YALE
DIVINITY SCHOOL
LIBRARY

Gift of
Rev. Oscar E. Maurer

AN

EXPOSITION

REYELATION OF JOHN,

THE FOURTH CHAPTER.

REV. JOEL MANN.

NEW YORK:
E. FRENCH, 135 NASSAU STREET.
1851.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, by
JOEL MANN,
In the Clerk's office of the District Court of the United States for the District
of Rhode Island.

S. W. BENEDICT,
Frinterj 16 Spruce-Street.

TO
JAMES B. M. POTTER, ESQ.,
BY WHOSE LIBERALITY THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ENCOUR
AGED TO GIVE THIS VOLUME TO THE PUBLIC J
AND TO THE PEOPLE OF KINGSTON, R. I.,
IN WHOSE KINDNESS AND SYMPATHY WE HAVE SHARED,
AND FOR WHOSE BENEFIT THIS EXPOSITION WAS PREPARED
AND DELIVERED IN THE FORM OF LECTURES,
IT IS NOW GRATEFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED.
J. M.

PREFACE.

It is well known that a great variety of opinions have
been expressed by distinguished theological writers on the
Apocalyptic visions which compose the prophetic part of
this truly wonderful book. This will not appear surprising
when we consider the nature of symbolical language, and
the difficulty of ascertaining its verification in the events
of the past and the future. It has seemed to me a safe
course to make the sacred scriptures interpret themselves
as far as practicable ; and, as John has written on many of
the same topics, and employed many of the same figures
and emblems as did the ancient prophets, his language
may, to a large extent, be interpreted by theirs.
Though I have been assisted by the valuable commen
taries on the Apocalypse in common use, I have not taken
them for my guides ; but have endeavored to examine
these recorded visions for myself. In doing this, I have felt
constrained to differ from them in some respects, which may
be deemed important. And I have only to. ask of those

vi PREFACE.
who may dissent from the views I have expressed, that they
will give 'the whole matter a thorough examination.
That the effect of these exegetical notes may be to cause
people of all classes to study more critically the figurative
language of the Bible, and to confirm all readers in a sin
cere belief of what God has revealed, is the fervent wish
of the author.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

At the commencement of a critical and thorough examination
of this most difficult of all the hooks in the sacred volume, it is
important to fix in our minds certain principles of interpretation
to guide us in our investigations. To these we should adhere as
safeguards against the suggestions of imagination and the vagaries
of ingenious speculation. We should adhere to them, though
they should carry us wide from the track of those who have given
interpretations of these prophetic teachings.
One of these principles is, that in order to ascertain the mean
ing of the revelator in a particular instance, the symbols, or em
blems, must be explained. These are objects cognizable by the
senses, designed to convey ideas of events civil or religious.
Though there may he coincidences between the symbols and
the things signified by them ; yet, in their nature they are entirely
different. Thus, a beast is the emblem of an empire, — thunderings,
lightnings, and earthquakes, represent civil commotions, and revolu
tions, — and the woman sitting on a scarlet colored beast is " that
great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth." To pro
ceed to give an interpretation without first ascertaining the mean
ing of the symbol, is not explaining, but guessing.
Another principle is, that when the symbol or figure is adopted
from the writings of the ancient prophets, or is the same as used
by them, it should be interpreted as having a similar signification,
so that, as far as practicable, one portion of divine revelation may
explain another.
One other principle I give in the wor,dsi*of Woodhouse : —
" Unless the language and symbols of Revelation should in par
ticular passages direct, or evidently require another mode of inter-

viii INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
pretation, the predictions are lo be applied to events occurring in the
kingdom of Christ. For," he remarks, "whenever sacred prophecy
is seen to deviate from its peculiar object, it is in such instances
only, wherein the fortunes of God's people have become necessa
rily involved with those of the heathen nations ; and thus we find
in the boundless mass of history to what kind of history prophecy
is to be applied. When the people of God were to become sub
ject to the four monarchies, the character, and succession, and fates
of those monarchies were predicted; but the main object contin
ually kept in view in the sacred history was their deliverance from
those successive yokes by the superseding dominion of the Mes
siah. This supreme and universal dominion, gradually, and finally
to prevail, appears to be the grand object of all sacred prophecy ;
and revolutions of worldly power among the Gentiles, seem
noticed only at those times when they impede or promote it."
This book was doubtless written to be understood, for John was
commanded not to seal up the sayings it contains, but to leave
them open for the instruction and consolation of believers in every
age. It is no presumption therefore, to assert that it can be under
stood, and he is pronounced " blessed or happy who keepeth the
sayings of this prophecy." To keep them implies an understand
ing of them, and a belief of them. Indeed, a revelation which
cannot be understood is no revelation at all.
A fact to be kept in view is, that these are visions, — represen
tation's made to the mind, not things actually beheld by the, organs
of sight. They were seen only in the sense in which we see things'
in a dream. They had no more real existence than the sheet filled
with all manner of beasts, which Peter in a sleep saw let down
from heaven. Many of the emblems never had a real existence
anywhere; such as the monsters with unnatural members, — the
locusts having shapes like horses, with crowns like gold on their
heads, and faces similar to those of men, — and the woman clothed
with the sun, and the moon under her feet. Much of the imagery
is the same as was used by the ancient prophets, and much of it
has its prototypes in the Levitical economy.
Another fact is, th#t the prophetic part of this book is wholly sym
bolic. All its disclosures are made under emblematic representa
tions, not unlike the hieroglyphics of Egypt. The first business,

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. jx
and that too the most difficult, is to decipher the emblems, show
their meaning, and their verification in the events of the past, or
those which are to come in the future. A great error has been
committed by understanding parts of these visions literally, and
other parts figuratively in the same connection, where all is mani
festly figurative. This throws confusion over the whole, and
necessarily leads to an incorrect interpretation.
In numerous instances also, even professed expounders of the
Apocalypse have given no explanation of the emblems, as if they
deemed them unimportant, or because they knew not what inter
pretation to give. I regard it as a fact by no means to be over
looked, that John never introduces a figure or a symbol unmean
ingly, or as mere ornamental costume. And he who would give
a full and correct explanation of his language must pay particular
attention to that fact. Much learning may be displayed in a philo
logical and grammatical exegesis of this hook, and very little light
be imparted. The fatigued and discouraged reader may rise up
just about as ignorant of the true meaning of these hierophantic
visions as when he began.
The prophetic portion of this book, which it is my design to
elucidate, commences with the fourth chapter. With a few gen
eral remarks on the introduction contained in the first chapter, I
pass over the specific messages addressed to the seven churches
which make up the two following chapters.
The source of these apocalyptic visions is declared to be God
himself; and as Christ has ever been the Teacher of men, they
were by him communicated to John by the instrumentality of an
angel. The record of them was made in obedience to the com
mand of Christ, and was sent to the seven churches in Asia Minor.
The writer makes himself known as John the apostle and evan
gelist, by declaring that he was a cotemporary, and brother, and
fellow-sufferer in tribulation with the members of those churches,
and also by the fact that he was banished to the Isle of Patmos for
his maintenance of God's truth, and his testimony concerning
Christ. It was on the Lord's day that the first of these visions wes
given to him, which was significant of the nature of the whole as
pertaining to Christ and his church. He saw seven golden candle-

x INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
sticks or lamps, which, as he was immediately informed, were em
blems of the seven churches ; and in the midst of them one like a
son of man, — not Christ himself, but an emblematic representation
of him, — one having a human form. Daniel also had a visionary
sight of one like a son of man, who came in the clouds of heaven,
— to whom was given dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all
nations should serve him. In both cases it is Messiah who is
meant. The ancient Hebrew prophet discoursed of the Four great mon
archies which were to have supremacy in the eastern portion of the
world, the first of which, viz., the Chaldean, was then in the zenith
of its glory. As three of those monarchies had existed their des
tined period, and had passed away, leaving only their broken frag
ments, John discourses of the fourth, which is the Roman, in which
the destinies of the Christian church and kingdom of Christ were
involved. And the attentive biblical reader will not fail to observe
that the emblems and symbols which John employs are chiefly
those which are found in the writings of Daniel, Ezekiel, and
Isaiah. This emblematic man standing among the lamps, is described as
having the garb of a Jewish priest, his head surrounded with a
glory, — his eyes fike " a consuming fire," denoting his mental pene
tration, and his power to destroy; — his feet like pure brass, re
garded as the most durable metal, and polished to the utmost
brightness, indicating, perhaps, the permanency of his government
and the holiness of his ways, even in his most terrible judgments
on mankind; — and his voice like the deep roar of cataracts, or that
of the mighty ocean, which is heard afar off, showed that his word
should be published by myriads of tongues, and command the at
tention and awe of mankind. The whole of this introductory
vision, as it seems to me, was intended to show what Christ would
le to his churches, and what he would do for them. Another
symbolic representation of Christ is given in the nineteenth chap
ter, differing from this, but equally adapted to set forth the great
things he will do for his cause in the world.
I remark also, that this book was probably written previous to
the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish commonwealth.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. xi
Whatever may be thought of the expressions, — Things which
must shortly come to pass, and The time is al hand, the seventh
verse seems to be a palpable intimation of that great catastrophe.
With some variation, it is a repetition of the. language which the
Saviour used in his impressive description of that event as re
corded in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew's gospel. An
abrupt call is made for attention to something which is declared
as if even then commencing. Behold He cometh with clouds, that
is, with a great host, — clouds being a symbol of a multitude. He
will be so manifested by remarkable events at that period, that in
the figurative language of the writer, " every eye will see him," and
particularly " those who pierced him." This last phrase is an evi
dent designation of the Jews, and an intimation that this will take
place in the lifetime of the crucifiers of the Lord. The sentiment
is that the divine visitations upon them will be so peculiar and
distressing, that they will clearly recognize him as an almighty
avenger. And all the tribes of the land will wail because of him. The in
correctness of our common translation has led most persons into
the erroneous belief that this is the second personal coming of
Christ ; and so it has been quoted thousands of times. The read
ing which I have given makes the whole plain. The land is Pales
tine, and the tribes of it are the Jews, and his coming is providen
tial or circumstantial, such as is expressed in numerous other
passages of the sacred scriptures.

EXPOSITION.

CHAPTER IV.
God's Presence with His Church.
This and the succeeding chapter may be regarded as pre
paratory to the visions which follow, and was intended to
show that those visions relate to the Christian church, and
that they were given by Christ, who takes the book, and
opens the seals. In the first place, we are taught emblem
atically the important and encouraging fact, that the pres
ence of God is with his church, that he governs it by his
authority, and protects it by his power ; and that the church
renders to him a pure and spiritual worship. This will ap
pear as we come to speak of the throne and its glorious
occupant in the midst of the adoring elders, and of those
who lead their devotions.
Verse 1. After this I looked, and, behold, a door was
opened in heaven : and the first voice which I heard was as it
were of a trumpet talking with me ; which said, Come up
hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.
After the things detailed in the preceding chapters, the en
tranced apostle perceived a door opened in heaven. This ex
pression is plainly symbolic, as there is no door in heaven.
Something different in kind, as in all similar cases, is in
tended. Our first business should be to ascertain what
that is. To say with Dr. Clark, that " this appears to have

14 CHAPTER IV,
been a visible aperture in the sky," or with others that it is
" an opening of the heavens," is not to give an explanation,
but only to assert the same thing in other words. Taking
it thus literally, as meaning only that there was an aperture
in the empyrean, is to pass unnoticed the true signification.
A door literally is an entrance into a building or an
apartment. Metaphorically, an open door signifies liber
ty, and opportunity to see or do particular things, — to take
a new view, — or to enter a new sphere of action. Thus
Paul says, 1 Cor. 16: 9, "A great door and effectual is
opened to me ;" that is, a favorable opportunity is afforded
to me. So also, 2 Cor. 2: 12, At Troas a door was opened
to me by the Lord to preach the gospel. Col. 4 : 3, A door of
utterance. Christ said, I am the door, — that is, by him only
can any come to God, and obtain salvation. Or, take the
writer's own use of the term, 3 : 8, Behold, I have set before
thee an open door, that is, abundant opportunity to do good
by diffusing the light and privileges of the gospel. Again,
3 : 20, Behold, I stand at the door and knock, signifying that
Christ seeks admission to the hearts of men. In none of
these instances is the word door used in a literal sense.
The term heaven in the Apocalypse, commonly signifies
the visible church, or the civil government, or both united.
Thus, when the third angel sounded, there fell a great star
from heaven ; which is admitted to mean the defection of a
distinguished teacher in the church from sound doctrine,
followed with baleful consequences. At the opening of the
seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for half an hour ;
which is interpreted to signify " that there would be peace
in the church and the empire for a short period." In
the verse under consideration, the term heaven is proba
bly used in the same sense ; and thus, " a door opened in
heaven," signifies that a prospective view was given to John
of the coming events concerning the Christian church. An

CHAPTER IV. 15
opportunity was aff#ded him of looking at things which lay
in futurity, pertaining to the kingdom of Christ. This ex
planation is immediately subjoined in the words addressed
to him, — Come up hither, and I will show thee things which
must be hereafter. No one doubts that the disclosures
which were subsequently made relate to the Christian
church. The opportunity and privilege of looking at those
things which stretched far onward in futurity, viz. — the
events of divine providence relating to the kingdom of
Christ, was represented by a door opened in heaven.
A voice resembling the loud sound of a trumphet, called
to the apostle to come as it were into the chamber of
vision, and receive the disclosures which are recorded in this
book. Under the Jewish economy the trumpet was an in
strument used to announce something important to be done,
and also to assemble the people to the feasts, &c. Such a
voice in the instance before us, seems designed to impress
the mind with the great importance of the things to be
made known.
2. And immediately I was in the Spirit : and, behold, a
throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. — This
may be considered as an explanation of what is meant by
the command, Come up hither. He was put into a trance, —
a state of insensibility to surrounding objects, so that the
mind was wholly occupied with things supernaturally pre
sented to it. The senses were for the time rendered inac
tive, and objects and ideas were presented to the mind by
direct revelation. I perceive no reason for supposing that
the apostle was transported bodily or spiritually to heaven,
for none of the things shown him transpired in heaven, —
none of the objects were located in heaven.
And, behold, a throne was set in heaven. Is not this a
direct contradiction of the remark just made? It un-

16 CHAPTER IV.
doubtedly is so, if these representation! 'are to be under
stood literally. Dr. Scott says with great propriety, " We
ought not to suppose that the objects afterwards mentioned
have a real existence in heaven ; but they were visionary
emblems, suited to give proper instructions to the apostle
and his readers ; and our chief business is .to develop their
meaning." This is the true statement of the matter, and
it would have been happy indeed if he and other writers
had invariably, from this verse to the end of the book, ad
hered to that principle. To awaken a common-sense train
of thought, let me ask, Is there a real material throne in
heaven, and is He, who in the eighth verse, is called the
Lord God Almighty, seated upon it, like an earthly king 1
Is he not a pure Spirit, filling immensity, " whom no man
hath seen, or can see V Is it a real fact, that to look upon,
he is like a jasper, and a sardine stone, and that there is a
rainbow about his throne in appearance like an emerald?
Such literalizing is in the highest degree absurd.
I understand this chapter to be a symbolic description
of the Christian church, blessed with the abiding presence
of God. The direct allusion undoubtedly is to the taber
nacle and femple of the Jews, in each of which was a super
natural light over the mercy-seat, manifesting the divine
presence as being ever with his people. John beheld men
tally a throne, which is an emblem of governmental author
ity, and protection, — of ruling power. It was set in heaven,
i. e., placed, established among his people in the Christian
dispensation, as really, though not visibly, as in the former
dispensation, agreeably to the promise, "I will be in the
midst of them, and walk with them," or as Christ said, " I
in them, and thou in me." The idea expressed is, that
God's presence would be with his church permanently in
all coming time, and that his authority and protection
would be exercised over it and for its behoof. The being

CHAPTER IV. ]7
who occupied the visionary throne is not named in this
place, but is named in the adoration and praise subsequently
given.
">C 3. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a
sardine stone : and there was a rainbow round about the
throne, in sight like unto an emerald. — The jasper stone was
pellucid or clear, emblematic of rectitude, purity, holiness.
The sardine stone was of a red color, emblematic of his just
ice, particularly as exercised in the punishment of his ene
mies. In this respect he is spoken of as a flame of fire, and
" a consuming fire." A rainbow surrounding the throne of a
green color like that of the emerald, was a symbol of the co
venant of mercy, and indicated that divine benevolence is
ever exercised in conducting, guiding, and controlling the
affairs of the church. See Ezek. 8 : 1,4. The sentiment
of the verse is, that God exercises his perfections, and man
ifests them to intelligent beings in administering his gov
ernment for the good of his church.
4. And round about the throne were four and twenty
seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sit
ting, clothed in white raiment ; and they had on their heads
crowns of gold. — Around the throne were twenty-four other
thrones, (thronoi) on which were as many elders sitting,
clad in white, indicative of their moral excellence, and
wearing crowns of gold, indicative of their authority, or
rather of the supremacy and dominion of the church. The
allusion probably is to the twenty-four courses of the
priests who presided over and performed the rights of
the ancient dispensation. Or, the allusion may be to the
twelve patriarchs and the twelve apostles, as representative
heads of the church under both dispensations. The church
is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets ; and

18 CHAPTER IV.
believers are represented as being made both kings and
priests to God. Under his government the church is to be
made triumphant; as Daniel says, The saints shall take the
kingdom and possess the kingdom forever and ever.
5. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thun-
derings, and voices. — Lightnings and thunders are sym
bols of war and civil commotions, — voices of royal edicts
and proclamations. The imagery is probably taken from
what transpired at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai.
The idea seems to be that God will shake and convulse
nations, and execute upon them signal judgments in sub
serviency to the welfare of his church. His purposes, his
law, his threatenings, shall be carried into effect whatever
may oppose.
A?id there were seven lamps of fire burning before the
throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. — The seven
lamps burning before the throne are explained to be the
seven Spirits of God. As seven is a number of perfection,
the Holy Spirit may be that which is meant. If so, their
shining before the throne, and in the midst of the elders,
signifies that it is the Spirit which illuminates, guides,
and comforts the church, and that his cheering influences
would ever be continued in it. The Spirit, by the truth,
and by his operations in the soul, is the great illuminator,
— the author of all Christian graces, and holy joys. The
seven lamps in this instance probably refer to the golden
candlestick with its seven lamps, placed both in the taber
nacle and temple in the first apartment, called the holy
place, and before the holy of holies, in which was the sym
bol of the divine presence. Into this apartment the priests
entered daily performing their ministrations; and the
lamps were kept burning day and night without intermis
sion. These imparted all the light, which made things

CHAPTER IV. 19
visible in the holy place. A beautiful emblem of the illu
mination given by the Holy Spirit. This interpretation I
prefer to that which makes these seven spirits to be seven
ministering angels, which seems to be inapposite, and
wanting in analogy.
6. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto
crystal : and in the midst of the throne, and round about the
throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. — Be
fore the throne there was a crystalline sea, i. e., a sea perfect
ly clear and transparent. Our common translation conveys
the idea that the sea was made of glass, which is incorrect.
This is another Jewish symbol, the allusion being to the bra
zen sea made by Solomon, ten cubits in diameter, and five
cubits deep, placed in front of the entrance of the temple,
and filled with water. The priests used the water to wash
themselves, and the sacrifices, and the implements used. It
is commonly considered as typical of the holy nature of the
sacrifice which Christ offered, himself being innocent and
holy. The location of this font before the entrance to the
sanctuary, and before the throne, may teach, that it is
through the washing of regeneration, and sanctification of
the Spirit, that we are fitted to come into the divine
presence to offer praises and supplications.
In the midst of the throne, or seat of authority, and
around it, were four living creatures, improperly styled
' beasts,' full of eyes before and behind. .Isaiah and Eze-
kiel describe similar living creatures. In this vision of"
John they are probably intended to represent the minis
ters of the gospel, and being in the midst of the throne
implies that they participate with Christ in the work of
governing, watching over, and guiding the church, as he
said to his disciples, ' Ye shall sit on twelve thrones, judg
ing the twelve tribes of Israel.' This they would do in

20 CHAPTER IV.
their official capacity as teachers and rulers of the Christian
church. Their position nearest the throne is probably an
allusion to the privileges and duties of the priests of old,
who only were permitted to enter the holy place, the sanc
tuary, and shows also that Christ's ministers are meant
by the four living creatures. Their numerous eyes before
and behind, looking every way, are emblematic of their
discernment, watchfulness, and carefulness in regard to all
things affecting the interests of the church.
7. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second
beast like a calf and the third beast had a face as a man, and
the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. — The first living
creature was like a lion. Evidently all this is symbolic ;
moral qualities in men being represented by the peculiar
qualities of these animals. The lion expresses courage and
strength ; the second creature, like a young bullock, express
es patience, docility, and endurance of hardship ; the third,
with a face as a man, expresses intelligence, wisdom and
benevolence ; the fourth, like a flying eagle, expresses dis
cernment, elevation of purpose, and speed in the perform
ance of duty.
8. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about
him, &c. — Furthermore, each of these creatures had six
wings, concerning which, Isaiah says, 6 : 1-3, " with two
he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with
two he flew," expressing reverence, humility, and alacrity.
They rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. —
Their employment is adoration and praise, — their lives are
devoted ^o serving and glorifying God. It is evident, there
fore, that these creatures represent intelligent, religious
beings. They have a true perception of God as holy, om-

CHAPTER IV. 21
nipotent, and eternal. For these glorious attributes they
adore him.
9, 10, 11. And when those beasts give glory, and honor,
and thanks, to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for
ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him
that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever
and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, thou
art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power :
for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are
and were created.- — The eternal existence of Him who sat
upon the throne is distinctly affirmed, and the four crea
tures devoutly ascribe to him glory, honor, and praise.
Then the elders prostrate themselves in token of their deep
reverence and un worthiness, and join in the worship. They
also take the crowns from their heads, and cast them be
fore the throne, signifying by that act, that their privileges
and honors, as believers, are all given by God, and are to
be held in subjection to his authority. They declare his
worthiness to take and to have glory, honor, and power,
as He who hath created all things, and according to whose
will they have been made.
The fact that the four living creatures lead in this wor
ship, and that the elders follow and join in it, shows, that
the ministers of Christ and the church are represented by
them ; and, if I mistake not, we are also taught, that the
true ministry and true church will ever practice a pure
worship. They will not corrupt it by introducing other
objects than the Supreme Being for worship, but to him
they will render the glory which is his due. The refer
ence throughout the chapter evidently is to the Christian
church in this world, and that here, not in heaven, are the
things to be enacted, which are thus emblematically dis
played. The main sentiment, as I regard it, may be thus

22 CHAPTER IV.
stated: — John had mentally a prospective view of the
Christian church extending far into futurity, and was taught
that God would ever be with it, and protect it, and would
govern the world in subserviency to it. Thus his throne
is spoken of as being in it. As the church under the an
cient dispensation was designed to preserve and propagate
the knowledge and the worship of the true God, in a world
filled with ignorance and idolatry ; as it was, like its own
Shekinab, a source of light in the midst of surrounding
darkness ; so, according to this prophetic vision, the Chris
tian church was designed to be the " light of the world,"
the depository of divine truth, the great instrumentality
for sustaining and diffusing the worship of God in its ap
propriate simplicity and spirituality ; and though there
have been many and great corruptions and defections in
doctrine and practice, the true church which is composed
of renovated, believers, will accomplish all for which it was
designed, for " God is in the midst of her, and will help
her right early."
A confirmation of this interpretation -is given in the con
struction of the language employed. All four of the verbs
in the ninth and tenth verses, are in the future, and not in
the present tense, according to our translation. Thus
" when the living creatures shall give glory, &c, the twenty-
four elders will fall down, and will worship, and will cast
their crowns before the throne." Now, if John intended to
describe the worship then actually occurring in heaven, the
present tense would have been the proper mode of ex
pressing it. And as a narrative of what he had seen,
though its signification referred to the future, he should
have used the past tense, as ho does in numerous other
cases. The future form of the above named verbs seems
to me designed to express, not the worship which was, or
is now paid to God in heaven ; but to be prophetic of the

CHAPTER V. 23
pure worship which the church of believers will uphold and
practice on earth to the end of time.

CHAPTER V.
The Book with Seven Seals.
This chapter is a further recital of the same vision.
1. And I saw on the right hand of Him that sat on the
throne a book written within and on the back side, sealed with
seven seals. — The disclosure of other things in the future is
symbolically represented by a sealed book, to be opened by
the Son of God. To the mind of the apostle, this book ap
peared held in the right hand of the glorious occupant of the
throne. It probably consisted of seven pieces of parchment,
connected together, and rolled upon each other ; each piece
having its seal upon the outer edge. How this was done,
is not easy to determine : hence the many conjectures con
cerning it. The book contained predictions, as we may
suppose, of events to transpire in successive periods of
time designated by the seven seals ; that is, there were to
be a series of events, of such signal importance and pecu
liarity as to constitute so many epochs. Being in the right
hand of Him who sat on the throne, indicates that the
events to be disclosed were wholly under His control and
direction. Being sealed, indicates that those events had
not then been made known. God reveals his purposes at
such times, and in such proportions, as he pleases. The
same emblem is found in Ezek. 2 : 9, 10.
2 and 3. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a
loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the

24 CHAPTER V.
seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither
under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look
thereon. — The inquiry by the mighty heraldic angel,
plainly shows that he was not worthy to loose the seals,
and make known the contents of the book. No created
being in the universe was of sufficient rank and dignity to
perform that work ; or no person in the church, nor in any
condition of life, was competent to remove the seals, and
reveal what was to come. No one knoweth the will of
God except the Son, and those to whom He reveals it.
He only who was in the bosom of the Father knoweth the
purposes of the Father intrinsically. Plainly, then, John
was divinely taught, otherwise he could never have made
this revelation of future things.
4 and 5. And I wept much, because no man was found
worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not : behold, the
Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed
to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. — John's
anxiety to know what was contained in the book, was like
that of Daniel to understand what had been communicated
to him concerning things to eome. He is consoled with the
assurance, that Christ had prevailed to do what he so much
desired. Christ was descended from the tribe of Judah, and
the lion was the emblem of that tribe, in reference to what
Jacob said in blessing his sons — "Judah is a lion's whelp :
he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion.
Who shall rouse him up ?" (Gen. 49 : 9.) In chapter 22 :
16, Christ says — I am the root and the offspring of David.
He was the root of David, as being his Creator and the
Giver of all his wisdom and greatness ; and his offspring,
as being lineally descended from him. The expression, hath
prevailed, is from a word winch signifies also, to conquer, to

CHAPTER V. 25
gain a victory, and implies the putting forth of great efforts.
The history of our redemption shows what the conflict and
what the victory was.
6. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and
of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a
Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the
earth. — There appeared in the midst of the throne, indicat
ing a participation in governmental authority and power,
and in the midst of the four living creatures and the elders,
indicating His relation to the church as Prophet, Priest
and King, as Teacher, Eedeemer and Ruler, a Lamb, bear
ing upon him the marks of slaughter, yet alive. (1 : 18.)
I am he who liveth, and was dead.
A horn is the emblem of power, and seven is probably,
in this instance, a number of perfection. The seven horns
of the Lamb, then, express the idea of the possession of
great power. " He is mighty to save, even to the utter
most," " all power in heaven and in earth being vested in
Him." His seven eyes are interpreted to be the seven
Spirits of God ; meaning, as in chapter 1 : 4, the Holy
Spirit, from whom proceeds "grace" and "peace." Being
sent into all the earth, probably signifies the shedding forth
of the Spirit by Christ, for the conversion of men, and for
the perfection of His people. By these symbols the whole
work of Christ is disclosed ; his revelation of the purposes
and will of the Father, his atoning sacrifice, his exaltation
to the throne of dominion, his ability to rule and to save,
and his bestowment of the Spirit upon mankind.
7. And he came and took the book out of the right hand
of him that sat upon the throne. — The disposition, even in
the learned, to view all these things literally, shows itself
2

26 CHAPTER V.
in the useless discussions of the question, How could a
lamb take and hold a book 1 The whole is symbolic ; and
John was not troubled about the congruity of what was
presented to his mind in vision, and we need not be. The
Lamb itself was a symbol, and his act was a symbolic
act, having no real existence anywhere, except in the mind
of the apostle. The signification of the act, as I apprehend,
is, that Christ reveals to men what the Father hath given
to Him to reveal, according with His own declaration,
" The words which I speak are not mine, but the Father's
who sent me."
8. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and
four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having
every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors,
which are the prayers of saints. — The prostration of -the re
presentatives of the church before the Lamb, was an expres
sion of their profound reverence of Christ as their Teacher,
and of their devout gratitude for his instructions. Viewed
as prospective and prophetic, it showed that the true church
would hold in the highest estimation, and cherish the utmost
respect for, the revelation which he has given.
Having harps, emblematic of the offering of praise.
Golden vials full of odors, were cups or broad dishes for
the offering of incense, entirely unlike what we term vials.
These are explained to be the prayers of saints. The pro
totype is the daily offering of incense on the golden altar,
under the former dispensation, at which time the people
offered prayer and thanksgiving. We have here conclusive
evidence that it is the church, and its worship on earth, that
is the subject of this vision. Prayer does not belong to
the heavenly state. The golden censers full of incense
were in the hands of the twenty-four elders and represen
tatives of the Christian church ; and as John explains these ¦

CHAPTER V. 27
to be symbols of the prayers of saints, we are surprised to
find it affirmed, that this is the worship of the glorified in
heaven. But we shall have further evidence of the cor
rectness of the interpretation given above on this point as
we proceed.
9. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy
to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.- — Why is this
a new song 1 Because it commemorates the finished work
of Christ; being thus in contrast with the songs of the
ancient economy. The 96th Psalm is prophetic of the
coming and reign of Messiah ; and therefore it opens with
the exhortation to " sing unto the Lord a new song." So
the first part of the 42d chap, of Isaiah is descriptive of the
ministry of Christ on earth ; and in view of this, the call is
given, " Sing unto the Lord a new song." Who were to
perform this duty, and where was it to be performed'?
The answer is given in the clause which is subjoined, And
sing his praise from the end of the earth.
The special subjects of that song are the worthiness of
Christ to reveal to us the will of the Father, his sacrificial
death, the redemption he has wrought for his people, and
the consequent privileges and mercies they have obtained.
The living. creatures and the elders declare, that they were
redeemed to God out of every people and nation, which is
a positive proof that they represent the church of believers ;
and the extent of this work, being performed in every na
tion and tribe of men, shows that this is prophetic of the
church to the end of time, the universality of its triumphs,
and the feelings of love and gratitude which its members
will ever have toward their glorious Head.

28 CHAPTER V.
10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests:
and we shall reign on the earth. — Being made kings and
priests, explains what is meant by having on their heads
crowns of gold, as stated in the previous chapter. As
kings, the governing authority will be exercised by them ;
and as priests, they will draw near to God and offer spiri
tual sacrifices unto Him. The commonly received Greek
text requires a somewhat different translation, thus : Thou
hast made them priests and kings, and they shall reign ; in
which them and they are used instead of us and we. But
the Greek texts of Stephens and Beza and Elzevir require
the translation which we have in our Bibles, and which
should be regarded as the true reading.
The declaration, we shall reign on the earth, proves deci
sively what we have repeatedly said, that the whole refer
ence is to the church in this world ; and it must be seen,
that the interpretation which makes these things to trans
pire in heaven, involves the whole in inconsistency and
confusion. That declaration in the song of the church, is
prophetical, and re-echoes the predictions of Daniel :
" The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and
possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. And
the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom,
under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the
saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him."
Dan. 7: 18 and 27. The universality and blessedness of
this reign is fully and glowingly described by John in the
two closing chapters of this book. Peter says, in his gen
eral epistle to believers, " Ye are a chosen generation, a
royal or kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people."
11. And T beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels
round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders ; and

CHAPTER V. 29
the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands. — We have had the ministers and
members of the church represented by the living ones and the
elders, and now a new class of worshipers is introduced with
the name of angels. At the first occurrence of this word
in this vision, it is important to note its signification. Be
side designating an order of beings superior to ourselves,
the term is used in the Old and New Testaments to signify
any agent or instrumentality, good or bad, animate or
inanimate, which God employs to accomplish his pur
poses. It is denned to be " one who performs the office
of an envoy or messenger," from a word which signifies
to lead. In the Apocalypse it is used to designate those
who succeeded the apostles in the care of the churches,
denominated also stars. 1 : 20 ; 2: 1. It is applied
also to civil officers, as in chap. 9 : 14, 15, where the
four angels who were bound by the river Euphrates,
mean the four leaders, or sultans of the Seljukian Turks,
who in the tenth century crossed that river with an im
mense army, and overturned the Saracen dominion in
western Asia. In the preceding chapter, the king of the
locusts, i.e. the Saracens, is called the angel of the bottom
less pit. This angel was Mahomet. So the seven angels
with the vials of the last seven plagues, and others in other
instances^ mean human agents and instrumentalities by
which God executes his judgments and performs his will.
The angel worshipers, in the case before us, I would
consider to be civil rulers and officers of government, and
their position in the rear of the elders, and encompassing
them, as foreshowing the important fact, that civil rulers
and governments would protect the church in the enjoy
ment of Christian privileges, join in its worship, and par
ticipate in its blessings. It is, in fact, a symbolic repre
sentation of what the ancient prophets so often and so rap-

30 CHAPTER V.
turously foretold, that " Kings shall be thy nursing fathers,
and queens thy nursing mothers ;" " The Lord will arise
upon thee, and his glory will be seen upon thee ; and the
Gentiles- shall come to thy light, and kings to the bright
ness of thy rising." " The abundance of the sea shall be
converted to thee, and the forces of the Gentiles shall come
to thee." "Their kings shall minister unto thee." In the de
scription which John gives of the last and most perfect state
of the church on earth, he says : " The kings of the earth
do bring their glory and honor into it." The design of this
introductory vision appears to be, to show what the church
in this world would be ; and as the worship and praise
here described is that of believers in this life, it is most
congruous, and most in harmony with the scope of the .
vision to consider the term angels as designating civil
rulers and distinguished officers of government. This
company of the redeemed, who render devout ascription
of praise, was a vast, an innumerable multitude.
12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. — They de
clare that Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain, is
worthy to receive, to have and possess, or to have as
cribed to him, the power to reign as king, the riches, all
that is necessary for supplying the wants of his people,
the wisdom to guide all the- affairs of the church and the
world, the strength to uphold his friends and subdue his
enemies, and the honor, such as is due to him, and the
glory or renown, and the blessing or praise.
13. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the
earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all
that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and

CHAPTER V. 31
glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb, forever and ever. — In this ascription,
according to commentators, " they were joined by all
the inhabitants of heaven and earth, and the souls of
those who were in the separate state, whose bodies were
under the earth, or in the sea, or by all creatures in the
universe, with the exception of none but the determined
enemies of God." This, of course, is a literal under
standing and a literal interpretation, and an assumption
that these things really occurred before the eyes of
the apostolic seer, all of which are erroneous. The whole
is symbolic and prophetic, showing that Christ, ac
cording to the promise of the Father, and the utterances of
the prophets, would, in due time, have the heathen for his
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his
possession ; that all enemies shall be put under his feet ;
that his name shall be praised from the rising to the setting
sun — in a word, that he shall receive the homage of all
mankind. Furthermore, these were visionary representa
tions, divinely produced phantasms, not real transactions,
and their fulfillment is to be in the church in this world.
Heaven is the symbol of government, and every crea
ture, or as in the original, every created thing, are those
who administer the government, called in a preceding verse
angels. Those on earth are the mass of the people who
are subject to the ruling authority. Those under the earth
are those who are in a state of bondage ; and those who
are in the sea are those who inhabit the islands of the
sea. Thus, the persons meant in this passage are people
of all classes, rulers and subjects, bond and free. We
find a similar classification in the fifteenth verse of the
next chapter, thus : The kings of the earth, and the great men,
and the rich men, and the chief captains and the mighty
men, and every bond man, and every free man hid them-

32 CHAPTER V.
selves. Also, in 19 : 18. These all unite in devoutly as
cribing praise, honor, glory, and power to Him who sitteth
on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever. The church is
to advance until it has universal dominion, and the people
of all nations and conditions shall know and adore Jeho
vah and his Christ.
This metaphorical use of the terms heaven, and earth,
and sea, is common, not only in this book, but throughout
the sacred scriptures. The reference is not to the material
universe, but to people in different civil and social condi
tions. For instance, Ps. 96 : 1, Sing unto the Lord all
the earth, meaning all the people of the land. Isa. 49 :
13, Sing, 0 heavens, and be joyful, 0 earth; — civil rulers
and the people were to rejoice. Isa. 65 : 16, 18, The
former troubles are forgotten ; for behold, I create new hea
vens and a new earth — -for I create Jerusalem a rejoicing,
and her people a joy. The last clause is explanatory, and
shows clearly that a happy change was to be made in the
civil, social and religious state of the people. Things were
to be made new in the government and in the church, and,
of course, in the condition of those who were concerned.
Jer. 22 : 29, 0 earth, earth, earth, hear the ivord of the
Lord, — which is a call made to the people. In chapter 7 :
3, the command is given : Hurt not the earth, nor the sea,
nor the trees, — where the people of different' conditions are
meant. Instances of this kind are too numerous to be
cited here. They will appear in the course of our exegesis.
14. And the four beasts said, Amen. — The four liv
ing creatures, representing Christ's ministers, gave a
hearty response, expressive of their desire that so it may
be. The elders prostrated themselves and worshiped
Him who liveth forever and ever. Such is the true church,
and such is its worship. Such is its love of revealed

CHAPTER VI.

33

truth — such is and ever will be its gratitude for the dis
closures which Christ has made of the will and purposes
'of God, and such is the shadowing forth of its future tri
umphs and glory.
It is manifest, that Christ is joined with the Father
in all these adorations of the true church. He who gave
the revelation of these things has thus sanctioned such
worship. He has shown us, prospectively, that the saints
will thus worship forever and ever. Does, then, this book
teach the practice of idolatry, or is Christ a proper object
of adoration and praise 1
In these sublime ascriptions it is declared, that
Christ hath redeemed us to God with his blood, which is a
direct affirmation of the doctrine of the atonement. The
foundation of all the excellencies, privileges, and hopes of
believers is, that Christ died for them, and this will fur
nish the chief burden of their songs, in their earthly pil
grimage and in their eternal home.

CHAPTER VI.
The Opening of the Seals.
1. And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals;
and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four
beasts saying, Come and see.- — The contents of the book or
the roll, are now to be made known. The first seal is
broken ; and the attention of the apostle is called to the
disclosure by a voice like the noise of thunder, saying,
Come and see. This voice was uttered by the first of the
four living creatures, whose characteristics were those of a
lion, showing perhaps, that the preachers of the gospel in

34 CHAPTER VI.
the first period of Christianity, designated by this seal,
were very powerful, bold, and magnanimous.
2. And 1 saw, and behold a white horse ; and he that sat
on him had a bow ; and a crown was given unto him : and
he went forth conquering, and to conquer. — The opening of the
first roll disclosed a white horse, with a rider having a bow,
and a crown was given to him. His appearance was that of
a conqueror, achieving conquest after conquest. As I under
stand it, this emblem was drawn on the inside of the roll,
and was all that was exhibited on the opening of it. No
writing was seen, — the emblem contained in itself the
whole prediction intended to be expressed. What this was,
is the thing to be ascertained. Similar emblems were
shown in a vision to Zechariah, and describe events which
preceded the incarnation of Christ. There were four cha
riots ; the first was drawn by red horses, the second by
black horses, the third by white, the fourth by grizzled and
bay horses. Zech. 6:1,3. The white horse is the emblem
of a bloodless joyous victory, 19:11,14. The rider is Christ,
or emblematically Christianity itself. A bow is an instru
ment used for shooting arrows, and these together were chief
implements of ancient warfare.' The meaning is that the
victories of Christianity are won by the instrumentality of
truth, the arrow which pierces the heart, as on the day of
Pentecost when multitudes were pricked in their hearts, and
exclaimed, What shall we do 1 — A crown given to the rider,
signifies, that Christ, or Christianity would be victorious
and have ruling authority. This is explained, as is usual
with John, in an additional clause. He went forth conquer
ing and to conquer. Many were to be the conflicts — cer
tain and joyous the victories. Through the labors of the
apostles and their coadjutors, the Christian religion spread
over a large portion of the known world, so that, as Paul

CHAPTER VI.

35

said, "the gospel was preached in all the world." The
period of this seal may be considered as extending from the
day of Pentecost to about the year 67 or 68, when the
" wars and rumors of wars" began which preceded the de
struction of Jerusalem.
3 and 4. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard
the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out'
another horse that was red ; and power was given to him that
sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should
kill one another : and there was given unto him a great sword. —
At the opening of the second seal, the second living crea
ture, whose appearance was that of a young ox, indicating,
perhaps, that at this- period the faith and patience of minis
ters would be greatly tried, gave the same call to attention.
The emblem disclosed was a red horse, by which is signified
a time of war and bloodshed in an eminent degree. This
is shown to be its meaning by what follows. Power was
given to the rider to take peace from the land, and that
they should kill one another, and there was given to
him a great sword. These expressions and this symbolic
act, predict uncommon slaughter. This seal had its fulfill
ment in the incessant civil wars in the short reigns of
Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, and especially in the destruction
of Jerusalem, and of more than a million of the Jews. This
capture of the holy city, and immense sacrifice of human
life, was attended with the demolition of the temple, and
the overthrow of the Jewish commonwealth. In the Ian- .
guage of the Saviour, it was such a time of tribulation, as
never had been, and never should be again. In addition
to these, were the wars of Domitian in repelling the inva
sions of the surrounding barbarous nations, and the for
midable insurrection in Germany. This was a period,
which fully justified the expression, that men should Mil

36 CHAPTER VI.
one another, and gave a terrible illustration of the emblems
employed. Domitian was slain in the year 96, and this
may be considered as the termination of this seal.
5 and 6. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard
the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a
black horse ; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances
in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four
beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three mea
sures of barley for a penny ; and see thou hurt not the oil
and the wine. — The third seal introduced a different state of
things ; and the third living creature which had a face like
a man, indicating perhaps, that intelligence and wisdom
would characterize this period, said, Come and see. A black
horse is emblematic of calamities and mourning. The
rider with balances signifies, that the ruling power would be
marked with justice and equity. Seemingly contradictory
as is the import of these symbols, we find, that the history
of the time fully sustains their appropriateness.
Nerva, who succeeded Domitian, was a prince of great
moderation and generosity. Goldsmith informs us, that
" the people, being accustomed to tyranny, regarded his gen
tle reign with rapture." It was, however, very brief.
Trajan succeeded to the throne and was distinguished for
his diligence, his moderation to his enemies, his modest
bearing, his liberality to the deserving, . and economy in his
expenses." He was induced, however, to look with sus
picion upon Christians, and great numbers of them were
put to death. These cruelties were suspended by order
of the emperor, when he was informed by Pliny of the in
nocence and harmlessness of their lives.
After his death Adrian was elected emperor in A.D.
117. He was distinguished for personal and mental ac
complishments, and equally so, for his moral virtues.

CHAPTER VI. 37
" He was affable to his friends, and gentle toward those of
inferior stations ; he relieved their wants, and visited them
in sickness, it being his constant maxim, that he was an
emperor, not elected for his own good, but for the benefit
of mankind." Yet with these virtues there was a strange
mingling of vices.
He made a tour through France, Germany, and Holland,
to Great Britain, and thence through Spain to Rome, " re
forming many abuses, and doing much for the public wel
fare." He traveled through the eastern part of the empire,
and mitigated the severity of the persecution of the Chris
tians. He went twice into Africa, corrected disor
ders, reformed the governments there, erected magnificent
edifices, and ordered the rebuilding of Carthage and Jeru
salem. " He forbade masters to kill their slaves, as
had been before allowed ; but ordained that they should
be tried by laws enacted against capital offenses." All
these things show the truthfulness of the emblem of the
balances in the hand of the imperial rider.
Equally true to fact is the emblem of the black horse on
which he rode. For when Adrian was in Athens, another
insurrection was made by the Jews, who massacred Ro
mans and Christians throughout Judea. A powerful army
was sent to subdue them, and in the course of two years
more than a thousand of. their best towns were destroyed,
and nearly six hundred thousand men were slain in battle.
Adrian reigned about twenty-two years.
Antoninus succeeded him in the year 138. His morals
were so correct, he was surnamed the Pius. His reign for
a period of nearly twenty-three years, was distinguished for
the encouragement of learning, and efforts for the welfare
and happiness of the people. Some earthquakes having oc
curred, the Christians were accused by their inveterate
enemies, the heathen, of being (he cause of those calamities,

38 CHAPTER VI.
and were subjected to injurious and cruel treatment accord
ingly. Mosheim states, that " the emperor, being inform
ed of these unjust and barbarous proceedings, addressed an
edict to the whole province of Asia, in which he denounced
capital punishment against such as should accuse the
Christians without being able to prove them guilty of any
crime." Thus, in this reign was the emblem of the bal
ances verified. I cannot agree with those writers who
make that emblem to signify a yoke of oppression, or of
burdensome ordinances, and superstitious observances.
Such fancies are unworthy of the subject.
The other part of this seal seems to refer to events re
lating more particularly to the church. A measure of
wheat for a penny, &c. Wheat and barley being chief ar
ticles of food, are emblems of Christian privileges which
nourish piety in the soul. Being carefully measured out
for a definite sum indicates, that there would be a great
diminution of these privileges, and the enjoyment of them
would be attended with great difficulties. The wine and
the oil signify spiritual comforts and refreshings which re
sult from those privileges ; and the command not to hurt
these, is prophetic of the protection which the emperors en
deavored to extend to the Christians, assailed and maltreated
by their enemies.
Trajan, whose reign is included under this seal, issued an
edict to this effect, " That the Christians were not to be
officiously sought after, but that such as were accused and
convicted of an adherence to Christianity, were to be put to
death as wicked citizens, if they did not return to the re
ligion of their ancestors." This made an adherence to
Christianity a capital crime. The only alternative for the
accused was apostasy or death. None, therefore, could be
known openly as Christians, and as a consequence, public
worship could not be enjoyed without incurring the peril

CHAPTER VI. 39
of death. It became indispensable then for Christians to
conceal their sentiments and to give up in a great measure
their privileges. This, in my view, is what is signified by
the careful measuring of the wheat and barley.
On a representation being made to Adrian by Granianus,
pro-consul of Asia, of the cruelty and injustice of allowing
a lawless rable to sacrifice persons accused of no crime, that
emperor prohibited the putting of Christians to death with
out a regular conviction of crimes against the civil laws.
Another fact illustrative of the text was, that under the
reign of Trajan there was a great revival of learning, which
had languished under the tyrannical reigns of his predeces
sors. Protected and encouraged by that worthy prince,
philosophy and letters advanced to a degree of eminence
nearly equal to that of former times. It was at this period,
that the famous apologies and vindications of Christians
and Christianity, were published by Justin Martyr, Athe-
nagoras, Tatian, and others. Thus the prophetic injunction
not to injure the wine and the oil, probably received its
fulfillment in these favoring circumstances. These, how
ever, were preceded, and intermingled with circumstances
of a very different nature, as the other emblems of this seal
indicate. The time of this seal may be considered as ex
tending to the death of Antoninus Pius, which occurred in
A.D. 161.
The Fourth Seal, verses 7 and 8. And when he had
opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast
say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale
horse ; and his name that sat on him was Death, and hell
followed with him ; and power was given unto them over the
fourth part of the earth, to kill with sivord, and with hunger,
and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. — The fourth

40 CHAPTER VI.
of the living creatures was like an eagle with his wings
extended, as if in the act of flying.
The emblem is a pale horse, whose rider is death, with
hell following. Its meaning is, that there will be great
destruction of human life, by war, pestilence, famine, and
the rapid invasions of barbarous nations. This interpreta
tion is subjoined by the revelator. Power was given to
them over a fourth part of the earth, that is, the Roman
empire, to kill with the sword, i. e. war, with hunger, i. e.
famine, with death, i. e. pestilence, and with beasts, i. e.
barbarians. In A.D. 161, Marcus Aurelius succeeded to the impe
rial throne, and though distinguished for his literary ac
complishments, he was hostile to Christians. He asso
ciated with him in the government, Licius Verus, a man
passionate and vile. Goldsmith states, that immediately
" the Catti invaded Germany and Rhetia, ravaging all with
fire and sword." The Rhetians revolted, but were sub
dued. The Parthians, under Vologeses their king, made
a terrible invasion, destroyed the Roman legions in Arme
nia, entered Syria, and filled the whole country with
terror. The Romans were victorious, over the Parthians,
took Selucia, plundered and burned Babylon and Ctesi-
phon. On their return more than half their army was
wasted by famine and pestilence. Not only so, but the
army brought the pestilence to Rome, and spread it in the
provinces through which it passed. Its ravages in the
western portion of the empire were indeed terrible. In
the language of Goldsmith, there were " earthquakes,
famines, and inundations, such as had never before hap
pened ; the products of the earth, throughout all Italy, were
devoured by locusts ; all the barbarous nations surround
ing the empire made their irruptions even into Italy itself."
To crown the whole, these calamities were ascribed to

CHAPTER VI. 41
the Christians, and a merciless persecution was waged
against them, and vast numbers were put to death, among
whom were those distinguished ministers, Justin Martyr,
and Polycarp. These calamities fell chiefly on the west
ern quarter of the empire, designated by the fourth part
of the earth. After a short interval the northern barba
rians renewed the war of invasion, and were again over
come and driven back. This state of warfare and commo
tion, joined with the infernal hatred, persecution, and mas
sacre of Christians, is doubtless what is meant by the
phrase, hell followed wifJi death. Wa should think, that
there could be no doubt whether these events should be
referred to this seal. In addition to these, and foreshown
by the same emblems, was the terrible state of things under
the short reigns of Commodus, Pertinax, Didius, Severus,
Caracalla, Macrinus, Heliogabalus, Alexander, Maximin,
Pupienus, and Balbinus, and Philip, all of whom, except
Severus, were" assassinated, some of whom reigned only a
few months, and the entire period of all their tyrannical
and disastrous reigns being only eighty-six years. This
seal may be considered as extending to the year 248 when
Philip was slain.
The Fifth Seal, verses 9, 10, 11. And when he had
opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them
that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony
which they held : And they cried with a loud voice, saying,
How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and
avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ? And
white robes were given unto every one of them ; and U was
said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season,
until their fellow-servants also, and their brethren, that
should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. — This roll
disclosed the picture of an altar, at the base of which were

42 CHAPTER VI.
lying the persons of those who were slain for their adher
ence to the word of God, and the faithful testimony
which they bore to his truth. Reference to a concordance
will show at once, that the term souls, is used throughout
the Bible for persons. Though they are represented as
slain, they inquire with great earnestness how long judg
ment and retribution will be delayed against their mur
derers? This emblem foretells a period of- great per
secution and slaughter of Christians. Let us. see if his
tory furnishes the record of its fufillment.
Mosheim, (Cent. 3, chap. 2,) says: "The accession of
Decius Trajan to the imperial throne, in the year 249,
raised a new tempest, in which the fury of persecution fell
in a dreadful manner on the church of Christ. For this
emperor published most terrible and cruel edicts, by which
the praetors were ordered, upon pain of death, either to
extirpate the whole body of Christians without exception,
or to force them, by torments of various kinds, to return
to Pagan worship. Hence, in all the provinces of the env
pire, multitudes of Christians were during the space of two
years put to death, by the most horrid punishments which
an ingenious barbarity could invent."
Under Gallus and Volusianus his son, the flame of perse
cution which had somewhat subsided, was reanimated.
Besides suffering in common with others, the calamities of
a terrible pestilence, they were subjected to the renewed
rage of persecution, by the heathen priests persuading the
^people that the pestilence was sent by the gods on account
of the lenity shown to the Christians.
"Valerian was made emperor in A.D. 254, and caused
the persecution to cease ; but soon Macrianus, his chief
counselor, and a bigoted pagan, prevailed on the emperor
to prohibit the assemblages of the Christians, and to banish
their bishops and doctors. This edict, published in 257,

CHAPTER VI. 43
was followed by one still more severe, in consequence of
which, Christians in all the provinces were put to death by
most terrible methods of execution." His son and suc
cessor in the year 260, restored peace to the church, which
continued in a tolerable degree through the succeeding
short reigns of Flavius Claudius, Aurelian, and Tacitus.
But in the reign of Diocletian which began in 284, in
partnership with three others, viz., Maximian Herculus,
Constantius Chlorus, and Maximinus Galerius, the scene
changed. Galerius importunately solicited Diocletian for
an edict against Christians, and " an order was obtained for
him to pull down their churches, to burn their books and
writings, and to take from them all civil rights and privi
leges." A fire broke out in the palace of Nicomedia,
which was attributed to Christians, and Diocletian "caused
vast numbers of them to be tormented in a most inhuman
manner." Certain seditions in Armenia and Syria were
charged on them, and Diocletian issued a second edict, or
dering all pastors and ministers to be cast into prison. ' A
third edict was soon issued by him, ordering all sorts of
torments to be employed, to force those venerable captives
to renounce their profession, by sacrificing to the gods.
An immense number of persons illustrious for their piety
and learning became victims throughout the empire, ex
cepting France, which was under the mild and equitable
reign of Constantius 'Chlorus. Some were punished in a
manner too shameful to relate, some were put to death
after having their constancy tried by tedious and inexpres
sible tortures, and some were sent to the mines to drag
out the remainder of life in poverty and bondage.'*
' In the second year of this horrible persecution (A.D.
304) a fourth edict was published by Diocletian, at the in
stigation of Galerius and others, by which the magistrates
#Mosheim, cent. 4, part 1, chap. 1.

