The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, vol. 76
June 6, 1899
“The Sermon. The Book of Revelation, Church History” 1 The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 76, 23, p. 356.
A. T. JONES
(Concluded).
TAKE another look at the twelfth chapter. Here we have the narrative of the “woman clothed with the sun.” The church of Christ, the true one, is taken up now in another phase. Christ was born; and there stood a great red dragon to devour him as soon as he was born. The power, the instrument, by which the attempt was made to destroy the new-born Saviour was pagan Rome. But who is, in deed and in truth, the dragon? Revelation 12:9 says plainly that he is that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.1
Satan can not work his purposes in this world except through men. Even the Lord has to have men to work his purposes in this world. He has never done it any other way. If the men who are present will not allow the Lord to use them, it is written, “God is able of these stones”—to do his work?—No; “to raise up children.” God can not use stones until they are made into men. If the men who were there had altogether refused and rejected him, he would have had to make men out of those stones before he could use them; for it is through men that he must work. Satan can not make stones into men. All he can do is to use men. So he uses governments, individuals, whomsoever he can: all his purposes must be carried on through men. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.2
So when Rome was in this condition of wickedness, and Christ was born into the world, Satan tried to stir up a power to destroy him as soon as he was born. Herod was king of Judea, becoming king by direct appointment of the Roman Senate. The history of it all is detailed in the book, “Great Empires of Prophecy,” to which we have referred several times. See pages 308-310. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.3
Herod sought to destroy Jesus as soon as he was born. But who was behind Herod?—Satan. He failed at that time to do it; but it came around at last, and the word was spoken that made it possible for Jesus to be put to death, and the word went forth that led him to be put to death. Whose was the word?—Satan’s. but who was the man?—Pilate. He was a Roman, direct from Rome, representing Rome in all respects. It was the word of Rome that led them to crucify the Lord, and thus Rome is the power and instrument of Satan represented in the great red dragon. He was the life and inspiration of that power. And after Jesus had been caught up to the throne of God, Satan, still by dragon Rome, persecuted the woman who brought forth the man child. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.4
Now I want you to see, in the twelfth chapter of Revelation, the three phases of the history of the world, from Christ until now. The first is pagan Rome,—Rome in the time of Christ and the apostles and the early church, with Satan as the inspiration of Rome. From that the story passed down to another power that is used against the church. But where is the church at this time when this second power comes in?—In the wilderness. And the dragon still persecutes the church; and now he casts out a flood after her. In the other he persecutes her; but in this he casts out a flood. There is as great a difference between plain persecution and a flood of persecution, as there is between the natural stream and the flood: the flood is overwhelming. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.5
This is still Rome, but in what form?—It is the apostate church, the form of Christianity inspired by Satan, who was the life of it. And what does this phase of Rome do?—Still by peace it destroys many; always by Rome’s peace comes destruction. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.6
Then “the dragon was wroth with the woman.” Had he not been wroth with the woman from the first?—Yes; but what now?—He “went to make war with the remnant of her seed.” In all this, you see the three phases of history, the three powers that Satan brought against the church, between the first advent of Christ and the second coming. The first was pagan Rome; the second is the apostate church; the third is the power that is used against the remnant. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.7
In the twelfth chapter of Revelation, then, the church of Christ stands before us as warred upon by Satan through three powers. The first is the church at the birth of Christ; the second is the church in the wilderness; the third is the remnant church. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.8
In the twelfth chapter these last two powers are not named. The power used against the church in the wilderness, and the power used against the remnant, are not there described: only the fact is stated. But in the thirteenth chapter these two powers are described: “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.9
Who was the dragon?—The devil. And the dragon gave him his power. Who gave him his power?—The devil. Who gave him great authority?—The devil. Then whom does this beast represent?—The devil. Who is in him?—The devil. Who is working in him?—The devil. But it is the form of the church. It professes Christianity. Do not forget that all-important thing: it professes Christianity. It professes the gospel. It is all the forms of Christianity, with a great deal more added, it is true; but with the true forms of Christianity it started, and lo! it ends in and with only Satan. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.10
Now when the Lord has pointed out to us the fearful consequences of allowing Satan to inspire his forms, and have his place in professed Christianity, is it not enough to teach us to beware of it forevermore, and to lead us to shun it as we would shun the devil? That other passage comes to me just here, that was printed in Special Testimony, No. 9, that there has been a “following in the track of Romanism.” What is the track of Romanism?—The track of Satan. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.11
O brethren, let us shake it off? Does not this lay on us an obligation everlastingly to examine ourselves, to watch the motives, to investigate the principles, which actuate us, to see whether Christ or Satan is manifested in us? Watch yourself, not some other brother; see that it is manifested in yourself, not in some committee or board, but in yourself. Look at it through the anointing of the heavenly eye-salve, that you may see and discern whether it is Christ who is your life and inspiration, or whether you have given place to the other spirit. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.12
