,,quiet ,,talks            ,,on ,,the   
,,crowned         ,christ of ,revelation
                  ,,by             ,s4  
,d4 ,,gordon               ,author of   
,quiet ,talks on ,power1       ,quiet   
,talks on ,prayer1 ,quiet ,talks about  
,our ,lord's ,return                    
,illustration       ,,chicago  ,,new    
,,york  ,,toronto      ,,fleming ,h4    
,,revell ,,company        ,,london ,,and
 ,,edinburgh              ,,copyright1  
#aiad1 ,,by        ,,fleming ,h4        
,,revell ,,company       ,new ,york3    
#aeh ,fifth ,avenue      ,chicago3 #ag  
,north ,wabash ,ave4      ,london3 #ba  
,paternoster ,square      ,edinburgh3   
#ge ,princes ,street     ,,preface      
,crowning the ,christ is an intensely   
practical thing1 whether taken in the   
personal sense or the world sense4 ,he  
has been crowned in the upper world4    
,with wondrous patience and graciousness
 ,he pleads for the personal crowning in
 our lives4 ,some day--no one knows just
 when--,he will begin to act as the     

crowned ,christ in all the affairs of   
our earth4  ,the initiative of all      
action to-day on the earth is in man's  
hands4 ,some day the initiative of      
governing action on the earth will be in
 the hands of the crowned ,christ1 even 
while the personal initiative of each   
man's life will still be in his own     
hands4  ,god is intensely practical4    
,jesus was never concerned about        
speculation nor mere discussion2 ,he was
 too intent on helping people4 ,the     
,bible is wholly a practical book4 ,it  
is concerned only with helping us4 ,it  
does not tell us all the truth there is2
 we shall be constantly learning more in
 the future life4 ,but it does tell us  
all we need to know now4 ,and its       
purpose in telling us what it does is   
wholly practical1--to urge us to right  
choice1 and to lives that square with   
the choice4 ,this is the purpose that   
decided just what truth should be told  
in the ,book4  ,there is one book of the
 sixty-six devoted wholly to this       

subject of the crowned ,christ1--,the   
,revelation of ,john4 ,every one of     
these books touches ,him at some angle1 
and finds its deepest meaning in what   
,he was to do and did do1 and yields up 
its secrets only under the touch of ,his
 hand4 ,but this book1 the closing and  
climax of all1 the knot in the end of   
the inspired thread1 this deals wholly  
with the action of the crowned ,christ4 
,no book of the sixty-six has seemed so 
much like a riddle and set so many      
a-guessing4 ,and without doubt much of  
its meaning will be clear only as events
 work themselves out4 ,events will prove
 the only expositor of much4 ,but it is 
with the deep conviction that this is   
wholly a practical book1 written wholly 
from a practical point of view1 and     
concerned wholly with our practical     
daily lives1 that ,i have ventured to   
take it up in this series of simple1    
wholly practical1 ,quiet ,talks4 ,and it
 is only this side of its teachings that
 will be dealt with here4 ,the ,book is 

a street leading into the true          
overcoming life the ,master would woo us
 to4  ,it is only after many years'     
study of this ,book of the ,revelation1 
and a special study the past three years
 and a little more1 that ,i have        
ventured to put these talks together4   
,and now they are sent out with the     
earnest humble prayer that others may   
find some little practical help in      
prayerfully reading1 as ,i have found   
much in prayerfully studying1 under the 
,master's gracious faithful touch4      
,,contents   ,i4   ,,the ,,christ       
,,crowned1 ,,the ,,fact               #i
  ,,ii4  ,,the ,,crown ,,book           
#ci  ,,iii4 ,a ,,sight ,,of ,,the       
,,crowned ,,christ             #fc      
,,iv4  ,a ,,message ,,from ,,the        
,,crowned ,,christ         #ig  ,v4     
,,an ,,advance ,,step ,,in ,,the ,,royal
 ,,programme   #abg  ,,vi4 ,a           
,,clearing-,,up ,,storm ,,in ,,the      
,,realm          #aea  ,,vii4 ,,the     
,,crowned ,,christ ,,reigning           

#bae  ,,viii4 ,,watching ,,the ,,horizon
                    #bce     ,i4--,,the 
,,christ ,,crowned1 ,,the ,,fact        
,when ,god sought a ,king for ,his      
people of old1    ,he went to the fields
 to find him2  ,a shepherd was he1 with 
his crook and his lute    ,and a        
following flock behind him4   ,o love of
 the sheep1 ,o joy of the lute1    ,and 
the sling and the stone for battle2  ,a 
shepherd was ,king1 the giant was       
naught1    ,and the enemy driven like   
cattle4   ,when ,god looked to tell of  
,his good will to men1    ,and the      
,shepherd-,king's son whom ,he gave     
them2  ,to shepherds1 made meek a-caring
 for sheep1    ,he told of a ,christ    
sent to save them4   ,o love of the     
sheep1 ,o watch in the night1    ,and   
the glory1 the message1 the choir2      
',twas shepherds who saw their ,king in 
the straw1    ,and returned with their  
hearts all on fire4   ,when ,christ     
thought to tell of ,his love to the     
world    ,he said to the throng before  

him1  ',the ,good ,shepherd giveth ,his 
life for the sheep--'    ,and away to   
the cross they bore ,him4   ,o love of  
the sheep1 ,o blood sweat of prayer1    
,o man on the cross1 ,god-forsaken2  ,a 
shepherd has gone to defend all alone   
,the sheepfold by death overtaken4      
,when ,god sought a ,king for ,his      
people1 for aye1    ,he went to the     
grave to find him2  ,and a shepherd came
 back1 ,death dead in ,his grasp1       
,and a following flock behind ,him4   ,o
 love of the sheep1 ,o life from the    
dead1    ,o strength of the faint and   
the fearing2  ,a shepherd is ,king1 and 
,his ,kingdom will come4    ,and the day
 of ,his coming is nearing4#a           
,coronation ,gift4  ,christ is crowned4 
,not in any vague far-fetched meaning1  
but in the plain common-sense meaning of
 the word1 ,he is crowned4  ,for crowned
 means put in the place of highest      
power1 with full right to exercise that 
power at will4 ,and when the crucified  
,jesus went up that ,olivet day1 before 

the astonished eyes of the disciples1   
into the sightless blue1 on the cloud1  
,he was received in the upper world by  
the ,father4 ,and ,he was lifted up into
 the place of highest honour and        
greatest power4 ,he sat down at the     
right hand of the ,father4#b  ,he had   
said it would be so4 ,breathing the air 
thick with bitter hate on the night of  
,his trial1 ,he had quietly said to the 
,jewish rulers that even so it would be1
 bringing at once about ,his person the 
bursting of the storm of hate4#c ,now   
,his unfaltering trust in ,his ,father  
has its sweet reward4  ,the ,holy       
,spirit poured out on ,pentecost1 the   
birthday of the ,church1 was the gift of
 the crowned ,christ4 ,the rushing sound
 as of a mighty wind that filled all the
 house1 the tongues of flame plainly    
seen1 the bold talking to the crowds of 
foreign ,jews of ,god's mighty power1   
the faithful witnessing about the       
crucified ,jesus in the city that       
hounded ,him to death1 the convinced    

crowds openly declaring at the peril of 
their lives their belief in the despised
 ,jesus1 the strangely rare             
unselfishness even in money matters1 and
 the winsome graciousness of spirit that
 marked1 not only the inner circle1 but 
these greatly increased crowds1--all    
this said one thing in clear            
unanswerable tones of unmistakable      
power1 ,christ is crowned4#d ,for the   
sending down of the ,holy ,spirit was   
the act of the crowned ,christ4  ,and   
every touch of the ,holy ,spirit's      
presence within trusting hearts1--the   
sweet peace1 the quiet assurance1 the   
longing for purity1 the drawing away to 
prayer1 the hunger for ,god's ,word1 the
 intense desire to have others saved1   
the passion to please this wondrous ,god
 of ours1--all these simple marks of the
 ,holy ,spirit's presence in our hearts1
 all tell us1 and each tells us1 in     
unmistakable tones1 that ,christ is     
crowned4 ,for this wondrous ,spirit     
within is the gift of the crowned       

,christ4  ,when ,jesus went up from the 
earth1 holding as ,his sure captive the 
captivity of suffering and death to     
which ,he had with such great strength  
yielded1 ,he received gifts1 coronation 
gifts4 ,the ,father gave ,him all4 ,he  
gave ,him the disposal and control of   
all4 ,this was the crowning4  ,and in   
,his great out-reaching love ,christ    
received these gifts on behalf of men1  
,his blood brothers4 ,and at once ,he   
gave to men1 to ,his trusting disciples1
 the all-inclusive gift1 the ,holy      
,spirit1 ,his coronation gift4#e ,so    
,god came anew to dwell with men as     
originally planned4  ,this blessed      
,presence within tells me1 by ,his mere 
presence1 that ,christ is crowned4  ,the
 writers of the ,new ,testament make a  
chorus of sweet music on this chord1    
ringing out in clear tones the full     
notes of delight and joy4 ,luke's simple
 narrative sounds the note four times4  
,paul swells it out with a joyous       
fulness that grows in volume and        

intensity as his narrowing prison walls 
shut out more and more the lower lights1
 and centres his upward gaze upon       
,jesus1 far above all rule1 and         
authority1 and power1 and dominion1 and 
every name that is named1 with all      
things in subjection under ,his feet4#f 
,john's special companion and working   
partner1 ,peter1 makes this note blend  
with and dominate the minor chord of    
suffering for ,christ's sake4#g  ,the   
,christian ,hebrew who wrote so         
eloquently to his fellow-countrymen of  
the immense superiority of ,jesus and so
 modestly withheld his own name1 strikes
 this note five times with strong1 clear
 touch4#h ,he quotes that ,eighth       
,psalm1 which so wonderfully gives      
,god's own ideal for man's mastery over 
all creation4 ,and then he tells us that
 in ,jesus the ideal will yet be fully  
realized4 ,and that while the whole plan
 has not yet fully worked out as it     
will1 yet even now we see the ,jesus who
 tasted death for every one1 crowned    

with glory and honour as part of the    
plan which ,he carried out in suffering 
the extreme suffering of death4  ,and   
our ,lord ,jesus ,himself1 talking out  
of the glory to the man who was ,his    
bosom companion on earth1 reserves as   
,his last tender plea to us to live the 
overcoming life this--he that overcometh
 ,i will give him to sit down with me in
 my throne as ,i also overcame and sat  
down with my ,father on ,his throne4#i  
,and so we find out just what this word 
crowned means4 ,jesus was received in   
the upper world1 exalted1 glorified1    
made to sit down at the ,father's right 
hand1 put far above all rule and        
authority1 with a name greater in the   
sweep of its power than any other1 and  
with all things put in absolute         
subjection under ,his feet4 ,this is the
 simple1 direct meaning of the          
sentence--,christ is crowned4  ,what a  
contrast the two faces of that glory    
cloud saw6 ,the face looking down1 and  
the face looking up6 ,the one--the      

downward face--looked upon a cross1 a   
,man hanging there with a mocking crown 
of thorns without and a breaking heart  
within1 scowling priests1 jeering       
crowds1 deserting disciples1 sneering   
soldiers1 weeping women1 heart-broken   
friends1 a horror of darkness1 a        
cave-tomb under imperial seal1 and      
blackest night settling down over all4  
,the other--the upward face--looked upon
 a great burst of the upper glory1 the  
countless angels singing swelling songs 
of worship1 the wondrous winged         
cherubim1 the redeemed hosts from ,eden 
days on reverently bowing and exultantly
 singing1 the exquisitely               
soft-green-rainbow-circled throne1 the  
,father's face1 once hidden1 but to be  
hidden now never again1 the shared seat 
on the ,father's throne1--what a        
contrast6  ,here crucified--there       
crowned4 ,crucified on earth1 one of the
 smaller globes of the universe4 ,on the
 throne of the whole universe of        
globes--crowned6 ,from the lowest depth 

to the one extreme height4 ,from hate's 
worst to ,love's best4 ,from love poured
 out for men to love enthroned for those
 same men2 love triumphant each time1 on
 cross and on throne4 ,what a contrast6 
,what a coronation6 ,what a welcome home
 to a throne6   ,the ,music of a ,name4 
,it is most intensely interesting to    
recall that1 of course1 this is just    
what the very word ,christ means1--the  
,crowned ,one4 ,we sometimes get so used
 to a word that it is easy to forget its
 real meaning4 ,the word ,christ has    
been used so generally for so many      
centuries as a name that we forget that 
originally it was a title1 and not a    
name4  ,and it still is a title1 though 
used chiefly as a name4 ,some day the   
title-meaning will overlap the          
name-meaning4 ,we may never cease       
thinking of it as a name1 but there is a
 time coming when events will make the  
title-meaning so big as to clear        
over-shadow our thought and use of it as
 a name4  ,it helps to recall the       

distinctive meaning of the words we use 
for ,him who walked amongst1 and was one
 of us4 ,jesus is ,his name4 ,it belongs
 to the man4 ,it belongs peculiarly to  
the thirty-three years and a bit more   
that ,he was here1 even though not      
exclusively used in that way in the     
,book4  ,there's a rare threefold       
sweetness of meaning in that            
five-lettered name4 ,there is the       
meaning of the old word lying within the
 name1 before it became a name1 victory1
 victor1 saviour-victor1                
,jehovah-victor4 ,there is the swing and
 rhythm and murmur of music1 glad joyous
 music1 in its very beginnings as a     
common word4  ,then it has come to stand
 wholly for a personality1 the rarely   
gentle1 winsome1 strong personality of  
the ,man of ,bethlehem and ,nazareth1   
and of those crowded service-days4 ,and 
every memory of ,his personality        
sweetens and enriches the music in the  
old word4  ,and then the deepest        
significance1 the richest rhythm1 the   

sweetest melody1 come from the meaning  
,his experiences1 ,his life1 pressed    
into it4 ,the sympathy1 the suffering1  
the wilderness1 the ,cross1 the         
,resurrection1 all the experiences ,he  
went through1 these give to this        
victory-word1 ,jesus1 a meaning unknown 
before4 ,they put the name ,jesus       
actually above every name in the        
experiences of tense conflict and       
sweeping victory it stands for4 ,this   
threefold chording makes music never to 
be broken nor forgotten4   ,there is no 
name so sweet on earth1    ,no name so  
sweet in heaven1  ,the name before ,his 
wondrous birth1    ,to ,christ the      
,saviour given4  ,lord is a title1 of   
course4 ,it was used of one who was a   
proprietor1 an owner1 or a master4 ,it  
was commonly used as a title of honour  
for one in superior position1 as a      
leader or teacher4 ,in speaking of      
,jesus it is coupled with the title     
,christ as an interchangeable word1#aj  
as well as an additional title4 ,but    

peculiarly it is the personal title     
given ,jesus by one who takes ,him as   
his own personal ,master1#aa while it   
still retains its broader meaning4  ,but
 ,christ is peculiarly the official     
title of ,jesus4 ,there is only one     
,christ4 ,lord is used of men4 ,it is   
used of both the ,father and the ,holy  
,spirit1 as well as of ,jesus4 ,but the 
name ,christ is used of only one person1
 and can mean only that one4 ,there     
could be only one ,christ4  ,the word or
 its equivalent was used occasionally in
 the ,old ,testament in a narrowed sense
 for the ,king of ,israel1 who is       
reverently spoken of as the ,lord's     
anointed1 that is1 ,god's ,messiah or   
,christ4#ab  ,but the one common thought
 of it among the ,hebrew people1 growing
 ever intenser as the ,old ,testament   
period merges into the time of the ,new1
 was that there was one coming1 the     
,messiah1 the ,christ1 ,god's chosen1   
the one anointed and empowered1 to be   
their ,deliverer4 ,the one question that

 sets all hearts a-flutter about the    
rugged ,john of the deserts was this3   
,is he the ,christ8#ac ,in their thought
 there was only one to whom the title   
belonged4  ,and even so it is4 ,christ  
is the official title of the ,one       
,chosen and anointed by ,god to be ruler
 over ,his ,hebrew people1 and over all 
the race1 and the earth1 and the        
universe1--,god's ,king1 to reign until 
all have been brought into full         
allegiance to the great loving          
,father4#ad ,the ,christ is the ,crowned
 ,one1 ,god's ,crowned ,one4 ,the very  
word ,christ tells that ,christ is      
crowned4   ,our ,great ,kinsman4  ,there
 is an intensely interesting question   
that crowds its way in here1 and it     
proves an immensely practical question1 
too4 ,why was ,christ crowned8 ,we can  
say at once that this was ,his due4 ,he 
was given that which belonged to ,him in
 good right4 ,he was reinstated in ,his 
former position1 with all the power and 
glory that were ,his before ,his errand 

to the earth4#ae  ,then too this was    
,his vindication after the shameful     
treatment of earth4 ,before the eyes of 
all the upper world1 both loyal and     
disloyal eyes1 this man whom earth      
hounded so shamelessly is vindicated2   
,he is set right by the ,father4#af     
,but there is yet more than this4 ,it is
 a more of a sort that concerns us very 
closely1 and it sets one's heart        
a-beating a bit faster4 ,this crowning  
was part of a plan1 a plan of which our 
earth is the centre4 ,it was the second 
great part of a plan of which the       
suffering and dying were the first great
 part4 ,both were for the sake of us men
 and our earth-home1 and the lower      
creation4  ,this is the thing being     
emphasized in the second great paragraph
 of the ,hebrews4#ag ,man was made the  
under-master of the earth and of the    
lower creation1 but lost1 weakly        
surrendered1 his place of mastery4 ,the 
new ,man came to recover for man what   
had been lost and to realize this       

original lost plan4  ,and so ,he became 
our brother1 sharer of our flesh and    
blood1 tempted like as we1 perfected in 
,his human character by the experiences 
,he went through1 then tasted to the    
bitter dregs the death that belongs to  
our sin4 ,and then following that1 ,he  
was crowned with glory and honour4 ,and 
so ,he rises to the place of mastery    
over all that belongs to perfect man4   
,so ,he brings all creation into the    
glad subjection which is its natural    
happy state4 ,it is for earth's sake1   
for the race's sake1 and for the sake of
 our faithful companions and servants1  
the whole lower creation1 that ,christ  
has been crowned4  ,we think more about 
the personal meaning to ourselves of    
,his having died and risen again4 ,we   
need to remember1 too1 this broader     
meaning4 ,the dying and rising secures  
our salvation personally4 ,the crowning 
and the reigning will work out the      
redemption of all nature and of the     
lower creation1#ah and this in turn will

 mean much for men living on the earth  
in the ,kingdom time1 and for the race  
as a race4  ,this leads at once to      
another question that presses in4 ,what 
is the domain of the crowned ,christ8   
,if we take the crowning in the common  
meaning of that word1 it means that     
there is some domain that ,christ rules 
over4 ,what is it that ,he is crowned   
over8  ,and the answer is so sweeping as
 to seem far-away and dreamy to us who  
are living on this sin-hurt earth4 ,he  
is the crowned ,ruler of the whole      
created universe and all intelligent    
beings in it4 ,he has been placed over  
absolutely every rule and authority and 
power and dominion1 and not only in this
 present age but in the coming age4#ai  
,there is simply no limit in extent to  
,his domain4 ,everything has been placed
 in subjection to ,him and is now       
subject to ,his word1 and ,his alone4   
,there is a striking passage in         
,philippians that fits in here4#bj ,in  
speaking of the exaltation of ,jesus    

,christ1 ,paul is careful to explain    
particularly that every knee would bow1 
in the heavens1 and1 on the earth1 and  
under the earth or in the world below4  
,this threefold division is very        
striking4 ,the heaven things are        
understood at once1 and things of the   
earth sphere4 ,but there is a third     
world to be taken into account1 that    
strange uncanny world of evil spirit    
beings in rebellion against ,god's      
authority4 ,it is spoken of repeatedly  
as principalities and powers1 indicating
 numbers and organization1 dignity1 and 
power4#ba ,all of this is included in   
what has been placed under ,christ's    
authority4#bb   ,is ,christ ,reigning   
,now8  ,but there is still another      
question that has been impatiently      
pushing underneath for some time4 ,and  
it also is an intensely practical one4  
,does this mean that ,christ is actually
 ruling now over this domain of ,his8   
,how about the affairs on the earth8    
,are all things here subject to ,him8   

