So also in the latter days; one-third of the people are to go into captivity by the hand of the great Assyrian; therefore those who fall away to the Assyrians and accept of this judgment without resistance will fare much better than those who remain in the doomed city to die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.

"The Remnant Were Affrighted"

At the time of the great earthquake, when the tenth part of the city fell and there were slain in this desperate struggle seven thousand men, it is then added (Rev. 11:13), “And the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to God." The remnant that are here spoken of that were affrighted at the terrible things that their eyes saw, are the hundred and forty and four thousand, who are sealed with their father's name in their foreheads. They were affrighted; that is, they feared and trembled at the word of God and at his terrible judgments which they will see fall in rapid succession upon the workers of iniquity, and they gave glory to the God of heaven. They are the people in the land in those days who give glory to the God of heaven, who appreciate and recognize his righteous judgments in those evil times. In the last part of the prophecies of Isaiah, the Lord makes special mention of this remnant in connection with what he says concerning the destruction of the wicked, and the passing away of the old heavens and earth, and the creation of the new heavens and the new earth, for in chapter 65 he speaks, saying, "Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there."

And in chapter 66 he speaks, saying, "Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool : where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite heart, and trembleth at my word." And in verse 5 of this same chapter he speaks directly to this class, saying, "Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake (whose name was written in their foreheads) said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed." These are the people of whom it is said in the Revelation that they were affrighted, that is they feared and trembled and gave glory to the God of heaven. The oracles of God in the Revelation are the wisdom of God as contained in the Old Testament Scriptures; they contain much in small space, and are couched in few words.

OVERLAPPING OF JUDGMENTS

(Verse 14) The second woe is past; and behold, the third woe cometh quickly." This terminates the sounding of the sixth angel, which is the second woe trumpet. Under the sounding of this trumpet the seven thunders utter their voices, which are as yet sealed up and not written, and the work and prophecy of the two witnesses is revealed, but it must not be un

derstood that their work is all done under the sounding of this trumpet. The first woe under the fifth trumpet, consisting of the plague of the locusts, continues for a term of five months. And when the four angels are loosed with their legions to destroy a third part of Israel from the entering in at Hamath to the river of the wilderness, the time that they are thus employed is for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year. But the witnesses prophesy three years and a half, therefore it is evident that they prophesy through the time of the sounding of all the trumpets. Also the time that the Gentiles tread under foot the holy city runs parallel with the time that the witnesses prophesy. So also after the seventh trumpet is said to sound, the flight of the woman into the wilderness is announced, where she remains for three years and a half. Also the career of the great red dragon and the beast that rises out of the sea is stated, and the manner in which the dragon becomes a mouth to the beast, in which capacity they make war upon the saints three years and a half. These things, therefore, cannot transpire under the sounding of one trumpet, but stretch out at least during the sounding of all the trumpets.

THE SEVENTH TRUMPET AND LAST WOE (REV. 11:15-19)

"" HE SHALL REIGN FOREVER AND EVER

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever." That is to say, Our Lord and his Christ are the Ancient of days and his Son Jesus Christ, as it is declared in the vision of Daniel (7: 13-14), saying, "I saw in the night visions and behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven (the saints), and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him, and there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." It is said of the Son of man in this Scripture, "His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." .

This last expression, "His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed," is a key to the foregoing expression, namely, "His dominion is an everlasting dominion." The Scripture terms, ever, forever and everlasting do not by any means imply of themselves endless duration, as many improperly instructed persons suppose that they do. On the contrary, they indicate periods. of time that continue as long as the things to which they are applied, continue, and no longer. Therefore when Gabriel said to Mary concerning her Son Jesus, "The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end," he was speaking by comparison (Luke 1:32). Now as Christ's reign on David's throne over the house of Jacob and over the nations with his brethren, is limited to a term of one thousand years, it follows that the sayings, ever, forever, everlasting, and of his kingdom there shall be no end must be interpreted in harmony therewith. Christ's reign is for a certain definite cycle, and when that is filled his reign ripens into completion and comes to an end, even as Paul declares that it will, in his letter to the Corinthians (I Cor. 15:24-28).

The saying in Daniel's vision, "and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed," shows how this is to be understood. David's kingdom was destroyed before its time, and before it had fulfilled its term of continuance; wherefore it is said in the eighty-first Psalm (8: 13-15), "O that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever." Even in this Scripture, for ever does not mean a period of endless duration, but only refers to the complete term that their kingdom would have continued if they had remained steadfast in the way of the Lord.

David's kingdom, therefore, because of wickedness was soon broken up by the revolt of the ten tribes, and after by the captivity of Judah; but the kingdom of Israel under Christ will not be encroached upon and wasted by the children of wickedness without, nor from dissensions and revolt from within, for Israel's earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea; and the Scriptures show that any attempt at rebellion in that day, either from within or without, from among the people of Israel or among the subordinated nations, will be speedily suppressed by judgments, for the decree from the beginning is, "The serpent shall lick the dust."

THE FOUR AND TWENTY ELDERS (REV. 11:16-17)

"And the four and twenty elders which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."

