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GENERAL LIBRARY
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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
PRESENTED BY
Ralph Indler, log. Translato
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April 11
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THE APOCALYPSE
OF ST. JOHN;
DONE INTO MODERN ENGLISH.
72932
With Explanatory Notes and Translations from the
Septuagint.
BY THE AUTHOR OF VOX CLAMANTIS.
Μακάριος ὁ ἀναγινώσκων καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες τοὺς λόγους
τῆς προφητείας καὶ τηροῦντες τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γεγραμμένα · ὁ γὰρ
καιρὸς ἐγγύς.
London:
PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION.
1891.
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Page 51, line 13, for bearing, read hearing.
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ERRATA.
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1
82, footnote 1, line 4, for honestly, read honesty.
97, line 4, for Cheribum, read Cherubim.
}
181, line 2, insert full stop thus: And this is
the interpretation of the word. MANH:
interpret
230, last line, insert semicolon thus: there shall
be grief; before the dawn and it shall not
exist.
252, paragraph 35, line 2, insert the, thus: or
likenesses (...) of the locusts.
Τ
THE VEIL LIFTED.
HE UNVEILING OF Jesus Christ GIVEN TO
HIM OF GOD to show to his slaves things
which must befall in the near future. And he sent
it, and made it known in signs, by his angel, to his slave
John, who declared the word of God, and the testimony of
Jesus Christ, in all that he saw. Blessed is he that reads,
and they who hear the words of the prophecy, and give heed
to the things written in it, for the time is at hand.
4. John to the seven Churches which are in Asia: Grace
be to you, and peace, from Him who is, and who was, and
who is coming; and from the seven spirits which are before
His throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the
firstborn from the dead, who bears rule over the kings of the
earth.
To Him who loves us and who washed us from our
failures in his blood, and made us a monarchy and priests to
his God and Father-to Him be the glory and the power for
ever. Amen. Lo! He comes amid the clouds, and every
cye shall see him, those also who stabbed him, and all the
communities of the earth shall mourn for him. Yea. Amen.
I am the alpha and the omega, saith the Lord God who is,
and who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.
9. I, John, your brother and fellow-sharer in your afflic
tion, and royal birthright, and in your patience in Christ
4
Jesus, found myself in the isle which is called Patmos,
because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
And I found myself in spiritual regions on the Lord's
day, and heard a voice behind me, piercing as that of a
trumpet, saying :-
WHAT THOU SEEST WRITE INTO A BOOK, AND SEND IT
TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES; TO EPHESUS, AND TO SMYRNA,
AND TO PERGAMOS, AND TO THYATIRA, AND TO SARDIS,
AND TO PHILADELPHIA, AND TO LAODICEA.
I2. And I turned to see what voice was speaking with
me, and being turned I saw seven golden lamp-stands; and
in the midst of the lamp-stands one like a son of man, clad
in a robe which fell over his feet, and girt about the breasts
with a golden girdle; and his head and his hair white like
wool, white as snow; and his eyes like a flame of fire; and
his feet like brasen frankincense, as if they had stood the fiery
test in a furnace; and his voice like the sound of many
waters; and having in his right hand seven stars; and a sharp
two-edged sword proceeding from his mouth; and the sight
of him as when the sun shines in his strength.
17.
And when I saw him I fell at his feet as if I had been
struck dead, and he placed his right hand upon me, saying,
"Do not fear: I am the first and the last, the living one; and
I died the death, and lo! I am alive unto ages whose days
are æons, and have the keys of Death and of Hades. Write
therefore the things you saw, both those which are, and those
which shall befall after these. The mystery of the seven
stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven lamp-
stands of gold. The seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches, and the seven lamp-stands are the seven churches."
II. TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH
THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS,
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WRITE :-Thus saith he who holds the seven stars in his right.
hand, who walks about among the seven lamp-stands of gold.
I know thy works, and thy toil, and thy patience, and how
thou canst not exalt worthless men, and didst put to the
proof those who say they are apostles and are not, and didst
find them deceivers; and thou hast patience, and didst bear
the burden because of my name, and didst not sink under it.
Yet I have this against thee, that thou hast left thy first love.
Call to mind therefore whence thou art fallen, and bethink
thee, and do the first works. And if not, I come to thee, and
will move thy lamp-stand from his place unless thou repent.
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the
Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear let him
hear what the Spirit says to the Churches. To him who
overcometh I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in
the garden of my God.
8. AND TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN SMYRNA,
WRITE :—Thus saith the first and the last, who died the death
and rose again: I know thy tribulation and thy poverty-but
thou art rich and the blasphemy of those who say they are
Jews and are not, but a synagogue of Satan. In no way fear
the things thou art about to suffer. Lo! in very truth the
Slanderer is about to cast some of you into prison, that you
may be tried, and you shall have tribulation ten days. Be
found faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of
life. He who hath cars, let him hear what the Spirit says to
the Churches. So long as any overcomes he shall not be hurt
of the second death.
I2. AND TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN PERGA-
MOS, WRITE:—Thus saith he who has the sharp two-edged
sword I know where thou dwellest, even where the throne.
:
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of Satan is; and thou holdest fast my name, and didst not
deny thy faith in me in the days when Antipas, my witness,
the faithful one, was slain at your side, where Satan dwells.
But I have a few things against thee; thou hast there some
who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a
stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, even to eat idol-
offerings, and to fornicate. So hast thou those who hold to
the teaching of the Nicolaitans in like fashion. Bethink
thee, therefore. And if not I come to thee swiftly; and I
will make war upon them with the sword of my mouth. He
who has ears let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes, to him will I give of the hidden
manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone.
a new name written, which no one knows save the receiver.
18. AND TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN THYATIRA,
WRITE :-Thus saith the Son of God, who has his eyes as it
were a flame of fire, and his feet like brasen frankincense: I
know thy works, and love, and faith, and service, and patience,
and how thy last works are more abundant than the first.
But I have against thee that thou sufferest thy wife Jezebel,
who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and misleads
my slaves into fornication, and into eating idol-offerings.
And I gave her time to bethink herself, and she will not turn
from her fornication. Lo! I cast her upon a couch, and
those that commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
unless they turn from her works. And her children shall
die the death, and all the churches shall know that I am he
who searches for reins* and hearts, and I will give you, to
each according to your works. And to you I say, to the
rest in Thyatira, to all who have not this teaching, who
* Reins. veppods kidneys.
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know not the depths of Satan, as they say, I cast upon you
no other load; only what you have hold fast till I come.
And he who overcomes, and observes to the uttermost my
works, to him will I give authority over the nations, and he
shall shepherd them with a rod of iron, like vessels of clay
are they shattered, as I also received from my Father; and I
will give him the morning star. He who has ears, let him.
hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
III. AND TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN SARDIS,
WRITE :—Thus saith he who has the seven spirits of God,
and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a
name to live, and art dead. Be found watching, and make
fast what remains, that was on the point of perishing, for I
have not found thy works satisfactory before my God. Call
to mind, therefore, how thou didst receive and hear, and
look narrowly, and bethink thee. For if thou watch not, I
will come like a thief, and thou canst not know at what hour
I shall come upon thee. But a few names thou hast in
Sardis, who have not defiled their garments, and they shall
walk about with me in white, for they are worthy. The man
that overcomes, he shall be clad in white garments, and I
will not strike his name out of the book of life, but will
confess his name before my Father, and before His angels.
He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.
7. AND TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN PHILA-
DELPHIA, WRITE:-Thus saith the holy and upright One,
who has the key of David, who opens and none will shut,
who shuts and none will open: I know thy works. Lo! I
have given before thee a door opened, which none can by
any means shut; for thou hast a little strength, and hast
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given heed to my word, and hast not denied my name,
Lo!
I give thee some of the synagogue of Satan, who say they
are Jews and are not, but are deceived; lo! I will make
them to come and make obeisance before thy feet, and they
shall know that I loved thee. For thou didst keep the word
of my patience, and I will keep thee from the hour of the
trial, which is about to come upon the whole inhabited world,
to try those who dwell upon the earth. I come quickly.
Hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown. The
man that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my
God, and he shall not go forth again; and I will write upon
him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my
God, the new Jerusalem that descends out of heaven from
my God, and my own new name. He that hath ears, let him
hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
14. AND ΤΟ THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN
LAODICEA, WRITE:-Thus saith the Amen, the witness,
faithful and upright, the beginning of the creation of God:
I know thy works, and how thou art neither cold nor hot.
It were better if thou wert cold or hot. So because thou
art tepid, and neither cold nor hot, I am ready to vomit
thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest: "I am rich,
and have grown wealthy, and have nothing more to ask,"
and knowest not that thou art wretched, and pitiable, and
poor, and blind, and naked; I counsel thee to buy gold from
me out of the furnace, that has stood the test of fire, that
thou mayest be rich, and white clothing that thou mayest
be clad, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not seen,
and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou mayest see.
I reprove all whom I love, and train them like children;
be zealous therefore, and change thy thoughts. Lo! I
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​stand at the door and knock. If any one shall hear my
voice and open the door, I will also go into his house and
will dine with him, and he with me. To the man who
overcomes, I will give to sit with me on my throne, as I
also overcame, and took my seat with my Father on his
throne. He who has cars, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the churches.
IV.
FTER THESE THINGS, I saw, and, lo! a door
standing open in the sky. And the first voice
which I heard, like that of a trumpet speaking
with me, saying:-COME UP HITHER, AND I WILL SHEW
THEE WHAT MUST BEFALL AFTER THESE THINGS.
Α
2. Straightway I found myself in spiritual regions. And
lo! a throne upon the floor of heaven, and upon the throne
One sitting. And he that sat was to look on like a precious
stone, as the jasper and carnelian. And a halo round the
throne in appearance like an emerald.
4. And round the throne, twenty-four thrones, and upon
the thrones twenty-four Princes, sitting, clad in white
garments, and upon their heads crowns of gold.
5. And out of the throne proceed lightnings, and voices,
and thunders. And seven torches of fire burning before the
throne, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the
throne as it were a crystal sea like clear ice. And in the
midst of the throne, and around the throne four living ones,
full of eyes before and behind.
7. And the first living one like a lion, and the second
living one like a calf, and the third living one having his face
like that of a man, and the fourth living one like a flying
eagle. And the four living ones having, each one of them,
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six wings. All round, and within, they are full of eyes. And
they rest not, day nor night, saying: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
LORD, THE GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS, AND WHO
IS, AND WHO COMETH.
9. And when the living ones shall give glory, and
honour, and thanks, to Him Who sits upon the throne,
Who lives unto the ages whose days are æons, the twenty-
four Princes will fall down before Him Who sits upon the
throne, and will worship Him Who lives unto the ages
whose days are æons, and will cast their crowns before the
throne, saying: WORTHY ART THOU, OUR LORD, AND OUR
GOD, TO TAKE THE GLORY, AND THE HONOUR, AND THE
MIGHT; FOR THOU DIDST CREATE ALL THINGS, AND
THROUGH THY WILL THEY HAD BEING, AND WERE CREATED.
V. And I saw, at the right hand of Him that sat on
the throne, a book, written within and on the back, sealed
up with seven seals.
And I saw a mighty angel, making proclamation as a
herald in a loud voice :-WHO IS WORTHY TO OPEN THE
BOOK, AND TO LOOSE ITS SEALS? And no one in heaven,
nor on the earth, nor beneath the earth, was able to open
the book, nor to look on it.
4. And I wept much, because no one was found worthy
to open the book, nor to look upon it. And one of the
princes says to me:-"Do not weep. See, the Lion has
prevailed, He of the tribe of Judah, the root of David; He
opens the book and its seven seals."
6. And I saw, in the midst of the throne, and of the
four living ones, and in the midst of the princes, a lamb
standing as if slaughtered, having seven horns and seven
eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the
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earth. And he went and took it out of the right hand of
Him who sat on the throne.
8. And when he took the book, the four living ones, and
the twenty-four princes, fell down before the Lamb, having
each a lute, and bowls of gold full of incense, which are the
prayers of the saints. And they sing a new song, saying:-
WORTHY ART THOU TO TAKE THE BOOK, AND TO OPEN ITS
SEALS. FOR THOU WERT SLAIN, AND DIDST NEGOTIATE
WITH GOD IN THY BLOOD, ON BEHALF OF MEN OUT of
EVERY TRIBE, AND TONGUE, AND PEOPLE, AND NATION, AND
DIDST MAKE THEM A MONARCHY AND PRIESTS, AND THEY
SHALL REIGN ON THE EARTH.
II. And I saw, and heard the sound of, many angels
round the throne, and round the four living ones, and the
princes, and their number was myriads of myriads and
thousands of thousands, saying in a mighty voice:-Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive the might, and
wealth, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory,
and praise.
13. And every colony which is in heaven, and upon
earth, and beneath the earth, and on the sea, and the things
in them, I heard them all saying:-To Him who sits upon
the throne, and to the Lamb, be the praise, and the
honour, and the glory, and the power, unto the ages
whose days are æons. And the four living ones re-
sponded:-AMEN. And the Princes fell down and did
obeisance.
VI. And I was looking when the Lamb opened one of
the seven seals; and I heard one of the four living ones,
saying in a voice like thunder :-COME.
2.
And I looked, and lo! a white horse, and he that sat
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on him had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he
went forth, a victor, unto victory.
3. And when He opened the second seal, I heard the
second living one say:- COME. And there went forth
another horse, bright bay, and to him who sat upon him it
was given to take the peace out of the earth, so that they
shall kill one another; and a great sword was given to
him.
5. And when He opened the third seal, I heard the
third living one say :-COME. And I saw, and lo! a black
horse, and he who sat on him had a balance in his hand.
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living ones.
saying: A quart of wheat for eight-pence, and three
quarts of barley for eight-pence; and be not unjust in
regard to the oil and the wine.
7. And when He opened the fourth seal, I heard the
fourth living one say :-COME. And I looked and lo! a grey
· horse, and he who sat upon him, his name Death, and Hades
follows at his heels; and authority was given him over the
fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with
famine, and with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
9. And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw beneath
the holy place, the souls of them who had been killed because
of the word of God, and the witness which they bore, and they
cried with a loud voice, saying: How long Master, Holy
and Upright, dost Thou refrain from decision, and
from avenging our blood upon those that dwell upon the
earth? And there was given to them, to each one, white
raiment, and they were bidden to rest awhile, until the
number of their fellow-slaves should be completed, and
their brothers, who should be slain even as they.
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·
I2.
And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there
was a great earthquake. And the sun became black as sack-
cloth of hair, and the whole moon as blood, and the stars of
heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree casting her untimely figs,
when shaken under a great squall of wind, and heaven was
put away like a book that is rolled up; and every mountain,
and island, was moved from its place; and the kings of the
earth, and the great chiefs, and the generals, and the wealthy,
and the mighty, and every man, bond and free, hid them-
selves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
. and say to the mountains and to the rocks :—
་
-
Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of Him Who
sits upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for
the Great Day of His wrath is come, and who is able to
stand.
ND AFTER THIS I saw four angels set at the
four corners of the earth with power over the
four winds of the earth, that wind might not
blow upon the earth, nor upon the sea, nor against any tree.
A
VII.
2. And I saw another angel ascending from the sun-
rising, having a seal of the Living God; and he was crying,
in a loud voice, to the four angels, to whom it was given to
injure the earth and the sea, saying:-Do NO WRONG TO
THE EARTH, NOR TO THE SEA, NOR TO THE TREES, WHILE
WE ARE SEALING THE SLAVES OF OUR GOD ON THEIR
FOREHEADS.
And I heard the number of the sealed-one hundred
4.
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and forty four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the
sons of Israel.
From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand sealed;
From the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand;
From the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand;
From the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand;
From the tribe of Nephthalim, twelve thousand;
From the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand;
From the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand;
From the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand;
From the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand;
From the tribe of Zebulon, twelve thousand;
From the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand;
From the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand scaled.
9. After these things I saw, and lo! a crowd, great past
the power of any one to number, out of every nation, and
tribes and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne,
and before the Lamb, clad in white raiment, and palm-
branches in their hands. And they cry, with a loud voice
saying:-SALVATION TO OUR GOD, WHO SITS UPON THE
THRONE, AND TO THE LAMB! And all the angels formed
a circle round the throne, and the Princes, and the four.
living ones, and they fell before the throne upon their
faces, and did reverence to God, saying:-AMEN. PRAISE,
AND GLORY, AND WISDOM, AND THANKSGIVING, AND
HONOUR, AND POWER, AND MIGHT, TO OUR GOD, UNTO
THE AGES WHOSE DAYS ARE ONS.
13. And one of the Princes answered, speaking to me:-
"These that are clad in the white raiment, who are they, and
whence did they come?" And I said to him" My lord!
Thou knowest," And he said to me: "These are they who
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come out of the great tribulation, who washed their raiment,
and made it white, in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are
they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night,
in His shrine. And He who sits upon the throne shall abide
upon them; they shall not hunger, nor thirst, any more,
neither shall the sun smite them, nor burning heat of any
kind; for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne is their
Shepherd, and leads them to springs of living waters, and
God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes."
VIII.
ND WHEN HE OPENED THE SEVENTH
SEAL, there was silence in heaven for about
half an hour. And I saw the seven angels
who stood before God's face; and seven trumpets were given
them.
A
3. And another angel came and was placed at the altar
of incense, and he had a golden censer. And much incense
was given him, that he might offer it, in the prayers of all
the saints, upon the golden altar which is before the throne.
And the smoke of the incense in the prayers of the saints,
went up out of the angel's hand before God.
1
5. And the angel took the censer, and filled it from the
fire of the altar of incense, and cast it into the earth. And
there were thunders, and lightnings, and voices, and an
earthquake. And the seven angels, that had the seven
trumpets, prepared themselves to sound.
7. AND THE First soundeD:-And there was a plague
of fire mingled in blood; and it was let loose upon the earth.
And the third part of the earth was burned, and the third
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part of the trees was burned, and all young grass was
burned.
8. 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 colonies in the sea, that had life, died, and the
third part of the ships were disabled.
IO. AND THE THIRD ANGEL SOUNDED :—And there fell,
out of the sky, a great star, burning like a torch. And he
fell upon the third of the rivers, and upon the springs of the
waters. And the name of the star is pronounced, JOYLESS ;
and the third of the waters became joyless, and many men
died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
12. AND THE FOURTH ANGEL SOUNDED :-And the third
of the sun was smitten, and the third of the moon, and the
third of the stars; so that the third part of them might be
darkened, and the day might have no light for the third part
of it, and the night likewise. And I saw an eagle flying in
mid-air, and I heard him say in a loud voice:-WOE! WOE!!
WOE!!! TO THEM THAT DWELL ON THE EARTH, FROM THE
REST OF THE TRUMPET-CALLS OF THE THREE ANGELS NOW
ABOUT TO SOUND.
IX.
AND THE FIFTH ANGEL SOUNDED :And I saw a
star that had fallen out of heaven into the carth. And the
key of the well-mouth of the abyss was given to him, and
he opened the well-mouth of the abyss; and smoke went up
out of the well-mouth, like the smoke of a great furnace,
and the sun was darkened, and the air, by the smoke from.
the well-mouth. And out of the smoke went forth locusts
into the earth; and power was given to them, as the
scorpions of the carth have power. And they were told not
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to injure the grass of the earth, nor any young green thing,
nor any tree, but only those men who have not the seal of
God on their foreheads. And they were not allowed to kill
them, but only that they should be tormented five months.
And their torment is like the torment of a scorpion when it
strikes a man. And in those days the men shall seek Death,
and shall not find him, and they shall desire to die, and death
shall flee from them.
7. And these images of locusts were like horses equipped
for war; and upon their heads as it were crowns like gold,
and their faces like men's faces; and they had hair like the
hair of women, and their teeth were like those of lions. And
they had breast-plates like iron breast-plates, and the sound
of their wings was like the sound of chariots of many horses
hurrying to war. And they have tails like scorpions, and
stings, and in their tails is their power to injure mankind
five months. And they have as king over them an angel
from the abyss, and his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in
English he has the name of Destroyer.
The first woe is past. Lo! there come yet two woes
more after these things.
13. AND THE SIXTH ANGEL SOUNDED—And I heard
a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which stands
before God, saying to the sixth angel:-THOU THAT HAST
THE TRUMPET: LOOSE THE FOUR ANGELS WHICH ARE IN
CHAINS ON THE GREAT RIVER EUPHRATES. And the four
angels were loosed that were prepared unto this hour, and
day, and month, and year, to slay the third of the human
* Observe that the tail is like a scorpion, not that they have tails as
scorpions have. The distinction is rather difficult to bring out in an English
translation.
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race.
And the number of the host of the horse-two
myriads of myriads,* I heard their number. And thus did I
see the horses in the vision, and their riders. They had
breast-plates of fire and amethyst and brimstone and the
heads of the horses like lions' heads, and out of their mouths
goes forth fire, and smoke, and brimstone. By these three
plagues was the third part of the human race slain, from the
fire, and the smoke, and the brimstone that goes out of their
mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouth and
in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, and have
heads, and with them do they hurt. And the rest of the
human race, who were not slain by these plagues, did not
turn away from the works of their hands, nor forsake the
worship of devils, and of their idols of gold, and silver, and
brass, and stone, and wood; which can neither see nor hear
nor walk; and did not turn away from their murders, nor
from their drugs, nor from their fornications, nor from their
thefts.
X.
ND I SAW ANOTHER MIGHTY ANGEL de-
scending from Heaven, clothed in cloud, and the
halo upon his head, and his face like the sun, and
his fect like pillars of fire; and having in his hand a little
book opened. And he set his right foot upon the sea, and
his left upon the earth, and cried† with a great voice, as a lion
And when he cried the seven thunders uttered their
A
roars.
voices.
* i.e., 200,000,000.
+ pásw. To croak, strictly of the Raven, also of frogs. Generally to scream,
shriek, cry.
The word itself as well as the context appears to indicate the
loud inarticulate cry of strong passion,
19
4.
And when the seven thunders spoke, I was going to
write; and I heard a voice from heaven, saying:-SEAL THE
THINGS WHICH THE SEVEN THUNDERS UTTERED, AND WRITE
THEM NOT.
5. And the angel, whom I saw standing upon the sea
and upon the earth, raised his right hand into heaven, and
swore by Him Who lives unto the ages whose days are æons,
Who created heaven and all in it, and the earth and all in it,
and the sea and all in it, that there shall be no more time,
but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is
on the point of sounding, even then is the mystery of God
finished, according to His gracious announcement to His
slaves the prophets.
((
8. And the voice, which I heard out of heaven, again
speaking with me, saying:-GO, TAKE THE LITTLE BOOK
WHICH IS OPEN IN THE HAND OF THE ANGEL WHO IS STAND-
ING UPON THE SEA AND UPON THE EARTH. And I went off to
the angel, asking him to give me the little book. And he
says to me :—“ Take it, and eat it up, and it will *make your
appetite keen, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey."
And I took the little book out of the hand of the angel, and
ate it up. And it was in my mouth as honey sweet; and
when I ate it, my appetite was made keen. And they say to
"You must prophecy again to peoples, and to nations
and tongues, and to many kings."
me:
XI. And there was given me a reed like a rod, saying :
Awake, and measure the shrine of God, and the holy
place, and those who worship in it. And the court which
is without the shrine, cast out and measure it not, for it
is given to the nations, and they shall tread the holy
* πικρανεῖ σοῦ τὴν κοιλίαν. It will make your belly keen, or bitter.
Matkatarakta
20
+
city forty-two months. And I will give commission to my
two witnesses, and they shall prophesy 1,260 days clothed
in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two lamp-
stands which are set before the Lord of the earth; and if
anyone designedly wrongs them, fire goes forth out of their
mouth, and devours their enemies, and if anyone wilfully
wrongs them he must thus be slain. These have power to
shut heaven, that rain fall not during the days of their
prophecy; and they have power over the waters, to turn
them into blood, and to strike the earth with every stroke as
often as ever they wish. And when they have finished their
witness, the beast that ascends out of the abyss shall make
war with them, and shall vanquish them, and shall kill them.
And their dead bodies are in the street of the great city,
which spiritually is called Sodom, and Egypt, where also
their Lord was crucified. And men from all the peoples and
tribes, and tongues, and nations, shall see their dead bodies
three days and a half, and shall not allow their corpses to be
placed in the tomb. And the dwellers on the earth rejoice
at them, and make merry, and shall send gifts to each other,
because these two prophets put to the test the dwellers on
the earth.
II.
And after the three days and a half, spirit of life from
God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and
great fear fell upon those that saw them. And I heard a
great voice out of heaven, saying to them:-COME UP
HITHER. And they ascended into heaven in the cloud, and
their enemies saw them.
13. And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and
the tenth part of the city fell, and there were slain, in the
earthquake, names of men, seven thousand; and the rest
21
were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The
second woe is gone; the third woe, lo! it comes swiftly.
15.
AND THE SEVENTH ANGEL SOUNDED :-And there
were great voices in heaven, saying:-THE EMPIRE OF THE
WORLD IS GIVEN TO OUR LORD AND TO HIS CHRist.
CHRIST.
AND HE SHALL REIGN UNTO THE AGES WHOSE DAYS ARE
ÆONS.
16. And the twenty-four Princes who sit before God on
their thrones fell upon their faces and worshipped God,
saying-WE GIVE THEE THANKS, O! LORD GOD, THE
ALMIGHTY, WHO ART, AND WHO WAST, BECAUSE THOU
DIDST TAKE THY GREAT POWER AND ASSUME THE KINGLY
THRONE. AND THE NATIONS WERE ENRAGED, AND THY
WRATH IS COME, AND THE TIME OF THE DEAD TO BE
JUDGED, AND TO GIVE THEIR HIRE TO THY SLAVES THE
PROPHETS, AND TO THE HOLY, AND TO THOSE THAT FEAR
THY NAME, SMALL AND GREAT, AND TO DESTROY THOSE
WHO DESTROY THE EARTH.
19. And the shrine of God in heaven was opened, and
the ark of His covenant was scen in His shrine. And there
were lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and a great storm.
XII.
ND A GREAT SIGN was seen in heaven. A
woman clothed with the sun, and the moon
under her fect, and upon her head a crown of
twelve stars; and being with child, she is crying out in the
pangs and throes of child-birth.
A
3.
AND ANOTHER SIGN was seen in heaven. And lo! a
great flame-coloured dragon, having seven heads and ten
horns, and on his heads seven diadems;
diadems; and his tail
¿
22
drags along the third part of the stars of heaven, and he cast
them into the earth. And the dragon placed himself before
the woman who was on the point of giving birth, in order to
eat up her child as soon as it should be born.
5. And she gave birth to a man-child, who is destined
to shepherd all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child
was caught away to God, and to His throne. And the
woman fled into the desert, for there she has a place pre-
pared by God, in order that they may feed her there for
1,260 days.
7. AND THERE AROSE WAR IN HEAVEN, Michael and
his angels fighting with the dragon; and the dragon fought
and his angels, and did not prevail, neither was their place
found any more in heaven. And the dragon was cast down,
the primeval serpent, that is called the Slanderer, and Satan,
who misleads the whole inhabited world; he was cast into
the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.
BEFORE
IO. And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying:-
NOW IS ARISEN THE SALVATION, AND THE STRENGTH,
AND THE KINGDOM OF OUR GOD, AND THE POWER OF
IIIS CHRIST. FOR THE ACCUSER OF OUR BRETHREN IS
CAST DOWN, WHO ACCUSED THEM
OUR GOD
DAY AND NIGHT. AND THEY OVERCAME HIM THROUGH
THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, AND THROUGH THE WORD
AND THEY
OF THEIR TESTIMONY.
LIFE UNTO DEATH. THEREFORE REJOICE YE HEAVENS,
WOE! TO THE EARTH
NOT
LOVED
THEIR
AND YE WHO DWELL IN
AND TO THE SEA, FOR THE SLANDERER IS GONE DOWN
ΤΟ
IN GREAT
HE
ANGER, KNOWING THAT
YOU
HAS
LITTLE TIME.
13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast into
THEM.
Į
23
the earth, he hunted the woman that gave birth to the
man-child. And to the woman were given the two wings
of the great eagle, so that she might fly into the desert,
into her place, where she is fed a time, and times, and
half a time, away from the face of the serpent. And the
serpent cast out of his mouth, after the woman, water like
a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by it.
And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened
her mouth, and drank up the river, which the dragon cast
out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged at the
woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her seed,
who regard the injunctions of God, and have the testimony
of Jesus.
XIII.
A
ND I WAS SET UPON THE SAND OF
THE SEA, and saw, out of the sea, a beast
rising, having ten horns and seven heads;
and upon his horns ten diadems, and on his heads expres-
sions of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like a
pard, and his feet like those of a bear, and his mouth like the
mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his strength, and
his throne, and great power.
3.
And I saw one of his heads as it had been wounded
unto death, and its fatal wound was healed; and the whole
world wondered after the beast, and they worshipped the
dragon, because he gave the power to the beast, and they
worshipped the beast, saying: Who is like the Beast, and
who can fight with him? And a mouth was given to him
speaking great things and blasphemy; and he was given
power to act forty-two months. And he opened his mouth
24
to utter blasphemous replies to God, to blaspheme His Name
and His dwelling, and those who dwell in heaven. And he
was given power to make war with the saints, and to over-
come them; and he was given power over every tribe, and
people, and tongue, and nation; and they shall worship him,
all who dwell on the earth, whosesoever name is not
inscribed in the book of the life of the Lamb, slain from the
foundation of the world. If any one has ears let him hear.
If
any love captivity, he leads into captivity. If any love the
sword, by the sword he must be slain. Here is the patience,
and the faith of the saints.
P
II. AND I SAW ANOTHER BEAST RISING OUT OF THE
EARTH, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like
a dragon. And he exercises all the power of the first beast
before him. And he caused the earth and those who dwell
in it to worship the first beast whose fatal wound was healed.
And he works great signs, so as to make fire, out of heaven,
descend into the earth before men. And he causes those who
dwell on the earth to go wandering about, by means of the
signs, which were given him to work before the beast; telling
those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast
that had its throat cut and lived. And he received power to
give spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the
beast should both speak, and cause, that all who will not
worship the image of the beast, should be killed. And he
causes all, small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to
receive a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead;
that no one shall be able to buy or sell, save he who has the
mark, the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has sense reckon the number
of the beast, for it is a man's number, and his number is x§s'.
25
XIV.
A
ND I SAW, AND LO!
LO! THE LAMB
STANDING ON MOUNT SION. And,
with Him, a hundred and forty-four thou-
sands, having His Name, and His Father's Name, written
on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven,
like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of a
great thunder.
And the voice which I heard was like
the sound of harpers, singing and playing their harps.
And they are singing a new song before the throne,
and before the four living ones, and the Princes. And
no one was able to learn the song, but only the hundred
and forty-four thousand, who were purchased from the
earth. These are they who were not defiled with
women, for they are virgins. These are they who follow
the Lamb whithersoever He leads them. These were pur-
chased from mankind, as firstlings to God and to the
Lamb; and in their mouth was found no deceit, for they
are blameless.
6. AND I SAW ANOTHER ANGEL, flying in mid-air,
having the gospel of the dispensation to preach to those who
were settled on the earth, and to every nation, and tribe, and
tongue, and people; saying in a loud voice: FEAR GOD, AND
give Him glORY; FOR THE HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT IS
COME, AND WORSHIP HIM WHO MADE HEAVEN, AND EARth,
AND THE SEA, AND SPRINGS OF WATERS.
8. And a second angel followed, saying: SHE IS
FALLEN! IS FALLEN!! BABYLON THE GREAT, THAT
CAUSED ALL THE NATIONS TO DRINK OF THE WINE OF
THE PASSION OF HER FORNICATION.
9. And a third angel followed them, saying in a loud
1
1
26
1
:
voice IF ANY ONE WORSHIP THE BEAST AND HIS IMAGE,
AND RECEIVE THE MARK UPON HIS FOREHEAD, OR ON HIS
HAND, HE ALSO SHALL DRINK OF THE WINE OF THE WRATH
OF GOD, WHICH IS MINGLED, UNDILUTED, IN THE CUP OF
HIS ANGER. AND HE SHALL BE TORMENTED IN FIRE AND
BRIMSTONE BEFORE THE ANGELS, AND Before the Lamb.
And the smoke of their torment goes up unto the ages
whose days are æons. And they have no rest day nor
night, who worship the beast and his image, and any one
that receives the mark of his name. Here is the patience of
the saints, who observe the injunctions of God, and the faith
of Jesus.
13. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying: WRITE,
BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, WHO DIE IN THE LORD, FROM
THIS MOMENT. YEA, SAITH THE SPIRIT, THAT THEY MAY
REST FROM THEIR TOIL, AND THEIR WORKS ACCOMPANY
THEM.
'
14. And I saw, and lo! a white cloud. And upon the
cloud one seated, like a son of man, having on his head a
crown of gold, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another
messenger went out of the shrine, crying, in a loud voice, to
him that sat on the cloud: THRUST IN THY SICKLE AND
REAP, FOR THE SEASON OF HARVEST IS COME, FOR THE
HARVEST OF THE EARTH IS RIPE. And he that sat upon
the cloud, cast his sickle on to the earth, and the harvest of
the earth was gathered.
17. And another angel went out of the shrine in
heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. And another angel
went out of the holy place, and he had power over fire.
And he shouted, with a loud cry, to him that had the sharp
sickle, saying:-THRUST IN THY SHARP SICKLE, AND GATHER
27
THE CLUSTERS OF THE VINE OF THE EARTH. FOR THE
VINTAGE OF THE EARTH IS COME TO PERFECTION. And
the angel cast his sickle into the earth, and gathered the
vintage of the earth, and cast it into the great wine-press
of the wrath of God. And the wine-press was trodden
without the city. And blood went out of the wine-press up
to the bits of the horses, for sixteen hundred furlongs.
ND I SAW ANOTHER SIGN IN HEAVEN
GREAT AND MARVELLOUS. Seven
angels, having the seven last plagues, for in
them is accomplished the wrath of God. And I saw as it were
a sea of crystal instinct with fire; and those who came out
victorious over the beast, and over his image, and over the
number of his name, posted on this crystal sea, having harps
of God. And they sing the song of Moses the slave of God,
and the song of the Lamb, saying: GREAT AND WONDERFUL
ARE THY WORKS, O LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY. JUST
AND UPRIGHT ARE THY WAYS, THOU KING OF THE
NATIONS. WHO WOULD NOT FEAR THEE, O! LORD, AND
GLORIFY THY NAME?
NAME? FOR THOU ALONE ART HOLY.
FOR ALL NATIONS SHALL COME, AND SHALL WORSHIP
BEFORE THEE. FOR THE JUSTICE OF THINE ACTS IS
MADE MANIFEST.
XV.
A
5. And after these things I saw; and the shrine of the
tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And the
seven angels went forth, that had the seven plagues, clad in
linen, clean and radiant, and girt about the breasts with
golden girdles. And one of the four living ones, gave to the
seven angels, seven bowls of gold, filled with the wrath of
!
1
28
The God Who lives unto the ages whose days are æons. And
the shrine was filled with the smoke from the glory of God,
and from His Might. And no one was able to go into the
shrine until the seven plagues of the seven angels were
accomplished.
XVI. And I heard a great voice, saying to the seven
angels-GO POUR OUT THE SEVEN BOWLS OF THE WRATH
OF GOD INTO THE EARTH. And the FIRST went
his way and poured out his bowl into the earth. And there
arose a bad and grievous sore on the men who had the mark
of the beast, and who worshipped his image.
3. And the SECOND poured out his bowl into
the sea.
And blood was produced like that of a corpse.
And all forms of life, that were in the sea, perished.
THOU DIDST PASS THIS SENTENCE.
4. And the THIRD poured out his bowl into the
rivers, and into the springs of the waters; and blood was
produced. And I heard the angel of the waters say :-
RIGHTEOUS ART THOU, WHO ART AND EVER WAST
HOLY BECAUSE
!
FOR THEY POURED OUT THE BLOOD OF SAINTS
PROPHETS, AND THOU GAVEST THEM BLOOD TO
DRINK-ACCORDING TO THEIR DESERTS. And I heard
from the holy place
place one saying:-YEA! LORD GOD
ALMIGHTY. UPRIGHT AND JUST ARE THY JUDGMENTS.
AND
8. And the FOURTH poured out his bowl on to
the sun.
And power was given to him to scorch men with
fire. And mankind were scorched with burning heat, and
mankind blasphemed the Name of the God who had power
over these plagues, and did not bethink them, nor give Him
glory.
29
IO. And the FIFTH poured out his bowl on to the
throne of the beast, and his kingdom was darkened, and
they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God
of heaven because of their distresses and their sores, and
turned not away their minds from their works.
12.
And the SIXTH poured his bowl on the great
river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, that the way
might be prepared for the kings from the sun-rising.
And I saw proceeding out of the mouth of the dragon, and
out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the
false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are
spirits of devils workings signs, that go forth to the kings of
the whole inhabited world, to gather them together unto the
battle of that day, the great day of Almighty God.
Lo! I come as a thief. Blessed is he who watcheth
and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they
see his shame. And they gathered them together to a place
called in Hebrew ARMAGEDON.
17. And the SEVENTH poured out his bowl on
to the air. And there went forth a mighty voice from the
shrine, from the throne saying: IT IS COME
TO PASS. And there were lightnings, and voices,
and thunders. And there was a great earthquake, such as
was not from the time man came into being upon the earth,
such an earthquake and so great. And the great city was
divided in three, and the cities of the nations fell.
And BABYLON THE GREAT came into remembrance
before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the
·
30
t
passion of His anger. And every island fled, and mountains
disappeared. And a great hailstorm, with stones about a
talent in weight, fell upon mankind out of heaven, and man-
kind blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for
the plague of it was passing great.
XVII.
A
ND THERE CAME one of the seven angels
that had the seven bowls, and spoke with
me, saying-Come. I will show you the
judgment of the great Harlot, that sits upon the many
waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed
fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were drunk
off the wine of her fornication.
Ja
3. And he carried me away into a desert in spirit, and I
saw a woman, seated on a scarlet beast full of the expressions
of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the
woman was clad in purple and scarlet, and adorned with
gold, and precious stone, and pearls. And she had a cup of
gold in her hand, full of abominations, and of the impurities
of the fornication of the earth. And upon her forehead a
name inscribed MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE
MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.
6. And I saw the woman drunk off the blood of the
saints, and off the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And I
wondered, beholding her, with great wonder.
7. And the Angel said to me :-Why did you wonder?
I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast
that exalts her, that has the seven heads and the ten horns.
The beast, which you saw, was and is not, and is destined to
31
ascend out of the abyss. And it leads to destruction, and
they that dwell on the earth shall be astonished, whose
names are not inscribed in the book of the life from the
foundation of the world, when they see the beast; for it was,
and is not, and shall be seen again. Here is the mind that
has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, where
the woman sits upon them. And there are seven kings, of
whom five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet.
come; and when he comes short must be his stay. And the
beast that was and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of
the seven, and leads into destruction. And the ten horns
which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received their
kingship; but they receive power as kings one hour with the
beast. These have one mind, and give their strength and
power to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb.
And the Lamb will be victorious over them; for He is LORD
of lords, and KING of kings; and those with Him are called,
and chosen, and faithful.
15. And he says to me:-The waters which you saw,
where the harlot sits, they are peoples, and multitudes,
and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you
saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot, and will make
her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh, and burn her
up
in fire. For God has put it into their hearts to perform
His mind, and to perform one mind, and to give their king-
dom to the beast, until the words of God are accomplished.
And the woman, that you saw, is the great city that bears
rule over the kings of the earth.
32
1
XVIII.
A
FTER THESE THINGS I saw another angel
descending from heaven, having great power;
and the earth was lit up by his glory. And
he cried in a powerful voice, saying:-SHE IS FALLEN! SHE
IS FALLEN!! BABYLON THE GREAT. And is become an
abode of devils, and a haunt of every unclean spirit, and a
haunt of every unclean and hateful bird. For she caused all
nations to drink of the wine of the passion of her fornication;
and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her,
and the merchants of the carth were enriched through the
strength of her lust.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying:-
4.
COME OUT OF HER, OH! MY PEOPLE, THAT YOU BE NOT
ACCOMPLICES IN HER SINS, NEITHER RECEIVE OF HER
PLAGUES. FOR HER SINS HAVE TAKEN HOLD ON HEAVEN
ITSELF, AND GOD HAS CALLED ΤΟ MIND HER TRANS-
GRESSIONS. RENDER to her as she also served others, and
double to her double according to her works. In the cup in
which she mingled, mingle to her double. In proportion as
she glorified herself, and waxed wanton, so much torment
and sorrow give her.
For she says in her heart :-I sit a Queen, and am no
widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore in one day
shall her plagues come; death, and sorrow, and famine; and
she shall be burned to the ground. For strong is the Lord
God that judged her.
9. And the kings of the earth who committed fornication
with her, and waxed wanton, shall weep and lament over
her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing afar
off, through the fear of her torment, saying:-Alas! Alas!!
33
Thou great city Babylon, thou strong city. For in one
hour is thy judgment come.
II. And the merchants of the earth lament and wail over
her. For no one any longer buys their merchandise, their
freights of gold, and silver, and precious stone, and pearl, and
fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all their
citron* wood, and all their ivory goods, and all their wares
made of most costly wood, and of brass, and of iron, and of
marble; and their cinnamon, and spice, and incense, and
myrrh, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and
wheat, and cattle, and sheep; and their freights of horses,
and of wagons, and of bodies; and souls of men.
14. And the prime of the desire of thy soul hath leſt
thee, and all thy luxury and radiance is lost to thee; and
never shalt thou find them again.
15. The merchants of these things, that grew rich by her
shall stand afar off through the fear of her torment, weeping
and lamenting, saying:-Alas! alas!! The great city!
That was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet,
and adorned with gold and precious stone and pearls.
For in one hour is all her wealth made desolate.
17. And every pilot, and every ship's captain, and the
sailors, and all the toilers of the sea, stood afar off, and cried
out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying:
What is there like the Great City? And they cast earth
on their heads, and cried weeping and lamenting, saying:-
Alas! Alas!! The Great City! Whereby were enriched
all that had their ships on the sea, through her luxury.
For in one hour is she made desolate.
*Citron-0úvos. A fragrant and very durable wood-not the citron-but
its species is unknown,
34
REJOICE OVER HER, OH! HEAVEN AND YE Saints,
AND APOSTLES, AND PROPHETS. FOR GOD HAS GIVEN
JUDGMENT FOR YOU AGAINST HER.
20.
21. And a mighty angel raised a stone, like a great
mill-stone, and cast it into the sea, saying: THUS WITH
INDIGNATION SHALL BABYLON THE GREAT CITY BE CAST
AWAY, AND SHALL NOT BE FOUND AGAIN.
22. And the sound of harpers and musicians, and flute-
players, and cornopean players, shall no more be heard in
thee at all. And there shall no more be found in thee any
craftsman of any craft. And the sound of the mill-stone
shall no more be heard in thee at all. And the light of a
lamp shall not be seen in thee again. And the voice of the
bridegroom, and of the bride, shall not be heard in thee again.
For thy merchants were the great men of the earth. For by
thy witchery were all the nations led astray. And in her was
found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all who
were slain in the earth.
FTER THESE THINGS, I heard as it were the
mighty voice of a great crowd in heaven,
saying-ALLELUIA! OH! THE SALVATION,
AND THE GLORY, AND THE MIGHT OF OUR GOD! FOR
UPRIGHT AND JUST ARE HIS JUDGMENTS.
FOR HE HAS
JUDGED THE GREAT WHORE THAT DESTROYED THE EARTH
WITH HER HARLOTRIES, AND HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD of
HIS SLAVES AT HER HAND. And again they say ALLELUIA!
And her smoke goes up unto the ages whose days are æons.
And the twenty-four Princes, and the four Living ones, fell
XIX.
A
35
down, and worshipped the God who sits upon the throne,
saying :—AMEN. ALLELUIA!
5. And there went forth a voice
saying:-PRAISE OUR GOD, ALL YE HIS
WHO FEAR HIM, SMALL AND GREAT.
6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great crowd,
and as it were the voice of many waters, and as it were a
voice of mighty thunders, saying:-ALLELUIA! FOR THE
Lord our God, THE ALMIGHTY, IS KING. LET US FEJOICE
THE
AND BE GLAD, AND GIVE THE GLORY TO HIM; FOR
WEDDING OF THE LAMB IS COME, AND HIS WIFE HAS
from the throne,
SLAVES, AND YE
PREPARED HERSELF.
8. And to her it was given to be clad in fine linen,
radiant and pure. For the fine linen consists of the righteous
}
acts of the saints.
And he says to me :-WRITE, BLESSED ARE THEY WHO
ARE CALLED TO THE Wedding-feaST OF THE LAMB. And
he says to me :-These are the very words of GOD. And
I fell before his feet to worship him. And he says to me :-
See, Refrain. I am of your brethren that have the testi-
mony of JESUS. Worship GOD. For the testimony of
JESUS is the spirit of prophecy.
II.
AND
ND I SAW HEAVEN OPENED AND LO!
A WHITE HORSE. AND HE
WHO SITS UPON HIM IS CALLED FAITHFUL,
AND UPRIGHT, AND IN RIGHTEOUSNESS HE JUDGES, AND
MAKES WAR. And His eyes are a flame of fire. And on
His head are many crowns. And He has names written.
36
And a name written which none knows but Himself. And
He is clad in a garment dipped in blood. And His Name.
is called THE WORD OF GOD.
14. And the hosts of heaven followed Him upon white
horses, clad in fine linen, white and clean. And out of
His mouth proceeds a sharp sword, that with it He may
smite the nations. And He shall shepherd them with a
rod of iron. And He treads the wine-press of the wrath
of The Almighty God. And He has upon His garment,
and upon His thigh a Name written KING OF KINGS
AND LORD OF LORDS.
17. AND I SAW AN ANGEL STANDING IN THE SUN.
And he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that
fly in mid-air :-COME, GATHER YOURSELVES TOGETHER TO
THE GREAT FEAST OF GOD. THAT YOU MAY EAT THE
FLESH OF KINGS, AND THE FLESH OF GENERALS, AND THE
FLESH OF MIGHTY MEN, AND THE FLESH OF HORSES, AND
OF THEIR RIDERS, AND THE FLESH OF ALL, FREE AND BOND,
SMALL AND GREAT.
AND I SAW THE BEAST, and the kings of the earth,
and their armies, gathered together to make war with Him
Who sits upon the horse, and with his army. And the
beast was hard pressed, and the false prophet with him,
that wrought the signs before him, by which he led astray
those that received the mark of the beast, and those that
worshipped his image. They were cast alive, both of them,
into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest
were slain with the sword of Him Who sits upon the horse,
that goes out of His mouth, and all the birds were filled
with their flesh.
1
37
XX.
A
ND I SAW AN ANGEL descending from
heaven having the key of the abyss, and a
great chain in his hand. AND HE SEIZED
THE DRAGON, the primeval serpent, who is called THE
SLANDERER and SATAN, AND BOUND HIM FOR A THOUSAND
YEARS, and cast him into the abyss, and locked it, and set
a seal upon it, that he might no longer lead the nations
astray until the thousand years are accomplished. After this
he must be loosed for a little while.
4. AND I SAW THRONES AND THEY SAT
UPON THEM. And judgment was given them. I saw also
the souls of those that were beheaded because of the
testimony of Jesus, and because of the word of God; and
who did not worship the beast nor his image, and that
received not the mark on the forehead, nor upon their
hands; and they rose from the dead and reigned with the
Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead lived not
until the thousand years were accomplished.
This is the
first resurrection. BLESSED AND HOLY IS HE THAT HAS
PART IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION. Over these the
second death has no power; but they shall be priests of
God, and of the Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand
years.
7. AND WHEN THE THOUSAND YEARS ARE FINISHED,
Satan shall be loosed from his prison-house, and shall go
forth to mislead the nations that are in the four corners of
the earth, Gog and Magog, to collect them to the battle,
whose number is like the sand of the sea. And they went
up upon the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp
of the saints, and the beloved city. And fire descended from
38
heaven, and devoured them. And the slanderer, that led them
astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where
are also the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be
tormented day and night through the ages whose days are
æons.
3
II.
A
ND I SAW A GREAT WHITE THRONE, and
HIM Who sat upon it, from Whose Face the
earth and the heaven fled away, and no place
was found for them.
I2. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, set
before the throne. And books were opened. And another
book was opened, which is the book of the life. And the
dead were judged according to the entries in the books,
after their works. And the sea gave up the dead that were
in it. And Death and Hades gave up the dead in them.
And they were judged, each according to his works. And
Death, and Hades, were cast into the lake of fire. This is
the second death, the lake of fire. And if any one was not
found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake
of fire.
A
¿
ND I SAW A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW
EARTH. For the first heaven, and the first earth
are gone. And the sea exists no longer.
2. And I saw THE HOLY CITY,
JERUSALEM
THE NEW
DESCENDING OUT OF HEAVEN FROM
GOD PREPARED LIKE A BRIDE adorned for her husband.
39
3. And I heard a great voice from the throne, saying:
BEHOLD. THE TABERNACLE OF GOD AMONG MEN. AND
HE SHALL SOJOURN AMONG THEM, AND THEY SHALL BE HIS
PEOPLE. AND GOD HIMSELF SHALL BE AMONG THEM, AND
BE THEIR GOD, AND SHALL WIPE AWAY EVERY TEAR FROM
THEIR EYES.
AND DEATH SHALL BE NO MORE; NEITHER
SHALL GRIEF BE ANY MORE, NOR LAMENTATION, NOR
DRUDGERY. FOR THE FIRST THINGS are gone.
5. And He who sits upon the throne, said :-Behold I
MAKE ALL THINGS NEW. And he says:--WRITE FOR THESE
WORDS ARE TRUSTWORTHY AND SURE.
I AM
6. And He said to me :-IT IS COME TO PASS.
THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA, THE BEGINNING AND THE
END. I WILL GIVE, TO HIM THAT IS ATHIRST, FREELY TO
DRINK OF THE SPRING OF THE WATER OF THE LIFE. HE
WHO OVERCOMES SHALL INHERIT THESE THINGS, AND I
WILL BE HIS GOD, AND HE SHALL BE MY SON.
BUT FOR THE CRAVEN, AND FAITHLESS, AND DISGUST-
ING, AND MURDERERS, AND FORNICATORS, AND POISONERS,
AND IDOLATERS, AND ALL LIARS; THEIR LOT IS IN THE
LAKE THAT BURNS WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE, WHICH IS
THE SECOND DEATH.
9. And there came one of the seven angels, that had the
seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and spoke with
me, saying:-Come. I will shew you the woman, the
Bride of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit to
the top of a great and high mountain, and shewed me the
holy city Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
having the glory of God, radiant like a stone most precious,
like a jasper crystal. With a wall great and high, and twelve
40
gateways. And at the gateways twelve angels. And names
written over, which are names of the twelve tribes of the
sons of Israel. Towards the sunrising, three gates; and
towards the North, three gates; and towards the South,
three gates; and towards sunset, three gates. And the wall
of the city had twelve foundation stones, and upon them
twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15. AND HE WHO SPOKE WITH ME HAD A MEASURING
Reed of GoLD, to measure the city, and its gateways, and
its wall. And the city lies four-square; its length is the same
as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, and
it came to twelve thousand furlongs. The length, and the
breadth, and the height of it are equal. And he measured
its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits. The measure of
a man, that is of an angel.
18. And the structure of its wall was jasper. And the
city was pure gold, like pure crystal. The foundation-stones
of the wall of the city adorned with every precious stone.
The first foundation stone, a jasper; the second, a sapphire ;
the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, a
sardonyx; the sixth, a sardine; the seventh, a chrysolite ;
the eighth, a beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chryso-
prase; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21.
AND THE TWELVE GATEWAYS were twelve pearls ;
that is each one of the gateways was fashioned from a single.
pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold like trans-
parent crystal.
22.
For the Lord God,
And the city
AND I SAW NO SHRINE IN IT.
the Almighty is her shrine, and the Lamb.
has no need of the sun, nor of the moon to shine upon her;
41
for the glory of God illuminated her, and her lamp is the
Lamb.
24.
AND THE NATIONS shall walk by her light, and the
kings of the earth bring their glory into her. And her gate-
ways shall not be closed by day, for night shall not be there.
And they shall bring the glory and the honour of the nations
into her. And there shall never enter into her any thing
common, nor any one who acts disgustingly or falsely; but
only those entered in the Lamb's book of the life.
XXII. AND HE SHEWED ME A RIVER OF WATER OF
LIFE, clear as crystal, issuing forth from the throne of God
and of the Lamb. In the midst of its width, and on either
side of the river, a tree of life, producing twelve fruits,
yielding, month by month, each its fruit. And the leaves
of the tree are for the healing of the nations, and there
shall be no longer any curse. And the throne of God, and
of the Lamb, shall be in her, and His slaves shall serve
Him, and shall see His face, and His Name shall be upon
their foreheads. And there shall be no night, neither any
need of a lamp, nor of light, for the Lord God shall shine
upon them, and they shall reign unto the ages whose days
are æons.
6. And he said to me :-THESE WORDS ARE TRUST-
WORTHY AND SURE. AND THE LORD, the GOD OF THE
Spirits of THE PROPHETS, SENT HIS ANGEL, TO SHEW TO
HIS SLAVES THINGS WHICH MUST BE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
AND BEHOLD I COME QUICKLY. BLESSED IS HE WHO
WATCHES NARROWLY THE WORDS OF THE PROPHECY OF
THIS BOOK.
8. And I, John, was hearing and seeing these things.
F
42
And when I heard, and when I saw, I fell down to worship
before the feet of the angel that shewed me these things.
And he says to me :-See. Refrain. I am your fellow-
slave, and of your brothers the prophets, and of those
who watch narrowly the words of this book. Worship
GOD.
IO. And he says to me :-SEAL NOT THE WORDS OF
THE PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK. THE SEASON IS NEAR.
HE WHO DOES WRONG, LET HIM DO FURTHER WRONG.
AND HE WHO IS FILTHY, LET HIM FURTHER DEFILE HIMSELF.
AND LET THE RIGHTEOUS DO GREATER RIGHTEOUSNESS.
AND LET THE SAINT INCREASE IN HOLINESS.
12. BEHOLD I COME QUICKLY. AND MY PAY IS WITH
ME, TO RENDER TO EACH ACCORDING TO HIS WORK.
I AM
THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA; FIRST AND LAST; THE BE-
GINNING AND THE END. BLESSED ARE THEY WHO WASH
THEIR GARMENTS, THAT THEY MAY HAVE ACCESS TO THE
TREE OF THE Life, and maY ENTER IN BY THE GATEWAYS
INTO THE CITY. WITHOUT ARE THE DOGS, AND THE POI-
SONERS, AND THE FORNICATORS, AND THE MURDERERS, AND
THE IDOLATERS, AND EVERY ONE WHO LOVES AND MAKES
FALSEHOOD. I JESUS SENT MY ANGEL TO TESTIFY THESE
THINGS TO YOU, TO THE CHURCHES. I AM THE ROOT AND
THE DESCENDANT OF DAVID, THE SHINING STAR OF DAWN.
AND THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE SAY:-COME. AND LET
HIM THAT HEARS SAY:-COME. AND
AND LET
LET HIM THAT IS
ATHIRST COME. WHOEVER WILL, LET HIM TAKE THE WATER
OF LIFE FREELY.
18. I TESTIFY TO EVERY ONE WHO HEARS THE WORDS
OF THE PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK. IF ANY ONE ADD TO
43
THEM, GOD SHALL LAY UPON HIM THE PLAGUES THAT ARE
WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK. AND IF ANY ONE REMOVE AUGHT
FROM THE WORDS OF THE BOOK OF THIS PROPHECY, GOD
SHALL REMOVE HIS SHARE FROM THE TREE OF LIFE, AND
FROM THE HOLY CITY, THAT ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOK.
