The Last Reformation Part 13

Two things prominently brought out in these symbols should be remembered, however--first, that even during the reign of the beast and his image, G.o.d had true people who were carefully distinguished in the prophecy as those whose names were written in the book of life and who would not "wors.h.i.+p the image of the beast"; and second, that the symbolic scene now being considered represents these saved individuals as gathered out into one company with the Lamb on Mount Zion, before the end of time. The ill.u.s.tration is that of the joyful Israelites who made their return to Zion after the fall of literal Babylon, where they were long held in captivity. This is the ill.u.s.tration and the prophetic description; therefore we may rest a.s.sured that just as truly as time revealed the rise of the papal and Protestant systems, as set forth in the symbols of the Revelation, just so surely will there come _before the end of time_ a revival of pure, apostolic Christianity, a reformation in which the true people of G.o.d will take their stand outside of all forms of the apostasy and carry the full gospel of the Son of G.o.d to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people."

We have traced in prophetic symbolism the four epochs of the Christian dispensation represented respectively by the star-crowned woman, the leopard-beast, the two-horned beast, and the redeemed company gathered together with the Lamb on Mount Zion. The papal period, represented by the leopard-beast, continued for 1,260 years, its universal sway terminating with the sixteenth century reformation. The length of the Protestant reign following is not stated in this series.

[Sidenote: The two witnesses]

Let us now return to the description of the two witnesses given in Revelation 11. We have already considered the first part of that symbolic description pertaining to the 1,260 years during which the holy city was to be trodden under foot and the two witnesses were to prophesy in sackcloth; and we have shown that this description is exactly parallel with the prophecy that set forth the period of the papal supremacy. But the description continues, covering the era of modern sects and leading up to the work of a final reformation.

After describing the 1,260-year prophecy of the two witnesses, the narrative continues: "And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth" (Rev. 11:7-10).

[Sidenote: The witnesses slain]

This intricate picture of symbolical imagery is placed chronologically just after the 1,260-year reign of Romanism and hence it was to meet its fulfilment during the Protestant era. It describes in the most graphic and realistic manner the evil characteristics and tendencies of the sect-system. I have already shown that in the primitive church the two witnesses--the Word and the Spirit of G.o.d--were the real vicars of Christ, giving both character and government to the universal church of G.o.d on earth. We have also seen that with the rise of human ecclesiasticism the reign of the Word and Spirit ended in so far as the Church of Rome was concerned. The same is true also of Protestantism. The establishment of man-made creeds and the concentration and centralization of church power and governmental authority in human hands--a church-rule patterned after the kingdoms of this world--is a _rejection of the divine government of G.o.d_ just as the appointment of a king in the Old Testament times was a rejection of G.o.d's plan of governing Israel. In this sense G.o.d's two witnesses have been openly ignored and rejected in Protestantism as well as in Romanism and the ancient churches of the East, and man-made creeds and systems of government subst.i.tuted in their stead. They are, therefore, represented as slain, although of course a certain amount of respect is still shown them in that they are not suffered to be wholly put out of sight.

[Sidenote: The witnesses resurrected]

"And after three days and an half the spirit of life from G.o.d entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the G.o.d of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly" (verses 11-14).

The resurrection of the witnesses doubtless signifies a time of reformation and implies its true character. If the death of the witnesses was the result of ecclesiasticism and false teaching, their resurrection must signify a final triumph over ecclesiasticism and the restoration of primitive Christianity under the direct authority and government of G.o.d. Even omitting all details in this complex description, we can scarcely avoid the conclusion that if the general description given in this chapter means anything, it means the restoration of Christianity before the end of time to the condition in which it existed before the apostasy.

[Sidenote: The time prophecy]

The time prophecy "three days and a half" is difficult to explain except in the light of clearly ascertained historical facts. The term "day" is of itself very indefinite, being used in the Scriptures to designate periods of different length. In the description under consideration it evidently can not signify the ordinary 24-hour day nor yet the year-day; for it covers the Protestant period following the 1,260-year reign of Romanism and preceding the Last Reformation--the same period of time covered by the second beast of Revelation 13.

