Chapter XIII: Front Matter (13)

“At this juncture, the Scriptures show, Divine Power will step forward, and God will gather the marshaled hosts to Armageddon—to the Mount of Destruction. (Rev. 16:16.) The very thing which they sought to avert by their union, federation, etc., will be the very thing that they will hasten. Other Scriptures tell us that God will be represented by Messiah, and that He will be on the side of the masses. ‘At that time shall Michael [the Godlike One—Messiah] stand up.’ (Dan. 12:1.) He will assume authority. He will take possession of His Kingdom in a manner little looked for by many of those who erroneously have been claiming to be His Kingdom, and authorized by Him to reign in His name and in His stead.

“Our Lord Jesus declared, ‘His servants ye are unto whom ye render service.’ Some may be rendering service to Satan and to error, who claim to be rendering service to God and to righteousness; and some may serve ignorantly, as did Saul of Tarsus, who ‘verily thought that he did God service,’ in persecuting the Church. The same principle holds true reversely. As an earthly king does not hold himself responsible for the moral character of each soldier who fights his battles, so the Lord does not vouch for the moral character of all who enlist and fight on His side of any question. His servants they are to whom they render service, whatever the motive prompting them.

“The same principle will apply in the coming Battle of Armageddon. God’s side of that battle will be the people’s side; and that very nondescript host, the people, will be pitted at the beginning of the battle. Anarchists, Socialists, and hot‐headed radicals of every school of reason and unreason, will be in the forefront of that battle. He who has any knowledge of army life knows that a great army is composed of all classes.

“The masses will be restless under their restraints, but will be conscious of their weakness as compared with the kings and princes, financial, social, religious and political, who will then hold sway. The masses have no sympathy with anarchy. They realize truly that the worst form of government is better than none. The masses will seek relief through the ballot and the peaceful readjustment of earth’s affairs for the elimination of evil, for the placing of monopolies and utilities and the supplies of nature in the hands of people for the public good. The crisis will be reached when the hitherto upholders of the law shall become violators of the law and resisters of the will of the majority as expressed by the ballot. Fear for the future will goad the well‐meaning masses to desperation, and anarchy will result when Socialism fails.

“The Lord’s saints are not to be in this battle at all. God’s consecrated people, longing at heart for Messiah’s Kingdom and the glorious Year of Jubilee and Restitution which it will inaugurate, will patiently abide the Lord’s time, and wait unmurmuringly for it. Their lamps trimmed and burning, they will not be in darkness respecting the momentous events of the impending battle; but they will be of good courage, knowing the outcome portrayed in the ‘more sure word of prophecy,’ to which they have done well to ‘take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the Day dawn.’—2 Pet. 1:19.

“The question now arises, Why did not God send His Kingdom sooner? Why is Armageddon necessary? We answer that God has His own times and seasons, and that He has appointed the Great Seventh Thousand‐Year Day for the reign of Christ. Divine Wisdom has withheld until our day the great knowledge and skill which is breeding at the same time millionaires and discontents. Had God lifted the veil of ignorance a thousand years sooner, the world would have lined up for Armageddon a thousand years sooner. God did not bring these things before the present time because His Plan has various parts, all of which are converging at the same time. In kindness God veiled the eyes of mankind until the gathering to Armageddon would immediately precede Messiah’s taking to Himself His great power and beginning His reign.” (Rev. 11:17, 18.)—D. v‐xvi.

16:14. For they are the spirits of devils.—See Eph. 6:12. “We are naturally led by the analogy of the influence of evil spirits as described in the Gospels to compare the _effect_ produced by the demons referred to in this verse, with the instances of _possession_ of which we read elsewhere in the New Testament.”—Cook.

Working miracles.—It is very possible that the strongest “proof” of the immortality of man will yet be obtained by the false prophet through materializations of evil spirits, perhaps first at preachers’ meetings, and afterwards in public. We will wait and see. Meantime: the mental invasions indicated in Rev. 7:3 and 2 Thes. 2:11 will _surely_ come, whether the physical materializations come or not.—Rev. 13:13, 14.

“The newspapers far and near are publishing the following item: ‘Fred E. Foskett, a young machinist of Orange, Mass., has attracted the attention of Prof. James, of Harvard, and other leading members of the Boston branch of the American Society of Psychical Research, who gave him tests recently. Foskett poured a quart of alcohol into the basin, lighted it and then washed his hands, bathing them for nearly ten minutes in the burning fluid, washing it up over his arms and to his face—literally bathing himself in blazing alcohol. As soon as they were finished the physicians present examined Foskett, and they could not find the slightest trace of a burn or blister. Foskett then told them that the flames did not give him the slightest sensation of burning, that he felt comfortably warm and pleasant, and nothing more. The second tests were made at the home of Prof. James in Cambridge. A scientist who was there said that Foskett performed all of his experiments of the day before, and then “absolutely and positively dematerialized”. He seemed to dissolve into thin air as we watched, was gone forty‐one seconds and then materialized.’ ”—Z. ’09‐83; Matt. 24:24; 2 Thes. 2:9.

Which go forth unto the kings of the [earth and of the] whole world, to gather them to the battle of [that] THE great Day of God Almighty.—Of which the present horrible European war is only the preliminary skirmish.—Rev. 17:14; 19:19.

