Nebuchadnezzar, and the fall of Babylon came in consequence.
Modern Babylon has done the same in her rejection of the true
gospel as brought to her in the Reformation, and her fall is
inevitable and impending.
(6) The fall of ancient Babylon came just at the time when it was
giving expression to its contempt of all its enemies, and its
confidence in its own permanence. This experience will be repeated
in the history of modern Babylon.
17. What prophetic period, therefore, extends to the deliverance of God’s
people from the captivity in modern Babylon, and the restoration to them
of the mediation of Christ?
“And he said unto me, _Unto two thousand and three hundred days_; then
shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Verse 14.
NOTE.—The earthly sanctuary was a type of the heavenly sanctuary
(Heb. 9:23, 24; Lev. 16:29, 30, 33); the cleansing of the earthly
sanctuary was typical of the cleansing in the heavenly sanctuary;
and this cleansing of the sanctuary accomplished on the great day
of atonement is the closing work of Christ in His mediation for
sin. And the commencement of the cleansing of the heavenly
sanctuary marks the beginning of a new era in the experience of
the people of God on earth; namely, the deliverance from the power
of modern Babylon, the restoration to them of the knowledge of the
mediation of Christ for them in the heavenly sanctuary, and a
cleansing from sin in preparation for the second advent of Christ.
The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary involves the investigative
judgment, which will be followed by the plagues, and Christ’s
coming. This period, therefore, determines the time of restoration
and of judgment.
18. What is said of those who live to see the deliverance from modern
Babylon, and the restoration of the true gospel?
“Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and
five and thirty days.” Dan. 12:12.
NOTE.—The 1335 days (years) of Dan. 12:12 are evidently a
continuation of the 1290 days (years) of the previous verse, which
commence with the taking away of the mediation of Christ, in the
period 503-508 A.D. See under question 22 in reading on “The Vicar
of Christ,” page 229. The 1335 days, or years, would therefore
extend to the period 1838-43, the time of the preaching of the
judgment-hour, in preparation for the cleansing of the sanctuary,
and the accompanying work at the end of the 2300 days, or years,
of Dan. 8:14. At that time special blessings were to come upon
those who were delivered from the errors and bondage of Rome, and
had their minds directed anew to the mediation of Christ as the
great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary.
GENERAL NOTE ON THE PROPHECIES OF DANIEL.—The second chapter of
Daniel presents in brief outline the divine program of history
leading up to the establishment of the everlasting kingdom of God.
The seventh chapter of Daniel presents somewhat more in detail the
history of those earthly kingdoms which were to precede the
establishment of the kingdom of God, the objective point of the
prophecy being the little horn and its effort to change the laws
and ordinances of God, and to destroy the subjects of the heavenly
kingdom. The period allotted to the supremacy of this power, the
Papacy (the 1260 years), is also indicated. The prophecy of the
eighth chapter of Daniel covers the period from the restoration
era in the time of the Persian kings and the establishment of the
people of God in their own land, to the restoration era just
preceding the second advent of Christ and the setting up of His
everlasting kingdom. In this chapter the leading theme is the
effort of the Papacy to substitute its own mediatorial system for
the mediatorial work of Christ, and the announcement of a
prophetic period (the 2300 years), at the end of which the
counterfeit system introduced by the Papacy was to be fully
exposed. The remaining chapters of Daniel supplement the
prophecies of the second, seventh, and eighth chapters, and show
that at the end of the first portion of the 2300-year period (the
70 weeks, or 490 years) Messiah was to appear and be cut off,
following which would come the destruction of Jerusalem. In the
closing chapter two new periods are introduced (the 1290 years and
the 1335 years), at the end of which, as with the 2300 years, was
to come the movement preparatory to the setting up of God’s
everlasting kingdom in the earth, in harmony with the prophecies
of the second and seventh chapters.
The Atonement In Type And Antitype
[Illustration.]
The Tabernacle In The Wilderness. "Which was a figure for the time then
present." Heb. 9:9.
1. What did God, through Moses, command Israel to make?
“And let them make Me _a sanctuary_; that I may dwell among them.” Ex.
25:8.
2. What was offered in this sanctuary?
“In which were offered _both gifts and sacrifices_.” Heb. 9:9.
3. Besides the court, how many parts had this sanctuary?
“And the veil shall divide unto you between the _holy place_ and the _most
holy_.” Ex. 26:33.
4. What was in the first apartment, or holy place?
“For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the
_candlestick_, and the _table_, and the _showbread_; which is called the
sanctuary.” Heb. 9:2. “And he put _the golden altar_ in the tent of the
congregation before the veil.” Ex. 40:26. See also Ex. 30:1-6.
5. What was contained in the second apartment?
“And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holiest of
all; which had _the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant_ overlaid
round about with gold, wherein was ... _the tables of the covenant_” Heb.
9:3, 4. See also Ex. 40:20, 21.
6. By what name was the cover of the ark known?
“And thou shalt put _the mercy-seat_ above upon the ark; and in the ark
thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.” Ex. 25:21.
7. Where was God to meet with Israel?
“And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee _from above
the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of
the testimony_.” Verse 22.
8. What was in the ark, under the mercy-seat?
“And He wrote on _the tables_, according to the first writing, _the ten
commandments_.... And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and
_put the tables in the ark_ which I had made.” Deut. 10:4, 5.
9. When did the priest minister in the first apartment of the sanctuary?
“Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in
_continually_ into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services.” Heb.
9:6, R. V.
10. Who alone went into the second apartment, how often, and for what
purpose?
“But into the second went _the high priest alone once every year, not
without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the
people_.” Verse 7.
11. What were sinners desiring pardon instructed to do?
“And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth
somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord ... then he shall
bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his
sin which he hath sinned. And _he shall lay his hand upon the head of the
sin-offering, and slay the sin-offering in the place of the burnt
offering_.” Lev. 4:27-29.
NOTE.—According to this, if a man sinned in Israel, he violated
one of the ten commandments that were in the ark under the
mercy-seat. These commandments are the foundation of God’s
government. To violate them is to commit sin, and so become
subject to death. 1 John 3:4; Rom. 6:23. But there was a
mercy-seat reared above these holy and just commandments. In the
dispensation of His mercy, God grants the sinner the privilege of
confessing his sins, and bringing a substitute to meet the demands
of the law, and thus of obtaining mercy.
12. What was done with the blood of the offering?
“And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put
it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and _shall pour out all
the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar_.” Verse 30.
NOTE.—After a person discovered his sin by the law which demanded
the death of the transgressor, he first brought his offering, then
he confessed his sin while laying his hands on the head of the
victim, thus, in figure, transferring his sin to the victim; the
victim was next slain in the court, or outer part of the
sanctuary, and its blood put on the horns of the altar and poured
at the foot of the altar. In this way sins were pardoned, and, in
the typical service, transferred to the sanctuary.
13. After the accumulation of the sins of the year in this way, what
service took place on the tenth day of the seventh month of each year?
“And this shall be a statute forever unto you: that in the seventh month,
on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, ... for _on
that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that
ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord_.” Lev. 16:29, 30.
14. How was the sanctuary itself to be cleansed, and how were the sins of
the people to be finally disposed of?
“And he [the high priest] shall take of the congregation of the children
of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin-offering.... And he shall take
the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two
goats, one lot _for the Lord_, and the other lot _for the scapegoat_.”
Verses 5-8.
NOTE.—The Hebrew word for scapegoat is Azazel. See margin of verse
8. It is used as a proper name, and, according to the opinion of
the most ancient Hebrews and Christians, refers to Satan, or the
angel who revolted and persisted in rebellion and sin.
15. What was done with the blood of the goat upon which the Lord’s lot
fell?
“Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering, that is for the people,
and bring his blood within the veil, ... _and sprinkle it upon the
mercy-seat_, and before the mercy-seat.” Verse 15.