The events of the Protestant period naturally divide it into shorter epochs of about a century each in length. The historian D'Aubigne, who wrote about 1835, noticed this distinction and referred to it in his famous History of the Reformation. These are his words: "It has been said that the three last centuries, the sixteenth, the seventeenth, and the eighteenth may be conceived as an immense battle of _three days_' duration. We willingly adopt this beautiful comparison ... the first day was the battle of G.o.d, the second the battle of the priest, the third the battle of Reason. What will be the fourth? In our opinion the confused strife, the deadly contest of all these powers together TO END IN THE VICTORY OF HIM TO WHOM TRIUMPH BELONGS."--Book XI, Chap. 9.

"Three days and a half," or three hundred and fifty years, after the formation of the first Protestant creed, in 1530, G.o.d began to reveal special light and truth on his Word and to cause a great awakening, which is gradually resulting in the rejection of human ecclesiastical rule, the recognition of the primitive government of G.o.d, and the restoration of all the pure truths of the Word of G.o.d.

Another point in the prophecy under consideration a.s.sists us in fixing the chronology of the reformation predicted. The "great earthquake"

stands closely a.s.sociated with the time of the resurrection and exaltation of the witnesses. The principles of interpreting symbols would lead us to identify this earthquake as a mighty political convulsion destructive in its nature, and yet one that would be overruled for the furtherance of Christ's kingdom--a convulsion that would also terminate the destructive reign of the "second woe." I can not here digress to give proofs, but there is no doubt that the second woe of Revelation (see chap. 9:13-20) signifies the political dominancy of the Ottoman Empire. This power, const.i.tuting the political backbone of Mohammedanism, has indeed been a most serious woe upon the inhabitants of the earth and an obstacle in the path of true missionary progress. With these facts before us, we can clearly see that the earthquake was the great European War and that we are now living in the time when a special reformation is due.

[Sidenote: Another important series]

Another parallel series of prophecies covering the same ground and terminating at the same point will bring the subject of the Last Reformation to a grand climax. I have shown that the religious powers described in Revelation 13 as two beasts were also termed Babylon. We shall now give a more particular description of this ant.i.type of the Old Testament Babylon. The Euphratean city--Babylon--the proud metropolis of the Chaldean monarchy, combined in itself the corruptions and wickedness of the world and then filled up the measure of its sins by destroying the temple in Jerusalem and leading into captivity the chosen people of G.o.d. When John wrote, however, this ancient city was no more. It had long since been destroyed, and it has never been rebuilt to this day. Even the Arab refuses to pitch his tent among its lonely, serpent-infested ruins. The city to which the apostle alludes in these prophecies must therefore refer, not to ancient Babylon, but to some other a.n.a.logous power which was yet to arise and of which the old Babylon was a type.

OUTLINE OF PARALLEL PROPHECIES SHOWING FOUR ECCLESIASTICAL EPOCHS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Apostolic The Medieval Period Era of Modern The Last Period Sects Reformation ----------------+---------------------+----------------+------------------- DRAGON LEOPARD-BEAST TWO-HORNED FALL OF Rev. 12:3, 4, Rev. 13:1-10 BEAST BABYLON 7-17 Rev. 13:11-18 Rev. 14:1-9 ----------------+---------------------+----------------+------------------- PURE WOMAN WOMAN SECLUDED IN 144,000 ON MOUNT Rev. 12 THE WILDERNESS ZION Rev. 12:6 Rev. 14:1-6 ----------------+---------------------+----------------+------------------- TEMPLE AND HOLY CITY TRODDEN TWO WITNESSES WITNESSES TRUE WORs.h.i.+P DOWN SLAIN RESURRECTED Rev. 11:1 Rev. 11:2 Rev. 11:7-10 Rev. 11:11-14 ----------------+---------------------+----------------+------------------- GREAT BABYLON HARLOT G.o.d'S PEOPLE Rev. 17:1-6 DAUGHTERS CALLED OUT Rev. 17:5 Rev. 18:1-4 ----------------+---------------------+----------------+------------------- FOURTH REIGN OF THE CHRIST'S KINGDOM BEAST "LITTLE HORN" TRIUMPHANT Dan. 9:7, 23, Dan. 7:8, 20-25 Dan. 7:26, 27; 24 2:34, 35 ----------------+---------------------+----------------+-------------------

[Sidenote: Great Babylon]

A more particular description of the ant.i.typical Babylon is given by the Revelator in the seventeenth chapter, as follows: "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great wh.o.r.e that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw a woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration" (verses 1-6).

