IMAGE EVALUATION te:>t target (mt-s) /. ^'^/ .o*'^' c^. b> A^.4' y 1.0 ■- IIIIM J §3^2 IM 2.2 I.I us ■ 40 1.25 1.8 U ill 1.6 Photpgraphic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STR(:ET WEBS'«R, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 iV iV ^ ;, an-i hu beheld one like the Son of Man, in the midst of sev^^n golden oandles^'iclrs, holding seven stars in His right hand. The li«;rd lesus explained the candlesticks to mean the seven churcl =!s aiir iYm seven •*\,r.'B to mean their seven pastors. The picture, then, is : The seven Churches of Asia Mine, their seven pastors, and Jesus Christ in their midst sustaining both. Seven is a complete number. As the seven-branched candlestick was in the Jewish Temple of old, so is the Church of the Lord Jesus in the world now. The Earth and Heav-i are the Holy and Most Holy Places of the Tabernacle the Lo..* pitched. The Ctiurch Militant and Triumphant occupy each of these places respectively. is II. THK THINGS IN JOHN's DAY. These relate to the condition of these seven Churches, and com- prise the 2nd and 3rd chapters. This lecture will not admit of an exposition of the contents of these two chapters, as we confine our- selves chiefly to the symbols, contained in the Book John was commanded to write the things that were contained in the three divisions referred to. in The churches were commended for the good they were doing, censured for the evil ; encouraged by precious promises to discharge their duties, and by terrible threatenings warned to beware of sin. The present state of those churches is a monument of the veracity of God's Word and a warning to those of the present day. The Lord Jesus Christ can manipulate a church as we do a candlestick. ^""^Bi^^te^S^ff^i^r. . ?fiK^*-i!fei*maB THE APOCALVPSB. upon The parfc to 'oe principally treated in this lecture we now enter III. THR THINGS TO BE AFTER JOHK's DAY. These are recorded in the other nineteen chaptrrs ; and we may expect that many of them hav>^ come to pass, for John wrote 1802 years ago. Moreover the Saviour said : They were shortly to come to pass. And although he begins them in the 4th and 5th chapters, the events recordea thert are not the Jirst after his day, but nearly the last in the church's earthly history. The ,/r./events after J ohn 8 day, are those described in the 6th chapter,' the 4th and 5th bemg an account of the Millennium -not yet come. Most of what is said about the Millennium is in these chapters. The events recorder there correspond with those of the 4th verse of the 20th chapter, after the binding of Satan for a thousand years. And seeing into the future is represented as the opening of a door in Heaven. A voice called to John to come up and see things to come to pass after his day; not up to any place, but up in the Spirit to the time when these things would take place. He saw a throne and God, the Father, sat on it. The seven lamps burning before the throne are doubtless the seven churches of Asia Minor for mari!/ of the events of the Revelation took place on this earth Kemember this, if you want to understand It. God sits on the throne, and presides over the world; and that throne is not as distant as we imagine. But what are the four beasts spoken of in the 4th chapter? Ihey could talk, sing and worship, for they did so. Before telling what they mean allow us to repeat that it is the order of Prophecy to begin with the last event first, and, accordingly m these 4th and 5th chapters we have an account of the Millen- nium yet in the future. Ezekiei does this in the first of his Prophecy, speaking of these same four beasts. Isaiah also, in the 2nd chapter of his writings, verses 2-4, speaks of what is yet in the future. Thus Isaiah, Ezekiei and John begin their Prophecies with the last event first. But what are these four beasts ? The only way to find out is by examining the Bible. They talked, sang, bowed and worshipped, they said, " We shall reign on the earth." We say these beasts are tour nations of mankind. You will want proof. It is easily seen in the hcriptures that Beast means a nation. Daniel had a vision ot tour Beasts, and the angel of the Lord told him they were Bat)ylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. These four Beasts, or kincr ' oms s> lOMmsagmi"-: -tfem^ ^^i^^ 6 THE AP0CALTP8B. mcreeiied each other, but the four that Isaiah, Ezekiel and John saw, exist at the same time, and we undertake to prove are Asia, Africa, Europe and America, For, if Daniel's four Beasts are four nations of mankind, why may nut John's be so too 7 The ram and goat Daniel u-iw, are also explained to be Persia and Greece. We proved from Scripture that Beast means a nation of mankind; and when the Saviour took the sealed book out of His Father's hand, the four Beasta said. He Was worthy, for He had redemed them < ut of every nation, kindred, people and tongue. The Beasts themselves say : They are every nation, kindred, people and tongue; and nothing leas than Asia, Africa, Europe and America answers that description. We think this pretty strong proof. Let us not suppose that they are the redeemed up in Heaven, for they say : We shall reign on the earih — shall, in the future, for he is describino; the Millennial age when all the nations shall worship God; for the people of the Most High shall possess the kingdoiu under the whole Heaven, as Daniel foretells. Thus we have Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel in the Old Testament, and John hi the New, uttering predictions of the Millennium. The visions of these Prophets are the same, and their words almost identical. I want no stronger proof that these four Beasts are the four Continents above named; yet we shall have more in the course of this lecture. Asia will correspond to the lion, Africa to the ox, Europe to the man and America to the flying eagle, these being the four Beasts izekiel and John saw. Shall we call them Birds 1 for