Next in the thirteenth chapter, is described “another beast; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” He says “to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” This is the power through whom Satan makes his war with the remnant of the church. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.13
Taking the twelfth and thirteenth chapters of Revelation together, we have the history of the world from the birth of Christ to the end of the world,—the dragon, the beast, and his image. What is the fourteenth chapter?—The great threefold message for this time. To what time does the first part of the book of Revelation bring us?—To the coming of Christ, the end of the world, the coming of judgment. And the first message of the great threefold message, is, “The hour of his judgment is come.” ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.14
Now the warning comes against the worship of the beast. What is it to worship the beast?—They worshiped the beast, and “they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast.” But it is Satan-worship all the time. Now comes the warning cry of the great threefold message: “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation.” ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.15
Now to sketch rapidly through the rest of the book, to see the relation that all the rest of the book bears to this chapter:— ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.16
What is in the fifteenth chapter?—The seven last great plagues. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.17
What is in the sixteenth?—The pouring out of the vials of the wrath of God. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.18
What is in the seventeenth and eighteenth?—The judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters,—not the history of her, but THE JUDGMENT of her. “Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.” ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.19
What is in the nineteenth?—The coming of the Lord, the destruction of the beast, and the last great battle. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.20
What is in the twentieth?—The binding of Satan, and the judgment of Satan and all the wicked. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.21
What is in the twenty-first?—A new heaven and a new earth. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.22
What is in the twenty-second?—The throne; the river of the water of life; and the saints, who “shall reign forever and ever.” ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.23
Then do you not see that in the twelfth chapter all the following part of the books is wrapped up; and from that chapter we can look right through into the kingdom of God? Bless the Lord. Let us study as never before the book of Revelation. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 356.24
“God’s Sign; Or, Christ in the Sabbath, and the Sabbath in Christ” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 76, 23, p. 360.
ANOTHER ground of objection that Mr. Torrey lays against the Sabbath of the Lord is that it is a sign between God and his people. With much vim he quotes, as a powerful argument against God’s people now keeping the Sabbath, the following blessed texts:— ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.1
“Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” Exodus 31:13. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.2
“It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” Verse 17. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.3
“Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.” Ezekiel 20:12. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.4
And there is another one to the same purpose: “Hallow my Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” Verse 20. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.5
Now that anything that ever was a sign between God and his people, by which they should know that he is the Lord, that he sanctifies men, that he created the heavens and the earth, and that he is the Lord their God; that a thing by which was conveyed and obtained the knowledge of God, which is in itself life eternal,—that anything clothed with all this virtue from God to men, should ever become a thing to be spoken against, and to be despised and rejected, by the very ones who most loudly profess to be the people of God, is indeed most strange. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.6
Is it such an evil thing for men to know the Creator of the heavens and the earth that the very sign which he himself set, by which they might know him, must be denounced and repudiated? ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.7
Is it such a reproachful thing for men to know that the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, is their God, that they must be taught to despise and reject the very sign which the Lord himself set, by which they might know that he is their God? ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.8
Is it such a disgraceful thing for men to know that the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, is their God, and that he is sanctifying them, that they must cast down and trample underfoot the specific sign that God has given that men might know all this? ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.9
The Creator of the heavens and the earth, the God of Israel, is the only true God. It is life eternal to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he has sent. Is the knowledge of God, which is life eternal, such a damage to men that the very thing which he has given by which men may attain to that knowledge of God and of Christ which is life eternal, must be spoken against the avoided as if it were a most destructive thing? ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.10
But, upon all this, Brother Torrey may exclaim that it is carrying things too far to say that the Sabbath is or ever was intended to be a means by which men might know God, and Jesus Christ, whom he has sent. But it is not in any sense carrying things too far. The statement is not in the least extravagant. It is the simple, sober truth. And all may know that it is the truth, who are willing to have the true and full knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ, whom he has sent. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.11