The careful student will immediately perceive that we have here another representation of the same apostate powers already described under other symbols. The leading figures--a woman and a beast--combine symbols from human life and animal life, thus representing clearly the union of civil and ecclesiastical power. The combination is exactly the same in its essential characteristics as that presented by the first beast of Revelation 13. And since it is the same seven-headed and ten-horned beast, representing the same political power, we conclude that the human characteristics exhibited in this connection symbolize the same religious power--the Church of Rome. In the present vision, however, the ecclesiastical phase is singled out and particularly distinguished and described, thus placing special emphasis on the papal church itself in contradistinction to the temporal power of the empire. The political phase of Rome's history has already been sufficiently described for our present purpose. We shall, therefore, devote our attention to the ecclesiastical phase as developed under this particular symbol of the woman.

The nature of the symbol itself fixes the interpretation. A woman must of necessity symbolize a church, but we must determine by the character of the woman whether or not the true church or a false church is represented. The woman of the vision was splendidly attired and evidently occupied a prominent place; for she is represented as riding on the beast, the political empire, thus directing its course; and she is also represented as sitting upon many waters, interpreted as "peoples, and mult.i.tudes, and nations, and tongues" (verse 15), denoting her wide influence over distant nations. She is not simply represented as a prominent person, however, but _as a vile character_. She is "a great wh.o.r.e," "with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication." It is clear that in Scripture false, idolatrous wors.h.i.+p is represented as _wh.o.r.edom_ (see 1 Chron.

5: 25; Ezekiel 16 and 23). Hence a false church is represented.

[Sidenote: Mother and daughters]

There is only one church that can fulfil the description, and that is the Church of Rome. Long has she delighted in calling herself the "mother church," but centuries before she made this claim, the pen of inspiration affixed to her indelibly the t.i.tle of "_mother_"--"MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

She bore upon her forehead this inscription, together with the t.i.tle "Mystery, Babylon the Great." Other false apostate churches there are, but she heads the list and is the mother of them all. No wonder the apostle marveled when he saw this professed church of Jesus Christ defiled by the most abominable wickedness, in league with all the evil powers of earth, and, above all, "drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." That Rome from the date she became firmly established in power has ever been a constant persecutor of the saints, the pages of all history abundantly attest. Even Rome's ecclesiastical writers and historians themselves admit her use of force in destroying those whom she denominated heretics.

Revelation 17 covers the same period chronologically and ends at the same point of time as did chapter 13. Hence we should naturally suppose that it would also describe in some manner the power symbolized by the two-horned beast--Protestantism--as well as duplicate the description of the ten-horned beast--Catholicism. That the papacy is symbolized in chapter 17 by the corrupt wh.o.r.e sitting on the ten-horned beast, is too plain to need any particular demonstration. The other division of the apostasy is included under the term "harlots," the daughters of the "mother" church. In our interpretation of chapter 14 we showed that the angel clearly applied the term Babylon to the wors.h.i.+pers of the second beast--Protestantism--as well as to those of the first beast.

Therefore we must regard Babylon as a general term denoting the whole city of religious confusion, the mother and her harlot daughters being simply specific divisions.

[Sidenote: Testimony of commentators]

Many commentators, even Protestant commentators, have been frank enough to admit the real application and force of these symbols of Revelation as applying to both Catholicism and Protestantism. Auberlen a.s.serts that "'harlot' means, in the Old and New Testaments, the apostate church of G.o.d."--Prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation, p. 278. Again, he says, "Not simply Rome, but Christendom as a whole, even as Israel as a whole, has become a harlot. The true believers are hidden and dispersed."--Ibid., p. 290. While it may not be exactly in accordance with the Scriptures to speak of the true church of G.o.d as being apostate, yet in a sense it is true, for a large part of those who originally const.i.tuted the church of G.o.d actually did apostatize, until a false church a.s.sumed almost universal sway and divers forms of error prevailed, practically eclipsing, for a long period, the true church of G.o.d on earth. Auberlen stated his conclusion in these words: "Notwithstanding the universal character of the harlot, it remains true that the Roman and Greek churches are in a more peculiar sense the harlot than the Evangelical Protestant."--P. 294.