“This battle, which will end with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership, is already commenced. The gathering of the armies is plainly visible from the standpoint of God’s Word. The Sword of Truth, already sharpened, is to smite every evil system and custom—civil, social and ecclesiastical. The internal conflict is already fomenting. It will ere long break forth as a consuming fire; and human systems, and errors, which for centuries have fettered truth and oppressed the groaning creation, must melt before it. Yes, truth—and widespread and increasing knowledge of it—is the Sword which is perplexing and wounding the heads over many countries.” (Psa. 110:6; B. 101.) “Not until great Babylon is utterly overthrown and her influence over the world broken—will the great mass of mankind come to realize the true state of the case. Then they will see that the great trouble through which they will have passed was that symbolically termed ‘The battle of the great Day of God Almighty;’ that in proportion as they have aided error and wrong, they have been battling against the law and forces of the new Empire and the new Ruler of earth; and that in proportion as their tongues, and pens, and hands, and influence, and means, were used to support _the right_ and the truth on any subject, they had been to that extent fighting on the Lord’s side. And during all the trouble there will be in the world those who will bear witness to its cause, declaring the Lord’s presence and the setting up of His Kingdom which is in opposition to the powers of darkness to be the real cause of the trouble and shaking and overturning of society.”—B. 141.

16:15. Behold, I come as a thief.—A thief comes unexpectedly, for the purpose of securing jewels only.—Mal. 3:17; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3; Matt. 24:42‐44; 1 Thes. 5:2.

Blessed is he that watcheth.—“Because not heedless, careless, indifferent servants of the King, but faithful and earnest ones, the Watchers discern that there are three words of distinctly different signification, used in respect to the Lord’s Second Advent; namely, parousia and epiphania and apokalupsis. Parousia is used in respect to the earliest stage of the Second Advent, while apokalupsis relates to the same Advent later.” (Z. ’02‐86.) “The Greek words apokalupsis and apokalupto signify revealment, uncovering, unveiling (as of a thing previously present but hidden). The name of the last book of the Bible is from the same root—Apocalypse or Revelation.”—Z. ’02‐92; 1 Cor. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7; Lu. 17:29, 30.

And keepeth his garments.—Holds fast to his pledge of consecration even unto death.

Lest he walk naked.—As the nominal churches are doing even since the war council at Washington, May 6, 1917.

And they see his shame.—During the apokalupsis epoch now at hand. (Rev. 3:18.) “The exposure to the world that they lack what constitutes the Christian state.”—Cook.—Matt. 5:43, 44.

16:16. And [he] THEY gathered them together.—The three unclean spirits do the gathering.—Rev. 19:19.

Unto a place called in the Hebrew tongue [Armageddon] ARMAGEDON.—“The fact that St. John has employed a word (Har‐Magedon), ‘The destruction of their troop,’ not found in connection with any locality or historical event of itself points to a figurative interpretation. (Zech. 12:11.) Nor indeed are we to think of literal warfare.” (Cook.) “The word ‘mountain’ in the term Armageddon—‘Mountain of Megiddo’—seems to have been used because Megiddo was in a mountainous region, though the battles were fought in a valley adjacent. The meaning here is, that there would be, as it were, a decisive battle which would determine the question of the prevalence of true religion on the earth. What we are to expect as the fulfillment of this would seem to be, that there will be some mustering of strength—some rallying of forces—some opposition made to the Kingdom of God in the gospel by the powers here referred to which would be _decisive_ in its character.” (Barnes.) Another view of Volume VI, _Scripture Studies_, as it appeared to the worshipers of the beast and his image, may be had in the plague of darkness upon the Egyptians described in Ex. 10:21‐29. The 3‐½ days of terrible darkness over the land of Egypt represent the 3‐½ years of the great war and indicate its close shortly after the publication of this final witness of the church. While this plague was still in progress, Moses said to Pharaoh, “I will see thy face again no more.” It is even so; Pastor Russell passed forever out of reach of the antitypical Pharaoh, Satan, in the fall of 1916. But in steadfast belief that “his works do follow him,” we hold that he supervises, by the Lord’s arrangement, the work yet to be done. See Rev. 16:1.

16:17. And the seventh [angel].—Volume VII, _Scripture Studies_.

Poured out his vial [into] UPON the air.—Seemed to the clergy to be directed against the ruling powers. “The terrors of the revelation of Christ will thus appear spread out over the Universe.”—Cook.

And there came a great voice.—An earnest and vigorous setting forth of this prophecy and that of Ezekiel.

Out of the Temple of [Heaven, from the Throne,] GOD.—The true Church.

Saying, it is done.—See title of this book.—_Ezek. 9:11._

16:18. And there were [voices, and] thunders.—Seven of them—indicating wide‐spread interest in the _Scripture Studies_. There will probably also be some thundering by the esteemed clergy. If in the past they had thundered less and lightened more, the world would not be in its present predicament.—Rev. 8:5.

And lightnings.—A good lighting up of the dark places of the ecclesiastical firmament.

AND VOICES.—The “voices” of the Great Company, who, after the Little Flock have gone beyond, will display unparalleled energy and faithfulness amid unparalleled difficulty.—Rev. 11:15; 8:5.

And there was a great earthquake.—Social revolution. The same mentioned in Rev. 8:5; 11:19 and 1 Kings 19:11, 12, following the War.

Such as was not since men were upon the earth.—World‐wide socialism, an unprecedented and sure‐to‐fail experiment in government.

So mighty an earthquake, and so great.—The following is from an address given to the Chicago Bankers Club in December, 1916, by Frank A. Vanderlip, president of the National City Bank of New York. “State socialism in Europe may develop problems, the like of which never concerned our minds. We may have to meet collective buying, State aided industries, forms of governmental control of ocean borne commerce and novel factors in international finance. There may come out of the war changes in forms of government that will have profound and world‐wide influence.”

16:19. And the great city was divided into three parts.—Christendom is now divided into three parts: Socialistic Russia, Imperial Teutonia, and the Representative Governments of the West; but we think a religious division is coming: The Greek church, the Papacy and the False Prophet Protestant aggregation, all under papal control. Or the city of Rev. 14:20, may be meant.—2 Ki. 2:10, 12, 15.

And the [cities] CITY of the nations fell.—The reference is to Rome, the “city” mentioned in Rev. 17:18. By Rome is meant the Papacy. All other kings have already drunk deeply of the wrath of God and Sheshach’s turn has come.—Jer. 25:26; Rev. 14:8.