44 CHAPTER VI.
were ordered and commissioned to force all Christians,
•without distinction of rank or sex, to sacrifice to the gods,
and were authorised to employ all sorts of torments to
drive them to this act of apostasy. The diligence and
zeal of the Roman magistrates in the execution of this
inhuman edict, had like to have proved fatal to the Chris
tian cause.' Galerius finally obliged Diocletian and Max-
imian to resign the imperial dignity, and proclaimed him
self emperor of the east, leaving the west to Constantius.
Having done this, " he augmented the sufferings of Chris
tians under his tyrannic rule to a dreadful degree." How
appropriate to these bloody scenes was the emblem of
human bodies strown round an altar, slain for the word
of God.
To these martyrs white robes were given as a token
of their innocence and their future recompense ; and for
their consolation they were, told that yet a little season
and they should rest when others of their brethren should .
be slain as they had been. This, I regard as an answer to
their question, How long, 0 Lord, in the preceding verse;
and, if I mistake not, the idea is, that in a short time, these
persecutions from heathen rulers, heathen priests and
magistrates would cease, which was the fact in a few years
after, under Constantine, the first Christian emperor. As
we shall presently see, he not only caused persecution
against the Christians to cease ; but he put down heathen
priests and idolatrous sacrifices, and prohibited the whole
system of paganism. There was a long period of compara
tive tranquillity and prosperity to the church ; vast acces
sions were made to it all over the empire, and its suprema
cy was everywhere acknowledged.
12, 13, and 14. And I beheld when he had opened the
sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake ; and the sun

CHAPTER VI. 45
became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as
blood ; and the stars of heaven' fell unto the earth, even as a
fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a
mighty wind : and the heaven departed as a scroll when it is
rolled together ; and every mountain and island were moved
out of their places. — The convulsions of the earth, the ob
scuration of the sun, the sanguinary aspect of the moon, the
falling of stars, the passing away of the firmament, and
the removal of mountains and islands, are great prodigies
in nature, employed as symbols to express violent changes
in the civil and religious affairs of a kingdom or state.
Here, and in succeeding chapters, the things predicted were
to transpire within the Roman empire, which, at the time
of these visions, embraced nearly all the known world.
An earthquake is a symbol of a civil commotion and
revolution ; or, as Cruden says, " An extraordinary and
unexpected alteration in the state of affairs, civil or eccle
siastical." The sun being a ruling orb in the natural
world, is the symbol of the ruling power in the state or
the church. Being deprived of its brightness, and made
black as sackcloth, signifies the cessation of that power —
the overthrow of the ruling authority. The moon is an
emblem of inferior official stations, and sometimes of reli
gious ordinances. Its becoming like blood, signifies that
the things represented by it are to undergo a sanguinary
change. Stars represent distinguished persons, Christian
pastors and teachers, as in chapter 1 : 20 ; and in this
place, heathen philosophers, statesmen and priests. The
falling of these, means their deposition from office, the ter
mination of their functions, and the ruin of their influence.
Heaven is the symbol of government, either civil or reli
gious, under a particular form; and its departure means
the cessation of that form, a change in the political system.
Mountains and islands are states and sovereignties included

46 CHAPTER VI.
within an empire ; and their removal out of their places
indicates a transition from one political and moral condi
tion to another. It is important that these definitions
should be particularly noticed, because these emblems fre
quently occur in the subsequent visions. The manner in
which they are used in the Old Testament, fully substan
tiates the interpretation now given of them.
The overthrow of the Chaldean government, the cap
ture of Babylon by the army of Darius, and the slaying
of the king and nobles, is thus described in the 13th chap
ter of Isaiah : " Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel
both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate ;
and he will destroy the sinners out of it. For the stars
of heaven and its constellations shall not give their light ;
the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon
shall not cause her light to shine. I will shake the heavens,
and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath
of the Lord of hosts." Ezekiel, in chap, 32 : 7, 8, describes
the destruction of Egypt in a similar manner, expressly
comparing the extinction of her glory to the extinguish
ment of the lights of heaven : " When I shall extinguish
thee, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof
dark ; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon
shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven
will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy
land, saith the Lord." In the hieroglyphics of that coun
try, the sun is always the emblem of the king. (See also
Jer. 4 : 22, 24.) In the same metaphorical language Christ
foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Jewish
commonwealth. " Immediately after the tribulation of
those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall
not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and
the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then
shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and

CHAPTER VI. 47
then shall all the tribes of the land mourn," &c. It was
declared by the patriarch Jacob, in his prophetic blessing
of Judah, that the sceptre should not depart from Judah,
nor a lawgiver between his feet, until Shiloh shall come.
At the destruction of Jerusalem, the sceptre did depart,
the Jewish commonwealth was overthrown ; and this was
the sign that Messiah had come. This sign appeared in
heaven ; the Saviour using that term just as the old pro
phets did, and as John afterward did, as signifying the
government, both civil and ecclesiastical ; which govern
ment was then utterly destroyed. The passing away of
the heaven of government, was the infallible sign that
Messiah had come.
Having thus explained the symbols, let us turn to the
records of history for the fulfillment in the case before us.
The victories of Constantine ; the entire subversion of the
Pagan dominion in the empire, which had continued for
more than a thousand years ; the eradication of heathenism,
and the establishment of Christianity and a Christian gov
ernment, are the events thus predicted.
At the beginning of the fourth century, the Roman em
pire consisted of four great divisions, each having a governor
or emperor over it. Galerius and Dioclesian ruled over
the central and eastern portions. Upon the death of
Galerius, his son-in-law, Maxentius, a firm supporter of
paganism, became a competitor for the imperial throne.
Constantine succeeded his father in the government of the
western portion of the empire. Ascertaining the state of
things, he left France, and entered Italy with an army of
90,000 foot and 8,000 horse, and advanced almost to the
gates of Rome. Maxentius came out with an army of
175,000 foot and 1,800 horse. The engagement was fierce
and bloody, till the pagan usurper's cavalry was routed, and
Maxentius was drowned in his flight by the breaking down

48 CHAPTER VI.
of a bridge, which precipitated him into the Tiber. This
victory was achieved in the year 312.
Edicts were soon after issued by Constantine, declaring
that Christians should be relieved of all their oppressions,
and be admitted into places of civil trust and authority.
Maximin, who governed the eastern part of the empire,
desirous of obtaining the whole imperial authority, with a
powerful army, marched against Licinius, who participated
with Constantine in the government ; but, after many en
gagements, was defeated, and his troops cut to pieces.
Licinius then turned against Constantine, and with Maxi
min, at the head of formidable armies, fought a desjperate
battle in Pannonia. Before engaging, Constantine, with
his Christian ministers, implored divine assistance; and
Licinius called upon the heathen priests to beg assistance
of the gods. Here the friends of Christianity and the
abettors of heathenism were arrayed against each other.
The issue of that battle was of the highest moment. Con
stantine was victorious, and Licinius sued for a truce.
Soon, however, instigated by the heathen priests, he raised
another army of those who were attached to the heathen
superstitions ; and, having fought several battles without
success, he threw himself at the feet of the Christian victor
a prisoner of war, in the year 325.
The imperial authority being wholly in the hands of
Constantine, he resolved to establish Christianity on a
basis which no revolution could shake. He commanded,
that in all the empire the orders of the bishops should
everywhere be obeyed. " He employed all the resources
of his genius, all the authority of laws, and all the engaging
charms of his munificence and liberality, to efface the
superstitions of paganism, and to propagate Christianity in
every corner of the Roman empire. He had learned, no
doubt, from the disturbances continually excited by Lici-

CHAPTER VI. 49
nius, that neither himself nor the empire could enjoy a
fixed state of tranquillity and safety so long as the ancient
superstitions subsisted ; and therefore, from this period, he
openly opposed the sacred rites of paganism, as a religion
detrimental "to the interests of the state." * As islands and
mountains are emblems of states and small kingdoms, the
removal of these from their places signifies a change in
their government, or civil position in relation to the empire.
This was done in part by the formation of the four preefec-
tures, and in part by the abolition of heathen laws and
forms of government. Says Mosheim, " Constantine the
Great, in order to prevent civil commotions, and to fix his
authority upon solid and stable foundations, made several
changes, not only in the laws of the empire, but also in the
form of the Roman government." Other changes were
made by the Christian emperors who succeeded him in this
century, particularly by Theodosius the Great, who died
A.D. 395. Thus was there a mighty revolution, which,
like a great earthquake, broke up the ancient foundations
of heathenism, and changed the whole aspect of things.
The sun of that long-established system of superstition and
idolatry was shrouded with blackness ; its deceptive and
degrading rites, after many bloody struggles, were abol
ished; the priests, officers and eminent men, who were
stars in the pagan firmament, were deposed arid cast aside,
and its temples either demolished or used for Christian
worship. 15 16, and" 17. And the kings of the earth, and the great
men and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty
men and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves
* Mosheim, Cent. 4, page 1, chapter 1 ; also, Goldsmith's His
Rom. Em. 3

50 CHAPTER VI.

m

the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains ; and said to
the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the
face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of
the Lamb : for the great day of his wrath is come ; and who
shall be able to stand?— -The effects of these changes on the
enemies of Christianity are depicted in strong language in
these verses. Men of all classes, from the highest to the
lowest, are represented as hiding themselves in the caves
and among the rocks of the mountains, and beseeching that
these may be a cover to them from the exhibitions of
Divine power and wrath. Most deeply did they realize
that the day of His terrible anger was come. To under
stand the full force of this, we must look to the facts which
were the fulfillment of it. We have seen how the pagan
portion of the people in the states and provinces of the
empire, excited by the priests to oppose the progress of
Christianity, and led on by Maximin and Licinius, made
desperate struggles to maintain heathenism, and were de
feated in successive battles, with great slaughter, though
their force was far the greatest. Universal consternation
filled the hearts of these enemies of the Christian religion.
Seeing the success of that cause which they had opposed
with unmitigated hate, and knowing what horrid barbarities
they had practiced on the Christians, putting them to death
wherever they could, though guilty of no crime, they feared
the worst consequences in regard to themselves. They
were sensible that the Christians' God had arisen to vindi
cate his cause, and to avenge the blood of his martyred
people. They sought protection from the anger of Him
against whom resistance was vain. It was the deep con
viction of their souls, that the great day of his wrath, in
which he would inflict a righteous retribution, had arrived,
and none would be able to stand against it. Knowing
what they did of the triumphs of Christianity in the three

CHAPTER VII. 51
hundred years of its existence ; seeing it ascend the throne
of the empire, and perceiving that it would become pre
dominant, it was natural that they should be filled with
alarm, and with overwhelming convictions of guilt.

CHAPTER VII.
The events detailed in this chapter are included under
the sixth seal. In connection with the overthrow of hea
thenism, and the suppression of its worship and sacrifices
by Constantine, converts to Christianity became very nu
merous, and the church had a season of great prosperity.
The prediction of this constitutes the subject of this
'chapter. Verse 1 . And after these things I saw four angels stand
ing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds
of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor
on any tree. — After a discomfiture of the advocates of pa
ganism, a different scene was presented to the mind of the
Christian seer. Angels are any agents or instrumentalities
which God employs to effect his purposes.^'lBy the four
angels, mentioned here, I understand the four prsefects
which Constantine appointed and placed over the four great
divisions of the empire, to regulate and control everything
agreeably to his instructions. The earth, or as it should
be read, the land, is the Roman empire, and the four cor
ners are the four prefectures into which it was divided by
Constantine. The four angels standing on the four corners,
holding the winds, &c, are the prefects acting in their
several stations for the suppression of injurious excite
ments, insurrections, and tumults among all classes of the
people, and the preservation of order and peace. The ful-

52 CHAPTER VII.
fillment was exact, for Constantine exerted all his authority,
and took much care to prevent the tumults which the hea
then priests and their adherents endeavored to make ic
their hostility to Christianity. He made assiduous efforts
to secure to all parts of that vast empire' the enjoyment of
tranquillity and of religious privileges. /
2. And I saw another angel ascending from the east,
having the seal of the living God : and he cried with a loud
voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the
earth and the sea. — The angel advancing from the east was
also a symbolic angel, which signifies the ministry of the
gospel, or those who perform it. The seal of the living God
is the word and the ordinances made effectual by the Holy
Spirit. The powerful preaching of the truth is the loud
voice of the angel, and the immediate effect of this was to
restrain men from sedition and violence — to repress those
evil passions which do great hurt to the high and the low.
Let there be peace and tranquillity in the empire, that the
work of conversion may go on, and the servants of God
may be sealed and become established in knowledge and
grace. I understand the former verse as a prophecy, that
at this period the civil authority should be exerted to pre
serve general peace ; and this second verse a prophecy, that
the ministry, or ecclesiastical authority, should do the same.
The fact was, that vast numbers embraced Christianity, pro
fessed themselves believers, and were baptized during this
period of tranquillity under Constantine. The pastors and
spiritual teachers manifested " indefatigable zeal ;" transla
tions were made of the Holy Scriptures, and Christians
were eminent for their piety. All tins obtained for reli
gion a strong and extensive influence, and powerful friends.
3. Saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the

CHAPTER VII. 53
trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their
foreheads.— By the earth, the sea, and the trees, are meant
the people who occupy the country, and those who inhabit
the islands, and persons of all ages and classes. Trees,
see Ps. 1 : 3 . Matt. 3 : 10. Isa. 61 : 3.
4.-8. And I heard the number of them which were
sealed, <kc. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thou
sand, <kc. — These verses may refer to the conversion of
Jews, a definite number being used for an indefinite.
Being sealed with the truth and with Christian ordinances
shows what is the thing meant.
9 and 10. After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude,
which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds,
and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before
the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our
God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. —
Another part of this great ingathering to the church, in
this tranquil period, consisted of the Gentiles in all the
kingdoms and provinces of the empire. They stood be
fore the throne, previously spoken of, and before the
Lamb, as enjoying the protection and favor of the gov
ernment and of Christ, clothed in white robes, showing
that they were forgiven and sanctified, and with palms in
their hands, indicating that their cause had become tri
umphant. With hearty earnestness they ascribe their
salvation from their enemies and persecutors to their God
and Redeemer. The article has been improperly omitted
by the translators, and should be supplied so as to read,
The salvation ; and then the sentence is eliptical, which,
being filled up so as to express the idea, would be, The

54 CHAPTER VII.
salvation be ascribed to our God, &c. — salvation from hea
then rule, oppression and persecution.
11 and 12. And all the angels stood round about the
throne, &c. Saying, Amen ; blessing, and glory, and wis
dom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might,
be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. — The officers of
government, the ministers of the gospel, and the whole.
church reverently adored God, saying, Amen ; so let it be.
The praise, and the glory, &c. of the church be ascribed
to God, forever and ever. All that the church has of wis
dom, honor, fame, power, and strength, and all its devout
praise, be attributed and rendered to Him who is the
author of it all.
13 and 14. And one of the elders answered, saying unto
me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes ? and
whence came they ? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.
And he said to me, These are they which came out of great
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb. — John is asked by one of
the elders, apparently for the purpose of directing his
attention to the matter, who those converted persons were
who uttered the foregoing ascription of praise, and whence
had they come ? The questioner gave the answer, that
they were those who had passed through great tribulation,
and had acquired their moral purity in consequence of the
blood of Christ. By his mediation and atonement the means
of salvation are bestowed, and the Spirit is sent to reno
vate and sanctify. Thus are their characters made pure
through the blood of the Lamb.
15. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and
serve him day and night in his temple : and he that sitteth

CHAPTER VII. 55
ore the throne shall dwell among them. — Because their sins
have been forgiven, and they have been thus purified, and
have borne well their trials, they are before the seat of Di
vine sovereignty as accepted worshipers, and have the
honor to serve Him in his church, which is his spiritual
temple. Another of their privileges is, that he, according
to his promise by the ancient prophets, will dwell with
them, will favor them with his gracious presence, his protec
tion and care. These are the greatest blessings which his
people enjoy this side of heaven.
16. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more ;
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. — This has
usually been interpreted to mean the happy condition of
saints in heaven. Scott says, "Nothing on earth can
fully answer to such language as this." But, it should
be remembered, that this whole chapter refers to the period
of the sixth seal, and predicts events to transpire in that pe
riod. The exemption from hunger, thirst, and burning
heat, is here, as in other passages, symbolic. It is as if it
had been said, The days of heathen domination and perse
cution, in which it was a capital crime for any to be Chris
tians and practice Christian rites, are ended. Now, they
will hunger and thirst no more, because they will no more
be deprived of the bread and water of life by heathen
persecutors. Christian privileges shall now be securely
enjoyed ; Christian assemblies may now be held without
molestation, and ministers may labor for the good of their
flocks without being subjected to torture, imprisonment,
banishment, and death. The sanctuaries of the Lord shall
not be demolished as they have been by the ruthless hands
of the violent, but shall be the places where the hungry
shall be fed. That the whole is figurative, and that the
reference is to believers in those times of religious quiet-

56 CHAPTER VII.
ness and prosperity, may be inferred from what follows in
this and the succeeding verse.
Language similar to that used in this verse, we find in
Isa. 49 : 9, 10. " They shall feed in the ways, and their
pastures shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger
nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them ;
for He who hath mercy upon them shall lead them, even by
the springs of water shall he guide them." This is a pro
phecy of the bestowment of blessings on the Jews under
the reign of Messiah. Its import is, that they shall be
favored with great spiritual mercies, and be exempt from
oppression and persecution. So, in the verse before us it
is declared, that there shall be an exemption from injustice
and tyrannical oppression, and the peaceful enjoyment of
Christian privileges.
17. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne,
shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains
of waters ; and God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes. — At this period Christ will occupy the seat of civil
and ecclesiastical power in the person of a Christian Em
peror, and will feed his people with knowledge, and open
to them fountains of spiritual refreshing, and incline them
to repair to them, expressed by leading them. And God
will wipe away all tears from their eyes : i.e., the afflic
tions and sorrows of former times shall not be re
newed in this period. History certifies the fulfillment :
For when Julian, the apostate, at the close of the fourth
century, .and about forty-three years after the death
of Constantine, attempted to restore the ancient hea
then religion, with all its accompanying horrors of persecu
tion, he was killed in a war with the Persians before he
could effect his abominable purpose. Five emperors, all
favorable to Christianity, succeeded him.

CHAPTER VIII. 57
Mosheim informs us, that Constantine and his successors
established schools as well as churches, " and left no means
unemployed to excite and maintain a spirit of literary
emulation among the professors of Christianity. For this
purpose schools were established in many cities. Libraries
were also erected, and men of learning and genius were
nobly recompensed by the honors and advantages attached
to the culture of the sciences and arts." Cent. 4. p. 2 : c.
1. The clergy were no longer, as they had been, profoundly
ignorant, when these means of acquiring knowledge were
afforded. The people, as in all similar eases, reaped the
benefit. They were instructed, enlightened, refreshed.
Thus did the Lamb, who was in the midst of the throne of
government, feed his people, and lead them to living foun
tains of waters ; and thus did God wipe away their tears,
by relieving them from those bitter afflictions to which
they had been subject, and by making their religious con
dition comfortable and happy.
Constantine died in A.D. 337.

CHAPTER VIII.
The Seven Trumpets.
The seventh seal introduces the seven trumpets, which
are a new set of symbols used for foreshowing another se
ries of events. At the opening of this seal there was pre
sented to the mind of John a scene of symbolic action like
a pantomime, the place of this visionary exhibition being
the court of the temple at Jerusalem.
1. And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was
silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. — The si-

58 CHAPTER VIII.
lence in heaven for a short time is that state of quietness and
peace which the church enjoyed for about thirteen years
after Constantine had put down civil insurrections and
made Christianity the religion of the empire.
2. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God,
and to them were given seven trumpets. — The angels in this
instance may be regarded merely as actors to carry on the
scenic representation, whose part was to sound the trumpets,
i.e., announce the series of events predicted.
3 and 4. And another angel came and stood at the altar,
having a golden censer ; and there was given unto him much
incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints
upon the golden altar which was before the throne, Ac. — The
golden altar was in the holy place in front of the holy of
holies, and was used for the offering of incense. The angel
with a golden censer personated a Jewish priest in the act
of officiating, and his offering of much incense indicates that
the prayers and praises of the very numerous believers,
were abundant and acceptable. The allusion is, to the
offering of the evening sacrifice, when the priest went into
the sanctuary with his censer of incense, and the people
stood without engaged in silent devotion.
5. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire
of the altar, and cast it into the earth ; and there were voices,
and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. — The
angel returned to the brazen altar of burnt sacrifice,
filled his censer with fire from it, and cast it to the ground,
which was a symbolic act, signifying, as it seems to
me, that there would be a great depreciation and declen
sion in the spirit of prayer, so that it would not be fit
to offer to an holy God. The great external prosperity of

CHAPTER VIII. 5g
the church, — its increase in numbers, influence, and wealth,
had a most injurious effect on its spirituality and the purity
of its worship at this time. Mosheim states, that " an
enormous train of different superstitions were gradually
substituted in the place of true religion and genuine piety."
1 The pagan fites began to be imitated and blended with
Christian worship, — ministers and people became pleased
with religious ostentation and show ; — pilgrimages were
made to Palestine, and the tombs of martyrs ; — vast quan
tities of dust and earth were brought from places held sa
cred, and sold at enormous prices ;— public processions and
supplications like those of the pagans were conducted with
great pomp ; — water consecrated by prayer was used ;
and the worship of martyrs, in imitation of that offered
to heathen gods, came into practice.' In a word, the glory
of the church began to be obscured by odious superstitions ;
and that enormous corruption of Christianity which resulted
in the papal hierarchy commenced openly its destructive
work. Observe what followed. There were voices, <&c. Voices
signify imperial edicts and proclamations, and also oppos
ing counsels and distracting influences in the government.
Thunderings and lightnings signify wars and tumults ; and
an earthquake, a civil revolution.
Now for the fulfillment. Constantine, a little previous to
his death, divided the empire among his three sons, so that
Constantine II. had Britain, France, and Spain, and what else
belonged to the western provinces. Constantius had Egypt
and Asia ; and Constans, the youngest, had Italy, Illyricum
and Africa. A war soon broke out between the eldest and
the youngest of these brothers, in which the former lost his
life. Constans took possession of all his brother's part,
and thus became emperor of all the western provinces.
Constans was soon assassinated by one of his officers, and the

60 CHAPTER VIII.
whole empire came under the government of Constantius
in the year 353. The dissensions, tumults, wars, and
change in the government were the voices, thunderings, &c.
Constantius reigned thirty-eight years.
6 and 7. And the seven angels, which had the seven
trumpets, prepared themselves to sound. The first angel
sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood,
and they were cast upon the earth ; and the third part of
trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. — The
first trumpet may be considered as beginning the fall of the
Roman empire. Hail and fire are each in its way destructive
to all vegetation. These mingled with blood, show that the
calamity was to fall on men. The earth means the empire
upon which the hail and the fire were to fall. Trees are
emblems of men of distinction, and grass of the common
people. The third part of these refers, as I think, to a third
part of the empire as it had been divided by Constantine.
Being burnt up signifies, that the desolating calamity would
spread devastation among them like hailstones and fire
among the trees and productions of the earth.
Now, what does history disclose concerning this period ?
Barbarous hordes of Goths, under Alaric their king, came
down from the north, with resistless power, and in numbers
like hail into the western part of the empire. They ravaged
and took possession as they went. The empire was so
enervated by luxury and vice, that no effectual resistance
was made to their destructive progress, and in a few years
they had France, Spain, and Italy in their power.
8 and 9. And the second angel sounded, and as it were
a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea;
and the third part of the sea became blood : And the third
part of the creatures which viere in the sea, and had life,

CHAPTER VIII. 61
died ; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. —
A mountain is the emblem of a nation or kingdom.
Dan. 2 : 44, 45. Burning with fire signifies, that it had
within itself the elements for great devastation. A sea re
presents a nation in a state of commotion, or parts of the
empire which are almost surrounded with the sea, as Spain
and Italy. By a third part of the sea being turned into
blood, it is shown, that in a third part of the empire, there
would be a sanguinary change in its affairs ; and by the
dying of a third part of the creatures in the sea, is meant
the extinction of the political life of that" portion of the em
pire as it had existed ; and by the destruction of the ships
is signified the ruin of commercial interests.
Alaric at his first invasion was induced to retire from his
siege of Rome, by a donation to him of an immense trea
sure. But, soon afterward he returned with his army, rav
aged the country, besieged the city and took it. " The
soldiers had permission to pillage all places except the Chris
tian churches. This dreadful devastation continued three
days, and most valuable monuments of art and learning,
sunk under the fury of the conquerors." This was in the
year 410.
Not long after, Genseric, king of the Vandals, with an
army of 300,000 men entered Italy, and spent fourteen days
in plundering Rome. He spared neither private nor public
buildings, — neither sex, nor age, nor religion were any pro
tection from the lust and avarice of his merciless soldiers.
The Huns also, with Attila at their head, ravaged Italy and
other provinces about the same time. This burning moun
tain settled down into the maritime portions of the empire,
symbolized by the sea; — the Goths and Burgundians in
France, the Alani, Suevi, and Vandals in Spain, the Goths
also in Italy, and the Huns in Pannonia.

62 CHAPTER VIII.
10 and 11. And the third angel sounded, and there fella
great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it
fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains
of waters; And the name of the star is called Worm
wood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood;
and many men died of the waters, because they were
made bitter. — As the former trumpet refers to the civil
affairs of the empire, this appears to refer to the religious
affairs. A star denotes a ruler or a religious teacher. Ch.
1:14, 20. A great star denotes a person or succession of
persons in the same office, of high distinction. Its falling
from heaven indicates that the individual was in the church
and had embraced some great error in doctrine. Burning as
a lamp, or rather as a torch, or meteor, shows that it was
alarming and baleful in its effects.
Rivers and fountains represent the sources of knowledge,
of comfort, and spiritual refreshing, or the means of pro
ducing and sustaining these, such as schools and Christian
institutions. The third part of these designates a particular
portion of the empire. The star was called wormwood to
show its effects in poisoning and embittering the rivers and
fountains on which it fell, essentially changing its qualities.
As a consequence many men died by means of those wa
ters. Death may be political, moral, or influential, and in
this figurative sense, it is used in this book. Many sunk
from the standing they held in the church and the state,
and were lost as to the good they might have done.
I disagree with Fleming, who says, that this " trumpet
doth plainly represent the destruction of the western em
pire by a star falling from heaven." For neither in this
book, nor elsewhere in prophetical writings, is a star used
as an emblem of a kingdom or nation ; but it is used to
signify a prince, a leader, a minister, or an eminent man.

CHAPTER VIII. 63
Thus, in chap. 9:1. Dan. 8:10. Matt. 24 : 29. Rev. .
1 : 20.
Any one who reads the history of the fourth, and the first
half of the fifth century in reference to the effects produced
by the Arian controversy, need be in no doubt in conclud
ing that Arius was this " great star." As dissensions and
commotions of a most serious nature were spreading through
the empire in reference to his sentiments, Constantine as
sembled the famous council of Nice for the settlement of
the points in this controversy.- That council condemned
the sentiments of Arius, and he was banished. Not long
afterward he was recalled by Constantine ; but this did not
mitigate the bitterness of the contention. Succeeding em
perors espoused this religious warfare, some on one side and
some on the other, and the empire for a long period present
ed a scene of tumult and violence. " Council was assembled
against council, and their jarring and contradictory decrees
spread perplexity and' confusion through the Christian
world." Finally, about the beginning of the fifth century,
Theodosius, the great, " raised the secular arm against the
Arians in a terrible manner, — drove them from their
churches, enacted laws, whose severity exposed them to the
greatest calamities, and made the decrees of the council of
Nice triumphant over all opposition."
All this was but a part of the trouble. Mosheim informs
us, that " the Arians, oppressed and persecuted by the im
perial edicts, took refuge among those fierce and savage
nations, who were gradually overturning the western em
pire." So situated, they treated the orthodox with great
severity. Both Alaric, king of the Goths, and Genseric,
king of the Vandals, " were bigoted Arians." That portion
of the Vandals who overrun the African provinces, and reign
ed there, were peculiar for their injustice and barbarities to
the orthodox Christians. Genseric and his son, Huneric,

64 CHAPTER VIII.
'' pulled down the churches of those Christians who acknowl
edged the divinity of Christ, sent their bishops into exile, and
maimed and tormented in various ways, such as were nobly
firm and inflexible in the profession of their faith." This
very brief statement will suffice to show, that the period of
the third trumpet was of great importance, and deserved a
special notice in the prophecy " of things to come," and that
the symbols employed were highly appropriate. V
12. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of
the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the
third part of the stars ; so as the third part of them was
darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and
the night likewise. — This trumpet does unquestionably fore
show the overthrow of the western portion of the Roman
empire. The preceding trumpets announced calamitous
events, all tending to this result. In a former chapter, the
sun becoming black as sackcloth of hair, was interpreted to
mean the extinction of the pagan dominion over the em
pire. The moon becoming as blood, was the sanguinary
extirpation of the idolatrous rites of paganism ; and the
fall of the stars, was the casting down from office and influ
ence the pagan magistrates, priests and distinguished men.
Adhering to the same rule of interpretation, we find that
the darkening of one-third part of these luminaries, means,
that in .the same portion of the empire, the government will
be overthrown, the influence of religious ordinances will be
diminished, and men of distinction will be thrown into ob
scurity. Neither the day nor the night, for the third part
of it, shone; that is, the long-enjoyed light of imperial
government and of religious privileges will, in that part of
the empire, become extinct.
As Rome had been besieged and taken again and again
by the northern barbarous nations, the Emperor Honorius

CHAPTER VIII. 6g
removed the seat of government to Ravenna, a place more
easily defended ; and he lived to see himself deprived of
the richest, most beautiful portions of his dominions. The
Huns had possession of Pannonia ; the Alani, Suevi and
Vandals established themselves in Spain, the Burgundians
in France, and the Goths in Italy. At length Odoacer,
king of the Heruli, having conquered Augustulus, the last
of the Roman emperors, took possession of all Italy, and
put an end to the western empire, in the year 476. About
sixteen years after this, Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths,
made war upon these barbarian invaders, conquered Odo
acer after several battles, and established the kingdom of
the Ostrogoths in Italy, which continued from the year
493 to 552.
13. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through
the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe
to the inhabiters of the earth, by reason of the other voices of
the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! —
Having thus shown in what manner the western part of the
empire would be overthrown, we have in this verse an in
troductory announcement of the great calamities which
would be inflicted on the eastern part. These are detailed
under the three remaining trumpets, called the woe-trum
pets. Another set of ruthless invaders, from another part
of the world, viz., Arabia, were to make terrible devasta
tion in that portion of the empire included in Asia. With
peculiar emphasis, therefore, the angel reiterates the de
nunciation of woe upon the inhabitants of the land. The
empire at this time consisted of two general divisions — the
western, in which the imperial government had been sub
verted ; and the eastern, in which it was greatly enfeebled.

66 CHAPTER IX.
CHAPTER IX.
The Saracen and Turkish Invasion.
Verse 1 . And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star
fall from heaven unto the earth : and to him was given the
key of the bottomless pit.— A star, as already explained, is a
prince, a leader, or distinguished person. Heaven, is the
Christian church, or civil government. The fall of a star
from heaven to earth, may signify deposition from official
station, or a perversion and degradation of office to that
which is inappropriate, sordid, and evil. , Some suppose
that Mahomet is meant by this emblem. But he had
never been connected with the Christian church, nor with
civil government. When, in the year 612, he began to
make pretensions to divine revelations, he was an obscure
and ignorant man. Instead of falling from an elevated'
position, he rose from a low condition to one of singular
eminence. That a person is meant by the star, is evident
from the fact, that the personal pronoun he is used in refer
ence to it, and personal acts are attributed to it. This
star may be regarded as the Roman pontiff, or a succession
of individuals in that official station.
In the sixth century, Gregory I., called also, the Great,
filled the western churches with superstitious rites and ob
servances. He inculcated, in his epistles and other writings,
the worship of images and saints ; purification in the fire of
purgatory ; the efficacy of the performance of religious cere
monies in procuring salvation ; the power of relics to heal
diseases, both of body and mind ; and these relics he dis
tributed in great profusion. The amazing superstitions
fostered by that ambitious and bigoted prelate may be
imagined in view of the fact stated by Mosheim, that the

CHAPTER IX. 67
people were made to believe, that " fetid oil, taken from
the lamps which burned at the tombs of the martyrs, had
a supernatural efficacy to sanctify its possessors, and to
defend them from all dangers, both of a temporal and
spiritual nature." " He prescribed a new method of ad
ministering the Lord's Supper, with a magnificent assem
blage of pompous ceremonies, called Canon of the mass."
" A vast many festivals were also instituted, similar to
those of the heathen, among which was the festival of the
purification of the blessed Virgin."
Beside all this, in the year 606, Boniface III. obtained
from the Emperor Phocas, a detestable tyrant, the title of
universal bishop, which introduced the papal supremacy.
This established a hierarchy, which is subsequently de- ,_
scribed as the mother of abominations, drunk with the
blood of the saints. This made the Pope ; and some time
after, Pepin made the Pope a temporal prince, thus secu
larizing and degrading the sacred office. A fallen star
indeed ! To him was given the key of the bottomless pit, a
cavity in the earth, of great depth or extent. A key is an
instrument used for fastening or unfastening a door, and is
an emblem of authority, as in ch. 1 : 18'; Isa. 22 : 22 ;
Matt. 16 : 19. Giving the key to this person, signifies the
granting to him of power or permission to do what is spe
cified. The phrase, bottomless pit, occurs seven times in
this book, and, like almost all other objects presented in
these visions, has a figurative meaning, which is, an im
mense region covered with pagan darkness, where society
is in a barbarous, unorganized, and disorderly state.
2. And he opened the bottomless pit, &c. — With his key
Jie opened the great deep cavern, (phrear tes abussou, the
well of the pit ;) i.e., by his authority and influence, he
prepared the way for the calamities which followed as the

68 CHAPTER IX.
merited chastisement of the Lord. A smoke arose which
darkened the sun and the whole atmosphere. In Isaiah
14 : 31, smoke signifies the desolating calamity of an army
of invaders, thus : " There shall come from the north a
smoke." The smoke from the pit may be taken as the
emblem of destructive errors, false doctrines, and corrup
tion of Christian worship. As Christ is the sun of righte
ousness, and the gospel is the spiritual light of the world,
any gross and wide-spread errors may be appropriately
represented as a murky vapor, spreading gloom wherever
it prevails. There was a vast volume of this smoke, as if
from a great furnace.
3. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth,
&c. — Out of the smoke came locusts upon the Roman
earth ; by which are meant the Saracens. The facts con
stituting the fulfillment are these : — The dissensions between
the eastern and western portions of the empire concerning
the errors, the superstitious rites, the worship of images,
relics, &c, which were introduced by the Bishop of-Rome,
became the source of innumerable calamities and troubles,
and weakened almost incredibly the force of the empire.
The Saracens, or Arabians, improved the opportunity
afforded by this state of things, to overrun all the Asiatio
and African portion of the empire. " They extended their
conquests even to Constantinople, opposed the progress of
Christianity everywhere, and in some of the eastern coun
tries extirpated it entirely." Gross errors and corruptions
of religion obscured the light, and produced contention and
civil discord ; and these prepared the way for the invasion
and rapid conquests of the Saracens. Thus from the smoke
came the locusts. The appropriateness of the figure will
be more apparent by considering, that the Saracens came
from the extensive regions of Arabia, the very country

CHAPTER IX. 69
from which prodigious swarms of locusts originated, and
spread themselves over the surrounding countries.
To them was given power like that of scorpions, which
consists in inflicting poisonous and fatal wounds. A fit
emblem truly of the destructive effects of the sentiments of
Mahomet, which the Saracens diffused wherever they went.
4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt
the grass of the earth, &c. — They were commanded not to
hurt the grass, &c, but only the men who were evidently
not the servants of God. The fact is stated by Calmet,
that when Abu Bekr was directing his march against Jeru
salem, he addressed his chief commander thus : — " If you
conquer, spare the aged, the infirm, the women and the
children ; cut down no palm trees ; destroy not the fields
of corn ; spare all fruit trees ; slay no cattle, but such as
are absolutely necessary for food. Always preserve your
engagements inviolate ; spare the religious persons who
dwell in monasteries, and injure not the places in which
they worship God. As for those members of the congre
gation of Satan who shave their crowns, cleave their skulls,
unless they embrace Islamism, or pay tribute." The grass,
the green things and the trees are doubtless to be under
stood metaphorically, as meaning people of different ages
and classes. Isa. 40 : 6, 7, All flesh is grass ; surely the
people is grass. 61:3, They who mourn in Zion are called,
Trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. This inter
pretation is supported also by the fact, that in contrast
with these, a class of men are excepted from the prohibition
to hurt, viz., those who have not the seal of God in their
forehead. Further still, their power for evil was restricted
to tormenting the people five months.
5. And to them it was given that they should not kill

70 CHAPTER IX.
them, &c. — To kill and to slay, signifies to destroy moral
or political existence. The Saracens had not permission
to inflict political death on the eastern portion of the em
pire, but to inflict great evils and distresses upon it. They
did destroy the natural lives of very many ; but still the
countries which they overran continued nominally under the
imperial government. These invaders seemed to aim
chiefly at plundering and obtaining possession, so far as
they thought desirable.
The length of time for which the Saracens were to inflict
torments, was five months, which make one hundred and
fifty days ; and as a day, in prophetic account, stands for a
year, the period designated is one hundred and fifty years.
There is an allusion here to the natural life of the locust,
which continues five months. They are hatched in the
spring, and die in the autumn. As applied to the Saracens,
it perfectly coincided with fact ; for Mahomet began to
make known his pretended revelations as a prophet in the
year 612; and in 762, just one hundred and fifty years
after, Almanzor, the Saracen king, built Bagdad, calling it
the City of Peace. The Saracens made no more conquests,
ceased from their ravages, and soon declined in power.
6. And in those days shall men seek death and shall not
find it ; &c. — This verse gives an impressive representa
tion of the distresses to which Christians would be subject
ed under these invaders. Though at first they were treat
ed with moderation, yet, after a little while, ¦ they were
loaded with insupportable taxes, and subjected to a variety
of vexatious and oppressive measures. Mosheim states
that " the bitter dissensions, and cruel animosities, that
reigned among the Christian sects, particularly the Greeks,
Nestorians, Eutichians, and Monophysites, filled the great
part of the east with carnage, assassinations, and such de-

CHAPTER IX. 71
testable enormities, as rendered the very name of Christian
ity odious to many. Not only so, but the Monophysites
and Nestorians, full of resentment against the Greeks, as
sisted the Saracens in the conquest of several provinces,
into which as a consequence, the Mahometan religion was
introduced." Thus did these mutually contending Chris
tian sects seek death, that is, the extinction of their ecclesi
astical and political existence, and yet, they were held by
their victorious enemies as Christians still, and were op
pressed and despised by them as such.
7. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses
prepared unto battle ; &c. — We have now a symbolical de
scription of the locusts, which shows on the face of it, that
something is meant very different from those insects. No
such creatures as are here described ever existed anywhere.
Their shapes were like those of horses accoutered for battle.
The Arabians were noted for their horses, and their princi
pal force in war consisted of cavalry. On their heads were
what seemed to be crowns of gold, denoting their subjuga
tion of valuable countries to their authority, or referring to
the turbans which they wore. Their faces like those of
men, symbolizes their wisdom, skill, and resolution in
conducting their conquests.
8. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their
teeth were as the teeth of lions. — They had hair like that of
women. It is well known that the men wore their hair
braided or flowing down their backs ; but as the whole de
scription relates to the characters and actions of this people,
we must understand by their long hair, an effeminacy and
• fondness of the other sex, for which they were remarkable.
Teeth like those of lions expresses their rapacity and power
to destroy.

72 CHAPTER IX.
9. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of
iron; dc. — Their breastplates as if of iron, indicate their
care in protecting themselves ; and the sound of their wings
resembling that of chariots with many horses rushing to
battle, represents the impetuosity of their attacks, and. the
rapidity of their conquests.
10. And they had tails like unto scorpions ; dc. Their
tails like those of scorpions, armed with stings, are symbolic
of the poisonous sentiments which they infused into the
minds of men wherever they went. They spread the re
ligion of Mahomet by artifice and violence ; and it has re
mained working its destructive effects to this day. As the
period of five months in which they were to hurt men, is
mentioned the second time, it has been thought, that the
first named five months extend to the time of their greatest
prosperity ; and that these last five months, or 150 years,
extend to their final overthrow and subjugation, making
300 years in all. This was the extent of the Saracen do
minion, for, in the early part of the eleventh century they
were overcome by the Turks after long and bloody con
flicts. This description is true to the life ; the Saracens
were at first mild and winning, and seemed inclined to bring
Christians and others to embrace Mahometanism by mode
rate means, but at length their cruelties and enormities in
plundering and murdering Christians, were terrible as the
teeth of lions.
11. And they had a king over them, which is the angel
of the bottomless pit, dc. — This king was the angel of the
bottomless pit ; then surely, that pit is not what it has gen
erally been understood to be ; for this king and angel is un
doubtedly Mahomet, who himself set the example of spread
ing his religion among the Arabians at the head of an army.

CHAPTER IX. 73
His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon,
both signifying a Destroyer. Of this ferocious and destruct
ive people he was the great prophet, and to his authority
they yielded implicit obedience. Says a historian, " elated
with his rapid and unexpected success, he extended yet fur
ther his ambitious views, and formed the vast and arduous
project of founding an empire." His plan was executed
with such intrepidity and impudence, that he died master
of all Arabia, and of several adjacent countries.
Here we have confirmation of the interpretation I have
given. The star mentioned at the beginning of this chap
ter is not Mahomet, — the bottomless pit is not the infer
nal, world, or place of future punishment, and the king erf
the locusts is not the Caliph, nor succession of Caliphs.
12. One woe is past ; and, behold, there come two woes
more hereafter. — The Saracen woe trumpet extended to
about A.D. 1060. The Turkish woe trumpet comes next.
13, 14. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice
from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God.
V-The golden altar, on which incense was offered, Stood be
fore the mercy seat outside of the vail in the sanctuary.
The incense offered there was emblematic of the prayers of
God's people. The voice proceeding from the four elevat
ed corners of the altar, calling for the infliction of this judg
ment, shews, that the cause of it was the amazing and uni
versal corruption of Christian worship, in the respects which
have already been noticed.
The four angels to be loosed were the chiefs of the four
Turkish sultanies or governments, by whose instrumen
tality these calamities would be inflicted. The Turks, who
are the people meant, lived north and east of the Caspian
Sea ; and their being bound by the river Euphrates, signi-
4

74 CHAPTER IX.
fies, that they had been restrained from making invasions
west of that river. Now they were to be loosed from that
restraint. 15. And the four angels were loosed, which were pre
pared for an hour, dc. — This was accordingly done ; and
the time for making their conquests and arriving at the
height of their power, is definitely stated. It was a year,
which, inprophetic reckoning, is 360 days, and a month,
which is 30 days, which with the 1 day, make 391 days, by
which years are meant. The one hour, is by the same com
putation fifteen days more. History shows that the fulfill
ment has been exact as to the years, and doubtless it has
been the same in regard to the fifteen days. About the
year 1067 or '62 in prophetic time, Tangrolipix put an
end to the Saracen dominion by conquering the Caliph of
Persia, and established the Turkish empire on its ruins.
In 1453, the Turks took Constantinople, and thus attained
the height of their power in the Roman empire. The
period between the two dates is 391 years. As John inti
mates, they were prepared in this period for a long exercise
of civil rule ; and thus it continues to the present day.
16. And the number of the army of the horsemen were'
two hundred thousand thousand : dc. — It is probable, that a
definite number is used in this verse for an indefinite, signi
fying that their armies consisted of a vast number, which
was a fact.
17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them
that sat on them, dc. — This description of the horses and
the riders, shows plainly who are meant. Breastplates, of
course, could not be made of fire, but were of fiery ap
pearance, and of a deep purple and yellow color com-

CHAPTER IX. 75
bined expressed by hyacinth and brimstone — that is,
their breastplates were of polished brass. The heads of
the horses resembled those of lions, indicating fierceness
and disregard of danger. The fire, smoke and brimstone
proceeding out of their mouths constitute a remarkable
part of this description. In this century gunpowder was
invented, and was used by the Turks in their wars. Their
armies were composed chiefly of horsemen, and discharging
their firearms over their horses' heads as they rode, gave
the appearance of fire and smoke proceeding out of their
mouths. 18. By these three was the third part of men killed, dc. —
By these three means a third part of men were reduced
to political and religious subjection. The third part refers
to the eastern portion of the empire, that being one of the
<* three general divisions. When the Turks became masters
of Constantinople they had possession of all the Asiatic
portion of the empire.
19. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails :
dc. — This verse is an explanation of the preceding, as the
particle for implies ; and here it may be perceived, that
the killing of men is not a literal putting of them to
death. The power in their mouth signifies their means
of successful warfare just described ; — that in their tails
refers to the principles of Islamism which they enforced.
Their conquests were obtained by their firearms and by the
doctrines they propagated. Multitudes of Christians con
sented to receive the religion of their Mahometan conquer
ors, rather than suffer what they must have done, if they
had continued steadfast.
The Saracen locusts are compared to Scorpions, inflicting
torment witn their stings ; and the same figure is adopted

76 CHAPTER IX.
in this description of the Turks, the religion of both being
the same. A similar figure is employed in chap. 12 : 4.
The body of a scorpion resembles that of a lobster, made
up of connected parts or rings. The tail is long, and com
posed also of successive rings, the last of which is larger
than the others, and is divided into seven little heads.
The central, and prominent one, has a sting, which injects
a deadly poison into the wound it makes. An appropriate
emblem, truly ! The result was, that Christianity was al
most wholly extinguished in Asia.
20 and 21. And the rest of the men, which were not
killed by these plagues, dc. Neither repented they of their
murders, dc. — The rest of the men, who were not brought
under this subjection, were those who lived in the western
or European part of the empire. Though they knew of
the calamities which had fallen upon the eastern portion of
the church, they repented not of their idolatry, and of their
gross corruptions of Christian worship and doctrines. They
persisted in paying homage to demons, i.e., deified men,
saints, images, and crucifixes. When Mahomet began his
conquests, he avowed his design to be, to destroy idolatry,
both among the heathen, and among Christians, and his
followers were true to this design. To this day they are
opposed to all worship which is not paid to the Supreme
Being. Yet those who were not subdued by them con
tinued on in their superstitious and idolatrous practices.
Neither did they cease from their persecutions, their de
ceptions and feigned miracles, their lewdness, and their
fraudulent methods of obtaining money from the people.
What immense sums have been received by the sale of in
dulgences, and for the absolution of sins, for relics, charms,
and amulets, and numerous other worthless things ! The
various methods of obtaining money from all classes of

CHAPTER X. 77
people under false pretenses, is fitly termed theft. Of these
things they did not repent, and the practice of them is con
tinued to this day.

CHAPTER X.
The Crusades.

The events predicted in this chapter are included under
the sixth trumpet, which relates to the rise and progress of
the Ottoman or Turkish empire, and are embraced in the
eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries. No interpreta
tion which I have seen of this chapter, is at all satisfactory
to my mind. Indeed, if my views are correct, commen
tators have not even touched the real subject of it. Much
has been written about the contents of the little book, and
the events to which they are supposed to refer. But
John says not one word about its contents, except, that
when he ate it, his mouth was made sweet and his stomach
bitter. The questions, which it is the business of an interpreter to
answer, are these : — Who, or what is the mighty angel ar
rayed in a cloud, having a sun-like countenance, and feet of
brass so polished, that they appeared like fire ? What is
the little open book ? What means the significant act of
planting one foot on the land, and the other on the sea? A
mighty stride indeed ! And what is the great thing signified
by the roaring of those seven thunders? This sublime
imagery is not designed as mere costume, but doubtless
had its verification in very important events. If the sym
bols are not first explained, we are left entirely to fanciful
conjecture.

78 CHAPTER X.
1. And I saw another mighty angel come down from
heaven, clothed with a cloud, dc. — Heaven is the usual em
blem of civil or ecclesiastical government, or both united: An
angel is any agent or instrumentality by which the events
spoken of are brought to pass. The mighty angel which
came down from heaven, and which John is careful to say
is another, that is, different from any of the preceding, can
not of course be Christ, as some have thought. I consider
him a personification of the combined power of popes, em
perors, kings, and princes, to carry forward those amazing
expeditions for driving out the Mahometans from the holy
land,- and to rescue Jerusalem from their possession, and to
deliver the imploring Christians there from their oppressors.
The description of that mighty angel is to my mind sufficient
proof of the correctness of this opinion. He was clothed
with a cloud, and clouds are emblems of great bodies of
people. A rainbow was upon his head, signifying faithful
ness to covenant engagements ; and these vast and expen
sive expeditions, which exhausted the treasures of Europe,
were gotten up with a professed regard to fidelity to Christ
and his cause ; and with a sense of obligation to relieve Chris
tians from the intolerable oppression of their inverate ene
mies, the Turks.
His face was as it were the sun. Now, it is well known
that the sun is an emblem of supreme authority, exercised
by one or by many. There is then, in this case, a predic
tion of the concentration of the wisdom, power, and ener
gies of sovereigns. His feet like pillars of fire, indicate a
glowing zeal, and steadfast purpose to tread down and sub
due enemies, and to surmount all difficulties.
What now do the records of history show in regard to
remarkable events at this period ? They present to us
those stupendous enterprises, the crusades, or holy wars, in
which most of the nations of Europe engaged with great

CHAPTER X. 79
enthusiasm. The famous Hildebrand, afterward Pope Greg
ory VII., first formed the resolution to prosecute a holy war
for the deliverance of the Asiatic Christians and the city of
Jerusalem from the infidel Turks. An army of fifty thousand
men was mustered to follow him in this enterprise ; but
owing to some difficulty with Henry IV. king of France, it
was relinquished. Some time after, Peter. the hermit, as
sisted by Pope Urban II., aroused all Europe to this great
expedition ; and " eight hundred thousand men, in separate
bodies, and under different commanders, set out for Constan
tinople in the year 1096." Thence they proceeded through
Asia Minor and Syria, capturing Nice, Antioch, and Edessa on
their way. Jerusalem was besieged and taken by that di
vision of the army which was commanded by Godfrey
and his brother Baldwin, in 1099. These crusades were
renewed several times after the Turks obtained again pos
session of the holy land in the eleventh, twelfth, and thir
teenth centuries, and chiefly through the influence of suc
cessive popes. The kings of England and France, and
other European sovereigns, went in person in these .expedi
tions, at the head of immense armies. Here we have the
verification of the mighty angel, clothed with a cloud, with a
face like the sun, and feet like pillars of fire. To me it does
not seem probable, that the Holy Spirit would have made
known to John the conquest of those countries "by the Sar
acens and Turks, and yet omit entirely to foretell those
prodigious and long continued efforts of Christians to wrest
them out of their possession. And yet expositors, with
whose writings I am acquainted, seem never to have
thought of the crusades in this connection.
2. And he had in his hand a little book open : and he
set his right foot upon the sea, dc. — What this little book
is, cannot easily be determined, and conjectures are nume-

80 CHAPTER X.
rous as to its contents. Passing them all by, I would re
mark, that as it was in the hand of the symbolic angel, it
probably had reference to the events to which allusion has
just been made. It may represent the system of Chris
tianity, for which these holy wars were carried on at a great
sacrifice of treasure and life. To show, that they were con
tending for that cause, each man wore upon his right shoul
der a figure of the cross.
We have next a significant action of the angel, viz., set
ting his right foot on the sea, and his left on the land. If,
by the sea be meant the Mediterranean, and by the land,
the European portion of the empire, the angel would ap
pear with his face and front toward the holy land, as though
he were going thither. This extended position shows plain
ly, that it was not a real angel, as writers have supposed.
The whole is symbolic, and as I think, foreshows the fact,
that all the maritime nations of Europe would combine
their power, and be of one mind, as if they were but one
person, to prosecute those wars against the infidel Turks in
the east. Whatever were their disagreements in other
things, in this they were united and astonishingly zeal
ous. Of this, the one mighty angel was an appropriate
symbol. 3. And cried with a loud voice, as wh.en a lion roareth :
a»d when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. —
Standing thus upon the sea and the land, he cried with a
loud voice, as when a lion roareth, as if to rouse up the na
tions ; which, as I think, refers to the thrilling appeals,
which rung through Europe, exciting people of all classes
to engage in these expeditions.
And when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their
voices. Thunders are well known emblems of wars. There
were, then, seven periods for the renewal of these wars.'