In the well-known Commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, the Rev.

A.R. Fausset, writing on Rev. 17:2, says of the harlot: "It can not be Pagan Rome but Papal Rome, if a particular seat of error be meant, but I am inclined to think that the judgment (chap. 18:2) and the spiritual fornication (chap. 18:3), though finding their culmination in Rome, are not restricted to it, but comprise the whole apostate church--Roman, Greek, and even Protestant, so far as it has been seduced from its 'first love' to Christ, the heavenly Bridegroom, and given its affections to worldly pomps and idols."

William Kincaid, in Bible Doctrine, p. 249, says: "I think Christ has a true church on earth, but its members are scattered among the various denominations, and are more or less under the influence of mystery Babylon and her daughters."

Alexander Campbell said: "The wors.h.i.+ping establishments now in operation throughout Christendom, increased and cemented by their respective voluminous confessions of faith, and their ecclesiastical const.i.tutions, are not churches of Jesus Christ, but the legitimate daughters of that mother of harlots, the Church of Rome."

Lorenzo Dow says of the Romish Church: "If she be the mother, who are the daughters? It must be the corrupt, national, established churches that came out of her."--Dow's Life, p. 542.

Again, Hahn in Auberlen says: "The harlot is not Rome alone (though she is preeminently so), but every church that has not Christ's mind and spirit. False Christendom, divided into very many sects, is truly Babylon, i.e., confusion."

The description of the two forms of the apostasy, Papal and Protestant, given in the thirteenth chapter of Revelation, was conveyed under the symbols of two beasts, differing in external appearance, but in certain respects similar in character. Immediately following that representation there is, as we have already shown, a description of a distinct reformatory work set forth by the 144,000 with the Lamb on Mount Zion, the fall of Babylon, and the promulgation of the everlasting gospel in all the world. The term "Babylon" as used in that scripture is applied to both the wors.h.i.+pers of the beast and the wors.h.i.+pers of the image of the beast (made by the second beast); therefore it embraces both forms of the apostasy.

We have just seen that the description of Babylon, given in Revelation 17 under the symbols of a corrupt woman and her harlot daughters, represent the papal church and the divisions of Protestantism. We shall now proceed to show that the two lines of prophecy (chaps. 13 and 17) are parallel chronologically, for they both end at the same time and in the same manner.

[Sidenote: The last reformation]

As the first of these two series of prophecy ended with the fall of Babylon and the deliverance therefrom of a people who were with the Lamb, not wandering after the beast, and who had "the Father's name written in their foreheads," not the name or the mark of the beast, so also the second series ends in the same manner. After describing Babylon under its twofold form, mother and daughters, the Revelator says: "After these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (chap. 18:1-4).

A movement of mighty power is symbolized in these verses. The language is based on the experience of the ancient Israelites in literal Babylon, who, when the fall of the city occurred, obtained release from their enforced captivity, and were permitted to return to their own land. The real meaning in this case is clear: that apostate Christianity has been a veritable Babylon in which the true people of G.o.d have been held as in captivity, and that the time of their deliverance would come, when they would, by divine authority, be called out. Notice the parallelism in the two descriptions of the fall of Babylon. In chapter 14 an angel declares "Babylon is fallen, is fallen" (verse 8), and the next angel _with a loud voice_ warns that those who "wors.h.i.+p the beast and his _image_ ... shall drink of the wine of the wrath of G.o.d" (verses 9, 10); while in chapter 18 the first angel cries "mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen" (verse 2), and "_another voice_ from heaven" says, "COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye _receive not of her plagues_" (verse 4).

