Dispensational Truth

Chapter 19 - The AntiChrist
In our study of prophecy we lay much stress on the "Second Coming of Christ, " forgetting that there are two other comings of "individuals" that are just as momentous as Christ's coming. The first is that of Antichrist, and the other is that of Satan.

In both the Old and New Testament we are told of a Mysterious and Terrible Personage that shall be revealed in the "Last Times." He is described under different names and aliases, and it is only by a careful examination and comparison of these names, and the Person they describe that we see that they refer to one and the same individual. These names are-

In the Old Testament. - In the New Testament.
Isaiah - Paul, 2Thes. 2:3-5
14:4- 'King of Babylon." - "The Man of Sin."
14:12-"Lucifer." - "Son of Perdition."
Daniel - "That Wicked."
7:8, 8:9-"The Little Horn." - John
8:23-"A King of Fierce Countenance." - 1John 2:18-"Antichrist."
9:26-"The Prince that Shall Come." - Rev. 13:l "The Beast."
11:3-'The Wilful King."

Jesus also made a prophetic reference to him.

"I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." John 5:43.

The Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah, when the Antichrist comes they will accept him.

I. His Personality.

The Apostolic Church believed that Antichrist was to be a "person, " the embodiment of human blasphemy and wickedness, but toward the close of the Twelfth Century many began to look upon the Pope as Antichrist, and this view has been largely advocated by Protestant commentators. The arguments in favor of this view are ingenious and plausible, but they are hard to reconcile with the Word of God. This view makes Antichrist a "System" rather than a Person, and would see in the "Papal System" the Antichrist. But this is disproved by the Word of God.

1. The Apostle John says--

"Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is Antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." 1John 2:22.

"Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in THE FLESH (His Deity) is not of God; and this is that spirit of Antichrist." 1John 4:3.

Judaism has denied that "Jesus is the Christ, " and Unitarianism that He has "come in the flesh, " but the Papacy never. The Church of Rome has always confessed-"I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord."

2. All Protestant commentators insist that the "Papal System" is described in Rev. 17:4, Rev. 17:5, under the figure of a "Woman" arrayed in "purple and scarlet color, " and decked with "gold and precious stones and pearls." This is undoubtedly true, but this "Woman, " the "Mother of Harlots, " is represented as riding upon a "Beast, " universally admitted to be the Antichrist. If the "Beast" is the Antichrist, the "Woman" cannot be, and that they are separate and do not signify the same thing is clear.

3. Again Antichrist, as the "Man of Sin" is to-

"Exalt himself and magnify himself above every god." Dan. 11:36, Dan. 11:37. "So that he AS GOD sitteth in the Temple of God showing himself that he IS GOD." 2Thes. 2:4.

However false and impious the claims of the Papacy, it always recognizes its subordination to God, and the Pope's highest claim is that he is the "Vicar of Christ."

4. "All the world wondered after the Beast (the Antichrist), and they worshipped the Dragon (the Devil), which gave power unto the Beast." Rev. 13:3, Rev. 13:4.

The "Papal System" worships the "Virgin" and the "Saints, " but it is not true that it worships the Devil.

5. "If any man worship the Beast and His Image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the Wrath of God, ...and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone; ....and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and forever; and ever they have no rest day nor night, who worship the Beast and His Image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Rev. 14:9-1 Rev. 14:1.

If the "Papal System" is the Antichrist, it follows from the above that all its worshippers, instead of being saved, are doomed to eternal torment.

Again, the Lord, who destroys Antichrist "at His Coming, " comes to Jerusalem, not to Rome, the seat of the "Papal System."

While there are many things in the history of the Church of Rome, and in the conduct of her Popes that "foreshadow" the Antichrist, yet it is clear from the preceding scriptures that the "Papal System" is not the Antichrist, and that these scriptures can only be fulfilled in the person of some "Individual" yet to appear.

Antichrist is not a "Rival" or "Counterfeit" Christ, he is an "Opposing" Christ. This is clearly seen when we compare him with Christ in a series of-

Contrasts.

1. Christ came from Above. John 6:38.
Antichrist ascends from The Pit. Rev. 11:7.

2. Christ came in His Father's name. John 5:43.
Antichrist comes in his Own name. John 5:43.

3. Christ Humbled Himself. Phil. 2:8.
Antichrist Exalts himself. 2Thes. 2:4.

4. Christ Despised. Isa. 53:3; Luke 23:18.
Antichrist Admired. Rev. 13:3, Rev. 13:4.

5. Christ Exalted. Phil. 2:9.
Antichrist Cast Down to Hell. Isa. 14:14, Isa. 14:15; Rev. 19:20.

6. Christ to do His Father's will. John 6:38.
Antichrist to do his Own will. Dan. 11:36.

7. Christ came to Save. Luke 19:10.
Antichrist comes to Destroy. Dan. 8:24.

8. Christ is the Good Shepherd. John 10:4-6.
Antichrist is the Idol (evil) Shepherd. Zech. 11:16, Zech. 11:17.

9. Christ is the "True Vine." John 15:1.
Antichrist is the "Vine of the Earth." Rev. 14:18.

10. Christ is the "Truth." John 14:6.
Antichrist is the "Lie." 2Thes. 2:11.

11. Christ is the "Holy One." Mark 1:24.
Antichrist is the "Lawless One." 2Thes. 2:8, R. V.

12. Christ is the "Man of Sorrows." Isa. 53:3.
Antichrist is the "Man of Sin." 2Thes. 2:3.

13. Christ is the "Son of God." Luke 1:35.
Antichrist is the "Son of Perdition." 2Thes. 2:3.

14. Christ, "The Mystery of Godliness, " is God manifest in the flesh. 1Tim. 3:16.
Antichrist, "The Mystery of Iniquity, "' will be Satan manifest in the flesh. 2Thes. 2:7.

II.His Origin.

1. Isaiah's Foreview.

In Isa. 11:4-a chapter which is evidently Messianic-we read that among other things which the Messiah will do-

"He shall smite the earth with the 'rod of His mouth, ' and son and with the 'breath of His lips' shall He slay The Wicked."

The word translated "The Wicked, " is in the singular number, cannot refer to wicked persons in general, but to some one perwho is conspicuously wicked. The expression is strikingly like that of Paul's in 2Thes. 2:8-

"Then shall that 'Wicked' be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the 'Spirit of His Mouth, ' and shall destroy with the 'Brightness of His Coming."'

It is evident that Isaiah and Paul refer to the same individual, who can be no other than the Antichrist.

In Isa. 14:4-6 there is a description of a "King of Babylon" who shall smite the people in his wrath, and rule the nations in anger, and shall in his pride say-

"I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the 'Stars of God' (Heavenly Rulers). I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High."

This king is called LUCIFER, "Son of the Morning, " and his "fall" is described. He is cast down to Hell (Sheol, the Grave or Underworld), where his coming creates a great stir among the kings of the earth that have preceded him, and who exclaim when they see him-

"Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us?...........Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? "

There has never as yet been such a king of Babylon as is here described. It must therefore refer to some "future ruler" of Babylon when Babylon shall be rebuilt, as it is to be.

Verses 12 to 14 evidently refer to Satan, and are descriptive of him before his fall, but as he is to incarnate himself in the Antichrist, who is to be a future King of Babylon, it explains the source of the pride and presumption of Antichrist, which will lead to his downfall, as it did to Satan's.

2. Daniel's Foreview.

In the chapter on "The Gentiles" we described how Daniel saw come up among the "Ten Horns" on the head of the Fourth Wild Beast a "Little Horn, " and that this "Little Horn" had "eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things." Dan. 7:7, Dan. 7:8. Daniel was told that this "Little Horn" was a king that should arise, and that he would be a "person" of remarkable intelligence and great oratorical powers, having a "mouth speaking great things." That he would be audacious, arrogant, imperious and persecuting, and change "times and laws" and that the "Saints of the Most High" (Daniel's own people, the Jews) would be given into his hands for a "Time" and "Times" and the "dividing of Time, " or 3 1/2 years. Dan. 7:23-25.

Later Daniel had a vision of a Ram and a He-Goat contesting for supremacy. Dan. 8:1-3.

The He-Goat had a "notable horn" between his eyes. This "Great Horn" was broken, and in its place "four notable horns" sprang up, and out of one of them sprang forth a "Little Horn"

"which waxed exceedingly great toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the 'Pleasant Land' (Palestine). And it waxed great, even to the 'Host of Heaven, ' and it cast down some of the 'Host' and of the 'Stars' (angels) to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, He the Little Horn magnified himself even to the 'Prince of the Host' (the Lord God Josh. 5:13-15, 1Sam. 17:45), and by Him (the 'Little Horn'-Antichrist) the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary (the Temple) was cast down." Dan. 8:9-11.

When Daniel asked for the meaning of the vision he was told that the Ram stood for the Medo-Persian Kingdom, and the He-Goat for the Grecian, and that the "Four Horns" that came up in the place of the "Great Horn" stood for "Four Kings" and that the "Little Horn" that came up on one of the "Four Horns" stood for a King of "Fierce Countenance, " who in the "latter time" of their kingdom (the Four Worldwide Kingdoms and not the four Kingdoms into which the Grecian Empire was divided, for the "time" will be that when the "transgressors are come to the full"), shall stand up.

This King shall understand "dark sentences," and "His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power (Satan shall incarnate himself in him), and he shall destroy, wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice and shall destroy the mighty and the Holy People (the Jews). And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand (no one shall be able to buy without the 'mark of the Beast.' Rev. 13:17), and he shall magnify himself in his heart (2Thes. 2:3, 2Thes. 2:4), and by peace shall destroy many; he shall also stand up against the 'Prince of Princes, ' but he shall be broken without hand." Dan. 8:23-25.

This clearly identifies the "Little Horn" or "King of Fierce Countenance" which came out of one of the "Four Horns" that took the place of the "Notable Horn" on the head of the He-Goat as the Antichrist, for Antiochus Epiphanes (B. C. 175-165) nor any other ruler of the past has ever stood up against JESUS, the"Prince of Princes."

Neither was Antiochus Epiphanes "broken without hand; " he died a natural death at Tabae in B.C. 165. But the Antichrist is to be "broken without hand." His Kingdom is to be destroyed by a "stone cut out of the mountain without hands, " the "Stone Kingdom" of the Lord Jesus Christ, Dan. 2:34, Dan. 2:35, Dan. 2:44, Dan. 2:45, and he himself shall be "paralyzed" by the "brightness of the Lord's Coming" (1Thes. 2:8), and be cast "a-live" into the Lake of Fire. Rev. 19:20.

Two "good" men, Enoch and Elijah, were translated to Heaven without dying, " and two "bad" men, spoken of officially as the Beast and the False Prophet, shall be cast into the Lake of Fire "without dying."

Those who claim that the "Little Horn" of Dan. 7, and the "Little Horn" of Dan. 8, are not the same, because the "Little Horn" of Dan. 7 arises amid the "Ten Horns, " of the Fourth Beast, which represents the Roman Empire, and the "Little Horn" of Dan. 8, arises on one of the Four Horns, " that take the place of the "Great Horn" on the head of the He-Goat, which represents the Third Beast, the Grecian Empire, forget that the vision that the Apostle John had of the revived Roman Empire (Rev. 13:1, 2-the Roman Empire in its last stage), reveals the fact that the "last stage" of the Roman Empire will include "all the characteristics" of the whole Four Empires, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian and old Roman. This is seen in the character of the "Beast" John saw come up out of the sea. It was like unto a Leopard (Greece), with the "feet" of a Bear (Medo-Persian), and the "mouth" of a Lion (Babylon). The fact that the "body" of the Beast was like a Leopard (Greece) reveals the fact that the preponderating feature of the revived Roman Empire will be Grecian, and that therefore the "Ten Federated Kingdoms" will include the Four Kingdoms into which the Grecian Empire was divided, viz., Egypt, Macedon, Thrace and Syria. It follows therefore that the "Little Horn" that arises on the "Fourth Horn" of the He-Goat (Greece) is identical with the "Little Horn" of the Fourth Beast (Rome). Those who claim that the "Little Horn" that came up on one of the "Four Horns" of the He-Goat was fulfilled in Antiochus Epiphanes (who was a king of Syria) overlook the fact that while Antiochus Epiphanes devastated Palestine and caused an "idol altar" to be erected on the altar of the Temple, on which he offered swine's flesh, which was an abomination to the Jews, he does not fulfill the description of the "Little Horn" of the He-Goat. Dan. 8:9-11. He does not compare with him for Satanic malice.

The "Abomination of Desolation" that Daniel refers to (Dan. 9:27) is to occur in the "last half" of "Daniel's Seventieth Week, " and as Jesus spoke of it as still unfulfilled in His day (Matt. 24:15), it is clear that Antiochus Epiphanes was not the fulfillment of the "Little Horn" of Dan. 8:9-11.

While it was revealed to Daniel that the "Little Horn, " or Antichrist, should come out of one of the "Four Horns" that took the place of the "Great Horn" on the head of the He-Goat, he needed further light as to which one.

We now know from history that the "Great Horn" represented Alexander the Great, and that the "Four Notable Horns" that took the place of the "Great Horn" at the death of Alexander the Great represented the Four Kingdoms into which his Kingdom was divided, visible, Egypt, Macedon, Thrace and Syria, which included Assyria. These Four Kingdoms were in time all absorbed into the "Fourth World Kingdom, " the Roman Empire, the last to lose its identity being Egypt, which succumbed in B.C. 30.