CHAPTER X. 81
Now, I find, that such was their number, reckoning the two
expeditions of Louis IX., king of France, as the continua
tion of the same war; and this was the last. The first
was in the eleventh century, — the second and third were
in the twelfth century, and the others were in the thirteenth
century. 4. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices,
I was about to write, dc. — John was commanded to seal up
the things intended by the seven thunders, as things not
then to be made known. Had they been understood, who
can imagine what an additional stimulus would have been
given to those disastrous and useless wars.
5, 6 and 7, And the angel which I saw stand upon the
sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And
sware by him that liveth forever and ever, dc. — Another
symbolic action of the angel was his solemn asseveration,
that time should be no longer ; or, as probably it should be
read, The time shall not be yet. To suppose, that this re
fers to the end of the world is a groundless conjecture. It
undoubtedly refers to the events which the writer is here
foretelling; and it seems to me, that the signification is
this; — the entire failure of all these vast, expensive, and
long continued expeditions to accomplish their object, pro
claimed to the world in a solemn manner, that the time
had not come to dispossess the Mahometans of the holy
land, and the neighboring countries. So it has proved,
and they are the possessors of them to this day. Though
important cities were at different times taken by the cru
saders, such as Jerusalem, Constantinople, Damietta, and
Ptolemais ; yet they were soon retaken by the Turks. The
affirmation given with such peculiar solemnity, has been
fully verified in the lapse of six centuries. In the year
4*

82 CHAPTER X.
1291, the Mahometans captured Ptolemais, now called
Acra, and entirely overthrew the Roman empire in the
east. We are then informed when that power will be destroy
ed ; and it will be when the seventh angel shall begin to
sound. Then the mystery of God, as declared by the pro
phets, will be finished. Then an end will be put to the
Turkish power, the Mahometan delusion, and the oppres
sion of the church. The seventh trumpet will introduce
the millennium.
8, 9, and 10. And the voice which I heard from heaven
spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book
which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon
the sea and upon the earth, dc. — The voice from heaven,
which bade John seal up the things signified by the thun
ders, commanded him to take the little book and eat it up,
informing him that it would be sweet in his mouth, but
bitter in his stomach. So it proved.
I understand all this as a visionary representation;
— the subject of them being in a trance. The idea in
tended to be conveyed by eating the book, and by the effect
produced, I suppose to be, that the events to which the
book refers, would at the first be pleasing and promise
much good, but that afterwards they would prove very
disastrous and mortifying. If the crusades be meant,
they very happily illustrate the emblem. For those
enterprises were undertaken with uncommon enthusiasm
and confident expectations of great good ; but the results
were in all respects injurious and humiliating. Most of
the sovereigns of Europe engaged in these wars, and the
resources of Christendom were employed to wrest from the
Mahometans their usurped possessions in and about the
holy land ; but it was all in vain. Places which were res-

CHAPTER X. S3
cued from the infidels at a vast expense of treasure and
blood, were soon brought in subjection to them again.
11. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again
before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. —
The apostle was informed, that he had yet to prophesy
concerning many nations and kings. The term again seems
to imply, that what he would foretell would relate to the
same nations and kingdoms, as those of whom he had writ
ten. The succeeding chapters show this to be the fact.
The translation should not have been, Thou shalt pro
phesy again before many peoples ; as if it were to be in the
presence of them all, which was not the case, but concern
ing many people, nations, &c. Had this been observed, it
would have prevented the unnatural and irrelevant inter
pretation thus given — " The apostle is doing this to the pre
sent day, in all the languages into which the Scriptures
have been translated."
The next chapter is a continuation of the same chain of
events in reference, as I conceive, to the Mahometan power,
the final overthrow of which is announced by the words,
" The second woe is past." The writer's method is this :
— With the sounding of the sixth trumpet, he takes up
the prophecy of the Turkish persecuting power, and con
tinues it to the extinction of that power. Then in the
twelfth chapter he commences his prophecy of the Roman
persecuting power, and carries it on to the ultimate de
struction of that power, as set forth in the eighteenth and
nineteenth chapters. As each of these powers arose about
the same time, and both are to continue 1260 years ; it
was necessary, when he had finished the prophecy of one,
that he should go back, as to the order of time, and com
mence with the other. This synchronism and arrangement
should be carefully observed. A failure in this particular,

84 CHAPTER X.
or a misconception of the apostle's design, is the cause,
perhaps, of the erroneous interpretation which has been
given of this, and the following chapter. Confusion and
obscurity are thus thrown over this portion of the book.
Furthermore, the apostle is incorrectly represented as
going back at the commencement of the twelfth chapter,
to the early days of Christianity, and instituting a new
prophetic series in reference to the same countries and the
same civil powers of which he had previously spoken.
Thus Dr. Scott remarks, "The prophet must, therefore,
somewhere go back to take a more particular view of his
subject, than he at first gave : but no place can be assigned
for this, so rationally as the close of the eleventh chapter."
Other distinguished writers have adopted the same idea.
Then, also, in violation of the regular chronological
arrangement of the book, they have applied what is said
of the two witnesses in the next chapter to the papal per
secution of the reformers in Europe ; whereas the apostle
does not take up the subject of the Roman hierarchy until-
he comes to the twelfth chapter. The following, as I
think, is the true order of events. The ninth chapter is
wholly occupied with the rise, and the conquests of the
Saracens first,, and then of the Turks. The tenth is oc
cupied with the efforts of Christendom during three cen
turies, to expel the infidel Turks from the Holy Laiid,
viz. : the crusades. The eleventh is a continuation of
the prophecy concerning the Turkish power, which is the
eastern Antichrist, to its final overthrow and extinction
near the millennium. Then, in the twelfth chapter, the
writer commences his prediction of the western Antichrist,
which is the papal hierarchy ; and traces that onward also
to the millennium. Nowhere does he go back, and pass
over the ground again, except, that when he takes up the
subject of the western Antichrist, he commences with its

CHAPTER XI. 85
origin, Just as the writer of a history of two countries
would begin with the early periods of one of them ; and,
having given the record of events up to a certain time,
would then do the same with the other. The prophetic
portion of the book should be regarded as presenting a re
gular series of important events pertaining to the Christian
church, ending with its final triumphs over all its enemies.

CHAPTER XI.
The State of the Church under the Turkish dominion ;
and its Ultimate Deliverance from Oppression.
The events predicted in the first thirteen verses of this
chapter are included in the period of the sixth trumpet,
which is the Mahometan woe-trumpet ; and therefore does
not refer to the western part of the empire, as it is gene
rally explained. In the fourteenth verse it is emphatically
declared, that ' the second woe is past,' which ends the sixth
trumpet, and the Turkish Mahometan power. The verses
immediately preceding are to be interpreted as relating to
that power. The interruption of the subject here by the
interposition of a new chapter must not be regarded. The
preceding chapter is occupied, as I conceive, with those
civil and military movements called the crusades, and with
their disastrous results. This chapter predicts the calam
ities of the church inflicted by the same persecuting power,
and its deliveranoe by the extinction of that power. I am
constrained to dissent entirely from commentators and pro
phetical writers, who agree in interpreting- these first thir
teen verses as relating to the protestant reformation and
the persecution of the Waldenses and Albigenses, or other

86 CHAPTER XI.
early reformers in the western part of the empire. This
error is one of the principal reasons why it has been so
difficult to understand this, and the two succeeding chap
ters. John, guided by the revealing angel, has not thrown
this confusion into his prophecy. He finishes one branch
of his prophetic disclosures before he takes up another.
And here we have only to bear in mind, that he does not
finish the Mahometan woe-trumpet, till he comes to the
announcement in the fourteenth verse, The second woe is
past. 1. And there was given me a reed like unto a rod : and
the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God,
and the altar, and them that worship therein. — This verse is
a part of the same prophetic narration which closes the
preceding chapter, as the connecting particle and implies.
It should be read thus, — And he gave me a reed like a staff,
saying, Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar
of sacrifice, and those who worship by it. The temple and
its inner courts are emblems of the Christian church, and
the altar on which the burnt sacrifices were offered, is the
emblem of Christian worship ; and the last clause concern
ing the worshipers, gives an intimation of the meaning of
the whole. It is as if the angel had said, Go and ascertain
the spiritual condition of the true church, and its worship,
and those who are connected with it. Apply the infallible
rule of divine truth to them, that it may be seen whether
they are what they should be. In like manner Ezekiel
was shown a man with a line and measuring reed in his
hand, who took the dimensions of the temple and its
various appurtenances. Zachariah also saw in a vision a
man with a line proceeding to measure Jerusalem, sig
nifying the care and protection which God would exercise
over it.

CHAPTER XI. 87
2. But the court which is without the temple leave out,
and measure it not ; for it is given unto the Gentiles ; and
the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
-^The inner court in which stood the altar of sacrifice, was
that in which the priests officiated ; the outer court was
appropriated to the Gentiles, those who were not by birth
Israelites, meaning in this case, those who are not of the
Christian church. The holy city is Jerusalem itself, and
this they were, to tread, that is, inhabit, possess, and occupy
forty-two months. In prophecy thirty days are a month,
and forty-two months make twelve hundred and sixty days,
and by these years are intended. The Gentiles, who are
to do this, are the Mahometans, and the simple idea is,
that they will have possession of the holy city for the
length of time specified.
If we date the rise of that denomination in 612, the time
that Mahomet began to assert his claim to divine inspira
tion, the twelve hundred and sixty years will terminate in
1854, reckoning as is usual in prophecy, three hundred and
sixty days to a year. If we date it in 622, which was
the time of his flight from Mecca and the commencement
of his conquests, (and his followers make this the date)
then the twelve hundred and sixty years will close in the
year 1864. Till then, they will tread, possess and occupy
the holy city. Here we have confirmation of the -interpre
tation previously given of the solemn affirmation of the
mighty angel, whose voice like that of a roaring lion,
roused up the crusaders, — ' The time shall not be yet.'' The
power and resources of Christendom employed at intervals
in three successive centuries, could not dispossess the infi
dels, as they were called, of Jerusalem and the holy land.
They have it still, and doubtless will have it, till the expi
ration of the period declared by Christ's prophet. Of
course, I dissent entirely from the opinion of expositors,

88 CHAPTER XI.
who make these Gentiles to mean the papists of Europe,
and this treading of the holy city to be the persecution of
the Waldenses and other protestants. The arrangement,
which the writer has made of his symbols, one would
think, is enough to preclude such an interpretation. The
temple with its inner court represents the true church with
its worship ; the outer court of the Gentiles, who were so
far favorable to the Jewish religion as to witness and par
ticipate in the worship of the true God, represents the Ma
hometans, who also worship the true God, and receive the
scriptures of the Old Testament. And the holy city is Je
rusalem, including the country of which it is the capital,
and which they shall possess for the specified time.
3. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they
shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days,
clothed in sackcloth. — We are here informed' what shall be
the condition of the Christian church under this Mahomet
an supremacy. The two witnesses are representatives of
a succession of men, who maintain the pure doctrines of
Christianity, and contend for purity of Christian worship.
Thus Christ said to his disciples, ' Ye shall be my wit
nesses unto me in Jerusalem, and to the uttermost parts of
the earth.' Two witnesses are mentioned, doubtless in
reference to the Jewish law, which required at least two
witnesses to prove an allegation. These shall prophesy,
i.e. preach, inculcate, declare the truth for the same period
of the Mahometan supremacy, viz., twelve hundred and
sixty years, clothed in sackcloth, that is, in a state of great
depression, affliction, -and trial. How fully does history
illustrate this prediction ! Long since, Mahometans had
nearly extinguished the light of Christianity all through the
east. What became of the very numerous churches
formed by the indefatigable labors of the Nestorians, and

CHAPTER XI. 89
which previous to the fourteenth century, flourished in Tai--
tary and the northern provinces of China ? A single quo
tation from Mosheim will answer the question. "The
Turks and Tartars destroyed wherever they went, the
fruits which had sprung up in such a rich abundance from
the labors of the Christian missionaries, extirpated the re
ligion of Jesus in several provinces and cities where it
flourished, and substituted the impostures of Mahomet in
its place. Many of the Tartars had formerly professed the
gospel, and still more had tolerated the exercise of that
divine religion ; but from the beginning of this (the four
teenth) century, things put on a new face, and that fierce
nation renounced every other religious doctrine, except that
of the Alcoran." ' Tamerlane, their mighty emperor, em
braced the doctrine of Mahomet, and having subdued the
greatest part of Asia, made use of his authority to force
multitudes of Christians to apostatize from their holy faith.
Persuaded that it was his duty to persecute the Christians,
he employed the most inhuman acts of severity to van
quish the magnanimous constancy of those, who persevered
in their attachment to the Christian religion, of whom
some suffered death in the most barbarous forms, while
others were condemned to perpetual slavery.'* I would
ask also, what became of the numerous churches which the
same Nestorians formed all over Persia? They shared
the common fate of others, wherever the conquering power
of the Turks extended itself, except the few which have
remained sheltered and unknown among the almost inac
cessible mountains of Kurdistan, and which have recently
been discovered by our persevering devoted missionaries.
The Nestorians still live, and in their secluded fastnesses,
have preserved the Christian religion for centuries. They
have continued to prophesy, though imperfectly for want
#Mos. Vol. 3, p. 1, ch. 2, cent. 14.

90 CHAPTER XI.
of the means of knowledge, and they have prophesied in
sackcloth indeed.
4. These are the two olive-trees, and the two candlesticks
standing before the God of the earth. — These two witnesses
are called olive-trees, which are emblems employed both in
the Old and New Testament to signify true believers, or
faithful ministers who diffuse the light of divine truth in
the world. Thus Zachariah was shown in an entranced
state, a candlestick, having two olive trees, one standing on
each side, supplying the lamps with pure oil. An angel
informed him that these were the two anointed ones, or
more literally, the two sons of oil, who stand before the
Lord of the whole earth, meaning Zerubbabel and Joshua,
the servants of the Lord, whom he employed for the re
building of the temple and city of Jerusalem. Zach. 4 :
11, 14. John undoubtedly refers to this passage. A can
dlestick is an emblem of the church. Christ himself says,
chap. 1 : 20, the seven candlesticks are the seven churches.
In Asia the two great divisions of the Christian church
were the Greek and the Nestorian. The two witnesses,
called also two olive-trees and the two candlesticks, repre
sent the churches in the east, which faithfully maintained
the truth ; and not the Waldenses, Albigenses, and Re
formers in the west, according to the interpretation of
Scott, Faber, and others.
5. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of
their mouth, and devour eth their enemies ; and if any man
will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.— ~We are
here informed of the kind of warfare, these faithful men
would carry on with their enemies. It would be a moral
warfare, whose weapon of defense and attack would proceed
from the mouth,' and it would not of course be literal fire,
but, metaphorically, the fire of truth. This is God's own

CHAPTER XI. 91
figure, for said he to Jeremiah, " Behold, I will make my
words in thy mouth, fire, and this people wood, and it shall
devour them." Those bold defenders of divine truth would
so wield it, and so expose the errors and unchristian prac
tices of their adversaries, that they would be self-con
demned, would sink into contempt, and their cause would
be overthrown. The fire of truth will consume them. If
any man shall maliciously inflict injury upon them, he
must be killed in this manner. In what manner? Not
by being put to death ; but he will be condemned by the
truth ; will lose his influence and be covered with ignominy.
The term to kill and to slay often has a moral or polit
ical signification only, as in chap. 9 : 18, and in Isa. 14 : 30.
/ will kill thy root with famine, i.e. I. will destroy the source of
thy prosperity. And again in 2d Cor. 3 : 6. The letter
killeth, but the spirit giveth life. In this sense it is com
mon to use the phrase, as when we say of those who have
lost their influence, or are deprived of their official station
and power, they are killed, — they are crushed and dead.
" The Pope is dead."
6. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in
the days of their prophecy ; and have power over waters to
turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues,
as often as they will. — The power which these witnesses
will have with God by faith and prayer is represented to
be like that of Elijah, who prayed, and it rained not, and
like that of Moses, who caused the waters of Egypt to be
come as blood, and smote the land with plagues. It is
probable however, that this is to be understood metaphori
cally, as meaning, that on account of the treatment of the
witnesses, there would be a general spiritual death, a de
cline of vital religion,— sanguinary contentions about the
things of religion, and the infliction of various calamities

92 CHAPTER XI.
upon the people. History informs us, that such were the
facts to a distressing degree.
7. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the
beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war
against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. —
When the destined period of twelve hundred and sixty
years shall draw toward its close, and these faithful men
shall have completed the time of bearing their testimony,
a power denominated the beast that ascendeth out of the
bottomless pit, will fight against them, overcome them, and
kill them, that is, will persecute and subdue them, destroy
their influence, and drive them into obscurity. Who will
do this ? The Pope of Rome, say the expositors of prophecy.
John says, The beast that cometh up out of the bottomless pit,
and this is not the Pope, nor the papal church. A wild
beast, as the original signifies, is a persecuting civil power.
The bottomless pit, or deep abyss, in the language of this
writer, is a portion of the earth where ignorance, moral
darkness, heathenism, and barbarism prevail. The phrase
occurs three times in the ninth chapter and evidently means
the region from which the fierce and rapacious Saracens is
sued. The locusts which came out of the smoke of the pit,
are acknowledged to be that people, who conquered and
ravaged western Asia, Egypt, and Africa. It was from
such an abyss, that the Turks issued, who also had em
braced Mahometanism, and as they spread their conquests
over the same portions of Asia, they oppressed the Chris
tians, broke up their societies, demolished their temples,
and practiced against them terrible cruelties. The Roman
church did not arise from such a region, but from the rich
est, most cultivated, refined, and delightful portion ot
Europe ; and is described in its proper place, as an animal
having two horns like a lamb. (Ch. 13: 11.) It is the

CHAPTER XI. 93
Mahometan power, as I think, which is represented here, as
opposing, subduing, and driving into obscurity those who
are meant by the witnesses.
One can hardly avoid the conclusion, that commentators
never thought that Christianity ever flourished much ex
cept in Europe, and in the countries bordering upon Pales
tine ; or, that Christians had ever suffered persecution
except in those countries, and there, chiefly from the Ro
man Catholics. Mosheim, however, states, in describing
the condition of the Christian religion in the far east in the
fifteenth century, that " in the vast regions of the eastern
world, Christianity lost ground from day to day, and the
Mahometans united their barbarous efforts to extinguish
its bright and salutary luster. Asiatic Tartary, Mogol,
Tangut, and the adjacent provinces, where the religion of
Jesus had long flourished, now became the dismal seats of
superstition, which reigned among them under the vilest
forms. Nor, in these immense tracts of country, were
there any traces of Christianity visible except in China,
where the Nestorians still preserved some scattered re
mains of their former glory. In this century the Nesto
rian pontiff at Chaldea sent missionaries to Cathay and
China, who were empowered to exercise the authority of
bishops over the Christian assemblies, which lay concealed
in the remote provinces of these great empires." These
remarks of his, I discovered after having written the inter
pretation which precedes them ; and I introduce them as
confirming the interpretation, and showing how and where
the witnesses have prophesied in sackcloth. After having
thus spoken of the Nestorian churches in the east, he adds
in regard to the Greek church in the same period, that
"The ruin of the Grecian empire was a new source of
calamities to the Christian church in the greatest part of
Europe and Asia. When the Turks, headed by Mahomet

94 CHAPTER XI.
II., an accomplished prince and formidable warrior, had
made themselves masters of Constantinople in the year
1453; the cause of Christianity received a blow, from
which it has never as yet recovered. Its adherents in
those parts had no resources left, which could enable them
to maintain it against the perpetual insults of their fierce
and incensed victors, nor could they stem the torrent of
barbarism and ignorance that rushed in with the trium
phant arms of Mahomet. The Turks took one part of
Constantinople by force of arms; the other surrendered
upon terms. Hence it was, that in the former, the public
profession of the gospel was prohibited, and every vestige
of Christianity effaced ; while the inhabitants of the latter
were permitted to retain their churches and monasteries,
during the whole course of this century,* and to worship
God according to the precepts of the gospel, and the
dictates of their consciences. This precious liberty,
however, was considerably diminished under the reign of
Selim I., and the Christian worship was loaded with severe
and despotic restrictions. The outward form of the Chris
tian church was not, indeed, either changed or destroyed by
the Turks, but its luster was eclipsed, its strength was un
dermined, and it was gradually attenuated to a mere
shadow under their tyrannic empire."-)- The two witnesses
I consider to be the Greek and Nestorian churches in Asia,
and the persecution against them has been continued to
the present time.
8. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great
city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where
also our Lord was crucified. — As the witnesses are not two
persons, but a succession of faithful believers united in
Christian churches ; so their dead bodies are not the lifeless
* The fifteenth. t Mos. vol. iii. p. 2, u. 2.

CHAPTER XI. 95
remains of individuals, but their churches, societies, and
communities. All is symbolic. Even the time specified
is not to be understood literally, for days signify years.
Their being warred against, overcome, and killed, means,
that they would be opposed, persecuted, and deprived of
their influence and their rights, become few and feeble, and
be thrust into obscurity. As decency and proper respect
for the dead require, that they should be interred ; their
remaining unburied signifies their exposure to public in
dignity, contempt, and base treatment. Denial of the
right of sepulture is the denial of the lowest, smallest of
all human privileges.
A city is often put for the whole country of which it is
the capital, and when the phrase is taken in that large
sense, the street of a city, is some important part of the
country or empire. Here the place seems to be particu
larly designated. It is not Rome, nor Europe, as has been
supposed. The great city is spiritually, in a moral respect,
called Sodom and Egypt; — a city that is like Sodom for
licentiousness and wickedness, and like Egypt for oppres
sion of the Lord's people, and which the inspired prophets
have called by those names. Now Isaiah expressly calls
the rulers of Jerusalem, "rulers of Sodom" (1 : 10).
And Ezekiel repeatedly likens Jerusalem to Sodom (chap.
16). That this is the great city referred to, seems to be made
quite evident by its being where our Lord was crucified.
This explanatory clause is added on purpose to designate
the place. Jerusalem is the great center of Mahomet-
anism, where stands their most splendid mosque on the
very site of Solomon's temple.
That great city has been and still is preeminent for the
indignities and contempt shown to Christians. An occur
rence detailed in the Narrative of the late Expedition to
the Dead Sea, will sufficiently illustrate this. A party of

96 CHAPTER XI.
Americans belonging to that expedition were in Jerusalem,
and under the guidance of the American missionary there,
went out to take a view of the city. They came near to
the Open Gateway of the Grand Mosque, and as tbey
stood looking at it, they were suddenly assaulted by a
guard of Turkish soldiers, who, in the language of one of
the party, " set upon beating us in the most shameful and
disgraceful manner with sticks and clubs which they car
ried, in the name of the Holy Prophet, calling us ' Chris
tian dogs,' &c. We could not speak their language, and
therefore could not reason with these savage fellows ; ¦ all
gesticulating demonstrations were unavailing, and their
madness and fury increased as we parried their blows in
our retreat." " The savage clan then betook themselves
to stones which lay scattered along the road. Our unfor
tunate missionary received a sad bruise from one of these
well-directed missives hurled at us in the name of the
prophet Mahomet. We took a wrong course and found
ourselves brought up by a high stone wall, and our pur
suers yelled with savage delight, and set upon us with
renewed fury, kicking, whipping, stoning, and spitting upon
us." They were then taken to the Judgment Hall, where
they were examined before the Pasha, released and sent
away. Such, to this day, are the feelings of contempt and
hatred cherished by the Mahometans against Christians.
In the third verse we are informed that the witnesses
shall prophesy 1260 days, and in the seventh verse,- that
when they shall have finished their testimony, they shall
be overcome and slain, which leads us to conclude that the
completion of that work is yet future, for the 1260 years
do not terminate sooner than 1854. It is possible then,
that as protestant missions are again resumed in the east,
and are having considerable success, that soon there will
be a strong demonstration of hostility to them, and the

CHAPTER XI. 97
missionaries be greatly embarrassed in their labors. It
may b -, that the opposition to missions among the Nesto
rians, the massacre of so many of that people, and the de-
struction of their villages which took place a little while
since, together with the persecution of the converted Ar
menians, is a part of the fulfillment of this prophecy. At
any rate, we may be quite certain, that we are near the
accomplishment of what is here predicted.
9. And they of the people, and kindreds, and tongues,
and nations, shall see their dead bodies three days and an
half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in
graves. — They shall see from among the people, and tribes,
and tongues, and nations, their dead bodies three and an half
days, and shall not permit them to be put in monuments
or tombs. The word is mnema, ' that which reminds, a
memorial.' The idea seems to be, that the people of Pal
estine and the surrounding countries, will not allow any
monument or memorial to - remain to keep up the remem
brance of these churches of faithful believers, and of the
effects of their pious labors. This desolation shall be wit
nessed for the specified time.
10. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over
them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another ;
because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the
earth. — This verse expresses the satisfaction and demonstra
tions of joy which will be made by those who dwell in the
countries where this sujjpression of Christian truth and
ordinances will be experienced. They will greatly rejoice
because, their consciences will be no more disturbed and
their fears excited by these defenders of revealed truth and
of a pure worship. Their testimony against prevailing
superstitions and errors will be silenced.
5

98 CHAPTER XI.
11. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life
from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet ;
and great fear fell upon them which saw them. — Who can
read this attentively and not perceive, that it is wholly sym
bolical ? Revivification and resurrection mean in prophecy
a restoration to moral, religious, or political existence, of
which a people had been deprived. The sentiment ex
pressed here is, that by the interposition and power of
God, those faithful servants of his, who are represented by
the witnesses, would be restored to the enjoyment of their
rights, would be raised to influence, would resume their
wonted labors ; and true religion be made prosperous
again. This will be after the specified time of their
oppression shall have passed. This restoration to favor
and to the enjoyment of civil and religious rights, will fill
their oppressors with consternation ; for it will be the sure
precursor of the ruin of their cause, and of the triumph of
Christianity. 12. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying
unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to
heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. — A voice
from heaven is a proclamation from the civil authority ;
and the utterance, Come up hither, is an order for the res
toration of civil rights and the enjoyment of religious priv
ileges. Its significancy is, Be no longer disfranchised.
Have the same immunities as others. Be at liberty to
pursue your chosen avocations, to acquire influence, and to
exercise official authority in common with others. This is
an edict for full toleration. Whether the recent ordinance
of the Grand Sultan in favor of the protestant religion,
tolerating and protecting it, be the fulfillment of this we
cannot now determine. Probably it is a measure prepara-

CHAPTER XI. gg
tory to another more liberal and decisive, which is yet to
come. The accomplishment of this order is then declared.
They are restored to former influence, they are restored to
civil rights, they share in civil offices, and with them rises
the cause which most of all they venerate and love.
In a cloud. This is emblematic of a multitude ; and the
meaning is, that a great number of these witness-bearing
people will at once, probably by an edict of government,
be raised to these privileges. This will be done in the
midst of their enemies, — they beholding them.
The opinion of Fleming and others who consider the
fulfillment of this to have been the combined efforts of
Maurice, elector of Saxony, and other protestant princes
for the defence of the protestant .cause, is altogether too
preposterous to be entertained.
That league, called the League of Smalcald, was formed
in 1530, but the prophesying of the witnesses does not
close until the year 1854. Scott says, "It should be noted,
that this exceedingly depressed state of Christianity seems
only to refer to the western church exclusively." I think
it refers to the eastern church exclusively : and the revi
vification predicted is yet to be experienced.
13. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and
the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were
slain of men seven thousand ; and the remnant were affright
ed, and gave glory to the God of heaven. — At the same pe
riod a great revolution in civil government will occur, sig
nified by an earthquake ; and the tenth part of the city
fell : that is, in consequence of the revolution, a tenth part
of the empire changed its governmental character ; and
also, the names of seven thousand men were destroyed
or taken away, as it should be read. These names pro-

100 CHAPTER XI.
bably refer to the dignities and titles with which they had
been honored. Republican equality will be established.
These wonderful events will make men feel, that God
reigns, and will lead them to honor him as the sovereign
ruler of nations, and the disposer of all things. The resto
ration of Christian believers to the enjoyment of their re
ligious and civil rights, and the revival of primitive Chris
tianity, will be a wonderful and convincing change. This
is probably yet future.
14. The second woe is past ; and, behold, the third woe
cometh quickly. — Here ends the Turkish and Mahometan
dominion. 15. And the seventh angel sounded ; and there were great
voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are be
come the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ ; and he
shall reign forever and ever.- — This is the third woe-
trumpet, and refers to the Roman papal church in
the western portion of the empire. Before the rev-
elator goes into the particulars included under it, he
shows what will be the spiritual state of the world imme
diately subsequent to the overthrow of the Mahometan
power. The kingdoms of the world will be Christ's, and
his spiritual reign over the nations will be established.
This of course brings us to the millennium. The eighteenth
and nineteenth verses complete the view of the triumphs of
Christianity, as more fully described toward the close of
the book. In the nineteenth chapter a similar description
is given of the state of things after the destruction of the
papal dominion. In each series, that pertaining to the
eastern or Mahometan power, and that which pertains to
the western or Roman power, he carries forward his pro
phetic views to the millennium, or thousand years men-

CHAPTER XI. 101
tioned in the twentieth chapter. As these two antichrists
arose about the same time, and each are to continue twelve
hundred and sixty years, their overthrow will be nearly
simultaneous. But we may suppose that both religions
will continue feeble and waning for some years after their
power and supremacy are destroyed.
When the seventh angel sounded there were great voices
in heaven, that is, public acknowledgments, proclamations,
and thanksgivings. The occasion for these will be, that
the kingdoms of the world have become the kingdoms of
our Lord and of his Christ ; that is, subject to his benig
nant reign. This" is the great spiritual change spoken of
by the ancient prophets ; and implies, that instead of the
former despotic and oppressive governments, under which
the Christian church had suffered so amazingly for ages,
Christ would be acknowledged as the supreme Lawgiver
and Sovereign ; and that from that period, his divine pre
cepts would become the principles for the government of •
men. It implies also, that Christianity will exert its ap
propriate influence in moulding their characters, and melior
ating their condition. His reign was commenced long
since ; but now it will receive a new development, will be
deeply and widely felt, and be thankfully acknowledged.
16 and 17. And the four and twenty elders, which sat
before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and wor
shiped^ God : Saying, We give thee thanks, 0 Lord God
Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come : because
thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. —
At this happy change, the twenty-four elders, who repre
sent the church, and who sat before God, implying the per
manent enjoyment of his favor, worship him with profound
reverence, and render thanks for the exercise of his power,
and this new development of his benevolent reign. Simi-

102 CHAPTER XI.
lar adoration and praise is represented as being offered in
other instances, when a special season of prosperity to the
church is predicted as occurring. It will be at once per
ceived that this seventh trumpet extends over the whole
. period which is included under the seven vials which follow.
It is called a woe-trumpet because it relates chiefly to the
destruction of the papal power by a succession of divine
judgments. The reign of Christ which is mentioned here, is doubt
less the same as that mentioned in the closing chapters of
this book.
18. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come,
and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that
thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and
to the saints and them that fear thy name, small and great ;
and shouldst destroy them which destroy the earth. — The
amazing change which will take place, when the kingdoms
of the world will become the kingdoms of Christ will pro
duce great excitement, and probably strong opposition.
The nations will be angry ; the wicked, the lovers of de
spotic power, and haters of true religion, will make great
opposition to civil freedom and pure Christianity. But it
will be unavailing, for then, the time of God's wrath is come,
— the time in which he will overthrow oppression, bigotry,
superstition, and idolatry. No artifice or power of man
will then be able to prolong the existence of those evils.
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged.
By the dead are not meant those whose natural life is ex
tinct. The phrase is used figuratively, as is the killing of
the witnesses, and signifies those who have been oppressed,
deprived of civil and religious rights, held in a state of
ignorance and debasement. Those who shall be in that
condition of social and political death at the time meant,

CHAPTER XI. 103
will be judged, i.e., vindicated, — their wrongs will be
redressed and their rights secured. Then too will be
given a recompense to the faithful ministers of Christ,
called here as elsewhere, prophets, and to the saints,
and all true Christians of every grade. That promised
recompense is the enjoyment of the fruits of their labors,
and the fulfillment of their desires in the prosperity of the
cause they have loved and sustained.
The signification given above of the term, judged, is com
mon in the Old Testament, — the same Greek word (krino)
being used in the Septuagint, which is used here. Thus
Ps. 67 : 4. Thou wilt judge the people righteously, and
govern the nations upon earth : literally, Thou wilt rule
the people in equity and guide the nations, &c. Ps. 10 :
18. He will judge the fatherless and poor; i.e., will vindi
cate their rights and protect them. So, Ps. 43 : 1, Judge
me, 0 God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation.
Also, Ps. 110 : 6. He will judge among the heathen, &c.
To judge among the heathen means in this instance to rule
over them and execute justice in the midst of them. This
will be done preeminently when the time shall draw near
for the kingdoms of the world to become the Lord's. The
reference is not at all to the general judgment.
In contrast with this, it is said The Lord will destroy
them who destroy the earth. The term earth is used for
those who inhabit it ; and the class of men who have de
spised, trodden down and held in debasement their fellow
men, shall be despised, and no others like them shall af
terwards be found.
19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and
there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament : and
there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an
earthquake, and great hail. — We must remember, that all

104 CHAPTER XI.
these are scenes on earth, not in heaven. The temple of
God represents the Christian church ; and heaven is the'
civil government. The temple being open, as if for free
access, signifies, that the privileges of the church will be
accessible to all, — a free toleration will be allowed by the
civil authorities ; — all will enjoy religious liberty.
As a consequence of opening the temple, the ark of the
covenant was seen. This is another evidence, that it is not
the celestial heaven which is meant, for there is no temple
with its ark there. The whole reference is to the church on
earth, and the figures are drawn from the temple at Jeru
salem. The ark stood in the inner apartment called the
holy of holies ; its top or lid was the mercy-seat, over
which two cherubim spread their wings ; and between
these was a supernatural light, which was a symbol of the
divine presence. Now, the opening of the temple, or with
drawing of the partition curtain, would give a full view of
the ark and the divine glory above it. This may signify,
that at the period intended, God will give a manifestation
of himself to mankind more full than he has ever done be
fore. That period, as I think, is that of the new heaven
and new earth described in the twenty-first chapter, which
follows the thousand years, and the destruction or conver
sion of the enemies of the church. It is there declared,
that ' the tabernacle of God will be with men, and he will
dwell with them, — that they will be his people, and that
he will be with them and be their God.' Also, that ' the
throne of God and the Lamb will be with them, and they
will see his face.' That will be the period in which the
church will attain to her highest earthly perfection.
Preparatory to this happy state of things, there will be
great commotions, wars, overturnings, and signal judgments,
symbolized by lightnings, voices, thunderings, an earth
quake, and great hail. Ch. 8 : 5. Isa. 28 : 17, where hail

CHAPTER XI.

105

is the emblem of special judgments and calamities. These
also, if I mistake not, are described in the twentieth chap
ter, from the eleventh to the fifteenth verses. Before that
most perfect moral and political state of the world, fitly
distinguished as the new heaven and earth, there will be
vigorous opposition to the controlling influence of pure
religion, and there will be signal displays of God's kindness
to his people, and of his displeasure against his enemies,
figuratively represented by the appearance of a great shin
ing throne.
Thus, as I have already remarked, John extends his pro
phetic description of the destruction of the eastern or Mahom
etan antichrist to the millennium, and then glances at the
great events pertaining to the church far onward beyond
that era of religious prosperity, even into that distant future
period which Daniel says, is forever and ever.
Scott remarks, that this nineteenth verse " introduces a
new subject, and should have been placed at the beginning
of the next chapter." So far is this from being the fact, it
is carrying out the series of events in the particular line
which the apostle was tracing to the grand consummation.
He follows up the overthrow of the Mahometan enemies
of the Christian church with the far distant eradication from
the world of all its enemies, and the full and permanent
establishment of its peace and supremacy. In the subse
quent chapters he takes up the Roman antichrist, traces
its progress, depicts its overthrow, and carries the view
onward through the millennium to the grand consummation
in the new heaven and new earth.

106 CHAPTER XII.

CHAPTER XII.

The Triumph of Christianity over its Heathen Op-
posers in the Western Empire. — The Invasion of
the Northern Barbarians.
The writer having traced the progress of the Mahomet
an Antichrist onward to the sounding of the seventh trum
pet, when the kingdoms of this world will become the
kingdoms of our Lord, commences the prediction of a
series of events relating to the western or Roman Anti
christ. That he might give a connected view of that great
apostasy, he reverts to the time when the scepter of govern
ment was wrested from pagan, and held by Christian em
perors. In this and the succeeding chapters, he foreshows
the casting down of paganism from its long continued
supremacy, — the rise of the papal hierarchy, — its progress
to almost universal dominion,- — its obscuration of the glory
of the church, — its bloody persecutions, and its various
fortunes to its final subversion, just previous to the millen
nium. By adopting the interpretation we have given of
the preceding chapter, and observing the order of the
visions now suggested, much confusion and perplexity is
avoided, and the whole is seen to be consistent and har
monious, 1. And there appeared a great wonder in heaven ; a wo
man clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and
upon her head a crown of twelve stars. — A great sign or pre
sage was seen in heaven, (this being the literal reading ;) —
a presage of an important era of the ehurch. Heaven, in
this place, as in most others in this book, signifies the gov-

CHAPTER XII. 107
ernment or ruling authority of the empire. This will be
evident when it is ascertained what is meant by the woman
and her son. A woman is the well-known emblem of the
church. Being clothed with the sun signifies, that at the
period designated, the church will be invested with authority
to rule, — that she will shine forth from the heights of civil
power, dispelling the darkness of heathenism, and that to
her will be given a bright day of prosperity.
The Jews reckoned time, regulated their festivals, and
determined particular seasons for religious purposes by the
phases of the moon ; and so, it is sometimes taken as the
symbol of their ecclesiastical economy. In this respect the
moon being under the feet of the woman, would indicate
that that economy had been made subservient to her ad
vancement to a more elevated state ; — that she had risen
above it, and was enjoying a brighter dispensation.
But, inasmuch as it was the general practice, even in the
most enlightened nations, to worship the moon and to offer
human and various other sacrifices to it, I prefer to regard
this symbol, as signifying the triumph of the church over
heathenism and idolatry. The Syrians worshiped the
moon under the name of Astarte and Urania, — the Ara
bians, as Alilat, — the Egyptians as Isis, — the Greeks as
Diana, Venus, &c, and even the Hebrews fell into this
universal idolatry, and paid adoration to the moon as the
queen of heaven, and the goddess of the groves. To be
under the feet implies a state of subjection and degradation.
At the period intended, the church, having risen to author
ity and supremacy in the empire, would put down pagan
ism from its high places, and subject it to her control.
This interpretation is strengthened by the symbolic fact,
that upon the head of the woman was a crown of twelve
stars. A crown is always the emblem of regal authority.
The twelve stars symbolize the twelve apostles. In

108 CHAPTER XII.
the first chapter the seven stars are declared to be the
angels, i.e. ministers of the churches. The idea, then,
is, that the church will possess regal authority in the
empire, by means of the truths promulgated to the
world by the twelve apostles to whom Christ committed
the great work of teaching the nations. The effect would
be the dejection and suppression of paganism. And thus
it was, as the sequel will show.
2. And she, being with child, cried, travailing in birth,
and pained to be delivered. — The time of her parturition
being near, she was in great distress ; showing that God
was about to give her a deliverer, and that this would be
preceded and attended with great trials. History, shows,
that this was precisely the state of affairs from the death of
Constantius to the entire triumph of Christianity over its
heathen enemies under the reign of Constantine, his son.
See explanation of the fourth verse.
3. And there appeared another wonder in heaven ; and
behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns,
and seven crowns upon his heads. — Another sign or presage
was exhibited in the symbolic heaven, — the government,
to which attention is particularly directed. This was a
great red dragon with seven crown-bearing heads, and ten
horns. This hideous monster, resembling the fabulous
hydra of the ancients, is a fit emblem of paganism in the
Roman empire. A writer assigns as the reason for adopt
ing " the dragon as the emblem of the empire in this case,
that the dragon was the principal standard of the Romans
next to the eagle in the second, third, fourth, and fifth cen
turies of the Christian era. Of this we have abundant
evidence in the writings both of heathens and Christians."
Thus Daniel represents the Grecian kingdom by a he goat,

CHAPTER XII.

109

for the reason, as we suppose, that the figure of that animal
was borne upon the military standards of that nation. Cer
tain it is, that Daniel describes the Roman empire, as a
beast dreadful and terrible, and exceedingly strong, having
great iron teeth, and ten horns. John calls it a great red
dragon ; — great, as showing the extent and power of the
empire, — and red, because red and scarlet distinguished
the civil and military officers of the empire.
This dragon had ^even heads with crowns upon them.
The crown being the emblem of ruling authority, the seven
crowned heads, mean the seven successive forms of govern
ment under which the empire has existed. These, in chap
ter 17 : 10, are called seven kings ; the term kings being
applied to any kind of rulers. The seven forms are enu
merated thus, — " 1. The regal power. 2. The consulate.
3. The dictatorship. 4. The decemvirate. 5. The mili
tary tribunes. 6. The triumvirate. 7. The imperial.
The dragon had also ten horns. A horn is an emblem
of a nation or kingdom. The Roman empire comprised
ten kingdoms, that is, all of Europe with the exception of
the northern and eastern part of Russia. As the seven
heads are the seven forms of government, and as the
crowns were upon the heads, and not upon the horns, it
is evident, that at the time intended, the supreme " power
was stili vested in the emperors and senate at Rome, and
not as afterwards, in the monarchs of the ten kingdoms."
4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of
heaven, and did cast them to the earth : and the dragon
stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for
to devour her child as soon as it was born. — Cruden says of
the term tail in this passage, " It signifies the power, pol
icy and flatteries by which the devil and his instruments
corrupt and allure ministers of the church from their sim-

] 10 CHAPTER XII.
plicity and purity of doctrine, to error, superstition and
profaneness." Teachers of false doctrines and pernicious
errors are represented in scripture as being the tail. Thus
in Isa. 9 : 14, 15, 'The Lord will cut off from Israel head
and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient and
honorable, he is the head ; and the prophet, who teacheth
lies, he is the tail." In Isa. 19 : 15, the term tail means
the idolatrous priests and necromancers of Egypt. Now
as the dragon is the symbol of pagan government and
pagan religion united, his tail represents the teachers and
propagators of paganism, who infuse their degrading and
polluting sentiments into the minds of men.
Stars are ministers and teachers of true religion ; or, if
the reference be to civil matters, they mean distinguished
men in the state. Here, doubtless, the stars are Christian
ministers, and their being dragged along and cast to the
earth means, either their being forcibly taken from their
stations, deprived of their office, and reduced to the com
mon level and occupations of men ; or, that they were in
duced by fear or favor to adopt heathen sentiments, and
mingle heathen rites in Christian worship. All this was
notoriously the fact. In the last half of the third century
under the reign of Decius Trajan, a furious persecution was
carried on against the church. Mosheim states that " in
all the provinces of the empire, multitudes of Christians
were, during the space of two years, put to death by the
most horrid punishments. The most unhappy circum
stance of all these cruelties was their fatal influence upon
the faith and constancy of many of the sufferers ; for, a
great number of Christians dismayed, not by the approach
of death, but at the aspect of those dreadful and lingering
torments which a barbarous magistracy had prepared to
combat their constancy, fell from the profession of their
faith, and secured themselves from punishment, either by

CHAPTER XII.

Ill

offering sacrifices, or by burning incense before the images
of the gods, or by purchasing certificates from the pagan
priests." This, if I mistake not, is the fulfillment of what is pre
dicted by the tail of the dragon drawing a third part of the
stars, and casting them to the earth. Generally, by the
term third part, John means a particular portion of the em
pire. In this instance it may mean a considerable indefinite
portion of the stars. It should be observed, that the apostle
in this description of the Roman Antichrist, goes back to
its origin.
The dragon stood before the woman to destroy her child
as soon as it was born. The following I regard as the ex
planation or rather fulfillment of this symbolic act. The
father of Constantine was favorable to Christianity. This
awakened the jealousy and fears of the heathen priests.
Upon his death, a.d. 311, the army proclaimed his son
Constantine, emperor, and the year following he was con
verted to the faith of Christ. Then began a terrible and
bloody conflict between the Christian and heathen parties.
Of the four prefects, Galerius and Diocletian were invete
rate enemies of Christianity ; and instigated by the
heathen priests, they carried on a horrid persecution of Chris
tians. Various attempts were made to destroy Constantine
by engaging him in dangerous expeditions, and by endeav
oring to excite the heathen against him. In this way did
the dragon seek to devour the woman's child.
Furthermore, among the competitors for the throne was
Maxentius, another steadfast asserter of paganism, who had
possession of Rome. Constantine, as I have previously
stated, immediately marched from France against that
usurper, and entered Italy with a large army. Maxentius
met him a little way from Rome ; but though his force
was much the largest, he was routed, and in his flight was

] 12 CHAPTER XII.
precipitated into the Tiber, and drowned. Galerius was
seized with an extraordinary disease, and after languishing
nearly a year in indescribable torments, expired.
Then Maximin, who governed in the east, meditated the
destruction of Constantine and the seizure of the western
part of the empire. To accomplish this, he marched with
a numerous army against Licinius, who was friendly to
Constantine, and was wholly defeated. Soon after, he died
miserably " by a very extraordinary kind of madness."
Finally Licinius himself turned against Constantine, and
contested his right to the throne at the head of a formidable
army composed of the heathen party. Constantine's sol
diers from the first were nearly all Christians. ' Previous
to the battle, in the midst of his Christian bishops, he im
plored the assistance of God;, and Licinius with the pagan
priests interceded with the gods for help and victory. The
cause of truth and religion triumphed. Constantine con
quered. Soon, however, his antagonist collected another
army, and was again defeated in a general engagement,
and was pursued into Nicomedia, where he surrendered
himself a prisoner, and was some time after put to death.
In all this we see what amazing efforts the great red dragon
made to destroy the woman's child as soon as it was born,
as soon as he became a Christian and an emperor.
5. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule
all nations with a rod of iron : and her child was caught up
unto God, and to his throne. — It is truly surprising, that men
of learning and biblical research, who have written large
commentaries on this book, should have asserted, that this
male child of the woman, the church, is Jesus Christ !
This represents the writer as going back all of a sudden,
and without any conceivable reason, to the commencement
of the Christian era, and thus makes him a historian of

CHAPTER XII. 113
the past, instead of a prophet of the future ; and this, too,
when he had been distinctly informed, that these visions
. related to "things which must be hereafter;" 1 : 19 and
4:1. Besides, Jesus Christ is in no sense whatever the
son of the symbolic woman, the church. So far from it is
the fact, that the church owes its existence to him, — derived
its origin from him, and from the first has been nourished
and sustained by him. The church is called in the scrip
tures the Lamb's wife, his spouse, his bride, but never his
mother, nor he its Son.
The succeeding prediction, that he would rule all nations
with a rod of iron is doubtless what has occasioned the
above noticed -misinterpretation. It is claimed, that there
is a reference in this to Psalm 2:9,' Thou shalt break
them with a rod of iron, and shalt dash them in pieces like
a potter's vessel.' There is not the slightest evidence, that
there is any reference to that passage, — a passage which
clearly refers to Christ, but this as clearly does not.
In the original the word nations, has the Greek article
before it, and therefore our translation should read, all the
nations, that is, the nations of the empire. Even if we give
to the phrase the broadest signification in which it is used
in scripture, it will not alter the case, for at the time speci
fied, the Roman empire embraced nearly the whole known
world, and therefore, the whole world is a phrase repeatedly
used in the new testament to signify that empire. Luke
2 : 1. Rom. 1 : 8. Rev. 13 : 3. Col. 1 : 6.
Iron is a metal distinguished for its strength ; and a rod
of iron is one that cannot easily be broken. Ruling with a
scepter of iron, signifies the exercise of great authority and
power, — an authority which could not be easily resisted or
overthrown. Such was the authority of Constantine, when
he repealed the oppressive laws against Christians, sup
pressed paganism, which had been the religion of the em-

114 CHAPTER XII.
pire from its origin, prohibited its idolatrous rites, and
made Christianity triumphant, in spite of the efforts of
heathen priests, philosophers, and magistrates.
This man-child was caught up to God and to his throne.
This is another figure signifying 'the divine protection over
him, and that God exalted him to rule for his church, and
for his glory. In a subordinate sense, he made him a co-
ruler and co-worker with him to promote the enlargement
and welfare of Christ's kingdom. I have already noticed
some of the great deliverances which God wrought for this
first Christian emperor, beset as he was with snares and
stratagems, and opposed by all the official influence and
military force of the heathen portion of the empire.
6. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she
hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there
a thousand two hundred and threescore days. — Of all the
opinions respecting the locality of the wilderness and the
flight of the woman into it, that which maintains that the
United States of America is the place, and the coming of
the Puritans here is the event, is the most whimsical and
absurd. And yet writers have seriously maintained this,
as the true interpretation. This is making the apostolic
seer to leap over a period of 1300 years, viz., from the
settlement of Constantine in the empire about the year 313
to the landing of the Pilgrims here in 1 620 ! Besides,
John was informed, that the woman, the true church,
should be nourished in the wilderness 1260 years, which
being added to 1620, would make the time of her con
tinuance there to extend to the year 2880, or 2862 of
prophetic time, which would be through almost the whole
period of the millennium!! So men let their fancies
run loose upon the prophecies of this book. Instead of

CHAPTER XII. n5
this, we should make the analogy of the symbols, and the
records of veritable history our guide.
Others think, that her flight into the wilderness signifies,
that the church soon after its great prosperity and enlarge
ment in the time of Constantine, fell into a maze of error
and superstition, which brought upon it spiritual desolation.
True, there was a great multiplication of rites and ceremo
nies, — an exhibition of splendor and of pride, and a conse
quent declension of spirituality, till at length, the founda
tions of papacy were laid firm and strong, and that mon
strous structure, combining Judaism, heathenism, and
Christianity, began to develop its vast proportions and its
lofty pretensions.
But, surely, this falling into a state of superstition and
declension, cannot be fitly represented by a flight to a place
of security provided by God himself, where she is to be nour
ished for a long period from the face of the serpent. Instead
of such a flight, it would have been a guilty yielding to the
corrupting influence of the dragon, and a compliance with
his wishes. Be it remembered, that it was the sun-clad
woman, the true church, who fled into the wilderness, not
that mass of nominal Christians, who became the degen
erate Antichrist.
A careful attention to history shows this fact, that there
has always been a portion of Christians, who have resisted
all the corruptions of Christian doctrine and worship, which
from century to century have been introduced ; and they
have been more or less persecuted. This has been the case
from the very days of Constantine, when Pope Sylvester
introduced his unwarrantable innovations, down to this
time. Indeed, so early as the ,year 251 Novatian separated
from the church because of its great depravity. "Great
numbers," says Mr. Robinson, " followed his example, and
all over the empire Puritan churches were constituted and

116 CHAPTER XII.
flourished through the succeeding two hundred years. Af
terward, when penal laws obliged them to lurk in corners,
and worship God in private, they were distinguished by a
variety of names, and a succession of them continued till the
Reformation." Another writer says, " The Novatians de
clared their community to be the only true church." No
vatian was a pastor of a church formed by himself in the
city of Rome, " which maintained no fellowship with the
so called Catholic church."
The Novatians called themselves, Cathari, which means,
The Pure or Puritans, and they were the pure of the church,
or rather the pure church from the middle of the third cen
tury to the sixteenth, when their spirit produced the great
reformation. It is the recorded acknowledgment of their
enemies, that they maintained " the integrity of the true
faith, together with the purity of discipline, and the power
of godliness." " These Puritans, being exposed to severe
and sanguinary persecutions for dissent, from age to age,
were compelled to shelter themselves from the desolating
storm in retirement ; and when at intervals they re-appear
on the page of cotemporary history, and their principles
are propagated with new boldness and success, they are
styled a new sect, and receive a new name, though in reali
ty they are the same- people."* They have been called
Donatists, Luciferians, and in the east, Paulicians, where
they flourished in the sixth and following centuries, and were
the Protestants and Puritans under the Greek church. In
the twelfth century the same class of Christians were called
Waldenses, and in France they were called Albigenses, or
the pure. Mr. Robinson shows that they were not called
Waldenses from Peter Waldo, as has been supposed ; but,
they had that name, which signifies, Inhabitants of the Val
leys, long before his time. It was applied to them, because
# Rel. Enc. Novatians and also Waldenses.

