is only one way of escape from the supernatural locusts of evil, and that is by being eternally sealed unto salvation in Christ, by God the Spirit. These locusts were not allowed to kill these men, but only to torment them with the torment like that given to men by the scorpion, when it strikes a man. ‘The pain from the sting of the scorpion though not generally fatal is; pérhapse the inténsest that any Bete itself. This insect™also is the most difficult to be guarded against, if they can be warded off at all, be- cause they fly where they please, dart through the air, and dwell in the darkness. How much like evil is the scorpion! But thank God even the scorpion can be, and is, conquered. Sin loses its power to inflict pain the moment the soul takes refuge in Christ by faith. The period of time during which the locusts have power is spoken of here as “ five months.” Some say that this is the period of time in the year during which 120 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS the locusts carry on their ravages. But proof of this is wanting. We are sure that no single generation of natural locusts lasts for five months. Their lifetime is much shorter than this. The locusts of our vision , are not natural. They are unnatural. Five is a broken | ten, telling of a period of time that is broken and ' troublous.. This period gives us the time limit of the | power of evil in the earth, beginning with the fall of Satan, and ending with the coming of the Lord in glory. The judgment of evil in the earth has its lim- its, and one day it will be utterly destroyed from the face of the globe, and righteousness will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. These locusts have a king whom they obey. Earthly locusts, we are distinctly told, have no king (Prov. 30:27). This king is the fallen star or Satan him- self. He is the chief of all the powers of darkness. His name as given here is a description which shows his far-reaching power. It is given both in Hebrew and Greek, showing that his authority for evil reaches both to Jews and Gentiles. His name is Abaddon in Hebrew, and Apollyon in Greek, and both names mean destroyer, the opposite to Jesus, which means Saviour and Redeemer. Now on account of the origin, char- acter, power, and the terrible ravages of evil in the world, and the fact that the devil, the fallen star, is the king of all evil, and also on account of the fact that there is only one way to be saved from the penalty, power, and presence of evil in the world, the fifth trum- pet issues the call, ‘‘ Repent and believe the Gospel.” 6. ‘The Sixth Trumpet, or the first part of it, is a Call to Repentance in View of the Fact that God has fixed in His eternal Counsels a definite time when all restraint now upon evil in the earth will be relaxed SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 121 and removed (9: 13-21). Everything points to the fact that the visions of the first four trumpets run concurrently, and that the visions of the second three trumpets, or parts of them, run successionally. When the fifth trumpet vision was finished, the announce- ment was made (v. 12), “ The first woe is past; be- hold, there come yet (or after this) two woes here- after” (or after this one). In history and experience, } the race is still under the fifth trumpet vision ; the sixth) ae, a bashes reenact trumpet vision, or the first” part of it, still belongs” ‘to é the future in history and experience. Nothing yet has happened in history exactly, in every particular, like what is here prefigured. In this part of the vision, there are several very sig- nificant symbols to notice, the Voice from the four horns of the golden altar, the Order given to the four restraining messengers, the great river Euphrates, and the infernal Army of horsemen. When the sixth angel sounded, John said, “I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before (in the pres- ence of) God.” The golden altar was mentioned be- fore this (8:3). It was on this altar where the prayers of the saints, mixed with the much incense, were placed, and from which they were offered unto God by the Messenger who had previously ascended from the land of the sun-rising, and had been at the brazen altar, and made atonement for sin. The golden altar was in the Holy Place, close to the second veil, the Holy Veil, just in front of the Ark of the Cove- nant over which the Divine Glory shone. We are told (Ex. 80:10) that the golden altar, when in service, was most holy unto the Lord. There were two distinct prohibitions given concern- ing service at this altar, the first being that no strange 122 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS incense snould be offered upon it (Ex. 30: 9) but only the Divinely prescribed incense, even that which God had offered and provided (Ex. 30: 34-88). If any one should attempt to present a counterfeit incense on this altar, he was cut off from the people of God. Strange incense illustrates and typifies a simulated or purely formal worship. There is such a thing as mak- ing worship a mere pleasure to the natural man, whether sensuous, as in beautiful music, to please the ear, or eloquence, merely to give delight to the natural mind. God is spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit (John 4: 23, 24). No strange fire was permitted on this altar. Aaron’s sons tried this, and paid the penalty of their sin in death (Lev. 10: 1-3). Fire for the golden altar in the Holy Place must come from the Brazen Altar in the Outer Court where the atonement by blood was made. ‘There is such a thing as stirring up or exciting the religious feelings by mere sensuous means, and substituting these stirred up feelings for true devotion to Christ. There are many ways of attempting to do this. Ihave seen leaders of music before congregations swing their arms, clap their hands, and call for what they termed ““more pep.” It was all an attempt to stir up the re- ligious feelings. ‘The Golden Altar before the Lord was most holy, and it must not be treated with dis- respect, and insulted by a simulated and sensuous serv- ice. The Golden Altar had the blood of the sin offering applied to the four horns, or projecting points of it, once a year for the purpose of making a ceremonial and symbolic atonement or covering for the sins of the people. The placing of the blood on the four horns indicated the world-wide potency and offer of the SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 123 atonement that had been made. ‘To attempt to burn with the holy fire, even the Divinely prescribed in- cense upon that altar without the blood being annually applied to it, was to merit and suffer the penalty of death. The blood was the basis of all the service pre- sented at that altar. Without the application and rec- ognition of the blood, all service rendered there was unavailing. That altar was a prophecy, a prefigura- tion, of Christ as our Intercessor, our Advocate with the Father through Whom all of our prayers and praises ascend to God (Heb. 13: 15). John hears the voice coming not only from the very Presence of God, and not only from the altar itself, but from the four horns of it, those parts to which the blood had been applied. The voice he heard was the voice of the Blood. In ancient times when the blood was properly applied to this altar, it cried unto God for mercy. But here is a voice calling, not for mercy, but for judgment and wrath; and the plain inference is, that the~blood™ hasbeen” ‘dishonoured, despised, and set aside. God’s way of forgiveness has been refused. “Thé blood that cried for mercy, in be- ing dishonoured and rejected, is forced into a cry for vengeance. This is exactly what we have symbolized here. The blood of Abel cried unto God for ven- geance. Is it not true that God’s way of Redemption in Christ has been rejected by the world, and even by many who profess to be Christians? Is it not true that many despise the blood to-day and will hear and have none of it? It is the Blood of Christ shed for the sins of men that is forced, by the attitude of men, to cry for vengeance, and one day that cry will be an- swered. The next symbol here is the four angels or mes- -124 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS sengers. The voice from the altar said to the sixth trumpet messenger, “ Loose the four angels that are bound.” As we had the Golden Altar before, so we had these four messengers before (7: 1-3). They were “bound” by the order of the One Messenger who ascended from the land of the sunrising. By Him they were commanded to hold in restraint the four judgment winds that they might not injure the land, the sea, and the trees, until all the servants of God were made secure. These four angels were put under bonds, or “bound” by the Lord, at the beginning of this dispensation, but now in our vision, they are released from that order, and the judgments are called for and allowed to come. This points to a day yet future. The voice that commanded a restraint of the judgments now orders a release of the judgments. What would it mean for evil in the earth, and what would it mean for the race, if all restraint upon sin were relaxed and removed? What if the restraining power of law, education, moral reform of all kinds, good governments, the Gospel of God’s Grace, and the Church were all removed? Can you conceive of what terrible results would follow? ‘That condition, and that time is coming because God’s way of salvation is ‘despised and rejected of men. It is interesting to notice where these angels were bound, and did their work. It was “upon,” near, at, or in the region of that great river Euphrates. There is a real river by this name. It takes its rise among the mountains of Armenia, and flows south to the Persian Gulf, a distance of one thousand and seven hundred miles. On the northeast, this river was the boundary line of the Land of Palestine (Gen. 15: 18). It was also Israel’s line of defense against her power- SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 125 ful enemy who had to cross its broad stream before it could capture any part of the promised land. Then the prophets saw in the power and rush of this river, a figure of judgment upon those who would not con- fess, obey, and serve God. This is what we have in Isaiah (8: 5-8), where the prophet said, “ The Lord spake also unto me again saying, Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin, and Remaliah’s son; now there- fore, Behold the Lord bringeth upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the King of As- syria and all his glory; and he shall come up over all his channels and go over all his banks: and he shall pass through Judah, he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Emmanuel.” The overflowing and rushing of that mighty river, carrying everything and every one before it, is here made the symbol of fearful judgment. The angels bound in the region of that river are repre- sented first as holding back, not only the winds of eee judgment, but the floods of judgment; now they are | ordered to release their restraining hold and to allow. the floods or billows of God’s wrath to overwhelm the | whole face of the globe. What is here prefigured will | surely come to pass some day. It is of importance to notice how many things oc- curred in the region of the Euphrates. There is an old Jewish tradition which states that evil spirits are detained and have their abode in the deserts bordering the Euphrates. It was in the region of the Euphrates, according to the record, that Satan first alighted upon our planet, won his first triumphs, and first set his foul agencies to work against men. It was in that 126 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS region where man was created, where he lived for a time in holy, happy innocency, and then fell into sin. It was in that region where the first child was born, and where the first murder was committed. It was also in that region where the great apostasies, both before and after the flood, had their center. Yes, and it was in that region that the most oppressive enemies of God’s people resided, and that the Jews were com- pelled to drag out the long and weary years of their great captivity. Further, it was in that region where all the ancient world powers took their rise. That region, somewhere, was the first cradle of human life and civilization. Thus we see that to the Jewish mind, the region of the Euphrates had the greatest signif- icance. Let us thank God that the angels of His mercy all around us are straining to hold back the flood tides of evil from overwhelming the whole human family. .The Euphrates is not in any one country, but in all ‘countries; not in any one place in any one country, ‘but in all places in every country. | Not only have we here the voice from the Golden Altar, the four bound and released angels, and the rushing of the Euphrates of evil, but we also have an army of infernal horsemen. It is well for us to quote this part of the passage. It reads, “ And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thou- sand thousands (two hundred million): and I heard the number of them, and thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire and of jacinth and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire and by the smoke and by the brimstone, which £} Roe ¢ a é “fost” ey Xe jee - q a > Pies BS SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 127 issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents and had heads, and with them they | do hurt.” These are not natural, but supernatural | . horses and riders. They are evil spirits of some kind. The instruments with which they fight and destroy are not natural, but supernatural. There is a mighty army of evil agencies that the eyes of men have never looked upon. This part of the vision is also coloured by what we have in the Old Testament (Hab. 1: 5-10). To the ancient Jews, the horse presented an object of terror rather than admiration, and an army of horse- men awakened in them the deepest alarm. An army of horsemen always spoke to the Jews of destruction, of death, conquest, and suffering most terrible. As I said, the horses here, like the locusts in the previous picture, are clothed with hellish supernatural attributes, and they convey an image of demoniacal terror. | These horses stifle, destroy, and kill with their sooty, © sulphurous breath. They have two means of injuring men. They kill by what they belch forth from their mouth, and hurt by their snake-like tails. The fire would scorch and burn men to death; the smoke would stifle and smother them. These three things are spoken of as “ plagues.”’ To meet one of these infernal horses face to face is certain death, either by burning or stifling. As to the serpentine tails of these infernal beasts, nothing is said of their power to kill, but only of their power to injure, to lame, maim, sting, or hurt. Whatever be the significance of all this, we are sure of one thing, and that is, in this part of our vision, we © have prefigured the relaxation and removal of all re- | straint of general evil in the world. When such re- laxation and liberation of all evil in the world takes © 128 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS place, sin will overwhelm the human family as the mighty billows cover the bed of the sea. In concluding this study, there are two things of importance to notice. ‘The first is this. God, in His eternal Counsels has set a time when this judgment will take place in the earth. It may fall upon the earth at any moment. He has kept this date a secret from men. How do we know that He has set such a date? It is right here in our passage, and according to the reading of the Revised Version, we are told (v. 15) that the four angels who let loose the infernal floods and the infernal army, were prepared for or against “ the hour, and day, and month and year.” ‘The definite Greek article teen, the English the, placed once only before all the periods, implies that the hour in the day, and the day in the month, and the month in the year, had been definitely fixed by the Lord. The article would have been omitted had the sum of the periods been specified. God has fixed in His eternal plan, when this judgment will take place, and to this agrees the word of the Apostle when he said (Acts 17: 81), “ He hath appointed a day in 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.” Because God -hath set this day in His eternal plan, and because men do not know that day, the call of this trumpet is, “ Re- pent now and believe the Gospel.”’ Another thing made plain here is that judgment or suffering very infrequently brings men to repentance and faith. The concluding part of our chapter bears upon that most emphatically. It says, ““ And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands that they SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 129 should not worship devils and idols of gold and silver and brass and stone and of wood, which neither can see nor hear nor walk; neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornica- tions, nor of their thefts.” They repented not of their idolatry, of their cruelty, of their witchery, of their impurity, nor of their dishonesty. What is here de- clared, we have had from the very beginning of the human family. Men do not turn to God from sin by reason of judgments in the land. They turn to God from the conviction of sin within and from moral considerations. It is true that judgments in the life, such as sickness, bereavement, and adversity cause men to pause and to think, but suffering cannot, and never has saved men from sin. Men are saved from sin by the sight of Jesus, and by the sovereign agency of the Holy Spirit. “If they hear not Moses and the proph- ets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.” On account, therefore, of the blood of Christ which is calling for vengeance as well as for mercy, on account of the day being fixed in the Coun- sels of God, for the judgments of this world, on ac- count of the fact that a believing sight of Jesus only can save, the call under this solemn trumpet blast is “ Repent now and believe the Gospel.” IX SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS (Continued) REVELATION 10: I-II \ ), Y HAT we have in this chapter belongs to, and runs along concurrently with, all that is em- braced in the six trumpet blasts which we have just studied. It describes to us an episode, or an event, a glorious event, which runs along amidst a series of the other events just previously described in a symbolic way. It is not a vision of judgment, but rather a prefiguration of mercy for the race. Like nearly every vision in the Revelation, this one is also taken from the Old Testament. In the Book of Ezekiel, the prophet was spoken to after this manner, “But thou son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth and eat that I give thee. And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto:me; and lo a roll of a book was therein; and he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was writ- ten therein lamentations and mourning and woe. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest: eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.” Then the prophet said, “So I opened my mouth and he caused me to eat that roll, And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat, and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And he said 130 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 131 unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely had I sent you to them, they would have hearkened unto thee” (Ezek. 2: 8-3: 6). It is not difficult to see that what we have here is largely a reproduction of what the prophet Ezekiel saw, heard, and experienced. The story of this vision is very simple and its par- ticulars are as follows. John is made to see an Angel come down out of heaven attired with a cloud. A rainbow, speaking of mercy and faithfulness, is above and around about the Angel’s head. His face is like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. On, or in his hand, there is an outspread roll of a book. The Angel sets his left foot on the earth, or land, and his right foot on the sea, or ocean, and then cries with a loud voice as when a lion roareth. When this significant act is accomplished by the angel, the Seer is made to hear seven claps of thunder, indicative of judgment. These claps of thunder bear to his mind a very dis- tinct message, and he takes up his pen to record what he had heard, and he was prohibited from doing so, a voice speaking unto him from heaven saying, “ Seal up those things which the seven thunders have uttered and write them not.” Here was something that John heard and understood, but he was prohibited from making it known to others. Preachers and teachers of the Word of God must, of necessity, know and ex- perience more truth than they make known. The Angel then lifted up his hand unto heaven, and swore most solemnly by the holy Person of the Creator and 132 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS Sustainer of all things, that there should be delay in time no longer in carrying out in history the promised, prophetic message. The voice that prohibited the apostle from recording the message of the seven judgment thunders then spoke to him again, and commanded him to take the little Book out of the hand of the Angel, and to eat, mas- . ticate, digest, and assimilate its contents. The Angel advised him that when he would eat the Book that its contents would be bitter to his stomach, at the same time sweet to his mouth. In obedience to the Divine command, John approached the ‘ Mighty Angel” and requested from Him the little Book, and the Angel gave unto him the little Book with the command to eat it up completely. He ate it as commanded, and its contents were sweet to his mouth and painful to his stomach. After he had partaken thus of the Book, the strong Angel again commanded him to prophesy or preach what he had learned to many peoples, na- tions, tongues, and governments. This is the simple story of the vision, and it is easy to grasp the thought that it comes out of the Old Testament. There are two prominent things in this story vision: First, the Strong Angel; second, The Little Book in the Hand of that Angel. Let us keep in mind clearly that all of what we have here is vision, or dream, but let us remember that behind it, and in it, there are some spiritual realities that are very in- tense, and they have a very definite message for the people of God to-day. 1. We will think first about the Angel as presented in this vision. John 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 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 133 sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.” It is quite com- monly believed by Bible students that the angel of this vision was Jesus Christ Himself. Elsewhere in the Book Christ is spoken of as a Lion, a Lamb, a Root, an Offspring, a Witness, a Star, and now He is an Angel or Messenger. In the very first verse of this book, He is presented as an Angel who is the Author of the book. This Angel is spoken of as “ another angel.” As I said previously, when the word “ another” is used with a noun before it, it is very significant. It signifies literally, “another who is the same,” and throughout the Book of the Revelation we find this word descriptive of our Lord. In the first verse of our vision, He is spoken of as a “mighty” or strong Angel. In the fifth chapter (verse 2), we saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘“‘ Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof.” The mighty angel of this vision is the same as the mighty angel of the vision in chapter five, and they both refer to the same Person, Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ is mighty because fullness of power is in Him, because He is valiant, and because He has been in battle and won in the fight. He has prevailed and gained the conquest. Christ overcame by His death and resurrec- tion, and was therefore qualified to open the seven sealed book, and to carry out in history its program. This is so much for the Angel of our vision in general, but there are several particular things about Him that we must observe carefully. Notice in the first place, the origin of the Angel. John saw Him, not coming from any one of the four points of the compass nor up from the earth or sea, but rather coming down out of heaven. In origin, character, ministry, and end Christ is a heavenly Mes- 134 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS senger. He came from the glory. Frequently when He was here in the earth, He spoke of His heavenly origin stating that He had come from the Father and that He was going to the Father. In this Angel com- ing down out of heaven, we have a symbolic reference to the birth of our Lord into human flesh by the sov- ereign agency of the-Holy Spirit. Further, John was attracted by the peculiar attire or dress of the mighty angel. He was clothed with a cloud. We have frequent reference to clouds in this book (11:12; 14:14, 15, 16). When Christ went home on high in the Ascension, a cloud received Him out of the sight of men on earth. The two witnesses, when raptured into the glory, went up in a cloud. There is a white cloud upon which sat One like unto the Son of Man. When clouds are used in Scripture as symbols of ideas, they carry a variety of meaning. In the Old Testament Jehovah manifested His Pres- ence and glory in a cloud. So deep was the cloud in some places that it could not be penetrated. Also in the Old Testament, clouds are made to symbolize God’s care and guidance of His people. This is particularly shown in the guidance and protection by the Pillar Cloud in the wilderness. Just what kind of a cloud is mentioned in our vision, whether of vapour, smoke, or light, we are not informed, but we are sure that, as a symbol, it tells of veiled Deity. This is precisely what we have in Christ as He tabernacled among men in the flesh. Not only is our attention directed here to the de- scent and attire of the Messenger of Christ, but our thought is directed to His Head Dress as well. The passage says that there was “a rainbow” upon His head. We suppose that the rainbow appeared as a kind SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 135 of halo of glory above and around about His majestic brow. There is much about rainbows in the Old Testa- ment, and in the fourth chapter of Revelation, the rainbow is mentioned as being around about the throne, and in sight, like unto an emerald. In Palestine where the rains are quick, and heavy downpours in showers, there are some wonderful rainbows to be seen. Fre- quently there, they look upon double and even treble rainbows that are a wonder to the beholder. John had been on the Island of Patmos for about eighteen months, and, doubtless after the storms had passed, he was privileged to see some wonderful rainbows. When he saw them, doubtless he was made to think of the rainbow set in the cloud after the storm, which symbolized Divine mercy and Jehovah’s faithfulness to His people. The rainbow in this case around about the head of the mighty angel tells us not of justice, not of anger, not of judgment; but of grace, and of in- finite mercy. In Christ, not only have we Deity and humanity embodied, but we have the mercy and faith- fulness of Jehovah incarnated and expressed as well. There is still another thing concerning this Angel that is of interest in this vision. The Seer was made to look upon the face of the Angel, and he said that for brightness, brilliance, and beauty, it was like the shining of the noonday Syrian sun. In the first chap- ter, we are told that the “ countenance ”’ of the Christ, as He appeared in the midst of the lampstands, was like the sun. If the angel were attired with a cloud, his face was not covered by that cloud. John saw his “face.” The word “ face” in this passage has a num- ber of meanings including visage, countenance, appear- ance, aspect, and presence. It may just be that the whole appearance of the angel, dressed in the Shekinah 136 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS cloud of glory, was like what John had often beheld in the setting of the glorious Eastern sun over the mountains of Patmos. John said elsewhere, “ No man hath seen God at any time, but that the only begotten of the Father hath declared Him.” While here in the flesh, Christ dwelt in human form, and in that form, a few got glimpses of. the glory of God, full of grace _ and truth. Moreover, notice that John fixed his gaze also on the Feet of the Mighty Angel, and said that they were as “pillars of fire.’ The Feet here include the legs. In the first vision of the book, where Christ appears so gloriously, His Feet are also mentioned and spoken of as brass that had been purified in the fire. Feet and legs when used as a symbol, always illustrate procedure, behaviour, manner, conduct. This brings to our mind the statement, “‘ How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things.” This refers to their manner of life, their conduct. Here the feet of Christ are like pillars because they are firmly planted. There is no danger of slipping, sliding, and stumbling in those feet. He is the stedfast and faith- ful Messenger both of God and man. They are like fire because they reflect the judicial glory of Jehovah. As fire warms, illuminates, purifies, and destroys, so the procedure of Christ judicially in the Church and in the world, accomplishes the same things. Once John fell down at these feet, and while there, humbled and broken, he heard the message, “‘ Fear not; I am the first and the last.” It is well for us to notice two strange acts of this mighty Angel. He set His left foot upon the earth, and His right foot upon the sea, and then cried with a loud voice as when a lion roars. The earth, or land, SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 137 is used frequently in this book as an illustration of the Jewish nation. Later, we will look upon a great beast as he comes up out of the earth, speaking like a dragon, at the same time having horns like a lamb. The sea is a symbol of the nations of the earth in their restlessness, barrenness, danger, and death. The act of setting the foot upon each one, the earth and sea, and crying with a loud voice as when a lion roars, is illustrative of possession, dominion, sovereignty. Dur- ing this dispensation, God, by His Holy Spirit, is call- ing out from among the Jews a number who are being saved, as in the seventh chapter we saw them sealed unto eternal salvation. Christ saving the Jews is the, reality of the symbol of His placing His left foot upon | the earth. He is claiming a part of the national earth | or land for Himself. anne the same period, He is | calling out from among the nations of the earth, a_ multitude that no man can number, and by these | two companies, saved Jews and saved Gentiles, whom \ He claims for Himself, He is forming the Church and preparing her for the glory in the future. In saving | the Gentiles, we see Christ with His right foot upon | its prey and to take possession. Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and for two thousand years now, He has been claiming by His grace, individuals from among both Jews and Gentiles, and saving them day by day. There is another ane act of the Angel here. As He stands with His left foot upon the earth, and His right foot upon the sea, He lifts up His hand toward high heaven, and solemnly swears by Him who created heaven and all things therein, the earth and all things therein, the sea, and all things therein, that there 138 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS should be delay in time no longer. This act had very solemn significance. I believe that this act in history was the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down to this earth, and began at that time to form the Church, “the Mystery of God.’ Up to the Day of Pentecost, the formation of the Mystery of God was delayed, and from that time to this, and on to the time when the last angel shall begin to blow his trum- pet, the time of delay shall be no longer. The time for the execution of this oath, and the carrying out of it in history is now. This is the work of the Holy Spirit at the present time through those who already believe. 2. We have looked at seven distinct things con- cerning the Angel of our vision who is indeed the Christ, and now let us look at some things which are brought into prominence concerning the little Book which is in the hand of the Angel. John said, “ And he had in his hand a little book open . . . and the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.” As I said, in a previous chapter, there is much about books in the Revelation. John was told in the first vision to write what he saw in the Book and to send it unto the seven churches (1:11). What we have in the Revelation is that Book. It might be called the SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 139 Prophetic Book. In the twenty-second chapter, no less than five different times, the Revelation is spoken of as a: Book” (vs. 7, 9,.10,'18, 19). There is also a “sealed” book mentioned in the fifth chapter of this prophecy. It is written both within and without, so that none can add to it, nor take away from it. For a time, that book is sealed, and then the seals are broken, and the events it records and predicts are dis- played and carried out in the program of world his- tory. That might be called the book of History. In the Revelation we have also “ The Book of Life” and eeunewWamb’s Book jof Lite” (875 3) 18:33) Les383 20: 12, 15; 21:27). This is the Divine Birth Register which contains the names of all those who have been born again. These are three books that are mentioned in the Revelation, the Book of Prophecy, the Book of History, and the Book of Life. In the Old Testament, we read about the Book of the Law, and the “‘ Volume of the Book,” and “‘ the Book of Remembrance.” ‘The Book of this vision is distinct from all the others I mentioned. There are two things specified concerning it. It is seen in the hands of the Angel. He holds it, indicating that He is the Author of it, the Owner of it, and the Theme of it. Whatever this Book represents, Christ is its Author, its Owner, and its Theme. The Book is also open. Some think that this book was once a sealed book, and that the seals had been broken, and the scroll itself unrolled. Some think that the “little book” is the same as the “ Sealed Book” in the fifth and sixth chapters. I do not think that this book was ever sealed. It was open from the very beginning. It will be remembered that when all the visions of the Reve- lation had been given and received, that the Author said 140 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS to the writer, ‘‘ Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book,” the reason being that the time for the fulfillment of the prophecies as contained in the Book had already arrived. The Book of the Revelation in particular, and the Book called the Bible in general, both Old and New Testaments, is open, free, and spread before us. The Church of Rome may attempt to seal the Bible and keep it from the “laity.” Others may attempt to “seal ’’ the Book of the Revelation and say it is not for us to-day and not to be understood, but in no sense are the Bible and the Book of the Reve- lation sealed books. In the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel by Luke, we have three open things: open eyes, open Scriptures, and open understanding. The particular book mentioned in this vision is the full Gospel of Jesus Christ as contained in the Bible. He by the Spirit is the Author of the Bible, the Owner of the Bible, and the Theme of the Bible. He stands to-day with this Book in His hand, and offers it to all who will receive, partake of, live it, and preach it. John was told to do four things in reference to this little open Book, and we are commanded to do the same things in reference to the Book of the Revelation in particular and the Bible in general. He was com- manded first to take the Little Book out of the hand of the Angel. This was a Divine order to possess himself of the Book. He went to the Angel, as we should go to Christ in prayer, and requested the Book, and the Angel willingly and gladly placed the Book in the possession of the Seer, thereby transferring it to him as his own. We are to make the Bible, the full message of the Gospel, our own by reading it, by fa- miliarizing ourselves with it, by apprehending it with all of our personal powers, by living it in practical SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 141 daily life and by teaching and preaching it to all man- kind. Further, John was also commanded to eat the Little Book, which he did. This eating, of course, is a symbol of a much deeper and spiritual truth. In lit- eral eating there is appropriation and mastication. When we masticate our food, we hold it in our mouths, turn it over again and again, and chew and chew it, that is if we eat properly, thereby mastering and pre- paring our food for its work in the physical system. Mastication of food illustrates meditation on the Word of God. In eating also, there is digestion and assimi- lation. In digestion and assimilation, the food that we have appropriated and masticated becomes a part, or is built up into bone, flesh, nerve, and brain of our bodies. It is one thing to know the Scriptures by in- tellectual apprehension, and quite another thing to have the teaching and spirit of the Scriptures built up into our spiritual lives, character, and conduct. We cannot pass over this eating of the Little Book without observing its twofold effect in John as he dreamed of partaking of it. He said that it was bitter to his stomach. The word for ‘ stomach” describes the whole of the internal digestive organs. The word “bitter ’”’ literally means pains, or pangs. Physically speaking, the eating of this little Book gave him ex- treme pains. Then he found the little Book very sweet unto his taste, so that there were a sweet taste and a bitter taste produced in the same person who had par- taken of this little Book. This is significant of the effects of the Gospel of Divine Grace in those who receive it by faith. The Word of God, in general, the prophecy of the Revelation in particular, is always bitter to human nature as such, the reason being that 142 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS the Bible always protests against sin and false doc- trines; it prohibits pleasures that are sinful in practice, and it unveils the judgment of God upon evil of every kind. It produces pains or cramps in human nature that are not pleasant to experience. But if the Bible, or the full Gospel message, is bitter to the natural man it is certainly sweet to the spiritual man. It is sweet to the spiritual man because it tells of Divine Grace to the rebellious, of forgiveness for the sinner, and be- cause it reveals a mighty, gracious Saviour. It exhibits a reconciled Father, and brings to light a glorious im- mortality for those who believe. For the believing sinner, the Gospel has a very precious message. The final thing to notice here is that when John had partaken of the Book, and eaten the Book, he was told to communicate its contents to others. He was first to take the Book and make it his own by building it up into his spiritual character, and then he was to go forth and proclaim it to others. We must know the Bible intellectually first, experimentally second, and practically third, and then, like John, we are to go forth and “ prophesy again before many peoples, and nations and tongues and governments.” “ Prophecy ” itself is spoken of several times in the Revelation, but only in one other place do we read about “ prophesy- ing” (11:3). A comparison of the two passages where prophesying is mentioned reveals the fact that it is to be understood, not as foretelling, but as forth- telling. It is the heralding or proclaiming the good tidings of a crucified, risen, exalted, enthroned, and coming Lord for all believing sinners. The prophet is not only the messenger of mercy, but the herald of the righteous government of God as well. It was John’s responsibility and privilege to make known to SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 143 others what he has seen, heard, and experienced. He himself was to be a sample of the message that he proclaimed. It is our responsibility, too, to teach the Living Word of God to all believers who know it not, and to proclaim without fear, or favour, the Evangel of Divine Grace, to all outside of Christ, of every people, nation, language, and government on the face of the globe. Xx SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS (Continued) REVELATION II: I-14 book is a kind of summary of, or introduction to, the more detailed symbolic prophecies of the same events to come. Hence, in the part we are now to study, we find anticipatory allusions to subsequent pre- dictions. In the first and second verses of the chapter, we have an introduction to the main pictograph before us, namely, that of the Two Witnesses. In these two verses, there are several condensed figures to notice, The Rod-like Reed, The Measuring, The Temple, The Altar, Them that Worship therein, and the Outer- court which was given to the Gentiles. A proper un- derstanding of these symbols will greatly help to a clear understanding of the great vision that is to fol- low. First we notice the Reed, or standard of measure- ment which commonly was about ten feet in length. This particular reed was like a rod in that it was straight, strong, and unbending, unlike the reed “shaken by the wind.” ‘This reed was a familiar Old Testament instrument (Ezek. 40: 2-5) and figure. It is also mentioned again in this book (21:15, 17), where it is used to measure the Holy City. The reed was the recognized standard of depth, length, height, and breadth. When used in the Old Testament as a figure, it invariably set forth the will of God as ex- pressed in the Law which came from Moses. John 144 [: has been noticed that the eleventh chapter of this SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 145 was given the Reed, and that doubtless by the Angel mentioned in the previous chapter, that Messenger who had given him the Little Book. As the rod-like reed in the Old Testament represented the Law of Moses, so the rod-like reed in this vision prefigured the whole canon of Scripture, including both Old and New Testaments, our rule for faith and practice. What was a book in the previous chapter, is a reed in this chapter, strong and straight, unbending and destroying to all sin and error, and that cannot be broken. But the Seer was told to do something very definite with the rod-like reed, even to measure. According to the Authorized Version it is declared that “the angel stood,” perhaps still on the earth and the sea, saying, “Rise and measure.’”’ If this be the correct reading, the one who gave this command was the mighty Angel, Christ. ‘The Revised Version has it, “ And one said,” not saying what one. Wordsworth takes the “one” here to be the Reed personified, and surely the Holy Spirit does speak in the Word of God. Whoever, or whatever spoke at this time, there was issued a very definite order. It was “ Measure”! This figure, too, comes from the Old Testament (Ezek. 40:48). In former times, they measured for estimation with the purpose of testing as to the exact proportion of the object. This they did to ascertain whether the object was perfect. They also measured or marked for identification, for destruction, and for preservation. If the object measured was up to the standard, then it. was devoted to safety. The measuring here is not for identification, nor for destruction, but for estimation looking forward to preservation. pia According to théSe verses, thrée objects were meas- ured, the temple, the altar, and them that worship i ial RT. PRAM acc tee IO CRATES 146 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS therein. The temple measured was not the literal tem- ple, for that had been totally destroyed” ‘and burned at least twenty years before this. Then”John was on the Island’of*Patmos at this time, about a hundred and . fifty miles away from Mount Moriah, where the old * temple once stood. When John saw and measured the temple, there was no such literal building on the earth. The word for temple here is “ aon,’ not “ hieron,” meaning the holy place, the sanctuary, or inner shrine. It was the holy of holies that John saw measured and marked, that part of the ancient temple that had the ark of the covenant, the law, the mercy seat, and Jehovah’s manifested Presence. ‘The literal Holy of Holies in Jerusalem was an exact figure of the Holy Place in heaven where God has His throne. In the nineteenth verse of this chapter, we read about the temple, or holy of holies, of God, “ which 7s in heaven.” The temple which was measured was the heavenly, not the earthly temple. But what is the heavenly temple, or holy of holies? Is it a place, or is it a person? It is a Person, for we read (21: 22), “ The Lord God almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it.” God Himself is the Holy of Holies to all those who believe. He is represented as being measured here to demon- strate and to manifest the absolute perfection of His nature in every respect, and hence beyond all danger of injury from the evil and trouble in the earth. Our God is infinitely wise, powerful, holy, just, loving, gracious, and merciful. He is up to the standard, and therefore worthy of unconditional confidence. The altar was also measured in this vision. ‘This was the golden altar, for there was no other altar in the holy place. We must keep in mind that there was no such literal piece of furniture at that time as the SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 147 Golden Altar. It, too, had been destroyed long before John had this vision. What John saw measured was a heavenly altar, and it was in the inner shrine of the heavenly sanctuary above. ‘This is the altar at which we saw the angel stand with the golden censer in his hand, the altar on which the prayers of the saints were offered, and the altar from the four blood-tipped horns of which there came the mighty voice saying, ‘“‘ Loose the four angels which are bound.” As I said before, this altar, when used as a figure, is always a type of symbol of Christ as Intercessor, before the Father through Whom our prayers, praises and worship as- cend to God. The measuring of the golden altar with the reed is a picture of the measuring of Christ as our Advocate in the Glory, to demonstrate and to make known His absolute perfection as the present Prince of Life, and Captain of our salvation. Jesus in His nature and work is up to the Divine standard in all respects. He is all that God the Father claims for Him, and what He claims for Himself, and because He is perfect as our Intercessor, He is therefore safe from all harm. He is the impregnable Rock of Ages, and the hosts of hell cannot prevail against Him, and therefore, as God, He is worthy of all confidence from men. The passage also says that there was measured “them that worship therein.” The idea of literally measuring persons with a rod, is in opposition to the realities of life, and the ordinary use of human lan- guage. We can speak of persons literally worshipping “im” a temple, but we cannot speak of them correctly as worshipping “im” an altar. These persons wor- shipped both 7m the temple, and in the golden altar. Who are these persons? How did they worship im 148 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS the temple, and im the golden altar? They are meas- ured and marked for perfection and preservation for all time and eternity. In Old Testament times, only priests worshipped in the Holy Place, and that af, not in, the altar. God has made in this age all believers a kingdom of priests, and they worship, though on earth, in the Holy of Holies, which is God, and im and \ through the Golden Altar, which is Christ. The per- sons thus measured in this vision are the people of God of all races and countries, dead and living, justified and declared righteous according to the Divine-stand- ‘ard in Christ by the Father. The people of God are ‘as holy in the-Presence*of God as Christ Himself is, ‘for they stand there in Him, and hence they are safe * forevermore. The Temple, the Altar, and “ them that worship therein ’’ were all measured for perfection and preser- vation. Following upon this, John was told not to measure the outer court, the reason being, “ For it is given to the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” The outer court originally was all outside of the Holy Place, and when “left out” or “ cast out,’”? was to be reckoned as unhallowed and devoted to destruction. By Divine appointment, this court without was given to the Gen- tiles or nations, and they were to tread it down for a symbolic period of forty-two months. The “ casting out’ here is a symbol of excommunication, a spiritual and national sentence, speaking of deprivation of spiritual and national privileges abused. The “ court that is without ” symbolized the faithless and rebellious kingdom of the Hebrew nation, left out of the meas- uring, for utter destruction, which destruction began in 70 a. D. and has been in progress ever since. ‘This SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 149 is precisely what we have predicted by the Lord (Luke 21:24), when He looked down through the ages past our own time, and said concerning the Hebrew people, “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” The Jewish Kingdom in history fell nearly two thousand years ago, and that by the sword of the world power has been led captive by the nations, and is now, has been, and will be trodden down, or held in subjection, until the time for Gentile sovereignty over them is fulfilled, which will be at the close of this dispensation. A study of the history and experience of the Jewish nation in this age in relation to the world dominions will confirm any unprejudiced, intelligent student how literally this prophecy has been fulfilled. This leads to a consideration of the vision proper in this passage, the Two Witnesses. As there is a considerable confusion and misapprehension concern- ing these two symbolic characters, it. is necessary to make a detailed examination of particular parts of the pictograph before us. There are a number of things to notice, and as some of them are anticipatory of what will follow later, where they are more fully described, we will be brief in what we say about them here. 1. The first thing to observe carefully is the Pe- riod during which the Witnesses are to give forth their Testimony. This is the first item of interest presented, and signified in a symbolic manner. It says (v. 3), “And they shall prophesy (or preach) a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” Twelve hundred and sixty days with thirty days to the month is exactly forty-two months, the period of time during which the 150 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS Hebrew Kingdom is trodden down by the Gentile world powers (v. 2). The same symbolic expres- sion will meet us in the thirteenth chapter (v. 5), where it is said, ‘ There was given to the beast au- thority to continue forty and two months.” Forty and two months, and twelve hundred and sixty days, is also three and a half years, the Jewish year having consisted of twelve months. The same period of time is alluded to in chapter twelve (v. 14) when it is said of the woman who fled in the wilderness, that she was there nourished for “‘a time, and times, and half a time.’ By a comparison of chapter eleven and three, and twelve and six with verse fourteen of this chap- ter, it distinctly shows that the period of time denoted by the forty and two months and the twelve hundred and sixty days is equivalent to the three and a half times, or years. Three and a half multiplied by three hundred and sixty, the number of days in the Jewish year, give us exactly twelve hundred and sixty days, or forty-two months. These four periods, therefore, the forty-two months, the twelve hundred and sixty days, time, times, and half a time, and the three days and a half, or the half week, are the same. (See my book, “‘ Daniel’s Half Week Now Closing.”) This is the period of time in history when the Jewish King- dom is broken, scattered, enthralled, and persecuted by the Gentile nations of the earth. Surely it is plain that we have described here in this pictographic way, the present dispensation, running from the first advent of Christ to the second. This is the time then, that the witnesses “ prophesy” or forthtell their message of repentance and redemption. 2. ‘The next thing to notice is the Jdentity of these two witnesses. Some take these two witnesses, not SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 151 as symbolic characters, but as two individuals who will appear on earth some time in the future. In taking this view of them, they assert that their death will be literal, and their dead bodies will literally lie in the streets of literal Jerusalem for a period of a literal three days and a half. All those who take this view forget that what we have in the Book of the Revelation throughout is “signified,” or set forth by signs and symbols, and so they proceed to identify these two pictorial persons as two individual characters. Natu- rally these good brethren do not agree among them- selves, some thinking that these two witnesses are Noah and Moses, others Enoch and Moses, and still others Enoch and Elijah. There are a few of them who think that the two witnesses are Moses and Daniel. Now suppose these two witnesses to be Noah and Moses. ‘This necessitates their coming forth to earth and dying here on this globe a second time, which is flatly contradicted (Heb. 9: 27), where we are told “It is appointed unto men once to die.”’ Then suppose these witnesses to be Enoch and Elijah. These two servants of God went to heaven clothed with immortality without passing through the event of physical death. They have been in their glorified bodies for millenniums. Are they to return to mortality, come back to earth in the flesh and then die a physical death? It is preposterous to think of it, and it is con- trary to the general teaching of Scripture upon the subject of both mortality and immortality. These two witnesses are not any two individuals whatsoever. Now we are distinctly told in this passage who these witnesses are. Alluding to these symbolic characters, the passage says (v. 4), “ These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God sath, te an ou, 152 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS of the earth.” In practically all of the books I have read on this passage, none of them attempt to explain this verse. ‘The witnesses are named for us here by an Old Testament piece of symbolism. It is well to know the Old Testament when attempting to under- stand and explain these pictures. ‘This complex figure is taken from the fourth chapter of Zachariah (vs. 3, 12). You will find ‘in that chapter, that the prophet had a vision, and in that vision there was one candle- stick, and on the left and right of it, there stood two living, fruit-bearing olive trees. On the top of the central shaft of the candlestick was a large golden bowl into which the oil flowed from the two olive trees through two golden tubes. From the great golden bowl, the oil flowed through golden tubes, seven in number, to the seven branches, and as a result light _ was given and the darkness around about dissipated. _ | In the vision of Zachariah, the candlestick represented the Jewish nation restored and giving forth the knowl- edge of God to the nations round about. The olive trees set forth two individuals, Joshua the Priest, and Zerubbabel the Prince, who ministered to the Jewish people at that time, just as the two olive trees emptied the oil out of themselves into the bowl of the candle- sticks. The oil which supplied the candlestick with light and power represented the Holy Spirit in His * work through Joshua and Zerubbabel, in and for the nation at that time. The vision of Z&chariah gave colour and form to the vision of John on the Island of Patmos. i In the vision of Zachariah, there was one candle- ' stick of seven branches; in the vision of John on Pat- mos, there were two candlesticks, the one representing the Jewish, and the other representing the Gentile SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 153 Christians, joined into one to give forth the light of the knowledge of God in this age of darkness. This double aspect of witness-bearing perfectly agrees with what we have seen before where Jewish Christians are presented as the sealed ones, and the Gentile Christians as the redeemed ones. We will find a little later that Jewish Christians are spoken of as “ saints ”’ while Gen- tile Christians are presented as ‘them that fear my name.’ God’s witnesses have nearly always appeared in pairs, like Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua, Ezekiel and Daniel, and Joshua and Zerubbabel. What was true in this respect in the Old Testament was true also in the New Testament when they went forth two by two. ‘Two witnesses, one supporting the other, al- ways gave forth a trustworthy and confirmed testi- mony. ‘The two witnesses here are not only the two candlesticks, but the two candlesticks united to the two olive trees from which they received their supply of oil, even the Holy Spirit. The olive trees stand for Priesthood and Princehood, and to-day both of these functions are in Christ at the right hand of the Fa- ther, through Whom, and because of Whom God sends down to us the olive oil of the Holy Ghost. Christ is both Priest and Prince. Who are these two witnesses ? Not any two individuals now, but the Church on éarth throughout this age, composed both of saved Jews and Gentiles united 1 to Christ by the goldénttibés 6f faith, our High Priest-and-our- High ‘Prifites’"The-two wit- nesses then, at that time in John’s vision, prefigured millions of beaeridiate saved and sanctified, with Christ their Head, and the Holy Spirit their Power. 3. Not only have we here the time of the two witnesses, and the identity of the two witnesses, but we have the peculiar Dress of the two witnesses as ee 154 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS well. It says that they were “clothed in sackcloth.” In the Revelation, we have much about white robes; here is something about black robes. We read about the sun becoming as black as sackcloth of hair (6: 12). Sackcloth was made from the hair of goats and camels and for that reason, it was very dark and coarse in texture. Sackcloth generally was the garb of the poor. It was the garment of mourning and sorrow also (Gen. 87: 34). Yes, and it was also the symbol of repentance (1 Kings 21:27). It was used frequently as the symbol of trouble in the life of the individual or nation (2 Kings 19: 1-3). Further, the black sack- cloth dress was used as a symbol of confession of sin (Neh. 9: 1-3; Jonah 3: 5,8). Sackcloth was the gar- ment of the prophets especially when they called the people to humiliation and repentance. Their exterior aspect was in keeping with their teaching. This was true with Elijah and John the Baptist who came in the Spirit and power of Elijah. The sackcloth garb tells us that what we are must be in keeping with what we teach. We must live and embody the truth we proclaim. In fact, much living and much being must precede and condition little speak- ing. ‘These two witnesses, prefiguring the Church on earth, incarnated within themselves what they proph- esied. If we proclaim truth, we must first live the truth. If we proclaim holiness, we must first be holy. If we proclaim love, we must first love. If we prophesy honesty, we must be honest, and if we pro- claim repentance from sin we must ourselves repent from sin, and abhor it with an utter hatred. Oh! That the whole Church would clothe herself within the soul more and more with sackcloth. A consciousness of sin and failure would provide such a garb. Then SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 155 she would have power when she stood forth to give testimony by the word of mouth. 4, This leads us to think of the Power of the Two Witnesses. The angel said, “ And I will give power unto my two witnesses,” and it says further down, “These have power.” The power they possessed and exercised they received from the Divine Messenger. To set forth this power in operation, John again finds his illustrations all in the Old Testament. These wit- nesses first have the power of judicial testimony. “Fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies.” In this illustration, Elijah and the three companions of Daniel are before us. At the command of Elijah fire descended from heaven and consumed the two captains and their fifties (2 Kings 1: 10, 12), and the companions of Daniel were not only left unharmed amidst the flames, but the fire leaped out upon and slew the men by whom they had been cast into the furnace (Dan. 3: 32). The preach- ing of Jeremiah was like fire proceeding from his mouth (Jer. 5:14; 23:29). As fire warms, illumi- nates, beautifies, and destroys, so the Word of the Lord when presented through the testimony of men and women under the power of the Holy Spirit, warms, illuminates, beautifies, purifies and destroys. The Word of God is in opposition to all enemies of God and of His people. The power to cause fire to proceed from the mouth, is the power of effective testimony. The Church has had this power right down through the age. Further, these Two Witnesses had power to shut heaven that it rain not during the days of their prophecy. The days of their prophecy is this dispen- sation. In this reference again, Elijah is before us. 156 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS He prayed, and it rained not, and he prayed again and it rained, and the land was saved (1 Kings 18: 42-46; James 5:17). The power to shut and to open heaven at will is the Power of Prayer. This power also the Church has had by the Spirit for two thousand years. Again, these witnesses had power over water, to turn it into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague as often as they shall desire. We are reminded here of Moses, who, at the command of God, turned the waters of Egypt into blood. What was this power? Read the story as we have it in Exodus, and it will be made plain that the power by which Moses turned the waters of Egypt into blood was the power of obedient faith in the mighty God of Jacob. Here we have the threefold power granted to the Church, the power of effective Testimony, the power of prevailing Prayer, and the power of obedient Faith, teaching us, and teaching all believers that the God of Moses and Elijah and Daniel is unchangeable and lives to-day. This threefold power is at the command not only of the Church as a whole, but at the command of every individual believing Christian. 5. We must now notice the Testimony of these Two Witnesses who set forth the company of the saved on earth in this age. “And when they shail have finished their testimony.” ‘The finishing of their Testi- mony does not only look to the end of the days of their preaching and prophesying, but to the full- rounded character and completeness of the great mes- sage they deliver. To finish a thing, is to complete fully its accomplishment. It is to do completely what we are-commanded. In His great intercessory prayer, Jesus said to the Father, ‘I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4). And SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 157 again on the cross, next to the last word uttered by the Lord, He shouted, “It is finished” (John 19: 30). In all of these passages the same word is used. In the one before us, the thought is that of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. When this is done, there is a full and well-balanced presenta- tion of testimony. This is the kind of testimony that the redeemed of the Lord are to give in the days dur- ing which they live. It can be said truthfully that in every moment of the history of the true Church of Christ this full and complete testimony has been given, now by this company of believers, and now by that, so that the world is without excuse. A full testimony will always include the character of God as holy, just, true, loving, powerful, and merci- ful. It will include a positive faith in the preéxistence, proper deity, sinless character, sacrificial death, glori- ous resurrection, ascension, session and coming again of our Lord. Yes, and it will include a clear presenta- tion of the total depravity and corruption of human nature, and, on account of sin, the judgment of God upon that nature. It will include also a definite mes- sage about heaven and about hell. When this full message is delivered in faith, and experienced in the life of the witnesses, it will torment the ungodly just as here predicted. It will disclose the fact that all men, irrespective of colour, race, social status, educa- tion, age, and even religion, must be born from above. When such a testimony is delivered by the Church in all places and to all peoples, it testifies to the failure of human nature to obtain eternal life under the law, and writes the sentence of death upon human nature, and this, the ungodly world hates with an extreme hatred. Opposition to it will be therefore aroused, a tssrceeeiees Pee 158 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS with the result that the Church is persecuted even unto death by “those who dwell upon the earth.” Many samples of this from history could be presented, and perhaps the reader will recall some for himself. 