they had wings, and the Greek word means, livintj creatures, which is applicable to birds as well as other animals. What are their wings ? Are they Old and New Testament Scriptures 1 Ezekiel says: " The sound of their wings was like the voice of the Almighty," and the voice of the Almighty is His Word. Wings are for rising up and God's Word is enabling the nations to mount Heavenwards. Those who have it are socially, intellectually and religiously above their fellows. The picture thal^ represents Queen Victoria as saying: "The Bible is th^ secret of England's greatness," speaks truthfully. Ezekiel saw the hands of a man under their wings — no doubt but that represents man proclaiming the Gospel to his fellows — what a privilege ! Go ye into all the world —Asia, Africa, Europe and America, and preach it to every creature. It is the preaching of the Word of God that is elevating mankind, and will, till the knowledge of the Divine glory covers the earth, and the glad day Isaiah, Ezekiel and John saw in prophetic vision shall have been introduced, when every kindred, people, nation and tongue shall ^ -■^^^^l^- '- i^^'^ THl AP0CALYP8B. J join in the service of our adorable Saviour. Will the O, T. be felw. wing on one side and the N. T. the wing on the other t But Ezekiel and John say " they had six wings." Well, there is history,, law and prophecy in both Testaments, and little of anything elao^ The wheels attached to these living creatures may represent the providential government of the Lord Jesus during the Millennium. A wheel was within a wheel— the Ix»rd is in his people, and they are in Him. Or, under Him, a few may rule the many, but the many choose the few; so the wheel is within the wheel whicLevec way you take it— both wheels ontside and inside of each other. Is there a time coming when we shall not be burdened with the financial support of monarchs, aristocrats and officials t Yea when the wmgs of God's Word shall have raised mankind to the condition that will qualify them for such government. And when Asia, Africa, Europe and America thus worship God, the four and twenty elders d so too. These are, we think representative names, and refer to the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve Apostles, thus representing the Mosaic and Gospel Dispensation Churches. These views are sometimes of things in heaven, and sometimes of things on earth— chiefly the earth. In the 15th verse of the 17th chapter, waters are said to mean people, nations, etc.; so the sea of glass John saw before the throne may be zhe spirits of the just made perfect, with so thin a veil between them and these on earth that no notice is taken of it: One IS called a sea of ^ -ass, and the other a sea of water. John speaks as if living m the Millennial age, and lookin '' Ood, who saw who opened the seven seal, of "hTZ>r "'' "*"'"' Him, and ended hy sayfng W^ laT ret'n ^ « "'"' wT^'-'Pt^ Wen. And ten thon^»afd tUesti'thranra^^^loT'^^r t^e of thit,X;""m ?He'str7oi,L': "ori'r^'''%'-«*""'"<^ we believe, have inade >i mi^i^hl u u . • ^^^^- Expositors, ■ev,n.« in Heaven °.st;:d"fo„ Ztb "iL't" h« '^'f"' °' ">-« 4th and 5th chaoten. „f n.; '^ '" ''^ 'nterprefng the instead of the Z|.Tni„,lfoT„h'" ■"*''"''''' "^'^ ^"^"'^ ""r l^s. ev,nt first, a: isaiiXl'^VK^S.^XZ " '" '"°°""' "' «' Booki:rw:„xxVa°Lr'rtr:ver.:r "/he°'etr r '^ gives us an account of the *hin..« ^h-.i! j • ^^^ chapter John.,day, and is wherfwetlLXe-Sjor^''"'''^ ""'^ ■of their'r.Jiiii^r.i'crrfnjL""?' r ^^ "■ j?!'» h^"' »- ■the things happenin. on thrif?' !' ."^"i' ^"J'"' '^°"'« ""d see taking pJaoe i:.'^^rfef U int'rX', ,'i^"^7n'" ■"" «'■'"" '•<'™l»t»'-' •reign of^he Lord .Cs S ™i ta l' "ajj;;;;'" r*"'''' ""^ prophet.c symbol, what we now read Lhi,^"^ "'°fj» ""en saw in horse, one on his back wearing » "„ ^' ■ '"" " '"'>■'« riding forth conquering ..ndroonquer"' """^'"« " '">" "■«• ioraB::krw:c;:/rh7fir','''''"''Tf'^^^''--. - - ^-d did to the 7th of iCie tdt<'T>u' ^?"'"'™'> »» « 'hen horses;a„daski„ganaLd whatth'.'^, V'' P^P*"*' =»• '<»"• were «e /■,,«,. „,/,5(; ,■ 7 ' ,> >"«n>li«l, was to d that thev tefo,. th^L;;^"; ' h^ whot''e«h'^'"Thr"^ '°^'' '?'- '^^'^^l a h,.e is: A powerful .^ Zi^^ ^^^ ^f-P'-^^ -™.g of anJ^tLtt.:;'he XC^f^Zn^Sriit ^l"^ ■''^^' ^« and still is, The White Horse Whtl " u, Chnstianity was, principles of the Hea^^nXV^tlJor^f^rr^SZ^?:!! NM :r '•w-iSt, < ti^C turn APoci»T,TPsg. A before it. It turned the v,orld upside down, for it was uronr- ^\A. wLm ^.^'"r-?"'^*''? ""^"' Constantino the Great: It bTame a world-wide Spirit, and still exists. oecame a The one seated on this Whit«i Hora«» is rhn ^«..,i t^ « of ^od, the name thi. writer gives Him in liis Gospel Christianity had its origin; there occurred the death brial an^ r^^surrection of it. Fornd.r; and there the Hofy Spr". cZ and oegan the regeneration of the race. Asia savs -Pnn.l ^' » what Christ and Christ,,, -y are doinrwhen th^ £« T *T Book of the future was njj,a by the tunb ""^^ ^^ '"" "Come1nd^?J''T^'^^f ''"' opered, the second Bea.t said: V.oine and see Africa, the second Beast said "Come and s-.^'' t^etarth"^' ^'^' ^"^ '^^ "^-' '^^ P^^^ ^o take'^ace f^m .nir,-.^^ ^''' ^T""^ ^'T 2^°^«"*h that a horse means a powerful spiritual force actmg the minds or mankind This tine TTs a m^ spiiit--a persecuting one; and it is historically tr.e, h"t scarcely had the \^ hue Horse of Christianity becrun to exprV i?! ? ^ ^ uiiluence upon the corrupt mass of hu'n.a^" t ?1 ZrelXoZZ persecution began to oppose him. The Ronmn Emperors wa^eT ten persecutions against the Christians to destroy them / Srit of opposition to the Gospel was the red horse, and 'Ln Rome hi rider. The great sword given to him was that of the Roman Empire! The ,f',s^ Beast sHd is saying "Come and see" so *haf u.« n.^ + understand that Asia and Africa are saying "Come anfw't? these White and Red horses and thei/ R?ders are Sn^ L th.se continents. This persecution raged in Asia and Afr cf but h! who rode the White horse conquered—the blnnri »' - r K '. 