Chapter XII: Front Matter (12)

And them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and [over] his image.—Who understand and live in harmony with the knowledge that both Papacy and Protestantism, and the governments under their influence, are of Satanic spirit.—Rev. 13:11, 13, 14, 15; 14:11; 16:2, 13; 19:20; 20:10; Matt. 24:24.

[And over his mark,] And over the number of his name.—Who refuse to let any stand for them in the place of Christ.—Rev. 13:14‐18.

Stand on the sea of glass.—Not in among the restless and discontented, but on a higher plane.—Heb. 13:5.

Having the harps of THE LORD God.—See Rev. 5:8; 14:2.

“God’s Word is that harp, which has long been unstrung,
And men heard but discordant its notes;
Now as tuned are its chords from Moses to John,
How grandly sweet melody floats.”

15:3. And [they sing] SINGING the song of Moses.—“Hebrew scholars have remarked on the evidence of the antiquity of the song of Moses, recorded in Exodus 15:1‐20, some even noting the fact that a few of the words showed an intermingling of the Egyptian language. It is further authenticated by the reference made to it in the book of Psalms, where the entire matter of the deliverance of the people and the overthrow of their enemies in the sea is graphically described by the sweet singer of Israel. (Psa. 106:7‐12.) If it was appropriate, as we all admit that it was, that the Israelites should give glory to God for their deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, much more is it appropriate that spiritual Israel should recognize the still greater deliverance from the power of Satan and the thralldom of sin, accomplished for us through the blood of the Lamb of God who died for our sins.”—Z. ’07‐158; Rev. 14:3.

The Servant of God.—See Ex. 14:31.

And the song of the Lamb.—“They sing in the sense of declaring in harmonious and beautiful cadences the relationship of the types and figures of the Law and the Prophets of the Mosaic Dispensation with the antitypes of these of the Gospel Dispensation; showing that all things written in the Law and in the Prophets are finding glorious fulfilments in the Lamb of God and in the great Plan which the Father is working out through Him.”—Z. ’00‐310.

Saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty.—“First amongst the great and marvelous works of the Almighty was the sentence of death upon father Adam and his posterity. As we look at this marvelous work, we must concede that it was just (in that it was merited), that it is true (in the sense of not being an unreasonable penalty), true in the sense that it was exactly what God forewarned father Adam the penalty of disobedience would be. ‘Just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints.’ But Jehovah’s first great and marvelous work of condemnation was, after four thousand years, followed by another great and marvelous work; _viz._, the work of redemption. How stupendous this work of the ransoming of all Adam’s race of hundreds of millions by the sacrifice of one Man! How great and wonderful indeed this act, and how just and true, and how fully in Harmony with every feature of Divine Justice and Love!—1 Tim. 2:5, 6; Rom. 5:12, 18, 19.”—Z. ’00‐310.

Just and true are Thy ways.—“As we have viewed the failure of Christendom to adopt the spirit of Christ’s teaching, and seen how the knowledge and liberty gained from His teachings were blended with the spirit of evil, selfishness, and as from present foreshadowings we mark the sure approach of anarchy and every evil work, yet realizing its necessity and justice, and having learned also the ends of mercy to be attained eventually by this very means, our hearts exclaim, ‘Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are Thy ways.’ ” (D. 526; Deut. 32:4; Psa. 145:17.) “As Aaron and the two remaining sons were forbidden to make lamentation for their brethren who were cut off, this signifies that all the faithful of the priests will recognize the justice of the Divine decisions, and will bow to them in humble submission, saying, ‘Just and true are Thy ways.’ ”—Lev. 10:1‐7; Psa. 89:14; Job 36:17; 37:23; Isa. 56:1; T. 40.

Thou King of [saints] THE WORLDS.—The margin renders this “King of nations or ages.” He will be King of all nations by and by. He is King of all ages (worlds) in the sense that the ages are working out His sovereign will.

15:4. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name.—“Here is still another feature to this song, and it is glorious also. It looks forward to the glorious Millennial Age, to the time when, under Divine providence, the knowledge of the Lord, essential to faith, and to any acceptance of His favor and mercy through Christ, shall be extended to every creature. ‘Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess.’ (Rom. 14:11.) And while this bowing and confessing may at first be compulsory, yet the Scriptures assure us that ultimately all who will not come into heart harmony with the Lord and with all His gracious arrangements and provisions, shall be cut off from amongst the people,—in the Second Death. (Acts 3:23.) So that ultimately, instead of the Universe being filled with hundreds of millions who to all eternity will wail and gnash their teeth and blaspheme God’s holy name in agony—instead of this the time shall come when every tongue in Heaven and in earth shall be heard praising God, and giving honor to Him that sitteth on the Throne and to the Lamb, forever, for by that time all evildoers shall be cut off. (Rev. 5:13.)”—Z. ’00‐311; Jer. 10:7.

For Thou only art holy.—“This song continues, and has yet another strain. It declares, ‘Thou only art holy’. All holiness, all perfection, wherever it is found, must proceed from God, the great Fountain of holiness. How strange, then, that any of God’s dear people (and we ourselves were once amongst this number) should so misunderstand the Divine Character and Plan as to misrepresent the same as being the very essence of unholiness, injustice, unkindness, inequity, lovelessness, toward the great mass of God’s creatures!”—Z. ’00‐311.

For all nations shall come and worship before Thee.—“There is still another strain in this song; and it is a grand one also, like all the others,—reaching down into the Millennial Age. It declares, ‘All nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest.’ ‘All nations’ will include, not only all the nations then living, but all the nations of the dead, just as does the promise which God made to Abraham, saying, ‘In thy Seed [The Christ, Head and Body] shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.’ (Gen. 22:18.)”—Z. ’00‐311.