,is this the way ,he would have things  
go8 ,and some of us think the evil      
spirits seem pretty free in their       
movements4 ,this present order of things
 that we are living in the thick of1 is 
this the reign of the crowned ,christ8  
,and some of us feel the stress of      
things so much that we can scarce keep  
patient for a thoughtful poised answer  
to our questions4  ,there are those1 and
 good earnest folk they are1 too1 who   
tell us that ,christ has come1 and is   
constantly coming1 more and more1 into  
our common life4 ,the higher ideals that
 are crowding for expression1 the more  
spiritual conceptions of man and his    
brotherly relations1 the constant       
striving toward better civilization1 the
 bettering of the condition of the poor 
and less fortunate1 the increased       
recognition of men's rights in the      
complex industrial world1 the increasing
 effort to correct evils by legislation1
 the great moral reforms that are       
sweeping aside the awful liquor curse1  

and loosening women's bonds1 and        
safeguarding young womanhood and        
children1 the newer aggressiveness in   
the missionary propaganda and in much of
 the activity of the ,church1 even the  
attempt to humanize and civilize the    
warfare that in itself is stupidly      
savage and utterly inhuman1--is not all 
this a coming of ,christ and of the     
,christ-spirit into our common life8    
many ask4  ,and there is only one answer
 to such questions1 a strong emphatic   
yes4 ,it surely is the ,christ-spirit   
that moves in all of this4 ,this is a   
coming of ,christ2 and a blessed coming1
 too4 ,there was nothing of this sort   
before the ,christ-spirit began to      
sweeten the world's life4 ,and there is 
none of it to-day except in those parts 
of the world where the ,christ-spirit   
influences life4  ,but--there's a       
but--it proves a blessed but2 this is   
only a crumb or two falling from a      
loaded table4 ,and he who judges ,christ
 by these crumbs only1 wholesome and    

toothsome as they are1 will have a very 
skimpy conception of ,christ4  ,all of  
this sort of thing that has come has    
come very slowly4 ,it has had to fight  
through and in1 every step of the way   
that it has come4 ,its coming has been  
opposed stubbornly1 maliciously1        
viciously every inch of the road1 as    
only those know who are in the thick of 
the struggle for these reforms1 panting 
for breath sometimes4  ,it is as though 
a few whiffs of wholesome life-giving   
air have breathed through the cracks and
 crevices of the breastworks and        
fortifications of evil in which all our 
common life seems entrenched4 ,but the  
fortifications are still there4 ,if the 
sweet1 wholesome breathing in through   
cracks and crannies has been so blest1  
what would it be if the forces of evil  
were clean removed from the scene1 and  
the ,christ-spirit became the whole     
atmosphere breathed fully and freely    
without restraint1 with no bad draughts1
 and no counter currents to guard and   

fight against8  ,it would seem like a   
strange sort of a kingdom if the present
 is even a gradual coming in of the     
,kingdom4 ,we would seem to be having a 
new1 strange sort of a ,christ if the   
present is a sample of ,his sort of     
reigning4 ,for it may well be           
thoughtfully doubted if ever there was  
such a condition of feverish unrest in  
all parts of the world as to-day4  ,it  
is most difficult to put your finger on 
a single spot of the world-map that is  
not being torn and uptorn by unrest in  
one shape or another4 ,either actual    
war1 or constant studious preparation   
for war1 actually never ceases4 ,and it 
is difficult to say which is the worse  
of the two4 ,the actual war reveals more
 terribly to our eyes and ears the awful
 cost in treasure and in precious human 
blood spilled without stint4 ,the       
never-ceasing preparation for war seems 
actually to cost more4 ,in the immense  
treasure involved1 and in blood too1    
given out1 not on an occasional         

battlefield1 but in the continual battle
 of daily life to meet the terrible     
drain of taxation1 it costs immensely   
more4 ,there is less of the tragic for  
the news headings1 but not a whit less1 
rather much more1 in the slow suffering1
 the pinched lives1 and the awful       
temptations to barter character for     
bread4  ,then there is the continual    
seething unrest in the industrial world2
 the protests sometimes so strange and  
startling against social and political  
conditions2 the feverish greed for gold1
 and land1 and position2 the intense    
pace of all our modern life2 the        
abandonment of home and home ideals2 the
 terrific attack against our young      
womanhood4 ,the political pot which     
gathers into itself all these things1   
never quits boiling or boiling over1 in 
some part of the world1 now here1 now   
there4 ,and it seems like the greatest  
achievement of diplomacy when here and  
there it can be kept from boiling clean 
over1 or at least made to boil over     

less4  ,it would seem indeed like a     
queer sort of kingdom if this is a      
sample4 ,some of us would have less     
heart in repeating one petition of the  
old daily prayer4 ,and ,christ would    
seem to have quite changed ,his spirit  
and character if this is a result of    
,his coming4   ,the ,greatness of       
,patience4  ,and the great simple truth 
is this1 the truth that in the strange  
mix-up of life we easily lose sight of  
is this3 ,christ has not yet taken      
possession of all of ,his domain2 a part
 of it still remains to be possessed4   
,we see not yet all things subjected to 
,him4#bc ,we are living in the not-yet  
interval between the crowning and the   
actual reigning4 ,we are living on the  
not-yet possessed part of ,his domain4  
,and the question that comes hot and    
quick from our lips1 even though with an
 attempt at subdued reverence1 is this3 
,why does ,he not take possession1 and  
untangle the snarl1 and right the       
wrongs1 and bring in the true rational  

order of things8 ,and all the long      
waiting1 the soreness of hearts over the
 part that touches one's own life most  
closely1 the shortness of breath in the 
tensity of the struggle1 underscore that
 word why8  ,and the answer to the      
impatient question reveals all afresh   
the greatness of the love of our        
,christ4 ,his greatness is shown most in
 ,his patience4 ,but patience is one of 
the things we men on this old earth     
don't know4 ,it's one of the unknown    
quantities to us4 ,it can be known only 
by knowing ,god4 ,for patience is love  
at its best4 ,patience is ,god at ,his  
best4 ,his is the patience that sees    
all1 and feels all with the tender heart
 that broke once under the load1 and yet
 waits1 steadily waits1 and then waits  
just a bit longer4  ,in this ,he runs   
the risk of being misunderstood4 ,men in
 their stupidity constantly mistake     
strong patience for weakness or         
indifference or lack of a gripping      
purpose4 ,and ,god is misunderstood in  

this1 even by ,his trusting children4   
,but1 even so1 the object to be gained  
is so great1 and so near ,christ's heart
 that ,he waits1 strongly waits with a  
patience beyond our comprehension2 waits
 just a bit longer1 always just a bit   
longer4  ,there are two parts to the    
answer4 ,jesus the ,christ is giving man
 the fullest opportunity4 ,he never     
interferes with man's right of free     
choice4 ,man is free to do as he        
chooses4 ,every possible means is used  
to influence him to choose right1 but   
the choice itself is always left to the 
man4 ,the present is man's opportunity4 
,the initiative of action on the earth  
is altogether in man's hand4 ,all of    
,god's power is at man's disposal2 but  
man must reach out and take4 ,this long 
stretched but waiting time is for man's 
sake1 that he may have fullest          
opportunity4 ,the longsuffering of ,god 
would woo men4#bd  ,when at length      
opportunity comes to its end it will be 
only because things have gotten into    

such desperate shape1 into such an awful
 fix1 that at length for man's sake     
,christ will step into the direct action
 of the earth once again4 ,he will take 
the leadership of earth into ,his own   
hands1 even while still leaving each man
 free in his individual choice4 ,this is
 the first part of the answer4 ,the     
waiting is that man may have fullest    
opportunity4  ,then ,christ has a great 
hunger for willing hearts4 ,no words are
 strong enough to tell ,his longing for 
a free1 glad1 joyous surrender to ,his  
mastery4 ,he could so easily end the    
present conflict1 but ,he waits that men
 may bring to ,him the allegiance of    
their lives1 given of their own glad1   
gracious1 voluntary accord4 ,he was a   
volunteer ,saviour4 ,he longs for that  
love that is the bubbling out of a free1
 full heart4  ,the best love is only    
given freely without any compulsion of  
any sort1 save only love's sweet        
compelling4 ,he wants what ,he          
gives--the best4 ,and so ,he waits1     

patiently waits just a bit longer4 ,this
 is the second bit of the answer4 ,the  
long delay spells out the hunger as well
 as the patience of ,god's heart4 ,the  
divine ,husbandman is patiently waiting1
 and sending warm sun and soft rains and
 fragrant dews while waiting4#be   ,the 
,husbandman waiteth--    ,the           
,husbandman8 ,why8  ,for the heart of   
one servant    ,who hears not ,his cry4 
,the ,husbandman waiteth--    ,he       
waiteth8 ,what for8  ,for the heart of  
one servant    ,to love ,him yet more4  
,the ,husbandman waiteth--    ,long     
patience hath ,he--  ,but ,he waiteth in
 hunger--    ,oh6 ,is it for thee8#bf   
,taking with ,your ,life4  ,but--ah6    
listen1 there's a wonderful but to put  
in here4 ,but1 while waiting ,he puts   
all ,his limitless power at our         
disposal4 ,if that simple sentence could
 be put into letters of living flame1   
its tremendous meaning might burn into  
our hearts4 ,when ,paul piled up phrase 
on phrase in his eager attempt to have  

his ,asiatic friends in and around      
,ephesus take in the limitless power of 
the ascended ,christ1 he added the      
significant words1 to the ,church4#bg   
,all that power is for the use1 and at  
the disposal1 of the ,church4  ,the     
,church was meant to be a unit in spirit
 in loyalty to her absent ,lord1 wholly 
under the dominating touch of the ,holy 
,spirit1 not only in her official       
actions1 but in the lives of the        
individual members4 ,if she were so1 no 
human imagination could take in the     
startling1 revolutionary power1 softly1 
subtly1 but with resistless sweep1      
flowing down from the crowned ,christ1  
among grateful men4  ,not being such a  
unit it is not possible that that power 
shall be as great in manifestation as   
was planned and meant4 ,for no          
individual nor group can ever take the  
place in action of the whole unified    
body of believers1 acting as a channel  
for the power of the crowned ,christ4   
,that power shall be realized on the    

earth only when the ,church is so       
unified1 and at work1 under the reigning
 ,christ1 from the new headquarters up  
in the heavens4  ,but meanwhile all of  
that power is at the disposal of any    
disciple of ,christ--the humblest--who  
will simply live in full-faced touch    
with ,christ1 and who will take of that 
power as the need comes1 and as the     
sovereign ,holy ,spirit leads4  ,it is  
of this1 this personal taking1 that     
,paul is speaking when he piles up that 
intense sentence3 able to do exceeding  
abundantly above all that we ask or     
think according to the power that       
worketh in us4#bh ,the great bother in  
,paul's day and ever since1 and now1 is 
to get people to take4 ,the power is    
fairly a-tremble in the air at our very 
finger-tips4 ,and we go limping1        
crutching along both bodily and mentally
 and in our spiritual leanness4  ,those 
tremendous words of ,jesus1 because ,i  
go unto the ,father1 with the whole     
passage in which they occur1#bi must be 

read in the light shining from the      
throne4 ,only so can they be understood4
 ,but then1 so read1 they begin to grip 
us1 and grip us hard1 as we see what ,he
 really meant and means4  ,he who has   
the warm1 child-like touch of heart with
 ,jesus1 that the word believeth stands 
for1 shall--as the ,holy ,spirit has    
full control--do the same works as      
,jesus did1 same in kind and in degree1 
and then shall do even greater than     
,jesus ever did4 ,because it is now the 
glorified crowned ,christ who is doing  
them through some child of ,his1        
simple-hearted enough to let ,him have  
full control4  ,and the means through   
which ,he will do them is simple1       
child-like1 trusting1 humble prayer4    
,the man using the power is on his      
knees4 ,the lower down he gets the more 
and more freely the power flows down and
 out among men4  ,as one learns to keep 
in touch--learns it slowly1 stumblingly1
 with many a stupid fall1 and many a    
tremble and quiver--as he learns to keep

 in simple touch with the crowned       
,christ he will find all the power of   
that ,christ coming with a soft surging 
throb of life wherever needed4 ,we may  
have all we can take4 ,but the taking   
must be with one's very life4 ,no mere  
earnest repeating of a creed in ,church 
service will avail here4 ,the repeating 
must be1 syllable by syllable1 with feet
 and will1 with hands and life1 in the  
daily tread where each step is          
stubbornly contested4  ,this is the bit 
of truth for the waiting time4 ,this is 
the song to be singing in this present  
not-yet interval4 ,and the song will    
help cut down the length of that        
not-yet1 until the friction of our lived
 faith shall wear off the not and wipe  
out the yet1 and we shall find the      
crowned ,christ a reigning ,christ4     
,for some day this patient waiting      
crowned ,man will rise up from ,his seat
 at the ,father's right hand4 ,he will  
step directly into the action of earth  
once again4 ,man will have had his      

fullest opportunity lengthened out to   
the last notch of his possible use of   
it4 ,then we shall see the crowned      
,christ quietly stepping in1 taking     
matters wholly into ,his own hands1 and 
acting in all the affairs of earth as   
the ,crowned ,one4 ,then ,he shall reign
 from sea to sea1 and from the          
,euphrates out to where the ends of the 
earth become a common line on the other 
side4 ,the ,kingdom will have come1 for 
the ,king will be reigning4  ,the night 
will be gone4 ,the day has come4 ,the   
shadows flee4 ,he has come1 whose       
presence puts the new day at dawn1 with 
the ,east all aflame1 and the fragrant  
dew glistening gladly on every tender   
green blade4 ,this time of expectancy is
 over2#cj the time of making real has   
come4 ,then comes the restoration of the
 old original love plan to earth and    
beast and man4#ca   ,thou art coming1 ,o
 my ,saviour6    ,thou art coming1 ,o my
 ,king6  ,in thy glory all-transcendent2
  ,in thy beauty all resplendent2       

,well may we rejoice and sing6  ,coming6
 ,in the opening east1    ,herald       
brightness slowly swells2  ,coming1 ,o  
my glorious ,priest1    ,hear we not thy
 golden bells8   ,thou art coming1 ,thou
 art coming6    ,we shall meet ,thee on 
,thy way1  ,we shall see ,thee1 we shall
 know ,thee1  ,we shall bless ,thee1 we 
shall show ,thee    ,all our hearts     
could never say6  ,what an anthem that  
will be1  ,ringing out our love to      
,thee2  ,pouring out our rapture sweet  
,at ,thine own all-glorious feet6       
,thou art coming6 ,rays of glory1       
,through the veil ,thy death has rent1  
,touch the mountain and the river  ,with
 a golden glowing quiver1    ,thrill of 
light and music blent4  ,earth is       
brightened when this gleam  ,falls on   
flower1 rock1 and stream2  ,life is     
brightened when this ray  ,falls upon   
its darkest day4   ,not a cloud and not 
a shadow1    ,not a mist and not a tear1
  ,not a sin and not a sorrow1  ,not a  
dim and veiled to-morrow1    ,for that  

sunrise grand and clear6  ,jesus1       
,saviour1 once with ,thee1    ,nothing  
else seems worth a thought6  ,oh1 how   
marvellous will be    ,all the bliss    
,thy pain hath bought6   ,thou art      
coming6 ,at ,thy table1    ,we are      
witnesses of this1  ,while remembering  
hearts ,thou meetest1  ,in communion    
clearest1 sweetest1    ,earnest of our  
coming bliss4  ,showing not ,thy death  
alone1    ,and ,thy love exceeding      
great1  ,but ,thy coming and ,thy       
throne1    ,all for which we long and   
wait4   ,thou art coming6 ,we are       
waiting    ,with a hope that cannot     
fail2  ,asking not the day or hour1     
,resting on ,thy word of power          
,anchored safe within the veil1  ,time  
appointed may be long1    ,but the      
vision must be sure2  ,certainty shall  
make us strong1    ,joyful patience can 
endure6   ,o the joy to see ,thee       
reigning1    ,thee1 my own beloved      
,lord6  ,every tongue ,thy name         
confessing1  ,worship1 honor1 glory1    

blessing1    ,brought to ,thee with glad
 accord6  ,thee1 my ,master and my      
,friend1    ,vindicated and enthroned6  
,unto earth's remotest end              
,glorified1 adored1 and owned6#cb       
,working by the ,light of the ,throne4  
,but we are still in the not-yet        
interval4 ,we see not yet all things    
subject to ,him4 ,this is still the     
waiting time4 ,it is the pleading time  
for ,him4 ,he pleads for the personal   
crowning of ,himself in our lives1 that 
,he may reign there and ,he alone4 ,this
 is our great opportunity4 ,we shall    
never see its like again1 nor anywhere  
else than on this earth4  ,in the       
reigning time that's coming this        
peculiar opportunity of crowning ,christ
 while ,he still is absent and despised1
 this will be gone4 ,in the upper world 
they have no such opportunity4 ,there is
 no opposition there4 ,now and here is  
the rarest opportunity to put this great
 waiting patient ,man on the throne of  
heart and life1 with possessions and    

ambitions and plans all in subjection   
under ,his feet4  ,every woman knows the
 name of ,brussels lace4 ,the old       
capital of the low countries of ,europe 
has long been famous for its lace4 ,it  
is of great interest to note the        
conditions under which it is sometimes  
made4 ,they are conditions studiously   
prepared after long experience4 ,in one 
of the famous lace factories in         
,brussels there are a number of small   
rooms devoted to the making of some of  
the most delicate patterns4  ,each room 
is just large enough for a single       
worker1 and is quite dark except for one
 narrow window4 ,the worker sits so that
 the stream of light falls from above   
directly upon the threads1 while he     
himself sits in the darkness4 ,the      
darkness aids the workman's eyes to see 
better1 and to work more skilfully in   
the narrow line of clear light centred  
on the delicate task4 ,he weaves in the 
upper light intensified by the          
surrounding gloom1 and does exquisite   

work4  ,there is a clear line of light  
from a throne shining down into the     
darkness in which we sit and move4 ,it  
shines from the face of a crowned ,man4 
,in the light of that light we can see  
clearly to do a difficult bit of        
crowning work1--to crown the ,christ in 
our lives and to keep ,him crowned4  ,as
 our eyes follow that line of upper     
light we may catch glimpses of ,his     
wondrous ,face up there in the glory4   
,so we shall be steadied and cheered in 
the darkness as we stick to our glad    
crowning work4 ,and so we shall move    
forward on the calendar the day when    
that thin line of light seen now only by
 watching eyes shall become a burst of  
glory light seen by all eyes4  ,and this
 is the thing the crowned ,christ is    
asking of us during this waiting time1  
this not-yet interval4 ,he is counting  
on each of us being faithful to ,him1   
our absent ,lord1 in this4   ,he is     
counting on you4    ,he has need of your
 life    ,in the thick of the strife3   

,for that weak one may fall    ,if you  
fail at ,his call4  ,he is counting on  
you1  ,if you fail ,him--      ,what    
then8   ,he is counting on you4    ,on  
your silver and gold1    ,on that       
treasure you hold2    ,on that treasure 
still kept1    ,though the doubt o'er   
you swept    ',is this gold not all     
mine8    7,lord1 ,i knew it was         
,thine4'7  ,he is counting on you1  ,if 
you fail ,him--      ,what then8   ,he  
is counting on you4    ,on a love that  
will share    ,in ,his burden of prayer1
    ,for the souls ,he has bought       
,with ,his life-blood2 and sought       
,through ,his sorrow and pain    ,to win
 ',home' yet again4  ,he is counting on 
you1  ,if you fail ,him--      ,what    
then8   ,he is counting on you4    ,on  
life1 money1 and prayer2    ,and 'the   
day shall declare'    ,if you let ,him  
have all    ,in response to ,his call2  
,or if ,he in that day    ,to your      
sorrow must say1  ',i had counted on    
you1  ,but you failed me'--      ,what  

then8   ,he is counting on you4    ,oh6 
the wonder and grace1    ,to look       
,christ in the face    ,and not be      
ashamed2    ,for you gave what ,he      
claimed1    ,and you laid down your all 
,for ,his sake--at ,his call4  ,he had  
counted on you1  ,and you failed not4   
,what then8#cc  ,ah6 ,please ,god1 by   
,his grace1 we shall not fail in the    
ruling purpose of our lives4 ,we may    
crown ,him ,lord of all4 ,we can4 ,he   
asks it4 ,we surely will4   ,with all my
 powers ,him ,i greet1    ,all subject  
to ,his call2  ,and bowing low at ,his  
pierced feet      ,now crown him ,lord  
of all4    ,,footnotes3  #a ,joseph     
,addison ,richards4  #b ,mark xvi4 #ai4 
#c ,matthew xxvi4 #fd4  #d ,acts ii4    
#cc2 iii4 #ac-af2 v4 #ca-cb2 vii4 #ee1  
#ef4  #e ,psalm lxviii4 #ah2 ,ephesians 
iv4 #h2 ,acts ii4 #cc4  #f ,romans viii4
 #cd2 ,ephesians i4 #bj-bb2 ,philippians
 ii4 #i-aa2 ,colossians iii4 #a4  #g ,i 
,peter iii4 #bb4  #h ,hebrews i4 #c2 ii4
 #h-i2 viii4 #a2 x4 #ab2 xii4 #b4  #i   

,revelation iii4 #ba4  #aj ,acts ii4    
#cf4  #aa ,romans x4 #i4  #ab ,i ,samuel
 xvi4 #f2 xxiv4 #f1 #aj2 ,,ii ,samuel i4
 #ad-af2 xix4 #ba1 and elsewhere2 ,psalm
 xviii4 #ej1 and frequently in ,psalms4 
#ac ,john i4 #bj1 #be2 ,luke iii4 #ae4  
#ad ,philippians ii4 #aj2 ,i            
,corinthians xv4 #bd-bf4  #ae ,john     
xvii4 #e2 i4 #a-c2 ,colossians i4       
#ae-ag4  #af ,matthew xxvi4 #fd2 ,acts  
ii4 #bb-bd1 #cb-cf2 ,philippians ii4    
#i-aa2 ,hebrews ii4 #i4  #ag ,hebrews   
ii4 #e-ah4  #ah ,romans vii4 #ai-bb2    
,jeremiah ix4 #aj2 xii4 #d1 #aa2 xxiii4 
#aj2 ,genesis iii4 #ag-ai2 ,acts iii4   
#ba4  #ai ,ephesians i4 #bj-bb2 ,hebrews
 ii4 #f-h4  #bj ,philippians ii4 #i-aa4 
#ba ,ephesians vi4 #ab2 ,colossians ii4 
#ae4  #bb ,colossians ii4 #aj2          
,ephesians iii4 #aj2 iv4 #h-aj2 ,i      
,corinthians xv4 #bd4  #bc ,hebrews ii4 
#h4  #bd ,,ii ,peter iii4 #h-i2 ,romans 
ii4 #d2 ix4 #bb2 ,revelation ii4 #ba2 ,i
 ,peter iii4 #bj2 ,,ii ,peter iii4 #ae2 
,exodus xxxiv4 #f-g4  #be ,james v4 #g4 