16. Why was it necessary to make this atonement?
“And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, _because of the
uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions
in all their sins_: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the
congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their
uncleanness.” Verse 16.
NOTE.—Sins were conveyed into the sanctuary during the year by the
blood of the personal sin-offerings offered daily at the door of
the tabernacle. Here they remained until the day of atonement,
when the high priest went into the most holy place with the blood
of the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell; and, bearing the
accumulated sins of the year in before the mercy-seat, he there,
in type, atoned for them, and so cleansed the sanctuary.
17. After having made atonement for the people in the most holy place,
what did the high priest next do?
“And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the
tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live
goat: and Aaron shall _lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat,
and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all
their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the
goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the
wilderness_.” Verses 20, 21.
NOTE.—The offering of the Lord’s goat cleansed the sanctuary. By
this offering the sins of the people, transferred there during the
year, were, in type, atoned for; but they were not by this
offering finally disposed of, or destroyed. The scapegoat,
symbolizing Satan, the great tempter and originator of sin, was
brought to the sanctuary, and upon his head were placed all these
sins which Satan had tempted God’s people to commit.
18. What final disposition was made of the sins of the people?
“And _the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not
inhabited_: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” Verse 22.
[Illustration.]
The Scapegoat. "And Aaron shall ... confess over him all the iniquities of
the children of Israel." Lev. 16:21.
19. What was this earthly sanctuary and its round of service?
“Which was _a figure_ for the time then present.” Heb. 9:9.
20. Of what sanctuary, or tabernacle, is Christ the minister?
“A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, _which the Lord
pitched, and not man_.” Heb. 8:2.
21. Of what was the blood of all the sacrifices of the former dispensation
only a type?
“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but _by His own blood_ He
entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us.” Heb. 9:12. See Eph. 5:2.
NOTE.—Through the sacrifices and offerings brought to the altar of
the earthly sanctuary, the penitent believer was to lay hold of
the merits of Christ, the Saviour to come. In this way, and in
this way only, was there any virtue connected with them.
22. At the death of Christ, what miraculous occurrence signified that the
priestly work and services of the earthly sanctuary were finished?
“Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
And, behold, _the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom_.” Matt. 27:50, 51.
NOTES.—Type had met antitype; the shadow had reached the
substance. Christ, the great sacrifice, had been slain, and was
about to enter upon His final work as our great high priest in the
sanctuary in heaven. The priestly work in the earthly sanctuary
was typical of the work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. In
the earthly, the atonement was performed on the last day of the
ceremonial year. All who did not then have their sins atoned for
were “cut off,” and the camp was cleansed from sin. The atonement
day was virtually a day of judgment for Israel, and the people
whose sins had been atoned for were free from sin, and could enter
upon the services of the new year clean in the sight of God. This
work was kept up year after year. In the heavenly sanctuary, the
sacrifice is offered but once; and but one atonement, or cleansing
of the heavenly sanctuary, can be made, which must take place at
the time assigned of God for it. And when the great atonement, or
cleansing, of the heavenly sanctuary has been made, God’s people
will be forever free from sin, and the fate of all will be forever
sealed. See Rev. 22:11. This, as in the type, will be a day of
judgment.
The round of service in the earthly sanctuary was God’s service.
It had to do with the sins of the people; not that the blood of
the sacrifices offered there could in itself take away their sins,
for it is expressly said that it could not. Heb. 10:4. It could,
however, show their _faith_ in the efficacy of _Christ’s blood_
yet to be spilled, and to which the sanctuary work was intended
constantly to direct their minds. The work there was a type, or
shadow, of Christ’s atoning work, and, as such, carries with it a
significance that cannot be overestimated. Upon a correct
understanding of the type depends a correct understanding of the
antitype. The entire sanctuary service was an object-lesson of
most important and vital gospel truth,—that of man’s salvation and
the atonement of sin.
23. What relation does the earthly sanctuary sustain to the heavenly?
“Who serve unto the _example_ and _shadow_ of heavenly things, as Moses
was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See,
saith He, that thou make all things according to the _pattern_ showed to
thee in the mount.” Heb. 8:5.
24. By what comparison is it shown that the heavenly sanctuary will be
cleansed?
“It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens
should be purified with these; _but the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices than these_.” Heb. 9:23.
25. When Christ has finished His priestly mediatorial work in the heavenly
sanctuary, what decree will go forth?
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let
him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still:
and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Rev. 22:11.
26. What event is directly connected with the blotting out of sin and the
final refreshing from God’s presence?
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,
when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and
_He shall send Jesus Christ_, which before was preached unto you: whom the
heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which
God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world
began.” Acts 3:19-21.
27. According to the view of the judgment presented to Daniel, what is to
be given to Christ while still before the Father?
“I saw ... and, behold, one like the Son of man came ... to the Ancient of
days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him
_dominion_, and _glory_, and _a kingdom_, that all people, nations, and
languages, should serve Him.” Dan. 7:13, 14.
28. What will occur when the Lord descends from heaven?
“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and _the dead in Christ
shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air_: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:16, 17.
29. What statement immediately following the announcement mentioned in
Rev. 22:11, indicates that a judgment work had been in progress before
Christ comes?
“And, behold, I come quickly; and _My reward is with Me, to give every man
according as his work shall be_.” Rev. 22:12.
NOTE.—The typical sanctuary service is fully met in the work of
Christ. As the atonement day of the former dispensation was really
a day of judgment, so the atonement work of Christ will include
the investigation of the cases of His people prior to His coming
the second time to receive them unto Himself.
30. Is there a specified time for the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary?
“And he said unto me, _Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then
shall the sanctuary be cleansed_.” Dan. 8:14.
31. How may one know that this does not refer to the earthly sanctuary?
“He said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for _at the time of the end
shall be the vision_.” Verse 17.
NOTE.—The prophetic period of 2300 days (years) extends to 1844
A.D., while the divinely appointed services of the earthly
sanctuary ceased at the cross (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 27:50, 51), and
the sanctuary itself was destroyed in 70 A.D., when Titus captured
Jerusalem. For explanation of the period here mentioned, see the
preceding reading.
The Judgment
[Illustration.]
The Investigative Judgment. "The books were opened: ... and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books." Rev. 20:12.
1. What assurance have we that there will be a judgment?
“God ... hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world.” Acts
17:30, 31.
2. Was the judgment still future in Paul’s day?
“As he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and _judgment to come_,
Felix trembled.” Acts 24:25.
3. How many must meet the test of the judgment?
“I said in mine heart, God shall judge _the righteous and the wicked_.”
Eccl. 3:17 “_For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ_;
that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that
he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Cor. 5:10.
4. What reason did Solomon give for urging all to fear God and keep His
commandments?
“_For God shall bring every work into judgment_, with every secret thing,
whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Eccl. 12:14.
5. What view of the judgment scene was given Daniel?
“I beheld till the thrones were cast down [placed, R. V.], and the Ancient
of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head
like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as
burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him:
thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were
opened.” Dan. 7:9, 10.
6. Out of what will all be judged?
“And _the books were opened_: and another book was opened, which is the
book of life: and _the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books_, according to their works.” Rev. 20:12.
7. For whom has a book of remembrance been written?
“Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord
harkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him
_for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name_.” Mal.
3:16. See Rev. 20:12.
8. Who opens the judgment and presides over it?
“I beheld till the thrones were cast down [placed], and _the Ancient of
days did sit_.” Dan. 7:9.
9. Who minister to God, and assist in the judgment?
“Thousand thousands [of angels] ministered unto Him, and ten thousand
times ten thousand stood before Him.” Verse 10. See Rev. 5:11.
10. Who is brought before the Father at this time?
“I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, _one like the Son of man_ came
with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they
brought Him near before Him.” Dan. 7:13.