For [Thy] judgments are made manifest BEFORE THEE.—There was a time when we could not sing this song (Psa. 137). We looked forward with dread to the time when the Lord’s judgments would be made manifest. We did not see that the Judgment Day is a day of “assurance to all men.” (Acts 17:31.) We did not see that the first judgment day was against our race (Rom. 5:18), and that no culprit can be on trial twice for the same offence. We did not see that another Judgment Day, favorable to our race, came at the time of our Lord’s great victory over death (John 12:31); nor did we see that our own, the Judgment Day of the saints, is here and now. (1 Tim. 5:24; 1 Cor. 11:31; 1 Pet. 4:17.) We did perhaps note, our duty of judging wolves by their greed, dogs by their quarrelsomeness, swine by their interest in earthly things, thorns by their disposition to wound and tear, and thistles by their disposition to scatter seeds that cause trouble (Matt. 7:6, 16, 15); and some of us went beyond and began judging one another (Rom. 14:13; Matt. 7:1). We never wanted the Lord to do it, even though we do know that He will bring every secret thing into judgment. (Prov. 15:3; Ecc. 12:14.) Now we see that the world’s Judgment Day is a thousand years long (Psa. 90:4; 2 Pet. 3:7, 8); we have learned that a day is not always merely a 24‐hour period. (Gen. 2:4; Heb. 3:8; 2 Cor. 6:2.) We see now that our Lord Jesus at the first Advent judged nobody (John 12:47; Luke 12:14), but that God has exalted Him to be the world’s Judge (Acts 5:31) a Deliverer (Judges 3:9; Isa. 1:26); that He will have associate judges (1 Cor. 6:2; Rev. 20:6); that His judgments will end war, promote righteousness and aid the poor and needy (Isa. 2:4; 11:4; 26:9), destroy unrighteousness and bring in everlasting peace and joy.—2 Thes. 1:7; Isa. 65:18; 1 Cor. 15:25; 1 Chron. 16:31; Psa. 96:13; Psa. 98:1‐9; Psa. 72:1‐14.

15:5. And after that I looked, and, [behold].—Another vision of the same thing.

The Temple of the Tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.—Pastor Russell was given a clear, beautiful, complete comprehension of the Plan of God as revealed in the Tabernacle arrangements and sacrifices. (Acts 7:44). This is the foundation of all his works.

15:6. And the seven angels came out of the Temple.—The seven volumes of _Scripture Studies_, emerged, all in harmony with the teachings of the Tabernacle, from which they proceeded.

Having the seven last plagues.—Though counted as plagues by ecclesiasticism they are in reality blessings, destined to rid the earth of every obnoxious thing, not the least of which are the great whore and harlots, large and small, that have defiled the earth with their unclean doctrines. (Rev. 17:5.) “Suppose that the salaries and ‘livings’ of all ministers, bishops, priests, etc., were cut off, all churches, chapels and cathedrals destroyed, all theological seminaries broken up, and their professors turned to other pursuits, all religious guilds and societies disbanded, including all sectarian organizations—what would be the effect? Who can doubt that it would be a real blessing under the disguise of a great and terrible catastrophe? The effect would be to bring _true_ Christians together as the family of God, and not as sectarian bands; to study God’s Word, and not human traditions and creeds formulated in the Dark Ages. The Scriptures seem to indicate that very much of this sort of destruction of present systems must take place before all the ‘wheat,’ the true Church, will be separated from the ‘tares,’ the mere professors.” (Z. ’08‐119.) “The Church, or company of believers, probationers for coming glory, in its ‘voluntary association,’ was indeed to _recognize_ ‘teachers,’ ‘helps,’ ‘Apostles,’ etc., but not to _make_ them. If they recognize a man ‘mighty in the Scriptures,’ ‘apt to teach,’ they should be careful always, even while rejoicing in and thanking God for such a servant, to require a ‘thus saith the Lord’ for every point of doctrine, and to search the Scriptures daily to see whether these things be so.”—Z. ’08‐120.

Clothed in pure [and white] BRIGHT linen.—“The ‘Linen Girdle’ indicated a righteous servant: linen—righteousness, girdle—servitude.” (T. 30.) “A different word than in Rev. 19:8. The word here used is suitable as describing priestly attire and refers to ministrations on this side of the veil.”—Cook.

And having their breasts girded with golden girdles.—“The under‐priests were robed in linen garments and wore girdles. Their robes represented the righteousness of Jesus, imputed to us, and their girdles represent us as servants of righteousness.” (T. 36.) The _Scripture Studies_ are servants of the Church—righteous servants, clad in the Lord’s robe.—Rev. 1:13.

15:7. And one of the four beasts.—Heavenly Wisdom.—Rev. 4:7; Matt. 24:45; Jas. 1:5; 3:17; Ezek. 10:2, 7.

Gave unto the seven angels [seven] golden vials.—The message of Present Truth. “The vial was the shallow bowl in which they drew from the larger goblet.”—Cook; Psa. 79:6; Jer. 10:25; Zeph. 3:8.

Full of the wrath of God.—Against all untruth, injustice and selfishness in organizations, Civil, Social, Ecclesiastical and Financial.

Who liveth for ever and ever, Amen.—Whereas all of those are to pass away.—Rev. 4:9, 10; 10:6.

15:8. And the temple was filled with smoke.—The nominal Church is filled with confusion as the deformities of her errors are made manifest.—Isa. 6:4.

From the glory of God, and from His power.—As revealed in His Word in this Harvest time.—2 Chron. 5:14.