CHAPTER XII. H7
being persecuted, " great numbers of them made their res
idence in the valleys of the Alps and of the Pyrenees, where,
from age to age, they found an asylum from the tyranny
of the church of Rome." Their own historians confirm this
view. Dr. Allix, who is one of them, says, "For three
hundred years or more, the bishops of Rome attempted to
subjugate the church of Milan," (composed of this people)
" and rather than own their jurisdiction, they retired to the
valleys of Lucerne and Angrogne, and therefore were called,
Vallenses, Wallences, or the People of the Valleys."
The testimony of Reinerius, a Catholic inquisitor, is so
important concerning this people, that I here insert it.
" Of all the sects which have been or now exist, none is
more injurious to the church (that is of Rome) for three
reasons: 1. Because it is more ancient. Some aver their
existence from the time of Sylvester ; others from the very
time of the apostles. 2. Because it is so universal. There
is scarcely any country into which this sect has not crept.
And 3. Because all other heretics excite horror by the
greatness of their blasphemies against God ; but these have
a great appearance of piety, as they live justly before men,
believe rightly all things concerning God, and confess
all the articles contained in the creed ; only they hate and
revile the church of Rome, and in their accusations are
easily believed by the people." ' Such a concession from
such a source, speaks volumes.'
This must suffice to show who those are, who composed
the true church symbolized by the sun-clad woman wear
ing a crown of twelve stars ; and what was her flight into
the wilderness, and where that wilderness is. They are
those who under different names, and in successive periods
of time, nobly stood up in support of the truth, and for
the original simplicity and purity of Christian worship in
opposition to all admixtures of Judaism and heathenism,

118 CHAPTER XII.
and all usurpations of ecclesiastical power by the bishops
and metropolitan churches. These were the true church.
Its flight into the wilderness from the face of the serpent,
(another name of the dragon under a Christian form) was
the retreat of these godly believers into the mountain
wilds, and northern countries of Europe, where it has been
nourished since the rise of papacy in the early part of the
seventh century, making a period of a thousand, two hun
dred and three score years.
7 and 8. And there was war in heaven : Michael and his
angels fought against the dragon ; and the dragon fought
and his angels, and prevailed not ; neither was their place
found any more in heaven. — Heaven means here, as in other
places, the government or ruling power of the empire.
War in heaven is the existence of civil commotions and
bloody encounters between parties in the empire. The
parties were the Christians and the pagans. The leaders
were Constantine, and successive Christian emperors, with
the Christian magistrates and ministers on one side;
represented by Michael and his angels. The leaders on
the other side were the heathen emperors, officers, and
priests, represented by the dragon and his angels. A part
of this war I have noticed in the remarks on the fourth
verse. Though Constantine gave the supremacy to Chris
tianity, the heathen portion of his subjects did not read
ily succumb ; and the conflict went on through successive
reigns, and was renewed by Julian the apostate, with great
virulence on his accession to the imperial throne. But
his reign was short, and his designs against Christianity
were frustrated. His last words were, " 0 Galilean, thou
hast conquered."
The six emperors who succeeded him, professed Chris
tianity, but their reigns were very brief, and heathenism re-

CHAPTER XII. ¦ 119
tained a strong hold in the empire. Theodosius the Great,
was made emperor in the year 379, and " exerted himself
in the most vigorous and effectual manner in the extirpa
tion of the pagan superstitions throughout all the provin
ces, and enacted severe laws and penalties against such as
adhered to them. His sons, Arcadius and Honorius, pur
sued with zeal, and not without success, the same end ; so
that toward the conclusion of the fourth century, the Gen
tile religions declined apace, and had also no prospect of
recovering their primitive authority and splendor."* Thus
the dragon prevailed not, neither was their place found any
more in heaven ; that is, heathenism had no more control
or share in the government of the empire. To understand
this literally as a war in the celestial heaven, or, as a com
mentator of our own country thinks, " in the upper regions
of the atmosphere," between the good and bad angels, is
entirely foreign to John's purpose, and is intrinsically ab
surd. Besides, in the song of praise for this victory which
is given in the tenth verse, these Christian combatants are
called, our brethren, and what is entirely decisive against
such a celestial fight, it is declared in the eleventh verse,
that ' they overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by th« word
of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.'
This is positive evidence, that this is the conflict of the
church on earth made successful by faith in Jesus Christ
and the doctrines of the cross.
Further still, " Constantine himself, and others of his
time, describe these events under the same image cf
dethroning the dragon." Bishop Newton states, that "a
picture of Constantine was set up over the palace gate,
with a cross over his head ; and under his feet the great
enemy of mankind, (who persecuted the church by means
of impious tyrants) in the form of a dragon, transfixed
* Mosheim, Vol. 1, p. 259.

120 • CHAPTER XII.
with a dart through the midst of its body, and falling head
long into the depths of the sea." " This," says Dr. Scott,
" shows how Christians then understood the prophecy ; and
no doubt they rightly interpreted it."
9. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,
called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world ;
he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out
with him. — Here the four descriptive names of the heathen,
persecuting Roman power are brought together, as they are
again in the second verse of the twentieth chapter. It is
called the dragon to mark its paganism, the dragon being a
fabulous creature of the heathen. It is called the old ser
pent from the fact asserted, that it deceiveth the whole world,
and its cunning devices and persecuting opposition to Chris
tianity. This heathen power is styled the devil, because of
its false accusations, foul calumny, and ceaseless vitupera
tion of sincere believers, by which means vast numbers of
them were destroyed. The devil is a liar and a murderer
from the beginning. And it is called Satan, which means
an adversary, because of its unappeasable hostility to Chris
tianity. These titles are used descriptively, and as person
ifications of heathenism connected with a great ruling civil
power, viz : the Roman. And yet the common idea, and
one which is maintained by distinguished writers, is, that
the great fallen angel, who is known by these names, who
deceived our first parents, and is the god of this world, is
what is meant in these prophetic visions. This is making
it out on the authority of the inspired revelator, that the
prince of darkness has seven heads and ten horns, and a
tail so long and so strong, that at some time or other, it
has swept down from their orbits a third part of the stars
of heaven ! To such absurdities have good men been car
ried by not observing, that everything almost in this book

CHAPTER XII. 121
is symbolical, and that the first business in obtaining an
understanding of it, is to interpret the symbols.
The dragon, the emblem of heathenism, as a ruling power
was cast out, ejected from the heaven of government, and
thrust to the earth, degraded from all places of influence
and power, and driven into obscurity : and " his angels"
heathen officers, priests, and philosophers, shared the same
fate. This great work, begun and carried far onward by
Constantine, may be considered as completed by his suc
cessors, as previously shown.
To convince any doubting mind, that the explanation
now given is correct, I will present positive evidence fur
nished by that very time, and by Constantine himself, on
coins and medals, which he caused to be struck. I find it
in a work on the apocalypse by our countryman, James
Winthrop. ' Constantine adopted for his emblems those of
Apollo or the sun. He issued a coin on which was the
figure of a woman with wings in asitting posture, denoting a
state of rest, and the moon under her feet. He also upon
a medal surrounded his own head with the twelve signs of
the zodiac. We have also a coin of his, on which the
dragon is represented lying at the foot of his new standard,
which was the cross. This probably refers to the transla
tion of the empire from heathenism to Christianity in the
twentieth year of his reign, A.D. 326.' This shows that
Constantine and the Christians of his day understood this
twelfth ehapter as predicting the very scenes in which they
lived, and in which they bore a part.
And furthermore, " Constantine himself in an epistle to
Eusebius and other bishops, concerning the rebuilding and
repairing of the churches, saith that, ' Liberty being now
restored, and the dragon being now removed from the ad
ministration of public affairs, by the providence of the
6

122 CHAPTER XII.
great God, and by my ministry ; I esteem the great power
of God to have been made manifest to all.' "
10. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Wow
is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God,
and the power of his Christ : for the accuser of our brethren
is cast down, which accused them before our God day and
night. — A song of triumph was heard in the heaven of go
vernment, as the above words of the first Christian empe
ror show, for the suppression of heathenism and the victory
of Christianity. It was felt and declared by all who were
friendly to the change, and shared in the administration of
public affairs, that salvation had come to the hitherto op
pressed people of God ; and strength had been given to
them against their enemies ; and that the kingdom or reign
of God is come ; and the power of Christ has been mani
fested, the power of his spirit and his truth by which he
subdues mankind to himself. The heathen priests and
people were continually, day and night, accusing Christians
of all manner of crimes, which they had not committed, to
procure the infliction of cruel punishments, and to effect
their destruction. But now they were cast down; their
power and influence taken from them, so that they could
prosecute this fiendish work no longer.
11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony ; and they loved not their
lives unto the death. — This shows the manner in which this
conquest was achieved. They, the believing brethren men
tioned above, overcame their heathen enemies by a firm be
lief in Christ as their Redeemer ; by his truth which they
maintained and disseminated, and by their unflinching ad
herence to his cause at all hazards, even that of life. A

CHAPTER XII. 123
lesson which Christians of this age need to learn and prac
tice. 12. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in
them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea !
for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, be
cause he knoweth that he hath but a short time. — For this-
glorious victory, let all the governments in all the provin
ces of the empire, and all connected with them in the ad
ministration of public affairs, rejoice, and give thanks to
God. Immediately following this exhortation to rejoice, is the
utterance of a woe, which seems very strange, but is fully
illustrated by the facts of history ; and we see in all this,
how precisely the secrets of great events are foreshown in
these visions. The heathen priests, officers and people,
seeing the worship of their gods forbidden, and themselves
deprived of office and influence, were extremely exasper
ated, and made desperate attempts to regain their ascend
ency. When the Goths and other warlike nations of the
north invaded the empire, the pagans instigated them to
treat with severity and violence the followers of Christ ; and
they improved every opportunity of exciting against them
the hatred of those fierce invaders. Everywhere too, they
represented that these calamities under which the empire
was suffering, were all owing to the introduction of Chris
tianity, and were expressions of indignation of the gods,
whose worship had been prohibited. Gibbon says, "The
surprise of the pagans was soon succeeded by resentment ;
and the most pious of men were exposed to the unjust but
dangerous imputation of impiety. Malice and prejudice
concurred in representing the Christians as a society of
atheists, who by a most daring attack on the religious con
stitution of the empire, had merited the severest animad-

124 CHAPTER XII.
version of the civil magistrate. They were described as
the most wicked of mankind." Thus the demon of pagan
ism came down with great wrath, and the more so, because
he perceived that his time was short. The inhabitants of
the Roman earth and those upon the islands of the sea, were
those to whom this woe particularly referred.
13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the
earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-
child. — This casting down of the dragon from influence and
power, with no prospect of regaining it, caused. him to
adopt other methods of persecuting the church which are
disclosed in the following chapters.
14. And to the woman were given two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place,
where she is nourished for a time, and times, and a half a
time, from the face of the serpent. — This flight of the woman
is probably the same as that mentioned in the sixth verse,
and the time of her continuance in the wilderness is the
same, though stated in a different manner. A time is one
year, times are two years, and the half time is half a year,
making in all three years and a half. In prophetic reckon
ing these comprise twelve hundred and sixty days. See the
explanation given above, of the sixth verse.
15. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a
flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried
away of the flood.— A flood is used figuratively by the an
cient prophets to signify the "invasion of a country by
numerous armies. Thus in Isa. 8 : 7, it is written, The
Lord bringeth upon them the waters of the river, strong
and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory.
Also 28 : 2. In Jer. 46 : 7, 8, it is asked, Who is this

CHAPTER XII. 125
that cometh up as a flood, &c. ? The flood poured out to
sweep away the woman, was probably the invasion of the
empire by the Goths, Suevi, Alans, and Vandals, who
poured down upon the southern provinces from the north
like an overflowing flood. They were pagans and were
encouraged to make this invasion \>j the pagans in the em
pire, with the intention thus of destroying the predominant
influence of the church. How true to fact is John's sym
bolic representation !
16. And the earth helped the woman: and the earth
opened her mouth, and swallowed up the food which the dra
gon cast out of his mouth. — The earth sometimes means
a territorial domain, and sometimes the common people.
The flood, which was the northern hordes, was swallowed
up by the earth. Those barbarians instead of overrunning
the countries, and then retiring to their native land with
the spoils of conquest, as invaders usually do, settled
down and became absorbed in the mass of the population.
And instead of continuing pagans, and helping to destroy
Christianity, they embraced it, and seemed proud of adopt
ing the laws, manners, and usages of the Romans. Gib
bon says, ' that the warlike barbarians of Scythia and
Germany, embraced the religion of the Romans.' He
adds : " During the same period, Christianity was em
braced by almost all the barbarians who established their
kingdoms on the ruins of the western empire ; the Bur-
gundians in Gaul, the Suevi in Spain, the Vandals in Africa,
the Ostrogoths in Pannonia, and the various bands of mer
cenaries who raised Odoacer to the throne of Italy." Mo
sheim gives the same testimony to this fact. Thus did the
earth help the woman, the church, by swallowing up the
flood, which was poured out by the dragon to sweep her
away.

126 CHAPTER XIII.
17. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went
to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the
commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ. — Foiled in this endeavor to destroy the church by
the force of heathenism, he goes to vent his enmity in an
other manner against the believing and obedient followers
of Christ. He laid aside his pagan character, and assumed
the Christian. He enters the church, becomes mighty zeal
ous to increase its splendor and resources, to multiply its
privileges, and extend its boundaries. He goes to work to
corrupt its worship, to destroy its spirituality, and make it
a worldly church, or rather, no church at all. In other
words, he sets about rearing up within itself the great pa
pal Antichrist, whose rise, dominion, despotism, bloody
persecution, and final destruction, are the prophetic burden
of the following chapters to the twentieth.

CHAPTER XIII.
The Roman Government as professedly Christian.
Rise of Papacy.
1. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast
rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and
upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of
blasphemy. — A dragon is a fabulous creature, a fiction of
the heathen, worshiped by the heathen, and therefore a
suitable symbol of heathenism, or of the pagan Roman
empire, as in the preceding chapter. The wild beast de.
scribed in this chapter, is the same empire, as Christian ;
but though nominally Christian, a persecuting power, re-

CHAPTER XIII. 127
taining many of its former traits, The seven heads of the
great red dragon had on them seven crowns, indicating
seven forms of government under which the empire exist
ed. The beast has seven heads, and instead of seven
crowns, he has on them the name of blasphemy ; showing
that Rome itself is meant, being built on seven hills. This
explanation is given by John in the seventeenth chapter,
where Rome, as the seat of papacy, is represented by a
lewd woman, sitting on a scarlet colored beast, which had
seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads are declared
to be " seven mountains on which the woman sitteth." An
other difference in the two descriptions, showing the appro
priateness of each, is, that the ten horns of the pagan dra
gon have no crowns ; but the ten horns of the papal beast
have crowns ; showing the fact that at one period there were
ten provinces, and that afterward, they became separate
kingdoms, still retaining a sort of connection with the em
pire. Upon the seven heads of the beast was the name of
blasphemy. Rome assumed the name of ' Eternal City,'
'the Goddess of the Earth,' and was, and is, the great
center of heathenized Christianity.
John seemed to himself to be standing on the shore and
saw this beast rise up out of the sea, signifying, that this
state of the empire was to come into being out of great
commotions and changes, of which the sea is an emblem.
2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard,
and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the
mouth of a lion : and the dragon gave him his power, and
his seat, and great authority. — In this verse we have the
complex character of the empire. Daniel saw four beasts
rise from the sea, the first was like a lion, representing the
Chaldean empire ; the second was like a bear, emblematic
of the Medo-Persian ; the third was like a leopard, em-

128 CHAPTER XIII.
blematic of the Grecian ; the fourth was dreadful and terri
ble, and exceedingly strong, and had ten horns. This was
the Roman. John attributes the distinguishing properties
of the first three to the Roman wild beast which arose out
of the sea.
Furthermore, the dragon gave the beast his power, and
seat, and great authority, — transferred it to him ; by which
we are to understand, that the empire after it became pro
fessedly Christian, retained the same despotic, cruel, perse
cuting character, and the same center or capital, and the
same pretensions to universal rule, as when it was heathen.
Instead of the old idolatry of gods and goddesses, a new
idolatry was introduced, equally gross, and more abomina
ble, viz : the worship of images, crucifixes, relics, saints,
and the virgin Mary. The devil still kept alive the spirit
of heathenism, only changing the objects to be venerated
and worshiped. The design of this amazing corruption of
Christianity was to conciliate the heathen and make them
pleased with what was presented to them as the religion of
the gospel.
3. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to
death ; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world
wondered after the beast. — The heads mentioned in this verse
are the seven on which were crowns, meaning the seven
forms of government under which the empire had existed.
Five of these had passed away when John wrote this book,
viz. : the monarchical, the consular, the dictatorship, the de-
cemvirate, and the military tribune. The sixth was the im
perial, or that of the Cesars, which was in existence in the time
of Christ and the apostles. It was the sixth which received
the deadly wound. This was inflicted by Odoacer, king of
the Heruli, and by Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, who
soon conquered Odoacer, and established the kingdom of

CHAPTER XIII. 129
the Ostrogoths in Italy, which, as we are informed in the
seventeenth chapter, ' would continue but a short space.' It
continued about eighty years. Augustulus, the last empe
ror, abdicated the throne, and Odoacer assumed the title of
king of all Italy, and extinguished the title of emperor of
the west. This was the fall of the western Roman empire,
the wounding to death of the sixth head or form of govern
ment about the year 476.
His deadly wound was healed. In A.D. 754 Pepin, king
of France, marched into Italy, defeated the Lombard king,
and obliged "him to deliver up to the See of Rome, the
Exarchate of Ravenna, Pentapolis, and all he had seized,
and this it was which made the bishop of Rome a temporal
prince. In 774 Charlemagne, son of Pepin, at the solicita
tion of Pope Adrian I, crossed the Alps with a great army,
overturned the empire of the Lombards, confirmed the
grant of his father to the pontiff, and added to it several
cities and provinces in Italy. To reward him for this, the
pontiff gave him the name of Charlemagne, or Charles the
Great, and acknowledged him emperor of Rome and the
west. Thus, the deadly wound was healed, the imperial form
of government was restored. The civil and ecclesiastical
power was united in the pope, and the Roman government
became formidable again ; and all the world, that is, all
the people of the land, wondered after the beast, were as
tonished at the revival of the empire, which had for three
hundred years been in a fallen condition.
4. And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto
the beast : and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like
unto the beast ? who is able to make war with him ? — The
people regarded with superstitious reverence the pagan
power, which had been transferred to the papal government ;
and they bowed with deference to this newly revived im-

130 CHAPTER XIII.
perial authority, which was thus enlisted in the support of
the temporal and spiritual power of Rome.
5 and 6. And there was given unto him a mouth speak
ing great things, and blasphemies : and power was given
unto him to continue forty and two months. And he. opened
his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name,
and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. — From
this time the influence of the pope and the Romish church
became the moving sjoring of the civil government, so that
its enactments and operations were either dictated by that
lordly pontiff, or in accordance with his wishes. The beast
was permitted to arrogate to itself pompous titles, to make
high pretensions to universal dominion, and to issue cruel
and despotic edicts against its opponents.
Blasphemy against God is the utterance of impious lan
guage concerning him, or attributing to him purpose s and
acts which are dishonorable to him. It is speaking
reproachfully and calumniously of him, or of other objects
and persons.
The unjust and murderous edicts issued against Chris
tians 'in the name of God,' and by the 'grace of God,' mak
ing him as it were the indorser and approver of those
wicked acts, and the assumption of sacred titles and epi
thets, sufficiently illustrate the correctness of this prophetic
description. The tabernacle of God was also blasphemed.
The church is the house or temple in which God dwells ;
and this has been blasphemed, by the false accusations,
denunciations, and-excomunications of all who do not sub
mit to the domination of this papal beast, and those espe
cially who resist his usurpations and stand up in support
of a pure religion. To this day they are branded with the
name of heretics ; religious intercourse with them is scru-

CHAPTER XIII. 131
pulously avoided, and it is denied that their churches are
the churches of Christ.
Those who dwell in heaven are subjected to the same
calumny and abuse. By mistaking the meaning of the
term, heaven, as John uses it, interpreters have considered
this as referring to the angels and glorified saints. But,
how they have been blasphemed by being unduly honored,
is difficult to show. The fact is, that John is not discoursing
about the celestial world, but is predicting events pertain
ing to the church in this world. The term heaven is used
figuratively to signify either the civil or ecclesiastical
government; and those who dwell in heaven are the
permanent officers of the government or of the church.
When it is considered what condemnatory edicts have been
issued, what vast numbers have been deposed from office
and influence, deprived of their rights, and shut up in pris
on ; what wars and massacres have been occasioned by the
papal beast against those who abjured its sentiments, and
resisted its usurpations, whether in the church or the state,
we can perceive the force of the expression under consider
ation. 7. And it was given unto him to make war with the
saints, and to overcome them : and power was given him over
all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. — The papal beast, or
Latin empire has made war against the saints for many
centuries, and the number of its victims has swelled to an
appalling amount. Mede estimates " from good authori
ties, that in the war with the Albigenses and Waldenses,
there perished in France alone a million. From the first
institution of the Jesuits to the year 1580, a little more
than 30 years, nine hundred thousand orthodox Christians
were slain by the common executioner. In the space of
about thirty years the inquisition destroyed, by various

132 CHAPTER XIII.
kinds of torture, a hundred and fifty thousand Christians.
Sanders himself confesses that an innumerable multitude
of Lollards and Sacramentarians were burnt throughout
all Europe, not, as he says, by the pope and bishops, but
by the civil magistrates.'' The controlling power of the
beast extended over all the nations which composed the
empire, i.e., the whole Christian world.
8. And all thai dwell upon the earth shall worship him,
whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. — All who dwell
in the territories of the empire, will come into subjection
to this secular beast, animated by the spirit of papacy : —
all whose names as true believers, are not enrolled in the
Lamb's book of life. This shows clearly what is the
character of those who revere and uphold the idolatrous
system of papacy.
9. If any man have an ear, let him hear. — Let every
reader carefully attend to these things.
10. He that leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity :
he that killeth with the sword, must be killed with the sword.
Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. — A righteous
retribution is foreshown, which will be similar in its nature
to the evils which this murderous power has inflicted on
others. It will be subjected to a state of captivity, and be
destroyed by the sword. Through all these long-continued
troubles, the patience and faith of the saints would be
greatly tried, and gloriously manifested. Truly thus it
has been.
11. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the
earth ; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a

CHAPTER XIII. 133
dragon. — Here is presented still another beast, which is
the Roman hierarchy itself. Instead of rising from the sea
of civil war and commotion, it comes up "out of the earth, —
it grows out of the ignorance and superstition of the com
mon people, gradually and almost imperceptibly. It has
two horns like a lamb. A horn is an emblem of power.
Some have considered these two horns to be the regular
and secular clergy; but this seems to me to be a distinc
tion of too small importance. Daubuz explains the two
horns as meaning " the successive lines of the bishops of
Rome and Constantinople." But the apostle is evidently
speaking of one ecclesiastical power, and not of two separate
and distinct, as are the Roman and Greek hierarchies. I
prefer therefore, to consider the two horns as the civil and
ecclesiastical authority united in the pope.
This beast appeared like a lamb, in reference to Christ,
the Lamb of God, meek and mild. The pope assumes that
he is the vicar, or representative of Christ, the head of the
church, the bishop of the faithful. But his character and
his acts give the lie to these pretensions : For he speaks
like a dragon. His claims to universal authority, his im
perious commands, his denunciations, and decrees, manifest
all the tyranny and cruelty of the persecuting heathen em
perors. Indeed, papacy is little else than Christianized
heathenism. 12. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast
before him, and causeth the earth, and them which dwell
therein, to worship the first beast, ivhose deadly wound was
healed. — The papal hierarchy exercises all the power of the
first beast, the secular Latin empire. At first the ecclesias
tical authority was subject to the civil, — but, by a gradual
process, the authority of the pope became supreme. He is

134 CHAPTER XIII.
both a temporal and spiritual prince, and has claimed the
right of dominion over all Christian sovereigns.
He causes the people of the Latin empire to submit to
and reverence the civil, imperial power, which was over
thrown and afterward revived in the person of Charle
magne. Here we see the first and second beast exercising
dominion together over the same earth or territory ; one is
the secular, the other the spiritual power, clearly showing,
that these are the two horns. These being on the head of
the second beast, exhibits the fact, that the spiritual power
became supreme ; or rather, that both were exercised by the
hierarchy. This is done before the first beast, i.e., in his
presence. 13. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire
come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. —
These wonders or proofs of the great power and sanctity
of the papal church, are numberless fictitious miracles,
which have been, and still are exhibited. by the priests;
the claim to the power of forgiving sins, granting indul
gences, sending to purgatory, or releasing from it ; and
those successful methods of making people believe the
most absurd legends, and naked falsehoods, even that the
wafer is changed into the. real body of Christ.
He maketh fire come down from heaven, i.e., from the
civil government on the people of the land, who dare to
resist his authority and reject his false doctrines. Fire is
often used in scripture to signify the anger or indignation
of God or men, which destroys those who are the subjects
of it. Here it means church censures, bulls of excommuni
cation, and damnatory sentences. The ecclesiastical courts
try the cases of alleged heresy, and pass sentence, but the
civil magistrates must execute it. He makes the consum
ing fire come down from heaven, by compelling the civil

CHAPTER XIII. 135
authority to put to death those whom he condemns. This is
done in the sight of men ; i.e., these censures, excommunica
tions, and sentences are read in all the churches, and the
greatest publicity given to the whole matter.
14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the
means of those miracles which he had power to do in the
sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth,
that they should make an image to the beast, which had the
wound by a sword, and did live. — The first beast represents
the civil authority or ruling power of the Latin empire.
To make an image of him is to invest another with that
power. The people were persuaded to confer that power on
the pope, to invest him with imperial authority. The pope
was made a temporal prince, — he exercises the power of
an emperor, — levies taxes, raises armies, makes war, nego
tiates treaties, and does all other acts of a civil ruler. The
deceived people have thus been induced to make an image
of the secular beast, or to-consent to the doing of it.
15. And he had power to give life unto the image of the
beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause
that as many as would not worship the image of the beast
should be killed. — The papacy had power to give life to this
image of imperial authority, that is, to impart life and effi
ciency to it, so that it should actually exert civil authority,
and not be a dumb and lifeless image, incapable of doing
anything. It should speak, — give forth proclamations, in
terdicts, and commands; and also cause all who would not
submit to and reverence this usurped authority to be put to
death. In the thirteenth century, says Dr. Mosheim, " the
popes inculcated that pernicious maxim, that the bishop of
Rome is the supreme lord of the universe ; and that neither
princes nor bishops, civil governors nor ecclesiastical rulers,

136 CHAPTER XIII.
have any lawful power in church or state but what they de
rive from him." He has dethroned sovereigns, disposed of
crowns, absolved subjects from obedience due, and laid
kingdoms under interdicts. Indeed the tyranny of the
papal hierarchy has been fully equal to that of its imperial
prototype. 16 and 17. And he caused all, both small and great,
rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right
hand, or in their foreheads ; and that no man might buy or
sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or
the number of his name. — In the fourteenth chapter we are
informed that this mark is the mark of his name, — the name
of the beast. 'That name is the Latin empire; — the
mark of his name must then be the Latin worship; for this
reason, that it is the two-horned beast, the papacy, which
causes all descriptions of persons to receive it.' ' The Latin
worship is the universal badge of distinction of the Latin
church from all other churches on the face of the earth ;' and
is therefore an infallible mark by which a genuine papist
can be distinguished from all the rest of mankind.
This mark is received in the right hand or on the fore
head. The right hand is a phrase used in the sacred scrip
tures to signify physical strength or power. To receive the
mark of the beast in the right hand, means then, that the
persons, who receive it, are under obligations to employ all
their mental and physical powers to uphold and extend the
Latin worship, — in other words, the Latin church. — The
mark on the forehead signifies an open profession of the
Latin faith and worship. ' Some may make such a profes
sion, who do not devote themselves actively to promote
the papal cause, hence the propriety of the expression, re
ceiving the mark in the right hand or on the forehead.'
In papal countries without this mark of fidelity to the

CHAPTER XIII. 137
papal church, a man is not allowed to buy or sell, or have
the common privileges of a citizen. " So the canon of the
council of Lateran, made against the Waldenses and Albi
genses, enjoins upon pain of anathema, that no man pre
sume to entertain or cherish them in his house or land, or
exercise traffic with them." The Synod of Tours in France
made a similar enactment. " In the tenth and eleventh
centuries, the severity against the excommunicated was
carried to such a pitch, that nobody might come near them,
not even their wives, children, or servants ; they forfeited
all their legal rights and privileges, and were excluded from
all kinds of offices."
A critical writer, quoted by Dr. Clarke, has shown, that
the name of the beast is " The Latin Kingdom," and that
this is applied in this place to the secular power. The
number of his name is also " The Latin Kingdom," and is
intended here for the papacy itself or the spiritual power.
18. Here is wisdom. "Let him who hath a mind for
investigations of this kind find out a kingdom which con
tains precisely the number 666 ; for this must be infallibly
the name of the beast." Before figures were invented,
numbers were written with the letters of the alphabet.
Now the Greek letters which form the words, E La tine
Basileia, — The Latin Kingdom, make just the number 666.
Letters and figures may be combined to a great extent ; but
no other name of a kingdom can be found, that contains in
the aggregate of its numerical letters, the number 666.

138 CHAPTER XIV.
H = 8 S

A

= 30

a

= 1

T

=300

p

t
V

= 10
= 50

3'

V

= 8

E

= 2

a
= 1
a
=200
W
l
Ae
= 10
= 30
= 5
3'
0=1 co3
i
= 10
a
= 1
666
CHAPTER XIV.
The Reformation.
The prediction concerning the papal civil power and the
papal ecclesiastical power in the former chapter, is followed
with a prophetic announcement of the Reformation and the
fall of that hierarchy.
1. And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount
Sion, and with, him an hundred, forty and four thousand,
having his Father's name written in their foreheads. — In
continuation of the visionary representation, John saw a
Lamb, the emblem of Christ, standing on Mount Zion, an
eminence in Jerusalem, captured and fortified by David,
indicating here, that the church was to take an elevated
CHAPTER XIV. 13g
position, and be defended by the power of its king. With
him, as his believing people, was a company consisting of
an hundred and forty and four thousand persons, being
a definite number used for an indefinite. This number
may have a reference to the twelve patriarchs and the
twelve apostles. Clarke understands this company to-be
" those who "were converted to Christianity from among
the Jews." But, John has advanced many centuries in
his prophetic course from the apostolic period of Chris
tianity. They are those true-hearted believers, who came
out from that corrupt and blasphemous community just
described, and took an elevated stand with Christ on the
Mount Zion of pure Christianity. See Heb. 12 : 22.
They were distinguished by having the name of the Father
written on their foreheads, which is a figurative expression
signifying a moral resemblance to him, and an open ac
knowledgment of their relation to him as his people. As
the followers of the papal beast had his mark in their right
hands and in their foreheads ; so the followers of the Lamb
have their distinctive mark, and openly declare that they
are his.
2. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many
waters, and as the voice of a great thunder ; and I heard the
voice of harpers harping with their harps. — A voice from
heaven in a civil sense is the proclamation of the will of
the government ; — in an ecclesiastical sense, it is the publi
cation by the church of the will of the Lord, — the promul
gation of his truth. This voice being like the sound of
many waters, and of a great thunder, signifies, that at the
period referred to, which as I think, is that of the great
Reformation, there would be a bold, awakening, and exten
sive promulgation of the truths of the gospel. The preaching
of the reformers aroused all Europe ; astonished, convinced,

140 CHAPTER XIV.
and led to Christ great multitudes, and excited the perse
cuting rage of the papal hierarchy. John the Baptist called
himself the voice of one crying in the wilderness, and his
preaching prepared the way for the introduction of a new
dispensation. So the preaching of such men as Wickliff,
Huss, Jerome, Luther, Zuinglius, and Melancthon, was like
mighty thunder to the consciences of self-deceived and
hypocritical formalists, whether dignitaries' in the church,
or fellows of the monastic orders, or those who move in
common walks of life: and it introduced a new era of light,
and purity, and prosperity to the Christian church.
There was also the sound of harpers singing as they
played upon their harps. The harp was used in offering
praise to God ; and the idea expressed here probably is,
that the labors of those godly men and the happy effects
produced by them, occasioned much thanksgiving to God.
3. And they sung as it were a new song before the throne,
and before the four beasts, and the elders : and no man could
learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand,
which were redeemed from the earth. — The song which the
harpers sung, was in some respects peculiar, for it could
not be learned by any except true believers, represented
by the hundred and forty and four thousand, who were
redeemed from the earth, i.e., purified from the evil sen
timents and practices which everywhere prevailed. The
nature and efficacy of redemption by Christ, — the suffi
ciency of his atonement and righteousness to meet all
the demands of the law, — and justification by faith in
this alone, were the great awakening and renovating
doctrines, which began and carried forward the reforma-.
tion, and are essential to a living and life-producing Chris
tianity. These stand in direct opposition to a religion of
forms, of fantastic parade, and of meritorious dead works.

CHAPTER XIV. 141
The blind devotees of superstitious observances do not un
derstand this. Indeed the doctrine of justification by faith,
is a fatal antagonist to the whole system of the Roman
catholic and Greek catholic church. Hence the declared
fact that no man could learn the new song of the harpers,
beside true believers. They only have the experience of
these truths, and a sense of their glory and excellency.
These rejoicing minstrels sang their new song, commemo
rative of these new triumphs of the gospel before the
throne, the emblem of civil authority, i.e., in the presence
of civil rulers, showing their acquiescence in and approval
of this great reformation in religion, which was remarkably
fulfilled in the favor which was shown by the German
princes, electors, and others in Netherlands and Great
Britain ; and in the presence of the four living creatures and
the elders, who are the representatives of the true church
and its ministers. To all the friends of Christ, and lovers
of his truth, this revival of true religion was an occasion of
great rejoicing.
4. These are they which were not defiled with women :
for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb
whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from, among
men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. — The
character of this great company of believers is further de
scribed as those who were not defiled with women, being
chaste and pure. It is common in the scriptures to repre
sent the union between God and his people by the mar
riage relation, and defection from his worship to the worship
of false Gods, as lewdness and adultery. To his ancient
people, he said, Turn, O backsliding children, for I am mar
ried unto you. Jer. 3 : 14. Thy Maker is thy husband.
Isa. 54 : 5. Paul wrote to the Corinthians saying, I have
espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a

142 CHAPTER XIV.
chaste virgin to Christ. 2 Cor. 11:2. As antithetical to
this, we have the expressions, committing fornication, i.e.,
by practicing idolatry ; — playing the harlot,^going after
lovers, denoting the sin of grossly corrupting the worship
of God. The women of the Moabites seduced the Hebrews
into the worship of their gods, and so the practice of idol
atry in any form is spoken of as lewdness or conjugal in
fidelity. The affirmation, then, that the believers referred
to, were not defiled with women, means that they kept
themselves pure from the idolatrous practices of a degen
erate church.
Another high commendation of them is, that they follow
the Lamb wherever he goes, which expresses cheerful obe
dience to him, and an imitation of his example under all
circumstances, whether joyous or afflictive. They per
formed duty in the exercise of faith, self-denial and patience.
- — They were redeemed from among men, in that they were
delivered from the bondage of sin, and from the condem
natory sentence of the law.- — They were first fruits, pre
cious and sacred to the Lord, — the first fruits of that great
spiritual harvest which followed the labors of those zealous
reformers. 5. And in their mouth was found no guile : for they are
without fault before the throne of God. — They were true to
their vows, faithful in maintaining divine truth. Being
without fault, does- not mean, that they were sinless, but
that through Jesus Christ, they were justified fully and
freely, and lived as becometh saints. Though eminent in
holiness, they needed mercy and forgiveness. This whole
description may well be applied to the Waldenses and Al
bigenses, for they preserved the Christian religion pure,
while the Romish church everywhere practiced the worship
of images, relics, saints, and the blessed virgin. They were

CHAPTER XIV. 143
never seduced by flattery, nor by a long and bloody perse
cution, in which more than a million of them lost their lives,
to adopt the superstitions, or to practice the idolatry of the
times. They followed the Lamb by a conscientious obe
dience to the gospel, often under circumstances awfully
trying. 6. And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell
on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue,
and people. — This angel seems to be emblematic of those
faithful preachers of the gospel, whose labors carried for
ward the reformation in different parts of Europe. His
flying in the midst of heaven, shows the rapidity with which
the truth would be disseminated. The everlasting gospel,
in contradistinction to prevailing errors and superstitions,
was to be preached to them who dwelt in the empire, and
to people of all nations. The work so nobly begun by the
reformers, is still carried on by various instrumentalities
with increasing success.
7. Saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory
to him ; for the hour of his judgment is come ; and worship
him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the foun
tains of waters. — The angel proclaimed as he went, say
ing, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his
judgment is come, that is, his judgment on the papal hier
archy. Then God would begin to destroy the man of sin
with the breath of his mouth, the truth of his own revealing.
Instead of fearing the persecuting wrath of the pope, the
people were exhorted to fear God; — and instead of the
idolatrous worship of images, saints, and the virgin, they
were to praise, adore, and serve him, who made all things,
and controls all human interests.

144 CHAPTER XIV.
8. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is
fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations
drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. — Another
angel followed announcing the fall of the Roman papal
power, symbolized by ancient Babylon, which was long
the grand center of idolatry, superstition, and oppression of
God's people. The reformers boldly declared papacy to be
antichrist, and proclaimed its overthrow, and ultimate ex
tinction. The reason for this threatened destruction is, that
this mystical Babylon had caused all nations to drink her
poisonous draught, — the wine of the wrath of her fornica
tion. Mingling of idolatrous rites with the worship of God,
and thus corrupting true religion, is called fornication.
The phrase, wine of wrath or wrathful wine, when used in
reference to providential calamities, signifies the terrible
effects of God's wrath on the nations who receive and prac
tice the superstitions and idolatries of papal Rome. Thus
in Jeremiah 25 : 15-18, it is written, "Take the wine-cup
of this fury at my hand, saith the Lord, and cause all the
nations to whom I send thee, to drink it. And they shall
drink, and be moved, and enraged, because of the sword
that I will send among them," &c.
This prophecy of John teaches us, that the preaching of
the everlasting gospel to all nations, is to precede the final
destruction of papacy, and will be the chief means of bring
ing to pass that event.
9 and 10. And the third angel followed them, saying
with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his
image, and receive his mark in his forehead; or in his hand,
the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which
is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indigna
tion ; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in
the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the

CHAPTER XIV. 145
Lamb. — A third angel followed loudly proclaiming divine
vengeance on those who reverence, approve, admire, and
obey the persecuting civil power, and his image, the papal
hierarchy. At the destined period, his vengeance upon
them will be unmitigated, terrible, irresistible. The wine
of his indignation, which he will give those nations, will be
undiluted, — it will prostrate their strength, and they will
reel to and fro, and fall like a drunken man.
Another part of the punishment threatened against those
who reverence the beast and his image and profess attach
ment and obedience to them, is, that they shall be tormented
with fire and brimstone, in the presence of the holy angels,
and of the Lamb. . This is generally interpreted to mean
'the punishment to be inflicted in the future state. Now,
we should observe, that the revelator is speaking of things
which were to take place in this world, and, as in the pre
ceding verses, of the punitive judgments, which God will
bring on those who corrupt the church by their inventions,
superstitions, and idolatries. Daniel speaks of this same
punishment, in these words, — ' The judgment will sit, and
they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy
it unto the end.' What John expresses by being tormented
with fire and sulphur, Daniel expresses by consuming and
destroying- the dominion or reign of the beast. Paul says
the same, thus, ' whom the Lord will consume with the
breath of his mouth, and destroy with the brightness of
his coming,' i.e., with his truth, and with signal dispensations
of his providence. — God himself calls his truth, fire. Is
not my word like fire ? Jer. 23 : 29. See also Isa. 66 : 15.
Paul says, ' Every man's work shall be made manifest —
because it shall be made known by fire, and the fire shall
try every man's work of what sort it is.' This is the fire
of divine truth, and perhaps also, of persecution.
Sulphur, called also brimstone, is a highly inflammable
7

146 CHAPTER XIV.
substance, and in scripture is used figuratively to signify
the destructive nature and terribleness of divine judgments.
In Genesis, it is recorded, that the Lord rained upon Sodom
and Gomorrah, brimstone and fire out of heaven. Hence>
in the Psalms it is said figuratively, — ' Upon the wicked the
Lord will rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible
tempest.' In the 38th chap, of Ezekiel, God declares his
judgment against Gog thus,- — I will plead against him
with pestilence and blood, and I will rain upon him and
his bands, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire
and brimstone. John, in this instance, as in others, uses
the figures of the Old Testament writers, and doubtless in
the same sense. His idea is, that the worshipers and
favorers of the beast and the papacy, will be troubled,
alarmed, vexed, and conscience-smitten, with the truth
wrhich they hate, and which they fear will work the destruc
tion of their delusive system ; and also, they will be visited
with grievous and destructive calamities. These things
will take place in presence of the holy angels, the messen
gers of the Lord, and in presence of the Lamb ; — i.e., with
their approbation, as justly merited.
11. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever
and ever : and they have no rest day nor night, who worship
the beast and his image, and luhosoever receiveth the mark of
his name. — These figures are frequent in the writings of the
ancient prophets, and it is strange, that their meaning and
application in this place have been so erroneously explain
ed. The fact is too generally overlooked, that this is a
book of prophecy, and not of doctrinal instruction. It may
be regarded as an expansion of those ancient prophecies,
which relate to the Christian dispensation. It does not ap
pear to me to be any part of the design of the writer to
teach in these verses the eternal punishment of the wor-

CHAPTER XIV. 147
shipers of the beast and his image ; but to predict the cala
mities and distresses in which they will be involved in this
world. The model text is plainly that which is contained
in the thirty-fourth chapter of Isaiah, where he describes the
destruction of Edom. " Their land shall be drenched in
blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. For it is the
day of the Lord's vengeance, the year of the recompense for
the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be
turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and
the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not
be quenched night nor day ; the smoke thereof shall go up
forever, from generation to generation, it shall lie waste ;
none shall pass through it forever and evCr." Who thinks
of interpreting this of the eternal punishment of the in
habitants of that country ? For aught I know, they were
eternally destroyed. But, it was no part of the prophet's
design to teach that sentiment. He speaks only of its tem
poral calamities, and the whole description to the close of
the chapter clearly proves it. The smoke ascending up
forever, is the very language of John, and the phrase fore ver
and ever is explained to be from generation to generation.
The same declaration is expressed in the subsequent verses
in a similar manner, where it is predicted, that the wild
beasts, the satyr, the owl, and the vulture, " shall possess
it forever, from generation to generation shall they dwell
therein." Such is the condition of that country to this
day. John uses the same language with the same significa
tion. Smoke is sometimes .the symbol or visible token of the
anger of the Lord, as in Ps. 18:8. 'There went up a
smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devour
ed.' Here also, fire signifies the truth, or the threatening
which God utters. Smoke also expresses figuratively great
calamities, such as war, and invasion, as in Isa. 14:31.

148 CHAPTER XIV.
' There shall come from the north a smoke,' referring to the
overthrow of Babylon by the Medes.
The writer of this book often subjoins an expression,
which is a key to the explanation of the figures he uses. So
here, the next clause shows what he means by the smoke of
their torment ; viz. : They have no rest day nor night, who
worship the beast and his image. They have no true peace
within themselves, because they do not seek to be justified
by faith in Jesus Christ according to the gospel. And the
providences of God will be such, that they will have no rest
in outward circumstances. What a spectacle have catholic
countries presented, and do still present in regard to this
matter !
12. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that
keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. — It
is difficult to ascertain the connection and application of this
verse. The word translated here, signifies also ' thus,' or in
like manner, and the idea may be, that at this period of
calamities to the papal antichrist, the patience of the saints
will be brought into exercise in a peculiar manner. Certain
it is, that at this period, which we suppose is the sixteenth
century, as the Reformation spread in Germany, France,
Switzerland, England, Scotland, Ireland and Denmark, the
papists were alarmed, embittered, and made vengeful, (the
very thing perhaps which is meant in the preceding verses,)
and the protestants experienced unrelenting opposition and
persecution. Queen Mary restored popery in England,
and occasioned scenes of barbarity and persecution which
shock humanity. In this century, the order of the Jesuits
was founded, and the inquisition was established : and the
horrid massacre of the protestants in Paris on St. Bartho
lomew's day, was perpetrated. At this period too, the pa
pacy began the inhuman practice of burning people alive,

CHAPTER XIV. 149
because of their belief and propagation of the truth, and
great numbers perished in that manner.
13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,
Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from
henceforth : Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from
their labors ; and their works do follow them. — It is the
heaven of the true church which is meant in this place, and
the voice is that of the faithful reformers declaring God's
truth against the doctrine of purgatory, masses, and prayers
for the dead. John was commanded to write down the
truth, to be used in future times against that prodigious mo
ney-making imposition, that the dead who die in the Lord ,
are presently, or from that time, happy. Yea, the Spirit
declareth, that they peacefully rest from their labors, and
their good works follow with them to be rewarded. They
enter at once into a state of happiness and rest from toil
and suffering. Let this precious truth stand forever as a con
demnation of the impious assumption, that there is a purga
tory, from wliich people may be exempt by the payment of
great sums of money; or, that their stay there may be
shortened by the purchased prayers of the priest and the
church. 14. And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon
the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head
a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. — Da
niel saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the
Son of man came with the clouds of heaven. Christ said
concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, ' They shall see
the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven.' In all
these cases, coming with clouds, and sitting on a white
cloud, mean a signal display of the divine character in the
remarkable events, which are to transpire, particularly the

150 CHAPTER XIV.
divine power, justice, and sovereignty. On the cloud sat
one who appeared like the Son of man, indicating, that the
events appertained to his kingdom ; having on his head a
golden crown, the emblem of sovereignty, showing the ex
tension of his kingdom, or a new era of its prosperity. A
sickle is an instrument commonly used for cutting grain,
that it may be gathered into the storehouse.
15. And another angel came out of the temple, crying
with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy
sickle and reap : for the time is come for thee to reap ; for
the harvest of the earth is ripe. — This angel from the temple,
may represent the faithful preachers of the gospel at that
period ; and his address to him who sat on the cloud, may
mean their fervent prayers, that a spiritual harvest may
be reaped, and their full belief that the time had come for
this. 16. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the
earth ; and the earth was reaped. — The phrase on the earth,
gives altogether too broad a signification to this prediction,
unless it be borne in mind, that it is the Roman earth. In
each of the instances, it would be better to substitute the
word, land. The sickle was thrust in, and the harvest
reaped. This has usually been interpreted to signify the
infliction of judgments ; but I prefer to understand it accord
ing to the true import of a harvest, as a great spiritual in
gathering to the church and kingdom of Christ. The refor
mation spread over the northern countries of Europe, gave
spirituality and life to the church, and made vast multitudes
of converts to the Lord Jesus.
17. And another angel came out of fie temple which is in
heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. — In the other instance

CHAPTER XIV. 151
the sharp sickle was in the hand of him who sat on the
cloud ; here it is in the hand of the angel, who may repre
sent some agent or agency for executing the judgments fore
told in the next verse.
18. And another angel came out from the altar, which
had power over fire ; and cried with a loud cry to him that
had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and
gather the clusters of the vine of the earth ; for her grapes
are fully ripe. — Another angel came from the altar on
which the burnt sacrifices were offered, having power over
fire, — authority or control over the fire of the altar, to kin
dle or extinguish it, as he pleased. This angel seems to be
a personation of faithful ministers, who have, and preach
God's truth, and by it kindle the fire of conviction in men's
consciences. His relation to the altar seems to imply .that
these judgments which he directs to be inflicted, will con
sume the enemies of Christ, as fire consumes the offered
sacrifice. With a loud cry, showing earnestness and the
importance of the thing to be done, he bade the angel with
the sharp sickle, do the work for which he was commis
sioned. By affirming that the grapes were fully ripe, he
affirmed that the time for punishing the wicked communi
ties referred to, had arrived, their iniquities having arisen
to a great height.
19. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and
gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great
wine-press of the wrath of God. — The order is executed.
The reaping and gathering of the grain indicates the pros
perity of the church subsequent to the reformation. The
gathering of the vintage and treading of the grapes is a
figure used in scripture with a different signification, viz :
as expressing terrible calamities, such as bloody and de-

152 CHAPTER XIV.
structive wars. Thus in Isa. 63 ch. : I have trodden the
wine-press alone, &c. The day of vengeance is in my
heart, and the year of my redeemed is come ; and I will
tread down the people in my anger, &c. The expression,
wine-press of the wrath of God, plainly shows that dreadful
judgments are meant.
The papal hierarchy with its almost numberless abomina
tions had now attained its greatest height ; was fully ripe
for the vintage ; and now its decline and ruin were to
begin. England had declared itself independent of the
pope. Knox aroused all Scotland to throw off the authority
and superstitions of Rome. The Belgic Provinces, the
Netherlands, withdrew from their allegiance to the pontiff.
A powerful army was sent by Philip IL, king of Spain, un
der the duke of Alva, to force them into subjection. After
a long and bloody war, William of Nassau, assisted by
England and France, delivered the provinces from both the
Spanish and Roman yoke. Soon after the French clergy in
convention declared the pope's pretensions to temporalities,
null and void ; placed the authority of a council above that
of the pope, and maintained that his decisions were not in
fallible, except when attended with the decision of the
church. To all these things succeeded the bloody scene of
the French revolution, and the wars of Bonaparte.
20. And the wine-press was trodden without the city, and
blood came out of the wine-press, even unto the horse bridles,
by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. — The
infidel movements attending and following that revolution,
may perhaps be the treading of the wine-press without the
city. Blood issuing from the wine-press in such quantity,
shows that there will be great sacrifice of life. Whether
the sixteen hundred furlongs refer to the church States in
Italy, as some suppose, I know not.

CHAPTER XV. 153

CHAPTER XV.
Preparation for the Seven Last Plagues.
It is declared in the tenth chapter, that ' in the days of .
the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound,
the mystery of God shall be finished, as he hath declared
to his servants the prophets.' Under this last woe-trumpet
are included the seven vials of the wrath of God, called
also the last seven plagues, the description of which is now
given. The events predicted under these symbols relate,
as I think, to the destruction of both the antichristian pow
ers, the papal and Mahometan, and fill up the time to the
year two thousand, which will be the commencement of
the millennium.
1. And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvel
ous, seven angels having the seven last plagues ; for in them
is filled up the wrath of God. — Another emblematic repre
sentation of great and marvelous changes in the firmament
of government, viz : seven angels, or instrumental agents,
having the seven last plagues, in which the wrath of God
on the western and eastern antichrist, is completed.
2. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire ;
and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over
his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his
name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. —
The phrase, sea of glass, is an incorrect translation ; the
word for glass being an adjective, and not a noun, and the
reading should be, a crystaline or transparent sea. To in
terpret this sea as meaning the blood of Christ, or " the

154 CHAPTER XV.
gospel covenant," or ' an allusion to the brazen sea in the
court of the temple,' I regard as fanciful guessing ; a disre
gard of the principles which should guide us in explaining
the symbols of this book.
A sea is the emblem of a community or nation in a state of
agitation and commotion ; and fire is the emblem of divine
truth, and sometimes of divine anger. Is not my word
like fire, saith the Lord ? Behold, I will make my words
in thy mouth, fire, and this people wood, and it shall de
vour them. Jer. 5 : 14. A transparent sea mingled with
fire, is a nation in a state of agitation and excitement con
cerning the truth ; or, the truth is one of the elements of
that excitement, and all combining to produce an enlightened,
moral, and more purely spiritual state of things, indicated
by the transparency of the sea. As is customary with this
writer, he has given a clew to his meaning in the subsequent
portion of this verse, and it confirms the interpretation just
given. Those who had successfully resisted the papal civil
power, and the papal ecclesiastical power, (the beast and
his image) and had refused to receive his mark and the num
ber of his name, i.e., to adopt his corrupt forms of worship,
and be subject to his authority, stood on that transparent
sea, mingled with fire, having the harps of God in their
hands, in the attitude of praise, as having come out of those
commotions with triumph ; , and they stood firmly in the
midst of these agitations and conflicts, upheld by the power
of the Lord, and rejoiced in witnessing the reforming and
purifying effects produced. The sea became translucent.
What a beautiful and striking representation of the blessed
effects of the labors of the reformers on the continent of
Europe, and of the puritans in the clays of Cromwell and
the English Commonwealth, and subsequently ! How
firmly did they maintain divine truth ; how zealously did
they diffuse it, and what glorious results have followed !