#bf ,f4 ,m4 ,n4  #bg ,ephesians i4      
#bj-bb4  #bh ,ephesians iii4 #bj4  #bi  
,john xiv4 #ab-ad4  #cj ,hebrews x4 #ac4
  #ca ,acts iii4 #ba4  #cb ,frances     
,ridley ,havergal4  #cc ,mrs4 ,bessie   
,porter ,head4     ,,ii4--,,the ,,crown 
,,book    ,all hail the power of ,jesus'
 ,name6    ,let angels prostrate fall3  
,bring forth the royal diadem1    ,and  
crown ,him ,lord of all4   ,o that with 
yonder sacred throng    ,we at ,his feet
 may fall1  ,join in the everlasting    
song    ,and crown ,him ,lord of all6   
,with all my powers ,him ,i greet1      
,all subject to ,his call2  ,and bowing 
low at ,his pierced feet1    ,now crown 
,him ,lord of all4   ,i hail the power  
of ,jesus' ,name1    ,before ,him gladly
 fall1  ,bring ,him my own heart's      
diadem    ,and crown ,him ,lord of all6 
,the ,crowning ,book4  ,there is a crown
 book in this old ,book of ,god1--the   
,revelation of ,john4 ,it is the crown  
book1 the only one4 ,it is the crown    
book of the sixty-six in two senses4 ,it

 is the capping climax of the whole     
revelation of ,god's ,word4 ,it gathers 
up into itself in a peculiar way the    
dominant characteristics of both the    
,hebrew ,old and the ,greek ,new        
,testaments4  ,and it is the book of the
 ,crown4 ,the ,king is in action4 ,he   
,himself gives the message of the book  
to ,john4 ,he is seen stepping forward  
to take possession of ,his realm4 ,then 
,he takes possession4 ,he dispossesses  
the pretender4 ,he reigns over the      
earth4 ,the ,revelation of ,john is the 
,crown book4  ,this is the peculiarity  
of the ,revelation in comparison with   
all the other books4 ,only here is      
,christ seen exercising ,his crown      
rights4 ,from end to end of the ,old    
,testament pages1 ,his coming is looked 
forward to1 with an eager longing that  
grows in intensity as the national      
failure grows ever worse4  ,in the      
,gospels ,he comes1 but not as ,he was  
expected4 ,he is heralded as ,king1 and 
claims to be ,king4 ,he has all the     

graciousness of a ,king in ministering  
to the needs of the people1 and all the 
power of a ,king in ,his personal touch4
 ,but ,he is rejected by the nation1 and
 goes to the ,cross1 yet still as a     
,king1--a humiliated1 crucified ,king4  
,in the ,acts ,he is the risen1         
glorified ,king seated at the ,father's 
right hand in glory1 and at work through
 ,his followers among men on the earth4 
,but it is always in the midst of sharp1
 bitter opposition4 ,in the ,epistles   
,he is seen crowned at the ,father's    
right hand1 guiding and teaching ,his   
followers who are still suffering       
persecution4  ,but in the ,revelation of
 ,john all this is changed4 ,there's a  
sharp1 decided1 advance step4 ,here ,he 
is not only crowned1 but stepping       
directly and decisively into the action 
of the earth in the full exercise of    
,his crowned rights and power4 ,it is   
peculiarly the book of the ,crown1 the  
royal book1 the enthroned ,christ       
exercising fully and freely at will ,his

 crown rights4   ,jesus' ,bosom ,friend4
  ,the book was written by ,john the    
disciple and apostle4 ,this is our same 
old friend ,john1 whom we met first that
 ever-memorable afternoon1 down by the  
,jordan ,river road1 when he was        
introduced to ,jesus by the ,john of the
 deserts1 and had his first long1 quiet 
talk with ,him4#cd ,the friendship began
 that day1 grew steadily1 and never     
flagged4 ,it was one of the few         
friendships that ,jesus had that never  
knew any lapse nor eclipse4  ,he became1
 in an outstanding sense1 the bosom     
friend of ,jesus4 ,probably it was not  
because of any special gentleness or    
amiability on ,john's part1 though he   
may have had something of these traits4 
,it was more likely because of the deep1
 intelligent sympathy between the two1 a
 sympathy not only of personality1 but  
deeper and stronger because of a mental 
and spirit likeness growing up between  
them4 ,it would seem likely that ,john  
developed a mental grasp1 a spirit      

insight1 a student thoughtfulness1 a    
steadiness of temperament1 and with     
these1 a growing understanding of       
much--at the least--much of ,jesus'     
spirit and ideals and vision4  ,it may  
quite be that all this came slowly1 and 
grew up out of the constant contact with
 ,jesus1 and out of the warm personal   
love between the two men2 quite likely4 
,who could live so close to ,jesus as he
 and not bear the marks on mind and     
spirit8 ,the fire that burned so        
fiercely in early years#ce grew into a  
steady1 unflickering flame under the    
influence of that personal friendship4  
,it seems not unlikely that ,john       
belonged to a good family1 and had his  
home in ,jerusalem4 ,he was clearly on  
terms of easy intimacy at the palace of 
the ,high ,priest1#cf which in itself   
would suggest his social standing in the
 city4 ,it was to this man that ,jesus1 
on the ,cross1 committed the care of    
,his mother4 ,and ,john accepted the    
trust as a tender token of friendship1  

and took ,mary at once to his own home4 
,and as ,mary remained in ,jerusalem at 
least some time1 and ,john clearly for a
 long time1 the home was likely there4  
,john was one of the chief leaders in   
,jerusalem during the ,pentecost days1  
and after4 ,peter was the chief         
spokesman1 but ,john was always close by
 his side4 ,the friendship between the  
two seems to have been close and of long
 standing4 ,they were sent together by  
the ,master to arrange for the supper   
that memorable betrayal night1#cg and   
they are seen together in the activities
 in ,jerusalem for many years4#ch  ,it  
would seem that in later years ,john    
left ,jerusalem1 and made his home for  
the remainder of his life in ,ephesus4  
,doubtless he was led1 after the years  
of leadership in the mother ,church1 to 
leave the great ,jew centre1 and devote 
his strength to missionary service in   
the outside ,gentile world4  ,ephesus   
was the chief city of the province of   
,asia1 and the natural centre of the    

population and life of the province4    
,john probably worked out from ,ephesus1
 preaching throughout the whole         
district2 teaching1 advising1 praying   
with1 and visiting the groups of little 
,churches scattered throughout the      
province1 perhaps founding some1 and    
strengthening all4 ,for his work seems  
to have been1 not so much evangelizing1 
but the much more difficult work of     
teaching1 patiently1 carefully1         
teaching2 a work so essential to the    
life of any ,church4 ,so he would be    
quite familiar with the ,churches to    
which the ,revelation letters are sent1 
and would be well known by these people 
and loved and revered by them as a      
father in the faith4  ,this personal bit
 about ,john is of intensest interest in
 studying this book of his4 ,it was to  
this man that ,jesus could entrust the  
writing of this special message4 ,john  
could take in what the ,master was      
showing him as few1 if any others1      
could4 ,the close1 sympathetic          

friendship made him able to take in what
 his old ,friend and ,master is now     
telling him in the glory4 ,and he could 
give it out too1 simply1 fully1 clearly1
 just as it was given to him4  ,love can
 see and grasp1 and can obey simply1    
where mere mental keenness fails4 ,there
 is no tonic for the brain like love in 
the heart4 ,no brain ever does its best 
work1 nor can1 until the heart is fired 
by some tender1 noble passion4 ,it was  
to ,mary ,magdalene who had such reason 
to love tenderly that ,jesus showed     
,himself first after the                
resurrection4#ci  ,and it is to ,john1  
the bosom friend1 whose friendship stood
 the severest test where all others     
failed1 that ,he now shows ,himself in  
glory1 and entrusts this pleading       
message1 and vision of coming events1   
and of the after glory4 ,he that willeth
 to do the ,master's will shall know    
surely and clearly what that will is4   
,and he that goeth farther yet1 and     
willeth to give the tenderest love of   

his heart1 ever kept at summer heat1    
shall know the ,master ,himself1 in     
present personal touch1 and in clear and
 clearing understanding of ,his coming  
victorious action and crowning glory4   
,john wrote a ,gospel2 one chief        
,epistle1 besides the two very brief    
personal letters2 and this book of the  
,revelation4 ,the ,gospel and ,epistles 
were quite likely written while in      
,ephesus4  ,the ,gospel was his plea to 
all men to whom it might come to accept 
,jesus as their personal ,saviour4 ,its 
characteristic word is believe4 ,and the
 plan of it is a simple array of        
incidents about ,jesus that would lead  
men to a warm1 intelligent belief in    
,him4  ,the chief ,epistle is written to
 the little groups of believers         
scattered throughout ,asia ,minor1 and  
doubtless in the old home district of   
,judea1 too4 ,its characteristic word is
 abide4 ,it is an intense plea1 by a    
personal friend to abide1 steadily1     
fully1 in ,christ1 in spite of the      

growing defections and difficulties     
pressing in so close4  ,the ,revelation 
was written1 quite likely1 on the island
 of ,patmos while all was yet fresh in  
his mind2 or possibly in ,ephesus after 
his release from his island prison2 or  
perhaps begun in ,patmos and put into   
its final shape in ,ephesus4 ,it is     
written to the little groups of         
believers in and near ,ephesus4 ,it is a
 most intense plea to be personally true
 to the ,lord ,jesus in the midst of    
subtle compromise and of bitter         
persecution4  ,its characteristic word  
is overcome4 ,it speaks much of the     
opposition to be encountered1 and tells 
of greater opposition yet to come1 the  
greatest ever known4 ,and it pleads1    
with every possible promise1 and every  
warning of danger1 that the true        
believer set himself against the evil   
tide1 at every risk1 and every possible 
personal loss1 and so that he overcome  
in the ,name of the ,lord ,jesus4   ,old
 and ,new ,woven ,together4  ,the       

language in which the book is written is
 of intense interest4 ,it is so unusual4
 ,it combines ,hebrew thought and ,greek
 speech4 ,it is as though a ,hebrew soul
 were living in a ,greek body1 and the  
soul has so dominated the body as to    
make decided changes in it4 ,the thought
 and imagery1 and the very words are    
largely taken over from the ,old        
,testament1 much of it not being found  
elsewhere in the ,new ,testament4 ,it is
 as though the ,old ,testament reaches  
clear over the intervening space and    
writes the last book of the ,new as an  
additional book of the ,old1 but with   
distinct additions4 ,but all these      
additions are outgrowths of what is     
already in the ,old4  ,but while the    
thought and imagery are ,hebrew1 the    
language is ,greek4 ,but scholars note  
that ,john's ,greek here is different   
from that of his ,gospel1 and is indeed 
peculiar to itself1 with new grammatical
 adjustments1 as though better to       
express his ,hebrew thought4 ,yet1 like 

the ,gospel1 it is an easy ,greek to    
learn and to understand4 ,it is as      
though the ,old ,testament were the warp
 of a new bit of fabric1 with the ,new  
as the shuttle-threads1 and yet with    
such additions as makes the pattern     
stand out much more definite and clear1 
and the colours in it more pronounced4  
,thus this end-book is a weaving of both
 ,old and ,new into a new bit of fabric1
 but with a more distinct pattern than  
either4  ,this explains the use of the  
symbolism which is so marked here4 ,the 
picture language of ,john's ,revelation 
has seemed very puzzling4 ,it has seemed
 like a new language1 to which we had   
neither grammar nor dictionary1 and the 
intended meaning of which we could only 
guess at4 ,but this is because we are   
,westerners and a bit set in our western
 way4 ,and possibly1 too1 though we     
dislike to confess it1 because we have  
not gotten a clear1 simple grasp of this
 old ,book of ,god as a whole4 ,the     
,bible is an ,oriental book1 written in 

the characteristic picture language of  
the ,orient4  ,the truth is that the    
symbol or picture language is meant to  
make the book easier of understanding4  
,we simply need to learn how to read    
picture language1 not whimsically1 but  
sensibly according to the laws of       
picture language4 ,the symbolism or     
picture sees things as they look at the 
moment the picture is taken4 ,the       
picture is meant to give one general    
distinct impression of the thing being  
presented1 the details of the picture   
being of value only as they give        
coloring to that one general impression4
 ,it is concerned1 not at all1 or only  
in the most incidental way1 with the    
process by which the thing came to the  
point pictured4  ,there is a rare wisdom
 in the use of this picture language4   
,it is really the common language not of
 the ,orient merely1 but of all the     
world4 ,in our western half of the globe
 it is the language of the street1 the  
common crowd1 the common exchange of    

life1 and of children4 ,it is the       
language of the primitive peoples of all
 parts of the world4 ,everywhere the    
conventionalized book-language is spoken
 by the few4 ,the picture1 with its     
companion1 the story1 is the universal1 
the original1 the natural language of   
the race4  ,on the mere human side here 
is one secret of the freshness of the   
,bible4 ,it is the oldest book in some  
of its parts1 but admitted to be the    
freshest and most modern in its         
adaptation to modern life4 ,and the     
reason is simple4 ,the pictures give    
principles4 ,principles don't change    
with the changing of centuries4 ,rules  
change4 ,principles abide4 ,details     
alter with every generation4 ,principles
 of action are as unchangeable as human 
nature1 which is ever the same1 east and
 west1 below the equator1 and above4    
,john's ,revelation is naturally full of
 this picture language1 for it is a     
gathering up of the chief threads of the
 old ,oriental ,hebrew fabric4 ,it will 

help us understand the meaning if we    
keep in mind the simple rules of this   
,hebrew picture language4  ,john1 of    
course1 was a ,hebrew1 born and bred in 
a ,hebrew home1 and immersed in the old 
,hebrew ,bible from the time of his     
mother's milk4 ,what ,greek language and
 culture had come was a bit of the outer
 world come into his ,hebrew home and   
life4 ,now in his old age the early     
memory is asserting itself4  ,then too  
it is quite likely that in his          
imprisonment he had been brooding anew  
over the old prophecies1 reviewing      
afresh events since the resurrection of 
,jesus1--the growth of the ,church1 and 
now the severe persecution1 with himself
 a prisoner4 ,and while he in no way    
doubts the unseen overruling ,hand1 yet 
he is seeking to get a fresh outlook    
into the future from the old prophetic  
writings4  ,and through all of this     
without doubt the ,holy ,spirit was     
brooding in unusual measure over this   
man1 reviving early memory1 bringing to 

his remembrance all things of other     
days1 deepening impressions1 bringing   
old facts into new perspective1 giving  
clearer vision1 mellowing and maturing  
both mind and heart into fresh plastic  
openness to further truth4 ,and so we   
have this little book with its ,hebrew  
soul and its ,greek body4  ,the meaning 
of all this is very simple1 and yet a   
meaning of intense significance4 ,here  
is summed up the whole of the revelation
 of ,god's ,word4 ,here all the lines of
 ,revelation meet4 ,almost two thousand 
years of inspiration come to a climax in
 this little end-book4 ,psalmist and    
prophet1 historian and law-giver1       
,gospel and ,epistle come to a final    
focus point in one simple intense       
message4 ,the purpose of the book is    
intensely and only practical4 ,here is  
the message of the whole ,bible to      
,christ's people for this present       
interval between the ,ascension and the 
next great step in our ,lord's          
world-plan4   ,jesus' ,plea to ,his     

,friends4  ,and the message is simply   
this3 put to us with all the intensity  
of the ,one who gave ,his very life for 
us1 it is this1--that we be personally  
true to our ,lord ,jesus during ,his    
present absence4 ,this comes as ,his    
personal request1 that1 in sweet1 stern 
purity of life1 in full glad obedience  
of spirit1 in tender freshness of       
personal devotion1 in holding absolutely
 everything1 of talents and position and
 possession1 subject to ,his call1 and  
in keeping our eye ever open forward and
 upward for ,his return1 we be true to  
,him4  ,he is the ,lamb slain4 ,only    
through ,his blood is there salvation   
for any one4 ,he is now allowing man    
fullest opportunity before ,he comes to 
set things right4 ,this is the          
in-between time1 much lengthened out4   
,in the midst of formalism and subtle   
compromise1 the tangling of ideas and   
issues1 and the blurring of vision      
within ,his ,church1 ,he calls to ,his  
own blood-bought ones to be true to     

,himself4  ,there's a terrific moral    
storm coming4 ,wickedness will wax to a 
worst never yet known4 ,evil will be so 
aggressive1 compromise so radical1      
temptations so subtle and coming with   
such a rush1 and ideals of right so     
blurred and dimmed in the glare of the  
lower lights1 that even those of the    
inner circle will be sorely tried1 and  
many will be deceived4 ,just at the     
bursting of the worst of the storm the  
crowned ,christ will appear4 ,he will   
come on the clouds before all eyes1 take
 away ,his own out of the storm1 then   
clear the storm by ,his own touch1 and  
begin the new order of things4  ,the    
test coming will be terrific4 ,he knows 
it4 ,and his knowledge makes ,his plea  
intense that we be true to ,himself1 our
 beloved1 crucified1 crowned ,lord1     
utterly regardless of consequences to   
ourselves4 ,so we shall overcome by the 
blood of the ,lamb1 and be joined with  
,him in closest intimacy during ,his    
coming reign over the earth4  ,there is 

a striking thing told us at the very    
outset of the book2--it is a revelation4
 ,that is1 it is something revealed     
directly by ,god4 ,it is the only book  
of the ,bible of which we are told      
plainly and directly that it is a       
revelation4  ,it is not that the other  
books do not have the same inspirational
 characteristic4 ,but our attention is  
explicitly called to the fact that this 
one is1 in its entirety1 a direct       
revelation2 and not only so1 but it is a
 revelation given directly by ,god to   
the ,lord ,jesus1 and given in person by
 ,him to ,john4 ,this is significant4   
,it marks out the message of the book as
 of the utmost meaning and importance4  
,this suggests a need4 ,and the need of 
something of the sort is plain enough1  
if one think into it4 ,already in       
,john's day there was a distinct        
break-away from the simplicity and      
purity of the ,gospel1 both in the      
,church and in the lives of professed   
,christians4 ,the messages to the       

,churches of ,pergamum and ,thyatira and
 ,sardis show clearly that there had    
already begun a rubbing out of the sharp
 line of distinction between the ,church
 and the world4 ,the world spirit       
was--not creeping in1 but--walking      
boldly into the life of the ,church4    
,it is striking to note the thing that  
leads ,john to write his ,first         
,epistle1 that is1 the alarming         
conditions among ,christ's followers4   
,the spirit of compromise seems seeping 
in at every crevice4 ,and worse yet1 the
 spirit of ,antichrist1 that makes such 
a savage attack on ,jesus1 on the deity 
of ,his person1 and the atoning         
significance of ,his death1 this was    
openly at work among them4#dj ,these    
conditions1 so familiar to those who    
first read his little ,epistle1 are the 
continual underscoring of ,his intense  
plea for abiding4  ,it is most          
significant that ,jude's intense        
flame-like ,epistle talks entirely about
 conditions within ,church circles4 ,run

 through it again with this fact fresh  
in mind1 and the significance of it     
stands out in a startling way4 ,peter's 
,second ,epistle reveals the same sort  
of an atmosphere seeping in among the   
groups of disciples to whom he writes4  
,not only was there doubt and confusion 
about the meaning of the prophetic      
teachings1 but even a sneering and      
mocking at the teaching about the second
 coming of our ,lord4  ,these are a few 
indications of how things were in the   
,church generally before the first      
century had closed4 ,it was a time of   
confusion and compromise4 ,the air was  
tense4 ,the need was critical4 ,it would
 seem that if ever our ,lord would give 
a simple direct revelation afresh1 to   
,his people1 it would be in just such   
circumstances4 ,and it reveals to us at 
once how grave things looked to ,his    
eyes1 and how much depended on ,his     
followers having a clear understanding  
of how things would work out1 that our  
,lord ,jesus does do just this          

thing1--send a direct revelation that   
would meet just such a need4   ,more    
,alike than ,different4  ,it is most    
striking that the conditions of the     
,church then and to-day are so much     
alike4 ,the line between ,church and    
world is either badly blurred1 or quite 
wiped out4 ,and this one fact throws a  
flood of light upon ,church conditions4 
,within the ,church1 when it comes to   
the matter of what its real purpose of  
being is1 and what the essentials of    
faith1 the lines are hopelessly crossed 
and tangled1 even though the surface    
shows so much striving toward at least a
 seeming unity1 and so much             
aggressiveness in action4 ,the common   
absence of real spiritual power1 that   
unmistakable moving1 like a breath1 of  
the ,spirit of ,god1 is freely admitted4
  ,it is a painful fact that membership 
in a ,church no longer gives any clue to
 a man's vital belief1 nor even to his  
moral conduct4 ,there is utter confusion
 about the practical meaning of ,god's  

prophetic ,word1 and what the actual    
outcome of the present order will be2   
that is1 where such things are not quite
 dismissed from consideration4 ,and1    
stranger yet1 indifference1 or an actual
 repugnance1 to any mention of the      
,lord's return is the common thing4 ,it 
is not surprising that earnest people   
are bewildered as to just what should be
 the attitude of one who would ring true
 to the absent ,jesus4 ,it hurts to     
remember that all this is the freely    
admitted commonplace1 where such things 
are seriously spoken of4  ,indeed it is 
of intense interest to note that just   
this sort of thing has marked the whole 
interval since these early ,church days4
 ,broadly the same characteristics have 
marked both world movement and the      
,church movement in this long interval4 
,there is a unity characterizing the age
 since our ,lord ascended4 ,there have  
been differences1 very sharp and marked1
 but always they have been differences  
in degree1 now more intense1 now less4  