And great Babylon came in remembrance before God.—“The fall of Babylon will astonish the entire world, so complete is the illusion that Christendom represents the Throne and Government of Messiah among men. And, be it remembered, the vast majority in all the various sects and denominations of Christendom are worldly people who have no conception whatever of the true Church and her cause. Their ambition is to approximate righteousness and a form of godliness, but no more than this seems to them necessary, since they have not been begotten of the Holy Spirit and therefore cannot appreciate things from the divine standpoint.”—Pastor Russell. See Rev. 18:5.

To give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of [His] THE wrath.—The wine of the vine of the earth.—Rev. 14:17‐20; Jer. 8:14; Isa. 51:17‐20; Jer. 25:26‐28; Rev. 18:6.

16:20. And every island fled away.—Even the republics will disappear in the fall of 1920.

And the mountains were not found.—Every kingdom of earth will pass away, be swallowed up in anarchy.

16:21. And there fell upon men.—Greek “The Men,” the worshipers of the beast and his image, i. e., the clergy.

A great hail out of heaven.—Truth, compacted, coming with crushing force. A concluding statement of how the seventh volume of _Scripture Studies_ appears to the worshipers of the beast and his image.—Rev. 11:19; Isa. 28:17; 30:30; Ezek. 13:11; Joshua 10:11.

Every stone about the weight of a talent.—113 lbs. (Mal. 3:10.) Another view of the seventh volume of _Scripture Studies_, as it appears to the worshipers of the beast and his image, is found in the last of the Egyptian plagues, the death of the first‐born, Exodus 11th. and 12th. chapters. As soon as this plague came the Egyptians, from Pharaoh down, were anxious to speed the parting guest, and willing to give up all the jewels of silver (the Great Company) and the jewels of gold (the Little Flock). In connection with the statement that “there was not a house where there was not one dead,” it is admitted that if any sects were overlooked in the lists cited in comments on Rev. 8th and 9th chapters the omission was unintentional and will be corrected in later editions. The three days in which Pharaoh’s host pursued the Israelites into the wilderness represent the three years from 1917 to 1920 at which time all of Pharaoh’s messengers will be swallowed up in the sea of anarchy. The wheels will come off their chariots—organizations.

And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail.—Apparently, the book will be unpopular for a time. “As soon as Divine restraints upon Satan were released, he moved the Sabeans to steal Job’s cattle and to kill his servants; he caused fire to come down from heaven, which not only killed but burned up Job’s flocks of sheep; he sent the Chaldeans who stole Job’s camels, and finally produced a cyclone which smote the house in which Job’s children were feasting together, and destroyed the house and killed its occupants; and he attacked Job’s person with disease as soon as granted permission. (Job. 1:9‐2:7.)”—S. 80.

For the plague thereof was exceeding great.—Quite a shower.

Revelation 17—The Papacy’s Last Stand

17:1. And there came one of the seven angels.—Volume VII, _Studies in the Scriptures_.

Which had the seven vials.—An explanation of the plagues upon symbolic Babylon.

And talked with me.—The John class, the Church in the flesh.

Saying [unto me] Come hither; I will shew unto thee.—In the 8th, 9th, 16th and 18th chapters of Revelation, and throughout the Book of Ezekiel.—Nahum 3:3, 4.

The judgment of the great whore.—Papacy, the “beast.”—Rev. 19:2.

That sitteth upon many waters.—The peoples of the earth.—Jer. 51:13; Rev. 17:15.

17:2. With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication.—“The kingdoms of Europe today claim to be Christian kingdoms, and announce that their sovereigns reign ‘by the grace of God,’ i. e., through appointment of either Papacy or some of the Protestant sects.”—A. 268; Rev. 18:3; Isa. 1:21; Jer. 2:20‐24; 3:6; Ezek. 16:15.

And the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk.—“So great an institution as made all nations drunk with her false doctrine must be very prominent, indeed, to those who were made so under the influence of the stupefying draft from her cup.”—Pastor Russell.

With the wine of her fornication.—The mixed doctrines, part truth and part error, that originally led to the union of church and state,—the spiritual harlotry.—Jer. 51:7; Rev. 2:20; 17:5; 18:3; 19:2.

17:3. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness.—“All who would get a true view of Babylon must, in spirit, take their position with the true people of God ’in the wilderness’—in the condition of separation from the world and worldly ideas and mere forms of godliness, and in the condition of entire consecration and faithfulness to and dependence upon God alone.”—D. 27.

And I saw a woman.—The Roman Catholic Church.

Sit upon a scarlet colored beast.—Pagan Rome, and its successors.

Full of names of blasphemy.—“From Ferraris’ _Ecclesiastical Dictionary_, a standard Roman Catholic authority, we quote the following condensed outline of papal power as given under the word _papa_, article 2nd: ‘The pope is of such dignity and highness that he is not simply a man but, as it were, God, and the vicar [representative] of God.... Hence the pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven, of earth and of hell. Nay, the pope’s excellence and power are not only about heavenly, terrestrial and infernal things, but he is also above angels, and is their superior; so that if it were possible that angels could err from the faith, or entertain sentiments contrary thereto, they could be judged and excommunicated by the pope.... He is of such great dignity and power that he occupies one and the same tribunal with Christ; so that whatsoever the pope does seem to proceed from the mouth of God.... The pope is, as it were, God on earth, the only prince of the faithful of Christ, the greatest king of all kings, possessing the plenitude of power; to whom the government of the earthly and heavenly kingdom is entrusted.’ He further adds: ‘The pope is of so great authority and power that he can modify, declare or interpret the Divine Law.’ ‘The pope can sometimes counteract the Divine Law by limiting, explaining, etc.’ ”—B. 310.

Having seven heads and ten horns.—See Rev. 12:3; 13:1: 17:9‐12; Dan. 7:7, 20; Rev. 5:6; 1 Sam. 2:10; Deut. 33:17; 1 Ki. 22:11.