11. What does Christ as the advocate of His people confess before the
Father and His angels?
“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I
will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but _I will confess
his name before My Father, and before His angels_.” Rev. 3:5. See Matt.
10:32, 33; Mark 8:38.
NOTE.—During this judgment scene, both the righteous and the
wicked dead are still in their graves. The record of each one’s
life, however, is in the books of heaven, and by that record their
characters and deeds are well known. Christ is there to appear in
behalf of those who have chosen Him as their advocate. 1 John 2:1.
He presents His blood, as He appeals for their sins to be blotted
from the books of record. As the place of judgment is in heaven,
where God’s throne is, and as Christ is present in person, it
follows that the work of judgment is also in heaven. All are
judged by the record of their lives, and thus answer for the deeds
done in the body. This work will not only decide forever the cases
of the dead, but will also close the probation of all who are
living, after which Christ will come to take to Himself those who
have been found loyal to Him.
12. After the subjects of the kingdom have been determined by the
investigative judgment, what is given to Christ?
“And there was given Him _dominion_, and _glory_, and _a kingdom_, that
all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him.” Dan. 7:14.
13. When He comes the second time, what title will He bear?
“And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, _King of
kings_, and _Lord of lords_.” Rev. 19:16.
14. What will He then do for each one?
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels;
and _then He shall reward every man according to his works_.” Matt. 16:27.
See also Rev. 22:12.
15. Where will Christ then take His people?
“_In My Father’s house are many mansions_: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, _I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also_.” John 14:2, 3.
16. How many of the dead will be raised?
“For the hour is coming, in the which _all that are in the graves_ shall
hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection
of damnation.” John 5:28, 29. See also Acts 24:15.
17. What time intervenes between the two resurrections?
“And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,
and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither
his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their
hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. _But the
rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished._”
Rev. 20:4, 5.
18. What work did Daniel see finally assigned to the saints?
“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed
against them; until the Ancient of days came, and _judgment was given to
the saints of the Most High_; and the time came that the saints possessed
the kingdom.” Dan. 7:21, 22.
19. How long will the saints engage in this work of judgment?
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and _judgment was given unto
them: ...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years_.” Rev.
20:4.
[Illustration.]
Lot Fleeing From Sodom. "Turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into
ashes." 2 Peter 2:6.
20. Who will thus be judged by the saints?
“Do ye not know that _the saints shall judge the world_? and if the world
shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
Know ye not that _we shall judge angels_? how much more things that
pertain to this life?” 1 Cor. 6:2, 3.
21. How will the decisions of the judgment be executed?
“And out of His [Christ’s] mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He
should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and
He treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
Rev. 19:15.
22. Why is the _execution_ of the judgment given to Christ?
“For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to
have life in Himself; and hath given Him authority to execute judgment
also, _because He is the Son of man_.” John 5:26, 27.
23. How was the opening of the judgment to be made known to the world?
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud
voice, _Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is
come_.” Rev. 14:6, 7.
NOTE.—There are three phases of the judgment mentioned in the
Scriptures,—the investigative judgment, preceding the second
advent; the judgment of the lost world and wicked angels by Christ
and the saints during the one thousand years following the second
advent; and the executive judgment, or punishment of the wicked at
the close of this period. The investigative judgment takes place
in heaven before Christ comes, in order to ascertain who are
worthy to be raised in the first resurrection, at His coming, and
who among the living are to be changed in the twinkling of an eye,
at the sound of the last trump. It is necessary for this to take
place before the second advent, as there will be no time for such
a work between the coming of Christ and the raising of the
righteous dead. The executive judgment on the wicked occurs after
their cases have been examined by the saints during the thousand
years. Rev. 20:4, 5; 1 Cor. 6:1-3. The investigative judgment is
that which is announced to the world by the angel’s message of
Rev. 14:6, 7.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Thou Judge of quick and dead,
Before whose bar severe,
With holy joy or guilty dread,
We all shall soon appear,—
Our cautioned souls prepare
For that tremendous day,
And fill us now with watchful care,
And stir us up to pray.
CHARLES WESLEY.
[Illustration.]
The Wise Men Of The East. "We have seen His star in the east." Matt. 2:2.
The Judgment-Hour Message
[Illustration.]
The First Angel. "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His
judgment is come." Rev. 14:7.
1. What prophetic view of the judgment was given Daniel?
“I beheld till the thrones were cast down [placed], and the Ancient of
days did sit: ... thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand
times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books
were opened.” Dan. 7:9, 10.
2. What assurance has God given of the judgment?
“Because _He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world_
in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given
assurance unto all men, _in that He hath raised Him from the dead_.” Acts
17:31.
3. What message announces the judgment-hour come?
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud
voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for _the hour of His judgment is
come_: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters.” Rev. 14:6, 7.
4. In view of the judgment-hour, what is proclaimed anew?
“_The everlasting gospel._” Verse 6, first part.
5. How extensively is this message to be proclaimed?
“To _every nation_, and _kindred_, and _tongue_, and _people_.” Verse 6,
first part.
6. What is the whole world called upon to do?
“_Fear God, and give glory to Him._” Verse 7.
7. What special reason is given for this?
“For _the hour of His judgment is come_.” Same verse.
8. Whom are all called upon to worship?
“_Him that made heaven, and earth._” Same verse.
NOTE.—There is only one gospel (Rom. 1:16, 17; Gal. 1:8), first
announced in Eden (Gen. 3:15), preached to Abraham (Gal. 3:8) and
to the children of Israel (Heb. 4:1, 2), and proclaimed anew in
every generation. In its development, the gospel meets the needs
of every crisis in the world’s history. John the Baptist in his
preaching announced the kingdom of heaven at hand (Matt. 3:1, 2),
and prepared the way for the first advent. John 1:22, 23. Christ
Himself in His preaching of the gospel announced the fulfilment of
a definite-time prophecy (the sixty-nine weeks, or 483 years, of
Dan. 9:25), and called the people to repentance, in view of the
coming of the predicted Messiah. Mark 1:14, 15. So when the time
of the judgment comes, and Christ’s second advent is near, a
world-wide announcement of these events is to be made in the
preaching of the everlasting gospel adapted to meet the need of
the hour.
9. What prophetic period extends to the time of the cleansing of the
sanctuary, or the investigative judgment?
“And he said unto me, Unto _two thousand and three hundred days_; then
shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Dan. 8:14.
10. When did this long period expire?
In A.D. 1844. See reading on page 230.
NOTE.—Our Lord based His preaching of the gospel upon the
fulfilment of the first part of the 2300 days, or years (Mark
1:14, 15), a prophecy which determined the time of the first
advent. The whole period extends to the time of the judgment, just
preceding the second advent, and at its expiration a special
gospel message is sent to all the world proclaiming the
judgment-hour at hand, and calling upon all to worship the
Creator. The facts of history answer to this interpretation of the
prophecy: for at this very time (1844) just such a message was
being proclaimed in various parts of the world. This was the
beginning of the great second advent message which is now being
proclaimed throughout the world.
11. How is the true God distinguished from all false gods?
“Thus shall ye say unto them, _The gods that have not made the heavens and
the earth_, even they shall perish from the earth.... _He [the true God]
hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His
wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion._” Jer.
10:11, 12.
12. For what reason is worship justly due to God?
“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.... _The sea
is His, and He made it: and His hands formed __ the dry land_. O come, let
us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our _Maker_.” Ps.
95:3-6.
13. Why do the inhabitants of heaven worship God?
“The four and twenty elders fall down before Him, ... saying, Thou art
worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: _for Thou hast
created all things_, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” Rev.
4:10, 11.
14. What memorial did God establish of His creative power?
“Remember _the Sabbath day_, to keep it holy.... _For in six days the Lord
made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is_, and rested the
seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
Ex. 20:8-11.
