And I saw an angel come down
from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great
chain in his hand.
2. And he laid hold on
the dragon, that old serpent, which is
the Devil, and Satan, and
bound him a thousand years.
3. And cast him into the bottomless
pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him,
that he should deceive the nations no more, till
the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after
that he must be loosed a little season.
It is commonly supposed that the events
here described are to occur at the second advent;
but by considering carefully the different things
enumerated in this chapter the binding of
the dragon; then a thousand years; after that the
Armageddon battle; and last of all the judgment scene,
in which all the dead, both small and great, are rewarded,
and all the powers of wickedness cast into the lake
of fire it will be seen at once that this
is not a continuation of the series of prophecy immediately
preceding, but an entirely new theme, running partly
parallel with that series, and both ending at the same
point the second coming of Christ and the
general judgment, in which the lake of fire is the
final doom of the combined powers of wickedness.
In that series the beast and the false prophet Romanism
and Protestantism were the chief powers
of evil under consideration; in this series the dragon
feature predominates. If this be not true, then
there will be two judgment scenes and the wicked cast
into the lake of fire twice. Positive proof of
the position here taken will be given as we proceed.
The power here referred to as “the
Devil and Satan” is also denominated “the
dragon.” This use of the definite article
shows clearly that a particular character is designated the
dragon and implies that the object has
already been introduced. In his first appearance
upon the symbolic panorama (Chap 12:3) he is simply
styled a dragon, but in every subsequent instance
he is called the dragon, which proves that
the same character is meant. In addition to the
former remarks on chapter 12:9 relative to the terms
applied to this antichristian power, the following
quotation from the People’s Cyclopaedia will
throw some light on the subject: “In the
mythical history and legendary poetry of almost every
nation, the dragon appears as the emblem of the destructive
and anarchistic principle.... Like the serpent,
the dragon is always a minister of evil ... the object
of which is to fight order, harmony, and progress.
In Christian art, the dragon is the emblem of sin....
It is often represented as crushed under the feet
of saints and martyrs.... Sometimes its prostrate
attitude signifies the triumph of Christianity over
Paganism.” Art. Dragon. Considering
this usage of these terms for ages, it is not strange
that they were applied also to that great antichristian,
persecuting system of Paganism, which stood before
Christianity as its greatest barrier to “order,
harmony, and progress.”
The angel that overthrew this public
system of Pagan infidelity symbolizes the primitive
host of Christians, the ministers in particular.
Some have supposed that he represented Christ; but,
as already shown conclusively, Christ can not be symbolized
by an inferior intelligence, hence always appears
upon the scene in his own character, proclaiming his
own eternal name. The fact that this angel possessed
the key of the bottomless pit is no proof that he
is Christ, even though in chapter 1:18 Jesus is said
to have certain keys; for in chapter 9:1 we find that
a fallen star the symbol of Mohammed is
said to have “the key of the bottomless pit”
also. At the most, this expression is only a
symbol of power and authority, be it good or bad.
In the gospel the same figure is applied to God’s
ministers, where they are given authority to bind
the powers of wickedness on earth. Mat 16:19;
18:18. The chain is a symbol of the power to
bind.
When Christianity first commenced
its warfare with this huge system of error, almost
the entire then-known world was under its deceptive
influence; but by a long conflict, in which thousands
of the noble followers of the Lamb were slaughtered,
this antichristian public system of Pagan infidelity
was at last completely overthrown, and the final result
was, that the civilized world became as completely
Christian (nominally at least) as it ever had been
Pagan. This great transformation could never
have been effected without the undying heroism and
whole-hearted consecration of the first disciples of
Christ. From this time the dragon as such as
a public deceiver of the nations throughout the Apocalyptic
earth was overthrown. This marks the
beginning of the thousand years mentioned.
Since many of the principles of heathenism
were copied by the church of Rome, it may be difficult
for some to understand at first why it is said that
the dragon no longer deceived the nations after being
cast down by primitive Christianity; but this becomes
clear when we consider what the dragon really was
and what the church of Rome was understood to be.
A time came when the entire civilized world knew that
heathenism as such was wrong and rejected the very
idea of a plurality of gods; but they were led to
believe that they could adapt many of their former
rites and ceremonies to the worship of the one true
God in whom they believed and thereby render acceptable
service to him, and were sure that the Romish church
was the one true apostolic church. It was not
the dragon, or heathenism, that then deceived them;
it was Christianity a false Christianity.
The manner in which the people were deceived during
the time following the casting down of heathenism
in the beginning has already been considered in chapters
XII, XIII, XVII, XVIII, etc., covering the same
period of time included in the one thousand years in
the vision before us.
We can not apply this period specified
as literally one thousand years without varying from
every principle of time prophecy in the Revelation,
for they are all symbolic; neither can we apply it
according to the usual year-day method, which, signifying
three hundred and sixty thousand years, would throw
this series of events out of harmony with the time-periods
allotted to the other themes of truth running over
the same ground and terminating at the same point the
general judgment. Therefore, to be consistent,
we shall have to apply it as (so far as human knowledge
of the exact dates is concerned) an indefinite length
of time, on the same principle that “the hour
of temptation” in chapter 3:10, the three and
one-half days in chapter 11:9, and the “hour”
in which the ten kingdoms receive power with the beast
(Chap 17:12), etc., are applied.