10 THE 4P0CALTP8X. John is shown how this darkness was caused : By hav'ng " a- measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny." That is : A small part of Goa's Word and thr«e times as much of their comments for a penny each. These things caused the Dark Ages — made the black horse. They had but little of God's Word in those days; the Bible, which is the sun of the moral heavens, shone but little. It dofes not appear to have been a famine of bread, for it is added : " See thou hurt not the oil and the wine." It was " a famine of the Word of the Lord," that one of the Prophets speaks of. It was seen by the enemies of God and His people what the White hotfee and his Rider were doing, and that the Red horse of persecution could not stop it, so they took the Bible from the people. This darkness continued until the Reformation — till the Bible was translated, printed and preached in the language of the people again. This blank horse is being subdued by the Light of the Gospel. We now turn to the fourth seal of this Book : And John heard the voice of the fourth Beast say : " Come and see." Not the fourth Beast as in the cases of the first, second and third Beasts, but his voice. Why the differences 1 Because America, the fourth Beast, was not a settled country in John's day, so he only heard her voice — the voice she would speak when discovered and settled — the voice of the Martyrs calling for civil and religious liberty — for this time it was a, pale horse that John saw, and death sat on his back. Did not the Pilgrim Fathers flee to America in IG'^O to seek froedora to worship God 1 Did not the tortures of the Inquisition wring that cry from the suffering saints 1 Surely this pale deathly, ghastly horse, was the deadly spii'it of papal persecution. Pagan Rome rode the red horse and paj^al Ronie, here called death on account of her murderous disposition, the pale one. Fox describes such scenes in his Book of Martyrs. The pale horse is nearly vanquished. This delicate distinction between the three first Beasts, Asia,^ Africa and Europe, which were settled in John's day, saying : "Come and see," and only the coice of the fourth Beast, America, not settled — not a Beast — in John's day, proves the inspiration of Revelation These four Bej* =5ts are noio calling upon see the conflict between these four horses in mankind to come and its pres;:nt stage; not the voice of the fourth Beast, but America herself, joining with Asia, Africa and Europe. Do you hear them 1 Yes ' you read and hear of the civil and religious revolutions occuring in the world, and that is listening to them. A ■ THE APOCALYPSB. 11 These four seals of the Bock that Jesn£> opened cover much of the history of the Gospel dispensation; and that these events toaic place aJt those times and in those continents, strengthens the position that the above is the correct interpretation. I And wkien He opened the fifth seal John saw the spirits of those who had been martyred by the red and pale hor^s and their riders. He is telling us about spirits. The four horses are the spirits of Christianity, paganism, Romanisi t in its dark, ignorant state and Romanism in its persecuting rage; and then he mentions the spirits of the dead. It is reasonable that he should do so, and we are anxious to know about them. They are said to be under the altar, not asleep in their dead bodies, asking God how long till their enemies would be destroyed. Under the altar may mean Paradise or Abraham's bosom. In the opening of the fifth seal he does not proceed with the history of the evenis transpiring in this world, but tells what became of those slain during the other four seals. When the fifth seal is opened he does not say : The fifth Beast said: " Come and see." There r.re no others. Did not the /owr say that they were every nation, kindred, people and tongue 1 This appears to strengthen very much the proposition that those four Beasts are Asia, Africa, Europe and America. Australia, although a very large island, and others that could be mentioned, are so connected with these four grand divisions of the globe, and exert, comparatively, so little influence in the world, that they are not called a fifth Beast. Asia, of And when the Lamb opened the sixth seal of this prophetic Book, there were : 1. A great earthquake. 2. The sun became as olack as sackcloth. 3. The moon became as blood. 4. The stars of Heaven fell. 5. The Heaven departed as a scroll. 6. Every mountain and island fled away. It is not at all unlikely that the earthquake would refer to the great civil and religous revolution that shook the nations at the time of the Crusades, when about twenty millions of our race fell on tlie battle-fields of that age. The sun becoming black indicates that the Bible, which certainly is the sun of the moral world, was not emitting its light. It was in a dead language, and so " darknt3S covered the earth and gross darkness the people." It is likely another view of the march of the black horse. The moon becoming as blood, would point out the fact that the earth was drenched with the blood of millions of its inhabitants in the sanguinary wars waged il' 12 THB APOCALYPSE. m that penod. The moon would mean the earth, for, as the moon receives her natural light from the sun, so the earth receives her spiritual light from the Bible. The falling of the stars from heaven signifies that the ministers of the Gospel became more interested in politics than in piety— seeking for eai thly instead of heavenly things, for human instead of Divine. Heaven departing as a scroll would imply that the church was swallowed up in the world in those Dark Ages. There was scarcely any church visible. The flying away ot the mountains and islands we believe means that all the ^mrthly {]overumenfs will be swallowed up in the glorious theocracy of Jesus i^hrist Mountains mean