CHAPTER XV. 155
The fire aiid the water, two opposite elements, were min
gled, but the fire could not be extinguished.
3 and 4. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of
God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvel
ous are thy works, Lord God Almighty ; just and true are
ihy ways, thou king of saints. Who shall not fear thee, 0
Lord, and glorify thy name ? for thou only art holy : for all
nations shall come and worship before thee ; for thy judg
ments are made manifest. — We have here the substance of
the song which those courageous, noble-minded, godly men
are said to have sung. As Moses composed a sublime
song to commemorate the deliverance of the Israelites
from the power of their Egyptian oppressors at the Red
Sea, so this song commemorates the deliverance of the
Lord's people from their oppressors at the time referred to,
and therefore, is called the song of Moses. And, as this
deliverance was wrought preeminently by faith in the blood,
righteousness, and power of Christ, it is called the song of
the LamK. It declares the works of the Lord to be great
and marvelous : that he is just in his dealings with his
enemies, and true and faithful to his believing people.
In view of the great things he had done for them, and
for his cause, they ask with grateful admiration, Who shall
not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name ? Then, as
was truly characteristic of the men of that period, they
express their confidence that all nations shall pay a spirit
ual and acceptable worship to the Most High; for these
interpositions will clearly show his approval of the good
and the true in distinction from that which is false and inju
rious. If, however, we give to the word translated judgments,
the signification which it also has of precepts, we shall have
another evidence that we have assigned to this prophecy,

156 CHAPTER XV.
the right period and the right fulfillment. The reading then
would be, All nations shall come and worship before thee,
for thy precepts have been made known. The fact was,
that the art of printing was discovered about that time,
and the Bible was disseminated, and its truths inculcated
with great zeal. Indeed, from that age to the present, the
efforts of protestant Christians have been directed to the
great work of making known the precepts of the Lord to
people of all nations.
5. And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the
tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. — After
this, another scene was presented, preparatory to the pour
ing out of the vials. The apostle seemed to himself to be
in the temple, and beheld the holy of holies, into which
none but the high priest ever entered, laid, open. In that
sacred place was the ark of the covenant, a chest in which
was a copy of the law delivered to Moses, and over it a
luminous appearance, indicating the presence of the Deity.
His dwelling-place being opened in heaven, so that a view
could be had of it, signifies, as I think, that God would
give peculiar manifestations of himself to his church in that
period, and that his people would have great freedom in
approaching him in prayer. It is well known, that such
was the fact, when the Protestants and especially the Puri
tans, threw off the dead formalities of the Romish church,
performed in a language not generally understood, and
poured forth their fervent prayers in language dictated by
their wants and the feelings of their hearts. There may
also be indicated here that era of freedom to worship God
according to the dictates of conscience, which began with
Protestantism. 0. And the seven angels came out of the temple, having

CHAPTER XV. 157
the seven plagues, clothed in pure and while linen, and
having, their breasts girded with golden girdles. — The seven
angels, who might with propriety be called ' ministers of
vengeance,' came out of the temple, as if they were officiat
ing priests, clad in pure and white linen, as the priests
used to be, emblematic of moral excellence, and girded
about their^breasts with golden belts, indicative of strength
and resolution in their righteous cause. Coming out of the
temple where was the manifested presence of God, may
signify, that they were commissioned by him.
7. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels
seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for
ever and ever. — This symbolic action of one of the four
living creatures, mentioned in the fourth chapter, which
represent the ministers of the true church, — giving the
vials or rather bowls to the agents for executing the judg
ments intended, may signify, that the infliction of them
would be in answer to the prayers of faithful ministers,
and in vindication of the holy cause they labor to sustain.
These bowls were filled with the wrath of God, a figure
showing that there were to be these distinct and signal
manifestations of the displeasure of God against the op-
posers of true religion. The vials therefore, with their
dreadful contents to be poured out, mean the infliction of
divine judgments. This will appear as we come to con
sider them separately.
8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory
of God, and from his power ; and no man was able to
enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven
angels were fulfilled. — At the dedication of the temple by
Solomon, when the ark of the covenant was carried in and
put in its place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so

158 CHAPTER XVI.
that the priests could not stand to minister. This was a
token of divine favor. So in this visionary representation,
the temple was filled with smoke from the glory and the
power of God. This may mean, that while the predicted
judgments would fall on papal antichrist, the presence and
favor of God would be manifested in his true church by
sustaining it, purifying it, and enlarging it. The church
will be favored in a peculiar degree with the influences of
the Spirit, expressed by the glory and power of God.
This, together with the remarkable dispensations of provi
dence, will deter worldly, unconverted men from rushing
into the church, by making a profession of what they never
possessed. It is difficult to fix on the particular events
which constitute the fulfillment of this verse. The idea of
the writer seems to be, that the providences of God will
be peculiar toward his church during the period embraced
by these vials, in sustaining, defending, and purifying it.
And it may be well to remark by way of anticipation, and
to aid in the explanation, that some of these vials embrace
our own time, particularly the fifth ; and in a very short
time, the things predicted under the sixth, will take place.

CHAPTER XVI

Judgments on the Antichristian Powers.
The period embraced in the pouring out of the seven
vials is probably about 400 years, extending from the
great Reformation to the millennium. Vials of the wrath
of God, or, more correctly, bowls, are emblems showing
that as a fluid is poured from a bowl, so the displeasure of

CHAPTER XVI. 159
God against the corrupters of Christianity, would be mani
fested in the infliction of judgments upon them, and the
angels commissioned to do this, are the instrumentalities
which God will employ for this purpose.
1. And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to
the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out -the vials of
the wrath of God upon the earth. — The preparation being
made, a great voice out. of the temple gives command for
the wrathful visitation to begin. As the tabernacle in the
wilderness, and subsequently, the temple at Jerusalem,
were the sources of divine communications, the presence of
God being manifested there ; so, the great voice from the
temple, signifies, that these judgments proceed from him,
who now dwells in his church, and they manifest his care
of it.
2. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the
earth ; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the
men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which
worshiped his image. — The first vial was poured upon the
land, that is, upon the people of the papal dominion ; for
we are immediately informed, that the effect produced re
lated to the people. A bad and distressing sore came upon
the upholders of the Latin worship, which is the mark of
the beast, and upon those who bowed down.obsequiously to
the papal hierarchy, which is the image of the' beast. But
what is meant by the painful wound or sore ? Mr. Faber
says, ' it was the atheistical spirit which pervaded Catholic
nations, and which was so fatally developed in the French
revolution.' It is surprising, that he should not have per
ceived, that this plague is something grievous and distress
ing ; not something which the people chose, loved, and
cherished, as they do erroneous sentiments. A proper at-

160 CHAPTER XVI.
tention to the history will show any one that this running
sore was the exposure, by the reformers, of the errors,
superstitions, shameless sale of shameful indulgences, and
other abominable practices of the papal church. This ex
posure and reprobation did grieve, vex, and torment the
dignitaries, priests, monks, and adherents of that mother of
abominations ; for they saw, that their power and resources
were in danger. A deep and incurable wound was inflict
ed on the corrupt system, by the preaching and writings of
those faithful reformers.
There are certain coincidences between the seven trum
pets and the seven vials, which deserve notice. The effect
of the first trumpet was upon the land; so also was that
of the first vial. The effect of the second trumpet was
upon the sea, turning it into blood ; so, as to the second
vial. The third trumpet affected the rivers and fountains ;
so the third vial. The fourth trumpet affected the sun ; so
does the fourth vial. The fifth trumpet refers to the cor
ruption of religion by the superstitious and idolatrous prac
tices introduced by the popes ; the fifth vial is poured on
the seat of the Roman beast. The sixth trumpet looses
the Turks for conquest, called the four angels limited by
the river Euphrates ; and the sixth vial is poured upon the
Euphrates, and dries up its waters, that is, destroys the
Turkish power. The seventh trumpet introduces great
changes, — a new state of things, — mighty revolutions sym
bolized by lightnings, thunders, voices, earthquakes a:id
hail ; so does the seventh vial. These are called the last
plagues, doubtless, because they will be the last destruc
tive visitations on the papal and Mahometan antichrist pre
vious to the millennium ; at which time these delusions
will be swept away, and the nations will be deceived by
them no more.

CHAPTER XVI. 161
3. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the
sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every
living soul died in the sea. — The sea is usually the emblem
of a nation in a state of agitation, and the sea turned into
blood imports a sanguinary revolution. In this instance,
the sea became like the blood of a dead man, stagnant and
putrid. Here also the effect was upon the people ; for it
js added, every living soul died in the sea. By, every
living soul is meant every human being, the term soul
being often used in scripture for the whole man. ' Death
in the sense of this writer, generally signifies the extinction
of moral or political life, as when individuals or nations are
thrust down from their proper rank into obscurity and in
significance ; or when they have become morally degraded,
ignorant, and corrupt. This vial refers probably to Spain
and to Italy, countries almost surrounded with the sea.
Not only was Spain unsuccessful in the long and bloody
war with the United Netherlands, and her vast Armada
was destroyed ; but from that time, (the close of the
sixteenth century) she declined in power, in learning, and
in morals. The inexorable inquisition suppressed inquiry,
investigation, and propagation of divine truth. The society
of Jesuits was established, and the bloodthirsty vigilance
of the spies, minions, and officials of the pope, struck terror
into all classes of the people. This inhumanity and grind
ing oppression was backed up and sustained by the vast in
fluence and the arms of Charles V. The effect in Spain
and Italy was the almost total extinction of spiritual light
and life. Mosheim states, that 'the inquisitors put so
many to death, and perpetrated on the friends of liberty
such horrid acts of cruelty and oppression, that most of the
reformists consulted their safety by a voluntary exile ;
while others returned to the religion of Rome, at least in
appearance.' ' The inquisition reigned triumphant in Spain,

162 CHAPTER XVI.
and by racks, gibbets, stakes, and other formidable instru
ments of torture and death, soon frightened the people
back into popery ; and suppressed the vehement desire
they had of changing a superstitious worship for a rational
religion.' As a consequence, the life blood of the soul
became stagnant ; spiritual death ensued ; moral putridity
spread through the body politic ; and to this day, it has
experienced no resurrection. The key of knowledge was
taken away ; the vitality of religion was destroyed ; and a
dead carcass of formalism was all that remained.
4. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the
rivers and fountains of waters ; and they became blood.— The
third vial was poured on the rivers and fountains of waters,
and they became as blood. As in the case of the third
trumpet, so here, rivers and fountains signify the sources
of knowledge and power to a people. Now, the schools
and seminaries of protestants, their faithful and learned
ministry ; their churches and means of disseminating truth,
were sources of knowledge of great value. In the early
part of the seventeenth century, there was a bloody reli
gious war against the protestants, and they were driven
out of Austria and some other of the important states of
Germany. Thus the rivers and fountains became blood.
5, 6, and 7. And I heard the angel of the waters say,
Thou art righteous, 0 Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt
be, because thou hast judged thus : For they have shed the
blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood
to drink ; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of
the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and
righteous are thy judgments. — But when the protestant
cause seemed on the verge of ruin there, a sudden change
took place in its favor. Gustavus Adolphus, king of

CHAPTER XVI. 163
Sweden, who had espoused the cause of the reformation,
marched an army into Germany, was everywhere victorious,
and his troops continued to be successful against the
enemies of protestantism, after his death. These con
flicts went on for eighteen years, when conditions of peace
were agreed upon at Munster in 1648, which secured the
toleration of the protestant religion. To this, as we may
suppose, the words of the angel refer in the fifth and sixth
verses, acknowledging the righteous retribution of the Lord
on the persecutors of his people. The angel from the altar
gave an accordant rejoinder.
8 and 9. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the
sun ; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the
name of God, which hath power over these plagues : and they
repented not to give him glory. — The fourth vial had its
effect on the sun, and it was given to him (so it should be
read) to scorch men with great heat. The sun is an emblem
of an important civil power, and the scorching men with
heat is the exercise of power injuriously and oppressively
over them. It is probable, that France is the kingdom
meant by the sun ; and it is worthy of remark, that the
king takes the sun for his emblem. That France did scorch
men with great heat during the time of this vial, which
comprises about one hundred and forty-eight years, ending
in 1794, is too apparent to admit of a question. When we
call to mind the contests between the house of Austria and
that of Bourbon ; — the overthrow of the French monarchy
in 1789 ; — the infamous and bloody revolution which re
sulted in establishing a republic ; — the reign and wars of
Bonaparte ; — the prevalence of infidelity and atheism ; —
the declaration of the national assembly, that there is no
God ; — and the intolerable oppression and calamities under

164 CHAPTER XVI.
which the people groaned, we may perceive what is meant
by this vial. Truly, men were scorched, and blasphemed
God ; but instead of repenting and rendering due honor
to him, they have persisted in their unbelief and wicked-

10 and 11. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon
the seat of the beast ; and his kingdom was full of darkness ;
and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed
the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and
repented not of their deeds. — The fifth vial was to discharge
its contents on the seat or throne of the beast. This beast
is the Latin kingdom, or papal dominion, — its seat is Rome '
itself. The effect will be, that his kingdom will be filled
with darkness, which is the emblem of great distresses and
calamities, as well as ignorance. This effect is expressed
more fully by the phrase, They gnawed their tongues for
pain. Thus the prophet, Joel, predicting a time of peculiar
calamity, said, The day of the Lord cometh, — a day of
darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick dark
ness. Also Isa. 8 : 21, 22.
It is added as another effect of this vial, that they blas
phemed God, because of these pains and sores; i.e., because
of their distresses, and the exposure of their frauds, their
wickedness, and lying abominations. Yet they repented
not of their deeds. The pontiff, the cardinals, the almost
numberless priests, monks, and friars, and those who sus-"
tain them, have persisted in the same course as formerly,
and have admitted of no reform in their religious system or
general practice.
12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon thegreat
river Euphrates ; and the water thereof was dried up, that
the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. — The

CHAPTER XVI. 165
sixth vial will be poured on the great river Euphrates, the
effect of which will be to dry up its waters, and prepare the
way to the kingdom of the east. The sixth trumpet an
nounced the rise and conquests of the Turkish power, under
the figure of loosing the four angels which were limited or
restrained by the Euphrates ; and the sixth vial predicts
the destruction of that power, under the figure of drying
up the waters of that river. An effect of this is declared to
be, that the way of the kings of the east may be prepared.
It is common in prophetic writings, to use the term king,
for kingdoms, and so -it is here, for the literal reading is,
Kings of those who are at the rising of the sun. The idea
seems to be, that the waning of the Turkish power will
open the way for the free introduction of Christianity to the
eastern nations.
This favorable change is probably now commenced.
The Sultan has granted a full toleration of the protestant
religion, and is fast putting an end to persecution. A com
munication from our missionaries among the Nestorians in
the' north-western part of Persia, informs us, that the sway
of the Turkish scepter, " is now as equitable and humane,
as it is effectual ;" and this change is attributed to " the re
cent ingrafting of righteous elements, such as religious tole
ration, the prohibition of bribery, oppression, and extortion
on the part of the rulers." It is stated by them, " The
Lord has now opened the Koordish mountains to the gospel,
in a manner as effectual as it is marvelous." The gospel is
having a mighty effect there in enlightening the people and
turning them to the service of God. Thus, the way to the
kingdoms of the east is laid open to the Christian church ;
and this too at the very time, when, as is known, the wa
ters of the Turkish power are being dried up. As Darius
took Babylon by cutting a new channel for the Euphrates,
so that it passed round one side of the city, thus laying its

1 66 CHAPTER XVI.
bed through the city bare; so protestants are cutting a new
channel for the waters of salvation in that region, and Ma-
hometamsm with the Turkish power, will fall.
13. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of
the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast,
and out of the mouth of the false prophet. — In connectiqn
with these events, John saw three unclean spirits resem
bling frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, which is
the emblem of the heathen Roman empire, and out of the
mouth of the beast, which is the Christian Roman empire,
and out of the mouth of the false prophet, which is the papal
hierarchy. Coming out of the mouth shows, that the utter
ance and propagation of sentiments peculiar to each, is
what is intended. This appears from the explanation given
in the next verse : — For they are the spirits of devils, i.e.,
demons ; and to these is assigned the work of intelligent be
ings, — a work requiring great skill, wisdom and influence.
They go forth to the kings of the land, the empire, and of
the whole world, to rouse them up and assemble them to a
great moral conflict, called the battle of the great day of
God Almighty. The idea is, that about the time of the
overthrow of papacy and Mahometanism in Europe and
Asia, there will be a remarkable rousing up of the spirit of
heathenism, and of nominal and spurious Christianity, such
as now pervades the old world, to make a strong resistance,
a general and virulent opposition to the progress of true re
ligion. This great struggle between the enemies and the
friends of the' cause of Christ, will be the mightiest and
the last, previous to the millennium. It is well styled the
battle of the great day of God Almighty ; and is doubtless
already begun.
We should observe the similarity of these last plagues
to those, which were inflicted on the Egyptians. One of

CHAPTER XVI. 167
those was the breaking out of boils and blains on the peo
ple ; — another was, that the rivers and fountains became as
blood ; — another was darkness ; — another was that of the
frogs ; — another of fire and hail ; — and the slaying of the
first-born was a miniature of what will be done in the course
of this great battle, in which God's retributive veDgeance
on the enemies of his people, will be signally displayed.
These impure spirits work signs, not real miracles, but
deceptive tricks to increase their influence, and accomplish
their purposes. It is well known, that these have been, and
still are very numerous with the Romanists ; and to prop up
their declining power, they will be practiced in time to
come. 15. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watch-
eth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they
see his shame. — To those who are blinded by their delu
sions and are slumbering in false security, the providential
coming of Christ to do these things, will be as unexpected
as the stealthy approach of a thief. He, therefore, is pro
nounced happy, who watches and keeps his garments about
him ; otherwise, being roused from sleep he has to make
his escape in nakedness, and be exposed to shame. These
will be times of great trial, and every one should be well
clad in the garments of righteousness, the graces of the
Christian, and be watchful against error, and delusion.
16. And he gathered them together into a place called in
the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. — And he, that is God, (for
there is no other antecedent for this word,) gathered the
enemies of his cause to a place called Armageddon. This
is supposed to be the valley near Mount Megiddo where
two great battles were fought, mentioned in 2 Kings 23 :
29, and in Judges 4 : 16-19. In that country, perhaps,

168 CHAPTER XVI.
will be the severest part of the struggle of the two great
antiehristian powers against true Christianity. Just at that
crisis the seventh vial is poured out, and great changes take
place. 17. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the
air ; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven,
from the throne, saying, It is done. — The seventh vial is to
be poured into the air, indicating perhaps the universality of
its effects, and particularly its effects on the kingdom of the
prince of the power of the air. A great voice from the
temple of heaven, is a proclamation from the divine pres
ence. The brief and emphatic announcement is, It is done-
The period for the continuance of false religions will now
draw to a close. Heathenism, Mahometanism, and Popery
will be swept away. The era of millennial light, truth,
and holy influences will then begin to dawn upon the
world. This seventh vial corresponds with the seventh trumpet,
at the sounding of which, as we are told, the mystery of
God will be finished, and there will be great voices in
heaven, saying, ' The kingdoms of this world are'become
the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ ; and he shall
reign forever and ever.' Both carry the prediction of events
onward to the millennium, which will commence, as I be
lieve, in the year two thousand. The time from the pres
ent to that, will be, in a peculiar sense, the time of prepa
ration, in which there will be great commotions, wonder.
ful changes, bloody wars, and mighty revolutions. These
are predicted in the next verse.
18. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings ;
and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men
were upon the earth,so mighty an. earthquake, and so great. —

CHAPTER XVI. 169
Voices are governmental edicts and proclamations. Thun
ders and lightnings are symbols of wars and hostile inva
sions ; and an earthquake is that of a revolution. There
is a special importance attributed to the earthquake here
predicted. The epithets employed in this instance, lead us
to conclude, that it will be vastly important, as respects the
objects aimed at, and the effects to be produced. It will
be great and mighty as to its extent, embracing as it doubts
less will, all the nations which once composed the Roman
empire. Thrones will fall ; kingdoms, empires and states
will be overturned; and a new order of things will succeed.
Tyranny, despotism, oppressive rule, both civil and eccle
siastical, will be abolished ; and in their stead will be es
tablished constitutional governments, guaranteeing to the
people their rights, and having in view the best good of the
whole. It is probable, that the revolutions and commo
tions in Europe which have signalized the past and present
year, are tending to this result.
19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and
the cities of the nations fell : and great Babylon came in re
membrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine
of the fierceness of his wrath. — The great city refers prob
ably to the papal dominion, and its division into three
parts, may signify three great parties, like those now exist
ing in Italy, viz : those who are in favor of the civil and
ecclesiastical supremacy of the pope ; those who would
allow him ecclesiastical supremacy only ; and those who
are for neither, but would abolish the hierarchy entirely.
In this period of convulsions, the cities of the nations will
fall. This struggle for civil and religious liberty, which is
now going on, has and will yet cause the capture and re
duction of the principal cities of nations, or the civil
power of those nations will be greatly diminished.
8

170 CHAPTER XVI.
And great Babylon, the mystical name of Rome, was
remembered by God, to give to her in his retributive just
ice, the wine-cup of his terrible wrath. This is an allu
sion, perhaps, to the ancient practice of putting criminals
to death by giving them poisonous mixtures. That anti-
christian hierarchy, which has destroyed the lives of mil
lions of protestants, is doomed to experience the awflilness
of divine indignation. An expanded view of this is given
in the eighteenth chapter.
20. And every island fled away, and the mountains were
not found. — The fleeing away of islands and mountains,
means the subversion of states and kingdoms, together
with the long established political or religious systems.
The phrase occurs in this sense in the sixth chapter, where
the reference is to the overthrow of heathenism in the
reign of Constantine, and the cessation of those false sys
tems which were connected with it. A mountain is the
symbol of a kingdom. Thus, in Nebuchadnezzar's dream,
the stone, cut out without hands, that smote the image,
became a great mountain and filled the whole earth, where
mountain means the kingdom of Christ. So in Isa. 2 : 2.
The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in
the top of the mountains ; i.e., the kingdom of the saints
will be established over all the kingdoms of men. The
fleeing away of the islands and mountains, will be the
overthrow of all the kingdoms and hierarchies, which are
opposed to the cause of the Redeemer, with their idola
trous and oppressive systems, religious and civil. It is
the divine purpose, that " the nation and the kingdom, that
will not serve him shall perish.' The mountains were not
found, is a very strong expression, showing as in the
eighteenth verse, that the revolutions and consequent
changes will sweep away the existing governments, so

CHAPTER XVI. 171
completely, that no vestiges of them will remain. An en
tire new order of things will be produced.
21. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven,
every stone about the weight of a talent : and men blasphemed
God because of the plague of the hail ; for the plague thereof
was exceeding great. — What is signified by a great hail out
of heaven ? One of the plagues inflicted on Egypt was a
tempest of hail, which destroyed the flax and the barley,
two of the most valuable productions of that country, and
with these whatever was growing in the fields. Thus were
their means of sustenance and the sources of their wealth
cut off. It is to be observed, that the hail in the prediction
before us, fell on the men, and that it came out of heaven,
which, as I have repeatedly remarked, is in this book, the
emblem of government. Now, it seems to me, that there
is a peculiar significancy in each of these expressions ; else
why should it be said that the hail fell on the men, rather
than the earth, or fruits of the earth ? And as hail comes
from the clouds as a matter of course, why should it be
specified here that it came out of heaven ? The interpret
ation which I would give is this : there will be ruinous
burdens laid on the people by the government, consisting
of exorbitant exactions in the levying of taxes and the
plundering of their property ; in conscriptions of men to
fill the armies of conflicting nations in these turbulent
times ; and in oppressing them by other means, destructive
to their interests and welfare. Wars and revolutions, des
titution and distress will probably characterize this period.
A talent was a term used anciently for a certain amount
of money ; the Roman silver talent being of the value of
about a thousand dollars ; the Jewish talent was double
that value.
Instead of true repentance while suffering these calami-

172 CHAPTER XVI.
ties, the people will blaspheme God, that is, speak against
him, and manifest great obduracy and impiety. It is
usually the case, that if men are not subdued and reformed
by divine judgments, they are made worse ; more obstinate
and inimical toward Him Avho chastises them. An inten
sive expression is added, teaching, that these calamities
will be peculiarly severe. The plague of the hail was ex
ceedingly great.
We are assured then that the period of the seventh vial
will be distinguished by unusual overturnings and distresses,
even such as have never been since men were upon the
earth. It will be the transition period in which the domin
ion of Satan will be weakened, and the cause of civil and
religious liberty, of truth and godliness will obtain the
ascendency. The final overthrow of that despotism, civil
and religious, with which the eastern world has been cursed,
will then be witnessed ; and governments will become the
guardian power of the rights, the peace, and the welfare of
men. A glance at the state of the world, is sufficient to
convince any one that the preparation for the reign of
Christ, must involve vast changes in almost everything
pertaining to the social, political, and religious state of
mankind. Ours is that preparation period. Ours is the time for
recruiting the army that is to fight the battle of the great
day of God Almighty. Ours is the important work of
equipping the men and the women for that prolonged con
test, which already is begun. But, let me not convey the
idea that we are exempts. We are to bear our part, not
only in preparing for what is to come, but in actual service,
for even now the battle is begun. Our talents, our strength,
our influence, our prayers, our efforts, our almsgiving, are
needed now, and more now, perhaps, than they ever will
be hereafter. It is a great thing to live in such an age as

CHAPTER XVII. 173
this. It is a great honor to be in the forward ranks of that
army which is moving on conquering and to conquer under
the guidance of the King of kings. Truly our responsi
bilities are great !

CHAPTER XVII.
A description of the Papal Church.
As the destruction of papacy is the next event in the se
ries, the announcement of it is preceded by a description of
that hierarchy ; and though penned more than a thousand
years before it had attained the height of its supremacy,
it is accurate hi every particular. A woman is a scriptural
emblem of the church, and also of a city. The true church,
maintaining purity of worship and doctrine, is styled 'a
chaste virgin,' — ' the spouse of Christ,' — ' the bride and wife
of the Lamb.' A church that is corrupt in doctrine and
worship, so that it forfeits its character, and becomes repro
bate, is called a harlot, and sometimes an adulteress. Re
ferring to the early period of its purity, we have had the
true church represented as a woman clothed with the sun,
and the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars
on her head. 12:1. Now, we have an apostate church de
scribed in its deepest degeneracy, as an abandoned woman
given to mercenary lewdness and prostitution ; and her con
demnation is declared.
1 and 2. And there came one of the seven angels which
had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me,
Come hither ; I will show unto thee the judgment vf the great
whore that sitteth upon many waters ; With whom the kings

174 CHAPTER XVII.
of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants
of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her for
nication. — One of the angels commissioned for the infliction
of the seven last plagues, informed John that he would now
disclose to him the condemnation of that great mercenary
prostitute, who sitteth on many waters. The term great,
may refer either to the extent of her influence and power,
or to the enormity of her wickedness. The many waters
over wliich she presides as mistress, are explained in the
fifteenth verse to be ' peoples, and multitudes, and nations,
and tongues.' Sitting on those waters implies an establish
ed authority and control over them.
With this lewd woman, the kings of the earth, i.e., of
the empire, have committed fornication, — have adopted her
superstitions, her corrupt doctrines, and her wicked prac
tices. The people also have been intoxicated with the wine
of her fornication, — have drank in greedily her errors ; and
have been infatuated with them. As prostitutes gave love
potions to inflame the passions of their paramours, and at
tach them more closely to them ; so that corrupt church
has invented almost numberless ways to excite admiration,
to gratify pride, and infatuate the people. Its imposing
ceremonies, the splendid vestments of its officials, its nu
merous festivals, its gorgeous processions, and its adoption
of the most attractive portions of the rites of their heathen
ancestors, are all designed to bind her votaries to her hi
the strongest attachment. The world beholds the fulfill
ment of this prediction.
3. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilder
ness : and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast,
full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
— In this visionary exhibition, John seemed to himself to be
carried away into a wilderness, which is to be understood

CHAPTER XVII. 175
as an appropriate emblem of the desolating effects of this
system of delusion and oppression, for the wilderness was
where the woman resided. There he saw her sitting on a
scarlet-colored beast, the same wild beast as that described in
the thirteenth chapter, which is the Latin empire, whose
number is 666. That empire supported, carried, and obey
ed the meretricious woman. To designate it more fully,
its color is mentioned, which, as is well known, has been
the distinguishing color in the personal decorations and
equipages of the Roman emperors, senators, generals, and
chief officers.
This beast had many names of blasphemy, or blasphem
ous titles and appellations, — such as belong only to God.
These were impious and profane, — such, for instance, as,
' The eternal city,' and the pope is called, ' His holiness,'
' Sovereign of kings and kingdoms,' ' Christ's vicegerent,'
' God upon earth.'
This beast had seven heads, which are explained in the
ninth and tenth verses to mean either the seven hills on
which Rome was built, or the seven forms of government
under which the empire existed, called seven kings. The
ten horns are the ten kingdoms comprised in the empire.
4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet
color, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls,
having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations and
filthiness of her fornication. — The attire and ornaments of
the woman were most gorgeous and costly. Instead of be
ing arrayed in linen, clean, and white as the spouse of
Christ is, this harlot glares out before the world in gaudy
colors ; — the popes with the scarlet tiara and triple crown,
and robes of the same hue ; — the cardinals with red caps
and red stockings extending to the knee, as if it had been
for ages the intention to verify this prediction of John.

176 CHAPTER XVII.
The riches of the old and the new world have for many cen
turies been poured into the treasuries of that church, and
have been profusely lavished to increase its splendor and
gorgeousness. In the hand of the woman was a cup filled with the offen-
siveness and uncleanness of her fornication. ' This,' as a
writer says, 'represents the fascinating allurements, the
impostures, delusions, promises of impunity, indulgences,
absolutions, with hopes of worldly interest and preferment,
by which this church has obtained and preserved her influ
ence, and seduced men to join in her spiritual fornication
and corrupt worship.' As the church is called the spouse,
the bride, the Lamb's wife, the corruption of its worship,
the introduction of heathenish and idolatrous practices, is
termed lewdness and adultery. With great propriety are
these terms employed in this case, as descriptive of a
church whose worship is a combination of heathen and
Jewish rites with Christianity ; and which sanctions and
prescribes the worship of saints, and relics, and statues, and
crucifixes, and the virgin Mary. With these abominations,
the nations have been infatuated, and intoxicated as with
the contents of an inebriating cup.
5. And upon her forehead was a name written, mystery,
Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations
of the earth. — The name of this licentious woman is made
conspicuous upon the forehead, — a name which proclaims her
character, infamous and revolting as it is. This is a fore
showing of the fact, that she is not ashamed of her wicked
ness, but vaunts it before the world, and glories in it. The
name inscribed is ' Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother
of harlots and abominations of the earth.' Fleming says,
' that not many centuries back on the front of the pope's
mitre, the word mystery used to be inscribed, and was worn

CHAPTER XVII. 177
till the reformers discovered and pointed it out to the peo
ple as the scripture mark of Antichrist, and that the word
was then erased.' The sentiment expressed by the exhibi
tion of this descriptive and reproachful name upon the fore
head, is, that the character of this woman is fully known,
and that she is not ashamed of it, but glories in it. As
Babylon of old was the capital of the vast Assyrian empire,
and the center of idolatry, and oppression of God's people ;
so Rome, excelling in these respects, is called Babylon the
great. And, as she has been the prolific source of corrupt
and corrupting influences, she is styled, The mother of
harlots and of those spiritual abominations which she has
spread over the earth.
6. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the
saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus : and when
I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. — Another
characteristic mark of the harlot is, that she is a mur
deress. She riots in the blood of the saints and martyrs, — •
is even intoxicated with it, as an inebriate with strong drink.
Her cruelty, oppression, persecution and slaughter of be
lievers, have been flagitious and notorious. Millions have
been put to death in all the horrible ways of torment,
which ingenuity could suggest. These atrocious acts have
been perpetrated in one form and another for more than a
thousand years. I beheld, says Daniel, and the same horn
made war with the saints and prevailed against them. The
contemplation of this fact filled John with amazement and
horror. 7 and 8. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst
thou marvel ? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and
of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and
ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not ; and
8*

178 CHAPTER XVII.
shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition ;
and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, (whose names
were not written in the book of life from the foundation of
the world,) when they behold the beast that was, and is not,
and yet is. — The angel observing the wonder of the Chris
tian seer, offered to disclose the mystery, and explain to
him more clearly, who this woman is, and what is the beast
that carries her. A wild beast is the emblem of an oppres
sive, persecuting government. The beast with seven heads
and ten horns is the Latin kingdom or Roman empire. It
was and is not. It existed at first as a pagan or heathen-. ;
kingdom. When Christianity obtained ascendency in the
reign of Constantine, it ceased to be a heathen kingdom,
and became nominally Christian. At the close of the verse
it is added, ' and yet is,' which means, that it had become
idolatrous and oppressive again under the papal authority.
Says Bishop Newton, " The empire was idolatrous under
the heathen emperors, and then ceased to be so under Chris
tian emperors, and then became so again under the Roman
pontiffs, and hath continued so ever since. But in this last
form it will go into perdition."
The papal form will resemble the pagan form inasmuch
as it will arise out of the bottomless pit, which is an emblem
of a state of darkness, ignorance and depravity in the people.
It was from just that state, that both those systems arose.
The expression, was, and is not, and yet is, has proved
true politically, as well as religiously. For the empire was
overthrown by the northern barbarians in A.D. 467. It re
mained in a broken dilapidated condition till Pepin, king
of France, made the pope a temporal prince by the gift of
certain states in A.D. 758, and Charlemagne soon after en
larged and confirmed this grant, in consideration of which
the pope gave him the title of emperor of Rome. The pope
has possessed and exercised temporal power ever since till

CHAPTER XVII. 179
the last year, when it was taken from him by his own sub
jects, and he fled in disguise to Gaeta. By the interven
tion of other nations, it has been restored to him ; but the
time is probably near, when the beast, the Latin kingdom,
will go into perdition ; and we may soon see this last rem
nant of the empire pass away forever.
They who dwell on the earth, — the Roman earth, will be,
filled with amazement, as they witness this final destruction
of the beast. Observe what is the character of those who
are the devotees of this antichristian power. They are
declared to be those whose names are not written in the
book of life: — those who are not the true followers of
Christ, — whose names are not enrolled as those who have
spiritual life.
9. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven
heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. —
The papists have often denied, that this description was in
tended to be applied to the Roman hierarchy; but the
mind that hath wisdom will readily understand the expla
nation which the angel gives. As in a former instance the
kingdom, alluded to was known by the number 666, chap.
13 : 18; so here the same thing is made evident by the
description which follows. In the first place, the seven
heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth.
Rome, the seat of this power, civil and ecclesiastical,- is
built on seven hills. These were named, the Palatine, Capi-
toline, Quirinal, Cselian, Esquiline, Viminal, and Aventine.
This designates the locality of the woman's residence.
In the second place, the seven heads designate the seven
kinds of government, called here seven kings, under which
the empire had existed, except the last, which was yet
future when John wrote. The first of these was the gov
ernment of kings, — the second was that of dictators, — the

180 CHAPTER XVII.
third that of praetors,— the fourth that of consuls,— the
fifth that of triumvirs, — the sixth that of emperors, called
Caesars, which was the one under which John lived, and
the seventh was that of patricians, or as some think, it was
the exarchate of Ravenna, under which Rome was a duke
dom for about one hundred years.
Five of these kings, or governments, had fallen or passed
away when John wrote : — one is, the imperial then existed,
and one was to come, and would continue but a short time.
The patriciate continued only forty-five years, whereas the
imperial which preceded it, continued more than five hun
dred years.
1 1 . And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the
eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. — The
wild beast that was, and is not, and yet is, we have just
shown to be the Latin kingdom. It was a pagan idolatrous
kingdom, then it was not such when Constantine and his
successors eradicated paganism and made Christianity the
only religion tolerated ; and now under papacy it has be
come heathen and idolatrous again by a profane mingling
of heathen rites and customs with Christianity. Any per
son who will read the little book of Conyers Middleton,
D.D, entitled a " Letter from Rome, showing an exact con
formity between Popery and Paganism," will have abundant
proof that the draconic beast still is having his eighth form,
which is the papal, and it is of the seven, as being a con
tinuation of the same power, and having the character of
its predecessors in respect to oppression and persecution.
The old Roman empire exercised control over the nations
of Europe ; though it did not destroy their nationality. So,
papacy has exercised a control over those nations, and popes
have put forth the claim, that there is no rightful author
ity, which is not derived from them and subject to them.

CHAPTER XVII. 181
They have deposed and anathematized kings and absolved
their subjects from allegiance to them. But this eighth
government goeth into perdition, i.e., will be utterly de
stroyed. 12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings,
which have received no kingdom as yet ; but receive power as
kings one hour with the beast. — Here we are told what is
meant by the ten horns. They are ten kings, or sovereign
ties. The Roman empire in the west comprised ten king
doms, viz. : France, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, Swe
den, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Portugal and Italy.
These had not received supreme and independent power
when John had these visions ; but they had power as
subordinate sovereignties, one hour, that is, at the same
time with the beast. We conclude, then, that the events
which will bring ruin on the papal hierarchy, will occasion
the overthrow of the governments of the ten kingdoms.
They are the same as the ten toes of the image which
Nebuchadnezzar dreamed he saw, and which are to be
ground to powder by the stone which was cut out without
hands, and became a great mountain and filled the whole
earth. If we date the rise of the papal power at a.d. 606,
the 1260 years of its continuance will end in 1848, accord
ing to the prophetic time of 360 days to a year, or in 1866
of common time. We may expect therefore to hear of
convulsions and overturnings among the nations of Europe,
like those which have recently taken place.
13. These have one mind, and shall give their power and
strength unto the beast. — This is a declaration, that all these
nations will be agreed in upholding popery. Whatever dif
ferences have existed among them in regard to other things ;
— though they have waged most bloody wars against each

182 CHAPTER XVII.
other, they have agreed in acknowledging the supremacy
of the Roman beast, and in former ages have upheld it
with all their influence and resources. Having thus given
their power and strength to the beast, they must be in
volved in its ruin.
14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb
shall overcome them : for he is Lord of lords, and King of
kings ; and they that are with him are called, and chosen,
and faithful. — This prediction should be seriously consid
ered ; for it shows, that the Catholic nations of Europe as
a whole, have been opposed to the pure and simple religion
of the gospel, for the last thousand years; and that their
prevailing systems and practices, though professedly Chris
tian, have been hostile to the cause of Christ. Till the
reformation, there was scarcely an exception to this, and
even now the greatest portion of the population of Europe
is wholly and strongly opposed to the holy doctrines and
the pure spirituality of the gospel. Ignorance, superstition,
and formalism still maintain their predominance. Thus
they do still make war with the Lamb.
But he will overcome them by the means he has ap
pointed, — by distressing calamities, by terrible judgments,
war, pestilence, and famine, and by his truth working pow
erfully in the minds of the people, enlightening and reform
ing them. — The certainty, that Christ will overcome them,
is predicated on the fact, that he is King of kings and Lord
of lords, — he is the supreme ruler, and of course will make
his own cause triumphant.
It is added as another fact connected with this victory,
They who are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
His true servants are those who are with him ; — they are
called by his Spirit, and made his ; — they are chosen as ves
sels of mercy and designated to perform a great work ; and

CHAPTER XVII. 183
they are faithful, — are conscientious, intrepid, and persever
ing. Such were the reformers, such were the puritans, and
such are many now who are laboring in the same cause.
15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest,
where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and na
tions, and tongues. — Here is the angel's explanation of the
term waters, as used in this vision. It means a multitude
of people of different nations and languages, foreshowing
the great extent of the spiritual dominion of the church
symbolized by the woman. Her boastful name is The
catholic or universal church.
16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,
these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and
naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. —
This discloses the manner in which the papal hierarchy will
be destroyed. The ten kingdoms which have given their
support to that antichristian system, as stated in verse
thirteenth, will finally hate it, despise it, and strip it of its
fictitious attractions, and take away its wealth, and con
sume with inspired truth its whole organization. This is
depicted in the usual emblematic style. They will hate the
whore, because they will become fully sensible of her char
acter and abominations. For years past this spirit of oppo
sition to her usurpations, and of detestation of her deluding,
debasing, and idolatrous principles and practices, has been
increasing and will continue to increase. They will make
her desolate and naked by withdrawing from connection
with her, and so strip her of her extensive dominions.
They will eat her flesh, i.e., they will confiscate her vast
church estates, cut off her resources, and take possession of
her monasteries and nunneries, and convert them to better
uses. They will burn her with fire. Here is an instance

184 CHAPTER XVII.
proving clearly, that the term fire is used metaphorically
and not literally. For the woman is a symbol of a corrupt
church, and as such is not capable of being literally burned ;
and further, that church is composed of a vast multitude of
different nations and languages. A church so composed,
cannot be literally burned with material fire. What then
is the meaning ? It is this, — the ten kingdoms being re
formed from popery, will consume that whole system with
God's truth, which is called by himself a fire. This fire
was applied by the reformers, and is burning with rapidly
increasing brightness and intensity. The flames are burst
ing out all over the ten kingdoms, and have now reached
the seat of her vitality. Take as a single fact, that eighty
thousand copies of the Bible were sold in Rome in a few
months after the flight of the pope to Gaeta.
17. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will,
and to agree and give their kingdom unto the beast; until the
words of God shall be fulfilled.- — We are then assured, that
all this will be in accordance with the will of God ; and
that these kingdoms will yield subjection to the beast until
the time arrives for the fulfillment of his prophetic words.
All will be accomplished as he has purposed and declared.
18. And the woman which thou sawest is the great city,
which reigneth over the kings of the earth. — To remove all
doubt as to the meaning, we are distinctly informed, that
the woman is that great city, &c. Jerusalem is an emblem
of the true church; — Babylon is the emblem of the oppres
sive, idolatrous church of Rome. She it is, who has ruled
over the kings of the empire. Her influence has controlled
not only their religious, but their civil affairs. She has
taken the crowns from the heads of their rulers, or conferred
them at her will. She has absolved their subjects from

CHAPTER XVIII. 185
their allegiance to them,— dictated terms of intercourse, —
roused to war, and prescribed terms of peace, and more
than all, controlled the consciences of rulers and the ruled.
As a celebrated historian says, " The popes claimed su
preme dominion, not only over the church but also over
kings themselves, and pretended to reduce the whole uni
verse under their ghostly dominion." But her doom stands
recorded on the page before us, and waits only the arrival
of the appointed time for its full and fearful realization.
This doubtless is near at hand.

CHAPTER XVIII.
The Destruction of Mystic Babylon.
1. And after these things I saw another angel come
down from heaven, having great power ; and the earth was
lightened with his glory. — In these dramatic visions, per:
sonages are introduced as speaking and acting, either to
carry on the scenic representation, or as symbolizing the
instrumentalities by which the things predicted were to be
performed. Another angel, distinct from those who have
been introduced, appeared to the mind of the apostle, as
coming down from heaven, having great power, indicating
a great work to be done ; and the earth was illuminated
with his glory : — a flood of light emanating from him will
be diffused over the empire. This angel may be consider
ed as the personification of those important instrumentali
ties, which God employs to spread the light of his truth,
and to expose and eradicate error ; particularly the faith
ful preaching of the gospel, the dissemination of the scrip
tures, and of all that truth which is adapted to work the

186 CHAPTER XVIII.
destruction of civil and religious despotism, and the re
formation of mankind. The appearance of this angel, and
the illumination he occasions, precedes the destruction of
great Babylon ; and thus the diffusion of gospel light will
precede the overthrow of that hierarchy.
From heaven, i. e., the high places of power and influence,
both in church and state, the light will be poured forth, dis
sipating moral and intellectual darkness, exposing errors
and delusions, and preparing the way for freedom of con
science, freedom of speech, and purity of worship. As
great power and the radiation of much light, are character
istic of this angel, we may suppose, that great changes
will be wrought by the instrumentalities of which, as it
seems to me, he is the personation. This mighty sym
bolic angel is now spreading his light in papal countries ;
and the consequence is, that the people there begin to per
ceive the delusions and errors under which they have been
held ; they are showing a determination to continue in that
state no longer ; and the indications are strong and decisive,
that Babylon the great is soon to fall and rise no more.
2. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying,
Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the hab
itation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a
cage of every unclean and hateful bird. — The angel cried
mightily with a strong voice, indicating that it was a great
event which he announced, and that it was vastly important
to have it widely known. The nations, which have been so
long and so thoroughly deluded with this system of splen
did abominations, should understand its nature and perni
cious effects, and be aware of the certainty of its destruction.
The astounding announcement of the angel is, Babylon
the great is fallen, is fallen. The repetition of the phrase
is fallen, indicates the certainty of the event. Its towering

CHAPTER XVIII. 187
greatness, its vast influence, its imposing grandeur, and its
ruling power, are doomed to destruction. The complete
ness of the destruction is affirmed by its becoming a habi
tation of demons, &c. So says the prophet Jeremiah con
cerning ancient Babylon, ' It shall become heaps, a dwelling
place of dragons' Isaiah says also, ' The houses shall be
full of doleful creatures, and owls shall dwell there, and
satyrs shall dance there.' These, instead of the proud, luxu
rious, and impious inhabitants, shall have their dwellings
there. 3. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath
of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed
fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are wax
ed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. — The reason
of this utter destruction is here given. She has been the
source of corruption and debasement of the nations. They
have been seduced, by her inflammatory cup, into spiritual
lewdness, that is, into idolatrous sentiments and practices.
The kings of the earth have adopted her corruptions of
Christianity, and have given the whole strength of their in
fluence to spread them ; and the venders of indulgences,
images, pictures, crosses, &c, have made themselves rich
by the traffic.
4 and 5. And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her
sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues : For her sins
have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her
iniquities. — Having given this description of this antichris-
tian community, (for a church of Christ it is not) and fore
warned the world of its destruction, which is a thing never
to happen to the true church ; a solemn command is utter
ed to separate wholly from it, and have no participation in

188 CHAPTER XVIII.
its sins ; for those who participate in her sins must receive
of her plagues. The enormity of her sins was such that
they have reached to heaven, and called for the vengeance
of God ; and he hath remembered them to render a right
eous recompense for them. The voice from the heaven
of the true church, requiring all her people to separate from
this antichristian community, must be considered as pro
phetic, the same as other parts of the vision. It is a pre
diction of what will be ; and, therefore, teaches us, that
previous to the destruction foretold, or in its progressive
stages, there will be incessant and urgent calls to those
who are to be acknowledged as the people of God, to
separate from that heaven-doomed establishment.
6. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto
her double, according to her works : in the cup which she
hath filled, fill to her double. — This also is prophecy, and
not to be understood simply as a precept, addressed to
those, who, in the preceding verse are called, my people..
It is an energetic apostrophe, and its design is, by making
this direct personal address, to show what will be done in
the future. There will be repaid to her double to what
she has done. There will be paid back to her double the
unsparing vengeance she has practiced. In the providence
of God, the cup of sorrows will be filled to her again and
again. 7. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deli-
ciously, so much torment and sorrow give her : for she saith
in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see
no sorrow. — Just in proportion as she hath exalted and
magnified herself, and indulged in luxuriousness, there
will be given to her dishonor and destitution ; for, in the
greatness of her pride she says, I sit a queen,— I abide

CHAPTER XVIII. 189
in the enjoyment of regal authority, splendor, and joyous-
ness, as 'mistress of the world.' lam no widow, and shall
see no sorrow. I am not a bereaved, lonely widow, nor
shall I experience the sorrow of desolateness and destitu
tion. Such language Isaiah attributed to Ancient Babylon,
thus, ' Thou sayest I shall be a lady forever — I am, and
none else beside me ; I shall not sit a widow, neither shall
I know the loss of children: but these two things shall come
on thee in a moment, in one day, the loss of children and
widowhood.' — Isaiah 47 : 7-9.
8. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death,
and mourning, and famine ; and she shall be utterly burn
ed with fire : for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. —
The appropriate language of prediction is now resumed,
and John proceeds to say, that the papal harlot will be
made to experience just what Isaiah foretold of ancient
Babylon. Because of this pride, self-confidence, and boast-
fulness, the desolating judgments of God will come in one
day, i.e., suddenly. Death will be one of these judgments,
the violent death of the people by wars, and political
death, i.e., the extinction of political existence. Mourning,
grief and sadness on account of the declining and ruinous
state of things : — and famine literally a great destitution
of what is necessary to support life : ecclesiastically, it
means spiritual sterility, and a destitution of those privi
leges which are necessary to sustain spiritual life.
Further, she shall be utterly burned with fire. This pun
ishment is doubtless the same as that predicted by Paul in
2 Thess. 2 : 8, to be inflicted on the man of sin, which is
another name of the papal antichrist. ' Whom,' says he,
' the Lord will consume with the spirit of his mouth, and
will destroy with the brightness of his coming.' Now it
is evident, that the truths of the gospel are meant by the

190 CHAPTER XVIII.
breath of his mouth, which is to consume the great aposta
sy. Using another figure, John calls it a fire ; the effect in
both cases is to consume. They are not two separate de
structions, but one and the same. To destroy with the
brightness of his coming expresses the same catastrophe,
and shows still another instrumentality ; which I under
stand to be not a personal coming by any means, but re
markable dispensations of his providence, and the power
ful influences of his Spirit.
In the case under examination, we should inquire, what
is to be utterly burned with fire ? It is the mystical
Babylon, the Roman hierarchy, — a politico-religious sys
tem, falsely called a church. Dropping the emblems, I
ask, what kind of fire that must be to destroy a moral,
political, religious system ? It certainly must be, not the
material element of fire, but the word of God, the everlast
ing truths of the gospel. This fire, the reformers in
England and Germany applied with prodigious effect ; and
it has been burning ever since ; and will continue to burn
brighter, hotter, and "more widely, till that vast system of
deception and blasphemy be consumed. In conjunction
with this, there will be peculiar calamities, and desolating
judgments, destroying the lives of some, and opening the
eyes of others ; and all conspiring to complete the same
overthrow. It is added, For strong is the Lord who judgeth her. No
artifice of her own, — no aid from her lovers, — no power on
earth or in hell, can deliver her when the time of her de
struction shall come.
9 to 19. And the kings of the earth, who have commit
ted fornication and lived deliriously with her, shall bewail
her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her
burning, dc. — The sorrowful feelings of the rulers of the

CHAPTER XVIII. 191
empire, and of the traffickers in the religious wares of this
religious establishment, are now expressed in a long and
pitiful lament. Bishop Bale, once a Romish priest, para
phrases these verses in a manner which shows his perfect
understanding of the whole matter. The following some
what abbreviated specimen, I quote from Dr. A Clarke's
Commentary. "Her mitered merchants, her shorn sol
diers, her mass-mongers, her soul-sellers, and her mart-
brokers, waxed very rich through the sale of her oils,, cream,
salt, water, bread, orders, hallowings, houselings, ashes,
palm, wax, frankincense, beads, crosses, candlesticks, copes,
bells, organs, images, relics, and other peddlery wares."
" And they who have lived wantonly with her, in follow
ing her idle observances in matins, hours, and masses ; in
going processions with canopy, cross, and pyx ; with ban
ners, streamers, and torch light, with such other gauds too
foolish for children."
" Alas, alas, that great city, that beautiful Babylon, that
blessed holy mother, the church, which had so many popes'
pardons, so many bishops' blessings, so many holy stations,
so many clean remissions a pena et culpa, so many good
ghostly fathers, so many religious orders, so much holy
water for spirits ; is now decayed forever."
" Alas, alas, who shall pray for us now ? Who shall
sing dirges and trentals ? Who shall spoil us of our sins ?
Who shall bless us with a spade, and sing us out of purga
tory when we are dead ? If we lack these things we are
likely to want heaven. These are the desperate complaints
of the wicked." This whole description is adapted " to
convey in the most impressive manner imaginable, some
idea of the splendor, luxury, excess, and self-indulgence of
all kinds, which have so long triumphed in the powerful,
magnificent, luxurious, and licentious metropolis of popery ;
and which have enriched a vast number of individuals in

T92 CHAPTER XVIII.
different ways by impoverishing the nations belonging to
that communion."
Even ship-masters, sailors, passengers, and those who
trade by sea, unite in this deep-felt lamentation, that in one
hour so great riches have come to naught, and this great
city is made desolate. In view of its ruin manifesting so
clearly the avenging justice of God, they are represented
as standing afar off, filled with fear, and venting their sor
rows with weeping and wailing.
20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles
and prophets ; for God hath avenged you on her. — The godly,
even those whgLhave gone to their eternal rest, are called
upon to rejoice over the downfall of this corrupt and op
pressive hierarchy ; and this dreadful visitation is declared
to be from God, as a manifestation of his avenging justice.
21. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great mill
stone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence
shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be
found no more at all. — The completeness and suddenness of
this destruction is emblematically represented by the act
of a mighty angel in taking up a stone like a great mill
stone, and easting it into the sea. This and other expres
sions repeated in this prediction, lead us to conclude, that
the final catastrophe on Rome and the papacy will be effect
ed by some sudden and special judgments of God. What
these will be we know not. A part of the process is now
going on in the convulsions which are shaking the seat of
the beast ; the recent flight of the pope ; the capture of
Rome by the French army ; the overthrow of the short
lived republic, and now the restoration of the old despo
tism, all carrying the whole structure of papacy to ruin.
Here again the revealing angel used a figure employed

CHAPTER XVIII. 198
by an ancient prophet. Jeremiah put his prediction of the
destruction of Babylon in Chaldea, into the hand of Seraiah,
and told him to go and read it to the people ; and, said he,
' It shall be when thou hast made an end of reading this
book, thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the
midst of the Euphrates : and thou shalt say, Thus shall
Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will
bring upon her.' So completely annihilated has that great
city of the east become, that it has long been a question
where it once stood. I»ike the casting of a great stone
into the depth of the sea, shall papal Babylon be thrown
down, and be found no more at all. From, that fall there
will be no recovery. The whole influence, power, and
wealth of that idolatrous, corrupt hierarchy, will be swept
away, and probably Rome itself will be blotted out of ex
istence. It is worthy of notice, that among the articles of mer
chandise, one is, the souls of men, an expression which
sometimes means the same as persons. As a matter of
fact, it is literally true in this case. Romanism, as a theo
logical system, is in direct opposition to the" gospel of
Christ. It enjoins almost innumerable religious observan
ces, and causes people to expect salvation by these, rather
than by faith alone in Jesus Christ. It imposes penances
and austerities, instead of that true repentance which is
unto life. It makes obedience to the church the ground of
acceptance with God, instead of a simple reliance on the
atonement and righteousness of Christ. It teaches that
there are other mediators, such as the saints, and the bless
ed virgin, beside that one Mediator, whom God hath ap.
pointed. It makes forgiveness of sins to depend on confes
sion to the priest and absolution granted by him, instead of
faith in the atoning Redeemer. It makes a fictitious purga
tory and deliverance from it to depend on masses well
9

194 CHAPTER XVIII.
paid for before a person dies, or by his friends, after he is
dead. Its sale of indulgences, dispensations, absolutions,
&c, begets false hopes, and quiets men in their sins, even
sins the most opprobious. Thus does it trifle with the in
terests of the soul, and sends its millions into eternity with
a lie in their right hands. What a traffic !
22. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pi
pers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee ;
and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found
any more in thee ; and the sound of a millstone shall be
heard no more at all in thee. — In the poetic language of
Jeremiah and of the old prophets, it is declared, that in
stead of the sound of music from various instruments de
lightful to the ear, there shall be the stillness and silence of
the grave. No cunning artificer shall be found there any
more to ply his trade of manufacturing church wares ; and
even the sound of the millstone shall cease, either because
there would be no people to need the flour produced by
them, or because consecrated cakes and wafers will be no
longer called for as profitable articles of merchandise in a
communion that will use them no more.
23. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all
in thee ; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride
shall be heard no more at all in thee ; for thy merchants were
the great men of the earth ; for by thy sorceries were all na
tions deceived. — The wax candles, now deemed so impor
tant, will no longer burn at her altars, and in the apart
ments of. the dead ; \he gladsome greetings of the bride
groom and the brid' will be heard no more : for the sellers
of church commod yies have made themselves great by
their unrighteous gains, and her sorceries, jugglery,
pretended miracle , and pious frauds have long deceived

CHAPTER XVIII. 195
the nations, but now will deceive them no more. Her im
posing processions, her gorgeous shows, and splended fes.
rivals, which have long kept up the delusion in the minds
of the people, will be held in derision, and be made to
cease forever.
Bishop Bale upon the last clause has the following :
" Thy shorn shavelings (monks and friars) were lords over
the multitude, when they held their priestly authority over
the souls and bodies of men, yea, and with thy privy
legerdemain, with thy juggling castes, with thy crafts and
enchantments of thy subtle charms were all nations of the
world deceived."
24. And in her was found the, blood of prophets, and of
saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. — Christ
told the unbelieving persecuting scribes and pharisees, that
upon them would come all the righteous blood shed upon
the earth ; and so in regard to this spiritual Babylon, it is
predicted that upon her would be found the blood of proph
ets, i.e., preachers of Christ's gospel, and the blood of
saints ; the believing and godly, and indeed the blood of
all slain in the land. The number of those who have been
put to death by tortures, by fire at the stake, in dungeons
of the inquisition, and by open wholesale slaughter, is al
most incredible. The unspeakable guilt of this is yet to
be recompensed, for the day of vengeance is determined by
the Lord. Desolating wars with other terrible calamities,
will signalize coming years, and show to the world the
judgment of this antichristian hierarchy ; and send a thrill
of fear through the hearts of men, as did the destruction
of the idolatrous oppressive Egyptians and Babylonians in
ages long since past.