6. It is of interest also to notice the Treatment accorded to the Two Witnesses as presented in this symbol. The passage says, “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.” Here we have presented in a pictorial man- ner, the dire fate of the two witnesses. ‘Their treat- ment in the picture is the treatment that the true Church of God has received from certain quarters throughout this entire dispensation. This ill treatment of the two witnesses comes from two different sources. It first comes.from_ the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit. This is the first. time ‘the beast is mentioned in the Book of the Revelation. All we have about him here is his origin, and his malignant hate of the two witnesses. We will meet him again in chapters thirteen and seventeen, where we will see that he is the concentrated power of the world system federated under, and dominated by Satan. This beast is not an individual, but millions upon millions of in- SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 159 dividuals under the principles of world government, estranged from God and rebellious against Him. This wild beast, or world government, makes war against these two witnesses, overcomes them, and kills them. The witnesses are taken advantage of in their weakness and fear, and are hated because of the testimony they deliver. This is exactly what the world government, organized on the basis of force and selfishness, has been doing with the true people of God right up to the present. This is the significance of the massacres in Armenia, and the great persecution of God’s people now in Russia. The world power never was a friend to Christ and His people, and it never will be. Christ testifies against the world power by His teaching, by the life He lived, by the Resurrection He experienced, and by His Ascension to glory. Not only have we the Treatment accorded these two witnesses by the beast of world power, but we have also their treatment at the hands of “the great city.’ ‘There are some who think that this great city is Jerusalem, not the earthly Jerusalem as it has been but the Jerusalem as it will be when restored in the future. “The great city” is no more a literal city than is the beast who ascended out of the bottomless pit. The title, “the great city,” is used no less than eight times elsewhere in this Book, of Babylon (14: 8; POLO 215 ol 810, 11 6518).19) 21). By a care- ful examination of these passages, it will be clear that the reference is not even to literal Babylon, but ex- clusively to mystical Babylon. You will notice in our passage that this “great city” is “spiritually,” or symbolically, called Sodom, for sensuality and im- morality; Egypt, for its tyranny and oppression; and Babylon now for its confusion, heresy and malignity. 160 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS Babylon was famous for its enmity against the na- tional people of God. Further, it says that this “ great city ” is also “ where our Lord was crucified.” From this, many think that the literal Jerusalem, either past, or to be restored, is the great city to which allusion is made. But not so. There is a city now-on earth where our Lord is being ritualistically crucified, and that universally and con- tinuously. This great city on earth now boasts of having no less than four hundred and fifty thousand altars scattered over the face of the globe, and every time “ the Sacrifice of the Mass ”’ is “said” or ‘‘ sung,” Christ is actually crucified. They exhibit the bread which they say is the actual flesh of Christ, and the wine which they claim is the actual blood of Christ. As these altars are in every country in the world, and as “masses” are sung at every one of these altars, and that at different times of both day and night, it is claimed by the “great city”’ that the crucifixion of Christ is universal and continuous. This is “ the great city ’ referred to in the vision, and it is clear we have that immoral, oppressive, degenerate, apostate church before us. This city is great in number. It now has, including the Greek Catholic Church, and all apostate Protestant churches, between three and four hundred millions of people on the earth. It is also great in extent, in that it has spread over the whole face of the globe. Further, it is great in wealth because it is claimed to-day that the Roman Catholic Church holds the balance of the wealth of the world. It is great in influence, for we know how the apostate church has dominated world powers and directed them by formu- lating their laws, and promulgating them. But how does this great city treat the Two Wit- SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 161 nesses? The Two Witnesses are represented as being conquered and killed by the world power, and their dead bodies cast out into the “street ’’ of “the great city,” and denied burial for three days and a half. It is of interest to note the “street”? or “ broadway ” in this great city, and compare it with the “street” or “broadway ” in the Holy City as given us in the last part of this Book (21: 21; 22:2). ‘“ The great city” had a street or broadway, and “ the Holy City,” repre- senting the true Church, has a “street’’ or “ broad- way.’ In the street of the great city we see darkness, death, revelry, and merrymaking of different kinds. We see the citizens of “the great city” fraternizing with the ungodly peoples of the earth. In the “ street ” or “ broadway ” of the Holy City, we see gold, speak- ing of wealth, of true riches, of beauty and brilliance. We see the Throne of God and the Lamb, and we also see the Tree of Life bearing twelve manner of fruits each year, and providing shelter, food and healing for its citizens. In the broadway of the great city, there is death and decay; in the broadway of the Holy City, there is life, growth and happiness. What are these broadways? What are these streets? Have we got them on earth to-day? I think we have. All large oriental cities, in ancient times especially, had great broadways, and these broadways were the places of public assembly. It was in these broadways where the leaders of the people delivered their messages, and where they harangued the populace. The broadways of ‘the great city,” or the degenerate church are their places of public assembly and gathering. It is where their leaders, the priests and others, celebrate the masses, deliver their addresses, and harangue the peo- ple. But “the Holy City,” the true Church of Christ 162 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS on earth, also has her broadways, her public places of assembly. It is in those places where you will see the Tree of Life which provides food, shelter, and heal- ing for the people. Yes, and it is in those broadways where you will see the River of Life flowing. What was done with the bodies of these Two Wit- nesses who represent the true Church? They were cast out into “ the street’’ or broadway of the great city, and there they were left exposed to the elements, and exposed to the vision of the citizens of that city, and also of the ungodly who dwelt upon the earth. To cast dead bodies out into the open street after this manner, to deny them burial, and to make merry over them, was to treat them with utter contumely, or to insult them in every possible manner, and to the great- est possible degree. Has not the true Church of Christ, the true people of God been insulted, persecuted, and held up to ridicule in every possible way in the public gatherings of the apostate church? ‘This is going on in this very moment in many parts of the world. It almost staggers us to think that the true people of God receive such treatment from the false people of God, and were it not that history testifies to the truth- fulness and aptness of this figure, one would be prone to doubt it. Here we have the degenerate church in- viting the godless world to celebrate a feast in their open broadway, over the dead bodies of the Witnesses of Christ, and the godless world accepting that invita- tion. Here we have also the degenerate church ac- commodating herself to the ways of the godless world, and the latter giving hasty and glad welcome to that accommodation. ‘To many, this picture may seem too terrible to be true. Has the false church never become the world with the plea to win the world? Has the SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 163 world never been won by the false church? Has it never been dominated by the false church? Has the world never turned to hate the false church and to cast her off? History is full of such, and much of it is going on to-day. It is no wonder that the true people of God suffer such at the hands of the false church because the testimony of the true Church always works pain and punishment within her conscience. The treat- ment accorded the Two Witnesses in this vision by the beast and “the great city” is a prefiguration of the treatment that the apostate church and the godless world has accorded the true people of God from the inception of the true Church right down to the pres- ent. Think of an institution bearing the name of a “Christian Church” being yoked up with a wild anonymous Beast as we have them united here in this picture! 7. Finally, in this vision we have the ultimate Glory of these Two Witnesses presented. Their ultimate glory is to be the ultimate glory of the true Church. This is given to us in the following words: “ And after three days and an half, the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in _a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” The Two Witnesses suffered much, and as a reward for their patient endurance, they are to reign triumphantly in glory. The Spirit of life entered into them, and as a result of His mighty operating power, they stood upon their feet. In a previous vision in this Book, Christ, once crucified, is risen and standing upon His feet. The witnesses are not to be behind their Lord in this 164 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS respect. In their standing upon their feet, we have their resurrection from the dead. For the Church of God, this part of the vision has not yet been fulfilled in history, but it is coming, for the apostle said (1 Cor. 15: 51-54), “‘ Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this cor- ruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” “And great fear fell upon all them that saw them.” This will be true also in the future when the saved dead are raised into life, and they appear on earth in their glorified forms. After their resurrection, the Two Witnesses experienced their rapture to heaven in clouds. Our Lord went home to glory in clouds, and the true Church of Christ will not be behind Him in this respect either. This again is what the Apostle Paul pledged for the Church by the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 4: 16, 17), “ For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch- angel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and re- main 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.” ‘They were caught up as the Church will be caught up, to sit down with their con- quering Redeemer upon His throne, even as He con- quered and sat down with the Father upon His throne. SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 165 Note that all of this is represented as taking place in the presence of the enemies of the two witnesses, and that when they saw it, great fear fell upon them, so that they, like the “remnant,” were seriously af- frighted. What would it mean now should the resur- rection, transformation and rapture of the true Church take place, and that in the presence of the two great enemies of the Church? It would mean for one thing, that the apostate church and the ungodly world would be openly convicted by God for their unbelief, hatred, and persecution of the Lord’s true people. It would mean also that the true Church herself, caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and transformed in body, is justified and honoured by the Lord before the degen- erate church, and the ungodly world, even as the Man Child (Jesus) was caught up unto God and His throne from before the dragon, standing ready to destroy the Man Child as soon as born. The day is coming when God will deliver and transfigure His suffering Church from the false church, and from the ungodly world. For ages, the true Church has sent up the cry, “O Lord God, how long?” The vision concludes by stating that when the Two Witnesses were raptured into the glory, in that very hour was there a great earthquake. As I said several times before, an earthquake is always a symbol of great commotion in the national and social order. The Two Witnesses have gone to glory, and all who are left are the citizens of “ the great city’ and those who dwell upon the earth, or the ungodly. They are filled with fear and dread concerning what is to come upon them. What if the true Church should be caught away now? Would there be great commotion in the earth? Doubtless there would be, and doubtless there will be 166 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS when this great and glorious event takes place. But seemingly they do not wait very long, for we are told that one-tenth of the city fell, that is, “the great city’ or the false church. In symbolism, one-tenth represented all. When the two witnesses went up, the great city went down. When the true Church of Christ goes up to glory, the false church of Satan will go down to death and destruction. The passage also says that seven thousand men perished in the earth- quake. Seven thousand stands for the complete num- ber, and so not only have we here the downfall of the false church but we have the destruction of the un- godly world as well. These two events will come to pass when the true Church is raptured into glory. Think now of “the glory which shall be revealed in us’”’ then! Ten thousand times ten thousand, In sparkling raiment bright, The armies of the ransomed saints Throng up the steeps of light: *Tis finished, all is finished, Their fight with death and sin; Fling open wide the golden gates, And let the victors in. What rush of hallelujahs Fills all the earth and sky! What ringing of a thousand harps Bespeaks the triumph nigh! O day for which creation And all its tribes were made! O joy, for all its former woes A thousandfold repaid! O then what raptured greetings On Canaan’s happy shore, SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS What knitted severed friendships up, Where partings are no more! Then eyes with joy shall sparkle That brimmed with tears of late; Orphans no longer fatherless, Nor widows desolate. Bring near Thy great salvation, Thou Lamb for sinners slain; Fill up the roll of Thine elect, Then take Thy power and reign; Appear, Desire of nations, Thine exiles long for home; Show in the heavens Thy promised sign; Thou Prince and Saviour, come. 167 3,1) SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS (Concluded) REVELATION II: 14-19 P “HE blowing of the Seventh Trumpet is a call to repentance in view of the judgment to come. ‘There are several things to notice here before we make a particular study of the full message announced, the first being that the events pre- figured under this trumpet do not accompany the events under the sixth trumpet, but follow upon their fulfill- ment in history. It is distinctly stated at the con- clusion of the sixth trumpet blast, ‘‘ The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.” The second thing to observe is that the Seventh Trum- pet is the Last Trumpet so often referred to by the sacred writers and by the Saviour Himself. The Saviour said (Matt. 24: 31), “ And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” The seventh trumpet therefore brings to our serious and earnest attention the consummation of all things, according to the Divine plan, in the history of the race. This means that all the events prefigured and foreannounced under this trumpet, in the history of the race, lay yet in the future. We should also notice that what is given here is mere outline—a rehearsal in brief of what is subse- quently given in detail. The events thus “ signified ” 168 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 169 evidently will not transpire in a moment of time, for in the tenth chapter (v. 7) we read about “the days ” of the seventh trumpet. Within the events of the seventh trumpet, “ Days” are included. What meas- ure of days or how many of them, we are not told. The one “ day of salvation” is now about two thou- sand years in length. At any rate, by “ days,” we are led to think of a considerable indefinite period of time as being specifically indicated. Under the fifth and sixth trumpets, periods of time were symbolized by “five months ” and “ an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year.” We may safely conclude from this and other passages of Scripture relating to the same sub- ject, that the future judgment work of God will not transpire in a moment, but will cover a considerable period. Under this trumpet blast, there are at least seven things to observe in particular. We will take them up one by one as they appear in other passages, and in this vision. 1. The first thing to notice in particular is that in the time indicated by the Last Trumpet, the Mystery of God will be finished. This is plainly set before us in the tenth chapter (v. 7) where it clearly says, “In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the Mystery of God shall be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets.” A Biblical Mystery is a fact, or truth, of experience or history which is discoverable only by Divine Revelation. There are many such mysteries mentioned in the Bible, three of which are named in the Revelation. In the first chapter (1: 20), we have the mystery of the seven stars, the Church on the heavenly side of her character and function, and the 170 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS mystery of the seven candlesticks, the Church on the earthly side of her character and function. In the seventeenth chapter (vs. 5, 7), we have the Mystery of Babylon, which is the false ecclesiastical system in the earth, and here we have the mystery of God. In the New Testament elsewhere, we have two divine se- crets as “the Mystery of God,” the one being Christ Himself, the incarnate fullness of God embodied, in Whom is the totality of all wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:2, 3), and the true Church made up of all those into whose lives Christ has had a personal and spiritual advent, in the experience of the new birth (Col. 1: 24-26). We are informed that in the past ages, this Mystery of the Church, as an elect body, was concealed from the eyes and minds of men, but is now revealed to God’s spiritual people (Col. 1: 26; Rom. 16: 25-26). The ‘“ Mystery of God” in our theme is the Church, made up of saved men and women of all ages, dead and living, who are both the subjects and objects of redeeming grace. This Church, through- out the old dispensation, was concealed. In this dis- pensation, she is revealed, and in a “ little while,” when the last one of the elect in Christ shall be brought in, then she shall be “ finished,” and when she is finished, the last trumpet will begin to pour forth its long, re- sounding, and reverberating blast. Then Christ will present the “ finished Church ” unto Himself, sanctified and cleansed, not having spot nor wrinkle, nor any such thing, but holy and entirely without blemish (Eph. 5: 26, 27). 2. Another thing to notice is that in the time in- dicated under the blowing of the seventh trumpet, the Resurrection of the Dead will take place. It is to this that the apostle referred (1 Cor. 15: 51, 52), when SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 171 he said, “ Behold, I shall show you a Mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we all shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” Again the same apostle said, “ The Lord Himself shall descend fromheaven . . . with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” I shall not go into the particulars of Biblical teaching upon the subject of the Resurrection here, for it has been dealt with in my book entitled ‘ Our Glorious Hope.” This only would I say at this point, that in the period in- dicated under the blowing of the seventh trumpet, this world will have “ the time (or age) of the dead” with all that is included within that profound reference. Our Lord said (John 5:28, 29) to His bewildered and imperfectly taught disciples when speaking of the judgment, “ Marvel not at this: for the hour is com- ing, in which ALL that are in the grave shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.” The “hour ” to which Christ referred is the period of time specified and prophesied under our vision. 