17:4. And the woman was arrayed in purple.—Symbolizing the apostate church’s claim to royalty. “I sit a queen and am no widow.”—Rev. 18:7, 12, 16.

And scarlet color.—Symbolizing her claims to share in Christ’s work of sacrifice, in the doctrine of the mass.

And decked with gold.—Symbolizing her claim that she includes in her membership all the true Church of God, those who shall ultimately attain the Divine nature.

And precious stones.—Symbolizing her claim that she is the sole custodian of the Lord’s precious jewels of truth and character.—1 Cor. 3:12; Mal. 3:17.

And pearls.—Symbolizing her claim that she has sole power over all that the Lord bought by His death.—Matt. 13:45, 46.

Having a golden cup in her hand.—Symbolizing her claim that she is the repository of all Truth Divine.—Jer. 51:7.

Full of abominations and [filthiness] FILTHINESSES of [her] THE fornication OF HER AND OF THE EARTH.—“Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunken; the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad [intoxicated with her errors]. (Jer. 51:7‐9.)”—C. 156; Rev. 18:6; Isa. 65:4.

17:5. And upon her forehead [was a name written].—In plain sight of all the spiritually minded. (And how strange it is that _everybody_ does not see it!)

Mystery.—“We have already called attention to the fact that the Church of Christ is called in the Scriptures the ‘Mystery of God,’ because, contrary to expectation, the Church was to be the Messianic _Body_ which, under its Anointed Head, Jesus, shall rule and bless the world. We have also drawn attention to the fact that the Scriptures refer to Babylon as a counterfeit system (mother and daughters—some more and some less corrupt, some better and some poorer counterfeits), and there designated the ‘Mystery of Iniquity.’ We are to remember that it is Satan who in the Scriptures is credited with having ‘deceived the whole world’ on this subject; putting evil for good and good for evil; light for darkness and darkness for light. Satan ‘now worketh in the children of disobedience’ (Isa. 5:20; Eph. 2:2) even as he proffered his cooperation to our Lord Jesus.”—F. 199; 2 Thes. 2:7; Prov. 5:6.

Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.—“Since Papacy, the mother, is not a single individual, but a great religious system, in keeping with the symbol we should expect to see other religious systems answering to the illustration of daughters of similar character. To this description the various Protestant organizations fully correspond. The daughter systems parted from the mother under circumstances of travail, and were born virgins.” (D. 29.) “But some sincere Christians may still be anxiously inquiring,—‘If all Christendom is to be involved in the doom of Babylon, what will become of Protestantism, the result of the Great Reformation?’ This is an important question; but let the reader consider that Protestantism, as it exists today, is not the result of the Great Reformation, but of its decline.”—D. 28; Ezek. 16:44; Hos. 2:2‐5; Isa. 1:21; Rev. 18:9; 19:2.

“The claims of apostolic succession and clerical authority are almost as presumptuously set forth by some of the Protestant clergy as by the Papal priesthood. And the right of individual private judgment,—the very fundamental principle of the protest against Papacy, which led to the Great Reformation,—is now almost as strenuously opposed by Protestants as by Papists. Protestants seem to have forgotten,—for they truly ignore,—the very grounds of the original protest, and, as systems, they are fast drifting back toward the open arms of the ‘Holy (?) Mother Church.’ ‘Let us hold out to you our hand affectionately’ (says Pope Leo to Protestants in his famous Encyclical addressed ‘To the Princes and Peoples of the Earth’), ‘and invite you to the unity which never failed the Catholic church, and which never can fail. Long has our common mother called you to her breast.’ The doctrine of ‘the Divine right of kings,’ taught or supported by almost every sect, is the foundation of the old civil system, and has long given authority, dignity and stability to the kingdoms of Europe; and the doctrine of the Divine appointment and authority of the clergy has hindered God’s children from progressing in Divine things and bound them by the chains of superstition and ignorance to the veneration and adoration of fallible fellow‐beings, and to their doctrines, traditions and interpretations of God’s Word. It is this entire order of things that is to fall and pass away in the battle of this great day—the order of things which for centuries has held the people docile under the ruling powers, civil, social and religious. All this has been by God’s _permission_ (not by his appointment and approval, as they claim). But though an evil in itself, it has served a good, _temporary_ purpose in preventing anarchy, which is immeasurably worse, because men were not prepared to do better for themselves, and because the time for Christ’s Millennial Kingdom had not yet come. Hence God permitted the various delusions to gain credence in order to hold men in check until ‘The Time of the End’—the end of ‘The Times of the Gentiles’ (which expired October 1, 1914).”—D. 33.

17:6. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints.—“ ‘But the blood of Protestants is not called the blood of saints, no more than the blood of thieves, man‐killers, and other malefactors, for the shedding of which, by the order of justice, no commonwealth shall answer.’—_Rhemish (Catholic) translation, footnote._” (B. 320.) “ ‘She wore out the saints of the most high God.’ and ‘was drunken with the blood of the saints.’—Rev. 18:24.”—Z. ’04‐236; Rev. 16:6.

And with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.—Most of these martyrs will doubtless be honored by a place in the Great Company. (See Rev. 7:9.) This Scripture was fulfilled in the Dark Ages, but we are still _in_ the Dark Ages, and will be until this system is destroyed. It takes more than a mere profession of faith to make a Christian. “Jezebel today has daughters—systems termed Protestant—which, nevertheless, copy largely the mother’s spirit. It is through the influence of the daughters that the anti‐typical Elijah may expect future persecutions, instigated by the mother, accomplished through the daughters, as typically represented in the case of John the Baptist, beheaded by Herod at the instance of Salome, but at the instigation of Herodias—Jezebel.”—Z. ’04‐237.

And when I saw her.—Discerned her true character.