Come, let us candidly study the word. It is written, “Hallow my Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” There is, therefore, that about the Sabbath by which he who hallows it may know not only that the Lord is God, but that the Lord is his God. But to know God is to know not only that he is, but also what he is, for his name is not simply “I AM,” but “I AM THAT I AM,“—I am what I am, I am that which I am,—so that “he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him,“—must believe not only that he is, but also what he is. Therefore as the Sabbath is a sign which God has set by which those who hallow it may know that he is the Lord their God, it follows with perfect certainty that there is in the Sabbath that by which those who hallow it may find the knowledge of God. There is in it that by which he who hallows it may know what God is to the person who believes in him; in other words, the Sabbath is a revelation of God. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.12
This is yet more fully seen in the truth that “no man knoweth... the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” Matthew 11:27. Thus God is known only as he is revealed in Jesus Christ. What God is, is revealed only through Christ, and can be known only in Christ. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.” Christ is therefore and forever “God with us.” ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.13
Now as the Sabbath is God’s sign by which men may know that he is the Lord, and as he is known only as he is revealed in Christ, it is the very certainty of truth that the Sabbath is God’s sign by which those who hallow it may know God as he is revealed in Jesus Christ,—the sign by which men may know what God is to the believer in Jesus. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.14
Again: the Sabbath is God’s sign by which those who hallow it may know that the Lord sanctifies them. But not man can be sanctified except by faith that is in Jesus Christ. Acts 26:18. Therefore as the Sabbath is the Lord’s sign that he sanctifies men, and as men can be sanctified only by faith in Jesus, it is the plain truth that the Sabbath is God’s sign by which men may know the sanctifying power and purity of God, through faith in Jesus Christ. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.15
This is why it is that only the believer can enter into God’s rest in the Sabbath, as it is written, “We which have believed do enter into rest.” And this is why it was that Israel, who did not believe, could not enter into God’s rest; as it is written, “So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.” But “to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Thus faith in Jesus Christ is and always was the object of the Sabbath, and the whole life of Sabbath-keeping. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.16
The Sabbath, then, being the sign of what God in Christ is to the believer, it follows that there must be found in the Sabbath that which is also found in Christ; in other words, the Sabbath being the sign by which men may know that God is the Lord, and as God is known only in Jesus Christ, it follows that in the Sabbath there is the very reflection of Jesus in what he is to the believer; otherwise it could not be such a sign. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.17
Let us, therefore, look at the Sabbath as God made it; and at what the Lord did in the making of it by which it became the Sabbath of the Lord. First, he created all things; then he ceased from his works and rested the seventh day; he then blessed the seventh day, and he made it holy, and sanctified it. The Sabbath, therefore, is— ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.18
1. The reminder of God as Creator: it is the reminder of his creative power manifested; for it is a sign between him and his people forever, because that “in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” Exodus 31:17. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.19
2. In the Sabbath is God’s rest; “for he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, and God did rest from all his works. And in this place again [he spoke of the seventh day in this wise], They shall not enter into my rest.” Hebrews 4:4, 5. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.20
3. In the Sabbath is God’s blessing; for he “blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” Genesis 3:2. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.21
4. In the Sabbath is God’s holiness, for “he hallowed [made holy] the Sabbath day.” But it is only the presence of God which makes anything holy. When Moses, attracted by the curious sight of the bush burning with fire yet not consumed, turned aside and approached to behold, “God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” Exodus 3:4, 5. That place was made holy ground solely by the presence of “him who dwelt in the bush.” Again, when Joshua, near Jericho, beheld “a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand,” and Joshua asked him, “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?” “he said, Nay; but as Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come.... And the Captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy.” Joshua 5:13-15. That which made holy the place whereon Joshua stood, was the presence of the “Captain of the Lord’s host,” who was there. And as it is thus the presence of the Lord which makes holy, that which made holy the seventh day, the Sabbath of the Lord, was the presence of him who rested the seventh day from all his works. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.22
5. The Sabbath has in it God’s sanctification; because he not only blessed the seventh day, but sanctified it,—set it apart unto the holy use and service of the Lord,—that his presence might dwell therein; for it is not merely the transient presence, but the abiding presence, the dwelling of God in a place, which sanctifies; for it is written: “Israel shall be sanctified by my glory;” for “I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.” Exodus 29:43 (margin), 45. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.23
Thus connected with the Sabbath, there is the creative power of God, the rest of God, the blessing of God, the presence of God which makes holy, and the continuing, dwelling, presence of God, which sanctifies. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.24
And all this is precisely, and in order, what is found in Christ by the believer in Jesus; for— ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.25
1. First of all, the believer finds in Jesus the creative power of God manifested in making him a new creature; for, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.26
2. The believer finds in Jesus God’s rest; for, having found in Christ creative power to make him new, he ceases from his own works, as God did from his, and enters into God’s rest in Christ. Hebrews 4:10. Therefore it is written: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:29. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.27