That this symbolic picture represents a wonderful religious reformation is almost too clear to need proof, for it succeeded chronologically, and is placed in direct contrast with, the apostasy; hence there can be but one logical conclusion, namely, that neither Catholicism nor Protestantism is the last work and that G.o.d has authorized a work that shall gather his true people out of the entire babel of sect confusion. And that this movement is to be effected before the end of time is also clearly shown. In the following chapter, after describing G.o.d's judgment on Babylon, and the call of his people out of her, "a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our G.o.d, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great" (verse 5). G.o.d's servants are called upon to rejoice on account of their deliverance. Those who are at heart image-makers and beast-wors.h.i.+pers will oppose this truth, and when they witness the departure of the faithful followers of the Lord, leaving to Babylon nothing but the G.o.dless, graceless professors, they will "weep and mourn over her" (chap. 18:16) and cry, "Alas, alas that great city"

(verse 16). But the voice of heaven calls on the saints for a song of thanksgiving, saying, "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets" (verse 20). Yea, "praise our G.o.d, _all ye his servants_, and ye that fear him, both small and great" (chap. 19:5).

Are we to expect such a response? Yes. It is true in the prophecy and will therefore be true in fact before time ends. "And I heard as it were the voice of a great mult.i.tude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord G.o.d omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (chap. 19:6-8).

The scriptures just cited complete another line of symbolic truth.

The primitive church was represented as a pure woman, the bride (chap.

12:1). During the reign of the papacy a false, immoral woman reigned over the kings of the earth, while the true woman, or church, was hidden 'in the wilderness' (chap. 12: 6). Under the reign of Protestantism her members were scattered in all parts of the city of Babylon. But, thank G.o.d, they are to be called out of their scattered condition, and as a company are represented in two forms--first, as a redeemed host with the Lamb on Mount Zion, bearing the Father's name only (chap. 14:1-5), and second, _as the bride of Christ_ preparing herself for the soon coming of the Lord. This is proof positive that the true church is to be brought out and placed on exhibition _before the end of time_.

Others of the sacred writers describe this same prophetic movement.

Zechariah predicts it thus: "And it shall come to pa.s.s in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: but it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pa.s.s, that _at evening_ _time it shall be light_" (Zech. 14:6, 7). These verses stand a little clearer in the Septuagint Version: "And it shall come to pa.s.s in that day [the papal day] that there shall be _no light_: and there shall be for one day [the Protestant day] _cold and frost_: and that day shall be known to the Lord; it shall not be day or night [a mixture of light and darkness]: but _towards evening it shall be light_."

We have seen that Daniel predicted the long reign of darkness and apostasy in the Christian dispensation. Desiring to understand the matter, he made inquiry, and although the same thoughts are beautifully expressed in the Authorized Version, I shall, nevertheless, quote from the Septuagint, which makes the thought still clearer: "_When will be the end_ of the wonders which thou hast mentioned? And I heard the man clothed in linen ... swear by Him that lives forever, that it should be for a time of times and half a time: when the dispersion is ended they shall know all these things" (Dan.

12:6, 7).

"A time, and times, and the dividing of time" is the same prophetic period of 1,260 years, the reign of the papacy. This was to be followed by a period of "dispersion," and such Protestantism has been, for the people of G.o.d have been scattered in hundreds of bodies. But this dispersion was to be "_ended_" some time, and then the people of G.o.d would "know all these things." "And I heard, but I understood not: and said I, O Lord, _what will be the end_ of these things? And he said, Go, Daniel: for the words are closed and sealed up _to the time of the end_" (verse 9). At the "time of the end" the dispersal of G.o.d's saints was to cease. This predicts the evening-time reformation, and the nature of its work is shown in the following verse: "Many must be CHOSEN OUT, _and thoroughly whitened, and tried with fire, and sanctified_" (verse 10).

The same spiritual movement is also predicted by Ezekiel. In chapter 34 he describes the people of G.o.d as sheep (see verse 31). These sheep are represented as abused, oppressed, and scattered by false shepherds. Their gathering in this Last Reformation is predicted in verses 11 and 12: "For thus saith the Lord G.o.d; Behold I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; _so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day_."