And no man was able to enter into the temple.—No person of mature thought. The large proportion of new members now received in the various denominations is from the Sunday School.—Rev. 9:20.

Till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.—Until the seven volumes of _Scripture Studies_ were written, published and circulated. Shortly afterward the true Temple will be in readiness, wherein men, women and children of all races and ages will find their hearts’ hunger satisfied.

“Yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this House with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver [the Great Company class that will be used in connection with its ministrations] is Mine, and the gold [the Little Flock, of which it will be composed] is Mine, saith the Lord of Hosts. The glory of this latter House shall be greater than the former, [the nominal church], saith the Lord of Hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of Hosts.”—Hag. 2:6‐9.

Revelation 16—Ecclesiasticism’s Seven Plagues

16:1. And I heard a great voice out of the Temple.—Pastor Russell was the voice of the Lord thus used. (Rev. 7:2; 10:3.) He was of the true Temple, and “out of” the nominal temple at the time these plagues were poured out.

Saying to the seven angels.—The seven volumes of _Scripture Studies_. See Rev. 8:2‐5 and 14:17‐20. “The plagues upon Egypt were intended in some measure to foreshadow, to illustrate, the plagues with which this Gospel Age will end.” (F. 175.) Pastor Russell walked in the light. When the plagues actually appeared, he no longer held to the explanation published in 1883, before they appeared, and so stated on many occasions.

Go your ways, and pour out the SEVEN vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.—In the prefaces to the several volumes of _Scripture Studies_ such expressions abound as “I send forth this volume with prayers,” “and now it is sent forth in the faith,” etc., etc.

16:2. And the first went, and poured out his vial [upon] INTO the earth.—Volume I was distributed among those already under religious restraint.

And there fell a [noisome and] grievous AND NOISOME sore.—The book seemed to ecclesiastics like an evil and malignant ulcer, a painful, running sore, which eats, corrupts and destroys.

Upon the men which had the mark of the beast.—Roman Catholics.

And upon them which worshipped his image.—Protestants affiliated with the Federal Council of Churches. Rev. 13:11; 13, 14, 15; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:13; 19:20; 20:10; Matt. 24:24. Another view of the book, from the standpoint of the clergy, is afforded by the plague of flies (Ex. 8:20‐32.) It seemed to them like an old‐time Egyptian curse, with which they were quite familiar, namely, one more of the Evangelistic firms already cursing society, and interfering with the regular clergy business. “The Scriptural details are as follows: The _arab_ filled the houses of the Egyptians, they covered the ground, they lighted on the people, the land was laid waste on their account. A biting, insidious creature, which comes like a dart, with great noise, and, rushing with great impetuosity on the skin, sticks to it most tenaciously. They boldly beset cattle, and not only obtain ichor, as other flies, but also suck out blood from beneath, and occasion great pain.

“They have no proboscis, but, instead, have double sets of teeth, like wasps, which they infix deeply in the skin; they greatly infest the ears of dogs. This genus is most impudently pertinacious in its assaults, spares neither man nor beast, gorges itself to bursting with blood, infusing an irritating venom at the same time. No idea can be formed of their obstinate rapacity. It is in vain to drive them away; they return again in the self‐same moment, and their perseverance wearies out the most patient spirit.” (McC.) These flies, flying a short distance into the heavens, do their work around the dunghill of human tradition, but the collections of one of them recently amounted to $400,000 in eight American cities, so the business can be made a money maker by those willing to cater to the demand for sensationalism, and who have no hesitancy in repeating ancient blasphemies against God’s holy name.

These flies are called dog‐flies, because they infest the ears of dogs; and when it is remembered that the Scriptures refer to the clergy as “dumb dogs” (Isa. 56:10, 11; Phil. 3:2) we can readily see the application. The clergy of an entire city will sit on a platform, facing virtually the whole population, and hear themselves called liars, hypocrites, false‐ alarms and other villainous names. But because they hope to get a few “converts,” and therefore a few shekels for the “sanctuary,” they will take it all meekly, and prefer to take it rather than humbly admit one item of truth in all Pastor Russell’s beautiful writings. After the firm has left town, they frequently bemoan the treatment received and think longingly of the wherewithal taken by the fly that was not satisfied with mere ichor, but wanted the real blood.

At this point it may be well to explain the plagues of frogs and lice. The former seems to represent the _Old Theology Quarterly_ which Pharaoh found everywhere contaminating his kingdom, but which, at the hand of the Lord, suddenly died out completely. The latter seems to represent _The Bible Students Monthly_. There is no record that the plague of lice was discontinued, and even yet the Egyptians (people of the world) and Pharaoh (the Devil) and his magicians (the clergy) scratch their heads many a time, wondering how to deal with a plague which they cannot duplicate.

16:3. And the second [angel] poured out his vial upon the sea.—Volume II, _Scripture Studies_ seemed to the beast and his image to reach and affect only the discontented, those who never were very subservient to the ruler of this present evil world, or any of his systems.

And it became as the blood of a dead man.—After death the blood separates into a watery liquid, called serum, and a solid substance termed clot. As soon as this separation takes place the clot begins to putrefy or corrupt. Thus it seemed to worshipers of the beast and his image that anybody that would accept the teachings of Volume II would be in a hopeless condition.

And every living soul died in the sea.—To the worshipers of the beast and his image it seemed as though such would be lost and would surely go to hell to be tormented forever. An “evangelist” who held these views called at the home of a lady in Scranton. Entering the hall he saw an elegant picture of Pastor Russell. Instantly he lost control of what mind he had and vehemently said, “I called here as a Christian minister, but I see you have old Russell’s picture here. Are you a follower of his?” The lady replied that she was. He then said, “He is in hell, and you will be there too, if you follow him.” Quick as thought the lady reopened the door through which he had just entered, invited him to the porch overlooking the valley; and as he stood there gazing into space she said, “Tell it to the atmosphere,” and left him while she attended to more important duties.