I wondered with great admiration.—“With great wonder” (Diaglott), that the Lord would permit such an institution to exist.

17:7. And the angel.—Volume VII, _Scripture Studies_.

Said unto me.—See Revelation, Chapters 4, 5 and 6.

Wherefore dost thou marvel.—This is all quite right and necessary. The Papacy was foreseen and permitted as a part of God’s wonderful plan for developing and testing His Church, proving who are worthy to be of the First Resurrection, joint‐heirs with Christ.

I will tell thee the mystery of the woman.—The apostate Church of Rome.

And of the beast that carrieth her.—Pagan Rome, now represented in earth’s warring governments.

Which hath seven heads and ten horns.—See Rev. 12:3; 13:1. The exposition of the remainder of this chapter was greatly assisted by the following letter: “Your request for my version of what I understood Bro. Russell’s expectations to be respecting the fulfillment of the 17th Chapter of Revelation received and after considerable meditation upon the matter I have decided to submit the following: Brother Russell stated that there were three possible fulfillments of this Chapter, and that he did not or would not go on record as to which would be the correct interpretation, for the reason that this Chapter could not be interpreted in a positive way until after its fulfillment. He stated that this Chapter was the key to all of the pictures, or prophecies, of Revelation, which are as yet wrapped in mystery. On various occasions I requested Bro. Russell to give me his idea respecting the three possible fulfillments; but he remained absolutely mum respecting two of the ways, but freely expressed his opinion respecting the third way, which he believed would be the way in which the prophecy would be fulfilled. ‘The beast that thou sawest was, and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition,’ we understand to be the Holy Roman Empire—Church and State, united in power from 799 to 1799. The term ‘Thou sawest’ refers to the thousand‐year reign of the Pope, and the term ‘And is not’ refers to the present non‐existence of the Empire in power, and the term ‘And shall ascend from the bottomless pit and again go into perdition’ refers to the re‐establishment of the Holy Roman Empire in power and its subsequent destruction. The statement ‘When he cometh, he must continue a short space,’ was understood by Bro. Russell to mean that the beast would rule only for a very short time. In answer to a direct question on this point Bro. Russell stated that he did not believe this short space could be interpreted in days, months, or years, but that it simply meant a short time. In the 12th verse, we read that ‘The ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet, but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.’ This seems to set forth the Papal view respecting the various kings of Europe which at the present time have not received the official anointing by the Pope, and consequently have not as yet received their kingdom. If this is correct, it would then also mean that if the Pope should anoint these kings and declare them to be ruling by Divine right, they thereby would officially receive power as kings, and would rule with the Pope and together with the Pope would constitute the beast again in power.

“Bro. Russell was anxiously awaiting the settlement of the present world war for the reason that it seemed very probable that the Pope would be the leading figure in bringing about its settlement, and possibly the very basis of the settlement will be the recognition of the Pope as the Holy See. If the Pope receives such recognition, he could in return immediately grant an official anointing of the rulers of the various governments included in the settlement, and they then as stated in Verse 13, will be ‘Of one mind and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.’ If this is to be the fulfillment of this picture, then it will only be a question of time until these same governments will turn upon the Roman Church and ‘Shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire.’ (Rev. 17:16.) The foregoing briefly outlines what Bro. Russell seemed to think would be the outcome of the present war. He had certain articles in prospect which, if backed up by fulfilled prophecies, were to be the absolute and irrevocable proof to the world of all of the leading pictures given in the entire book of Revelation. Personally, I think everything seems to be shaping itself towards the fulfillment of the Chapter on the line above specified. If you are making any use of this letter, kindly specify or emphasize the fact that Bro. Russell considered the matter largely as a speculation, and that he positively stated that he would not go on record in the matter for the reason that when he treated the matter he would do so in the light of fulfilled prophecy _as the last word and as the unsealing of the entire book_, and that he would not attempt to do this until such a time as the interpretation could not be refuted.” That time has evidently now come.

17:8. The beast that thou sawest.—The Antichrist.

Was.—Exercised actual dominion until 1799 A. D.

And is not.—Has not had even a vestige of temporal power since 1870. Since then it has been in oblivion, the “bottomless pit.”

And shall ascend out of the [bottomless pit], ABYSS.—“Private letters from the Vatican, received by Dr. A. Palmieri of the Library of Congress, a recognized writer on ecclesiastical subjects, announce that Pope Benedict XV is about to appoint a commission of four cardinals to renew a movement begun by Pope Leo XIII, and abandoned by Pope Pius X, looking to a reunion of Christianity and the cultivation of friendly relations with the Anglican Church. A public announcement on the subject from Rome is expected soon. Dr. Palmieri said that the new movement, as outlined in his advices, will be directed particularly toward an establishment of the reunion of the Russian church and the Papacy and to a thorough re‐ examination into the validity of Anglican or Episcopal ordinations, which was settled in the negative in a papal bull ‘Apostolica Sedis,’ by Pope Leo X. The interest of the Pope in the problem of Christian unity is said to have been intensified by the recent progress of the world congress, initiated by the American Episcopal Church.