governments, for they are identified with their kings m the seventeenth chapter. That the kings hid themselves is proof that the governments fled away. Napoleon and others may try and get a fifth universal monarchy, but none but Jesus will. This great shaking is going on now, and will until the kingdoms ot the world are His. We notice that the one who gave the Book of seven seals to Jesus is always en the throne in connection with these events. Be/ore the opening of the seventh and last seal of this book we are reading John saw four angels holding the fou- winds; who were commanded not to hurt the earth or the sea until God's servants were sealed in their foreheads. The earth and the sea are the political and religious worlds, as we can easily see. Being sealed in the forehead means understanding the Bible. The Bible, then, will be the seal. John looks, and in the shock of nations, he sees an angel come along with the Bible, giving them an opportunity to understand it It is now being sent to the four Beasts in 353 languages There were 144,000 of the tribes of Israel sealed. It appears that they will acknowledge Jesus to be the Messiah before the Millennium, after that he saw an innumerable multitude before the throne praising God. It would appear as if John saw the paH ot the Lord s family that was in the kingdom of Glory as well as in the knigdom of Grace, but appearing to him as one bodv; for the tour Beasts who said they were to reign on the earth are included among the worshippers, the angels and four and twenty elders uniting with them. ^ And when Jesus had opened the seventh seal there was silence —he came to the end of the line of events preceedinr, xAie Millennium: to what had already been described in the fourth ana fifth chapters, and m the end of the seventh, and he will not repeat the history, but be silent long enough to get back to John's day a'mn and give us another line. It is custoraarv with the best historians to trace diftorent 'ines of history from .> :. point of time to another. THE AP0CALYP8K, 1» Each of these hist-orical lines brings us to the Millennium; but little IS said of tt at the end of any of them. And now, in order to prevent confusion, and to enable us to understand the better, remember, that we have just had one line of history from John's day until the Millennium, and that there are two others, all three contained m the fourteen chapters, beginning with the sixth and ending with the nineteenth; the second line during the sounding of the seven trumpets, and the third line during the ouVouring of the seven vials, each one bringing us to the Millennium. Let us now bear in mind that we ai _. at the beginning of the Gospel Dispensation again when the seventh seal is opened— it brought us to the Millennium. When that was done, seven trumpets were given to seven angels. Before they sounded these trumpets, another angel was seen standing at the altar. Much incense was given to him to be offered with the prayers of the saints. We fully believe this Angel to be the Lord Jesus, who, after his ascension, filled a censer with fire from the Altar, threw it into the earth, and thus, on the day of Pentecost^ answered His people's prayers. There was a baptism of fire on thac day; and we are told that there were voices, thunderings, lightnings and an earthquake; language that appears to describe the scenes of that day, and that is used when giving an account of similar events at other times. This would be what the first Beast said to " come and see"— what the White Horse and his Rider were doing. We say that we have another line of history from John's day till the Millennium during the sounding of these seven trumpets; and we are taken back to the day of Pentecost, or beginning of the Gospel Dispensation to give it. The sounding of the seven trumpets IS wnat takes place when the seventh and the last seal of the Book is opened. The seven vials are also poured out at the opening of the seventh seal; but not till the sounding of the seventh trumpet. In each of the three sevens, it being a complete, full number, we have a line of history from the beginning of the Gospel Dispensation till the Millennium; and at the beginning of each we have voices,, lightnings, thunders and an earthquake, referring to the same event each time; viz., The Pentecostal Revival. And the first of the seven angels sounded his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and one-third of the trees and grass was burned up. Now, David says, Ch;istians are like green trees, and Isaiah thp.t all fiesh is grass. The green grass would be the Oiristians; and this would be an account of the persecutions of the christians by the political powers of the Roman 14 THE APOCALYPSE. it Empire. It would be another way of describing the march of the red horse at the opening of the second seal of t^e Book. And the second of these angels sounded, and a great burning mountain was cast iuto the sea. No one will ever suppose that a literal burning mountain was ever cast into the sea. What does it mean 1 A mountain means a government, and the sea means the people, as we have seen, and will more fully see. Daniel says: A little stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth, meaning, that the government of the Lord Jesus becu-me universal; when vhe four Beasts, Asia, Africa, Europe and America shall bow to the sceptre of the cross. In order, then, ' d understand the falling of the mountain we have to look for the overthrow of some conspicuous government; and that we have at this period, in the subjection of the Roman Empire by Odoacer in 476. We shall see this governioenl, rising from this sea again in another form. This political power falling into the sea — the church — destroyed one-third of her usefulness, and one-third became a persecuting power — the beast that afterwards rose out of the same sea. We are told that one third of the sea became blood, or a