4. And I saw thrones, and they
sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them:
and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for
the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and
which had not worshipped the beast, neither his
image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and
reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5. But the rest of the
dead lived not again until the thousand
years were finished.
This is the first resurrection.
6. Blessed and holy is he that
hath part in the first resurrection: on such
the second death hath no power, but they shall
be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with
him a thousand years.
We have in this description another
division of the subject introduced a history
of God’s people, or one phase of the church,
during the same thousand years following the casting
down of the dragon. “They lived and reigned
with Christ.” It was those who had “part
in the first resurrection” that were exalted
to this honored position with Christ. Millenarians
always assume that this refers to a literal
resurrection at the second coming of Christ, but no
such thing is hinted at. Not one word is said
about literally resurrected saints reigning.
John says, “I saw the souls of them which
were beheaded for the witness of Jesus ... and they
lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
Nothing whatever is said about any reign on earth at
all; but the description shows plainly that it was
disembodied spirits that were reigning with Christ
in Paradise during the period that followed the casting
down of the dragon, which was in reality one of long
apostasy and darkness on earth. Before and during
this conflict with Paganism the church of God was
publicly triumphant on earth. Afterward, during
the apostasy, a false church was, in the public view,
triumphant, while the church of God was crowded out
of sight into the wilderness. However, the reign
of God’s saints did not cease; for when they
were slaughtered by their relentless persecutors and
deprived of their reign on earth, they were, as symbolized
by the man-child, caught up to God and to his throne
and there “lived and reigned with Christ”
during the thousand years under consideration.
This same thought concerning the reign
of the martyrs in Paradise while the powers of evil
triumphed on earth, was brought to view on the opening
of the fifth seal in chapter 6:9-11. “And
when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the
altar the souls of them that were slain for
the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long,
O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge
our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And
white robes were given unto every one of them; and
it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for
a little season, until their fellowservants also and
their brethren, that should be killed as they were
should be fulfilled.” This quotation will
make clear one point concerning the refusal of the
martyrs to worship the beast and his image. We
are not to understand that every soul of the martyrs
John saw in these visions reigned during the entire
period under consideration; but he beheld the reign
of the saints above during the one thousand years,
and he saw there the souls of all the martyrs such
as had been slain in the early days of Christianity
(Chap 12:11); such as refused to worship the beast
and were martyred therefor (Chap 13:7); and also,
such as “should be killed as they were”
(Chap 6:11) and were put to death shortly after the
formation of the image of the beast. Chap 13:15;
16:6.
This company of souls that the apostle
saw reigning with Christ above were those who had
had part “in the first resurrection,” which
had made them “blessed and holy.”
They were not on earth; they were disembodied spirits
above, hence had not been literally resurrected.
The Scriptures clearly teach that mankind in their
ordinary condition are “dead in trespasses
and in sins,” and that through salvation, which
makes them “blessed and holy,” they are
“quickened” to a new life in Christ.
Eph 2:1. That this is Scripturally “the
first resurrection” is proved most positively
by the words of Christ “Verily, verily,
I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is,
when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son
of God: and they that hear shall live.
He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that
sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation, but is passed from death
unto life.” John 5:25, 24. Although
many other proofs could easily be given, this of itself
is sufficient to establish the point that the host
of early Christians who had “passed from death
unto life” in Christ and who gave their lives
gladly for the sake of Christ, constituted the ones
referred to as having had “part in the first
resurrection.” According to verse 6 it
was only on those who had part in the first resurrection
that the second death had no power. The church
at Smyrna received the sure promise from Christ himself
that they should “not be hurt of the second
death” (Chap 2:11); and this shows beyond all
question that even at that early date they had had
part in this first resurrection that makes men blessed
and holy.
It is the trick of Beelzebub to deceive
souls by causing them to overlook the fact that this
first resurrection that made men blessed and holy
is of a spiritual nature and to fix their hopes in
two literal resurrections at the end. There will
be but one literal resurrection then, as is clearly
shown by the account given of the judgment in this
chapter, verses 11-15. The writer of the Revelation
declared positively, “Behold, he cometh with
clouds: and every eye shall see him, and
they also which pierced him: and all kindreds
of the earth shall wail because of him.”
Chap 1:7. If this does not prove that there is
but one literal resurrection when Christ comes, then
I would not know how to state such a fact if I desired.
Furthermore, Jesus himself, in the same chapter in
which he described “the first resurrection,”
says most positively that all the literal dead shall
be resurrected at the same time. “Marvel
not at this,” he says: “the hour
is coming, in the which all that are in the graves
shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that
have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and
they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation.” John 5:28, 29. This hour
certainly can not signify more than a short period
of time. In their efforts to prove two literal
resurrections, millenarians always quote with emphasis,
“The dead in Christ shall rise first.”
1 Thes 4:16. In doing so they, either ignorantly
or wilfully, wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction;
for any one can see at a glance that no such thing
as two resurrections is even hinted at. Verses
15-17 simply teach this, that the righteous who are
living on the earth at the time Christ appears will
not ascend to heaven before the righteous dead
are resurrected, but the dead will rise first, then
they will all be caught up together at one and the
same time. The wicked are not mentioned in this
connection; for, as stated, Paul was writing this only
for the comfort and the edification of the church.