Another picture of the effect of Volume II on the anti‐typical Egyptians may be seen from the plague of the murrain (Ex. 9:1‐7.) “This consisted in some distemper that resulted in a sudden and dreadful mortality among the cattle in the field, including horses, asses, camels, oxen and sheep. It was, however, confined to the Egyptian cattle, and to those that were in the field; for though the cattle of the Hebrews breathed the same air, drank the same water, and fed in the same pastures, not a creature of theirs died. The Egyptian cattle that survived in the sheds, and were afterwards sent into the fields, were destroyed by the succeeding storm of fire and hail.” (McC.) These creatures were valuable to the Egyptians. They used them for bearing their burdens, for sacrifices and for food. They represent the classes that go to make up the nominal church and support it. Thus it seemed to the worshippers of the Beast and his Image that the only way to prevent the loss of all their live stock would be to keep them securely impounded, allowing them no liberty whatever.

16:4. And the third [angel] poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters.—It seemed to the worshippers of the beast and his image that the teachings of Volume III of the _Scripture Studies_ had contaminated the Scriptures, the Waters of Life, at their very source, by extending the call to people to come out of Babylon while they were busy trying to get people in.

And they became blood.—Seemed repulsive, undesirable, bloody.—Z. ’07‐279; Ex. 7:20; Rev. 14:20.

Another view of how Volume III appears to the worshipers of the beast and his image is shown by the plague of boils described in Ex. 9:8‐12. “The boil was a scab or pustule, which might or might not break out into an ulcerous sore (Lev. 13:18). With this, in one of its worst forms, Job was afflicted (2:7), and by this Hezekiah was brought to the verge of the grave. (2 Kings 20:7; Isa. 38:21.) It was an eruption of a very painful kind accompanied with a burning itch, tending to produce a permanent state of foul and wasteful disease. One form of this disease which seized upon the legs and knees, and was regarded as incurable, was peculiar to Egypt, and was hence called ‘the botch of Egypt.’ (Deut. 28:27, 35.) In the case before us, this eruption had a tendency to break out into larger swellings and became probably the disease called elephantiasis, a disease said to be peculiar to Egypt, or the black leprosy, a disease which also affects cattle.” (McC.) It was “ashes of the furnace,” loyalty to the memory of the bullock, the one perfect Sacrifice for all, Christ Jesus, that caused the boils; and it is particularly noted that the magicians (clergy) could not withstand this plague, the message, “Come out of her, My People.”

16:5. And I heard the angel of the waters.—Volume III, _Scripture Studies_.

Say, thou art righteous, [O Lord] which art, and wast.—See Rev. 1:4; 15:3; 19:2.

[And shalt be], THE HOLY.—The Lord, the Holy One, was present, at the time Volume III was written.

Because Thou hast judged thus.—Made the beautiful Harvest truths appear “bloody” to those not consecrated.

16:6. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets.—Literally and figuratively.—Matt. 23:34, 35; Rev. 13:15; 18:24.

And thou hast given them blood to drink; [for] THAT WHEREOF they are worthy.—See Rev. 14:20; Isa. 49:26.

16:7. And I heard [another out of] the altar.—The “Altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt” (Isa. 19:19) at the time these plagues are being poured out upon the antitypical Egyptians, is the Great Pyramid, discussed in a separate section of Volume III.

[Say] Saying Even so, Lord God Almighty.—The Lord Jesus.—Rev. 1:8; John 5:22; Matt. 28:18.

True and righteous are Thy judgments.—The teaching of the Great Pyramid is in full accord with the rest of the book. See Rev. 14:15. “It is by no means an addition to the written revelation: that revelation is complete and perfect, and needs no addition. But it is a strong _corroborative witness_ to God’s Plan. Isaiah testifies of an altar and pillar in the land of Egypt, which ‘shall be for a _sign_ and for a _witness_ unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt.’ And the context shows that it shall be a witness _in the day_ when the great Savior and Deliverer shall come to set at liberty Sin’s captives.”—C. 315.

16:8. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun.—Volume IV of _Scripture Studies_, as soon as published, was sent free to all clergy whose names could be obtained. They are taught, and teach others, that they are important luminaries in the heavens, suns, rivalling in brilliancy and wisdom the Lord Himself, whose place they take in the minds of the people, by setting forth their own views on every subject, rather than the Lord’s Word. Volume IV, then, sent to this class, and calling attention to Babylon’s fall, seemed to them as the height of all presumption in wickedness.

And power was given unto him to scorch men.—Greek “The Men,” i. e., the worshipers of the beast and his image.

With fire.—Perhaps some of the clergy became a trifle warm as they read Volume IV, as their later conduct seems to suggest. Why they should have disliked Pastor Russell when he told the truth, and proved it, is remarkable.

And men.—Greek “The Men;” the clergy. In Rev. 8:9 the clergy are not so honored.

Were scorched with great heat.—Became warm, indignant at the Pastor’s kindly explanation of the whore and the harlots, and the plainly evident application to the Papacy and the Protestant sects.

And blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues.—Misrepresented the name and character of the mighty one, Pastor Russell, to whom the Lord committed the task of presenting to His Church this meat in due season. This misrepresentation burst like a storm after the publication of Volume IV, _Studies_, and continued until the Pastor’s death, yea, and shame to say it, even afterwards, in the columns of such sheets as the New York World and the Brooklyn Eagle. What monuments of infamy these people have reared for themselves! They richly deserve all they will get when the tide turns.