HE WHO TESTIFIES THESE THINGS SAYS: VERILY I
COME QUICKLY. Amen. Come, Lord Jesu.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.
}
SHEPPARD AND ST. JOHN, Printors, 30, 32, & 34, St. Bride Street, Ludgate Circus, E.C.
THE VEIL LIFTED.
PART II.
A man was famous according as he lifted up axes
among the thick trees. But now they break down the
carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.
λ
!
MYRRH.
And after Elihu ceased speaking, the Lord said to Job
through hurricane and clouds-
WHO IS THIS that hides counsel¹ from ME, and
keeps back words in his heart, and thinks" that I conceal?
Gird thy loins like a MAN. I will ask of thee, and do
thou answer Me.
WHERE WAST THOU when I was laying the
foundations of the earth? Proclaim to Me thy sagacity if
thou comprehendest. Who laid out its measures, if thou
knowest? Or who stretched out the line upon it? On
what have its sockets been made to sink ?5 Or who is the
mason that used the plummet and square upon it?"
When stars were born all my angels praised me with a
loud voice. And I enclosed the sea with gates," when it
¹ Imagines that I lack resource.
2 Thinks what he will not utter.
Compare Rom. i. 18-23.
4 Put away childishness, and answer Me as an equal. Compare 1 Cor.
xiii. 9-11.
5 The Greek is rather: "To what have its eyelets been made fast." But
Piazzi Smyth appears to give the key to this passage when he says that the
figure employed is the construction of the Great Pyramid.
Or perhaps, "Who is he that fitted the Cornerstone upon it." Either
translation is possible and appropriate.
7 Silet una gens humana nec reddit ob terram gratias.
S Gates. The gates of the earth are: 1st. Mountain passes.
2nd.
48
burst forth, issuing from its mother's womb. And I gave it
garments of cloud and swathed it in a band of mist, and
assigned it bounds, and set strongly barred gates about it,
and said: Hitherto shalt thou come, and shalt not pass be-
yond, but in thyself shall thy waves dash themselves to pieces.
Or have I arranged the light of the dawn with reference
to Thee ?¹ But the Day-spring knows his place in the
appointed order, to lay hold of the wings of the earth, to
shake the impious out of it.
Or hast thou taken earth as clay, and moulded the living
creature, and when it spoke placed it upon the earth?
Hast thou taken away³ the light from the impious, or
dashed to pieces the arm of the arrogant?
Hast thou come upon the spring of the sea? or walked in
the tracks of the fathomless?
Are the gates of death opened to the fear of Thee? Or
have the warders of Hades crouched down on seeing Thee ?5
Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? Declare
to me. How much is it ?0
Isthmuses. 3rd. Straits. All three are included in the Greek word ren-
dered gates. The Suez gate has been pierced with a channel for ships, but
the sea remains barred. The bars of the Panama gate have as yet defied the
attacks of man.
1
The Light-bearer, or Morning-
Compare Zech. vi. 12 (LXX.)
i.e., Are you the promised Messiah?
star, or Day-spring is a type of the Messiah.
Is. xiv. 12. See subsequent note, p. 56.
2 When it spoke, i.e., manifested life and individual consciousness.
3 Compare Rom. i. 18-23. "The right faith is that we worship." And
if we worship not He hides the light.
4 Compare Daniel iv. and Acts xii. 21-23.
5 Another manifest prophecy of the Messiah.
To this question Piazzi Smyth replies, reading off from the Great
Pyramid, 2× 107 cubits, each of 25 pyramid inches. Or 20,000,000 p. cubits
500,000,000 p. inches 500,500,000 British statute inches. And this lies
within the limits of error of the science of the day.
49
On how much land does the light dwell? And what is
the extent of the place of darkness?
2
If thou would'st lead me to their bounds, and if thou also
understoodest their ways, then I should know that thou wert
living at the time, and that the number of thy years is great.
And hast thou come upon the treasures of snow, or seen
the treasures of hail?
富
​Hast thou stored it against the hours of thine enemies,
against the day of wars and battle ?
Whence does the hoar frost come forth? Or whence is
the south wind scattered abroad under heaven?
Or who prepared a course for the boisterous rain-storm,
and a way for its uproar? So as to wet the earth where
there is no man, the desert where man exists not at all? To
feed the untamed and houseless, and to cause the young
green shoot to spring up?
Who is the father of the rain? Or who has begotten the
drops of dew? Is the ice born from the womb of anyone? Or
the hoar frost in heaven, has anyone engendered it? Or does
it descend like flowing water? Who made the impious fearful?
Has thou forged the bond of the Pleiades, and burst
open the fort of Orion?
¹ See Piazzi Smyth's chart shewing the Great Pyramid marking the
central point of the land-surface of the globe. But the question passes on to
the quantity of the earth's surface illuminated at one time, which was probably
an unanswerable enigma to Job.
2 This paragraph carries the sublime enigma still further into regions as
unknown to us as to Job himself, although we are aware that the earth is a
ball, one half of which is illuminated and the other dark.
3 It would seem from this verse that the winter of 1890-91 was, in some
sort, "the hour of God's enemies," at least over a great part of Europe and
Asia, and even Africa.
4 The untamed and houseless, e.g., the goat-stags of the rock, the deer, the
wild ass, &c.
The bond of the Pleiades. A picturesque writer has compared the Pleiades
50
Mazouroth in his season, and the
wilt thou lead them?
Or wilt thou expound
evening star upon his hair,
Dost thou understand the turnings of heaven, or the
coincidences of earthly life?
3
Wilt thou summon cloud with thy voice, and will it hear
thee with fear of rushing water? Wilt thou send lightnings,5
and will they go? Will they say to thee, What is it?
And who gave to women the wisdom of the web, or their
science of embroidery? Who is he that numbers clouds in
wisdom, and spread the earth as a couch for heaven 26
And dust is poured out for the earth. I have set it as the
pip on the die.
Wilt thou hunt prey for lions,8 or satisfy the souls of huge
snakes? For they fear in their lairs, and sit lurking in the
forests.
""
to a group of fireflies in a silver net." Some such group of stars, or rather
of magnificent suns, may be "The Father of the lights." James i. 16, 17.
¹ Masouroth. Probably the twelve signs of the Zodiac.
2 Hair. Obscure; perhaps used (like the Latin "coma," with reference
to a star or comet) for bright rays, &c. Or it may allude to the appearance of
Hesperus in his appointed spot in the Zodiac.
3 The turnings of heaven are still the delight and despair of astronomers,
as the coincidences of earthly life of poets and romance-writers.
¹i.e., Will it burst and fall in rain at your word ?
5 The earth being man's inheritance it is conceivable that he will one day
be able to do these things.
Or perhaps "turned the vault of heaven upon (or over) the earth," i.e.
as a builder turns the vaults of a cathedral roof over the nave. Both ideas are
suggested by the Greek; but an allusion to the fruitfulness of the earth under
the life-giving influences of the natural heavens seems implied.
7 This verse is very mysterious. Dust is doubtless as closely identified
with the earth as the pip with the die on which it is engraved. But given the
earth as a die to find the pip. For a possible answer see the note on the Great
Pyramid at the end of this translation.
8 The Almighty now turns from the marvels of the physical universe to the
animal creation, and seems to invite Job to share his own delight in these
beautiful and marvellous works of His hands.
51
Or who prepared food for the raven? For his brood have
cried to the Lord as they wander, seeking their food.
Knowest thou the season of birth of goat-stags of the
rock ?¹ Or hast thou guarded the throes of deer? Hast thou
?1
counted the number of their months of gestation, or loosed
the pangs of their travail? Hast thou reared their young
without fear, or wilt thou dissipate their pangs? They will
wean their fawns, they will be multiplied in birth; they will
go forth and will not return to them.
2
Or who let go the wild ass free, and who loosed his
bonds? I gave him the desert for his abode, and the salt
land for his quarters. Laughing to scorn the crowds of the
city, and not bearing the reproof of the tax-gatherer, he will
reconnoitre mountains for his pasture, and he seeks after
after every green thing.
Or will single-horn³ be willing to serve thee, or to lie
down at thy manger? Wilt thou bind his yoke in traces? or
will he plough thee furrows in the plain? Dost thou trust him
because his strength is great? Wilt thou leave thy works to
him? Wilt thou believe that he will render thee thy produce?
Will he carry it into thy threshing floor?
The wing of the joyous, the bird of Paradise.¹ Is the
1 Goat-stags of the rock. Probably referring to Ovis ammon, Ovis Poli,
and other huge creatures of the "roof of the world."
2 i.e. Have you trained them to fearlessness.
3 Apparently referring to the rhinoceros. The Almighty asks Job if he
would not like to have a tame rhinoceros to plough his land and bring in his
harvest.
1 The meaning of this verse is obscure, all the birds mentioned are uncer-
tain, the words used being transliterations from the Hebrew. It may probably
be paraphrased somewhat thus:
The bird of paradise for delightful wing plumage;
The stork for affectionate care for her brood;
The ostrich for disregard of her chicks;
And all three for flight.
52
stork if she conceive like the ostrich? For she will lay her
eggs into earth, and hatch them on a mound, and forgets that
the foot will scatter them, and beasts of the field trample
them. She is hardened against her brood just as if they did
not belong to her, she labours in vain without fear, because
the Almighty hath stilled for her the voice of wisdom, and
hath not apportioned her the faculty of comprehension.
Upon occasion she will raise herself on high, she will
laugh to scorn¹ the horse and his rider.
Or hast thou endowed the horse with mettle, and clothed
his neck with terror ?? Hast thou clothed him in armour, or
inspired the glorious courage of his heart.³
He paws upon the ground, he prances, he rushes forth
into the battle-plain in might. Meeting a king he laughs him
to scorn, and he will not turn aside for cold steel. Upon
his prancings dance the bow and the sword, and his anger
spirits away the ground, and he will not obey till the trumpet
sound. But at the blast of the trumpet he says, "Yoicks! "5
and snuffs the battle from afar, and bounds and screams with
delight.
Does the hawk hover by thy science, having spread out
¹ Here we see the wing of the joyous, although the ostrich is incapable of
flight proper.
2 Clothed his neck with terror? This seems to have puzzled many, yet it
appears to have a double applicability. 1. To the natural timidity of the
horse in its wild state. 2. To the terror he in turn inspires when trained for
use in war, to which allusion appears to be made in the comparison of the
horse's neck to "the bended yew," i.e. to a bent bow, the bow being in those
days much what the rifle is now.
3 The high spirit and courage of the war-horse when fully trained and
armed are often mentioned by poets and romance writers, but the panoply here
mentioned seems to be something in the natural, analogous to the spiritual
armour mentioned by St. Paul. Eph. vi. 14-18, and 1 Thess. v. 8.
4 The bow. Of course the modern equivalent is the cavalry carbine,
5 Yoicks. Eûye.. Well done. Used in cheering on dogs.
53
his wings, unmoved, looking down on the earth towards the
south wind? Or is it by thy command that the eagle soars,
or the vulture hatches her brood, and dwells, upon a secret
point of rock? There she feels the need of fetching food.
From afar her eyes search it out, and her chicks are stained
with blood, and wherever carrion may be they find it out
immediately.
Also the Lord God answered Job, and said: Will one
pervert judgment with the skilful? He who dishonours God
shall be brought to trial.
And Job answered and said to the Lord: Why am I any
longer singled out and admonished (and charged with)¹
dishonouring the Lord? Why am I made to hear such
things, I that am nothing? What answer should I give to
these things? I will place my hand upon my mouth. Once
have I spoken, but not a second time will add to my
words.
BUT THE LORD REPLIED AGAIN, and said to Job, out of the
cloud: Not so! But gird like a man thy loins. I will ask
of thee, and do thou answer Me. Do not reject being singled
out by Me. Dost think that I transact business otherwise
than as thou dost, or is thine object the manifestation of thine
own righteousness ? 2
Hast thou an arm superior to the Lord, or a voice
¹ The words in brackets are supplied to supplement the sense. Job's speech
consists of broken words, as if he were unable fully to express himself. In the
translation these are somewhat filled out, whereby the terseness of the broken
ejaculations is lost.
2 Job can think of nothing but himself. He abhors himself in his own
sight, and cannot forget his own unworthiness; consequently, in his reply, the
first person singular appears frequently and emphatically. But the Almighty
would have him forget himself and delight himself in his Maker without fear.
Compare Ps. xxxvii. 1-9,
1
54
mightier than His thunder? Take to thee majesty and
power, clothe thyself with glory and honour. Send forth
angels in wrath and humble the insolent. Extinguish the
arrogant. Wither³ the impious on the spot, and hide him¹
with all his crew in the earth, and fill their faces with dis-
honour; and I will confess that thy right hand is able to
save thee.
But rather behold the beasts beside thee, they eat grass
as oxen.
See now! His strength is in his loins, and his might in
the navel of his belly. He cocks a tail like a cypress tree,
and his sinews are firmly knit. His ribs are ribs of brass,
and the ridge of his back cast iron. He is the beginning of
the plastic work of the Lord, made for the mockery of His
angels.
Coming to the precipice of the mountain he made harmony
to the four-footed dwellers in Tartarus. He lies down under
all kinds of trees, beside the papyrus, the reeds, and the
ox-cutter; and great trees are shaded by him along with
young saplings and shoots of the forest. If a flood come he
will take no notice of it. He is confident; for the Jordan
1 Compare Ps. xxix. and Job xxxix. 1-4.
2 Extinguish, or quench, i.e., make him take a back seat and glad to get it.
3 Wither. Or make putrid. Compare Numbers v. 11-31.
4 Compare the fate of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, Numbers xvi.
5
Having shewn Job the futility of self-justification, and no doubt aroused
his fear and awe, the Almighty proceeds to divert his mind to other things
and engages Job in a game of "What is my thought like ?"
Having secured his attention and allayed his fears by telling him he is
going to talk about mere ruminants He gradually leads him on to listen to
some of His marvels of grace and love to the sons of Adam.
6 BoÚTOμos. A water-plant not identified, but, from its name, having sharp
v-like edges which cut oxen, but are no inconvenience to the subject of this
description,
saw-
55
will strike against his mouth¹ and run into it. He will take
it in with his eye; he will ensnare it and bore its nostril.2
Or wilt thou lead the dragon in a bridle,³ or fasten a
halter about his nose? Or wilt thou fix a ring in his nostril,
or pierce his lip with an armlet? Will he speak to thee with
supplication, or with weak entreaties? Will he make a
covenant with thee? Will thou take him for thy slave for
ever? Will one play with him as with a bird, or wilt thou
bind him like a sparrow for a child? Are the nations pro-
visioned by him, or do the tribes of the Phoenicians divide
him among themselves?
4
Every swimming thing collected shall not carry off one
skin of his tail, nor his head in sailors' ships.
Thou shalt place thine hand upon him, thou shalt re-
member the war that goes on inside him. Do no more.
¹ He will not be dismayed at an inundation, for he can drink the Jordan
dry if it should suit his purpose to do so.
2 évσkoλievoμaι: intorqueo, laqueo capio (Schleusner). Bore its nostril, i.e.
as a man does to an ox, that he may lead it and subdue it to his own use.
3 This verse is difficult to translate. Perhaps it might be rendered, or
rather paraphrased thus:-Will you catch the sea-serpent with a hook and
play him like a salmon, or is he to be taken with a bait like a fish ?-the deduc-
tion being that if Job cannot serve the sea-serpent in this way, still less can he
subdue the Almighty to his will with assiduous worship and offerings-see
Job i. 5. No! Job is putting things the wrong way about. He must be the
fish, and submit to be caught. See Matt. iv. 19, Mc. i. 17.
4i.e. Is he caught and salted down as provisions for the nations, as cod,
herrings, &c., are? But see Ps. lxxiv. 14.
The Phoenicians were a seafaring nation, the fishermen, sailors, and
traders of the Mediterranean.
6 év oúµati avtoû, inside his body-apparently referring to his great teeth
and powerful digestive apparatus. Indeed one is almost tempted to think it
once read ἐν στόματι αὐτοῦ, i.e., inside his mouth.
That this parable is as fresh now as in Job's time may be gathered from
these lines from Punch, descriptive of Napoleon III.-
"A very deep fish, and a very bold swimmer,
Many snares for this pike had been set.
Heaven knows the contempt he now had for a trimmer,
And how lightly he broke through a net,"
Apkā
|
56
Hast thou not seen him,¹ nor been astonished at My words?
Art not afraid because thou hast prepared thyself against Me?
For who is he that will stand against Me? Or who shall
resist Me and remain alive? Is not all mine which is under
heaven? I will not be silent on his account, nor because of
of the word of his power. He shall pity his equal. Who will
uncover the face of his garment, or penetrate the folds of
his breast-plate? Who will open the doors of his face? In
the circle of his teeth is terror. His belly-brazen shields,
and his ligament like the emery stone. They cleave one to
another, and the spirit cannot tell him all through.
A man shall cleave unto his brother; they hold together,
and shall not be dragged asunder. In his sneezing light
shines forth, and his eyes have the appearance of the Day-
spring. Out of his mouth go forth as it were burning torches,
and they are shot forth like watch-fires.
3
From his nostrils goeth forth smoke as from a furnace
burning with fire of coals. His breath-coals; and a flame
goeth out of his mouth. In his neck dwelleth might, and
before him destruction¹ fleeth away. The fleshes of his body
are cemented together, he pours down" anointing upon it, it
1
¹ Apparently meaning :-Had Job grasped the solution of the enigma.
2 Here the parable is dropt. Compare Rom. viii. 38, 39.
3 The Day-spring. The same word is used in Job. xxxviii. 12, and Is.
xiv. 12, where it is rendered Lucifer in A.V. Other allusions to the same
type appear implied in 2 Pet. i. 19, where pwopópos, the Greek equivalent of
Lucifer (Light-bearer) occurs; in James i. 17 as "the Father of the lights."
Also in the word 'Avaroλn. Lc. i. 78 rendered Day-spring in A.V. And in
Zech. iii. 8 where LXX. has 'Avaroλn and A.V. BRANCH.
4 If any doubt remained as to the subject of this sublime prophecy it is.
removed here. There is only One Saviour before whom destruction flees
away.
↳ Pours down. Compare Acts ii. 33, where the same Greek word occurs,
rendered shed forth in A.V.
57
shall not be shaken. His heart is fixed like a stone,¹ and
standeth firm as an anvil.
When he turns, woe betide the four-footed beasts that
leap upon the earth. If a plump of spears should meet him
they will accomplish nothing. Why mention the spear and
breastplate? For he esteemeth iron as chaff, and brass as
rotten wood, a brazen bow shall not wound him. A balista
he esteems as grass, bullets¹ he counts as chaff, and he laughs
to scorn the fire and shock of artillery.
.
His couch-sharp nails; and all the gold of the sea is
with him unspeakable mud," he maketh the abyss to boil like
a copper cauldron. He counteth the sea as a salve-box, and
the nethermost hell as a prisoner of war; he reckoned the
abyss as a covered walk.
There is nothing on earth like him, made to be mocked at
¹ Like a stone. Again, St. Peter (whose name might be Anglicised into
Livingstone) supplies the key. See 1 Pet. v. 10.
2 Beasts are prophetic symbols of earthly kingdoms. See Daniel vii.
Rev. xiii and xvii.
3 A balista. The Teтpoßóλos was an engine for throwing stones. Polybius
9.41.8 mentions one that threw stones of a talent weight, say an eighty-
pounder-or at least a fifty-six pounder.
Bullets. This seenis the intention here, though of course there is no
Greek word for rifle-bullets. The word generally means ancles-from the
round ancle bone. So the intention may be. "He counts men's ancles as
straw, and laughs to scorn the fire and fuss of the locomotive." Compare Ps.
cxlvii. 10.
-1
5 His couch. The Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. Sharp
nails; a manifest prophecy of the crucifixion. Compare such expressions as
"Ods splutter her nails," a euphemism for "God's blood and his nails."
Zooks! or Gadzooks! His hooks! or God's hooks ! Zounds! His
wounds !
6 Unspeakable mud. Compare Philip ii. 6-11, Revised Version. Also
Philip iii. 8.
7 The nethermost hell. Literally Tartarus of the abyss, i.e., the lowest
depths of Hades.
A manifest prophecy of the descent of Christ into Hades.
58
by my angels. He beholds every height; and he is king
also of all that inhabits the waters.
And Job replied and said to the Lord :-I know that Thou
canst do all things, and that there is no impossibility for
Thee. For who is he that hides counsel from Thee, and,
abstaining from speech, thinketh that Thou concealest? Or
who will declare to me things that I knew not, great things
and wonderful, that I gave no attention to? Hear me, Oh!
Lord,³ and let me too speak. I will ask of Thee, and do Thou
teach me.
Before this I heard Thy fame with my ear; but
now my eye hath seen Thee.
Wherefore I held myself as
¹ We are not without some indications that it was not only the scorn of
men that Our Redeemer endured for our sakes. And when we reflect on the
truth declared in Ps. viii. 5, and quoted in Heb. ii. 7, as well as the further
revelation of Heb. ii. 5, we shall see that this is natural, and it will give us
some conception of the possible meaning of the Archangel's speech to Daniel
(x. 13 and x. 20-xi. 1.). And, indeed, Daniel's account of his intercourse
with the mighty Heaven-abiders who were sent to him throws considerable
light on this passage. In sober earnest, and above all without irreverence, we
may well conceive that the heavenly host regarded the incarnation, and all its
accompanying suffering and humiliation, somewhat as Cæsar did Mark
Antony's conduct in Egypt. See Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra," Act
I., Scene IV.
2 Compare Peter's words. "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the
words of eternal life." John vi. 68.
3 Here at last we see the end and object of all that Job endured. Before
his affliction he worshipped a God whom he knew not, and the slanderer could
say, with some show of reason: "Doth Job serve God for naught?" Here,
at last, we see the misunderstanding that arose in the garden of Eden between
the Divine Creator and him whom He made in His own image, done away.
Job no longer seeks, as it were, to hide himself in the trees of the garden, or
to find excuses for his conduct, and throw the responsibility off his own
shoulders. He has learned to know something of the Divine Love that passes
knowledge. His heart can at last meditate Divine terror and not be afraid.
Compare Ps. cxix. 65-72.
4 Compare Our Lord's frequent saying: "He that hath ears to hear let him
hear," and that other saying: "Let them alone, they be blind leaders of the
blind."
59
naught, and was melted; and I accounted myself as earth
and ashes.
And it befell, after the Lord had spoken all these words.
to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite :-Thou
hast sinned, thou and thy two friends, for you have spoken
nothing sincere,2 like my worshipper Job. And now take
seven calves and seven rams, and go to Job my worshipper,
and he shall make an offering on your behalf, and Job my
worshipper shall beseech Me concerning you, for if not I will
accept his presence; for if it had not been for him I should
have destroyed you, for you uttered nothing sincere like Job
my worshipper.
3
¹ Was melted. Compare Daniel viii. 15-18; also Daniel x.
2 àλnons; unconcealed and so open, true, as opposite to false, apparent.
Of persons, open, truthful, frank, honest. It would appear that Eliphaz and
his friends had failed, or missed the mark, in God's sight, not from lack of
knowledge or discernment, but from lack of sincerity of purpose. Job is a
great contrast, for if in the extremity of his sufferings his heart was alienated
in any degree from God, or if wayward and unruly thoughts entered his
heart—and we may be sure the Slanderer suggested them-he, at least, had
the wisdom to know they were foolish and wrong, and to abstain from uttering
them.
"
3 Accept his presence; or as the same idea is translated in A.V. Acts x. 34.
I will respect his person." The opening words of St. Peter's speech form
the comment on this book of Job.
THE GREAT PYRAMID.
SOME REASONS FOR BELIEVING IT TO BE
OF DIVINE ORIGIN.
Nec Deus intersit nisi dignus Vindice nodus.
The assumption, that allusions are made in Holy Writ to
the Great Pyramid, appears to call for some explanation of
the subject for those to whom the idea is new or associated
with untenable theories.
I. IT IS A MASTERPIECE OF CONSTRUCTION, and, unlike
all human masterpieces, was not reached by gradual steps.
Grecian temples were elaborated from early efforts in wood.
Gothic architecture gradually reached its best efforts by suc-
cessive steps from humble beginnings. But the Great
Pyramid was the first ever built, and those that followed it
show by their proportions that their architects knew nothing
of the sublime nature of the building they attempted to copy.
2. Moreover the choice of materials was unsurpassable,
so that the casing stones, notwithstanding all that spoilers
have done, have yet retained and transmitted to us the exact
angle of slope of the sides, which enables us to state with
certainty that the height of the pyramid was precisely the
radius of a circle having the same perimeter as its square
base; thus giving the relation of the diameter to the circum-
61
ference of a circle now commonly denoted by the symbol
π = 3*14159, &c.
On the other hand, in the interior of the pyramid, where
hardness and durability were required, granite was used-
and porphyry for the coffer-whereby the dimensions of the
interior have been retained and handed down for measure-
ment in our day, when first science has any chance of
appreciating them; the granite being there protected from
the destructive influence of weather, and especially from
change of teinperature.
3. That this was not done by the superior knowledge
and skill of Egyptian contemporary science is shown by the
fact, that in the third, or coloured pyramid, granite casing
stones were used, at far greater expense and toil-and with
what result? What did the builders gain thereby? "Lasting
power is," says Piazzi Smyth, "the general idea; because
granite is so proverbially hard. But, alas! granite, besides
being hard, is also so very brittle, on account chiefly of its
tricrystallisation, and is so largely expansible by heat, that
under the influence of a hot sun by day and cold by night, it
loosens and crushes minutely the materials of its own surface
to little pieces, film by film, and age after age-until now,
after 3,000 years, those hard granitic casing-stones of the
third Pyramid are rounded, along their edges, into pudding-
shapes, which can hardly indicate the angle they were origi-
nally bevelled to, within a handful of degrees. Yet the softer,
and fair, white limestone, which was chosen of old for the
casing of the Great Pyramid, and which was begun to be
exposed to the weather before the third Pyramid or its
builders were born, has, joined to that softness, so much
tenacity, smallness of heat expansion, and strong tendency
62
to varnish itself with a brownish iron oxide of exudation, that
it has in some instances preserved the original angle of the
casing stones within a minute of a degree, and their original
surface within the hundredth of an inch." (Piazzi Smyth,
"Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid.")
4. THE
CASING-STONES OF THE GREAT PYRAMID
THEREFORE SHEW TRANSCENDENT KNOWLEDGE IN TWO
Directions.
(a) In the material chosen, so admirably adapted
for the purpose in hand.
(6) In the mathematical proportions of the pyramid,
which their durability has preserved so accu-
rately for us; i.e. the proportion of height to
base-side a proportion ruled by the relation
of the diameter to the circumference of a circle;
and not exhibited by any other pyramid.
5. NEXT THE GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION IS UNIQUE and
REMARKABLE.—It is in a singular position as regards latitude,
being distant 30° from the equator, and 60° from the North
Pole of the earth. And this is shown to be intentional,
because it is at the extreme northern edge of the rocky
plateau on which it was built, while the builders protected
the rock-face from further denudation by throwing there the
chips which resulted from the masons' work they were
doing.
6. Moreover the parallel of latitude passing through
the Great Pyramid passes through more land than any other.
7. And the great circle passing through the Great
1 Which circle of latitude divides the Northern hemisphere into two equal
parts as regards area, the area of globe surface between the equator and 30° N,
latitude being equal to the area between that circle and the North Pole,
63
Pyramid, passes in the Eastern hemisphere through more
land than any other meridian of longitude, while in the
Western hemisphere it hardly touches land, lying as it does
in the Pacific Ocean. Accordingly it is well adapted for use
as a universal zero of longitude, a fact which led Commo-
dore Whiting of the U.S. Navy to propose its use for this
purpose.
8. Besides standing at the intersection of these two im-
portant lines, it is also at the geographical centre of the
land surface of the globe. So THAT THE GREAT PYRAMID
IS REALLY, PHYSICALLY, AND GEOGRAPHICALLY THE HUB OR
CENTRAL BOSS OF THE LAND-SURFACE OF THE EARTH.
9. But not only was the Pyramid carefully placed in
this position, but THE SITE WAS PREPARED FOR IT BY THE
HAND OF THE ALMIGHTY. This can hardly need demonstra-
tion for those who believe that all things are over-ruled by
an Omniscient and Omnipotent Creator. Yet He has not
left us without distinct intimation that it was so. For in-
stance we are told (Ps. cxxxv. 6), "Whatsoever the Lord
pleased,¹ that did he, in heaven, and in earth, in the seas,
and in all deep places." And immediately follows mention
of the atmospheric agencies by which the land surface has
been worn and shaped-as all geologists agree to its present
form. And this agrees exactly with the earlier verses of Job
xxxviii. Indeed it is obvious, on a little consideration, that
we have here three coincidences.
(a) The coincidence of the 30th parallel of latitude
with the circle of latitude passing through more
land than any other.
¹ Compare Ps. cxv. 3. But Our God is in the heavens; He hath done
whatsoever He hath pleased,
64
(b) The intersection of this parallel of latitude and
the corresponding circle of longitude, with the
physical centre of the land surface of the globe.
(c) The spot of these two coincidences with a rock
foundation, raised above the sea, and admirably
adapted for the site of this remarkable struc-
ture; and, it may be added, at a level which,
in other respects, gives facilities and coinci-
dences into which it is impossible to enter
here.
(d) To these may be added the fertile Nile delta,
which forms the quadrant of a circle with the
site thus prepared at its angle; a piece of land
always producing abundant crops with little
toil, so that there was always there a redundancy
of labour, which could be provided in no other
way without a rainfall, which would be de-
structive in the course of centuries to such
exactitude of figure as was here sought and
obtained. Thus the rainless climate of Egypt,
surrounded by desert, combined with great
facilities of cultivation, shows a still further
coincidence of conditions, necessary and pro-
vided, for the construction of such a work, and
for its endurance through centuries and milliads
(to coin a word) without appreciable injury
from natural causes.1
1 The writer hesitates to adduce in support of this statement Ps. xxiv. 2,
which, as it stand in our English version, seems to have little depth of meaning.
Yet he cannot but mention what appears to have been the original sense of
the inspired writer, For he laid its foundations in the seas,
65
(e) To these must be added yet a fifth in the provi-
sion of materials so admirably adapted for its
construction.
IO.
BUT MANY Find a DIFFICULTY IN BELIEVING IN THE
PRODUCTION OF SUCH A BUILDING BY INSPIRATION. This,
however, need present no difficulty, for the Almighty lacks
not resource, and often works by men's hands when they
least imagine it (compare Acts iv. 5-31, especially vv. 27,
28). It is quite possible, therefore, that some of the objectors
whom Piazzi Smyth mentions in his tenth chapter (see "Our
Inheritance in the Great Pyramid." Wm. Isbister, 1880.)
may have been quite right, and that "The Egyptians built
the Great Pyramid at the time and in the manner they did,
merely because they could not help it: it was the only way
that occurred to them to build it; there was
no pur-
pose in it, and there was no thinking spent upon
As far as the Egyptians employed upon its
construction were concerned, this is probably nay,
almost undoubtedly-true, just as it is true that the rock was
formed for its foundation at the proper place, and was cut
away by terrestrial agencies to the north, just far enough,
and no further, and the Nile delta formed in the quadrant so
excavated to supply abundant labour-all without any thought
or mental effort whatever on the part of the Nile that formed
the delta, or the atmospheric and tellurian forces which cut
away the rock where the delta was to be formed. Nay,
further, if it could be shown that no one concerned in its con-
it."
-
V
and carved out its surface with the rivers. Whether
however this was originally written or not-and the text of Scripture has
undoubtedly suffered in places during the lapse of time as the Pyramid itself
has done it is most certainly and undeniably true.
66
struction had any idea of the mathematical and other truths
embodied in the structure, and even that they had completely
different ideas and intentions, the question would be in no
way affected; for, when the Almighty works, He can, as we
have seen, find motives which shall induce men to do what
He wants done, when and how He wills, without any intelli-
gent or conscious co-operation on their part.
II. And indeed if it were shown absolutely, and proved
to demonstration, that the builders knew nothing of the
mathematical and other truths embodied in the structure, this
would only show more conclusively than ever that their
labour was dictated by a higher intelligence than any that
appeared to be concerned, and that unseen and eternal truths.
were embodied in the structure by a Master builder indeed
by One who has no temptation, like less skilled workmen,
to find fault with his tools, but was capable of turning out
most marvellous work by means of instruments utterly
despicable in all, save the mere mechanical skill and the com-
mand of labour, which He utilised unknown to them for the
working out of His own ideas in solid stone with such exact-
ness and in so efficient and durable a manner.
12. The proportion of height to base side has been
noticed already. A further point may be found in the careful
arrangement of the direction of the sides of the square base,
north, south, east, and west. In order to appreciate the feat
performed in this way, let any engineer consider how much
trouble would be involved in laying down such a square
correctly to four and a half minutes¹ in direction ; and, further,
¹ Piazzi Smyth states that he found this difference in the orientation of the
Pyramid, but he shows good reason for thinking that the deviation was inten-
tional, and not mere error of alignment.
67
let him consider how he would set to work to mark out that
square so efficiently that his work should remain and be
tested forty centuries after.
13. Or if any one, not an engineer, wishes to appre-
ciate the difficulty of the feat, let him examine the successive
attempts of modern measurers, some of them skilled in
science and measurement, to measure correctly the lengths
of the sides and their direction, or even the dimensions of
the coffer in the King's chamber.
14. Another point which may be considered here is the
Scriptural symbol of the HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER. A
symbol which in a pyramid, capped, as such a structure
would always be, by one huge stone, a model in miniature of
the pyramid itself has all the characteristics necessary to
make the symbol a worthy, dignified and appropriate one in
the context of the different passages in which it occurs; but
to which it is difficult to assign any adequate meaning in any
other building, ancient or modern.
15. Much has been said already without any reference
to the exact size of the structure, or the measures of its
parts. But such a structure could not be designed without
reference to some standard of length, and certainly could not
be executed without constant and most careful measure-
ments. In any large engineer's shop of the present day, every
applicant for employment must possess a correct two-foot
rule, and no structure can be produced without the use of
some standard measuring rod, to which all employed upon it
must make constant reference, either directly or by means of
copies carefully compared with it. It is not indeed neces-
sary, though it is usual, for the workmen to use the same
standard of length as the designer; so that an English
68
engineer might design a structure in feet and inches, which
might afterwards be translated into metres and decimals and
made by French workmen using the metrical system and
rules graduated accordingly. In such a case however the
English standard would still be evident, in the proportions of
the structure, to any engineer who should examine its dimen-
sions with care.
Kay
16. Now the measures made by Piazzi Smyth, show
strong reasons for concluding, that whatever standard of
length the builders may have used in constructing it, the
dimensions of the Great Pyramid were designed in cubits
each of twenty-five inches, not very different therefore in
length to our common two-foot rule. The exact length of
the pyramid cubit was 25'025 British statute inches or one
ten-millionth of the earth's polar radius, or semi-axis of
rotation. This cubit being divided into twenty-five parts
gives the pyramid inch, which is just a shade longer than
the British statute inch, being 1'001 British inches.
17. Assuming this, as the reasons for believing it are
too many and intricate to be stated here, we have the
following singular and startling facts :-
P
(a) The polar diameter of the earth, i.e. the axis of
rotation = 20,co0,000 cubits=500,000,000 inches.
Consequently the polar radius of the earth.
= 107 cubits= 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 X 10
cubits.
(b) The perimeter of the base of the Pyramid=the
circumference of the circle struck with the height
of the Pyramid as radius = 365242 pyramid
inches, thus giving length of the year to a scale
69
J
of 100 inches to a day, or the length of each side
in cubits the number of days in the year.
(c) Next, the radius of this circle being multiplied by
10º-a number indicated by pyramid symbology
in a way which it would take too long to explain
-gives the distance of the sun from the earth, or
the mean radius of the orbit in which the earth
travels, namely, 91,840,000 British statute miles,
nearly. In other words, not only was the Great
Pyramid built for the earth, but the distance of
the earth from the sun was arranged so that it
was capable of being expressed by means of the
Great Pyramid in this way, for it is evident that
the angle of slope and base-side being fixed with
reference to other considerations, the sun distance
could not be symbolised in this way if the earth's
orbit were greater or less. To these may be
added the following, which if science is at present
unable to entirely confirm, at least it must
confess that they are correct within the limits of
error, unfortunately wide, within which it can at
present determine them.
(d) Earth's mean density = 5'7 times the density of
water.
(e) The mass of the whole earth the mass of the
Great Pyramid × 10¹5.
18. It is impossible, however, to enter into the huge sub
ject of the Pyramid metrology. Suffice it to say that the
measures whose archetypes are found therein are not an
outlandish system difficult to comprehend or use, but such as
are in common use among men, of which three examples
70
2
only can be given here, thus: The pyramid inch, acre, and
quarter (capacity measure 8 bushels) are almost identical
with the English measures of the same name, which only
require a small correction in order to tally exactly with the
earth commensurable and catholic system of weights and
measures indicated in the Great Pyramid. Further and most.
interesting details may be found in books devoted to the sub-
ject, mixed, it is true, with human ideas and theories which will
not always bear examination, but easily to be distinguished
from such by a careful reader. The object of the present
paper is to give some reasons for the idea mentioned, that
allusions to the Great Pyramid are really found in Scripture,
and especially that it is alluded to in Job xxxviii. 38, in the
words: "Dust is poured out for the earth. I have set it as
the pip on the die."
19. Recapitulating then we have seen :
2.
S
π =
1. That the height of the Pyramid is the radius of a
circle having the same perimeter as its base, so
giving the value of 314159 nearly.
That the height of the Pyramid stands for the radius
of the earth's orbit, being proportional to the mean
distance of the sun from the earth in the ratio of
1: 109, which ratio is also indicated by other
properties of the Pyramid itself.
3. That the perimeter of the square base indicates
the length of the year, or the period of the earth's
journey round the sun to a scale of 100 inches to
a day, while each side of the same base gives the
same number (365'24 nearly) in pyramid cubits.
We have also seen that the pyramid cubit, the
length of which is indicated in many ways
4.
71
throughout the pyramid (indeed in one place both
the inch and the cubit are displayed for measure-
ment, together with the capacity of the pyramid
pint and quarter, and the value of π = 3.14159
nearly, all collected together) stands for the polar
radius of the earth, being proportional to it in
the ratio of 1: 107, and consequently that two
cubits, or 50 inches measure the polar diameter,
or breadth, of the earth in the same proportion.
5. That the mean density of the earth, denoted by
the number 5'7, is given by the Pyramid, though
no attempt has been made here to indicate how,
for which reference must be made to books on
the subject.
6. That the whole structure of the Pyramid is a
measure of the mass of the earth, being related to
it in the proportion of I: 10¹5 or I : 105 × 3.
The subject of these facts, the way they are indi-
cated, and the numerous coincidences and commensurabilities.
between the earth and the Pyramid, as well as the intricate
relations of the different parts of the Pyramid itself, are
matter for a large book devoted to nothing else, or indeed
for several large books. It is important however to remind
the reader that these things are, if they exist at all, solid
realities of the hardest and most intractable kind. The
reproach of visionary theorising, which has been cast so often
in the teeth of those who bring them to the notice of man-
kind, is childish and untenable in the extreme. Either they
exist, or they do not exist. On that point, if science speaks
at all, her voice will only be uncertain because of the imper-
fect knowledge she has of the thing monumentalised. The
20.
4
72
Great Pyramid is there and is within the powers of human
measurement has indeed been subjected to it with no little
patience and care. The length of the earth's polar axis, the
distance of the sun, the mean density of the earth and its
mass-these are things to which science can only gradually
approach. In speaking of them therefore, a certain modesty
will become men of science. Let them come forward boldly,
and speak without fear if they can show that the statements
made concerning them are incorrect. If they cannot do that
they will, if they are wise, at least be silent, and not rail at
those who state their existence as visionary and unpractical,
lest they recall the well-known policy of an attorney, who
having no case, is reduced to abusing the counsel for the
other side.
MTG Maga
The following example of the calculations involved is
given for reference and comparison with astronomical results,
together with some remarks on the subject of the masses of
the earth and of the Pyramid.
Original height of Pyramid H.
Mean distance of the sun
=5813.01
3'7644010
H
Log. H
Log. 109
9
Log. Sun distance =
Add log. 1'001
H X 10
pyr. inches
12.7644010 log. pyr. inches
0'0004341
12.7648351 log. English inches
1 The writer begs to offer here an apology to men of science. So far as
he knows those who have attacked, or attempted to bring discredit on the facts
stated here, are NOT "men of science" in any true sense of the term, but
rather men who prefer to shirk the task of considering the subject altogether.
73
Deduct log. 12
Deduct log. 5280
www
12*7648351 log. English inches
1*0791812
11.6856539
3·7226339
7'9630200 log. English miles.
Sun distance or H x 109 91,837,500 British statute
miles nearly.¹
Concerning the proportion of the relative masses of the earth
and the Pyramid, Piazzi Smyth gives a calculation which,
while showing that the proportion is nearly that stated, and
that the relation is aimed at, yet gives the mass of the
Pyramid slightly too large.
It will be noted however:
=
log. English feet.
=
Ist. That he has made no deduction for the internal
passages, and that the great height of the grand
gallery appears to have some reason not wholly
architectural or otherwise symbolical.
2nd. That for this calculation a very careful deter-
mination of the specific gravity of the materials
used is needed, for which purpose it would be
necessary to get carefully selected specimens
from the interior of the Pyramid, to varnish them
with some waterproof varnish, permitting this
varnish to set inside the Pyramid; and then and
there to determine carefully the solid content of
each, and its weight in water and in air without
removing them from the interior of the Pyramid.
¹ The sun-distance is given separately and independently also in terms of
the earth's polar axis,
BETHSAIDA.
GIFT OF THE Word of THE LORD TO ISRAEL, IN
THE HAND OF HIS ANGel. SEE THAT YOU LAY
A
IT TO HEART.
I loved you, saith the Lord, and you say :-Wherein didst
Thou love us?
Was not Esau brother to Jacob, saith the Lord; and I
loved Jacob, and hated Esau, and arranged his bounds to get
rid of him, and his inheritance unto gifts of the wilderness?
Therefore he will say :-Idumoea is blasted. Let us turn
back, and let us occupy again, and build in, the waste places.
THUS SAITH THE LORD, THE Almighty :-They shall
build, and I will overthrow; and they shall be called,
'Bounds of lawlessness,' 'A people against whom the Lord
stands ever prepared.' And your eyes shall see it. And you
shall say -The Lord is exalted throughout the borders of
Israel.
A son glorifies his father, and a slave his lord; and if I
am a father where is My glory? And if I am a lord, where
1 A GIFT. Literally a thing received, i.e., Anglicé a gift, for what is
received must be given if it be not bought.
2 Throughout the borders of Israel. úπepávw, over, above. Apparently, the
intention is that, the Lord shall be exalted above, and extolled throughout, the
borders of Israel,
75
is My reverence ?¹ saith the Lord, the Almighty. You My
priests are the men who slight My name. And you say :—
Wherein did we slight Thy Name? In bringing to My holy
place polluted loaves. And you said-Wherein did we
pollute them? By saying: The table of the Lord is polluted,
and you mock at that which is placed upon it. For if you
bring the blind for offerings, is it not evil?3 And if you
bring the lame or the sickly, is it not evil? Take it now to
him who is your ruler. Will he receive you? Will he
permit you to approach him ?¹ saith the Lord, the Almighty.
5
And now, propitiate the face of your God, and make
prayer to Him. In your hands have these things been found.
Shall I permit you to approach Me ? saith the Lord, the
Almighty. Therefore, the doors shall be
and My altar shall not be kindled gratis.
shut in your face,
My will is among
1
¹ My reverence. Literally, my fear-i.e. your fear of me.
my fear would mean, the fear I feel.
But in English
2 My holy place. Ovolaoтhpiov means a place of offering, an altar. The
LXX use the word both for the brasen altar and for the altar of incense. Here,
as in some other places, it manifestly means the holy place, which contained
both the altar of incense and the table of shew-bread.
3 It would seem that they had quite forgotten that their God is a LIVING
GOD, and a JEALOUS GOD; and made their offerings in a spirit of super-
stition and forgetfulness of HIM.
4 Will he permit you to approach him? Literally, will he accept your face.
The same expression frequently recurs, e.g., in a slightly different form in
Acts x. 34, where it is well rendered by "Respecter of persons" in A. V.
5 Make prayer to Him. déouai; to stand in need of; be in want. It is not
so much the act of prayer as the spirit of poverty, that is enjoined here. The
making of prayer, and the presentation of offerings without the spirit of poverty,
is the very sin of which God here accuses His people. In your hands have these
things been found, i.e., the blind and the lame brought for sacrifice.
• Shall I permit you to approach Me, or respect your person. See previous
note.
7 My altar shall not be kindled gratis. àváπтw; to bind, make fast to.
Also to light, kindle. Also to hang up as an offering; as was done in heathen
temples. Compare Ps, cxviii. 27. "Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto
76
2
you, saith the Lord, the Almighty, and I will not receive an
offering at your hands. For from the rising of the sun to his
setting My name has been glorified among the nations, and
in every place incense is offered to My Name and a pure
offering.¹ For My Name is great among the nations, saith
the Lord, the Almighty, but you profane it when you say:
The table of the Lord is polluted, and His bread which is
offered upon it is a thing of naught. And you say: These things
are the outcome of distress; whereas I blew these things
out, saith the Lord, the Almighty, and you brought in your
plunder, both the lame and the distressed. And if you do
bring an offering, shall I receive such things as these at your
hands? saith the Lord, the Almighty. And he is cursed that
was able, and there was a male in his flock, and his prayer
the horns of the altar," and context. Also II. Sam. xxiv. 24.
"And the king
said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither
will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me
nothing." The same incident is recorded again I. Chron. xxi. 24. Compare
also the conduct of Abraham, Gen. xiv. 18-24, and the power of his inter-
cession Gen. xviii. See also Gen. xxii. 15-18, and xxiii. 3-19, for other
specimens of the character and conduct of him who was called "the friend of
God" and "the father of the faithful."
3
¹ A pure offering. Or perhaps better, and quite literally, a clean offering.
But it must be remembered that the offerers here spoken of are not God's
peculiar people. If they were, clean would certainly be the right word; for a
pure offering is in English something which is an offering and nothing else,
and the offerings of God's people cannot answer this description, for all their
offerings, to be acceptable, must be acts of humble and joyful obedience. The
key to the understanding of this passage is to be found in Deut. xxxii. 21. Allu-
sion seems to be intended to such acts as that of Balak, king of the Moabites,
who in his need sent to the prophet of the Almighty, in ignorance of the fact
that He was the GOD OF ISRAEL. But see subsequent remarks on the whole
prophecy.
2 I blew these things out. kovoάw means to blow out or puff out—of an
elephant spouting water, &c. Apparently the meaning is "I sent these evils
upon you because of your transgressions."-Shall there be evil in the city and
the Lord hath not done it ? Amos iii. 6.
3 Able. Suvarós; strong, mighty, especially in body, able-bodied.
萨
​77
upon him, and he offers a cripple to the Lord. For I am a
great KING, saith the Lord, the Almighty, and My Name is
notable among the nations.
1
And now this is My injunction upon you, ye priests. If
you listen not, and if you set not your hearts to give glory
to My Name, saith the Lord, the Almighty, I will also send
forth upon you the curse, and I will imprecate a curse upon
your blessing, and will curse it, and I will scatter your
blessing to the winds, and it shall not exist among you,
because you lay it not to heart. Behold I mark off to you
the shoulder, and I will scatter dung upon your faces, dung
from your feasts, and I will catch you in it and take you,
and you shall discover that I sent forth this injunction upon
you for the maintenance of my covenant with the Levites,¹
saith the Lord, the Almighty.
2
3
My covenant of life and peace was with him, and I gave
it to him to fear me in fear," to equip himself from before My
1 To the winds. There is no mention of winds in the text, the expression
is used as a customary phrase for to scatter thoroughly.
2 apopílw. To mark off by boundaries of land. But apópioμa, that which
is set apart, or marked off, is used in LXX for the wave offering. Compare
Ex. xxix. 24, where both words occur.
3 Apparently the meaning is that they shall be overwhelmed in the offal of
their unacceptable sacrifices, which they presumptously offer in such wise as
to disgust the Almighty.
4 For the maintenance of my covenant. The sacrifices under the law were
ordained by God as a means of communication between Him and his people,
a means whereby they might approach Him, with confession of sin, and
receive absolution, and thereby be delivered from the load of guilt and be
assured of His favour. But they had ceased to be burdened by their sins,
or to value the favour of the Almighty, and yielded a grudging and unintelli-
gent obedience to the external law, to the letter that killeth.
5 In that fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom, and which
should have restrained him from presumptuous conduct like that described.
To equip himself. Apparently meaning that from the worship and reverence of
the Holy Name of the Almighty, he should be furnished and equipped both
for defence and attack.
78
1
Name. A law of truth was in his mouth, and no offence was
in his lips. In peace he guided aright, walking with me,
and turned many from iniquity. For a priest's lips shall
guard knowledge, and from his mouth shall they look for
law, because he is an angel of the Lord, the Almighty.
But you turned aside out of the way, and weakened
many in law. You destroyed the covenant of Levi, saith
the Lord, the Almighty, and I gave you, mocked at, and cast
aside, into all the nations, because you did not keep my
ways, but respected men's persons in law.5
3
4
Have you not all one Father? Did not one God create
you? Why, then, have you deserted, each his brother, to
pollute the covenant of your fathers? Judah was found
wanting, and abomination was found in Israel and in Jeru-
So long as Israel walked with the Lord His God no offence was found
in Him. God was his justifier—for instance, in the destruction of the Canaan-
ites, a proceeding quite unjustifiable otherwise-Who then could condemn ?
Compare Numb. xxiii. 21, "He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath
He seen perverseness in Israel: The Lord His God is with him, and the shout
of a king is among them."
2 Weakened many in law. ho0evhoare; literally, by common usage of the
word, you fell sick, but here it is followed by an accusative, and appears to
have a transitive sense; or it may be, perhaps, rendered " you were weak,
sick, incapable, as regards many who came for judgment."
3 I gave you, mocked at and cast aside, into all the nations. The Greek
idiom is difficult to render into English. The meaning, of course, is, that God
gave them up and cast them aside, and allowed the nations to mock at them
and carry them away captive. They despised his covenant, and He ceased to
be jealous on their behalf.
小
​¹ Keep my ways, or guard my roads. They did not walk, so to speak, in
the King's highway themselves, nor keep it clear of highwaymen and others
who plund red and oppressed those who sought to travel by it.
5
ἐλαμβάνετε πρόσωπα ἐν νόμῳ. This phrase has been already twice noted
on (see p. 75). The meaning is given quite correctly in A.V., "You have
been partial in law." πpóσwтov is strictly a face, visage, mostly of the human
face. Also a mask-Latiné persona. The meaning evidently is that they had
let themselves be swayed in judgment by the persons concerned in the cases
brought before them, instead of judging each case impartially on its merits.
79
*
11
salem. For Judah polluted the holy things of the Lord, for
he loved strange gods, and gave his mind to them. The
Lord shall utterly destroy the man who does these things,
until he is even abased from the dwellings of Jacob and from
among those that bring an offering to the Lord, the Almighty.
And these things which I hated you did. You veiled in tears.
the Lord's holy place, and in the weeping and groaning of
your lamentations.¹ Is it any longer a worthy thing to have
regard to your offerings, or to receive as acceptable the gifts
of your hands? And you say :-WHY?
Because the Lord hath solemnly protested between thee
and the wife of thy youth, whom thou didst desert, and she
was thy partner, and the wife of thy covenant. And did he
not well? and the remnant of His Spirit.
And you say :-What does God seek save only seed ?3
Whereas you should be watchful in your spirit, and not
desert the wife of thy youth. But if thou hate her thou
¹ If thou shall turn away thy foot from my Sabbaths, from doing thy will
in the holy day, and shalt call the Sabbaths delicious (Tpupepós—soft, delicate)
holy to God, and shall refrain from raising thy foot to work, and shalt not
utter with thy mouth a word in anger; thou shalt also be obedient to the
Lord, and He shall post you upon the good places of the earth, and shall feed
to you the inheritance of Jacob thy father. Isaiah lviii. 13, 14. The last
phrase is rendered by an Americanism, being untranslatable into idiomatic
English. wμí(w means to feed by putting little bits into the mouth, as nurses
do children. What word or phrase can be found in English to convey thus
the loving care of God our Heavenly Father for His obedient children?
W
2 The remnant of His Spirit. The meaning is obscure, but it is evident
that God's people are here reproached for their hardness of heart and lack of
affection for their first wives, to whose sorrows the Lord has respect in their
desertion.
3 Save only seed. They were wicked enough to think that God desired
them to increase and multiply, but that He cared not that they should keep the
royal law of love. They had no conception of the higher teaching of our
Lord. Mc. x. 5-9.
80
2
shouldst divorce her, saith the Lord God of Israel, and
impiety¹ shall cover over thy thoughts, saith the Lord, the
Almighty, and you shall be watchful in your spirit and not
desert her, ye who provoke God in your words. And you
said: Wherein did we provoke Him? When you say that
every one who does evil is good before the Lord, and He is
well pleased in them, and where is the God of righteousness?
Lo! I SEND FORTH MY ANGEL, and he shall explore the
way before my face; and on a sudden there shall come, into
His shrine, the Lord whom you seek, and the angel of the
covenant whom you desire. Lo! He comes, saith the Lord,
the Almighty, and who shall abide the day of his entrance?
Or who shall stand his ground at sight of him? For his
entrance shall be like the fire of a melting furnace, and
like a season of washers."
K
He shall sit smelting and purifying them like silver and
like gold; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and make
them run like gold and silver. Afterwards they shall be to
¹ Here we see the higher teaching last referred to anticipated in the Old
Testament. The impiety of a divorce is the lesser evil. The exact trans-
lation of the text on this subject is all difficult, and only the general drift can
be gathered.
Observe his
2 The very spirit this, of the elder son. Lc. xv. 28-30.
father's considerate reply, vv. 31, 32.
3 A season. ποιά. The summer, year; probably from Tóα
reckoning of time by the season of vegetation.
Of washers. Tλúvw; to wash, clean; properly of linen and clothes. Also
as a slang term Tλúvew Tivá, as we say "to wipe him down," "give him a
dressing." The intention appears to be to denote the stress and trouble con-
tingent on the necessary purification, and the extent of the operation
requiring an army of washermen for a whole summer.
→ Make them run. xéw; to pour. And so of metals, either to melt them,
make them liquid, or to pour them into moulds. The heat required to make
metals run and the stress of the furnace show forth the trial of the operation.
Compare 1 Pet. i. 6-9. Where we see the end, namely, the saving of the soul
or natural life, not of the spirit only, as in 1 Cor. v. 5. So in Rev. vi. 9
==
grass, a
81
2
the Lord bringers of offerings in righteousness. And the
offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall be acceptable to the
Lord as in the days of old,¹ and as in former years. And I
will lead against you in judgment, and I will be a swift
witness against the poisoners, and against the adulteresses,
and against those who swear by My Name to a falsehood,
and against those who rob the servant of his wages, and
against those who overpower the widow, and who strike the
fatherless, and who pervert the judgment of the stranger,"
and against those who fear me not, saith the Lord, the
Almighty. For I the Lord am your God, and I will not be
estranged. And you, the sons of Jacob, abstained not from
the iniquities of your fathers, but turned aside from my
usages and kept them not.*
and in Rev. xx. 4. St. John sees the souls (4vxàs) of those who had departed
in the faith, and we may fairly conclude that their souls and spirits are never
separated, and probably this is the key to the understanding of two very
different passages of Scripture, Matt. xxii. 31, 32, and Rev. xx. 14. Compare
also i Thess. v. 23.