That Daniel might know in which one of these Four Kingdoms the "Little Horn, " or Antichrist, should arise, 15 years after his vision of the "Ram and He-Goat" the Lord gave him a third vision, that of two kings, the "King of the North" and the "King of the South." Dan. 11:1-3.

The "King of the North" was the King of Syria, and as his character and conduct is described (Dan. 11:36-38) as similar to that of the "Little Horn" that came out of one of the "Four Horns" it is clear that the Antichrist is to come from Syria.

That the "King of the North" spoken of in Dan. 11:21-23 was Antiochus Epiphanes there can be no question, but that he was not the "Little Horn, " or the Antichrist, who is to come out of Syria in the "latter days" is clear from the remainder of the chapter from the 35th verse, which describes the conduct of the future Antichrist.

The intervening verses, the 32d to the 35th inclusive, fill in the gap between the time of Antiochus Fpiphanes and the appearance of the Antichrist.

There is no intimation that Antiochus Epiphanes is even to be regarded as a "type" of Antichrist. They are distinct historical personages, each dealt with in his own place, and though they resemble each other in some respects, yet they must not be confounded with each other.

The terms "North" and "South" are applied to Syria and Egypt because of their geographic relation to Palestine (the Pleasant or Glorious Land. Dan. 8:9; Dan. 11:16, Dan. 11:41). In the thought of Jehovah Jerusalem is at once the geographic and moral centre of the earth. We are to understand therefore by the "King of the North" the King of Syria, which also included Assyria. This fixes the locality from which the Antichrist shall come, for we read in Isa. 10:12-

"That when the Lord hath performed His whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem (which will not be until Christ comes back), I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria (Antichrist) and the glory of his 'high looks."'

And we read in Isa. 14:25-

"I will break the Assyrian (the Antichrist) in my land (Palestine), and upon my mountains 'tread him under foot; ' then shall his yoke depart from off them (Israel), and his burden depart from off their shoulders."

The context shows that this prophecy is connected with the restoration of Israel to their own land and the time of the downfall of Antichrist.

To recapitulate, we see from the three visions of Daniel that-

1. He learned from the "Little Horn" of the Fourth Wild Beast, that a Mysterious and Terrible Personage was to arise in the "Latter Days."

2. He learned from the "Little Horn" that came up on one of the "Four Notable Horns" that took the place of the "Great Horn" on the He-Goat, that that "Terrible Personage" was to come out of one of the Kingdoms into which the Grecian Empire was divided at the death of Alexander the Great.

3. He learned from the vision of the "King of the North" that that "Terrible Personage" would come out of the Syrian division of Alexander's Kingdom.

The Antichrist, therefore, in all probability will be a Syrian Jew, for it is not likely that the Jews will accept as their Messiah one who is not a Jew, unless the claimant by false pretence makes them believe he is one. This, however, does not prevent the Antichrist being a Roman citizen, and a king of the revived Roman Empire, for Saul of Tarsus was both a Jew and a Roman citizen.

3. Paul's Foreview.

Writing to the Thessalonians, Paul says-

"Let no man deceive you by any means; for 'that day' (the Day of the Lord) 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 worshipped; so that he As God sitteth in the Temple of God (the rebuilt Temple at Jerusalem), showing himself that he is God. . . . For the 'MYSTERY OF INIQUITY' doth already work (in Paul's day) ; only He (the Holy Spirit) who now letteth (restraineth R.V.) will let (restrain), until He be taken out of the way. And then shall 'THAT WICKED', -be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit (breath) of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness (manifestation R. V.) of His Coming. Even him, whose coming is after the 'working of Satan' with all 'power' and 'signs' and 'lying wonders, ' and with all 'deceivableness of unrighteousness' in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." 2Thes. 2:3-5.

In the American Standard Edition of the Bible the Antichrist is called the "MYSTERY OF LAWLESSNESS" or the "LAWLESS ONE." As such he is not the cause of "Lawlessness, " he is the result or fruit of it, for he will arise out of the seething cauldron of "Lawlessness" that is now becoming pronounced and manifest in the world The name that the Apostle Paul gives the Antichrist, the-"SON OF PERDITION, " is not without significance. The name is used but twice in the Scripture. It is first used by Christ of JUDAS (John 17:12), and then here of ANTICHRIST. The Apostle also calls the Antichrist in this passage the "MYSTERY OF INIQUITY." What does that mean? In 1Tim. 3:16, Christ is spoken of as the "MYSTERY OF GODLINESS." That is, that He was GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH. How did He become "manifest in the flesh"? By being born of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit. Thus it was that Jesus became the "SON OF GOD." Luke 1:35. Now as iniquity is the opposite of Godliness, then the "MYSTERY OF INIQUITY" must be the opposite of the "MYSTERY OF GODLINESS." That is, if Christ is the "MYSTERY OF GODLINESS, " Antichrist must be the "MYSTERY OF INIQUITY, " and as Christ was the "SON OF GOD, " then Antichrist must be the "SON OF PERDITION, " that is of SATAN. And as Christ was born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit, so Antichrist will be born of a WOMAN (not necessarily a virgin) by Satan. This is no new view for it has been held by many of God's spiritually minded children since the days of the Apostle John, and there is some warrant for it in the Scriptures. In Gen. 3:15, God said to the Serpent (Satan), "I will put enmity between thee and the woman ' and between 'THY SEED' and 'HER SEED'." Now the Woman's SEED was CHRIST, then the Serpent's SEED must be ANTICHRIST. In John 8:44 Jesus said to the Jews-"Ye are of your father THE DEVIL..... When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of IT." In the Greek there is the definite article before "lie, " and it should read "THE LIE, " so when the Devil speaks of "THE LIE, " he is speaking of his own (child), for he is a liar, and the FATHER OF "IT"-"THE LIE." And it is worthy of note that in the verse (vs. 11) that follows the passage we are considering that the Apostle says-"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie." ' Here again the definite article is found in the Greek, and it should read "The LIE, " the "SON OF PERDITION." the ANTICHRIST.

But why was Judas called the "SON OF PERDITION"? Was he a child of Satan by some woman, or was he simply indwelt by Satan? Here we must let the Scriptures speak for themselves. In John 6:70-71 we read that Jesus said "Have not I chosen you Twelve, and one of you is a DEVIL? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon; for he it was that should betray Him, being one of the Twelve." In no other passage than this is the word "Devil" applied to anyone but to Satan himself. Here the word is "diabolus, " the definite article is employed, and it should read-"and one of you is THE DEVIL." This would make Judas the Devil incarnate, or the "MYSTERY OF INIQUITY." and explains why Jesus in John 17:12, calls him the "SON OF PERDITION."

This is the only place in the Scriptures where the word "diabolus" is applied to a human being, and it implies an incarnation.

While "Perdition" is a PLACE (Rev. 17:8, 1 1), it is also a "condition" into which men may fall (1Tim. 6:9; Heb. 10:39), and while men who have committed the "Unpardonable Sin" are "sons of perdition, " because they are destined to the place of the irrevocably lost, yet Judas and Antichrist are the "SONS OF PERDITION" in a special sense, for they are the SONS of the author of "Perdition"THE DEVIL. That is they are not merely "obsessed" or controlled by the Devil, the Devil has incarnated himself in them, and for the time being, to all practical purposes, they are the very Devil himself.

The next question that arises is, "If Judas and the Antichrist are both called the 'SON OF PERDITION, ' are they one and the same, or are there two 'Sons of Perdition'? " Here we must anticipate. Turning to Rev. 11:7, we read that the "Beast" that slays the "Two Witnesses" ascends out of the "Bottomless Pit" (ABYSS), and that "Beast" is the ANTICHRIST. Now how did he get into the "ABYSS"; ' Well, if there is only one "SON OF PERDITION, " and Judas and Antichrist are one and the same, then he got in the ABYSS when Judas went to his "Own Place" (the ABYSS). Acts 1:25. Of no other person is it said anywhere in the Scriptures that he went "to his own place." Again in Rev. 17:8 it is said-"The 'Beast' that thou sawest was, and is not: and shall ascend out of the 'Bottomless Pit' (Abyss), and go into PERDITION." As this "Beast" is the same that slays the "Two Witnesses" he is the ANTICHRIST. Now there are four things said of him. First, he "WAS." Second, he "IS NOT." Third, he shall "ASCEND OUT OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT." Fourth, he shall "GO INTO PERDITION." From this we learn that in John's day the "Beast" "Was Not, " but that he had been before on the earth, and was to come again, that he was to ASCEND FROM THE BOTTOMLESS PIT. This is positive proof that the ANTICHRIST has been on the earth before, and that when he comes in the future he will come from the "ABYSS."

The question then arises, when was "Antichrist" on the earth before? If Judas and Antichrist are one and the same the enigma is solved. When Judas was on the earth, he WAS; when Judas went to his "Own Place" he "WAS NOT"; when Judas comes back from the "Abyss" he will be-THE ANTICHRIST. The Author does not insist on this view of Judas and Antichrist being correct, but with open mind he accepts it, because it seems to be the only logical solution of both Judas and Antichrist being called the "SON OF PERDITION."

4. John's Foreview.

On the Isle of Patmos the Apostle John had his vision of the Antichrist.

"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a Beast rise up out of the sea (Mediterranean Sea), having 'Seven Heads' and 'Ten Horns' 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. 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.

"And they worshipped THE DRAGON which gave power unto the Beast; and they worshipped THE BEAST, saying, Who is like unto the Beast? Who is able to make war with him? 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 (not the saints of the Church; they were already in glory) and to overcome them; and Power Was Given Him Over All Kindreds and Tongues and Nations. 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. 13:1-3.

When we compare these "Foreviews, " and note the similarity of conduct of Daniel's "LITTLE HORN, " Paul's "MAN OF SIN, " and John's "BEAST, " and that Daniel's "LITTLE HORN" and John's "BEAST" are to continue for the same length of time-"Forty and Two Months, " or 3 1/2 years, and that Daniel's "LITTLE HORN, " Paul's "MAN OF SIN, " and John's "BEAST, " are all to be destroyed in the same manner at Christ's "Second Coming, " we see that they all prefigure the same "Evil Power" which is after the "Working of Satan, " and which John in 1John 2:18, calls THE ANTICHRIST. In other words when we find in prophecy "Three Symbolic Personages" that come upon the stage of action at the same time, occupy the same territory, exhibit the same character, do the same work, exist the same length of time, and meet the same fate, they must symbolize the SAME THING.

Before we examine in detail John's "BEAST, " it would be well for us to compare it with Daniel's "FOURTH WILD BEAST."

Daniel's Fourth Wild Beast Dan. 7:7-8, Dan. 7:19-20, 23-25
John's Beast Out of the Sea Rev. 13:1-3

In comparing these two "BEASTS" we find that they both come up out of the sea (the nations), and that they are utterly unlike any beast we have ever heard of. Daniel's "Beast" was dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth, and nails of brass; while John's "Beast" was like a LEOPARD, with the feet of a BEAR, and the mouth of a LION. As Daniel's "Beast" represented the "FOURTH KINGDOM" upon the earth, the Roman Empire, it is evident that its characteristics describe the old Roman Empire, while the characteristics of John's Beast represent the revived Roman Empire. We know that the Old Roman Empire was "strong exceedingly" and its grip and power were like a beast with "great iron teeth" and "nails of brass, " and from the description of John's "Beast" we learn that the revived Roman Empire shall embody all the characteristics of the Four World Empires, as seen in its LEOPARD like body, its feet of a BEAR, and its mouth of a LION. That both "Beasts" have TEN HORNS reveals the fact that they will be in existence at the time indicated by the TEN TOES of the Colossus, with which they correspond, which will be just before the setting up of the "Stone" or Millennial Kingdom of Christ. We are told that the "TEN HORNS" of Daniel's "Beast" stand for "TEN KINGS, " and the "TEN HORNS" of John's "Beast" stand for the same. Rev. 17:12. From this we see that both Daniel and John foresaw that the Roman Empire was to be eventually divided into "Ten Separate but Federated Kingdoms."

While both "Beasts" have TEN HORNS, they differ in that John's had "SEVEN HEADS" while Daniel's had but ONE, and among the "TEN HORNS" on Daniel's "Beast" there came up a "LITTLE HORN." which is not seen amid the "TEN HORNS" of John's Beast. These, as we shall see, are features that refer to the last stage of the "Beast" and show that we cannot understand the last stage of the "Beast" without carefully comparing Daniel's and John's "Beasts, " for the "LITTLE HORN" of Daniel's "Beast" plucks up THREE of the "TEN HORNS" and destroys them, or takes their kingdom away, a thing that John omits to tell us. Again the Antichristian character of Daniel's "Beast" is seen in its "LITTLE HORN" whose conduct corresponds with not a part, but the whole of John's "Beast, " and that for the same length of time"TIME" and "TIMES" and the "DIVIDING OF TIME" which equals "FORTY AND TWO MONTHS."

It now remains to analyze the "Beast" that John saw come up out of the sea, and try to discover the meaning of its various members.

We have two descriptions of this "Beast."

Daniel's "Fourth Wild Beast" as we have seen, represents the Roman Empire as it existed from B.C. 30, until as a nation it shall cease to exist. While it was divided in A. D. 364, as the result of an ecclesiastical schism, into its Eastern and Western Divisions, and lost its national life as a world power, yet it has never lost its religious existence or influence as seen in the continuance of the Greek and Roman Churches, and Roman Law is still a controlling power in our laws. In this sense the Roman Empire in its influence has never ceased to exist. We are now to consider it in its last stage as outlined in John's "Beast."