196 CHAPTER XIX.
CHAPTER XIX.
The Final Conflict with Papal Antichrist.
The last chapter carried us into that portion of these
visions which relates to the future. We have done with
history, because we have done with what is fulfilled. The
historical record of the events of this and the following
chapters, is yet to be written. In making out the interpret
ation, we must now be guided by the analogy of the book,
and the rules we have already employed in explaining the
language of symbols.
1. And after these things I heard a great voice of much
people in heaven, saying, Alleluia ; Salvation, and glory,
and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God. — The de
struction of mystic Babylon, which had just been foreshown,
will cause a shout of praise to God from many people for
that auspicious event. This is said to be done in heaven,
which may signify the symbolic and not the literal celestial
heaven ; for it seems to be the grateful act of those, who
are relieved from the oppressive domination which had been
exercised over them. That it is the thankful ascription of
praise of Christian believers, appears from the expression,
our God ; and we should bear in mind, that the whole is a
revelation of things pertaining to the Christian church on
earth ; — things declared at the opening of the book to be
those, which were " shortly, to come to pass," and " the
things which shall be hereafter." This tribute of thanks
giving is like that recorded in the twelfth chapter, where
the civil authorities of the empire and of the church render
grateful acknowledgments for the triumph of Christianity
over heathenism under Constantine. Furthermore it is. a

CHAPTER XIX. 197
prophetic declaration, showing, that at the destruction of
the papal Antichrist, there will be great rejoicing in the
high places of civil authority, as well as in the church for
this signal interposition of God in behalf of his suffering
cause and suffering people. It is the alleluia of the people
for their relief from the exactions, impositions, abuses, and
oppressions of the Roman hierarchy.
The word alleluia is from the Hebrew Halal, to praise,
and Jah, a name of God.
The translators should not have omitted the article, the,
before the several substantives of the ascription ; for it
gives a designed particularity to it. We should read it
thus, — The salvation, the glory, &o. The salvation wrought
for the church by its deliverance from a corrupt and despot
ic domination, — the glory of that merciful interposition, —
and the power by which it is effected, be ascribed to the
Lord our God.
2. For true and righteous are his judgments ; for he
hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with
her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at
her hand. — The particular reason for this devout praise is
here assigned. For true and righteous, i.e., faithful and
equitable, are his judgments, — his retributive acts, in punish
ing the great harlot, who hath long corrupted the earth, (by
which is meant here as elsewhere, the people) with her su
perstitions, idolatries, and perversions of divine truth. God
is righteous too in avenging the blood of his servants,
who had been put to death by her murderous hand.
3. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose
up forever and ever. — The repetition of the grateful accla
mation, Alleluia, indicates a deep sense of the favor con
ferred. As a dense column of smoke rising into the air, is

198 CHAPTER XIX.
seen at a great distance ; so the evidence of these consum
ing judgments, will be very conspicuous, and will be long
remembered. In other words, the destruction here fore
told, will be notorious, and will make a lasting impression.
The figure is similar to that in Isaiah 34 : 9, 10, which
describes the destruction of Idumea. Both Isaiah and John
probably adopted the figure from the manner in which
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, concerning which it
is said, " The smoke of the country went up as the smoke
of a furnace."
4. And the four and twenty elders, and the four beasts,
fell down and worshiped God that sat on the throne, saying,
Amen ; Alleluia. — The true church represented by the four
living creatures, and the four and twenty elders, unites in
the same ascriptions of praise to Him, who administers the
government of the world according to his own will.
5. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our
God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and
great. — The throne in the preceding verse is a symbol of
divine sovereignty; but in this verse it appears to be
the symbol of civil authority. A voice from the ruling au
thority gives command for all classes of Christians to praise
our God. The term our God, shows, that it is not the Lord
himself who issues this command, but, that it is one who
joins himself with the people in acknowledging God, and in
rendering thanksgiving unto him. It is a civil proclamation
for the universal expression of thanks to the Almighty De
liverer. 6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude,
and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty
thunderings, saying Alleluia : for the Lord God omnipotent

CHAPTER XIX. 199
reigneth. — The command thus given is obeyed, and a shout
is pealed forth by a great multitude, like the roar of many
waters, and mighty thunderings, repeating the exultation,
Alleluia, &c. The relief will be felt to be so great, when
this system of darkness, delusion, and oppression is over
thrown, that the friends of true religion will rejoice, that
the Lord God, the Almighty Ruler, reigneth. It will
be felt and acknowledged, that this prostration of this
long continued politico-religious power, is the work of the
Lord. 7. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him : for
the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made
herself ready. — This overthrow of papal Antichrist, will be
followed by a new era of prosperity to the church. The
above-named multitude of believers, therefore, exhort each
other to gladness and rejoicing. This era of prosperity and
increased purity of the church, is emblematically repre
sented by the marriage of the Lamb, and the preparation
of his bride for that event. A marriage is an open and
public acknowledgment of the espousals of those who be
come husband and wife. It is the consummation of a
union, when they are to abide together according to divine
ordinance. So at this coming period, Christ will signally
manifest his love to his true church called his wife, and will
take her into closer intimacy and fellowship, and as a lov- "
ing bridegroom abundantly supply her wants. For this
happy event she will be prepared by the influences of the
Spirit, making her more holy, increasing her devotedness
and zeal, and qualifying her to do honor to her Lord.
When- the errors and superstitions of papacy shall be swept
away, the true church will receive peculiar tokens of her
Redeemer's love. It will be to her a new era of prosper
ity, — an era in which she will appear in the adornings of

200 CHAPTER XIX.
spiritual graces, the beauty of holiness. As a lovely bride
she will manifest the charms of spiritual excellence, and send
her attractive influence over the world. It should be care
fully observed, that the revealing angel places the harlot
and the Lamb's wife in contrast with each other, as different
persons, entirely distinct, totally unlike in character and
destination. Let those who glory in what they call The
Mother Church, think of this !
8. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in
fine linen, clean and white : for the fine linen is the righteous
ness of saints. — The attire of the lewd woman was described
to be of purple and scarlet color, and her ornaments were
gold, and precious stones, and pearls. Very different is
the attire of the Lamb's wife. To her it was given to be
arrayed in fine linen clean and white, and this is explained
to be the righteousness of the saints ; — not the righteousness
of Christ imputed to them, but those virtues which are the
fruits of the Spirit.
9. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which
are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he
saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. — Having
spoken of the marriage of the Lamb, the instructing angel
bade John write, saying, Happy are they who are called to
the marriage supper, that is, to a participation in the abun
dant blessings and enjoyments of that period. Those, who
have experienced the holy joys, and heavenly communings
of a pure and powerful revival, know something of the hap
piness of those who will participate in that marriage fes
tival. The church will be purified from unbelief, worldliness,
uncharitableness, and many other sins, and Christ will
come near to it and manifest himself to it, shed abroad his
love by the Holy Spirit in the hearts of his people, and give

CHAPTER XIX. 201
them a rich and soul-satisfying feast. No doubt, at this
period great numbers of the Romanists will be converted, —
savingly called to this marriage supper.
10. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said
unto me, See thou do it not: lam thy fellow-servant, and
of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus : worship
God : for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. —
The soul of the apostle kindled into ecstasy, as this de
lightful prospect was presented to his mind ; and he pros
trated himself at the feet of the hierophant to worship
him. This he was forbidden to do, because, said he, I am
thy fellow servant, a servant as you are of Jesus Christ ;
and of thy brethren who have the testimony of Jesus ; the
testimony concerning Jesus to deliver to mankind. Our
work is the same, which is to make known the will of
Christ concerning his church to the world. This testimony
is the spirit of prophecy, the great subject, the chief scope
of prophecy. Both of us have from Christ the spirit of
prophecy, and the work of prophets to perform. It might
be inferred that the angel was in fact one of the old pro
phets commissioned to make this revelation to John.
Upon this, I may speak more fully in another place.
1 1 . And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse ;
and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True; and
in righteousness he doth judge and make war. — A new scene
is now presented, imposing as to the actors in it, momen
tous as to the events embraced, and glorious as to its re
sults. This is the final conflict with Antichrist, which is to
precede the millennium. On the territorial domain of the
church, within the Roman empire, is to be enacted what is
now symbolically represented.
A white horse is an emblem of joyous victory, as in the
9*

202 CHAPTER XIX.
sixth chapter, where John says, Behold a white horse, and
he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given to
him and he went forth conquering and to conquer, which
predicts the early triumphs of Christianity. The symbol
before us has a similar signification. Upon the white horse
was seated a princely rider, whose name, indicative of his
character, is Faithful and True ; faithful in everything per
taining to his mediatorship ; true to his word of promise
and of threatening. In righteousness doth he govern, and
wage war. His government is administered in equity, and
justice marks his way in all his conflicts with his enemies.
12. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his
head were many crowns ; and he had a name written, that
no man knew but he himself. — His eyes like a flame of fire
indicates that his knowledge is thorough and searching.
The many crowns on his head denote his dominion over
the nations. A name was inscribed on his person, proba
bly the forehead, the import of which no one fully compre
hends but himself. What the_ name was, we are not
informed. The Savior himself said, ' No man knoweth the
Son but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father,
save the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.'
13. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood:
and his name is called the Word of God. — His vesture
dipped in blood, indicates a great slaughter of his enemies,
as in Isaiah 63 : 1-3. His name is called the Word of God,
probably because from the beginning, he has been the
teacher of mankind,- the revealer of the character and
will of God. ' The words, which I speak are not mine, but
his who sent me.'
14. And the armies which were in heaven followed him

CHAPTER XIX. 203
upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. —
The armies of the glorious chieftain are also mounted on
white horses, and like the bride, are clothed in linen white
and clean, emblematic of the purity of their characters.
This dress shows them to be Christ's believing people;
and their being on white horses, shows that they share with
him in the warfare and in the victory.
15. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with
it he should smite the nations : and he shall rule them with a
rod of iron : and he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness
and wrath of Almighty God. — Here we have proof positive
that all these things take place in this world, and depict
the conflicts and the progress of his church.
The weapon employed in this battle is a sharp sword,
which goeth out of the mouth of the conqueror. This is
divine truth. Paul says, Eph. 6 : 17, ' Take the sword of
the Spirit, which is the Word of God.' This is a spiritual
and not a carnal weapon ; and this shows what is the nature
of the warfare. It is a moral warfare, involving all the
interests of men. It is a struggle between despotism and
freedom, both civil and religious ; a conflict between the
friends of light and the upholders of ignorance and super
stition ; a conflict between those who would give the Bible
as a common boon to mankind, and those who would keep
it from the people ; a conflict between usurpers and des
pots in church and state, and the friends of liberty, of con
science and equal rights ; just such a conflict as is now
going on all over Europe. It is the stone which is cut out
"without hands, breaking to pieces and grinding to powder
the lower extremities of Nebuchadnezzar's image ; the
kingdom of Christ warring against the kingdom of the
beast in this last period of its direful prolongation. ' The

204 CHAPTER XIX.
strong holds of Satan ' are trembling, and will ere long be
laid prostrate.
The result of this great conflict is plainly indicated by
the declaration, He will rule them with a rod of iron ; an
iron scepter, that is, with irresistible power and authority.
He will subdue them to himself, and rule over them with
undisputed sway. Furthermore, as grapes are put into a
wine-press and trodden or mashed, that the juice may be
expressed ; so this mighty conqueror will manifest the ter-
ribleness of divine wrath by crushing his enemies. What
a fearful work has yet to be performed among the nations
which have upheld the papal Antichrist !
1 6. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name
written, King of kings, and Lord of lords. — Another name
of this glorious conqueror was made conspicuous on his
vesture and on his thigh. The muscles of the thigh are
the strongest in the body, and in them lies the power of
motion and activity. The import of it is, that he is able
to acquire and maintain all that supremacy which is implied
in the name, King of kings, and Lord of lords. The
kingdoms of the world are to become his kingdoms, and
acknowledge him as the reigning sovereign.
17 and 18. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, dc.
— The announcement of the result of the battle is made in
the most conspicuous manner possible. ~ The sun is the
symbol of the highest ruling authority ; and the angel
standing in it, making proclamation, suggests the idea, that
the event which he declares is most important, and will
awaken universal attention, and will be everywhere noto
rious. It is like the utterance of a voice, that would be
heard round the globe. The angel, as if clothed with the
authority of God himself, summons all the birds of prey to

CHAPTER XIX. 205
come to a supper which God will make ; and feast on the
flesh of kings, and captains, and mighty men, and of horses,
and of the free and bond, the high and low. This speaks
an entire defeat of the enemies of Christ, and a terrible
slaughter of them. Ezekiel gives a prediction of the same
or a similar battle, and in nearly the same language. 39 :
17-20. 19. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and
their armies, gathered together to make war against him that
sat on the horse, and against his army. — Here is presented
the opposing force with which Christ and his army are en
gaged. It consists of the beast which carried the harlot,
viz. : the Roman civil power, and the kings of the Roman
earth, who support papacy, and their armies consisting of
the opposers of pure Christianity. From this description
we might infer, that the previous conflicts of the church
have been but mere skirmishes, compared with what is yet
to come. The time betwixt the present and the millennium,
will doubtless be occupied with terrible conflicts with the
enemies of human rights and a pure Christianity.
20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false
prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he de
ceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them
that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into
a lake of fire burning with brimstone. — Here we have the
issue of this momentous warfare. The beast is the civil
power of Rome, — the false prophet is the papal priesthood.
This is made evident by what is said of his doings, viz.,
he wrought miracles in the presence of the beast, and by
these deceived those who had received his mark, i.e., those
who practice the Latin worship, and those who bow down
in reverence and subjection to the hierarchy, which is the

206 CHAPTER XIX.
image of the beast, resembling it in its arrogance, its claim
to universal rule, and in its despotism. It is notorious,
that for many centuries past, and at this day, the Romish
priests by various tricks, perform what are called miracles,
to delude the people, to overawe their minds, and keep
them in a state of blind subjection.
The beast and false prophet, having long acted in con
cert, are seized, and cast alive into a lake of fire, burning
with brimstone. It is not a little remarkable, that commen
tators have either not given an interpretation of this pas
sage, or have passed over it with a single remark, assuming
that the lake of fire means hell. That it does not mean
Gehenna, or the place of eternal punishment, is to my mind
certain, and for the following reasons. 1. It is a figure,
like most others which John uses, borrowed from the Old
Testament, where the corresponding expressions have not
that signification. In the eleventh psalm showing how God
deals with men in this world, David says, ' The Lord trieth
the righteous ; but the wicked and him who loveth violence,
his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he will rain snares, fire,
and brimstone, and a horrible tempest.' So, in the thirty-
eighth chapter of Ezekiel, the Lord saith, ' when Gog shall
come against the land of Israel, my fury shall come up
into my face, — and I will plead against him with pestilence
and with blood ; and I will rain upon him, and upon his
bands, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and
brimstone.' No one can be at a loss in understanding this
to mean the infliction of judgments on the invaders of the
land of Israel. The whole chapter makes this indubitable.
It is probable, that there is here again an allusion to the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and to the plagues
inflicted on Egypt.
2. Scriptural usage, analogy, and the consistency of this
prophetic narrative, forbid the interpretation wliich makes

CHAPTER XIX. 207
it mean hell. For the whole description. is plainly that of
a great conflict between the Christian church and Antichrist ;
and this terminates with casting the latter into a lake of
fire, &c. Now the false prophet is a concrete phrase, and
does not signify an individual man, but the Romish clergy
of all grades, many thousands of persons, some of whom
are scattered all over the Christian world. To suppose
that these are to be seized, and literally cast alive into the
place of eternal torment, is, to say the least of it, a very
improbable supposition. Then also, the beast is not a
person, punishable as such ; but, it is a civil persecuting
government, administered by its proper officers under the
controlling influence of popery, as it is now in all the
catholic countries of Europe. And how is. a government
administered by numerous successive agents, to be literal
ly cast alive into hell ?
Again 3. — The phrase alive or living, shows, that the
punishment, whatever it may be, is to be suffered in this
world. And it seems as if the writer used that word on
purpose to prevent the misunderstanding of this passage
which is so general. No one can rationally suppose that
great masses of officials scattered over the earth, and even
whole nations, who are, or have been under the govern
ment of the beast, are to be taken and cast living into the
place of eternal torment. Men usually die before they go
there, and we are also taught that there must be a day of
judgment to consign the wicked to that place. To say that
alive means at the height of their power and prosperity,
does not relieve the difficulty at all.
What then is the meaning ? It is, as I conceive, that
the papal states of Europe, and the papal church, the coun
tries and the people who are under that hierarchy, which
has so long been doing battle against Christ and his truth,
will be subjected to fiery trials, — long continued and terri-

208 CHAPTER XIX.
ble calamities, until that corrupt and oppressive system is
destroyed. By various means, by the diffusion of revealed
truth, waking up the people to a sense of their duties and
their rights : by convulsions and overturnings in govern
ments ; and by remarkable and distressing events in divine
providence, the power and influence of Romanism will be
destroyed. These with their natural effects, disappoint
ment, chagrin, grief, and entire despair of sustaining the
hierarchy any longer, and utter hopelessness of its being
again revived, will be like a consuming fire, eating into the
soul. It may be, that this consuming process has already
begun. A fourth reason for the above interpretation is, that
Daniel predicts the same destruction of the beast and the
papacy in words which limit it to this world. Says he, 7 :
26, The judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his
dominion to consume and destroy it unto the end. This is
said of the fourth beast who should devour the whole
earth, and the horn, who should speak great words against
the Most High, and wear out the saints of the Most High.
Let it be observed, that what John expresses by being cast
into a lake of fire and brimstone, Daniel expresses by de
priving of dominion, to consume and destroy it to the end.
Daniel says again, verse eleventh, " I beheld till the beast
(the same beast) was slain, and his body destroyed, and
given to the burning flame." And immediately following
this, Daniel speaks of the giving to Christ " dominion, and
glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages
should serve him." So here in the apocalypse, the millen
nium follows the destruction of the beast and the false
prophet. Both prophets speak of the same events, and the
language of the former explains the language of the. latter.
It is certain, then, that the whole reference is to things
to transpire in this world, and not at all to the future world.

CHAPTER XIX. 209
except by implication. Being cast into a lake of fire and
sulphur, is a figurative expression, signifying the infliction
of various distresses and desolating calamities, which toge
ther with other means, will work the destruction of papacy
both politically and ecclesiastically.
I am aware, that I expose myself by this interpretation
to the charge of believing the doctrines of universalism.
Let those who may be inclined to prefer such a charge,
know that it is utterly untrue. It is positively declared,
that ' he who believeth not on the Son of God, shall not see
life ;' — that ' the wicked shall go away into everlasting pun
ishment .-' and that ' the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels, taking vengeance with
flaming fire on them who know not God, and obey not
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ; who shall be punish
ed with everlasting destruction, from the presence of the
Lord, and from the glory of his power.' John 3 : 36.
Matt. 25 : 46. 2 Thess. 1 : 7, 8, 9. These, and similar
declarations, I fully believe in their literal import. But I
do not believe that John has taught, or intended to teach
the doctrine of a place of torment in another world, and
the punishment of the wicked there, in the passage under
consideration. True it is, that the sudden destruction of
the wicked by divine judgments, such as the deluge, — the
burning of the cities of the plain with fire from heaven, —
the submerging of Pharaoh and his hosts in the Red Sea, —
the overthrow of Babylon and other great cities for their
wickedness, and the slaying of myriads on the field of
battle, does imply, that the wicked among them do perish
forever. But in interpreting the facts of prophecy, we are
not to draw conclusions, and then make those conclusions
the interpretation of the facts.
21. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him

210 CHAPTER XIX.
that sat upon the horse, which sword proceedeth out of his
mouth; and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. — Who
are the remnant ? I would say they are those who do not
perish by the above-named calamities. They will be slain
in another manner ; viz., the sword of Him who sitteth on
the white horse, which sword proceedeth out of his mouth.
This weapon, beyond all question, is his truth, — the gospel
of the grace of God. These will be slain as all true Chris
tians are, spiritually by the truth. They will be convinced
of their sins, their errors, and delusions, and will abandon
them, and submit to Christ. The sword of the Spirit will
have its appropriate effect, being made living and powerful
by that divine agent.
And all the fowls were filled with their flesh. This oi
course refers to those who are spoken of in the eighteenth
verse. In the seventeenth chapter it is said of this same
hierarchy, under the figure of a lewd woman, that the na
tions once subordinate to her, will hate her, and make her
desolate, and naked, and will eat her flesh ; which means,
that they will strip her of her wealth, cut off her revenues,
confiscate her estates, and thus take away the means of
sensual indulgence and sinful pleasure. Whether the
term flesh has the same meaning here, I know not. It is
considered a great dishonor to have the dead bodies of
human beings lie unburied, and become food for beasts
and birds. The idea may be, that this overthrow and
destruction will be entire and dishonorable to those who
are the subjects of it.

CHAPTER XX. 211
CHAPTER XX.
The Thousand Years called the Millennium.
The difficulties attending a consistent and satisfactory
explanation of this chapter are many and great. In all the
professed expositions of it, which I have seen, with the ex
ception of that of Professor Bush, the error is committed
of taking some parts of the language as literal, and other
parts as symbolical, with no perceptible reason for this
- distinction. Viewing the whole prophetic part of this book
as symbolical, I shall adhere to the rule, which has guided
me thus far, which is, first to interpret the symbols, and
then, if practicable, point out their fulfillment.
This chapter is a continuation of the same visionary rep
resentation of events as that of the preceding, and stands
in immediate connection with it. Simultaneously with, or
closely following the terrible calamities, which will work
the utter ruin of the beast and the false prophet, which are
the Roman civil power and the papacy, the binding and
incarceration of the dragon will occur.
1 and 2. And I saw an angel come down from heaven,
having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his
hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent,
which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand
years. — An angel is any agent human or superhuman, or
any instrumentality by which God accomplishes his pur
poses. I ask any man if, on serious consideration, he
believes, that a celestial angel will come down to this
earth with a great chain of iron or some other metal in his
hand ; and that he will seize another spiritual being and
bind him with a metallic chain, and lock up such a spirit in

212 CHAPTER XX.
some deep, dark prison in this world or some other ? We
should say at first thought, that no person of common un
derstanding, and but little acquainted with the figurative
language of scripture, would believe this. And yet, such
is the general belief, and learned commentators have re
garded this as a literality, and have given their interpreta
tions accordingly. To my mind this representation, like
the destruction of the beast and the false prophet in a lake
of fire, &c, is wholly symbolical. There is not an object
presented in it, that is to be taken in a literal sense. The
angel, heaven, the chain, the hand, the key, the bottomless
pit, the dragon, the seizing and binding of him, are all sym
bols, hieroglyphics. Our first business is to explain them,
scripturally, not fancifully, and according to the usus loquen
di, or usage of this book.
The commentaries in common use, which are all I have
at hand, do not explain at all, who or what the angel is,
who is the chief actor in this scene ; except that of Dr.
Clarke, who says the angel is " one of the executors of the
divine justice, who receives criminals, and keeps them in
prison," &c. But, as the instrumentality of angels in one
sense or another pervades this book, and almost every
thing is represented as being done by them ; it is indispen
sable to a correct understanding of what is predicted, to
ascertain in each particular case, what is meant by the
angels. In the second and third chapters, the message to
each church is addressed to the angel of the church, who
undoubtedly was the pastor or minister. In other instances
angels are the particular instrumentalities by which the
events predicted are brought about. The description of the
destruction of Babylon the great, is introduced by the
descent of an angel from heaven, having great power, and
illuminating the earth with his glory. ' This I explained as
the personification of the appropriate instrumentalities for

CHAPTER XX. 213
diffusing the light of divine truth ; such as the faithful
preaching of the gospel, dissemination of the scriptures,
and other means for the overthrow of civil and religious
despotism and the reformation of mankind.
The signification of the term angel or angels, as agents
or instrumentalities, must be such as will be appropriate
to the particular work to be accomplished. The work now
before us is the suppression and removal of something that
is evil, expressed by the binding and imprisonment of the
dragon. The angel then means the appropriate agencies
or instrumentalities for this. And who are these, but the
institutions of the state and the institutions of religion,
— in other words, civil authority and the inculcation of
divine truth ? These are God's appointed means for the
suppression of social and moral evil, and the reformation of
mankind. First of a'll, the gospel, with its ministry and
ordinances, and these protected in their free operation by
the government. Accordingly the angel comes down from
heaven, which term signifies the ruling authority, either
civil or ecclesiastical, or both operating together. At the
time intended, the institutions of religion and the influence
of government will doubtless be conjoined, so as to form a
mighty agency, for the eradication of the evil alluded to,
which we shall soon consider.
This symbolic angel had the key of the bottomless pit. A
key is an instrument for opening or making fast a door,
and implies the power of admission or exclusion. Christ
says, chap. 1 : 18, I have the keys of hades and of death,
which means that he had " the power to bring to the grave, .
or to deliver from it, — to summon to the state of departed
spirits, or to release from that state at the resurrection."
In the ninth chapter these same symbols are made use
of, and doubtless with similar significations. There, it is
said a star fell from heaven, and to him was given the key

214 CHAPTER XX.
of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit.
This star evidently was some eminent person, for he is de
signated by the personal pronoun, and personal acts are
attributed to him. Of course it was not the literal heaven
from which he fell, but it was from the highest official sta
tion in the church. See exposition of chap. 9 : 1-3. The
key of the bottomless pit given to him, with which he
opened the pit, and a great smoke arose, and out of the
smoke came an army of locusts ; signifies, that through his
instrumentality a destructive army of invaders, the Sara
cens, would issue forth from their dark abodes, and over
run a portion of the empire. It would be a departure from
analogy, and a strange inconsistency, to say that the same
symbols in this twentieth chapter have an entirely different
signification. We say then, that the heaven in this case is
the ruling authority, civil or ecclesiastical, or both together;
— that the angel is the agency and instrumentality which
God employs to produce the effects intended ; — and that
the key of the bottomless pit to be used in this case to shut
it up, instead of opening it, signifies the power and efficiency
of that agency to suppress, remove, and confine the evil
referred to.
A chain is used for binding criminals, and also for forcibly
moving things ; and is here an emblem of restraining foree
and control. Cruden considers its meaning in this place to
be " Severe laws for the curbing of all open impiety." It
is used in scripture to express subjection and forcible
restraint. Thus in Jude, the angels who rebelled, are said
to be ' reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto
the judgment of the great day. Also 2 Pet. 2 : 4.
2. The dragon was laid hold of and bound for a thou
sand years. The above-named agencies and instrumental
ities will be effectual. What now is the dragon? The
dragon of the ancients was a fabulous monster of the ser-

CHAPTER XX. 215
pent kind, and is used by John as the symbol of paganism,
or of a civil power under which paganism prevails. In the
twelfth chapter, the term seems to be used in both signifi
cations. When used in a civil respect, it is described as
having seven heads and ten horns ; and when in a religious
respect, it is " that old serpent, called the devil and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world." This distinction in the
signification of the term dragon, has not, so far as I know,
been observed, and many perplexities and wrong conclu
sions have been the consequence. For instance, the great
red dragon with its heads, and horns, and crowns upon its
heads, has been generally admitted to be the heathen Roman
empire. In the ninth verse of the same chapter, (the 12th)
it is said ' the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,
called the devil and Satan,' and this is very properly con
sidered as the putting down and final suppression of pagan
ism by Constantine and his Christian successors. But, if the
dragon means the empire in both instances, the question
arises, how could the empire be cast out, or eradicated from
the empire ? The fact seems to be, that in the one case, it
is the pagan civil power that is meant; and in the other
case, it is paganism as a religion, which is meant. My own
mind was much perplexed with this difficulty, till very
recently this distinction occurred to me, as I was observing,
that the dragon in the two places is described with very
different concomitants, indicating a difference in significa
tion. We can now see clearly what is meant by the dragon in
the second verse of this twentieth chapter. It is designated
by the same names, and doubtless means the same thing as
in the ninth verse of the twelfth chapter. It is Paganism,
which in former ages, has deceived the whole world ; — one of
the chief devices of the prince of darkness for destroying
mankind. It is this which is to be suppressed and eradicat-

216 CHAPTER XX.
ed by the agencies and instrumentalities spoken of above.
This, as the order of events is presented by John, will take
place in immediate connection with the destruction of the
beast and the false prophet, with which the previous chap
ter closed.
If, as in all the preceding visions, what is said here refers
exclusively . to the nations of the Roman empire, we can
easily see what occasion there is for casting out of the
idolatry and despotism, which are the chief ingredients of
paganism from those nations. Civil oppression still reigns
over nearly the whole of Europe, and paganism has for the
thousand years past been incorporated into the Romish
religion. But, if the ejection and suppression of paganism in this
instance, refers to portions of the earth now overspread
with it ; we see, that there is sufficient occasion and scope
for the work. This great work, as I believe, is going on,
as is also the destruction of the beast and false prophet,
and will be continued for years to come, perhaps until the
thousand years commence.
3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up,
and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no
more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled : and after
that he must be loosed a little season. — Here too, all is' sym
bolic. The term abussos, signifies an abyss, an unknown
depth, and metaphorically, immensity. The idea of a
place of punishment does not enter at all into its significa
tion. If we attach that idea to it, it is an inference of our
own, drawn from the attendant circumstances, or the ap
parent exigencies of the passage. The word occurs nine
times in the New Testament, seven of which are in this
book, and in no case is its signification, the place of the fu
ture punishment of the wicked. In the ninth chapter the

CHAPTER XX. 217
phrase bottomless pit seems to mean the dark and exten-.
sive region from which the Saracens issued in immense
numbers, spreading their conquests to a great extent. The
allusion in the case under consideration may be to those
caverns in the earth, which were used as places of conceal
ment from enemies, and of confinement for criminals. The
sentiment, as it seems to me, is, that paganism, including
as its essential ingredients, superstition, idolatry, and des
potism, will be eradicated from the nations intended, and
will be confined to the dark and remote portions of the
earth, during the thousand years, after which for a brief
period efforts will be made to restore it, as shown in this
and succeeding verses. During that period those systems
of idolatry, falsehood, and oppression, personated by the
dragon and Satan, will cease to operate to deceive the na
tions. 4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them : and I saw the souls of them
that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word
of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his
image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or
in their hands ; and they lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years. — After, or simultaneously with, this sup
pression of false religion and despotic rule, which are usu
ally leagued together, a new scene opens, viz. : the preva
lence of true religion, and the enjoyment of its attendant
blessings. / saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judg
ment was given to them. What thrones these are, and who
sat upon them, is made plain, as it seems to me, by Daniel,
who says, (7 : 9,) / beheld till the thrones were cast down,
&c. Scott remarks very truly, " This was spoken of the
coming of the Lord to destroy the kingdom of the little
horn, and to set up the kingdom of God on earth. Rome.
10

2 IS CHAPTER XX.
will be wholly desolated, and her hierarchy abolished;
every antichristian power will be crushed ; and the whole
will be reduced under the government of Christ, and those
who rule under him and for him." In exact accordance
with Daniel, John says, that judgment was given to them,
that is, sentence was rendered against them ;— they were
condemned to be cast down, overthrown. The second ad-
ventists and others explain the passage to mean, that the
saints are to be the occupants of those thrones, and that by
judgment being given to them, is meant, that the saints are
to sit in judgment on the rest of mankind, and rule over
them. But, the writer is speaking of the suppression and
removal of that which is wrong, evil, and oppressive ; and
not only the scope of the context, but the meaning of the
word krima, which is " a judgment, a decision, a sen
tence, a condemnation — a penalty," shows, that sentence,
condemnation, is rendered against them to their destruc
tion. The prophetic announcement of Daniel concerning
those thrones, is that of a terrible overthrow. He says that
' a fiery stream issued and came forth from before the An
cient of days : — thousand thousands ministered to him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him : the
judgment was set, and the books were opened. And he be
held, till the beast, on whose head were ten horns, among
which there sprang up the little horn, papacy, which spake
great words, was slain, and his body destroyed, and given
to the burning flame.' How evident it is, that this is the
same thing with John's description in the previous chapter
of the great conqueror, whose eyes were as a flame of fire,
who in righteousness doth judge and make war, whose
name is Faithful and True, and against whom the kings of '
the earth and their armies were arrayed, — the result of
which was, that the beast and false prophet, were taken and
cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. The

CHAPTER XX. 219
idea of Daniel is, that those thrones were occupied by oppres
sive kings, and that they will be overthrown ; and that the
governments represented by them will be destroyed. John
expresses the same. The idea, that the saints are to occu
py those thrones, and be associated with Christ in the bu
siness of judging and ruling, is all assumption, and most
preposterous. And, so far is this from being the final judg
ment, the fact probably is, that these events are soon to
transpire ; those thrones in catholic Europe are shaking ;
and Daniel's fiery stream from before the Lord has begun
to flow ; and ere long the body of the idolatrous and per
secuting beast, will be " destroyed and given to the burn
ing flame ;" or, as John expresses it, " be cast alive into the
lake of fire burning with brimstone." Both prophets, the
one in captivity in Babylon, the other in exile in Patmos,
declare the destruction of idolatry, superstition and despot
ism, paganism and Antichrist, and the governments by
which these are upheld. This part of the great drama of
this world's affairs, if I mistake not, is soon to be enacted.
Mede, a learned English divine, who wrote on the Apo
calypse more than two hundred years ago, remarks, with
great propriety, " John does not affirm, that he saw the
souls of those who were beheaded, sitting upon thrones.
He says only he saw thrones, and those who sat upon them,
not determining who they were who sat upon them, but
making it sufficiently plain, that this is not to be understood
of souls ; for the words employed do not admit of this in
terpretation." ' The word for those to whom judgment was
given, is in the masculine gender, (autois) but if John had
meant to say, that the souls of the beheaded, were those to
whom judgment was given, the word should have been in
the feminine (autais).' Witsius makes the same criticism,
and accompanies it with similar remarks.
That Daniel and John both predict the same events in

220 CHAPTER XX.
this instance, is proved by the fact, that both assign the
same length of time for the continuance of the little horri or
papacy, viz. : one thousand two hundred and sixty days,
by which are meant years, which expire just about the pre
sent time. It is proved also by the fact, that both follow
that destruction of that persecuting power with a prediction
of the triumphant reign of Christ. The interpretation
which the angel gave to Daniel at his earnest solicitation is
this. ' The little horn which shall subdue three kings or
kingdoms, shall speak great words against the Most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think
to change times and laws : and they shall be given into his
hand until a time, and times, and the dividing of time.
But the judgment shall sit and they shall take away his
dominion, (which John expresses by seizing the dragon and
shutting him up in a pit), to consume and destroy it unto
the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the great
ness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given
to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose king
dom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions si all
serve him.' This glorious triumph of the saints, and the
permanent establishment of the kingdom of the Most High
over the earth, John describes and amplifies in the twen
tieth, twenty-first and twenty-second chapters of this book.
Another, and a distinct portion of the vision, which intro
duces a new subject, standing in immediate connection with
the former, is now given.
I saw the souls of those who were beheaded for the witness
of Jesus, &c. Here a distinct class of persons is presented.
Both in the old and new testaments and in numerous in-
tances, the term souls means persons. Gen. 46 : 26. 'AH
the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, besides. his
son's wives, all the souls were threescore and six.' Acts
27 : 37. ' And we were in all in the ship two hundred

CHAPTER XX. 221
three score and sixteen souls.' The persons meant are de
scribed as those, who were beheaded on account of the
testimony they gave for Christ, and for their maintenance
of the word of God in opposition to the errors, supersti
tions and idolatry of Antichrist. For they were those,
who had not submitted to and reverenced the beast, the
Roman civil power, nor his image, the papacy, neither had
received his mark, the papal idolatrous worship. (See ex
planation of chap. 13 : 16-18.) In a word, they are those
who believed, obeyed, and propagated the gospel of Christ
in the midst of corruption of Christianity ; and who had suf
fered persecution and deatif for their fidelity.
These lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
How, in what respects, and where will those persons live
and reign? The analogy of the book and the structure of
the context require, that this be understood metaphorically.
The word (ceesan) translated they lived, signifies also, ' to
fiourish, to enjoy life, to be prosperous.' The apostle does
not say, that the martyred saints were raised from the
dead, and their souls united again to material bodies, or to
spiritual bodies. He says simply, that he saw the souls of
those who were beheaded, and they lived and reigned with
Christ. The learned Witsius remarks, that the apostle
does not say, " the men who were beheaded lived again ;
far less that the bodies of the beheaded lived again on the
earth. He asserts merely, that he saw the souls of them
that were beheaded, not living again, but living ; that is,
filled with unceasing joy, as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
live to God ; and reigning with Christ in the kingdom of
glory, where they reap the fruit of their labors and death,
whilst they behold the enlargement of the church these
thousand years."
Making a distinction between these and those who did not
worship the beast nor his image, he says, " These also lived,

222 CHAPTER XX.
enjoying a blessed peace of conscience and a rich abund
ance of spiritual consolation. Not that their lives as indi
viduals extended to a thousand years, for this never was,
and never will be the lot of any mortal, but men of that
description reigned during many successive ages, till the
appointed period."
It is not evident that the apostle intends two classes of
persons here, but it is quite evident that he does not say,
nor intend to say of those wha-suffered martyrdom long
ago, that they lived and reigned with Christ personally on
earth. Without approving or censuring the discordant opinions
of others, I suggest the following as the interpretation of
this much controverted passage. The true meaning will
not be likely to be ascertained, if one part be taken in a
literal sense, and another part in the same connection and of
the same character, be taken in a metaphorical sense. One
general rule, made necesary by the structure of the book,
must govern us.
Now, let it be recollected, that the killing of the two
witnesses, as stated in chapter the eleventh, and the expo
sure of their dead bodies in the street of the great city,
which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, was not a
literal killing, nor were the two witnesses, two particular
individuals, nor did the transaction occur in the city of
Sodom, which was destroyed long before the Christian era ;
and as to Egypt, there never was a city of that name in
that country. But the killing and exposure of their dead
bodies to insult is wholly metaphorical, having a moral and
political signification only. The witnesses were a succes
sion of numerous and faithful defenders of gospel truth in
opposition to the errors and superstitions which prevailed.
Their restoration to life and ascension to heaven was their

. CHAPTER XX 223
restoration to the enjoyment of civil and religious privi
leges under the protection of government.
So in the case before us, the beheading and the living and
reigning, are rot to be understood literally. For, why
should those who lost their lives in that particular manner
and at a particular time, be singled out and distinguished
from the vastly greater number, who have been put to death
in all the horrible methods which ingenuity could devise ?
I can conceive of no reason for such a distinction.
But, if we will maintain the correspondence between this
and the preceding verses, and consider that the writer is
now showing the improved and happy state of things after
the eradication of false religion and civil despotism, express
ed by the binding and incarceration of the dragon, we ob
tain a consistent view of the whole. I would express my
understanding of it in a kind of paraphrase, thus, — I saw
those who had been oppressed, deprived of their rights,
civil a religious, and held in obscurity and subjection ;
relieves uom this state of oppression, living in the enjoy
ment of their rights, and happy under equitable govern
ments and Christian privileges. The cause they espoused
flourished, — rose superior to all opposition, and held the
ascendency. Thus will they live and reign with Christ.
The spirit of martyrs and confessors of former ages will
animate them in this proximate period of a thousand years.
This, as I conceive, is coincident with what has preceded,
and preserves the harmony and connection of the events
predicted. Just in this metaphorical sense of beheading, are similar
words employed in this book and elsewhere. For instance,
in the ninth chapter it is said that the four angels who were
bound in or by the river Euphrates, " were prepared to slay
a third part of men," and in a subsequent verse it is said,
" a third part of men were killed." Now, if this be taken

224 CHAPTER XX.
literally, it is not true, for there never was a time, when a
third part of men have been killed. They were killed
politically, being brought under the dominion of those
fierce invaders, the Turks.
Instances of this beheading there have been recently in
the case of the persecuted Portuguese of Madeira, who
have fled to our country to save their lives. Faithful
Christians like them, who may suffer in a similar manner,
will ere long live and reign with Christ in the sense of
being happy in the enjoyment of civil and religious privile
ges, and in participating in the supremacy of pure Chris
tianity. Precisely of this nature is the vision of Ezekiel. The
dry bones in the midst of the valley were the whole honse
of Israel, who were represented as slain. Then said the
Lord, ' Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and
cause you to come out of your graves, and bring you into
the land of Israel.' What does this slaying mean ? What
do those bones exceeding dry, overspreading the valley,
signify? What does the resurrection of those dead
decayed bodies, when ' breath came into them, and they
lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army,'
mean? Their being conquered, subdued, carried away
into captivity to Babylon among idolaters, and deprived of
their religious institutions, and their subsequent restoration
to their own country, and their being made prosperous and
happy in the enjoyment of civil and religious privileges
again, is the answer. It was a political death and a political
resurrection, involving their religious interests, and nothing
more. I understand John to use language just as the ancient
prophets did ; and that in this fourth verse, he predicts that
at a particular period, probably not far distant, the op
pressed, persecuted, down-trodden, abused servants of

CHAPTER XX. 225
Christ, will enjoy freedom, rights of conscience, happiness,
and prosperity, and will see and participate in the suprem
acy of Christ's cause for a thousand years. The writer, or
rather the revealing angel, carries forward the religious and
political affairs of the nations together, because they are so
blended, that whatever affects the one, has an impor
tant influence and effect upon the other.
5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
— The rest of the dead, who lived not again during the
thousand years, are those who, under the same system of
civil and religious absolutism, do not stand for personal
rights and Christian truth ; those who sustain the old order
of things ; those who are destitute of the spirit of the de
voted, persecuted, and crushed servants of Christ. These
opposers, infidels, pagans, enemies of pure Christianity,
lived not again till the thousand years were finished. Here
lived is to be taken in the same sense as explained above.
As if it had been said, They once flourished and were pros
perous. They had power and used it oppressively. They
had riches and used them luxuriously. But, the state of
things will be entirely changed in the thousand years when
false religion and despotism will be suppressed. Such as
they are, will not be in power. They will not bear rule ;
and they will have no successors. There will be none who
sustain their antichristianity ; none who will defend the
errors and superstitions they cherished ; none, who will
persecute the followers of Christ as they did. The events
just previously predicted, will destroy their power, and
their cause can never flourish again. See Daniel 7 : 26, 27.
This is the first resurrection. It should be recollected
that all which is contained in this and the three preceding
chapters, belongs to the period of the seventh vial ; and is
10*

226 CHAPTER XX.
an expanded view of what is announced in general terms
in the latter part of the sixteenth chapter. It should also
be borne in mind, that this first resurrection, whatever be
the nature of it, relates to the defenders of pure Christian
ity, and civil freedom.
It is readily perceived that the term first resurrection is
only a name given to the events predicted at the close of
the preceding verse. What those events are, I have en
deavored to show. It is not then a literal but a metaphori
cal resurrection. It is the living and reigning with Christ
in a moral and political sense, as their beheading is to be
understood in that sense.
Why is this styled the first resurrection ? Not because
it is a literal resurrection of the saints to precede the gen
eral raising of the dead. This would be affirming two res
urrections. But Christ and his apostles have told us of
no more than one literal resurrection of the dead. Besides,
if a literal meaning be given to the several particulars con
tained in the fourth ve'se, on which many insist, it cuts off
their favorite idea of a premillennial resurrection of all the
saints, and even of all the martyred saints. For John
speaks only of those who were beheaded ; and it will not
do to extend this phrase so as to embrace all the martyrs ;
least of all will it do for literalists to stretch the meaning
so entirely beyond the import of the term.
Nowhere in scripture is a second resurrection mentioned.
But, if there be a literal first resurrection, there must be a
literal second. The term first, therefore, has no reference
to a literal numerical second, for there is none such. Among
all the numerous passages in the New Testament, which
speak of the resurrection, this place is the only one where
this phrase occurs. Everywhere else, the literal resurrec
tion of those who have died, is spoken of as one event.
Christ said, ' Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in

CHAPTER XX. 227
which all who are in their graves, shall hear his voice, and
shall come forth ; they who have done good, unto the res
urrection of life, and they who have done evil, to the resur
rection of damnation.' The remark of Paul to the Thessa
lonians, that ' The dead in Christ shall rise first,' means
simply, that the dead in Christ will be raised before those
who are alive on the earth will be caught up to meet the
Lord in the air. To the Corinthians he said, ' Every man
in his own order, Christ the first fruits, afterward they who
are Christ's at his coming.' This is only a mention of the
particular order in which the one resurrection will take
place. Why, then, is this symbolic resurrection styled the first ?
Because, as it seems to me, it will be the first deliverance
which the nations of the empire will experience from a false
and tyrannical religion ; and a deliverance also from civil
oppression, with which it is conjoined. I say, the nations
of the empire ; for I consider these visions as relating to
them. This will be the first time, that the friends of true
religion and free government there, will obtain that full
and undisputed reign with Christ, which consists in the en
joyment of all those rights and privileges, which the gospel
and the reign of Christ are designed to give to mankind.
It will be the first general emancipation of the mind from
the shackles of superstition, error, and tyranny in those
nations since the Christian era. Who does not know, that
these hold absolute sway iri Italy, Greece, Spain, Austria,
and all Roman and Greek catholic countries, notwithstand
ing all that the reformation has done for others ? What a
proof of this do we have in the recent events pertaining to
the short-lived republic of Rome, and the crushed Hunga
rians !
In this first resurrection, the Jews, as we believe, will be
participants ; will be restored to the land of their fathers ;

228 CHAPTER XX.
will acknowledge Christ as the Messiah, and become an in
tegral part of his church. This will be as life from the
dead. The term, first may have a further signification in this in
stance, viz : peculiar eminence, highest importance. The
Greek word is defined to mean " the most eminent, most
illustrious, the principal." This alone is a sufficient reason
for its use.
Now, if we admit that the first resurrection implies a
second, we are prepared to show what is that second. Ev
idently the. second must correspond to, or be of a like na
ture with the first, unless a difference is plainly indicated-
It seems to me, that we have this second resurrection dis
tinctly stated in the following verses. It is declared, that
after the thousand years shall have expired, Satan will be
loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the na
tions, which are in the four quarters of the land, the Roman
earth, just as he has done in former ages. Here again is
the same old dragon, serpent, devil and Satan, the instigator
and representative of false religion and tyranny ; and his
being loosed signifies, that he will be permitted to make
mighty efforts to revive the ol d errors, superstitions, and
idolatries ; and the old oppressive forms of government.
Then there will be another signal manifestation of the
power and grace of God in behalf of his cause and people.
The enemies of true religion and human welfare will be
destroyed as the beast and false prophet were, by being
overwhelmed with various troubles and calamities ; or by
direct and awful judgments of God, called, verse ninth, ' fire
sent down from God out of heaven.' Then comes the
second symbolic resurrection, as described in verses 11, 12, 13,
viz. : the deliverance of the people from moral and political
degradation and the perpetual enjoyment of the full bless-