15. What place has the Sabbath in the work of salvation?
“Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be _a sign_ between Me and
them, that they might know that I am the Lord that _sanctify_ them.” Eze.
20:12.
16. How many are concerned in the judgment?
“For we must _all_ appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that _every
one_ may receive the things done in his body, _according to that he hath
done, whether it be good or bad_.” 2 Cor. 5:10.
17. What will be the standard in the judgment?
“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he
is guilty of all. For He that said, Do not commit adultery; said also, Do
not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art
become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that
shall be judged _by the law of liberty_.” James 2:10-12.
18. In view of the judgment, what exhortation is given?
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: _Fear God, and keep His
commandments_: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring
every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or
whether it be evil.” Eccl. 12:13, 14.
NOTE.—A comparison of Rev. 14:7 with Eccl. 12:13, 14, suggests
that the way to give glory to God is to keep His commandments, and
that in giving the judgment-hour message, the duty of keeping the
commandments would be emphasized. This is plainly shown in the
description given of the people who are gathered out of every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people as the result of the preaching
of this message, in connection with the other messages which
immediately follow and accompany it. Of this people it is said,
“Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus.” Rev. 14:12.
The Fall Of Modern Babylon
[Illustration.]
The Second Angel. "Babylon is fallen, is fallen." Rev. 14:8.
1. What announcement immediately follows the judgment-hour message of Rev.
14:6, 7?
“And there followed another angel, saying, _Babylon is fallen, is fallen_,
that great city.” Rev. 14:8, first part.
2. What reason is assigned for the fall of Babylon?
“Because _she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication_.” Same verse, last part.
3. How was the overthrow of ancient Babylon foretold?
“And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’
excellency, shall be _as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah_.” Isa.
13:19.
4. What call was made to come out of Babylon?
“_Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not
cut off in her iniquity_; for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; He
will render unto her a recompense.” Jer. 51:6.
5. What did ancient Babylon do to all the nations?
“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_.” Verse 7.
6. What was the effect of this apostasy?
“Babylon is _suddenly fallen and destroyed_: howl for her; take balm for
her pain, if so be she may be healed.” Verse 8.
7. Just before the fall of Babylon, what did her king do?
“Belshazzar the king _made a great feast_ to a thousand of his lords, and
_drank wine_ before the thousand.” Dan. 5:1.
8. By what command did the king repudiate the religion taught in Babylon
by Daniel and others who feared God?
“Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and
silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple
which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his
concubines, might drink therein.” Verse 2.
9. What marked the climax of Babylon’s apostasy?
“Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of
the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes,
his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.” Verse 3.
10. While drinking the wine, what gods did they honor?
“They drank wine, and _praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass,
of iron, of wood, and of stone_.” Verse 4.
11. What immediately followed this complete apostasy?
“In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius
the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.”
Verses 30, 31.
NOTE.—The gospel of the kingdom was preached in Babylon (see
reading on “The Gospel of the Kingdom,” page 209), and
Nebuchadnezzar was brought to acknowledge and to worship the true
God. But after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon relapsed into
idolatry again, and this apostasy was rendered hopeless when
Belshazzar used the sacred vessels from the house of God,
dedicated to the worship of God, in which to drink the wine of
Babylon while worship was offered to the false gods. Then came the
handwriting on the wall, and the fall of ancient Babylon.
12. In the visions of John, what interpretation is given to the woman who
sat upon many waters?
“And the woman which thou sawest _is that great city_, which reigneth over
the kings of the earth.” Rev. 17:18.
NOTE.—The great city which reigned over the kings of the earth in
John’s time was Rome, and that city has given its name to the
church which is represented by the woman, the Church of Rome, or
the Papacy.
13. In this same prophecy, how is the Church of Rome, the Papacy,
designated as the antitype of ancient Babylon?
“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE
MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Verse 5.
14. What specific statement emphasizes this identification?
“With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the
inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her
fornication.” Verse 2. See verse 4.
NOTES.—The Church of Rome is called Babylon, and its religion is a
revival of the religion of ancient Babylon. She claims a
priesthood with exceptional powers and privileges, just as did
ancient Babylon. Through the dogma of the immaculate conception of
the Virgin Mary, she denies that God in Christ dwelt in the same
flesh as fallen man has, just as ancient Babylon did. See Dan.
2:11. She claims universal spiritual jurisdiction, and demands
submission under pains and penalties, just as ancient Babylon did.
See Daniel 3. She repudiates the fundamental gospel truth of
justification by faith, and boasts of works, just as ancient
Babylon did. See Dan. 4:30. A careful comparison of the ritual of
ancient and modern Babylon shows that the latter is copied from
the former; and it is easy to trace the connection historically
through the paganism of political Rome.
On the overthrow of Babylon by the Persians, who nourished a
traditional hatred for its idolatry, the Chaldean priesthood fled
to Pergamos, in Asia Minor, and made it the headquarters of their
religion.... The last pontiff king of Pergamos was Attalus III,
who at his death bequeathed his dominions and authority to the
Roman people, 133 B.C., and from that time the two lines of
Pontifex Maximus were merged in the Roman one.—_“__The False
Christ,__”__ J. Garnier, London, George Allen, 1900, Vol. II,
pages 94, 95._ Thus did the religion of ancient Babylon become the
religion of modern Babylon.
15. What did Jesus say of the sacramental wine?
“This cup is the new covenant in My blood.” Luke 22:20, R. V.
16. What is the essential teaching of the new covenant?
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, saith the Lord; _I will put My laws into their mind, and write
them in their hearts_: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to
Me a people.” Heb. 8:10.
17. When Christ thus ministers the law in the heart, what does it become?
“For _the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus_ hath made me free
from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it
was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom. 8:2-4.
18. In what other statement is this same truth expressed?
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words
that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63.
19. What kind of teaching have men substituted for the words which are
spirit and life?
“Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, _teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men_.... And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the
commandment of God, that ye may keep your own _tradition_.” Mark 7:7-9.
NOTES.—There are two cups, the cup of the Lord and the cup of
Babylon. The wine in the Lord’s cup represents the living truth,
“as the truth is in Jesus;” the wine in the cup of Babylon
represents her false doctrines, her substitution of human
tradition for the living word and law of God, and the illicit
connection which she has made between the church and the secular
power, depending upon political power to enforce her teachings,
rather than upon the power of God. By this very thing, while
maintaining a form of godliness, she denies the power thereof. 2
Tim. 3:1-5.
The following quotation states the position of that church in
regard to tradition: “Though these two divine streams [the Bible
and tradition] are in themselves, on account of their divine
origin, of equal sacredness, and are both full of revealed truths,
still, of the two, tradition is to us more clear and
safe.”—_“__Catholic Belief,__”__ Rev. Joseph Faa Di Bruno, D. D.
(Roman Catholic), page 45._
The substitution of the law of the church for the law of God, in
fulfilment of the prophecy in Dan. 7:25, testifies to the complete
subordination of the Word of God to the authority of the church.
The world-wide teaching of these doctrines in place of the pure
gospel has led the world astray, and has made all the nations
drink of the wine of her fornication. The Reformation of the
sixteenth century was an effort to return to the pure truths of
God’s Word. In this the Reformers denied the supremacy of
tradition over the Bible.
20. What relation does the Church of Rome sustain to other apostate
churches?
“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
_THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS_ AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Rev. 17:5.
NOTES.—In the creed of Pope Pius IV, an authoritative statement of
Roman Catholic belief, is found this statement: “I acknowledge the
Holy Catholic Apostolic Church for _the mother and mistress of all
churches_.”—_Article 10._ When the professed Protestant churches
repudiate the fundamental principle of Protestantism by setting
aside the authority of God’s Word, and accepting tradition and
human speculation in its place, they adopt the fundamental
principle of modern Babylon, and may be regarded as the daughters
of Babylon. Their fall is then included in the fall of Babylon,
and calls for a proclamation of the fall of modern Babylon.