John's Two Visions of the Beast

Beast Out of the Sea
Rev. 13:1-3 Scarlet Colored Beast
Rev. 17:3, 7-9

In the two descriptions of John's Beast as given above it is very important to see that the "Beast" has a "Dual" meaning. It represents both the revived Roman Empire, and its Imperial Head the Antichrist. As the revived Roman Empire it is seen coming up out of the sea of the nations, as the Antichrist it comes up out of the ABYSS. For instance it cannot be said of the Roman Empire of John's day, that it WAS, and IS NOT, for it was at the height of its power in John's day. Neither can it be said of it that it shall ascend out of the pit and go into PERDITION, that could only be said of a person. Again we must distinguish between the body of the "Beast" and its heads and horns. The body being that of a LEOPARD, with the feet of a BEAR, and the mouth of a LION is to show that the revived Roman Empire in its last stage will include the characteristics of the first "Three Wild Beasts" of Daniel, that is, of the LION (Babylon), the BEAR (Medo-Persia), and the LEOPARD (Greece), and as the largest part of the "Beast, " the body, is represented by the LEOPARD, the prevailing characteristic of the revived Roman Empire will be GRECIAN.

The "Beast" that comes up out of the sea (Chap. 13) has SEVEN HEADS and TEN HORNS, and the "Horns" are CROWNED. This represents the "Beast, " or Empire, at the height of its power, when it will have all its "Heads, " and when the TEN KINGS, the heads of the TEN KINGDOMS into which the Empire shall be divided, will have been crowned. The "Beast" that comes up out of the ABYSS also has SEVEN HEADS and TEN HORNS, but they are not crowned, for the TEN KINGS represented by the TEN HORNS, have not as yet received their kingdom. (Rev. 17:12.) This implies that the "Beast" of Rev. 17, represents the Antichrist at the beginning of the "Week." As confirmation of this view the "WOMAN" is seen at this stage riding the "Beast." For while the "Scarlet Clothed Woman" is not seen until chapter 17 it is clear that she rides the "Beast" from the beginning of the "Week, " for she represents the "PAPAL CHURCH" that comes into power after the true Church has been caught out. During the wars preceding the rise of Antichrist the nations that will then be found in the geographical limits of the Old Roman Empire will form an "Alliance" for mutual protection. Those nations will be ten in number, represented by the "TEN HORNS" of the Beast. No doubt the "Papal Church" will play a prominent part in those proceedings. She will be rewarded by restoration to political power, and this union of Church and State, in which the Church will have control, is shown by the WOMAN riding the Beast, thus dominating it. But when the "Ten Kings" shall receive their Kingdoms and be CROWNED, they "shall hate the WHORE, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire." (Vs. 16.)

While we are told in Rev. 17:9 that the "SEVEN HEADS" of the "Beast" represent "SEVEN MOUNTAINS" (this is to identify it with the Roman Empire), we are told in the next verse (R. V.) that they (the "Seven Heads") also represent "SEVEN KINGS" of whom "Five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh he must continue a short space." That is, in John's day "Five" of these Kings had fallen, one was the then ruling Emperor, and the "Seventh" was yet to come. Who are meant by the first "Five Kings" that had fallen we do not know. The King that was on the throne in John's day was Domitian, who had banished John to the Isle of Patmos. The last or "SEVENTH KING" who is yet to come is undoubtedly the ANTICHRIST. - We are told in Rev. 13:3, that one of the "SEVEN HEADS, " or "KINGS, " received a deadly wound." Which one is not stated. The inference is that it is the last, for the Beast has all of his "HEADS" before one of them is wounded. In Rev. 17:11 he is called the Beast that WAS, and IS NOT, even he is the "EIGHTH, " and is of the "SEVENTH, " and goeth into PERDITION. The only clear explanation of this passage is that the "SEVENTH HEAD"-THE ANTICHRIST, is the one who receives the "deadly wound, " probably at the hand of an assassin, and as his body is lying in state prepared for burial, he rises from the dead (Rev. 13:14) and thus becomes the "EIGHTH, " though he is of the "SEVENTH." By this resurrection of the Antichrist, Satan imitates the Resurrection of Christ and makes the world "wonder after the Beast" (Rev. 13:3), and this adds to his prestige and power. If this happens at the "Middle of the Week, " at the time the Dragon is cast out of Heaven, it will account for the great change that takes place in the Antichrist, for before receiving his "deadly wound" he will be sweet and lovable, but after his resurrection or recovery lie becomes Devilish, the result of the Dragon incarnating himself in him. It is at this time that he breaks the Covenant with the Jews and desecrates the Temple by setting up the "Abomination of Desolation" which is an "Idol Image" of himself-the "DESOLATOR." As the "LITTLE HORN" of Daniel's "Fourth Wild Beast" he will destroy three of the "Ten Kings" and firmly establish himself in the place of power, and as he, as the "LITTLE HORN, " does not appear until after the "TEN HORNS, " or "Ten Federated Kingdoms, " come into existence, it is clear that the Antichrist does not form the Federation, but is the outgrowth of it.

III. His Character.

He will be a "composite" man. One who embraces in his character the abilities and powers of Nebuchadnezzar, Xerxes, Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus. He will have the marvellous gift of attracting unregenerate men, and the irresistible fascination of his personality, his versatile attainments, superhuman wisdom, great administrative and executive ability, along with his powers as a consummate flatterer, a brilliant diplomatist, a superb strategist, will make him the most conspicuous and prominent of men. All these gifts will be conferred on him by Satan, whose tool he will be, and who will thus make him the - SUPERMAN.

He will pose as a great humanitarian, the friend of men, and the especial friend of the Jewish race, whom he will persuade that he has come to usher in the "Golden Age" as pictured by the prophets, and who will receive him as their Messiah.

He will intoxicate men with a strong delusion and his never varying success. And when he shall be slain and rise again he will have lost none of these powers, but will be in addition the embodiment of all kinds of wickedness and blasphemy.

"He shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws." Dan. 7:25.

"He shall also stand up against the 'Prince of Princes"' (Jesus). Dan. 8:25.

"He shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of Gods." Dan. 11:36.

"Who opposeth and exaltetli himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he AS GOD sitteth in the Temple of God (at Jerusalem) showing himself that he IS GOD..... whose coming is after the Working of Satan with all Power and Signs and Lying Wonders." 2Thes. 2:3-5.

There has never as yet appeared on this earth a person who answers the description given in the above Scriptures. Such a character is almost inconceivable. No writer would have invented such a character.

IV. His Reign.

He shall reign for seven years, or during the whole of Daniel's "Seventieth Week."

"And he shall confirm the Covenant with many for ONE WEEK (Daniel's Seventieth week) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Dan. 9:27.

After the Church has been caught out the Jews will be gathered back to their own land unconverted. About this time ten of the Nations occupying the territory of the old Roman Empire will enter into a Federation. Among the Ten Kings of those nations will arise the Antichrist. He will soon prove himself to be a Great Ruler and will be made PRESIDENT. The Government will be a Democratic Monarchy.

The President will make a "Covenant" with the Jewish people. It may be a Covenant restoring to them their own land. Whatever its character, the Prophet Isaiah speaks of it as a "Covenant With Death and Hell." Isa. 28:15.

For 3 1/2 years the President of the Federation will keep the Covenant. Then he will break it. For the balance of his reign, 3 1/2 years, he will cause an awful persecution of the Jews, called "The Great Tribulation."

It will not, however, be limited to them, for we read in Rev. 13:7, Rev. 13:8, that he shall be given power "Over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life."

For a description of this period see the Chapter on "The Great Tribulation."

V. His Doom.

At the end of the seven years the allied armies of the Ten 'Federated Nations will gather together in the Valley of Megiddo, north of Jerusalem, to besiege that city. Zech. 14:2. The Lord will pour upon the "House of David" (Israel), and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the "spirit of grace and supplication" (Zech. 12:10). Then the Lord, at the head of the "armies of Heaven, " will come to their rescue (Rev. 19:11-13), and the Jews will see Christ descend upon the Mt. of Olives (Zech. 14:4) and the Beast (Antichrist) and the kings of the earth, and their armies will gather together to make war against the Lord, and the Beast and the False Prophet will be taken and cast alive into the "Lake of Fire" and the remnant of those armies shall be slain with the sword of Him who sits upon the "White Horse, " and the fowls of the air will be summoned unto the "Supper of the Great God" and shall feed on the flesh of kings, and captains, and of mighty men. Rev. 19:17-19.

Dispensational Truth

Chapter 20 - The Satanic Trinity
Satan is the "God of this World." (Age.) 2Cor. 4:4.

As the God of this world (Age), he aims to "ape" God. As God sent His Son (Jesus) into the world, so Satan shall send Antichrist into the world. As God was in Christ, so Satan will incarnate himself in Antichrist.

The "Mystery of Godliness" is God manifest in the "flesh." 1Tim. 3:16. The "Mystery of Iniquity" will be Satan manifest in the "flesh." 2Thes. 2:7. Satan will see to it that Antichrist has all that Christ has.

I. Christ has a Church-the "Ecclesia; " Antichrist will have a church, the "Synagogue of Satan." Rev. 2:9; Rev. 3:9.

II. Christ will have a Bride, the "Church, " Eph. 5:25-27; Antichrist will have a bride, the "Mystic Harlot Church." Rev. 17:1-3.

III. Christ has a Cup, "The Communion Cup, " 1Cor. 10:16; 1Cor. 11:25; Antichrist has a cup, the "Cup of Devils." 1Cor. 10:21.

IV. Christ's earthly ministry lasted for three and a half years, and Satan shall reign in Antichrist for the same length of time.

V. Christ died at the age of thirty-three years, and for ought we know Antichrist shall be smitten at the same age; the age at which Alexander the Great, the "Great Horn" of the He-Goat, died.

VI. The Godhead is a Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and Satan proposes, as the "God of this Age, " to manifest himself as a Trinity. In contradistinction to the Divine Trinity we call this manifestation a SATANIC TRINITY.

The members of it are-

1. "The Dragon"-the Anti-GOD."
2. "The Beast"-the "Anti-CHRIST."
3. "The False Prophet"-the "Anti-SPIRIT."


We have spoken of the first two under the heads of Satan and Antichrist, all that we need to consider in this chapter is- THE FALSE PROPHET.

After the Apostle John had seen and described the "Beast" that came up out of the SEA, he saw another "Beast" come up out of the EARTH. This "Second Beast, " while John does not say it was a lamb, had "Two Horns" "like a lamb, " that is, it was LAMB-LIKE. Because of this resemblance many claim that the "Second Beast" is the Antichrist, for Antichrist is supposed to imitate Christ. While the LAMB (Christ) is mentioned in the Book of Revelation 22 times, the description given of Him in chapter 5:6, is that of a lamb having "SEVEN HORNS" and not "TWO." This differentiates Him from the "lamb-like Beast" that comes up out of the earth, who, though he is "lamb-like in appearance SPEAKS AS A DRAGON."

The "Second Beast" has a name. fie is called the "FALSE PROPHET" three times. First in chapter 16:13, then in chapter 19:20, and again in chapter 20:10. Twice he is associated with the "First Beast" (Antichrist) and once with the "Dragon" (Satan) and the "First Beast, " and as they are PERSONS so must he be. The fact that he is called the "False Prophet" is proof that he is not the "Antichrist." Jesus had a foreview of him when He said-"There shall arise 'FALSE CHRISTS' and 'FALSE PROPHETS, 'and shall show GREAT SIGNS AND WONDERS: insomuch that, if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect." Matt. 24:24. Here Jesus differentiates between "FALSE CHRISTS" and "FALSE PROPHETS." therefore the "ANTICHRIST" and the "FALSE PROPHET" cannot be the same.

That the "Second Beast" comes up out of the EARTH may signify that he will be a resurrected person. If, as was hinted at, "Antichrist" was Judas resurrected, why should not the "False Prophet" also be a resurrected person? There will be two persons, as we have seen, who shall come back from Heaven as the "Two Witnesses, " Moses and Elijah, why not two persons come up from "The Underworld, " brought up by Satan to counteract the work of the "Two Witnesses"? The fact that the "First Beast" (Antichrist) and the "Second Beast" (False Prophet) are cast ALIVE into the "Lake of Fire" (Rev. 19:20) is further proof that they are more than ordinary mortals, and that the "First Beast" is more than the last ruling Emperor of the revived Roman Empire. He is the Antichrist, Satan's SUPERMAN.

In the "Dragon, " the "Beast, " and the "False Prophet, " we have the "SATANIC TRINITY, " Satan's imitation of the "Divine Trinity." In the unseen and invisible "Dragon" we have the FATHER (the ANTI-GOD). In the "Beast" we have the "SON OF PERDITION" (the ANTI-CHRIST), begotten of the Dragon, who appears on the earth, dies, and is resurrected, and to whom is given a throne by his Father the Dragon. In the "False Prophet" we have the "ANTI-SPIRIT" who proceeds from the "Dragon Father" and "Dragon Son, " and whose speech is like the Dragon's. The "Dragon" then will be the "ANTI-GOD, " the "Beast" the "ANTI-CHRIST, " and the "False Prophet" the "ANTI-SPIRIT, " and the fact that all three are cast ALIVE into the "Lake of Fire" (Rev. 20:10) is proof that they together form a "Triumvirate" which we may well call "THE SATANIC TRINITY."