1 "And I will bring my hand against thee, and I will fire thee till thou art
clean; but the disobedient I will destroy, and I will take away all the lawless
from thee. And I will set thy judges as before, and thy counsellors as from
the first; and after that thou shalt be called a city of righteousness, Sion, the
faithful mother-city. Is. i. 25, 26.
2 Poisoners. paрμaкós; a poisoner, sorcerer, magician, but strictly one
who uses drugs, symbolical of poisonous doctrines, for all this prophecy has a
spiritual meaning for the spiritual Israel, in addition to its primary and
immediate one. The same word recurs in the Apocalypse, e.g., Rev. xxii. 15,
xxi. 8, xviii. 23, ix. 21.
3 Pervert the judgment of the stranger;
πpoσńλutos, i.e., one who has arrived at a place.
same word, used in the ancient sense of a new
The Greek word occurs in Matt. xxiii. 15 in
word in the Bible, viz., yeévva = Gehenna, the nearest approach to hell in
the medieval sense that is to be found in Scripture.
the word for stranger is
The English proselyte is the
arrival spiritually, a convert.
connection with an unusual
Turned aside from my usages and kept them not. The word translated
kept is puλáσow. See note on keep my ways, p. 78.
{
82
3
4.
Turn to Me, and I will turn to you,' saith the Lord, the
Almighty. And you said :--Wherein shall we turn? Will a
man spurn God? Yet you spurn Me, and you say:—
Wherein did we spurn Thee? Because the tithes and the
first-fruits are with you, and you look resolutely away and
spurn Me. The year is finished, and you brought all the
tithes into the treasuries, and it will be subject to peculation
in His house. Yet turn in this, saith the Lord, the Almighty,
and see if I will not open to you the sluices" of heaven and
pour you out a blessing until you are satisfied. And I will
open them for you unto meat, and I destroy not your fruit of
the earth, and your vine which is in the field shall not be
weak, saith the Lord, the Almighty. And all the nations
shall bless you, because you shall be a land desired, saith the
Lord, the Almighty.
You made heavy your words against Me, saith the Lord,
and you said: Wherein did we rail at Thee? You say :-
1 Turn to Me, and I will turn to you. In Isaiah i. 16-19, we have a com-
plete parallel to this passage. The Septuagint runs thus: "Wash you, make
you clean, put away the wickednesses of your souls from before my eyes.
Cease from your vices, learn to do honestly, seek discernment, deliver the
oppressed, pass judgment for the orphan, and let not the widow lack her
rights. Then come and let us dispute, saith the Lord, and if your sins be as
purple, like snow will I make you white, and though they be as scarlet I
will make you white like wool. If you be willing and give heed to me you
shall eat the good things of the earth, but if you are not willing, and will not
give heed to me, a sword shall devour you, for the mouth of the Lord spoke
these things."
2 Spurn, πтeрvifw. To strike with the heel; to trip up, supplant.
3 The tithes. ... are with you, i.e., they have not been paid into the Lord's
treasury, nor brought into His house.
4 The year is finished .... In this sentence there is a change of speaker.
the prophet speaking in his own person, not giving the words as spoken
directly by the Almighty.
5 Sluices, karaðþáктns = a down-rushing. We have the same word in
English in the same sense, viz. Cataract. narapþákra Oúpa = a trap-door.
4
83
He who serves God is a foolish trifler, and what more? For
we kept His commandments; and why did we go as sup-
pliants before the face of the Lord, the Almighty? And now
we deem aliens happy, and all who do lawlessness are built
up, they also withstood God and were saved.
They who feared the Lord¹ babbled thus, each to his
neighbour; and the Lord gave heed and hearkened, and
wrote a book of record before Him for those who feared the
Lord, and had a care for His Name. And I will keep them,º
saith the Lord, the Almighty, unto a day which I make for
safe custody; and I will prefer them as a man preferreth his
son who serves him. And you shall be turned, and shall discern
between the righteous man and the lawless man ; and between
him who serves God, and him who serves Him not. FOR LO!
A DAY COMES THAT SHALL BURN LIKE AN OVEN, and shall
burn them; and all those of alien birth, and who do lawless-
ness, shall be as straw; and the day that comes shall kindle
them, saith the Lord, the Almighty; and neither root nor
shoot of them shall be left. And to you who fear My Name,
a Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings;
and you shall go forth and frolic like little calves let loose
from bonds; and you shall tread down the lawless, for they
shall be ashes beneath your feet in the day in which I do it,
saith the Lord, the Almighty. And lo! I will send you Elijah
the Tishbite before the arrival of the great day of the Lord,
3
They who feared the Lord. Observe that this prophecy is not against the
impious or careless, but against the God-fearing and religious, the Scribes
and Pharisees of the time, against the very same classes who in the days of
His flesh asked the Lord's disciples, "Why doth your Master eat with publi-
cans and sinners ?"
1
2 I will keep then, ἔσονταί μοι they shall be to Me, they shall be Mine.
3 Those of alien birth. Compare John vii., especially vv. 37-44.
J
84
and his manifestation. He shall turn¹ the heart of the father
to the son, and the heart of a man to his neighbour, lest I
come and smite the earth utterly. Call to mind the law of
Moses my slave, according as I enjoined upon Him in Horeb
ordinances and maxims for all Israel.
1 He shall turn. aтокаlloτημ- to reëstablish, restore. ἀπό— He shall
remove them from their present position, kará, and put them down elsewhere,
lorημ, and set them up there.
ἵστημι,
NOTE BY TRANSLATOR,
1. The prophesy of Malachi is unique. Its whole burden is
the imputation of sin to the offering, the abomination of deso-
lation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. It must be carefully
noticed that it is not spoken against the irreligious and
impious, but against the zealous and God-fearing of the
chosen people, against the very same class upon whom, in the
days of His flesh, Our Lord and Master spoke His most
fearful denunciations. Those denunciations should have
warned them. They were unique in this very thing that they
were denounced against those who sat in Moses' seat, and to
whom He himself enjoined His disciples to give heed.-See
Matt. xxiii.
2. This is ever the case when God makes a step forward.
The reason is, not that these men are worse than others
intrinsically, but that they are in the van, and upon them falls
the duty of discerning and leading on their brethren, the host
of Israel, and they discern it not. They know they are in
their places by God's appointment, and confident in this, fall
into the snare ever ready for us, of neglecting to go forward
and lead on their brethren. So when Moses had led the
children of Israel to the Red Sea he said to the people :-
"Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,
which He will shew you to-day for the Egyptians whom ye
86
have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.'
But God said to him :-Wherefore crIEST THOU TO ME?
SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, that they go for-
ward." And being caught, as it were, between the devil and
the deep sea they obeyed; and the sea was divided before
them, and they passed over.
3. So shall it be when the Lord delivers His people out
of the spiritual Egypt. But this is the type rather of those
who come out of the great tribulation, when there is no
escape but death for those who will not worship the beast
and his image. For those who have faith to believe it the
Red Sea has been already passed at the font, and for them a
more joyful deliverance is appointed, when under Jesus-
whose very Name points Him out as the antitype of Joshua,
or Jesus, the successor of Moses, as well as the true Moses-
they shall cross the narrow stream of Jordan, not fleeing in
fear and terror from their foes, but consciously and joyfully
going forward to take possession of the inheritance which
has been promised them, the inheritance of the Saints in
light.
4. Let us then examine this book attentively, for
when it becomes applicable to the spiritual Israel, THEN LET
THEM WHICH ARE IN JUDÆA FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS,
AND LET THEM THAT ARE IN THE MIDST OF IT DEPART
OUT, and let not them that are in the countries enter there-
into. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things
which are written may be fulfilled.
AND WHY? Where shall safety be found if not in Judæa?
BECAUSE JUDEA WILL THEN BE SPIRITUALLY BABYLON
(Compare Rev. xi. 8), and the promised call shall be heard :
87
Come Out of HER MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of
her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues (Rev.
xviii. 4).
5. But some will say the idea is absurd; our trust is in
the One Sacrifice for sin, which alone is perfect and accept-
able in God's sight. That is very true. To That Sacrifice no
manner of imperfection can ever be attributed. But the sin
here spoken of is imputed to the offerings brought by God's
people when they come before Him, and to these imperfection
was constantly attributed by the prophets, when they were
not brought in a right spirit. Compare Isaiah lxvi. 1-4,
also i. 10-15, and many similar passages. The second of
these passages is especially noticeable because of the expres-
sion "Who hath required this at your hand, to tread My
courts?" We are told, Rev. xi. 2, that the court of the
temple shall be given to the nations, and they shall tread the
holy city forty-two months, during the final crowning testi-
mony of the two witnesses. The expression is identical in
the two passages on comparing the original of the New
Testament with the Greek of the Septuagint, and the meaning
is evidently, that they shall frequent the outer court, and
worship therein, while they neither obtain nor seek a footing
in the holy place, the worshippers in which have been
previously measured. Therefore shall sin be imputed to their
offering, and power shall be given to the beast, and he shall
prevail against the two witnesses, and demand the worship
of all for himself, and he who repents and refuses to worship
the beast and his image shall die a martyr's death, and so
gain the victory, because he knew not the time of Jerusalem's
visitation.
6. Turning now to the prophecy itself, we find it headed
I
88
#
and described by the Greek word Anupa, translated gift.
This word Lemma is in use among English mathematicians to
this day. They borrowed it from the Greek mathematicians,
and use it to denote a demonstration, given by a Teacher, or
Professor as we often call him, of a truth which is clear to
his advanced knowledge as a simple deduction from the
principles of mathematics, but which his pupils might other-
wise miss. So throughout this prophecy we see the dull
understanding reproved, and the truth set forth, which still
should need no demonstration, till the long-suffering of the
Divine Teacher with such dullards is the crowning wonder
beside which all others sink into insignificance.
7. Chapter i. 11 has already been remarked upon in a
foot note. It must be remembered that the Almighty looks
upon the heart, and we cannot know how the unspoken
emotions, and positive acts, of those who know Him not may
appear in His sight; but we do know that, in the days of
His flesh, He often commended highly the actions of Gentiles
-see, for instance, Matt. viii. 5-13, and xv. 21-28-and
when He was crucified the Roman Governor, unable to save
Him from the malice of His countrymen, set up over His
head upon the very cross His true title THE KING OF THE
JEWS.
}
1 Not His only one, for he has many crowns.
CHEBAR.
And it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth
month, on the fifth of the month. And I was in the midst of
the body of captives, on the river Chobár;¹ and the heavens
were opened, and I saw visions of God. On the fifth of the
month. This is the fifth year of the captivity of King
Joacheim. And there came a word of the Lord to Ezekiel,s
son of Bouzei, the priest, in the land of the Chaldees,* upon
the river Chobár, and the hand of the Lord was laid upon me.
And I saw and lo! a seizing wind was coming from the
North, and a great cloud in it, and light in its circle, and fire
flashing out like lightning, and in the midst of it like the
appearance of electrum" in the midst of the fire, and splendour
in it."
And in the midst like an image of four living ones, and
this is the appearance of them. The fashion of a man was
1 Chebar; strength or power (Cruden).
2 Jehoiachin; preparation, or strength, of the Lord (Cruden).
3 Ezekiel; strength of God, or supported by God, or God is my strength.
Buzi; my contempt (Cruden).
4 Chaldea; as demons, or as robbers, or beasts, or fields (Cruden).
Electrum. Eктρоν. This word is common in two senses.
One amber,
as in A.V. The other a metal, or rather alloy of four parts of gold to one of
silver. This would now be called gold of about 19 carats fineness, and seems
to be intended here, as it would glow with heat in accordance with the whole
description. Compare Mal. iii. 1-4, whence we learn the effect on men of the
presence of the Angel of the covenant.
"Splendour; péyyos, light, splendour, lustre; especially daylight or sun-
light.
90
upon them, and four faces to each, and four wings to each;
and their limbs¹ straight, and their feet winged, and sparks
like flashing brass, and nimble are their wings; and a human
arm² beneath their wings, on their four shoulders; and the
faces of those four were not turned in their march, they went
each opposite their face.
And the fashion of their faces,-a human face, and a
lion's face on the right to the four, and a calf's face on the
left to the four, and an eagle's face to the four. And their
wings stretched out above to the four; to each, two wings
yoked togethers one to another, and two formed a veil over
their body.
And each went according to his face; wherever
the spirit¹ was going they went, and did not turn aside. And
in the midst of the living ones, an appearance as of burning
coal, like the appearance of torches wreathed together, in the
midst of the living ones; and splendour from the fire; and
out of the fire there went forth lightning.
And I saw, and lo! a wheel upon the earth, near the four
living ones,5 to each of the four. And the wheels 'looked as
if they were fashioned out of Tharsis, and the four had one
likeness; and they were wrought as if there were a wheel
6
¹ Limbs; σkéλos, the whole leg and foot. Feet winged; probably meta-
phorical to express rapidity and activity. Thus we have mention of the wings
of the earth, and the wings of the morning.
Arm; xelp includes the whole upper limb.
3 Yoked together; this does not appear to mean that they were quiescent
or physically linked. See subsequent description-fluttering one to another.
The spirit; or the wind, i.e. the seizing wind before mentioned; but the
intention is the same in either case, the wind being the outward symbol of the
spirit.
5 Near the four living ones; or, as the same words are subsequently
rendered, in conjunction with them.
6 Tharsis. This word is a transliteration from the Hebrew, Tarsheeh;
It is said to have been a transparent stone of sea-green or bluish-green
colour, as apparently implied by its Hebrew name, which is continually
{
91
inside a wheel. They went towards their four aspects; they
did not turn in going, neither they nor their backs; and they
were high; and I saw them; and their backs were full of
eyes all around the four. And as the living ones went, the
wheels went in conjunction with them; and when the living
ones were lifted up from the earth, the wheels¹ were lifted up.
Wherever the cloud was, there was the spirit of the motion ;
the wheels went, and were lifted up with them because of the
spirit of life in the wheels. In their going these went; and
when they stood these stood; and when they were lifted up
from the earth these were lifted up with them; for a spirit of
life was in the wheels.
2
And a likeness over the head of those living ones, as it
were a solid, like the appearance of clear ice, stretched out
upon their wings above; and beneath the solid, their wings
stretched out fluttering one to another, and each had two
connected with the sea. It is probably the modern Aquamarine, which is
a glucine mineral akin to the Emerald. Compare the following from Cole-
ridge's "Ancient Mariner"
And now there came both mist and snow,
And it was wondrous cauld;
And ice mast high went floating by,
As green as emerauld.
1 Wheels; the word means strictly a runner; usually anything round or
circular, a round ball, or cake, a wheel, the sun's disk, &c., &c.
2 A solid. The Greek word is the same as is used in the LXX. at Gen. i. 6,
where the A.V. has firmament. Etymologically it means something made
firm or solid, a solid body; metaphorically it is used for the solid part, strength
of an army.
It rests upon the solid described (to use a mathematical expre
sion) by the rapidly moving wings below, such as we see when a bee flies in
bright sunshine. The passage is very difficult to translate, as indeed it
describes things for which human language has no adequate power of expres-
sion. Thus the word fluttering seems eminently inadequate, while yet no better
one suggests itself. The whole description suggests intense energy, wings
moving so fast that the prophet sees, not them, but the space in which they
move, yet not small insignificant wings such as alone we see in such rapid
motion,
92
1
wings veiling their bodies; and I heard the sound of their
wings in their going like the sound of much water; and on
standing they laid their wings to rest.
And behold¹ a sound above the solid which is above their
head, like the appearance of a sapphire stone fashioned
into the form of a throne upon it; and upon the likeness of
the throne a likeness as the form of a man above.
And I saw like the seeing of electrum, from the loins of
the vision upwards, and from the loins of the vision down
to the feet I saw the appearance of fire, and its splendour
all around. As the appearance of a bow, when it is seen in
2
1 The prophet is at a loss to describe what he has seen. What could rest
upon the top of the rapid motion of those nimble wings but a solid, in the
ideal geometrical sense, having length, breadth, and thickness, but no sub-
stance as it were ? So he uses a word which conveys this sense, and is
also used for "the open firmament of heaven." But how to describe the
throne which rests upon it? He describes it as visible sound, sound like a
sapphire, not mere inarticulate sound, but fashioned into the similitude of a
throne. The blue sapphire throne, therefore, appears to be an apt symbol of
the word of prophecy, upon which we may, with the spiritual eye, see the
Invisible God seated. "The spirit breathes where He will, and you hear His
voice, but know not whence it comes, nor whither it leads; so is every one
that has been born of the Spirit. John iii. 8.
2 Splendour all around as the appearance of a rainbow. This passage will
serve to illustrate a parallel one in the Apocalypse, concerning the iris about
the throne, chap. iv. 3. The Greeks used the words iris both for the rainbow
and for what we call a halo, i.e. the circle of light formed around the moon
when veiled in thin transparent cloud; also for any bright coloured circle sur-
rounding a light, whether the sun, moon, &c., or a candle-see any picture
where these are realistically portrayed. The idea is precisely that which
painters represent in the glory around the head of the Saviour and saints and
martyrs. This is of course something produced in a different manner from
the rainbow, to see which the spectator must have his back to the luminary
producing it, and which is moreover never a complete circle. The word here
translated bow is Tógov, which the LXX. have also in Gen. ix.-13. It is worthy
of note also that the Greek reads "when it is in the cloud," not "when it is
seen." To modern ideas, however, the rainbow has no existence save as it is
Yet it is not less real on that account, and perhaps that is why it is
used here as the symbol of the glory of the Lord, which is only seen by those
whose eyes are open. Compare Numbers xxiv. 3, 4. Or for contrast see
Tennyson's "Holy Grail."
seen.
Th
93
the cloud in days of rain, so was the position of the splendour
round about. This is the vision of the likeness of the glory
of the Lord.
*
*
*
*
And it befel in the sixth year¹, in the fifth month, on the
fifth of the month, I was sitting in my house, and the Princes
of Judah were sitting before me, and the hand of the Lord
was laid upon me, and I saw. And lo! a form of a man;
from his loins to his feet fire, and from his loins upwards like
the sight of electrum. And he stretched out the likeness of
a hand, and lifted me up by the top of my head; and spiritual
power³ lifted me up in the midst between earth and heaven,
and brought me into Jerusalem in a vision of God, to the
entrance of the gate that looks towards the North, where is
the pillar of the redeemer, and lo! there was the glory of
the Lord God of Israel, according to the vision which I had
seen in the plain. And He said to me :-Son of Man.5
Raise thine eyes, and look towards the North. And I
raised my eyes, and looked towards the North. And lo!
from the North unto the gate that opens towards the East."
And He said to me: Son of man, hast thou seen the thing
which these do? They do great iniquities here in
4
1 In the sixth year, &c., i.e. just a year after the previous vision.
2 Princes, or Elders, the chief men without any stress on their positive age.
3 Spiritual power, or wind, the symbol of the same.
The pillar of the redeemer. ктάоμαι means to procure for oneself, get,
gain. Keктημévos is used almost like a substantive in the sense of owner,
master, especially of slaves; also by a woman of her husband. Here the
present participle is used apparently in a similar sense. Compare Ruth iv. 1-12.
5 Son of man, i.e. human being-of the race of Adam.
6 And lo! from
towards the East. What the prophet saw is not
recorded. The essence of their offence is PERHAPS given in the next verse,
but more probably the full measure of their offence is NOT stated. The
gracious reticence of the Almighty with reference to the sins and short-
comings of His people is often noticeable to the attentive reader.
[
94
standing aloof from My holy things. And yet thou shalt
see greater iniquities.
:
And He brought me to the entrance of the court, and
said to me -Son of man, Dig. And I digged, and lo! A
door; and He said to me: Go in and see the iniquities
which these do here.
And I went in and saw. And lo! irreverent profanities,
and all the idols of the house of Israel depicted upon them
all round; and seventy men of the chief of the house of
Israel; and Jeconiah,¹ the son of Saphas, was in their midst,
set before their face, and each had his wretched little censer in?
his hand, and the steam of their apology for incense went up.3
And He said to me :-Hast thou seen, thou son of man,
what things the chiefs of the house of Israel do, each
of them in his bedchamber, in the privacy of their
houses? For they say-The Lord seeth not, the Lord
hath deserted the earth.
;
1 Feconiah, A.V. Faazaniah. Whom the Lord will hear or Who is
attentive to the Lord; or the balances, the arms, the nourishment of the Lord
(Cruden).
Saphas. A.V. has Shaphan. A rabbit, or a wild rat, or their lip, or
brink, or breaking.
2 Some liberty of translation has been used here. Ovμarpov has been
rendered "wretched little censer," the object being to bring out the sense
implied in the use of a diminutive derived from a word which the Septuagint
does not use in speaking of the institution of the use of incense in the worship
of Jehovah. Incense was offered daily on the altar of incense in the Taber-
nacle, which was more than two feet square, and would have a grate probably
of over a foot square. In Levi xvi. 12 (Day of Atonement) the word Tupelov
is used, which means a chafing dish." In 1 Kings vii. 50 the word is outoun,
a" censer." In 2 Chron. iv. 22, both these words occur.
(C
It has been assumed in
Here again the Greek has simply "incense."
the translation that the incense these men used was not that prescribed in
Ex. xxx. 34-38. Of course if this was used the sin would be the greater, the
mere compounding of such incense, except for use in the appointed manner
in the Tabernacle or Temple, being a capital offence. But the first thing that
strikes one is the paltry folly of these idolaters.
95
And he said to me:-Thou shalt see greater iniquities
which these do. And he brought me to the entrance of the
gate of the house of the Lord which looks toward the North;
and behold there women, sitting and wailing for Thammuz.
And He said to me :-Son of man, hast thou seen?
Thou shalt see practices worse than these. And He
brought me into the inner court of the house of the
Lord. And at the porch of the shrine of the Lord, in
the midst of the Elam, and in the midst of the place of
sacrifice, about twenty men, their backs to the shrine of the
Lord, and their faces in the opposite direction, and these
are adoring the sun.
3
4
And He said to me: Hast thou seen, thou son of man?
1 Thammuz was the Phoenician Adonis, related to Ashtoreth, goddess of
the Zidonians, much as Adonis to Venus. France would seem for many
reasons to be an antitype of Zidon, and she once delighted to be called the
eldest son of the Church, i.e. of the Church of Rome, which gives such great
prominence to the crucifix, and to the worship of the Blessed Virgin.
The constant looking back to Calvary is essentially the feminine side of
the Christian religion. The attitude of MEN in Christ is rather that of St.
Paul, who never dwells on the passion of Our Lord, but constantly goes on
to consider the glory which should follow. In fact HIS GOSPEL is essen-
tially that of CHRIST, THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE, and in
the epistle to his most advanced children (the Ephesians) he begins, so to
speak, at the Resurrection.
2 Practices worse than or pursuits greater than these, i.c. worship offered
with greater zest and eagerness.
3 The Elam. Meaning not known. Cruden gives ELAM, a young man, a
virgin; or secret, or an age. Possibly therefore it may be understood some-
what in the sense of "the secret place of the Most High."
The place of sacrifice. Ovolaorpiov (a place of sacrifice or offering, an
altar) is used in LXX. both for the brasen altar and for the altar of incense.
Here, as in other places, both in LXX. and N.T., it means a place of offering
or sacrifice. It is evidently applied here to the court of the brasen altar and
the laver, corresponding to the open court of the Tabernacle, the shrine being
the building itself containing the Holy place and the Holy of Holies.
1
96
4
Are they small things to the house of Judah, the doing
of these iniquities which they have done here? For
they have filled the earth with lawlessness; and, see,
they are as those who sneer; and I will construct against
them with a will; My eye shall not spare, neither will I
pity.
And He cried aloud into my ears with a mighty voice,
saying: They have drawn nigh who are appointed to
exact the penalty from this city; and each brings the
weapons of utter destruction in his hand.
And lo! six men came from the way of the lofty gate
which looks towards the North, and each had a slaughter-
weapons in his hand; and one man in the midst of them, clad
in a garment down to the foot, and a girdle of sapphire
1
1 Are they small things? In previous notes the paltriness and folly of
the idolatrous worship has been noticed. It must be clearly understood, how-
ever, that this does not diminish the offence, but quite the contrary. The
more despicable the idolatry the greater is the offence against the Almighty,
at least when HIS PEOPLE are concerned.
2 With a will. μerá Ovμov. Ovμós; the seat of life, feeling and thought,
especially of strong feeling and passion. The expression here seems to be
nearly equivalent to the Italian “con amore," or at least to the English
use of it. This passage recalls Dan. xi. 36-39, especially the beginning of
v. 39, which is similarly worded in the Greek, and runs thus:-" He shall con-
struct against the strongholds of those who flee after a strange god." It is
quite impossible to conceive of any one doing the actions attributed to him
save by the help of the Almighty; or, rather, as here, save the Almighty did
them. (See subsequent translation.)
3 Slaughter weapon. réλvę. Authorities differ as to the exact weapon
denoted by this word, but we have it by implication in the word Teπeλekioμévwv
(beheaded). Rev. xx. 4.
4 A garment down to the foot. wodnρns. Used for the High Priest's robe
in Ex. xxviii. 4. Also in N.T. Rev. i. 13.
A girdle of sapphire. The Hebrew has "a writer's inkhorn." Both
Greek and Hebrew texts agree in placing it " upon his loins." So far from
finding any discrepancy in this, we may rather regard them as mutually
explaining each other, both showing forth the character of the wearer as pro-
phetic, while the inkhorn shows written prophecy. Compare 2 Pet. i. 20, 21.
97
upon his loins, and they went in and stood near the brazen
altar.
And the glory of the God of Israel, whose seat is upon the
Cheribum, went up from them into the atrium of the house.
And He called the man clothed to the feet, who had the girdle
upon his loins, and said to him :-Go through the midst of
Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the
men who lament and are grievously afflicted at all the
lawless conduct which prevails in their midst. And to
those He said in my hearing :-Go after him into the city
and strike, and spare not with your eyes, neither show
mercy. Old age and youth, maid and infant and women,
slay them utterly. But all upon whom is the mark, go
not near them. Begin at my saints.
And they began at the elders who were in the house. And
He said to them:-Defile the house and fill the ways with
dead.¹ Go forth and strike.
And it so befell, while they were slaying, I fall on my
face. And I cried aloud, and said :-Woe is me, Oh! Lord,
Dost Thou wipe out the remnant of Israel in the pouring
out of Thy wrath upon Jerusalem? And He said to me:—
The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah has grown
which may be translated thus :---"Knowing this first, that no written prophecy
is produced capable of self-interpretation. For prophecy was never at any time
brought by the will of man, but, being borne along under Holy Spirit, men
spoke from God."
Compare the following: "For all these things hath My hand made, and
they are Mine, all these things, saith the Lord. And upon whom shall I look
but upon the humble and quiet man, and on him who trembles at My word?
But the lawless man who sacrifices a calf to Me is like one who kills a dog ;
and he who brings up fine flour, like swine's blood; and he who brings
frankincense for a memorial offering, like a blasphemer. They have chosen
their own ways, and their soul preferred their profane abominations, and I will
choose their trickery, and will requite to them their transgressions." Isaiah
lxvi. 2, 3, 4.
mikk
98
$
great exceedingly: exceedingly. For as the earth is filled
with many peoples, so is the city full of iniquity and
uncleanness. For they have said :-The Lord hath
deserted the earth; the Lord takes no notice :-and My
eye shall not spare, neither will I pity. Their ways have
I given upon their own heads.
And lo! the man clad to the foot, and girded with the
girdle about his loins. And he answered saying: I have
done according to the orders I received.
And I saw, and lo! above the solid which was over the
head of the Cherubim, as it were a sapphire stone, the like-
ness of a throne upon them; and it said to the man clothed
in the dress :-Go in into the midst of the wheels which are
under the Cherubim, and fill thy hands with coals of fire
out of the midst of the Cherubim, and scatter it abroad
over the city. And he went in before me.
And the Cherubim-chariot was standing to the right of the
house when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court.
And the glory of the Lord was alighted from the Cherubim
into the atrium of the house, and the cloud filled the house,
and the court was filled with the splendour of the glory of the
Lord. And the sound of the wings of the Cherubim was
heard as far as the outer court, as the voice of the God of
Saddai speaking. And it befell, when He commanded the
man clothed with the holy dress, saying:-Take fire out of
¹ It said: i.e. the sapphire throne said. We have already seen this throne
described as a visible sound, or rather voice, and how it is an apt symbol of
the Scriptures themselves, which to the seeing eye form a throne whereon is
seated the Almighty Himself. This being so it is entirely in accord with
the prophetic symbology that the throne should speak to one with a sapphire
girdle on his loins and be obeyed by him as if the Almighty Himself had
spoken.
2 Saddaï, omnipotens, sufficiens: a transliteration from the Hebrew.
99
the midst of the wheels, out of the midst of the Cherubim :—
He also went in and stood near the wheels. And he stretched
out his hand into the midst of the fire, which is in the midst of
the Cherubim, and took of it, and gave into the hands of the
man clad in the holy dress, and he received it and went out.
And I saw the Cherubim: the likeness of human arms
underneath their wings. And I saw, and lo! four wheels
were standing near the Cherubim, one wheel near each
Cherub, and the sight of the wheels like the sight of the
carbuncle. And their appearance: one fashion to the four,
after the manner when there is a wheel inside a wheel. In
their going they went towards their four aspects, they did
not turn in going, for they went towards the direction in
which they looked at first, and did not turn in going. And
their backs, and their arms, and their wings, and the wheels
full of eyes all around the four wheels. And to these wheels
was given the name Gelgel¹ in my hearing. And the Cheru-
bim were this living organism which I saw by the river
Chobár. And when the Cherubim went, these wheels went
in conjunction with them; and when the Cherubim raised
their wings to leave the earth their wheels did not turn aside.
When they stood, these stood; and when they left the earth,
these left the earth with them; for there was a spirit of life
in them.
And the glory of the Lord came out and ascended the
Cherubim-chariot, and the Cherubim took wing and left the
earth in my sight. In their going forth, the wheels also went
1 Gelgel, a transliteration from the Hebrew of a word said to mean
whirling." A commentator on the passage says: "The address was itself a
command. They were to move forward with that steady irresistible energy
which would overthrow one earthly polity after another; in order that the
kingdom of heaven might be introduced and established immoveably."
เC
100
in conjunction with them, and they took their stand at the
entrance of the gate of the house of the Lord on the opposite
side, and the glory of the God of Israel was resting upon
them.
This is the living organism¹ which I saw under the God
of Israel upon the river Chobár, and I knew that it is the
Cherubim. Four faces to each, and eight wings to each, and
the likeness of human arms underneath their wings. And
the likeness of their faces-these are the faces which I saw
under the glory of the God of Israel by the river Chobár.
And they went each according to their aspect.
*
*
*
-X-
*
2
And the hand of the Lord was laid upon me.
And the Lord
led me forth in the spirit, and placed me in the midst of the
plain; and this plain was full of men's bones; and he led me
all about them, round and round, and lo: they were very
numerous upon the face of the plain, and they were
very dry.
And He said to me :-Son of man, shall these bones live?
And I said :-My Lord, my Lord! these things are in Thy
power. And He said to me:-Prophesy over these bones:
And thou shalt say to them: Ye dry bones! hear the word
of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord to these bones: Lo! I
bring upon you a wind of life; and I will clothe you with
1 This is the living organism
Cherubim. Apparently intended to
emphasise the fact that although the form was different the organism was the
On this occasion four additional wheels-whirlers-were seen, and the
number of the wings is doubled, a development entirely in accord with other
prophetic visions, for the same thing is never shown twice, but a new prophecy
indicates a further revelation.
same.
2 In the spirit; or in spiritual power, or in spiritual regions.
3 A wind of life; or breath of life, or spirit of life. Sinews; veûpov (English
derivative nerve). A ligament, sinew, tendon. Strictly the gristly end of a
muscle by which it is attached to the bone.
Maou
·
101
sinews, and will bring up flesh upon you, and will stretch
skin over you, and will breathe My Spirit into you, and you
shall live, and you shall know that I am Lord.
And I prophesied according as He commanded me. And
it befell, while I was prophesying, and lo! a shaking¹; and
it brought the bones each, to its articulation. And I saw,
and lo! sinews and flesh grew upon them, and they were
covered with skins, but there was no breath among them.2
And He said to me :-Prophesy over the wind. Prophesy,
thou son of man, and say to the wind: Thus saith the Lord:
Come from the four winds, and breathe into these corpses,
and let them live.
And I prophesied according as I was commanded. And
breath entered into them, and they lived, and stood up on
their feet, an exceeding great company.*
And the Lord spoke to me, saying:-Son of man. These
bones are the whole house of Israel, who say: Our bones are
become dry; our hope is destroyed, we have breathed our
last. Therefore prophesy, and say:-Thus saith the Lord:
Lo! I open your tombs, and I will bring you up out of your
tombs, and I will bring you into the land of Israel; and you
shall know that I am Lord, when I open your tombs to bring
up My people out of their tombs. And I will breathe My
A shaking. oeloμós means a shaking, shock; generally of an earthquake,
but here it appears to be confined to the bones.
2 There was no breath among them; or, there was no wind upon them.
3 Breath; or spirit, or the wind.
4 Company; ovvaywyn-English derivative synagogue. The word means
an assembly, gathering. It had of course a special meaning also among
the Jews analogous to the word church in English, by which the Greek word
ékkλŋola is commonly translated in the N. T., and which means a calling out,
an assembly of the citisens summoned by the crier.
5 diaтepwvýкaμev. To sound apart, be dissonant. Also used in the sense—
to breathe one's last, die; and of books-to perish.
Ioż
!
Spirit into you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your
land, and you shall know that I am Lord. I have spoken it,
and I will do it, saith the Lord.
of man.
And there came a word of the Lord to me saying:-Son
Take thee a staff, and write upon it: JUDAH, AND
THE SONS OF ISRAEL THAT BELONG TO HIM. And thou
shalt take thee a second staff, and shalt inscribe it: FOR
JOSEPH, THE STAFF OF EPHRAIM, AND ALL THE SONS OF
ISRAEL WHO ARE ASSOCIATED WITH HIM. And thou shalt
join them for thee, one to another, so that they grow together
into one staff, and they shall be in thine hand.
And it shall be when the sons of thy people say to thee:
Dost thou not tell us? What are these things with thee?
that thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord: Behold I
will take the tribe of Joseph, that are by the hand of Ephraim,
and the tribes of Israel that are associated with him; and I
will graft them upon the tribe of Judah, and they shall grow
into one staff in the hand of Judah.
+
и
And the staves on which thou didst write the inscriptions
shall be in thine hand before them; and thou shalt say to
them :-Thus saith the Lord who is Lord indeed: Behold I
take the whole house of Israel out of the midst of the nations
among whom they have settled, and I will bring them together
from among all those who encompass them, and I will bring
them into the land of Israel, and I will make them one nation
in my land among the mountains of Israel. And they shall
have one ruler, and shall no more be divided into two nations,
neither shall they be separated into two kingdoms, that they
may no more be polluted' amid their idols. And I will rescue
。
1. That they may no more be polluted. The separation of the ten tribes
from the throne of David and from Jerusalem was the reason for the setting
↓
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1
them from all their iniquities wherein they have sinned, and
I will cleanse them, and they shall become My people, and I
the Lord will be their God, and My slave David shall rule in
their midst. There shall be one shepherd over them all; for
they shall walk in My ordinances, and My decrees they shall
keep, and shall do them. And they shall settle in the land
which I gave to my slave Jacob; wherein their fathers settled,
therein shall they also settle; and David My slave shall be
their ruler for ever.
And I will make with them a covenant of peace the
covenant with them shall be lasting. And I will place My
holy things in their midst for ever; and I will encamp among
them, and will be a God to them, and they shall be My
people; and the nations shall know that I who sanctify them
am Lord,¹ for My holy things shall be in their midst forever.
And there came a word of the Lord to me saying: Son of
man, set thy face against Gog, and the land of Magog, the
ruler of Roos, Mesoch, and Thobel; and prophesy at him,
3
;
up of the golden calves by Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin
and a cause which kept them from going up to Jerusalem to keep the feasts of
the Lord. The schisms of Christendom have in like manner been a serious.
hindrance to spiritual life and progress.
1 When the tabernacle was pitched among them in the wilderness, the
Israelites were continually misbehaving themselves, so that their God could
do nothing for them; and any real submission to His laws, or faith in His care
for them, degenerated into slavish obedience, or into a presumptuous tempting
of their God. How different might it be if they made Him their God, and
swore by Him-as we say-i.e. if they counted all He did as necessarily right,
and all that He wished intrinsically good, however little it might appear so for
the moment-like Abraham their father.
2 Gog; roof, covering. Magog; roof, or that covers, or that dissolves.
(Cruden).
3 Roos.
Not found in A. V. In sound it is almost identical with the
oriental form of "Russia." Meshech; who is drawn by force, or included,
shut up, surrounded. Tubal; the earth, the world, or that which is carried or
led, or confusion. (Cruden). These nations appear to be those symbolised
by the black horses of Zech. vi. See subsequent translation.
104
+
2
and say to him:-Thus saith the Lord who is Lord indeed:
Behold I come upon thee, thou ruler of Roos, and Mesoch
and Thobel; and I will gather thee and all thy forces; horses.
and horsemen,¹ all wearing breastplates, in a mighty following;
targets and helmets and swords, Persians and Ethiopians and
Libyans, all with helmets and targets; Gomer and all those
about him, the house of Thorgamas, from the extreme North,
and all those about him, and many nations with thee.
Be prepared. Prepare thyself, thou and all thy following
that is collected about thee, and thou shalt become my out-
posts. From very many days shall they be prepared, and in
the end of the years they shall come, and shall enter into the
land that has cast away the sword, the land of those who
were collected out of many nations to the land of Israel, that
was wilderness throughout, and this came forth out of all the
nations, and they shall all settle in peace. And thou shalt go
up like rain, and shalt come like a cloud to cover up the
earth; there shall be thyself and all those about thee, and
many nations with thee-these are the words of the Lord,
who is Lord indeed-and it shall be in that day that words
shall come into thine head," and thou shalt devise evil counsel,
¹ Horsemen; inneús, though afterwards used for riders, is used in Homer of
charioteers, whether the driver-who was a servant-or of the warrior who
fought from the chariot. The modern equivalent, therefore, would be not only
cavalry, but horse artillery, and all connected with field guns.
2 Persians and Ethiopians, &c. These appear to be the nations indicated
by the white horses of Zech vi.
3 My outposts; compare Rev. xx. 8, where Gog and Magog are identified,
or connected, with the nations in the four corners of the earth, the figure
employed bing that of a square, the four corners of which are more remote
than the rest of the figure, from the centre.
4 That has cast away the sword; or, more literally, that is turned away
from the sword, i.e. from the use of it--not as fleeing before it.
5 Into thine head. The Greek has " upon thine heart," but the phrase in
the text seems to be the modern English equivalent.
105
:
2
and shalt say I will go up against the land that is abandoned
to ease; I will come upon those who are at rest and secure,
that dwell¹ in assured peace, against all who live in a land
wherein is no wall, nor bars, neither do they have doors.
To carry off their plunder and to strip their spoil, to turn my
hand against the deserted lands that has been colonised, and
against a nation collected from many nations that have
acquired possessions, that inhabit the heart of the earth.
Sabba and Dedan and the merchants of Carchedon, and all
their towns shall say to thee, Come thou to carry off plunder,
and to strip the spoil. Thou hast collected thy following to
take silver and gold, to carry off riches, to strip the spoil.
Therefore prophesy, thou son of man, and say to Gog
Thus saith the Lord: Wilt thou not be awakened on that
day when I settle my people Israel in peace? Yea. Thou
shalt come out of thy place, from the farthest North, and
many nations with thee, all of them riding on horses, a
mighty following and a great force, and thou shalt go up
against my people like a cloud to cover the earth, in the end
1 ¹ That dwell in assured peace. The strict meaning of the Greek appears
to be "living upon peace, or in peace," i.e. settled in peace as in a house or
country. Just as people may be at rest and confident because they are pre-
pared against all attack, so these rest in security from the assurance that their
peace will not be broken in upon.
2 Bars, The word means a lever, crowbar, used for moving heavy weights,
for forcing doors, &c.; also for the bars used to secure the gates of a city, or
the doors of a house. Either meaning would be appropriate here, but the
more obvious one seems to be the latter.
3 The deserted land. Palestine is now the deserted land. It is covered
with mounds, the sites of former towns and villages. Then it shall be settled,
inhabited again and fruitful. Compare Ps. cvii. 33-43. Jerem. xii. 4-17.
4
The heart, or literally the navel, i.e. the central boss of the earth.
Homer called Calypso's island the navel of the earth. Later legend placed it
in the Delphic Temple. The same idea is extant to-day in America, where
Boston is known as "the hub," Bostonians being supposed to regard their
city as the hub of the universe.
106
1
J
!
of the days shall it be, and I will bring thee up upon My land,
that all the nations may know Me, when I sanctify Myself in
theel before their face.
Thus saith the Lord who is Lord indeed to Gog:-Thou
art he concerning whom I spoke before the days of old by the
hand of My slaves the prophets of Israel, in those days and
years, that I would bring thee up against them. And it shall
be in that day, in the day when Gog comes against the land
of Israel, saith the Lord who is Lord indeed, that My anger
shall arise, and My zeal, in the fire of My wrath. I have
spoken it. In very truth in that day there shall be a great
earthquake in the land of Israel, and from the face of the Lord
shall go forth a power shaking the fish of the sea, and the
birds of heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all the
creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all mankind
that are on the face of the earth; and the mountains shall
be rent, and the cliffs" shall fall, and every wall shall fall to
the earth. And I will call against it also every fear, saith
the Lord. A man's sword shall be against his brother, and I
will judge him with death and with blood, and with an over-
flowing rain, and with hailstones; and I will rain fire and
brimstone upon him and upon all those with him, even upon
many nations with him; and I will be magnified and sanctified
The Godhead of the Almighty
1 When I sanctify myself in thee
shall be manifest in His dealings with Gog. The fear of the Lord is the begin-
ning of wisdom, and folly can only be cast out when that fear is established in
the heart,
•
2 Spoke
by the hand of; compare Ps. xlv. 1. "My tongue is the
pen of a ready writer," or perhaps rather of a keen, cutting writer. Both
meanings are probably intended, though in English sometimes one and some-
times the other would be appropriate.
ht
3 The cliffs. pápay-a mountain cleft or chasm; a ravine, gulley. Evi-
dently the meaning is that the steep rock faces shall fall, such as enclose a
chasm or ravine.
107
and glorified and known, in the sight of many nations, and
they shall know that I am Lord.
Also, thou son of man, prophesy at Gog, and say:
Thus saith the Lord: Behold I come upon thee, O! Gog,
that rulest Roos, Mesoch, and Thobel, and I will collect
thee, and will guide thee, and will post thee in the extreme
North,¹ and I will lead thee up thence on to the mountains
of Israel. And I will dash thy bow from thy left hand, and
thine arrows from thy right hand, and I will overthrow ther
on the mountains of Israel. And thou shalt fall, thou and
all that accompany thee, and the nations with thee, shall be
given to birds innumerable; to all that flies, and to all the
beasts of the field, have I given thee to be devoured of
them; upon the face of the field shalt thou fall, for I have
spoken it, saith the Lord. And I will send forth a fire upon
Gog, and the islands shall be colonised in peace, and they
shall know that I am Lord, and My holy Name shall be
known in the midst of Israel My people, and My holy Name
shall no longer be profaned, and the nations shall know that
I, a Holy Lord, am in Israel.
Lo! he comes, and thou shalt know that it shall be,.
saith the Lord, who is Lord indeed. This is the day in
which I uttered it. And those that dwell in the cities of
Israel shall go forth, and shall kindle fires with the weapons,
the targets, and the pikes, and the bows, and the arrows,
I will post thee in the extreme North. The nations here described shall be
posted on the outskirts of the earth in the four corners of the earth, the parts
most remote from Jerusalem, the navel of the earth. They appear to
symbolise-1st, Russia, typified by the black horses of the Zech. vi., the least
Christian of those who profess Christianity. 2nd. The Asiatic nations,
followers of Islam, Zoroaster, Buddha, &c. &c. typified by the white horses
of Zech vi.
$
108
and the hand-staves, and the spears; and they shall be seven
years burning them. And they shall not take wood from the
forest, nor cut it in the oak coppices, but they shall burn up
the weapons in their fires. And they shall plunder those
who plundered them, and they shall strip those who spoiled
them, saith the Lord.
And it shall be in that day that I will give to Gog a place
of note, a tomb in Israel, the cemetery of those who came
by sea. And they shall build round the mouth of the ravine,¹
and there they shall bury Gog and all his host, and then it
shall be called THE CEMETERY of Gog. And the house of
Israel shall bury them, that the land may be cleansed by the
seventh month; all the people of the land shall bury them,
and it shall be to them a notable thing in the day when He
is glorified, saith the Lord.
And after the seventh month they shall send men every-
1 They shall build round the mouth of the ravine: It is evident that this
ravine is a place to bury strangers in, where any foreigners who came by
sea were wont to be buried. And finding it suitable for the purpose they
enclose its mouth with a wall and devote it to the purpose of burying the
bones of their enemies, whose corpses are so numerous that the original use of
the burying place is forgotten and its very name changed.
This burying is done in three stages-
Ist. The whole nation works at the task for seven months and buries the
great mass of bones.
2nd. Buriers are sent to search out those that are left.
3rd. Every one makes a point of indicating a bone that has been over-
looked with a mark or pillar.
p
#
2 THE CEMETERY OF GOG. This description of the labour of bury-
ing the bones, and still more the subsequent description of the feast of the
birds, may seem at first to conflict with the previous statement that they
should be destroyed by fire and brimstone. The explanation appears to be
that the fire and brimstone are spiritual, affecting not their bodies but their
souls and spirits, the effect of which is to make them turn their swords against
each other, so that God's enemies fall by mutual slaughter.
109
where to go through the land, to bury those who are left on
the face of the land to cleanse it; and they shall make
thorough search.
And every one who goes through the land, when he sees
a man's bone, shall build up a mark beside it, so that the
buriers may take it away to the ravine, the cemetery of Gog,
and bury it there. For the name, also, of the city is CEME-
TERY. And the land shall be cleansed.
And thou, son of man, say :-Thus said the Lord: I said
to every bird that flies, and to all the beasts of the field,
Assemble yourselves and come. Assemble yourselves from
every side to My sacrifice, the great sacrifice which I have
brought to the mountains of Israel, and have slain for you
there. And you shall eat flesh and drink blood.
2
You shall eat the flesh of giants, and drink the blood of
rulers of the earth; rams, and calves, and goats; and all the
calves fatted. And you shall eat fat to satiety, and you shall
drink blood till you are drunk, at My sacrifice which I have
offered for you; and you shall be filled at my table, with the
1
¹ Which I have slain for you. The word is used in Homer only for offer-
ing or burning to the gods, so that the point emphasised is that God invites
the birds to the sacrifice he makes to THEM. This is evidently intended to
show God's way of dealing with His creatures. To all He gives that in
which they delight, Devi's delight in tormenting, and they shall be torment-
ing and tormented by those who prefer their society to that of the Almighty.
Vultures shall be gorged with carrion. How much more then shall His
saints be satisfied with holiness, and those who love Him with His love and
care.
2 Giants. Not necessarily men of great physical stature, but men of name
and note, in accordance with the following, taken from the Septuagint.
Gen. vi. 3, 4. "And the Lord God said :-' Let not My Spirit stay for ever
among these men, seeing they are flesh; but their days shall be 120 years.
And there were giants on the earth in those days, and after that, whenever
the sons of God went in to the daughters of the men, and they bore sons to
them, those were the giants, from the beginning, the men of name and note."
IIO
1
horse and his rider, the giant and every warrior, saith the
Lord. And I will shew forth My glory among you, and all
the nations shall see My judgment that I have brought to
pass,¹ and My hand that I have brought against them. And
the house of Israel shall know that I am Lord, and their
God, from this day and thenceforward. And all the nations
shall know, that because of their sins was the house of Israel
carried away captive; because they disregarded me, and I
turned away My face from them, and gave them over into the
hands of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword
According to their uncleannesses, and according to their
transgressions, I acted towards them, and turned away My
face from them.
Therefore thus saith the Lord who is Lord indeed :-Now
will I turn away Jacob's captivity, and will pity the house of
Israel, and I will be jealous because of My Holy Name. And
they shall be repaid for their dishonour, and the injustice
wherein they acted injuriously, when they are settled in their
land in peace. And there shall be none to make them afraid,
when I turn them away from among the nations, and when I
collect them from the countries of the nations; and I will be
1 Shall see My judgment that I have brought to pass, i.e. they shall see the
righteousness of it, and confess that the Judge of all the earth does right.
2 And My hand that I have brought against them. Also they shall see
God's hand and action in the affairs of the world. During the Day of grace
He purposely acts so that they may disregard and ignore Him if they please,
in order that they may show by their actions what is in their hearts.
3 Not only that He is Lord, Almighty, Omnipotent, whom none can resist,
but also that He is their God, Who delights to be their Shepherd, to lead them
to green pastures and still waters, if they will but be His sheep.
4 From this day, i.e. from the day on which He does these things, from the
day of which He is speaking.
They shall be repaid; or they shall receive, i.e. the Lord's recompense
for all they have suffered through being His people. He will make it worth
their while to have endured wrong for His sake.
III
}
sanctified among them before the nations; and they shall
know that I am Lord and their God, when I manifest Myself to
them among the nations. And I will no longer turn away My
face from them, because I have poured out¹ my wrath against
the house of Israel, saith the Lord who is Lord indeed.
1
¹ I have poured out. èéxea. Apparently meaning "My wrath is poured
'out," exhausted-so there is none left.
f
NOTE ON THE PROPHECIES OF EZEKIEL.
I. In approaching to the consideration of the book of
the prophecies of Ezekiel, it is necessary to remember that
the "Cloud" which he describes (i. 4) wherein resided the
spirit of the motion of the Cherubim-chariot (i. 20) was none
other than the Cloud which rested on the tabernacle in the
wilderness.
2. The same cloud is mentioned in Levit. xvi. 2 as the
SHEKINAH of the Holy of holies, by reason of the presence
of which Aaron was forbidden to enter that "secret place of
the most High," save only on the Day of atonement, and
then with careful observance of the prescribed rites for duly
making atonement on behalf of himself and the house of
Israel-nay even for the different divisions of the tabernacle
itself which, so far as it represented the congregation, par-
took of the defilement due to their manifold transgressions.
even in the most holy things.
Ba
3. The glory which Ezekiel saw was none other than the
glory which took possession of Solomon's temple (2 Chron.
vii. 2), and save for the transgressions of the house of Israel,
should have dwelt there forever.
4. The apparition of this glory to the captive Ezekiel
can only be regarded as an act of infinite condescension on
113
the part of the God of Israel; and the whole prophecy
shews forth, in a most marvellous manner, His infinite con-
descension and tender consideration towards His faithful
worshippers, which finds expression in a different form to
Daniel in his captivity, and to Job in his uncomforted
affliction.
1
5. On the other hand in striking contrast to this do we
see the folly of the idolaters in forsaking the worship of such
a God as Jehovah, and the paltriness of the unclean worship
in which they delighted. We are apt to regard this worship
of other gods as a sin of transcendent magnitude, akin to
that of Milton's hero when he preferred to reign in hell
rather than serve in heaven. But just as this hero is a pure
fiction of the poet's brain, so when we see from Jehovah's
side, as did Ezekiel-for whoever the personal occupant of
the Cherubim-chariot may be supposed to have been, there
is no doubt that he spoke for Jehovah Himself, and as repre-
senting Him in such veiled splendour as might be tolerable to
Ezekiel—so viewed the paltriness of the idolatrous worship,
exercised in the recesses of their houses by the elders of
Israel, stands out in marvellous contrast to the National
Worship designed by the Lord of Heaven and earth for His
chosen nation, and which should have permeated their whole
life, both collective and individual.
6. And terrific as appears, from a human standpoint the
slaughter ordered in Chap. ix. it becomes not only intelligible
-when viewed from the other side-but as the inevitable
1 This we learn from Holy Scripture, see 2 Pet. ii. 4, Jude 6, where we are
told the fate of the disobedient among the heavenly host who left their own
abode. They were promptly shut up in prison. Of these therefore our
enemy is not, for he is still at large. See Holy Writ passim and Rev. xx. 1-3
in particular.
}
114
consequence, long delayed by the Divine mercy,' but utterly
unavoidable in view of the persistent folly of which they
were guilty in forsaking the worship of the Living God, and
worshipping these wretched and profane abominations, and
adoring the sun, which however glorious to behold, either
essentially or as a symbol of Divine splendour and might, is
utterly powerless to hear and respond to worship.
7. Before considering the preceding translations from
the Septuagint, it will be well to consider the Septuagint itself
and its claims to our attention. Among the greatest of these
is the fact that the inspired writers of the N.T. follow it,
sometimes in places where it differs from the now received
Massoretic text. Also that the early fathers of the Church
used it, and indeed for the most part, only knew the O.T.
through and by means of it. In fact it was to them much
what the A.V. is to us.
8. Are we then to receive it as a paramount authority?
The arguments seem strong for such a course, but to do so
seems rather to savour of slavery to the letter, which killeth,
than of perception of the spirit, which giveth life. The fact
is that the text of Scripture has undergone considerable
dilapidation in its passage through the hands of fallible
men, and any attempt to restore certainly the original
text throughout is now hopeless. The spirit, however, of
Many people are scandalised by the so-called "damnatory clauses" of the
Athanasian Creed. Do they reflect what they really mean? The creed states
that "the right faith is THAT WE WORSHIP." Now, if we worship not
the One True God there are but two alternatives. Ist, To worship meaner
gods-for there are gods many and lords many. (See 1 Cor. viii. 5, 6). Or,
2nd, to assume divine honour to ourselves-to be gods to ourselves. Utrum
horum insanius ?
2 In this respect the Great Pyramid seems an apt illustration of the state
of the book of Scripture.
115
the Scriptures giveth life, and that may be apprehended by
those who truly and honestly desire and seek it, even through
the medium of a faulty translation. For the law of the
kingdom is ASK, and ye shall receive; SEEK, and ye shall
find; KNOCK, and it shall be opened to you. Our trust is
not in dead matter, but in the Living God, who knows how
to give good gifts to His children, and will not give them a
stone when they seek bread from Him.
9. In the study of the Scriptures, too, which is one of the
most obvious means of seeking, we have the further promise
that if any man will do God's will, he shall know of the
doctrine (John vii. 17). Moreover, the spiritual man judges
all things, and is judged of none (see I. Cor. ii. 15 and context).
We do well, therefore, to seek by every means to enter into
the spirit of the Scriptures; and in doing this the Septuagint
is undoubtedly of great assistance, for the following reasons,
among others:
}
(a) It was made from manuscripts of the Hebrew text
older than any to which we have access, and
before the tongues (for there were several)
employed had become dead languages.
(b) The Greek language, arising when Hebrew and
Chaldee were passing out of use, was widely used
and understood in the East, and is still a living
language, though, of course, it has undergone
modification, as all languages do, by the lapse of
time. Still we have a large literature in the
ancient Greek, by which we may know the use
and signification of its words and turns of
expression. Moreover, while Greek is a dis-
tinctly European language-the Greeks being a
-
116
free people and always at feud with Asia, which
belonged to the King-it, nevertheless, has certain
affinities with Eastern ways of thought and expres-
sion which admirably adapt it for a medium of
communication between East and West.