,the general characteristics have been  
the same in kind4  ,the need of the     
,church in the end of the first century 
is its need in the beginning of the     
twentieth4 ,surely the thing of all     
things needed is a simple1 clear1       
understandable revelation direct from   
our ,lord ,jesus ,himself4 ,it was      
needed then4 ,clearly it has been needed
 in every generation since then4 ,and   
one whose pulse is at all sensitive to  
spirit conditions to-day feels that     
surely it is the thing needed now4  ,and
 here it is1 a revelation of ,himself1  
crowned in the upper world1 keeping in  
closest touch with things down in this  
world1 telling us what the outcome is to
 be1 and especially speaking of our     
attitude toward ,himself in this present
 in-between interval4  ,usually ,god's  
method with man is to give him enough of
 a revelation of ,himself in nature1 and
 in ,his ,word1 to start him straight1  
and guide him as he goes to school with 
himself as chief pupil1 with all of     

nature to find out and develop1 and so  
to get mastery both of himself and of   
nature and its forces4 ,we recognize    
this as the best school-teacher method  
for good self-development4  ,but here   
something more seems needed4 ,the       
situation down on the earth has gotten  
badly mixed up4 ,even though ,jesus has 
been on the earth1 and has died1 and has
 sent down the ,holy ,spirit in such    
irresistible power1 the situation in the
 world1 and among ,his disciples1 has   
gotten so subtly tangled and intense1   
the enemy is so viciously and cunningly 
at work1 that only one thing will meet  
the need1--a revelation1 a simple1      
direct1 warm revelation given us        
personally by the ,lord ,jesus ,himself4
 ,and here it is in this little         
end-book1 with its vision of the        
glorified ,jesus1 its pleading heart-cry
 to ,his followers1 and its simple but  
tremendous outlook into the future4  ,it
 would not be surprising if such a book 
should be made the subject of special   

attack by the evil one4 ,it is not      
surprising1 though it is deeply         
grievous1 that the common idea about    
this book among ,christian people is    
that it is a sort of a puzzle1 that it  
is impossible to get a simple1 clear1   
workable understanding of its message4  
,parts of it are conned over tenderly   
and loved1 a paragraph here1 a verse    
there1 and so on1 but a grasp of the one
 simple message of the book seems not   
common1 to put it mildly4 ,no book of   
the sixty-six has seemed so much like a 
riddle to which no one knew the answer4 
,and without doubt the full meaning of  
much will be quite clear only as events 
work themselves out4 ,events will be the
 best exposition of certain parts4 ,but 
these parts1 be it keenly noted1 are not
 essential to the grasp of the whole    
message4 ,god is intensely practical4   
,jesus was too intent on helping people 
to be otherwise than practical4 ,he     
hasn't changed4 ,he is too tremendously 
wrapped up in the outworking of ,his    

plans4 ,the ,bible is wholly a practical
 book4 ,and this crowning end of it is  
intensely and only practical4 ,it is    
with the clear conviction that it is    
entirely possible to get the simple     
grasp of it that shall steady our steps1
 and clear our understanding1 and feed  
our personal devotion to the absent     
,jesus1 our blessed ,lord1 that these   
few simple quiet talks have been put    
together4   ,doing ,leads to            
,understanding4  ,the outline of the    
book is very simple4 ,after the brief   
introduction#da and personal            
greeting1#db there comes the wondrous   
vision of the glorified ,jesus1 and ,his
 personal message to ,john4#dc ,he is   
the ,living ,one1 who became dead for a 
great purpose1 and is now living1 never 
to die again4 ,he is seen walking       
quietly among the groups of his         
followers1 with eyes of flame1 and heart
 of love1 keeping watch over these1 ,his
 empowered witnesses on earth4  ,and ,he
 tells ,john that he is to write to the 

groups of his followers a threefold     
message1 a description of ,himself as   
just now seen by ,john1 a description of
 affairs in these ,churches as seen by  
,his own eyes1 and an account of the    
things that are going to happen on the  
earth4  ,then follows this description  
of the ,churches4 ,it is in a sevenfold 
personal message to ,his followers on   
the earth4#dd ,then the vision of       
,himself in heaven as ,he steps directly
 into the action of the earth to take   
possession of ,his crown domain4#de     
,then comes the account of coming       
happenings4 ,it is a sevenfold view of a
 terrific moral storm on the earth1 that
 will follow this advance step of ,his  
in the heavens4 ,it is so terrific and  
includes so much1 that it is possible to
 get a clear view of it and its sweep   
only by looking1 now at this feature of 
it1 and now at this2 now from this angle
 of vision1 and now from this other4    
,it is the final contesting of ,christ's
 crown claim as ,he steps forward to    

assert it2 the final outburst of evil   
unrestrainedly storming itself out4 ,and
 it is the clearing-up storm1 too4      
,there is ever the shining of a clear   
light just beyond the outer rim of the  
terrible blackness of the storm clouds4 
,this takes up the greater part of the  
little book1 including chapter six1 to  
the close of chapter eighteen4  ,and    
then there is given briefly the actual  
coming to earth in glory of the crowned 
,christ2#df the new order of things     
under ,his personal reign2#dg a final   
crisis2#dh and then in a vision of      
wondrous winsomeness1 ,god and men are  
seen dwelling together as one reunited  
family1 though still with a sad burning 
reminder of the old sin-rebellion as    
part of the picture4#di ,and the book   
closes with personal paragraphs to ,john
 and to the groups of ,churches4#ej     
,another of the striking things peculiar
 to this book is the personal plea that 
it be read and lived up to4 ,at the very
 front-door step as one starts in he is 

met full in the face with this3 ,blessed
 is he that readeth1 and they that hear1
 7or give careful heed to7 the words of 
the prophecy1 and keep the things that  
are written therein4#ea  ,here at the   
very outset is a plea1 made to each one 
into whose hands the little book may    
come1 for a reading1 and a careful      
thinking into1 and then1 yet more1 a    
bringing of the whole life up to the    
line of what is found here4 ,the        
blessing of ,god will rest peculiarly   
upon him who heeds this threefold plea4 
,that man is moving in the line of the  
plan of ,god4  ,a little past the midway
 line of the book1 all at once1         
abruptly1 in the thick of terrible      
happenings being told1 an unexpected    
voice comes4 ,clearly it is the ,lord   
,jesus ,himself speaking4 ,it is as     
though ,he were standing by all the time
 throughout all these pages1 watching   
with a sleepless concern4 ,now ,he      
speaks out4 ,listen3 ,blessed is he that
 watcheth1 that keepeth ever on the     

alert against the subtle temptations1   
and the compromise that fills the very  
air1 and keepeth his garments2#eb       
sleeplessly1 kneefully1 takes care that 
no breath of evil get into his heart1 no
 taint of compromise stain his life1 no 
suspicion of lukewarmness cool his      
personal devotion to the absent ,jesus4 
,and again1 doing sentinel duty at the  
rear-end1 is the same plea4 ,blessed is 
he that keepeth the words of the        
prophecy of this book4#ec ,reading1     
heeding1 obeying1 watching1 living up   
to1 this is the earnest plea peculiar to
 this book4 ,clearly our ,lord ,jesus   
desires earnestly that it be read4 ,and 
,he expects us to understand it4 ,and   
,he pleads with us to live in the light 
of what ,he tells us here4  ,he that    
willeth to do shall know what he ought  
to do4 ,he that doeth the thing he does 
know will know more4 ,and that more done
 will open the door yet wider into all  
the fragrance of a strongly obedient    
life1 and into a clear and clearing     

understanding of the ,lord ,jesus       
,himself4  ,he that brings his life bit 
by bit up to the level of the earnest   
plea of this special revelation1 as bit 
by bit it opens to him1 will find his   
understanding of it wonderfully         
clearing4 ,obedience is the organ of    
understanding4 ,through it there comes  
clear grasp of the truth4  ,a single    
recent illustration of this comes from  
,korea1 that land that gives us so much 
of the romance of missions1 as well as  
so much of its pathos4 ,dr4 ,james ,s4  
,gale1 of ,seoul1 tells of a ,korean who
 had travelled some hundred miles to    
confer with him about ,christian things4
 ,he recited to ,dr4 ,gale the whole of 
the ,sermon on the ,mount without slip  
or error4 ,after this surprising feat of
 memory1 the missionary said gently that
 memorizing was not enough2 the truth   
must be practised in daily life4  ,to   
his surprise the ,korean quietly said3  
,that's the way ,i learned to memorize4 
,i tried to memorize1 but it wouldn't   

stick4 ,so ,i hit upon this plan2 ,i    
would memorize a verse1 then find a     
heathen neighbour and practise the verse
 on him4 ,then ,i found it would stick4 
,that's the rule for understanding this 
revelation of ,jesus through ,john1 as  
well as all of this inspired ,word of   
,god4 ,this rule simply1 faithfully1    
followed will open up this little       
end-book which to many has seemed a     
sealed book4 ,he that keepeth the things
 that are written here will find these  
pages opening to his eyes4 ,he that     
liveth the truth he does understand will
 understand more and better1 and so live
 in the wondrous power of it1 and in the
 sweet presence of ,him who gives it to 
us4   ,,footnotes3  #cd ,john i4 #ce-db4
  #ce ,luke ix4 #ed4  #cf ,john xviii4  
#ae-af4  #cg ,luke xxii4 #h4  #ch ,acts 
iii4 #a1 #c1 #d1 #aa2 iv4 #ac1 #ai2     
viii4 #ad1 #be2 ,galatians ii4 #i4  #ci 
,mark xvi4 #i2 ,john xx4 #a1 #aa-ah4    
#dj ,i ,john ii4 #ah-bi2 iv4 #a-f4  #da 
,revelation i4 #a-c4  #db ,revelation i4

 #d-h4  #dc i4 #i-bj4  #dd ,chapters ii4
 and iii4  #de ,chapters iv4 and v4  #df
 xix4 i-xx4 #c4  #dg xx4 #d-f4  #dh xx4 
#g-ae4  #di xxi4 i-xxii4 #e4  #ej xxii4 
#f-ba4  #ea i4 #c4  #eb xvi4 #ae4  #ec  
xxii4 #g4     ,,iii4--,a ,,sight ,,of   
,,the ,,crowned ,,christ  7,revelation1 
,chapter i47    ,since mine eyes were   
fixed on ,jesus1    ,i've lost sight of 
all beside1  ,so enchained my spirit's  
vision1    ,looking at the ,crucified4  
,the ,lord ,christ passed my humble cot3
  ,i knew him1 yet ,i knew him not2     
,but as ,i oft had done before1  ,i     
hurried through my narrow door    ,to   
touch ,his garment's hem4   ,he drew me 
to a place apart  ,from curious crowd   
and noisy mart2  ,and as ,i sat there at
 ,his feet  ,i caught the thrill of ,his
 heart-beat    ,beyond ,his garment's   
hem4   ,rare was the bread ,he broke for
 me1  ,as wine the words ,he spoke to   
me--  ,new life surged in1 the old life 
died4444  ,i cannot now be satisfied    
,to touch ,his garment's hem4#ed        

,transfigured by a ,look4  ,no one ever 
had a sight of ,christ's face and       
forgot4 ,no one ever gets a sight of    
,him and gets over it4 ,he is never the 
same man after that4 ,he doesn't want to
 be the same4  ,a look into the face of 
,christ is transforming4 ,you see ,him2 
and you can never be the man you have   
been and be content4 ,a change comes4   
,you want a change4 ,you must have it4  
,this longing is the beginning of the   
deeper change4 ,you can never be content
 again with being the man you have been4
  ,it has always been so4 ,it always    
will be so4 ,for this is the natural    
thing4 ,in the dawning twilight of ,eden
 ,god looked into the face of the man he
 had fashioned4 ,he drew very close to  
him1 close enough to breathe his own    
breath into his face4 ,and the man      
looked out into ,god's face1 and took on
 ,god's likeness4 ,so he became his own 
real self1 as originally planned4  ,but 
while man was yet young1 sin looked him 
in the face4 ,and the man looked at sin 

with an evil longing look4 ,and in that 
look he took in some of what he saw4 ,he
 was marred4 ,the ,god image was hurt4  
,he was not the same man4 ,and he knew  
it4 ,he felt it4 ,his eyes were never   
the same after that exchange of looks   
with sin4  ,but ,god helped him4 ,he    
didn't go away4 ,he came closer for the 
sake of the sin-hurt eyes4 ,and whenever
 man has looked into that wondrous      
,god-face1 even though seeing dimly and 
indistinctly1 something within him makes
 a great bound4 ,he recognizes the      
original of his own natural self4 ,and  
he catches fire at the sight4 ,a holy   
discontent springs up within4   ,couldst
 thou in vision see    ,thyself the man 
,god meant1  ,thou never more couldst be
    ,the man thou art--content4  ,but   
you have to see ,jesus as ,he was in    
,his humanity to see yourself the man   
,god meant4 ,and you have to see ,jesus 
as ,he is now to see the ,god who meant 
you to be like ,himself4  ,it has always
 been so4 ,this has been ,god's simple  

method with men ,he would use4 ,he has  
wooed and then wooed more1 and a bit    
longer1 gently1 persistently1 up and    
away and apart until at last the man's  
eyes were trained away from the lower   
glare enough to see the real things4    
,then in some vision of the night1 whose
 darkness helped hold back the lower    
earth lights1 ,god has looked a man in  
the face once again4 ,or1 perhaps in    
open day there came to him that which he
 could not describe4 ,but in his inner  
spirit he knew there was ,one with him  
whom yet his outer eyes could not see1  
but who could not be more real if his   
outer eyes did see4  ,and in that       
presence there was a mingling of        
exquisite tenderness and of limitless   
power that was overawing4 ,inconceivable
 purity and yet such an unspeakable     
graciousness seemed blended in this     
presence4 ,and the man seeing was melted
 in his innermost being with the sense  
of tenderness1 and bowed in awe to the  
lowest dust in the sense of overwhelming

 power4 ,those who have seen will       
understand how poor the words are to    
tell the story4 ,and those who have not 
may wonder a bit until they1 too1 have  
seen4   ,some ,transfigured ,men4  ,this
 it was that transformed that man of the
 early dawnlight named ,enoch1 the      
seventh from ,adam4 ,he was the head of 
the leading family of the race1 the     
racial leader4 ,he had lived well on    
into the seventh decade of his life4    
,then the change came4 ,he recognized a 
,presence with him1 one day4 ,that ,one 
unseen by unseeing eyes became real to  
him and then more real4 ,he yielded to  
,his wooing4 ,he companioned with ,him  
daily4 ,this came to be the realest     
thing4 ,and he was transformed by it4   
,he grew constantly less like what he   
had been1 and more like what he was     
originally meant to be1 like his        
,companion4 ,constant contact restored  
the original likeness4 ,he was          
transformed before men's eyes1 changed  
over from within4  ,then one day the    

transforming forces had gone so far that
 he was transferred to the upper levels1
 where all see ,his face1 and his       
likeness shines out of all faces4 ,he   
never got over the sight that came to   
him that early day4  ,it was this that  
wooed the man of ,ur away from his      
ancestral home to be a lonely pilgrim1 a
 stranger among strangers4 ,nothing less
 or else could have broken the early    
attachments1 the strongest of the ,east4
 ,that winsome wooing ,presence became  
to him stronger than the strongest human
 attachments of his family and home     
land4  ,this it was that steadied him   
through the loneliness1 the             
homelessness1 the disappointments1 the  
long delays1 until it was the image of a
 new man1 a transformed man1 a          
faith-begotten man1 that at length      
looked at him out of the eyes of his    
only begotten4 ,this it was that        
steadied him through the hardest test of
 all with that only begotten1 the fire  
test on ,moriah4 ,and that made the     

transformation yet fuller4 ,for so he   
grew the liker him to whose presence he 
insisted on yielding as each test came4 
,so it was with that rare student of    
,egypt and ,arabia4 ,trained in the best
 that man could give in the ,university 
of the ,nile1 and then further trained  
by absence from man in the ,university  
of the ,desert1 alone with sheep and    
stars1 shifting sand and immovable rock1
 he wasn't ready for his task yet4 ,he  
was well trained but not yet            
transformed4  ,the fires had to be      
kindled1 purifying1 melting1 fusing     
fires4 ,and only fire kindles fire4 ,the
 fire of the unburnt bush told him first
 of a new kind of fire1 uncatalogued on 
the ,nile4 ,the fire of a ,presence     
burned daily1 not consuming him1 but    
only the dross in him1 as he led his    
race from ,egypt to ,sinai1 out from the
 slavery of men up to the freedom of the
 presence of ,god4 ,and then for six    
weeks1 twice over1 he was in the        
,presence of ,flame on the ,mount4      

,this it was that utterly changed him   
into the strongly gentle1 patient1      
tender-hearted1 wise man who taught and 
trained1 lived with and led1 the        
immature men and women whom ,god would  
weld into a nation1 a ,god-nation4 ,he  
never got over those two long visits to 
the ,mount1 nor has the world4  ,it was 
nothing else than this1 long years      
later1 that made the rugged man of the  
deserts brave the traitorous ,ahab in   
his luxurious1 licentious court4        
,without it1 the sight obscured1 the    
vision lost1 he is a coward fleeing like
 a whipped dog before a bad woman1      
thinking only of saving his own skin4   
,it showed himself1 his weak1 cowardly  
self1 to himself4  ,a fresh vision that 
early morning in the mouth of the desert
 cave made the yet deeper more radical  
transformation4 ,that unutterably gentle
 sound of stillness1 too exquisite to be
 told1 only to be felt by a spirit in   
tune1 that left him not a whit less     
willing to brave danger than before1 but

 made over now into another sort1 like  
him whose ,presence in the cave so      
melted him down4  ,this new1 gentled1   
mellowed1 strengthened ,elijah reappears
 in the man who received the birthright 
portion of his spirit4 ,we know the new 
,elijah by the spirit that swayed       
,elisha4 ,the old spirit1 fiercely      
denouncing1 calling down fire1 slaying  
the priests1 but with no grief-broken   
heart under these stern needful         
things1--this we think of familiarly as 
the ,elijah spirit4  ,the new spirit1   
healing1 teaching1 sympathizing1        
leading1 feeding1 fathering1 the        
greatness of gentleness and patience1   
these characteristics of ,elijah's      
prophetic heir tell of the deep radical 
transformation by the wondrous unseen   
,presence that early morning in the     
mouth of the cave4 ,this is the         
birthright gift of ,elijah to ,elisha4  
,elijah had a spirit-sight of ,god1 and 
he never got over it4 ,he became like   
,him into whose face he looked4   ,heart