CHAPTER XX. 229
ings of Messiah's reign ; all that is signified by the new
heavens and new earth, and the making of all things new.
6. Blessed and holy is he thai hath part in the first resur
rection ; on such -the second death hath no power ; but they
shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with
him a -thousand years. — This verse declares the happy con
dition of those who will participate in the blessings and
privileges included in the first resurrection. The term
blessed is used here as in numerous other passages instead
of happy. Thus, Blessed, or as we might read it, Happy
are the poor in spirit, &c. They are holy as well as happy .
Holy as being set apart and consecrated to the service of
God, and holy because subjects of the Spirit's influence.
On such the second death, dc. What is meant by the
second death ? Is it literal or metaphorical ? I think it is
the latter. Not that I would in the least countenance the
error, that the wicked will not suffer hereafter, the penalty
threatened in the divine law. But, it is unwise to attempt
to support that solemn truth with passages of scripture
which have no reference to it.
We have seen in the preceding context, the prediction
of the first death or destruction of the supporters of false
relio-ion and civil despotism ; and also the first resurrection
of the friends of true religion and civil freedom. Each is
to be followed by a second alike in its nature,- and pertain
ing to the same nations. The second death will be the
second overthrow of the supporters of false religions, corrup
tions of Christianity, and all despotism in church and
state. This is described in the ninth and tenth verses.
The nature of the second death may be perceived in the
fact, that it stands in contrast with the succeeding clause ;
— but they shall be priests of God, dc. It is the negative
pf what is there positively asserted. The negative part of

230 CHAPTER XX.
the antithesis is, on such the second death hath no power, or-
permission to hurt. The positive part is what follows, —
But they shall be priests, &c, and shall reign with him a
thousand years. Now, this positive part clearly refers to
their privileges and blessings in this world ; for there can
be no occasion for any to be priests to God to offer prayers
and sacrifices in the heavenly world. The scriptures do
not teach, that there will be praying where the condition
of all will be fixed, and where all will be filled with peace
and blessedness. Further still, their reign with Christ is
to be for a thousand years, which all understand to relate
to the church in this world. In heaven the saints will
reign not merely a thousand years, but forever and ever.
The conclusion is legitimate and unavoidable, that the
second death is something which is to transpire in this
world, as is the first and second resurrection with which it
is contrasted. It is the second destruction of all that is
meant by the beast, the false prophet^ and the dragon,
under God's judgments, which will be like 'fire out of
heaven ;' like the fire which consumed Sodom and Gomor
rah, to which probably there is allusion. These judgments
will not harm or affect injuriously those, who are pro
nounced happy and holy, — the friends of truth and equity,
who participate in the privileges and mercies of the first
resurrection. As Lot escaped from Sodom, and the disci
ples and their believing brethren from Jerusalem previous
to its destruction, in obedience to the warning of Christ ;
so these will be safe while the enemies of God, of true re
ligion, and of human rights, will be overwhelmed, and
their cause destroyed.
To be priests of God and of Christ, is to be honored
with free access and intimate communion with the God
head. The Jewish priests were appointed to offer prayers
and sacrifices, and to them was granted the privilege of

CHAPTER XX. 231
entering the holy place, of coming near to the Lord, and
ministering before him. Such is now the privilege of all
believers, and in the millennium, as it seems to be here
intimated, this privilege will be very highly prized, and be
eminently enjoyed. To his believing brethren Peter
wrote, saying, ' Ye are a holy priesthood to offer up spirit
ual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.'
By him all believers have freedom of access to the mercy-
seat, as did the priests under the former dispensation.
They will reign with Christ, or by and through him, in that
coming period, because pure Christianity, with all its atten
dant blessings, will have supremacy. Instead of being op
pressed, despised, and persecuted as in former ages ; the
ruling power, the control of civil and religious affairs, will
be in their hands. Christians will hold the reins of govern
ment, and will regulate public matters by the principles of
the gospel. Of the church God hath said, ' The forces of
the Gentiles, and their kings shall be brought to thee. For
the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall
perish, yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.' The
church of Christ is to have the preeminence, and will exert
its appropriate influence for all that is good, humane, and
excellent. 7 and 8. And when the thousand years are expired,
Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to
deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the
earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle ; the
number of whom is as the sand of the sea. — After this season
of brightness, a portentous storm gathers, and again the
scene changes. The old deceiver is released from his con
finement, and is permitted to resume his former work of
blinding and deceiving mankind. The human heart will
be the seat of the same depravity as ever, and this is shown

232 CHAPTER XX.
by the fresh manifestation of hostility to the holy religion
of the gospel, and the pure and spiritual worship of God.
All that will be good and beautiful in the millennium, will
be the effect of the extraordinary power of the Spirit,
making the means of salvation effectual ; and is not to be
attributed to anything connate in men. This new devel
opment of hostility to Christianity and its* purifying and
elevating institutions, does not appear, however, to be an
apostasy on the part of those, who have enjoyed them ; but
rather proceeds from nations who have lived in a heathen
ish state during the thousand years. What .nations these
are, is made quite evident by the names given to them,
which are Gog and Magog. In the 38th and 39th chapters
of Ezekiel, these hostile nations are represented as making
a combined attack on the people of God : and their entire
discomfiture and destruction is foretold. Ezekiel says this
shall be "in the latter days;" and it is conceded, that
these are the same events which John predicts to transpire
after the thousand years. The nations and tribes included
under those names, were anciently called Scythians, and
inhabited the northern and northeastern portion of Asia,
embracing that vast territory which includes Independent
and Chinese Tartary, Tibet, and Siberia. This has been
so 'often and so satisfactorily proved by the ablest writers,
that we take it as indisputable. Ezekiel joins Persia,
Ethiopia, and Lybia with these. It may be, that under
these various nations, are included all the enemies of pure
Christianity wherever found. In the writings of the apos
tles the word ethnos, nation, is used to signify any who are
neither Jews nor Christians. As Satan, the genius of evil,
the fabricator of lying vanities, the personification of idola
try, and despotism, will be set at liberty, and renew his
efforts to deceive the nations ; I understand the meaning to
be, that great ingenuity and energy will be employed

CHAPTER XX. 233
against true religion and civil freedom, and for the ^estab
lishment of the old forms of idolatry and tyranny, or others
resembling them. Vast numbers, compared with the grains
of sand on the sea-shore, will join in this atrocious conspi
racy against the kingdom of Christ.
9. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and
compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved
city : and fire came down from God out of heaven, and de
voured them. — These countless hosts are represented as
making a simultaneous invasion of the land, encompassing
the camp of the saints, and the beloved city, as if deter
mined on reducing all to their authority. Ezekiel says,
' they shall come from their place out of the north parts,
and many people with them, sitting upon horses, a great
company, and a mighty army : And they will come
against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land ;
it shall be in the latter days.' I think, that the allusion is
still to that part of Christendom, which constituted the
Roman empire at the time in which John wrote. The
camp of the saints is a figure drawn probably from the en
campment of the Israelites, when the Lord led them through
the wilderness ; and the beloved city is Jerusalem, both,
in this -instance, symbolizing the Christian church. This
formidable demonstration against Christianity, though re
presented by an invasion of a country and the besieging of
a city, may be continued through a considerable period of
time before the fearful crisis, here predicted, shall come.
When the Christian cause shall be thus assailed, and be
put in imminent peril, God will remarkably interpose to
save it from ruin, and to deliver his people from their ene
mies. This is expressed in the style of this whole book,
figuratively, by fire coming down from God out of heaven.
This may be an allusion to what took place in the camp of

234 CHAPTER XX.
the Israelites, when the two hundred and fifty princes were
destroyed for their opposition to Moses and Aaron. ' Fire
came out from the presence of the Lord, and consumed them.'
More than two thousand four hundred years ago, Ezekiel
gave, from the Lord, a sublime and graphic prediction of
this destruction of these enemies of Christianity. ' It shall
come to pass when Gog, shall come against the land of
Israel, saith the Lord, that my fury shall come up into my
face. And I will plead against him with pestilence and
with blood ; and I will rain upon him and upon his bands,
and upon the many people with him an overflowing rain,
and great hail stones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I
magnify myself, and sanctify myself, and the nations shall
know, that I am the Lord.' How evident it is, that John
uses the figures of the ancient prophets and with the same
signification. Here we have the whole array of the most
destructive elements, — pestilence, war, rain, hailstones,
fire, and brimstone, all combined to express the most ter
rible judgments of the Lord, like those which he sent up
on Egypt ; — judgments to be inflicted in this world upon
the adversaries of his righteous cause.
10. And the devil, that deceived them was cast into the lake
of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are,
and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. — The
destruction of the enemies of Christianity is attended with
the destruction of their antichristian heathenish principles
and practices. This is expressed symbolically by casting
the devil into the lake of fire and brimstone, just as the
beast and false prophet were. Here the name devil seems
to be used as embracing those who are influenced by him,
and believe the destructive errors of which he is the inven
tor, and do his will in propagating them. For, beyond
question, there is in all these names a reference to that apos-

CHAPTER XX. 235
tate spirit, who is the enemy of all righteousness ; — whom
Paul calls, ' The Prince of the power of the air, the spirit
that now worketh in the hearts of the children of disobe
dience.' In these visions, he seems to be the impersona
tion of antichristianism, heathenism, and despotism, those
mighty evils, by which the great mass of mankind have
ever been deluded, led into the grossest errors, and held
fast in those errors, with an all-controlling power. And, I
have no doubt, that the design of the writer throughout this
entire chapter, is like that of the ancient prophets, to show
the utter and final destruction of those monstrous, long-
continued, wide-spread evils. This, I trust, will be made
to appear, as we proceed.
The lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false
prophet are, is a plain declaration, that it is identical with
that mentioned in the twentieth verse of the preceding
chapter. See the explanation there given. Similar lan
guage is employed by Isaiah in describing the destruction
of the Assyrian army under Sennacherib which came against
Jerusalem. " The Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be
heard, and shall show the lighting down of his arm, with
the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devour
ing fire, with scattering and tempest, and hailstones."
Isa. 30 : 30. This is explained by the record of the facts in
the nineteenth chapter of the second book of Kings. " It came
to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and
smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore
and five thousand." This may serve as an illustration
of the passage under consideration. On the above words
of Isaiah, Scott very properly remarks : — " The ruin of all
antichristian powers, in order to the final triumph of the gos
pel, seems likewise to be intended."
Shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. To be
tormented means to be greatly distressed, as people are

236 CHAPTER XX.
when they are involved in calamities, and are filled with
self-reproach and fear. The same thing is said of the wor
shipers of the beast and his image in the fourteenth chap
ter. ' The smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and
ever, and they have no rest day nor night.' I have shown
there, that John adopts the language of Isaiah in which he
predicts the destruction of Edom.
So in the case before us. The devil, who is the repre
sentative of those who support false religion and tyranny,
will be filled with vexation, shame, and fear, night and day,
i.e., without intermission, and for a period of great length.

Events preparatory to the New Heaven and a New
Earth.
The uniform construction put upon the remaining verses
of this chapter, is, that they predict the second personal
coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the final
judgment, the end of the world, and the doom of the impen
itent. It may seem rash to go against what may be re
garded as the universal opinion of Christendom.
That there will be a second personal advent of Jesus
Christ, a resurrection of the dead, and a general judgment,
I hold to be unequivocally taught in the New Testament.
But, that those momentous facts are predicted here, is what
I am not prepared to admit. To admit it, would be to de
part entirely from the analogy of the book; and, without
any show of reason to drop the metaphorical, and assume
the literal signification.
11. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on
it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away ; and

CHAPTER XX. 237
there was found no place for them. — A throne is an emblem
of governmental authority, of sovereign rule. The qualify
ing epithets, great and shining, seem to give intensity to
the meaning, as being of peculiar importance, and the gov
ernment indicated, as most equitable and perfect. Though
we are not told who sat upon the throne ; yet from the
scope of what is said, we infer, that it was Christ himself,
styled previously, King of kings, and Lord of lords. Hav
ing been foreshown by successive panoramic scenes, the
destruction of heathenism, papacy, religious and political
despotism, with their attendant evils, I think we are now to
be shown the reign of Christ in the fullness of its glory on
earth. John's vision of this great shining throne no more implies
the second coming of Christ, than his vision of a throne in
heaven and one seated upon it, as related in the fourth
chapter. It no more suggests a personal advent, than does
his beholding heaven opened, and a white horse, and him
who sat upon it, called Faithful and True. Not a word is
said here about the second appearing of Christ, nor is his
name mentioned; and all that commentators and others
have written to this effect, is an inference of their own.
Regarding the nature of symbolic language, I conceive the
simple idea to be, that at the period intended, there will be
a signal manifestation of the power, the sovereignty and the
grace of the great King, in the wonderful events and changes,
which the writer goes on to detail. For a parallel, see
Isaiah's vision of " the Lord sitting on a throne, high and
lifted up," when he was commissioned to prophesy most
important events concerning Israel. Isa. 6:1. See also,
that magnificent symbolic display of the wisdom, power,
and sovereignty of God to Ezekiel ; when among other
thino-s he beheld " the likeness of a throne, as the appear-

238 CHAPTER XX.
ance of a sapphire-stone, and upon the likeness of the throne
the likeness of a man." Ezek. 1.
From the face of him who sat on the throne, John says,
the heaven and the earth fled away ; and there was found no
place for them. Now, if this should be understood literally,
and surely it has the same claim to be so understood, as
that which precedes and follows it ; then, not only our
earth is to fly from its orbit and vanish into nothingness ;
but also heaven itself, the expanse over our heads, or the
place of the blessed, is to be annihilated, so that it will no
where be found. Is such a thing to be imagined? Is
this reconcilable with the analogy of divine providence, and
with other portions of divine truth ? I think not. What
then is the sentiment expressed by the disappearance of the
earth and heaven ?
Without repeating the definition so often given of the
terms, earth and heaven, I would say, that it is the cessa
tion of the old order of things, preparatory to the introduc
tion of one which is far better. < It is the incipient stage of
an entire change in the moral, social, and governmental con
dition of the.people.
So spake the ancient prophets. Predicting the destruc
tion of Edom, Isaiah says, ' The heavens shall be rolled
together as a scroll, and all their host shall fall down, as
the leaf falleth off the vine. For my sword shall be bath
ed in heaven, it shall come down upon Idumea.' Bishop
Lowth thinks, that " this prophecy has a further view to
some great revolutions to be effected in the latter times,
antecedent to that more perfect state of the kingdom of
God on earth, and serving to introduce it."
John uses the same symbolical language in the sixth
chapter of this book, where, as is generally admitted, he
predicts the great change in the Roman empire from pagan
ism to Christianity. The old systems of error, supersti-

CHAPTER XX. 239
tion, and oppression, which have blinded, and degraded
mankind, will be swept away, and so completely, that no
place will be found for them.
12. And I saw. the dead, small and great, stand before
God; and the books were opened: and another book was
opened, which is the book of life : and the dead were judged
out of those things which were written in the books, according
to their works. — All, who are acquainted with the contents
of the Bible know, that the prophets, Christ, and the apos
tles use the terms dead and death in a moral and political
sense, signifying a state of sinfulness, oppression, and deg
radation. See instances already quoted, Isa. 26 : 19. Ezek.
37 : 1-14. Christ said, " As the Father raiseth up the
dead and quickeneth them ; even so the Son quickeneth
whom he will." In the same conversation he reaffirmed
this in these words, 'The hour is coming and now is, when
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they
who hear shall live.' John 5 : 21, 25. These are the
spiritually dead, who were made spiritually alive by the
truth and by the Spirit of Christ. " Dead in trespasses
and sin," — " dead to sin,"- — " dead with Christ," — " if one
died for all, then were all dead," are instances of the use of
this term in a moral sense. See explanation of the fifth
verse of this chapter.
Great and small is a descriptive phrase, meaning persons
of every rank and condition, not persons of different ages.
And this is proof, that these are not the literally dead ; nor
is this as is generally supposed, a literal resurrection, for
that will include persons of all ages.
These persons of every rank stand before God. This is
commonly understood to' be the arraignment for the last
judgment. Of course, here again, contrary to the scope of
the prediction and the analogy of the book, the literal

240 CHAPTER XX.
meaning is adopted. I am constrained to dissent entirely
from such an interpretation. If any one's recollection does
not suffice to show them how the word stand is used in the
scriptures, let him turn to Cruden's Concordance, for in
stances showing its use. ' The Lord will stand at the right
hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his
soul.' Ps. 109 : 31. That is, the Lord will help and pro
tect the poor. ' The liberal deviseth liberal things, and by
liberal things shall he stand ;' that is, he shall be approved,
made secure, and prosperous. Isa. 32 : 8- ' Who shall
stand when he appeareth ? for he is like a refiner's fire, and
like fuller's soap.' Mai. 3 : 2 ; i.e., Who will be approved
as good and faithful ? ' Watch, and pray always, that ye
may be accounted worthy to escape all these things, that
shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man,
Luke 21 : 36. That is^ worthy to escape from the evils
coming on Jerusalem and the Jews, and to be approved,
vindicated, and protected by the Son of man. Directly in
point is Ezekiel's manner of expressing the restoration of
the Israelites to their own land and to their civil and reli
gious privileges ;¦ — ' breath came into the dry bones, and
they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great
army.' What then is the idea expressed by the Christian
prophet ? It is, that persons of every rank and condition,
who are in a state of moral and political death, will be
raised up from their unhappy condition, and wiU be vindi-
j cated, protected and favored by God. At that period,
when the old state of things shall vanish, God will vindi
cate the rights of all classes of people, and establish them
in the permanent enjoyment of those blessings, which the
reign of Christ on earth is designed to confer.
And the books were opened. These are commonly con
sidered to be the registers of the actions of mankind,
according to which the final judgment will be given

CHAPTER XX. 241
Daniel, prophesying perhaps, of these events, says, ' The
judgment was set and the books were opened.' But it is
perfectly plain, that he does not speak of the general judg
ment ; for he is describing what will take place just pre
vious to the giving to Christ, the dominion, and glory, and
kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages may serve
him. This is precisely what John is showing in this place.
What then are these books ? Surely not account books,
which it is supposed, God keeps for recording human ac
tions. He needs no such books. But, they are those,
which contain the statutes, instructions, and precepts by
which the people are to regulate their conduct. They are
those sources of knowledge, which are needful for the
people, making them acquainted with their relations and
duties to themselves and to God,
These books being open indicates, that the sources of
knowledge will be open and accessible to all. Their con
tents will -be for the benefit of those persons of all classes
just spoken of. Thus, in the fifth chapter, the book sealed
with seven seals, which no one except the Lamb was found
worthy to open, signifies, that its contents were not made
known, and that it belonged to Christ alone to make them
known. Again in the tenth chapter, the little open book
purports, that its contents were to be at once communicated.
An open book is an appropriate emblem for the diffusion
of knowledge. Id the latter times we are told that
"knowledge shall be increased," yea, says Isaiah, "The
earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord."
And another book was opened, which is the book of life.
The Bible is the book of life. ' The words which I speak
unto you, said Christ, are spirit, and they are life.' The
gospel brings life and immortality to light ; — it shows the
way of life, and its truths are the means of producing life
in the souL It portrays the work of redemption, — the
11

242 CHAPTER XX.
method which God hath taken to 'bestow justification and
life upon the guilty and perishing. It also prescribes the
rules by which we should regulate all our feelings and ac
tions so as to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.
This, book was opened. At that future period to which
this refers, the precious instructions of the Bible will be
free to all. Those things which now obstruct the diffusion
of the truth, will be taken out of the way, and then the
Bible will be disseminated, and read, and understood,
Then, all will know the Lord from the least to the greatest.
Then small and great will stand upright before God, — will
be raised up from their crushed and wretched condition,
and will experience his protection and favor. The book of
life opened for the perusal of all, and unsealed, so that it
will be understood by all, will be one principal means of
that glorious reformation, whose happy scenes are depicted
in the following chapters.
And the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works. It is gen
erally thought, that the term judged in this place makes it
unquestionable, that the final judgment is meant. But,
commonly in the old Testament from which this whole
figurative language is drawn, the term is used to signify the
exercise of government, the act of ruling, and also the act
of vindicating. I give a few examples. — Deborah judged
Israel at that time. Tola, judged Israel twenty-three years.
3 air judged — twenty-two years ; Je2Dhtha — six years; Samp
son — twenty years ; and so of Samuel and many others.
David says, Ps. 67 : 4, ' Thou shalt judge the j>eopie right
eously ;' that is, govern them in equity. Again, 96 : 13,
'The Lord shall judge, i.e., rule the world with righteous
ness and the people with his truth.' This is directly in
point, for it evidently refers to the very period of which
John is speaking. The psalm is a sublime song of praise

CHAPTER XX. 243
for the spread of the knowledge of the glory of God through
the world, and for his reign over all people.
To be judged out of the things written in the books, is to
be governed according to the statutes, precepts, and ordi
nances contained in them. It is to make these the rules by
which the people are to regulate their conduct, and by
which the government is to be administered. The people
will be governed equitably, righteously, because they will be
dealt with according to their works. Thus will it be under
the glorious reign of the Son of God in that future period.
13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and
death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:
and they were judged every man according to their works. —
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it. The sea is
an emblem of nations in a state of commotion, contention,
or anarchy, either without proper laws and institutions, or
regardless of them. These nations, whether heathen or
civilized, will yield up their dead, viz., their ignorant, irre
ligious, oppressed people, to be governed by the righteous
principles contained in the books. Instead of being turbu
lent, heathenish and rebellious, they will yield a willing
subjection to the mild and equitable reign of the Prince of
peace. And death and hell delivered up the dead which were in
them. The word for hell in this place is hades, which is not
that used for the place of future punishment. If we would
know what is meant by death and hell here, we must ob
serve the manner in which John himself uses the phrase.
It occurs in the sixth chapter in describing the events under
the fourth seal, thus : ' Behold a pale horse, and his name
that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.'
Now this describes the dreadful state of the Roman empire
under heathen rulers, from Commodu3 to Philippus, when

244 " CHAPTER XX.
internal commotions, wars, massacres, and most barbarous
persecution of Christians characterized the times. There
were twenty emperors and thirty usurpers in fifty years.
John himself furnishes the key to the explanation,
by saying, that ' power was given to Death and Hell to
kill with sword, with hunger, and with death, and with the
beasts of the earth.' In reference to this, Woodhull says,
" To profess pure religion became a crime. Severe and
murderous laws were enacted against those who deviated
from the standard of doctrine established by corrupt rulers.
Whole nations of Christians were subjugated or extirpated."
This horrible state of things is expressed by Death on a
pale horse and Hell following; fit emblems truly to ex
press the rampant domination of heathenism and tyranny ;
and the practice of relentless persecution and murder, at
tended with various tortures, too revolting to be described.
It is readily perceived and is admitted, that in these cases
Death and Hades are personifications of great public evils,
and a great sacrifice of life. As personal beings, they are
represented as having authority and power over a portion
of mankind, viz., those who are held in a state of moral
and political degradation, called for that reason, the dead.
These unhappy subjects of theirs, they surrender to a
higher authority, to be dealt with in a different manner.
They were judged every -man according to his works, i.e.,
they will be ruled over according to the principles of equity,
and every one will be treated as he deserves. In this
coming reign of righteousness, no wrong will be inflicted
on any, and all will stand on their own merits.
14. And death and Mil were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. — Here the evidence is conclusive,
that these terms are not used in a literal sense. Let us
ask, what is death ? It is not a personage, nor a substance ;

CHAPTER XX. „ 245
but simply an event — the cessation of life. How can an
event be cast into a lake of fire ? And what is hell or
hades ? It is the invisible world, the place of departed
spirits. How can that be cast into a lake of fire ? Plainly
all is symbolical. The lake of fire is that which we have
repeatedly explained it to be, viz., the experience of great
troubles and desolating calamities.
Death and Hell, considered as beings, are represented as
cast into that lake ; that is, the wretched state of things,
which those terms symbolize, will be destroyed by signal
visitations of divine justice and power ; in other words,
religious errors, superstition, and idolatry, social evils, con
tention and anarchy, with political evils, oppressions and
wrongs, will be destroyed by the spiritual and providential
means, which God will then employ. This is the second
death ; the second and final destruction of those mighty
evils. The first was previous to the thousand years ; but
was partial both as to completeness and extent. This will
be complete and entire. The earth will be purged of the
evils, with which mankind have been afflicted, through all
preceding ages, and these verses describe the purifying pro
cess. Death, says the Vocabulary of Symbolical Lan
guage, " is the extinction of moral or political existence."
This second death is the second destruction, the final extinc
tion of those moral and political evils, by which mankind
have been degraded besotted, and ruined.
If it be objected, that this is giving a signification to the
term death in this last clause, different from that in the
first clause where it is coupled with hell, I reply, that so
John uses the word in the two places. By no rational inter
pretation can they be made to signify the same. To say that
the death, which is to be cast into a lake of fire, is the sec
ond death, is to speak unintelligible nonsense. And the
manner in wliich commentators have passed over these ex-

246 CHAPTER XX.
pressions, shows that they felt conscious, that their mixed
literal and metaphorical mode of interpretation, is at least
questionable. If it be doubted, whether death is used in the senses
which I have given to it, then let the Bible decide. I have
said, that in the one case, it means the state of ignorance,
obscurity, heathenism, destitution of Christian privileges
and of the blessings of an equitable government. The fol
lowing are a few out of many inspired examples. Job
said, ' The Lord poureth contempt upon princes ;
he discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth
out to light the shadow of death.' Again, ' He setteth an
end to darkness, and the shadow of death.' David said,
' Thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and
covered us with the shadow of death.' The previous verses,
particularly the eleventh, in which it is declared, ' Thou
hast given us like sheep appointed for meat : thou hast
scattered us among the heathen,' show plainly what the
'¦place of dragons, and shadow of death,' mean. Ps. 44 :
19. Again, in Psalms 107 : 10 and 14, it is written, 'Such
as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound
in affliction and iron.' ' He brought them out of darkness
and the shadow of death, and brake their bands asunder.'
Isaiah says, (9 : 2,) 'The people that walked in darkness have
seen a great light ; and they who dwell in the land of the
shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.' Also
Matt. 4 : 16, and Luke 1 ¦ 79. Thus said the Lord by
Jeremiah, ' Give glory to the Lord your God, lest while ye
look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make
it gross darkness.' How manifest it is, that John uses the
word death in the sense of the above writers, as meaning a
state of ignorance, depression, destitution, and suffering.
Accordant with this, as I have shown repeatedly, is the
phrase, the dead. The second death expresses simply the

CHAPTER XX. 247
idea of destruction or extinction, viz. : of those terrible
evils with which the world has been cursed.
15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire.- — The books are those
which prescribe the rules of human action. Not to be
found written in them, is not to have a character correspond
ent with what is required. It is to pursue a course of
conduct opposite to the principles prescribed. Those who
are guilty of such disobedience, will experience those
calamities and distresses, with which God will finally pu
rify the world. For then ' the greatness of the kingdom
under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the
saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him,'
The preceding verses from the eleventh, as I understand
them, do not refer to the final judgment at all, nor to the end
of the world. The end of the world is not mentioned, nor
even intimated. There has seemed to be an universal de
termination throughout Christendom,- to put the end of all
sublunary things here. But, my belief is, that God has de
termined -far otherwise. I have no doubt, that he has great
and glorious things to accomplish in this world beyond the
period with which this chapter closes. There is in these
verses no intimation of the second advent of Christ ; — none
of the concomitants of that great event are mentioned ; — no
voice of an archangel ; no retinue of mighty angels is an
nounced ; no glorious appearing of the Son of God is
affirmed. From the mode of expression we should con
clude, that the object which principally engaged the atten
tion of John at the moment, was the great shining throne,
which'is an emblem of an equitable, . perfect government.
This government, wielded by Him who occupied the throne,
he goes on to show will work an entire change, a most aus-

248 CHAPTER XX.
picious change in the social, political and spiritual condition
of men, preparatory to the bright scenes in the succeeding
chapters. A reason for fixing the time for the final judgment and
(he end of the world at the close of the thousand years, seems
to have been, that it could not be perceived, what other
time could be fixed upon for those great events. And the
universal impression, produced by a misunderstanding of
other passages in the New Testament, has been, that those
events are somewhat near at hand. That mistaken notion
has probably had its influence to produce the erroneous in
terpretation, which makes these verses to designate the
coming of Christ, the last judgment, and the closing of the
world's great drama. Hence, the question which is so
often put. If this be not the time for those august trans
actions, when will it be ? I have only to answer, that God
has nowhere taught us when it will be : and I regard it as
highly presumptuous for any man to undertake to specify
the time. That the time will be according to the popular
belief, at the close of the thousand years, I see no reason to-
admit. On the other hand, I see weighty reasons for repu
diating that belief. These reasons will appear in the exe
gesis of the remaining chapters.
Yet, here I may ask, why, after the brief period of seven
thousand years, should this wonderfully constructed world
be struck out of existence ? Why should sin have so long
a reign, and the kingdom of Christ set up to destroy it,
scarcely attain ascendency at all ? A careful and candid
examination of what is here said of the thousand years,
does not show them to be years of such spiritual perfection,
which they have been represented to be, by any means .
All that is affirmed, or that can be properly inferred, con
cerning that period is, that there will then be a suppression

CHAPTER XXI. 249
of certain evils, and a large degree of prosperity given to
true religion.
And, is this all, that Christ will do for his church and
kingdom in the world ? Can this be reconciled with the
infinitely benevolent design of his mission ? Is Satan to be
the god of this world till just about the close of its dura
tion ? When somewhat more than a thousand years shall
have passed, is this earth, so beautifully adorned, and so
full of evil, to be struck from its orb.it, and be dismissed
from the sisterhood of planets in our system ? Did the
travail of the Redeemer's soul mean no more than this ;
and will he accomplish no more than this ? Let those be
lieve this who will ; but I can never admit, that such will
be the termination of this world's affairs.

CHAPTER XXI..
The New Heaven and New Earth.
The preceding chapter closes with the presentation of
the great changes which will be made under the perfect
government of Messiah, which government is symbolized
by a great shining throne. The mighty evils which have
cursed mankind being swept away, and correct principles
relating to human welfare in this life and that wliich is to
eome, being universally diffused and understood, we come
to the last act in the great drama of divine providence con
cerning our world. New scenes now open, bright, cheer
ing and glorious. The mind, pained and sickened with
contemplating human degradation and wretchedness, turns
to those scenes with delight, and the soul feels the refresh
ing influence of them, even at this large distance.
II*

250 CHAPTER XXI.
It is the commonly received opinion, that what is por- ¦
trayed in this and the succeeding chapter relates exclusively
to heaven. The new Jerusalem is considered to be the
heavenly city, and poets have sung of it as the eternal and
" happy home" of the saints. This view of the matter re
sults necessarily from the error of understanding what im
mediately precedes, as the end of the world ; for what but
the scenes of eternity are to follow the end of time and of
all sublunary things ?, But, there are many particulars in
these two chapters, which cannot with propriety be attrib
uted to heaven and the eternal state of the blessed. On
the face of the description it is apparent, that these are
scenes to be realized on this terrestrial theater of human af
fairs. I have no doubt, that these are the scenes briefly but
brilliantly exhibited by the ancient prophets ; that in those
scenes will be the fulfillment of what Daniel said concern
ing the stone which became a great mountain and filled the
whole earth ; which he interprets to be that kingdom,
which shall break in pieces, and consume all other kingdoms,
and which shall stand forever. It is not a little remarkable,
that as John employs the same emblems, and appears to
predict the same events, as do the ancient prophets, it
should have been so uniformly agreed, that they speak of
the kingdom of Christ in this world, but that he refers to
the heavenly world. Why not say, that the new heavens
and new earth mentioned by Isaiah and the city which
Ezekiel so minutely describes, and his river of living, pu
rifying water, whose banks were adorned with trees, are all
descriptive of heaven ? The absurdity of such an inter
pretation would be its own refutation.
1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth : for the
first heaven and the first earth were passed away ; and there
was no more sea. — We have just been told that the heaven

CHAPTER XXI. 251
and earth fled away from the face of him who sat on the
throne, which fact is repeated in this verse ; and now we
are informed that a new heaven and earth will succeed in
their place. The old disordered state of things will pass
away ; and a new, happy, and delightful state of things will
follow. Thus God, by his servant Isaiah, describes the
happy change which he would work for his people in restor
ing them from captivity, and in putting them in the enjoy
ment of great temporal and spiritual blessings, as the
creation of new heavens and a new earth. ' Behold I create
new heavens and a new earth ; and the former shall not be
remembered, nor come into mind. Be ye glad and rejoice
forever in that which I create ; for behold,.I create Jerusa
lem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice
in Jerusalem, arid joy in my people,' &c. Isa. 65 : 17-25.
Dr. Scott remarks upon this passage, " By the new creating
power of God, the circumstances of the church, and the char
acter of men, shall be so altered, that it will appear as en
tirely a new world ; so that the former confusions, iniquities,
and miseries of the human race shall be no more remem
bered or renewed." This exhibits the real meaning of the
new heavens and new earth, both as regards the Jews and
others. Yet, in the same connection he says, " John uses
the expressions ne* heaven and new earth, to mean the
heavenly state, after the end of the world, and the day of
judgment." To my mind it is much more accordant with
scriptural analogy and consistency to maintain, that the
Christian prophet, who was also a Jew, uses the symbolical
language of the ancient prophet, and in the same sense.
By the new heaven and new earth, I understand, a re-
. formed and perfected state of things in relation to the po
litical, social and religious affairs of men. Governments
will be formed on the equitable and benevolent basis of the
gospel, and be administered for the best good of the whole.

252 CHAPTER XXI.
The means of acquiring useful knowledge will be superior
in kind, and will be accessible to all. The human mind
will be illuminated with truth on all subjects, and thus its
powers will have their most favorable development. Man
kind will be advanced to an intellectual and moral eleva
tion, to which as a mass they have never before attained.
The chief instrumentality in producing this elevation will be
the gospel. Religion will then have a controlling influence
over the minds of men, and over their customs and habits.
The knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth, and holiness,
its appropriate fruit, will give a new aspect to society, and
make this appear like a new world. On the ruins of
Satan's empire- will be firmly established that kingdom,
which consists in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy
Ghost. This will be the period when ' the kingdoms of this
world will become the kingdoms of Christ,' and ' when all
nations shall serve him.' On the face of the prophetic re
cord it is manifest, that Satan's kingdom is not overthrown
during the thousand years. There is to be then, a curtail
ment of evil, and an increase of all that is good. But, it
will be only an advance toward that state of which this
chapter treats. The period of the new heaven and new
earth will so far exceed all that has gone before it, as to
justify the terms by which it is designated. It will be 8
glorious completion of God's wise and benevolent designs
concerning this world and its inhabitants : — a finale, which
will give the kingdom of Christ its fullest triumph, and
which will be " the restitution of all things which God hath
spoken by his holy prophets." Acts 3 : 21. Jesus must
reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet, and this
is the period in which that consummation will be reach
ed. What had preceded will be only an approximation
to it.And there was no more sea ; or, literally, the sea is no

CHAPTER XXI. 253
more. The sea is an emblem of a multitude of people, or
nations in a state of commotion, anarchy, and alarm, also
of the invasion of hostile armies. 13:1, and Jer. 51 : 42,
The idea seems to be, that contentions, wars, the dashing
of nation against nation, which have spread devastation and
misery through the earth, will cease forever. Then will be
experienced the full blessedness of the reign of the Prince
of Peace.

2. And I John saiv the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband. — We have had a prophetic description of
the character, acts, and demolition of an apostate church,
under the name of the great city, Babylon ; now, in con
trast, we have a symbolic description of the true church in
its purest earthly state, under the name of the holy city,
new Jerusalem. That it is the church, and not a literal
city, nor the heavenly state, is made sufficiently plain by
the ninth verse, where one of the seven angels having the
vials of the last plagues, calls it the bride, the Lamb's wife,
which all admit to be the church of believers. Jerusalem
is the appropriate emblem of this, because it was the grand
center of the former dispensation, the capital of God's
chosen people, the divinely appointed place for the celebra
tion of their religious solemnities. There was the temple
honored with a manifestation of the divine presence ; as
saith the Psalmist ; — ' The Lord hath chosen Zion, he hath
desired it for his habitation. This is my rest forever, here
will I dwell.' There was given the first great baptism of
the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, when the Son of God
came in his kingdom with power. It is a hallowed spot,
around which a thousand sacred associations gather.
So the Christian church is an object of God's peculiar
favor. He dwells in it by his Spirit. It is the repository

254 CHAPTER XXI.
of his truth, and by it his worship and ordinances are
maintained. It did not originate in human wisdom and
goodness, nor is it sustained by human policy. Therefore,
J ohn says, he saw it coming down from God out of heaven.
Its author and builder is God. Its members are children
of God, who are ' born not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.' He preserves
it by his own power, and bestows upon it all its gifts and
graces. This will be eminently the fact in that bright
period of its existence which is here intended ; and thus it
comes down from his glorious presence.
If this city be heaven itself, as is generally maintained,
-what is meant by its coming down from God out of heaven?
How can the place of the divine abode come down from
the divine abode ? How can the place of the saints' eter
nal blessedness, be transferred to some other place ? The
fact is, this is not a literal city in this world or any other;
but is the church of the living God, in its highest state of
earthly perfection. This is shown by the next expression :
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. A bride ar
rays herself in her beautiful attire to please and honor her
husband. So the church at that period will be prepared by
the Holy Spirit, to please and honor her Lord. She will
have the ornament of a meek and heavenly spirit, the
beauty of true holiness. When the church is thus pre
pared, we are next informed, that God will manifest him
self to his people, and grant them his presence as he did in
Jerusalem, or in the camp of the Israelites in their journey
through the wilderness.
3. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Be
hold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell
with them, and they shall be his people, and God him
self shall be with them, and be their God\ — The remarkable

CHAPTER XXI. 255
providences of God will make it notorious that his gracious
presence is with his people. This will be as evident, as it
would be, if a voice from the clouds should proclaim it,
' All nations shall know that I have loved thee, saith the
Lord.' A great event is announced, wonderful in its nature, and
deserving the admiration of all. Behold the tabernacle of
God is with men, and he will dwell with them. The taber
nacle, and afterward the temple, were earthly dwelling-
places of the Most High. In the time of the new heaven
and new earth, either the Theocracy will be restored ; or,
something like it of peculiar excellence, will be established
among men. Whether there will be a visible manifesta
tion of his presence, we will not say.; but, that his presence
in a very special manner will be with his people, is un-
equivocably asserted. He will dwell with them, not tran
siently, but permanently.
And they shall be his people : — an expression often used
in reference to the Israelites. In this place its meaning is
intensive. They will be his truly and with all the heart.
They will serve and obey him as he requires, and nothing
in them shall alienate them from him. God himself shall
be with them, and be their God. This reaffirms his presence
with them with strong emphasis ; and conveys the idea,
that this will be the case in a higher degree than ever be
fore. There will be a purity of character, a depth of piety,
and elevation of views, that will bring men into intimate
companionship with God, and he will condescend to give
them delightful manifestations of himself. He will be
their God. They will acknowledge no other, they will love
and adore no other. And he will be to them all that a
being of infinite perfections may be expected to be. See
this promise in Heb. 8 : 10, 11.

256 CHAPTER XXI.
4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes ;
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain : for the former things
are passed away.- — Here again is an adoption of the lan
guage of the ancient prophet, and doubtless with a similar
meaning. In the twenty-fifth chapter of Isaiah it is said,
' The Lord of hosts will destroy on this mountain the face
of the covering cast over all people. He will swallow up
death in victory ; and the Lord God will wipe away tears
from off all faces ; and the rebuke of his people will he re
move from all the earth. And it shall be said in that day,
Lo, this is our God ; we have waited for him, and he will
save us.' The faces (as it is in the Hebrew) of the covering
cast over all people, I understand to be the ignorance,
superstition, and delusive errors under whose blighting in
fluence they have lived. The death which is to be swallow
ed up in victory, is not the cessation of natural life, or liter
al death, for mankind will continue to die in that period :
but, it is that kind of death, which I have already explain
ed, and which is mentioned in the very next clause, viz.,
moral and political death, — a state in which people are de
prived of civil and religious privileges, degraded and op
pressed. The wiping away of all tears is the removal of
those things which are occasions of human woe, such as
war, tyranny, and other grievous calamities. When the
causes of sorrow cease, then will sorrow itself cease. Both
prophets describe what was to take place in this world.
And there shall be no more death. A commentator re
marks, that " No expression equally strong on this particu
lar occurs in any part of scripture, except where the heaven
ly state is evidently intended." But, in the case just
quoted, Isaiah uses the term death in a manner fully as
strong; and, beyond question, in a figurative sense, and in
relation to the temporal affairs of the people concerned.

CHAPTER XXI. 257
As is usual, the key to the explanation of the passage is
laid alongside of the passage itself, which is this :— " For
in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab
shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden
|d|wn for the duughill." The error of the above commen-
^^.and of others, is, that they have applied to the word
^at^a. literal sense. Matthew says the prophecy of
I?alj([ was fulfilled in the coming of Christ and the preach-
-W» the gospel, where it is written, ' The people who sat
pjgpirkness saw a great light ; and to them who sat in the
'region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up.' See
also Luke 1 : 79. These are instances of the use of the
term death in a figurative sense, meaning a state of igno
rance, moral, and civil degradation. The expression, there
fore, that there shall be no more death, signifies, that man
kind will no more be subjected to such an unhappy condi
tion, — a deprivation of that which gives to life its highest
value and enjoyment.
Neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain. The word translated sorrow is defined to mean
' grief, melancholy occurrence, misfortune.' The word for
crying does not have the signification of weeping at all, but
that of croaking and vociferation, in the sense of complain
ing and demanding something in a rude and clamorous
manner. And the word translated pain signifies ' labor,
weariness, distress, affliction.' The sentiment expressed,
then, is, that in this happy period of the new heaven and
new earth, these evils now so common, will cease. Thus,
rightly understood, the passage indicates an earthly, not
a heavenly state.
This is made evident by the reason which the writer has
appended, thus : — For the former things have passed away.
Can it be said in truth, that these things have passed away
from heaven ? Is that great change, which is the burden of

258 CHAPTER XXI.
this prophecy, to take place there ? Undoubtedly the
change is to take place where it is needed, and where those
will live, who receive the benefits of it. The change cannot
be wrought anywhere else ; for there can be no occasion
for it anywhere else. How illogical, nay, senseless it
would be to say, that there will be no more death, nor sor
row, nor crying, nor pain in heaven, because the former
things upon earth have come to an end ! I am constrained
to believe, that there has been a universal misapplication
of what is contained in this verse.
5. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make
all things new. And he said unto me, Write : for these
words are true and faithful. — The throne is the great shining
throne previously mentioned, and its occupant is the same.
The fact announced by him is, that he makes all things
new. This is evidently an explanation of what is meant
by the new heaven and the new earth. But, where are all
things to be made new ? Most certainly in this world.
No wonder that the commentators in common use, have
passed over this most important fact, either without at
tempting to show its meaning, or with a slight notice.
Having brought the world to an end prematurely at the
close of the last chapter ; and having there passed through
the scenes of the resurrection and the last judgment, and
now referring all in this chapter to the eternal world, they
had nothing to say about making all things new. They
have no place or occasion for this great operation of divine
providence, — this greatest of all the events which form the
grand subjects of prophecy ; — -this magnificent consumma
tion of this world's affairs.
Where are all things to be made new ? To say that this
is to be done in heaven, is_a libel upon heaven. To say,
that its signification is, that the saints will find themselves

CHAPTER XXI. 259'
in a new and happy condition in heaven, is a perversion of
the text, and makes it most insipid. Scott remarks, ' The
Lord Jesus brings sinners into a new state, and creates
them anew to holiness ; and he will make all things new,
respecting their situation and manner of living, when he
hath brought them, perfected both in body and soul, to his
glorious felicity." The "Comprehensive Commentary"
says nothing. Adam Clarke's comment is only this : —
"As the creation of the world, at the beginning, was the
work of God alone ; so this new creation." Professor
Stuart has the following, " He who sitteth enthroned as the
judge of all, now solemnly declares, that all his promises
to the saints, as to their future reward, may be relied upon
with entire confidence. The making all things new, means
entirely changing the old "state of things, in which death,
mourning, sin, and sorrow, so much prevailed. Comp.
Is. 43 : 19. Jer. 31 : 32."
How much of an explanation the above quotations are of
that great announcement embracing the perfection of all
God's works concerning this world and its inhabitants, the
reader can judge. If he gets from them a distinct and sat
isfactory understanding of what is meant, it is well. But, is
it easy to perceive in what sense " the future reward of the
saints" is a making of all things new ? May the meaning
of the revelator be so stretched as to extend to both worlds,
including the ' future reward of the saints,' and ' the old
state of things ' here ? I think not.
What, then, is implied in making nil things new ? I
would say, that it implies an entire change in the social,
political, and religious state of mankind ; and probably
also, a change in the physical condition of the earth, so that
it will be restored to its original state of beauty, salubrity,
and productiveness. It will be such a change as we may
well suppose, when the tabernacle of God will be with men,

260 CHAPTER XXI.
and he will dwell with them, and be their God,, and they
will be his people. It will be the time when the earth
will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, and his name
will be praised from the rising to the setting of the sun ; —
when that kingdom which is righteousness, peace, and joy
in the Holy Ghost, will be universal.
When God said to his people by Isaiah, ' Behold I create
new heavens and. a new earth, — for I create Jerusalem a
rejoicing,' &c, a great change is meant in the condition of
that people. So here, the making of all things new, heaven
and earth, and the introduction of a new Jerusalem, is a
far greater change, in more respects, and so extensive, as to
embrace all people.
Mankind will doubtless be born then, as they now are;
but they will not live as they now do. They will die then,
but not as most of them die now. They will need conyer-'
sion then, and they will be converted ; and this will not be
delayed, till they have spent the best portion of their lives
in the service of the devil. God will then have the best
portion of human life for his own service. Youth will no
more think of growing up in the practice of sin, than they
now think of growing up in the practice of holiness. It
will be a " new " world indeed ; — so new, that a visitor to
it of the present generation, would not recognize it to be
the world in which he had lived and died.
And he said unto me, Write ; &c. Record this great
announcement, that it may be read by coming generations ;
that they may know what God will do for his church and
the world. Record it, that it may stand as an object of
faith to the saints till the glorious fulfillment shall be real
ized. Record it, that it may be a subject for their prayers ;
and that it may animate them to zealous effort through the
many years of trials and conflicts, which will intervene.
Write these words, that they may be an ever-enduring

CHAPTER XXI. 261
motto, never to be forgotten, — always to shed their cheer
ing influence on the souls of my people, — always to sustain
their hope, even in the darkest times. Write them, for they
are true and faithful, i.e., they will certainly be fulfilled,
and they are most worthy to be believed. Behold, I make
all things new. So, O Lord, let thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
6. • And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the end : I will give unto him
that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. —
It is done. The struggle with wickedness for dominion in
this world will then be over ; for the kingdoms of this
world will then become the kingdoms of our Jehovah and
of his Christ. The designs of infinite wisdom and goodness
will then reach their highest attainment. Christ ' was
manifested to destroy the works of the devil,' says an
apostle. We have seen, that this will not be done in the
thousand years, nor until a new heaven and earth are pro
duced. Then, and not till then, will the benevolent pur
pose of Christ's mission be accomplished. Then will be
realized the bright visions of the prophets concerning the
church ; and Christ, having put all enemies under his feet,
will reign king over all the earth.
He then announced himself the Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end, i.e., the Originator and Finisher
of all these things pertaining to his kingdom. As Isaiah
said, ' he is the father of the ages.' He-founded the church,
and he will advance it to universal dominion. The gra
cious promise is added : I will give to him who is thirsty, &c.
The water of life signifies those spiritual influences and
blessings which invigorate, purify, and refresh the soul.
See John 7 : 37-39. These will be bestowed as free gifts

262 CHAPTER XXI.
on those who thirst, i.e., earnestly admire them. In him
is all fullness, and he gives freely and liberally.
For the encouragement of his followers, he promises also,
to the overcoming person, that he shall inherit all things ';
those things mentioned in the preceding verses ; all the
best blessings of his reign, and these will be succeeded by
a glorious inheritance in another world. Blessed, said he,
are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Paul wrote
to the Corinthians thus : ' Let no man glory in man ; for
all things are yours ; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas,
or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things
to come ; alVare yours.' The labors of Christ's ministers,
the things of the world needful for you, the enjoyments
and the trials of life, even the event of death, present cir
cumstances, arid whatever lies in futurity, are the all things
designated as the believers. Macknight says of the things
present and the things to come, " that by -the direction of the
providence of God, all things, prosperous or adverse,
whether present or future, will be made subservient to the
promoting of their virtue in the present life, and of their
felicity in the life to come." To inherit all things is to be
partakers in all those blessings which Christ designs to be
stow on his people.
And I will be to him a God ; to do for him what God
only can do ; and he shall be to me a son, adopted and loved
as such, and be made an heir of my kingdom.
8. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable,
and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idola
ters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone : which is the second death.
— Very different from what is said above will it be with
such as the following, viz : the cowardly, who shrink from
the maintenance of the truth and the performance of duty ;

CHAPTER XXI, 263
the unbelieving, who have no true confidence in the word of
God, or gospel of his grace ; the abominable, those who are
to be abhorred for their vices ; murderers, those who perse
cute and destroy their fellow men ; adulterers, those who
violate the seventh commandment, particularly, perhaps,
those who do this in connection with their heathen wor
ship ; sorcerers, who practice enchantments; idolaters, all
who worship images and heathen gods ; all liars, those who
fabricate what is false ; the authors and supporters of false
religions. The portion of these is in the lake, &c. They
shall suffer inward distress, remorse, and fear ; they shall
be subjects of the wrathful visitations of God ; the inflic
tion of those evils, which they have merited by their
iniquities. The endurance of those evils and sufferings, and
the destruction consequent upon them, will be the second
death.' Here, as in the fourth verse, there is a reference to the
old state of things, previously described ; and the same
doom is pronounced on those who will be enemies of Christ
and his church, as is pronounced on the beast and false pro
phet, and on death and hades, and on those whose charac
ters are not conformed to what is required in the book of
life. This destruction of persecutors, corrupters of the
worship of God, deceivers, and supporters of false religion,
under his displeasure, carries with it, as a consequence,
their future destruction in another world.
To suppose that such persons, as are here described, will
be cut off from the earth by the wrathful visitations of
God, and be made everlastingly happy as his people, seems
to me a great absurdity. Though John may not in any of
these instances have intended to teach the fact of the pun
ishment of the wicked in another world, because foreign to
his purpose ; yet, this does not at all discredit that fact.
Just as in the Old Testament, we have God's threatening to

264 CHAPTER XXI.
' destroy man from the face of the earth' by a flood ; yet
nothing is said about punishment in another world. Shall
we, therefore, conclude there is no such punishment ? So
far from it, we would say, that such punishment follows as
a natural and necessary consequence. The same is the
case in the record of the destruction of the cities of the
plain. The angels declared to Lot that they were sent to
destroy those cities ; but no intimation was given of what
would become of the inhabitants in another state of exist
ence. So in other similar cases. And it should be
observed, that this is the style of the scriptures, when they
speak of the calamitous visitations of God. Of Judas it is
recorded, that " he went to his own place ;" but no intimation
is given of what became of Ananias and Sapphira after their
death. The future destinies of mankind we may learn
from the nature of God's character and government, and
from the direct teachings of Christ and his apostles. By
them we are assured, that " we must all appear before the
judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the
things done in his body, according to that he hath done,
whether it be good or bad." And I have only to say again,
that John, or his hierophantic teacher, has spoken in the
style of the ancient scriptures.