3. Again, this vision teaches that within the period indicated by the Last Trumpet, this world will un- dergo a radical change of government (v.15). When the seventh messenger sounded, there were mysterious voices in the heavenly realm which joined in one great and continuous shout saying, “ The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.” In the American Revised Version it is the singular “kingdom,” and not the plural “kingdoms,” making 172 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS it read thus: “ The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.” In the Weymouth translation, the passage is rendered after this fashion, “The sovereignty of the world now belongs to our Lord and His Christ; and He will be King until the Ages of the Ages.?? The word “kingdom” means rule, dominion, sovereignty, government. The earth kingdoms or governments, looking at them from the human side, are many, but the Kingdom, rule, or government of Christ, looked at from the Divine side, is one, indivisible and eternal. Not yet has the sov- ereignty of this world become the Lord’s. All earthly governments from the beginning of the race until now are represented in the Scriptures as wild beasts of prey, having no lawful owner nor control, and full of de- structive savageness and offensive uncleanness. But in the future, at the time when the events prefigured here will become history, there will be a new Sov- ereignty which will be absolute in its character, uni- versal in its extent, eternal in its duration, not devel- oped from below, but enforced with sudden and re- sistless power from above. It is true that God is now King in the universe, and that sovereignty He has given to His Son, Jesus Christ. The Son has that sovereignty now potentially, but He is not exercising it to the full as yet. By and by He will enforce His sovereignty over this earth, and when He does, He will establish a government in this earth based on absolute righteousness, and made effective by His omnipotent might, which will break in pieces all other governments, consume all other kingdoms, and stand unshaken for eternity. When this kingdom is established and mani- fested over the earth, righteous laws will be broken SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 173 and changed no more. When Christ takes His Throne, and sways His scepter, there will be an empire of sin- less, deathless life and peace to the ages of the ages. All world government now will then become the gov- ernment of our Lord and of His Christ. We hail the day! 4, Again, in the period indicated by the Last Trum- pet, the Church militant will become the Church Triumphant (16, 17). ‘And the four and twenty elders which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty which art, and wast, and art to come, because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power and hast reigned.” The words “and art to come ”’ are left out by the Revised Version, the reason being, first, that they are not found in any of the ancient manuscripts, and because, when this point shall be reached in the history of the race, God will be no longer the One “ to come,” for He will then be already “come.” ‘The elders represent the saved of the Lord on earth of all time, living and working for Christ. There never was a time in the history of the Kingdom of God when there were no elders on the earth. At times, they were very few in number, and very weak in character and social status, but God has always had His people here, and He will have them here until the end. A time is coming when all the saved and sancti- fied of earth will become the transfigured and glorified in heaven. Under the dispensation of law, prior to the first advent of Christ, the elders fell down before the thrice holy God and worshipped Him. that liveth forever and ever, saying, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are, and 174 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS were created” (4: 10, 11). The elders in the old dis- pensation sang the old song, the theme of which was Creation. In that song, they thought of the power and the wisdom of God. When Christ went home on high in His glorious Ascension, and took the Book of History out of the hand of Him who sat upon the throne, the elders again fell down, but this time, not so much before God the Creator, but before the Lamb, the Redeemer, and they sang the new song, saying (5: 9, 10), “ Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain and hast re- deemed us to God by Thy blood, out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” ‘Under the old dispensation, it was the song of Crea- tion; under this dispensation, it is the song of Re- demption. This is the song that the saints both in heaven and earth sing, at the present. When the elders fell down before the Lamb, they expressed their adoring sense of the Redeemer’s worthiness, because He had prevailed in death and resurrection, exulting in the prospect of full deliverance achieved and en- joyed; but here in our vision, they are not thinking of Creation finished, and Redemption in prospect, but of the whole issue reached, the blessed consummation come, the thing of hope for all ages, now a realized fact both in experience and history. Hence, the Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, is no longer the One to come, for He has already truly and fully come in His power, Person, Wisdom, and Grace. Divine righteousness is not fully manifested nor established among men yet. It is far from it. The power of Satan is not fully overthrown. The great Redemption SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 175 wrought out by God through His Son Jesus Christ, is not yet fully manifested. In the future, it will be fully established, and that when the age comes indi- cated by the blast of the Last Trumpet. At that time, sin and Satan will be forever banished from the uni- verse of God, and the “ finished ” Church militant, re- deemed and glorified, will become the Church Trium- phant. When that time arrives, the great body of be- lievers will keep their royal seats no longer, but will cover their faces in reverence and humility, and pour out of their hearts a song of grateful, adoring, and exultant thanks. 5. Once more we notice that in the Age indicated by the blast of the Last Trumpet, the Judgment will take place. ‘And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldst give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldst destroy them that destroy the earth.” Here are several classes mentioned, the first being the “ na- tions.” When God’s righteous wrath is visited upon the nations, as it will be, instead of repenting and bowing in humble submission unto God, the nations will become angry with God, and stubbornly rebel against Him. The nations now are angry with God, and rebel against Him, but they will become more angry with Him, and more stubbornly rebel against Him when He appears unto them in His wrath. It will be the time when their judgment will take place. The ‘‘ dead” are also mentioned here. It will be the time when their judgment will take place. When hu- mans die and their bodies waste away in the earth, that is not the last of them. They live even though 176 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS they have died, and one day they shall come forth to give an account of the deeds done in the body. Later in this book (20: 12, 13), John saw the dead stand before God. ‘They had come forth in resurrection from the sea, the earth, death, and hades, small and great of all classes, all ages, all colours, all nations, and of both sexes, and they were judged every one of them according to their works. . There is to be, then, a resurrection even of the wicked. None shall escape that resurrection. They who by self-murder put an end to their life here, resolving not to live any longer, must still live and take the judgment of God for all their deeds, and according to this picture, the time when this will take place will be “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel.” Not only will the nations and the dead be judged in those ‘ days,”’ but God’s servants, the prophets, shall be rewarded as well for faithful service rendered. “ And that Thou shouldst give reward unto Thy serv- ants, the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great.” It is interesting to note always, in each case, how God’s people are de- scribed in the Book of the Revelation. ‘They have many titles and they are all very significant. Here they are spoken of as “ Servants’’ because purchased, possessed, and sealed for safety on into eternity. I say again that the Revelation is a servant’s book. They are also called “ prophets,” this being primarily a reference to the two symbolic witnesses in the previ- ous chapter. They are prophets not in the sense of having the ability and function of predicting future events, but prophets in the sense of forthtelling for the present, and in the present, the Divine message of Repentance and Redemption. All of God’s people are SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 177 prophets because they forthtell the glad tidings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God’s people, both as servants and prophets, are set forth here as “ saints,” sanctified or separated ones. This is a Jewish idea, and when this word is used to describe the people of God in the Book of the Revela- tion, it brings before us the Church from the Jewish standpoint. But the Church is not only made up of believing Jews. It also includes believing Gentiles, and hence we have the description, ‘Them that fear Thy name.” ‘This does not mean that the Church is made up of four distinct classes, servants, prophets, saints, and them that fear the name of the Lord. No, God’s people are all servants, all prophets, all saints, and all who love God’s holy and gracious Person with a filial fear. John is not thinking of two or four di- visions in the Church of Jesus Christ. In the true Church, on the Divine side, there are no divisions. The Church is one; and all her members constitute one body in Christ. He looks at the Church, though, here in his vision from both the Jewish and the Gentile side, as he does frequently throughout the Book of the Revelation. The “nations” and the “ dead” are to be judged in that day, while the people of God, as servants, proph- ets, and saints, will be rewarded for faithfulness ac- complished. ‘There is a difference between “ reward ”’ and salvation, and we must not confound the two in our thinking. Salvation is invariably a gift from God through Christ to the lost, on faith, while “ reward” is earned by service faithfully and lovingly rendered. Again, salvation is a present possession to be enjoyed by the believer, while reward is a future glorious dis- tinction to be given at the coming of the Lord. It is 178 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS not therefore salvation, but reward that is in prospect for all the saints. There is no rest, no recompense, no hope for us here, as the people of God. For if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. No intelligent Christian looks for his compensation in this present world. So long as he is in this tabernacle, he groans, being burdened, troubled on every side, tossed about, like the angry waves, distressed, perplexed, always bearing in his body the dying of the Lord Jesus. The only thing that encourages the children of God and reconciles them to their lot is, that they “look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen.” The saints everywhere, and at all times in history, have con- fessed themselves strangers and pilgrims in the earth, looking for a better country, believing that God is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. ‘The real- ization of all of the fond hopes and desires of God’s people in the past and now, belong to the time of the seventh messenger, when he shall sound. Piety here -and now may not pay, but it will then. All service of love, all pangs of sorrow, all tears of grief incurred for Jesus’ sake, will not fail of due recompense then: There are rewards in reserve for all of God’s wronged, maligned, hated, and insulted prophets, His patient servants and suffering saints. Jesus has gone to get them ready, and faith looks up and forward and sees them there, and waits for them with eager hope. When the time arrives, and not until then, these re- wards shall be given; so then shall not only the “ na- tions’ and the “dead” be judged in those days, but the people of God will be gloriously rewarded as well. Again in heart, we hail the day! 6. In the time specified by the Last Trumpet, not SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 179 only will the Mystery of God be finished, the Resurrec- tion take place, the Sovereignty of this world be radi- cally changed, the Church Militant become the Church Triumphant, but there will be the long promised and expected Revelation of God in Glory. In olden time, God revealed Himself in righteousness; in this time, God reveals Himself in mercy and grace, but in the future, He will discover Himself to redeemed hu- manity in Glory. In the first advent of Christ, the Grace of God was manifested; in the second advent of Christ, and in the ages to follow, God’s Glory will be manifested. The people of God now look back, and up to the grace, at the same time they look forward to the glory that shall be revealed. God, in His glory manifested, is again illustrated here by a symbol taken from the Old Testament, and that from the inner shrine of the temple. When the seventh messenger poured forth his trumpet blast, John said, ‘‘ And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple, the Ark of His Covenant.” ‘The Sanctuary which John saw was not the temple in general, but the Holy of Holies, and that not on earth, but in heaven. As we learned before, the heavenly sanctuary is not a place so much as it is a Person, and that Person is none other than the Lord God Almighty. But John looked upon that inner shrine as “ opened,” that is, the holy veil rolled back, and the whole interior of the inner shrine exposed to view. When Christ paid the price of human shame and sin, and brought in everlasting righteousness for the sinner, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, and rolled back, signifying that the way into the Pres- ence and Fellowship of God was opened. ‘That open- ing of the temple told of mercy toward the sinner, 180 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS and grace for all the needy. At the rending of the veil when Jesus died, all the difficulties both on the human and Divine side, hindering man’s approach unto God, were dealt with and removed. At that moment, the great and blessed truth was foreshadowed that the infinitely holy God was approachable by infinitely sin- ful man. When in.our vision, the Seer declares that he saw the Inner Shrine opened, he means to tell us that he beheld the Glory of God in manifestation. In those days to which the Last Trumpet refers, the Lord God Almighty will be unveiled, so that the saints will truly see Him in His love, power, wisdom, and grace, as it is not possible for them to see Him now. Knowl- edge and realization of heavenly things belong to the “days” of the great consummation. In that glorious time, all veils will be rolled back, all mists lifted, all clouds dissipated, and all excluding barriers broken down and removed, and the Holy of Hollies, the Al- mighty One, will be disclosed to the vision and the © hearts of the redeemed. Not only was the temple in heaven opened, but in it was seen the Ark of His Testament. This, of course, was not the real Ark, for that was lost and destroyed long before this. ‘The whole Tabernacle in the wilder- ness was a figure of things to come (Heb. 9: 23, 24), and in the ministry of the Tabernacle, everything be- gan with and centered around the Ark, which was lo- cated within the Most Holy Place. In many ways, the Ark was a prophetic type or figure of Christ who was to come. It was made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold which illustrated the humanity and the Deity of the Lord. Within the Ark, there were three items, the law, the hidden manna, and the rod that budded. In Christ, the law was incarnated while SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 181 He became for the people their spiritual food, and their resurrection life. The Ark in its use was, espe- cially the Mercy Seat, the location of the manifested Presence of God. To the sinning Israelite, that Throne was one of grace and not of judgment, due to the fact that the blood of atonement had been sprinkled upon it. In the olden times, when man approached God, he began with the brazen altar, where the atonement was made; but when God began His approach to man, He always started with the Ark within the Most Holy Place. The Ark stood for all that God promised to His people. In the history of the Ark, we observe that a strange divine power always accompanied it. The waters of the Jordan rolled back to the right and to the left under the shadow of it, while the people passed over dry shod. The walls of Jericho fell down flat in their places on the approach of that holy piece of furniture. When the Ark set forward, the enemies of God and His people were scattered. When the Ark rested, the people were safe and happy. The Ark of the Testa- ment, as seen in this vision, tells of the speedy fulfill- ment of all the promises of God. God engaged Him- self to do certain things for the earth and the race, and He has been doing them, and is doing them, but in the future He will put forth His power and fulfill all that He has pledged to accomplish. As a sign of this, the Ark, a symbol of His promises, appears. God’s promises, all of them, without one exception, as spoken through prophets and apostles, since time began, will be fulfilled according to the oath sworn by Him- self. 7. In conclusion, we are instructed in this piece of complex symbolism, that the age, yet future, indicated 182 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS by the last trumpet, will be a period during which absolute and judicial righteousness will be established and enforced over the face of the whole earth, and throughout the entire universe of God. This is the significance of the words, ‘‘ And there were lightnings and voices and thunderings and an earthquake, and great hail.” This is a description of a great storm when the sky flashes with electric fires, when there are mysterious rumblings of inarticulate voices, when the air above and around us is filled with thunder, and when the earth trembles and quakes beneath our feet. It sets before us a time when the clouds are driven hither and yon with irresistible power, the wild winds rush and scream with noisy fury, and great death- dealing hailstones are driven down upon the earth. Several times in the Revelation is this storm men- tioned, but it is not until we reach this vision that the climax is attained. As indicated in the fourth chapter (v. 4), in the ages prior to the ascension of Christ, there were those judgment symptoms, but only three of them, lightnings, thunders, and voices, are men- tioned. The people of God on earth had: the storms of judgment under law. In the present dispensation, from its beginning to now, the judgment storms of God have been in and over the earth (8:5). When the Messenger Christ sent down to earth the fire of the Holy Spirit following upon that act, and con- tinuing to the present, there have been voices and thunderings and lightnings, and with them, added an earthquake. The judgments of God in the earth throughout this age, because of increased light and privilege, have been greater and more general than the judgments of God on the earth under the old dispen- sation. SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 183 Here, in our passage, not only did the Seer look upon the flashing lightning and hear the voices and the thunders, but he felt the earthquake as well, and was glad in soul that he was safe from the driving and death-dealing hailstones. In this storm, we see God breaking through to the people. He has risen up from His secret place and made Himself visible. The Ark of the Covenant is seen to give joy and hope to the parties in the Divine agreement, and the terrible storm in lower nature breaks forth to tell of God’s righteous anger upon His enemies. The “ days,” indicated by the trumpet blast of the seventh angel, will be terrible days for the wicked, as well as happy and hopeful days for those who now believe in Christ unto the salvation of their souls. Happy will they be, who, when the last trumpet sounds, shall be found of God in Christ. The Last Trumpet calls for repentance from sin unto God in view of the judgment to come. Let us pray: Jesus, do Thou mine eyes unseal, And let them grow Quick to discern whate’er Thou dost reveal, So shall I be delivered from that woe Blindly to stray Through hopeless night while all around is day. XII THE QUEEN MOTHER REVELATION 12 In the twenty-first chapter we have the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife. She is first an army, then a city and then a woman. We will see more of her when we reach the study of that chapter. She is not a real but a parabolic, or symbolic woman, representing a people, a polity, a system, an organism, or a spiritual race. She is the true Church of God, the mystical Body of Christ. In the seventeenth chapter there is another woman, clothed with scarlet and riding upon a scarlet coloured beast. She is in the wilderness, like this woman for a time, and is directing the beast upon which she rides. This woman is decked with all manner of precious gems, plays the harlot with the kings of the earth, and becomes drunken with the blood of God’s people. Finally, this woman is hated by the beast upon which she rides, and is made deso- late and naked by him. As the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife, is the symbol of the true Church of God, the saved people in the field of history, so the scarlet Woman is the symbol of the false church, the counter- feit people of God, in the field of history, from the beginning of this age to its consummation. In this chapter we have another symbolic woman, and in order to identify her in the field of history, we will notice several things about her as given here. 184 [> the Revelation there are three symbolic women. THE QUEEN MOTHER 185 Her IDENTIFICATION 1. Of this Woman, in this connection, there are several things symbolically stated, which assist us in her identification on the field of history. She is called a “ wonder,’ which means a sign, token, picture, para- ble or symbol. At the very beginning then, we are cautioned not to take this Woman as a real character. She is a symbolic