 ,stimulant for the ,brain4  ,but time  
fails1 and words fail immensely more1 to
 tell this thing4 ,let him who would    
know that transforming sight get quietly
 alone with ,isaiah in the temple1 and  
on bent knees linger unhurriedly1 and   
listen1 and watch1 and breathe out his  
prayer1 and strongly wait until         
something of the same brooding ,presence
 be discerned that transformed this     
young ,hebrew messenger of ,god4  ,then 
let him get alone with the ,moses of the
 ,new ,testament4 ,for there is no man  
who was so utterly transformed1 and so  
quickly1 as the man on the ,damascus    
road4 ,the whole course of his character
 and life was radically changed as by a 
lightning touch4 ,this is the most      
striking illustration of all4 ,no man so
 reveals in himself the tremendous      
transforming power there is in the sight
 of the ,christ as does this high-strung
 son of the ,hebrew race4  ,but--words  
are such lame things4 ,they cannot tell 
the story here4 ,they are all one has to

 use4 ,yet they'll never be understood  
except as the light of experience shines
 upon them4 ,when any one attempts to   
talk of such a thing as this of seeing  
,god or ,christ1 his words seem so poor 
and lame and under the mark by the man  
who has had something of the vision4    
,and they either are meaningless and    
uninteresting1 or else they seem        
overstated1 and quite beyond the mark to
 one who has had no inkling in          
experience of the thing itself4  ,i     
recall distinctly the experience of a   
,danish friend in ,copenhagen4 ,she had 
been trying to read in ,english a       
certain devotional book1 but said she   
couldn't seem to grasp the meaning of   
the ,english words4 ,they eluded her1   
and so the book didn't help her much4   
,then she went through a time of sore   
stress of spirit in the sickness and    
death of her mother4 ,a new experience  
of the nearness of ,god came to her4    
,and then happening--as it seemed--to   
pick up the ,english book again she was 

amazed and delighted to find how much   
better and more quickly she knew the    
words and sensed the meaning4  ,it is   
only as the heart is fired that the     
brain awakens4 ,experience gives the    
meaning to language4 ,without experience
 it is a dead language in meaning even  
though it be one's own mother tongue4   
,only the man who has caught something  
of the vision of ,christ's face can     
understand the strong words used in     
talking of such a vision4  ,it is most  
striking to notice that even when the   
glory of ,god's presence was hidden     
beneath human wrappings in ,jesus it    
still could be felt4 ,men felt that     
presence though they knew not just what 
it was they felt1 nor why4 ,when the    
glory came yet closer in the coming of  
,jesus1 it must be well covered up for  
the sake of men's eyes1 that they might 
not go blind at once2 but its power of  
attraction could not be wholly hid4  ,so
 really human was ,jesus in the outer   
circumstance of ,his life that ,his     

brothers of the home couldn't believe he
 was essentially different from         
themselves4 ,but the attraction of that 
presence was felt constantly even       
through the human hiding of it4  ,john  
of the ,wilderness instinctively        
recognized that here was more than the  
man he saw1 and so obeyed ,his word4    
,the crowds gathered eagerly in the     
,jordan bottoms in even greater numbers 
than to hear ,john1 drawn by a power    
they felt they must yield to1 and did   
yield to gladly4  ,from the first the   
crowds gathered thick about ,him1       
,jewish aristocrat1 ,samaritan          
half-breed and sinful outcast jostling  
elbows in their eagerness to hear1 drawn
 by a power they could feel1 but could  
not understand any more than they could 
withstand it4 ,the children loved his   
presence and touch4  ,the bad in life   
were as resistlessly drawn up to a new  
life as the ,greeks were drawn from     
clear beyond the blue waters of the     
,hellespont into ,his presence4 ,the    

crowds were irresistibly drawn to follow
 on that last eventful journey to       
,jerusalem even while they felt afraid4 
,it was the sight of the glory on the   
,mount that drew faithful ,john in with 
,jesus1 and held him steady that awful  
night in palace and courtyard1 and that 
later brought poor blasphemous ,peter   
back for forgiveness4 ,the two walking  
to ,emmaus found their hearts all       
aflame1 though they supposed it was only
 the chance stranger of the roadway they
 listened to4  ,even those who hated    
,him were compelled to recognize the    
wondrous power of ,his presence4 ,the   
,nazareth hands that itched to seize    
,him were restrained by ,his presence as
 ,he passed through their midst4 ,ten   
times did the ,jerusalem crowds attempt 
his life1 and ten times were they       
restrained by a power in ,him that they 
could neither understand nor withstand4 
,the men officially empowered to arrest 
,him return empty-handed1 confessing the
 overawing power of ,his words4 ,that   

last week the leaders that were hotly   
plotting ,his death felt the strange    
restraint of ,his presence while ,he    
quietly sat in their very midst1 and    
swayed the crowds4  ,in the garden      
soldiers and priests alike were felled  
to the ground by the power of ,his      
presence4 ,so it always has been4 ,no   
one has ever had a sight of that ,face1 
and gotten used to it1 or gotten over   
it4   ,a ,fresh ,vision ,needed4  ,but  
the thing we are specially needing      
to-day is a sight of ,christ as ,he is  
now4 ,it seems a bit strange that we    
don't get this more4 ,one historic      
,church has ,him fastened to a cross1   
never freed from the old fastenings4    
,another has ,him set in picture frame1 
behind glass4 ,and the multitudes       
prostrate themselves and reverently kiss
 the glass4  ,in widely differing       
,churches ,he seems quite covered up out
 of sight by classical ritual1 beautiful
 music1 and impressive stately service4 
,the crowds gather and listen and bow   

low in hushed stillness4 ,but1          
apparently1 ,him they see not1 else how 
different their conduct as they come    
out1 and their lives4  ,and yet as ,i   
have mingled with the worshippers in    
,catholic ,churches in the south of     
,europe1 in ,greek ,churches in ,russia1
 and in congregations of the ,church of 
,england classed as high1 ,i have been  
caught by faces here and there in the   
crowd that clearly were reaching out    
hungrily for ,him1 and were having some 
sort1 some real sort1 of touch with     
,him1 too4 ,yet it seemed to be in spite
 of surroundings4 ,the insistence of    
their hunger pierces through these to   
,him4 ,he seems hidden from the crowd by
 them4  ,scholarly orthodox theologians 
talk learnedly about ,him1 but ,himself 
as ,he walked among us and as ,he is    
now1 ,him it would seem that they see   
not1 at least not enough to burn through
 and burn out and burn up and send men  
out aflame with the ,jesus-passion4     
,philosophies about ,him that are       

classed as liberal and put attractively1
 yet have nothing of the burn in them   
that reveals ,himself4  ,the more modern
 ,church of the more western world seems
 to have gotten a new lease of          
aggressiveness in service1 a new        
intensity in activities so numerous as  
to be a bit bewildering sometimes4 ,the 
wheels whir busily and noisily4 ,you    
feel them4 ,but ,him1 the unseen        
presence that makes you reverently wrap 
your face up out of sight1 and stand    
with awed heart to listen1 ,him we seem 
not to see4  ,the wondrous quiet ,voice 
that makes your heart burn within you   
with a burning that cleanses and mellows
 and melts down1 that we seem to hear   
only by getting away from the noise of  
the whirring wheels into some quiet     
corner4  ,there are in every ,church and
 nation those who seem to have the close
 personal touch with ,himself4 ,their   
faces and daily lives show the marks4   
,their lips may not say so much1 for    
they who see most can say least of what 

they see4 ,but the marks in the life are
 unmistakable4  ,yet even here the sight
 of ,christ emphasizes chiefly the      
personal side1 what ,he is personally to
 them4 ,and what a blessed side that is 
only they who know it know4 ,they think 
of ,him as a personal ,saviour1 and the 
heart glows4 ,they see ,him at the      
,father's right hand interceding1 and   
gratefully remember that ,he will forget
 no name where there is a trusting      
heart4 ,they think of the ,holy ,spirit1
 the other ,jesus1 ,jesus' other self1  
always alongside to help1 alongside     
inside4 ,and they practise letting ,him 
work out the ,christ-likeness within    
themselves4  ,and all this is blessed1  
only blessed4 ,they see ,him in ,his    
personal relation to themselves4 ,but   
there's something more than this4 ,no   
one knew more of this blessed personal  
part than ,john4 ,but ,john saw more    
than this on ,patmos4 ,he saw ,christ as
 ,he is now4  ,this is clearly a new    
sight of ,christ4 ,it was new to ,john4 

,it would seem to be new to us4 ,it is  
new in the pages of this book4 ,it is   
something different from any sight seen 
before4 ,in the ,gospels we see ,jesus  
the ,man4 ,in carpenter shop and little 
whitewashed stone cottage1 in the       
ministering life clear from the ,jordan 
bottoms to the healing touch at         
,gethsemane's gate1 and in the suffering
 clear up to the ninth hour of that     
fateful day ,he is the ,man1 one of     
ourselves1 though clearly more even in  
,his humanity than the humanity we are4 
,on the ,transfiguration ,mount the     
favoured inner three1 the leaders1 see  
the glory within shining out through the
 ,man4 ,so bewildered are they that the 
chief impression that remains is of a   
blinding brightness4 ,yet this is up on 
a high mountain far away from the crowd1
 and from the haunts of men4  ,as       
,stephen is being stoned his eyes are   
opened to see the ,son of ,man standing 
in glory up at the ,father's right hand4
 ,the ,damascus traveller sees an       

overpowering burst of glory out of the  
blue and hears a voice speaking4 ,in the
 epistles ,paul pictures ,him seated at 
the ,father's right hand with an        
authority greater than any other4 ,all  
the power ,he has is placed at the      
disposal of ,his followers on the earth4
 ,he ,himself is above in the glory4#ee 
,but in this very end of the ,book ,john
 is given a new sight of ,christ4 ,he   
sees ,him as ,he is now4 ,that is to    
say1 this is the sight of ,christ as ,he
 is now characteristically4 ,it is the  
distinctive sight that stands out above 
all these others4  ,he is at one's right
 hand in closest personal relation1     
through ,his ,holy ,spirit4 ,he is at   
the ,father's right hand in glory       
waiting expectantly till the time is    
ripe for the next direct move on the    
earth4 ,but there's more than these4    
,there's a sight of ,him that           
overshadows these4 ,it is the           
characteristic sight that lets us see   
,him as ,he is peculiarly now in ,his   

relation to affairs on the earth4       
,christ as ,he ,is ,now4  ,this new     
sight of ,christ is the heart and soul  
of this crowning book1 this end-book of 
the ,book4  ,it was out of this sight   
that this end-book grew4 ,it is written 
wholly under the spell of this new sight
 of ,christ4 ,it is a revelation both of
 ,jesus ,christ and by ,jesus ,christ2  
first of1 then by4  ,john begins his    
story by telling that he had gotten such
 a revelation1 and of the special       
blessing attached to reading and fitting
 one's life to it4#ef ,then follows his 
salutation to those for whom the        
revelation was given1 and the book      
written4#eg ,it is peculiarly a ,church 
book4 ,its message is not peculiarly for
 individual followers1 but for groups of
 believers gathered together as         
,churches4  ,the salutation is absorbed 
with the ,one whom he has seen in the   
vision1 what ,he has done for us in     
shedding ,his blood1 and that ,he is    
actually coming again4 ,behold ,he      

cometh with the clouds2 and every eye   
shall see ,him1 and they that pierced   
,him4 ,the ,jew is specifically         
designated3 the coming has special      
significance for the ,jewish nation4    
,and all the people of the earth shall  
penitently mourn as they see ,him4 ,and 
then like an endorsing signature from   
the ,one of whom he is writing comes the
 sentence3 ,i am the ,alpha and the     
,omega1 saith the ,lord ,god1 who is and
 who was1 and who cometh1 the ,almighty 
,one4  ,then comes the new sight of the 
crowned ,christ4#eh ,it was on a ,lord's
 day4 ,john was on the lonely sea-girt  
isle of ,patmos4 ,he was alone1 brooding
 probably over some bit of the ,word of 
,god1 and about the ,jesus of whom he   
had been so earnestly testifying4 ,it   
was these that had brought him to his   
lonely island prison4 ,these ever burned
 within him1 the wondrous written ,word1
 the immensely more wondrous ,word made 
flesh1 of whom he had written1 the ,word
 that was ,god and became a ,man and    

walked the will of ,god4  ,and as he    
brooded he became conscious of the      
,spirit of ,god overshadowing him1      
gentle as the soft breeze1 noiseless as 
the fragrant dew1 mighty as an          
enveloping presence that filled his     
being and had possession of him4  ,then 
a voice spake and the tone of authority 
in it was unmistakable4 ,what thou      
seest1 write4 ,he was to see something4 
,he was to tell what he saw4 ,there's a 
delightful touch of the simplicity of   
natural speech here4 ,he turned to see  
the voice4 ,and he saw ,him who was the 
voice of ,god to him4 ,then the sight is
 told in the same simplicity of speech4 
,there is a group of candlesticks1      
light-holders1 made of gold4 ,and in the
 midst of the group there is some ,one  
standing4 ,he is in outer form like a   
man4 ,but there is such an overpowering 
sense of divine glory that ,john falls  
on his face as one dead4 ,yet through   
all this overwhelming experience the    
impression of a man stands unmistakably 

out4  ,with keen1 quick glance ,john    
takes in head and hair1 eyes and feet1  
voice and hands1 mouth and face4 ,a     
simple1 natural man in every outer      
particular like himself1 a brother man1 
wearing man's garb and girdle4 ,this is 
the first impression indelibly stamped  
on ,john's mind4  ,but there's more1 ah1
 much more than a man in this man6 ,this
 is the stupendous part4 ,there is some 
,one1 other than man1 and more than man1
 possessing this man4 ,the divine fills 
the human4 ,it is this sense of the     
glory filling the man that is so        
overpowering to ,john4  ,a glorious     
presence overshadows the man and shines 
out of ,him1 but never obliterates nor  
makes the man less4 ,that indescribable 
glory within shining out through the man
 magnifies every part of ,his human     
being4 ,the head and hair are white1 not
 like a pale or painted white1 but a    
transparent whiteness1 an intense       
searching1 glowing light shining out    
from ,him through the human head and    

hair4  ,the eyes are as a flame of pure 
fire1 the feet like melting metal       
glowing in fire4 ,and the whole         
countenance was as the sun in its       
noontime strength shining out of a      
rainless1 cloudless sky4 ,humanity      
enveloped in deity1 yet remaining true1 
full humanity4 ,god within man          
immeasurably more than man1 yet not     
overwhelming1 not disturbing nor        
obliterating1 any part of his humanity1 
rather making every part stand out more 
distinctly4  ,is this incidentally a    
kind of parable8 ,is it something like  
this on an immensely humbler scale that 
was meant for us men8 ,god the ,holy    
,spirit dwelling in a man4 ,he the chief
 one1 the divine one1 yet expressing    
,himself through the man1 and doing it  
fully to meet the need of the hour4 ,his
 presence magnifying1 vitalizing1 and   
using every human power1 yet ,himself   
the dominant personality4  ,it is most  
striking to note that this is the same  
in principle as every appearance of ,god

 in the ,old ,testament pages4          
,sometimes ,he talked with men when     
there is no suggestion made of any      
appearance or of what the appearance was
 like4 ,but wherever the appearance is  
spoken of it is always either fire or   
some touch of the human kind or both4   
,in ,eden ,he waits and speaks1 two     
human things4 ,he talks with ,abraham as
 a man talks1 and ratified the covenant 
by passing fire through the pieces of   
the covenant sacrifice4#ei ,it is as a  
simple1 natural man appearing at        
,abraham's tent door that ,he talks     
about ,sodom4 ,it is a human voice      
speaking about ,isaac1 though no        
appearance is mentioned4 ,moses sees a  
flaming bush1 and hears a voice in the  
desert1 and sees a whole mount aflame   
while a voice speaks at ,sinai4  ,and so
 it was always3 the fiery presence-cloud
 in the ,wilderness1 ,joshua's ,captain 
taking command1 ,manoah's angel         
ascending in the flame of the altar1 the
 voice in the night heard by ,samuel1   

the flooding of ,tabernacle and ,temple 
with the glory-presence1 ,carmel's fire 
descending1 ,elijah's still small voice1
 ,isaiah's vision of glory and the      
voice1 ,ezekiel's man of flame speaking1
 and ,daniel's1 both of the latter two  
akin to this ,revelation appearance4    
,but there is a distinctness and a      
fulness of description here greater than
 at any previous time1 yet the same     
essential thing as at every appearance  
of ,god in ,old ,testament pages4 ,the  
coming of ,jesus among us has brought   
,god closer to us and made ,him mean    
more4 ,jesus was ,god coming closer and 
in a way that we could understand better
 and take hold of more easily4   ,the   
,identifying ,mark4  ,but let us        
reverently look a little closer that we 
may understand yet better4 ,there are   
certain characteristics of this ,man of 
,fire that are allowed to stand sharply 
out here4 ,we are meant to look at them4
 ,this is part of the purpose in the    
heart of ,christ in letting us see ,him 

as ,he is here4  ,the sense of purity is
 intenser than can be put into words4   
,fire is pure4 ,there is nothing so     
pure4 ,it resists impurity4 ,it burns it
 up4 ,it is most significant that this  
is the one thing familiar to us that    
always accompanies the presence of ,god 
as ,he appears to men4 ,it is always in 
fire whether to speak ,his message of   
peace and love or to remove the impurity
 of evil4  ,our ,god is a consuming     
fire4 ,yet fire only consumes what can't
 stand its flame4 ,the fire reveals     
purity and makes pure4 ,god is pure4    
,the presence within the man looked out 
in eyes of flame1 in a countenance like 
the sun1 and feet like molten brass     
glowing in a furnace4 ,there could be no
 stronger statement of purity than this4
  ,then there is an overwhelming sense  
of authority4 ,that seems the human word
 to use1 though the word seems to tell  
so much less than ,john felt4 ,john     
feels it more than he can tell it4 ,he  
cannot tell it in words4 ,his limp      

figure lying flat on the earth tells    
what words never can4 ,he had seen the  
glory outshining in the ,transfiguration
 ,mount1 but this is unspeakably beyond 
that4  ,there was a voice like a        
trumpet4 ,it commanded ,john to write4  
,it says3 ,i became dead1 and1 behold6  
,i am alive forever more4 ,it is an     
authority over life to yield it up1 and 
over death to put it to death1 and call 
life back1 never again to be touched by 
the finger of death4 ,no such authority 
is known among men to-day4 ,and this is 
further emphasized in the quiet words3  
,i have the keys--- the control--of     
death and of the whole spirit world4    
,but immensely more than all this to    
,john was the intense feeling of majesty
 which completely overpowered him4 ,the 
sense of authority was overwhelming4    
,the items in the description can thus  
be catalogued1 but it is impossible to  
get the overwhelming sense of majestic  
authority that came to ,john1 except as 
he got it1--by a sight1 something of a  

sight of this great crowned ,christ4    
,but who is this8 ,is this not merely   
,ezekiel's vision repeated8#fj ,he saw  
just such a vision1 one in the likeness 
of a man1 enveloped in fire1 and sitting
 on a throne4 ,and the effect was the   
same as ,ezekiel lies flat on his face4 
,is it not the same as ,daniel saw8#fa  
,a man clothed in linen1 aflame with    
inner fire1 and the same authoritative  
voice1 and ,daniel in a deep sleep of   
awe-stricken stupor with face on the    
ground8 ,he does indeed seem to be the  
same4 ,the descriptions tally           
remarkably4  ,but listen4 ,he speaks4   
,and the sense of terrifying authority  
in the voice that spake is gentled to   
,john's tense ear in the quiet words    
that come4 ,like the loving words that  
came to ,daniel's quaking heart is the  
personal message that came to           
,john1--,fear not4 ,and with the words1 
as ever1 come the new sense of stilling 
peace within4 ,i am the ,first and the  
,last1 and the ,living ,one4  ,still it 

may be ,ezekiel's ,man even yet1 or     
,daniel's4 ,but listen3 and ,i became   
dead4 ,ah6 this identifies ,him4 ,now we
 know for the first time that this ,man 
of ,flame is ,jesus our ,brother-man4   
,the cross becomes the mark of          
identification4 ,the form of the words  
as spoken fits in with the sense of     
authority4 ,with great strength of heart
 in carrying out a great purpose ,he    
became dead4  ,this is ,ezekiel's ,man  
and ,daniel's and more1 unspeakably     
more4 ,the ,man they saw has lived      
amongst us for a generation of time1 and
 then given ,his life clear out for us4 
,he has become more in coming as ,jesus4
 ,he has taken human experience and     
suffering up into ,himself4 ,he was     
,creator4 ,he has become more--,saviour4
  ,there is the same purity and         
authority speaking out here as there4   
,but here is love speaking out as never 
was spoken out before4 ,here is love    
lived out2 aye1 here love is died out1  
and never living so much as when dying4 

,here is love putting death to death for
 us4 ,purity and authority fastened on a
 cross6 ,this is love such as man had   
never known1 and ,god never shown       
before4 ,calvary lets us see the love   
that burned in the purity and controlled
 in the authority4  ,john's ,man is     
,ezekiel's and ,daniel's1 but with the  
love shining out through purity and     
authority1 and outshining both4 ,yet    
that love is the purity and authority   
combined in action4 ,we don't know love 
only as we know ,god4 ,and we don't know
 ,god only as we know ,jesus not living 
merely but pouring out ,his life for    
men4 ,this is love--that ,man1 that     
,god-man1 but with the ,god-glory hidden
 within1 using all ,his authority over  
,his life to fasten ,his purity on a    
cross with the thorns of our sin1 and   
then throttling death and bringing up a 
new sort of deathless life for us4      
,this--,he--is love4   ,the ,outstanding
 ,characteristic4  ,but we haven't      
gotten to the heart of this yet4 ,there 

is immensely more here than even this4  
,the distinctive thing1 the             
characteristic thing in this sight of   
,christ1 is yet to be noticed4 ,all of  
this can be gotten from other sights of 
,christ4 ,but notice now keenly where   
this ,man of ,fire is4 ,for this is the 
distinctive thing4 ,he is not up in the 
heavens1 as in ,ezekiel4 ,he has not    
come on a special errand1 as in         
,daniel's experience4#fb ,he is walking 
down on the earth4 ,his whole concern is
 about affairs on the earth4  ,but note 
where ,he is on earth3 not in           
,jerusalem1 the ,jew centre2 not in     
,rome1 the world's ruling centre1 nor in
 ,athens or ,corinth1 the world's       
culture centres4 ,he is seen walking    
among a small group of candlesticks4    
,this is the centre of earth action for 
,him4 ,this is the significant thing of 
this new sight of ,christ4 ,let us look 
at it a moment to get at the simple     
significance of the scene4  ,the        
candlesticks1 we are told1 are the      