(c) The translation was made at least 130 years
before Christ, probably more, and so presents to
us, in a language which we are able to understand,
the Scriptures as then understood by devout men
well qualified to understand them. Moreover, we
are delivered from some anxiety in the matter by
the treatment which the prophecies of Daniel
received. The original Septuagint translation
was found so faulty that another was substituted
for it, which is generally received and embodied
in the Septuagint as now printed, the first trans-
lation being often given in an appendix. We
may be sure, therefore, that the translation was
received on its own merits, and not accepted
blindly on the authority of the translators.
IO.
Moreover, we do well to consider what St. Peter
says of the matter, for what he wrote concerning written
prophecy must surely apply to the version of the Scriptures
which he used. He writes :-" We have also a very sure
thing in the word of prophecy, to which you do well in
taking heed,” as to a lamp shining in a squalid place, until
the day break, and the light-bearer arise in your hearts;
knowing this first, that no written prophecy is produced
Alluding evidently to verbal utterances in spiritual power, which so
abounded in the early Church. See I Cor. xii.-xiv., Acts xxi. 8-11, xx. 23,
&c., &c.
2 See also St. Paul's warning on this subject, 1 Thess. v. 19-21.
1
117
capable of self-interpretation.¹ For never at any time was
prophecy brought by the will of man, but being borne along
under Holy Spirit men spoke from God." When, therefore,
we find the Septuagint apparently departing from the original
text, the wise course seems to be to see whether the version.
in the Greek is in accordance with the analogy of faith, and-
being spiritual-we should be able to follow St. Paul's in-
junction to prove all things, and hold fast that which is
good.
I].
We have an instance in point in the passages now
under consideration, where we find "a writer's inkhorn" in
the Hebrew, and "a sapphire girdle
a sapphire girdle" in the Greek. We
have already seen, however, that the sound, or voice, like the
appearance of a sapphire stone, fashioned into the form of a
throne, is no inapt symbol of the inspired writings them-
selves; so that it appears in accordance with the analogy of
faith to see in these two material symbols the same spiritual
meaning or intention.
12.
The most remarkable deviation, however, is seen in
the second description (Ezek. x.) of the Cherubim. Here it
is evident that the Greek version is careful to show that the
four wheels described are four additional wheels-or runners,
for they may have been spherical so far as the word used
indicates to the Cherubim-chariot, and that the Cherubim
are seen with eight wings each, in place of four as seen
before. It is evident that the intention is to show a develop·
ment of the Cherubim before the prophet's eyes. Traces of
the means by which this development was indicated are
observable in translations from the Hebrew text, but the
¹ Hence the need of spoken prophecy, i.e. spiritual utterances through the
mouths of men, to interpret it and make its intention clear.
118
passage seems there to have been corrupted by the scribes
who copied it,¹ through a false reverence for the letter which
killeth; whereby having transcribed the vision of the first
chapter, and seeing wheels of Tarshish-a sea-green stone-
there described, and not knowing the Scriptures nor the
power of God, wrote the same word again where the Greek,
doubtless following the true text, mentions wheels of car-
buncle a brilliant red stone. In this they would doubtless
be strengthened by the emphatic statement in v. 20, that this
was the same living organism which the prophet saw by the
river Chebar; whereas the real intention of this statement
appears to be to prevent any one from supposing—owing to
the different description given-that the thing described was
different, when it was really a further development of the
same organism. A similar instance of the development of a
prophetic vision under the prophet's eyes may be found in
Zech. iv. II-14. See subsequent translation.
13. It is necessary always to remember this element of
progress in prophecy, by which events are drawn in sequence
as they are to happen. The works of God are always pro-
gressive, and THE SIN of God's people is a tendency to stand
still instead of going forward with Him. Thus in the prophecy
concerning Gog and Magog, Palestine is described as the
deserted land that has been colonised; referring to its present
desolation (A.D. 1891) and its future colonisation by the
restored Israelites. So later on He says to Gog, I will
collect thee, and will guide thee, and will post thee in the
extreme North, and I will bring thee up on to the mountains
of Israel. And I will dash
Where the prophecy
moves with extreme rapidity, describing in a few words events
¹ Compare 2 Cor. iii. 15.
}}
Wh
119
which occupy centuries, viz., the collection of Gog and his
development into a nation in his own land in the extreme
North, and subsequent invasion of the navel of the earth. So
the place where Gog is to be buried is first called "the ceme-
tery of those who came by sea," being apparently used only
for foreigners who might die in the land, and only acquiring
its name, THE CEMETERY OF GOG, from its use after the
destruction of his host.
14. Again it is necessary to discern where spiritual
things are meant, and where natural things are described.
So the Solid above the heads of the Cherubim is a spiritual
solid, just as the air, or open firmament of heaven, is described
by the same word in the Septuagint version of Gen. i. This
seems quite in accordance, by the analogy of faith, with the
description of the solid earth as mere void, as in A.V.
Gen. i. 2.
Again there are two descriptions of the destruction of the
host of Gog, one by fire and brimstone, and another by the
birds of the air and the beasts of the field, followed by the
burial of his bones in THE CEMETERY OF GOG. The expla-
nation is evidently that the fire and brimstone are here figures
of spiritual things, whose outward manifestation or result is
seen in their turning their weapons against each other, and
falling by mutual destruction.
1
In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, there
came a word of the Lord to Zechariah¹ the prophet, son of
Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying:-The Lord was very sore
displeased at your fathers; and thou shalt say to them: Thus
saith the Lord, the Almighty; Turn to Me, saith the Lord of
the forces, and I will turn Me to you, saith the Lord of the
forces. And be not found like your fathers, when the
prophets called them to account before, saying; Thus saith
the Lord, the Almighty: Turn from your evil ways, and from
your evil pursuits. And they did not hearken, nor try to
hearken to Me, saith the Lord. Where are your fathers, and
the prophets? Shall they live for ever?
Yet receive all My words, and all My ordinances which I
enjoin in My Spirit upon My slaves the prophets, who pursued
your fathers, and answered them, saying; Just as the Lord,
the Almighty, arranged to do to us, after our ways and after
our pursuits, so did He act towards us.
On the four-and-twentieth day of the eleventh month-
CARNELIAN.
:
¹ Zechariah: memory of the Lord, or man of the Lord.
Berechiah: (= Barachel, the father of Elihu, Job xxxii. 2), who blesses
God, who bends the knee before God.
Iddo His hand, His power, His praise, His witness, His ornament.-
(Cruden.)
arranged to do.
Observe that God set before Israel a
2 As the Lord.
blessing and a curse. See Deut. xi. 26-32. And in Daniel ix. we see that
faithful and greatly beloved slave of God justifying Him in all the captivity
and troubles which had befallen His people.
•
phy
121
淼
​this is the month Sabat-in the second year of Darius; there
came a word of the Lord to Zechariah the prophet, son of
Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying:—I saw by night, and behold
a man mounted on a bright bay steed; and he was posted
between the shady mountains ; and behind him horses,³ bright
bays, and roans, and piebalds, and white horses.
2
And I said: What are these, Sir?
And the angel who was speaking in me said: I will shew
you what these things are.
And the man who was posted between the mountains
answered; and he said to me: "These are they whom the
Lord hath sent forth to reconnoitre round the earth."
And they reported to the angel of the Lord who was
posted between the mountains, and said: "We reconnoitred
round the whole earth, and behold the whole earth is
inhabited and at rest.
۱)
And the angel of the Lord answered and said: "O!
Lord Almighty, when wilt Thou shew favour to Jerusalem,
and to the cities of Judah, which Thou hast neglected these
seventy years ?"
And the Lord, the Almighty, answered the angel who
was speaking in me with good speeches and comfortable5
¹ Sabat: a Hebrew month partly coincident with our January. Observe
that there is an interval of about three months between the first word and the
second.
2 Probably identical with the two mountains of brass of chap. vi. Perhaps
the shadowing mountains would be a better translation. Compare Is. xxxii. 2.
3 Behind him horses: These horses appear to be related to those of
chapter vi. much as the wheels of Tharsis or beryl of Ezek. i. to the other set,
like carbuncle of Ezek. x. to which the name Gelgel was given.
4 This angel of the Lord is evidently the interpreting angel, as we see
from the reply. We may well suppose that he gave utterance to the thoughts
of the prophet's heart, interpreting from him to God, as well as from God to
him.
5 Comfortable rаракλптιкоÚя. Translated thus by analogy with the A.V.,
which translates rapákλnтos by the word Comforter.
122
words, and the angel who was speaking in me said to me:—
Cry aloud, and say; Thus saith the Lord, the Almighty: I
burn with great zeal for Jerusalem and for Sion. And My
wrath is greatly kindled against the nations who attacked
them with Me. For whereas I was but a little angry, they
helped Me forward to evils. Therefore, thus saith the Lord:
I will turn towards Jerusalem in pity, and My house shall be
rebuilt in her, saith the Lord, the Almighty, and the measur-
ing tape shall be stretched out upon Jerusalem again.
kay
And the angel who was speaking in me said :-Yet again
cry aloud, saying: Thus saith the Lord, the Almighty: Yet
shall cities abound in good things. And the Lord will yet be
gracious to Zion, and shall love Jerusalem.
And I raised my eyes and looked, and lo! Four horns.
And I said to the angel who was speaking in me: What are
these, Sir? And he said to me: "These are the horns that
scattered Judah, and Israel, and Jerusalem."
And the Lord shewed me four carpenters. And I said:
What are those going to do? And he said.
And he said. "These are the
horns that scattered Judah, and broke down Israel, so that
not a man of them raised his head;
forth
to sharpen¹ them into their hands. The four horns are the
and these are gone
1 To sharpen: This seems to point to some such movement as we now
see in the persecution of the Jews in Russia, Germany, and elsewhere; the
object of which is to induce the Jews to return to their land. The vision
must be taken in connection with that before and the one which follows. In
the first the whole earth was reported as at rest. In the following one we see
the promise of the restoration of Jerusalem. But in order that this may be
possible it will be necessary to find some motive to make the Jews desire to
return, and drive them to their own land from the nations in which they have
settled. The destruction of the horns, or a mitigation of their severity
towards the Jews would only lead to the Jews settling down in foreign lands
and finding rest and ease there.
123
t
nations that raised the horn against the land of the Lord to
scatter it.
And I raised my eyes and saw, and lo! a man, and in his
hand a surveyor's measuring tape. And I said to him:-
"Where are you going? And he said to me: “To measure
out Jerusalem; to see how much its breadth is, and how
much its length."
And behold, the angel who was speaking in me went and
stood; and another angel came forth to meet him, and spoke
to him, saying: "Run and speak to that young man,¹ and
say Jerusalem shall be inhabited and wealthy through the
abundance of men and cattle in her midst." Also I will be
to her, saith the Lord, a wall of fire round about, and I will
Ho! Ho!!
Ho! Ho!! Flee from the land
be for a glory in her midst.
of the North, saith the Lord. For I will collect you from the
four winds of Heaven, saith the Lord. Flee into Zion, ye
who dwell in the daughter of Babylon. For thus saith the
Lord, the Almighty: In search of glory did I send Me forth
against the nations that spoiled you. Wherefore he who
touches you, is as one who touches the pupil of his eye."
-1
Therefore lo! I bring my hand against them, and they shall
be a spoil to those who are their slaves, and you shall know
that the Lord, the Almighty, sent me.
O! Daughter of Zion. For lo! I come, and will pitch My
Rejoice, and exult,
2
To that young man, i.e. to the prophet. The hopes of the Jews must
be raised, and their thoughts turned to restoration to their own land and pros-
perity therein, in order that they may go in the direction which God desires.
2 The four winds of heaven. See the subsequent vision of the four chariots.
Zech vi, and notes thereon.
3 The pupil. Where we speak of the pupil of the eye the Greek has “the
damsel."
4 Those who are their slaves: i.e. the Hebrews.
124
1
tent in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations
shall flee to the Lord in that day, and shall be to Him for a
people, and shall pitch their tents in thy midst; and thou
shalt know that the Lord, the Almighty, sent me to thee.
And the Lord shall take possession of Judah, His portion,
upon the holy city; and shall again love Jerusalem.
DO REVERENCE BEFORE THE LORD, All Flesh. FOR
HE HATH ARISEN FROM HIS HOLY CLOUDS.
1
125
LUKE I. 67-79.
And Zachariah, his father, was filled with Holy Spirit
and prophesied, saying:-Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for He hath looked upon¹ His people, and hath wrought a
ransom for them. And hath awakened a horn of salvation
for us, in the house of His servant David. As He spoke
through the mouth of His holy prophets from the beginning;
Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all that
hate us.
To do mercy to our fathers, and to remember His
holy covenant. The oath which He swore to Abraham to
give us to deliver us, freed from fear, out of the hands of
our enemies, to serve Him, in holiness and righteousness.
before His face, all our days.
And thou, child, shalt be called a prophet of the Most High;
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare roads
for Him. To give the knowledge of salvation to His people,
in the putting away of their sins, through the tender mercies
of our God, whereby the Day-spring from on High hath risen
upon us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the
shadow of death, to guide our feet into a road of peace.
1 Or risen upon, or visited.
22 raîs means a boy, either literally or applied familiarly to a slave.
}
j
CHE DAYSPRENG.
And the Lord shewed me Jesus, the high-priest, standing
before the face of the angel of the Lord, and the Slanderer¹
standing on his right hand to impeach him. And the Lord
said to the devil: The Lord lay on thee the penalty, thou
slanderer¹; yea the Lord lay the penalty on thee, Who hath
singled out Jerusalem. Seest thou not this thing, as it were
a brand pulled out of the fire.
And Jesus was clad in filthy clothes, and stood before the
face of the angel. And He answered and said to those
before His face, saying: Take away the filthy clothes from
him. And He said to him: See, I have taken away thy
transgressions. And do you clothe him in a priestly robe,
1
In all three places the same word-diáßoλos-is used in the Greek, of
which the English derivative is, of course,
"devil."
2 To impeach him, or to plead against him. Compare 1 Peter v. 8, where
the corresponding noun is used in the Greek, and translated "adversary" in
A.V. St. Peter there compares him to a lion in search of prey, to indicate
his strength and determined animosity, but his method is that of an opponent
in a lawsuit, and his weapon slander. It must be remembered that our
adversary is not a fallen archangel, but one who has access to heaven itself
until his conduct becomes such as to be no longer endurable, when the loyal
angels turn him out, and remove the seats which had been till then the
appointed places of him and his crew when visiting the court of the Heavenly
King. See Rev. xii. 1-9. Here he is seen standing on the right hand of Jesus,
whom he appears to have dragged forward in his filthy clothes, or by his
slanders to have had him summoned to the Presence.
127
and place a clean tiara¹ on His head.
clean mitrel on his head, and clothed
of the Lord took his place³.
And the angel of the Lord protested solemnly to Jesus,
saying: Thus saith the Lord the Almighty, if thou walkest in
My ways, and observest My ordinances, Thou shalt also sepa-
rate My house. And if thou guardest carefully My court, I
also will give thee those who repent in the midst of those who
stand by. Hear, therefore, thou High priest, thou and thy
neighbours who sit before thy face, for they are observers
of signs; therefore behold, I bring forth My slave the Day-
spring. For the stone which I give before the face of Jesus,
upon the one stone are seven eyes. Lo! I dig the pit, saith
the Lord, the Almighty, and I will search out all the iniquity
And they placed a
him; and the Angel
1 Tiara, mitre. In the Greek the same word-Kidapis-is used, meaning
commonly a Persian head-dress, probably the same as the royal tiara.
Exodus xxviii. 4, the Septuagint has the same words translated here “priestly-
robe" and "tiara" or (
mitre," where A.V. has robe and mitre.
In
2 Clothed him. Or cast clothes about him, i.e. not only the robe before
mentioned but also becoming outer garments.
3 Took his place, i.e. for the purpose of the next duty which devolved
upon him, in announcing the Lord's purpose towards Jesus.
4 My court. Meaning apparently the court of the Temple where stood the
brasen altar, laver, &c.
"
"}
5 Dayspring. The same Greek word occurs in Lc. i. 78, and is so rendered
in the A.V. Whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us
looked upon us, or risen upon us.
6 I give. Or literally, I gave; the past being used to show that the act is
already complete in the purpose of the Almighty.
I dig the pit. The precise metaphor intended is obscure; the word
means any kind of pit or excavation, and might be intended in the sense of
digging a foundation in preparation for building. But a more probable inten-
tion is the sense of a hole in which to plant a tree, in which sense Homer has
the word II. 17-58, in connection with the plantation of olives. This also is
suggested by the metaphor which appears in the A.V. which has BRANCH,
where LXX. have Dayspring.
I will search out. The word means to feel or grope for like a blind man,
or a man in the dark. But if the Almighty grope for a thing!
or
128
of that land in one day. In that day, saith the Lord, the
Almighty, you shall invite, each one his neighbour, under his
vine and under his fig tree.
And the angel who was speaking in me turned, and awoke
me, like as when a man is awakened out of his sleep; and
said to me :- "What dost thou see?"
Patatatatatag
And I said I have looked, and lo! a lamp-stand all of
gold, and the light¹ upon it; aye, seven lamps upon it, and
seven oil vessels to the lamps upon it; and two olive trees
upon it, one to the right of the light¹ and one on the left.
And I inquired, and said to the angel who was speaking
in me, saying-What are these things, Sir? And the angel
who was speaking in me answered and said to me as
follows:-" Knowest thou not what these things are?" and
I said: No, Sir.
And he answered and spoke to me saying:-This is the
word of the Lord to Zerubabel, thus:-NOT IN GREAT
POWER, NOR IN STRENGTH OF BODY, BUT IN MY SPIRIT,
saith the Lord, the Almighty, WHO ART THOU,2 он
I Light. λaurádiov diminutive from λaμmás a torch. Apparently used as a
collective expression, including the seven lamps; but it must be remembered
that the vision is only gradually becoming manifest to the prophet, nor do the
words of the interpreting angel fully explain it.
2 WHO ART THOU? Art thou on the Lord's side or against Him?
The principles of good and evil are rapidly coming to the full, and men have
to declare themselves. The meaning in these words appears multifold.
WHO ART THOU? Art thou a mountain of worldly success and fleshly
might? If so thou art naught, thou shalt vanish like Babylon the great and
never be seen again. Compare Rev. xvii and xviii.
Art thou a mountain of wrong needing to be righted, a mountain of de-
pressing failure and continual shortcoming in the Lord's hand? Oh my
people! Have you started aside like a broken bow, when the Lord would
have used you; Have you been like the children of Ephraim, who, being har-
nessed and carrying bows, turned themselves back in the day of battle? Have
your iniquities gone over your heads like a sore burden, too grievous to be
borne? FEAR NOT, SAITH THE LORD. FOR VERY GREAT ARE
129
ADJUSTMENT
SUCCESS
OF ZERUBABEL?
Also-I WILL BRING FORTH THE STONE
OF THE INHERITANCE, EQUALITY OF GRACE HER GRACE.
And there came a word of the Lord to me saying:
The hands of Zerubabel laid the foundations of this
house, and his hands shall complete it. And thou shalt
recognise that the Lord, the Almighty, sent me forth
to thee. WHY DID ANYONE MOCK AT THE DAY OF SMALL
THINGS ?¹ ALSO THEY SHALL OFFER FREELY AND SHALL
SEE THE STONE OF TIN IN THE HAND OF ZERUBABEL.
THESE EYES ARE SEVEN THAT LOOK UPON
LOOK UPON THE WHOLE
EARTH.
And I answered, and said to him :-What are these two
GREAT MOUNTAIN OF
BEFORE THE FACE
HIS TENDER MERCIES. HE HATH SMITTEN AND HE WILL
HEAL. DID YOU THEN EXPECT TO DELIVER YOURSELVES ?
NO! THAT COULD NOT BE; BUT I WILL BRING FORTH THE
STONE OF THE INHERITANCE, EQUALITY OF GRACE HER
GRACE, AND I WILL BRING FORTH YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
AS THE LIGHT AND YOUR JUST DEALING AS THE NOONDAY.
FOR WHO SHALL LAY ANYTHING TO
LAY ANYTHING TO THE CHARGE OF
GOD'S ELECT, OR CONDEMN WHOM HE JUSTIFIES ?
1
Why did anyone mock at the day of small things? Great as the Lord's
mercies to His people have been, we have so far scen but the day of small
things. Have those who bring up their tithes and offerings forgotten that
they have therein challenged the Lord to fulfil His promise and pour them out
a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it? But though they
should receive abundantly, above all that they can ask or think, let them not be
content. Even though they should need to pull down their barns and build
greater, Let them not say to their soul-Eat, drink, and be merry. Rather let
them say-What can these things profit me if my Lord come not? The
children of the bridechamber cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them,
nor feast while He is absent.
2 The stone of tin. Apparently in antithesis to the stone of lead afterwards
mentioned. Tin is characterised by great ductility and lustre, when used to
coat iron it protects it so long as the coating remains intact, but when it is
scratched through it hastens the corrosion of the iron by electrical action.
130
olive trees on the right of the lamp-stand¹ and on the left?
And I asked a second time, and said to him :-What are the
two olive branches, in the hands of the two golden-nostrils,
which anoint and lead up the golden oil vessels? And he
said to me :-
Knowest thou not what these are?" And I
said: No, Sir. And he said :" These are the two sons of
the fatness who are set beside the Lord of all the earth."
p
if
And I turned, and raised my eyes and saw. And lo! a
flying sickle. And he said to me :- "What seest thou ?"
And I said I see a flying sickle, in length twenty cubits,
4
1 At first the two olive trees were described by the prophet as upon the
lampstand, to right and left of the light. Now they are seen to the right and
left of the lampstand itself, and so excite the interest of the prophet that he
hurriedly turns to the angel for explanation. But the interpreting angel
replies not, and lo! the two olive-trees become two human figures with olive
branches in their hands, which have the function of anointing . the golden
oil vessels.
•
2 Lead up. Taváyw; to bring up, and so to stir up, excite, exalt, elevate.
These two figures do not appear to have had any counterparts in the candle-
stick of the tabernacle. They represent men in a peculiar office or r_position,
who act as channels or pipes for the flow of the oil to the golden oil vessels,
and arouse and stimulate to action these servants of God. Nor must we
forget the significance of the olive-branches in their hands, whether in the
modern symbolism of peace and goodwill, or in the ancient custom of sup-
pliants, who bore an olive-branch when they approached earthly kings, or the
temples of the gods.
³ These are the two sons of the fatness. They appear to hold the positions
that were coveted by the sons of Zebedee. Matt. xx. 21. Tórηs means
fatness in a good sense. The word occurs in connection with the olive again
in Rom. xi. 17. q.v.
1
¹ A flying sickle. The A.V. following the Hebrew has a flying roll. This
appears to be a case like that in Ezek. ix. where the "sapphire girdle" of the
LXX. appears to support and amplify the "writer's inkhorn," which appears in
the Hebrew text. The Greek word means a sickle or reaping-hook, from
APEÑO, to break off, to pluck. The cubit was of different lengths at different
times and in different countries. The Egyptian cubit was about 207 inches.
The later Greek cubit was the length of a man's forearm, or about 18 inches.
The archetypal cubit was 25'025 British inches according to Piazzi Smyth.
131
And he said to me:This then is
and in breadth ten cubits.
that which goes forth over the face of all the earth.
For every thief on the one side shall be punished, even to
death; and on the other side every one who is forsworn
shall be punished. And I will bring it forth, saith the Lord,
the Almighty; and it shall enter into the house of the thief,
and into the house of him who swears by My name to a
falsehood. And it shall take up its abode in the midst of his
house, and shall bring it to an end, both the woodwork and
the stones of it.
And the angel who was speaking in me went forth, and
said to me :-"Raise thine eyes and see this thing that goes
forth." And I said: What is it? And he said:" This is
the measure that goes forth." And he said :-"This is
their iniquity in all the earth." And lo! a hundredweight³
of lead lifted up. And lo! a woman was sitting inside the
measure; and he said : "This is lawlessness;" and he cast
her into the midst of the measure, and he cast the mass of
lead into her mouth.
D
1 The measure. The Greek word is μérpov, which means a measure or
standard of any kind, but here apparently a measure of capacity, though the
Greek gives no hint as to its size. The Hebrew has "Ephah," which corre-
sponds to our "bushel," being the largest measure in common use.
2 Their iniquity. The Hebrew text has here "This is their eye.”
3 A hundredweight. Given roughly as a modern representative of the
talent, of which there were several, the two best known being: The Euboic, or
Attic, about 57 lbs. avoirdupois; and the Æginetan, of about 82 lbs.
1 Tòv Xílov roû μoλíßdov, means apparently "the leaden stone," with
evident reference by contrast to the "stone of tin" mentioned in the previous
chapter. The play upon the words could be almost exactly reproduced by
translating "a talent of lead" by "a stone of lead," but 14 lbs. is so much
less than the least weight assignable to a talent that this translation has not
been used in the text.
Into her mouth. This is certainly the meaning of the Greek, and there-
fore what the translators understood to be the intention of the Hebrew; and
it moreover agrees with the other symbolism of the vision. The difficulty, for
132
!
And I raised my eyes and saw, and lo! two women going
forth, and spirit in their wings, and they had hoopoe's¹ wings.
And they took up the measure between the earth and heaven.
And I said to the angel who was speaking in me, Whither
do these carry off the measure? And he said to me :-"To
build it a house in the land of Babylon, and to make pre-
paration; and they will set it there upon that which they
prepare for it."
And I turned and raised my eyes and saw, and lo! four
chariots issuing from between two mountains, and the moun-
tains were mountains of brass. In the first chariot were bay
horses, and in the second chariot black horses, and in the
third chariot white horses, and in the fourth chariot piebald
roans.2
And I answered and said to the angel who was speaking
instance, would not be at all diminished by supposing that the weight was
cast on the mouth of the measure, for two hoopoes, or women with
hoopoe's wings, would carry a talent weight of lead with no greater ease
on the mouth of the measure than inside the woman after she had swallowed
it. The language is of course figurative throughout, in which sense there is
no difficulty whatever in accepting it, seeing the monstrous things which
people do swallow, if only they come to them without reliable authority, so
that they can please themselves in the matter. This may perhaps be illus-
trated by the history of the prophet Jonah, which does come to us with good
authority, but which some among us profess to be unable to credit, thereby
showing themselves far in advance of the Scribes and Pharisees who only
swallowed camels, seeing that it is evident-from their feats in that direction
-that had they been in Jonah's place they would have swallowed the whale,
and swum ashore after.
1 The hoopoe is a little bird about the size of a thrush, conspicuous for
nothing but the singular feather hood which it wears on its head, and a non-
aggressive attitude generally.
10
2 roikiλoi Yapoi. Difficult to render, woulλos, as applied to a horse, means
ποικίλοι
"piebald." ψαρός is said to mean "like a starling," i.e. ashen grey or
speckled. A strawberry roan variegated with white seems to answer the
description exactly.
133
in me: What are these things, Sir? And the angel who was
speaking in me answered and said: These are the four
winds of heaven. They go forth to stand at the side of the
Lord of all the earth. That in which were the black horses
were going forth over the land of the North, and the white
ones were going after them. And the piebalds¹ were going
over the South country. And the roans were going out and
sought to go and reconnoitre round the earth. And He said:
Go and reconnoitre round the earth. And He shouted
and spoke to me, saying: Look at those that are going
forth over the land of the North. They have stilled my
soul in the land of the North.
And there came a word of the Lord to me, saying :-Take
the things from the captivity that are with its rulers and its
¹ Piebalds, Touklλot in the original, see previous note.
2 Roans, apol in the Greek, see previous note. It will be observed that
the bays are thus omitted altogether, and it would be easy, and not improbable,
to suppose a clerical error, whereby yapol has been written instead of πuppol,
the word meaning bay when applied to a horse-literally, flame-coloured. It
may well be, however, that even if this be so, it is not without intention in the
overruling providence of God, and that for some reason or other the roan is a
better colour to typify, at a subsequent stage, the nations originally typified by
bay or flame-coloured horses.
3 Have stilled my soul. Ovuós means the principle of life, feeling, thought,
and has been translated soul accordingly, although it is not the word most
commonly so translated. Here, of course, it stands for a spiritual antitype,
and the thing pointed out appears to be the lack of spiritual life in Russia
(denoted by the black horses-for they profess Christianity). The same thing
in heathen Asia is symbolised by white horses, apparently as perfectly colour-
less in spiritual things, and because they are at least free from the sin of
professing a Christianity that has no vitality-somewhat, therefore, as a white
pall is used on a child's coffin.
4 The captivity. The language of Scripture is often very pregnant. When,
as in this case, a word has more than one meaning it is not a question of which
is the right one, but how an English word shall be found to express them all.
aixuaλwola means either "the captivity" or "the body of captives," and both
meanings have to be kept in mind; as, of course, in connection with "its
rulers and respectable men," the word must be understood as meaning "the
body of the captives."
134
1
3
respectable men, and with those who have witnessed it; and
thou shall enter in that day into the house of Josiah, the son
of Zephaniah, who is coming out of Babylon. And thou
shall take silver and gold, and thou shalt make crowns.
And
thou shalt crown Jesus, the son of Josedech, the High Priest;
and thou shall say to him :-Thus saith the Lord, the
Almighty: Behold a man; the Dayspring is his name; and
from beneath him shall He rise and shall build the house of
the Lord. And he shall sit, and he shall rule upon his throne,
and there shall be a priest at his right hand, and peaceful
counsel shall be in them both. And the crown shall be to
them that remain,5 and to her respectable men, and to those
1 Its respectable men. Perhaps hardly satisfactory, but the word means—
when applied to men-serviceable, fit, proper; good and useful citizens, i.e.
good men and true, not eminent or learned, but men who are—like John Gilpin
-citizens of credit and renown.
2 Who is coming. Apparently he was on his way when the word came to
the prophet.
3 Silver and gold.
which the prophet was
These apparently are the "things from the captivity"
bidden to take in the opening words.
4 The Dayspring. 'Avaroλý means a rising of the sun, moon, or a star, and,
as a type, is closely identified with the morning star, the harbinger of day, as
in Lc. I. 78, where it is applied to John the Baptist. In fact, there are three
physical types which are closely associated in Scripture, namely: 1. The
Morning Star; 2. The Sun (of Righteousness); and, 3. The Father of the
lights (see James i. 17), which we may, for the sake of clearness, imagine
to be some such magnificent and remote group of suns as the Pleiades appear
to be. All three are, of course, applicable to the Eternal Son, the great
fulfiller of all types; and without by any means limiting the meaning to it,
we may well conceive that they show Him forth. 1. In His holy life on earth
in mortal flesh. 2. In His present ministry at the golden altar in the heavens,
where He stands, making intercession for us, like the High Priest of Israel on
the Day of atonement. 3. To His future kingly reign and glory when the
kingdoms of this world shall be the kingdoms of the Lord and of His Christ.
5 τοῖς ὑπομένουσι recalling Daniel xii. 12 μακάριος ὁ ὑπομένων
; and
many other places where a remnant obtain the blessing promised to all. In
order, however, to appreciate the full meaning of the passage (which may we
do some day), it is necessary to suppose a noun - say iroμový used in speak-
ὑπομονή
ing of the patience of the saints-meaning "remnant" of the feminine gender
135
who have witnessed her, and for the adornment of the son of
Zephaniah, and for a psalm in the house of the Lord. And
those who are far away from them shall come and shall build
in the house of the Lord; and you shall know that the Lord,
the Almighty, sent me to you; and it shall be if you will
hearken and hear the voice of the Lord your God.
referred to by the subsequent pronouns her respectable men and those who
have witnessed her. This noun would then be in complete antithesis to
aixuaλwola, the captivity, or the body of captives; and the whole construc-
tion becomes a parallel to that employed in verse 10, and the patience of the
saints becomes an antitype to the captivity of Israel, and the whole passage a
glorious promise of what shall be if we will keep the word of His patience
(see Rev. iii. 10). Sπoμový means the patience, or the patient, or the patients.
aixμaλwola means the captivity, or the body of the captives.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTES.
These visions of Zechariah are so full of meaning that it
is impossible to put in foot-notes all that seems necessary for
their intelligent perusal.
The vision of Jesus, the high priest, brought before the
heavenly court in his filthy garments is full of instruction and
encouragement.
1
It is impossible to suppose that he was there in such
guise of his own will, and the context gives us clearly to
understand that he was there by the machinations of his
adversary, and no little insight into his methods. He has
access alike to heaven and earth, or rather it would seem that
the earth is his abode, but he has access to heaven. Towards
men he acts as a tempter and deceiver, appearing like an
angel of light, to lead them where he will, or roaring like a
lion against them, if so be he may frighten them into some
hasty or ill-advised action, if he cannot induce them to cast
away their faith in their Creator.
In Heaven he acts as their accuser and traducer, seeking,
if possible, to turn away the love of their Creator and their
¹ There is, however, one way in which such a thing is possible, nay
certain, to happen. This may be but another figure of the return of fallen
man to his Father's house in mortal flesh. Compare Lc. xv., which throws
considerable light on the vision.
137
God from them, knowing that it is His will that they shall
judge angels, and be set over all the works of His hands.
2. Nor is it less instructive to see the long-suffering of the
Almighty towards him. He does not wither him with a
glance, nor blast him with His lightning, but addresses him in
language exactly corresponding to the language of the father
in the parable to his elder son (see Lc. xv. 31, 32); and
though, doubtless, the parable has many interpretations, it
seems impossible, on comparing this vision with it, not to see
in the younger son the human race, and in the elder son the
angelic host.¹ Compare Lc. xv. 10. "So I tell you, is there
joy before the angels of God over one sinner that repents."
Observe not among the angels, but before them, in their
presence.
3. In the speech of the Angel to Jesus, after he has been
clothed afresh, we find, after earnest exhortation to the
service of God, the promise of the sending of God's slave,
the Day-spring, a type applied to John the Baptist, who we
are distinctly told was the promised Elias. It is difficult,
therefore, to avoid the conclusion that an individual prophet
will go before the Lord at His second coming, of which fact
we have many other intimations.
4. The stone with the seven eyes recalls the stone which
the builders rejected, but which became the head stone of the
corner, a metaphor which is hardly intelligible, except in the
sense of the top stone of a pyramid such as abound in
Egypt.
5. This vision passes, and is succeeded by the vision of
¹ Or at least some of them; not all, for if so who are those who "began to
be merry." See Lc. xv. 24. What lengths our enemy and accuser is permitted
to go before he is cast out of heaven we see in Rev. xii. It is not only
towards men that He is long-suffering.
138
the lamp-stand all of gold, with seven lamps, on which, as he
steadfastly looks, trying to understand it, he sees ever new
and further mysteries; while the interpreting Angel, and
afterwards the Lord Himself addresses him in most signifi-
cant words. In the Angel's speech we find further mention
of the stone, now called "the stone of the inheritance."
Na
6. In the word of the Lord this is again referred to as
the "stone of tin," which is undoubtedly the meaning of the
Greek, and seems to typify the qualities of ductility and
lustre which are characteristic of those who shall serve the
Lord in the latter days, while its power of hastening the
corrosion of iron-symbol of fleshly might-points in the
same direction, and recalls the miry clay which, mingled with
iron, formed the feet of the image shown to King Nebuchad-
nezzar, and expounded by Daniel (see chap. ii.). Here too
the miry clay appears to show forth the presence of men,
in the time of the end, who are willing to be moulded under
the hand of the Lord according to His will; compare Is. Ixiv.
8, and other passages where the sume figure occurs.
7. Mention is also again made of the seven eyes, and
they are said to look upon the whole earth. The Greek word
used is very similar to the Latin in-videre, and sometimes
conveyed the same sense, namely, to look upon with envy,
showing, in those whom He chooses, an answering desire for
the great things He would give them, and an appreciation of
His purpose towards them. The only other place where the
figure of seven eyes occurs is in Rev. v. 6, where we are told
they are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth.
8. During these speeches, the prophet appears to have
continued gazing upon the lamp-stand, and at the close of
the words of the Lord, he responds by turning to the inter-
C
139
preting angel, and asking about the two olive trees, which
have evidently been undergoing some change, thereby
rivetting the prophet's attention. Nor is the change yet
complete, for the angel gives him no reply, and he asks a
second time in words which shew that he has attained to
clearer vision, although, through the imperfection of human
language, or the prophet's haste to utter what he sees, the
question is still couched in somewhat uncouth language, in
striking contrast to which is seen the reticence and reverent
language of the interpreting angel.
9. Passing over the vision of the flying sickle, we come
to one of very different character, and it will be instructive to
note the action of the interpreting angel with reference to it.
He no longer speaks in the prophet, but goes forth and stands
by his side, indicating, when his subsequent speech and
action are considered, that it is no longer a mystery of
godliness which the prophet is to see, but rather a mystery
of iniquity.
IO. The measure appears from the Hebrew text to have
been something like our bushel-measure, the largest measure
of capacity in ordinary use. The talent of lead is also a
standard of weight, such as is commonly used with a pair of
scales; indeed, the first meaning of TáλavTOV is "a balance."
The wickedness, then, that is intended has reference to
weights and measures, and the use of the word µéтρov recalls
the metrical system, which had its origin in the French
Revolution, when God and His ordinances, and the hopes He
has set before men, were cast aside, and a new era started
with a period of ten days instead of a week. In fact it would
not be too much to say that it comes straight from the
abyss.
140
II.
The prophet then sees first the measure, and asks
what it is, indicating that it was something he could not
recognise, of which he had no experience.
The angel
replies, "It is their iniquity in all the earth "—or, as the
Hebrew has it, "their eye."
"their eye." The connection at first is not
obvious, but if we understand reference to be made to the
metrical systèm the explanation is not far to seek; for we
are told by some of our contemporaries that "science is
measurement," and for that purpose they largely use the
French metrical system, and so look upon all things by means
of, or through the medium of, that system.
12. The prophet then sees a talent of lead lifted up, and
looking into the measure he sees a woman sitting in it.
The difficulty of a woman sitting inside a bushel measure
need not trouble us, for it may be intended to shew that she
is a despicable dwarf. Apparently the angel had dragged
her out of her concealment for the prophet to see, and then
he dashes her back into the measure, saying: "This is
lawlessness," and he next proceeds to cast the talent of lead
into her mouth.
13. In order to understand the possible intention of this
symbolism let us consider some of the characteristics of
the metrical system. And first be it clearly understood
that the feature of that system which recommends it to most
people is not the excellence of its standards, but the con-
venience of its divisions, which being decimal offer many
facilities in calculation.
This, however, is not an integral part of the metrical
system, but rather an extraneous covering, which it has
borrowed to hide its own deformities; the sheep's clothing
I
141
used to conceal the destructive character of the system
itself.
1
14. First then: What is the metre? and what are the
advantages which it offers as a standard of length. The
metre is—or rather was intended to be-
intended to be 1000000ʊ of a
quadrant of longitude, i.e. of the distance from the pole of
the earth to the equator measured along the surface of still
water. As to the advantages it has to offer hear Rev.
President Burnard, one of the most ardent advocates of the
system, who writes:-"If the work was to be done over
again, the French metric system ought to adopt, and doubt-
less would adopt, not their superficial earth measure, the
metre, but the Pyramid axial reference of the cubit, on
account of its immense superiority in fact and geometric
idea."
15. But in practice it is obvious that different scientists.
might easily obtain different values for the
for the metre. To
obviate this difficulty a standard had to be prepared and laid
up for reference.
So, after all, the metre is merely a metal standard like
the yard, and has intrinsically no superiority over it.
16. But in practice a standard of the kind has to be
referred to a particular temperature and barometric pressure,
at which it has to be compared with other standards or
copies. What, then, are the temperature and barometric
pressure adopted by the metrical system. Surely the savants
who had to make such comparisons would arrange the matter
to suit their own convenience and facilitate careful work.
Not at all. For the barometric pressure they fixed upon was
zero-i.e. the comparison must be made in vacuo-whence
the only conclusion possible is that they wished to make
142
1
such comparisons as difficult as possible. And the tempera-
ture? Well, at first they fixed upon the temperature of
melting ice; but, finding afterwards that the temperature of
the maximum density of water-about 392 Fahr. was a
more suitable temperature for some purposes of the system,
they adopted that. Later, owing to errors found in the
determination of the length of the metre, it became necessary
to make another alteration, and at present it is difficult to
know what is the true temperature at which the comparison
should be made.
17. However, the ineptitudes into which the advocates
of the metrical system have fallen are too numerous and
gross for detail here. Enough has, it is hoped, been set
down to show that to swallow such a system is not inaptly
symbolised by the action of the woman-or dwarf-of the
vision, when she swallows the talent of lead. The following,
however, may be given for consideration:-
Mat),
What special claims has France, of all nations, to be the
warden of the standards for the world?
Is it a settled government and freedom from popular
disturbances?
Or is it a world-wide empire and a rapidly increasing
population?
Or is it the stability and strength of the national character,
and freedom from frivolity and mental bias?
Or preeminence in the pursuit of science?
Verily, in mental as well as physical matters, it is the
dwarfs who worry and bully the giants, who-stupid fellows-
cannot protect themselves from their despicable tormentors.
18. However, to return to the vision.
The woman
having swallowed the talent of lead, two more women appear
Mчou
1
143
1
with hoopoe's wings, and wind, or spirit, in their wings. The
object is evidently to indicate, not something of great power,
but something as despicable as the woman herself, two
powers, say human science and agnosticism, borne upon
pinions feeble as those of a hoopoe, while the wind in these
absurd little wings shows forth the spiritual power of the
enemy, the prince of the power of the air; a power which
shall reach its climax in the beast and the false prophet, who
will be put to rout by the mere presence of the Lord and of
His saints. (See 2 Thess. ii. 1-10.)
Many ask why power is permitted to such an one. The
reason is given a little later (see 2 Thess. ii. 12), "That they
may be discerned without exception, who trust not in the
truth, but acquiesce in injustice." Such appears to be the
simple meaning of the Greek words written by St. Paul.
19. This vision is followed by a vision of the four chariots
which issue from between two mountains of brass. Brass is
the symbol of spiritual strength, and these two mountains.
appear therefore to show forth the power of the Lord in
Kings and Rulers, a mountain being the prophetic symbol of
a kingdom. The interpreting Angel, now again speaking in
the prophet, tells him that the chariots are the four winds of
heaven. They appear therefore to show forth the temporal
powers regarded as the ordinances of God, the powers of
order and good government symbolised by the flags of the
nations. They are analogous to, but not identical with, the
horses first seen; the chariots symbolising the outward
manifestation of power in armies and all their paraphernalia,
not excluding ships of war.
20. Following the clue already given, the black horses
appear to typify the northern nations, chiefly Russia. The
144
{
white horses, the Asiatic nations generally. The piebalds
perambulate the South country, and appear to typify the
Latin races, chiefly Italy, France, and Spain, and perhaps
include Turkey and Greece and other Levantines, while
the roans who desired to reconnoitre all round the earth,
and were bidden to do so, appear to symbolise the Anglo-
Saxon races, first apparently symbolised by bays, before they
began their extensive travels.
21. This concludes the series of visions, and the prophet
is next directed to certain actions which should be for the
advantage of the Jews then, and symbolic of greater things
in the future. 'Josiah, son of Zephaniah, who is coming
out of Babylon," appears to show forth the coming prophet
or slave of God, whom He calls "the Day-spring." Silver
and gold denote love and truth. Jesus, son of Josedech, the
high priest, appears to symbolise the Greater Jesus, the Sun
of Righteousness, Who shall rise beneath the Day-spring or
Morning-star. But all the prophecies referring to the Day-
spring are difficult to follow exactly, owing to the connection
between the three types of the Morning-star, the Sun of
Righteousness, and the Father of the lights, which appear all
to run into each other as the day breaks.
66
Z
THE SEALED BOOK.
VII. IN THE FIRST YEAR OF BALTASAR, KING
OF CHALDEES, DANIEL HAD A DREAM.
THE VISIONS OF HIS HEAD UPON HIS COUCH.
And he wrote his dream :-I, Daniel, was looking, ana
behold the four winds of heaven¹ smote upon the great sea.
And four beasts ascended out of the sea differing each from
other.
THE FIRST like a lioness, and with wings like an eagle's
wings. I beheld until her feathers were plucked out, and she
was raised from the earth and caused to stand upon the feet
of a man, and a human heart was given her.
AND BEHOLD A SECOND BEAST like a bear, and she was
given one share and set in it. And there were three ribs in
her mouth in among her teeth, and he said thus to her :-
Arise, Eat much flesh." AFTER THIS I was looking and
1 The four winds of heaven symbolise the power of God manifested in
Kings and Rulers. Compare Zech. vi. 1-7.
2 The great sea.
The multitudes of the human race.
3 Raised from the earth, i.c. from the prone position of a beast on all
fours.
1 No subject is expressed in the Greek.
5 Much flesh. Or in Greek many fleshes. Compare a similar use of
oáρkes in Job xli. 23, or in the Septuagint xli. 14.
146
behold another beast like a pard,¹ and she had four wings
upon her, and the beast had four heads, and power was given
to her. AFTER THIS I was looking and behold A FOURTH
BEAST, terrific and astounding, and strong exceedingly. And
his iron teeth ate and digested, and he trampled the re-
mainder with his feet. And he differed exceedingly from all
the beasts before him, and he had ten horns. I was con-
sidering his ten horns, and behold another little horn arose
in the midst of them; and three horns, of those before it,
were rooted out from before him. And behold, eyes, like
human eyes in this horn, and a mouth uttering words of
weight.3
I was beholding until the thrones were placed, and an
Ancient of days took his seat. And his clothing was white
as snow, and the hair of his head like clean wool. His
throne a flame of fire, and its wheels burning fire. A river
of fire rolled" before Him.
Thousands of thousands served"
2
"And drag them all along and flow
To join the brimming river;" &c.
Ben
¹ mápdaλis. The pard, whether leopard, panther, or ounce; which the
ancients seem not to have distinguished.
2 It is worthy of note that the other three are represented as females, while
the fourth is of the masculine gender.
3 μeɣára. Great things, with a notion of weight or power.
1 Wheels-or runners. So far as the Greek word goes they may have
been spherical, indeed, it appears more in accordance with the whole vision
to suppose that the throne is represented as resting upon globes of fire.
Compare the descriptions of Jehovah's Cherubim-chariot given by Ezekiel, chaps.
i. and x. The Ancient of days described by Daniel appears to be identical
with Him whom St. John saw.
5 λw means to drag, draw, trail. EλKew тdv àépa to draw it in, breathe it ;
and so without an expressed object-to breathe, also to snuff,
to smell; and
of liquids-to drink. As applied to a river it appears to express nearly what
the English word to roll does in the same connection, Compare Tenny-
son's Brook :-
See Rev. i. 13-15.
Ja det
6 XEITOUрyéw. At Athens-to serve expensive public offices at one's own cost.
N. T. and Eccl. to minister as a priest.
147
t
before Him, and myriads of myriads attended upon Him. A
tribunal did sit, and books were opened.
I beheld then, from the voice of the mighty words which
that horn uttered, until the beast was taken away and
destroyed utterly', and his body was given to be burnt in
the fire. And the rule of the other beasts was changed,
and length of life was given to them till a season and
season.
I was beholding in the vision of the night, and lo! among
the clouds of heaven, as it were, a son of man coming; and
he hastened to reach the Ancient of days, and was borne to
Him. And to Him was given the dominion, and the honour,
and the kingship; and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall
¹ It would appear that the horn did not share its fate. A horn is generally
the symbol of a king, or powerful person in a kingdom or corporation of any
kind. Compare Dan. viii. 20, 21, &c. The fact that a tribunal sits, apparently
to hear evidence and weigh it, together with the expression àπò pwvîs,
denoting a clear distinction between the voice of the horn and the beast, seems
to indicate that the beast was brought to judgment, and condemned through
the utterances of this horn. While the fact that its body was given to the
fire further indicates that it, and not the horn, was the seat of the offence and
the object of punishment.
It is true, indeed, that μéyas is sometimes used in the sense of over-big,
and μéya elmeîv is used in the sense of speaking too big, and so provoking
divine wrath, but there is nothing to prove such an intention here, but rather
the idea conveyed seems to be that of antagonism between the horn and the
beast. Tappnola, i.e. Freedom, or boldness of speech in a good cause is one
of the greatest gifts of the Holy Spirit, as in the case of St. Peter, Acts iv.
1-22, an incident which appears to illustrate the possible meaning well, for the
boldness of speech in St. Peter and others was the condemnation of his
nation generally, who would not hear. Nevertheless, there may well be a
double reference to the incident referred to in Rev. xiii. 5, 6.
2 plaσe. The word means, literally, to come or do before another, to be
beforehand with, overtake, outstrip, anticipate-in running or otherwise. The
same word is used in the following chapter (verse 7) of the goat of goats
during his approach to the ram. In both cases it appears to describe the
mental state during the approach-to indicate an eager desire to arrive.
148
serve¹ Him. His power is lasting power, which shall not pass
away, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed.
My spirit shuddered in my being, I, Daniel, and the
visions of my head confounded me. And I went up to one
of the bystanders, and sought to learn from him the truth
concerning all these things. And he told me the truth, and
caused me to know the comparisons of the words :-
5
THESE FOUR BEASTS.-Four kingdoms shall arise in the
earth, and shall be organised. Afterwards the saints of the
Most High shall take over the kingdom, and shall hold it fast.
for an age of ages.
And I asked particularly about the fourth beast, which
4
1 Shall serve. δουλεύσουσιν shall be his slaves. The language in this
vision recalls forcibly both the visions of Ezekiel and the Apocalypse of St.
John. The thrones that were placed and the tribunal that sat recall the
description in Rev. xx. 4., and it seems impossible to avoid the conclusion that
in both cases we have a description of the meeting with the Lord in the air,
spoken of by St. Paul, where again the word plávw occurs (translated pre-
vent in A.V. 1 Thess. iv. 15). It is true that Daniel only sees one son of
man coming in the clouds of heaven, whereas St. Paul speaks of many who
shall be caught away in clouds to that meeting (1 Thess. iv. 17), but it is
noticeable that Daniel saw many thrones placed, all of which, presumably, were
ultimately to be occupied. Doubtless the man-child of Rev. xii. is also in
some way identfiable with him whom Daniel saw as it were a son of man.
2 oploow. To be rough or uneven on the surface, to bristle: denoting the
sensation when one's hair stands on end, or one shudders from strong emotion
of any kind.
3 σúуkрiois. Ist. A putting together, compounding. 2nd. A comparing,
comparison. Evidently used here to denote the relation between the dream
and the real events represented therein.
4 apohσovral, from àpaplona. To join, join together, fasten. Used of soldiers
when they fasten all their shields together over their heads to approach the
walls of a besieged town, so forming what the Romans called a tortoise. The
same word occurs in the following chapter, v. 13. Ovola ǹ apoeira, where the
meaning evidently is that the worship, previously in disorder, shall be
organised; an event which is distinctly foretold in Dan. ix. 27. aponσeral μov
Ουσια καὶ σπονδή. Or from αἴρω, to raise, lift up.
Afterwards. In the Greek simply ral, but evidently with this force of
transition,
149
1
was different from all beasts, terrific exceedingly, whose
teeth were iron, and his claws brass; that ate and digested,
and trampled the remainder with his feet. And concerning
his ten horns that were on his head, and the other which
sprang up and uprooted some of the former ones; that had
the eyes, and a mouth uttering words of weight, and whose
appearance was more stout³ than that of the rest.
I was beholding, and that horn made war with the saints¹
and was strong against them until the Ancient of days came,
and gave the decision to saints of the Most High, and the
season hastened" and the saints held fast the kingdom. And
he said-
THE FOURTH BEAST.-There shall be a fourth kingdom
in the earth, which shall surpass all the kingdoms, and it
shall devour all the earth, and it shall tread it together and
shall cut it in pieces.8
6
And his ten horns.-Ten kings shall arise, and after them
another shall arise, and he shall surpass all before him in ills,
1 Teeth iron-symbol of fleshly might in the temporal powers. Claws
brass-symbol of spiritual strength in the ecclesiastical rulers, the Church
and State being united in the fourth empire.
2 Uprooted, Kriváσow, to shake out, expel; Latin, ex-cutere.
Yet may
3 Stout, μelswv greater, well rendered in A.V. by more stout.
The saints are evidently what we should call Christians.
they be identical with those who flee after a strange god, see Dan. xi. 39.
5 Hastened, ĕplaσe, see previous note.
6 All the earth. It is evident that this kingdom is far more extensive than
the old Roman empire. It appears to typify Christendom, which at the time
of the end comes to its culmination, either in Babylon, which shall be destroyed
by the beast (Rev. xvii., xviii.); or in Zion, whose rule shall be established in
the earth.
7 Tread it together, as clothes in washing.
8 Cut it in pieces. Teste, the partition of America in former times, and
that of Africa now in progress, to say nothing of the partition of Asia, which
may come under the former clause of devouring rather than partition.
150
3
and three kings shall be humble. And he shall speak words
in reply to¹ the Most High, and shall abrogate the saints of
the Most High, and shall form guesses about the changing of
seasons and usage, and they shall be given into his hand
until a season and seasons, and at any rate for half a
season. And the tribunal sat, and they shall change the
rule, and substitute prompt suppression and destruction
until the end. And the kingdom, and the power, and the
might of the kings under the whole heaven was given to the
saints of the Most High; and His kingdom is a lasting
kingdom, and all dominions shall be His slaves and obey Him.
5
This is the utmost of the word. I, Daniel, my considera-
tions upon a great matter perplexed me, and my comeliness.
was changed, and I gave earnest heed in my heart to the
thing that had been told mé.
1 Tρds Tóν чioтov. Tpòs, with accusative, means in reply to, while kará
TIVOS means against another, in accusation of him, Tрós Tivα; is also used
generally, without any hostile sense-to address oneself to another, see subse-
quent note on Dan. viii, 12, at page 153. Note 3.
2 Abrogate. Taλaιów = to make old, and so to abrogate. The meaning
seems to be that he shall make them out of date. Compare Rev. xxii. 10, 11.
3 Usage. vóμos usage, custom; and all that becomes law thereby.
¹kal ye hμov kaιрou. Difficult to render satisfactorily. It is not identical
with Dan. xii. 1, where a like expression occurs. It will be noticed that this
horn arises at the end of the Christian Dispensation or Day of grace, when
three seasons are nearly complete, and only the half season of the millenium
remains.
Until the end, i.e. until the time of the general resurrection and
the final tribunal before the great white throne (Rev. xx. 11-15) which
are followed by a new heaven and a new earth. This sentence and what
follows evidently describes the rule of the Lord and His saints during the
thousand years of the Day of judgment to which many psalms and prophecies
refer, notably, Psalms lxvii., and xcvi. to ci. inclusive. Ps. ci. appears
especially to describe the rule when judgment shall follow at once upon sin,
and it is noteworthy that aparisw is often used of killing and burying secretly,
as was the custom with State-criminals. The two witnesses of Rev. xi. appear
to be precursors of this rule of righteousness in irresistible power.
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%
VIII. IN THE THIRD¹ YEAR OF THE REIGN OF BALTASAR
THE KING, a manifestation was seen towards² me, me Daniel,
in continuation of that which I saw at first.3
And I was in Suse the great¹, which is in the country of
the Elam, and I was upon the Oubal."
And I raised my eyes and saw, and behold a ram standing
in front of the Oubal, and he had towering horns, one taller
than the other, and the taller shot up out of his hind
quarters. And I saw the ram butting towards the sea, and
the north, and the south; and no beast will stand before him,
and there was none who could deliver out of his hand; and
he did according to his will and became powerful.
8
And behold a he-goat of the goats was coming from the
Therefore an interval of about two years, more or
1 In the third year.
less, intervened.