or prophetic woman and stands for a system, a nation, a race of people. But she 1s spoken of as a “great wonder.” Both literally and figura- tively the word “ great’’ has a wide application, sig- nifying something exceedingly great, high, large, mighty and powerful. This Woman then, is a symbol of something of great importance, something momen- tous. ‘There are many things mentioned in the Book of the Revelation as being great, a great voice, great tribulation, a great mountain, a great star, a great furnace, a great city, a great earthquake, a great hail, a great dragon, or sea-serpent, a great eagle, a great thunder, a great wine-press, great works, a great heat, a great day, a great host, great Babylon, a great stone, a great wall, a great throne, a great multitude and a great God. Wherever you find the word “ great” in the Book of the Revelation it is fraught with great meaning, representing something huge and of serious importance. Let us therefore not pass over the study of this Woman too hastily. _ This passage informs us also that this Woman was seen in Heaven. This would make her, in some sense, at least, a heavenly personage. By heaven here is meant the sky, not the Heaven of the heavens where God has His throne, and where Christ, the saved dead and the Holy angels dwell. When John saw this vision, he was not literally in heaven but on the Island 186 THE QUEEN MOTHER of Patmos, and perhaps working and suffering down in one of the mines. This Woman is seen in heaven not literally but spiritually. Heaven stands for the sphere of Divine privilege, whether individual, na- tional or spiritual. In some passages where Heaven is used symbolically it stands for the whole unseen spiritual world, in. which both good and evil forces operate. It always stands for, and illustrates, the region of the super-earthly. This Woman, then, what- ever people and system she prefigures, was seen by ' John as occupying the sphere of Divine honour and _ privilege. We will see later that she lost that sphere , of privilege and became a vagabond in the wilderness. ' In our study of this book so far, we have seen sev- eral things in the Heaven. ‘The first thing looked upon by John in Heaven was that of an open door or entrance, through which he was invited to pass (4:1). This was the door of access to all the Divine privileges and is open for all believers. Following this he was privileged to look upon a great throne set in heaven which was the seat of God’s sovereignty within the spiritual sphere (4:2). Later, there was silence in Heaven for the space of half an hour, which an- nounced to John, and to us, Redemption finally and fully completed (8:1). With the symbolic announce- ment of Redemption completed, John is made to see a great eagle flying through the midst of heaven, which eagle was a symbol of Christ, either personally or representatively, proclaiming the good news of Re- demption and warning of judgment to come, if that redemption be rejected (8:13). Also, in our study, we have been attracted by great mysterious voices in Heaven, and the Temple of God being in Heaven, and the Ark of the Covenant being in that Temple. In THE QUEEN MOTHER 187 the first verse of our chapter the Sun-Clad Woman is in Heaven, that is, as I said, in the sphere, the re- lationship of Divine honour and privilege, while at the same time living, working and suffering on the earth. It is of interest to note that at the end of the previous chapter the Temple of God is seen in Heaven, and that this Woman is seen in that place or sphere indicating that she is considered, in God’s attitude to- ward her, in special favour. The whole idea repre- sented here is Jewish and would tell us that the Woman herself represents, not the Church, not the world, but | the Jewish nation considered in its special relationship | tonGod.4 hi) ' Further, the Woman of our vision is magnificently dressed. This passage says that she was clothed with the sun. There are three suns presented to us in the Revelation, the literal sun, the imperial sun, and the spiritual Sun, Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. To be clothed with the sun is to be robed in light. “ God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” And Jesus Christ said, “I am the Light of the world and he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.’ This Woman was superhumanly robed in light, being clothed with it from head to foot, and thus, “ Fair as the Moon and clear as the Sun.” To be thus clothed with the sun is to be the bearer of Divine supernatural light to the world. The light with which this Woman was robed so gloriously was the light of the knowledge of God reflected through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. So long as this Woman was robed in this garment of flashing glory, wherever she went the darkness of ignorance, sin and superstition were driven back and dissipated. And further, the great wonder-Woman of our vision 188 THE QUEEN MOTHER is beheld as being triumphant. She has the moon un- der her feet, which planet is mentioned four times in the book (6::12;\8: 123) 12: 2; 21:23))-) It usiseen turned into blood, when it is the symbol of the down- fall of all earthly and godless religion. Then, it is seen partially eclipsed, indicating the failure of all earthly and godless religion to dispel the darkness of ignorance, superstition and sin from the earth. In our vision the moon is underneath the feet of this Woman, indicating the subordination of all earthly religion to the supernatural religion brought to the earth by God’s national people, the Jews, and established in the earth by Jesus Christ our Lord. The natural moon, though standing above the sea and the earth is closely con- nected with them, and hence, is an earthly light. The earth and the sea represent the worldly elements while the moon represents the godless and Christless re- ligion of those elements. There is much religion to- day without God and His Christ. But, wherever the true light of the knowledge of God goes it conquers the earthly religious systems and brings them into subordination. In other words the supernatural re- ligion, which is alone in Christ, dominates the natural religion of the earth, which is always of the devil. The moon cannot dispel the darkness and change the night into the day. Earthly religion cannot break the power of reigning sin, ignorance and_ superstition. Prior to the coming of Christ the Jewish nation, being especially favoured of God, and to that degree being a supernaturally endowed people, dominated the heathen nations with their religious systems, and thus we see the moon of earthly religion beneath the feet of our Sun-Clad Woman. Now that the Christ has come, and that Redemption is finished, in the City of THE QUEEN MOTHER 189 God, the true Church, there is no need of the dim, and borrowed light of the earthly religious moon. And furthermore, we are instructed that this Woman is of royal rank. She is wearing upon her head a crown of twelve stars. She has the moon under her feet, stars upon her head, and the glorious light of the Syrian sun as her magnificent dress. What a picture! And how wonderful in its meaning! Stars are sometimes the symbols of Churches, or companies of organized believers, and frequently they are em- ployed to represent individual Christians. As I said before, two solitary stars are mentioned, the one fallen, representing Satan, the other fixed and shining in spite of the darkness, heralding the dawn, the bright and Morning Star, who is Christ. Apostate Christians are “signified ’ as falling stars, indicating their loss of Divine privilege. These twelve stars, taken as indi- viduals, represent the individual heads of the twelve tribes of the Children of Israel. Seven, the union of the Divine three and the human four, always attests ideal perfection. Twelve always sets forth historical and final completeness. You will read in this book of twelve thousand, twelve gates, twelve stars, twelve angels, twelve foundations, twelve apostles, twelve pearls and twelve manner of fruits. This Woman is crowned with twelve stars showing that she represents a people whose royal rank and royal blood came from the twelve tribes of the Children of Israel. We are now prepared to say that this huge symbolic character, beheld as being in the sphere of Divine privilege, with the moon under her feet, the starry diadem on her head and robed with the light of the sun, is none other than the nation and_ kingdom of the Jews, as that | nation and kingdom appears tipon the field of history. | 4 ? i] s ; i ; 190 THE QUEEN MOTHER There is yet another thing mentioned about this Woman indicating a certain feature of her character, as she is seen nationally prior to the first Advent of Christ. John saw her in the way of motherhood. The passage says, “ And she, being with child, cried, trav- ailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” ‘This il- lustration again is taken from the Old Testament, for twice over we have the nation of Israel described as a woman with child and travailing in birth to be deliv- ered (Isa. 66: 7-10; Micah 4:10). The woman of whom Jesus was born represents the nation of Israel as seen in the Old Testament. That Divinely called out and separated race of people was the nation, “ of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came” (Rom. 9:5). That national woman had her conception when Abraham was called out from the land between the waters, into the land which he knew not. She had her travail period from that moment down to the time — when Christ was born in Bethlehem’s stall. Her travail, or torments, set forth in a vivid manner the ardent longings and sufferings of God’s national peo- ple in Old Testament times for the coming of the promised Redeemer. It is a historical as well as a Scriptural fact then, that Christ came through the Jewish nation to this earth. The history of the Jewish nation from the call of Abraham to the birth of Christ is made up of three parts (Matt. 1: 1-17). In the first fourteen generations we have progress and devel- opment reaching a lofty height. This may be called the period of Israel’s prosperity and throughout it all there were longings for the arrival of the promised Seed. In the second fourteen generations we have declension which led into captivity. Though there was decline in this period, among the faithful few THE QUEEN MOTHER 191 there were desires, hopes, prayers and agonizings, for the coming of the predicted Redeemer. In the period covered by the third fourteen generations we have re- vival and restoration, which came finally after the fail- ure of all the national hopes of God’s people. It is easy to trace the travail pains, or torments, in the history of the national mother of Christ from the very beginning until the Saviour was born. In Egypt there was bondage, darkness and famine; in the wilderness there was aimless wandering; in Caanan, cruel wars, and in Babylon, tyranny and shame. It made no dif- ference what their history or condition was, and that more at certain times than at other times, Israel cried out in pain for the coming of the Saviour. What we have illustrated here so plainly and so significantly be- came history down to the least particular. And not only was the Woman of our vision in the way of motherhood, but she was safely delivered as well (v. 5). ‘And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” There are only three things stated here concerning this Child, His Birth, the fact that He was destined to rule all the nations of the earth as with the rod of iron, and His Ascension to glory. There is nothing said about His life, baptism, teachings, works, death and resurrection. ‘This is in perfect keeping with the real- ity of which this Woman is the symbol. There have been, and there are, different opinions regarding the Character and Historical significance of this Man- Child. Some have thought that he represented the beginning of the Christian State under Constantine, setting forth Christianity triumphing over heathenism. Others have taken the ground that the Man-Child pre- 192 THE QUEEN MOTHER figured a race of spiritual believers, strong and united, like Christ, and designed, under Him, to rule all the nations, as with a rod of iron; that is, to judge the world by their lives and teaching. To a degree, apart from this passage altogether, this is true. Seiss takes this view, and labours hard to make an argument to support it, but is thoroughly successful in his failure to make his point. The Man-Child born of this Woman is not the “ True Church ” within the “ false church.” The \ fact we are told that He “ was to rule all nations with |a rod of iron” tells us plainly that it is JesusChrist, -our Lord, who is meant. Any explanation that ignores Christ here is certainly not correct and does great dis- honour to Him. The words “ Who was to rule all the nations with the rod of iron” are taken from the second Psalm (v. 9) and in two other places are used in this Book. In the second Psalm they are re- corded concerning God’s Anointed, God’s King and God’s only Begotten Son, in response to the Divine request made of Him: “ ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” Almost any one can see here that the reference is to Christ as the First Begotten of God from the dead. This is strengthened by the use of the words in the nineteenth chapter of our Book, where they are most surely ap- plied to Christ in the time of His second most glorious Advent (v. 15). According to the use of these words in the second chapter (v. 27), Christ’s ruling of the nations with the rod of iron is to be shared in by all true believers who come away victorious from the battle of life. | Yes, this Man-Child is none other than Jesus and there are only three things about Him, ‘Two of these THE QUEEN MOTHER — 193 events have taken place in the past, and the other pledged eternally for the future. His Incarnation and Ascension are events that have already taken place in history. They are His Cradle and His Crown. His Birth speaks of humiliation and His Ascension tes- tifies of His eternal preservation. For nigh two thousand years now, that Man-Child, born of His mother, Israel, has been in the presence of God on high waiting eagerly for that time when He, along with the Redeemed, shall rule, or shepherd, all nations, with the rod of inflexible righteousness. It is grace now; it will be justice then. We hail the day! Thus we see the history of the National Mother of Christ, from the call of Abraham to the Birth of the Re- deemer in Bethlehem’s manger. HER ADVERSARY 2. This leads us to a consideration of the Woman’s adversary (3, 4,9). He is described by several very significant titles and words, which make it very easy for us to identify him. Thirteen times in the Book he is called “ Dragon,’”’ which word delineates a fabu- lous kind of serpent, which was supposed to have al- most irresistible power to fascinate and to destroy. The word as used here may be taken to refer to some great sea-monster, or serpent, without making any use of ancient myths for its elucidation. In our vision “dragon” is taken as the personification of Satan, as of the king of Egypt, in the Book of Ezekiel. He is also called, “the great dragon,” that old serpent, which is evidently a reference to Satan, as he first appeared in history (Gen. 3). In the picture here given, the colour of the dragon is red, or flame-like. Twice only have we this colour mentioned in the Revelation. The SAREE NN ce ne 194 THE QUEEN MOTHER second horse, representing war and bloodshed, was red (6:4), and in this passage the dragon is red, which implies his fiery rage and deadly malignity as a mur- derer, or life-destroyer, from the very beginning. The dragon had seven heads, which indicates that he represented a being that is supernatural. No sea- serpent ever, literally, had seven heads. Daniel’s four beasts together had seven heads, the first, second and fourth having one each, and the third having four. This dragon has the seven heads, which signify uni- versal knowledge. The knowledge of Satan extends to the utmost limits, at least, of human habitation. The devil is wise, but God is all-wise. On the heads _ of this dragon were seven diadems, which speak of \ Satan’s universal dominion, as the prince, or ruler, of \ the fallen world. Repeatedly Christ called the devil, Lf; the prince,’ or “ruler ”’ of this world (John 12: 31; } 14: 30), and Paul called him, “ the god of this world ” (2 Cor. 4:4). Further, this sea-monster has ten horns, telling us of the instruments of his power, ten being the number of the social order, organized and federated under governmental control. As the fiery coloured, seven-crowned-headed and ten-horned sea- monster, we behold Satan, the arch-enemy of men, God and Christ, in his relation to world governments. This enemy of mankind is also spoken of here, as the “devil,” that title being the Greek for “accuser” or “‘ slanderer,” and “‘ Satan,” the Hebrew word for “‘ ad- versary,” especially in a Court of Law. These two titles, the Greek and the Hebrew, mark clearly and unmistakably the twofold object of his attacks, slan- ders and temptations, both the Gentiles and the Jews, or the whole human race, without exception. This firmly agrees with what follows, when it says that this THE QUEEN MOTHER 195 being is the one who deceiveth the whole world, or the whole inhabited earth. Wherever man is found there will be found the devil in all his operations. Not only has the adversary of this Woman seven heads, seven crowns and ten horns, but he has a tail as well. It would appear that he lashed his tail back- ward and forward, as if in rage, and with the purpose to frighten and terrorize. What did, and what does, this dragon tail signify? It certainly signifies some- thing or it would not have been so described. Again, we must go back to the Old Testament for our expla- nation. In Moses’ time, to be the fail, was to be the lowest; to be the head, was to be the highest and most honourable (Deut. 28:44). In the time of Isaiah (9: 14-16) the tai was the false teacher and his teach- ings by which the Lord’s people were led astray, and destroyed. Isaiah said, “The prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail.” Here we have plain Scriptural authority for the meaning of the tai. In reality the tail of the dragon, now, is constituted by false teach- ers, false doctrine and false practice. The dragon, that old serpent, the devil and Satan, has always had this tail. He had it in the Garden of Eden, he had it when he met Christ in the desert, and he has it to-day. It is by this tail of error that he accomplishes his evil designs in leading men and women away from Christ to their destruction. From the very beginning of Satan’s downfall, this tail of his has grown stronger, longer and larger, until to-day he can lash that tail backward and forward over the whole face of the globe, and then even sweep the starry heavens above with it. Yes, this vision says, that by his tail he reaches up into the very Heaven of Divine privilege and drags down easily and forcibly the shining stars therefrom, 196 THE QUEEN MOTHER that they should cease to give their light in the dark night of the Sun’s absence. Stars are heavenly bodies, and signify true Christians, and, by their being “dragged down” experience their apostasy from Christ, and the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Satan by his tail of moral, doctrinal, religious and practical error has been accomplishing the down- fall of Christians from the beginning, and is doing it to-day more than ever, in the history of the kingdom of God on earth. Just think of the many systems of religious error that there are in the world to-day, such as Unitarianism, Universalism, Romanism, much of Protestantism, Seventh-Dayism, Russellism, Eddyism, and now, Rationalism and Evolution, etc., etc. These errors are the more dangerous because they are all under the name of Christ and they would have no appeal were it not that that precious Name was used in and by them. All these, and other errors are em- ployed to-day as the instruments of Satan to drag down true Christian men and women from the lofty, spiritual state of Divine privilege. When professed Christian people deliberately reject revealed Truth, as to the proper Deity of Jesus Christ, and a full and final Re- demption, through the atoning death of Christ, then, we have the dragging down of the stars by the tail of that old dragon, the devil. Have we much of this to-day? I say we have, and it is apparent in our Col- leges, on our Missionary Fields and in our Churches, almost everywhere. But John saw this sign-serpent, the arch-enemy of ‘the Man-Child and His National Mother, in Heaven, and a little later, cast out of Heaven, into the earth. We must keep in mind clearly that in the Book of the Revelation, Heaven is not only a place, a state, but THE QUEEN MOTHER 197 both the sphere of Divine privilege, and that invisible region where good and evil spirits operate. There was a time when Satan was in the sphere of Divine blessing, before God, but he fell by rebellion and pride, out of that sphere into the region of the Divine curse. From the fall of Satan, in the past, up to the second coming of Christ, which is yet in the future, the casting out from heaven of the devil has two very marked aspects, in the ever deeper downfall of the arch- enemy and his hosts. From his fall up to the Ascen- sion of Christ, the devil was deprived more and more of his heavenly excellency, though still having access to heaven as man’s malignant accuser. In the old dis- pensation, the Heaven of divine privilege was not fully opened to man (John 3: 18), so it was not fully shut against Satan and his demons. In the Old Testament dispensation of law, of rites, and ceremonies, of holy days, and sanctified seasons, with its wonderful va- riety of religious and philanthropic round of duties, could not overcome Satan. But, from the Death, , Resurrection and Ascension of Christ the devil is. judicially cast out of the heaven of divine privilege, as the accuser of God’s people. ~~ But what is it to be “cast out” in this judicial sense? One goes into court and accuses another of a certain crime, and that other is tried, found guilty, punished, according to strict justice for that crime, and, then, fully and finally acquitted. The accuser is now cast out judicially, because justice is satisfied in respect to that crime committed, and the accuser has no further ground for accusation. Since the Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, the devil has absolutely no ground upon which he can lay any charge whatsoever against the people of God. The Apostle 198 THE QUEEN MOTHER said (Rom. 8:1), “ There is therefore now, no con- demnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” The Lord said (John 25:24) that those who heard His Word and believed on Him who sent Him possessed eternal life, and had passed out of condemnation into justification of life. The people of God have been in Court. They have been accused, tried, found guilty, punished and acquitted. ‘They are now justified for- ever, in Christ, and because of this there is absolutely no one in the world above, nor the world beneath, nor in the world on the earth, that can lay any charge against them. The Apostle again said (Rom. 8: 33, 34), “ Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that con- demneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.’ Since the Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, Satan has had absolutely no standing ground judicially against the believing saints of God. ‘To the people of God im- peachment 1s impossible. We must notice also by whom and upon what basis the devil lost his judicial standing ground in the sphere of Divine privilege. The passage states, “‘ There was war in Heaven; Michael and his angels (or messen- gers) fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels (or messengers), and prevailed not; and neither was their place found any more in Heaven.” Michael is the leader and the Commander of the hosts of light; Satan is the leader and com- mander of the hosts of darkness. Let us keep in mind that this war between the hosts of light and the hosts of darkness took place, not in a premundane or supermundane, literal locality, but within a spiritual THE QUEEN MOTHER 199 region or sphere called “ heaven,” within which believ- — ers dwell, even during their life here on earth, when that life is looked at from its Godward side. In this conflict Michael and his hosts utterly vanquished the dragon and his hosts, so much so that the dragon and his hosts had no more place in Heaven afterward. We have learned who the dragon and his angels are, the devil and his spiritual hosts of wickedness. But who is Michael? The name ‘“ Michael”? means, “Who is like God.” Our Lord is so much like God that He is said to be “‘ the very image of God.” In the nation of Israel there were nine persons who car- ried the name “ Michael,” and in Daniel, three times over, this name is given to a supernatural Intelligence who directs and protects the people of Jehovah (Dan. 10: 18, 21; 12: 1). In those verses he is called ‘‘ One of the chief princes,” “‘ Your Prince,” and “‘ The Great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people.” The title Prince means ruler, king, sovereign and, by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, it is given to Christ, four times. He is called the “ Prince of Life” (Acts 3: 16), the “ Prince” and the Saviour exalted to give forgiveness and remission of sins (Acts 5: 31), the “ Prince’”’ or Captain of our salvation, who was made perfect as an atoning sacrifice through suffering (Heb. 2:10), and the “Prince” or Author of our Faith, who for the joy that was set before Him en- dured the Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12: 2). In fact, in the Book of Daniel where Michael is men- tioned so often as the “ Prince,” the coming Saviour is called the “Messiah, the Prince” (9:26), and in Isaiah (9:6) the Promised Messiah is called “ The Prince of Peace.” From these references it would 200 THE QUEEN MOTHER appear that Michael is none other than Christ Him- self. But this is not all that we have about Michael in the Bible. We read about him in Jude (v. 9), where he is called “‘ the archangel” or “ master over angels,” and where it is stated that he once contended with Satan over the body of Moses. There is only one archangel mentioned in the Bible, for we never read of archangels. We are told that when the Lord de- scends from Heaven, it will be with a shout, even with the voice of the archangel (1 Thess. 4:16). I con- clude, therefore, that the archangel, who is Michael, or “one like God” is none other than Jesus Christ our Lord. In the Book of Daniel we see him standing always for the defence of God’s people against their enemies: in the passage under study we see him en- gaged in war in defence of God’s people against their . enemies. Surely Michael can be none other than Jesus Christ, our Glorified Lord. But with what means did Christ and His hosts of light vanquish the devil, and his hosts of darkness? The eleventh verse tells us plainly, for it emphatically declares, “ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony,” and in doing so, “they loved not their lives unto death.” This clearly states that the struggles and victory re- ferred to took place during and after Redemption was completed, and not before it was begun. It was in Hits death that Christ routed him who had the power of death (Heb. 2:14). It was in the Cross, Resurrec- tion and Ascension that Christ spoiled principalities and powers and made a show of them openly, triumph- ing over them in it (Col. 2:14). Had the Blood of Christ not been shed for the offenses of the believer, THE QUEEN MOTHER 201 and had the Resurrection of Christ not taken place, to demonstrate the justification of the believer, the ac- cusations of the devil would have been unanswerable. But now that both the Death and Resurrection have taken place, every charge of the devil is met and he is a conquered foe. There are many passages that support this statement and show clearly that our Lord . has had a complete victory over Satan so that for the’ saints the arch-enemy of man is already judged, over-. thrown, judicially cast out, and bruised‘ beneath the | feet of the Saints. Listen to some of these passages, _ “ Now is the judgment of this world, now is the prince / of this world cast out’ (John 12: 81) ; “And when He (the Holy Spirit) is come He will convince the world of judgment because the prince of this world is judged’ (John 16: 11) ; “ Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, He also Himself in like man- ner partook of the same; that through death He might destroy, or bring to nought, him that had the power of death, that is the devil” (Heb. 2: 14); “ Whosoever is begotten of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith ”’ (1 John 5:4). In these sublime passages, as well as in the passage before us, we see how Satan has been completely cast out of Heaven; that is, im his warfare against Christ and H1s hosts he has been completely vanquished. On their higher and spiritual life, the life that they have in the Redeemer, he has absolutely no power. Believers, then, in the Death, Resurrection and As- cension of Christ have been delivered from the bond- _ age of Satan, and are forever free. This is the refer- ence and significance of the passage, when the loud voice was heard saying (v. 9), “Now,” now that 202 THE QUEEN MOTHER Christ has died, risen and ascended, now that the devil is defeated and judicially cast out—‘“ Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ.” Here are four bless- ings announced for believers. The first blessing is salvation, or the salvation, as it is in the original, that is, the salvation that was promised, full, final and vi- cariously and victoriously accomplished. The word “salvation” has an origin which implies deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and soundness. When used in the spiritual sense it is an all-inclusive word embracing in its mighty grasp all the redemptive acts and processes, such as regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification and ultimate glorification. In reference to time it comprehends all the past, present and future, and in its application to space it fathoms the depths of sin and death, and mounts to the top- most heights of life, holiness and happiness. This is the salvation that came down to earth for believing sinners, and “came to pass”’ as a fact of history and experience, when, through the atoning death of Christ, the devil was cast out. What a wonderful Saviour! Further, there is another blessing announced by this loud, heavenly voice, for it said, “Now . . . is come strength.” ‘The word for “strength” here is “ dunamis,” the source of our English word dynamic, and has the significance of might, ability, energy and violent power, constructive, practical and destructive. This is doubtless a reference to the Holy Spirit who came down to earth to indwell and to impower be- lievers, when Christ finished His work and went Home on high. Jesus performed all of His miracles by this strength of the Holy Spirit, thus destroying the works of the devil. And to the Disciples He promised (Acts THE QUEEN MOTHER 203 1:8). “ Ye shall receive power (“dunamis”’) after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” ‘The presence and power of the Holy Spirit were not given as abiding realities for men until the devil was judicially cast out by Christ, at the Cross, the Tomb and Olivet. When Christ went up, the Holy Spirit, our Dynamic, came down, and He is here with the Church and in- dividual believers, as their strength and refuge against all the attacks of the enemy. There is another blessing announced by the loud voice in our vision. That voice further said, “ Now is come the kingdom of our God.” In the Authorized Version, up to the present point in our study, we came upon that word kingdom twice. In one place (1:9) we read about “the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.” The word “kingdom” means rule, dominion, sovereignty, government, or administration. ‘The kingdom of our God,” then, means the rule, dominion, government or administra- tion of our God, in some special sense for, and in the lives of men and women on earth. When Christ was on earth in mortal human flesh, God the Holy Spirit ruled with unlimited sway in Him, with the result that good works were accomplished by Him everywhere, and the power of Satan broken on the right hand and on the left. This is what Christ meant when He said to the Scribes and Pharisees, ‘‘ The rule of God is in the midst of you” (Luke 17: 20, 21), that is, “the rule, government or kingdom of God is now displayed in your midst, in and through Me, the Head and Sov- ereign of that kingdom.”” What the rule of God was in Christ, while here on the earth, it is the norm of what it should be, to a greater or less degree, in the lives of God’s children. What then does the kingdom 204 THE QUEEN MOTHER of our God mean? Paul answers this question (Rom. 14: 17) on its positive side by saying, “ The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” The kingdom of God, we might say, is God Himself. Righteousness is a justified standing before God; peace, or concord, is fellowship and friendship with God; and joy.is a happy exultant experience in the redeemed human heart, issuing from that right- eousness and peace. This kingdom of God was made available for men when Christ triumphed over Satan in His death, burial, resurrection and ascension. Not only has the salvation, the strength and the kingdom of our God come to men as the result of the devil being cast out of heaven, but, “the power of his Christ,” has come also. The word for “ power” is exousia, and has a variety of significance such as right, privilege, capacity, competency, mastery, jurisdiction, authority. Just prior to His Ascension, in the presence of His Disciples, Christ put forth the royal claim (Matt. 28: 18), “ All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and on earth.” ‘There is no authority but what has its source in Christ as the Risen and Glorified Lord. When He was here in the world, He manifested and exercised authority over nature, dis- ease, demons, death and all manner of human per- sonalities. By reason of the limitations of His human nature the exercise of the Divine power which He possessed was necessarily limited. It was only now and then that the people saw the star of empire gleam- ing on His breast. But since He has risen from the dead and has been exalted to the Father’s right hand in immortal human nature, power or authority is His to exercise to an unlimited degree. There are four kinds of authority and Christ is the Source of them THE QUEEN MOTHER 205 all. He has these four aspects of authority without limit, and to a degree, at the present, He is exercising them. There is practical authority, the right or privi- lege to claim other personalities as His own; legisla- tive authority, or the right to set up standards for life and conduct in others; judicial authority, or the right to say how His own should think as well as act; and executive authority, or the right, enforced by ability, to carry out in human life His own will. Thus we have the four great blessings for men as a result of Satan being judicially cast out from before the Court of Infinite Justice, upon behalf of believers, the Salvation, the Strength, the Kingdom of our God and the Au- thority of His Christ. Following upon this we have clearly brought before us in our vision the two different aspects of the atti- tude and relation of Satan to the two companies of people in the earth, the saved and the unsaved. We will see more about this in the after part of this Book and especially when we come to study chapter twenty. Over the saved, and in the saved, Satan has absolutely no authority, and hence, the Heaven-Dwellers, the saved on earth, are called upon by this loud voice to exult, “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.” ‘The Heaven-Dwellers in this Book are always those who have been regenerated and know themselves to be God’s children though living on earth. Over the ungodly Satan still holds mastery, for the loud voice from heaven said, “ Woe! to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea, for the devil is gone down unto you having great wrath.” The inhabiters of the earth and of the sea are the unregenerate, both Jews and Gentiles. Since the death of Christ we have the devil’s subjection to the righteous in Christ, and more 206 THE QUEEN MOTHER and more, we have the subjection of the unregenerate to the devil. Satan is still the deceiver of the whole inhabited earth, that is, of the unregenerated ones on the face of the Globe. It is true that he lays snares for both the godly and the ungodly alike, though the snares for the one class, at times, may be different from the snares for the-other class. He tempted Jesus in the wilderness and many a time thereafter, during His labours and His suffering. The vision before us gives no ground for the supposition that God’s children, while in the flesh, are not attacked or assaulted by Satan. The vision assures us only that when the at- tack is made it is at the same instant foiled, and that, through the Death, Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord. ‘There is a war or battle on now: but, in the sphere of Divine privilege, Christians advance to it as conquerors. ‘They advance to it not so much to win a victory as to celebrate a victory in Christ, in whom already, by faith, they are the conquerors. Before leaving this part of our study we must notice one other expression that is generally passed over by Commentators on this chapter. It is the “ short time,” or “season”? mentioned in verse twelve. The word “time” is used in several passages in this Book. It marks the period during which the godly are sheltered by the blood beneath the altar (6:11). It is also the period during which Satan is under restraint (20: 3). John in his first epistle (2: 18), and Jude in his epistle (v. 18) speak of this period as “the last time.” In the first chapter of our Book (1: 3), the word “ time” is used to describe the whole period in which the proph- ecies of this Book were to be fulfilled in history. The word itself literally means “the aggregate of seasons.” It is a mistake to take this “time” or “season” to THE QUEEN MOTHER 207 be a period in history at the close of the Christian dispensation, when the wrath of Satan is aroused to a greater than an ordinary degree. The “short time” mentioned in our vision began in history when Re- demption was completed back at the Cross, and it will continue until Redemption is finally finished in the glorification of all the saved at the second coming of / our Lord. The Church and the world have been in this “ short season ’’ now for two thousand years, and will remain in it until the consummation of the age. The “time” or “season” is “ short”? because, in the mind of the Author, the period of time signified is thrown into contrast with eternity, which is unlim- ited, both in extent and duration. The “ great wrath ”’ with which the devil goes forth to do his work, is that anger that was stirred up in him by his utter defeat | through the Death, Resurrection and Ascension of our | since he sees how believing men and believing women | held. Her HistroricaL EXPERIENCE 3. We have certainly identified both the Woman and her adversary, and now let us look at her His- torical Experience, as prefigured here (13-17). In one verse (v. 4) we are told that the dragon stood before the Woman with the eager and malignant in- tent of devouring her Child, as soon as it was born. The idea appears to be that the dragon stood for a considerable period watching and planning for the de- struction of the Man-Child, the Anointed of the Fa- ther. The devil did this very thing throughout the whole history of Israel in the Old Dispensation. He are delivered from the bondage in which they were ( Lord. ‘The devil is angry now, more so than ever, | 208 THE QUEEN MOTHER put forth every effort conceivable to devour the Man- Child long before He was born. When he inspired Pharaoh to issue that edict for the destruction of the male children in Egypt (Exod. 1: 16-22), he at- tempted to devour the Man-Child. Had all the male children been slaughtered at that time, baby Moses would have been slain and thus the line broken which led on to the, coming of the Messiah. The dragon stood watching the Woman with destructive intent when he attempted the destruction of all the Seed Royal (2 Chron. 22: 10-12). Satan attempted to de- vour the Child as soon as born when he inspired the Edomite king of Israel, the chief executive of the Roman Empire in Palestine, to issue the order to slay all the male children in and about Bethlehem, from two years old and under (Matt. 2: 16-18). The devil also tried to devour the Man-Child when he stirred up the people of Nazareth to lead Christ forth to the brow of the hill and to cast Him over headlong (Luke 4:29). Satan also had designs on the Saviour’s life when he tempted Him to leap from the temple-top out into space and to the pavement below. He also tried to wear Christ out and to kill Him in the Garden be- fore He went to the Cross. And, when Christ was on the Cross, making an atonement for sin, Satan did all in his power to get Christ to come down from the Cross and so give a spectacular display of His super- human power. When the body of Christ was in the grave and His soul in Hades, the devil did all in his power to keep them there, but, on that first Easter morning, the Redeemer came forth, grasping and wield- ing the keys of authority over death and the grave. When the dragon saw that he was completely and finally foiled in his attempts to devour the Man-Child, THE QUEEN MOTHER 209 he turned, with evil intent, to the Queen Mother, of whom the Man-Child was born, and she, for her pres- ervation, fled into the wilderness. In the Old Testa- ment we read about several wildernesses, the wilder- ness of Egypt, which meant idolatry, cruelty, bondage, famine, darkness and suffering; the wilderness of Sinai, between Egypt and Canaan, which meant aim- less wandering, complaining and provocation; the wil- derness of Babylon, with its captivity, cruelty and shame; and the wilderness of the peoples (Ezek. 20: 35, 86), signifying, at that time, the Gentile na- tions. A wilderness was always in contrast to Canaan, the promised, pleasant and glorious land. It was claimed by the ancient Jews that God dwelt in Canaan, and that demons dwelt in the wilderness. The Gentile nations, being without God, and thus, without hope, was considered a desolate wilderness. The wilderness into which this Woman fled, was not a wilderness literally and locally, but a spiritual and political wilder- ness, of the peoples, signifying a state of discipline, irial and tribulation, among, and in bondage to, the Gentile nations, during the long period of unparalleled trouble which is spanned in history by the Advents, this whole dispensation. The flight of the Woman _ into the desolate wilderness of the peoples illustrates to us several events in the history of Israel throughout this age. We will notice them. In the first place, we have the destruction of the Jewish nation signified very clearly here. The Woman “ fled,” that is, ran away suddenly, and in haste, as if by compulsion, into the wilderness, ““ Where she hath a place prepared of God.” This flight of the Woman took place in the vision and also in history, soon after the Man-Child was caught up to God and His throne. 