Again the "Antichrist" is to be a KING and rule over a KINGDOM. He will accept the "Kingdoms of this world" that Satan offered Christ, and that Christ refused. Matt. 4:8-10. He will also EXALT himself, and claim to be God. 2Thes. 2:4. But the "False Prophet" is not a King, He does not exalt himself, he exalts the "First Beast" (Antichrist). His relation to the "First Beast" is the same as the Holy Spirit's relation to Christ. He causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the "First Beast." He also has power to give life, and in this he imitates the 14oly Spirit. And as the followers of Christ are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the "Day of Redemption" (Eph. 4:30) ; so, the followers of Antichrist shall be sealed by the False Prophet until the "Day of Perdition." Rev. 13:16-17.

The False Prophet will be a "Miracle Worker." While Jesus was a "miracle worker, " He did all His mighty works in the "power" of the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:38. Among the miracles that the False Prophet will perform he will bring down FIRE FROM HEAVEN. As we have seen under the work of the "Two Witnesses, " Rev. 11:1-3, there will probably be a "FIRE-TEST" between Elijah and the False Prophet, and the test as to who is God of Mount Carmel will be repeated. That Satan, who will then energize the False Prophet, can do this is clear from Job I:16, where Satan, having secured permission from God to touch all that Job had, brought down "fire from heaven" and burned up Job's sheep and servants.

The False Prophet then commands the people to make an "IMAGE OF THE BEAST."

This is further proof that the "First Beast" is the Antichrist. It is a strange weakness of mankind that they must have some VISIBLE God to worship, and when the Children of Israel, who had been delivered from Egypt under Moses' leadership, thought he had forsaken them because he did not come down from the Mount, they called Aaron to make them gods which should go before them, and Aaron made for them the "GOLDEN CALF." Ex. 32:1-3. So the False Prophet will have the people make for the purpose of worship an "IMAGE OF THE BEAST." But the wonderful thing about the "IMAGE" is that the False Prophet will have power to give LIFE to it, and cause it to SPEAK, and to demand that all who will not worship it shall be put to death. In other words the "IMAGE" will be a living, speaking, AUTOMATON.

This "Image" reminds us of the "GOLDEN IMAGE" that Nebuchadnezzar commanded to be made and set up in the "Plain of Dura, " in the Province of Babylon (Dan. 3:1-3), before which, at the sounding of musical instruments, the people were commanded to bow down and worship under penalty, for those who disobeyed, of being cast into a "BURNING FIERY FURNACE." Doubtless there will be many in the "Day of Antichrist" who will refuse to bow down and worship the "Image of the Beast, " and who will not escape as did the "Three Hebrew Children, " though God may interpose in a miraculous way to deliver some. And as if this was not enough the False Prophet shall cause-"ALL, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a 'MARK' in their RIGHT HAND, or in their FOREHEAD; and that no man might BUY or SELL, save he that has the 'MARK' or the 'NAME OF THE BEAST, ' or the 'NUMBER OF HIS NAME'." This "MARK" will be known as the "BRAND OF HELL."

This is what the world is fast coming to. The time is not far distant when the various "Trusts" and "Combinations of Capital" will be merged into a "FEDERATION OF TRUSTS, " at the head of which shall be a "NAPOLEON OF CAPITAL." Ultimately this "Federation of Trusts" will extend to the whole world, at the head of which shall be THE ANTICHRIST, and the producer and consumer will be powerless in the tentacles of this OCTOPUS, and no man shall be able to BUY or SELL who has not the "MARK OF THE BEAST" either upon his "right hand" or on his "forehead." This "Mark" will be BRANDED or burnt on. It will probably be the "NUMBER OF THE BEAST" or "666." The number "666" is the "NUMBER OF MAN, " and stops short of the perfect number SEVEN. Man was created on the SIXTH day. Goliath the opposer of God's people, a type of Satan, was 6 cubits in height, he had 6 pieces of armor, and his spearhead weighed 600 shekels. 1Sam. 17:4-6. Nebuchadnezzar's Image, a type of the "Image of the Beast, " was 60 cubits in height, 6 cubits wide, and 6 instruments of music summoned the worshippers. Dan. 3:1-3.

In that day men will doubtless prefer to have the "MARK" on the back of their right hand so it can be readily seen in the act of signing checks, drafts, and receipts. There will doubtless be public officials in all public places of business to see that no one buys or sells who has not the "MARK." This will apply to women as well as men. No one can shop, or even buy from the huckster at the door, without the "MARK, " under penalty of DEATH. Those will be awful times for those who will not WORSHIP THE BEAST. If they can neither buy nor sell without the "MARK, " they must beg, or starve or be killed. The instrument of death will be the guillotine (Rev. 20:4), and the daily papers will contain a list of the names of those who were beheaded the day before so as to frighten the people into obedience to the law. The doom of the "Satanic Trinity" will be, that at the close of that awful time of Tribulation the Lord Jesus Christ will return, and the "Dragon, " the "Anti-God, " will be cast into the "BOTTOMLESS PIT" for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3), and the "Beast, " the "Anti-Christ, " and the "False Prophet, " the "Anti-Spirit, " will be cast ALIVE into the "LAKE OF FIRE." Rev. 19:20.

THE COMING OF HIS FEET

In the crimson of the morning, in the whiteness of the noon,
In the amber glory of the day"s retreat,
In the midnight robed in darkness, or the gleaming of the moon,
I listen for the coming of his feet.
I have heard his weary footsteps on the sands of Galilee,
On the Temple's marble pavement on the street,
Worn with weight of sorrow falt'ring up the slopes of Calvary,
The sorrow of the coming of his feet.
Down the minster-aisles of splendor, from betwixt the cherubim,
Thro' the wond'ring throng with motion strong and fleet,
Sounds his victor tread, with a music far and dim,
The music of the coming of his feet.
Sandalled not with shoes of silver, girdled not with woven gold,
Weighted not with shimmering gems and odors sweet,
But white-winged, and shod with glory as in the Tabor light of old,
The glory of the coming of his feet.
He is coming, oh, my spirit! with his everlasting peace;
With his blessedness immortal and complete;
He is coming, oh, my spirit! and his coming brings release!
I am living for the coming of his feet.

Dispensational Truth

Chapter 22 - The Seven Churches
The Book of Revelation was written in A. D. 96. The writer was the Apostle John. He was told to write the things which he "saw" and "heard." The Book therefore is a divinely given book, and is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 1:1) and not of John. It is the most important and valuable prophetic book in the Bible. All through the Old Testament there are scattered references to things which are to come to pass in the "Last Days." The Book of Revelation reveals The Divine Program, or order, in which these events are to happen. It is the Book of Consummation and its proper place in the sacred canon is where it is placed, at the end of the Bible. The Book is full of "action." Earth and heaven are brought near together. The clouds roll away, thrones, elders, and angelic forms are seen; harps, trumpets, cries from disembodied souls, and choruses of song are heard. Earth touches heaven, and alas it touches hell also. There are strong moral contracts. Good and evil meet. There is no blending, but sharp contrasts, and a long protracted conflict that ends in victory for the good.

The Book is addressed to the "seven churches which are in Asia." By Asia is not meant the great Continent of Asia, or even the whole of Asia Minor, but only its western end. Neither were the seven churches named the only churches in that district, for there were at least three other churches: Colosse, Col. 1:2; Hierapolis, Col. 4:13; and Troas, Acts 20:6, Acts 20:7. These Seven Churches then must be representative or "typical" churches, chosen for -certain characteristics typical of the character of the Church of Christ from the end of the First Century down to the time of Christ's return for His Church, and descriptive of Seven Church Periods clearly defined in Church History.

John when he received his message was a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos. He heard behind him a "great voice, " as of a trumpet, and when he turned he saw "Seven Golden Candlesticks, " and standing in their midst one like unto the "Son of Man, " who held in His right hand "Seven Stars." He was told that the "Seven Stars" were the "Angels" (Ministers or Messengers) of the Seven Churches, and the "Seven Candlesticks" represented the Seven Churches. "Lampstand" is a better translation for the word "Candlestick, " and is so given in the margin of our Bibles. A "Candlestick" requires a light which is self-consuming, while a "Lampstand" is simply the "Holder" of a lamp whose light is fed from a reservoir of oil, thus typifying the oil of the Holy Spirit. Thus Christ looks upon the churches as not the Light, but simply the "Light Holder." 'the use of the figures "Lampstands" and "Stars, " which are only for service in the night, indicates that we are living in the "Night" of this Age.

The "Key" to the interpretation of the Book of Revelation is its "Threefold Division." Rev. 1:19.

I. Things Past.

"The Things Which Thou Hast SEEN."

The Vision of Christ in the midst of the "Lampstands." Chapter one.

II. Things Present.

"The Things Which ARE."

Obviously the Seven Churches. Chapters two and three. John was not far from 100 years old, and the only remaining Apostle. The Temple and city of Jerusalem had been destroyed, and the Jews dispersed 26 years before, and John's attention was called to the condition of the "Seven" representative churches of Asia.

III.Things Future.

"The Things Which SHALL BE HEREAFTER."

Beginning with the fourth chapter unto the end of the Book. Rev. 4:1.

It is worthy of note that the "Messages to the Seven Churches" are inserted between Two Visions, the "Vision of Christ" in the midst of the "Seven Lampstands" in chapter one, and the "Vision of the Four and Twenty Elders" round about the Throne, in chapter four.

As chapter four is a vision of the "Glorified Church" with the Lord, after it has been caught out (1Thes. 4:13-15), then the Second Division of the Book - "The Things Which Are," and which includes chapters two and three, must be a description or prophetic outline of the "Spiritual History" of the Church from the time when John wrote the Book in A. D. 96, down to the taking out of the Church, or else we have no "prophetic view" of the Church during that period, for she disappears from the earth at the close of chapter three, and is not seen again until she reappears with her Lord in chapter nineteen. This we shall find to be the case.

This interpretation of the "Messages to the Seven Churches" was hidden to the early Church, because time was required for Church History to develop and be written, so a comparison could be made to reveal the correspondence. If it had been clearly revealed that the Seven Churches stood for "Seven Church Periods" that would have to elapse before Christ could come back, the incentive to watch would have been absent.

While the character of these Seven Churches is descriptive of the Church during seven periods of her history, we must not forget that the condition of those churches, as described, were their exact condition in John's day. So we see that at the close of the First Century the leaven of "False Doctrine" was at work in the Churches. The churches are given in the order named, because the peculiar characteristic of that Church applied to the period of Church History to which it is assigned. It also must not be forgotten, that, that which is a distinctive characteristic of each Church Period, does not disappear with that Period, but continues on down through the next Period, and so on until the end, thus increasing the imperfections of the visible Church, until it ends in an open Apostasy, as shown on the chart "The Messages to the Seven Churches Compared with Church History."

We will now consider each message separately.

1. The Message to the Church at EPHESUS. Rev. 2:1-3.

The complaint that Christ makes against this Church is that it "had left its First Love." Its character is seen in its very name, for Ephesus means to "let go...... to relax." It had become a Backslidden Church. Paul, who founded it, warned it of what should happen, in his parting message.

"I know this, that after my departing shall grievous 'wolves' enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, 'speaking perverse things, ' to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20:29, Acts 20:30.

The significance of this warning is seen in the commendation of the Message, vs. 6-"But this thou hast, that thou 'hatest' the deeds of the Nicolaitanes which I also hate." Here Paul's "wolves" are called Nicolaitanes. They were not a sect, but a party in the Church who were trying to establish a "Priestly Order." Probably trying to model the Church after the Old Testament order of Priests, Levites, and common people. This is seen in the meaning of the word, which is from "Niko" to conquer, to overthrow, and "Laos" the people or laity. The object was to establish a "Holy Order of Men, " and place them over the laity, which was foreign to the New Testament plan, and call them not pastors, but-Clergy, Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals, Popes. Here we have the origin of the dogma of "Apostolic Succession, " and the separation of the Clergy from the Laity, a thing that God "hates." The Church at Ephesus was not deceived, but recognized them as false apostles and liars.

The character of the Church at Ephesus is a fair outline of the Church Period from A. D. 70 to A. D. 170.

II. The Message to the Church at Smyrna. Rev. 2:8-10.

The Church in its "Ephesian Period" having lost its "First Love, " the Lord is now about to "chastise" it, so as to cause it to return to Him. Smyrna has for its root meaning "bitterness, " and means "Myrrh, " an ointment associated with death, and we see in the meaning of the word a prophecy of the persecution and death which was to befall the members of the Smyrna Church. They were told not to "fear" the things that they should be called on to suffer, but to be faithful "unto" death, not "until" death. That is, not until the end of their "natural" life, they were not to "recant" when called upon to face a Martyr's death, but remain faithful until death relieved them of their suffering. The reward would be a "Crown of Life." This is the Martyr's crown.

They were told that the "author" of their suffering would be the Devil, and its duration would be "ten days, " which was doubtless a prophetic reference to the "Ten Great Persecutions" under the Roman Emperors, beginning with Nero, A. D. 64, and ending with Diocletian in A. D. 310. Seven of these "Great Persecutions" occurred during this "Smyrna Period" of Church History. Or it may refer to the 10 years of the last and fiercest persecution under Diocletian. This Period extended from A. D. 170 to Constantine A. D. 312.