The Holy Jerusalem, the LamVs Wife.
9. And there came unto me one of the seven angels which
had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked
with vie, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the
Lamb's wife. — Having given a general view of that happy
state of the world when all things will be made new, a

CHAPTER XXI. 265
particular description is subjoined of the holy Jerusalem,
a symbol of the Christian church. The view of it is pre
sented by one of the seven angels, who had one of the
vials of the last seven plagues ; a plain intimation that
these things are to take place under the last of those vials,
and that the end of the world had not come, or will not
have come at that period. The last era of the church is
this which the apostolic seer is describing.
Come hither, said the angel, and I will show thee the bride,
the Lamb's wife. And what does he show ? That great
city, the holy Jerusalem. Manifestly then, that city is not
heaven, for where is heaven ever called the bride, the wife
of the Lamb ? ' As so much has been very beautifully
written, and said and sung, concerning this symbolic city,
as being heaven itself, it may seem very ungracious to say,
that it is all founded in mistake. But, as an expounder of
Christ's word, I must not be guided by the fancies of men ;
but endeavor to show what is the true meaning of that
word. All agree, that the bride, the wife of the Lamb, is
the church of believers. They should have perceived, that
the holy city is identical with it. Both figures, the wife
and the city, are used by the ancient prophets to repre
sent the church. Isaiah said to the Jewish church, ' Thy
Maker is thy husband ;' of course the church was his wife.
By Jeremiah the Lord said, ' I was a husband unto them.'
Again, ' Turn, O backsliding children, for I am married unto
you, saith the Lord.' Ezekiel also gives a lengthened descrip
tion of the holy city, with its temple and appurtenances.
10. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and
high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jeru
salem, descending out of heaven from God. — John was then
taken in the spirit, i.e., mentally, to a very high mountain
and was shown the holy Jerusalem, descending out of
13

266 CHAPTER XXI.
heaven from God. Here again it is manifest, that the city
is not heaven, for it descends out of heaven. To say, that
it is "the church triumphant in heaven," is a gratuitous as
sumption, and contrary to the declaration twice repeated,
that it descended out of heaven. Here, as elsewhere in
these visions, all is symbolical. The disregard of this fact,
and the taking of a part literally and a part metaphorically
just as suited convenience, has been the occasion of many
errors. This holy city, the church, comes down from
heaven, because, as already explained, it originated in the
counsels of heaven ; because God is the author and sus-
tainer of it ; because Jesus Christ came down from heaven
to redeem it, and to be its architect ; and because its per
petuation and increase depends on that Holy Spirit which
comes down from above. Everything pertaining to the
church from its conception in the mind of the Eternal, to
its last hour hi this world, is from heaven.
11. Having the glory of God; and her light was like
unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper-stone, clear
as crystal. — This city appeared resplendent with the glory
of God, showing, that the church, at the period intended,
will be purified, and will reflect the divine perfections on
the world. Its light is compared to a pellucid jasper, which
is of a sea-green color, transmitting a light, which is agree
able to the eye, indicating that the church will be attractive
to all, and shed a happy influence upon all.
12 and 13. And had a wall great and high, and had
twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written
thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the chil
dren of Israel. On the east, three gates ; on the north, three
gates ; on the south, three gates ; and on the west, three gates.
— The city was surrounded with a high and massive wall,

CHAPTER XXI. 267
denoting that it is well protected by the power of God ;
inaccessible to its enemies. It had twelve gates, three on
each side, and twelve angels as guardians, and on the gates
the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, as though the city
were theirs, and for their use. This has led some to the belief,
that all this is prophetic of the restoration and conversion
of the Jews, agreeably to what Paul says, " that in the
dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather
together in one all things in Christ." Doubtless at this
period Jews and Gentiles will constitute one church.
14. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and
in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. — The
wall of the city had twelve foundations or courses of stones,
and on these were inscribed the names of the twelve apos
tles, showing that Divine protection is exercised over his
church according to what he has taught us by his apostles.
Paul likens the church to a temple, and says, ' it is built on
the foundation of the apostles and prophets.'
15 and 16. And he that talked with me had a golden reed
to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
And the city lieth four-square, and the length is as large as
the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve
thousand furlongs ; the length, and the breadth, and the
height of it are equal. — The angel had a golden measuring
rod in his hand to ascertain the dimensions of the city ;
and it was found that the length, breadth, and height were
equal, each being twelve thousand furlongs, or fifteen hun
dred miles, making the form of it an exact cube. Now, a
literal city fifteen hundred miles in length, and the same in
breadth, and the same in height, would be an extraordinary
thing indeed ! Though all this is so evidently symbolic,

268 CHAPTER XXI.
there are many, who profess to believe that all this is to be
literally fulfilled.
Ezekiel was also transported in spirit to a very high
mountain, and shown the city : and he saw a man with a
line of flax and a measuring reed in his hand. Ezek. 40 :
3. Zechariah also, just at the close of the captivity in
Babylon, had a vision of Jerusalem, and saw a man with a
measuring line in his hand, going to measure the city.
Zech. 2:1,2. By these visions was foreshadowed the res
toration of the Jews to their own land, and the bestowment
of divine favor upon them.
- 17-. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and
forty and four cubits, according to the measure cf a man, that
is, of the angel. — The wall being one hundred and forty-
four cubits, refers probably to its thickness. This is two
hundred and sixteen feet, allowing one foot and a half for
a cubit. 18. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper ; and
the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. — The wall was
built of jasper, which is said to be very hard and durable.
The city was pure gold, and withal transparent, rich, costly
and pure. Such the church will be.
19 and 20. And the foundations of the wall of the city
were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first
foundation was jasper ; the second sapphire ; the third, a
chalcedony ; the fourth, an emerald ; the fifth, sardonyx ;
the sixth, sardius ; the seventh, chrysolite ; the eighth,
beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus ; the
eleventh, a jacinth ; the twelfth, an amethyst. — The stones
named in these verses are nearly the same as those used in
the breastplate of Aaron, the high priest. Those stones

CHAPTER XXI. 269
were twelve in number, set in four rows incased with gold ;
and upon them were inscribed the names of the twelve
tribes of Israel. This the high priest always wore when he
was officiating ; and was called, The memorial. It was a
symbol of the whole Jewish church for which he officiated,
consisting of several tribes, but making one body. In the
fourteenth verse we are informed that the twelve foundations
or courses had the names of the twelve apostles upon them.
In the two verses under examination we are informed of
the kind of precious stones of which the foundations were
made. As therefore, the city denotes the church, we may
suppose that these precious stones, bearing the names of
the apostles in their several courses, mean the precious
truths and doctrines they taught, and that upon these, the
church's wall of defence stands.
21. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls ; every
several gate was of one pearl, and the street of the city was
pure gold, as it were transparent glass. — The gates of the
city, each made of one pearl, could not be literally a fact ;
nor could a street running through a city of such vast mag
nitude, be of pure gold, and that gold transparent as glass.
There is no such metal, and never was any such. Newton
says, that this " may be an emblem of the union in heaven
of those excellencies, which seem here to be incompatible.
They will be splendid and durable as the purest gold;
clear and transparent as the purest glass." And Scott re
marks, " The twelve gates made of so many vast pearls,
denoted that everything will be superlatively glorious, be
yond all comparison with anything seen on earth." Both
assume that the city is heaven itself, or the church in
heaven. I would only say, that it may do for poets to
write of the "pearly gates" and "golden streets of
heaven ;" but for a commentator seriously to teach, that

270 CHAPTER XXL
heaven is like a city made of precious stones and metals,
is quite too great .an absurdity. It is an unjustifiable secu
larizing and materializing of that holy habitation of Jeho
vah, and is making it quite too much an object of the
cupidity of sinful mortals. The mistake begins in apply
ing this to heaven at all. There is, as I conceive, no allu
sion to heaven ; but it is wholly a description of the church
on earth in its most perfect state.
The allusion is to ancient Jerusalem, its wall, and its
gates. There were nine of those gates covered with plates
of gold and silver. Within the city, however, there was
one gate leading into the sacred inclosure of the temple,
and directly in front of the entrance of the sanctuary,
which by way of eminence was " called Beautiful." This
" was made of Corinthian brass, the most precious metal
in ancient times," and was most richly ornamented with
gold and silver. Now, John was shown a city in vision,
not in reality, of which Jerusalem was a pattern ; but far
exceeding in splendor and gorgeousness the great capital of
Palestine. Its gates were more costly, for each one was
composed of a single massive pearl, a very precious gem ;
which may be designed to teach, that as gates open and
close to entrances to a city, admission to the enjoyment of
the blessings and privileges of the church, have been ob
tained at a great cost, and are in themselves of inestimable
value. Christ likens the blessings of grace and salvation
to " a pearl of great price," to obtain which a man went
and sold all that he had.
The street being of gold, having the transparency of
glass, may -signify, that believers at that period will be so
perfected in Christian graces, that even the richest treasures
will be held in low estimation comparatively. They will,
as it were, tread them under their feet ; and their whole
course of life will be distinguished for purity and upright-

CHAPTER XXI. 271
ness. A street kept so clean, that it appears as if made of
transparent gold, seems to indicate the great moral purity
of the people. The prophet Isaiah referring to gospel times,
and perhaps to this very period, says, " An highway shall
be there, — and it shall be called the way of holiness ; the
unclean shall not pass over it; but the redeemed shall
walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and
come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their
heads ; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and
sighing shall flee away."
22. And I saw no temple therein : for the Lord God
Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. — Scott thinks
that this " is demonstration that the heavenly state is ex
clusively meant." Bearing in mind that the city is the
emblem of the Christian church in its purest earthly state
we conclude that the absence of the temple denotes that
God will not again manifest himself in a temple there as
in days of old ; for, as is immediately shown, the city it
self, or the whole church, will be filled with his presence
and glory. And further, that in this bright era of spiritual
ity, the cumbrous system of Jewish forms will not be prac
ticed. As the temple was the grand center of Jewish wor
ship, where only their sacrifices were to be offered, and the
national feasts to be observed ; its absence from the holy
Jerusalem teaches, that a purer, less sensuous, more spirit
ual system has taken its place. The instruction which
Christ gave to the woman of Samaria is directly to this
point. " Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when
neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem shall ye
worship the Father ;" but " the true worshipers will wor
ship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seek
eth such to worship him." As if he had said, There is no
necessity for the Jews and Samaritans to dispute about the

272 CHAPTER XXI.
proper place to worship God ; for the time will come when
the religious forms of both will cease, and a spiritual reli
gion, whose rites may be performed anywhere, will suc
ceed. As Christ often promised, and his apostles taught,
he is in all his people, the members of his mystical body ;
the Christian church is his temple, composed of living
stones ; he manifests himself in it, and will do so yet
more and more. Paul declares ' the church . to be his
body, the fullness of him who filleth all in all.' Eph. 1 :
23. And again, ' Ye are an habitation of God through the
Spirit.' 2 : 22. This, as I conceive, is exactly what John
expresses by the holy city without the temple, and filled
with the presence and glory, and the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb. Indeed, this is precisely what he asserts
in the third verse ; ' Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his
people, and God himself will be with them, and be their
God.' His dwelling-place will be, not at Jerusalem in
particular, but with men everywhere ; and his people -will
be, not the Jews only, but believers all over the earth.
And as the divine presence, grace, and glory will be pecu
liarly manifested, God and the Lamb may appropriately be
styled the temple of believers.
23. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the
moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and
the Lamb is the light thereof. — Another grand peculiarity is
disclosed, expanding still more our view of these magnifi
cent scenes ; the city will not need the sun or the moon to
shine in it, because the glory of God and the Lamb will be
its light. The sixtieth chapter of Isaiah, which predicts the
yet future restoration and conversion of the Jews, furnishes
all the explanation, perhaps, which is needed here. With
beautiful sublimity he says, ' Violence shall no more be

CHAPTER XXI. 273
heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy bor
ders ; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates
Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day;
neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee ;
but the Lord shall be to thee an everlasting light, and thy
God, thy glory. Thy people also shall be all righteous. I
the Lord will hasten it in his time.'
Whether both prophets have here predicted the same
scenes, I would not say ; but certain it is, that the prophet
of Israel, instructed by the Spirit, could perceive these glo
ries of the latter days as easily and as clearly as the
prophet of Patmos.
The woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under
her feet, and a crown of stars on her head, will yet be more
gloriously arrayed ; for the glory of God himself will in
vest her round about, and make her the joy of the whole
earth. The pure radiance of divine truth, and the sanctify
ing influence of the Holy Spirit, proceeding from God and
the Lamb, will give her a moral brightness, infinitely
transcending the light of the sun and the moon. Christ
declared himself to be ' The Light of the world.' Such he
will prove himself to be in a manner far more impressive
than has yet been seen. The full realization of Isaiah's
words is yet to be experienced ; ' The Lord will be to thee
an everlasting light, and thy God, thy glory.' I add, that
Ezekiel closes his vision of the city with this remarkable
expression, " The name of the city from that day shall be,
The Lord is there." This was the key note struck in the
days of Israel's captivity in Babylon : and John, more than
six hundred years afterward, caused it to vibrate again,
more full, more sweet, more enchantingly.
24. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk
in the light of it : and the kings of the earth do bring their
12*

274 CHAPTER XXI.
glory and honor into it. — This light is divine truth accom
panied with the teaching and influence of the Holy Spirit,
all proceeding from God, through Jesus Christ, as has just
been stated ; and believers of all nations will walk accord
ing to it. They will live in obedience to those heavenly
teachings. . firi
And the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor
into it. This I regard as " demonstration," that this is not
a description of heaven. Are the kings of the earth to be
known and acknowledged as such in heaven ; and bring
their riches, their royal magnificence, their blood-stained
glory, their evanescent honors there ? It is much to be
feared, that earth's kings will be very scarce in that celes
tial world. Not one particle of all that is called their
glory and honor, will they carry with them there.
Such passages as these give the true explanation ; ' He
shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to
the ends of the earth.. They who dwell in the wilderness
shall bow before him ; and his enemies shall lick the dust,
The kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring presents ;
the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all
kings shall fall down before him ; all nations shall serve
him.' Psalm 72 : 8-11. Isaiah presents the same dis
tant future scene thus, ' Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be
glad with her, all ye who love her. For thus saith the
Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and
the glory of the Gentiles, like a flowing stream. For as
the new heaven and the new earth which I will make shall
remain before me, so shall your seed and your name re
main.' This is still another instance of the use of the
phrase, new heavens and new earth, and. in the same sense
which I have given to it, viz., a new and happy state Of
things among men. Thus will the believing nations, Jews
and Gentiles, walk in the light of the church ; and sover-

CHAPTER XXI. 275
eigns will make their riches, influence, and power tributary
to its welfare.
25. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day ;
for th" -e shall be no night there. — As this city is the Chris
tian ci. -rch in its most perfect earthly condition, its gates
open continually, denotes, that its blessings and privileges
will be accessible to all ; and also, that such a state of
security and peacefulness will then be enjoyed, that there
will be no occasion for shutting them against an enemy.
For night shall not be there. Night and darkness are
emblems of ignorance, adversity, affliction, and wretched
ness. The church illuminated by divine truth, — cheered
with the influences of the Spirit, and the manifestation of
divine favor, will experience no such night. So said Isaiah,
" Thy sun shall no more go down ; neither shall thy moon
withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting
light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended." See
Isaiah, sixtieth chapter.
26. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the na
tions into it. — In the same chapter Isaiah says, " Thy gates
shall be open continually ; they shall not be shut day nor
night ; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gen
tiles," or as it is in the Septuagint, 'the strength, power, or
wealth of the nations, and their kings leading.' For the na
tion and the kingdom that will not serve thee shall per
ish. Plainly, the meaning of the two prophets is the
same. The wealth, the influence, all that constitutes the
power and glory of nations, will in this last dispensation, be
made subservient to the interests of the church. That will
be considered the object of highest importance in this world,
as involving the present and eternal welfare of men, and the
glory of God.

276 CHAPTER XXI.
27. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that
defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a
lie ; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. —
Admission to this holy city will not be permitted to any
thing unclean, or doeth what is disgusting and abhorrent, or
maketh a falsehood. This embraces what is opposed to
divine precepts, and delusive errors of every sort. Be
lievers will be so elevated in character, and will have so
much resemblance to their divine pattern, that they will
make correct distinctions of what is right and wrong in sen
timent and action ; and none whose practice is evil, or
whose sentiments are contrary to the gospel, will have a
place in the church. As I have already said, mankind will
be born with the same moral nature then, as now. But, as
we have seriptural reason for believing, the largest portion
of them will be early converted ; and the church will be so
advanced in knowledge of the truth and in spiritual excel
lence, it will not tolerate in its bosom error and sin.
They only who are written in the Lamb's book of life will
have a standing in it. The expression is not, whose names
are written in the Lamb's book, as though it were a mere
catalogue ; as is generally represented ; but, as in the pre
vious chapter, they who are written, delineated, described, as
the word signifies. The book of life is that which shows
the way ©f life, — whose truths are the means of enlighten
ing, converting, and saving the soul. That book, as I con
ceive, is the inspired volume. And, it is the Lamb's book,
beeause all its instructions have been given through Jesus
Christ. God has ' spoken to us by his Son.' A voice from
the bright cloud bn the mount of transfiguration, said, ' This
is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him.'
Christ gave, as he promised, the Holy Spirit to his dis
ciples to lead them into all truth ; to qualify them to be his
witnesses to all mankind, and to finish out the revelation

CHAPTER XXI. 277
of things necessary for them to know : This blessed volume,
then, is the Lamb's book of life, for he is the author of it,
and of the life which it promises. Being written in it is to
have the character therein required, — the virtues delineated
by the Spirit.
In that book are the promises concerning life, and direc
tions for obtaining it. Those who follow those directions,
who believe on Christ, and obey his precepts, are written in
that book. Their title to eternal life is inserted there, and
the deed of conveyance is sealed with the blood of the Re
deemer. We perceive now, what is meant by ' the new heaven and
new earth f and what by the parallel phrase, ' making all
things new.' It is not the destruction of the physical hea
ven and earth, and the creation of a new world ; but the
production of a happy state in the moral, social, political,
and religious .affairs of mankind. This is infinitely more
important, — more for the honor of God, and the good of
his creatures than any change in the material world. It
will be the universal application of the great remedy, which
he has provided for the cure of the evils of the apostasy ;
and it will be the period for making that remedy wonder
fully efficacious. The reforming power of our holy religion,
is yet but slightly and 'partially felt ; but the voice of pro
phecy bids us look forward to brighter scenes. We may
wonder, that those scenes lie so far distant, and may wish,
that they were nearer, much nearer. But, God has his own
plans, and these are formed by infinite wisdom and good
ness. He will carry them out in full accomplishment,
and at the right time. However dark and tumultuous may
be this world's affairs at the present, we should repose un
wavering confidence in him. The eye of faith was directed
for many long ages to the coming of Messiah, and in the
fullness of time, he appeared. Our faith must now rest on

278 CHAPTER XXI.
the same sure word of prophecy for those glorious scenes,
wliich are yet to be spread out on this theater of human ac
tion. There is a regular series of developments in divine
providence, each showing important improvements, and
shedding additional light on our sin-darkened world. The
patriarchal period was an advance on what had preceded it.
The Mosaic period, commencing with the Levitical econo
my, was a great advance upon that. The coming of the
Saviour, and the establishment of the Christian dispensation,
began a new era of improvement and light. The reforma
tion in the sixteenth century was another, — the millennium
will be another ; and the period designated as the new
heaven and new earth, and the new Jerusalem in it, will
finish the series, arid fill the earth with the knowledge and
the glory of the Lord.
With that, the visions of the prophets close. Our minds
are carried onward to that state, and we are told, that it
will continue forever and ever ; or, so long as the sun and
the moon shall endure. A particular designation of the
number of years is not given. It is enough for us to know,
that these vast and unspeakably desirable changes will be
wrought in our world ; — that the long dominant empire of
sin and Satan will be destroyed ; and that there will be a
long, very long reign of purity and peace.
It is worthy of particular attention, that the chief of the
ancient prophets conclude their writings with predictions of
the restoration of the Jews, and the bestowment of very
great blessings upon them. This is the fact with the book
of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, Joel, Micah, Ze-
phaniah, and Zechariah. I have no doubt, that John, in
structed by the prophet-angel, does the same ; and that he
adds to this the universality of the Redeemer's reign, and
the willing subjection to him of the other nations of the
earth.

CHAPTER XXII. 279
We should notice also the distinction which is repeatedly
made between those who are written in the book of life,
and those who are not. The former walk in the light with
which the holy city, the Christian church, is illuminated,
and share in all its blessings and privileges ; but the latter
do not. They are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel
and strangers from the covenant of promise. The differ- •
ence in character and condition between these is very great,
and unspeakably important. For, as Christ hath said, 'Ex
cept a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God.'

CHAPTER XXII.
The Great Consummation.
We have had the future prosperous and purified state of
the Christian church presented "under the emblem of a vast
and splendid city most brilliantly illuminated, having at its
command the wealth and influence of nations and kings,
and having all that is erroneous and polluting excluded
from it.
The visions of this last of the prophets now close with a
symbolic representation of the abundant blessings, which
will be enjoyed in this truly happy and glorious dispensa
tion. It may be called the compensating period, in which
God will make up amply for all the evils and miseries,
which sin has occasioned. It is described as paradise re
stored, with God in Christ, as the acknowledged and ador
ed Sovereign of all. To develop these scenes fully requires
something of the inspiration given to the seer of Patmos,
and the aid of the angel who caused these panoramic views

280 CHAPTER XXII.
to pass before his mind. I feel, therefore, 'that all the ex
planation 1 have given or can give, falls far below the sub
lime realities, which they shadow forth. And we should
bear in mind, that it is entirely inadmissible in a commen
tator on the word of God to give scope to his imagina
tion. His work is simply to show what is the truth re
vealed. 1. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear
as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the
Lamb. — A river is an emblem of an abundance of what is
spoken of. Thus in Isa. 48 : 18, we have this address, 0
that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments; then had
thy peace been like a river, i.e., abundant and unfailing.
David said concerning those who trust in the Lord, — 'Thou
wilt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For
with thee is the fountain of life.' They will experience an
abundance of holy enjoyment. And Christ said, that out
of him who believeth on him, there should flow rivers of
living water : that is, he will be favored with the gifts and
graces of the Spirit in great plenty, which shall be refresh
ing to himself and to others also.
This is a river of water of life. Water is an emblem of
spiritual blessings and privileges, particularly the graces
and comforts of the Spirit. Isaiah says, of the prosperity
of Christ's kingdom, ' In the wilderness shall waters break
out, and streams in the desert.' ' Ho every one that thirst
eth, come ye to the waters' Come and partake of those
blessings, which the immortal soul needs and desires.
The water of life is that which invigorates and sustains
life, — that on which not only the comfort of life, but life
itself depends. These are the truths and ordinances of the
gospel and the influences of the Spirit. With these the

CHAPTER XXII. 281
soul is refreshed and strengthened, and without them it
languishes and dies.
This water is very pure, clear as crystal, signifying that
these means of producing and sustaining life in the soul,
are holy in their nature, and adapted to produce holiness
wherever they are enjoyed. The spiritual blessings of be
lievers, their inward peace, their communion with God,
their hope, and their delight in his truth, are the effects of
the Spirit's influence, and are pure and satisfying.
This river proceedeth from the throne of God and the
Lamb. As in every other part of these visions, the figures
are such as plainly to show, that they are figures ; so it is
in this instance. A real river proceeding from such a
source, would be literalizing and materializing quite too
far. A throne is the emblem of supreme authority, of
governmental rule. In this rule God and Christ are con
jointly associated ; showing that God is governing the
world by Jesus Christ, ' whom he hath appointed heir of
all things.' ' He is made head over all things to his
church.' As himself said, ' All piower in heaven and in
earth is given unto me.'
What then is the import of this river issuing from such
a source ? It is, that at this coming period, under the
divine government, a great abundance of spiritual blessings
will be poured forth among men. Then the Christian
world will be like ' a well watered garden,' beautiful in ar
rangement and rich in production. No part will be ban-en
and unsightly, no part will be parched with drought, — no
part will be overrun with briars and thorns. It will be a
blooming Eden, favored again with the presence of the
Lord, and with those spiritual blessings which will signalize
this closing period of Messiah's reign.
Here, again we see, that John was taught to communi
cate his predictions by the use of the same emblems, as

282 CHAPTER XXII.
those which were employed by the ancient prophets. He
seems to have given an almost exact transcript of these
verses of the forty-sixth psalm. ' There is a river, the
streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy
place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the
midst of her ; she shall not be moved. God shall help her
and that right early.'
Ezekiel was shown this same river, six hundred years
before it was exhibited to John, and in the forty-seventh
chapter of his book he describes it thus : ' He brought me
again to the door of the house of the Lord, and behold, waters
issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward,
— and ran down beside the altar of sacrifice, and so flowed
away. The angel then led him out of the city, and mea
sured the stream for one thousand cubits in length, and the
waters were to the ankles. Then he measured another
thousand, and the waters were to the knees ; then another
thousand, and they were to the loins, and then another
thousand, and it was a river, that I could not pass over :
for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that
could not be passed over.'
Observe the coincidences. John's river proceeded from
the throne of God and the Lamb; Ezekiel's from the
threshold of the sanctuary, God's dwelling place. It flowed
round the south side of the altar on which the sacrifices,
typifying Christ, were offered, thus nearly encompassing it ;
importing that ail the blessings prefigured by it, proceed
from God through Jesus Christ, the great sacrifice for sin.
And then it flowed on rapidly increasing as it left the city,
till it became a broad deep river; indicating that the gospel
which was. first preached at Jerusalem attended with the
first great effusion of the Spirit, would extend its bless
ings farther and farther, and with constantly increasing
profusion, like the volume of water in a majestic river.

CHAPTER XXII. 283
Furthermore Ezekiel says, 'the river shall go forth into the
desert eastward, and to the sea (meaning the Dead Sea),
and its bitter waters shall be made good. And everything
shall live ivhither the river cometh.' The import of this
beautiful figure is apparent. The blessings of the gospel
proceeding from God through Christ will flow through this
desert world, and convert it into a fruitful field, and where
they come, they will cause everything that is good, and ex
cellent, and lovely, to live and flourish.
Zechariah also employs the same figure of a perennial
stream, saying, ' It shall be in that day, that living waters
shall go out from Jerusalem. And the Lord will be king
over all the earth ; in that day there will be one Lord, and
his name one.' As all these prophets describe an earthly
state of the church, so, doubtless, does John.
2. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of
the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner
of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month : and the leaves
of the tree were for the healing of the nations. — We have
had the book of life, and the water of life, and now we have
the tree of life. It is evident that the allusion is to the gar
den of Eden, and to the tree of life which grew there. It
is so called because its fruit preserves, sustains, and invig
orates life. The tree of life in Eden, was different from
the tree of knowledge of good and evil, of which Adam was
forbidden to eat. After the transgression therefore, God
said, Behold, the man is become as one of us to know good
and evil; and now lest he put forth his hand, and take also
of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever. That tree,
then, was a different one from that of whose fruit he had
eaten ; and it was of such a nature, that it would have pre
served his life even after his transgression, had he been

284 CHAPTER XXII.
permitted to eat of it. To prevent him from doing this, he
was driven from the garden.
Now what do we have in this happy period which John
depicts ? We have the tree of life restored, yielding its
fruits every month in the year, i.e., without intermission,
and free to all. The returned and believing children of
Adam will have unrestricted access to it, and its fruits will
invigorate the life of their souls. Even its leaves, instead
of falling at the withering touch of autumn, and being
scattered by the winds as worthless, are of wholesome me
dicinal properties, and will be for the healing of the nations.
It should be noticed, that the singular number is used, as
though there was but one tree, and yet it is said to be in
the street which ran along the bank of the river and on
each side of it, which shows, that one species is meant, but
many of that species. Ezekiel speaks of the same in this
manner : — ' By the river upon the bank thereof, on this
side and on that side, shall grow all trees for food, whose
leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be con
sumed : it shall bring forth new fruit according to his
months, because their waters they issued out of the sanc
tuary ; and the fruit shall be for food, and the leaf thereof
for medicine.'
The tree of life in Eden seems to be an emblem of
Christ, the minister of the covenant of grace, and the Au
thor of the salvation which it proposes. The trees of life
in the case before us, seem to be the multiplication of
himself in the persons of his people, and of the blessings
included in the covenant of grace. — Christ declares that he
is the vine and his believing people are the branches, and
that their froitfulness depends on their abiding in him. So,
the tree of life seems in certain particulars to be Christ
himself, and in other particulars it seems to designate his
people. Similar in this respect, is the figure, which repre-

CHAPTER XXII. 285
sents the church as the body of Christ, and believers as his
members. These trees bear, not twelve manner of fruits, which ex
pression is not in the original, but twelve fruits, which is
immediately explained to mean, fruit in each month of the
year, always fruitful. The leaves were for the healing of
the nations, — the truths of, the gospel, which proceed from
Christ, and the influence of believers whose conduct will be
conformed to those truths, will have a healthful, reforma
tive effect on mankind. How can this be true of the per
fect state of things in heaven ? What occasion can there
be for curing the evils and maladies of the nations there ?
See Ps. 1 : 3, and Isa. 61 : 3.
3. And there shall be no more curse : but the throne of
God and of the Lamb shall be in it ; and his servants shall
serve him. — This too has commonly been applied to hea
ven. But, has that world of purity and felicity been under
a curse ? Has there been a curse there which needs to be
removed ? The curse is here in this world, and all this is a
description of what is to take place in this world; and
should fill our hearts with hope, and confidence, and delight
in regard to the developments of the future.
Ever since the first transgression, the earth and the hu
man race have been under the malediction of the Creator.
The ground was cursed, so that, as we suppose, instead of
spontaneous luxuriance and ever-expanding beauty, it be
came comparatively barren. Thorns and briars were to
take the place of what was good and useful, and have ever
since made the laborious hand of the cultivator continually
necessary to obtain the means of subsistence, and to pre
vent the whole surface from becoming a wilderness. At
that future period we may suppose, that the earth will be
restored to its original fruitfulness ; and the destructive

286 CHAPTER XXII.
effects of the elements will not be experienced, as they
have been. This may be taken in a restricted sense, as to
locality, as referring to Palestine, and to the restoration of
the Jews. The language of Zechariah, if applied to this
period, would lead us so to understand it.
Instead of a curse or malediction, the throne of God and
of the Lamb shall be in it, as it has been before declared ;
and his servants shall serve him. A throne is the emblem
of supreme authority. God governs the world and the
church through Jesus Christ ; and therefore, we find them
often conjoined as in this instance. The throne being in
the holy city, shows, that it will be in the church, that
divine power, sovereignty, and grace will be displayed ; —
and that it will be the grand center of that holy influence,
which will govern the affairs of men. As in olden time,
the law of the Lord went forth from Zion, and the word of
the Lord from Jerusalem ; so will it be, when he shall
reign gloriously in his kingdom. And then his servants
will serve him as he repress, fully, faithfully, and with all
the heart.
4. And they shall see his face ; and his name shall be in
their foreheads. — They shall see his face, that is, enjoy his
favor ; or as it is sometimes expressed, ' they shall walk in
the light of his countenance.' So in the petition, ' Cause
thy face to shine upon us,' the meaning is, Grant to us
the tokens of thy favor.
And his name shall be in their foreheads. Whose name?
That of God, who through Christ exercises the government.
This name implies the moral perfections of God. We have
been told of those who carried the mark of the beast
in their foreheads and on their hands ; and now we are told
of those who bear the divine name imprinted there ; the
meaning of which is, that they will be known as his ; — they

CHAPTER XXII. 287
will exhibit his moral excellencies, — they will bear his
image, — they will be so like Christ in their temper and
character, that it will be -as manifest that they are his
people, as if they wore a label on their foreheads. The
purity of their lives, their holiness, and fervor, will clearly
designate them as the people of God, and he will claim
them as his.
5; And there shall be no night there; and they need no
candle, neither light of the sun ; for the Lord God giveth
them light : and they shall reign forever and ever. — Night"
is occasioned by the absence of the sun, whose light makes
the day. The void is used figuratively to signify a state
- of ignorance of divine things, also a state of wretchedness,
affliction, and sorrow. These will not be experienced by
those who live in that happy period, as they now are. The
knowledge of truth, and obedience to the truth, will be uni
versal, and this will produce universal happiness. As a
consequence, they will need no candle, &c. The ordinary
means of producing light will not be necessary, because
there will be no night, and because also, the Lord God will
give them light ; i.e.," knowledge and comfort will proceed
directly from him. His Spirit will illuminate the minds,
and refresh the souls of his people in a high degree.
And they shall reign forever and ever. The social, civil,
and religious affairs of men, will be regulated and controlled
by them, and this for a period of unlimited extent, or to
the end of time. So say the ancient prophets. The God
of heaven, said Daniel, ' will set up a kingdom, which shall
never be destroyed, and it shall not be left to other people,
but it shall break in pieces and subdue all these kingdoms,
and it shall stand forever.
6. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and

2S8 CHAPTER XXII.
true : and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel
to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be
done. — The angel assured John, that the things which had
been shown him are faithful and true. Though they had
been presented to his mind under various emblems ; — :
though they were far-reaching, extending over distant pe
riods of time ; and though they embraced the greatest
events which concern the church, and mankind, they would
be fulfilled with perfect exactness. That glorious Being,
who made disclosures of his designs to his holy prophets
. in olden time, sent his angel to show to his servants of the
seven churches in Asia and others, the things which must
be done shortly, or with speed.
7. Behold, I come quickly : blessed is he that kee2ieth the
sayings of the prophecy of this book. — Behold I come quickly.
The same angel, as it seems to me, continues to be the
speaker here, and gave to John these words of Christ as a
part of this visionary representation. The coming an
nounced, is not, as many understand it, a literal and per
sonal coming : but in the sense which is common hi scrip
ture, a figurative and providential coming ; — the exercise
of his agency in the production of remarkable events. It
is probable that a particular event is referred to by this
declaration ; and as I think, it is the destruction of Jerusa
lem, the overthrow of the Jewish commonwealth, and the
cessation of the Levitical economy, called the end of the age.
Matt. 24 : 3. That momentous event is represented as the
darkening of the sun, — the obscuration of the moon, the
falling of the stars, the shaking of the heavens and the
earth, and the removal of the things shaken.
Blessed or happy is he who keepeth, &c. Those would
be happy who understood, and firmly believed what Christ
has made known to the churches in this book, His own

CHAPTER XXII. 28g
oft repeated remark in the messages to the seven churches,
is, ' He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith to the churches.' It was, and still is important, that
these prophecies should be understood and believed, be
cause they are a revelation of divine purposes, and show,
that God has a plan of operations in regard to this world,
which he will not fail to accomplish ; because also, a know
ledge of this fact is adapted to sustain the faith and pa
tience of his people in times of difficulty and trial. Un
doubtedly the teachings of this enigmatical book were un
derstood by those to whom they were addressed ; and it
is reproachful to the divine Revelator to affirm, that they
Cannot be understood now. They are the disclosures of
the eternal mind, teaching us, that the affairs of our world
are not running on at random ; are not those accidents of
time and circumstances, which many suppose, but are parts
of a great system, which is working out intended results of
vast importance.
This world is not a worthless toy, to be misused by
mankind awhile, and then to be cast away by its Creator.
Though morally and physically, it is not what it once was ;
yet it has innumerable beauties and inestimable worth.
And we may believe on inspired testimony, that it will be
adorned with beauty again, fully equal to that which adorn
ed it at first. The new Jerusalem will come down adorned
with shining grace. She pure waters of life will flow forth,
fertilizing and beautifying wherever they go. ' The trees
of righteousness, the planting of the Lord,' will grace its
banks, and yield their precious fruits, and the songs of
praise will swell up from millions of our ransomed race.
It will be the long promised and long continued era of
light, and peace, and blessedness.

13

290 CHAPTER XXII.

Concluding Attestations and Instructions.
8. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And
when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before
the feet of the angel which showed me these things. — The
preceding visions consisted, in part, of objects presented to
the mind of the apostle, and, in part, of verbal instructions
uttered in his hearing, and he affirms the verity of them, as
he has recorded them. They were not illusory dreams and
fancies, but things of which he was a witness.
Then, as in a former instance, he fell at the feet of the
revealing angel to worship him ; so filled was he with awe
and wonder at the disclosures which had been made to him,
and so profound was his reverence for the being who had
caused these far-reaching scenes to pass before his mind.
9. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not : for I am
thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of
them which keep the sayings of this book : worship) God. —
The angel instantly interposed to prevent an act of homage
of which he was not worthy ; and informed John, that he
was a fellow-servant of Jesus Christ, and a brother-prophet,
and one of those who observe and obediently regard the
instructions which he had imparted. The command to
worship God, coupled with the ang^s refusal to receive
homage from the apostle, teaches us, that God is the only
being to whom religious worship may be paid. All pray
ing to angels, canonized saints, and the blessed virgin, is
gross idolatry. Whoever suffers a fellow mortal to offer to
him religious homage, is guilty of infringing the preroga
tives of Jehovah.
It is natural for us to inquire, who was the angel who
declared himself to be a fellow-servant with John, and of

CHAPTER XXII. 291
his brethren the prophets ? He could not have been one
of the celestial angels, as is evident from what he says of
himself. He must have been one of the old prophets com
missioned to reveal to John the- things contained in these
visions. The resemblances, between the prophecies of
Daniel, and these which we have been examining; the
sameness of the periods to which they refer ; and the re
sults to which both prophets trace this world's affairs,
induce me to think that Daniel was that angel. I find a
special reason for thinking thus, in what was said to Daniel
at the close of his prophecy, in these words : — ' Go thy
way, Daniel ; for the words are closed up, and sealed till
the time of the end.' This was an assurance that nothing
more would be revealed concerning the future, until the
time of the end, which implies, that then other revelations
would be made. The end cannot mean the end of the
world ; but, as the Saviour often used the word, the end of
the age, or of the Jewish dispensation. A partial explana
tion is then subjoined ; and an intimation given, that at the
period designated, his services as a prophet would again be
employed. " But go thou thy way till the end : for thou
shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days."
The literal reading of the Septuagint is this, — Go thou, and
rest ; for there are yet days and times to the filling up of
the accomplishment, and thou shalt be raised up in thy lot
at the completion of the days. This makes the meaning
much more evident. From the giving of this prophecy to
the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish common- .
wealth, there were a little over six hundred years. Daniel
would cease from his labors, and rest in the world of spirits.
He was informed, that at the specified time, he should be
raised up again in his station, as a repealer of God's pur
poses concerning the church. Now, let it be observed,
that it was about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem,

292 CHAPTER XXII.
and the termination of the Jewish dispensation, that John
had these visions ; and he had them from one, who on two
occasions declared himself to be a fellow-servant, and a
brother prophet. Are there not, then, strong reasons for
believing that the angel who made these disclosures to
John, was Daniel himself? This may be regarded as a
novelty. Be it so, in my. judgment it has scriptural author
ity for its truthfulness.
10. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the
prophecy of this book ; for the time is at hand. — The prohi
bition to seal the contents of this book, denotes that they
were to be made known. An open book is one that may
be perused, studied, known to all. The reason for not
sealing this book was, that the time was near at hand in
which these prophecies would begin to be accomplished ;
and Christians would need them to strengthen their faith,
and encourage them in their trials. Daniel was command
ed to " shut up the words, and seal the book to the time of
the end," which imports that they were not then to be
known, but that they would be known and explained at a
future period. This gives additional support to the views
just expressed.
This verse and that which follows, lead me to think that
this book was written just previous to the destruction of
Jerusalem, in A.D. 71. The expression, Behold, I come
quickly, refers, if I mistake not, to that event, which Daniel
calls the time of the end, because these terminated the
Levitical economy. If I am correct in this, the next verse
can be easily understood.
11. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still : and he
which is filthy, let him be filthy still : and he that is right
eous, let him be righteous still : and he that is holy, let him

CHAPTER XXII. 293
be holy stilt. — As if he had said, The time for inflicting
divine judgments on the Jewish nation is near at hand.
Behold, consider attentively, I come quickly to do these
things unto them. Even now their character and condi
tion is determined ; therefore, let him who is unjust, be un
just still, &c. The time for effecting a saving change, and
obtaining pardon, is now past. When Christ was among
them, he said to them, " Yet a little while is the light with
you : walk while you have the light, lest darkness come
upon you." This timely caution was not heeded, except
by a few, and the day approached, when their houses
would be left to them desolate, and the things of then-
peace would be hid from their eyes. They, who had im
proved the opportunity to become righteous and holy, would
remain so. They, who had continued unbelieving and sin
ful, would die in their sins. It is clear, that as a permis
sion or threatening, it is not applicable to mankind gener
ally and in succeeding ' periods of time. In an extended
sense, it could not be said, let the unjust and the filthy con
tinue so ; for that would be a universal permission for the
wicked to continue in their wickedness. But, the ancient
prophets, and Christ, and the apostles, did utter judicial
threatenings of blindness and insensibility against the Jews,.
to be executed at the overthrow of their commonwealth
and the destruction of their city. This interpretation is
strengthened by the next verse.
12. And, behold, I come quickly ; and my reward is with
me, to give every man according as his work shall be. — Be
hold, I come quickly. — Now, it was not strictly true, that
Christ was coming quickly for the general judgment ; and
therefore, that coming could not have been meant. But, it
was strictly true as it respected the Jews, and their city,
and their economy. A righteous recompense was rendered
13*

294 CHAPTER XXII.
to them according to their deeds. It is understood, that
Christ himself is the speaker in this instance, or. that he
speaks through the angel ; and the coming which he affirms
to be near at hand, is that which relates to the overthrow
of the Jewish commonwealth.
13. lam Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end,
the first and the last. — All these phrases mean one and the
same thing. Alpha is the name of the first letter in the
Greek alphabet, and Omega is the name of the last. The
idea expressed seems to be, that Christ is the author of the
ages, the originator of each dispensation, the Jewish and
the Christian, and he will bring each to an end according to
his own will.
14. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they
may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the
gates into the city. — The angel declared them to be blessed
or happy who keep the commandments of Christ, and by
so doing they have the privilege of partaking of the tree
of life, which is probably an emblem of Christ himself.
All such will be nourished by him unto eternal life. They
will be delivered from the penalty of the violated law,
and the curse of God. Not only this, they will have free
access to all privileges of the holy city which has just been
described, as citizens thereof. They will partake in this
life of all the blessings of the Christian church ; the bless
ings of the reign of Immanuel. This privilege should be
highly prized, for :
15. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremong
ers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and
maketh a lie. — Without are dogs, a name which the Jews
gave to all who did not belong to their nation, meaning

CHAPTER XXII. 295
here the unenlightened and unconverted. With them are
sorcerers, those who practice jugglery and pretend to super
natural works : and whoremongers,.the lewd and sensual ; and
murderers, those who by persecution and otherwise destroy
the lives of their fellow men ; and idolaters, those who
worship heathen deities ; and whosoever loveth or maketh a
lie, those who advocate false religion and fatal errors. The
manner of expression here, and the specification of these
particular classes of persons, shows that the reference is to
this world, and not to the eternal world. To represent
heaven as a city surrounded by a wall to keep out persons
of such vile characters, does not accord with the dignity of
the subject, nor the current teaching of the holy scriptures,
and the expression in the preceding verse, Happy are they
who do his commandments, plainly refers to duty in the
present life ; and the privileges connected with the per
formance of duty, are those which appertain to the Chris
tian church.
16. / Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these
things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of
David, and the bright and morning star. — Christ, in this in
stance, either speaks in person, or by the angel who was
employed like the prophets of old to utter his words. The
record of these visions was transmitted to the seven
churches in Asia Minor.
/ am the root and the offspring of David. -All things
were created by Christ. From him as Creator, David pro
ceeded, and by him was sustained, as a tree is dependent
on its root for its life. Long after David had gone to his
rest, Christ became his offspring, by being born of one of
his descendants. ¦ This can never be explained on the sup
position, that Christ possessed but one nature. The cap
tious unbelieving pharisees were confounded when he pre-

296 CHAPTER XXII.
sented this fact to them for solution. " What think ye of
Christ, said he ? Whose son is he ? They said unto him
The son of David. He said unto them, How then doth
David by the Spirit call him, Lord ? If David call him,
Lord, how is he his son ? And no man was able to answer
him a word."
The bright and morning star. A star is an emblem of
an eminent person ; a teacher or ruler. The morning star
appears in the east before the dawn, and is regarded as
the harbinger of the day. Balaam uttered this prophecy,
' There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall
arise out of Israel.' That star was the Son of God ; that
scepter was the symbol of his government. At his nativ
ity the wise men in the east saw an extraordinary star or
meteor, and at once concluded, that it betokened the birth
of the promised king, and they followed its guidance till it
brought them to Bethlehem. The world was then in a state of
deep moral darkness, a long and dreary night had brooded
over it. The bright morning star arose, announcing the
approach of a new day. A brighter era dawned, and men
began to awake from the slumber of ages.
17. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let
him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst
come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely. — Just .at the close of the sacred canon we have the
renewal of the gracious invitation of the Saviour to come and
participate freely in the blessings he has to bestow. The
Spirit and the bride say, come. All the instructions and
the influences of the Spirit are for convincing us of sin, and
for winning us to Him, who gave himself a ransom for us.
The church, which is the bride, animated by the Spirit,
gives forth the same invitation. Those who truly love Christ
desire that others should love him. Those who drink of

CHAPTER XXII. 297
the fountain of life desire, that others should partake of its
refreshing waters. When believers feel and act right, they
pray and labor for the salvation of their fellow men.
Let him who heareth, say, come. Those who are favored
with the glad tidings of the gospel, should publish them to
others; — should give forth the invitation to their fellow
men, and urge their acceptance of the proffered blessings.
And let him who is athirst, come. All who feel their ne
cessities, and desire the blessings of grace and salvation,
are made welcome. The promise to those who hunger and
thirst after righteousness is, that they shall be filled. The
soul that earnestly desires conformity to God, and the en
joyment of his favor, will not be left in darkness and des
titution. Let those who fear, that the wished-for blessings
are not for them, cast away their unbelief, and come to Him
in whom is all fullness for the supply of their wants.
And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
As a free gift it is offered, and as such it must be received.
No works can purchase it ; no religious performances can
merit it. Pardon, justification and sanctification, are be
stowed freely through Jesus Christ on condition of believing.
Seven hundred years before Christ, the voice of Isaiah gave
forth a similar invitation in these words, ' Ho, every one
who thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he who hath no
money ; come ye buy and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and
milk, without money, and without price.' The Christian
seer closes the last of prophetic visions, with renewing the
gracious mvitation of the Lord, uttered by his servant in
olden time. All are guilty and condemned ; and all are
made welcome to grace and life through the Redeemer.
18 and 19. For I testify unto every man that heareth the
words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto
these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are

298 CHAPTER XXII.
written in this book. And if any man shall take away from
the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away
his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and
from the things which are written in this book. — A solemn
caution is given against making any alteration in these pro
phetic announcements either by addition or deduction.
They are given under the highest sanction of divine inspira
tion, and no one may presume to alter them. A disregard
of this prohibition is threatened with the infliction of the
plagues written herein, or with the deprivation of the bless
ings proffered. We are not to suppose, that this was in
tended to prevent a careful study and an honest explanation
of the various symbols employed in these predictions. A
sincere endeavor to understand the things revealed, cannot be
regarded as a sin. While we should be careful not to let
loose our fancies on a book so 'eminently hieroglyphical ;
we should not be deterred from efforts to know what is
written for our instruction.
20. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come
quickly : Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. — He who tes
tifieth is Jesus Christ, as is shown in the first chapter. The
closing words of his testimony are, Surely, I come quickly :
Amen. To this the apostle gave his hearty assent, — Even
so, come, Lord Jesus. It is not necessary to repeat the in
terpretation already given concerning the speedy coming of
Christ. The expression has been suborned to the mainten
ance of the opinion, that he will shortly come and reign in
person with his saints on earth. As early as the second cen
tury this theory was promulgated and extensively received.
In the third century it fell into discredit, and has since been
repeatedly revived. In our day a prodigious excitement
has been raised by literalists and pseudo-prophets, affirming
with the utmost confidence, that the personal appearing of

CHAPTER XXII. . 299
the Son of God is to be daily and hourly expected to raise
and judge the righteous, and reign with them a thousand
years. As we testified at the time, that whole theory is a
chimera based upon a gross misinterpretation of the sacred
writings. Extraordinary events in divine providence are called a
coming of the Lord. Thus, the effusion of the Spirit on the
day of Pentecost is called by Christ himself his coming in
his kingdom. ' Verily, I say unto you, There are some
standing here, who shall not taste of death till they see the Son
of man coming in his kingdom.' Matt. 16 : 28. The de
struction of Jerusalem and the Jewish commonwealth, he
styles his ' coming in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory.' Matt. 24 : 30. To this very event, which
was just at hand when John wrote this book, the expression
probably refers, Behold, I come quickly. A providential
coming is threatened in nearly all the messages to the seven
churches, to which this revelation was addressed. Thus to
one he said, ' Repent, and do the first works, or else I will
come to thee quickly and remove thy candlestick out of its
place.' To another, ' If thou shalt not watch, I will come on
thee as a thief.' And to another, ' Behold, I come quickly.'
Every one perceives, that these were not personal comings,
but only providential dispensations. This mode of expres
sion is common in the Old Testament, as any one can see
with the help of a concordance.
The response which the apostle gave, affords evidence of
the correctness of this interpretation. Even so, come, Lord
Jesus. The idea, that John desired the speedy coming of
Christ to put an end to the present system, to raise the
dead, and judge mankind, is utterly inconsistent with the
far-reaching .scope of the prophecies, which he had just writ
ten. A long series of events, stretching far beyond our
own times, was to transpire, before the period should ar-

300 CHAPTER XXII.
rive at which many have fixed the second Advent. By no
fair construction can it be made out, that Christ declared
his second personal Advent to be just at hand, — to take
place quickly. The lapse of time has proved the fallacy of
such notions.
But, in the sense of a providential coming, by which I
mean a manifestation of his wisdom and goodness, his power
and justice in bringing to pass what he had promised or
threatened ; John might well express his assent toMt. The
term quickly, may refer either to the events which were
about to take place in relation to the Jewish nation ; or,
that he would soon begin the fulfillment of the predictions
of this book.
31. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen. — The apostolic benediction or rather prayer, closes
this most difficult and remarkable portion of the sacred vol
ume. It is the expression of his earliest desire, that the
grace or favor of Christ might ever be with his Christian
brethren to whom these recorded visions were sent. The
benevolent wish of his heart was, that they might e'ver en
joy the presence and love of the risen Redeemer. This
would give them comfort and inward peace amidst the trials,
that awaited them. This would make them strong and un
daunted in the time of opposition and persecution, and en
able them to obtain the crown of victory.
I have now completed the examination of this book of
symbols and hieroglyphics. That I have executed the task
in a manner that will be satisfactory to every mind, is more
than I have dared to expect ; especially as I have deviated
in some important respects from the interpretations which
are common. If what I have written shall awaken a love,
of the scriptures, and a desire to know more of their im
port ; and if it shall strengthen the confidence of any in the

CHAPTER XXII. 301
sure w^rd of prophecy and in the wisdom of the divine
government, my labor will not be in vain.
If I have given a just interpretation, then, the dogma is
refutedj that the prophecies cannot be understood. A reve
lation which cannot be understood is no revelation at all ;
and a professed explanation, which leaves the mind as much
in the clark at the close, as at the beginning, is no explana
tion at all. A fountain sealed, does no benefit to the thirs
ty. Itjis useless until the cover be removed, and its waters
be made accessible. John was commanded not to seal up
the savings of this book, which is a plain intimation, that its
de\*BTopments and teachings were intended for the benefit
of all.
Standing at the commencement of the Christian era, he
was shown in long perspective, the principal events which
were to affect favorably and injuriously the interests of the
church through the millennium onward to the end of time.
He traces its progress through scenes of light and shade,—
of persecution and triumph ; till the mind is thrown out on
a period of unknown extent, when the tabernacle of God
will be with men ; and the light of truth, and the beauty of
holiness will enrobe the new Jerusalem, — the extended com
munity of believers ; and the vastly improved condition of
mankind will verify that strongest of metaphors, — " a new
heaven and a new earth."
A part of this great series, thus foreshown, has been ful
filled ; and every year is developing its destined proportion
of what remains. It is not according to the analogy of
divine providence to produce great moral changes in a sud
den manner; and therefore we should not expect, that a
world so entirely overspread with wickedness, — so thorough
ly estranged from holiness, will be reformed without long-
continued efforts. Ours is the age of conflict, of commo
tion, of experimenting, of discipline, and education. Man-
14

302 CHAPTER XXII.
kind are pupils in this great school of divine providence.
The causes of the evils which have afflicted the race, are
becoming better understood, and the remedy is beginning
to be perceived and applied. It is a pure gospel and a pure
¦Worship, informing men of their rights, and leading them in
the way of peace and life, which under God, are to effect the
change. May we so learn the lessons of heavenly wisdom,
that those who come after us, may be benefited ; and that
there may be an advance made toward that bright Consum
mation, which the teachings of prophecy have placed be
fore us. \
To us the fountain of life is opened, — along by us flows
the pure river of living water, and whoever will may take
of it freely. All may partake of the blessings of which it
is the emblem. Why, then, should any famish, when
Christ says, Whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely ? The Sun of righteousness has risen, and sheds his
heavenly light around us. Awake thou, who sleepest, and
arise from the dead, and Christ will give thee light.
" King of nations, plant thy throne,
Send the law from Zion forth,
Over all the willing earth :
Earth, whose Sabbath beauties rise
Crown'd with more than paradise.
" Be our souls in peace possest,
While we seek the promis'd rest,
And from every heart and home
Breathe the prayer, Lord Jesus, come!
Haste to set thy people free ;
Come, creation groans for thee."