2 A manifestation towards. Opaois is a seeing, a vision. The thing seen
would be expressed by the word ὅραμα. πρὸς μέ implies motion towards or to,
and cannot be accurately translated by me.
3 That which I saw at first, i.e. the vision of the four beasts. The previous
visions of the Image and of the Tree were seen by King Nebuchadnezzar,
though they doubtless have a spiritual application. See subsequent notes.
4 The great. Bápei heavy, with collateral notion of strength and force.
Compare Babylon the great.
Elam, a young man, a virgin; or secret, or an age (Cruden). The
word appears to have several applications. There was a Babylonish province
of the name.
The word is used in connection with the court of the Temple,
Ezek. viii. 16. Again in Ezek. xlvi. 2. We are told the promised leader shall
enter by the road of the Elam.
6 Oubal. A.V. Ulai. Strength; or fool, senseless. The name of a river.
Dan. viii. 2. (Cruden.)
7 In the spiritual application of this vision the ram seems to represent the
Gentile Church. The horns, symbols of power, the two apostleships, i.e.
SS. Paul and Barnabas at the first, and the restored apostolate at the time of
the end. Or, perhaps, generally the Eastern and Western Churches. Pro-
bably both are intended, and correct in different views of the vision. Objection
has been made that the translation out of his hind-quarters is grotesque,
but it seems to be the intention. All such imagery is grotesque, and significant
touches can be given in a word picture which would be impossible on canvas.
3. A he-goat of the goats. The goat is the symbol of the prophetic ministry
and spiritual power.
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T
south-west wind¹ upon the face of all the earth, and he was
not clinging to the earth; and the goat had a horn" between
his eyes. And he went up to the ram that had the horns,
which I saw standing before the Oubal, and ran upon him in
the whole force of his strength. And I saw him hastening
till he reached the ram, and he got savage with him, and
struck the ram, and shivered both his horns; and the ram
had no strength to stand before him; and he hurled him to
the ground, and trampled him under foot, and there was no
one who could deliver the ram out of his hand.
And the he-goat from the goats became powerful exceed-
ingly; and in the midst of his exertions his great horn was
shivered, and four others' sprang up under it towards the
four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came forth
one strong horn, and abounded in strengths towards the
south wind, and towards the might, and became powerful to
the might of heaven, and fell upon the earth from the
might of heaven, and from the stars-and he trampled.
them under foot even until the Commander-in-chief shall
The north being the land, or quarter of spiritual death, the S.W. wind
appears to typify the quarter of life, the wind that brings the rain, especially
the latter rain.
2 årrw, to bind, and in middle with
cling to, hang on by, lay hold of, grasp.
result of contact with the earth.
genit. as here-to fasten oneself to,
The rush of the goat was not the
3 (?) Edward Irving!
4 Spμn. The shock of the first onset in battle.
plávovтα. See previous note on this word and compare the description.
of the war-horse, Job xxxix. 24. kcal oprŷ àpavieî Thy yĥv. His anger spirits
τὴν γῆν.
away the ground.
Got savage with him.
Apparently the only English equivalent of
ἐξηγριάνθη.
7 This description appears to correspond wonderfully with the rise of the
four-fold ministry under the shelter of Edward Irving's pastorship, and his
early death. For the symbol of the four winds of heaven, see the previous
translation of Zech. vi., and notes thereon.
* In strength. Or more literally in size symbolical of strength,
153
1
rescue the captivity.¹ And through him sacrifice was smitten,?
and he was greatly prospered, and the holy place shall be
laid waste. And sin was ascribed to the sacrifice, and
righteousness was hurled to the ground; and he acted, and
was helped on his way.
4
And I heard one saint speaking; and another saint said
to him that spoke :-"Till when shall the vision stand, the
sacrifice being set in order, and the sin of desolation which is
ascribed, and the holy place and the might be trodden down?"
And he said to him :-"Until eventide and the morn,
two thousand and four hundred days, and the holy place
shall be cleansed."
¹ The captivity. aixμarwola, the captivity, or the body of the captives,
Figurative of vπoμový, the patience, or the patient, or the patients who need a
physician. See previous notes on Zech. vi.
2 Was smitten. épáxon from ¿áoow, to strike, dash, push, shiver. We
have the same root in the English word rag.
3 The book of Job throws much light on this hard saying. Job was a
most assiduous worshipper and offerer of sacrifice, see chap. i. 5. But this
did not save him from suffering. Nor was it until his righteousness was
hurled to the ground-see Job. xl. 8 in A.V. and xl. 3 of Septuagint-and he
learned to speak words in reply to the Almighty, and beseech Him to instruct
him that he again found favour with God. See Job xlii. 1-6 A.V., or rather in
the Septuagint. See also the reply of the Prophet of Nazareth to the lawyer,
who asked him what he should do to inherit eternal life. Lc. x. 25-37.
This appears to refer to the present time since the death of Mr. Cardale,
the pillar of apostles, concerning whom we were told that he was removed
because the work of apostles was done, and that nothing remained between us
and translation. The sacrifice has been set in order, the worship of God's
house has been organised by apostles according to His mind. Why is the sin
of desolation still ascribed ? Compare Job's speech as given in the
Septuagint, xxxix. 33-35, and God's answer to him immediately following;
also 1 John i. 8, 9, 10.
5 Until eventide and the morn. The key to this enigmatical expression is
probably to be found in the fact that the eventide of one dispensation is the
morning of the next. It is something like a summer sunset and sunrise in
the Arctic regions. 2,400 days. If we take the same scale as in the case of
the hebdomads this will mean twenty-four years, which are probably to be
reckoned from the death of Mr. Cardale, pillar of apostles, in 1877, to the
events foretold at the beginning of Rev. xx. Meanwhile the angels will fulfil
the duty of removing all causes of offence, and those who act lawlessly (see
Matt. xiii. 41) and so the holy place will be cleansed.
LA
154
And it came to pass, while I was looking, I, Daniel, and
was seeking the key,¹ and behold there stood before me as it
were a vision of a man. And I heard a voice from a man in
the midst of the Oubal, and he called and said:" Gabriel,
make him understand the vision."
And he came and stood near where I was standing; and
in his approach I was amazed, and fell upon my face, and he
said to me :-" Understand, thou son of man; for the vision
is yet unto the end of the season."
And while he was speaking with me I fell on my face to
the earth. And he grasped me, and set me on my feet, and
said to me :-See I am making known to you the things
which shall be at the end of the wrath, for the vision is yet
unto the end of the age. THE RAM WHICH YOU SAW, THAT
HAD THE HORNS:-The king of Medes and Persians.
THE HE-GOAT FROM THE GOATS :-The king of Greeks;
and the great horn which was between his eyes is the first
king himself. And when he was broken, beneath whom four
horns arose: Four kings shall arise out of his nation, and not
in their own power.
And at the end of their kingdom, when
their failures are complete, there shall arise a king shameless
of face, and understanding problems; and his strength
3
1 The key. σύνεσιν the power of understanding, the faculty of com-
prehension. Literally, a hitting, coming together, union.
2 The Archangel Gabriel is described as resembling a vision of a man, not
as one like a son of man.
3 àvaidns. Shameless, reckless. The description is difficult to render
satisfactorily, as it seems equally to suit a man really shameless, and a man
shameless in appearance only. But it should be remembered that shameless
may have a good sense-as in Eden.
· συνιῶν προβλήματα. Very difficult to render adequately. συνίημι means
to send together, and is constantly used in a quasi-metaphorical sense in
this book for bringing the outward object into connection with the inward
sense, a process which we generally express by the word understand.
πроßλŋμа means anything thrown forward, and so a defence, e.g.
155
i
shall be mighty, and he shall destroy wonders, and shall guide
aright and shall construct, and shall ruin strong men and holy
people. And the yoke of his collar shall guide aright. A
bait shall he have in his hand, and in his heart he shall be
made powerful, and with his bait shall he destroy many, and
upon the destruction of many shall he stand; and like eggs
shall he crush them in his hand. And the vision of the
evening and of the morning which you heard³ is true. And
do thou seal the vision, for it is unto many days.
And I, Daniel, fell asleep, and became soft and weak.
And I arose and did the king's work, and marvelled at the
vision, and did not understand it.4
IX. IN THE FIRST YEAR OF DARIUS, THE SON OF
AHASUERUS, of the seed of the Medes, who reigned over the
πρóßλnμа póẞov, aidoûs exew: to have fear, or shame, as a defence. It is
also used precisely in the sense of our derived word problem.
Besides the rendering in the text, therefore the following seem good and
sound translations. Ist. Solving riddles or problems. 2nd. Constructing
defences or bulwarks.
1 λads means the people at large; but merely of men, whether united
under one name or no. Holy people, therefore, appears practically synonymous
now with Christian folk.
2 dóλos. Strictly, a bait for fish, which seems the simple meaning
here. Compare Matt. iv. 19, xvii. 27, Mc. i. 17. Also the preceding note on
Job xl. 20 (Septuagint) xli. 1 of A.V. "Canst thou draw out leviathan with
an hook-
? "
This con-
3 Tôs $ndelons. Literally, which was spoken or uttered. See vv. 13, 14,
where Daniel heard utterance without seeing the speakers.
firmation by the Archangel Gabriel makes the interpretation of the 2,400 days
according to the Archangelic scale used in the hebdomads, spoken of by the
same heavenly Messenger, the more probable. Compare also Rev. xxi. 17.
Did not understand it. This sentence appears to indicate a perception
on the part of Daniel that the explanation given by the Archangel contained a
mystery beyond or behind the simple meaning of his words, and also beyond
his power of comprehension. Compare 1 Peter i. 10-12.
156
kingdom of the Chaldees; I, Daniel, was considering in the
books the number of the years, the word of the Lord that
came to Jeremiah the prophet, unto the fulfilment of the
desolation of Jerusalem seventy years.
And I set my face towards the Lord God to seek out¹
prayer and supplications in fastings and sack-cloth.
And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession,
and I said :-Oh! Lord God, the Great and Wonderful, Who
keepest Thy covenant and Thy compassion towards those
who love Thee, and towards those who keep Thy commands.
We have failed, we have done unrighteousness, we have
acted lawlessly, and we have revolted,2 and have turned
aside from Thy commands, and from Thy decisions, and
have not hearkened to Thy slaves the prophets, who spoke
in Thy Name to our kings, and our rulers, and our fathers,
and to all the folk of the earth. To Thee, oh! Lord, right-
eousness, and to us shame of face as this day; to Judah,
and to the dwellers in Jerusalem, and to all Israel, to those
near and to those afar, in all the earth whither Thou hast
scattered them in their faithlessness" whereby they have dis-
regarded Thee."
4
In Thee, oh! Lord, is our righteousness, and to us shame
1
¹ènтñσaι. Apparently meaning-to seek out prayers and supplications,
which should be according to God's will, and so find acceptance with Him.
2 ἀπέστημεν. Verb corresponding to ἀπόστασις apostacy.
3 Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty; Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
(Psalm xxix.)
**
Apparently meaning, as clear and evident as the daylight.
» àdeolą, ǹléтnoav. These words are etymologically the same, one being a
For the former Liddell and Scott give faithless-
noun, and the other a verb.
For the second, to set aside, disregard-a treaty, oath,
ness, fickleness.
promise.
6 No object is expressed in the Greek to this verb, but English idiom
requires one which can be supplied, without much doubt.
157
of face, and to our kings, and to our rulers, and to our
fathers, in that we have failed¹ Thee.
To Thee, oh! Lord, compassions and propitiations ;2 for
we have revolted, and have not hearkened to the voice of the
Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He gave before
our face³ in the hands of His slaves the prophets; and all
Israel have transgressed Thy law, and have gone aside, and
have not heard Thy voice; and the curse is come upon us,
and the oath written in Thy law, written in the law of Moses,
the slave of God, because we have failed Him; and He has
made good His words which He spoke to our prejudice, and
to the prejudice of our judges who judged us, that He would
bring upon us great evils, such as have not happened under
the whole heaven, like those which have befallen in Jerusa-
lem. According to the writing in the law of Moses all these
evils came upon us, and we have not needed the counte-
nance of the Lord our God, so as to turn away from our
iniquities, and to concur in all Thy truth; and the Lord
watched and brought them upon us, for the Lord our God is
just in all His action which He has taken, and we have not
given heed to His voice.
And now, Oh Lord our God, Who didst lead forth Thy
people out of the land of Egypt in the might of Thine hand,
and didst make to Thyself a Name as this day; we have
failed, we have acted lawlessly.
¹ áμapráva means to fail, miss the mark. Compare Psalm lxxviii.
passim, especially vv. 9, 57. Hosea vii. 16, &c.
2 i.e. compassions towards us and propitiations from Thy people.
3 Gave before our face, i.e. like a road to walk in.
8рkог. 1st. The object by which one swears. 2nd. An oath. 3rd. As a
proper name, a divinity who punishes the false and perjured.
Needed, i.e. felt the need of.
6 Observe how persistently Daniel justifies God in all his prayer. Job was
blamed for justifying himself rather than God.
As this day. Daniel seems to mean that the Name of the Lord is as
clearly to be seen and recognised in His acts as the daylight itself.
158
Oh! Lord, unbounded is Thy compassion. Let Thy
wrath, we beseech Thee, be turned away, and Thine anger,
from Thy city Jerusalem, from Thy holy mountain; for we
have failed, both in our transgressions and in our fathers'
transgressions, Jerusalem and Thy people are become a
reproach among all those round about us.
And now hear, Oh! Lord our God, the prayer of Thy
slave, and his entreaties, and cause Thy face to shine upon
Thy sanctuary, which is desolate. For Thy sake, Oh! Lord.
Incline thine ear, Oh! My God, and hear. Open Thine eyes
and see our nothingness,¹ and the nothingness of Thy city
which has been called after Thy Name. For we do not cast
our pity upon our righteousnesses before Thee, but upon Thy
mercies, Oh! Lord, which are numberless. Give ear, Oh!
Lord. Be gracious, Oh! Lord. Attend, Oh! Lord. Linger
not, for Thy sake, Oh! My God, because Thy name has been
called upon Thy city and upon Thy people.
And while I was yet speaking and praying, and declaring
my failures, and the failures of my people Israel, and casting
before the Lord my God my pity on account of the holy
mountain, and while I was yet speaking in the prayer, behold
the man Gabriel, whom I saw in the first vision," flying; and
he grasped me like the hour of evening sacrifice; and he
made me understand, and spoke with me, and said: Daniel,
now I am come forth to bring together thine understanding.
4
1 apavicw means to make unseen, used of killing and burying secretly, as
was done to State criminals. Also, to do away with, remove, drive away; to
destroy utterly, rase to the ground; to erase writing; obliterate footsteps ;
spirit away a witness, &c.
2 i.e. We do not pity ourselves, as if we suffered without cause, but place
our hope only in thy boundless compassion.
3 See Chap. viii. 15-18.
· συμβιβάσαι σε σύνεσιν. As regards συνίημι and σύνεσις see previous notes.
σvμßißárai denotes the action of the angel in bringing about an understanding
upon the part of Daniel.
159
In the beginning of thy prayer a word went forth, and I am
come to bring thee tidings, for thou art a delightful man,¹
and do thou reflect on what I say, and understand the vision.
Seventy hebdomads have been assigned as regards thy
people and the holy city, to bring failure to completion, and
to set the seal on failures, and to expunge the transgres-
sions, and to make an atonement for unrighteousness, and to
bring in lasting righteousness, and to seal vision and prophet
and to anoint the Saint of saints.
1
And thou shall know and understand from the going forth
of the word for the separation, and for the building of
Jerusalem, until the anointed leader-seven hebdomads and
sixty-two hebdomads. And he shall turn the captivity,' and
Apparently intended to denote that Daniel's confession of sin on his own
account, and for his people, had found acceptance with God. Compare the
subsequent expression, éρтov èmiðvµíôv, pleasant bread, or, as we might say,
dainties, delicacies. Daniel x. 3.
2 Concerning these hebdomads see subsequent note. They appear to have
a double, probably a multifold, interpretation.
3 σVYTETµÑONσav. This word means to cut to pieces, chop up. Its use in
this book—or, at least, in this passage-is probably to be found in the original
Septuagint translation, where we find, in the interpretation of the writing on
the wall in chap. v., ἡ βασιλεία σου συντέτμηται και συντετέλεσται; where the
A.V. has very well, God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it.
4 Set the seal on failures. This sealing has probably a double meaning, Ist,
as the seal of completion, a document not being signed and sealed until quite
complete; 2nd, like the sealing of the well-mouth of the abyss. Compare
Rev. ix. 1-12, and xx. 1-3.
I
5 Expunge. àшaλelpw. Schleusner gives as the meaning de-ungo, i.e. to
wipe or clean off oil or grease.
6 Seal. The clue to the meaning of the word in this case is probably to be
found in 1. Cor. xiii. 8-10. "Love can never be out of place. But as for
prophecies, they shall fall out of use; or tongues, they shall cease; or discern-
ment, it shall fall out of use. For we discern imperfectly, and prophecy
imperfectly, but when the perfect thing comes that which is imperfect shall
fall out of use."
7 The captivity. This word does not appear in the Greek, but in English
an object must be supplied, and it may be pretty safely supplied here from the
context and by analogy with Ps. cxxvi. 1. When the Lord turned again the
captivity of Zion. where the same word èmioтpéfaι occurs in the
Septuagint.
>>
JT
160
street and wall shall be built, and the seasons shall be
emptied out.¹
2
And after the sixty-two hebdomads chrism shall be
utterly destroyed, and there is no judgment in it, and the
city and the Temple shall he destroy in concert with the
leaders who shall come, they shall be cut out in a cataclysm,
and unto an end of war cut short by order, by executions. 4
And he shall confirm a covenant with many, one
hebdomad.5 And in the midst of the hebdomad my sacrifice
and drink-offering shall be set in order, and upon the Temple.
abomination of the desolations, and until the completion of
6
This apparently means, in the first interpretation, the completion of
the first two seasons or dispensations. In the second and greater, to the
completion of the three whole seasons or Dispensations, when only the half
season of the millenium remains.
2
Apparently receiving its first fulfilment at the crucifixion of the Christ.
3 In the first interpretation this would apparently refer to the destruction
of Jerusalem by the Romans, the leader who shall come being the blessed
Paraclete. Compare Jno. xiv. 12-30. Also footnote No. 1 on p. 147 ante.
4 The meaning here must be gathered rather by comparison with other
passages than by any study of Greek usage and turns of expression. Com-
pare chap. vii. 26. apavioμols has probably also reference to the dis-
appearances referred to in Matt. xxiv. 37-42 (where also a cataclysm is
spoken of), and in 1 Thess. iv. 15-17.
5 éẞdoµàs μía. One hebdomad, in the nominative. This is not necessarily
to the Archangelic scale, because it refers to the time, of which we are told
that "except the Lord shortened the days, no flesh should be saved; but
because of the elect whom He picked out, He shortened the days."
Mc. xiii. 20.
• This translation will be a surprise to many, yet there is no doubt that
this is the meaning of the Greek. Are not then the sacrifice and drink-
offering set in order? Let us consider. When we approach to the table of
the Lord we doubtless come, and rightly, to be fed at Our Father's table. But
how much heed do we give to Our Father's presence and love, Who sits at the
head of His table, and looks to His children, whom He feeds, for joyful recog-
nition and praise, with thanksgiving.
7 Or, perhaps, hatred of the desertions, i.e. of the apostasy of which God's
children have been guilty in their forgetfulness of Him and His wishes and
plans.
Or hatred of the destructions which have been wrought in God's
house-It shall be like the finding of the book of the law in the time of
Josiah. See 2 Kings xxii. 8-13, and compare Ps. lxxiv.
J
161
1
seasons contribution shall be given towards the
desolation.¹
the
X. IN THE THIRD YEAR OF CYRUS, KING OF PERSIANS,
a word was revealed to Daniel, who received the surname of
Baltasar.
2
And the word was genuine, and the power great, and
comprehension was given to him in the vision.
3
In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning three hebdomads
of days. I ate no pleasant food, and meat and wine came
not into my mouth, and I did not anoint¹ myself at all until
the completion of three hebdomads of days.
On the twenty-fourth day of the first month I was by the
banks of the great river-the same is Tigris, Eddekel. And
I raised my eyes and saw, and behold! a man clothed in linen
and his loins girt about with gold of Ophaz, and his body
6
¹ Or completion shall be given upon the desolation, i.e. the desolation
shall be brought to an end. Both translations appear sound and instructive.
2 The meaning of the Greek here appears simple enough. The word was
a genuine message from the Most High, not a deceiving utterance of the Slan-
derer. And the spiritual power in which it was spoken great. As a sample of
the translations in vogue take the following. Truly TRADITORI-
TRADUTTORI.
Ste
"And the thing was true, but the time appointed was long."-A. V.
"And the thing was true, even a great warfare.”—R. V.
"And the truth of the thing, and a great host."-Jewish School and Family
Bible.
3 i.e. of course three weeks.
Anoint. The ancients used to anoint their bodies daily after bathing.
This use of oil was to them one of the ordinary comforts of life.
5 Tigris, Eddekel. Apparently two names for the same river.
6 Clad in linen. Linen does not cause sweat (Ezek. xliv. 18) or at least
was adopted, that the wearers might not sweat, for the priestly garments.
Compare Gen. iii. 19, and Jno. vi. 27. It is symbolical of righteous acts-
not passive righteousness but acts of right. Rev. xix. 8.
UPHAZ. Gold of Phasis or Pison. The finest gold (Cruden). pάois-a
saying, declaration. Gold of Ophaz, therefore, appears symbolical of truth-
fulness in speech, direct and sincere utterance,
162
like Tharsis,¹ and his face as the sight of lightning, and his
eyes like torches of fire, and his arms and his legs like the
sight of flashing brass, and the sound of his words like the
voice of a crowd. 3
2
And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, and the men with me
did not see the vision, though indeed there fell upon them a
great extasy, and they fled in terror. And I was left alone
and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me,
and my self-esteem was changed into corruption, and I had
no power over my strength. And I heard the voice of his
words, and as I heard him I was stupefied, and my face to
the ground. And behold a hand grasping me, and he raised
me on to my knees, and said to me :-" Daniel, you delightful
man, understand the words which I am speaking to you, and
stand at your post, for now I have been sent to you." And
as he spoke thus to me I stood up trembling; and he said to
"Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day wherein you
gave your heart to attend, and to humble yourself before the
Lord your God, your words were heard, and I started while
me:
¹ Tharsis or Tarsheesh, a sea-green stone, apparently symbolic of the
spiritual or angelic nature, see Ezekiel i.; while carbuncle and the Sardian
stone, of which the carnelian is the best known variety, appear to symbolise
human nature, see Ezekiel x., Septuagint, and Rev. iv. 3. In the latter the
conjunction of the Jasper and Sardian stone appear, like the two sets of wheels
in Ezek. x. to shew the union of the spiritual and human natures.
2 Compare Ezek. i. 7. Septuagint.
3 The murmur of a crowd, when moved by no common impulse, is as like
the sound of a waterfall or rapid as anything can be. By the ear alone they
are indistinguishable.
4 Extasy. In Greek ěkorasis, i.e. a standing out of one's self. A distraction
through terror, astonishment, &c. Anglicé they were beside themselves with
fright, as people are apt to be if they think they see a spirit or ghost.
Daniel describes the effect on him of the presence of the heavenly
messenger.
163
P
2
you were speaking. And the Archon¹ of the kingdom of the
Persians stood opposed to me twenty-one days, and behold
Michael, one of the Archons, came to my assistance. And
him I left behind me there, with the Archon of the kingdom
of the Persians, and am come to make you understand all
that shall befall your folk at the end of the days, for the
vision is yet unto days."
3
And while he was speaking with me throughout these
words, I turned my face to the ground and remained
stupefied. And behold, as it were, the likeness of a son of
man clung to my lips; and I opened my mouth and spoke,
and said to him who stood before me :-Sir, at sight of thee
I was upset, and had no strength. And how, Sir, shall thy
slave have strength to speak with this my lord? And I-
from now henceforth strength will not abide in me, and
4
breath is not left in me. And as it were a vision of a man
came to my assistance, and grasped me, and strengthened
me, and said to me :-"Fear not, thou delightful man; peace
be to thee. Play the man and be strong." And while he
spoke with me I recovered my strength, and said :-Let my
Lord speak, for thou hast strengthened me.
And he said: Do you know to what end I am come to
you? Even now I must return to contend with the Archon
of the Persians. And I was going in, and the Archon of the
} apxwv, from apxw, a ruler, chief. Here evidently a captain of the
heavenly host, an Archangel.
2 Compare the period of Daniel's fast and see, if possible in the original,
Eph. vi. 12. See also Lc. xviii. 1-8, in which passage ekdikéw appears rather
to point to giving the widow her rights than to taking vengeance on anyone.
3 Evidently Michael kept the Archon of the kingdom of the Persians in
play while the speaker went on his mission to Daniel.
4 I was upset. Literally, My inward parts were turned within me.
5 rais. Boy, either literally or familiarly of a slave,
164
Greeks was coming. But assuredly I will announce to you
tidings of that which is ordained in writing of truth. And
there is no one who holds out with me concerning these
things, except Michael your Archon. And I was set in power
and given strength in the first year of Cyrus. And now I
will announce to you true tidings.
1
See now: Three more kings shall arise in Persia; and
the fourth shall be rich with great wealth above all. And
after he has become lord of his wealth he shall rise up against
all the kingdoms of the Greeks."
The meaning of these clauses is necessarily obscure, referring as they
do to the actions of the heavenly hierarchy. Yet, remembering what God
says to Job (xl. 3, "Dost think that I transact business otherwise than as
thou dost ?"), we may put a very simple construction upon them. A little
later on the speaker states that he was going in-presumably to head-quarters
and that the Archon of the Greeks was to go to Daniel, but for some reason
this was changed and the speaker came. He also says he was given power in
the first year of Cyrus, i.e. less than three years before the vision. Presumably
he was not an Archon" till then. The mention of the Archon of the Greeks
appears difficult to account for, yet we may be well assured that it is not
inserted without good reason. It appears, then, that it was important that we
should know that the Archon of the Greeks was a fit messenger for the pur-
pose. We have seen that Alexander was given great power, and apparently
only failed of establishing a stable empire through failing to recognise and
worship the one true God. It is evident, therefore, that the Greeks were a
highly favoured nation, and their language was utilised by the writers of the
N.T. and in the early Church the Septuagint was the medium through which
they knew the Scriptures. It appears, therefore, that this passage was inten-
tionally inserted to draw attention to these facts and to the Septuagint, com-
piled obviously under the supervision of this Archon of the Greeks,
2 avтexóμevos, evidently referring to the difference of opinion among the
angelic hosts through which he had been delayed, and which necessitated his
speedy return to fight with the Archon of the Persians. It must be remem-
bered that the Slanderer is not a fallen Archangel until the events described
in Rev. xii., when Michael and his angels turn him out of heaven for good and
all. The want of understanding of the written word is nowhere shown more
clearly than here, where a new chapter begins, in the ordinarily received text,
in the middle of this short preface to the angel's tidings.
Generally understood to refer, in the first interpretation, to Xerxes,
who invaded Greece, the powerful king next mentioned being Alexander the
Great.
165
And a powerful king shall arise, and shall be a lord of
much authority, and shall do according to his will. Yet how
shall his kingdom stand? It shall be shivered, and shall be
parted towards the four winds of heaven, yet not to his
bounds, nor throughout his rule which he established; for
his kingdom shall be dunged out to others also beyond these.
And the King of the South³ shall prevail, and one of his
rulers shall prevail against him, and shall be a lord of much
authority.
And after his years they shall form combinations; and a
daughter of the King of the South shall go in to the King of
the North to make articles of agreement with him, but shall
not be mistress of the strength of his arm, nor shall his seed
be established; and she shall be given up, and those who
brought her, both the girl and he who has her in charge.
4
In those times shall one arise out of the flower of her root,
from his readiness, and shall come to the power, and shall
reach the supports" of the King of the North, and shall have
1 Apparently meaning that this king shall omit something essential to
stable rule, or that his dominion shall lack some essential element of stability.
Nor need we be at a loss to know what this was, for Alexander never recog-
nised nor worshipped the One True God, the only source of rule and
authority.
2 EKTIλάw, cacare, showing the contempt of the speaker for those who
worship not the One and only God worthy of worship. The description
appears to accord precisely with the historical facts.
Alexander's empire
should be shattered at his death, and the greater part of it would be formed
into four minor kingdoms; but these should not be coextensive with the
original kingdom, for outlying kingdoms should form other petty dominions.
3 Alexander's kingdom being divided into four great divisions with out-
lying provinces, the narrative proceeds to relate some of the complications
which ensue between them.
• Topaola=readiness, and appears to have just the sense we apply to the
word in the sense of address, skill, in seizing and using opportunities.
5 Literally shall go in into
in into —or among-the under-props. Evidently mean-
ing that he shall have dealings with the subordinate rulers, governors of
provinces, &c.
166
!
dealings with them, and shall succeed. Moreover their gods,
with their things of cast metal, all their precious works of
silver and of gold, with a multitude of captives,¹ shall he
carry into Egypt, and he shall be placed over the King of
the North. And he shall come into the kingdom of the
King of the South, and return into his own land.
And his sons shall collect a faction³ in the midst of many,
and it shall come, coming and dashing over like a flood; and
it shall pass by and subside, and be interwoven with existing
institutions to the extent of its strength. And the King of
the South shall get savage, and shall come forth and wage
war with the King of the North, and shall establish a great
faction, and the faction shall be given into his hand, and he
shall take the faction, and his heart shall be lifted up, and he
shall cast down myriads, yet shall he not succeed.
And the King of the North shall turn about and collect a
great faction exceeding the former one, and till the end of
1
aixuaλwola, captivity, or body of captives, translated here a multitude of
captives because we have no precise equivalent English word.
2 kcal would perhaps be better rendered here by the English then. From
the narrative it appears that this king's mother was a daughter of the King of
the South, who appears to have been captured during an embassy to the King
of the North. Her son, therefore, would probably have grown up in the
northern kingdom, and having come to man's estate, seizes the power, and
after various exploits returns to his mother's relatives in the southern
kingdom.
: συνάξουσιν ὄχλον=shall collect a crowd, apparently meaning that they
shall form a party or faction, religious or otherwise, which shall spread and
gather strength like a flood. Something like the preaching of the Crusades,
only that instead of being directed to the conquest of a distant land, the object
is to effect a change in the established order of things in its own country, and
so perhaps it would be better illustrated by the French Revolution, which
ultimately submerged nearly all Europe. This metaphor is a common one in
Scripture, e.g. Isaiah viii. 7, 8.
4
συμπροσπλακήσεται. Apparently a compound verb from πλέκω, to plait, to
twine. No object is expressed, but one is needed in English, and so existing
institutions has been supplied.
167
the seasons of years he shall invade the approaches¹ in great
force, and with a numerous following. And in those times
many shall rise up against the King of the South; and the
sons of the plagues of your people shall be well equipped¹
for the confirmation of the vision, and they shall be weak.
And the King of the North shall come in and pour out a bar,"
and shall seize strong cities; yet the arms of the King of
1 εἰσόδια. This seems the best English equivalent. The word is an
adjective belonging to entry. Also τὰ εἰσόδια income, revenue; but
that does not seem to be the meaning here. -
2 uraρtis means subsistence, substantial existence. Compare Shakespeare,
Ist Part Henry VI. Act ii. Sc. iii.
Tal. I laugh to see your ladyship so fond, to think
That you have aught but Talbot's shadow
Whereon to practise your severity.
Count. Why, art not thou the man ?
Tal.
I am indeed.
Count. Then have I substance, too.
Tal. No, no; I am but shadow of myself:
You are deceived, my substance is not here ;
For what you see is but the smallest part
And least proportion of humanity :
I tell you, madam, were the whole frame here
It is of such a spacious lofty pitch,
Your roof were not sufficient to contain it.
royµós; a plague, pestilence. Also of persons, a plague pest, which is
evidently the meaning here.
1 ἐπαραρίσκω;
mapaploкw; to fit upon or fasten. Erapnpús close fitting, well fixed. Per-
haps closely knit or well prepared would be a better translation.
5 No subject is expressed in the Greek, but the meaning is, apparently,
your people shall be weak; but possibly, afterwards they shall be weak,
meaning the sons of the plagues of your people. When, as in this case, two
translations are possible, the safest way is generally to take both, for each has
almost certainly its proper place and application.
Pour out a bar. This is not a satisfactory translation, but there is hardly
an English equivalent. The reference is to a widespread flood-say the rising
of the Nile-which submerges a large area, and then subsides, leaving a
deposit. This symbol is often used in Scripture of a victorious king; or,
rather, of the king and his following, the substance as well as the shadow-
see previous note. See Isaiah viii. 8, xxviii. 2, lix. 19, Jerem. xlvi. 7, &c.
7 xvpós firm, lasting, stout; of places, strong, secure, especially as a
military term of a stronghold or position, strong, tenable.
3
F
168
the South shall remain firm, and his chosen men shall arise,
and there shall not be strength to stand.¹
And he who enters against him shall do according to his
will, and there is no one who can withstand him to his face;
and he shall stand in the beauteous land, and it shall be fully
given into his hand.
And he shall arrange his front to enter in the strength of
his whole kingdom, and he shall make all things straight
with him; and a daughter of the women shall he give to him
to ruin her, but she shall not stay beside him nor be for him.
And he shall turn his face against the islands and shall
seize many, and shall depose the rulers of their reproach,
albeit his own reproach shall return to him.
And he will turn his face against the strength of his own
land, and will be weak, and will fall, and not be found.
2
And there shall arise out of his root a sapling of the
kingdom upon his preparation, raising others along with
him, accomplishing the thought of dominion; yet in those
days he shall be crushed, but not in outward appearance nor
in war; he shall stand upon his preparation, yet is he set at
naught, and they gave not on him the glory of dominion.³
And he shall come in abundance, and shall overpower
kingdoms in failures,¹ and the arms of him who overwhelms
1
¹ Apparently describing a deadlock between the kings of the North and of
the South, giving an opportunity to a third party, whose entry is described
in the next verse.
2 Difficult of translation, because very compressed. Apparently a scion
of the house of the king last described shall enter upon the use of the things
his father prepared.
3 Apparently describing a king in outward appearance only, whose power
is in reality in the hands of others, but the meaning is difficult to follow.
· ὀλίσθημα, a slip, fall.
↳ The same verb katkλú(w is used in both places,
169
shall be submerged¹ from before his face, and they shall be
crushed, even the leader of the coalition.2
And from their coalitions against him he shall make
a bait, and shall go up, and shall exceed them in strength
among a small band.3 And amid abundance, and in
fat regions shall he come, and do things which his fathers
did not, nor the fathers of his fathers. Their foraging
expeditions and substance shall he scatter abroad, and
against Egypt shall he cast his reckoning for a whole season.5
And his strength shall be awakened, and his heart, against
the King of the South in great power. And the King of the
South shall join battle with him, in power great and exceeding
strong yet they shall not stand, because they will cast a
reckoning against him, and devour his privileges; and they
will crush him, yet shall he submerge powers, and many shall
fall wounded. And both the kings, their hearts unto knavery?
6
The same verb каткλÚČ∞ is used in both places.
W
2 καὶ ἡγούμενος διαθήκης. Apparently describing the leader of the coalition
which opposed the King's counsel and policy.
3 Is this a prophecy of Martin Luther?
¹ vñaρğı. Substantial existence. See previous note on this word.
5
Perhaps referring to the whole course of the Reformation, from the
9th to 11th hour, i.e. from 1500 to 1833 A.D.
In the spiritual interpretation the King of the South appears to typify the
Pope of Rome.
7 If this prophecy does not refer to Martin Luther, at least his history
seems to illustrate what is intended. Martin Luther was a faithful son of the
Roman Church so long as that was possible; but the Vatican cast a reckoning
against him instead of learning from him and correcting the abuses against
which he protested.
8 Tà déovra; things needful or proper, advantages or duties. Probably
both are intended. As in the case of the word raptis, it is often difficult to
find a single English word to convey the whole meaning, at least, without some
explanation or commentary.
9 Knavery. The calibre of the speaker, a mighty Archangel and con-
fidential servant of the Almighty, must be remembered throughout. The
Greek word is Tovnpla, which occurs again in Ephesians vi. 12, where A.V. has
wickedness--the thing intended being, apparently, the same as here.
170
shall speak deceits at one table, and right counsel shall not
prevail, because the end is yet distant. And he shall turn
about into his own land in much authority,¹ and his heart unto
the holy covenant. And he shall construct, and shall turn
about into his own land; unto his season shall he turn
about, and shall come in the south, and it shall not be as the
first, nor as the last.
And the Citii who go forth³ shall enter in him, and
he will humble himself, and will be incensed because of the
holy covenant. And he will construct and will turn about
and assemble an army against those who have deserted the
holy covenant. And descendants from him shall arise and
shall profane the sanctified thing of the lordship, and shall
change the continuity, and shall offer a concealed abomina-
6
¹ Authority. mapέis again. See previous note. Substance would, doubt-
less be a good translation, but would not be readily understanded of the
ordinary reader.
2 Apparently referring to the Reformation, which, doubtless, was a very
Indeed The work of God in its
necessary work, and a work of God.
time, corresponding to the labourers sent into the vineyard at the ninth
hour (Matt. xx. 1-16). But right counsel did not prevail because the end
was then distant.
3 The Citii who go forth. The Ships of Chittem, A.V. Et venient super
eum trieres et Romani. Vulgate. The Anglo-Saxon race appear to be par
excellence those who go forth. See the vision of the four chariots (Zech. vi.)
and the notes thereon. If we take the Citii to represent England, and her
action with reference to the Reformation, we shall at least have an illustrative
theory which may throw much light on this obscure passage.
4 The context shows that he is not incensed against the holy covenant, but
rather against those who abuse and despise it.
5 An army.
No noun is expressed in the Greek. In the first meaning of
the prophecy, as applied to the affairs of Persia, an army would be intended, but
in the spiritual interpretation it would rather be a faction or party in the Church.
0 δυναστεία. Whence our English word Dynasty. The words appear
to refer to the action of some ill-advised reformers with reference to the
blessed sacrament.
7 (P) The Apostolic succession. This appears to point to the rise of Inde-
pendents and Dissenters of various kinds.
171
tion. And they who transgress the covenant shall bring in
some amid failures, and folk who know their God shall pre-
vail and construct; and the understanding among the people
will obtain an insight into many things. And they will be
weakened by the sword and by fire, and by captivity, and by
the spoiling of their days. And in their weakness they shall
be assisted with a little help, and many shall be added to
them amid failures. And some of the understanding shall be
weak for their purification,3 and for their separation, and for
their manifestation until the end of the age, for it is yet remote.
4
And one shall construct according to his will, and shall
be exalted as king, and be made powerful against every
god," and shall speak things of excessive weight, and shall
guide aright until the wrath is finished, for it comes into
being unto accomplishment." And he shall not attend to
This clause seems susceptible of a spiritual interpretation only as
referring to the action of some reformed bodies, who, while professing to
celebrate the Lord's Supper, yet worship not according to the mind of God.
Literally in plunder of days. It seems possible that this verse may
point to the fires of Smithfield and to similar persecutions endured by
reformers in all parts of the Church, who would not "acquiesce in
injustice," or "be satisfied in their unrighteousness." See 2 Thess. ii. 12.
3 πυρόω to burn with fire. In passive, as here, to be melted in the fire,
stand the test of fire-of gold, Arist. H.A., 3, 5, 6. Metaph. of persons LXX.
Compare Rev. i. 15, where the word occurs again.
èкλéžαooαι. Picking out, election.
5 Here a new character seems to be intended. No subject is expressed.
If this prophecy has a spiritual application to modern Christendom, as
seems incontestable, it must be remembered that the spiritual Babylon (in
which God's people remain captive during the patience of the saints,
prefigured by the Babylonish captivity) is given over to the worship of
idols innumerable, physical, intellectual, and spiritual; and that any true.
reform would necessarily be directed against these.
7 Compare Dan. vii. 8, 11, 24, and 25.
8 Compare Dan. viii. 24, 25.
"Compare Ps. xxx. 5. His anger endureth for a moment; in His favour
is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Also Ps. cix.
172
any of the gods of his fathers, and he is the desire of women,
and he shall attend to no god, for he shall be made powerful
against them all.
2
And he shall magnify THE MIGHTY GOD¹ upon HIS
PLACE; and a God whom his fathers knew not shall he
extol, with gold, and silver, and precious stones, and with
yearning desires. And he shall construct against the strong-
holds of those who flee after a strange god,5 and he shall
multiply expectation, and shall organise many under Them,"
and shall part the earth in gifts.
And in the time of the end he will engage in a butting
match with the King of the South. And the King of the
NorthⓇ will be collected against him amid chariots and horse-
¹ Oedv Mawjelµ. A transliteration, Deum robustum (Scheusner), the God
of forces, A.V., which seems exactly equivalent to kúpios Twv duváμewv, which
the LXX. have in Zech. i. 3 twice. See also in margin of A.V. The expression
itself, in the speaker's mouth, might be conclusive as to WHO is intended.
2 HIS PLACE is between the Cherubim, II. Chron. iii. 10-13; Ps. xcix.
and xviii.; Ezek. i. and x.; Rev. iv.
3 Compare Jerem. xxxi. 31-34; Isaiah liv. 11-17; Ex. vi. 3; and Isaiah ix.
1-7. See also Job xlii. 1-6. "Before this I heard Thy fame with my ear; but
now my eye hath seen Thee." Modern science is very fond of theories of
development, and these are supposed by many to be contrary to God's word.
But if they could read God's word, they would know how insignificant and
trifling are the utterances of science on the subject.
4 Compare Dan. ix. 13, "and we have not needed the countenance of the
Lord our God, so as to turn away from our iniquities, and to concur in all Thy
truth." This description recalls King David, the man after God's own heart.
5 This clause seems conclusive against the idea that an impious character
is intended. He is only improbus in the sense used in the saying labor
omnia vincit improbus.
6 úroτάoow, to arrange under. Under whom? Under THEM. For our
God is a TRINITY IN UNITY.
7
* συγκερατισθήσεται seems susceptible of no translation but that given,
recalling the vision of the ram and the he-goat from the goats.
8 To identify the King of the North with the White Czar may look like a
shot, and perhaps be no more; yet he is the standing threat against the peace
of Europe, and his invasion of THE LAND appears clearly foretold in the
prophecies of Ezekiel concerning Gog and Magog, chaps. xxxviii., xxxix.
I
173
2
men, and amid many ships, and they will enter into the
land, and he will crush them, and pass by, and will enter
into the beauteous land, and many will be weak. And these
will come safe through out of his hand: Edom, and Moab,
and the Chief of the sons of Ammon.
And he shall stretch out his hand over the earth, and the
land of Egypt shall not avail for safety. And he shall be
lord in the hidden treasures of gold and silver, and in all the
precious things of Egypt, and of the Libyans and Ethiopians
in their fortresses.
And reports of rivalries from the East and from the North
shall stir him up; and he shall come in strong passion to the
destruction of many. And he shall plant the tent of his
palace in the midst of the seas, in the holy and beauteous
Mountain. He shall come into his inheritance, and there is
none who can turn him aside.3
XII. And in that time Michael shall stand up, the great
Archon who is set over the sons of your people; and there
shall be a season of affliction, such affliction as has not
befallen since their birth as a nation in the earth, up to that
time. In that season your nation shall be saved, every one
who is entered in the book.
And many of those who sleep in a mound of earth shall
¹ Compare Dan. viii. 25, “and like eggs shall he crush them in his hand.”
2 Pass by; or, perhaps, excel.
3 καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν δ δυόμενος αὐτόν. The simple meaning of δύομαι is to draw
to oneself. And this appears to be the meaning here, and is entirely in accord
with what was said of him before, concerning his worship of The Mighty God.
Nor is this opposed to the meaning of the original, which appears correctly
rendered in A.V. "And none shall help him." For what
who has the Almighty on his side; or who works for Him
help God, they must depend on Him, and be helped by Him,
cannot but hinder the fulfilment of His purposes.
help can he need
?
Men can never
otherwise they
174
be awakened, some into lasting life, and some into reproach
and lasting dishonour. And the understanding¹ shall shine
as the splendour of the firmament, and some of the multitude
of the righteous like the stars to the ages and beyond.
1
And do thou, Daniel, block up³ the words, and seal the
book until the time of the accomplishment,5 until many are
instructed, and the deeper wisdom" be made full.
And I Daniel looked, and behold two others were stand-
ing, one on this side at the brink of the river, and one on
that side at the brink of the river. And he said to the man
clothed in the linen who was over the water of the river :-
"Till when is the end of the wondrous things thou hast
spoken ?"
1 Then shall the kingdom of the heavens be made like unto ten virgins,
who took their torches and went out to meet the bridegroom; and five of them
were fools and five practical. Matt. xxv. 1-2.
2 ἀπὸ τῶν δικαίων τῶν πολλῶν. The righteous are a crowd, great past the
power of anyone to number; but unfortunately the children of light are by no
means exempt from folly, and so many-from no other fault-will be away
getting oil when the bridegroom comes, and so be shut out and have no door
of entrance save through a martyr's death.
3 uppáσow, to bar a passage, stop up, block up. Also to stuff in. The
meaning evidently is that the prophecy was to be written, but in such wise
that none should understand it till the appointed time: the book was to be a
passage barred. Or to take a metaphor from the printer's trade, the type
was to be arranged and blocked up ready for printing against the time
appointed. The Great Pyramid contains some air-passages for the ventilation
of the Queen's chamber, the inner ends of which were left unpierced for about
five inches of solid stone, and these are no inapt type of this book.
4 Seal.
We have already seen that sealing denotes completion, as in
attesting a deed or document; in fact, in illiterate times and countries it is
almost identical with signing a document. But taking the second meaning of
the previous verb-to stuff in-we see that the prophecy was as it were to be
enclosed in a case and scaled up for discovery and use at the time appointed.
Of the accomplishment; or of association, i.e. for some common
object.
6 yvwσis; an inquiry, judgment; knowing knowledge, especially of a
higher kind. Deeper wisdom. N.T.
175
And I heard the man clad in the linen, who was over the
water of the river, and he raised his right hand, and his left
hand into heaven, and swore by Him who lives for ever,¹
saying :—“To a season, of seasons and half a season.?
In
the completion of the dispersion all these things shall be
known."
And I heard, and did not understand, and I said:" Sir,
what are the uttermost of these things?"
And he said :—" Be of good cheer, Daniel, for the words
are blocked up and sealed until the time of the end. Let
many be singled out, and be made quite white, and be tried
in the fire, and be sanctified; and let the lawless trangress,
for none of the lawless shall understand; but the discreet
shall understand. And from the season of the change of
the continuity to the abomination of the desolations 1,290
Compare the description of the Angel in Rev. x., who strongly recalls
this Archon who was sent to Daniel.
1
2 The season of seasons appears to refer to the six thousand years of the
world's history comprising the three dispensations, viz. :
Adam to Abraham.
Ist season
2nd
Abraham to Christ.
3rd
The Christian Dispensation or Day of grace.
})
The half season would then refer to the thousand years' reign of Christ and
His saints, closed by the general resurrection and judgment, after which
St. John saw the New heavens and the New earth, according to the saying :-
"At the beginning Thou Lord didst lay the foundations of the earth, and the
heavens are works of Thy hands. They shall be destroyed but Thou
remainest; and they shall all become old like a garment, and like a wrapper
Thou shalt roll them up and they shall be changed. But Thou are the same,
and Thy years fail not. Ps. cii. 26, 27.
3 Compare Rev. xxii. 10, 11. "Seal not the words of the prophecy of this
book. The season
The season is near. He who does wrong let him do further wrong.
And he who is filthy, let him further defile himself. And let the righteous do
greater righteousness. And let the saint increase in holiness.
"}
***
4.
The time when God's people become alive to the desertion of their God,
of which they have been guilty, and loathe the desolations of the Sanctuary.
The time when the Lord's sacrifice and drink-offering shall be organised or
lifted up.
See chap. ix. 27.
176
days. Blessed is he who has patience and hastens unto
1,335 days.
And do you be of good cheer, and rest; for days and
hours only remain until the fulfilment of the completion. And
you shall arise to your assigned estate at the completion of
the days.
1 d vñoµévwv kal pláσas. The meaning of these words, otherwise obscure,
has now become plain. The patience of the saints is an antitype of the
captivity of Israel. While enduring patiently they should yet in spirit ever
hasten on, anticipating the time of God's deliverance, and be ready to move.
forward at the least hint from Him, or even without it, as He provides the
means and opens the road. The sin of standing still, and not going forward,
is The sin which besets God's people, and that which He so vehemently
denounced in the Scribes and Pharisees of His day.
Previous to this the speaker has constantly stated that the time was
long to the end. Now, having completed what he has to say, he tells Daniel
that days and hours only remain, recalling the words of the Prophet of Naza-
reth, "Concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of
the heavens, but only My Father," Matt. xxiv. 36. He nowhere states,
however, that no one knows of the month and year.
1
TRANSLATOR'S NOTES,
It will not be needful to discuss, as some have done.
whether Daniel was a true prophet, seeing the emphatic way
in which his claim to the title was recognised by the Lord
Himself in the days of His flesh by His mention of him as
recorded in Matt. xxiv. 15. Mc. xiii. 14.¹
14. Neither need we inquire whether his prophecies.
concern us, seeing the emphatic exhortation in both places.
"Let him who reads perceive," or, as A. V. has very well,
"Whoso readeth let him understand."
It will be instructive, however, to note the peculiarity
which led some to question his claim to be regarded as a
prophet. This appears to be simply the strength of his
character, which is seen in the way in which he records the
visions, and in his conduct throughout. It is not, "There
came a word of the Lord-or a vision—to Daniel, as in the
case of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others, but "Daniel
had a dream
. and he wrote his dream." No inter-
preting Angel is sent to him to explain it, but he goes up to
one of the angelic bystanders, and asks him about it, and
afterwards particularly concerning some points of special
Later on, when he does not understand the second
interest.
Although the words of Daniel are quoted in this passage, his name does
not appear in the most reliable manuscripts.
178
vision, a mighty Archangel is sent to him personally by the
Almighty Himself, and expounds it.
Again, in chapter ix. we see him approaching the
Almighty, seeking out prayers which shall be acceptable to
Him with fasting and sackcloth. And when in response to
his prayer the heavenly messenger arrives he alone has
strength to speak to him, and to understand what he says.¹
2. Again Daniel had not, like most of the prophets, a
mission to any particular nation or body, but recorded his
visions for the benefit of all. Part, at least, of his book was
written in Chaldee, not in the language of the chosen people.
Moreover, part of the book is taken up with details con-
cerning King Nebuchadnezzar, who is himself a type full of
instruction which does not seem to have been fully appre-
hended. This is seen in the fact that in two cases he
received communications direct from the Almighty, in the
first of which he was symbolised by the head of gold, and in
the other by a great tree, the fulfilment of which he himself
recorded and published throughout his dominions.
3. Before proceeding further it will be well to note the
intimations which are given in this book of Daniel concerning
the dealings of God with these powerful monarchs of the
earth. He has said, BY ME KINGS REIGN, AND PRINCES
DECREE JUSTICE. BY ME PRINCES RULE, AND NOBLES,
EVEN ALL THE JUDGES OF THE EARTH. But in these days
the cry goes out that power is from the people, and this also
is true in a sense, for it is the uprising of the power from
beneath, having its source in the prince of the power of the
¹ And he only-be it observed—by the assistance of two heaven-abiders,
one as it were the likeness of a son of man," and the other "as it were a
vision of a man."
W
179
air, which rises up against God's rule and order, and seeks
to overthrow His ordinances of rule. We have seen God's
ordinances for rule symbolised under the figure of four
chariots. See the foregoing translation of Zechariah vi. and
notes thereon. These are identified by the interpreting
angel with THE FOUR WINDS OF HEAVEN (Zech. vi. 5).
4. In opposition to these are the FOUR WINDS of the
EARTH mentioned by St. John (Rev. vii.), which typify the
corresponding elements of disorder and anarchy, now in
mercy restrained, during the sealing in their foreheads of
those who are determined to serve God, those who are His
slaves while yet the great tribulation is restrained. These
four winds, then, typify the spiritual power of the enemy-
wind being the symbol of spirit-seen in the four great
typical divisions under which all may be classed, viz.
Nihilism and kindred disorders in Russia and contiguous
lands.
Islam in Asia, akin to which are of course other spirits of
disorder throughout Asia and adjacent lands.
Communism, and allied disorders among the Latin races,
chiefly Italy, France, and Spain.
Fenianism and Irish disorder generally, which affects
chiefly the Anglo-Saxon races in England and
America.
Nor must we be misled into despising these and other
manifestations of the power of the enemy. Hitherto, indeed,
formidable as have been their efforts, they have not pre-
vailed, because the four angels set for that purpose still
restrain them. It is true indeed that the spiritual power
of the enemy is shown to Zechariah in its true character
as feeble and despicable in the vision of the ephah (Zech. v.
180
'
5-11). But this is in comparison with the power of God.
Let but His restraining hand be withdrawn, as it will be
for a season, and the enemy and his angels will swoop down
upon mankind in irresistible power, beside which the horrors
of the French Revolution, permitted in God's mercy if haply
men might be warned, will appear insignificant indeed, a
mere beginning of troubles.
5. However, let us return from this digression to the
consideration of God's dealings with Nebuchadnezzar.
These are admirably summarised for us by Daniel himself,
in his speech to Belshazzar. Let us recall the circumstances.
As the king feasted with his lords and his women about him,
a hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall in the
full light of the torch or lamp-MANH OEKEL PAPEΣ.
There stood the writing, and what it meant the King's wise
men and astrologers could not or would not tell him. At
last, at the request of the Queen-who, be it noted, was not
present at the feast, but came in on hearing of the con-
sternation which prevailed at the banquet-Daniel was
called and spoke thus :-
"Thy gifts be to thyself, and give the favours of thy
house to another. Yet will I read the writing, and make
known to thee its meaning.
"O! KING. THE MOST HIGH GOD GAVE THE
KINGSHIP, and the greatness, and the honour, and the glory
to NEBUCHADNEZZAR thy father, and because of the greatness
which He gave him, all the peoples, tribes, and tongues were
awe-struck, and trembled before him. Whom he would he
set in office, and whom he would he smote. And whom he
would he exalted, and whom he would he humbled.
"And when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit overcome
181
by his exalted position, he was brought down from the throne
of his kingship, and the honour was taken away from him,
and he was hunted from the society of men, and a heart was
given him among the beasts, and his dwelling among the wild
asses, and they fed him with grass like an ox, and his body
was bathed in the dew of heaven, UNTIL HE LEARNED TO
KNOW THAT THE KINGSHIP OVER MEN IS IN THE POWER OF
"
THE MOST HIGH GOD AND HE WILL BESTOW
It according TO HIS PLEASURE. And yet thou, his son
Baltasar, didst not humble thyself before THE GOD.
Knewest thou not all these things? And didst exalt thyself
against the Lord God of heaven, and they brought the vessels
of HIS HOUSE before thee, and thou and thy lords,
and thy girls, and thy concubines drank wine in THEM
and didst extol the gods of gold, and silver, and brass, and
iron, and wood, and stone, that see not, nor hear, nor
discern. And THE GOD in WHOSE HAND is thy
breath, and all thy paths, I thou didst not glorify.
Therefore FROM HIS PRESENCE WERE SENT THE
FINGERS OF A HAND AND REGISTERED THIS WRITING. And
this is the writing which was registered: MANH OEKEL
ΦΑΡΕΣ.
PAPEΣ. And this is the interpretation of the word MANH:
God has taken the measure of thy kingdom, and has filled it.