In the following chapter, however, their “sudden
destruction” at the second coming of Christ is
mentioned as a warning to the church.
It is evident that the first resurrection
as applied in this connection specified particularly
that phase of the church which, as symbolized by the
man-child, was caught up to God through martyrdom and
there “lived and reigned with Christ.”
The other phase of the church, symbolized by the woman,
is not said to reign with Christ a thousand years,
but, on the other hand, is represented as driven into
the wilderness, her public reign on earth being ended
by the holy city being trodden under foot of a profane
multitude of apostate beast-worshipers; and the two
witnesses, clothed in sackcloth, were prophesying
only in a few isolated, individual hearts.
A careful study of this scripture,
taken in connection with others in the Revelation
applying to the same object, will show that all God’s
people, both those here brought to view during the
thousand years and those following that period, are
spoken of as dead people resurrected and reigning.
They are considered under two phases those
who, as symbolized by the man-child, were caught up
to God through martyrdom and there lived and reigned
with Christ; and those who, as symbolized by the woman,
were deprived of their public reign on earth and were
driven into the wilderness during the same period.
The first phase were “priests of God and of
Christ” and reigned with him in Paradise (Chap
6:9-11); but “the rest,” the phase symbolized
by the woman, did not live and enjoy their public
reign again, as in the early days of Christianity,
until the expiration of the thousand-year period.
It is true that individuals on earth received life
from God and were thus spiritually resurrected during
the thousand-year period; but the dominant beast-power
martyred them by thousands, the two witnesses were
then in their sack-cloth state, and thus the public
triumphal reign of the saints on earth ceased.
The statement of verse five that “the rest of
the dead lived not again until the thousand years
were finished” should be applied not in an individual,
but in a general sense, the same as the reign above
during the same period is considered. There is
also some doubt as to the authenticity of this sentence.
It is not found in the Vatican Manuscript, which is
one of the oldest in existence; and the Syriac Version,
which has come down to us from early days through an
entirely separate channel, does not contain it.
However, it is evident that the phase of the church
symbolized by the woman actually reigns triumphantly
on earth after the thousand years is finished; for
verses 7-9 of this chapter show that the dragon, combined
with Gog and Magog, goes forth on the breadth of the
earth to compass the camp of the saints just before
the end of time.
The fact that the reign of God’s
people on earth is divided into two distinct periods
is shown also by other prophecies. In the seventh
chapter of Daniel is recorded a vision of four great
beasts, symbolizing the Babylonian, Medo-Persian,
Grecian, and Roman empires. Verse 18, connected
with Dan 2:31-44, shows that the saints were to possess
the kingdom of God before the overthrow of all these
four kingdoms, which was actually fulfilled by Jesus
Christ appearing during the reign of the Roman empire
and planting the kingdom of God in the earth.
See Mark 1:15; Luke 12:32; 16:16; Col 1:13.
Then follows a description of the rise of the Papacy,
which was to “wear out the saints of the most
High” for a time, times, and the dividing
of times three and one-half times, or forty-two
months, or, prophetically, twelve hundred and sixty
years. This, as before explained, reaches to the
year A.D 1530. During this period the public
reign of the saints on earth ceased. Then immediately
following it is said, “The judgment shall sit,
and they shall take away his dominion, to consume
and to destroy it unto the end.”
This does not refer to the final judgment; it is a
spiritual judgment that commences before that time
and continues “unto the end.”
For example of a similar judgment see Acts 7:7.
God had a people during the Protestant
era who walked in all the light they possessed and
who were filled with judgment against the beast-power
that had worn out the saints for ages. And though
in places some were put to death for refusing to worship
the image of the beast that lifeless professors had
set up, yet there were from time to time reformations
that resurrected many people to life in Christ.
A little later, however, the real spiritual reign
of the saints is perfectly restored in the pure gospel
light of the evening time, and now the next verse
is fulfilled, which says, “And the kingdom and
dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the
whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the
saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom.” It is only reasonable to suppose
that the public reign on earth would commence gradually
and would finally reach its perfect fulfilment, just
the same as it ceased gradually in the beginning.
Therefore we can not point to a definite date exactly
marking the end of the thousand years, any more than
we can locate exactly the time of its commencement;
but we must be satisfied just to consider this symbolic
expression as covering a long period of time during
which these important phases of deep truth are considered
merely from a general standpoint.
This special reign of a thousand years
above is doubtless brought to our view for the express
purpose of making the history of the triumph of Christianity
continuous. When interrupted on earth, the scene
is suddenly transferred to Paradise; then when the
woman comes out of the wilderness and the public reign
on earth begins again, while the woman is being prepared
as a bride for the coming of the Lamb, the scene, as
the following description in verse 9 also will show,
is again transferred to earth. The reign above
does not in reality cease with the expiration of the
thousand years, but we are permitted to obtain a view
of it only for that length of time during the down-trodden
state of the church on earth. This reign of the
martyrs’ above is placed in direct contrast
with the public reign on earth during the same time,
which consisted of multitudes of people worshiping
the beast, recieving his image and his mark.