persecuting^- power when this mountain fell into it. It was set on fire, in a spiritual sense, by the preaching of the Gospel, and probably would have been consumed had it not fallen into the sea. It is to be consumed after it rises from this sea in its other persecuting form. And the third angel sounded his trumpet and there fell a great atar from heaven, burning as it were a lamp — its name being wormwood. We have learned that stars mean men, and heaven the church. What man, about this period, fell from a place in the spiritual world, or professed Church of God, and started what appeared to be another one, for it only burned as a lamp 1 Without doubt it was the false prophet Mohamet. A bitter church was his — death, or embrace his religion were the alternatives. Its bitterness is still seen in the recent atrocities in Armenia. It fell upon the rivers and fountains; and as rivers mean nations, the fountains will mean their sources. So we go to the East ivhere mankind originated, and there we find Mahometanisin takes its rise. Thus we have an eastern as well as a western Antichrist. And the fourth Angel sounded, and one-third of the sun, mooti and stars were Smitten, so that a third of the day and night shone not. It certainly does not mean the material eun, moon and stars. We say that the Bible is the sun here spoken of: it was out of use — chained to the pulpits, where Martia Luther found it when seekiog Divine light. It was but little used; thui sun did not shine. The stars, meaning the pteachers, were in darkness for want of its b of the burning ) that a t does it sans the says: A le earth, iniversal; hall bow- band the of some , in the shall see tn. This one-third wer — the bold that vhen this ;e, by the consumed ' it rises 11 a great ue being javen the e in the ;ed what Without I was his 3itterness upon the tains will riginated, have an the sun, tnd night moon and ? was out d it when not shine, mt of its TSE APOCALYPSE. 15 light, and the moon— the world— was so too. It is an account of the Dark Ages delineated in another way the march of the black horse. And the fifth angel sounded, and another star fell from heaven. He, showing it means a person, had the key of the bottomless pit, and on opening it, the sun, meaning the Bible, was ■darkened by the smoke that came out of it. Locusts eame out of this smoke and hurt those not having the seal of God in their foreheads. These locusts were, no doubt, the swarms of monks, nuns, friars, indulgence-sellers, o^esuits, etc., that existed in the Dark Ages; for the smoke that came out of the bottomless pit darkened the light of the Gospel, and they came out of it. They could not hurt those sealed in their foreheads, that is the Christians who understood the Bible. They hurt those not understanding the Bible by teaching them false doctrines and robbing them of money to pray souls out of purgatory. No doubt but this star is the pope of Rome, and purgatory the bottomless pit, that he had the key of. One of the popes, in the ninth century, claimed to have power to change the state of the dead, to let souls out of purgatory the bottomless pit. These locusts could not injure us; we know by the light of the Bible that there is no purgatory — the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin. Some say the locusts' are the Mahometans under Atilla — the scourge of God, because fhey wore yellow turbans. But the Holy Spirit is not describing head-dresses. They wore crowns like gold, not ef gold, as the four and twenty elders had. It could not have been Mahometans, for they killed Christians; but the locusts were not to hurt those who were sealed in their foreheads. The sound of the locusts wings were not as the sound of the wings of the four beasts who worship God — like the voice of the Almighty — but as the sound of many chariots running to battle. They had breastplates of iron — they were shielded by the Roman Empire — the iro: part of the image Nebuchadnezzar saw. This image was composed of gold, silver, brass and iron, and signified the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian and Roman kingdoms, and corres- ponded with the four beasts that Daniel saw. And the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and was commanded by a voice from the four horns of the altar before God, to loose the four angels that were bound in the great river Euphrates. Remember now that rivers mean peoples, etc. Some great power kept the fighting forces of the world in check till the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, we say the fighting forces of the icorld ; for the army was 200,000,000. They were prepared to slay^ the third 16 THE APOCALYPSE. part of men ; and if we take a day for a year, as Daniel, Ezekiel and John do, they were to continue 400 years. What power was this 1 It was no doubt the power of Rome. The nations of Europe were not permitted to declare war, or proclaim peace without the pope's consent, and he was supported by the ten kingdoms of Europe, here called the river Euphrates. Now just as Babylon of old was built upon a nver of this name and derived strength from it, but finally became the means c£ its everlasting overthrow, the night God's handwriting was seen on the wall of Belshazzar's feast-room, when the army of Cyrus the Persian king turned its waters into an artifi- cial lake made for that purpopcj, thus making a way for that army to march in the bed of the river into the city and take possession of It for the Medes and Persians; so, the Babylon of this day— the Church of Rome— and the power that has been supporting her for 1260 years are getting dried up and fighting against her. The ten horns, or kingdoms, here called the river Euphrates, are fighting against her ps God has declared ; they are loosed from the power of Rome now : thank God the sixth angel's trumpet is sounding. We say this river— the power of Rome— is being dried up First Germany slipped