OEKEL: Thou hast been placed in the balance, and wert
found wanting. PAPEΣ: Thy kingdom has been cleft in
twain, and given to the Medes and Persians."
7. The kingdom of the Medes and Persians was, as we
know, destroyed by Alexander the Great. The story of him,
that, having conquered all the world, he wept because there
were no more worlds to conquer is well known; but do we
182
reflect what poverty of spirit he displayed herein-the very
grace which is set first in the beatitudes with which the
Sermon on the Mount is headed. Josephus relates of him
that he visited Palestine, and was shown by the Chief Priests
the prophecies concerning himself in their Scriptures. Had
he humbled himself before THE GOD, and worshipped
HIM and given the glory, his fate would, we cannot
doubt, have been different. Abraham was selected of God
for the blessing of all nations for this very reason-" For I
know him, that he will command his children and his house-
hold after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to
do justice and judgment." (Gen. xviii. 19.)
Moreover we have more than one hint on the subject in
this book of Daniel, e.g. in the words of the speaker sent to
Daniel, "Yet how shall his kingdom stand?
&c."
(Dan. xi. 4). See previous translation and notes thereon.
8. Again, in Dan. x. 20, the same speaker says:
"And I was going in, and the Archon of the Greeks was
coming;" appearing to indicate that the mission to Daniel
had been offered to the Archon of the Greeks, but some
difficulty had arisen, and the speaker was sent instead.
Now this Archon of the Greeks must have had relations
of some kind with Alexander, and it is not mere fancy to
see a connection between these two remarks of the speaker.
The clue is probably to be found in the play of “ Antony
and Cleopatra," commonly assigned to William Shakespeare.
ACT II. SCENE III.
Ant. Now, sirrah! You do wish yourself in Egypt?
Sooth. Would I had never come from thence, nor you
thither!
183
Ant. If you can, your reason.
Sooth. I see it in my motion, have it not in my tongue.
But yet; hie you to Egypt again.
Ant. Say to me. Whose fortunes shall rise higher,
Cæsar's or mine?
Sooth. Cæsar's. Therefore, O Antony, stay not by his
side.
Thy dæmon (that's thy spirit that keeps thee) is
Noble, courageous, high, unmatchable
Where Cæsar's is not; but near him, thy angel
Becomes a fear, as being overpowered. Therefore
Make space enough between you.
Ant. Speak this no more.
Sooth. To none but thee: no more.
If thou dost play with him at any game,
Thou art sure to lose; and, of that natural luck,
He beats thee 'gainst the odds;
Thy lustre thickens
When he shines by: I say again, thy spirit
Is all afraid to govern thee near him;
But when to thee?
But he away, 'tis noble.
Ant. Get thee gone.
Say to Ventidius I would speak with him. (Exit Sooth.)
He shall to Parthia. Be it art or hap,
He hath spoken true: The very dice obey him,
And in our sports my better cunning faints
Under his chance. If we draw lots, he speeds;
His cocks do win the battle still of mine,
When it is all to nought; and his quails ever
Beat mine, inhooped, at odds. I will to Egypt:
And though I make this marriage for my peace,
184
(Enter Ventidius.)
I' th' east my pleasure lies. O, come, Ventidius;
You must to Parthia. Your commission 's ready:
Follow me and receive it.
So it seems that Alexander's dæmon was weak and over-
powered beside Daniel's visitor, or the Archangel Michael,
Archon of the Jews. He sought not, like them, the glory of
THE GOD OF ISRAEL and IS ends, as we see
by the speaker's subsequent words-" There is no one that
holds out with me concerning these things except Michael
your Archon."
9. Let us then see if we can gather any hint as to the
personality of this mighty Archangel, who dared to be on
God's side when none other but only Michael, the Archon of
God's chosen people, was so; and fought for three weeks
with the Archon of the Persians, who opposed him on the
road. He bears several marks of resemblance with the
mighty Angel of Rev. x. (See description vv. 1-3.) Is it a
mere guess to see in him the Archon of the Anglo-Saxon
Clothed in cloud, like the sea at its birth. Are
not the Anglo-Saxon races girt about with troops of
ministering angels? How else are they so prospered in all
things?
The halo, or rainbow, about his head. Is not the
rainbow of hope seen in Great Britain, about the heads of
the twelve who have been called to the apostleship in these
days, the pledge and foretaste of the LORD and MASTER'S
own speedy arrival?
His face like the sun. Where, as in Britain, is seen the
presence of God, and the favour of His countenance? And
his feet like pillars of fire. How do missions run around
185
the earth, from Britain and from America, in the well-meant,
if vain, attempt to convert the world! Or, to take a few
names almost at random, where else will you find any to
class with Havelock, Livingstone, Gordon, General Booth,
and H. M. Stanley. And having in his hand a little
book opened. Where, as in Britain and America, and other
colonies of the Anglo-Saxon race, is God's word loved and
honoured?
His right foot on the sea, and his left on the earth.
Is not Britain's first line of defence her navy? Do not
her merchantmen visit every sea, and occasionally try to
storm the North Pole? Are not America and the English
colonies owners of a large proportion of the rest of the
merchant-navy of the world? And he cried with a great
voice, as a lion roars. Is not the lion the chosen and
universally recognised token of Britain, often laughed at,
but nevertheless respected and liked of the well-disposed of
all lands? Nor is her spiritual voice otherwise, for the lion
is symbolical of the Apostolic ministry, seen in these latter
days in England, and nowhere else.
10. Nor does the parallel cease here, for at the beginning
of the era the scriptures of the N.T. were written in Greek,
through which tongue, by means of the Septuagint, the O.T.
was chiefly known to the early Church; and it was among a
Greek-speaking population that the seven Churches in Asia
were planted, to whom the seven epistles were addressed,
and to whom the Apocalypse was sent. Yet as Alexander
turned away from Palestine, and never appears to have
given any particular attention to the prophecies that were
shown him-beyond sparing the Jews, an action laudable in
itself, but one of those half-measures which carry their own.
186
condemnation-so we find St. Paul writing that all his Asiatic
converts had turned from him during his own lifetime. And,
where, as among the English-speaking races, has the Bible.
found a home, been accepted and loved of all as a centre of
family life and home-ties, to which all turn for comfort in
hours of distress, and around which the most sacred recol-
lections of home and childhood gather? So it would seem
that just as this Archon replaced the Archon of the Greeks
in his mission to Daniel, so has the Anglo-Saxon race
replaced the Greek race; and the British Empire, the empire
Alexander might have founded if he had not neglected the
opportunities which in God's good providence were given
him. Will she learn from the past and determine that
THIS GOD shall be HER GOD, and none other?
Or will she throw away her cherished position and liberty,
and suffer herself to be deluded by Antichrist, and taken
captive at his will by the prince of the power of the air?
II. Before proceeding to the consideration of the visions
of Daniel in their spiritual application, let us consider the
vision of the image seen by King Nebuchadnezzar, which
appears to have a spiritual application thus :
THE HEAD OF FINE GOLD. The rule of the Lord Him-
self, by His Apostles, in the Church at the first; Gold being
the symbol of truth, ministered by Apostles, who so long as,
and so far as, their rule was accepted, ministered truth un-
defiled, and maintained the Church in her integrity and sim-
plicity as a new unleavened lump. Unfortunately the Church
could not abide their rule, and failing in submission to them,
inserted the leaven of insincerity; just as Eve failed to stand
under her husband in Paradise, and ate the forbidden fruit.
And just as Eve received her punishment in the multiplication
W
187
of her sorrow in her conception, so was the Church punished
in the sorrow in which she brought forth her children. When-
ever a leader of men has arisen in her midst, a champion of the
truth, and a witness to her of her errors, he has been brought
forth in sorrow and affliction: not like the first twelve in joy
and praise, and glorious songs to God's glory in the Spirit;
nor as SS. Paul and Barnabas-the premature birth of the
Gentile Apostleship-in answer to humble prayer and fasting,
by the action of The Spirit working in her : but like the early
fathers, amid dire persecutions from without, or like Martin
Luther, among giant pangs and throes of the Church herself.
Nor is this state of things removed at the time of the end,
when, though clothed with the sun, and having the moon
under her feet, and crowned with twelve stars, symbolising
the restored Apostleship, she is constrained to cry out in the
pangs and throes of the birth of the man-child, the true son
of man destined to shepherd all the nations with a rod of
iron.
12. The rule of the Lord in Apostles being lost, the only
remaining bond to hold her together was that of love, the
love of the bretheren, and her state was aptly symbolised by
THE CHEST AND ARMS OF SILVER. The Church during this
period stretched her arms out wide, and drew men to her with
cords of love; she was more extensive than before, but
already there were signs of the great split between East and
West.
But this could not long continue. Rule there must be,
and it appeared first in the rule of the bishops assembled in
council to debate on matters of universal interest. It was a
rule of spiritual strength, typified by the material-BRASS ;
and the signs of approaching division became more marked
188
and powerful, until the great split between East and West
occurred, and the Church was divided in two-one half under
the Pope of Rome, and the other under the Patriarch of
Contantinople.
13. Lastly came the rule of temporal sovereigns in
spiritual things. The Pope of Rome became a temporal
sovereign, claiming rule over all the world, and exercising
it in no small degree throughout Western Christendom, while
the Czar of all the Russias¹ usurped dominion over the
Eastern Church. Henceforth, through the centuries run
these two Iron pillars. Finally, the feet and toes being com-
posed part of iron, and part of miry clay, mingled together
but not cohering, show forth the present state of Christen-
dom, where the rule is still in fleshly might, typified by the
iron, but has no hold on spiritual men, typified by the miry
clay, ready for the hand of the potter to mould as he pleases.
Happy are they who, seeing their need, cry to THE LORD
THOU ART OUR FATHer. WE ARE THE CLAY AND THOU
OUR POTTER. (See Isaiah Ixiv.) For those whom the Lord
fashions not will fall into the hands of the Slanderer, their
enemy and God's, who will mould them into the form pleasing
to him.
14. Concerning the visions of the prophet himself much
cannot be said. It is hoped that the translation now given,
and the notes thereon, will enable them to be studied more
intelligently than heretofore. The writer has endeavoured,
in the notes, as far as possible, to elucidate the writer's
apparent meaning, but he must not be understood as dogma-
tising concerning the interpretations; and the possible
1 Not that the Czar is alone in his usurpation of authority over the Church,
but he is mentioned as a typical example.
189
identifications of the first great horn of the He-goat from the
goats with Edward Irving, and of one of the characters in the
eleventh chapter with Martin Luther, are put forward with
some other similar remarks in the hope of elucidating the
language and intention of the visions and of the prophecies.
He hopes that if not accepted by many as correct, they will
at least form no obstacle to the consideration of the Book of
Daniel in the Septuagint, and that they may in this way help
to an intelligent study of the obscure prophecies contained
in it. Something however must be said concerning the
hebdomads spoken of by the Archangel Gabriel.
15. The marvellous prophecies contained in Dan. ix. 20
to xii. 13 appear to refer first to the events of Daniel's time,
but with a second and greater reference to the Christian
Dispensation. The hebdomads appear to have a double
reference, first to the literal Babylonish captivity, and second
The
to the "patience of the saints," which is typified.
seventy hebdomads of Dan. ix. 24 appear to be an amplifica-
tion of the prophecy of Jeremiah (xxv. 12), and it is seen that
the seventy years of Jeremiah represent seventy hebdomads,
or weeks of years.
This would not interfere with or obviate
a partial return after seventy literal years.
The period of seven hebdomads and sixty-two hebdomads
of verse 25 require more careful consideration. Why are
they not mentioned together as sixty-nine hebdomads? The
reason seems to be that we have here a change in the unit.
The seven hebdomads represent, as before, solar cycles of a
year each, or altogether 49 solar years.
The sixty-two
hebdomads ought by all analogy of numeration¹ to represent
the next lower denomination, or kind of unit, which in this
"; cwt. qrs. ibs. ; years, months, days.
0771
Take, for instance, £ s. d.;
190
:
case would be lunar cycles, of which a little more than
thirteen go to a solar year. Reduced to solar years, there-
62 × 7
13
fore, they would be about
33'4 years. We have thus
from the commencement of the period spoken of (which
appears to be the date of the vision) 490 + 49 + 33°4
years.
"And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be
cut off, but not for himself," runs the A.V., which, remem-
bering that this is a period of 33 years, appears to coincide
exactly with the facts of the first advent, while the 49 years
recall the saying of the Jews, "Forty and six years was this
temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?"
(Jno. ii. 20).
16. But in passing to the second application the scale
requires to be changed, and the problem is to discover the
key. This seems obtainable thus-
Seventy hebdomads = 70 × 7 × 365'24 days
Or say
=178967'6 prophetic units of
undetermined length.
If, however, we take 100 of these units to represent a
year we come upon the remarkable date 1789 A.D. recalling
the design below.
Rebellion
B
Rebellion
1789
F-r-a-n-c-e
uo8oy
MONARCHY
Rebellion
uo![[©©
17. To the same scale, taking the next seven hebdomads,
we get a period of 179 years nearly, while the 62 hebdomads
1 In the great Pyramid the perimeter of the base represents the year to a
scale of 100 inches to a day.
191
represent a period of 122 years nearly, so that we get for
the total period of the Day of grace 1789.68 + 178′97 +
122 = 2090'65 years. We are told, however, that the
period of tribulation at the time of the end shall be shortened.
Matt. xxiv. 22. Or as St. Mark writes-even then at the
time of writing if not when the words were uttered-"He
hath shortened the days." (Mc. xiii. 20.) It is evident that
this period occurs within the last two terms of the series, for
up to the period of the French Revolution the result tallies.
THE VEIL LIFTED.
PART III.
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and
wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his
misery no more.—PROV, xxxi. 6, 7.
THE VEIL
LIFTED.
We now come to the most difficult part of the work which
the writer has set before himself, for which the previous trans-
lations and notes have prepared the way; the task, namely,
of elucidating the SIGNS in which the Revelation given to
St. John was veiled.
In attempting this formidable task, the writer desires, above
all things, to avoid dogmatising. He proposes to set before his
readers some thoughts which he hopes will serve to throw light
on the imagery employed, and in doing so it will often be
necessary to put forward interpretations of the prophecies,
applying them to certain historical events. Such applications
are put forward for the reader's consideration, and if not
always found correct or acceptable as positive interpretations
will, it is hoped, serve to illustrate the signs and their bearing
on current events as well as past history.
Prophecy is manifold, as we have seen, and has many
minor fulfilments and applications, preparatory and leading
up to the final fulfilment. At best in our present state we
discern and prophesy but imperfectly, and not until the per-
fect thing comes shall the imperfect thing be done away.
Let us not on that account despise the day of small things.
2. Perhaps the best introduction to this part of the work
196
}
will be the consideration of the natural symbolism of certain
colours.
YELLOW is the most powerful colour in the solar spectrum,
and occupies more space in it than any other. Landscape
painters know how bright sunshine bathes all objects
capable of reflecting it in golden yellow, and how the use of
yellow pigments consequently conveys the idea of sunshine.
A writer on the subject of Scriptural symbolism considers
it therefore an apt symbol of Faith, comprehending clearly
the Lord's commands, and grasping steadily the promises of
God, until the phantom-like anticipations of their fulfilment
become solid realities of present comfort. After Abraham,
the father of the faithful, who yet awaits the fulfilment of the
promises made to him, perhaps the best examples of this are
to be seen in the Syro-Phoenician woman inentioned by St.
Mark (vii. 24-30), and in the centurion (Matt. viii. 5-13)
both of whom the Lord highly commended for their faith,
and both of Gentile races.
BLUE. The colour of the sky appears to typify Heavenly-
mindedness: that attitude of mind that is not content to lay
up treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and
where thieves break through and steal, but which sets its
heart on treasure in the heavens, and whose heart con-
sequently dwells there.
Perhaps the best instance that can be adduced is the
prophet Daniel, unless we prefer the beloved Apostle St.
John himself. But Daniel offers a marked contrast to St.
John in his surroundings, dwelling as he did among an
alien nation surrounded by heathens who knew not his God
nor worshipped Him; while St. John, of course, had before
his eyes the Man from heaven, the perfect pattern for us in
197
all things. With both, as we have seen, this attitude resulted
in high converse with mighty Heaven-abiders, and glorious
revelations of the unseen world which, unassisted, they could
not bear.
GREEN is in painting often made by mixing yellow and
blue pigments, and so the idea prevails that it is not a simple,
but a compound colour. This is incorrect, for in the spec-
trum we have monochromous green light incapable of further
resolution as regards colour.
The different colours are due to different wave-lengths of
light, just as the pitch of a musical note depends on the
length of its sound-wave. Green lies in the spectrum between
the yellow and the blue, fading into either in opposite direc-
tions, and being intermediate also as regards wave-length. It
is therefore an admirable symbol of Hope, the attitude of
mind that outruns faith, even in the present earthly state,
and hurrying on to Heavenly things gets half-way there while
still clad in mortal flesh.
The same idea is attached to it in nature, where greenness
is associated with immaturity, being the colour of plants
between their first young shoots and the appearance of ripen-
ing seed. The glory, or halo, or rainbow round the throne
in sight like an emerald, mentioned in chap. iv. appears
therefore to be a gracious sign that the Almighty looked with
desire and hope for the accomplishment in reality of the
things which were shewn to the Apostle in vision, as we see
on the stage, not actual occurrences, but a representation of
them.
3. Proceeding now to a consideration of the book as a
whole: It may be divided into seven parts thus :—
PART I. is contained in the first three chapters, down
198
to the end of the seven epistles, and forms an
introduction to the subsequent visions.
PART II. extends to the opening of the seventh seal,
and deals for the most part with events already
past, though running on under the sixth seal
into the coming beatitude and the abode of the
blest.
PART III. consisting of the seven trumpets and the
visions of the birth of the Man-child, the
rising of the two beasts, and the subsequent
visions to the gathering of the harvest and
vintage of the earth. It appears to refer to the
time now upon us, and though for the most
part future, to be susceptible of ready explan-
ation by current events.
PART IV. consists similarly of the seven bowls filled
with the seven last plagues, in which is
accomplished the WRATH OF GOD; and,
terrible as they appear, yet let His servants
not fear, though they should be called upon to
pass through them, knowing that His anger
endureth but for a moment, and in His favour
is life; so that though weeping may endure
for a night, joy cometh in the morning. These,
of course, are included chronologically in each
of the two preceding parts, but contain further.
details of the time of the end. With them
must be included the vision of the harlot
riding on the scarlet beast, and the song of her
downfall on earth in chap. xviii.
PART V. contains the songs of triumph in Heaven over
}
199
the fall of Babylon, and the going forth of
The Word of GOD upon THE White Horse,
and His victory over the Beast and his
armies.
PART VI. The binding of Satan; the first resurrection;
the thousand-years reign of the Christ and His
Saints; the loosing of Satan, the destruc-
tion of his dupes, and his own downfall-not
into the abyss, but into the lake of fire¹; and
the general resurrection and judgment.
PART VII.-The New heaven, the New earth, and the
New Jerusalem.
THE
PART I.
INTRODUCTION AND THE SEVEN EPISTLES.
4. The first three verses of the first chapter form a short
introductory preface which calls for little special remark. In
using the word slaves here and elsewhere, the writer has fol-
lowed the original Greek, although the word has an
unpleasant sound to English ears. He begs his countrymen,
however, to remember that while they cannot serve God and
Mammon, they must, by the very constitution of their nature,
be slaves of one or the other; and while bondage to
Mammon is slavery indeed under the hardest of taskmasters,
God is very jealous on behalf of those who are content to be
His slaves, and will never mar nor injure the work of His
The abyss is, as it were, but his isle of Elba. The lake of fire his St.
Helena.
200
own hands, nor their freedom and integrity, so long as they
are content to owe it, and all that they have and are, to Him.
So if any love his liberty, the best thing he can do is to lose
it by becoming a slave of God, and even if the loss of his
liberty should cost him many tears, he will surely be consoled
when the Almighty wipes them away.
5. Verses 4-8. John's opening address to the seven
churches forms a further introduction to the book. The fol-
lowing passage seems little understood. "Lo! He comes
amid the clouds, and every eye shall see Him, those also who
stabbed Him, and all the communities of the earth shall
mourn for Him."
A time shall come when the human race, like the younger
son in the parable, shall come to itself, and shall recognise
that the life of the flesh is a very feeding of swine in bondage
to a citizen of the country of his banishment, to wit to some
citizen under the Prince of the power of the air-and the
swine, what are they? Are they not such as, being cast out
of the Gadarene lunatics, desired to be sent into the herd of
swine?
pag
Then being driven by famine, like Joseph's brothers, they
shall hear there is corn in Egypt, and going there to buy their
consciences will be smitten, and they will look on Him whom
they have stabbed, and say: "We are verily guilty concerning
our brother." And He will say: "I am Joseph your brother."
And the King of the country where He is lord will hear that
Joseph's brethren are come, and it shall please Him and His
servants well.
6. The rest of chapter I. contains the opening vision.
The Apostle finds himself in spiritual regions, man's true
home, for the spirit of man goes upwards, not downwards
201
like that of the beasts. And there he saw one like a son of
man.
Daniel also saw one like a son of man, and others who
were like visions of men. Also Daniel, Ezekiel, and others
were commonly addressed by the Heaven-abiders by the
title "Son of man." The intention is evidently to distinguish
between the race of Adam and the Heaven-abiders; who,
though resembling men in appearance, are not sons of
men.
})
The word translated " a robe which fell over his feet is
often used in the Septuagint, notably in Ex. xxviii. 4, where
A.V. has "robe;" also in Ezek. ix. 2, where A.V. has simply
"linen."
"Brasen frankincense" is a compound word in the
original, which appears to be used nowhere else, though
another writer has "silver frankincense," explained to mean
frankincense of a light colour. Brass, the symbol of
spiritual strength, appears to shew the strength of His walk
and conversation, and frankincense its sincerity and
fragrance or acceptability with God the Father.
7. Concerning the epistles to the seven Churches little
need be said, as their general scope and intent appears to be
understood.
In chap. ii. 2, Baorálo means to lift, lift up; and
βαστάζω
metaphorically to exalt, ennoble, which appears to yield the
best sense here. Also revons means not only lying, false;
but also beguiled, deceived, and there is nothing to show
that the men spoken of were deliberate or intentional
deceivers.
In v. 23, épevváw means to seek, search for, track. The
intention seems to be that the Lord seeks and requires the
202
devotion of the whole man without reserve. It is an ampli-
fication of the request in Prov. xxiii. 26, “My son, give me
thine heart."
v. 24, "the depths of Satan, as they say," indicating
contempt for those who could so speak, or rather for their
weakness in supposing Satan has depths for those who have
the Spirit Who tracks the depths of God (1 Cor. ii. 10).
Compare Job xxxviii., 16, "Hast thou come upon the spring
of the sea, or walked in the tracks of the fathomless."
(Septuagint.) Also Psalm xxxvi. 6, "Thy judgments are a
great deep."
PART II.
THE OPENING OF THE SEVEN SEALS.
8. Chapter iv. 1. It is a mistake to suppose that the
trumpet is incapable of speech. It is constantly used in the
army to convey orders, as being better heard than the human
voice.
v. 3. The jasper and carnelian. The carnelian has been
named as the better known variety of the Sardian stone, of
which there are two varieties. Moreover its name, derived
from the Latin word for flesh, makes it appropriate here, as
the intention appears to be to symbolise the union of the
spiritual and human natures in the person of Him Who sits
upon the throne.
The iris round the throne is very difficult to render satis-
factorily. The rainbow shows it forth well in some respects,
203
but it is by nature of seven colours, and moreover it is never
seen round the source of light producing it. In order to see
it one must have his back to the source of light producing it.
The halo answers the description well as regards position,
but suggests a faint circle only, while this was one in sight
like an emerald. In this respect, the glory, as shown by
painters, about the heads of the Lord and His saints and
angels, seems a better word, but all leave something to be
desired in point of solid reality, indicated by describing it in
appearance like an emerald, i.e. not a faint effect of light
due to the speaker's position and perceptions, but a solid
spiritual reality, a reality to Him with whom matter is
accounted as void (see Gen. i. 2). The signification of the
colour-a vivid green-has already been remarked upon.
v. 4. The twenty-four Princes show forth the complete
Apostolate, twelve to the chosen race, and twelve to the
Gentiles, the Prime Ministers of the Second Adam, the
Apostle and High Priest of our profession, through whom
communications pass to men, and from men to Him Who sits
upon throne. Princes seems a more appropriate rendering
than Elders, as the intention is evidently to denote high
rank, not any difference in age between them and others,
just as we use "senior" without reference to age.
v. 6. A crystal sea. vaλos was used of any clear,
ὕαλος
transparent stone, and only later of glass, from its similar
appearance.
KρÚσтаλos-Eng. derivative crystal-means ice, i.e. clear
ice, such as forms on still water.
9. The four Living ones next claim our attention, and at
once recall the visions of Ezekiel-see previous translation
204
--and the living organism which he saw, and knew¹ that
they were the Cherubim.
Cherubim formed part of the Mercy-seat of beaten gold,
hammered out of a single piece, rising from its two ends,
which formed the cover of the Ark of the covenant in the
Tabernacle. Cherubim were embroidered on the veil of the
Holy of Holies in the same Tabernacle, and appeared in
profusion in the Temple of Solomon. In Eden, after the fall,
they were placed about the Tree of Life, and ever since they
have kept the way of the Tree of Life; not, as we too readily
suppose, to bar the way for true worshippers, but to preserve
it from profanation by the disobedient and rebellious, a pro-
tection which is necessary in their interest, for if Uzzah was
smitten and died because he put out his hand to stay the Ark
when the oxen stumbled, how would thoughtless or dis-
obedient intruders fare?
These four Living ones, which yet were one living
organism, contain mystery within mystery. Many explana-
tions have been given of them, all of which, so far as they
accord with the analogy of faith, throw some light on their
nature and functions. Here they are seen in the midst of
the throne, and round the throne, indicating that they are
manifestations of the power and attributes of God Himself,
the Almighty and Invisible, who is seen in all His fulness, so
far as He can be seen at all, in the Eternal Son, now made
Man, and who as His representative to all creation-in the
widest sense of the word-sits upon the throne.
For particulars of this throne reference may be made to
¹ Compare Sir Walter Scott-
"And knew, but how it mattered not,
It was the wizard, Michael Scott."
205
the previous translation of Ezekiel's prophecy and notes
thereon. Little is said of it here save that it rests on the
floor of heaven, described as a crystal sea like clear ice, and
therefore corresponding exactly to the solid, or firmament,
seen under it by Ezekiel. When the Almighty would travel,
therefore, it appears that the Cherubim raise up on their
wings the part of the floor of heaven whereon the throne
stands, and fly with it whithersoever He wills.
10.
Some reference seems appropriate here to the
wheels of Ezekiel's vision. These at first were four, and
had the appearance of Tharsis, a sea-green stone typical of
the spiritual or angelic nature, and show forth the wheels,
and the wheels within wheels, of the Divine providence and
working in things and persons spiritual.
Afterwards four more wheels appeared, like carbuncle,
but otherwise similar to the first four. These, both by their
colour and by the name given them of the Whirlers, are
evidently more energetic in action than the first, and typify
the action of the Almighty in affairs and persons human. For
it is the gracious purpose of God to put all things under man,
and that he should have the pre-eminence in all things, and
it is His will that we should understand that the angels are
ministering spirits having diaconal duties, while man is called
to royal and priestly honours, from which high estate he
declines if he permits himself to worship any but the
Almighty.
In the fully developed vision of Ezekiel he saw on each
of the four living ones eight wings, while at first each had
but four. Here they are described as having six wings,
which appears to correspond to the transition period of the
vision and to the green colour of the glory.
206
these
II.
11. Concerning the form of the four Living ones;
ought, if anywhere, to be understood and appreciated among
Anglo-Saxons, for they render in this matter to the Almighty
the sincerest of homage, which is imitation. The lion and
the ox have long been favourite symbols with the English,
who delight to represent themselves, and to be represented
by others, under the symbol of the British Lion and John
Bull; while, as if not satisfied with this, the United States
of America seem to have separated
to have separated themselves for the
express purpose of adopting the remaining symbol of the
eagle and putting the Great Pyramid on their national seal.
The type of the man is seen in both countries, in Uncle Sam
and in John Bull in his personal and human form.
In the animal creation we should look for the types
among the animals as originally created by God, before the
Slanderer found entrance into Man's inheritance and cor-
rupted him and it by the intermingling of his own disgusting
handiwork, to which, and not to the Almighty, monstrous
and disgusting forms and propensities in the animal and
vegetable kingdom should be referred, and which Christ
came expressly to purge out and destroy alike in creation
and in man.
I2.
In the spiritual world they are seen as the fourfold
ministry of the Church, viz. :—
THE LION, King of beasts; Apostolic rule in men ruling
in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, or rather
allowing Him to rule in them and through
them.
THE EAGLE, that soars into heaven, and gazes unflinching
on the Sun. The cye of the Prophet, who sees
into the depths of God, and through whom the
207
Holy Ghost speaks in words audible by our
outward ears in the midst of the congregations.
These two are further shown forth in the two Cherubim
facing each other on the Mercy seat; Apostles looking to
Prophets for light, and Prophets to Apostles for rule and
guidance. They are further indicated-or rather their func-
tions-in the Urim and Thummim. See Ex. xxviii. 30.
"And thou shalt put in the breast-plate of judgment the
Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's
heart, when he goeth in before the Lord. And Aaron shall
bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart
before the Lord continually." A.V.
'And thou shalt place upon the speaking-place of the
discernment the MANIFESTATION and the TRUTH; and it¹
shall be upon Aaron's chest when he goes in, into the
Sanctuary before the Lord; and Aaron shall bear the decisions.
of the sons of Israel upon his chest before the Lord through-
out." LXX.
Jhank
Two more ministries remain. These are :—
THE Ox, strong to labour, the chief of the domestic
animals, shows forth the Pastoral ministry,
going its rounds and treading out the corn for
the people, sympathising with them in their
troubles and distresses, making confession on
their behalf before the Lord in the daily
services, and carrying to them when sick, from
His presence, the bread of everlasting life and
the cup of eternal salvation.
THE MAN typifies the Evangelist ministry, speaking as
man to his brother man; pointing out to him
¹i.e. the breast-plate, or SPEAKING PLACE OF THE DISCERNMENT.
208
the road when he meets him in the world, and
directing him into the sanctuary; and when he
meets him in the sanctuary addressing him as
a reasonable being and instructing him in the
truths of the gospel.
13. MAN HIMSELF HAS A FOURFOLD CONSTITUTION
needing all these ministries, and also fitting him to exercise
them towards others, thus :—
THE WILL, which, when submitted and devoted to God,
fits him for apostolic rule. While he is in a
dependent position it demands the Apostolic
ministry, which shall speak to him in rule as
from God Himself.
THE IMAGINATION, when devoted to God, characterises
the prophet, who apprehends mysteries in the
spirit, and utters them, often in poetry or song.
In subordinate positions man similarly needs
and delights in the ministry of the prophet, in
virtue of his imagination, whereby he delights
in poetry and music, and in singing, whether
actually and physically, or in the sense in which
the word is commonly used of poets.
THE UNDERSTANDING, when largely developed, makes the
intellectual man, and when the intellect is
devoted to God we see the Evangelist. In
subordinate positions the intellect of man needs
and appreciates the Evangelist ministry.
THE AFFECTIONS exist in all, and those in whom they are
largely developed in the service of God are
suited for the Pastoral ministry, to lead the
flock to green pastures and beside still waters.
209
All need the Pastoral ministry, and to the
pastor, in the first instance, the individual
members of the flock come for counsel and
comfort, or when they desire to come before
the Lord at the altar to lay before Him their
sorrows or their thanksgivings.
The subject, however, is inexhaustible. Man being made
in God's image has these fourfold attributes or characteristics
himself, and the power of responding to and appreciating
them in his Almighty Creator.
Meanwhile it may be noted that the six wings of the
Cherubim, which have already been remarked on as a symbol
of transition, may refer to the present condition in which the
four-fold ministry, developed in England, has little hold upon
America. Let us hope that England and America shall yet
be united like Judah and Israel, which appear in some
respects to typify them, and not least in this, that they unduly
exalt the Pastoral ministry in their ministers and Bishops,¹
the Chief-pastors of the flock, typified in Israel after the
flesh by the worship of Aaron's golden calf, and the golden
calves of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
•
14. v. 8. Note that the prayers of the saints are typified
by golden bowls-precious forms of sound words, used and
loved by God's people for centuries, not excluding others which
are fashioned and brought into use as occasion demands.
These are filled with incense when used in the congregations.
In the liturgy they are seen in great variety ready for use
by the four Living ones. Thus the Morning Prayer contains
These have often done good service, like Shamgar, the son of Anath,
who slew 600 Philistines with an ox-goad, and so wrought a temporary
deliverance. See Judges iii. 31, v. 6, 7, but cannot supply the place of
Apostles
210
after the introit and invocation, an exhortation for the
Evangelist, followed by a confession for use by the Pastor,
who also in the person of the Chief-pastor pronounces the
absolution and the PEACE.
Then follows the Prayer of dedication for use by the
Elder, followed by a portion of Scripture read by the Prophet,
the creed led by the Evangelist, and the Anthem and Psalms
led' by the Prophet. After which follow supplications by
the Pastor, Prayers by the Evangelist, Intercessions by the
Elder, and Thanksgivings by the Prophet. These are a few
of the GOLDEN VESSELS OF GOD'S HOUSE seen by St. John
in the hands of the Four.
THE BOOK which none could open or even look upon is
of course the book of God's purpose in and by man. We
have had the Bible in our hands for centuries, yet is it in a
great measure a sealed book; and when we realise this, and
are content to say, as Job did :-" Hear me, O Lord, that
I also may speak. I will ask of Thee, and do Thou teach
me" (see previous translation and notes), we shall at least
be on the road to understand it; for God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble. The visions during the
opening of the seven seals are commonly understood to refer
to the course of the Christian Dispensation; and this is
doubtless correct, but there are also many other interpreta-
tions and applications. In the Scriptures is God's covenant
of life and peace, from which those who have that true fear
of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom may equip
themselves both for offence and defence. And every clerk
2
¹ Not outwardly, for the Prophet is not choir-master, but in spirit,
* Compare Mal. ii. 5, translated at p. 77 and note thereon.
3 Or secretary, Matt. xiii. 52. A large business has many clerks, a
2II
who has been trained in the kingdom of the heavens is like
the master of a house casting out of his store things new and
old, as occasion may demand, but never at a loss to find
what may be needed for the particular occasion, whether of
need or emergency. In the previous translation of Ezekiel
we have seen the Scriptures typified as a visible sound which
formed the throne of the Almighty and spoke to and was
obeyed by the man with the sapphire girdle. It speaks in
no uncertain tones to those who have ears to hear, and
doubtless has a message for each individual, as well as the
larger interpretations which are profitable for all. So let us
remember the often-repeated injunction: "He who has ears
let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches."
15. THE FIRST SEAL. Ushered in by the Apostleship
in a voice like thunder, i.e. speaking like God Himself.
Compare St. Paul, 1 Cor. xiv. 37, 38. "If any one appear to
be a prophet or spiritual, let him recognise what I write to
you as from the Lord; and if any one perceive not this,
regard him as ignorant."
The first step towards the comprehending of the following
visions is to discover the meaning of the SIGN of a horse.
For this purpose we must turn to the sixth trumpet, at the
sounding of which an order went forth to loose the four
Angels which are in chains on the great River Euphrates.
"And the four Angels were loosed.
And the
number of the host of the HORSE-200,000,000; I heard
their number."
Here we see that this HORSE stands for these four angels;
it is a compound organism, whose nature is best apprehended
Government many secretaries in its different departments, who conduct its
business, or transact its government.
212
:
by considering the horses of Jehovah's chariot, seen by the
prophet Ezekiel. Of these there were four, each a fourfold
organism. Nor should we too hastily conclude that these are
mere repetitions. It is more conformable with the manifold
wisdom of the Almighty to suppose that they represent four
orders of the Heaven-abiders, united in His service by their
common desire to submit themselves to Him, and by delight
in His service, through which they become sharers with Him
in that which He is accomplishing.
Again it would appear that the four Living-ones seen by
St. John are not identical with the Cherubim of Ezekiel's
vision-for each of those was fourfold-but rather another
manifestation in a yet higher sphere of the same Divine
attributes.
These four we have seen in the animal creation, and as
national symbols used by man (the image of God) as expres-
sions of himself. We have seen them as spiritual ministries
in the Church, and as manifestations of the spiritual or
angelic nature in the visions of Ezekiel.
Now the ox has been called above the chief of the
domestic animals; but Anglo-Saxons might demur to this,
and say the horse rather deserves that title. The fact is the
horse has a place above the others in the favour of man-
at least among the European nations; among Hindus the ox
holds the first place-who has much pleasure in the strength
of the horse in his many varieties, whether we call to mind
that majestic drudge the dray horse, or the pleasure horse,
which excited so much amusement recently by appearing in
an Act of Parliament in the British House of Commons; or
the English race-horse and hunter, or the American trotter
Maud S. and her congeners. Many other varieties will
1
213
suggest themselves; and since the material creation is a
manifestation of the unseen things of God (see Rom. i. 20),
we may be sure that the horse has an analogue in the
heavenlies.
Now when the Almighty rides what like is the horse
which bears Him?
We know that he has no pleasure in the strength of a
horse, nor delight in the legs of a man (Ps. cxlvii. 10,
Prayer-book version). Yet we are told in that magnificent
utterance of David, the man after God's own heart, twice
repeated (see 2 Sam. xxii. and Ps. xviii.), that "He rode
upon a cherub and did fly; yea He did fly upon the wings of
the wind." This Cherub then, Jehovah's riding horse, may
probably be identified with the Four Living-ones seen by
St. John.
1
--
16. Having thus cleared the way, by arriving at a clear
conception of what is intended by the horse as a general
symbol in this book, we may proceed to the consideration of
the imagery employed under the first Seal.
The Horse, as we have seen, is typical of a complex
spiritual organism composed of four of those liturgising
spirits who are sent forth to the perpetual service of those
who are destined to the glorious lot of salvation.
3
The white colour shows the completeness of the fourfold
1 Compare Ps. lxviii. 4. "Extol Him that rideth on the heavens" (A.V.).
"That rideth upon the heavens, as it were, upon a horse" (Prayer-book ver-
sion). "Cast up a highway for him that rideth through the deserts" (R.V.).
"Exaltez celui qui est monté sur les cieux" (La Sainte Bible).
"Rilevati le
strade a colui che cavalca per luoghi deserti"! (Sacra Bibbia).
¿
2 λeirovpyéw; at Athens, to serve expensive public offices at one's own cost
just as the Lord Mayor of London does, whose expenditure far exceeds the
emoluments of his office.
This seems to be the force of the preposition diá. (Heb, i. 14.)
214
1
j
ministry in the Church at the first, white objects having the
peculiarity that they reflect equally all kinds of light that fall
upon them, just as the Church at first was capable of
reflecting all the different rays of light by which she was
illuminated by the Sun of righteousness, not fully, or she
would have dazzled men like the Sun Himself, but all kinds
equally so that the resulting colour was white.
THE RIDER is of course the Apostleship.
THE CROWN shows forth the royal dignity of the
unreserved commission given them from the Lord Himself,
Who sent them as He had been sent of the Father, with full
power to bind and loose.
THE BOW next claims our attention. The characteristic
of the bow is that it strikes distant objects. It shows forth.
the power of Apostles to act in places where they are not
themselves bodily present. An instance of this may be
found in 1 Cor. v. 1-5; but a more pleasing example is
contained the following extract from St. Paul's second
Epistle to the same Church, chap. ii. 1-11:
"I elected this course for myself, not to go again to you
in pain of mind. For if I distress you: Consider. Who can
gladden me, save only he who is distressed of me?
"And, indeed, I wrote this for the very purpose, that I
might not, if I came, have grief of those who should gladden
me; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of
you all. For out of much affliction¹ and constraint of heart
I wrote to you, weeping all the time³; not that I wish
you to
1 exißw. To press, to gall.
2 σvvoxh, noun from ovvéxw, to hold, or keep, together; confine, secure
check, hinder; constrain, oppress.
dia, with genit. of motion or penetration in a line from one end to the
other,
215
be grieved, but that you may know the love I bear you, and
how abundantly it overflows towards you.
"But if any gave pain it was not to me, but-I would not
distress¹ you to all of you according to your share. Sufficient
for such an one is this his due from the majority. For I
desire the very opposite¹ to gratify and cheer you, lest such
an one be devoured by excessive grief. Wherefore I exhort
you to confirm your love towards him. For to this very end
I wrote, that I may see how you stand the proof, and whether
you are attentive to every thing from me. And if you gratify
any, I am with you in it. For I also, wherein I have gratified
any, if in ought I have done so, through you I did it in the
person of Christ, that we be not over-reached of Satan, for
we are not ignorant of his thoughts."
"AND HE WENT FORTH A VICTOR UNTO VICTORY.”—The
Lord's Apostles went forth like Moses to lead the Church
into her land of promise. And like Moses they led her to the
borders of the land. If any would see how it was that the
spiritual Israel entered not then into the promised land, let
him turn to Numbers xii., xiii., xiv., and learn the Lord's
breach of His promise, and how it was that the Church instead
of going up into her heavenly inheritance was turned back to
wander well nigh two thousand years in the world. And
perhaps God may give him grace to perceive and confess
that the fault was not in the Lord, nor in Moses.
17. THE SECOND SEAL being opened, the Calf exclaims,
COME; and a bright bay horse is seen.
1 These two phrases are evidently connected together in the writer's
thought. He would not have them distressed by his grief, but rejoice in his
love towards them, and tells his grief only that they may know his love.
2 Kатaπív means to drink up, but in English we speak of being eaten up
by grief, the intention being the same.
216
A coloured object reflects only part of the complete
Spectrum, the rest disappearing as light, and being lost to
view. So the rejected Apostleship being in mercy withdrawn,
the special grace which it was their function to receive from
above and to minister in the Church is lost to her. Yet, the
flame-coloured horse shows that spiritual gifts are by no
means extinct, and, in fact, Church history tells us these
continued long after the Apostleship disappeared.
But prophetic gifts, without Apostolic discernment and
rule, are destructive of peace; and accordingly we find this
period most fruitful in heresies and consequent strife. The
King's peace was taken out of the earth, and there was no
longer any to protect the weak and defenceless. Each
church became a local stronghold, like a feudal castle, when
the King's power did not make itself felt throughout the
land. There was none to keep the King's highway clear of
footpads and robbers, and men perforce ceased to travel by
it. Unable to receive or hold the whole truth which it is
one special function of Apostles to teach and minister, men
took up partial truths, and fought for them against their
fellow-Christians; who often were in reality maintaining the
complemental truth which, rightly received, would have com-
pleted and perfected the partial truth of their opponents;
and that most dire of all hatreds, the odium theologicum,
took the place of unity and peace. And this probably is the
thing signified by the great sword.
This horse, be it observed, comes at the call of the second
Living one, who was like a calf, the symbol of the Pastoral
ministry. His rider must be found in the Chief-pastors of
the flock to whom it was given to receive or reject the Lord's
Apostles. How they used that power we may see in
G
217
3 Jno. 9, 10, 2 Tim. i. 15, 1 Cor. iv. 6-13, and many similar
passages. Thus did this RIDER take the King's peace out of
the earth, and a great sword was given him, with reference
to which it will be well to note the warning contained in
chap. xiii. 9-10, which seems closely connected with the last
verse of the same chapter, and the number of the Beast. See
also the end of the apostate Church, who seeks to set love
before truth, chap. xvii. 16-18; and note that the Second
Seal appears to correspond to the chest and arms of the
Image of Dan. ii., which were of silver. See also
2 Thess. ii. 5-12, and note that the LOVE OF THE TRUTH is
all important, and that the reason for the apocalypse of the
man of sin is stated to be the discernment without exception,
of those who trust not in the truth, are satisfied in the present
state of injustice, or unrighteousness. (2 Thess. ii. 12.)
18. On the opening of the THIRD SEAL, the third Living
one-the Man-says, COME. And at his summons a third
horse appears. This horse is black. The Church has now
rejected both the heavenly ordinances of MANIFESTATION
and TRUTH, and her rulers now propose to govern in their
own strength, in spiritual strength, typified by the brass, of
which the belly and thighs of King Nebuchadnezzar's vision
were composed.
They will treat the spiritual riches entrusted to them as
their own, and supply them to men at a price, weigh them
out in exchange for temporal power and advantage, as indi-
cated by the balance in the hand of the Rider. This is
seen in the compact made with the rulers of the world. The
authorities of the Church should uphold the temporal rulers,
and they, in return, should suppress schism. This, carried
to its logical conclusion, led to the auto da fé of the Inquisi-
218
tion, when pitiful Mother Church, who would punish no one,
handed over her rebellious children to the temporal power.
Another form of the same spirit of barter is seen in the
temporal dignity and power conferred on Bishops in return
for submission to the temporal sovereign. Thomas-à-Becket
suffered because he would not render this return to the King
of England, but sought to make the spiritual power of the
Church supreme. Later on it resulted in the shameless sale
of masses, pardons, indulgences, and what not, for hard cash,
which necessitated and brought about the Reformation.
Meanwhile the Almighty contents Himself with a solemn
warning to this rash RIDER, the intent of which is little
understood.
A quart of wheat was the daily ration of slaves, dealt out
to them much as we give a horse his feed of corn. In India,
to this day, 66
a quart of meal" is used in the same sense;
e.g. a man coming for employment, as a servant, in India, if
asked what he wants, will commonly reply, "a quart of
meal" (ek ser ata), meaning that he is willing to give his
services in return for sustenance, and asks nothing beyond
that.
Similarly the denarius (worth about 8d.) stands for the
ordinary daily wage of a day labourer, or "hand," as seen in
the parable of the labourers in the vineyard. (Matt. xx.)
The meaning of the first part of the injunction then is
that the Rider shall not oppress the poor, but fix his rates,
or prices, so that any honest labourer may earn his daily
bread without undue exertion.
AND BE NOT UNJUST IN REGARD TO THE OIL AND THE
WINE. How much this warning was needed is seen at once
in the withholding of the Cup from the laity in the Western
219
Church. In the matter of the oil she is not less guilty, for
how could she bestow this in due measure in the absence of
third Living-one corresponds to
Apostles? The third
the
Evangelist, and the deficiency of the Church's power in this
respect may be gathered by referring to Acts viii., and seeing
how the Samaritans would have fared, had not the evangel-
istic labours of Philip the Deacon been supplemented by the
action of the Apostles at Jerusalem.
19. At the opening of the FOURTH SEAL, the fourth
Living-one, the Eagle says-COME, and the Grey horse
appears, and his terrible Rider with his henchman, symbolical
of the Reformation.
The colour of this horse demands some attention. He
comes at the summons of the Eagle, symbolic of the
Prophetic ministry, and his colour indicates a revival of
spiritual power both in MANIFESTATION and in TRUTH, though
not the full exercise of these gifts. At the same time it
should be remembered that a grey horse becomes white with
age, so that a gradual return to the original purity of colour
appears symbolised.
The Greek word xapós means ordinarily, the colour of
young grass or corn, i.e. a yellow-green. In India its
Hindustani equivalent sabz is constantly used of a grey
horse, and a similar train of thought or association doubtless
led to a similar use of the Greek word when applied to a
horse; while it would still retain the notion of immaturity
which appears to be intentionally signified here.
Next as to the RIDER, with his terrible name and
attendant. It should be noted that while the Reformation
was undoubtedly a work of God, indeed THE work of God in
its day, corresponding to the labourers sent into the vineyard
220
!
at the ninth hour (see Matt. xx.); yet nothing was more
destructive of Spiritual life,¹ and Romanists are so far right
in describing Protestantism as death.
The sword appears analogous to that seen in the hand of
the second Rider, typical of the odium theologicum, the
truths of God and His Word turned into a weapon against
Christian men and women.
The famine is, of course,
spiritual, as seen in the rare communions which till recent
years prevailed among Protestants, and, indeed, throughout
Christendom, resulting in spiritual weakness, sickness, and
death (see I Cor. xi. 30). The beasts of the earth show
forth the spirits subject to the prince of the power of the
air, who is himself compared to a lion in search of prey.
1 Pet. v. 8).
20.
THE FIFTH SEAL ushers in the time of spiritual
death which followed the Reformation, during which St.
John saw the living-whom we call dead-under the Holy
Place, buried in the chancel, so to speak. We have a
glimpse into the region of the departed, and see the longing
of those who have gone down into silence to be clothed and
active once more.
Note that St. John saw the SOULS of them who had been
killed because of the word of God, and the witness which
they bore, indicating that in their case death did not mean
the separation of soul and spirit, as in the case of those who
are delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh (1 Cor.
v. 5). The same remark applies to Rev. xx. 4.
It is important to note that they invoke vengeance on
Blessed is he that
1 Oh Daughter of Babylon! Thou wretched one!!
Thou wretched one!!
shall give to thee the recompense of thy dealings with us! Blessed is he who
shall seize thine infant children, and dash them against the Rock! Ps.
cxxxvii. 8, 9 (LXX.),
221
THOSE THAT DWELL ON THE EARTH.
This cannot mean
their human persecutors, for these would be UNDER THE
EARTH. And besides, unless they were of a very different
mind to their Master, they would not desire vengeance on
their fellow men. IT IS OBVIOUS, THEREFORE, THAT THESE
INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH ARE NOT OF THE RACE OF
ADAM, but the spiritual foes against whom we have to fight.
Compare Eph. vi. 12; 2 Cor. ii. 10, 11; 1 Thess. ii. 18.
The suits of white clothing given them, for that appears
to be the intention of the Greek, indicate a change in their
condition, a house from heaven, though not the house which
they shall receive at the first resurrection. Compare 2
Cor. v. 4.
THE WHOLE SIGN may, however, have another reference
to living men, who, though in a state of spiritual death, or
death-like trance, yet sought to serve God according to their
lights; in which case the cry would be an unconscious one,
a groaning of the Spirit of God within them, which could not
be uttered. Compare Rom. viii. 26.
21. THE SIXTH SEAL marks the completion of the
seventy hebdomads-see previous translation of Daniel and
notes on the hebdomads of chapter ix.-and ushers in the
French Revolution.
The spiritual EARTHQUAKE which then occurred shook
down the Monarchy, and indeed everything else in France,
and affected the whole of Christendom.
The sun became black as sack-cloth of hair:-
The Sun of Righteousness lost for many His glory, and
appeared a mere mortal man, sack-cloth being the prophetic
symbol of mortal flesh. Compare Renan's "Vie de Jésus,"
Professor Seely's "Ecce Homo," and many similar works.
222
The whole moon as blood:-In France
they said
chaque homme qui porte une soutane mourra dans un jour."
The revolutionists used voir rouge and the spiritual life
of the Church appeared to them as mere natural life, and the
Church a human institution, and all her claims to spiritual
power a delusion.
"C
And the stars fell to the earth:-In France every
Bishop (compare Rev. i. 20), and indeed every other authority
fell down and disappeared-became citoyens, and to call
themselves, or allow themselves to be called, anything else
was death. Outside France men lost what faith still survived
in Bishops as ordinances of heaven, and Bishops themselves
could not exercise the fulness of their office.
As a fig-tree casting her untimely figs:-The fig-tree
is a symbol of the Church. Untimely because not in the
full power of their office by ordination through Apostles.
Under a great squall of wind :-A blast of the winds of
the earth, which, but for the restraint put upon them, would
have reduced all Christendom to ruins, as they did all things
in France.
Heaven put away as a book that is rolled up:-
All thoughts of God and heaven were put away, like, say, a
map that is out of date and useless, so they roll it up and
treat it as lumber.
Every mountain and island moved from its place:
Napoleon I. swept like a scourge over Europe, moving every
kingdom from its place-a mountain being the symbol of a
kingdom-deposing monarchs, and altering the bounds of
kingdoms; while the islands may be taken as apt representa-
tives of the Russian and British Empires, and may perhaps
A
223
include the United States of America and other outlying
kingdoms.
Hid themselves in caves and among the rocks of the
mountains:-A mountain is, as we have seen, the prophetic
symbol of a kingdom. The caves and rocks then are the
fastnesses of the kingdoms. THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE
HAD BURST FORTH, like molten lava, and wrought such ter-
rible havoc in France that in the surrounding countries men
of all ranks fled to take refuge in the strongholds of existing
institutions. Nor should it be forgotten that a CAVE is a
perfectly well understood symbol in the British Parliament,
by analogy with the cave of Adullam (see I. Sam. xxii. 1-2),
it is used to denote a small minority formed by the discon-
tented men of the great parties, isolating themselves for pur-
poses of their own.
Fall upon us, and hide us.
In this generation
we have nearly forgotten the terrible consternation caused
among all ranks by the French Revolution.
At the time of the outbreak it was generally recognised
by thinking men, as well as by the thoughtless, whose terror
was more vague, that the French Revolution was a new
thing in the earth, a breaking up of the constitution of all
things in Church and State, akin to the cataclysm itself, and
which must inevitably bring utter destruction.
Nor were
1
Let those who love their liberty, and know not the value of the good
order they enjoy, read the following, and take warning in time, lest they be
overtaken in the great earthquake, of which the French Revolution was but a
warning shock. "How did you get on during the German siege ?" I asked
of my old friend, M. Sn, in Paris in 1875. 'Very well," said he; "I
bought a horse, salted him down, and went on with my work as usual." "And
how during the time of the Commune ?" 'Oh!" he replied, as if too well
remembering the scenes of danger, "I then fled from Paris, with my wife, my
son, and all that I could carry with me."
""
1
224
they wrong. How the final catastophe was for the time
averted the next vision shows.
22. We come now to the very times in which we are
living. The French Revolution was the first shock of the
great final earthquake. Another shock occurred in 1848,
when the Pope blessed the standards of the Communists,
and gave them the sanction of Holy Church.
Similarly the great squall of wind, under which the fig-
tree cast her untimely figs, was but a preliminary outburst of
the winds of the earth, for the meaning of which see the
previous notes on the Book of Daniel. These threatened to
destroy every institution, Divine and human, and to submit
everything to the Prince of the power of the air-but a
respite was ordained. LET MEN HAVE TIME TO THINK.
They have seen now what the winds of the earth are capable
of if only partially given play.
Four Angels are set-Angels of the Most High, the
Almighty-at the four corners of the earth, with power over
the winds of the earth, "that the wind might not blow upon
the earth, nor upon the sea, nor against any tree."
Daniel saw the four world-empires as the result of the
action of the FOUR WINDS OF HEAVEN¹ upon the great sea.
These four winds of Heaven were shown to Zechariah under
the form of four chariots, issuing from between two mountains
of brass-see preceding translation and notes.
Probably
These have doubtless analogies with the four Living ones.
somewhat thus:-THE LION. Men acted under this wind before the flood
till the whole earth was filled with violence, mankind like lions trusting each
in his strength, bound by no government. THE CALF. Israel after the
flesh under Moses, their chief pastor (see Ps. lxxvii. 20), and those who after
him sat in his seat. THE MAN. King Nebuchadnezzar, type of earthly
monarchs, the head of gold, typical of pure autocratic government. THE
EAGLE. JESUS CHRIST ruling in spiritual power, his ministers filled
with HOLY SPIRIT.
225
THE FOUR WINDS OF THE EARTH oppose these, and
seek to destroy God's ordinances for order and good govern-
ment by raising the power of the people against them. But
God's ordinances of rule are to be protected-symbolised by
the wind being restrained from blowing upon the earth. And
the organisation of the Kingdom of Anti-Christ by the action
of the winds of the earth upon the people-typified by the
sea¹—is not to be permitted.