What the “thrones” on which they sat and
the “judgment” given them signifies, I
do not know for certain, but it is doubtless the same
exalted privilege and authority which Christ promised
to all his over-comers to sit with him on
his throne. Chap 3:21.
7. And when the thousand
years are expired, Satan shall be
loosed out of his prison,
8. And shall go out to
deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth, Gog
and Magog, to gather them together to
battle: the number of
whom is as the sand of the sea.
9. And they went up on
the breadth of the earth, and compassed
the camp of the saints about,
and the beloved city: and fire
came down from God out of
heaven, and devoured them.
10. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day
and night for ever and eVer
The loosing of Satan, or the dragon,
is the first important point to be considered.
Before this matter can be rightly understood, however,
we must take into account carefully certain facts
regarding his binding. It was not the dragon
as a political power that Christianity attacked (it
did not labor to that end), but it was its huge public
system of false belief that was overthrown. This
great system, as opposed to Christianity, can all
be summed up under the one word infidelity.
Infidel signifies “a heathen; one who
disbelieves in Christ, or the divine origin and authority
of Christianity.” Webster. This
system was positively an antichristian power that
sought by every possible means to destroy the religion
of Jesus and to blot out his very name. It failed
in the attempt. It was bound. During the
long reign of Popery, when the doctrine was be-a-Catholic-or-die,
infidelity could not publicly lift its head in the
sense in which it was cast down by the early Christians.
It had no power over the nations of the Apocalyptic
earth to then deceive them; but they were greatly
deceived by a false Christianity until almost all
the world wondered after the beast. The release
of the dragon, then, in order to be entirely satisfactory
and consistent, must embrace the following points:
First, it must at least include the development of
a great public antichristian power whose avowed object
is to destroy the whole fabric of Christianity.
Second, being bound by divine power, his release must
be the result of divine permission for a special purpose.
Third, the scene of his imprisonment must necessarily
be the place of his release; namely, the earth the
Apocalyptic earth the territory of the
Roman empire.
We find all these requirements meeting
a most perfect fulfilment in the events described
under the pouring out of the first vial, which was
done by the direction of Him that sat upon the throne.
A sufficient history of that fearful system of infidelity
which, through the labors of Voltaire and his coadjutors,
spread throughout all Europe has already been given.
The very object of the leaders of this movement was
the extermination of the Christian religion, and their
secret watchword was “Crush the wretch,”
meaning Jesus Christ. The dragon was loose in
all his terrible features. The Pagans upheld
a false belief; these modern worshipers of the dragon
did likewise and publicly exalted the “Goddess
of Reason” as an object of devotion, setting
aside every tenth day for their hellish orgies in
her honor. The former endeavored to overthrow
the Christian religion; the latter had for its special
aim the utter destruction of everything Christian
either in name or in character. This devilish
system spread over all Europe and almost undermined
the whole fabric of society, and threatened to convert
the world from Christianity to the worship of the
Goddess of Reason. Its foothold gained was so
extensive and its effects so far-reaching that prominent
historians, D’Aubigne among the number, have
denominated the period of its greatest triumph “the
day of Reason.” It is one of the three and
one-half days covered by the prophecy in Rev 11:9.
I do not wish to be understood, however,
as limiting the release of the dragon and his work
to the system of infidelity that had its origin in
France. I merely refer to that unfortunate system
as the beginning of the dragon’s release and
work the re-introduction to the world of
those principles of public hostility to Christianity
which had lain buried since the days of Pagan Rome.
The dragon in the beginning was a deceptive system,
one that “deceived the whole world”; but
its deceptions were uncovered by the light of Christianity,
and then it became the bitter public opposer of the
religion of Christ. In the release of the dragon
the order is reversed. He first appears as the
public enemy of Christianity in the form already mentioned,
but afterwards changes his tactics to milder methods
in order the better to “deceive” the people,
as we shall see hereafter.
But there is another chapter in the
history of the dragon’s career that we must
not overlook his partnership with Gog and
Magog. The original signification of the terms
Gog and Magog is difficult to ascertain, as
all known accounts are conflicting. The terms
occur in Ezek 38 and 39 also. In the Revelation,
however, it is clear that these terms are applied
to Romanism and Protestantism, and under the special
leadership of this spirit of antichrist they are gathered
together to battle against the saints of the most
High. I will again quote the description of this
union as given under the sixth vial, which refers to
the present time: “And I saw three unclean
spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,
and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth
of the false prophet. For they are the spirits
of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the
kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather
them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty....
And he gathered them into a place called in the Hebrew
tongue Armageddon.” Chap 16:13-16.
It will be noticed that the field of operations under
this grand confederation of the three unclean spirits
is enlarged so that it includes not merely the Apocalyptic
earth, but “the whole world.”
In order to form a confederation of
powers each of which holds its own distinctive principles,
it is necessary that each make certain concessions,
in outward appearance at least, so that they can work
together in harmony against a common foe. In this
case it will be necessary that three points be conceded
before the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet
can agree. First, the dragon must not appear in
his true character as antichristian; he must be clothed
in some different attire in order to “deceive.”