Many representatives of modern Protestantism have, in one way or
another, rejected many fundamental doctrines of the Bible, such
as,—
The fall of man.
The Bible doctrine of sin.
The infallibility of the Scriptures.
The sufficiency of the Scriptures as a rule of faith and practise.
The Deity of Christ, and His consequent headship over the church.
The miraculous conception and the virgin birth of our Lord.
The resurrection of Christ from the grave.
The vicarious, expiatory, and propitiatory atonement of Christ.
Salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Regeneration by the power of the Holy Ghost.
The efficacy of the all-prevailing name of Christ in prayer.
The ministration and guardianship of holy angels.
Miracles as the direct manifestation and interposition of God’s
power.
Although many leaders of modern Protestantism known as higher
critics have not formally adopted the creed of the Church of Rome,
and have not become an organic part of that body, yet they belong
to the same class in rejecting the authority of God’s Word, and
accepting in its place the product of their own reasonings. There
is just as much apostasy in the one case as in the other, and both
must therefore be included in Babylon, and both will go down in
the fall of Babylon. The warning message applies with equal force
to both classes.
21. To what extent is the apostasy, or fall, of modern Babylon, the
mother, and of her daughters, to be carried?
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having
great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried
mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is
fallen, and _is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every
foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird_. For all
nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the
kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants
of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” Rev.
18:1-3.
NOTE.—In its largest sense, Babylon includes all false
religions—all apostasy. The gospel message announcing her final
overthrow should be a cause of rejoicing to every lover of truth
and righteousness.
22. What final call to come out of Babylon is to go forth?
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, _Come out of her, My
people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of
her plagues_. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath
remembered her iniquities.” Verses 4, 5.
23. How complete is to be the fall of modern Babylon?
“And _a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it
into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be
thrown down, and shall be found no more at all_.... And in her was found
the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the
earth.” Verses 21-24.
24. What song of triumph follows the overthrow of Babylon?
“Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and
rejoice, and give honor to Him.” Rev. 19:6, 7.
The Closing Gospel Message. A Warning Against False Worship
[Illustration.]
The Third Angel. "If any man worship the beast and his image, ... the same
shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God." Rev. 14:9, 10.
1. What indicates that the messages of the judgment-hour and the fall of
Babylon are two parts of a threefold message?
“And _the third angel followed them_, saying with a loud voice.” Rev.
14:9, first clause.
2. What apostasy from the worship of God is named in this message?
“If any man _worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark_ in his
forehead, or in his hand.” Same verse, last part.
3. What is to be the fate of those who, instead of worshiping God, engage
in this false worship?
“_The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured
out without mixture into the cup of His indignation_; and he shall be
tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and
in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up
forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the
beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Verses
10, 11. See Isa. 33:13-17; 34:1-10; 1 Cor. 3:13; Heb. 12:29.
4. How are those described who heed this warning?
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Verse 12.
5. What description is given of the beast against whose worship this
closing warning message is given?
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the
sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and
upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like
unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as
the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and
great authority.” Rev. 13:1, 2.
NOTE.—In this composite beast from the sea are combined the
symbols of the seventh chapter of Daniel, representing Greece,
Medo-Persia, and Babylon. The blasphemous words spoken by it, its
persecution of the saints, and the time allotted to it (verses
5-7) show that this beast, under one of its seven-headed
manifestations, is identical with the little horn of the vision of
the seventh chapter of Daniel, modern Babylon, the Papacy. See
reading on “The Kingdom and Work of Antichrist,” page 218. The
false worship here mentioned, the worship of the beast, is the
rendering of that homage to the Papacy which is due to God alone.
The system of religion enforced by the Papacy is the paganism of
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, indicated by the composite
character of the beast (verse 2), disguised under the forms and
names of Christianity. The Pontifex Maximus of the ancient pagan
religions was continued in the Pope, who is the head of the Roman
priesthood, and who, in the exercise of his priestly functions,
took away the mediation of Christ, and substituted a system of
human mediation in its place, thus fulfilling the prophecy
recorded in the eighth chapter of Daniel. See reading on “The
Vicar of Christ,” page 224.
6. What challenge is made by those who worship the beast?
“And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they
worshiped the beast, saying, _Who is like unto the beast? who is able to
make war with him?_” Verse 4.
7. Whose sovereignty is thus challenged?
“Forasmuch as _there is none like unto Thee, O Lord_; Thou art great, and
Thy name is great in might.” Jer. 10:6. See also Ps. 71:19; 86:8; 89:6, 8.
8. What specifications of “the man of sin” are thus fully met?
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son
of perdition; _who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called
God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,
showing himself that he is God_.” 2 Thess. 2:3, 4. See pages 218-220.
[Illustration.]
Noah Preaching. "By faith Noah, being warned of God ... prepared an ark."
Heb. 11:7.
9. What did Babylon give to the nations to drink?
“She made all nations drink of _the wine of the wrath of her
fornication_.” Rev. 14:8, last part. See pages 256, 257.
10. What are those to drink who accept the teachings of Babylon, and thus
render homage to the beast?
“The same shall drink of _the wine of the wrath of God_, which is poured
out without mixture into the cup of His indignation.” Verse 10, first
part.
NOTE.—The cup of the Lord, which contains the new covenant in the
blood of Christ, and the cup of the wine of the wrath of Babylon
are both offered to the world. To drink of the former, that is, to
accept the teaching of the true gospel, is to receive everlasting
life; but to drink of the wine of Babylon, that is, to accept the
false gospel taught by the Papacy, will result in drinking of the
wine of the wrath of God from the cup of His indignation. The true
gospel means everlasting life; the false gospel means everlasting
death.
11. Under what threatened penalty is the worship of the image of the beast
enforced?
“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image
of the beast should both speak, and _cause [decree] that as many as would
not worship the image of the beast should be killed_.” Rev. 13:15.
NOTE.—For an explanation of the image of the beast, see reading on
“Making an Image to the Beast,” page 271.
12. What universal boycott is to be employed, in an attempt to compel all
to receive the mark of the beast?
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,
to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and _that no
man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the
beast, or the number of his name_.” Verses 16, 17.
NOTE.—Regarding the mark of the beast, see reading on “The Seal of
God and the Mark of Apostasy,” page 416.
13. Who is the real power operating through the beast and his image, and
demanding worship?
“The _dragon_ gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”
Verse 2, last part.
14. Who is this dragon?
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the _Devil_,
and _Satan_, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Rev. 12:9.
15. How did the devil seek to induce Jesus to worship him?
“And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all
the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto
Him, _All this power will I give Thee_, and the glory of them: for that is
delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. _If Thou therefore
wilt worship me, all shall be Thine._” Luke 4:5-7.
16. How did Jesus show His loyalty to God?
“And Jesus answered and said unto him, _Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it
is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou
serve_.” Verse 8.
NOTE.—The threefold message of Rev. 14:6-12 is proclaimed in
connection with the closing scenes of the great controversy
between Christ and Satan. Lucifer has sought to put himself in the
place of God (Isa. 14:12-14), and to secure to himself the worship
which is due God alone. The final test comes over the commandments
of God. Those who acknowledge the supremacy of the beast by
yielding obedience to the law of God as changed and enforced by
the Papacy, when the real issue has been clearly defined, will, in
so doing, worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark.
Such will take the side of Satan in his rebellion against the
authority of God.
17. How many will yield to the demand to worship the beast?
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not
written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world.” Rev. 13:8.
18. In the judgment-hour message, whom are all called upon to fear,
glorify, and worship?
“Saying with a loud voice, _Fear God, and give glory to Him_; for the hour
of His judgment is come: and _worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and
the sea, and the fountains of waters_.” Rev. 14:7.