,churches1 the little groups of         
followers banded together here and      
there4 ,these small groups of ,christ's 
followers are called candlesticks or    
lampstands4  ,there is no suggestion yet
 of their giving any light4 ,no lighted 
candles nor oily wicks are burning and  
shining4 ,they are only candlesticks4   
,they are of gold1 the most precious    
metal1 but they can give no light1 they 
can only hold the light some one else   
supplies4 ,the ,man standing amongst    
them is the light4 ,the whole effect of 
the sight of ,christ here is that ,he is
 the light4 ,the presence within the man
 shines out through head and eyes and   
limbs1 as light1 intense dazzling light1
 even as the sun in his strength4  ,here
 is the distinctive thing4 ,christ's    
whole interest centres in the earth4    
,all heaven is bending over watching the
 run of events down here4 ,the intensity
 of ,his suffering and death tell the   
intensity of ,christ's interest in the  
movement of things on the earth4 ,he has

 a plan4 ,he has put ,his very life into
 it4 ,it centres wholly in the affairs  
of us men down here4 ,and it centres in 
,his ,church4  ,this quite upsets our   
common ideas about the centre of things 
down here4 ,we class ,london and ,new   
,york as the great financial centres2   
,paris and ,berlin as the great fashion 
and military centres4 ,rome is the      
centre of authority of the ,catholic    
,church1 and ,st4 ,petersburg of the    
,greek ,orthodox4 ,the ,man who holds   
all power in ,his hands1 and on whose   
word everything depends1 quietly brushes
 all this aside with scarce a move of   
,his hand4 ,the earth-centre of things  
is the ,church4 ,that is1 the groups of 
his followers banded together in various
 parts of the world4  ,sometimes it is  
seen as a magnificent organization      
intimately connected with the machinery 
of government4 ,sometimes as very small 
groups of persons with no social        
standing1 despised and reckoned as not  
worth reckoning with4 ,but this is the  

thing ,he is depending on for getting   
out to ,his world4 ,all ,his plans      
centre here4  ,he is the light4 ,the    
light ,he gave and gives through nature1
 and within every man's breast1 has been
 awfully darkened through refusal and   
neglect to use it1 through stubborn     
self-will4 ,it is so darkened that      
ofttimes it seems to have been quite put
 out4 ,his coming amongst us as one of  
ourselves1 living our life1 dying on our
 behalf to free us from sin1 rising     
again victorious over death1 sending    
,his ,holy ,spirit to make all this real
 and living to each of us1--this is the 
light at its full shining1 the          
flood-light4  ,he has made a plan for   
sending this flood-light to every one in
 every part of the earth4 ,that plan    
centres in ,his followers4 ,he is the   
light4 ,the ,church is the light-bearer1
 the candlestick4 ,it is to hold ,him up
 in such a way that men everywhere can  
get in direct touch with ,him4 ,when ,he
 is held up1 the darkness goes4 ,the    

darkness can't stand the light4 ,this is
 the immensely significant thing here4  
,this is the sight of ,christ needed    
to-day1 a sight of ,him as ,he stands   
waiting on the ,church to carry out ,his
 plan for the earth4  ,the faithfulness 
of the ,church is not measured by       
compact organization1 costly houses of  
worship1 impressive services1 eloquent  
scholarly preaching1 and a ceaseless    
round of organized activities4 ,it can  
be told only by how much of the spirit  
of the ,christ who died is carried1 in  
the daily life of its individual        
members1 into home and social and       
commercial circles until men are        
compelled to feel its power in          
conviction of the sin of their own      
lives4  ,nor yet is it told by          
transplanting the western type of       
civilization to far-away lands1 with    
schools and hospitals and innumerable   
humanizing influences4 ,all this may be 
blessed4 ,and it will be blessed and    
blest4 ,but it is the incidental thing4 

,it is sure to follow where the ,jesus  
light is allowed to shine clearly       
through and out4 ,it is quite possible  
to have these good things without       
getting the real ,christ4 ,it is quite  
impossible to have ,christ ,himself     
without such influences coming1 too4    
,the emphasis must be not on these      
things1 but on ,him1 ,christ4 ,men need 
,him4 ,he answers the heart longing1 and
 only ,he can4 ,he changes the nature1  
and nothing else is enough4 ,the ,church
 is to take the loving1 healing1        
personal ,christ to men in the fulness  
of ,his power1 and to all men4 ,this is 
the measure of its faithfulness4   ,what
 ,christ ,sees4  ,the tremendous        
question that crowds in here is this1   
,what does this ,man of ,fire see as ,he
 stands among ,his followers8 ,and ,he  
tells us4 ,this is why the vision is    
given4 ,he wants us to see things as    
they look to ,his eyes of flame4  ,the  
,man and ,his message are one thing     
here4 ,chapters one1 two1 and three     

belong together1 and should be held     
together in our minds4 ,we have put the 
,man and ,his message as separate talks 
to get a clearer grasp of each4 ,but    
they are one4  ,now we recall enough of 
the message to note this4 ,five-sevenths
 of the light-holders are in bad shape4 
,the lamps are smoky1 badly smoked1 and 
cobwebbed4 ,the light is dimmed4 ,it    
can't get out through the lamp4 ,the    
crowds are standing in the darkness and 
falling into the ditch by the side of   
the road4  ,two-sevenths let the light  
clearly out4 ,the others are an         
intermingling of light and light        
obscured1 but with the obscurity        
overcoming the other4 ,the net result is
 an irritating smokiness4 ,and the      
movement unhindered would naturally be  
toward a steady increase of smoky       
irritation and obscurity until no light 
can get through4 ,this is what ,he lets 
us see that ,he sees4  ,now the         
instinctive thing to do with a smoky    
lamp irritating nostrils and eyes is to 

put it out4 ,that is the first instinct4
 ,the second is to trim the wick and do 
whatever else it needs to correct the   
smokiness4 ,yet ,he waits4 ,that first  
natural instinct is restrained4 ,the    
candlesticks are not yet moved out of   
their place4 ,the light still tries to  
get out through them4 ,the human        
candlestick may yet do the needful      
trimming and cleaning4 ,with marvellous 
restraint ,he waits4  ,it is a          
tremendous scene that is stretched out  
here before us1--purity and authority   
combined in ,one who is standing in the 
midst of impurity and failure4 ,the     
purity is more intense than we can      
grasp4 ,the authority is greater than   
any one can realize4 ,the impurity1 the 
failure1 are bad clear beyond what we   
can take in4 ,the whole natural instinct
 here would be a cleansing1 instant and 
radical1 a correcting of the evil4 ,yet 
,he waits4 ,the purity would act through
 the authority2 the authority restrains 
the purity4 ,love quietly1 strongly     

holds both in check4 ,this restraint1   
this inaction is tremendous4  ,why this 
inaction8 this restraint8 ,and the      
answer is simple1 and as sweeping as    
simple4 ,his plan at this stage shall   
have fullest opportunity4 ,his followers
 will be given full opportunity to the  
last notch of time and the latest       
possibility of their being yet true4    
,all the intensity of ,his love1 all the
 eagerness of ,his expectancy1#fc all   
the fulness of ,his plan for the earth1 
yes all the millions of the race1 all   
the misery and ignorance1 the sin and   
darkness1 the millions of babies being  
born into wretchedness1 and the millions
 of non-,christian women being held in  
slavery1 and the countless numbers in   
every land groping along in a darkness  
that not only can be felt1 but that is  
felt to the hurting point and then past 
that to the insensitive stupor1--all    
this waits4  ,with a heart that feels   
all that any man is feeling and that    
breaks under it1 ,he waits that fullest 

opportunity shall be given ,his         
followers to be true4 ,if ,his ,church  
is set aside it will be only at the last
 moment when her failure is utterly     
hopeless4 ,if the candlestick is removed
 out of its place1 it will be only after
 it has completely removed itself out of
 all touch with the ,light4 ,a          
candlestick holding out no light is an  
utterly useless thing to the man in the 
dark4  ,it is possible for the ,church  
to be a magnificent organization1 an    
honoured institution1 exerting immense  
influence in national politics1         
enormously rich in gold and in          
scholarship and in traditions1 and even 
in carrying forward an aggressive       
missionary propaganda1 and yet be       
faithless to its one mission4 ,if the   
,church should fail in this its one     
mission1 then the waiting time is over4 
,the way is clear for the next step in  
the world plan4 ,and a momentous step   
that would be1 beyond our power to      
grasp4 ,but the waiting time still holds

 out4  ,this is the simple1 tremendous  
plea of this new sight of the crowned   
,christ as ,he is shown here4 ,the      
centre of the universe to ,him is this  
earth4 ,the centre of things on the     
earth is ,his ,church4 ,the centre of   
things in the ,church is its giving     
,jesus the ,light out to all the earth4 
,and if this be the way things looked to
 ,his eye at the close of the first     
century1 how1 think you1 do they look at
 this beginning of the twentieth8 ,has  
that momentum of movement toward        
increasing smokiness slacked8 ,is the   
waiting time nearly run out8  ,the      
present is a momentous time4 ,even men  
of the world speak of the world-wide    
restlessness as pointing to some        
impending event of world size4 ,and he  
who is in some sort of simple touch with
 the spirit world can feel the air      
a-thrill with the possibility of world  
events impending1 even while he wonders 
just what and when4   ,one in the       
,midst4  ,it is most striking how it    

came about that ,john got this sight of 
,christ4 ,the change was not in         
,christ's presence1 but in ,john's eyes4
 ,christ did not come4 ,he was there4   
,john's eyes were opened4 ,then he saw  
,him who stands watching and waiting4   
,christ is here4 ,the ,man of ,fire and 
of restraining love is here on the earth
 in the midst of ,his ,church looking   
and longing1 listening1 and feeling4    
,if only our eyes were opened to see6   
,there standeth ,one in our midst whom  
we recognize not4 ,wherever any company 
of believers banded together as a       
,church to worship and pray and break   
holy bread are gathered1 under whatever 
local name or in connection with        
whatever ,church communion1 ,he stands  
in the midst1 this crowned ,christ of   
the ,patmos ,revelation4  ,our eyes need
 treatment4 ,the hinge of the eyelid is 
in the will and in the heart4 ,a bended 
or bending will opens the eye4 ,a       
brooding heart opens it yet more in     
spirit vision4 ,then we shall see ,him1 

as ,he is now in our midst1 waiting our 
obedience4  ,those forty days between   
the resurrection and the ascension are  
seen to be illustrations of this4 ,one  
can see through this ,revelation sight  
that this is one of the chief things the
 ,master is teaching as ,he still       
lingers on earth in ,his resurrection   
body4  ,along the old ,emmaus road1     
gathered about the evening meal in the  
twilight1 twice in the upper room at    
,jerusalem1 ,he appears to little groups
 of ,his faithful followers4 ,their     
hearts are burning with the thought of  
,him1 they are talking with both tongue 
and eyes about ,him4 ,but that ,he is in
 their midst is the last thing to come  
into their minds4 ,then their eyes are  
opened to see ,him in their midst4 ,it  
was a forty-days' session in their      
training school4 ,then ,he said quietly 
as ,his bodily presence goes up into the
 blue3 ,lo6 ,i am with you all the days 
until the end4 ,their mission and ,his  
presence are inseparably linked4  ,and  

it is striking again to note how ,john's
 ,gospel ends4 ,the others describe the 
,ascension4 ,john begins his ,gospel    
with ,jesus in the bosom of the ,father 
before the world was1 and ends with ,him
 walking and talking with a little group
 of fishermen along the shore of the    
waters of ,galilee's ,lake4  ,this is   
what the ,church needs to-day1 a sight  
of ,christ as ,he is now4 ,nothing else 
can save its life4 ,and nothing less can
 save its mission from utter impending  
failure4  ,and yet while the distinctive
 message here is for the ,church1 it is 
an individual message1 too4 ,it is for  
each of us4 ,i am the ,church1 as much  
of it as ,i am1 counted as one4 ,you are
 the ,church4 ,the ,church is made up of
 you and me and the rest of us4 ,i must 
take this message for as much of the    
,church as ,i am4 ,the ,man of ,fire is 
depending on me to be a candlestick for 
,his light4 ,it is on me ,he is         
patiently waiting to obey as fully as   
,he means ,i should4  ,and on you4  ,a  

recent incident is told of a man whose  
name is a familiar one in the financial 
world1 who died a few years ago4 ,he was
 the executive head of one of our       
country's great railways4 ,and a man of 
remarkable largeness of insight and     
grasp1 and of unusual power of          
execution4 ,he dealt in hundreds of     
millions as easily as most of us deal in
 dollars1 and his rugged honesty has    
never been brought into question4 ,his  
greatest achievement bulks big in the   
material structure of one of our great  
eastern cities4  ,but his gigantic tasks
 ran his strength to ebb tide1 and then 
it was seen that the tide was running   
out4 ,as he lay in the sick chamber a   
minister called1 whose ministry had     
touched large numbers of the men in the 
railroad of which the sick man was head1
 and in the course of conversation      
tactfully asked3  ,are you a ,christian1
 ,mr4 ,blank8  ,yes1 was the quiet1     
prompt reply that rather surprised the  
minister4  ,how long have you been a    

,christian1 ,mr4 ,blank8  ,two days1    
came the answer as promptly and quietly4
  ,feeling that there was an interesting
 story under these answers1 the minister
 gently pressed the question4 ,then the 
story came out4  ,you know ,william1 who
 handles freight out here at ----8 the  
sick man asked4  ,yes4  ,he showed me   
the way4  ,william had been a worthless1
 drunken man of the down and out sort4  
,he had been converted at some mission  
and been radically changed4 ,he had     
gotten employment at one of the         
freight-handling stations of this       
railroad system4 ,it was rough1 hard    
work1 but he had gone at it earnestly in
 his purpose to live an honest life4    
,and in his quiet1 earnest way he was   
always seeking a chance to speak to men 
of ,christ as a personal ,saviour1 until
 he became known throughout that part of
 the system for his simple1 earnest     
piety4  ,as the sick man realized the   
seriousness of things for him he had    
sent for this ,william4 ,the president  

of the road whose capitalization ran    
into hundreds of millions sent for the  
rough-handed freight handler4 ,and      
,william in his simple1 earnest way had 
pointed the sick man to ,christ4 ,and   
the man of millions had made a new sort 
of transaction4 ,christ and he had an   
understanding4  ,and as the sick man    
told the minister the story he paused1  
and then added1 ,i have given my        
strength to the secondary things4  ,this
 was the judgment of this shrewd man of 
big affairs as the new light had come   
into his life at its close4 ,happily he 
had gotten the readjustment of values in
 time for readjustment of personal      
relationships4 ,but his life's strength 
was gone4  ,if we might get the         
readjustment that would put secondary   
things in second place1 and put wrong   
and useless things clear out1 in time to
 be of some use to our blessed ,lord4   
,,footnotes3  #ed ,william ,norris      
,burr4  #ee ,notably ,ephesians i4      
#bj-bc4  #ef ,revelation i4 #a-c4  #eg  

,revelation i4 #d-h4  #eh ,revelation i4
 #i-bj4  #ei ,genesis xv4  #fj ,ezekiel 
i4 #bf-bh4  #fa ,daniel x4 #e-i4  #fb   
,daniel x4 #bj4  #fc ,hebrews x4 #ac4   
,,iv4--,a ,,message ,,from ,,the        
,,crowned ,,christ  7,revelation1       
,chapters ii and iii7    ,the glory of  
love is brightest when the glory of self
 is dim1  ,and they have the most       
compelled me who most have pointed to   
,him4  ,they have held me1 stirred me1  
swayed me1--,i have hung on their       
every word1  ,till ,i fain would arise  
and follow1 not them1 not them1--but    
their    ,lord6#fd   ,patmos ,spells    
,patience4  ,patience is strength at its
 strongest1 using all its strength in   
holding back from doing something4      
,patience is love at flood pleading with
 strength to hold steady in holding     
back4  ,the love in the strength insists
 on waiting a bit longer for the sake of
 the one being waited for4 ,the strength
 in the love obeys the love passion and 
takes fresh hold in holding back4       

,patmos spells out the patience of our  
,lord ,jesus4 ,it tells the strength and
 tenderness of ,his love4 ,olivet       
spelled out ,his plan1 ,his great       
sweeping plan1 through ,his followers1  
for a race4 ,calvary spelled out ,his   
passion1 passion of love1 passion of    
suffering1 in dying for a race4         
,calvary1 ,olivet1 and ,patmos are      
inseparably linked1 the gentle slope of 
the ,jerusalem hillside1 the little     
mount to its east1 and the little rocky 
isle in the far ,a,egean4 ,calvary was  
the passion of love pouring out a life  
for a race4 ,olivet was the plan of love
 for telling a race1 till every one     
would know the love by the feel4 ,patmos
 is the patience of love pleading with  
the should-be tellers of the story to   
carry out the plan1 and waiting1 and    
then waiting just a little longer4      
,olivet had heard the last word4 ,there 
the ,master had told the disciples the  
plan4 ,all the race was to be told and  
taught1 bit by bit1 earnestly1          

repeatedly1 patiently1 tirelessly1 by   
word and act and life4 ,he ,himself     
unseen by outer eyes would always be    
with them1 ,his supernatural power      
making real and living what they told   
and taught4 ,this was the plan4 ,olivet 
was to be the executive of ,calvary1    
bringing home to men and making vital to
 them what had been done there4  ,then  
,jesus went up on the ,cloud4 ,and they 
went out everywhere4 ,and ,his power    
convincingly went with them just as ,he 
had said4 ,within a generation the news 
and the power had gone together to the  
outermost rim of the world they knew4   
,they were expecting ,him to return as a
 result of this witnessing of theirs4   
,the next time they see ,his face and   
hear ,his voice will be as ,he comes on 
the ,cloud out of the blue4 ,so they    
understand and believe4 ,this is their  
constant expectancy4  ,now that         
generation has moved off the scene of   
action4 ,another generation has come in 
its place1 and has almost run its course

 and moved off the scene4 ,and still    
they are looking forward to and talking 
about ,his return4  ,but now to this new
 generation of ,his followers something 
quite different comes4 ,instead of      
,himself coming in glory there comes    
another last message to them4 ,it fits  
perfectly into the ,olivet message1 but 
goes further and says something more4   
,the ,olivet message is about taking the
 light of the ,gospel message out       
everywhere4 ,the ,patmos message in its 
pictured setting of candlesticks and    
,man of ,fire and blazing light         
recognized this as the one thing to be  
done1 but says there's something the    
matter with the candlesticks4  ,the     
,olivet word is about taking the        
message4 ,this ,patmos word is about the
 messengers4 ,that one is about the     
service of ,his followers2 this other   
about their life4 ,the life underlies   
the service4 ,nothing can so hinder and 
hurt the service as a life not true in  
itself4 ,here something in the life of  

the ,church is hindering its service4   
,the ,master's plan at this stage is in 
danger4  ,his broader plan extends      
beyond this ,church movement4 ,this is  
one great step to be followed by        
another4 ,that broader plan had been    
outlined at the first ,church           
,conference1 held in ,jerusalem4 ,james1
 the presiding officer1 said that the   
carrying of the ,gospel to all men was  
to be followed by a national            
regeneration of the ,jews2 and then     
through a regenerated ,jewish nation    
there would be a new era of world-wide  
evangelization1#fe and with this the    
,conference was in agreement4  ,the     
leaders among these early disciples are 
eagerly anticipating ,jesus' return to  
carry on the next stage4 ,they          
understand that what they are doing is  
preparing the way for this next step4   
,but now instead of returning to carry  
forward the broader plan here comes     
another message4 ,apparently things are 
not going satisfactorily4 ,the plan at  

this stage is in danger1 while the      
,calvary passion back of it still burns4
 ,failure is impending4 ,the ,master    
might sweep aside the men that are      
failing1 and press on ,himself into the 
next step of ,his plan4 ,for the case is
 urgent4 ,a race is waiting4 ,the       
darkness thickens4  ,but instead ,he    
waits4 ,with patience and strength and  
love beyond our power to grasp ,he      
waits4 ,this is the setting of the      
,patmos message1 to which we now turn4  
,the ,unity of the ,message4  ,we must  
keep our eyes on the ,man who is        
talking4 ,his overawing presence gives  
tremendous meaning to ,his words4 ,that 
gentle touch of the right hand has no   
doubt strengthened ,john even as ,daniel
 was strengthened4 ,and he is standing  
and looking as he listens4 ,but the     
sight of that wondrous ,man walking     
among the candlesticks floods his face  
and his whole being indescribably as he 
listens to the message spoken4  ,the    
overpowering sense of awe1 of reality   

and power1 and of the tremendous meaning
 of what is being said never leaves4 ,so
 he listens4 ,so we must listen4 ,so    
only can we get into the meaning of     
these words4 ,the words will mean only  
as much as the ,man means in the        
intensity of ,his presence4 ,you must   
keep your eye on this crowned ,christ as
 you listen4  ,the seven-fold           
description given us of ,christ is the  
key to these seven messages4 ,the       
partial description beginning each      
message is seen to fit into the         
particular condition of the ,church     
spoken to4 ,yet all these bits of       
description must be put together to get 
the full description4 ,it is a          
seven-fold description of one person4   
,and so all the messages must be taken  
together to see the ,church as ,he sees 
it1 and to get ,his message to it4 ,it  
is one message4 ,a look at the seven    
promises made to the overcomers makes it
 clear that all seven are one promise4  
,it is not that one overcomer receives  

one thing1 and another another1 but each
 one gets all of what is mentioned in   
the seven4 ,a rather careful1 swift look
 at these promises makes this clear     
enough4  ,it is spoken to one ,church in
 seven groups in seven different cities4
 ,there is one call to repentance1 one  
warning of what will happen to the      
unpenitent at five successive stages1   
one plea to hear seven times repeated1  
and one blessed result to the overcomer1
 in a seven-fold statement4  ,and there 
is just one evil to be recognized and   
fought4 ,that evil is seen to grow from 
one degree to another1 from bad to worse
 and worst4 ,its emphasis changes from  
one phase to another4 ,it has shown     
itself differently in different parts of
 the world1 and in different ages since1
 but it is the one evil power1 always   
the same behind the different           
manifestations4  ,there is rare         
combination and adaptation in this      
message4 ,it was meant for the ,church  
of that day1 and of every day since1 and