III. The Message to the Church at Pergamos. Rev. 2:12-14.

In this Message Pergamos is spoken of as "Satan's Seat." When Attalus III, the Priest-King of the Chaldean Hierarchy, fled before the conquering Persians to Pergamos, and settled there, Satan shifted his capital from Babylon to Pergamos. At first he persecuted the followers of Christ, and Antipas was one of the martyrs. But soon he changed his tactics and began to exalt the Church, and through Constantine united the Church and State, and offered all kinds of inducements for worldly people to come into the Church. Constantine's motive was more political than religious. He wished to weld his Christian and Pagan subjects into one people, and so consolidate his Empire. The result of this union was that two false and. pernicious doctrines crept into the Church. The first was the "Doctrine of Balaam, " and the second the "Doctrine of the Nicolaitanes." The latter we have already considered under the Message to the Church at Ephesus. And the foothold it had secured in the Church was seen in the First Great Council of the Church held at Nicaea, in A. D. 325. The Council was composed of about 1500 delegates, the laymen outnumbering the Bishops 5 to 1. It was a stormy council , full of intrigue and political methods, and from the supremacy of the "Clergy" over the "Laity" it was evident that the "Doctrine of the Nicolaitanes" had secured a strong and permanent foothold.

The "Doctrine of Balaam" is disclosed in the story of Balaam found in the Book of Numbers, chapters 22 to 25 inclusive. When the Children of Israel on their way to Canaan had reached the land of Moab, Balak the king of Moab sent for Balaam the Son of Beor, who lived at Pethor on the river Euphrates, to come and curse them. When the Lord would not permit Balaam to curse Israel, he suggested to Balak that he invite them to the licentious feasts of "Baal-Peor, " and thus cause Israel to fall into a snare that would so anger the Lord, that he would Himself destroy them. This Balak did, and the result was that when the men of Israel went to those sensual feasts and saw the "daughters of Moab" they committed whoredoms with them, which so kindled God's anger that He sent a plague that destroyed 42, 000 of them. Now the word "Pergamos" means "Marriage, " and when the Church entered into a union with the State it was guilty of "Spiritual Fornication" or "Balaamism." The "Balaam Method" that Constantine employed was to give to the Bishops of the Church a number of imposing buildings called Basilicas for conversion into churches, for whose decoration he was lavish in the gift of money. He also supplied superb vestments for the clergy, and soon the Bishop found himself clad in costly vestments, seated on a lofty throne in the apse of the Basilica, with a marble altar, adorned with gold and gems, on a lower level in front of him. A sensuous form of worship was introduced, the character of the preaching was changed, and the great "Pagan Festivals" were adopted, with but little alteration, to please the Pagan members of the church, and attract Pagans to the church. For illustration, as the Winter Solstice falls on the 21st day of December, which is the shortest day in the year, and it is not until the 25th that the day begins to lengthen, which day was regarded throughout the Heathen world as the "birthday" of the "Sun-God, " and was a high festival, which was celebrated at Rome by the "Great Games" of the Circus, it was found advisable to change the Birthday of the Son of God, from April, at which time He was probably born, to December 25th, because as He was the "Sun of Righteousness, " what more appropriate birthday could He have than the birthday of the Pagan "Sun-God"?

It was at this time that "Post-Millennial Views" had their origin. As the Church had become rich and powerful, it was suggested that by the union of Church and State a condition of affairs would develop that would usher in the Millennium without the return of Christ, and since some scriptural support was needed for such a doctrine, it was claimed that the Jews had been cast off "forever, " and that all the prophecies of Israel's future glory were intended for the Church. This "Period" extends from the accession of Constantine, A. D. 312 to A. D. 606, when Boniface III was crowned "Universal Bishop."

IV. The Message to the Church at Thyatira. Rev. 2:18-20.

In His commendation of this Church, Christ lays the emphasis on their "works, " as if they depended on them, and claimed they deserved merit for "works" of "Supererogation." But He had a complaint to make against them that was terrible in its awfulness. He charges them not merely with permitting a bad woman, Jezebel, who called herself a "Prophetess, " to remain in the Church, but with permitting her to "teach" her pernicious doctrines, and to "seduce" the servants to "commit fornication, " and to "eat things sacrificed to idols."

Who this woman was is a question. She was a "pretender, and called herself a "prophetess." Probably she was of noble lineage. She certainly was a woman of commanding influence. Whether her real name was Jezebel or not, she was so like her prototype in the Old Testament, Jezebel the wife of Ahab, that Christ called her by that name. Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, was not by birth a daughter of Abraham, but a princess of idolatrous Tyre, at a time, too, when its royal family was famed for cruel savagery and intense devotion to Baal and Astarte. Her father, Eth-baal, a priest of the latter deity, murdered the reigning monarch Phales, and succeeded him. Ahab, king of Israel, to strengthen his kingdom, married Jezebel, and she, aided and abetted by Ahab, introduced the licentious worship of Baal into Israel, and killed all the prophets of the Lord she could lay her hands on. And this influence she exercised, not only while her husband was alive but also during the reign of her two sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram. More daughter Athaliah to Jehoram, son of Jehoshoaphat introduced idolatrous worship into Judah, and it was not long before a house of Baal built in Jerusalem, and so Jezebel caused all Israel to sin after the sin of Jeroboam the e son of Nebat. 1Kings 16:29-31.

There is no question that whether Jezebel was a real person or not, she typified a System" and that "System" was the "Papal Church." When the "Papal Church" introduced images and pictures into its churches for the people to bow down to it became idolatrous. And when it set up its claim that the teaching of the Church is superior to the Word of God, it assumed the role of "Prophetess." A careful study of the "Papal System" from A. D. 606 to the Reformation A. D. 1520, with its institution of the "Sacrifice of the Mass" and other Pagan rites, reveals in it the sway of "Jezebelism." It was also a period of "Jezebelistic Persecution, " as seen in the wars of the Crusades, and the rise of the Inquisition. A careful comparison of this "Message" with the Parable of "The Leaven, " (see the chapter on "The Kingdom"), will reveal the wonderful correspondence between the two, the "Jezebel" of the Church of Thyatira, being the "Woman" of the Parable, who inserted the "Leaven" of "False Doctrine" into the Meal of the Gospel. This Period extended from A. D. 606 to the Reformation A. D. 1520.

V. The Message to the Church at Sardis. Rev. 3:1-3.

The Church at Sardis was called a "Dead Church" though it had a name to live. That is, it was a "Formalistic Church, " a church given over to "formal" or "ritualistic" worship. It had the "Form of Godliness without the power." The meaning of the word "Sardis" is the "escaping one, " or those who "come out" and so it is an excellent type of the Church of the Reformation Period.

By the Reformation we mean that period in the history of the Christian Church when Martin Luther and a number of other reformers protested against the false teaching, tyranny and claims of the Papal Church.

This Period began about A. D. 1500. The condition of affairs in the realm dominated by the Papal Church became intolerable, and came to a crisis when Martin Luther on October 31, 1517 A. D., nailed his 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenberg, Germany. From that date the Reformation set in. But it was more a struggle for political liberty, than a purely Christian or religious movement.

It had the advantage of encouraging and aiding the circulation of the Holy Scriptures, that had hitherto been a sealed book, the revival of the Doctrine of "Justification by Faith, " and a reversion to more simple modes of worship, - but the multiplication of sects only led to bitter controversial contentions, that, while they threw much light on the Word of God, interfered greatly with the spiritual state of the Church, until it could truthfully be said, "That she had a name to live and was dead."

While the reformers swept away much ritualistic and doctrinal rubbish they failed to recover the promise of the Second Advent. They turned to God from idols, but not to "wait for His Son from the Heavens." The "Sardis Period" extended from A. D. 1520 to about A. D. 1750.

VI. The Message to the Church at Philadelphia. Rev. 3:7-9.

There is no question about the meaning of the word Philadelphia. It means "Brotherly Love, " and well describes the charity and brotherly fellowship that dissipated the bitter personal animosities that characterized the theological disputants of the "Sardis Period, " and made possible the evangelistic and missionary labors of the past 150 years.

Three things are said of this Church.

1. It had a "little strength." It was like a person coming back to life who was still very weak. It was the "dead" Sardis Church "revived, " and Revivals have been characteristic of the Philadelphia Period. These Revivals began with George Whitefield in A. D. 1739, followed by John Wesley, Charles G. Finney and D. L. Moody.

2. It had set before it an "open door, " that no "man" could shut. Note that this promise was made by Him, who "hath the 'Key of David, ' He that 'openeth' and no mail shutteth; and 'shutteth' and no man openeth." In 1793 William Carey sailed for India, where he found an "open door, " and since then the Lord has opened the door into China, Japan, Korea, India, Africa and the isles of the sea, until there is not a country in the world where the missionary cannot go.

3. It was to be kept from the "hour of temptation" (Tribulation), that shall come upon all the world. As the Church at Philadelphia is still in existence, and the only one of the seven that has survived, and while it suffered more or less under the "Ten Persecutions" of the "Smyrna Period, " it has never yet suffered in a persecution that was world-wide. This "hour of temptation" then must be still future and refers doubtless to the "Great Tribulation " that is to come upon the "whole world, " ' just before the return of the Lord to set up His Millennial Kingdom, and as the promise is that the "Philadelphia Church" shall not pass through the Tribulation, is not this additional proof that the Church shall be "caught out" before the Tribulation?

The "Philadelphia Period" covers the time between A. D. 1750 and A. D. 1900. We must not forget that the characteristics of all these Periods continue on in the Church down to the end. This is true of the Evangelistic and Missionary movements of the "Philadelphia Period, " but they are now more mechanical and based on business methods, and there is less spiritual power, and this will continue until Christ returns.

VII. The Message to the Church at Laodicea. Rev. 3:14-16.

Christ has no "commendation" for this Church, but much to complain of. He says-

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold or hot; I would thou wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold or hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."

There is nothing more disgusting or nauseating than "tepid" water. So there is nothing more repugnant to Christ than a "tepid" church. He would rather have a church "frozen" or "boiling." It was the "chilly spiritual atmosphere" of the Church of England that drove John Wesley to start those outside meetings which became so noted for their "religious fervor, " and it was the same "chilly atmosphere" of the Methodist Church that drove William Booth in turn to become a "Red-hot" Salvationist.

Our churches today are largely in this "lukewarm" condition. There is very little of warm-hearted spirituality. There is much going on in them, but it is largely mechanical and of a social character. Committees, societies, and clubs are multiplied, but there is an absence of "spiritual heat." Revival meetings are held, but instead of waiting on the Lord for power, evangelists and paid singers are hired and soul winning is made a business The cause of this "lukewarmness" is the same as that of the Church of Laodicea-Self-Deception.

"Because thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked."

They thought they were rich, and outwardly they were, but Christ saw the poverty of their heart. There are many such churches in the world today. More so than in any other period in the history of the church. Many of these churches have Cathedral-like buildings, stained glass windows, eloquent preachers, paid singers, large congregations. Some of them have large landed interests and are well endowed, and yet they are poor. Many of the members, if not the majority, are worldly, card playing, dancing, and theatre going Christians. The poor and the saintly are not wanted in such churches because their presence is a rebuke. These churches do not see that they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

If we were to visit such churches they would take pride in showing us the building, they would praise the preaching and singing, they would boast of the character of their congregations, the exclusiveness of their membership, and the attractiveness of all their services, but if we suggested a series of meetings for the "deepening of the Spiritual Life, " or the "conversion of the unsaved, " they would say-"Oh, no, we do not want such meetings, we have need of nothing." The Church at Laodicea was not burdened with debt, but it was burdened with WEALTH.

The trouble with the church today is that it thinks that nothing can be done without money, and that if we only had the money the world would be converted in this generation. The world is not to be converted by money, but by the Spirit of God.

The trouble with the Church of Laodicea was that its "Gold', was not of the right kind, and so it was counseled to buy of the Lord "gold tried in the fire." What kind of gold is that? It-is gold that has no taint upon it. Gold that is not cankered, or secured by fraud, or the withholding of a just wage. What a description we have of these Laodicean days in James 5:1-3.

But the Church of Laodicea was not only poor, though rich, it was blind. Or to put it more accurately-"Near-Sighted." They could see their worldly prosperity, but were "Short-Sighted" as to heavenly things, so the Lord counseled them to anoint their eyes with "EyeSalve." Their merchants dealt in ointments and herbs of a high degree of healing virtue, but they possessed no salve that would restore impaired Spiritual Vision, only the Unction of the Holy One could do that.

But the Church was not only poor, and blind, it was naked. Their outward garments were doubtless of the finest material and the latest fashionable cut, but not such as should adorn the person of a Child of God. So they were counseled to purchase of Christ "White Raiment, " in exchange for the "raven black woolen" garments for which the garment makers of Laodicea were famous.

Then a most startling revelation was made to the Church of Laodicea, Christ said-

"Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock."

These words are generally quoted as an appeal to sinners, but they are not, they are addressed to a Church, and to a Church in whose midst Christ had once stood, but now found Himself excluded and standing outside knocking for admittance.

This is the most startling thing recorded in the New Testament, that it is possible for a church to be outwardly prosperous and yet have no Christ in its midst, and be unconscious of the fact. This is a description of a Christless Church. Oh, the EXCLUDED CHRIST.

Excluded from His own nation, for they Rejected Him; excluded from the world, for it Crucified Him; excluded from His Church, for He stands outside its door Knocking for Entrance.

How did Christ come to be outside the Church? He had been within it once or there never would have been a Church. How did He come to leave? It is clear that they had not thrust Him out, for they do not seem to have missed His presence. They continued to worship Him, to sing His praises, and engage in all manner of Christian service, yet He had withdrawn. Why? The reason is summed up in one word-Worldliness.

But how is Christ to get back into His Church? Does it require the unanimous vote or invitation of the membership? No. "If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to Him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." That is, the way to revive a lukewarm church is for the individual members to open their hearts and let Christ re-enter, and thus open the door for His reappearance.

The character of the Church today is Laodicean, and as the Laodicean Period is to continue until the Church of the "New-Born" is taken out, we cannot hope for any great change until the Lord comes back.