away, then Switzerland, then England and Scotland ; and they are going, and will, till not one shall support her but burn her with fire as declared in this Book. France, Spain and Quebec also, are either voluntarily forsaking her, or by force, are compelled to. Ancient Babylon is the type, modern Rome' the antitype. Spam i« notr in a fearful state of internal revolution and at the same time engaged in a foreign war. I doubt not but it will result in the overthrow of another Roman Catholic power. Possibly many of the nations of tne world may be yet involved in the present struggle, and so the mighty earthquake John mentions when the seventh vial is poured in the air. Burning her with fire appears to refer to the modern mode of warfare, called in thi^ Revelation, fire, smoke and brimstone, no doubt meaning ignited gunpowder, the hail being the cannon balls and nfle bul^ts by which God is pulling down the powers that support Rome— France and Spain being noted examples of it. John knew of no other name for the balls but hail. While this fighting with fire, smoke, brim8<;one and great hail IS going on, during the sounding of the sixth Angel's trumpet, an angel appears with a small book in his hand. He spoke and seven thunders uttered their voices— one for each of the seven seals, and probably an explanation of them; but he was told not to write it. It 16 better not to be fully acquainted with the future; whatever, at the sounding of the seventh angel's trumpet it would be plainly made known. "^ THK APOCALYPSE. j^ that fst St:?; iThr g^ t LtX'; ^tJ'-t'-' i;^ ^--^ stoorl what the seven thundeJs Jd ' '^'' '^"' ^^ ""^^•'• -as ^v:n^"'Th^rr"^'"^"^'fL"^ '^"^^''^ ^-™P«t. - -ed woshfppers Wethi^t^h^^ '^! "t"''?' '^' worship 'and the by wh ch S should h. 1 !? "'*:?°"^' •'"^ ^^^^ ^««^ i«^he Bible, oy wnich dlJ should bfc mensured; and we find that while this fiaht The City, that is the Church, had been trodden down lORfi the Old and New Test.rnrwet^rbelie';^ ^h^^^^^^^ Bible or reed, could do nothing more than prophesy in srckctoth ine peopje. Ihe Beast slew these two witnesses— the Old and Npw Tes^ments-the Church of Rome never has tolerated the use of the Brb e m her communion. But the spirit of life from God ante ed ntc. these dead witnesses-that is, they were translated into th^ hvmg anguage of the people. When they thuT came to 1 f e one-tenth of the city fell-one-tenth of the power of Romrwas^on^'- and there was a great earth ^uake- the glorious Refomat or of ^he sixteenth century-a revival- of true Religion thlf Thooktht vivf J^'*"%^^"'^' ^""^ ^" ^^^'^S P^^^« "nder the sounding of the voln^ ?, t ''"T'u' *fl^^ ^^' "^ ^« understand them w? hear fts voice; and through the labors of the church usincr the pS n,- measuring reed, the blast of the seventh angeirtrumnet w^' brr^h^tLnl^^^^^^^^ t^'^ -^^'^ are&SX\rn sST trur?nZ X ^'^' "^^""^^Z ^""^P^ ^"^ ^™«"ca shall worship th«^ true God as we have a record of in the fourth and fifth chapter This tcc^ prophecy, but it is fast becoming history. We must C^' prelictt %T p*^''?^ P^'^^^ ^^« ^" -co^lishment of X predictions of this Revelation, whether we give them their nlace ir nT\Z7'Tu\'ff ""^ ^^'"^ whether tve understand tfe or not. May be the Millennmru might have been long ago but for the 18 THE APOCALYPSE. Ii !i' church of Rome; and no doubt as she wanes that blessed age will approach. And the sereiith angel sounded, and there were great voices in Heaven saying : The kingdoms of this world ard become the kingdom of our God and His Christ. At the sounding of the seventh trumpet we are again brought to the Millennial age, as we had been at the opening of the seventh seal, when Asia, Africa, Europe and America shall have been measured by the Bible, the Reed spoken of by Ezekiel ami given to John. We are again to the tune, spoken ot in the fourth and fifth chapters, they and the twentieth contaiamg a 1 that is said of the Millennium in the Book of Revelation. Not much is in the future now but it and the short time Satan is to be let loose aft-r it; we are in the sounding of the sixth angels trumpet. And now John is through with giving us an account of the two witnesses - the reed to measure by; through with an account of the Dark Ages, caused by a want of this Bible; and as the church is now getting measured by this reed, he will give us account of her, and that from her beginning. And in doing so he says : He saw the temple in Heaven opened, he heard voices and thunderings, and there were lightnings and an earthquake. Such language is used in describing sreat revivals in Revelation. It is employed at the time of th.. Formation and ii^formatioa of the church, and when she dons her Millennium splendour. In describing the church he goes back to the apostolic age; and thus he begins: And there appeared a great wonder in J^eaven, a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of tweive stars. The. woman is the Church of Christ, of the ap .stolic age. The moon under her feet implies that she was raised above the world.— They sold their property and laid the money at thn apostles' feet. If the selfish ones of this age would be content when they have all they need, we would not require so many poor-houses. There is a time coming when it will be a disgrace to Verich when money is needed so badly to propogate the (^ospel and alleviate the condition of the poor. "If any man love the worid, the love of the Father is not in him." And the crown of the twelve star- symbolizes the twelve apo-stles. Clothed with the sun represents her being robed with Christ's righteousness and enlightened by His 'Vord. Thus we have a brief, but beautiful acscription of the church: She is again spoken of as the bride, the lamb's wife. And there appeared another great wonder in Heaven A great V V. ''■i, : , .f'^ » ir iiP^,H.