“ ‘The new Pope,’ said Dr. Palmieri, summarizing the information received from Rome, ‘has taken a considerable part in the efforts of neutral nations to establish peace among nations. The Vatican’s efforts have been suggested not only by a humanitarian spirit, but by a longing for Christian unity and to end the conflict which long since has divided Christian churches. Efforts of Leo XIII for carrying out the reunion of Christianity were abruptly stopped by Piux X, who aimed at an inner reform of the Catholic clergy and turned all his energies to the crushing of modernism [Higher Criticism and Evolution]. Benedict XV thinks it is time to renew the policy of Leo XIII, also that a re‐establishment of a political peace would be the first step toward renewed attempts to stop the splitting of Christianity into a greater number of sects. It seems to the Vatican that the Orthodox Slavs will be very soon called to take a more active part in the life of western nations, either Protestant or Catholic, and that it is necessary to come to an understanding with them to avoid evils produced by religious intolerance. The newly planned commission of cardinals will pay attention to yearnings for unity, which from time to time manifest themselves in the Orthodox church, and to cultivate friendly relations with the Anglican church. One of the most important tasks of the new commission will be a thorough re‐examination of the arguments pro and con on the validity of Anglican ordinations. The bull Apostolica Sedis by Leo X has settled in the negative the problem of that validity, but generally theological schools assume a more favorable attitude toward acknowledgment the validity of Anglican orders, and the new commission of cardinals will carefully ponder the reasons set forth by Russian and Anglican divines against the decision of Pope Leo X. The friendship of the Anglican church is appreciated by Rome, for she may be as a link of union between Roman Catholicism and Russian Orthodoxy.’ ” (Z. ’17‐52.) We assume that the foregoing plan of the pope will succeed. “This is the supreme chance for Christianity ‘to assert her authority and guide the world out of the darkness enshrouding it,’ observes _The Northwestern Christian Advocate_ (Methodist, Chicago), and it wonders whether the organized Christianity that ‘failed—ingloriously failed’—in 1914 will again ‘miss her golden opportunity.’ ” (Literary Digest.) “An old writer has observed that the Beast reappears from the Abyss (see on ch. 11, 7) without his diadems, as though, in this last stage, he would symbolize rather the violence of popular rage than the prescriptive sanctity of monarchical supremacy.”—Cook.

And go into perdition.—Be utterly destroyed at the hands of the masses it has so persistently and outrageously deceived.—Rev. 17:11.

And they that dwell on the earth.—All independent Christians, not entangled in the systems of either the beast or the image. See Rev. 13:13, 14.

Shall wonder.—Be astounded, perplexed and dismayed, “At the reappearance of the beast.”—Cook.

Whose names.—As a class, not as individuals.

Were not written in the Book of Life.—But not necessarily in so‐called Church books, kept here on earth, for collection purposes.

From the foundation of the world.—“The book or scroll covenanting life to an elect number was prepared from the foundation of the world. The names in it have been written as the individuals have made consecration of themselves, coming under the terms of the Divine call. In this view of the matter the book or scroll would represent the original Divine purpose—God’s intention to have a Church, of which our Lord Jesus would be the Head.—(Rev. 3:5.)”—Z. ’99‐265.

When they behold the beast that was, and is not, and [yet is] SHALL AGAIN BE PRESENT.—The Papal Empire restored.

17:9. And here is the mind which hath wisdom.—A problem requiring the aid of the Lord.—Rev. 13:18.

The seven heads are seven mountains.—The kingdoms enumerated in Rev. 12:3.

On which the woman sitteth.—Over which she once reigned in plentitude of power. Much of Revelation is written in such a way that both a literal and a symbolical explanation can be made, designed by the Lord to make the understanding of the book impossible to any except the fully consecrated. The following shows the physical explanation of this text which would most appeal to the unconsecrated. But it shows that the Mother of Harlots has her headquarters at Rome. And when we know who the mother is, it is impossible not to recognize the daughters. Rome is called in history the “seven‐hilled city.” “The original settlement of Romulus is said to have been limited to the Palatine mount. With this were united before the end of his reign the Capitoline and the Quirinal; Tullus Hostilius added the Caelian, Ancus Martius the Aventine; and finally Servius Tullius included the Esquiline and Viminal, and enclosed the whole seven hills with a stone wall. The growth of the state closely followed that of the city.” (Brit.) It would not be possible to limit this explanation to seven forms of government which have exercised sway over the city of Rome. There have been many such governments. There were seven of them during the nineteenth century alone—the Roman Republic of 1798, the Kingdom of 1805, the Annexation of 1810, the restoration of the temporal power in 1814, the Revolution of 1848, the restoration of the temporal power in 1849, and the Italian occupation in 1870.

17:10. And there are seven kings.—Seven forms of government of the HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, the devil’s own particular pattern of government.

Five are fallen.—(1) The Regal period, from 753 B. C. to 510 B. C. The “Kings” of this period were “not simply either the hereditary and patriarchal chief of a clan, the priestly head of a community bound together by a common _sacra_, or the elected magistrate of a state, but a mixture of all three.”—Brit.

(2) The Republic, from 509 to 451 B. C. and from 448 to 60 B. C. “It is characteristic of Rome that the change from monarchy to republic should have been made with the least possible disturbance of existing forms. The title of king was retained, though only as that of a priestly officer (_rex sacrorum_) to whom some of the religious functions of the former kings were transferred. The two annually elected consuls or prætores were regarded as joint heirs of the full kingly authority, and as holding the imperium and the correlative right of taking the auspices, by direct transmission from the founder of the city.” (Brit.) (3) The Decemvirate, a rule of ten men, from 451 to 449 B. C. (4) The Triumvirate, a rule of three men, from 59 to 49 B. C. and from 43 to 28 B. C. (5) The Dictatorship of Cæsar, 48 to 44 B. C. All of these forms of the old Holy Roman Empire have completely passed away.

[And] one is.—The Dragon, still represented in the powers of Europe. (See comments on Rev. 12:3, 4, 7, 9, 13, 16, 17; 13:2, 4, 11; 16:13.) The rulership of Papacy during the Dark Ages, both directly in its temporal power, and through the governments which it controlled or influenced, and still influences, was—as has been shown—merely another aspect of the government of Pagan Rome, generally styled the Empire, but in Revelation called the Dragon, and the Devil, and Satan.

And the other.—The final form, of Arbitrator (whatever be the official title).

Is not yet come.—But is due to make its appearance with the close of the war, probably early in the year 1938. (See comments on Rev. 16:17‐21; Ex. 10:23.) Pastor Russell foretold the _darkness_ would commence in _1914_, and it did!! Egypt’s plague of darkness lasted three days (years).