And they repented not to give Him glory.—“One great obstacle to many is the contracted idea generally entertained of the meaning of the word god. They fail to note that the Greek theos (god) does not invariably refer to Jehovah, but signifies _a mighty one_. In the following texts the word god (theos) is used to refer to others than the one supreme being, Jehovah—viz.:—John 10:34, 35; Acts 7:40, 43; 17:23; 1 Cor. 8:5.”—B. 274.

Another view of how the publication of Volume IV looks to the worshipers of the beast and his image is shown in the plague of hail, described in Ex. 9:13‐26. “The character of this and the following plagues must be carefully examined, as the warning seems to indicate an important turning‐ point. The ruin caused by the hail was evidently far greater than that effected by any of the earlier plagues; for it destroyed men, which those others seem not to have done, and not only men, but beasts and the produce of the earth. In this case Moses, while addressing Pharaoh, openly warns his servants how to save something from the calamity. Pharaoh for the first time acknowledges his wickedness.” (McC.) The appropriateness of these comments to the subject matter of “The Day of Vengeance,” or “The Battle of Armageddon”, (as it is now called) as the latter would appear to the mind of the clergy, is self‐evident. Your true clergyman has the greatest abhorrence for any truth that would tend to lessen men’s reverence for himself or the systems which he aims to perpetuate.

16:10. And the fifth [angel].—Volume V, of _Studies_.

Poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast.—Thoroughly and scripturally analyzing the subjects of trinity, human immortality and eternal torment, the foundation of all Papal doctrine, as well as constituting a large part of the stock in trade of the Protestant aggregation.

And his kingdom was full of darkness.—Complete ignorance of the truths on these subjects as taught in the Bible.

And they gnawed their tongues for pain.—“Note the expression of Rev. Samuel T. Carter in a Presbyterian journal—_The Evangelist_. He says: ‘It must be admitted that if a Church is honest, that which stands in its Confession to its faith. It must be acknowledged that what is contained in its Confession is the faith of any honest church. The Westminster Confession of Faith is still the unquestioned Confession of the Presbyterian Church. Is the Presbyterian Church honest in its zeal for purity first and peace afterward? Be it known, then, to all the world that the Presbyterian Church by its Confession declares that all the heathen perish, that many men are hopelessly lost from all eternity by the decree of God, and that there are infants in hell.... In reality the church does not believe these dreadful doctrines. Then it stands before God and man with a lie in its right hand.’ ”—Z. ’00‐148.

16:11 And blasphemed the God of Heaven.—“In token of entire allegiance to the beast.”—Cook.

Because of their pains [and their sores], and repented not [of their deeds].—“The commotion amongst Presbyterians continues—some standing firm for their church creed, others repudiating it and begging to be released from it. Many thus indirectly confess that they have despised it for years, and have realized it to be a lie and a blasphemy against God, and after confessing to this acting and confessing a lie for years they beg to be released without cost or loss either of human or Divine favor, and especially without loss of bread and butter.” (Z. ’00‐148.) The way in which Volume V, _Scripture Studies_, appeared to the worshipers of the beast and his image is further illustrated in the plague of locusts, described in Ex. 10:1‐11. “This plague has not the unusual nature of the one that preceded it; but it even exceeds it in severity, and so occupies its place in the gradation of the more terrible judgments that form the latter part of the series. Its severity can be well understood by those who have been in Egypt in a part of the country where a plague of locusts has alighted. In this case the plague was greater than any ordinary visitation, since it extended over a far wider space, rather than because it was more intense; for it is impossible to imagine any more complete destruction than that always caused by locusts.” (McC.) With what dismay must the clergy have read the kind words for volume V, which appeared in the columns of the secular press.

16:12. And the sixth [angel].—Volume VI of _Studies in the Scriptures_.

Poured out his vial upon the great River Euphrates.—Seemed to the worshipers of the beast and his image to be instituting a new and horrible thing, a people’s church, in which there is no place for clergy, collections, church edifices, reverence for one day above another, or in fact any of the customs cherished in the nominal church.

And the water thereof was dried up.—“Literal Babylon was built upon the literal river Euphrates, while in the Gospel age mystic or figurative Babylon, which carried away captive Spiritual Israel, is portrayed as sitting upon the mystic Euphrates. In the type, the golden vessels of the Temple were carried away and profaned by literal Babylon: in the antitype, the precious, Divine (golden) truths, pertaining to the service of the true Temple, the Church (1 Cor. 3:16, 17; Rev. 3:12), were far removed from their proper places, perverted and misapplied by mystic Babylon. Literal Babylon being built upon the river Euphrates, which materially contributed to its wealth and resources, its overthrow was accomplished by the turning aside of those waters. So mystic Babylon sits upon, is supported by, many waters (peoples, nations), and its fall is predicted, through the turning aside of its supporters and sustainers, the people.” (B. 209; Jer. 50:38, 51:36.) “Ecclesiastical circles in Germany are much exercised at the rapidly increasing desertions from the State Church. Although the process of official separation from the Church is one of the greatest difficulty, delay and expense, it is computed that in Berlin alone considerably over 10,000 persons have severed their connection with the Church during the past year. So great is the number of those who are notifying their intention to terminate their membership that special offices have been opened in Berlin to receive their applications, which now number between 300 and 400 daily. Among the working classes, especially those attached to the Social Democratic party, there exists a bitter hostility to the clergy.”—Z. ’09‐83.