Second, Catholicism must stop her work of slaying
those who disagree with her and cover up her true
principles. Third, Protestantism must cease protesting
against the abominations of Catholicism. We are
living in the time when this confederation of the
powers of wickedness is being effected; therefore
we must not expect to see the dragon as a terrible
creature with heads and horns standing as the open
adversary of God, but we must look for him dressed
up in a garb “to deceive.” If necessary
he can place himself under a Christian garb without
violating his conscience of which he has
none.
It will perhaps be beneficial to give
the reader a short account of some of the forms under
which the dragon is manifesting himself at the present
time in order to “deceive” the people.
It will be remembered that, in the description of
the first vial, which represented the awful system
of infidelity that was spread over Europe, Dr. Adam
Weishaupt of the University of Ingolstadt, formed
a secret society under the name of the Illuminati
in order the better to spread these wicked principles.
A quotation was also made showing that “Freemasonry
being in high repute all over Europe when Weishaupt
first formed the plan of his society, he availed himself
of its secrecy to introduce his new order, which rapidly
spread, by the efforts of its founders and disciples,
through all those countries.” Now, if Freemasonry
was such an excellent channel for the dragon to begin
his work through, is it not reasonable to suppose that
he would still retain his position in that order, and
especially since the very name of Christ is
barred from its rites, rules, and ceremonies?
And this thought is especially convincing when we consider
the fact that Freemasonry is in its very nature and
constitution only a form of Paganism. This vast
body is founded on what they call the “ancient
mysteries.” The following is taken from
Masonic Salvation by Fred Husted:
“Warburton says: ’Each
of the Pagan gods had (beside the public and open)
a secret worship paid unto him, to which none were
admitted but those who had been selected by preparatory
ceremonies called initiation. This secret worship
was called “the mysteries."’
“Mackey, another member of this
order, says: ’These mysteries existed in
every country of heathendom, in each under a different
name, and to some extent under a different form, but
always and everywhere with the same design of inculcating
(teaching) by allegorical and symbolical teachings
the great Masonic doctrines of the unity of God and
the immortality of the soul. This one important
proposition and the fact which it enumerates (states)
must never be lost sight of, in any inquiry into the
origin of Freemasonry; for the Pagan mysteries were
to the spurious Freemasonry of antiquity precisely
what the Masters’ lodges are to the Freemasonry
of the present day.’
“This is certainly a frank statement,
coming as it does from a man who is an acknowledged
and highly esteemed authority in matters pertaining
to the craft. Daniel Sickles says, ’In Egypt,
Greece, and many other ancient nations Freemasonry,
that is, the Mysteries, was one of the earliest agencies
employed to effect the improvement and enlightenment
of man.’ Pierson says, ’The identity
of the Masonic institutions with the ancient Mysteries
is obvious,’ which means clearly to be seen,
manifest to any and all.
“Masons say that the order is
founded on the Bible that is, unlearned
Masons say so. Geo. Wingate Chase, in the Digest
of Masonic Law, says: ’The Jews, the Turks,
each reject either the New Testament or the Old or
both, and yet we see no good reasons why they should
not be made Masons. In fact, Blue Lodge [first
three degrees] Masonry has nothing whatever to do
with the Bible. It is not founded on the Bible.
If it were, it would not be Masonry; it would be something
else.’
“Sickles says in speaking of
the third, or Master Mason’s degree, ’There
are characters impressed upon it which can not be mistaken.
It is thoroughly Egyptian.’ He further
says that the tradition is older by a thousand years
than Solomon. ’That our [Masonic] rites
embrace all the possible circumstances of man, moral,
social, and spiritual, and have a meaning high as
the heavens, broad as the universe, and profound as
eternity.’ Sickles in Gen Chiman Rezón.
“The writer was informed when
the charges were given him ’that our ancient
brethren worshiped in high hills and in low vales,
and that guards were placed to keep off cowans or
eves-droppers.’ By referring to Scripture
we at once find the character of those who worshiped
in high hills and low vales, and why they needed a
guard to keep off eves-droppers. ’Thou
saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high
hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing
the harlot.’ Je:20; 3:6. ’Ye
shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the
nations which ye shall possess served other gods, upon
the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under
every green tree.’ Deut 12:2.
’Enflaming themselves with idols under every
green tree, slaying the children in the vales under
the clifts of the rocks.... Even thither wentest
thou up to offer sacrifice.’ Isa 57:5-7.
They were not afraid of Ahab and Jezebel (2 Kings
7:10; 1 Kings 14:23), and they grew and multiplied
in their reigns, and in the reigns of all those of
whom it is recorded that ‘they did that which
was evil in the sight of the Lord.’ Some
of the kings of Israel and of Judah destroyed their
high places for them and were highly favored of God
for so doing.
“Again, ’The precepts
of Jesus could not have been made obligatory upon
a Jew. A Christian would have denied the sanction
of the Koran. A Mohammedan must have rejected
the law of Moses, and a disciple of Zoroaster would
have turned from all, to the teaching of his Zend-Avesta.
The universal law of nature, which the authors of the
old charges have properly called the moral, is therefore
the only law suited in every respect to be
adopted as the Masonic code.’ Mackeys’
Textbook, Masonic Jurisprudence. If the statements
just quoted do not place the secret society of Masonry
on a footing decidedly Pagan, it is difficult to say
just where it does stand....