 for some future day4 ,for it stands as 
the one message from ,christ to ,his    
,church between ,olivet and ,his return4
 ,it is meant distinctively for the     
,church as a whole1 and yet it makes an 
intense personal appeal to each one in  
the ,church4  ,it is spoken to the      
little groups of ,churches in ,asia     
,minor grouping about the city of       
,ephesus1 which had been founded by     
,paul and ministered to by ,john4 ,and  
without doubt it fitted into the        
conditions and tendencies of those      
particular seven ,churches4  ,but these 
are representative of all4 ,probably any
 group of seven would be representative 
of all in varying degree4 ,the mother   
,church at ,jerusalem is not named1 nor 
the great ,gentile missionary ,church at
 ,antioch4 ,but these messages with     
their approval and criticism1 their     
warning and promise1 were meant for all 
the ,church in ,asia and ,europe and    
,africa at that time4  ,they are found  
to fit into the need of the ,church     

scattered throughout the world in every 
generation since then4 ,always there    
have been little groups that were       
faithful and true1 always some suffering
 because of their faithfulness and      
remaining faithful in spite of          
suffering4 ,and always those who have   
been formal1 who have companioned with  
evil1 who have been swamped by the evil 
with which they companioned1 and those  
practically asleep or dead4  ,this      
,patmos message will be found to fit the
 ,church of to-day with remarkable      
accuracy and faithfulness4 ,and the     
whole probability is in favor of finding
 that it will fit peculiarly the future 
,church1 the ,church at the end of this 
present period4  ,this whole book of the
 ,revelation is peculiarly a ,church    
book4 ,while it is full of instruction  
and plea for our individual lives1 yet  
it is distinctively the ,church book4   
,it stands out among the books of the   
,new ,testament as the one book         
addressed to the ,church and to the     

whole ,church4  ,it gives the great bulk
 of its space to an awful time of       
persecution that is coming to the       
,church at some future time4 ,this is   
spoken of elsewhere1 notably by ,jesus  
in ,his talk with the disciples on      
,mount ,olivet1 but it is the chief     
subject treated here4 ,and it is treated
 with great detail4 ,the name commonly  
applied to this coming persecution is   
the great tribulation4  ,it is          
significant that the book that clearly  
is distinctively a ,church book is taken
 up chiefly with a description of that  
future persecution4 ,it leads to the    
deep conviction that this book of the   
,revelation so fitted to the need of the
 ,church when spoken1 and in every      
generation since1 will be found to be   
peculiarly fitted to that generation of 
the ,church that is to pass through this
 great coming persecution2 that is1 to  
the ,tribulation ,church4  ,it will     
probably be the mainstay and comfort of 
those who will insist on being true     

during those awful days1 regardless of  
the suffering involved4 ,no book has    
been more slighted and ignored4 ,it has 
been called by some within the ,church  
of our own generation the joke of the   
,bible4 ,it will likely come to be the  
book most studied and loved for its     
light and help in the terribly troublous
 times ahead4 ,there will be an eager1  
hungry searching for every scrap of     
information1 and for any fresh ray of   
light on its meaning4   ,the ,seven-fold
 ,message4  ,now this seven-fold message
 lets us see things through ,christ's   
eyes4 ,he is letting them and us see    
what ,he sees4 ,the ,scottish poet's    
thoughtful lines might well be changed  
to get the yet better look3 ,oh6 wad    
some power the giftie gie us1 to see    
oursel's as ,god sees us4 ,it would do  
more than free us from blunders and     
notions4 ,and we are needing more4      
,each one of these seven messages begins
 by our ,lord drawing their eyes to     
,himself4 ,this is the thing needed     

most4 ,and this will give meaning and   
force to the message4 ,they are to be   
looking at ,him as they listen4 ,then   
,he speaks of all the good things ,he   
sees4 ,then of the faulty1 weak1 bad    
things1 in a few simple but unmistakably
 plain words4 ,no one could doubt what  
,he meant4  ,then is the pleading call  
to repent1 with the faithful warning of 
what will surely happen if they don't4  
,then the earnest plea that ,his words  
be listened to and taken to heart1 and  
the wondrously gracious promise held out
 to those who steadily set themselves   
against the evil1 and who get the       
victory4  ,let us look for a moment at  
each of these ,churches as seen by those
 searching eyes of flame4  ,ephesus is  
the centre of the group1 the natural    
leader1 the largest and most            
influential1 perhaps the mother ,church 
of the group1 where ,paul and ,john had 
put in so much time and strength1 and   
whence they reached out to these others4
  ,christ reminds them of ,his presence 

in their midst and ,his control of the  
angel messengers that minister to them4 
,then he speaks of their good deeds1    
their tireless activity1 steadfast      
endurance1 intense zeal for the true    
faith1 with special emphasis upon their 
unwearying steadfastness even under sore
 difficulties1 and their hatred of those
 who made compromise with evil so       
hateful to ,himself4  ,but there is     
something lacking1 the tender personal  
love for ,himself4 ,there's intense     
loyalty to ,church and to the faith1 but
 a lack of personal love for ,himself4  
,and the startling thing is that this is
 said to quite outweight all these good 
things4 ,they may have these things     
without the love1 but they cannot have  
the love without having these things1   
and at a finer temperature4  ,and this  
defect is crucial4 ,if persisted in it  
is fatal4 ,it will actually mean their  
rejection as ,his messenger4 ,this is   
the critical thing which we seem to have
 such a hard time getting hold of4 ,the 

essential qualification for true service
 is the personal attachment to our ,lord
 ,jesus ,himself1 that warm heart love  
which the human heart longs for and     
gives to some one4 ,he longs for this4  
,this is the essential2 not ,church     
organization nor creed1 not zeal for    
orthodoxy1 but warm love for a person4  
,service1 witnessing1 all the rest1 are 
valuable to ,him in reaching ,his world 
only as they grow out of a tender love  
for ,himself4  ,and the startling thing 
is that this privilege and opportunity  
of service is to be taken away not      
because displeasing to ,him1 but because
 it fails of the end in view4 ,the      
candlestick is only removed because it  
is no longer serviceable2 it is not     
giving out the light4 ,this earnest1    
aggressive1 orthodox1 patiently-enduring
 ,church is to be rejected as a         
light-holder1 because it is not holding 
out the light4 ,this is tremendous6     
,the group in ,smyrna is tenderly       
reminded of the suffering of their      

,lord1 for they are filling up what is  
left behind of ,his suffering4 ,this    
tells at once the depth of their        
personal love for ,him1 nothing could   
tell it more4  ,they are poor in money  
and so despised1 but rich in faith and  
so precious to ,him4 ,they are suffering
 at the hands of the ,jews1 who were the
 outspoken1 intense1 fanatical enemy of 
the ,christians4 ,there is no reproach1 
only earnest encouragement to keep      
steady even through fiercer fires yet to
 come4  ,the description of ,himself to 
the ,pergamum group is startling4 ,he is
 the one with a sharp two-edged sword4  
,there is something here ,he must fight 
against4 ,they are frankly told that    
they have had a hard place to witness   
in1 and earnestly commended for being   
true even in the midst of persecution4  
,but there's something wrong1 and it is 
very serious4 ,it is as wrong and bad as
 it can be4 ,there is actually          
compromise with evil1 partnership with  
the world in its wickedness4 ,the thing 

is put in the intensest way possible by 
characterizing it as adultery4 ,no      
stronger language could be used to tell 
how ,he sees the evil they are guilty   
of4 ,and they are plainly told that ,he 
will fight against them4 ,they have made
 themselves ,his enemy by joining ,his  
enemies4  ,the ,thyatira group is       
reminded of the purity of their ,lord1  
who cannot stand impurity but searches  
it relentlessly out1 and pursues it to  
the death4 ,there's a faithful minority 
here4 ,their activity and love and faith
 and patience and increasing activity in
 service are all counted carefully over 
and warmly commended4  ,but the evil    
here is much worse4 ,it is put into the 
gravest language4 ,thou sufferest the   
woman ,jezebel4 ,this is most           
significant4 ,there is no worse         
character named in the whole ,old       
,testament4 ,she not only represented   
the worst adulterous uncleanness in     
herself1 but she was the national leader
 energetically fostering unclean        

idolatrous practices among the people4  
,jezebel pulled ,god's light-holder     
nation down to the lowest moral level it
 ever reached4 ,she brazenly dominated  
king and people1 and remained stubbornly
 obstinate to the terrible end4  ,christ
 brings her name in here4 ,again this is
 tremendous4 ,no more terrific parallel 
could have been made4 ,here evil        
characterized as adulterous has actually
 come to a place of leadership in the   
,church4 ,with great longsuffering time 
has been given that all this might be   
changed1 but with ,jezebel-like         
obstinacy it was determined that there  
would be no change4 ,and the inevitable 
result that will surely follow continued
 obstinacy will be a great tribulation  
or deadly persecution4  ,the ,sardis    
group is told that ,christ is the centre
 of all life and help1 in the control of
 the ,holy ,spirit and of the angel     
messengers4 ,there is nothing to commend
 here4 ,there are some who insist on    
living true lives1 but they are a scanty

 scattered few1 not enough to count4    
,there are some ragged remnants of good1
 but even these are sickly and nearly   
dead4 ,the ,church is well organized1   
energetic1 standing high among men1 but 
with an utter absence of spiritual life4
 ,the personal lives of most are like   
dirty garments4 ,and the warning is     
this3 ,he will come as a thief1 that is 
unexpectedly1 disagreeably1 to take away
 what they prize most and leave them    
stripped and naked4  ,the longest       
message is to the group in              
,philadelphia4 ,christ reminds them that
 ,he is holy in character1 faithful to  
,his promises1 having full control1 and 
giving opportunity of service as the    
highest reward of faithfulness4 ,this   
candlestick is giving out light1 for it 
is given yet further opportunity of     
shining4  ,the chief characteristic of  
this group is its steady plodding       
faithfulness4 ,they are not spoken of as
 brilliant or talented1 but faithful in 
the midst of opposition4 ,he loves them 

with the sort of deep love drawn out by 
love freely given4 ,and a special       
promise is given1 a significant promise4
 ,a great persecution is coming1 an     
awful testing time to all the earth4    
,but ,he will keep them through this    
unhurt because they have been keeping   
,his word so faithfully4  ,the common   
reading here is1 ,i will keep thee from 
the hour of trial4 ,it is quite as      
accurate to read through in place of    
from4 ,and there is good reason for     
taking this as the sense here4 ,the word
 underneath here is translated by       
several different words in other        
passages4  ,where a word in one language
 may be translated by any one of several
 words the general sense of the passage 
must decide which one correctly         
expresses the meaning4 ,here the meaning
 must be gotten from the whole trend of 
,new ,testament teaching4 ,like the     
,israelites during the plagues that came
 to ,egypt these faithful ones will be  
kept untouched through this terrible    

time that is to come4  ,the ,laodicea   
group is to be talked to plainly by one 
who is a true1 faithful witness in      
dealing with ,his people's faults1 and  
who has all the authority of ,god in    
doing so4 ,this is the second group that
 actually has not one good thing to be  
commended4 ,there is no false teaching1 
no compromise with evil2 they are simply
 asleep4 ,rich1 influential1            
self-satisfied1 grown fat and sleek1--so
 they seem to their neighbours and      
themselves4 ,wretched1 poor1 blind1     
naked1--so they are4 ,and the chastening
 threatened will be of the severe       
radical sort that strong love insists   
upon4   ,a ,heart-breaking ,sight4      
,here then is the picture of the whole  
,church as seen by the eyes of searching
 flame4 ,there is a mixture of bad and  
good1 active bad1 active good1 and      
sleepy indifference4 ,there is a ,church
 within the ,church4 ,but the bad is bad
 enough and big enough to endanger      
seriously the usefulness of the whole as

 a light-bearer4  ,the glass of the     
lantern is so smoked and cobwebby that  
it is more useless than useful to the   
light inside1 and the crowd outside in  
the dark4 ,the uselessness threatens    
what usefulness is left4 ,smokiness is  
contagious4 ,cobwebs grow thicker and   
hold more dust4  ,two ,churches are true
 and pure in the midst of sore          
opposition4 ,two are corrupt in the very
 worst way4 ,three1 including the       
leader1 are orthodox in form1 but       
indifferent to ,jesus ,himself1 or      
asleep1 or dead2 three degrees of the   
same thing1--indifference1 sleep1 death4
  ,in all of these five there are those 
who1 like ,ezekiel's companions1 sigh   
and cry over the abominations that are  
going on1 but they are helpless to stay 
the sweep of the tide4 ,they are the    
salt that is saving the lump so far4    
,even ,sodom would have been saved by   
ten righteous4  ,it is plainly said to  
the leader ,church that it is no longer 
of use as a candlestick1 except a change

 come4 ,it fails to give out the light4 
,it is being carried along1 patiently   
borne with for its own sake4 ,it is     
failing at this point in the mission4   
,the smoking flax sending out its       
irritating smoke in place of clear light
 is not yet quenched4 ,the ,holy ,spirit
 life within is being sorely grieved1   
but is not yet put entirely out4  ,and  
this is only one4 ,four others are      
plainly in much worse fix4              
,five-sevenths are failing4 ,that bit of
 preservative salt would seem to be     
working to its full capacity4  ,this is 
the picture given us here by our ,lord  
,himself4 ,john would never have dared  
make such a terrific arraignment of his 
own accord4 ,it is a picture of the     
whole ,church at the beginning of the   
,first century4  ,how is it at the      
beginning of the ,twentieth8 ,a thousand
 million people1 two-thirds of the race1
 pretty freely supplied with the light  
of western oil and of gunpowder1 with   
the help of the western sewing machine1 

and with the guidance of western        
learning and skill1 but to whom with    
minor exceptions no scant ray of this   
light has yet gotten1 these make answer4
 ,that smokiness would seem to be rather
 dense4  ,the non-,christian crowds in  
so-called ,christian lands1 the         
overwhelming majority1 to whom the name 
of ,jesus has no more practical meaning 
than other foreign names1 ,shanghai1 or 
,tokyo1 or ,calcutta1--these make       
answer4 ,the light doesn't seem to have 
been able to get through and out much1  
even near the candlestick4  ,the ,church
 itself1 when it has sometimes forgotten
 its statistical tables long enough to  
look thoughtfully into this old ,patmos 
looking-glass1 has now and then made    
answer1 in a few of its thoughtful      
leaders1 while the rank and file push on
 absorbed in their ,ephesian or         
,sardisian or ,thyatiran way4  ,there's 
a striking companion bit to this in     
,ezekiel's vision4#ff ,that messenger to
 the exiled colony by the ,chebar had   

first of all the vision of ,god that    
completely overwhelmed him4 ,then he is 
taken in spirit to ,jerusalem1 and shown
 things as they were1 through ,god's    
eyes4 ,the heathen idols were set up in 
the very temple of ,god1 so actually    
stimulating among the people the        
horribly gross1 unnamable impurities    
connected with their worship4 ,this was 
done in the open1 with no pretence at   
concealment4  ,then in the vision he    
digs into the wall to see the hidden    
things that are being done4 ,there he   
sees every sort of creeping1 crawling1  
slimy1 repulsive animal pictured on the 
walls of this secret chamber1 and the   
leaders of the people burning incense   
and worshipping4  ,this he is told is a 
picture of the inner hearts of the men  
who are the leaders of the nation4 ,for 
dramatic intensity it would be hard to  
equal this4 ,the imaginations of their  
hearts are as the unclean snakes and    
beasts that are found only in the damp1 
unwholesome slime and ooze of swamp and 

stagnant pond4  ,and this is ,god's     
light-bearing nation to all the earth4  
,and these are the leaders6 ,but there's
 yet worse4 ,the mothers and wives and  
daughters of the nation1 the real       
moulders of the nation's life and       
character1 are seen pouring out their   
very hearts over a heathen idol1 with   
all the horrible evil practices included
 in its worship4 ,and then a group of   
men are shown in the holy temple        
standing with their backs to ,god and   
,his temple and worshipping the sun4    
,under these four items are pointed out 
the impurity and violence1 the injustice
 and oppression1 that mark the people4  
,it is the inner heart life of the      
nation that is being pictured so        
vividly4 ,but in the midst of all this  
are those who are broken-hearted over   
these conditions4 ,and as the time of   
judgment comes in the vision these are  
marked and spared1 though they see the  
work of judgment on every hand4  ,such  
is the tremendous scene depicted by     

,ezekiel4 ,it will be seen at once what 
a striking parallel it presents to the  
scene in this ,revelation book with the 
new light-bearer to the nations of the  
earth4 ,one would never dare make such  
an arraignment of his own accord4 ,it is
 humbling and heart-breaking to the last
 degree simply to repeat what is spoken 
here by our ,lord ,himself4  ,clearly   
the ,patmos picture is not only of the  
,church then1 but ever since1 and now4  
,and the simple law of momentum in      
sliding down hill will make it an       
accurate picture of the ,church at the  
end1 the future ,church4  ,the colouring
 changes at different times in different
 places1 the black getting intenser1 pot
 black1 and the light shining out more  
brightly by contrast4 ,but the picture  
remains essentially as painted on       
,patmos4  ,the warnings so faithfully   
given run a sliding scale outward and   
downward in five degrees4 ,if the       
,church continue as it is1 it is told   
here that it will be rejected as a      

light-holder4 ,its privilege and        
opportunity as ,god's messenger will be 
taken away4#fg  ,then ,christ will fight
 against it as an enemy1#fh it will be  
given over to a time of terrible        
tribulation1#fi it will be treated as   
prey to be robbed and plundered1#gj and 
it will be rejected1 spewed out of the  
mouth1 as personally disgusting4#ga     
,yet in all this plain speech there is  
no bitterness1 only grief1 only tender  
pleading4 ,the plain bluntness is the   
language of love that yearns to save    
even yet1 and that waits with untold    
patience hoping for a change4   ,wooing 
,promises4  ,but it is noticeable that1 
while the warning is to the corporate   
,church1 the plea and promise that      
persists throughout is to the           
individual4 ,he that is willing to1 let 
him hear and heed and be controlled by  
the ,spirit's message4  ,there are two  
groups that have remained faithful4     
,there are scattered through the other  
five those who are faithful4 ,and there 

are no doubt many who feel the pull to  
be true but are yielding to the strong  
undertow of the rising tide by which    
they are being carried4  ,the coupled   
promise and plea that call out so       
pleadingly to these at the close of each
 message are1 to him that overcometh4   
,this word overcometh is very           
significant4 ,it is one of the          
characteristic notes of these messages  
and indeed of this entire book4 ,it is  
one of that sort of word that sums up a 
whole situation in itself4  ,there is   
opposition4 ,there is conflict because  
some won't yield to the opposition4 ,and
 the result of the conflict varies4     
,some are overcome by the evil2 they go 
over to the enemy1 body and soul4 ,some 
wabble4 ,they slip along the line of    
least resistance1 secretly holding on to
 some few ragged remnants of            
convictions1 but not letting these      
affect their standing or comfort or     
particularly their profits4  ,some      
overcome evil4 ,there is struggle tense 

and continued1 quickened breath1 moist  
brow1 tightened nerves1 the stain of    
blood1 a scar here and there1 and       
heart-breaking experiences4 ,but they   
fight on1 and victory comes4 ,and the   
evil is less1 weakened in its hold on   
this companion and that neighbour4 ,they
 get the victory over evil4  ,there's a 
wondrous promise to these4 ,it is as    
though the treasure box is placed at    
their disposal4 ,it is a seven-fold     
promise4 ,every overcomer will receive  
all that is contained in these seven    
promises4 ,note this seven-fold promise3
 ,he that overcometh will have          
everlasting life1#gb and this is        
emphasized by the reverse statement1    
will not be hurt of the second death4#gc
  ,he will be admitted into the sweets  
of intimate fellowship with his ,lord1  
hidden from all save those in this inner
 circle4 ,and will receive a new name1  
the family name1 that is an inheritance 
in the family of ,god1 joint heir with  
,jesus ,christ4#gd ,he will have the    

privilege of serving with the ,king in  
the blessed ,kingdom time coming4  ,and 
with this goes the word1 ,i will give   
him the morning star4#ge ,jesus calls   
,himself the bright1 the morning        
star4#gf ,the morning star rises in the 
dark of night after midnight and ushers 
in the new day4 ,he who is in touch of  
heart with ,jesus as the night deepens  
to the dawn will 7probably7 have an     
intimation in his inner spirit of the   
glad coming of the ,morning ,star that  
ushers in earth's new day4  ,the        
overcomer will be made perfect in       
character1 and find his name not only in
 the family book1 but mentioned by      
,christ personally to ,his ,father      
before the angels4#gg ,he will be       
admitted into the innermost circle of   
the ,king and be reckoned among the     
dependables4#gh ,and he will have       
closest fellowship with ,christ in the  
administration of the wondrous          
kingdom4#gi  ,it will be seen that these
 promises overlap1 the same thing being 