“A program for a general strike against the Church is the latest plan of action. The ‘No‐Creeders’ (Monists) in league with the Socialists, convened mass meetings in Berlin, Brunswick and Saxony, in which every means of incitation was employed in an appeal toward a secession from the State Church. At these meetings over 1,300 persons signed a declaration announcing their intention to secede from the Church. Four thousand more followed, and according to judicial court‐records received towards the end of December, 17,000 secessions took place in December up to the 23d, and the day after Christmas 8,000 more announced their intention. The following press reports may serve as a typical illustration of the mode of procedure in such meetings. ‘Without exception, every one who even by vague allusion, ventured to take a stand for his Church was howled down, hissed from the rostrum and subjected to filthy invectives. To illustrate: When a minister ascended the platform, the following was heard, “He looks it!” “Old Sky‐pilot!” And from another part of the hall the same evening we heard the following words aimed at the ministers: “Damned Rags!” “Pig‐ priests!” A gentleman who interrupted was yelled at, “Rous mit the Parson‐ face!” ’ ”—Z. ’14‐133.

“Reports in Great Britain show that Baptists, Congregationalists and the various Methodist denominations there are declining in numbers and prestige. The cause of this is not far to see. Christianity has become merely another name for decency and civilization. All doctrines are abandoned as merely speculations. Churches are becoming merely social clubs in which form and ceremony mark the quality. This accounts for the growing unpopularity of those sects which once stood for the highest standards of earnestness and Christian zeal and liberty, non‐conformity and simplicity.” (Z. ’10‐324.) “The pastor of the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, New York City, Rev. Dr. Charles F. Aked, who came to its direction from a London pulpit, in his sermon Sunday said: ‘When I interview my parishioners, and they are among the most representative in the city, I find the spirit of religious depression very unlike the spirit of abounding enterprise in business, in manufacturing, in engineering and construction. There are about 16,000,000 Catholics in continental United States. Now, in our immigration for ninety years back, no less than 15,000,000 were Catholics. If all remained loyal to its tenets they would number 45,000,000 now instead of 16,000,000. The Protestants have lost ground, too, when the filling up of the country is counted. Our own denomination, the Baptists, reflects the general trend. The increase among the Baptists of America has been equal to only one‐fourth of the birth rate among us, proving that three out of four of our Baptist population have fallen away from us. The decline of Christianity is universal.’

“In England, in France, in Spain, Italy and Germany we hear the same cry. Only lately I was talking to an English clergyman. He told me that not merely is there a great falling off in church‐goers in England, but that the class of people who frequent churches is becoming inferior.

“The church is out of touch with the masses. Everything has progressed except Christianity. The pulpit has too many bigots, too many bores, too many _hell‐fire screechers_ for the enlightened thought of the day. The church is obliged to accept any applicant for the ministry who is respectable. Even with this latitude, Baptist, Presbyterian and Methodist vocations show a remarkable falling off in twenty‐five years.” (Z. ’08‐324.) “Rev. Charles A. Eaton at the Euclid Avenue Baptist Church, Cleveland, spoke as follows: ‘In Italy one‐third of the people at the very outside, are more or less nominal followers of the Church of Rome; another third, possibly, are more or less sympathetic toward the Church; while another third are out and out continually and completely antagonistic, apparently, not only to the Church of Rome, but to all forms of Christianity. You enter France—the same story is true, only aggravated and multiplied a thousand fold. You enter Great Britain, which I consider to be the last citadel of Christianity in the world, with a people more robust and sane in their religious interests and sympathies than any other people. And what is the condition there? The non‐conformist churches of Great Britain last year not only made no progress, but met, according to their statistics, with an absolute loss of 18,000; the Baptist Church of Great Britain last year lost 5,000 people. In the year 1905 there were nearly 7,000 Presbyterian, Congregationalist and Methodist churches that had not one single member unite with them in twelve months. In a recent year in New York city, according to the statement of Dr. Aked, of the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, 335 Protestant churches reported a net gain that year of 386 members. That is to say 335 churches gained one member apiece and fifty of them gained two in twelve months. Brethren, I say to you this morning, that the American Church is dying—it is dying! _It is dying!_ Don’t forget it.’ ” (Z. ’08‐211.)

“A declaration by the Rev. Dr. Charles E. McClellan, pastor of the Fairhill Baptist Church, that ‘Protestantism in the United States is fast decaying and will soon be a thing of the past,’ aroused a storm at the fifty‐third session of the North Philadelphia Baptist Association. Doctor McClellan spoke on what he called the decline of Protestantism while making his report as chairman of the missionary committee. ‘The spirit of Protestantism is dying in the United States, and it will soon be a thing of the past,’ he said. ‘Philadelphia, both denominationally and religiously, is going to perdition at a rapid rate. Recently I attended the services in one of our churches, at which I had been invited to speak. I found in attendance nineteen adults and one child. The same condition exists all over the city. We have large, magnificent churches, but small congregations, showing that it is easy to get money, but hard to get men.’ ”—Z. ’10‐373.

That the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.—“He must be comparatively blind who cannot see that the wonderful prophecies which speak of the fall of Babylon (Isa. 14:22; Jer. 50 and 51) were not wholly fulfilled by Cyrus the Persian. Much of the prophecy still waits for fulfillment in mystic or symbolic Babylon today. The Kings of the East, or kings from the sunrising, are, we understand, the kings of Christ’s Kingdom, who are also priests—the Body of Christ, the Royal Priesthood. ‘Thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.’ From this standpoint, Cyrus, who with his army overthrew literal Babylon, was a figure or illustration of Messiah, King of kings and Lord of lords. (Isa. 41:25; 44:28; 45:1‐14.)”—Z. ’99‐174; Rev. 7:2.