And the wind is not to uproot the trees, symbols, as in the
case of King Nebuchadnezzar (see Dan. iv.), of the monarchs
of the earth.
23. The language of verse 2 demands careful attention.
The Angel ascending from the sun-rising first claims our notice.
THE Sun of Righteousness is our Lord Jesus Christ. The
Angel ascending from the sun-rising therefore typifies aptly
those whom He sent (an angel is a messenger) with full com-
mission from Himself, as He was sent from The Father.
He has a seal of the Living God. His very presence and
action is the most effectual witness possible for the LIVING
GOD, whose messenger and agent he is. But let us ask:
Have any been sealed in the manner indicated heretofore?
And if so, how and when? We find mention of the sealing
of persons by God in 2 Cor. i. 22, where the action is con-
nected with the giving of the "earnest-money" of the Spirit,
the token and pledge that God has bought them, and will pay
the full price subsequently. It is also connected with con-
firmation and anointing.
The same figure, the sealing of persons, occurs in
Eph. i. 13 and iv. 30, in connection with the action of the
Holy Spirit, the unction, or anointing, from on High, and
1 Compare Dan. vii. 2-3.
SAND
226
the day of ransom, recalling the parallel between the patience
of the Saints and the captivity of Israel.
It is obvious therefore that sealing is connected:
1st. With the giving of the Holy Spirit.
2nd. With confirmation, a word still used in the
English Church to denote the grace com-
municated by Episcopal action.
3rd. With unction, or chrism, or anointing, all
symbols of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
But the Holy Spirit was given at the first by the laying
on of Apostles' hands, and did not fall upon the baptised
until they received this imposition of hands. See
Acts viii. 5-25, xix. 1-7. And unless God's way in His
Church is changed, it must be so given always, as at the
beginning so at the end.
1
There are many reasons for believing that it is God's pur-
pose to have a full apostleship to the Gentiles, of which SS.
Paul and Barnabas were a premature birth (1 Cor. xv. 8). It
is evident that their mission was to the Southern races of
Greece, Italy, and Spain. The French are akin to these
races, typified by the piebald horses of Zechariah's vision"
(Zech. vi.). Whereas the bays or roans, typical of Germany,
England, and America, are the nations with the higher
1 The full Apostolate is seen in the TWENTY-FOUR PRINCES of
Rev. iv., and foreshadowed in the shewbread under the law.
* See Rom. xv. 22-29. The quotation contained in verse 21 of the same
chapter seems even more applicable to the Anglo-Saxons than to the Southern
races.
3 But also to the Northern nations, for Normans are Norsemen, and
Richard Coeur de Lion was a
Bretons are closely allied to the Welsh.
Norman. Napoleon I. a Corsican. If she would throw in her lot with her
German and English neighbours, and forsake the Russian alliance, she might
yet take her place among them.
227
destiny, among whom, if they will accept Him, He desires to
accomplish the fulness of His purpose.
(Compare the
previous remarks on the personality of the speaker in
Daniel x., xi., xii.). And it is not without significance that
Richard Cœur de Lion figured so prominently in the Crusades,
and that Napoleon I. was crossed so decisively by England
and Germany at Quatre Bras.
The next figures that claim our attention are the four
angels to whom it was given to injure the earth and the sea.¹
These be it observed are not the same as the four angels
mentioned at the opening of the chapter, whose mission is
one of restraint and protection. Rather they appear identical
with the four angels which are in chains on the great River
Euphrates (chap. ix. 13-21) which are to be loosed by the
Angel with the Sixth trumpet. Meanwhile the destructive
power of these angels is restrained, and they are bound in
virtue of the order conveyed through the Sealing Angel.
24. Then follows the sealing of the 144,000 by the
laying on of the hands of the restored Apostleship. These
sealed ones are seen again in chap. xiv. 1-5, where they are
described as the firstlings to God and to the Lamb. The
metaphor is taken from the custom in making a sacrifice, of
cutting off a few hairs from the forehead of the victim, and
offering them as a beginning of the sacrifice, the primal
offering. The word was also used in the sense of the first-
fruits of the earth, in which sense the LXX. have the word in
Ex. xxii. 29, xxiii. 19, Lev. ii. 12, and xxiii. 10. And these
are the first-fruits of the harvest of the earth, typified by the
1 The earth symbolises the settled governments of the human race,
typified in a more restricted sense by mountains and islands. The sea
represents the multitude of the people. Or, roughly speaking, the earth
represents the classes, the sea the masses.
228
Philadelphian Church, to whom the promise was given :-
"Thou didst keep the word of My patience, and I will keep
thee from the hour of the trial, which is about to come on
the whole inhabited world, to try¹ those who dwell on the
earth."
25. After these things St. John saw an innumerable
crowd, out of every nation and tribe, and people, and
tongue standing before the throne, clad in white raiment,
with palms in their hands, singing their song of praise to
God and the Lamb. These are the great harvest, of which
the first-fruits have been already considered; and one of the
Princes tells St. John "These are they who come out of the
great tribulation, who washed their raiment and made it
white in the blood of the Lamb."
These two companies are foreshadowed in the parable of
the ten virgins, who all went forth to meet the bridegroom,
but some of whom, through their folly in not bringing a
sufficient supply of oil, were obliged to go and get more, and
so were absent when the bridegroom came, and were shut
out to endure the outer darkness of the great Tribulation
and to gnash their teeth at their own folly, while their sisters
were feasting within.
26. AND WHEN HE OPENED THE SEVENTH SEAL THERE
WAS SILENCE IN HEAVEN FOR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR. Let
us occupy this period of silence by the consideration of the
following prophecy from the book of the Prophet Isaiah,
chapters xvii., xviii.
God is no respecter of persons, but He does not willingly afflict the sons
of men, and these have already declared themselves unreservedly, and
accepted the earnest money of their ransom. Hence it becomes needless to
further try them.
1
229
PART III.
THE SEVEN TRUMPets.
THE UTTERANCE AGAINST DAMASCUS. Behold, Damascus
shall be raised up from among cities, and it shall become a
ruin,¹ deserted for ever, a couch and a repose of flocks, and
there shall be none to chase them away. And it shall
no more be a stronghold for Ephraim to flee to, and there
shall no more be a royal thrones in Damascus, and the rest
of the Syrians. For thou art not better than the sons of
Israel, nor than their glory.
Thus saith the Lord of Sabaoth. There shall be in that
day a failure of the glory of Jacob, and the fatness of his
glory shall be shaken. And it shall be as when one collects
a standing harvest, and gathers seed from ears. And it
shall be as when one gathers an ear in a rocky chasm, and
the straw is left in it. Or as berries from an olive tree, two
or three from the top of the tree; or when four or five are
left on their branches.
Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel. In that day shall
be the man who trusts in Him Who made him, and his eyes
shall look the Holy One of Israel in the face; and let them
not trust in their altars, nor in the works of their hands,
¹ πтwσis, a falling. Compare Ezekiel xxxviii. 20.
2 This must not be too hastily understood in a bad sense. See what is
said in Ezek. xxxviii. of those who live in a land wherein is no wall, nor bars,
neither do they have doors. The whole chapter will be found in the previous
translations from the Septuagint.
3 Baoiλela, kingship.
4
Apparently indicating disappointment that the subjects of this prophecy
had proved no better in the Lord's hand than the chosen race.
lova, fat things, standing for the wealth or excellence of their glory, the
marrow as it were,
230
Į
which their own fingers made, and they shall not look upon
the trees,¹ nor upon their abominations.2
In that day thy" cities shall be deserted, as the Amorites*
left their cities, and the Euaioi,5 before the face of the sons
of Israel. And they shall be deserted because thou didst.
forsake the God Thy Saviour, and didst not call to mind the
Lord thy Helper. Therefore thou shalt beget faithless off-
spring, and a faithless seed. In the day wherein thou
begettest let it go astray; and in the morning, if so be thou
sowest, it shall blossom into harvest, on the day wherein
thou choosest, and as the father of a man makes choice for
thy sons.
ست
OH! THE NUMBER OF MANY NATIONS. As a swelling
sea, so shall you be stirred; and the back of many nations
shall roar like water-as much water, many nations-a sound
as from much water violently agitated. And he shall consign
him to the crows, and hunt him away as the dust of chaff
from the winnowers before the wind, and as a gust of wind
carrying away dust from a wheel. Towards evening, and
there shall be grief before the dawn, and it shall not exist."
8
1
¹ Trees, symbols of earthly kings.
2 Abominations, i.e. the multitude of the idols, material, intellectual, and
spiritual, which men worship, which they make the objects of their pursuit,
their endeavour, their very lives-forgetting the God that made the heavens,
and the kingdom of the heavens.
3 The Prophet now addresses his own nation.
4 See Numbers xxi. 21-32.
Perhaps the subjects of Og, King of Bashan. See Numb. xxi. 33-35.
6 This appears tantamount to saying that he who remembers his God shall
beget a faithful offspring and a faithful seed.
7 Ovú. The prophet's exclamation of pain and anger at what he sees.
8 àтоσкорaкí(∞. To consign to the crows (ès kóрaкas), i.e. to d―n his cyes.
9 This appears to be equivalent to-There shall be grief towards evening,
but before the night is over it shall be gone. A word of great encouragement
to the Jews under their present persecutions.
231
1-2
This is the portion of those who plundered you, and the
inheritance of those whose inheritance you were.
/
OH! A LAND OF SHIPS, wings beyond the rivers of
Ethiopia, that sends pledges by sea, and paper letters over
the water. For nimble messengers¹ shall go to a nation
lifted on high, to a people of treaties, hard to deal with,3
who is there beyond him? a hopeless and down-trodden
nation. Now the rivers of the earth shall be colonised, all
¹ Or angels-ayyeroi.
2 ¿évov λadv. Very difficult to translate. évos means a guest-friend, i.e.
any citizen of a foreign state, with whom one has a treaty of hospitality for
self and heirs, confirmed by mutual presents and an appeal to Zeus §évios. In
this sense both parties are cévot. The word acquired other collateral meanings,
as, a wanderer, refugee, and so a stranger, foreigner; a barbarian, not a
Greek; also strange, unusual, new, unheard of. Considering the speaker the
term seems very well to fit John Bull.
3 Xaλemós. Latin dificilis. Perfide Albion ?
4 This again seems to describe Britain admirably, whether it be taken
geographically, or of the national character.
5 This is the obvious translation, but aveλTIOтOS means unlooked for, as
well as unhoped for, and may quite well be taken in this connection to mean
a nation of surprises," whose probable conduct it is impossible to foresee.
So we are often told we drifted into the Crimean war, that war would never
have been declared but for Russia's conviction that John Bull would not fight.
John Bull has a hopeless hesitating way, due to modesty and self-distrust, that
leads other nations on till they suppose they have gained their point, when
he rounds on them at the last moment in fury at the discovery of their designs.
So he mismanaged his Indian troops till they thought he was afraid-which
was not far wrong-and mutinied; whereupon he found he had got to conquer
the country again, AND DID IT. Similarly he has an admirable system of
weights and measures, which only need a little adjustment and intelligent use
to be suitable for every purpose. Yet he has several times nearly allowed the
unscientific metrical system to be foisted on him by his more combative but
really smaller Gallic neighbour. Again, Ireland wants nothing but a little
government, as Mr. Balfour has shown, yet a few years ago John Bull seriously
discussed the idea of separation-till an endeavour was made to legislate on
the subject, and then he would none of it. In this way it would not be wrong
to describe him as down-trodden; for instance, see the way he allows himself
to be bullied and harassed by a few disorderly Irishmen. But, "hopeless and
down-trodden," the Anglo-Saxon race was historically at one time, eg. for
centuries after the Norman conquest, if not before,
232
of them as
a country is colonised. Let their country be
raised as a signal from a mountain; let it be heard like the
blast of a trumpet. For thus said the Lord to me-There
shall be safety in My city like the light of the blazing noon,
And it shall be like a cloud of dew in the day of harvest,
before the corn is gathered, when the bloom is come to an
end, and the unripe grape puts forth a blossom of green
fruit. And he shall take away the little unripe grapes with
sickles, and shall take away and cut off the climbing shoots,
and shall leave them with the birds of heaven and with the
beasts of the earth. And the birds of heaven shall be called
upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall come upon
him. In that time shall gifts be brought up to the Lord
of Sabaoth from a people galled and plucked, and from a
people great from now¹ to the end of time, a nation hopeful
and downtrodden, that is in the quarter of the river of his
country, into the place where is the name of the Lord of
Sabaoth, Mount Zion.
2
3
5
1
27. As a further introduction to the succeeding visions
let us consider the following impressive utterance from the
Old Testament Scriptures.
The birds of heaven appear to symbolise the Angels of God. The beasts
of the earth the devil, who goes about like a lion in search of prey, and his
congenial and subject spirits.
2 Them, him. The subjects of these pronouns are not clear, but the
difference in number appears to show that they are not identical. Possibly it
may refer to the wars at the end of the last century and the beginning of this,
in which case the birds may stand for the spirits of disorder which prevailed in
Europe to stir up all the kingdoms of the earth against Britain.
3 Galled and plucked. See previous note on hopeless and down-
trodden."
((
The date of this prophecy is given in A.V. as about B.C. 714, i.e. about
years before the vision of Daniel related in chapters x., xi., xii., apparently
by the Archon of the Anglo-Saxons.
180
6 (7
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth." See the Te Deum as
appointed for use daily in Morning Prayer by the Church of England.
233
A WORD OF THE LORD THAT CAME TO JOEL, SON
OF BETHUEL.¹
HEAR THESE THINGS YE PRINCES, AND GIVE EAR ALL
YE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH. Have such things befallen
in your days, or in the days of your fathers?
Therefore set them out in detail to your children, and
your children to their children, and their children to another
generation.
That which the caterpillar left the winged locust devoured,
and what the winged locust left the wingless variety
devoured, and what the wingless locust left the mildew
devoured.2
WAKE FROM YOUR LETHARGY, ye who are drunken from
their wine, and weep. Sing a dirge, all ye who drink wine
to intoxication, for heart-easing mirth and joy are taken
away from your mouth. For a strong and countless nation is
gone up upon my land. His teeth lions' teeth, and his
molars those of a lion's whelp. He appointed my vine to
1 Joel. He that wills, or commands, or swears. (Cruden). A type of the
Apostleship, the spiritual ruler. Bethuel.-Filiation of God. (Cruden).
2 The caterpillar denotes the first manifestation of the destroyer when
hatched from the egg, typical of the spirit of insubordination seen in the
rejection of Apostolic rule under the first seal.
The winged locust. Evil spirits which, in the absence of Apostolic rule,
under the second seal, found entrance into the Church and simulating pro-
phetic power, or discernment and rule in the Chief-Pastors now at the head of
the Church, proceeded to devour what spiritual life was left.
The wingless locust followed under the third scal in the same course of
destruction.
The mildew succeeded under the fourth seal, causing the decay of spiritual
life-not only in Protestanism, but in the whole Church.
3 Their wine, which is the enemy's substitute for the true wine of the king-
dom, with which Babylon has filled her golden cup. See Rev. xvii.
· εὐφροσύνη.
"But hail, thou goddess fair and free
In heaven y-cleped Euprosyné,
And by men Heart-easing Mirth."- Milton's "L'Allegro."
234
destruction, and my fig-tree to be broken down. He sought
it out thoroughly, and cast it down, and wilted its¹ shoots.
2
Make lamentATION TO ME on behalf of the bride, who
is girt with sack-cloth over her virgin-husband. Sacrifice
and drink-offering are taken away out of the House of the
Lord. Mourn, ye priests, who minister" at the altar of the
Lord; for the fields are distressed. Let the earth mourn, for
corn is afflicted, wine is dried up, oil is diminished. Lament,
ye stores, for the wheat and the barley, because the fruits of
the earth are destroyed from the field. The vine is dried up,
the figs are diminished. The pomegranate, and date-palm,
and apple, and all the trees of the field are parched; for the
sons of men have marred joy.
GIRD YOURSELVES AND WAIL, ye priests. Lament ye
who minister at the altar. Go in, sleep in sack-cloth, ye who
minister to God; for sacrifice and drink-offering are kept
away from the House of your God.
1 ¿λeúkave. He made it white.
2 The virgin-daughter of Zion "is left behind like a shelter in a vineyard,
and, like the hut of a garden-watcher in a melon-plot, like a besieged city; and
if the Lord of Sabaoth had not left us a seed, we should have become as Sodom,
and should have been made like Gomorrha." Isaiah i. 8, 9 (LXX.) See also
Isaiah lii.
3 XEITOUρyéw. At Athens to serve expensive public offices at one's own cost.
N.T. and Eccl., to minister as a priest.
+ Compare the warning utterance to the rulers of the Church under the
third seal. "A quart of wheat for eight-pence, and three quarts of barley
for eight-pence; and be not unjust in regard to the oil and the wine.”
5 µñλov. An apple, or generally, any tree-fruit.
6 aioxúvw, to make ugly, disfigure, mar.
7 How many, who claim to be Christians, are found denying that we have
an altar and sacrifice, in spite of the plain words of Scripture. Heb. xiii, 10.
WE HAVE AN ALTAR, from which it is not theirs to eat who serve the tabernacle.
So the word translated sacrifice occurs in Heb. xiii. 15. "Through him there-
fore let us bring up our sacrifice of praise continually to God; that is, the
fruit of our lips when we unite in the praise of His Name."
The communion service of the Church of England appears deliberately
235
CONSECRATE A FAST, PROCLAIM WORSHIP. Assemble
the princes and all who dwell on the earth into the house of
your God, and cry to the Lord assiduously. Ah me¹! Ah me!!
Ah me!!! that day, for it is near, the Day of the Lord; and
it shall come as affliction out of affliction. Before your eyes
meats are utterly destroyed out of the House of God, namely,
mirth and joy.2
Treasures dis-
Since corn is
The steers leaped at their mangers.3
appeared. The wine-presses were levelled off.
dried up what shall we put by for ourselves? The herds of
oxen wept because there was no pasture for them, and the
flocks of sheep disappeared. To Thee, O Lord, will I cry,
for fire has consumed the harvest of the wilderness, and flame.
has burned all the trees of the field. And the cattle of the
arranged for the bare necessities of spiritual life, for providing in circum-
stances of great difficulty for the feeding of the flock with the bread of ever-
lasting life and the cup of eternal salvation. This is good so far as it goes,
and may be taken as all that the best efforts of the Reformers could do. But
how long are we go on robbing our God of His meed of praise and thanks-
giving, the holy and unbloody sacrifice which He has appointed to be offered
in His house P He feeds us most graciously. When shall we bring the due
return-namely, His sacrifice and drink-offering, which He condescends to
desire at our hands?
1
Otuo. An exclamation of strong emotion, for which it is difficult to find
an English equivalent. John Bull is given to suffer in silence.
2 Mirth and joy are the meats which should abound in God's House. The
dulness of the British Sunday or Sabbath is proverbial, especially in Scotland,
and suits the taste of the nation, who thus bear witness to the absence of what
they yet have no idea how to recover. When they shall bring God His
sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving He will make mirth and joy to abound
in His House, i.e. in us, for we are His Temple (1 Cor. iii. 16), or rather His
shrine, for vaòs is not synonymous with iepóv.
3 The steers leaped at their mangers
The herds of oxen wept. Do
not these words express the unrest which prevails in Britain, the sense of
need, while yet we know not what ?
The flocks of sheep disappeared. Surely our pastors can tell us what this
means.
•
3
236
plain looked up to Thee, for the rills of water were dried up,
and fire devoured the harvest of the wilderness.
SOUND THE TRUMPET IN ZION, MAKE PROCLAMATION
IN MY HOLY MOUNTAIN, and let all the inhabitants of the
earth¹ be confounded, for the Day of the Lord is at hand,
because a day is near of darkness and gloom, a day of cloud
and mist. Like a dawn shall be poured upon the mountains.
a people numerous and strong; its like has not been from
the beginning, and after it shall none be added for years, for
generations of generations. Before it a devouring fire, and
after it a kindling flame. Like a garden of delights is the
land before His face, and behind Him a waste of destruction,
and there is none who can save himself from Him.2
As the appearance of horses is their appearance, and, like
horsemen, so shall they hunt down their prey. Like a sound
of chariots shall they leap forth on to the tops of the moun-
tains; and, like the sound of a flame devouring straw; and,
like a people many and strong drawn up for battle. Before
His face peoples shall be crushed, every face is like a
the
1 It must not be forgotten that THE inhabitants of the earth are not men,
but another race altogether, who desire men's society, and would draw them
away from the worship of their God. These delight in the death of men and
-or rather Government
their estrangement fro n God. "But OUR conversation
as we speak of the British Government, the Indian Government, the Local
Government-is in heaven, whence also we expect a Saviour, the Lord Jesus
Christ." Meanwhile we are strangers aad pilgrims on the earth. Yet since
we do dwell on the earth, if only as strangers and pilgrims, this word has a
The word translated confounded, means like that by which it
message for us.
is rendered, poured together (Latin con-fundo). At the sound of the trumpet,
therefore, let the citizens of the heavenly city be poured together like
soldiers on hearing the bugle call the Assembly.
2 Let all who are on God's side remember that this is spoken against their
The following
enemies, the Prince of the power of the air and his crew.
description is to be understood of the Lord's horses-see preceding remarks
on the symbol of the HORSE-hunting out the horses of the enemy from their
quarters in mankind.
237
1
red-hot pot. Like warriors shall they run, and like fighting
men shall they climb upon the walls; and each shall go in
his road,¹ and they shall not turn aside their paths, and none
shall fail his brother. Weighed down in their weapons shall
they go, and in their bolts shall they fall, and they shall not
be exhausted. They shall seize the city, and run upon the
walls, and climb into the houses, and go in through the
windows like thieves. Before their face the earth shall be
confounded, and the heaven shall be shaken. The sun and
the moon shall be darkened together, and the stars shall
withdraw their shining. And the Lord shall utter His voice
before the face of His force, for His encampment is exceed-
ing great, for strong are the works of His words. Because
Great is the Day of the Lord, exceeding manifest, and who
is sufficient4 for it?
3
And now, saith the Lord your God: Turn to ME with all
your heart, and in fasting and in weeping, and in lamenta-
tion; and rend your hearts and not your clothes, and turn to
the Lord your God, for He is merciful and compassionate,
long-suffering and full of pity, and repentant over the
evils. Who knows if He will turn and repent, and leave
behind Him blessing, both sacrifice and drink-offering, for
The Lord your God.
SOUND THE TRUMPET IN ZION. CONSECRATE A FAST.
PROCLAIM WORSHIP. ASSEMBLE THE PEOPLE. HALLOW
1 They shall clear the Lord's roads of robbers and footpads, and keep them
clear for foot passengers and defenceless people.
The meaning here is obscure, but the things described are spiritual.
When we attain to fuller knowledge we shall doubtless see its appropriateness,
or where the translation is defective.
3 Súvaμis. Force, appears to be used here as we use it of a host or army.
4 ikavós, becoming, befitting. Of persons, sufficient, able, strong, or skilful
enough for a thing, or to do a thing.
"See previous translation of Zech. i.
238
1
AN ASSEMBLY. CHOOSE OUT PRINCES. COLLECT THE
INFANTS THAT SUCK THE BREASTS. Let the bridegroom
come forth from his sleeping-room, and the bride from her
chamber. Between the threshold and the altar shall weep
the priests, who minister to the Lord, and they shall say:
Spare, O Lord, Thy people, and give not Thine
inheritance into reproach, for the nations to begin upon
them; that they say not among the nations: WHERE IS
THEIR GOD? And the Lord vied with His land, and spared
His people; and the Lord answered and said to His people:
Behold I will send forth to you the corn, and the wine,
and the oil and you shall be satisfied with them; and I
will not give you any more into contempt among the
nations. And him from the North will I chase away from
you, and I will drive him out into a waterless land. And I
¹ Compare Isaiah xxviii. 9-11. At our best estate we are but infants while
we remain in mortal flesh. Those who recognise this, and have the humility
to behave like babes and cry till they are fed, can alone learn as they should.
Compare the following from St. Peter: 1 Pet. ii. 1-3, "Therefore put aside
every defect and every deceit, and all make-believe and envy, and slander
of every kind, and yearn like babes just born after the guileless milk of the
word, that in it you may grow into safety-if, that is, you have tasted that
the Lord is good."
2 And he (Moses) said to the people: Prepare yourselves three days.
Go not near a woman. Ex. xix. 15.
(LXX.)
3 Let Britain be warned in time. She has a glorious place in the world
which is the envy of all. God has given it to her, and He would give her
much greater things if she would take Him for Her God indeed.
4 Snλów, to rival, vie with, emulate. Let men need God, and confess it, as a
babe does when it is hungry, and He will not fail to supply their need, any
more than a mother will her sucking child. See Isaiah xlix. 15.
5 Compare Matt. xii. 43. 'When the unclean spirit goes out of the man,
he goes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it." Observe
this. The unclean spirit desires to dwell in God's chosen dwelling place,
which is man. Not only so, but when cast out by the power of God he is
like a man in a waterless desert, and compelled like him to seek some abode.
The destruction of the Gadarene swine may be attributed to the rage of the
devils at being cast out of the man or men and compelled to take refuge in
these unclean animals.
239
*.
will drown his van in the foremost sea, and his rear-guard
in the nether sea.¹ And his stink shall go up, and his roars
shall go up, because he made great his works. BE OF GOOD
CHEER? O! EARTH, REJOICE AND BE GLAD, FOR THE Lord
HATH STRENGTHENED HIMSELF TO ACT. Be of good cheer
ye cattle of the plain, for the plains of the wilderness have
sprouted; for the tree yielded his fruit, the fig-tree and the
vine gave their strength.
And ye children of Zion, rejoice and make mirth to the
Lord your God, for He gave you your meat unto righteousness.
And I will send you the morning rain and the evening
rain as before, and the threshing-floors shall be full of corn,
and the presses shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will
repay you for the years devoured by the winged locust, and
the wingless locust, and the mildew, and the caterpillar, My
great force which I sent forth among you; and you shall eat
at will and be satisfied, and shall praise the Name of the
Lord your God for the marvellous dealings which He has
had with you, and My People shall not be ashamed for ever.
And you shall recognise that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I am the Lord your God, and there is none beside
Me; and My People shall not be ashamed any more for ever.
And it shall be, after these things, I will pour out of My
Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons shall prophesy, and your
¹ Or in the last sea, as his van is drowned in the first sea. Considering
the whole context it appears that the first sea may mean the abyss (which
seems to be identical with Hades) into which the devils desired not to be
sent (Lc. viii. 31), and in which the Devil will be imprisoned during the
interval between the first and the general resurrections; and the last sea the
lake of fire. See Rev. xx.
2 The prophet's answer to the Lord's comfortable words.
3 els vuas. Rather into you. The Prince of the power of the air being
expelled from his dwelling place in the children of men, The True King shall
240
}
daughters; and your Princes¹ shall dream dreams, and your
young men shall see visions. And upon my slaves, and upon
my handmaids in those days will I pour out of My Spirit;
and will give signs in heaven and upon the earth, blood, and
fire, and vapour of smoke. The Sun shall be changed into
darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the
great day of the Lord, and its manifestation. And it shall be
that every one upon whom the NAME OF THE LORD
is invoked shall be saved. For in The Mount Zion¹ shall be
a Deliverer, as The Lord said, and Messengers of good
tidings whom The Lord has called to Himself.
For lo!, in those days, and in that time when I shall
turn the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, will also bring
together all the nations, and will lead them down into the
valley of Jehoshaphat, and will come to a decision with them
there on behalf of My people, and of My inheritance Israel,
who were scattered among the nations. And they distributed
5
dwell in the land and all His Princes; like Richard Cœur de Lion returning
from Palestine and ousting that worthless usurper John.
1 ¹ Or Elders, old men; but always with the collateral idea of dignity and
veneration.
* See the meaning of these signs under the sixth seal. The signs that
then occurred sufficed to warn some, represented by the Philadelphian
Church, the practical virgins that brought a good supply of oil. Their silly
sisters, unwarned by these acts of the Lord, may expect to find their oil failing
just at the critical moment, and so they will be shut out into the outer dark-
ness of The Great Tribulation.
3 RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST, in the Name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
God the Father Almighty confirm and perfect thee; seal thee with the seal
and signet of the Lord; and anoint thee with the ointment of salvation, unto
eternal life. (Extracted from THE ORDER for the Laying on of Apostles'
Hands, as set forth in the Liturgy in use in the English Churches under
Apostles.)
4 See the concluding words of the last translation.
h
Jehoshaphat. God judges, or, the judgment of the Lord. (Cruden.)
241
My land among themselves, and cast lots over My people,
and gave the little boys to harlots, and sold the little wenches
for wine and drink. And what are YOU to Me, O! Tyre
and Sidon, and all Galilee of the aliens? Can YOU make any
return to ME? Or will it pain Me if you bear a grudge
against me? Nay! I will repay quickly upon your heads
your reward, because you took my silver and my gold, and
carried into your shrines my choice and beautiful things.
And you bartered away the sons of Judah, and the sons of
Jerusalem, to the sons of the Greeks,' that you might clear
them out of their boundaries. And, lo! I arouse them out of
the place whither you sold them, and I will repay upon your
heads your reward. And I will barter away your sons and
your daughters into the hands of the sons of Judah, and they
shall barter them away into captivity to a nation far distant,
for the Lord hath spoken it.
PROCLAIM THESE THINGS AMONG THE NATIONS. HAL-
AROUSE THE WARRIORS. Draw near and go
Forge your ploughs into swords and
all ye men of war.
up
your sickles into probes.
Let the invalid say, I am strong.
Assemble yourselves and go in, all ye nations from all
sides, and be gathered together there. Let the meek man
LOW A WAR.
1
ἔκτρωμα
Apparently referring to the abortive Apostleship to the Southern races.
See 1 Cor. xv. 8. čктршμα = a child untimely born, an abortion. This should
warn us, if we need further warning, to beware of the deficiencies which
resulted in all the Western Churches, as seen among other things in the
defective translations of the Scriptures in the Vulgate and all modern transla.
tions, which follow it more or less, although the A.V. avoids some of its errors.
It would appear that the Septuagint was provided in God's providence to
stand beside the Greek N.T. Scriptures in the first place for the Greek-speaking
races, and afterwards for the rest of the Gentile Church.
2 σeipoμάorns. Strictly a pit-searcher; a sort of probe or gauge with which
the tax-gatherer searched corn-pits. In war used to probe the ground in
search of pitfalls. The pitfalls of the slanderer are to be probed.
242
be a warrior. Let them arouse themselves and go up, all the
nations, into the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there will I sit to
judge all the nations from all sides.
Send forth sickles, for the harvest time is at hand. Go in
and tread, for the winepress is full. Let the vats¹ overflow,
for their wickednesses are come to the full.
Cries have burst forth in the valley of order for the Day
of the Lord is near in the valley of order.
The Sun and the Moon shall be darkened together, and
the Stars shall withdraw their shining. But the Lord shall
shout aloud from Zion, and from Jerusalem shall He utter
His voice, and the heaven and the earth shall be shaken.
But the Lord shall spare His people, and shall infuse³ strength
into the sons of Israel. AND YOU SHALL RECOGNISE THAT
THE LORD AM YOUR GOD WHO AM ENCAMPED IN
SION IN THE HOLY MOUNT. And Jerusalem shall be holy,
and aliens shall not go through her any more.
And it shall be in that day, the mountains shall distil
sweetness, and the hills shall gush milk, and all the rills of
Judah shall gush waters, and a spring shall go forth out of
the House of the Lord, and shall water the winter-torrent¹
of the rushes. Egypt shall be destroyed, and Idumœa shall
become a plain of destruction, through the wrongs of the
¹ úπоλývιov. A vessel placed under a press to receive the wine or oil.
2 Tĥs Slins. Perhaps better rendered quite literally of the right. But,
as in early times, right was thought to rest upon usage, the original sense of
8lkn was custom, usage. Homer uses the singular generally of propriety, a
thing held in great esteem in Britain.
"And
3 EvIO XúW. To strengthen. The same word occurs in Dan. x. 18.
as it were a vision of a man came to my assistance, and grasped me and
strengthened (¿vloxvoe) me.” See previous translation.
Xeµáppoos. Winter-flowing. Here it is apparently used to indicate a
torrent-bed, which is dry in summer but runs in winter, no inapt symbol of
the British Nation, that requires severe adversity before it will exert itself.
4
243
1
sons of Judah, because they poured out righteous blood in
their land. But Judah shall be inhabited for ever, and Jeru-
salem to generations of generations. And I will search out
their blood, and will not let it go unpunished, and the Lord
shall encamp in Sion.
SARA
28. Returning now to the Apocalypse of St. John and
the events following upon the opening of the seventh seal,
it will be seen that Britain is now the land of God's special
choice, in which, if it turn not aside like Judah¹ and Jerusalem
after the flesh, He purposes to work mightily. We shall
not, therefore, be far wrong if we conclude that "the seven
angels who stood before God's face" in the vision, fore-
shadowed, on the heavenly stage seen by St. John, the Angels
of the seven Churches under Apostles in London.
What follows demands careful attention. "Another
angel came and was placed at the altar of incense, and he
had a golden censer." Note that he does not use this censer.
The Greek is ἔχων λιβανωτὸν χρυσοῦν, which taken literally
would rather mean "having golden frankincense." If this
be the meaning then verse 5 would read, "And the Angel
took the frankincense, and filled it from the fire of the altar,
and cast it into the earth." In any case it must be noted
that the censer-if censer it be-is not such as was used
under the law, but rather something like the modern censer.
It would appear therefore that this golden censer was a
3
2
1
¹ On referring to the list of the sealed in Chapter vii., it will be seen that
Judah heads the list of the tribes.
θυσιαστήριον,
* The Greek has simply Ovotaorpiov, which is used in the Septuagint both
of the brasen altar and the golden altar, but it is evident from the context that
the golden altar is here meant.
"On the Day of Atonement Aaron used a chafing-dish (πupeîov); and the
daily offerings of incense were offered, as here, on the golden altar.
244
special privilege of this Angel, accorded him by the favour
of the Almighty. And because he delights in its use he is
now chosen to act as acolyte or assistant to the One Angel
and Mediator of the New Covenant, and stand at The Golden
Altar itself.
Being placed there, much incense is given to him, which
he offers in the prayers of all the saints upon the golden
altar. "And the smoke of the incense in the prayers of the
saints went up out of the angel's hand before God."
Observe that the angel makes no further use of his censer.
On the contrary, he appears to find it an encumbrance
during his ministration at the altar, or perhaps he thinks that
others may use what can no longer be of service to himself.
So he fills it from the altar, ready for use, and casts it into
the earth. This does not of course stop his ministrations at
the altar, rather he is left more free to attend to his duties
there. The earth is the symbol of the classes, as contrasted
with the masses typified by the sea. The signs which follow
the casting down of the censer are to be understood therefore
as developed in the spiritual atmosphere of the earth; and
the earthquake, among the rulers and great men of the earth.
29. The seven angels now prepare to sound, and we
appear to arrive at the Laodicean period during which the
Lord stands at the door and knocks. For those who know
His voice, and long for His appearing, what a joyful time!
How full alike of fear and holy joy! But for those who do
not love Him truly, nor desire His presence, what a time of
heart-searchings and conscience-stricken terror! It seems
probable that the period of the seven trumpets may be
1 The prayers of the saints are typified by golden bowls, see previously in
par. 14.
245
identical with the "one hebdomad" mentioned so myste-
riously in Dan. ix. 27 (see previous translation) in the midst
of which the Lord's sacrifice and drink-offering shall be set
in order, or lifted up.¹
Before considering them in detail it may be well to remark
that the way in which any event affects us depends entirely
upon our own position or attitude. Thus, if the rich
man (Lc. xii. 13-21), instead of congratulating himself on
his earthly possessions had felt them as an encumbrance; if
he had regarded them as a trust from God to be used in His
service, and felt anxious as to what he should do with so
much abundance beyond his own needs, how different, then,
would have sounded God's message: "Thou fool! this night
shall thy soul be required of thee." So in the present case
it appears possible that what to those whose home and
government is in heaven had the appearance of a censer full
of live coals, and ready for use in God's service, might appear
to dwellers on the earth like a plague of fire mingled in blood.
It must be remembered that this is the Laodicean period,
when the Church is neither cold nor hot, but tepid, and the
events under the first three trumpets appear designed to
bring them to the boiling point, and if they are walking with
God the fire will doubtless be welcome as to a man half-
frozen. To others, however, who are hot enough in their own
esteem, this additional heat will appear neither necessary nor
agreeable.
AN
1 There appears here to be multifold mystery. àponoeraι, if derived from
apaplona, would mean shall be organised. If from atpw it would be shall be
lifted up. The elevation of the consecrated bread and wine is a proper and
becoming rite in the worship of God, which has been largely discredited in
England because associated with the erroneous doctrine of transubstantiation ;
and this may well be alluded to here, though it probably does not exhaust the
meaning.
I.
246
30. THE FIRST TRUMPET is followed by a plague of
fire mingled in blood, the possible meaning of which has
been already considered. Now, if never before, is the time
for the English Church to consider whether her yearly Com-
mination service and Lenten fast are realities or merely
shams. Whether she really desires the restoration of the
ancient discipline, or whether the "Denouncing of God's
anger and judgments against sinners," appointed by Her
for use on Ash Wednesday, is merely a pompous way of
saying, God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men
are!"
1
""
The plague affects the earth, i.e. the rulers in Church and
State. "And the third part of the earth was burned." This
would appear to mean that two-thirds welcome the heavenly
fire with its gracious warmth, while to the remaining third it
is like devouring fire. The trees would stand for the
Monarchs of Christendom. The "young grass" is more
difficult to explain, beyond the remark that "All flesh is
grass." Young grass, then, in a spiritual sense would seem
to mean those whose spiritual life is immature, i.e. who have
not attained that poverty of spirit and humility of heart
necessary to enable them to know that they are wretched,
and pitiable, and poor, and blind, and naked, and to take the
the Lord's counsel to buy gold from Him and other things
which He offers to supply their need.
I
}
31. THE SECOND TRUMPET ushers in a further stage of
the same work. The "great mountain burning with fire"
would seem to symbolise those who have been brought to the
boiling point under the first trumpet. Now comes the time
¹ See opening exhortation of the Commination Service.
247
of the masses. Are they shivering with cold? They shall
be warmed. Are they burning with zeal for God? They
shall discern, and rejoice in His work. But if they are
satisfied with what they have and only ask to go on in the
old way—eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage—let
them beware, for on such the Lord's coming will be like the
Cataclysm which overwhelmed all things in the days of Noah.
"The third part of the sea became blood." Following
the line of interpretation already adopted, it would appear
that two-thirds of the spiritual life of the masses is benefited
by being raised to the boiling point. The remaining third
cannot stand the fiery test and degenerates into mere natural
life, typified by the blood.
The "colonies in the sea" appear to refer to spiritual
organisms among the masses, such as the numerous sects of
the Church. Of these the mere human organisms perish,
while those that have real spiritual life, and are able to
discern and accept the workings of the Lord for the purifi-
cation of His Church, are not only unhurt, but filled with
spiritual life and light.
Similarly the ships typify human institutions which sail
the seas.
The figures of the Church as a ship and of the
1
1 Who delight in such hymns as the following Hymns Ancient and
Modern :-
KAMA MË
170. Thy will be done.
176. Far from my Heavenly home.
179. Jesu, lover of my soul.
185. How sweet the name of Jesus
sounds.
195. To Christ, the Prince of Peace.
2 All that is said here is put forward with much diffidence. Truth has
many sides, and prophecy many interpretations. So much must depend on
the standpoint of the observer. The writer can only hope that his remarks
may be helpful to some.
200. Nearer my God to Thee.
299. Art thou weary?
310. As pants the hart.
317. I heard the voice of Jesus say.
325. Hark! hark, my soul.
327. When wounded sore.
248
}
State as a ship are well known and used. There are many
others which seem to be pointed at here; human benevolent
associations for mutual benefit or the rescue of the poor and
oppressed. Such are trades unions and philanthropic associa-
tions, conspicuous among which appears to be the so-called
"Salvation Army." A third part of these are unable to
accommodate themselves to the new conditions and are
disabled in consequence.
32. AT THE SOUNDING OF THE THIRD TRUMPET the
rivers and springs of the waters are smitten. These appear
to typify the streams of thought at which men are wont to
drink, the popular preachers, writers, and speakers, in
religion, in science, in politics, and in all the literature and
oratory of the day.
The great star, burning like a torch, appears to symbolise
some prominent teacher burning with spiritual life and zeal,
through whose speech and teaching men come to discern that
much of the current literature is absolutely devoid of all
testimony to God and reverence for Him, and therefore quite
incapable of satisfying their spiritual needs.¹ To those who
rejoiced in that literature, to whom religion is a kill-joy, this
revival of spiritual life will appear joyless indeed. "And
many men died of the waters because they were made bitter,"
probably to be understood by the saying of Our Lord in the
days of His flesh: "This is the condemnation, that light is
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light."
1 "Heaven was beside itself at this, and shuddered exceedingly, saith the
Lord, because My People wrought two evil things more. They forsook Me,
the Spring of Water of Life—and they threw up broken reservoirs that can-
not hold water.”—Jerem. ii. 12, 13.
249
33. THE SIGNS WHICH FOLLOW THE SOUNDING OF THE
FOURTH TRUMPET, are difficult of interpretation. They are
are very significant in themselves, and are followed by a most
impressive utterance by an eagle flying in mid-air, i.e. by a
mighty prophet, and this confirms an interpretation which
appears to be indicated in several ways. What may the
darkening of the third part of the sun, moon, and stars mean?
It evidently indicates the darkening of part of the lights
of the spiritual firmament. But these do not fall to earth like
the untimely figs shaken down by the great squall of wind
under the Sixth Seal.
All that is stated of them is, that they are smitten so
that the third part of them might be darkened, i.e. might
cease to be seen on the earth. Let us take a hint from a
modern poet, justly held in great esteem by many ; I mean
Robert Browning's dramatic romance,
from
entitled
WARING.
What's become of Waring
Since he gave us all the slip,
Chose land travel or seafaring
Boots and chest or staff and scrip,
Rather than pace up and down
Any longer London town?
*
*
Ichabod, Ichabod,
The glory is departed!
Travels Waring East away?
Who, of knowledge, by hearsay,
Reports a man upstarted
Somewhere as a god?
*
*
250
↓
((
So I saw last
You? O never star
"1
Of Waring!
Was lost here but it rose afar!
Look East, where whole new thousands are!
In Vishnu-land what Avatar ?
So we may ask: If such lights disappear from the
Spiritual firmament, where do they reappear? There seems
to be only one answer. We have here, under another form,
the event described by St. Paul, in the following words
(1 Thess. iv. 15-17):-"This we say to you in the word of
the Lord, that we, the living, who are left till the arrival of
the Lord, shall in no wise precede those who sleep. For
the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven amid shouting,
with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trumpet of
God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we, the
living, who remain, shall be caught away together with them
in clouds, to a meeting with the Lord, into the air; and thus
we shall be ever with the Lord."
1
If, as before hinted, these seven trumpets are identical
with the "one hebdomad" of Dan. ix. 27, then the removal of
the firstlings, of the 144,000 sealed from the Philadelphian
Church (see chap. vii. and chap. xiv.), may be what is intended
when the Almighty says: "In the midst of the hebdomad My
sacrifice and drink-offering shall be lifted up." This view is
further confirmed by the subsequent vision of the eagle flying
in mid-air with his proclamation of WOE! on them that dwell
on the earth. For an eagle is symbolic of prophetic utterance,
and he is seen in mid-air, i.e. in the very place where, if this
interpretation be correct, the saints shall then be; while the
removal of the first-fruits, i.e. of all who have given ear to
¹ See paragraph 29,
251
the Lord's warnings and provided themselves adequately
with oil before His arrival, cannot fail to be followed by
terrible trouble on those who remain, even if their fault be
nothing greater than carelessness, whereby they had to go
off to get oil just when they should have been meeting the
Bridegroom.
34. AND THE FIFTH ANGEL SOUNDED.
The events which follow may be best appreciated by con-
sidering what happened in 1848,¹ when a preliminary fulfil-
ment occurred. The time alone can show who will be the
personal actors in the still future fulfilment.
A star fallen out of heaven into the earth would mean a
bishop of the Church who has become a temporal potentate,
just as the Pope of Rome was in 1848. Then the key of the
well-mouth of the abyss was given him. The Communists
sought the sanction of Holy Church. The spirits of disorder,
typified by the winds of the earth, sought the help of this
fallen angel, and he listened to them and blessed the
banners of the Communists.
2
J
The result was another terrible shock of the spiritual earth-
quake, another blast of the winds of the earth. By the
sanction thus given to them the doctrines of the disorderly
anarchists gained terrible power, not only amongst the
members of the Roman communion, but throughout Chris-
tendom, and darkened the sun and the air of the spiritual
heavens like a great smoke.
1 Apparently yet another instance, like the French Revolution, of abortive
action among the Southern races leading the way to the larger fulfilment of
what has yet to take place among the Anglo-Saxon races, among whom good
and evil alike appear destined to come to the full.
2 "A priest's lips shall guard knowledge, and from his mouth shall they
look for law, because he is an angel of the Lord, the Almighty." Mal. ii. 7.
See previous translation.
252
The locusts were of the winged variety (see v. 9), and
represent deceiving spirits, subjects of the Prince of the
power of the air. Scorpions of the earth appear to represent
the evil spirits which commonly torment men by stirring up
evil passions of anger, hatred, &c., in their hearts.
"And they were told not to injure the grass of the earth,
nor any young green thing." Here apparently typical of
mankind in his spiritual aspect, i.e. the baptised at large.
"Nor any tree." The locusts were not permitted to devour
the monarchs of Christendom, the winds were still restrained,
by the power of the four Angels set for that purpose, and
were not permitted to uproot the trees.
"But only those men who have not the seal of God on
their foreheads." The baptised at large being symbolised
by the grass, the MEN here appear to stand for those of full
age, the leaders in politics and religion; Men (as opposed to
children) having other than personal and local interests;
upon these had fallen in 1848 the responsibility of acknow-
ledging and receiving the Lord's work through His restored
Apostleship, and they had not done so, nor received His seal
in their foreheads. Let them beware the sounding of the
fifth trumpet.
The probable meaning of the sign of the scorpion has
already been commented on. That of "Death" should not
be difficult to understand.
35. "And these images of locusts": Or rather "The
images, or likenesses (ópolopa=that which is made like) of
locusts." The locusts had outward and visible signs or
forms, bodies or organisations of men acting by their inspira-
tion. And these organisations were like horses equipped for
war; we know how the Communists, pétroleurs, Nihilists,
253
et hoc genus omne, threatened war upon all authorities with
dynamite outrages, bombs, petroleum, &c. &c.
"And upon their heads as it were crowns like gold;
i.e. not crowns but shams; like gold, z.e. simulating truth.
The meaning can best be understood by an example. Parnell
was such a head and was commonly known as the uncrowned
king of Ireland, his shadow of a crown being the simulation
of patriotism and zeal for his country. "Their faces like
men's faces;" they simulated human virtues while their real
objects were those of fiends. "And they had hair as the
hair of women;" A Spanish proverb says "A woman's hair
draws harder than a yoke of oxen." These simulate distress
and weakness only to deceive those who have pity on them.
"And their teeth as the teeth of lions;
"" as seen in the
massacre in Dublin by the Irish Anarchists, and the many
attempts on the life of sovereigns. Breast-plates." The
true spiritual breast-plate is that of Faith and Love
(1 Thess. v. 8), or of their outward manifestation, Righteous-
ness (Eph. vi. 14). These resemble iron breast-plates, i.e.
not spiritual but fleshly weapons, yet observe that they are
mere shams, like the whole equipment of these images of
locusts. The locusts themselves have no power against those
who are clad in the spiritual panoply (see Eph. vi. 10-20),
and their power is best symbolised in the vision of the ephah
(Zech. v. 5-11), by the feeble hoopoe's wings, filled with wind.
(See preceding translation.) The Devil is an arrant coward,
and flees from those who resist him.
((
""
"The sound of their wings" appears to show forth the
buzzing of these hornets in the press and elsewhere, threaten-
ing universal war with all the appliances now in use-the
"chariots of many horses."
-
254
'Tails like scorpions," i.e. evil spirits obedient to them
who rouse up the evil passions of men, and so torment them.
Their king is a man, for he is king of the images, or
outward forms, of the locusts; an angel not of the Lord but
of the Prince of the power of the air. He will doubtless be
sufficiently manifest in his time to those who desire to do
God's will. See Jno. vii. 17, Matt. vii. 17, Mc. vii. 17-23.
Lo! there come yet two woes
"The first woe is past.
more after these things."
36. THE SIXTH TRUMPET, like the opening of the Sixth
seal, ushers in a most momentous epoch. Upon its sounding
a voice proceeds from the four horns of the golden altar,
ordering the release of the angels of the four winds of the
earth, who were bound under the Sixth Seal by the order of
the Sealing Angel. (See chap. vii. 3.) These four angels
appear to form the riding-horse of the god of this world, his
simulation of the four Living ones of Jehovah. (See Rev. iv.)
Under them are 200,000,000 subject-horses for the horsemen
of the host of Antichrist. After what has been said of the
imagery under the Fifth Seal it will not be necessary to follow
the vision in detail. Fire, amethyst, brimstone-the enemy's
counterfeits of the spiritual gifts and endowments of The Holy
Ghost.
"The power of the horses is in their mouths and in their
tails." With their mouths they utter words of deceit and
threats, blaspheming God and terrifying men. (See chap.
xiii. 5-10.) With the stings of their tails they arouse the evil
passions of men to fury, and through them torment those who
have not obtained immunity from their attacks by the
Inspiration of God's Holy Spirit. The only other way of
escape is by the worship of the Beast and his Image.
255
"And the rest of the human race, who were not slain by
these plagues did not turn away from the works of their
hands," i.e. did not cease to trust in their own efforts to
effect deliverance for themselves.
"Nor forsake the worship of devils." The god of this
world always covets the worship of men, and those who
worship not Jehovah of necessity worship either devils or
themselves.
"Idols of gold," i.e. truth fashioned into an object of
worship by the hands of men, elevated into an idol instead
of being made into a testimony to the Living God.
"Idols of silver." Philanthropic schemes and systems
resting upon human efforts and agencies and set in the place
of God's Organisation, the Church Catholic, for blessing men.
"Idols of brass," systems of rule in spiritual strength
like the Roman Church, the "Salvation Army," Free-
masonry, &c.
"Idols of stone." Perhaps agnosticism and human
science studied without reference to the Living God.
"Idols of wood." Perhaps the school of Comte, of
"Ecce homo," and others who exalt Humanity.
So the crimes of which these are guilty are spiritual.
Murders," crimes of spiritual violence against those who
differ from them. "Drugs." Poisonous doctrines. "For-
nications." Intercourse with spirits, whereas Christians
should be filled with the Holy Ghost.
(4
"Therefore be not found silly¹ but understanding what is
the will of the Lord. And be not drunk with wine, in which
is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to your-
appwv, silly, demented. Latiné, amens, demens.
256
selves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody in your heart to the Lord." Eph. v. 17-19.
"Thefts." Stealing from God His due. See Mal. iii.
8-12. A.V. Observe that he who gives to the poor LENDS to
the Lord. But no honest man will venture to lend while he
has debts unpaid, and he who pays not to the Lord His
tenth is in this position. The Lord's tithe¹ is the first charge
on every man's income. See also Zech. v. 1-4.
The 144,000
37. The winds of the earth are now free.
have been sealed, and have disappeared from the face of the
earth to meet the Lord in the air. The Sealing Angel is
gone too, and angels of the four winds are released and
gather their hosts. What now can stay the power of the
god of this world?
But a respite is again ordained.
THE ARCHON OF THE ANGLO-SAXON RACE APPEARS,
descending from Heaven, with a little book open in his hand,
and roars with the voice of the British Lion.
The English now know their God. Like Job of old they
have learned to say: "I know that Thou canst do all things,
and that there is no impossibility with Thee. For who is he
that hides counsel from Thee, and abstaining from speech,
thinks that Thou concealest? Or who will declare to me
things I knew not, great things and wonderful, that I gave
no attention to?
"Hear me Oh! Lord, and let me too speak: I will ask of
Thee, and do Thou teach me. Before this I heard of Thy
氨
​1 Tithe is an institution dating from the very beginning of man's history.
We find Abraham paying tithes to Melchizedek, the Priest of the Most
High. It is an acknowledgment to the Almighty that all comes from Him,
and that we have nothing save as He gives.
2 England is the Judah of the Spiritual Israel. See Appendix.
257
fame with my ear; but
now my eye hath seen Thee.
Wherefore I held myself as naught and was melted; and I
accounted myself as earth and ashes."
What the Seven Thunders shall then utter it is of course
impossible to say, but it is important to note that they are
THE SEVEN THUNDERS (compare chap. iv. 5), and not
merely "seven thunders" as in A.V.
Then the Angel raises his right hand into heaven (com-
pare Dan. xii. 7), and swears by Him Who lives unto the
ages, whose days are æons, Who created heaven and all in it,
and the earth and all in it, and the sea and all in it, that there
shall be no more time, but in the days of the voice of the
seventh angel, when he is on the point of sounding, even then
is the mystery of God finished, according to His gracious
announcement to His slaves the prophets.
In the subsequent action St. John appears to represent
the Apostleship. Their work of sealing has been accom-
plished, they have been clothed upon with their house from
heaven, and are now like their Lord Himself in the interval
between His resurrection and His ascent into Heaven. And
like Him they have a work on earth to do before they take
the glory which is theirs. They are the leaders of those who
follow the Lamb whithersoever He leads them, to whom the
promise is given, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he who
trusts in Me, the works which I do shall he also do; and
greater things than these shall he do, for I am going to the
Father; and whatever you shall ask in My Name, that will I
do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Whatever
you shall ask in My Name I will bring it about.”—Jno. xiv.
12-14.
38. Accordingly, after eating the little book he is told:
258
"You must prophesy again, to peoples, and to nations and
tongues, and to many kings."
To understand the directions next given to St. John it
will be necessary to refer to the type in the Tabernacle of
the wilderness, and to the meaning of the Greek word vaós.
This is derived from valw, to dwell, and means, therefore, a
dwelling, house. In practice, however, it was only applied
to a dwelling of a god, and as a general term would,
therefore, include the whole of the Tabernacle proper, both
the Holy place, wherein were the Candlestick or rather Lamp-
stand, the Table of Shew-bread, and the Altar of Incense;
and also the Holy of Holies within the innermost veil, where
stood the Ark of the Covenant. It would not include the
outer court, which was open to the sky, and only fenced
round with a canvas wall.
vaós, however, was used also in a restricted sense for the
cell of a temple, the space where the image of the god was
placed, and would, therefore, be the right Greek word to use
in speaking of the Holy of Holies.
The more general word iepóv, which is used in Matt. xxi.
12, Mc. xi. 15, would include the whole Temple, and
indeed in the above passages appears to include outer
buildings not devoted to worship at all. Ovotaorýρiov means
a place of offering, an altar; and as the original meaning
of Oúw is that of offering or burning to the gods, not of
slaying a victim, Ovotaorpiov appears very applicable to the
Holy Place containing the golden altar, candlestick, and table
of shew-bread, in which sense it is undoubtedly used here,
for mention immediately follows of those who worship in it,
which would not be intelligible if the word were used in the
sense of an altar.
259
The direction then is to measure the shrine proper, i.e.
the Holy of Holies, and the Holy Place, and those who worship
in it-where it probably includes the whole of the shrine or
Tabernacle building.
We have next to inquire who are the worshippers who are
to be measured. At present the only Worshipper in the
Holiest of all is the Lord Himself, Our Great High Priest.