And when he cometh, he must continue a short space.—Probably from the fall of 1917 to the spring or summer of 1918. “The language is indefinite, the words ‘must continue’ alone being emphatic. It is a duration such that by means of it the Church should be exercised in patience.”—Cook.

17:11. And the beast that was.—That once exercised temporal dominion and, through influence of the European governments, once actually ruled the world.

And is not.—Does not now have any temporal dominion.

[Even] he is the eighth.—The eighth horn which took the place of the three plucked up (Rev. 12:3); also the final form of the _HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE_.

And is of the seven.—“Cometh of the seven,” Greek.—Grew up by the plucking of the three. The Papacy is either the seventh or the eighth form, depending upon how the matter is viewed. If it be viewed as having reigned separately from the Dragon during the Dark Ages (as it did, when it exercised temporal power), in its new guise it will be the eighth form, its separate rulership during the Dark Ages being counted as the seventh. But if it be viewed as having been a co‐partner of the Dragon during the Dark Ages, then its forthcoming manifestation will be the seventh form. In any event the eighth form is one of the seven forms; and the regaining of the temporal power this time will be the cause of the Papacy’s destruction. See Z. ’03‐325 for a hint that Benedict XV will never have a successor. (He is personally the eighth pope reigning since 1799. Five of these popes had died prior to 1878. Here is a good secondary fulfilment.)

And goeth into perdition.—“Daniel, representing the saints, says (Dan. 7:11), ‘I watched it then [after its dominion was gone and it was powerless longer to crush the Truth, the power of the holy people], _because_ of the voice of the great words which that horn spoke, and I saw that [it obtained no power over the holy saints and the Truth, but it did have another effect] the beast was slain, the body thereof destroyed and given to the burning flame’—general anarchy. The destruction of the remnant of governments in the old Roman Empire, caused by the misleading influence of Papacy’s continued bombastic utterances, even after its dominion is gone, is thus shown.”—C. 68; 2 Thes. 2:3.

17:12. And the ten horns which thou sawest.—Three of which were originally plucked up to make room for the growth of the Papacy. See Rev. 12:3; 13:1; 17:3; Dan. 7:7, 8, 20; Rev. 5:6; 1 Sam. 2:10; Deut. 33:17; 1 Ki. 22:11.

Are ten kings.—The rulers, whether kings, kaisers, presidents or others who have dragged into the slaughter house the descendants of the ten powers originally composing the Roman Empire.

Which have received no kingdom [as yet].—No official sanction as rulers from the counterfeit “king of kings and lord of lords”—the Pope.

But receive power as kings.—“The absence of the diadem indicates that their kingdom is not full, regal power, but as being transient, is represented as if it were royal power.”—Cook.

One hour with the beast.—The “one hour” in this verse (17:12) may signify one year, or thereabouts. The word in the Greek is _hora_. This is the same word which our Lord used when, in speaking of John the Baptist He said, “He was a burning and a shining light; and you were willing, for a time (_hora_—one year—the length of John’s ministry before his imprisonment) to rejoice in his light.” (John 5:35; Z. ’04‐60.) In matters that are still future we can only use our best judgment as to the significance to be attached to expressions like this. “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.”—Rom. 14:5.

17:13. These have one mind.—All are desperately anxious to stop the terrible waste of human life, now that they see what their father, the Devil, has accomplished through their worship and service of himself and his institutions.

And [shall] give their power and strength unto the beast.—Support it in its apparently laudable but actually selfish efforts in trying to stop the European war. “Deposit in his hands all the available means which they possess.”—Cook.

17:14. These shall make war with the Lamb.—Endeavor to suppress the message of Present Truth.—Rev. 16:14; 19:19.

And the Lamb shall overcome them.—Zion need not fear; for God is in the midst of her, and will help her. Her consecration is unto death, and her privilege is to prove her faithfulness: “The disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master, and the servant as his Lord.”—Matt. 10:24, 25.

“It will probably be in an effort at self‐preservation on the part of ‘Great Babylon’—‘Christendom’—when she sees her power in politics, priestcraft and superstition waning, that the work of truth‐spreading will be stopped as detrimental to her system. And probably at this juncture the Elijah class, persisting in declaring the Truth to the last, will suffer violence, pass into glory and escape from the severest features of the great Time of Trouble coming—just in the crisis of affairs when men begin to feel that desperate measures must be resorted to, to sustain the tottering structure of Christendom. Although the exact time of the deliverance or ‘change’ of the last members of the Body of Christ is not stated, the approximate time is nevertheless clearly manifest, as shortly after the ‘door’ is shut (Matt. 25:10).”—C. 231.

For He is Lord of lords, and King of kings.—Has the entire situation under perfect control—is the _real_ Pope.—1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 19:16.

And they that are with Him are called.—When they hear, understand and heed the message of complete consecration even unto death (Rev. 19:9). This clause, in the Greek, indicates that these also, as well as the Lamb, shall overcome them.

And chosen.—Elected as soon as they comply with the conditions, provided there are any vacancies.

And faithful.—“The door of opportunity to engage, with Christ our Lord, in the work of the Gospel Age, will be closed when ‘the night cometh wherein no man can work.’ And all who have not previously, by faithful service, developed the necessary character and proved their sympathy, devotion, love and zeal for the Lord and His Truth (Matt. 10:37; Mark 8:38), will then be too late to do so. The closing in of this night will evidently put a stop to any farther labor to disseminate the Truth, which, misunderstood by the public generally, will probably be accused of being the cause of much of the anarchy and confusion then prevailing, instead of being seen in its true light as a foreshadowing of the Divine mind and revelation concerning coming troubles on the world and their true causes.”—C. 210; Rev. 2:10.

17:15. And he saith unto me, [The] THESE waters which thou sawest where the whore sitteth.—See Rev. 17:1, 9.