16:13. And I saw three unclean spirits.—Denoting demoniacal origin. (Matt. 10:1; Mark 1:26; Luke 4:33.) “The Lord’s people must discriminate between doctrines presented to them as truth—they must ‘try the spirits,’ whether they be holy or evil, of God or of the Evil One—the Spirit of Truth or the spirit of error. These both are introduced by prophets, or teachers.”—E. _320_, 295.

[Like] AS IT WERE frogs.—Frogs are garrulous, have a very wise look, large mouths, are much puffed up and utter only croakings. In the “distress of nations with perplexity” which has come upon Christendom as a result of her sins, the croakings of the wise now fill the air everywhere. Actually all knees are “weak as water.”—Ezek. 7:17; 21:7. See especially D. i‐xvi.

Come out of the mouth of the dragon.—The three fundamental truths of history are man’s Fall, Redemption and Restoration. Stated in other language these three truths are the mortal nature of man, the Christ of God and His Millennial Kingdom. Standing opposite to these Satan has placed three great untruths, human immortality, the Antichrist and a certain delusion which is best described as race hatred—in reality murder, the spirit of the very Devil. (1 John 3:15.) It is this last and crowning feature of Satan’s work that is mentioned first. The other two errors are the direct cause of this one. The wars of the Old Testament were all intended to illustrate the battlings of the New Creature against the weaknesses of the flesh, and are not in any sense of the word justification for the human butchery practiced during the Christian era in the name of religion, exemplified by the events of St. Bartholomew’s Day and by the wicked Inquisition. Nowhere in the New Testament is hatred of other peoples encouraged. Everywhere and always it is forbidden; and yet, under one guise or another it has been encouraged for centuries by the clergy class who should have been teaching the people the message given them by the Prince of Peace.

And out of the mouth of the beast.—The Antichrist doctrine of the Divine right of the clergy was the direct cause of the great war. This frog has been coming out of the mouth of the Papal beast for sixteen centuries. “These false doctrines of the Dark Ages are bearing a terrible fruitage at the present time. Similarly the teaching of eternal torment, misrepresenting and blaspheming God’s character, is bearing an evil fruitage. Millions of people are being turned away from faith in a God of Love and from faith in the Bible as His Message by the most monstrous blasphemies of the Dark Ages. I charge the responsibility of all this against the sects and creeds of Christendom. I charge that the ministers, whose eyes are now open to a saner comprehension, have neglected the Bible, have neglected the people, and, instead of helping them out of the darkness, are now leading them into darkness in an opposite direction—into Evolution and Higher Criticism and everything contrary to the Word of God. God is still misrepresented in the world. The creeds of the Dark Ages are still hugged to the bosom in outward pretense, while inwardly they are loathed. A great fraud, a great hypocrisy, you say? I answer, Yes; the most astounding the world has ever known. Two hundred thousand professed ministers of God and of Christ are standing before the world today telling the legends of the Dark Ages and seeking to hinder the people from coming to a knowledge of the Truth, meanwhile receiving the people’s money and reverence. Does not such hypocrisy, such blasphemy against God, such deception of the people, such keeping of them in darkness, deserve a great punishment, and is it not nigh?”—B. S. M.

“Pollute Ye My Holy Name No More”

And out of the mouth of the false prophet.—The one cardinal error upon which all protestant (false prophet) sects agree is the doctrine of human immortality, the original lie told in Eden (Gen. 2:17, 3:4). In speaking of it our Lord says, “When he speaketh _the_ lie, he speaketh of his own.” (John 8:44, Diaglott.) Speaking of it again, the Apostle Paul says, of the worshipers of the beast and his image, “They admitted not the love of the Truth that they might be saved. And on this account God will send to them an energy of delusion, to their believing the falsehood.” (2 Thes. 2:10, 11.) In each case the Greek gives the definite article. The frog issuing from the false prophet (the image of the beast) is the doctrine of human immortality. These deluded souls actually believe this error, and will be able to prove it to the satisfaction of the dragon, without a doubt. This error lies at the bottom of the doctrines of eternal torment and of the trinity. There is a hint in 1 John 4:1‐3 that the cardinal error on which the false prophet will insist is that when Jesus came from the Father He was more than flesh, i. e., had at least an immortal soul.—Rev. 13:11, 13, 14, 15; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:10; Matt. 24:24.

“All Christian people credit the book of Revelation to our Lord, as St. John does. (Rev. 1:1.) Therefore we are not responsible for the symbolism used in that book. There are so many ways in which one might be misunderstood, even by good Christian people, that we naturally feel a delicacy about expressing our views. As we proceed to set forth our understanding of the symbols of the Revelation, we wish to state most emphatically that we are saying nothing whatever against godly Christians anywhere, at any time, whether in any church or out of any church. We have nothing to say respecting people. We discuss PRINCIPLES, DOCTRINES, ALWAYS; individuals, NEVER! God has not commissioned us to discuss _people_; it is ours to discuss _His Word_.

“Throughout the Bible, a Beast is the symbol used to represent a government. In Daniel’s prophecy the great universal empires of the earth are thus symbolized. Babylon was the Lion, Medo‐Persia the Bear, Greece the Leopard, and _Rome_ the _Dragon_. (Dan. 7:1‐8.) The Roman Empire still persists. The Dragon, then, symbolizes the Roman power, represented by the civil power in the world. The Beast is the Papal system of government. The third symbol, the False Prophet, remains to be interpreted. This, we believe, is another name for the system elsewhere called ‘the Image of the Beast.’ (Rev. 13:14.) According to the Scriptures, this Image is a very exact representation of the Beast. The False Prophet, or Image of the Beast, we understand to mean the Protestant Federation of Churches.