19. Who will sing the song of Moses and the Lamb on the sea of glass?
“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and _them that had
gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark,
and over the number of his name_, stand on the sea of glass, having the
harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the
song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God
Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who shall not
fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy: for all
nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made
manifest.” Rev. 15:2-4.
Satan’s Warfare Against The Church
[Illustration.]
The Death Of Christ. "He [Satan] persecuted the woman [the church] that
brought forth the man child." Rev. 12:13.
1. Under what figure was the Christian church represented to the apostle
John?
“And there appeared a great wonder [margin, sign] in heaven; _a woman_
clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a
crown of twelve stars.” Rev. 12:1.
NOTES.—Frequently in the Scriptures a woman is used to represent
the church. See Jer. 6:2; 2 Cor. 11:2. The sun represents the
light of the gospel with which the church was clothed at the first
advent (1 John 2:8); the moon under her feet, the waning light of
the former dispensation; and the twelve stars, the twelve
apostles.
“Woman in her innocence was attacked by ‘that old serpent, called
the Devil, and Satan.’ ... At the end of that first crafty assault
and speedy victory the dragon met with his rebuff, in words like
these: ‘The seed of the woman shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise His heel.’ ... In the Revelation the scene is changed
from Eden to the heavens, and before you stand again the woman and
the serpent, in the same position of antagonism as before, the
serpent still the assailant, only this time more openly so.... The
woman is no longer a simple, childlike personage, but _a wonder_;
she walks not among the trees and flowers, but amid the orbs of
heaven. She is clothed with the sun, the moon is under her feet,
and upon her head is a coronet of twelve stars. In her you see the
great cause of truth and righteousness embodied—she is, in fact,
the church of God in all ages, the woman whose Seed blesses all
the nations of the earth.”—_C. H. Spurgeon, in The Tabernacle
Pulpit, March 15, 1896._
2. How is the church at the first advent described?
“And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be
delivered.” Verse 2.
NOTE.—The church is in labor and pain while she brings forth
Christ and her children, in the midst of afflictions and
persecutions. See Rom. 8:19, 22; 1 John 3:1, 2; 2 Tim. 3:12.
3. How are the birth, work, and ascension of Christ briefly described?
“And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod
of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.” Verse
5.
NOTE.—Specifically this must refer to Christ (see Ps. 2:7-9); but
through Him is also prefigured the experience of the people of
God, who finally in the judgment are to share with Christ in
ruling the nations with a rod of iron (Rev. 2:26, 27), and, like
Him, when their work on earth is accomplished be “caught up,” at
His appearing, to God and to His throne. 1 Thess. 4:15-17.
4. What other sign, or wonder, appeared in heaven?
“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold _a great red
dragon_, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his
heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did
cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was
ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as in was born.”
Verses 3, 4.
5. Who is this dragon said to be?
“And the great dragon was cast out, _that old serpent_, called the
_Devil_, and _Satan_, which deceiveth the whole world.” Verse 9.
NOTE.—Primarily the dragon represents Satan, the great enemy and
persecutor of the church in all ages. But Satan works through
principalities and powers in his efforts to destroy the people of
God. It was through a Roman king, King Herod, that he sought to
destroy Christ as soon as He was born. Matt. 2:16. Rome must
therefore be symbolized by the dragon. The seven heads of the
dragon are interpreted by some to refer to the “seven hills” upon
which the city of Rome is built; by others, to the seven forms of
government through which Rome passed; and by still others, and
more broadly, to the seven great monarchies which have oppressed
the people of God; namely, Egypt, Assyria, Chaldea, Persia,
Greece, pagan Rome, and papal Rome, in either of which Rome is
represented and included. See page 269. The ten horns, as in the
fourth beast of Daniel 7, evidently refer to the ten kingdoms into
which Rome was finally divided, and thus again identify the dragon
with the Roman power.
6. How is the conflict between Christ and Satan described?
“And there was war in heaven; Michael and His angels fought against the
dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither
was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the
whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out
with him.” Verses 7-9.
NOTE.—This conflict, begun in heaven, continues on earth. Near the
close of Christ’s ministry, He said, “I beheld Satan as lightning
_fall from heaven_.” Luke 10:18. “Now is the judgment of this
world: now shall the prince of this world be _cast out_.” John
12:31. From the councils of the representatives of the various
worlds to which Satan, as the prince of this world, was formerly
admitted (Job 1:6, 7; 2:1, 2), he was cast out when he crucified
Christ, the Son of God.
7. What shout of triumph was heard in heaven following the victory gained
by Christ?
“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, _Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ_: for
the accuser of our brethren is _cast down_, which accused them before our
God day and night.... Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in
them.” Verses 10-12.
8. Why was woe at this same time proclaimed to the world?
“Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! _for the devil is come
down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a
short time_.” Verse 12, last part.
NOTE.—This not only shows that, since the crucifixion of Christ,
Satan knows that his doom is sealed, and that he has but a limited
time in which to work, but that his efforts are largely if not
wholly now confined to this world, and concentrated upon its
inhabitants. Better than many professed Christians, Satan knows
that time is short.
9. What did the dragon do when cast to the earth?
“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, _he persecuted
the woman_ which brought forth the man child.” Verse 13.
NOTE.—The persecution of Christians began under pagan Rome, but
was carried on far more extensively under papal Rome. Matt. 24:21,
22.
10. What definite period of time was allotted to this great persecution of
God’s people under papal Rome?
“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might
fly into the wilderness, unto her place, where she is nourished for _a
time, and times, and half a time_, from the face of the serpent.” Verse
14.
NOTE.—This is the same period as that mentioned in Dan. 7:25, and,
like the ten horns, identifies the dragon with the fourth beast of
Daniel 7, and its later work with the work of the little horn of
that same beast. In Rev. 13:5 this period is referred to as
“forty-two months,” and in Rev. 12:6 as 1260 days, each
representing 1260 literal years, the period allotted to the
supremacy of papal Rome. Beginning in 538 A.D., it ended in 1798,
when the Pope was taken prisoner by the French. See notes on page
223. The woman fleeing into the wilderness fittingly describes the
condition of the church during those times of bitter persecution.
11. What was Satan’s design in thus persecuting the church?
“And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman,
_that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood_.” Verse 15.
12. How was the flood stayed, and Satan’s design defeated?
“_And the earth helped the woman_, and the earth opened her mouth, and
swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.” Verse 16.
NOTE.—The mountain fastnesses, quiet retreats, and secluded
valleys of southwestern Europe for centuries shielded many who
refused allegiance to the Papacy. Here, too, may be seen the
results of the work of the Reformation of the sixteenth century,
when many of the governments of Europe came to the help of the
cause of reform, by staying the hand of persecution and protecting
the lives of those who dared to take their stand for the right.
The discovery of America, and the opening up of this country as an
asylum for the oppressed of Europe at this time, may also be
included in the “help” here referred to.
13. What did Christ say would be the result if the days of persecution
were not shortened?
“Except those days should be shortened, _there should no flesh be saved_:
but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” Matt. 24: 22.
14. Still bent on persecution, how does Satan manifest his enmity against
the remnant church?
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and _went to make war with the
remnant of her seed_, which keep the commandments of God, and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 12:17.
NOTE.—To the very end, Satan will persecute and seek to destroy
the people of God. Against the remnant, or last portion of the
church, he is especially to make war. Their obedience to God’s
commandments, and their possession of the testimony of Jesus, or
spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10), are especially offensive to him,
and excite his intense ire.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Soldiers of Christ, arise,
And put your armor on;
Fight, for the battle will be ours;
We fight to win a crown.
We fight not against flesh,
We wrestle not with blood;
But principalities and powers,
And for the truth of God.
CHARLES WESLEY.
A Great Persecuting Power (The Ten-Horned Beast of Revelation 13)
[Illustration.]