See Heb. vi. 19, 20; viii. 1, 2. Then there will be with Him
the 144,000 sealed from all the tribes of the Spiritual Israel.
See chap. xiv.
In the Holy Place, however, will be many who, although
not attentive before the removal of the first-fruits, have been
aroused by that event and have taken up the worship set in
order by Apostles in these days. These will doubtless, in
their urgent need, seize the censer which was cast into the
earth, and learn its use. These we may well hope will
include all God-fearing members of the Anglo-Saxon race and
many others, who have learned the true method of worship
proper for men on the earth, and practise it with zeal, if so be
that the power of the Enemy may be held in check.
Not only so but the nations at large, moved by these
strange occurrences, will come to learn in Britain' how the
Almighty should be worshipped, and to them the outer court
will be open, and they will tread it and observe and learn the
rites connected with it, but will not for the most part venture
further.
During this period power will be given to the two wit-
nesses, the signification of which has been a fruitful source of
To this time appears to belong the prophecy contained in Zech. viii.
Note in the last verse that mention is made of a Jew, that is a man of the
tribe of Judah.
(
sj.
260
conjecture, and all these conjectures, so far as they are in
accordance with the analogy of faith, will doubtless prove
correct. With the light now obtained, however, taken in
connection with the prophecy contained in Ezekiel xxxvii.
15-28, it seems impossible to avoid the conclusion that in
their largest sense they represent Britain and America.
Thus we have on the one stick JUDAH AND THE SONS OF
ISRAEL THAT BELONG TO HIM. Judah we know represents
England, while Benjamin closely associated with him corre-
sponds with Scotland. These together therefore correspond
to the kingdom of Judah which had Jerusalem for its Metro-
polis after the separation of the other ten tribes.
How many of the other lands of Christendom should be
included in the inscription on the second staff only time can
show, but America would certainly appear to be the modern
representative of Joseph, and the Irish and Germans are both
in no small degree associated with America as well as with
England.
((
They shall prophesy 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth,"
that is in mortal flesh, their brethren, the sealed, having been
removed from the earth, but doubtless being in communica-
tion with them and helping them.
39. Observe that the identification of these Two Wit-
nesses with Britain and the United States of America by no
means precludes other interpretations of the Sign. For
instance, it is probable that these witnesses in the larger
sense will be headed up by two individual men, and possible
that these shall be physically slain, and that their dead
bodies should lie in the streets of physical, material London.
The probability is, however, that the death spoken of is not
that of physical personal death, but of their death as wit-
261
nesses under the advancing power of the Beast. There are
three types which throw much light on the subject.
Ist. That of Elisha the prophet, upon whom the spirit
of Elijah rested in twofold power, after his
translation.
2nd. The five foolish virgins.
3rd. The 7,000 mentioned, i. Kings xix. 18. "All the
knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every
mouth which hath not kissed him."
In confirmation of the above observe that in verse 13 it
is written that "there were slain in the earthquake-not
men, but-Names of men seven thousand."
As regards I.
It should be observed that it is impossible.
to say how soon the sealing by the laying on of Apostles'
hands may cease, so that all practical virgins (see Matt. xxv.
2, in the original Greek) should look to their supply of oil
while yet there is time. Otherwise, as the time of Elijah's
translation approaches, they may be reduced at the last to a
sorrowful journey like that described in 2 Kings ii.
As regards 2. It should be observed that no reproach is
brought against the five who were shut out except that they
were fools, not practical like their sisters. Accordingly they
have to bear the penalty of their want of thought and care
by missing the Bridegroom.
As regards 3. It is to be hoped, however, that by this
mishap they will learn their folly, and declining to believe
that the Lord has deserted the earth, will hold fast their faith
and their virginity, and refuse to kiss Baal; and abiding in
the love of the brethren and keeping the word of Christ's
patience, vindicate their claim, as true members of the Phila-
Tak
262
delphian Church, to be kept from the hour of the trial, which
is about to come upon the whole inhabited world. For the
time of THE GREAT TRIBULATION is not yet.
They thus apparently form a second company of trans-
lated ones in accordance with the type of the Shulamite.
"What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the
company of two armies." Cant. vi. 13.
Note further, and most emphatically, that "the dwellers
on the earth" are the god of this world and his subordinate
spirits, and not men at all, save as they worship the god of
this world, and seek their portion in the earth, FOR MAN'S
INHERITANCE IS THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS.
To this agrees the proclamation of the Archon of the
Anglo-Saxon race, "that there shall be no more time, but in
the days of the voice of the Seventh Angel, when he is on the
point of sounding, even then is the mystery of God finished,
according to His gracious announcement to His slaves the
prophets.'
40.
The utterance of the great voices in heaven, which
follows the SOUNDING OF THE SEVENTH TRUMPET, is to be
understood by reference to 1 Cor. xii., where we learn that as
the body is one and has many members,¹ and all the members
of the body, being many, are one body; so also is The Christ.
This, then, is the Christ of Our Lord, Who is Lord indeed,
THE MYSTERY OF GOD, completed when the Seventh Angel
is on the point of sounding.
The utterance of the twenty-four Princes which follows
needs little comment. Those who destroy the earth, God's
1
¹ A beautiful play upon words seems unavoidably lost here in English.
μéλos means not only a limb, but also a song, strain of music, being apparently
connected with the English melody.
263
gift to man (Ps. cxv. 16), are our spiritual foes, with whom,
and not with flesh and blood, our contest is. (Eph. vi. 12.)
41. WE
WE NOW COME TO THE GREAT SIGN OF THE
BIRTH OF THE MAN-Child.
The Woman represents the true Church, composed of
God's faithful people throughout Christendom. Outwardly
obscure and lost to sight, they are yet in God's sight clothed
with the Sun, and stand before Him clad in the effulgent robe
of Christ's righteousness. Outwardly oppressed by Babylon,
the visible Church on earth, symbolised by the Moon, is in
God's sight under their feet. And on the head of God's
faithful people stands the glorious crown of the twelve-fold
Apostleship.
And she is crying out in the throes and pangs of the birth
of her first-born son, the glorious company of the 144,000
sealed from all her twelve tribes. This shows that the vision
represents, under another SIGN, the period of the sounding of
the seven trumpets.
THE GREAT FLAME-COLOURED DRAGON is of course the
primeval serpent who is called the Devil and Satan. His
seven heads and ten horns may be left for future considera-
tion in connection with the Angel's explanation in chap. xvii.
"His tail drags along the third part of the stars of
heaven" evidently corresponds with what has been said
concerning the events under the first two trumpets, which
act for the blessing of two-thirds of the baptised, while the
remaining third is destroyed, or as here they are drawn from
their heavenly standing and cast into the earth.
"He placed himself before the woman in order to devour
her child as soon as it should be born." When this child is
born out of its fleshly state into fulness of spiritual life, it
264
will be helpless as a babe newborn. The god of this world
sees that his power is threatened, and seeks to eat up the
child and so frustrate the purpose of the Almighty.
1
THE NATIONS whom this Child shall shepherd with a rod
of iron evidently have a far wider significance than any to be
found within terrestrial limits, for "He did not set Angels.
over the habitation which shall be, of which we speak
(Heb. ii. 5). Again "To which of the Angels said He at any
time, Thou art My Son, to-day have I begotten Thee?"
And again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be My son.
And when He again brings in the Only-begotten Son into
the world' He says:-AND LET ALL ANGELS OF GOD
WORSHIP HIM. (Heb. i. 5, 6.)
We see therefore that by this action the Enemy of man at
last declares himself in his true colours, as no Angel of God.
42. AND THERE AROSE WAR IN HEAVEN. Here we sec
the long-suffering of the Almighty, and how He triumphs.
Satan has long contrived to retain his place in Heaven, and
to use his power to slander men to God, and God to men.
At last it comes to this, that he must either recognise and
acquiesce in the exaltation of man, of pure sons of Adam
though begotten and born again from above, to the first place
in the favour of the Almighty-or he must disobey a positive
and distinct order, and thereby pronounce his own sentence
of banishment. He chooses the latter alternative, and there-
upon the loyal Angels, headed by Michael, the great Archon
who is set over the sons of Israel, hunt the disturber of the
Heavenly harmony from their midst with all who side with
him.
"}
1 Thy oikovμévny would, in the language of natural men, mean the inhabited
world; but here for something far greater than the earth, indeed for the King-
dom of the Heavens.
265
i
He is described here as misleading the whole inhabited
world, and this appears to be intended in the larger sense.
In fact, this event compels the Heavenly host to come to a
decision. Will they in future be, as heretofore, ANGELS OF
GOD; or will they side with the slanderer, and oppose God's
purpose in man?
The contest is not long. Others, we may presume,
besides Michael and the Archon of the Anglo-Saxons, have
learned to understand and rejoice in God's purpose. And
the Devil and his crew are all cast out of heaven. Their seats
are removed, and henceforth if they seek admittance they
will not obtain it. And great is the exultation over their
downfall.
43. Meanwhile the new-born child is caught up to God
and to His throne (compare John xx. 17). These are they
who follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth, while the
woman flees into the desert, like Elijah in the days of drought
(1 Kings xvii. 1-7); but we must consider this sign carefully.
This desert is none other than the spiritual desert in
which St. John saw the other woman riding on the scarlet
beast. She has made terms with the Dragon, and thinks he
is subservient to her will, but in that matter she will learn
how terribly she has been deceived. (See chap. xvii. 16, 17).
The eyes of the faithful Church, however, are now opened
to recognise her true position in a waterless desert, devoid of
spiritual sustenance, and she shall know her need, and obtain
the blessing pronounced on those who hunger and thirst after
righteousness. Now shall be fulfilled the prophecy contained
in Hosea ii. 14-23. She shall have the valley of Achor for at
door of hope, the place of the putting-away of the ill-gotten
wedge of gold and the Babylonish garment. (See Joshua
266
vii). And in the desert shall she sing¹ as in the days of her
youth, like Paul and Silas in the prison (Acts xvi. 25); and
the names of Baalim (lords) shall be taken utterly out of her
mouth, and she shall know that God is indeed her husband,
to whom she has borne a child.
But how is this brought about? The Dragon, being cast
into the earth, hunts and persecutes her. The prophecy
contained in Hosea ii. 1-13 has long been in process of fulfil-
ment. On the one side have been the Lord's messengers
saying to their brethren MY PEOPLE, and to their sister THE
LORD PITIETH THEE. Simultaneously the god of this world.
has been robbing her on all sides, taking away her revenues,
or usurping control over them. The spirit has long been
striving in her midst, finding utterance, often imperfect but
swelling more and more, and bursting into the light of day.
Now to the true Church, God's faithful people wherever
found are given THE TWO WINGS OF THE GREAT EAGLE (not
two wings of a great eagle" as in A.V.), and on the wings
of prophecy she rises and looks on the Sun, and learns to
know the spiritual desert in which she is living in its true
aspect. Her faith grows like a mustard seed, until from a
small seed it becomes a great tree. She takes to her the
panoply of God (see Eph. vi. 10-20), and the dragon is
powerless against her.
((
Moreover the earth knows its friends and its enemies.
The flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth appears to
typify the masses moved by the winds of the earth as at the
time of the French Revolution. But the Kings of the earth
who formerly humbled and oppressed her have learned to
know that in her God is their only protection. The masses,
ļ
And to the woman were given the two wings of the great Eagle.
267
the many waters where the harlot sits (chap. xvii.), would
rise and overwhelm her, but the classes stand by her to a
man and restrain the flood of the people, for God has set
bars and doors, and said: Hitherto shalt thou come and no
further; and here shall thy proud waves. be stayed
(Job. xxxviii. 11. A.V.). So the dragon is again defeated,
and goes off in a great rage to make war upon her seed
wherever he can find them at a disadvantage.
44. Before proceeding further let us consider carefully
what we mean when we speak of God, of the Almighty, as
our Father. And why did our blessed Redeemer teach us to
pray, saying: OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN? Now
we know wherein the natural relation of paternity consists,
but do we ever reflect what spiritual paternity means?
Great ignorance prevails on this subject, and it will well
repay a litttle careful attention. First then let us refer to
our Great Example, and for the present purpose the A.V.
will suffice.
He were the Christ.
Turning to Jno. x. we find the Jews coming to the Lord
and begging Him to tell them plainly if
He did not comply with this request. Had he done so it is
evident from their subsequent conduct that they would have
stoned him on the spot. And, indeed, soon after, they did
take up stones for the purpose; but he remonstrated with
them. He had not said—so far as appears from the narrative
-that he was the Son of God. But he shows them that if
he had said so, in so many words, he would only have
claimed that to which the wording of the Scriptures entitles
every individual man of God's faithful people to say. What
he did say amounted to this: "I am the true son of my
father, whoever he may be; of that you should be able to
268
judge." It is obvious that it was very unreasonable to stone
him for such a speech.
Nor did he hesitate to make an even more cutting
application of the same principle, as we see in Jno. viii.
"If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of
Abraham; but now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told
you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not
Abraham (ie. this is not the action of Abraham in you).
Ye do the deeds of your father
Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do."
In order to understand these passages, not as the Jews
appear to have understood them, but as they might and
should have understood them, through the knowledge of
their own Scriptures, we must turn to the Septuagint.
"And he went thence to the hill, and lo! a band of
prophets met him dancing and singing, and a spirit
from God leapt upon him, and he prophesied in their
midst. And all those who knew him in the recent past
assembled and saw him; and there he was in the midst of
the prophets. And the people said, each to his neighbour,
'What is this which has befallen the son of Kish? Is Saul
also among the prophets?' And one of them answered and
And so
said, 'And who is his father?"
it became a
proverb-Is Saul also among the prophets?"
It is evident here that the meaning of the question "And
who is his father?" was "Who is the spirit that has leaped
upon him, and by whose power is he prophesying?" and this
at once illuminates wonderfully the above narrative of the Lord.
Let us consider, also, the following from the Septuagint,
which will be seen to bear a very different meaning from
that usually assigned to it in the West.
I
269
"And Enoch lived 165 years and begot Methuselah.
And Enoch was well pleasing to God after he begot Methu-
selah 200 years, and begot sons and daughters; and all the
days of Enoch came to 365 years. And Enoch was well-
pleasing to God; and he was not found, for God changed
his place of abode.
"And Methuselah lived 167 years and begot Lamech.
And Methuselah lived, after he begot Lamech, 802 years,
and got sons and daughters. And all the days of Methu-
selah which he lived came to 969 years, and he died.
"And Lamech lived 188 years, and begat a son, and gave
him the name of Noah, saying, This shall let us rest awhile
from our works, and from the pains of our hands, and from
the earth which the Lord has cursed. And Lamech lived,
after he got Noah, 565 years, and got sons and daughters.
And all the days of Lamech came to 753 years, and he died.
"And Noah was 500 years old; and he begot three sons,
Shem, Ham, and Japhet. And it befell, when mankind
began to be numerous upon the earth, and daughters were
born to them, that the sons of God seeing the daughters of
mankind that they were fair, took them wives from all whom
they chose out for themselves.
Matth
"And the Lord God said: Let not My Spirit remain
among these men for ever, because they are flesh; but their
days shall be 120 years. And there were giants upon the
earth in those days, and after that whenever the sons of
God went in to the daughters of mankind, and they bore
sons to them, those were the giants who have been from
the beginning, the men of name and note."
Here it is evident that it is not intended that these
giants had no human fathers, nor that they were of great
1
270
physical stature, but that they were the spiritual offspring
of the spiritual sons of God, and conspicuous among men
for the gifts they inherited from their spiritual fathers.
45. We now come to the vision of THE BEAST RISING
OUT OF THE SEA.
a man-
First as to its place in the succession of events. It is
evident that this vision takes up the order of events at the
sounding of the Sixth Trumpet (see paragraphs 36 and 37
preceding). The four winds of the earth, bound by the com-
mand through the Sealing Angel under the sixth seal, are now
loose, and the more furious because of the restraint that has
been put upon them; while the Devil-who was a
slayer¹ from the beginning-having lost his standing in heaven,
is prepared to devote all his skill and resource to the decep-
tion and torment of such men as he can induce by any or
every means to yield him obedience and worship. It is not
that he cares for men, but he is deadly jealous of the favour
they have with the Almighty, and anxious to hinder God's
happiness and theirs by every means in his power.
2
In order to understand what follows, reference should be
The four
made to the previous translation of Daniel vii.
beasts which Daniel saw were the result of the action of the
four winds of heaven upon the masses of mankind. What
exactly was symbolised by them we may learn by the study
Th
1 Of all who listen to the Deceiver it is true: "You are of your father the
Slanderer, and desire to do that which delights your father. He was a slayer
of men from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, for there is no truth in
him." Observe that, for the devil to be a manslayer is, at least in our fallen
condition, about on a par with a man who kiils apes, or practises vivisection,
both things which no one of any sensibility would do unless driven by necessity
or hurried by passion.
2 He despises them too much; they are not his handiwork. Only the
Good Shepherd cares truly for the sheep.
271
of the history of the four empires typified by them.
The god
of this world has seen it all, and now he has a clear field—as
he thinks-and sets himself to work to imitate the action he
has seen.
The four winds of the earth now strive upon the
great sea, and evolve an empire partaking of the character-
istics of the first three world-empires.
It will be observed that these three first empires arose
among Eastern nations; the last of the three, the Greek
Empire alone having an origin in Europe, and that rapidly
became Orientalised. Napoleon I. is said to have foretold
that Europe would be overrun by the Cossacks; and the
French, in courting the Russian alliance, are playing her
game-to their own detriment, as they will discover too
late, unless they accept warning-and are preparing
the way for the very disaster he foresaw. It is highly
probable, on other grounds also, that this masterpiece of the
enemy should be evolved among the nations typified by the
black horses and the white horses of Zech. vi. that is Russia
and Asia generally, in which the action of God's Holy Spirit
has been most effectually stilled.
What precisely is foreshown by one of its heads being
wounded to death can only be certainly known as events
disclose it, but the Sepoy Mutiny in India forms no inapt
illustration. Then the Indian head of the British Empire was
wounded to death, and its fatal wound was healed. Nor does
the warning end here; for it rests with England whether She
shall yet be the instrument of inflicting under the two
witnesses the fatal wound on the Indian head of this Devil's
empire, when it comes into manifestation, or whether the
Enemy shall heal the wound which Britain has inflicted on
his Indian head, and turn her out of the country or compel
272
submission to himself. If England will rule India in the
power of God,¹ and refuse all submission and deference to
the god of this world, She has a glorious work before her in
India, even to defeat the enemy in one of his greatest
strongholds, and hold the country for Jehovah.
This is, however, after all but a local matter for the
Indian Empire, if an important outwork of the Anglo-Saxon
race is not the centre of its power, and the largest meaning
(in this interpretation) of this fatal wound is to be found in
Europe itself. The sea out of which this Beast will rise is
the whole of mankind, and the wounding of one of its heads
appears to be, under another form, the testimony borne for
God in an apostate world by the Anglo-Saxon race, headed
up by Britain and America under the guidance of their
Archon (see paragraphs 37, 38, 39). The healing of this
fatal wound would then typify the removal of the second
company of translated ones at the close of the 1,260 days of
their prophesy. But this is only the earthly view of the
matter, all that the worshippers of the god of this world can
see. For them this will leave the field clear.
The reign of the two witnesses is a foreshadowing, or
rather a dawning of the day of judgment.
Every one wilfully injuring them will be slain by the
spiritual power which goes out of their mouth, that is, they
will have power to kill with a word. On their removal the
dwellers on the earth will rejoice, but it will be a blind and
mad rejoicing which shall soon end.
There will be an in-
I Will one take spoil from a giant? Or if one take a prisoner wrongfully
shall he be saved? For thus saith the Lord, If anyone take a giant prisoner
he shall take spoil, and he who takes from a strong one shall be saved; where
thou art judged I am Judge, and I will deliver thy sons, and they who gall thee
shall eat their own flesh (Is. xlix. 24).
273
numerable company by this time throughout the earth who
know the true from the false, God from Satan. After the
removal of the two witnesses, the Beast will no longer be
restrained by spiritual power, and then the rest of mankind
will have the choice of worshipping the Beast, or being
killed, a point which is marked by a proclamation to that
effect (chap. xiv. 13).
The period during which this state of things shall obtain
is of equal length with the prophesy of the two witnesses,
that is 42 months, during which the harvest and the vintage
of the earth will be reaped; the harvest consisting of those
who are slain, during the empire of the Beast, because of the
word of God, and the testimony of Jesus (chap. xx. 4); while
the vintage consists of those who worship the Beast.
BEAST FROM THE EARTH.
46. We have seen the probable meaning of the Beast
from the sea. We have now to consider the other, THE
This has its origin, not in the
masses of men, but among the ruling and educated classes.
It bears the same relation to the first beast that the Estab-
lished Church in England does to the State. In fact it is the
priesthood of Satan, and the Christian Priesthood are in
especial danger of becoming instruments in this way of the
Enemy if they do not take warning in time and seek the
renewal and confirmation of their office from the Lord's
appointed ministers of grace.
The fire spoken of is spiritual fire (though this does not
preclude a physical fulfilment as well), but not from the true
Heaven of the Almighty, but from the earthly heaven, the
seat of the Prince of the power of the air; compare Job i. 16,
which runs thus in the Septuagint :
Š
"While this one was yet speaking, there came another
I
274.
messenger (ayyeλos) and said to Job, Fire fell out of heaven
and burned up the sheep, and devoured the shepherds like-
wise; and being saved I alone am come to report to you."
This ministry of Satan has no power over those whose
citizenship is in Heaven, but it makes those who dwell on
the Earth to go wandering (#λava) about; for the giving of
these planets is not good, nor will the gifts which they
confer, when perfected, prove to have come down from the
Father of the Lights with Whom is no parallax nor shadow
of trope. (See James i. 16, 17.) Their object is to divert
the worship of mankind from The One and Only True God
to the god of this world.
The image of the Beast which he instructs men to make
would appear to be a man, the embodiment of the power of
the people, of whom Napoleon I. was no inapt type in one
aspect; while in another the Pope of Rome, claiming in his
own person all power in heaven and earth, spiritual and
temporal, is another. Only that this man will claim the
power, not as God's vicegerent on earth, but for himself as
the visible head of the human race, THE MAN OF THE FALL,
THE SON OF THE DESTRUCTION (2 Thess. ii. 3) who acqui-
esces in the sin of Adam, and teaches that God's word to
Adam, IN THE DAY THAT THOU EATEST THEREOF THOU
SHALT SURELY DIE, is of none effect, and that man in his
present fallen condition is capable of being perfected-
in direct opposition to the Lord's plain word to Nicodemus,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the Kingdom of God."
66
It would appear in fact that the two horns of this travesty
of The Lamb are the Devil's two witnesses-two men head-
ing up the priesthood of Satan, as the ten horns of the first
275
beast head up his temporal power, and unite to subdue the
whole earth to his dominion.
2
The mark on the right hand or on the forehead is the
unction of hell, the slime of The Serpent; and the means by
which it will be forced upon men have received only too clear
an illustration in Ireland under the name of "Boycotting,"
or, as Mr. Gladstone prefers to call it, "Exclusive dealing."
Much has been written about its nature; but it appears to
have a very simple explanation. As given in the Greek it is
Xs', which is correctly rendered into English (or Roman)
numerals as 666, or perhaps still better by 66.6, which is a
decimal fraction representing 100 × Taking 100 to
represent man in his complete being as created; then at
the fall it is obvious that he died, and since he died not in
soul or body, this was evidently spiritual death, which is
remedied by a second birth, in baptism, from above.
Without that birth it is obvious that the utmost to which
man can attain is represented most graphically by the
number 666; whereas the number of the spiritual man is
999, which rapidly approaches to 100 as the digits indicated.
by the dot over the last figure are written down.
3
The Greek characters, however, appear to have a further
meaning for Christian men, thus-
Χριστός
Christ,
Ξίφος = Sword,
ΣaTavâs = Satan,
Σατανᾶς
Madag
which clearly symbolises the character of Antichrist, who
uses the sword to enforce submission to himself, being the
apostle, not of man's Creator and Heavenly Father, but of
Satan the man-slayer, and recalls the warning in verse 10 of
}
;
276
this chapter, which closes the description of the Beast from
the sea.
There seems indeed to be here a remarkable instance of
the manifold wisdom of God. The writer does not know
how the number was originally written, but the symbol 5
now printed, and standing as a numeral for 6, is a compound
letter or contraction standing for σT. If for this we sub-
stitute 200, and suppose the x to stand for xixio
= 1000, in which way it is often used in inscriptions, then
we have-
o'
χ
ૐ
o
= 1,000
60
200
Total...
1,260
which gives the duration of the power of Antichrist in days,
and supplies us with a sort of graphic prophecy that for
1,260 days, and no more, the sword shall lead from Satan up
to Christ.
47. The next vision again opens in Heaven itself, and
shows us THE LAMB STANDING ON MOUNT ZION with His
144,000 sealed ones, the first ripe fruit which His soul
desired (Micah vii. 1. A.V.)
Little need be added to the words of St. John, the
beloved disciple. It will suffice to observe that this vision
evidently takes up the action at the Fourth Trumpet, and
shows us from the other side what appeared upon earth as
the darkening of the third of the sun, moon, and stars.
In connection with this and the subsequent vision the
following will be instructive, being a translation from the
Septuagint of the concluding chapter of Deuteronomy.
"And Moses went up from Araboth of Moab on to the
277
Mount Nebo, on to the peak Pisgah, which is in front of
Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead
as far as Dan, and all the land of Naphthali, and all the
land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah,
as far as the nether sea, and the desert, and the country
round Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Segor.
"And the Lord said to Moses, This is the land which I
swore to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, saying-To thy
seed will I give it. And I have shown it to your eyes, and
thither shall you not go in.
"And Moses finished, the inmate of the Lord's House, in
the land of Moab, through a word from the Lord; and they
honoured him with funeral rites in a valley near the house of
Phogor, and none saw his burial to this day. And Moses
was a hundred and twenty years old when he finished, his
eyes were not dimmed, nor his back bowed. And the sons
of Israel mourned for Moses in Araboth of Moab, on the
Jordan below Jericho, thirty days.
Then the days of grief and mourning for Moses came
quite to an end; and Jesus son of Naué was filled full of the
spirit of understanding, for Moses laid his hands upon him ;
and the sons of Israel hearkened to him, and acted according
as the Lord enjoined upon Moses.
"And there arose not another prophet in Israel like Moses,
for the Lord learned to know him face to face in all the signs
and wonders as the Lord sent him to work them in the land
of Egypt, Pharaoh and his servants and all his land, those
great wonders and that hand of might, the things which
Moses did before all Israel."
THE END OF DEUTERONOMY.¹
1 This formal conclusion is not found at the end of Joshua.
278
From the above it would appear that Moses left the sons
of Israel, and went up into the mountain; and they mourned
for him thirty days as for one dead, yet no funeral took place.
At the end of that period Moses reappeared among them,
and laid his hands upon Joshua, and wrote this last chapter
of the Pentateuch, ascribed by common consent to his
hand.
The mourning and funeral rites appear to illustrate
admirably the SIGN of the darkening of the third of the Sun,
Moon, and Stars, while the reappearance of Moses and his
appointment of Joshua to lead in his place affords a hint as
to the possible meaning of the SIGN which follows, of the
Angel flying in mid-air having the GOSPEL OF THE DISPEN-
SATION to preach.
1
This Gospel of the Day of Grace is indeed the hope of
translation without seeing death; which is now to be
preached to those who are settled on the earth, that they
may escape the cataclysm which is approaching.
It may be added here that it has evidently been concluded
too hastily that Moses died. His death is at least not stated
in the Septuagint but rather denied.
Is it not possible that we have concluded too hastily that
St. John died? It seems quite possible that he, and perhaps
others, of the first Apostles, disappeared unnoticed from the
scene. They, like their Master, were despised and rejected.
of men, their rule was not acceptable to their own converts,
and it appears quite possible that when their work was done
they were quietly removed, and the world none the wiser.
48. The rest of this part need not detain us long. It
has been seen that the events under the Fifth Seal have
1 What other meaning can be attached to 1 Thess. v. 23, 24 P
279
1
already received a partial fulfilment in 1848, in the action of
the Pope of Rome and its results. It seems probable that
its final and complete fulfilment will be by further and yet
more disastrous action in the same quarter, leading to the
total overthrow not only of the Roman Hierarchy, but of all
sectarian churches, which-and not Rome alone-are included
in the name BABYLON THE GREAT. This is indicated by the
proclamation of the second Angel (chap. xiv. 8) which
appears to take place under the Fifth Trumpet; as the
Angel with the Gospel of the Dispensation goes forth under
the Fourth Trumpet.
Similarly the Third Angel of this chapter appears to issue
forth at the sounding of the Sixth Trumpet, and to be allied
with the Archon of the Anglo-Saxons. Indeed, if a guess
may be ventured, it would appear that this Angel is none
other than the Archangel Michael, the Archon of the Hebrews,
and that these two Archons are again associated, as at the
time of Daniel, on the side of the Almighty, and are, in fact,
His Two Witnesses par excellence. Some further remarks
on this subject are reserved for the Appendix.
The proclamation of verse 13 evidently marks the time.
when The Mystery of God is finished by the gathering of the
second company of the translated, at the conclusion of the
testimony of the Two Witnesses, when the Seventh Trumpet
is on the point of sounding.
The vision of the gathering of the harvest of the earth
shows the heavenly aspect of the reign of Antichrist, when
those who love the sword will have liberty, for a time, to
draw it on God's side, and win a martyr's crown by opposing
the fleshly arm to the tyranny of the man of the fall.
At the close of the harvest the vintage of the earth will be
280
gathered by the mutual destruction of the followers of Anti-
christ, as foreshown to Ezekiel under the SIGN of the
destruction of Gog and his host.
PART IV.
THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES.
The next vision opens again in Heaven, and shows us a
glorious company of victorious ones, who under the Two
Witnesses have gained the victory over the Beast and over
his image, and over the number of his name.
The crystal sea on which they are posted appears to be
the Court of the Heavenly Tabernacle, of which Moses'
Tabernacle was the type¹ (compare chap. xi. 1-3), and the
Church on earth is the very image. It is, therefore, eminently
appropriate that these should sing the song of Moses and the
song of the Lamb.
At the close of their song the Shrine is opened, in which
apparently are the Lamb and His 144,000 sealed ones, who
are not directly mentioned, and therefore, presumably, not
seen by St. John.
What follows we need not attempt to examine more
closely at present. If this exposition is correct, we are now
1 "For the law, having but a shadow of the good things which were to be,
not the very image of the things done . . . .” (Heb. x. 1.) It would appear,
therefore, that the ordinances of the Church are the very image of things done
in Heaven itself, so that where they are duly observed Heavenly action
accompanies the earthly, and what is bound on earth is bound in Heaven, and
what is loosed on earth is loosed in Heaven, according to the Lord and Master's
word to St. Peter. (Matt. xvi. 19.)
1
C
281
in the period of the Seven Trumpets; and Christianity is an
eminently practical thing.
The hope set before us is that of victory without seeing
death, and this hope remains until the Seventh and Last
Trumpet sound. For what happens after that is sounded, and
THE MYSTERY OF GOD is finished, the words of St. John
may suffice.
.
1
1
}
APPENDIX.
JUDAH was represented in the High Priest's breast-plate
by the Sardian stone, of which the best known variety is the
Carnelian. In the foundations of Jerusalem the New the
corresponding stone appears to be the Jasper, and the Jasper
and Carnelian are, it will be remembered, brought into close
juxtaposition in Apoc. iv. 3.
The signification of the name is PRAISE, or, according to
Cruden, The praise of the Lord. The following from the
Septuagint should have special interest for Englishmen.
Gen. xxix. 35. And she (Leah) conceived again and
bore a son, and said, Now this also will I confess in full to
the Lord. Therefore she called his name Judah.
Gen. xlix. 8-12, Jacob's blessing. Judah, thou shalt be
praised of thy brethren. Thy hands shall be on the back of
thine enemies. To thee shall the sons of thy father do
obeisance.
1
Judah is a lion's whelp, from the sprout my son thou didst
shoot up. Thou didst lie down and sleep like a lion, and
like a lion's whelp²; who will awake him? A ruler shall not
1 Bλaorós. Latiné, germen. This sentence recalls the homely expression
a chip of the old block.
2 The British lion is but a whelp as yet. When he wakes up we shall see
what we shall see,
1
283
be lacking in Judah, nor a leader from his offspring, until that
arrive which is laid up in store for thee, and he is the
expected of the nations.
3
Tethering his colt¹ to the vine, and his ass's foal to the
whirlwind, he shall wash his garments in wine, and his
cloak in the blood of the grape. His eyes gladden more
than wine, and his teeth are white as milk.
4
Deut. xxxiii. 7-8, Moses's blessing. And this of Judah:
Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, and into his people mayest
Thou go.
Let his hands decide for him, and be Thou his
helper, to deliver him from his enemies.
A
2.
BENJAMIN appears to typify Scotland, and the fol-
lowing are therefore given for reference. The stone in the
High Priest's breast-plate on which Benjamin's name was
engraved, seems to have been the Amethyst, which is also
the corresponding stone in the foundations of Jerusalem the
New. It was supposed to have the power of protecting from
drunkenness, as its name implies.
Gen. xxxv. 17. And it befell when her (Rachel's) labour
was hard the nurse said to her, Cheer up; for this also shall
be a son to thee. And it befell, as she breathed her last, for
she died, that she called his name, Son of my pain; but his
father called his name Benjamin (Son of my right hand).
1
¹ Compare Zech. ix. 9.
2 eng (Eng. derivative helix) means anything curved, and is applied to the
tendrils of the vine, an eddy, a whirlpool, a whirlwind, a fork of lightning, a
curl of hair, the orbits of the heavenly bodies, &c.
3 Compare Matt. xxvi. 29.
4 English and Americans are largely given to the consumption of intoxi-
cating liquors, while some of them are rabid teetotallers. When will the
drunkards learn that there is something better than wine, or even than gin,
which is to be filled with the Spirit; and teetotallers that God has given us
all things richly to enjoy.
t
284
Gen. xlix. 27. Jacob's blessing. Benjamin is a rapacious
wolf. In the morning he devours still; and till evening he
gives meat.
Deut. xxxiii. 12. Moses's blessing. And to Benjamin he
said, Beloved of the Lord, he shall pitch his camp in confi-
dence, and the shadow of God shall rest upon him all his
days, and He made him rest between His shoulders.¹
1
Gl
3. America has already been identified with the tribe of
JOSEPH. The early settlers left England because they had
not liberty to serve God as they wished to do in the old
country, and it appears, according to the analogy of faith, to
see in the United States and Canada the Ephraim and
Manasseh of the spiritual Israel.
Joseph was not represented personally in the High
Priest's breast-plate, but yet was he doubly represented in
his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as will be noticed
later.
Gen. xxx. 22-24. And the Lord called Rachel to mind,
and God hearkened to her and opened her womb, and she
conceived and bore Jacob a son. And Rachel said, God has
taken away my ill-name, and she called his name Joseph,2
saying, May God give me yet another son.
Gen. xlix. 22-26. Jacob's blessing. JOSEPH is a son who
has grown great.
My honoured son, thou art worthy of
emulation. Turn back to me, my youngest son, against
whom men of counsel railed, and archers" shot; and their
bows were shivered in the midst of their strength, and the
JOSEPH, increase, addition. (Cruden.)
3 κύριοι τοξευμάτων
lords of arrows.
1 The Scotch excel in intellectual power and in physical science. They
are a hard-headed race.
2
285
sinews of the arms of their hands gave way through the
hand of Jacob's Chief. Thence is he who overpowered
Israel¹ in the strength of the God of thy father, and my God
assisted thee and blessed thee; with the blessing of heaven
from above, and the blessing of earth that has all things; in
blessings of breasts and of the womb, blessings of thy father
and of thy mother. He was exceeding strong, above blessing
of steadfast mountains, and after the blessings of never
failing downs. They shall descend on the head of Joseph,
and rest on the summit whence he led his brethren.
Deut. xxxiii. 13-17. Moses' blessing.
And to Joseph he said: From the blessing of the Lord is
his land, from seasons of heaven and from dew, and from
fathomless springs beneath; and season by season from the
products of the turnings of the sun, and from the coinci-
3
¹ ISRAEL, one that wrestles with God, and prevails. See Gen. xxxii. 28.
But Joseph prevailed over his father, and fetched him down into Egypt.
Compare Gen. xxxvii. 5-11.
2 àévaos, ever flowing of springs; everlasting, never failing.
3 Ols, a heap. From Herodotus downwards used especially of a sand heap,
e.g. of the sand steppes of Libya. Also the beach, sea shore; but aкpns
(móλios) Ols, the temple that crowns, the acropolis. Root same as in German
dünen, Eng. downs. As applied to America it appears to refer physically to
the prairies, and metaphorically to the stable Republican Government of the
United States, and the scarcely less independent Canada.
4 pa. Originally any limited time or period, especially as fixed by natural
laws and revolutions, a season; and, in the plural, the seasons. Later of the
whole year; and also an hour, which is the English derivative. Also the time
of life (compare Shakespeare's seven ages of man), especially the prime of
life. ai Opal, the hours, keepers of heaven's cloud-gate; especially of Aphro-
dité; or, according to Hesiod: Themis named Eunomia, Diké, and Eirené
(Law, Justice, Peace), who watch over and prosper all the works of men, pre-
siding over the seasons of the year and the products of nature, as also over
the seasons of each man's life.
5 тρоπý, a turn, return, turning round or about. тporal eλlow, the
solstices, i.e. the points of Midsummer and Midwinter, when the sun appears to
turn in his course from N. to S. and vice versa.
286
V
dences¹ of the months; from a peak of the mountains
of rule, and from a peak of the everlasting hills; and
according to the season of the fulness of the earth, and
the things acceptable to him who saw them. Let them
come in the path¹ on to the head of Joseph, and on
the peak, the man who was glorified at the head of his
brethren. His beauty is that of the first-born of the bull, his
horns are the horns of the unicorn. With them he thrusts
nations simultaneously, even from the end of the earth.8
These are the myriads of Ephraim and these are the
thousands of Manasseh.
7
¹ oúvodos, a coming together, assembly, meeting; English derivative synod.
σύνοδοι θαλάσσης of the straits of the Hellespont. σύνοδος μηνῶν, the end of
one month and the beginning of the next. A conjunction of heavenly bodies.
And generally union, junction.
2 Tλhpwois, a filling up, filling, especially of eating and drinking. The
completing of a number. Passive, a being or becoming full, of the moon.
3 SEKTÓS, received; to be received, acceptable, Latin accipiendus. Translated
acceptable in A.V. Lc. iv. 19.
1 Báros, a bramble bush, which meaning should be borne in mind, though
it seems more in accordance with English usage to derive the word from Balvw,
although the lexicon gives Báros in this sense only as an adjective passable.
Probably we should retain the sense of the passage best by translating Let
them come in the thorny path on the head of Joseph.
ῦ ἐπ΄ ἀδελφοῖς seems to mean in the position of a leader among brethren,
primus inter pares.
6 The lion and the unicorn
A fighting for the crown,
The lion beat the unicorn
All round the town.
Some gave them white bread,
And some gave them brown,
And some gave them plum cake
And sent them out the town.
7 Apparently applicable to American activity in missions in India,
Palestine, &c. and to the meeting of H. M. Stanley and David Livingstone
in the heart of Africa.
8 Compare the purchase of Alaska on one side and the Crimean and Central
Asian complications on the other. Also the alternative route to the remote
East through Canada.
287
1
=
4. EPHRAIM was represented in the High Priest's breast-
plate by the Ligure, said to have been a deep orange-coloured
stone resembling the Carbuncle (Latin carbunculus a live
coal, German Karfunkel), but resembling flame rather than
a hot coal, and this agrees with its Greek name, said to mean
to lick up, though this is not found in Liddell and Scott, who,
however, give Myvpós clear, whistling, and Xyvplw to sing
loud or clear.
MANASSEH was represented by the Agate, which is com-
posed chiefly of a tough sort of Silex called Chalcedony, but
with the addition of other varieties of Silex, either mixed
with it or arranged in layers, such as amethyst, jasper, helio-
trope, and opal. It is nearly allied to the Carnelian, but has
a greater variety of colours. The Greek name aɣárns recalls
Virgil's fidus Achates.
Gen. xli. 49-52. And Joseph collected corn like the sand
of the sea, exceeding much, till it could not be told, for there
was no counting it.
And to Joseph were born two sons before the seven years
of famine came, which Aseneth bore him, the daughter of
Petephres the Priest of Heliopolis. And Joseph called the
name of the first-born Manasseh (forgetfulness) saying: The
Lord has caused me to forget all my drudgery, and all my
father's drudgery. And the name of the second he called
Ephraim¹ (fruitful), saying: God has increased me in the land.
of my humiliation.
1
Gen. xlviii. 17-20. Jacob's blessing. And Joseph, seeing
that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim,
¹ EPHRAIM, that brings fruit, that grows (Cruden). Double-fruitfulness
(Boase).
288
1
}
thought it a grievous thing; and he took hold of his father's
hand to remove it from the head of Ephraim on to the head
of Manasseh. And Joseph said to his father: Not so, father.
This is the first-born; lay thy right hand upon his head. And
he would not, but said, I know, my child, I know; this also
shall become a people, and this shall be exalted; but his
younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall
become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them in that
day, saying: In you shall Israel be blessed, for they shall
say, God make thee like Ephraim, and like Manasseh, and
he placed Ephraim before Manasseh.
JOHN VIII. 30-59.
And through these sayings of his many believed on him.
Therefore Jesus said to those Jews who had believed on him,
If you stand fast in my word, then are you truly my disciples,
and you shall learn to know the truth, and the truth shall set
you free.
2
They answered him, We are Abraham's seed,¹ and were
never in bondage to any one. What do mean by saying we
shall be made free?
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily I say to you, every
one who is guilty of the failure is a slave of the failure. And
the slave does not remain in the house for ever, but the son
stands fast for ever. If therefore the son set you free, you
shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's seed,
¹ Compare Matt. iii. 7-9.
2 Compare Jno. xix. 15.
289
1
but you seek¹ me to kill me, because my word finds no
entrance into you. I speak what I have seen at my Father's
side, and you thereupon do what you have heard from your
father.
They answered and said to Him, Our father is Abraham.
Jesus says to them, If you were children of Abraham you
would do the works of Abraham; but now you are seeking me
to kill me, a man who has spoken the truth to you, which I
heard from God; this did not Abraham. You do the works
of your father.
They said to Him, We are not the offspring of fornica-
tion-we have one father: that is God. Jesus said to them,
If God were your father you would love Me, for I went forth
from God and am come; for I did not go from myself, but
He sent me. Why do you not learn to know my speech?
Because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father
the devil, and seek to work the desires" of your father. He
was a slayer of men from the beginning, and stood not in the
truth, for truth is not in him; when he utters a lie he speaks
from his own heart, for he is a liar and the father of every
4
¹ See Matt. xxii. 15-46. It was through the jealousy stirred up in their
hearts by the devil that they at last crucified Him. This was not Abraham's
work in them.
2 When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it,
the cowardly one comes and carries off that which was sown in his heart; this
is he who received seed beside the road. (Matt. xiii. 19.)
3 τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ πατρός ὑμῶν that in which your father delights. He is
the enemy of man, and delights in killing them, and the works of the flesh (see
Gal. v. 19-21) are his works in men, through which he prevails against them
and kills them, or causes the Almighty to slay them in just and righteous
indignation.
• èk tŵv (diwv = out of the things that pertain to himself.
τῶν ίδιων
290
រ
liar.1 But because I speak the truth you put no faith in me.
Which of you can put me to shame concerning a failure? If
I speak the truth why do you not trust in me? He who is
from God hears the saying of God. The reason you do not
hear is because you are not of God.
The Jews answered and said to him, Say we not well
that you are
a Samaritan, and have a dæmon ?2 Jesus
answered I have no dæmon, but I honour my Father, and
you hold me not in honour. But I do not seek my own
honour. There is one who seeks and separates. Verily,
verily, I say to you, if any one observe carefully my word he
shall never see death for ever.
3
The Jews said to him, now we know that you have a
dæmon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets, and you
say, if any one observe My word he shall not taste of death
forever. Are you greater than our father Abraham who died ?
The prophets also died. Who would you make yourself
to be?
Jesus answered them, If I shall glorify myself My glory
is nothing. There is my Father who glorifies me, of whom
you say, He is our God; yet you have not learned to know
Him. But I know Him, and if I should say, I know Him
1 ψεύστης ἐστὶν καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ he is a liar and the father of him.
Observe carefully that Jesus Christ was the true son of man, and never gave
place to the devil in any way. The prince of this world came and found
nothing in him to lay hold of or by which he could claim him. Hence was
He loved of men and hated of the devil, and of all the devil's children,
according to the promise to Eve. Gen. iii. 15. Because none but He kept
himself wholly from the prince of this world it came to pass that the Son of
man had nowhere to lay his head.
2 Compare the scene from Antony and Cleopatra, printed at page 183.
They seem to have forgotten the cases of Enoch and Elijah-to say
nothing of Moses-nor were they reminded by the prophet of the oversight.
-
A
291
not, I shall be, like you, a liar; but I know Him, and His
word I observe. Abraham, your father, was honoured that
he might see my day; and he saw it and was glad.
The Jews, therefore, said to him, You are not yet fifty
years old, and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was I am.
Thereupon they took up stones to cast at him, but Jesus
eluded them and went out of the temple.
·
L
1
292
f
J
THE TWO WITNESSES.
It must not be forgotten that the wisdom of God is
manifold exceedingly, and prophecy has many interpreta-
tions. In the former pages England and America have been
identified with the two witnesses of chap. xi. It will of
course be evident that this, if correct, can only be a pre-
liminary fulfilment, as it would appear that the Anglo-Saxon
races are to become one under their Archon.
The following design appears to illustrate the probable
development of the figure, though it is not, even if correct,
to be supposed to contain all the truth concerning them.
First as to the Angelic host: we find Gabriel sent first
to Daniel, and he was also sent on other occasions to
individuals of the Hebrew race. On the other hand,
Michael is distinctly mentioned to Daniel as "the great
Archon who is set over the sons of your people." These
two, therefore, are closely identified with the Hebrew race.
On the other hand, we find two other Archons mentioned,
namely, the Archon of the Greeks and the messenger to
Daniel, who appears to be the Archon of the Anglo-Saxons.
The Archon of the Persians is also mentioned, but only as
293
resisting the messenger to Daniel, and need not be further
considered here. We have thus two Archangels closely
connected with Israel after the flesh, and two equally closely
with the nations of Europe, namely, the Archon of the
Greeks with the southern nations, and the Archon of the
Anglo-Saxons with the northern races.
Similarly there appear to be four men singled out for
distinguished honour by the Almighty, namely, Moses and
Elijah, both of Hebrew race, who appeared on the Mount
of the transfiguration, and who both appear to have attained
to the dignity of translation without seeing death. And
Enoch and St. John, of whom the former belonged to the
Antediluvian world, and the latter, though born a Hebrew,
appears to belong preeminently to the Christian era both by
his writings and by his labours in the Christian Church.
Of Enoch we know little but he belonged to the Ante-
diluvian or lion period (see p. 224 footnote), and lived in the
days when the flood was threatening the human race, and
doubtless strove to turn men from their evil ways.
We have, however, a prophetic utterance of his, handed
down to us in the catholic epistle of Jude. BEHOLD THE
LORD COMETH AMID HIS HOLY MYRIADS TO EFFECT SEPARA-
TION THROUGHOUT THE HUMAN RACE, AND TO PUT TO SHAME
ALL THE IMPIOUS AMONG THEM CONCERNING ALL THEIR
WORKS OF IMPIETY WHEREIN THEY HAVE ACTED PRO-
FANELY, AND CONCERNING ALL THE HARD THINGS WHICH
HAVE BEEN UTTERED AGAINST HIM BY IMPIOUS SINNERS.¹
Valen
¹ Observe that ȧuapráva means to fail, miss the mark.
of failure on man's part to do what God created him for.
seeing the breach, was born as man, and confessed by His whole life as man
that the law of God was holy just and good, and that death was the just
Death is the result
The Son of God
294
It would appear, therefore, that Enoch was shewn the
future glory of Jesus Christ and His coming to judge the
world; and as he witnessed before the flood, so would it
appear that he shall return again to warn men of the approach
of the antitype of the flood, and to teach many a way of
escape like that which he found from the Noachian Deluge;
in which case he would be an eminently appropriate messen-
ger to the spiritual Judah, and those associated with him.
The following account of St. John is extracted from
Kitto's "Cyclopædia of Biblical Literature."
After the ascension, John abode at Jerusalem, where
Paul met him on his third journey (Gal. ii. 3-9). Since he
had undertaken the care of the mother of Jesus, we cannot
suppose that he left Jerusalem before Mary's death; and
indeed we find that about the year 58, when Paul was at
Ephesus, John was not living there.
If we consider the great importance of Ephesus among
the various churches of Asia Minor, and the dangers arising
from false teachers, who were prevalent there as early as the
days of Paul (Acts xx. 29)¹, it will appear likely that John was
sent to Ephesus after Paul had left that scene about the
year 65.
During the time of his activity in Asia Minor he was
punishment for disobedience, and, since it was appointed of God for the dis-
obedient, good for them. In this way He wrought a cure for all who will
come to God by Him, with confession of failure and humble prayer for help.
This passage appears rather to show that Paul during his labours in
Ephesus kept false doctrine and false teachers in check, and that the enemy
only prevailed after his departure.
2 St. John was an Apostle, and, if sent anywhere, it could only be by the
Lord Himself.
295
exiled by the Roman Emperor to the isle of Patmos, one of
the sporadic isles of the Egean Sea, where he wrote the
Apocalypse. Irenæus and, following him, Eusebius state
that John beheld the visions of the Apocalypse about the
close of the reign of Domitian. If this statement can be
depended upon, the exile to Patmos also took place under
Domitian, who died A.D. 96.
Tertullian relates that in the reign of Domitian John was
forcibly conveyed to Rome, where he was thrown into a cask
of oil; that he was miraculously released, and then brought
to Patmos. But since none of the ancient writers besides
the rather indiscriminating Tertullian relate this circum-
stance, and since this mode of capital punishment was
unheard of at Rome¹ we ought not to lay much stress upon
it. It is, however, likely that John was called upon to suffer
for his faith, since Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus, writing
about A.D. 200, calls him µáprus. According to Eusebius he
returned from exile during the reign of Nerva.
If we endeavour to picture to ourselves an image of St.
John as drawn from his gospel and epistles, aided by a few
traits of his life preserved by the fathers, he appears to have
been of a wise, affectionate, and rather feminines character.
Jerome relates that when he attained a great age he was so
¹ Since the form of punishment was an unheard of one it would appear
very unlikely to be invented by anyone with intent to deceive. It seems
more likely that the occurrence would never have been related unless sub-
stantially true.
2 It is certain in the nature of things that St. John was called upon to
suffer for his faith, but there seems absolutely nothing to show that he was
put to death, or that he died in his bed.
3 Compare the following passages in the Apocalypse. v. 4, xvii. 6, xix. 10,
xxii. 8.
296
f
feeble that he could not walk to the assemblies of the church;
he therefore caused himself to be carried in by the young
men. He was no longer able to say much, but he constantly
repeated the words, "Little children, love one another." On
being asked why he constantly repeated this one saying, he
replied, Because it is the command of the Lord; and
enough is done if this is done.'"
<
There seem to be good reasons for believing both that
St. John never suffered death, and that he is destined to
appear again on the earth. First it is not in accordance
with an adequate idea of the love and power of God to
suppose the words recorded in Jno. xxi. 22 spoken in vain,
for God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of
man that He should repent: hath He said, and shall he not
do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall he not make it good?
(Numb. xxiii. 19.)¹
Again, it would appear that St. John did little or nothing
1
¹ Compare the following from Ezek. xii. :
"And there came a word of the Lord to me saying, Son of man, thou shalt
eat thy bread with pain, and thy water shalt thou drink with trial and affliction;
and thou shalt say to the folk of the earth: Thus saith the Lord to the dwellers
in Jerusalem in the land of Israel, They shall eat their bread in poverty, and
their water shall they drink with wasting, that the earth may be wasted with
that which fills it, for all who dwell in it are impious. And their cities which
are inhabited shall be utterly desolate, and the land shall be given to destruc-
tion, and you shall discover that I am Lord.
"And there came a word of the Lord to me saying: Son of man, what is
this proverb of yours in the land of Israel when you say, 'The days are long,
vision is destroyed?' Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord : I will also
turn back this proverb, and you shall no longer speak this proverb, O! house of
Israel; for you shall say to them, The days are drawn nigh, and the word of
every vision, for there shall no longer be any deceiving vision, nor any who
297
t
on earth after writing the Apocalypse and sending it to the
seven Churches of Asia. If, therefore, he is personally to
prophecy again to peoples, and to nations, and tongues,
and to many kings (Apoc. x. 11), and the Scripture cannot
be broken, it seems absolutely necessary that he should
reappear upon the earth, and in that case his mission would
naturally be to the Greek-speaking nations and to the
Southern races generally among whom, after the Jews
rejected the gospel, the word of God was preached and the
first converts made.
Again in another sense God's two witnesses on earth are,
par excellence, Israel after the flesh, and Israel after the
Spirit.
And in material things it would appear that the Pyramid
no less than the written word is preeminently a witness for
God; and in writings the New Testament as well as the Old,
and the Septuagint as well as the Hebrew Scriptures appear
to be preeminent. Putting all these scattered hints together,
therefore, it seems probable that the Two Witnesses are a
divines for favour, among the sons of Israel; for I the Lord will utter my
words, I will utter, and also perform, and will not prolong further. For in
your days, O! provoking house, will I utter My word and perform it, saith
the Lord.
"And there came a word of the Lord to me saying: Son of man, see; the
house of Israel is the source of provocation. They talk and say, The vision
which this man sees is to many days; and, This man prophesies for distant
seasons. Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord, They shall not delay
any longer, all my words, whatever I may utter. I will utter and perform it,
saith the Lord."
The purposes of Our God are wholly gracious towards us. When will
men learn wisdom from the past, and refuse to hear the voice of the Slanderer,
and to provoke their God to anger? When will they be willing and obedient,
that so He may do them good and not evil?
298
mighty and complex organism which may be partially
represented by the following design
THE TWO WITNESSES.
The Archon
of the Anglo-
Saxons
Gabriel
JOSEPH
Michael
MOSES
1
JUDAH AND THE OTHER¹
BENJAMIN
TRIBES
I
WITH
SEPHRAIM
MANASSEH
1
ELIJAH
THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES
THE NEW TESTAMENT
ENOCH
ENGLAND AND
SCOTLAND
WITH
^{
AMERICA
U.S.
CANADA
The Arche
of the
Greeks
ST. JOHN
Į
THE OTHER
CHRISTIAN
NATIONS
I

THE SEPTUAGINT
THE GREAT PYRAMID
¹ It does not appear to be generally known that the Afghans call them-
selves Bani-Israil, i.e. sons of Israel. Whether justifiably or not it is of
course difficult to say, but their features are often of the Hebrew type, and
they have much of the independence of character, often exhibited in acts of
turbulence and fanaticism, which characterised the Hebrews, and offer a
striking contrast in bearing and speech to the peoples of India, and indeed to
all Asiatic races. In fact, they seem in character and ways of thought very
much like the English, save that they have not the love of order and good
government which are conspicuous among Anglo-Saxons, and show a dis-
regard of human life, and a relentless cruelty when their passions are aroused
or their self-interest concerned, which are almost incredible to Englishmen
who have no experience of their ways.
1
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KALVON TN - O p
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