“ ‘Three unclean spirits like frogs came out of the mouth of the Dragon, and out of the mouth of the Beast, and out of the mouth of the False Prophet.’ In this passage, the spirit is a doctrine—an unclean doctrine—a false doctrine. Each of these systems will utter the same things, and these utterances will have the effect of gathering the kingdoms of earth together to the Battle of Armageddon.

“The symbolism of Scripture, rightly understood, is very forceful, and there is always a close resemblance between the symbol itself and the thing symbolized. When the Holy Spirit uses a frog to represent certain doctrines or teachings, we may be sure that the application will fit well. While a frog is a small creature, yet it puffs itself up until it almost bursts with the effort to be somebody. A frog has a very wise look, even though it does not know very much. Then a frog _croaks_ whenever it utters a sound.

“The three most prominent characteristics of a frog, then, are pomposity, an air of superior wisdom and knowledge, and a continual croaking. Applying these characteristics to the picture given in the Divine Word, we learn that from kingly power, from the Catholic Church and from the Federation of Protestant Churches, will go forth the same teachings. The spirit of all will be boastful; an air of superior knowledge and wisdom will be assumed; all will foretell dire results to follow any failure to obey their counsels. However conflicting the creeds, the differences will be ignored in the general proposition that nothing ancient must be disturbed, or investigated, or repudiated.

“The boasted Divine authority of the Church, and the Divine right of kings aside from the Church, will not be allowed to conflict; for both will be indorsed. Any persons or teachings in conflict with these boastful, unscriptural claims will be branded as everything vile, at the mouths of the frogs, croaking from pulpits and platforms, and through the religious and secular press. The nobler sentiments of some will be strangled by the philosophy of the same evil spirit which spoke through Caiaphas, the high priest, respecting our Lord Jesus. As Caiaphas declared it expedient to commit a crime in violation of justice, both human and Divine, to be rid of Jesus and His teachings, so this frog‐like spirit will approve of any and every violation of principle necessary to self‐protection.

“Every true Christian is ashamed to look back upon the pages of history and see what terrible deeds were done in the name of God and justice, and in the name of our Lord Jesus. We are not to think for a moment that these frog spirits, or doctrines, are all bad, but rather that they are doctrines of bombast and pomposity, representing themselves to be very wise and great, and having the backing of centuries. Out of the mouth of the Dragon comes the doctrine of the Divine right of Kings: ‘Do not look back of the curtain of history to see where the kings got that right. Accept the doctrine; for if you do not, and if men look into the matter, there will be a terrible revolution and everything will go down!’

“The Beast and the False Prophet have similar croakings. The Catholic Church says, ‘Do not look behind! Do not question anything about the Church!’ Protestantism says, also, ‘We are great, we are wise, we know a great deal. Keep quiet! No one will then know that you know nothing.’ All say (croaking), ‘We tell you that if you say anything against present arrangements, terrible things will come to pass.’

“Political parties are figuring in this. All declare, ‘If any change should come, it will mean terrible disaster!’ Some have the backbone and some have the civil power behind them, but unitedly they croak to the people that if any change is made, it will mean ruin to the present order. In the language of our day, ‘Stand pat!’ is the order in Church and in State; but the people are being moved by fear. It is this croaking of the Beast, the Dragon and the False Prophet that will arouse the kings of earth and gather them together to the Armageddon Battle.

“The ecclesiastical kings and princes, with their retinue of clergy and faithful adherents, will be gathered in solid phalanx—Protestant and Catholic. The political kings and kaisers, princes, and all in high places, with their henchmen and retainers, will follow in line on the same side. The financial kings and merchant princes, and all whom they can influence by the most gigantic power ever yet exercised in the world, will join the same side, according to this prophecy. They do not realize, however, that they are coming to Armageddon; yet strange to say, this is a part of their very cry, ‘Come together to Armageddon!’

“Speaking of our day, our Lord declared, ‘Men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.’ (Luke 21:26.) The kings of Europe know not what to do. All sectarianism is being shaken.

“The croaking of the frog spirits, or doctrines, will gather the kings and princes, financial, political, religious and industrial, into one great army. The spirit of fear, inspired by the croaking, will scourge the passions of otherwise good and reasonable men to fury—desperation. In their blind following of these evil spirits, evil doctrines, they will be ready to sacrifice life and everything on what they mistakenly suppose is the altar of Justice, Truth and Righteousness under a Divine arrangement.

“Many noble people in this great army will assume an attitude quite contrary to their preference. For a time the wheels of liberty and progress will be turned backward, and mediæval restraints will be considered necessary for self‐preservation—for the maintenance of the present order of things and for the prevention of the new order which God has decreed, the due time for which is at hand. Even those who may be God’s people do not stop to consider whether it is His will that things should continue as they have been for the past six thousand years. The Bible says that such is not God’s will, but that there is to be a great overturning, that a new order is coming in.

“For a brief time, as we understand the Scriptures, these combined forces of Armageddon will triumph. Free speech, free mails, and other liberties which have come to be the very breath of the masses in our day, will be ruthlessly shut off on the plea of _necessity_, the glory of God, the commands of the Church, etc. The safety‐valve will be sat upon, and thus will cease to annoy earth’s kings with the sound of escaping steam; and all will seem to be serene—until the great social explosion described in the Revelation as an _earthquake_ will take place. In symbolic language an earthquake signifies social revolution, and the Scriptural declaration is that none like it ever before occurred. (Rev. 16:18, 19.) Our Lord refers to it in Matt. 24:21.