3. The believer finds in Christ God’s blessing: for “God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” Acts 3:26. And “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ... hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things [margin] in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.28
4. The believer finds in Christ the presence of God to make him holy; for it is written: “I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.... At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.... If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him.” John 14:18-23. And “God would make known [“to his saints”] what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.29
5. The believer finds in Christ God’s abiding, dwelling, presence to sanctify him; for it is written: “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him” (John 14:23); and “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15); “For ye are the temple of the living God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 2 Corinthians 6:16. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 360.30
Thus it is plainly seen that in the Sabbath is the very reflection of all that the believer finds in Jesus; and thus it is that the Sabbath is a sign to every one who hallows it, by which he knows that the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, is his God. And so no one can know God except as he is revealed in Jesus Christ; and as the Sabbath has connected with it the suggestion, the reflection, of all that the believer finds in Jesus; it is plainly God’s sign, by which he who hallows it may find the knowledge of God as he is revealed in Christ. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.1
In all this it must also be borne in mind that it was in Christ and by him that God created all things; for, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:1-3. “By him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him.” Colossians 1:16. Thus it was Christ who created all things; it was Christ who rested on the seventh day from all his works; it was Christ who blessed the seventh day because that in it he had rested; it was Christ whose presence made the day holy; and it is the continuing, dwelling, presence of Christ which sanctified, and sanctifies, the seventh day. It was Christ himself, therefore, who connected with the Sabbath of the seventh day that which is the reflection of himself, that which is the expression of what he is to the believer in him, so that whosoever would hallow the Sabbath might know that the Lord, who is known only in Christ, is his God. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.2
A beautiful lesson that shows Christ in the Sabbath and the Sabbath in Christ, is found in the ancient sanctuary. There was the table of showbread, upon which were placed, at the beginning of every Sabbath, twelve fresh-baked cakes. Those cakes remained there until the beginning of the next Sabbath, when they were replaced by the fresh bread. Thus at the beginning of every Sabbath the bread was renewed. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.3
Now the term “showbread” is literally “bread of the presence,” and signified Christ, “the true bread which came down from heaven.” This bread of the presence therefore signified the presence of Christ with the whole people—the twelve tribes—of Israel. The bread’s being always there, signified the presence of Christ always with his people. But this bread of the presence was always there only by being renewed, and it was renewed every Sabbath. And thus God would teach the people then, and now, and forevermore, that his presence in Christ is renewed to the believer every Sabbath. When the Sabbath is past, however, his presence still abides through all the days of the week until the next Sabbath, when it is renewed. And thus is fulfilled the scripture, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” Exodus 33:14. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.4
Thus the true believer in Jesus, and the true observer of the Sabbath, is ever growing in the knowledge of God as he is revealed in Christ; and thus the Sabbath is a sign by which he knows that the Lord is his God, and that by his abiding presence he sanctifies him. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.5
It is so also with the blessing of God in the Sabbath. When on the sixth day God made the man, “God blessed them.” Genesis 1:28. Then came the seventh day, in which God rested, and “God blessed the seventh day.” Genesis 2:3. Thus both the man and the seventh day were blessed. The man was blessed before the day was blessed. Then when that blessed man came to that blessed day, he found additional blessing; and each succeeding Sabbath he found yet additional blessing. And had he remained faithful, it would ever have been the blessed man coming each Sabbath to the blessed day; and so he would ever have grown in the knowledge of God. And so it is to-day with every soul whom God has blessed in turning him away from his iniquities, and who hallows God’s blessed Sabbath day: every time this blessed man comes to that blessed day, he receives additional blessing, and so is ever growing in the knowledge of God. And thus, whether before man sinned, or since he sinned, the Sabbath has ever been, and is still, and will ever be, God’s sign, by which he who hallows it may know that the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is his God; and may know what God is, as he is revealed in Jesus Christ, whether in creation or in redemption. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.6
And what shall we more say? The time would fail us to tell all of God’s blessed Sabbath. The Sabbath, truly understood, means all of Christ; and Christ, truly understood, means all of the Sabbath. And neither can be truly understood without the other. The Sabbath is God’s sign, and Christ is God’s sign. Christ is God’s sign spoken against, and the Sabbath is God’s sign spoken against; and all, “that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34, 35. Yet ever he is indeed “the glorious Lord” (Isaiah 33:21); and ever “his rest,” his Sabbath, is indeed “glorious.” Isaiah 11:10. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.7
“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.... For we which have believed do enter into rest.” “And hallow my Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.8
“Editorial” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 76, 23, p. 361.