Early Christian Martyrs. "He shall ... wear out the saints of the Most
High." Dan. 7:25.
1. What is the first symbol of Revelation 13?
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw _a beast rise up out of the
sea, having seven heads and ten horns_, and upon his horns ten crowns and
upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” Rev. 13:1.
NOTES.—As already learned from studying the book of Daniel, a
beast in prophecy represents some great earthly power or kingdom;
a head, a governing power; horns, a number of kingdoms; crowned
heads or crowned horns, political rulership; waters, “peoples, and
multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Rev. 17:15.
“The beasts of Daniel and John are empires. The ten-horned beast
is the Roman power.... The head is the governing power of the
body. The heads of this beast represent successive
governments.”—_“__Romanism and the Reformation,__”__ by H. Grattan
Guinness, pages 144, 145._
2. How is this beast further described?
“And the beast which I saw was _like unto a leopard_, and his feet were as
_the feet of a bear_, and his mouth as _the mouth of a lion_.” Verse 2,
first part.
NOTES.—These are the characteristics of the first three symbols of
Daniel 7,—the _lion_, _bear_, and _leopard_ there representing the
kingdoms of _Babylon_, _Medo-Persia_, and _Grecia_,—and suggest
this beast as representing or belonging to the kingdom symbolized
by the _fourth beast_ of Daniel 7, or _Rome_. Both have ten horns.
Like the dragon of Revelation 12, it also has seven heads; but as
the dragon symbolized Rome in its entirety, particularly in its
pagan phase, this, like the “little horn” coming up among the ten
horns of the fourth beast of Daniel 7, represents Rome in its
later or papal form. Both it and the little horn have “a mouth”
speaking great things; both make war upon the saints; both
continue for the same length of time.
Allowing a very broad meaning to the symbol, the Douay or Catholic
Bible, in a note on Rev. 13:1, explains the seven heads of this
beast as follows: “The seven heads are seven kings, that is, seven
principal kingdoms or empires, which have exercised, or shall
exercise, tyrannical power over the people of God: of these, five
were then fallen, viz., the Egyptian, Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian,
and Grecian monarchies; one was present, viz., the empire of Rome;
and the seventh and chiefest was to come, viz., the great
Antichrist and his empire.” That the seventh head represents
Antichrist there can be little doubt. See page 265.
3. What did the dragon give this beast?
“And the dragon gave him his _power_, and his _seat_, and _great
authority_.” Verse 2, latter part.
NOTE.—It is an undisputed fact of history that under the later
Roman emperors, beginning with Constantine, the religion of the
Roman government was changed from pagan to papal; that when
Constantine removed the seat of his empire from Rome to
Constantinople in 330 A.D., the city of Rome was given up to the
bishop of Rome, who, from Constantine and succeeding emperors,
received rich gifts and great authority; that after the fall of
Rome, in 476 A.D., the bishop of Rome became the ruling power in
Western Rome, and by decree of Justinian, March 15, 533, was
declared “head of all the holy churches,” and in a letter of the
same year he was designated as “corrector of heretics.” See note
on page 223. Thus Rome pagan became Rome papal; the seat of pagan
Rome became the seat of papal Rome; church and state were united;
and the persecuting power of the dragon was conferred upon the
professed head of the church of Christ, or papal Rome. As Dr. H.
Grattan Guinness, in his “Romanism and the Reformation,” page 152,
says, “The power of the Cæsars lived again in the universal
dominion of the popes.”
4. How are the character, work, period of supremacy, and great power of
the beast described?
“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and
blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two
months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His
name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given
unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was
given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” Verses 5-7.
NOTE.—All these specifications have been fully and accurately met
in the Papacy, and identify this beast as representing the same
power as that represented by the little horn phase of the fourth
beast of Daniel 7, and the little horn of Daniel 8, in its chief
and essential features and work. See Dan. 7:25; 8:11, 12, 24, 25,
and readings on pages 218, 224. For an explanation of the time
period mentioned, see pages 223, 229.
5. What was to be inflicted upon one of the heads of this beast?
“And I saw _one of his heads as it were wounded to death_; and his deadly
wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Verse 3.
NOTE.—This wound was inflicted upon the papal head of this beast
when the French, in 1798, entered Rome, and took the Pope
prisoner, and for a time, it seemed, abolished the Papacy. But in
1800 another Pope was placed upon the papal throne, and the deadly
wound began to be healed. Temporal dominion was taken away from
the Papacy in 1870, but nevertheless its power and influence among
the nations have been increasing since then. “In that year,” says
Mr. Guinness in his work “Romanism and the Reformation,” page 156,
“the Papacy assumed the highest exaltation to which it could
aspire, that of infallibility.” To such a position of influence
over the nations is the Papacy finally to attain that just before
her complete overthrow and destruction she will say, “I sit a
queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” Rev. 18:7. See
Isa. 47:7-15; Rev. 17:18.
6. What is said concerning the captivity and downfall of the Papacy?
“He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth
with the sword must be killed with the sword.” Verse 10. See Ps. 18:25,
26; 109:17; Jer. 50:29; Rev. 16:4-6.
7. What questions asked by its worshipers indicate the great station to
which this beast-power was to attain?
“And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they
worshiped the beast, saying, _Who is like unto the beast? who is able to
make war with him?_” Rev. 13:4.
8. How universal is the worship of this power to become?
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not
written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world.” Verse 8.
9. What did John say was to be the end of this beast?
“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought
miracles before him.... _These both were cast alive into a lake of fire
burning with brimstone._” Rev. 19:20. See Isa. 47:7-15; 2 Thess. 2:3-8;
Rev. 17:16, 17; 18:4-8.
10. In what similar language is the fate of the fourth beast of Daniel 7
described?
“I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn
spake: I beheld even till the beast was _slain_, and his body _destroyed_,
and _given to the burning flame_.” Dan. 7:11.
Making An Image To The Beast. The Prophecy Of Revelation 13
[Illustration.]
Landing Of The Pilgrim Fathers. The vanguard of Protestantism, who
established "a Church without a pope, and a State without a king."
1. When was the papal head of the first beast of Revelation 13 wounded?
In 1793-98, by the French Revolution, and the temporary overthrow of the
Papacy in the latter year.
2. What did the prophet see coming up at this time?
“And I beheld _another beast coming up out of the earth_; and he had two
horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” Rev. 13:11.
NOTES.—Mr. Wesley, in his notes on Revelation 13, written in 1754,
says of the two-horned beast: “He is not yet come, though he
cannot be far off; for he is to appear at the end of the forty-two
months of the first beast.”
The previous beast came up out of the “sea,” which indicates its
rise among the peoples and nations of the world then in existence
(Rev 17: 15); while this one comes up out of the “earth.” This
would indicate that the latter beast would arise where there had
not before been “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and
tongues.” In 1798, when the papal power received its deadly wound,
the government of the United States, located in the western
continent, was the only great and independent nation then coming
into prominence in territory not previously occupied by peoples,
multitudes, and nations. Only nine years preceding this (1789),
the United States adopted its national Constitution.
It is within the territory of the United States, therefore, that
we may look, according to the prophecy, for an ecclesiastical
movement to arise, and exercise a dominating control, not only in
the civil government of this country, but also in the other
nations of the whole world as well.
[Illustration.]
Signing The Declaration Of Independence. "Proclaim liberty throughout all
the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." Lev. 25:10.
3. What is the character of this new power?
“He had _two horns like a lamb_.” Rev. 13:11.
NOTE.—The Pilgrim Fathers were the vanguard of a great multitude
of Protestants, who, when persecuted and outlawed in the lands of
their birth, sought refuge in the New World, where they developed
rapidly under the protection of a government founded on the great
Christian principles of civil and religious freedom. The two horns
may well symbolize these two fundamental principles.