“Tammuz, or Osiris of Egypt,
who is declared to be the original of Hiram Abiff
the temple-builder, is still mourned for. Ezek
8:14. See Young’s Analytical Concordance
or any standard Greek Mythology. Now see Piersons’
Traditions of Freemasonry. ’The Masonic
legend stands by itself, unsupported by history, or
other than its own traditions. Yet we readily
recognize in Hiram Abiff the Osiris of the Egyptians,
the Mithras of the Persians, the Bacchus of the Greeks
[god of drunkenness, or feasts and the like], the
Dionysis of the fraternity of artificers, and the
Atys of the Phrygians, whose passions, deaths, and
resurrections were celebrated by these people respectively.’
Thus it is clearly shown that each of these ancient
nations had its counterfeit Savior and Redeemer, and
it is here proved by the words of Masonic Grand Masters,
authors, and authorities, that Masonry is of Pagan
origin.”
When we think of the millions of devotees
of this form of Paganism, multitudes of church-members
and preachers, surely it is not difficult to see that
the dragon is loose in deceiving power again.
That he is meeting with great success in forming his
confederation of all false religions, is obvious.
The world’s Parliament of Religions, held in
Chicago in the year 1893, is an illustration of this
statement. The dragon, the beast, and the false
prophet met in “mutual confidence and respect,”
a “brotherhood” of religions. Theism,
Judaism, Mohammedanism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism,
Confucianism, Shintoism, Zoroastrianism, Catholicism,
the Greek Church, and Protestantism in many forms all
these were represented. And the devotees of these
religions met, as they said, “To unite all religion
against all irreligion; to make the golden rule the
basis of this union; and to present to the world i>substantial
unity of many religions.” The following
are a few extracts from addresses made before the
Parliament.
President Charles Carroll Bonney,
in the opening address, said: “Worshipers
of God and lovers of man: Let us rejoice that
we have lived to see this glorious day.... That
we are permitted to take part in this solemn and majestic
event of a World’s Congress of Religions.
The importance of this event can not be overestimated.
Its influence on the future relations of the various
races of men, can not be too highly esteemed.
If this Congress shall faithfully execute its duties
with which it has been charged, it shall become the
joy of the whole earth, and stand in human history
like a new Mount Zion, crowned with glory,
and marking the actual beginning of a new epoch
of brotherhood and peace. For when the religious
faiths of the world recognize each other as brothers,
children of one Father, whom all profess to love
and serve, then, and not until then, will the nations
of the earth yield to the spirit of concord and learn
war no more.... We meet on the mountain height
of absolute respect for the religious convictions of
each other.... This day the sun of a new era
of religious peace and progress arises over the world,
dispelling the dark clouds of sectarian strife. It
is the brotherhood of religions.”
Chairman John Henry Barrows, in his
address, said: “We are here not as Baptists
and Buddhists, Catholics and Confucians, Parsees and
Presbyterians, Methodists and Moslems; we are here
as members of a Parliament of Religions, over which
flies no sectarian flag, ... but where for the first
time in large council is lifted up the banner of love,
fellowship, brotherhood.... Welcome, one and all,
thrice welcome to the world’s first Parliament
of Religions! Welcome to the men and women of
Israel, the standing miracle of nations and religions!
Welcome to the disciples of Prince Siddartha, the
many millions who worship their lord Buddha as the
light of Asia! Welcome to the high-priests of
the national religion of Japan! This city has
every reason to be grateful to the enlightened ruler
of ‘the sunrise kingdom.’ Welcome
to the men of India, and all faiths! Welcome
to all the disciples of Christ! ... It seems
to me that the spirits of just and good men hover
over this assembly. I believe the spirit of Paul
is here. I believe the spirit of the wise and
humane Buddha is here, and of Socrates the searcher
after truth.... When a few days ago I met for
the first time the delegates who have come to us from
Japan, and shortly after the delegates who have come
to us from India, I felt that the arms of human brotherhood
had reached almost around the globe.” World’s
Parliament of Religions, Chap III. Similar
congresses have since been held. While I never
expect to see all these principles of evil under one
organized form, yet it is evident that the spirits
of devils that have gone forth into “all the
world” are uniting them all under one spirit that
of Antichrist.
Another form in which the old dragon
is manifesting himself and uniting thousands of people
against the truth, and one in which the “miracles”
ascribed to this latest confederation of Satan are
performed, is that of “Christian Science.”
Attracted by its healing doctrine, multitudes are
lured into this deceptive communion of Mrs. Eddy’s.
At the very best her system is, as every historian
knows, only a slight revision of the Oriental Philosophy;
and notwithstanding its forged name Christian,
it is truly subversive of the doctrine of Christ.
Her grand central doctrine of the “allness”
of mind and the unreality of matter is a true copy
of the “fantastic idealism” of the Gnostics.
Gnosticism was based on “speculative knowledge.”
So is Mrs. Eddy’s theory. Gnosticism denied
the “true humanity of the Redeemer, and
made his person a mere phantom, and his work a mere
illusion.” So does Christian Science.