THE latter half of the book of Revelation is very strangely divided into chapters, in the common version of the Bible; in fact, if these chapter-divisions are regarded, the most important point is lost from each subject. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.1
Notice: In the thirteenth chapter are given the beast and his image, and their wrath against the remnant; but the division of the chapter where it is divided spoils much, because it entirely cuts off the record of victory. The thirteenth chapter closes with the beast and his image pouring out their united wrath upon all who will not worship them. But as God gave it, the story goes right on, saying, “And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.” Thus the Lord gives us not only the beast and the image, but also the victory of the faithful, over them. And the fifth verse of the fourteenth chapter shows these faithful ones “without fault before the throne of God.” ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.2
At the sixth verse of the fourteenth chapter, begins another view of the same subject, which really ends only in the fifteenth chapter, as the victors over the beast and his image stand on Mount Zion, having the harps of God, and singing the song of Moses and the Lamb; but which, by the unfortunate division of the chapter, is made to end so as to disconnect from the contest all record of the victory of the faithful. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.3
Then the rest of the fifteenth chapter, and the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth chapters give the plagues and the judgments upon great Babylon; and again the true culmination is lost by separating the victory of the faithful, setting it over in the nineteenth chapter—“a great voice of much people in heaven, ... saying, Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.4
Next, at the eleventh verse of the nineteenth chapter, is begun the account of the coming of the Lord with the armies of heaven, and the destruction of the kings of the earth and their armies, and of the beast and the false prophet; the binding of Satan, and the triumph of the saints in the first resurrection, and their sitting on thrones of judgment. Yet the direct and interesting connection is broken by the division of the twentieth chapter where it is. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.5
Then come the thousand years, then the resurrection of the wicked, the judgment of Satan and all the wicked, and their destruction in the lake of fire; and then the new heaven and the new earth, and the triumph of all the saints in the new earth and in the New Jerusalem and in the presence of God forevermore. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.6
Thus the first half of the book of Revelation, by three separate accounts, brings us to the time of the beast and his image; and the remaining portion of the book sketches a series of contests of the beast and his image with the people of God; yet out of the contest come the people of God in triumph every time. Bless the Lord. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.7
“Editorial Note” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 76, 23, p. 361.
IN Bellevue Hospital, New York, May 26, there died a man who was a tea sot; that is, by the use of tea he brought himself to the same point that others do by the use of whisky. “He contracted the tea-habit when a child, and finally drank thirty or forty cups a day.” And “the primary cause of his death” was decided by the physicians to have been “due to tea-poisoning.” Anything with which a man can poison himself to death is poison in whatever quantity it may be taken; and therefore is not fit to use at all. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 361.1
“Back Page” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 76, 23, p. 368.
WE still receive reports of our brethren being damaged by impostors representing themselves as Seventh-day Adventists. This need not be at all; and for several reasons: First, if a man needs nothing, you are not required to give him anything. If he needs victuals or shelter, you never can be damaged by giving it to him; for such hospitality is due to every soul that comes your way. If he needs clothes to cover his nakedness or to keep him warm, it is the same way. But NEVER give money to a stranger, whatever his plea may be. If he needs, and you should give him, that for which money must be spent, be sure that you spend the money yourself in giving him what he needs; but do not give to him the money. If he says that he needs clothing, your own eyes can help you to decide whether he is speaking the truth; and if it is really so, you can not be defrauded in giving him what he really needs, even if you should choose to buy it, and give it to him. If it be in a city, and he says he needs victuals, step into a restaurant, and give to the clerk what you choose to give, and the man will get his victuals all right, and often he will get more than he would have got it he had paid the money. We know this, for we have had experience. And so long as you give to persons just what they need, and never give money to a stranger at all, you can not be defrauded by any transient that comes along, even if he be a bogus Seventh-day Adventist. ARSH June 6, 1899, page 368.1