% ige will yfoicet* m kingdom trumpet I at the America n of by en of in iiiing all Jot much ) be let impet. E the two It of the ch IS now her, and n opened, 8 and an ivivals in ,tion and illennium age; and leaven, a upon her of Christ, ,t she was laid the 126 would require so a disgrace he Gospel love the )wn of the th the sun nUghtened iescription mb's wife. A great THE APOCALYPSE. 19 red dragon, with seven heada and ten horna Thi« r^ a corresponds, no doubt with the r-d hnrL r [ . ^''*«<'" of the second «eal. Th^.eylnteZ^^'T "' ^^« «P^»ing second seals, the White Ho^Tof T? • .- . P*'"'"^ °^ ^^^ ^'^^ ^""^ horse of pel-^ution. Ch.nstianity opposed by the red This woma ; i.ed into the wildernfi«s fc.v io«n i scarlet coloured beast, and her name then wl, " Th ^.u ^% have the sa™ nu.U/rh:^ a'dT^^T re\:^r„7,^rfr: authority and power to paml Romr ,h! ^ """ relegated his or throne the BomL7XLr„™^to "^Tt °'"="Py"'« .""' «eat power, for the pope lo.t hTSpomTp^wer f„ isn" ";?'*"« *at A,„erioa. This beast is papaTlr. \Te Grtr'worSTr 7^ beast ,s not the same word as used for the BeaTtsXt ^Iwp o^" 20 THK APOCALTPSR. m crowns were, and should be, on the heads of the governing or ruling powers, which wns the case daring the seven forms of government in pagan Rome; but when the pagan Roman Empire was divided into ten kingdoms and they were ruling the crowns would be on their heads. There is no difference between the dragon and beast only this, showing it to be the same power; a bfcast meaning human beings in some capacity. Pagan Rome is the iron p»irt of Nebuchadnezzer's im&ff'j of gold, silver, brass and iron; and is the fourth Beast of Daniel's vision, and the red dragon of John's vision. The dragon— pagan Rome — had seven heads, or forms" of government. Tlie imperial head, or government, was wounded to death when the Roman Empire was overthrown by Odoacer in 476, but the deadly wound was healed, the imperial government v/as re8tored,when Charlemagne was again crowned emperor of Rome by the Pope in 800, so that the beast had the seven heads as well as the dragon. This beast had a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. I have no doubt but this mouth is the pope, who calls himself the Lord God, the Most High, His Holiness, etc.; he also changes times and laws as is well known, and as Daniel foretold. Ho is called more than Divine.. Then J ohn saw av/)ther beast rise out of the earth — the politica 1 world — not the sea or religious world, v;here the other one rose from. This beast had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. Horns means kingdoms; we have but little doubt but these mean England and Scotland when they were Roman Catholic. Henry the eighth of England wjis styled " Defender of the Romish faith '" by pope Leo tenth; but renounced his allegiance to the See of Rome when refused a divorce, and formed a church so much like that of Rome, that it is here called an image of it, persecuting the saints after the same fashion. Both countries were papal till the time of the reformation — this beast, meaning England and Scotland — spoke as a dragon till that time. There were twD beasts, then, animated by the same spirit, one on the continent of Europe and the other on the British Islands. All the beasts, then, or limnr ruling eminent divided on their last only human m&p'j of Daniel's — pagan imperial Roman wound •lemagne that the phemies. iself the es times is called political oae from. dragon. se mean Henry 1 faith '' i See of like that le saints time of 1 — spoke inimated other on w, as the are used I well as he Latin >m make we have /ould be THR \POCALVP8H. 21 that d.ove t/e Lord's pL^pTe'inTo 1 v^utnl .'"^e atotea'k^tf brimstone and%rea C HavZ loLn^^l'lu^ ^''^ ^'■^' '""•^^^' the witnesses-the Old and n' 1^1. "l '^^, "^"^^'J^ ^"^ ''^« ^^ had been dead 1 260 yea s heTuso t^Us hotT ' 'll ''"' '^'^ '^'^ had «o/ been used H«Viii k f , '^""^ *^^® measuring reed 144 ^?" fr\" '^'; ^ ^'^'"^.^ ^^'^"^^"« ^'^ Mount Zion, and with Him atmosphere is .,„e./,V»« heaven, as taught i„ the Bible -ill be'^eS »h?„' T,r^'rtwZ Toy'-'l-^Ti '"' :^?eS itr """ *° -------e^:^]:- -frhth': 22 THE APOCALYPSE. And John saw one sitting on a white cloud having a sharp sickle in his hand, another told hira to reap. There had been a rtKiping time in Christ's day, out the long time of the l>ji!-k Ages, when Roiue held sway, there wae but I'ttle reaping done. But now the sickle — God's \7ord — is in the hands of the ministers again, ia the sounding of the sixth angel's trumpet, and the earth is being reaped. Probably the one sitting on the white cloud was the (»ne who rode the White horst, for he is still in the fight, and shortly we lim again. shall see ' Another ange! had a sharp sickle, and yet another told him to reap, gathering the clusters of the vine of the earth and cast them into the great winepress of the wrath of (rod. Prvbably this refers to the wars that may desolate the nations that will not be reaped by the Word of God. And the second angel poured his vial on the sea-that is the rehgiovs power., and it become blood. This helps to explain the second tran,pet for when it sounde.l one third of this sew beJame blood, now It ,s all blood. This sea, or church, became a bl, .nly pers^ecuting povver where pagan B.m.e fell into it; she has risen out ot this sea in the form of papal Rou-e, and God is turning he,- all into b ood, by pouring his vials of wrath upon her. She is to be destroyed, not reformed. And the third angel poured his vial upon .'e fountains of water, and they become blood. At the .sounding of the thi-d trumpet a bitter star fell upon these fountains, cau.siL the death of many; dow they are turned into bloo.i The hiUer star was Mahomet, and the third vial w^ destroy this Eastern Anti.:l,rist Gcu wi 1 settle "the Eastern question" .soon. He was pra,se« »" Hi,, back : "The =n h . r ?' "■^"'""'' 8'™n ''.V tW'5 -^ame John to the Lord Jesus .n his Gospel; proving our interpretation to be correct ,rl„n ciZiAr """^'''^'•' <^— ™«-8 tiLtr^'hittHott out o?ffi:',:ou"h%h: Ob" •;?' "" '''°'''' *"^ hi. .sword proce,.l, tKis peri 'IT :t a^L"!;" ht:rf:no:e;' s* '^'- ""^ '«' "' .eachesthehorrb Hdir Sis'^i^rt ^inl^i^^ss '^? J^^^l a,^i:jiP9ftimrT THE APOCALTPBK. 