Although Mrs. Eddy clamours loudly that her work is
Christian and her multitude of followers believe
her claim, still a careful study of her work Science
and Health will convince any unprejudiced person that
she utterly repudiates the atonement-work of Jesus
Christ by denying his person and the reality of sin
and matter. Though the system may contain some
good moral principles, yet it has no power to save
men from sin, since it denies the existence of actual
sin. Her denial of the one personal God “all
is infinite mind, and its infinite manifestations,”
is but a swing of the pendulum from the godless and
graceless system of the materialistic philosophy propounded
by Darwin and Haeckel and is as absurd and unscriptural
(although opposite) as the rankest Pantheism.
The salvation of the soul through
faith in Jesus Christ has absolutely no place in the
Christian Science creed. It is nothing but a species
of universalism. Individuals of every evil class
and character self-lovers, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers,
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those
that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers
of pleasure more than lovers of God, profane, murderers
of fathers and mothers, man-slayers, whoremongers,
liars, drunkards, sorcerers, perjured persons, backbiters,
haters of God, despiteful, inventors of evil things,
implacable, unmerciful, abominable, and those unto
every good work reprobate any and all of
these characters can and do come to the healers of
Christian Science, and not one word is said to
them about getting salvation through repentance
and living faith in the Savior; but, on the other hand,
they are received as follows: “As children
of God you have a right to the healing of your
bodies”! The dragon is in it! I warn
people to beware. “They are the spirits
of devils, working miracles,” and form an important
proof that we are near the end of time.
Another form in which the dragon is
manifesting his power on the deceptive and miracle-working
line is modern Spiritualism. Multitudes of people
of all classes are believers in this soul-destroying
doctrine. The system is generally acknowledged
to be but a modern form of what was anciently styled
witchcraft, necromancy, magic, etc., while the
mediums of to-day are of the same class as those formerly
known as “witches,” “sorcerers,”
“magicians.” This they themselves
often admit. The system is so well known both
in doctrine and in its pernicious effects that I will
not devote further space to the matter. In many
other forms the dragon is working his deceptions upon
the people.
Millions of church-members and thousands
of preachers are numbered among these antichristian
organizations of Freemasonry, Christian Science, Spiritualism,
etc., etc., gathered together under the influence
of the spirits of devils working miracles, mighty
signs, and wonders. On the other hand, the churches
are filled with persons who in spirit are nothing
but skeptics and infidels. Said T. De Witt Talmage
on one occasion, “There is a mighty host in
the Christian church, positively professing Christianity,
who do not believe the Bible, out and out, in
and in, from the first word of the first verse of the
first chapter of the Book of Genesis, down to the
last word of the last verse of the last chapter of
the Book of Revelation.” Is it any wonder
that such is the case when a large number of the preachers
themselves are in reality skeptics? A newspaper
clipping before me contains the following, uttered
on March 28, 1905, by the Rev B.A. Green, pastor
of the First Baptist Church, of Evanstown, Ill., before
about a hundred of his fellow ministers: “All
the truth in the world is not contained in one book,
nor in books of theology, God was too big for one
temple and he is also too big for one book. God
is everywhere. His truth is found in all good
books. The pastor of to-day should read the modern
psychology and modern literature, especially the
works of fiction which deal with religious or
social phases of modern life.” A large portion
of the sectarian ministry reject entirely the Mosaic
account of the creation, and accept instead the modern
theory of evolution.
The following quotation is from the
Rev Minton J. Savage, pastor of the Church of the
Messiah, New York, N.Y., who is an acknowledged leader
in the “higher criticism.” This was
in answer to an attack made on the higher critics
by a convention of the American Bible League.
“The men who are leading in the higher criticism
of the Bible and who are now being assailed so bitterly
by the American Bible League, are representative scholars
of the world, scientific thinkers, leaders, teachers,
who have given us a new universe, a new conception
of God, a new idea concerning the origin and nature
of man. They are not seeking to support or to
undermine anything. They are seeking for the truth
as the only sacred thing on earth.
“I would like to consider what
this book is about over which all this controversy
is raging. It is really not one book, but sixty-six
small volumes. They were written during a period
of nearly a thousand years, in different countries,
by different people. The first book was written
about eight hundred years before Christ. The first
five books of the Bible were written between five
and six hundred years before Christ. The historical
books tell us about the day of Judges, then of Kings,
the wars of Israel, until the time of captivity.
Then the book of Job, purely anonymous, and no one
knows who wrote it. Then the book of the Psalms,
the hymn-book of the people of Israel, and the books
of the prophets. It would be more proper to call
them preachers, for they make no effort to foretell
anything, but merely told the people that if they
followed certain lines of conduct certain things would
happen.
“No book was placed in the Bible
by anything that claimed to be divine authority.
No law concerning the Biblical canon was ever issued
by the church earlier than the sixteenth century and
that changed nothing; it simply recognized what had
come to be a fact. These books drifted together
and came to be bound as one, by force of gravity, by
common consent, and there are one or two books in
the New Testament which scholars could miss without
feeling any the poorer.
“Nobody, then, is assaulting
the Bible, for the simple reason that the Bible as
such has never made any claim. The Bible does
not claim to be inspired; it does not claim to be
infallible. No writer of one book is authorized
to speak for the author of any other book. One
verse is sometimes referred to as meaning something.