210 THE QUEEN MOTHER The nation of Israel was destroyed about forty years after Christ ascended to the Father. The Woman fled into the wilderness not by human fear or caprice, but by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God. Israel, the kingdom of the Jews, lost her posi- tion of high honour, was broken up and scattered throughout the world, according to the Divine purpose. In verse fourteen we are told that, “To the Woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place.” As the first reference gives us the human, so this reference gives us the Divine side of the Woman’s flight. Some tell us that the “great eagle” here is the world power; but if they would only bear in mind that the symbol of the eagle is taken from the Old Testament, they would think differently. The Jews understood the Great Eagle to be Jehovah (Exod. 19: 4), and the two wings, God’s eternal purpose and power, by which the Woman was directed and impelled into and through her wilderness experience. The Woman both fled and flew into the wilderness of the peoples, not by human chance, but by God’s power and determined appoint- ment. The downfall and dispersion of the Jewish nation, from the high place of Divine honour and privilege, became a historical fact in history, back there in 70 A. D., when the Hebrew kingdom went out in blood. At that time the sovereignty of the Hebrew race, with its religion and polity, was broken up and terminated, and the people scattered among the nations of the earth. To see what that terrible “ Flight,” or destruction, consisted in we must go back in history to the time when the event transpired. According to Josephus, there were about six million Jews in Pales- THE QUEEN MOTHER 211 tine when the war against them began by the Roman Empire in 66 a. p. It is estimated that 2,500,000 fell during the war which ended in 70 a. p., when the city of Jerusalem was destroyed and burned. The land did not become depopulated altogether, at the fall of Jeru- salem. Large numbers of Jews still remained in the cities that were left standing, and at intervals they annoyed the Romans with their rebellions. In the year 1380 a. D., the last effort was made by the Jews to throw off the Roman yoke which resulted in their complete and final overthrow. In Kitto’s “ Palestine,” page 408, we read, “Of the Jews it is estimated that 580,000 died on the field and the remnant that escaped mostly perished by famine and disease, or amid the flames of their ruined cities. Under these ruthless devasta- tions, the whole country was at last converted into a desert; the inhabitants were either slain or driven into exile, and the Divine denunciations were now fully accomplished against this misguided people, that should be scattered among all the nations of the earth.” An- other writer says, ‘‘ The suppression of this rebellion marks the final desolation of Judza and the complete dispersion of its inhabitants. The whole of Judza was made like a desert. About 985 towns and villages lay in ashes; fifty fortresses were razed to the ground and every Jew was strictly debarred from entering the city.” Thus we see what the “flight” of this Woman was in history. Not only have we illustrated here the destruction and dispersion of the Jewish people, but we have also set forth in a very vivid manner their Divine preserva- tion as well. The Woman fled and flew into the wil- derness in order that ‘‘ they (the nations) might feed her there, a thousand and two hundred and three score 212 THE QUEEN MOTHER days,” which period of time is this whole dispensation, the entire age of Gentile rule over the Jews. Again, it says that “the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times and half a time.” The period here is exactly the same as a thousand two hundred and three score days, meaning this Dispensa- tion. Though broken up as a nation and scattered over the face of the globe as vagabonds, without a land or a polity, and though hated and persecuted even unto the death by the Gentiles or wilderness peoples, Israel is Divinely fed, nourished and protected through those very peoples. Israel had always been hated by the other peoples of the earth. It was so in Egypt, in Zin, in Canaan, in Babylon, in Persia and now throughout the whole world. Why is this? Is there anything Divine in this hate toward Israel? If the Gentile peoples had coddled Israel, loved Israel and invited Israel to their social, political and other posi- tions in life, the Hebrew people would have lost their identity long ago. For her safety, as a distinct race, and for her preservation as the national people of God, Israel, according to God’s plan, had to be broken up and scattered throughout the whole round world. The Hebrew people are the only ones now that are known as “Internationals.” A Jew is a Jew in whatever country or clime he makes his home, and the country in which he lives always feeds, nourishes and protects him. It is claimed to-day that the Jews hold the bal- ance of the wealth of the world. Though very small in number, comparatively speaking, they are richer than all the rest of the world put together. If this be true, where did they get their wealth? They got it from the Gentiles. Thus we see how this Woman is THE QUEEN MOTHER 213 fed and nourished in the wilderness. Surely God has a purpose in all this for His National people. This part of the vision brings before us also the persecution of the Jewish people throughout this Dis- pensation through the instrumentality of the Gentiles. This is plainly stated once, and, then afterward, sym- bolically described (vs. 18, 15). ‘These passages say: “ And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the Woman which brought forth the Man-Child. 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.” This is the only place in the Revelation that the word “ persecuted ”’ in any of its forms is used. It comes from a double source which means to flee and to pursue. The Woman in this case fled and the dragon pursued her, and in his pursuit after her he sent forth from his mouth floods of water that he might bring about her distress and destruction. Once more the illustration is taken from the Old Testament. There the pursuit, persecutions and assaults of the ungodly upon Israel are frequently compared to those floods of waters, which, owing to the sudden risings of the rivers, as the Jordan, the Tigris and the Euphrates, are in the East so common, so dangerous and destructive. Isaiah, for instance, speaks of the enemy rushing and rolling “in like a flood” (59:19). David spoke of his enemies being so many and so strong that, like rushing waters, they had all but overwhelmed him (Psa. 124: 2-6). In this connection he said that the stream had gone over his soul and that the proud waters had all but overwhelmed him. In another Psalm (18: 4-16) he said, “The sorrows of death compassed me and the floods of the ungodly men made me afraid.” So there 214 THE QUEEN MOTHER are “floods of ungodly men”; and these were the floods in history that the devil sent forth from his mouth after Israel, that he might distress, and, if pos- sible, destroy her. Surely no one will dare to say that what is here foretold and prefigured by the risen Lord, for Israel, has not come to pass. Is it not true that for nineteen dreary centuries the history of the Jews has been one almost uninterrupted tragedy? Scattered throughout the world, scorned and hated of all nations, they have been forced to suffer every form of persecution which © men have been cruel and ingenious enough to invent. Words fail to depict their sufferings. To torture, rob and exile them, the despotism and hate of a hundred kings has been exhausted. They have been bought and sold as slaves. Many of the plagues that devastated Furope were ascribed to them with horrible results. In France, throughout whole provinces, every Jew was burned. In Germany, their history for centuries is a hideous chronicle of human cruelty. Even in England their persecution, sketched in outline by Sir Walter Scott in Ivanhoe, is nothing to the lurid picture he might have drawn. As for Spain, no land in the world has equalled it in wreaking cruel wrath on the unoffending Jew. Thousands upon thousands in that country were burned alive. Hebrews themselves consider their terrible ex- pulsion from Spain a misfortune equalled only by the destruction of their city and the ruin of their temple. We shudder at the brutal policy of Russia toward the Jew even to-day, but let us not forget that all other so-called Christian nations, with the exception of America, have acted in a similar way when they reached Russia’s present stage of civilization. In the THE QUEEN MOTHER 215 thirteenth century all Jews were banished from Great Britain and their property was seized. In 1390 they were expelled from France. In 1492, the very year which witnessed the discovery of America by Colum- bus, they were cast forth from Spain, where they had lived protected by the Moors for six hundred years, to wander through the world as hated exiles, and fre- quently to perish by starvation or by the slower agony of the slave whip. If received at all in many Christian cities, they were hived in certain limited districts like the Ghetto at Rome. Moreover, by a refinement of torture, Jewish children under fourteen years of age were taken from their parents and retained in Spain and Portugal to be brought up as Gentiles, so that in their madness Hebrew mothers would sometimes mur- der their own offspring and then commit suicide. The Jews are hated to-day the world over and in many parts are not allowed to reside in certain communities. As they are to-day the Jewish people are without a land of their own, scattered throughout the nations of the earth, and hated and persecuted by all peoples. Not only have we the destruction, dispersion, pres- ervation and the persecution of Israel illustrated here, but we have their relief or supernatural help, set forth as well. “And the earth helped (or relieved) the Woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swal- lowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.” What we have here is quite a common sight in the East, in the freshet seasons. The rolling waters rush on in their open channels and then suddenly dis- appear into subterraneous passages, through which they rush into the open again somewhere on the other side. To the observer, the earth appears as though she had opened her mouth and swallowed up the floods. 216 THE QUEEN MOTHER What does the earth signify here? There are differ- ences of opinion’ concerning this matter. Milligan thinks that the earth represents the “‘ nominal members of the Church.” He is forced to this opinion by tak- ing the position that the Woman in the vision repre- sents the “true Church,” the saved people on the field of history. I cannot understand how mere “ nominal Christians ” have ever “ helped ” true Christians. This Woman.does not represent the spiritual people of God, but the national people of God, the Hebrew Kingdom. There are those who think that the earth represents the Jews themselves, but if this be the true interpre- tation of this piece of symbolism, then, it would mean that the Jews “helped ” themselves, for the Woman s “helped” by the earth. It is true that in more senses than one in history, the Jewish people have helped themselves, but that is not the symbolic refer- ence here. ‘The earth is connected with the sea, and supplies the bed and the limits for the sea. The sea in its restlessness, barrenness, surging and storms, set before us the people or populace, unordered and unor- ganized, Jews, if you like, included. The earth is the selfsame people, or populace, Jews included, ordered, organized, civilized, consolidated and brought under legislative, governmental control. What is here pre- figured, has taken place over and over again.in the history of the Hebrew kingdom. The populace has risen up against the Jews, assaulted and persecuted them, and that sometimes even with governmental consent. ‘This persecution has been allowed to pro- ceed just so far, and then the government_has risen up, made protest and either relieved the Jews Ss from persecution or ended the persecutions completely. Thus, we see how God in His overruling providence THE QUEEN MOTHER 217 has caused earthly powers to give help to His people against their enemy, the devil. There is danger now of open assault being made on the Jews in America, and should that assault ever take place, the American government would rise and end the open persecution forthwith. This is what is meant by the earth open- ing her mouth, swallowing up the floods and helping the Woman. In some parts of the earth even at this very moment, the Queen Mother, Israel, is being thus relieved by the providence of God. There is one thing more to notice before we con- clude the study of this remarkable vision. When the dragon saw that the Man-Child was caught up to the throne of God, and when he was made to realize that he was judicially cast out, and also when he saw that the Queen Mother was being supernaturally helped by the world powers, he became exceedingly wroth with the Woman, and went forth to make war with the remnant of her Seed (v. 17). Who is “the remnant of her Seed”? The word “remnant” or “the rest” is employed six times in this Book (2: 24; 9:20; rata aot 103212075). Che term literally means remaining ones—other, which remain, residue, rest. It is important to understand properly “ rem- nant ” or “ the rest’ here, for when we come to study chapter twenty we will find a use made of that term, which is much misunderstood and abused to-day. In every case where this word is used in the Revelation, it refers exclusively to the remaining number of a class previously mentioned, but not exhausted; “and,” says Milligan, “it cannot be extended to any class be- yond them.” By a careful contextual study of all the passages where this term is used we discover that it refers to the remaining portion of the group or class 218 THE QUEEN MOTHER named or described before. “‘ The rest of her seed ” here, is a group of individuals, Jews and Gentiles, by race, regenerated and distinguished from “ her Seed,” the Man-Child, the Anointed of the Father, the indi- vidual Seed, as mentioned previously. Christ as the living Head in glory and His people on earth and in Heaven, of all time, make up the whole group, the ‘one Body,” the Church. “The rest of her seed,” then, are the spiritual people of God, ‘not His N ational people, the Jews. 07 This is plainly borne out by the two explanatory phrases that follow. Who are the remnant of her Seed? ‘They are those “ who keep the commandments of God.” ‘The commandments of God are not the Ten Commandments given through Moses. They only had respect to the externals of human life, and even then no human could “keep” them. The commandments here mentioned were the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles, which had respect to the internals of human life. Where are these commandments found, and what are they? John, the writer of this Book, tells us (1 John 3: 28, 24), and says, “ And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and Jove one another, as He gave us commandment; and he that keepeth His com- mandments dwelleth in Him and He in him.” ‘The commandments of God, as mentioned in our passage, are the instructions that He has given to His people, to believe on Jesus Christ, and then, to love the brethren. Under Moses, the command was to love God with all the heart, all the soul, all the mind and all the strength. But man could not fulfill this order, because of his sin, weakness and limitation. What man could not do, Jesus Christ came and did com- THE QUEEN MOTHER 219 pletely; and now, instead of man being invited to love God, as the Law of Moses demanded, man is asked to believe on Him, as his Saviour and Lord, the One who did love God as the Law of Moses demanded. Instead of man being asked by the Gospel to love God now, he is invited to allow God to love him. God does not ask man now to give Him his heart. But He does ask him to believe on Christ who gave Him His heart, and when this is done, love will flow out through the heart and life of man, not so much toward the “neighbour,” but toward the “brethren.” The com- mandments of God are believe, and then, love. Again, we ask who are the rest of her seed? They are those who “have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” They believe in the Name of Jesus Christ, love the brethren and issuing from that faith and love, they possess and enjoy the “testimony of Jesus.” The “testimony of Jesus ” is often mentioned in this Book eee ones te Coles 100d 7 2192/10) The word for “testimony” is maturta, and has the significance of record, report, witness, and evidence, judicially or generally taken. What is this evidence of Jesus? There are two verses that make the answer to this question plain (1 John 5: 10, 11), and though the word “witness ” is used in one verse, and the word “ rec- ord” is used in the other, in both cases we have our word “testimony,” maturia, or evidence. Let us read these verses, “ He that believeth on the Son of God, hath the witness (evidence) im himself.’ And the believer alone is the one who hath the witness or evi- dence within himself. Again I ask, what is this inner evidence? ‘The answer is, in the next verse, where John says, “ This is the record (evidence) that God hath given us eternal life and this life is in His Son.” Da naa ayant 220 THE QUEEN MOTHER The new life which believers have is Christ Himself, by the Holy Spirit, dwelling within. The “ testimony of Jesus” ts Christ Himself indwelling the hearts of believers. ‘This is the evidence that John refers to (1 John 8:14) when he says, “we know (experimen- tally) that we have passed from death into’life because we love the brethren,” The love that believers have for the brethren is not the cause, condition, or instru- ment of their passing from death into life, but the sign and evidence that they have passed from death into life, and hence, are no longer condemned by Divine Justice but declared righteous forevermore. The “rest of her Seed” are then the spiritual peo- ple of God, made up of all those who believe on Christ, and who love the brethren. “They are the ones with whom the devil is now exceedingly wroth, and against ' whom he is carrying on his great war. Unable to destroy the Man-Child’and His “National Mother, Israel, Satan now directs his enmity against true Chris- tians, Jews and Gentiles, the elect and saved remnant: all others he leaves unmolested. From the very be- ginning of this Dispensation to the present the spir- itual people of God have suffered terribly at the hands of the old dragon. Through old Cesar he said, ‘“ We will soon root up this Christianity: off with their heads.” ‘The different governors hastened one after another of the disciples to death, but the more they persecuted them, the more they multiplied. The pro- consuls had orders to destroy Christians; the more they hunted them, the more Christians there were, until at last men pressed to the judgment seat and asked to be permitted to die for Christ. They in- vented torments, they dragged saints at the heels of wild horses, they laid them upon red-hot gridirons, THE QUEEN MOTHER 221 they pulled off the skin from the flesh piece by piece, they were sawn asunder, they were wrapped up in skins of wild animals, daubed with pitch and set in Nero’s garden at night to burn; they were left to rot in dungeons, they were made a spectacle to all men in the amphitheatre, the bears hugged them to death, the lions tore them to pieces, the wild bulls tossed them upon their horns, and yet Christianity spread. The devil is a fool for carrying on this warfare against the spiritual people of God. He has been doing it now for two thousand years, and yet Christianity spreads and the number of the saved are multiplied. So long as one member of the Body of Christ remains out of Heaven on earth, just so long will the devil strike at that member. But let the people of God take courage. “In every condition, in sickness, in health, In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth; At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea, As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be. ‘When thro’ fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; The flame shall not hurt thee ;—I only design Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine. “ E’en down to old age, My people shall prove My sov’reign, eternal, unchangeable love; And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne. “ The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to its foes; That soul, tho’ all hell should endeavour to shake, I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake!” STANDARD REFERENCE WORKS G. B. F. HALLOCK Editor of “The Expositor.” A Modern Cyclopedia of Illus- trations for All Occasions Nineteen Hundred and Thirty-eight Illustrations. $3.00. 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A fearless, clearly-reasoned restatement of the terms of the Christian Gospel and its relation to the travail through which the world is passing. Mr. Spurr is a man in the vanguard of religious thought, yet just as emphatically as ay thinker of the old school, he insists on one Physician able to heal the wounds and woes of humanity. RUSSELL H. CONWELL, D.D. Pastor Baptist Temple, Philadelphia. Unused Powers $1.25, To “Acres of Diamonds,” “The Angel’s Lily,” “Why Lincoln Laughed,’ “How to Live the Christ Life,’ and many other stirring volumes, Dr. Conwell has just added another made up of some of his choicest addresses. Dr. Conwell speaks, as he has always spoken, out of the ex: perimental knowledge and practical wisdom of a man, who having long faced the stark realities of life, has been exalted thereby. GAIUS GLENN ATKINS, D.D. Minister of the First Congregational Church, Detroit, Michigan. The Undiscovered Country $1.50. 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