"If Christ should come today,
I'll not be here tomorrow;
He'll take His ransomed ones away
From death and sin and sorrow.
In the 'Midair He'll come
To call His loved ones home,
To take them to the 'place prepared,'
As He, before He left, declared."

Dispensational Truth

Chapter 23 - The Tribulation
The Scriptures speak of a "Great Tribulation" that is coming on the earth. Jesus in His "Olivet Discourse" uttered on the Mt. of Olives on the Tuesday evening before His Crucifixion, said-

"Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the Elect's Sake (the elect of Israel) those days shall be shortened." Matt. 24:21, Matt. 24:22.

That this Tribulation was not the terrible sufferings that befell the Jewish people at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70, is clear, because many of the things that are to happen before and after "The Great Tribulation, " did not happen at the destruction of Jerusalem.

I. The "FACT of the Tribulation.

Our Lord's prophecy does not stand alone. It is backed up by other prophecies both in the Old and New Testament.

Turning to the Old Testament we find in Jer. 30:4-6, that it is the time of "Jacob's Trouble, " and is compared in its sufferings to the "birth-pangs" of a woman. In Eze 26:34 it is spoken of as the time when-Israel shall "Pass under the Rod; " and in Eze. 22:19-21, we read how that God is going to cast Israel into His "Melting Pot, " where they are to be refined as "gold is refined." See also Mal. 3:1-3, and Zech. 13:9. Daniel speaks of it as a "Time of Trouble" for his people, the Jews. Dan. 12:1.

From these references we see that "The Great Tribulation" is something that has to do with the Jewish people, and is a judgment through which they must pass as a "refining process" to fit them to again be God's chosen people. Indirectly the Gentiles will be affected by it, but the Church will be "caught out" before that "Great and Terrible Day of the Lord."

In the New Testament we have two descriptions of it.

The first is by Jesus in His Olivet Discourse, Matt. 24:9-11, and the second is in the Book of Revelation, chapters 6:1 to 19:21, where in the breaking of the "Seals, " the sounding of the "Trumpets" and the pouring out of the "Vials" John sees in vision the things that are to occur during the Tribulation Period.

II. The "TIME" of the Tribulation.

The Old Testament prophets speak of it as "That Day, " and the "Latter Days, " and the Prophet Joel calls it the "Day of the Lord." Joel 1:15; Joel 2:1; Joel 3:14. The Scriptures speak of "Four Days."

1. "Man's Day." That is the present Dispensation in which we are living.

2. "The Day of Christ." That is the day when the Lord Jesus will come and take His Church out of the world, and includes the time between the "Rapture" and the "Revelation." On earth it is the "Day of Antichrist"

3. "The Day of the Lord, " that is the day of "Vengeance of Our Lord, " and includes the period of the "Great Tribulation" and the Millennium that follows.

4. "The Day of God." That is the period that begins with the "Renovation of the Earth by Fire" and extends to eternity.

The time of the Tribulation then is "after" the Church has been "caught out, " and during the reign of Antichrist on the earth.

The Prophet Daniel in his Vision of the "Seventy Weeks" (Dan. 9:20-22) was told that it would be 69 weeks from the going forth of the Edict "to restore and rebuild Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince." Those were "Prophetic Weeks, " in which each week stood for "seven years, " and they were literally fulfilled, for it was exactly 483 years of 360 days, from the going forth of that Edict, B.C. 445, until Jesus rode in triumph into Jerusalem, A. D. 30, and was hailed as the promised Son of David.

Within a week the Jews had Jesus crucified and then "God's Clock" stopped, and the remaining "one" week, the "Seventieth, " has still to be fulfilled. In the meantime, in the break between the "sixty-ninth" and "seventieth" week, the Holy Spirit is gathering out the Church, and when it is complete it will be taken away, and then "God's Clock" will begin to tick again, because He will again be dealing with. His People the Jews.

It is during this last, or "Seventieth Week" of Daniel's "Seventy Weeks, " that the Tribulation is to occur, and as the "weeks" of the already fulfilled "sixty-nine" weeks, were each "seven years" in length, so this last, or "Seventieth Week, " must be the same. The length then of the "Tribulation Period" should be "seven years, " but Jesus tells us in Matt. 24:22, that for the "ELECT'S SAKE" Those Days Shall Be Shortened. Not the "Elect" of the Church, for they are "caught out" before the Tribulation, but the "Elect" of Israel, the 144, 000 "Sealed Ones" of Rev. 7:1-3.

III. The "CHARACTER" of the Tribulation.

While the "Tribulation Period" shall last for about seven years, as to its severity it will be divided into two parts of three and a half years each. The second or last part so far exceeding in its severity the first part as to be known as "The GREAT TRIBULATION."

What was to happen during Daniel's "Seventieth Week" was not revealed to Daniel. He received a communication which he did not understand and was told to "seal the Book up until the Time of the End." Dan. 12:4, Dan. 12:8, Dan. 12:9. All Daniel knew was that the contents of the Book had reference to the "Time of Trouble" that should befall his People at the "Time of the End" (of their sorrows), not the "End of Time." What that "Sealed Book" contained is no longer a Mystery, for the Apostle John saw the "seals" of that Book broken, and was told to record what it contained. The "Seven-Sealed Book" of the Book of Revelation is the Book that Daniel was told to seal up.

If we want to know then about what is to happen during the Tribulation, all we have to do is to read and study the Book of Revelation from Rev. 6:1 to 19:2 to 19:1.

As the Dragon is cast out of the Heavenlies in chapter 12, and he is cast out in the "Middle of the Week, " it follows that chapters 6 to 11 inclusive cover the "First Half" of the Week, or 3y 2 years, and chapters 13 to 19 inclusive the "Second Half." See the Charts on "Revelation" and "Daniel's Seventieth Week."

Let us study each half of the Week by itself.

1. First Half of the Week.

The "Week" begins with the breaking of the "Seals."

First Seal. Rev. 6:11 Rev. 6:2.

A "White Horse" appears, the Rider of which is uncrowned at first, but is afterward crowned. He has a bow in his hand, and goes forth conquering. This rider is not Christ. Christ as the Lamb, is holding and breaking the "seals" of the Book. He does not appear as a White Horse Rider until chapter 19.

The "Rider" is Antichrist, and pictures him before he is crowned and becomes the Chief Ruler of the "Ten Federated Kingdoms" of the revived Roman Empire. He is the "Prince who is to come, " and who shall "confirm the Covenant" with the Jews for "one week." Dan. 9:26, Dan. 9:27. This proves that Antichrist appears at the "beginning" of the "Week" and not in the "Middle" as some claim.

Second Seal. Rev. 6:3, Rev. 6:4.

A "Red Horse" appears, the Rider of which has power to take peace from the earth. The symbolism is clear. Red, the color of the horse, is a symbol of "blood, " and the sword of "war." The time is clearly that prophesied by Christ. Matt. 24:6, Matt. 24:7. The outcome of these wars will probably be the "Ten Kingdom Federation" over which Antichrist shall become the head.

Third Seal. Rev. 6:5, Rev. 6:6.

A "Black Horse" appears, the Rider of which holds a pair of scales in his hand and a voice cries-"A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." The meaning is clear. When all able-bodied men are drafted for war, the fields remain untitled and "famine" follows, just as Christ prophesied. Matt. 24:7. The olive and the grape do not need cultivation, so their ruthless destruction is forbidden.

Fourth Seal. Rev. 6:7, Rev. 6:8.

A "Pale Horse" appears, the Rider of which is "Death." It is noteworthy that the Riders of the first three horses are not named. They will be recognized when they appear.

Hell (Hades) follows in the wake of "Death" ready to swallow up his victims caused by war and famine.

Fifth Seal. Rev. 6:9-11.

When the Fifth Seal was broken John saw the "souls of martyrs" under the Altar. These Martyrs, whose "souls" John saw are not the Martyrs of "past ages; " they were taken up with the Church, but the Martyrs who will be killed for the "Word of their Testimony, and who love not their lives unto the death" (Rev. 12:11), during the Tribulation. After the Church is caught out the preaching of the "Gospel of the Kingdom" will be resumed. Matt. 24:14. As it is a proclamation that Christ is about to set up an "Earthly Kingdom, " it will be exceedingly distasteful to Antichrist and his followers, and a "Great Persecution" will follow. Matt. 24:9-11. It is the "souls" of the martyrs of this Persecution that John saw under the Altar. They asked that their death should be avenged, but were told to rest for a "little season" until they were joined by their fellow servants and brethren who should die as they did. The promise is fulfilled in Rev. 20:4.

Sixth Seal. Rev. 6:12-14.

When the Sixth Seal is broken great "physical changes" will occur on the earth. Joel 2:30, 31 ; Matt. 24:29; Isa. 13:9-1 Isa. 13:1. So terrible will these changes be that men will call upon the mountains and rocks to fall and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. The 24th chapter of Matthew should be compared with Rev. 6:1-3.

Between the breaking of the "Sixth" and "Seventh" Seals there will be a pause or interval, during which 144, 000 of the Children of Israel, 12, 000 from each of the Twelve Tribes, will be "sealed." As there were 7000 in Ahab's time who would not bow the knee to Baal (1Kings 19:18), so in the Tribulation there shall be 144, 000 of Israel who will not bow the knee to Antichrist. They are "scaled" by an angel, and the "Seal" is the imprint of the "Father's Name" on their foreheads. Rev. 14:1 ; 22:4.

Then John saw a "Blood Washed Multitude." Rev. 7:9-11.

This introduces us to another class of saved of the "End Time." They are not the Church, for they come out of the "Great Tribulation." They are probably Gentiles who accept Christ as their Saviour after the Church is caught out. They are saved and shall serve God in His Heavenly Temple, and never hunger or thirst any more, but they are not part of the Church and shall not participate in any Millennial blessings on the earth.

Seventh Seal. Rev. 8:1.

At the breaking of the "Seventh Seal" there will be "silence in Heaven" for a limited period. This will be a period of preparation for the greater conflict to follow.

Following the "Silence, " Seven Angels in succession sound upon Seven Trumpets.

First Trumpet. Rev. 8:7.

When the "First Trumpet" sounds "hail" and "fire mingled with blood" will be cast upon the earth and a "third part of the trees" and "all green grass" will be "burnt up." This will be a fulfillment of Joel 2:30, Joel 2:31. This is a repetition of the "Seventh Egyptian Plague." Ex. 9:22-24. That was "literal." Why should not this be?

Second Trumpet. Rev. 8:8, 9.

When the "Second Trumpet" sounds a "burning mountain, " probably a Meteor, will fall into the sea (Mediterranean) and will destroy a "third part of the creatures of the sea" and a "third part of the ships, " probably some fleets assembled for a naval battle, and the "blood" of the destroyed will discolor a third part of the sea.

Third Trumpet. Rev. 8:10, Rev. 8:11.

When the "Third Trumpet" sounds a "great burning star, " called "Wormwood, " will fall from the heavens and poison the streams of fresh water. This will probably be another Meteor that in exploding will fill the atmosphere with "noxious gases, " that will be absorbed by the rivers and fountains of water, and poison them, so as to cause the death of all who drink of them. Wormwood is used in the manufacture of "Absinthe, " an intoxicating beverage much used in France, and poisonous. The Prophet Jeremiah refers to this time. Jer. 9:13-15.

Fourth Trumpet. Rev. 8:12.

When the "Fourth Trumpet" sounds the "third part" of the sun moon and stars will be smitten and their light diminished a "third." This is one of the "signs" spoken of by Christ. Luke 21:25, Luke 21:26.

An Angel will then fly through the midst of heaven announcing "Three Woes" that are to follow the sounding of the three Trumpets let to sound. Rev. 8:13.

Fifth Trumpet. Rev. 9:1-3
"First Woe"
"The Plague of Locusts."

When the "Fifth Trumpet" sounds a "Star" will fall from heaven to the earth with the "key" of the "Bottomless Pit."

This is not a real star, but an Angel who will look like a Star, for "to him" was given the Key. He will not be a "Fallen Angel, " nor Satan himself as some suppose, for God would not entrust the Key of the "Bottomless Pit" to Satan, but he will be the "same Angel" that will bind Satan and cast him into the "Bottomless Pit" for 1000 years. Rev. 20:1-3. When the "Bottomless Pit" is opened a cloud, like smoke, of "locusts" will emerge and cover the earth. They will be a combination of horse, man, woman, lion and scorpion. The "sound of their wings" will be as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

Their size is not given, but they will doubtless be much larger than ordinary locusts, but they will not be like them, for ordinary locusts feed on vegetation, but these locusts will be forbidden to hurt the grass or the trees, or any green thing, and only be permitted to afflict "men, " and only those men who have not the "seal of God" in their foreheads, and these they shall not be permitted to "kill, " but only "torment."

The meaning of this scourge of "Scorpion Locusts" seems to be that a vast army of "Demons" will be liberated from the "Bottomless Pitt " who shall enter into and take possession of the "bodies" of men, and so "torment" them that they shall desire to die and shall not be able, the demons preventing them.

These "Scorpion Locusts" have a king, which ordinary locusts have not. Pro. 30:27. This king's name in the Hebrew is "Abaddon, " but in the Greek is "Apollyon." The word means "destroyer. This king is not Satan. Satan is at liberty, while the king of the "Bottomless Pit" is confined with his subjects.

Sixth Trumpet. Rev. 9:13-2 Rev. 9:1.
"Second Woe."
"The Plague of Horsemen."