The writer of the last book in the Bible utters a
curse against anybody who should presume to add to
or take from the words of that book. He does not
say that the book is infallible; he simple curses
anybody that interferes with it, as Shakespeare uttered
a curse against anybody who interfered with his bones.
I suppose that God might have given us an infallible
book, if he had chosen, and if he had given us such
a book he would have made us sure that it was infallible.”
“If I were compelled to believe
that God holds me responsible for Adam’s sin
and that the immense majority of the world is doomed
to everlasting torment, and that only a selected few
here and there are to enter eternal felicity, I might
bow my head and accept it, but I could not rejoice
in it. It is barbarous. Men who try to make
us accept such dogmas are the real infidels of the
world, and it is infidelity which they are creating infidelity
a hundred times worse than that which they call by
the name. If you would blot out every Bible in
the world to-day you would not even endanger its life,
nor would you destroy religion.” From The
Toledo News-Bee, May 14, 1904.
All these allied powers of wickedness
in conflict with the few of God’s saints who
serve him acceptably, constitute the battle of Armageddon that
battle of the last great day. It is not a literal
collecting of armies nor a literal conflict, but a
fierce battle between truth and error. The outward
indications are that the enemies of God will triumph;
but let us remember that it is destined to “end
in the victory of Him unto whom triumph belongs.”
Fire will come down from God out of heaven and devour
them. This symbol is doubtless taken from the
circumstance of Elijah where he commanded fire to come
down and destroy his enemies; and it will be as with
such an overthrow that the powers of wickedness shall
meet their doom in that last great day of God Almighty.
11. And I saw a great
white throne, and him that sat on it, from
whose face the earth and the
heaven fled away; and there was
found no place for them.
12. And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God; and the books were opened;
and another book was opened, which is the book
of life: and the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books, according
to their works.
13. And the sea gave
up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell delivered up the dead
which were in them: and they were
judged every man according
to their works.
14. And death and hell
were cast, into the lake of fire. This is
the second death.
15. And whosoever was
not found written in the book of life was
cast into the lake of fire.
This series of events, as far as it
pertains to the doom of evil men, ends properly with
verse 10, where the combined powers of wickedness are
represented as being cast into the lake of fire.
This last event, however, is in the present scene
more fully described. It is fitting that the
judgment scene should be more fully described; for
with this chapter we have the last special history
of the powers of evil given. Many times we have
been led up to the time of the final overthrow of all
the powers of wickedness, but the manner in which that
great event occurs has not been perfectly detailed.
Here we have another illustration
of that principle of symbolic language laid down in
the beginning that objects and events whose
nature forbids their symbolization appear under their
own names or titles and their description must of
necessity be literal. The appearance of the great
God must be considered an actual event; for, as clearly
shown, he can not be symbolized, neither can he appear
as the symbol of some other object, from the fact
that there is no other object of analagous nature
of which he could stand as the representative.
The resurrection of itself is an event of such a peculiar
nature as to forbid its symbolization. What is
there analagous to it which could here be employed?
There are, perhaps, analagous changes in the vegetable
and animal kingdoms; but symbols drawn from that quarter
would indicate some political change instead.
Paul may, indeed, speak of the decay and the growth
of seeds to illustrate the resurrection; but
the decay of a seed does not symbolize the
death of a saint, neither does its germination symbolize
his resurrection. Nor is there any change that
can do it. There is the same necessity of speaking
of the resurrection in its literal meaning as there
was of representing the spirits of the martyrs under
their own appropriate titles.
The earth and the heaven fleeing away
from before God’s presence so that no place
is found for them, must be understood as describing
the literal dissolution of this world when Christ
comes; for it is clear from the Scriptures that such
an event will occur at that time. Peter says that
“the day of the Lord will come as a thief in
the night; in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the
works that are therein shall be burned up.”
2 Pet 3:10. Nothing can be found to symbolize
perfectly such a mighty event; hence it appears as
a literal description of the final catastrophe of
this old world.
It is evident that there are symbols
connected with this appearance of God, as truly as
there were symbols connected with Christ in his appearance
in Chap 19. The throne is a symbol of
judgment and of supreme sovereignty, its dazzling
whiteness indicating the impartiality and justice
of the proceedings. The books, likewise,
are symbols. We are not to suppose that there
are literal books in heaven, in which Christ or some
angelic secretary notes down all the affairs of earth.
The language and the symbols of Scripture are accommodated
to the human understanding, hence books are used as
a symbol to denote that the character and the actions
of men are all as perfectly known and remembered as
if they had been recorded in the archives of heaven.
The book of life, in which the names of the
faithful are often said to be inscribed, denotes that
God knows all his chosen people. In the following
chapter it is called the Lamb’s book of life.
This scene, then, as a whole, is a
sublime description of the resurrection and the final
judgment of all men and the dissolution of the earth
on which we now live. That the righteous will
be judged at this time is shown by the fact that the
book of life, in which the names of the righteous
only are recorded (Chap 21:27; Exo:33), will
also be opened; and verse fifteen implies that the
names of some during this judgment scene were found
recorded in that book. The wicked receive their
eternal portion by being cast into the lake of fire;
while the reward of the righteous is described in
the remaining part of this series, contained in the
two following chapters.