The four and twenty elders, as we have before shown, constitute a portion of the body of Christ in the resurrection who were symbolized by the twentyfour courses of the Levitical priesthood under the law, as was ordained in the days of King David before the Temple was built in which they were to minister. They approach near unto the Lord to minister unto him in his holy courts on behalf of all the people. They were a distinct class, and had no inheritance in Israel; the Lord was their inheritance, as it is contained in the law. They were teachers, and the people sought the law at their mouth. They represent that portion of the saints made perfect who are engaged in executing the judgments written, who are known in the Revelation as the four and twenty elders. They give expression to these memorable words when the seventh angel sounded, and they are words worthy of special notice. When the seventh angel sounds the last trumpet, they fall upon their faces and worship the Father himself, saying, "We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty," and then add, "Which art, and wast, and art to come." This is equivalent to what is said of the Lord in the ninetieth Psalm saying, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."

That is, he is God now and there never was a time in the past when he was not God, and there will never be a time in the future when he will not be God, because he is from everlasting to everlasting, even as the angel of the waters says of him, "Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be" (Rev. 16:5).

The four and twenty elders give thanks to him "which art, and wast, and art to come." Because," they say, "thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned." There is no power but of God, and therefore whatever he does by the agencies that he employs, he himself does, and his agents as set forth in this book are Christ and his brethren, and the angels of his power. When these agents have, by the Father's command, executed his righteous judgments upon the rebellious house and the assembled nations, then the reign of righteousness will begin in the earth when the Father will give his children the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world, as contained in the second Psalm saying, "Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." This inheritance Christ shares with his brethren.

THE ANGRY NATIONS

"The nations," say the four and twenty elders, were angry (verse 18); that is, the great Assyrian whom the Lord wields as his glittering sword, whom he hath made strong for himself; and when the Lord has cut off and subjugated many nations by his hand, yet he knows not that the Lord hath girded him with power, as the Lord says of him, " Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so, but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few" (Isa. 10: 7).

Moreover, when this same Assyrian under the name of the king of the north (called also the beast, in the Revelation) goes down into the bottomless pit, that is to say, down to Egypt, after conquering every nation in his path including the people of Israel, and when tidings out of the north and east inform him of rebellion in his rear, then he comes forth out of the bottomless pit to go into perdition. "Therefore," as the angel said to Daniel," he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly make away many." And in his fury at this time he works a great destruction among the people, before the Lord in his anger smites him down upon the mountains of Israel (Dan. 11: 44-45).

The Lord testifies by the hand of the prophet Ezekiel (38:7) concerning Gog and the great assemblage of nations that comes with him of whom the Lord says to Gog, "Be thou a guard unto them," saying (verses 18-19), "And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face, for in my jealousy, and in the fire of my wrath, have I spoken; Surely in that day, saith the Lord God, there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel." This is the wrath that is referred to by the elders when they say, "And thy wrath is come."

The righteous dead who have died in the Lord during the progress of the judgment for the truth's sake, including prophets and saints, small and great, rise to their reward under the sounding of this trumpet when the mystery of God will be finished.

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WICKED

"And shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." The seventh angel therefore will sound until the harvest of the righteous and the harvest of the wicked is gathered. The seven vials in which are filled up the wrath of God are poured out under the sounding of this trumpet; but it continues farther, until the downfall and destruction of mystical Babylon, and after that the destruction of Gog with all his legions, leaving but a sixth part of his vast forces to carry tidings back to the nations whence they came.

THE ARK OF HIS TESTAMENT (REV. 11:19)

Before this angel ceases to sound, the Temple of God in heaven will be opened, that Temple which is symbolized by the Temple made with hands after the patterns furnished to David by the Spirit. This Temple of God in heaven is the body of Christ made perfect, and when it is opened there will be seen in his Temple the ark of his testament, which is none other than Christ Jesus the Lord himself, whose appearing unto the remnant of Israel will transpire under the sounding of the seventh trumpet when he will appear to their joy, and the wicked will be ashamed before him at his coming; and when he comes it will be suddenly, for he says, Behold I come as a thief" (Rev. 16:15).

In the ark were placed the law, the tables of the covenant, the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, which signified that Christ is the true ark in whom is placed the law of God,, as it is written of him saying, "I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them. all that I shall command him" (Deut. 18: 18). Again the golden pot which had manna signifies that he is the true bread from heaven, who contains in himself the hidden manna, even eternal life. Again, Aaron's rod which budded was put in the ark. When Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and their company murmured against Moses and Aaron, and sought the priesthood, the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and a fire came out from the Lord and devoured the rebels. After that the Lord required that each of the tribes should furnish a rod, and Moses laid them up before the Lord, and when Moses brought them forth, Aaron's rod for the tribe of Levi bloomed blossoms and bore almonds, but the rest of the rods brought forth nothing. By this the Lord showed that he had chosen the house of Levi to minister unto him in the priests' office, and he said to Moses, "Bring Aaron's rod again before the ark of the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels, and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me that they die not" (Num. 17:8-10). Now as the Lord chose the tribe of Levi to minister unto him in the priests' office, so hath he chosen Christ Jesus as a priest unto him of the order of Melchisedec on behalf of the children of men