When the "Sixth Trumpet" shall sound a voice from the "Golden Altar" will command the Trumpeter to loose "four angels" which are bound in the great river Euphrates. That they are "Bad Angels" is seen from the fact that they are "bound" and that they are the leaders of an army of 200,000,000 "Infernal Cavalry."

This Cavalry will not be composed of ordinary men and horses. The horses will have the "body", of a Horse, the "head" of a Lion, a "tall" like a serpent, with the "head of a serpent" at its end. Out of their mouths will issue "fire...... smoke" and "brimstone, " and by these three the "third part of men will be killed, " and the sting of their "serpent tails" will cause great pain. The riders upon these horses will have "breastplates of fire and brimstone" to match the breath of the horses.

Supernatural armies are not unknown to the Scriptures. 2Kings 6:13-15. When Jesus returns He will be accompanied by the Armies of Heaven, and it stands to reason that Satan has his armies. Awful as this "demon" invasion will be it will not cause men to repent.

According to the Revised Version verse 15 should read: "The four angels were loosed which had been prepared for the Hour and Day and Month and Year." That is, the Four Angels now bound in the Euphrates will be loosed in the Exact Year, Month, Day and even Hour predetermined by God for the "Demon Invasion, " and not, as some think, to slay for a year, month and day, or 391 days. These two invasions of "Scorpion Locusts and "Infernal Cavalry" warn us that in the days after the Church is caught out, Satan and his "Demon Forces" will be increasingly active and do all they can to torment and destroy mankind.

The Interval

Between the sounding of the "Sixth" and "Seventh Trumpets" there will be an "Interval, " just as there was between the breaking of the "Sixth" and "Seventh Seals." During this "Interval" a "Mighty Angel" will come down from Heaven having a "Little Book" (open) in his hand. This "Mighty Angel" will be Christ Himself, for the description of Him corresponds with chapter 1:12-14, and as His "voice" is like that of a Lion, this identifies Him as the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah" of chapter 5:5; and in chapter 11:3, He speaks of the "Two Witnesses" as "My Witnesses." When the "Mighty Angel" shall set His "Right Foot" on the "sea, " and His "Left Foot" on the "earth, " and lift up His hand to Heaven, and swear that there shall be "Time no longer" He shall take formal possession of the Earth. The expression, "Time no longer, " should read, as in the Revised Version (margin), "No longer delay, " for Time does not end until the close of the "Perfect Age." While Christ at this time will take formal possession of the earth, actual possession will not be secured until He comes again to the Mt. of Olives, at the close of the Tribulation.

The Two Witnesses.

In chapter 11:1-3 we are given a description of "Two Witnesses" who are to prophesy during the greater part of the last half of the Week. Who they will be is very clear. One has "power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy." This can be no other than Elijah who was translated that he might come again before the "Great and Terrible Day of the Lord" (Mal. 4:5, Mal. 4:6), and who will shut up the heavens for 42 months, or 3 1/2 years, which is exactly the length of time he did it in the days of Ahab. The other Witness will "have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as he will." This identifies him as Moses, for he is the only person mentioned in the Scriptures who had such power, and it was for this purpose that he was raised from the dead. Jude 9. As Moses and Elijah appeared together on the Mount of Transfiguration with Christ and as they probably were the two "men" in "white apparel" (angel-like) that testified at the Ascension to Christ's coming again (Acts 1:10, Acts 1:11), what more probable than that they are the "Two Witnesses" who will return to the earth to announce that Coming? During their "witnessing" they will have power to destroy their enemies with "fire" that shall issue from their mouths, but at the end of 1260 days they will be slain and their bodies lay exposed in the streets of the city of Jerusalem for 3 1/2 days, when they shall rise and ascend to Heaven, to the amazement of those who see them go. Their ascent will be followed by a destructive earthquake, which completes the "Second Woe."

Seventh Trumpet. Rev. 11:15-17.
"Third Woe."

The "Seventh Trumpet" includes all that follows down to the end of chapter nineteen. We must not forget in our study of the Book of Revelation that the "Seventh Seal" includes the "Seven Trumpets" and the "Seven Vials, " and that the "Seventh Trumpet" includes the "Seven Vials, " for the "Seventh Seal, " and the "Seventh Trumpet, " and the "Seventh Vial" all end alike with "voices, " "thunderings, " "lightnings" and an "earthquake." Rev. 8:5, Rev. 11:19; Rev. 16:18.

2. Middle of the Week. Rev. 12:1-3.

In the "Middle of the Week" two "Wonders" shall appear in Heaven. The Revised Version calls them "signs, " that is, they are "symbols" of something. The first will be a "Sun-Clothed Woman."

This "Woman" is neither the Virgin Mary, nor the Church, she is Israel. We have only to be reminded of Joseph's Dream of the "sun" and "moon, " and the "eleven stars" (Gen. 37:9), to see that this "Sun-Clothed Woman, with the "moon" under her feet and upon her head a crown of "Twelve Stars, " is Jewish in character. Joseph was the twelfth star. Israel is again and again compared to a "married" woman in the Old Testament, but the Church is a "virgin, " and only an "espoused virgin" at that. 2Cor. 11:2. This "Woman" is described as being "with child" and "travailing to be delivered." When was the Church in such a condition? Paul says of Israel, "Of whom as concerning the flesh Christ Came." Rom. 9:4, Rom. 9:5. And Israel looked forward to the time when she could say-"Unto us a Child Is Born, unto us a Son is given." Isa. 9:6, Isa. 9:7. But before that could happen Israel had to pass through many sore afflictions and judgments. These were her "Travail Time."

As the result of her "travail" the Woman brought forth a "Man-Child" who was to rule the nations with a "Rod of Iron." There can be no question as to who is meant by the "Man-Child. The 2nd Psalm settles that. He is Christ, who at his Ascension was caught up and seated on His Father's Throne.

After her child is delivered the Woman "flees into the Wilderness" where she hath a place prepared of God, and where she is fed for 1260 days. Here is where many interpreters make a mistake. They overlook the fact that between the "fifth" and "sixth" verses of this chapter the present "Church Period" comes in. Here is the "gap" between the "Sixty-ninth" and "Seventieth" Weeks of Daniel's "Seventy Weeks." John jumps over this "gap, " from the Ascension of Christ to the casting out of Satan, because he is not dealing in these Tribulation chapters with the Church but with Israel, and wishes to continue her history without a break. Here is further evidence that the "Woman" is not the Virgin Mary, for she does not flee into Egypt, but into the Wilderness, neither does she flee "with" her child, for that was caught up to the Throne of God; neither does she flee for her child's "Protection, " but for her own.

The Dragon.

The second "Wonder" that will appear in Heaven will be a "Great Red Dragon."

We are not left in doubt as to who is meant, for in verse 9 he is called that "Old Serpent, " "The Devil, " and "Satan." His color is "red, " the color of "blood, " for he was a murderer from the beginning. John 8:44. The "Stars of Heaven" attached to his "tail" reveal the fact that Satan will lead astray a third of the Angels, for the Angels are spoken of as "Stars" in the Old Testament. Job 38:7. They will be cast to the earth with him. The casting out of the Dragon is described in verses 7 to 12. His expulsion will start a War in Heaven.

That the Dragon has not yet been cast out of Heaven is clear. He had access to God in the days of Job, 2000 years before Christ. Job 1:1-2:8. He tried to destroy the "Man-Child" (Christ) at the hand of Herod when He was born. Matt. 2:16-18. He was at liberty to tempt Christ in the Wilderness, and to sift Peter. He is today the "Prince of the Powers of the Air, " Eph. 2:2, and the "God of this World" (age). 2Cor. 4:14. When the "Dragon" is cast out of the Heavenlies there will be great rejoicing in Heaven because the "Accuser" of Christ's "Brethren" (the Jews) is cast down, but there will be "woe" for the "inhabitants of the earth, for the "Dragon" will be filled with "great wrath" because he knows that he will have but a "short time" (3 1/2 years) to vent his wrath on the inhabitants of the earth before he is chained and cast into the Bottomless Pit.

When the "Dragon" is cast out, knowing that his defeat has been brought about by the elevation of the "Man-Child" to the place of power, he will concentrate his hatred and malice on the "Woman" (Israel) who gave Him birth. To the "Woman" will be given the "wings of a great eagle, " that she may fly into the "Wilderness, " into "her place, " where she shall be nourished for a "Time, Times, and Half a Time, " or 3 1/2 years. This takes us back to the flight of Israel from Egypt, of which God said-"Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on 'Eagle's Wings, ' and brought you unto myself." Ex. 19:4. As the "Woman" and the "Dragon" are symbols, so are the "Eagle's Wings." They speak of the rapid and safe flight of the "Woman" (Israel) into the "Wilderness, " where she shall be safely kept and nourished for 3 � years until the "Dragon" is bound.

The Cities of Refuge.

The "Cities of Refuge" of Old Testament times are a type of this "Wilderness Refuge" of the Children of Israel.

The "Cities of Refuge" were designated cities, 3 on each side the river Jordan, where the "Man-Slayer" could flee for safety from the "Avenger of Blood." If it was proved after trial that he had slain a man "wilfully, " he was turned over to the "Avenger of Blood, " but if he did it unwittingly, his life was spared, but he had to remain in the city until the death of the High Priest. If there were no "Man-Slayer" there would be no "Avenger of Blood, " and therefore no need for a "City of Refuge."

Now if I find in the New Testament that a certain class of people are called upon to flee to a "Place of Refuge" for the protection of their lives, then I must believe that they flee because an "Avenger of Blood" is after them, and that they flee because they are guilty of "Manslaughter."

Such a class of people I find in the Jewish Race. They were the cause of the death of Christ, and though He was crucified by the Roman authorities they assumed the guilt for they cried-"His blood be on Us, and on Our Children." Matt. 27:25. At first sight it looks like "wilful" murder, yet from the prayer of Jesus on the Cross "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do, " it is clear that Jesus death was not so much a premeditated murder as it was a murder committed in a blind religious, frenzy. Paul says "had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory." 1Cor. 2:8. It is clear then that the Jewish race is only guilty of "Manslaughter." As the "Man-Slayer" of Jesus they have been for over 1800 years running for a "City of Refuge" and have not as yet reached it. The "Avenger of Blood" has been on their track and has hounded them from nation to nation, and the epithet of "The Wandering Jew" has followed them down the centuries, and the prophecy of Moses is being fulfilled that they should find no rest for the sole of their foot. Deut. 28:64-66.

If the Jews are the "Man-Slayer" who is the "Avenger of Blood? " Antichrist. If the "Avenger of Blood" must be a "Kinsman" of the man slain, that means that he must be of the same "Race, " and the nearest kinsman alive at the time vengeance is sought. While Jesus was the "first born" of the Virgin Mary, he was not the only child she had. She afterwards had by Joseph four sons, James, Joseph, Judas and Simon, and there were daughters. Two of these brothers of Jesus filled a large place in the Church in the first century. James was pastor of the church at Jerusalem, and Judas wrote the Epistle of Jude. The kinsfolk of Jesus occupied a place by themselves for a long time after Jesus passed away, and could be traced as late as A. D. 324. Somewhere in the world today, without doubt, are living some of the "Kinsfolk" of the Lord Jesus. They may not be able to trace their descent back to Jesus, but God knows where they are, and who they are, and who dare deny that when the time comes for the manifestation of the Antichrist, that the "Avenger of Blood" shall be a Jew, who is a lineal descendant of the family of Jesus.

And now as to the "City of Refuge" that God will provide for Israel when the "Avenger of Blood" (Antichrist), who shall then be indwelt by the Dragon, is on her track. In Isa. 26:20 we read-

"Come, my people (Israel), enter thou into my 'chambers, ' and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a 'little moment, ' until the 'indignation' be overpast."'

The context shows that this refers to the time when Antichrist, the "Avenger of Blood, " will seek to destroy the Jewish people, and is the time referred to by Christ in Matt. 24:15- Matt. 24:22.

When the Lord God brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt they journeyed from the Red Sea, tarrying for a while at Mt. Sinai to receive the Law and build the Tabernacle, until they came, one year, after leaving Egypt, to Kadesh Barnea. There they sent up spies to spy out the land of Canaan, but refused to go up and take possession of the land, and were compelled to wander in the Wilderness south of the Dead Sea. There God took care of them and fed them for 40 years. Now it is in the same Wilderness that God is going to provide for them a place of "Refuge" in the day when the "Avenger of Blood" shall seek to destroy them.

Speaking of the Antichrist, the Prophet Daniel says-

"He shall enter also into the Glorious Land (Palestine) and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom and Moab and the chief of the Children of Ammon." Dan. 11:41.

Now Edom takes in the Wilderness where Israel wandered for 40 years. And it is here in Edom that the "City of Refuge" that God has provided for Israel is located, and is known today as Petra. It was a great commercial centre in the days of King Solomon. In A. D. 105 the Romans conquered the country and called the province Arabia Petra.. When the power of Rome waned Petra gradually fell into the hands of the Arabs and became completely lost to the civilized world in the seventh century, and remained so until it was rediscovered by Burckhardt in 1812.

It is located in the mountains like as in the crater of a volcano. It has but one entrance, and that is through a narrow winding defile or canyon from 12 to 40 feet wide, the sides of which are precipitous and at times so close together as to almost shut out the blue sky above and make you think you are passing through a subterranean passageway. The height of the sides varies from 200 to 1000 feet, and the length of the canyon is about two miles. No other city in the world has such a wonderful gateway. The sides of the canyon are lined with wonderful monuments and temples carved out of the rocky sandstone of the sides. Once inside the rocky enclosure of the city we find the ruins of magnificent buildings, tombs and monuments. The cliffs that surround the city are carved and honeycombed with excavations to a height of 300 feet above the floor of the valley, and the excavations cut as they are out of different colored strata of the rock, such as red, purple, blue, black, white and yellow, lend a beauty to their appearance that is indescribable and overpowering to the beholder.