4. Notwithstanding the lamblike appearance of this power, what is it
ultimately to do?
“And he _spake as a dragon_.” Rev. 13:11.
NOTE.—The voice of the dragon is the voice of intolerance and
persecution. This indicates that the ecclesiastical development
dealt with in this prophecy, obtaining a foothold for its initial
power and influence in the government of the United States, will
repudiate the mild and lamblike principles of civil and religious
liberty, and become like the beast before it, a world-wide
persecuting power. This is why in Rev. 19:20 it is called “the
false prophet.” Born of the Reformation, it will repudiate
Reformation principles.
5. How much power will this beast exercise?
“And _he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him_, and
causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast,
whose deadly wound was healed.” Verse 12.
NOTE.—The “first beast before him” (papal Rome) exercised the
power of persecuting and putting to death all who differed from it
in religious matters. The only way the _earth_ can be made to
worship is by causing work to cease on it through voluntary or
enforced rest, or sabbath-keeping. “For as long as she [the land]
lay desolate she _kept sabbath_.” 2 Chron. 36:21. Enforced Sunday
observance is evidently implied here.
6. What means will be employed to lead the people back into this false
worship?
“And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth _by the means of those
miracles which he had power to do_ in the sight of the beast.” Verse 14,
first part.
7. What will this power propose that the people shall do?
“Saying to them that dwell on the earth, _that they should make an image
to the beast, which had the wound by a sword; and did live_.” Verse 14,
latter part.
NOTE.—The beast “which had the wound by a sword, and did live,” is
the Papacy. That was a church dominating the civil power. In other
words, it was a union of church and state, and enforced its
religious dogmas by the civil power, under pain of confiscation of
goods, imprisonment, and death. An image to this beast would be
another ecclesiastical organization clothed with civil
power—another union of church and state—to enforce religious
dogmas by law.
8. Is there any evidence that such an image will be made?
Large and influential organizations, such as the National Reform
Association, the International Reform Bureau, the Lord’s Day Alliance of
the United States, and the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in
America, have been formed, by professed Protestants, and for years have
been persistently working to that end. Many Roman Catholic societies
recently formed in the United States, such as the Knights of Columbus and
the American Federation of Catholic Societies, are looking to a like
end—that of making America Catholic.
9. What, according to its constitution, is the avowed object of the
National Reform Association?
“To secure such an amendment to the Constitution of the United States as
shall ... indicate that this is a Christian nation, and place all the
Christian laws, institutions, and usages of the government on an
undeniable legal basis in the fundamental law of the land.”—_Article II of
Constitution._
NOTES.—Upon the question of making this a “Christian nation,”
Bishop Earl Cranston, D. D., of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in
an address delivered in Foundry Methodist Episcopal Church,
Washington, D. C., March 13, 1910, made the following
observation:—
“Suppose this were to be declared a Christian nation by a
Constitutional interpretation to that effect. What would that
mean? Which of the two contending definitions of Christianity
would the word Christian indicate?—The Protestant idea, of course,
for under our system majorities rule, and the majority of
Americans are Protestants. Very well. But suppose that by the
addition of certain contiguous territory with twelve or more
millions of Roman Catholics, the annexation of a few more islands
with half as many more, and the same rate of immigration as now,
the majority some years hence should be Roman Catholics,—who
doubts for a moment that the reigning Pope would assume control of
legislation and government? He would say, with all confidence and
consistency, ‘This is a Christian nation. It was so claimed from
the beginning and so declared many years ago. A majority defined
then what Christianity was, the majority will define now what
Christianity now is and is to be.’ That ‘majority’ would be the
Pope.”—“_The Church and the Government_,” page 7.
The National Reformers in their attempts to justify the legal
establishment of Christianity as the national religion, have
erroneously declared that the statement of Justice Brewer of the
Supreme Court of the United States in 1892, “This is a Christian
nation,” is a decision of the court, whereas it was only a
statement in the argument leading up to the decision of the court.
In a sermon at the centenary of the establishment of the Roman
Catholic hierarchy in the United States, in 1889, Archbishop
Ireland said: “Our work is to make America Catholic.... Our cry
shall be, ‘God wills it,’ and our hearts shall leap with crusader
enthusiasm.”
The theory of the National Reformers is thus expressed: “Every
government by equitable laws, is a government of God; a republic
thus governed is of Him, and is as truly and really a _theocracy_
as the commonwealth of Israel.”—“_Cincinnati National Reform
Convention_,” page 28.
10. How does this association regard the Catholic Church on this point?
“We cordially, gladly, recognize the fact that in South American
republics, in France and other European countries the Roman Catholics are
the recognized advocates of national Christianity, and stand opposed to
all the proposals of secularism.... _Whenever they are willing to
cooperate in resisting the progress of political atheism, we will gladly
join hands with them_ in a world’s conference for the promotion of
national Christianity, which ought to be held at no distant day. Many
countries could be represented only by Roman Catholics.”—_Christian
Statesman, Dec. 11, 1884, official organ of the National Reform
Association._
11. What has the Pope commanded all Catholics to do?
“First and foremost, it is the duty of all Catholics worthy of the name
and wishful to be known as most loving children of the church ... to
endeavor to bring back all civil society to the pattern and form of
Christianity which we have described.”—_Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII,
__“__Immortale Dei__”__ Nov. 1, 1885, __“__The Great Encyclical Letters of
Leo XIII,__”__ page 132._
NOTE.—The prophecy says that this power will make an image to the
Papacy. In the days of Constantine and his successors, the church
made use of the civil power to carry out her aims: through this
means the Papacy was developed. In our own day the same theory is
advocated, and prominent men in the nation, in both church and
state, are doing all they can to bring about the same result,
which, when their work is completed, cannot fail to fulfil the
specifications of the prophecy. The climax will be an image of the
Papacy.
12. What is the object of the International Reform Bureau?
“The Reform Bureau is the first ‘Christian lobby’ established at our
national capital to speak to government in behalf of all
denominations.”—“_History of the International Reform Bureau_,” by its
founder and superintendent, Rev. W. F. Crafts, page 2.
NOTE.—The securing of compulsory Sunday legislation is one of the
chief objects of this and other like organizations. See pages 61
and 65 of the above-named work.
13. What are the objects of the Lord’s Day Alliance of the United States?
“(1) To preserve the Lord’s day [Sunday] for America; (2) to secure an
active Alliance in every State not yet organized; (3) to induce the
general government as far as possible to set the example of Sabbath
observance; (4) to press the rest-day feature of the fourth commandment,
until every toiler in the land has guaranteed unto him fifty-two full rest
days a year.”—_From leaflet published by the Alliance._
NOTE.—By all of which is meant the securing, as far as possible,
of compulsory State and national Sunday legislation,—the very
means by which the church gained control of the state and by which
church and state were united in the fourth and fifth centuries of
the Christian era.
14. What is the purpose of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ
in America?
“That the great Christian bodies of our country should stand together” in
dealing with “questions like those of marriage and divorce, Sabbath
desecration, social evils.” etc.—“_Report of Federal Council_” (1908),
pages 5, 6.
15. How does it propose that the matter of “Sabbath desecration” shall be
dealt with?
“That all encroachments upon the claims and the sanctities of the Lord’s
day should be _stoutly resisted_ through the press, the Lord’s day
associations and alliances, _and by such legislation as may be secured to
protect and preserve this bulwark of our American Christianity_.”—_Id._,
page 103.
NOTE.—Thus it will be seen that the securing of laws for the
enforcement of Sunday observance is a prominent feature in all
these organizations in their efforts to “Christianize” the nation.
In doing this many fail to see that they are repudiating the
principles of Christianity, of Protestantism, and of the United
States government, and playing directly into the hand of that
power which originated the Sunday sabbath, and gained control of
the civil power through Sunday legislation—the Papacy.