Chapter XII: Part VI: The Sure Word of Prophecy (4)

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

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

“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” Verses 5-7.

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

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

“And I saw _one of his heads as it were wounded to death_; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Verse 3.

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

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

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

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

“And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, _Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?_” Rev. 13:4.

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

“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Verse 8.

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

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

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

“I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was _slain_, and his body _destroyed_, and _given to the burning flame_.” Dan. 7:11.

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

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

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

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

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

“And I beheld _another beast coming up out of the earth_; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” Rev. 13:11.

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

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

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

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

3. What is the character of this new power?

“He had _two horns like a lamb_.” Rev. 13:11.

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

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

“And he _spake as a dragon_.” Rev. 13:11.

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

5. How much power will this beast exercise?

“And _he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him_, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” Verse 12.

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

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

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

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

“Saying to them that dwell on the earth, _that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword; and did live_.” Verse 14, latter part.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That all encroachments upon the claims and the sanctities of the Lord’s day should be _stoutly resisted_ through the press, the Lord’s day associations and alliances, _and by such legislation as may be secured to protect and preserve this bulwark of our American Christianity_.”—_Id._, page 103.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive _a mark_ in their right hand, or in their foreheads.” Rev. 13:16.

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

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

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

“And _that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark_, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Verse 17.

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

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

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

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

21. Why were the ancient Sunday laws demanded?

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

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

22. Why are they demanded now?

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

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

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

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

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

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

24. Why is a national Sunday law demanded?

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Render therefore unto _Cæsar_ the things which are _Cæsar’s_; and unto _God_ the things that are _God’s_.” Matt. 22:21.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and _them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name_, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.” Rev. 15:2.

30. What song will they sing?

“And they sing _the song of Moses_ the servant of God, and _the song of the Lamb_.” Verse 3.

31. What was the song of Moses?

A song of deliverance from oppression. See Exodus 15.

The Seven Churches

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

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

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

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

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

3. For what purpose was the Revelation given?

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

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

“_Behold, He cometh with clouds_; and every eye shall see Him and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.” Verse 7.

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

5. What encouragement is given to study this book?

“_Blessed is he that readeth_, and they that _hear_ the words of this prophecy, and _keep_ those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Verse 3.

6. To whom was the book dedicated?

“John _to the seven churches which are in Asia_.” Verse 4.

7. What were the names of these seven churches?

“What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto _Ephesus_, and unto _Smyrna_, and unto _Pergamos_, and unto _Thyatira_, and unto _Sardis_, and unto _Philadelphia_, and unto _Laodicea_.” Verse 11.

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

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

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

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

The Seven Churches.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, _the devil shall cast some of you into prison_, that ye may be tried; and _ye shall have tribulation ten days_: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Verse 10.

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

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

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

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

13. How was the faithfulness of this church commended?

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

NOTE.—_Antipas_ comes from two Latin words, _anti_, opposed to,
and _papas_, father, or pope, and denotes a class of people who
were opposed to papal rule. Regarding _Pergamos_, see note on page
256.

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

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

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

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

“But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth My words unto the end, _to him will I give power over the nations_: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father.” Verses 25-27.

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

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

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

17. What endearing title is given the sixth church?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20. What encouragement is given to heed this message?

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” Verse 20.

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

The Seven Seals

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

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

“And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne _a book_ written within, and on the back side _sealed with seven seals_.” Rev. 5:1.

2. What did the Lamb do with this book?

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

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

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

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

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, ... _a white horse_: and He that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” Rev. 6:1, 2.

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

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

“And when He had opened the second seal, ... there went out _another horse that was red_: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.” Verses 3, 4.

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

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

“When He had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo _a black horse_; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.” Verse 5.

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

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

“And when He had opened the fourth seal, ... behold _a pale horse_: and his name that sat on him was _Death_, and _Hell_ [Greek, _Hades_, the _grave_] _followed with him_. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, _to kill with sword_, and with _hunger_, and with _death_, and with the _beasts of the earth_.” Verses 7, 8.

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

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

“And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar _the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held_.” Verse 9.

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

9. What were these martyrs represented as doing?

“And _they cried with a loud voice_, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” Verse 10.

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

10. What was given these martyrs?

“And _white robes were given unto every one of them_; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled [have fulfilled their course, R. V.].” Verse 11.

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

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

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

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

12. What was to follow the great earthquake?

“And _the sun became black_ as sackcloth of hair, and _the moon became as blood_.” Same verse, latter part.

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

13. What other event is mentioned under this seal?

“And _the stars of heaven fell unto the earth_, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.” Verse 13.

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

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

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

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

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

15. How will this great event affect the world?

“And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Verses 15-17.

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

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

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

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

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

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

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

H. L. TURNER.

The Seven Trumpets

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

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

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

2. With what do these trumpets deal?

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

3. Under what figures is the first trumpet described?

“The first angel sounded, and there followed _hail_ and _fire_ mingled with _blood_, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.” Rev. 8:7.

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

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

4. What striking figure is used to describe the destruction wrought under the second trumpet?

“And the second angel sounded, and as it were _a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea_: and the third part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.” Verses 8, 9.

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

5. What was to take place under the third trumpet?

“And the third angel sounded, and _there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp_, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; and the name of the star is called _Wormwood_: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; _and many men died of the waters_, because they were made bitter.” Verses 10, 11.