When the time comes for the "Man-Slayer" (Israel), to escape from the hands of the "Avenger of Blood" (Antichrist), the rocky fastness of the ancient city of Petra will be her "City of Refuge." We read that when the "Woman" (Israel) shall flee into the Wilderness that the "Serpent" (Antichrist, indwelt by Satan) shall cast a flood of water out of his mouth after her to destroy her, but that the earth shall open her mouth and swallow the flood. That is, Antichrist will send his army after the fleeing Israelites, and it will probably be swallowed up in a "Sand storm" of the desert, and Israel shall safely reach her place of refuge, where she shall be safe, not until the death of the High Priest, but until the return of "The High Priest" (Jesus), from Heaven, who as "King-Priest" of the Armies of Heaven will deliver her and allow her to leave her place of refuge.

3. Last Half of the Week.

Filled with wrath at the escape of the "Sun-Clothed Woman, " the Dragon will turn his attention to the "remnant of her seed, " and to the better carry out his plans he will give to the "Beast" (Antichrist) his "Power" and his "Seat, " and "Great Authority." Rev. 13:2. While Antichrist, as Antichrist, exists from the "beginning" of the "Week, " for at that time he makes a "covenant for one week, " (Dan. 9:27) ; in the "Middle of the Week" he will break "the Covenant, " and for the "last half of the week" his reign will be terrible, and the change in his character, and the character of his reign, can only be accounted for on the basis that the Dragon has incarnated himself in him. It is this phase of the reign of "Antichrist" that is brought out in the 13th chapter of the Book of Revelation.

John tells us that he saw two Beasts. The first came up out of the sea. This represents "Antichrist" after his incarnation by the "Dragon." The second came up out of the earth and is called the "False Prophet."

For a full description of these Beasts read the chapters on "The Antichrist and the Satanic Trinity." Suffice it to say that for the balance of the "Week, " no man can buy or sell unless he has the "Brand of Hell, " and "Mark of the Beast, " on his Right Hand, or in his Forehead.

At this time three "Angel Messengers" will be sent forth. The first will be a preacher of the Gospel. This is the first time an angel is commissioned to preach the Gospel. But it will not be the Gospel of the "Grace of God, " (Acts 20:24), nor the Gospel of "The Kingdom, " (Matt. 24:14), but a new Gospel, called the "Everlasting Gospel." Its burden is "Judgment" not "Salvation, " and it will be "Good News" to all those passing through the "fiery trials" of those days, for it will be the announcement that the "Hour of judgment" is come for all that do wickedly.

The second "Angel Messenger" will announce the "Fall of Babylon." This is by way of anticipation, for the City of Babylon is not destroyed until after the pouring out of the "Vials."

The third "Angel Messenger" will utter an awful warning to those who are tempted to worship the Beast. Declaring that if they do, they shall drink of the wine of the "Wrath of God, " and shall be tormented with "fire" and "brimstone" Forever and Ever.

At this time preparation will be made in Heaven for the Harvest and Vintage of the earth. This is not the Harvest of the Church, that took place before the beginning of the "Week." This is the Harvest of the Gentile nations. It begins with the pouring out of the "Vials, " and ends with the Battle of Armageddon.

First Vial. Rev. 16:1, Rev. 16:2.

When the "First Vial" is poured out a "noisome and grievous sore" will fall upon the men who have the "Mark of the Beast, " and who "worship his Image." This is a repetition of the "Sixth Egyptian Plague." Ex. 9:8-10. If that was literal why should not this be'? The "literalness" of these "Vial judgments" is the key to the literalness of the whole Book of Revelation.

Second Vial. Rev. 16:3.

When the "Second Vial" is poured out, the sea (Mediterranean) will become as the "blood of a dead man, " and every "living soul" (creature, for creatures have souls) in the sea will die. Something similar, though not so great in extent, happened when the "Second Trumpet" sounded. Rev. 8:8, Rev. 8:9.

Third Vial. Rev. 16:4-6.

When the "Third Vial" is poured out the "rivers" and "fountains of water" will become "blood." This is a repetition of the "First Egyptian Plague." Ex. 7:19-21. Those will be awful times when there will be nothing to quench the thirst but "blood."

Fourth Vial. Rev. 16:8, 9.

When the "Fourth Vial" is poured out men will be "scorched with great heat." This is the only plague for which there is no Egyptian parallel, and as the others are literal so must it be. The Prophet Malachi refers to it. Mal. 4:1. The effect of this plague will be not to make men repent, but to cause them to Blaspheme the Name of God.

Fifth Vial. Rev. 16:10, Rev. 16:11.

When the "Fifth Vial" is poured out there will be "darkness" over the whole kingdom of the "Beast, " and men will gnaw their tongues for pain." This will be a repetition of the "Ninth Egyptian Plague." Ex. 10:21-23. Notice that this Plague follows the Plague of "Scorching Heat, " as if God will hide the sun whose heat was so hard to bear. The effect of the "Darkness" will be to make men "gnaw their tongues" for pain, and for their sores, showing that these "Vial Plagues, " overlap or follow each other -rapidly.

Sixth Vial. Rev. 16:12.

When the "Sixth Vial" is poured out the river Euphrates will be dried up so the kings of the East (India, China, Japan) and their armies may cross over and gather for the great Battle of Armageddon. This will be a repetition of the opening of the Red Sea and of the river Jordan. The Prophet Isaiah foretells this--

"The Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian (Red) Sea, and . . . shake His hand over the River (Euphrates), and smite its seven streams, so men can go over Dry-Shod." Isa. 11:15, Isa. 11:16.

These nations will be gathered by "Three Unclean Spirits" like frogs, that shall come out of the mouth of the "Dragon, " and the "Beast, " and the "False Prophet." Rev. 16:13-15. They will be the "Spirits of Demons." the "Seducing Spirits" of those days. 1Tim. 4:1. It was such a "Lying Spirit" that deceived King Ahab and led him to his death. 1Kings 22:20-22.

Seventh Vial. Rev. 16:17-19.

When the "Seventh Vial" is poured out a "great voice, " probably the voice of the One who cried on the Cross-"It is Finished, " will cry-"It is Done, " and there will be a "Great Earthquake" that will divide into three parts the "Great City" and the cities of the Nations (the 10 Federated Nations), London, Rome, Paris, etc., and "Great Babylon" that shall be rebuilt by that time, and whose destruction by an earthquake is foretold in chapter eighteen, will fall. This earthquake is foretold by the Prophet Zechariah. Zech. 14:4, Zech. 14:5.

In the "Great Hail, " every stone of which shall weigh a 100 pounds, that will fall on men, we have a repetition of the "Seventh Egyptian Plague." Ex. 9:13-15. Hail has been one of God's engines of war. He used it to discomfit the enemies of Israel at Beth-horon in the days of Joshua. Josh. 10:11. The Law required that the "blasphemer" should be "stoned" (Lev. 24:16), and the "Blasphemers" of the "End Time" shall be stoned from HEAVEN.

In the Book of Revelation, between the pouring out of the Vials and the "Battle of Armageddon, " which ends the "Tribulation Period, " in chapters seventeen and eighteen, there is an account of the destruction of a "System" called "Mystery, Babylon the Great, " and a city called Babylon.

They are mentioned at that place in the book, not because they did not exist until that time, but because at that time they are both destroyed. For the meaning of these two chapters, see the Chapter on Babylon the Great.

Battle of Armageddon. Rev. 19:11-13.

The "Tribulation Period" will close with the great "Battle of Armageddon." As we have seen the armies of the East and the West will be assembled in the Holy Land by the "Demon Spirits" that shall be sent forth from the mouths of the "Satanic Trinity." The field of battle will be the "Valley of Megiddo, " located in the heart of Palestine, the battlefield of the great battles of the Old Testament. The forces engaged will be the "Allied Armies" of Antichrist on the one side, and the "Heavenly Army" of Christ on the other. The "time" will be when the "Harvest of the Earth" IS RIPE, (Rev. 14:15), and at the "Psychological Moment" when the "Allied Armies" of Antichrist are about to take the city of Jerusalem.

The Prophet Zechariah says-

"Behold the 'Day of the Lord' cometh." (The "Day of the Lord" is the Millennial Day.) When-"I will Gather All Nations Against Jerusalem to Battle . . . Then shall the Lord Go Forth and Fight Against Those Nations." Zech. 14:1-3.

This "going forth" is graphically described in Rev. 19:11-13. When He came the first time to Jerusalem as King, He rode on a "colt, " the foal of an ass, (Matt. 21:1-3), this time He shall come on a "White Horse." His eyes will be as a "flame of fire" and on His head shall be "many crowns, " and He shall be clothed in a vesture "dipped in blood." Not His own blood but the blood of His enemies. The Prophet Isaiah foresaw that day-

"Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? " And the answer comes back-"I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." Then the Prophet asks, "Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the Winefat? " And the response is-"I have trodden the wine-press alone; and of the people there was none with me; for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all My Raiment." Isa. 63:1-3.

That this does not refer to Christ's atonement on the Cross is clear, for the Prophet adds-

"For the 'Day of Vengeance' is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come."

There was no "vengeance" in Christ's heart on the Cross. It was "Father 'forgive them' for they know not what they do." The time the Prophet foretells, is the "Day of Christ's Vengeance" on His enemies, and the day when He shall redeem His chosen people the Jews from the power of Antichrist. It is the time when He shall tread - "THE WINEPRESS' Of the Fierceness and Wrath of Almighty God."

The Apostle John had a vision of this "Winepress" in chapter fourteen, verses 14 to 20. That was before the pouring out of the "Vials, " and was a prophetic foreview of what should happen in chapter nineteen.

In verses 18 to 20, an angel with a "sharp sickle" is told to-

"Thrust in thy Sharp Sickle, and gather the clusters of the 'Vine of the Earth, ' for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his Sickle into the earth, and gathered of the 'Vine of the Earth, ' and cast it into the Great Winepress of the wrath of God." And we read that "The Winepress was trodden Without the City, and blood, (not wine), came out of the Winepress, even unto the horses' bridles, by the space of a Thousand and Six Hundred Furlongs."

From this we see that the "Allied Armies" of Antichrist will cover the whole of Palestine, and so great shall be the slaughter, that, in the valleys and hollows, all over the whole of Palestine, for the length of Palestine as far south as Bozrah is 1600 furlongs or 200 miles, the blood shall be up to the horses' bridles.

It will be the time of which Isaiah speaks, when the land shall be "Soaked With Blood."

Isa. 34:1-3.

So great will be the carnage, God will prepare for it in advance.

"And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of Heaven, (Buzzards, Vultures, Eagles, etc.), Come and gather yourselves together unto theSUPPER OF THE GREAT GOD, that ye may eat the flesh of Kings . . . Captains . . . Mighty Men. and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them, (common soldiers), and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great." Rev. 19:17, Rev. 19:18.

This "Feast" is described in 'the Old Testament.

And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God, Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come, gather yourselves on every side to My Sacrifice, that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the Mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the Mighty, and drink the blood of the Princes of the Earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlins of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken. . . . Thus ye shall be filled 'at My Table, ' with horses and chariots (their occupants), with Mighty Men, and with all Men of War, saith the Lord God." Ez. 39:1-3.

And in the same chapter we are told that the "House of Israel, " the occupants of Palestine in that day, shall be seven months burying the bones of the dead, the flesh having been eaten by the birds 'and beasts of prey, and the wood from the weapons of warfare, army wagons, spears, etc., shall last the inhabitants of the land for fuel seven years, so that they will not have to take wood out of the field, nor cut down any out of the forests.

The words in Rev. 19:21, "and all the fowls were filled with their flesh, " declare that those "Fowl Guests" will be GORGED WITH CARRION.

Then will be fulfilled the words of Jesus-"For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the Eagles (birds of prey) be gathered together." Matt. 24:27, . 28. The eagle feeds mainly on fresh meat. The Hebrews classed the eagle among the birds of prey, such as the vulture.

The destruction of this great army will be brought about by the "sword" of Him who will head the Armies of Heaven. The "sword" that proceedeth out of the mouth of the "White Horse Rider, " is not the "Sword of the Spirit, " for that bringeth "Salvation", not destruction. The "sword" stands for some supernatural means of destruction, and as there is to be a "Great Hail" to fall from Heaven upon the enemies of God at this time, that may be the means God will use, for it was in that way that the enemies of Israel were destroyed on the same battlefield in the "Battle of Beth-Horon" in the days of Joshua. Josh. 10:1-3.

The issue of the "Battle of Armageddon" will never be in doubt. The previous summoning of the birds and beasts of prey, prove this. Before the destruction of the army of Antichrist, he and the False Prophet will be cast "alive" into the "Lake of Fire." This shows that they are not "Systems"' but "Persons, " and as Enoch and Elijah were taken to Heaven without dying, so Antichrist and the False Prophet will be cast into the "Lake of Fire" without dying, and will be still there and alive when Satan is cast in a 1000 years later.

Before Antichrist is seized and cast into the "Lake of Fire, " Satan will make his exit from his person, and after the battle is over, Satan will be bound and cast into the "Bottomless Pit, " where he will be "Sealed up" for 1000 years. This is the culminating act of the "Tribulation Period."

NOTE-For a full description of "Daniel's Seventieth Week" or the "Tribulation Period, " see the author's book on the Book of Revelation.