Are BOTH peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.—And not, therefore, literal water or literal hills, or forms of government which have ruled the city of Rome.—Isa. 8:7.

17:16. And the ten horns which thou sawest.—The rulers of Europe and America, and their subjects, descendants of the ten powers which originally composed the old Roman Empire.

[Upon] AND the beast.—The re‐established temporal dominion of the pope in Rome and elsewhere. “Of her boastings and threats the following from a Catholic journal of recent date is a fair sample: ‘The Papacy will regain its temporal sovereignty, because it is useful and convenient to the Church. It gives the head executive of the church a fuller liberty and a fuller sway. The Pope can be no king’s subject long. It is not in keeping with the divine office to be so. It cramps him and narrows his influence for good. Europe has acknowledged this influence, and will be forced to bow to it in greater times of need than this. Social upheavals, and the red hand of anarchy, will yet crown Leo or his successor with the reality of power which the third circle symbolizes, and which was once recognized universally.’ Yes, as the day of trouble draws on, ecclesiasticism will endeavor to use its power and influence more and more to secure its own political welfare, by its control of the turbulent elements of society; but in the crisis of the near future the lawless element will spurn all conservative influence and break over all restraints, the red hand of Anarchy will do its dreadful work, and Babylon, political and ecclesiastical, shall fall.”—D. 38.

These shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked.—People and governments will have a common hatred for their mutual enemy when the motives which actuate her are clearly revealed.—Ezek. 16:35‐44; 23:22, 29; Zech. 1:19.

And shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire.—Unite to complete her utter destruction.—Rev. 18:8, 18; Dan. 7:11; C. 68; Gen. 38:24; Ezek. 16:41; Lev. 20:14; 21:9.

17:17. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill His will.—As expressed in His Word.

And to agree.—The European war would stop tomorrow if it were not for the officers holding the men to the task of butchery.

And to give their kingdom unto the beast.—Put their liberties into the hands of the Papacy, as Arbitrator.

Until the words of God shall be fulfilled.—And the travail of nominal Zion shall disclose her true character.

17:18. And the woman which thou sawest.—The Apostate Church, the antitypical Jezebel.

Is that great city.—The “_HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE_.”

Which reigneth over the [kings] KINGDOMS of the earth.—“Expositors of every school generally agree that Rome Pagan, or Rome Papal, or Rome under both aspects, is intended here. In order to repel the application to the Papacy, many Roman expositors also apply what is said of the destruction of Rome, to the future—to Rome again become Pagan: This is the hypothesis, observes Bishop Wordsworth, of Suarez, Viegas, Ribera, Lessius, Menochius, C. à Lapide, and others, particularly Dr. Manning in our own day. Thus Stern writes:—Babylon is really the City of Rome, not only, however, according to the old‐heathenish, but also according to the new‐heathenish signification of the World’s history.”—Cook.

Could there ever come a time when men, the world over, could be more heathenish at heart than now; and does not, therefore, even Papal comment show that this Scripture is ready to be fulfilled?

“Whene’er the storms come down on thee,
And days of peace all seem to flee;
This thought thy peace again shall bring,
Why should I fear?—the Lord is King.

E’en when the tempest rages high,
And darkest clouds are drawing nigh,
With hands of faith to this, O! cling,—
Why should I fear?—the Lord is King;

Amid the stormy waves of life,
Above the tumult and the strife,
The chimes of hope still sweetly ring,—
Be not afraid—the Lord is King.”

Revelation 18—The Fall Of Ecclesiasticism

18:1. [And] after these things.—As another view of the Harvest epoch.

I saw another angel.—Messenger, the Messenger of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus.—Mal. 3:1; Rev. 10:1; 14:1.

Come down from Heaven.—In 1874. See Rev. 3:14.

Having great power.—“All power in Heaven and in earth.”—Matt. 28:18.

And the earth was lightened.—See Mal. 4:2; Rev. 7:2.

With His glory.—Some of the glories of the New Day, all discovered since 1874, are adding machines, aeroplanes, aluminum, antiseptic surgery, artificial dyes, automatic couplers, automobiles, barbed wire, bicycles, carborundum, cash registers, celluloid, correspondence schools, cream separators, Darkest Africa, disk ploughs, Divine Plan of the Ages, dynamite, electric railways, electric welding, escalators, fireless cookers, gas engines, harvesting machines, illuminating gas, induction motors, linotypes, match machines, monotypes, motion pictures, North Pole, Panama Canal, Pasteurization, railway signals, Roentgen rays, shoe sewing machines, smokeless powder, South Pole, submarines, radium, sky scrapers, subways, talking machines, telephones, typewriters, vacuum cleaners and wireless telegraphy.—Ezek. 43:2; John 1:9; Matt. 25:31; Titus 2:13.

18:2. And he cried [mightily] with a [strong] MIGHTY voice.—How apt are these Scriptures that refer to Pastor Russell as a “voice”! (Rev. 7:2; 10:3; 16:1.) So modestly are his works written that the author is nowhere manifest, but attention is always and everywhere drawn to the _Lord_.

Saying, [Babylon the great is] fallen, is BABYLON THE GREAT [fallen].—“The expression, ‘Babylon is fallen,’ indicates that at some time a sudden and utter rejection is to come upon Babylon, when all favor will forever cease, and when judgments will follow—just such a rejection as we have shown was due in 1878.”—C. 155; Isa. 13:19‐22; 21:9; Jer. 51:8‐13; Rev. 14:8; 16:19.

“In spite of all our wealth, the blight of poverty, with its accompanying sickness, suffering, crime, insanity and vice, continues. The social disease manifested in ‘atrophy and hypertrophy,’ in ‘extremities bleeding at the bottom, bloating at the top, decay in both,’ is a portent of the modern world. The net result of our wonderful civilization is that men have less time now than they have ever had since the world began.”—_Current Literature_; Z. ’11‐420.