29 wrath, when pouring cut the vials upon His foes, for the blood issued from the wine-press. Jesus Christ is treading that wine-press in the great hail, fir«, smoke and brimstone war, and presides over the battle-fields— Waterloo, Sedan, the Boyne, etc., shall we say in particular. All this Revelation appears to have occupied but a small Him and space to John's mind, a fact to be kept in mind in its interpretation. John farther says : " He saw a jrreat 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 old serpent, which is the devil and satan, and cast him in." There we have what goes before the state of things we have an account of in the fourth and fifth chapters. It will be prece^ided by the binding of Satan. And we are told that the saints will live and reign with Christ. The fourth verse of the twentieth chapter describes the Millennial state. The deceiver of our first parents, and of their posterity in Asia, Africa, Europe and America, will be circumscribed in his rage, malice and wickedness for a season. Then he will be let loose again for a little while, and fo out to deceive the nations in the four quarters of the earth, no doubt meaning the above named continents — the fourBeasts— or all the world, thus strengthening the position taken in our interpretation of the four Beasts. Maybe the angel who will bind Satan will be the Ix)rd Jesus and His people, with the chain of truth. He did cast out devils by His spirit, by Hig Word and by His people. As far as God's people are agents in establishing the kingdom of truth, through preaching the Gospel, by means of the missionary enterprise and the labours of the Sabbath school, they are binding Satan; and all in virtue of Christ, the seed of the woman, by whose death the devil has been virtualhj destroyed, although not quite actually. May God use us in this way for Christ's sake. If we have correctly in n-preted the fourth and fifth chapters as being an account of the Millennium, we have the four Beasts saying, f?M/m7 that period, The Lord "tV to come" — that is, after the Millennium. He is to come, only twice, personally: I do not know how many times he has, < may come, in the person of His Spirit. But, if the Lord Jesus n»d come in all his glory, before that time, and reigned among mankind in that condition, I do not believe that Satan could deceive thei.i again; and we are told that he is to after the Millennium. Christ can be where He is now, and reign on earth, as we '.1 as Queen Victoria can be in England and rule in Canada. He meets with his peoplfe now, and we do not see Him, ^&^ lU^i, iiiiiHiimi;^ ^0 THE APOCALYPSE. It is better to be with Him in glory any way; and if He was here we would not '.ive very long. ' In conclusion: In the beginniu^ the heaven and earth were created; in the end they are to fly away. "Nevertheless, we according to His promise, look for new heavens, and a new 'earth wherin dwelleth rigb^'^usness." Shall the old material be refined, or new created? We think the former. John also saw a new Jerusalem coming thncn from God out of heaven— probably on the lew earth. Indeed all things are to V)e made new, and then the eternal order of things ushered in. The twenty-first and twenty- second chapters are very likely a description of the state of things in the new heavens and earth. The river of the water of life is no doubt the dispensation of the Grace of God, to lost man, through His Word and Spirit, and has been flowing ever since his Fall; although th<^ Rock through which it flows was not smitten till the bloody scene on Calvary; for, it was the throne of the Lamb, who took away sin, as well as of the Father who gave Him, throu<»h whose death alone we receive life. John has a view of the mrircp. and channel of this life— the throne of God and the lamb— which has been kept in sight all through this Revelation. 1 I In the course of this lecture we have seen the Lord Jesus as a Lamb taking away the sin of the world, as a Lion conquering His foes, and as God-man exalted in glory with His Father. We* have iseen the ohvrch in a despised, persecuted state like her Redeemer; and in her Millennial felicity and eterna! glory. We have seen the fulfillment of nearly all the predictions in this Book, except completing the binding of Satan and the censequent thousand years reign of Christ; and we believe they are at our doors, and we labor to hasten them John wrote in the 96th year of the Christian era we read in the 1898th. ' And you ask: What period in the history of these all important events do we live in 1 W'ell we have not the spiritual insight to inform you exactly— God wisely couches some things in a measure of obscuritv. But, without doubt, the seventh, the last seal of the Book Jesus deceived from his Father, is opened; the sixth angel's trumpet is sounding, whether we hear it or not; and the seven vials are being poured out May be the seventh trumpet has begun to sound, but we have not yet heard it: may you and I be found listening. " May we watch i'nd pray, that we may be counted worthy to escape the things that are coming upon the world, and to stand before the Son of Man." I THK APOCALYPSE. 31 Thus we have tried, with the help of others, to read the wonderf nl Book of seven seals as Jesus opened them. And what are all our petty prejudices and sectarian strifes to be compared with the history emblazoned there ] Literally nothing. * And now Jesus says: I am coming quickly, and, no doubt, will soon be here, reigning in the Person of His Spirit in Millennial triumph; and shortly after that, in the glory of His Own Person and that of His Father, to judge the world in righteousness, take his ransomed home and appoint the wicked their destiny. May His Grace be with you all. Amen. MMT oouNiM nmr