put now positively1 now negatively1 and 
being repeated in differing words to    
different groups4 ,each promise touches 
the characteristic trait of the group   
spoken of4 ,the ,ephesians1 who had many
 things but lacked the vital thing1 are 
wooed with the promise of life itself1  
which is only through touch with ,jesus 
,himself4  ,smyrna in its suffering is  
cheered with the prospect of suffering  
no more4 ,the ,pergamum overcomer is    
wooed away from intimacy of friendship  
with evil to intimacy of friendship with
 the coming ,king4 ,they who resist the 
evil ,jezebel rule in ,thyatira will    
have the privilege of ruling with the   
,king4 ,those in ,sardis who hunger and 
thirst after a pure heart will have the 
longing fully satisfied4  ,those who    
have proven dependable in the trying    
days in ,philadelphia will have the     
exquisite pleasure of being depended    
upon in the inner circle as wholly      
trustworthy4 ,those in ,laodicea who    
resist the current and insist on letting

 the knocking pilgrim in for heart      
fellowship#hj will find themselves in   
fellowship with ,him on the throne4  ,it
 should be noticed that these promises  
are one promise1 and that that is the   
promise of everlasting life1 of a       
purified perfected character1 and of the
 privilege of closest fellowship with   
the ,king ,himself in the coming        
,kingdom time4  ,these promises do not  
take up the matter of rewards for       
faithfulness in service1 such as our    
,lord speaks of in the twin parables of 
the pounds and talents4 ,the things     
promised here are the results of being  
saved by the blood of ,christ4 ,the     
privilege of fellowship with the ,king  
during the ,kingdom time is included in 
salvation4 ,all the redeemed will reign 
over the earth4#ha  ,this is            
significant4 ,overcoming would seem to  
be the decisive evidence of faith in    
,jesus ,christ1 the faith that receives 
everlasting life4 ,it takes opposition  
to let you know whether you are willing 

to accept ,christ4 ,a man does not know 
whether he really believes ,christ until
 he is opposed in his believing1 and    
opposed to the real hurting point4 ,he  
has just as much faith in ,christ as he 
is willing to declare1 and stand by1 and
 insist upon1 when he is under fire4    
,opposition is the fire test4 ,faith    
isn't faith unless it can stand the fire
 test4   ,the ,decisive ,trait of       
,faith4  ,the plain inference here is   
that he who doesn't overcome shows that 
he really doesn't believe in his heart4 
,and the natural result is that he does 
not receive these things promised4 ,that
 is1 he is not saved because he won't   
accept the ,lord ,jesus as his ,saviour 
when it comes to the fire test4  ,there 
are without doubt thousands in the      
,church who will be left behind on the  
earth when our ,lord ,jesus catches up  
,his own4 ,this does not mean           
necessarily that they will be lost4     
,there will be another opportunity of   
being saved for those living on the     

earth at that time4 ,the ,kingdom will  
be a wonderful time of salvation4 ,there
 will be a continuous revival of the    
realest sort going on everywhere all the
 time4  ,but these would not have the   
blessed privilege of fellowship with the
 ,king in the ,kingdom1 nor the         
blessedness of fuller resurrection life 
at this time4 ,that is reserved for     
those who by grace have believed on the 
,lord ,jesus1 during ,his absence and   
continued rejection1 in spite of the    
fire of opposition4  ,it is notable that
 the ,thyatiran message speaks of great 
tribulation coming to that ,church if it
 continue unchanged4 ,and that the      
,philadelphia ,church is to be kept     
through the hour of trial1 that which is
 to come upon the whole earth4          
,throughout the ,scriptures mention is  
made of a time of persecution coming at 
the end4 ,the common term for it is     
tribulation4 ,it is called the great    
tribulation4 ,there will be more to be  
said about this again4  ,it is possible 

that it will be found that this ,patmos 
message will have special significance  
during that trying time at the end4 ,but
 it should be noted that it fits into   
the spirit of opposition that is always 
found where there is true1 faithful     
witnessing4  ,the tribulation itself    
will be the time of intensest opposition
 carried to the extreme of violent      
persecution4 ,it will be the climax of  
conditions always present1 wherever     
there is faithful witnessing4           
,faithfulness to ,christ always arouses 
opposition4  ,the test of whether we    
really accept ,christ and believe ,him  
is not in anything we say4 ,it is not   
even in what we are in our lives when   
all goes smoothly4 ,it is in what we are
 in our lives when opposed1 when it     
costs criticism1 ostracism1 petty       
persecution1 or more outright           
persecution4 ,this is our ,lord's test  
of acceptance of ,himself4  ,we have had
 many definitions of what it means to   
believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4    

,and these have been helpful in clearing
 the air and helping us to a simple     
acceptance of ,him4 ,these definitions  
have touched chiefly the inner part of  
faith1 the part we are conscious of4    
,here is another definition4 ,here is   
the last word on the subject1 the       
authoritative word1 from our ,lord      
,jesus ,himself4 ,it tells what faith is
 in its outward working1 the part the   
crowd sees4 ,the faith that accepts     
,jesus as ,saviour accepts ,him also as 
,lord4  ,that faith naturally rings true
 to ,him under all circumstances4 ,it   
rings truest and clearest whenever      
opposition to ,him is aroused1 whether  
the opposition of indifference1 of      
criticism and sneer1 or of persecution4 
,there are certain commonly accepted    
things that are in themselves only good1
 but which are not conclusive evidence  
that we really have saving faith in the 
,saviour4 ,the act of coming into       
,church membership whether by           
confirmation1 by an assent to questions 

regarding one's personal faith1 or by   
being baptized1 the fact of membership  
in the ,church1 the partaking of the    
,lord's supper1 serving as an official  
of the ,church in pulpit or pew1        
faithful attendance1 liberal            
support1--these things are only good4   
,but they do not furnish conclusive     
evidence of one's acceptance of ,christ4
 ,it is quite possible to be carried    
along on the common current in such     
things4 ,there is clear evidence that   
many are4 ,the decisive thing1 the test 
thing is this3 how we stand opposition1 
the polite1 sneering sort1 the more     
aggressive sort1 or--if it come to      
that--the violent sort4 ,the fire       
reveals every man's faith if there be   
any there4  ,there are two fire tests4  
,one is of our faith in ,christ1 as     
revealed in the frictional fires of     
opposition4 ,whoever stands that test is
 caught up into ,his presence when ,he  
comes1 or goes at once into ,his        
presence if our going precede ,his      

coming4  ,the second is of the          
love-spirit1 how far it has been the    
very breath of our life as revealed by  
the fire of ,his presence4 ,for the     
love-spirit means personal loyalty to   
,jesus1 purity of heart1 holiness of    
life1 steadiness of purpose1 and the    
exquisite gentleness of patience in our 
conduct toward all others4  ,these words
 of our ,lord ,jesus are very searching4
 ,this ,patmos message must have been a 
painful one for ,him to give ,john1 and 
painful for ,john to repeat4 ,it is     
painful for any one to repeat when its  
meaning is understood4 ,it should send  
one off into some quiet corner alone on 
his knees with that great search me     
prayer of the ,psalmist4#hb  ,recently  
,i was told a simple incident of one of 
the truly great ,christian men of our   
generation4 ,he was at the head of one  
of the largest concerns of our country  
employing thousands of men1 but never   
knowing any labor troubles4 ,i remember 
the impression made on me a few years   

ago at the time of his death1 by the    
remark made to me by two different men  
of this man's city1 men that ,i think   
did not know each other1 or maybe very  
slightly4 ,as ,i spoke of him each man  
said in a subdued voice1 ,oh1 everybody 
in ---- loved ,mr4 ----6  ,this incident
 was told by his son4 ,the two were on a
 train together4 ,the father rose and   
went forward to another part of the     
train4 ,as he went out a man sitting    
opposite came over and spoke to the son4
 ,his flashy manner of dress and the    
fact that he seemed to have been        
drinking suggested the sort of man he   
was4 ,he said to the son3  ,wasn't that 
,mr4 ,so-and-so8  ,yes1 the son replied4
  ,well1 the man said1 as though talking
 half to himself1 if there were more men
 like him1 there'd be fewer like me4    
,and he turned to his seat and sat as   
though absorbed in his thought4 ,the    
son1 in speaking of it after his        
father's death1 said it was one of the  
tenderest memories he had of his father4

  ,the common crowd on the street and   
our ,lord ,jesus are united in one      
thing3 they want more men like ,him1    
,jesus our ,saviour4 ,then there'd be   
fewer of the other sort4    ,,footnotes3
  #fd ,ruby ,t4 ,weyburn4  #fe ,acts xv4
 #ad-ah4  #ff ,ezekiel viii and ix4  #fg
 ,rev4 ii4 #e4  #fh ,rev4 ii4 #ab-af4   
#fi ,rev4 ii4 #bb1 #bc4  #gj ,rev4 iii4 
#c4  #ga ,rev4 iii4 #af4  #gb ,rev4 ii4 
#g4  #gc ,rev4 ii4 #aa4  #gd ,rev4 ii4  
#ag4  #ge ,rev4 ii4 #bf-bh4  #gf ,rev4  
xxii4 #af4  #gg ,rev4 iii4 #e4  #gh     
,rev4 iii4 #ab4  #gi ,rev4 iii4 #ba4    
#hj ,rev4 iii4 #bj1 #ba1 with ,jeremiah 
xiv4 #h4  #ha ,rev4 v4 #aj4  #hb ,psalm 
cxxxix4     ,v4--,,an ,,advance ,,step  
,,in ,,the ,,royal ,,programme          
7,revelation1 ,chapters iv4 and v47     
,we are watching1 we are waiting1       
,for the bright prophetic day2  ,when   
the shadows1 weary shadows1    ,from the
 world shall roll away4   ,we are       
watching1 we are waiting1    ,for the   
star that brings the day2  ,when the    

night of sin shall vanish1    ,and the  
shadows melt away4   ,we are watching1  
we are waiting1    ,for the beauteous   
,king of day2  ,for the chiefest of ten 
thousand1    ,for the ,light1 the       
,truth1 the ,way4   ,we are waiting for 
the morning1    ,when the beauteous day 
is dawning1  ,we are waiting for the    
morning1    ,for the golden spires of   
day4#hc   ,a ,look into ,heaven4        
,heaven is a place of intensest and     
tenderest interest to every one4 ,it is 
true that there is less emphasis on     
getting to heaven as a result of being  
saved than there was a generation ago4  
,indeed1 no emphasis at all4 ,the whole 
thought now is about our life here on   
the earth4 ,we think less about dying   
and more about living4  ,this is true4  
,yet every one of us has loved ones who 
have slipped from our grasp1 and gone   
from our midst4 ,we think of them4 ,the 
tenderest memories brood over us1 and   
come like a flood sometimes4  ,we may   
have the sweet sense of assurance that  

these loved ones are saved4 ,but there  
is an intense longing at times to know  
more about them1 where they are1 what   
they are doing1 how much they know of   
things down here4 ,these thoughts will  
come crowding in upon us4  ,now here is 
some light4 ,all the questions are not  
answered4 ,but there comes clear1 sweet 
light to comfort our hearts during the  
waiting time until we shall be joined   
with them again4 ,we are given here in  
,john's ,revelation the first clear1    
definite glimpse into the upper world4  
,it is told us in the language of earth 
of course4 ,it must be1 else we would   
not understand4 ,but clearly there is a 
glory and happiness clear beyond what   
earthly words can tell4  ,this is the   
first glimpse into heaven given us in   
this old ,book of ,god4 ,jacob wakes up 
in his dream and sees a ladder set up   
connecting earth and heaven1 and the    
angels going up and returning again     
while ,god talks with him4 ,it means    
much to him1 but gives us no answer to  

our questions1 except to make plain that
 there is a very real and wondrous world
 up there where our loved ones go4      
,moses is up in the mount with ,god for 
six weeks nearly1 twice over1 but there 
is no suggestion of what he may have    
seen2 only the transfiguring change in  
his face1 and the strongly gentling     
change in his character4  ,ezekiel finds
 the heavens opening and sees the       
vision1 so like ,john's1 of the wondrous
 ,man4 ,stephen looks up steadfastly    
into heaven and sees the resplendent    
glory of ,god1 and the crucified ,jesus 
standing at the right hand of ,god4     
,paul is caught up into heaven1 not     
improbably at the time that his body lay
 bruised and bleeding and apparently    
lifeless outside ,lystra4 ,but the      
sights he sees and the over-awing glory 
are too much to be told4 ,but here ,john
 is taken up in vision into the heavens1
 into the presence of ,god1 and sees    
much1 and tells us what he sees4  ,it   
was after the vision of the glorified   

,man and ,his message4 ,john is sitting 
thinking on all he has seen and heard1  
thinking back to ,ephesus and the other 
,churches he knew so well4 ,he is       
wondering perhaps how he can tell them  
what1 whom1 he has seen2 and wondering  
too how he can tell them this message   
entrusted to him4  ,the holy spell is   
still strong upon him1 when all at once 
he noticed what looks like a door1 a    
door opened above him in the blue4 ,and 
as he is looking1 astonished1 that same 
voice that had been speaking with him   
before speaks again4 ,he is bidden to   
come up hither1 and he will be shown the
 things that are to happen some time in 
the future4 ,at once he is conscious of 
that same gentle1 enveloping presence of
 the ,holy ,spirit as before4 ,at once  
,he is up in heaven4 ,and he tells us   
the scene that opens to his eyes4       
,there is a throne set4 ,what a comfort6
 ,there is a throne4 ,there is a centre 
of authority and power to our world4    
,this ,revelation is peculiarly the book

 of a throne4 ,up yonder above the moral
 tangle and confusion of earth is a     
reigning throne4  ,there is ,one sitting
 on the throne4 ,that throne is         
occupied4 ,it has not been vacated4 ,men
 down here may push ,god off the throne 
of their lives1 and try to push ,him out
 of the affairs of the earth4 ,but ,he  
sits on the throne above4 ,and that     
throne dominates the life of the earth4 
,nothing can be done without permission4
  ,john can't describe this one sitting 
on the throne4 ,the sight is too much   
for his eyes4 ,when the seventy elders  
of ,israel see ,god1 all that they can  
remember is the dazzle of glory in the  
wonderful pavement under ,his feet4 ,it 
seems like a pavement of precious stones
 of sapphire1 but as clear as crystal4  
,so now all that ,john can see is some  
,one who seems to his eyes like         
transparent precious stones blazing with
 light4 ,this is the only thing he can  
think of to tell of what he sees4       
,rest in the ,midst of ,unrest4  ,there 

is a rainbow around the throne4 ,the    
radiance of light shining out from this 
,one on the throne makes a rainbow4 ,if 
one wonders how ,god can look down on   
the misery and sin1 the rebellion and   
wretchedness that dominate most of the  
earth1 here is the answer4 ,his finger  
is never off the pulse4 ,he knows all as
 we never can4 ,and he feels as we never
 do the pain of life1 and the discord of
 earth4 ,the unceasing cry of earth     
comes up in his ears4  ,but ,he is      
controlled by a purpose4 ,it is a       
purpose of strong patient love4 ,he has 
made a promise that man shall have      
fullest opportunity unchecked by the    
natural sweeping judgment1 that         
invariable working out of sin and wrong4
 ,that throne keeps the order of nature 
working smoothly and faithfully for     
man's sake1 holding in restraint the    
forces that would hinder and destroy4   
,the rainbow is the signature to ,his   
promise4 ,that rainbow is always before 
,his face4 ,that promise has never been 

forgotten4 ,this explains the quietness 
of the ,one on the throne1 looking down 
on the moral confusion of the race4     
,but this rainbow is not like the common
 rainbows that we know4 ,it completely  
encircles the throne4 ,our rainbows are 
broken up4 ,they are never seen in their
 completeness4 ,our lookout on things   
sees only a part2 it never sees all4 ,it
 is never complete4 ,the view of things 
up there is complete4 ,everything is    
seen and is seen in its true relation to
 everything else4 ,the throne is the one
 place of perfect perspective and poise4
  ,and this rainbow is all of one       
colour1 a clear1 soft emerald-green4 ,we
 know that green is the most restful of 
all colours4 ,some colours are          
irritating4 ,some persons of very       
sensitive1 nervous temperament are even 
made sick by certain colours4 ,and we   
are all affected more than we know in a 
hurtful way by certain colours4 ,but    
green is the colour of rest4 ,it soothes
 the eyes and nerves and even the       

spirit4 ,the rainbow round about the    
throne looked like a quiet1 quieting    
emerald-green4 ,the ,one on the throne  
is at perfect rest regarding things down
 here4 ,he knows all4 ,his ears hear    
all1 the cry of distress and despair1   
the defiance and arrogance and          
blasphemy4 ,his eyes see ,his children  
down here1 creative children all of     
them1 prodigal children so many of them1
 and trusting children walking in the   
shadows4 ,he sees all4 ,and ,he feels   
all with ,his great feeling heart4  ,yet
 ,he is at rest4 ,do you wonder how ,he 
can be8 ,when ,jesus saw the multitudes 
,he was moved with compassion2 ,he      
suffered in heart with them1 for they   
were as shepherdless sheep1 torn and    
distressed4 ,and the heart beating in   
rhythm with ,his has as hard a time as  
,he4 ,if ,he lead you in service to some
 foreign mission land1 you see and know 
and feel as no tourist party hurried    
through the outer fringes ever does or  
can4  ,and in ,christian lands of the   

,west1 and the homeland1 in slum as in  
polite circles1 in commercial quarters  
as in the university world1 the heart   
that is in touch with ,jesus' heart sees
 and hears and feels and senses things  
as they are under the surface or        
sticking boldly out through the surface4
 ,and feels at times as though it can   
never again be at rest4  ,how can ,he1  
on the throne1 be so quiet1 and be at   
rest8 ,and there is an answer to our    
burning question1 a simple1 real answer4
 ,he knows the end4 ,he has a purpose   
and a plan4 ,the present is only one    
stage in ,his great plan4 ,this is man's
 opportunity1 and possibly some one's   
else opportunity1 too4 ,it is to be     
followed by something else radically    
different down on this earth4  ,he is   
held steady during this time by a great 
purpose4 ,it is a purpose of great1     
tender love4 ,to ,his eye looking       
sleeplessly down there is rest even as  
of emerald-green4 ,and so there will be 
rest for him who looks sleeplessly up to

 the throne of control1 encircled in the
 emerald rainbow of perfect peace4 ,and 
we can be of best service to ,him by    
resting in our hearts1 resting in ,him1 
even while working in the thick of      
things as they are down here4   ,they   
,see ,his ,face4  ,then ,john sees      
twenty-four other thrones round about   
the central throne4 ,and on these there 
are twenty-four men sitting4 ,these men 
are wearing white garments1 and have    
crowns of gold upon their heads4 ,this  
is the part of intense interest4 ,who   
are these8 ,and what does this mean8    
,what has been said before about picture
 language1 the language of the ,orient1 
of childhood1 of the common crowd1 the  
universal language1 will help us here4  
,the ,bible is an ,oriental book4 ,it   
talks in picture language4 ,this is     
humanly what gives it such freshness and
 peculiar adaptation4 ,the radical      
change of circumstances and speech and  
mode of thought in different centuries  
makes all books antiquated after a      

certain time4 ,this book has the        
freshness of youth1 for in its simple   
picture language it deals in principles4
 ,but picture language must be held to  
its simplicity4 ,and something of       
familiarity with the whole range of the 
,scripture is needful to use the key to 
the simple picture language4  ,let us   
look a bit at the simple scene here4    
,these men are elders1 that is they are 
leaders4 ,they represent multitudes of  
others4 ,throughout the ,bible twelve is
 the number of completeness1 both in    
things and people4 ,a complete gathering
 or throng of people is represented by  
the number twelve4 ,there are twelve    
tribes of ,israel1 and so on4 ,this is  
so familiar that it need only be named  
without further illustration4  ,there   
are two great divisions of this ,bible1 
the ,old ,testament and the ,new4 ,these
 stand naturally for the two great      
divisions of time1 before ,christ and   
after4 ,this division is strongly marked
 in the ,bible1 and sharply marked in   

our ,christian consciousness4 ,it has   
been a common thing to wonder about the 
salvation and spiritual knowledge and   
privileges of people who lived before   
,christ came and died4  ,twice twelve   
make twenty-four4 ,these twenty-four    
elders represent the redeemed ones from 
both of these great divisions of time4  
,that is to say1 the picture tells us   
this4 ,all the people from creation's   
earliest morn up to the present1        
including the one who went out last from
 some sorrowing family circle1 all who  
have had the touch of heart with ,god1  
are gathered in the presence of ,him who
 sits on the throne4 ,that is one simple
 thing that stands out clear and sure4  
,these are represented as sitting4 ,the 
slave or servant never sat in his       
master's presence4 ,friends sit         
together4 ,angels are never spoken of as
 sitting in the presence of ,god4 ,when 
our ,lord ,jesus was received up ,he sat
 down at the ,father's right hand4 ,we  
are spoken of as seated in the heavenly 

places in ,christ ,jesus4 ,sitting      
together means being on terms of        
intimacy and fellowship4 ,through the   
precious blood of our ,lord ,jesus we   
are all accepted in the ,beloved and    
received and trusted as ,he is4  ,these 
elders are clad in white garments4 ,that
 is one of the familiar things spoken of
 much in this end-book4 ,part of the    
promise to those of overcoming faith is 
that they shall be arrayed in white     
garments1 and walk with ,christ in      
white4#hd ,those who are faulty in the  
,church are urged to get white          
garments4#he ,the martyrs waiting their 
vindication1#hf and the great multitudes
 who come up out of the tribulation are 
given white raiment4#hg ,the bride at   
the joyous marriage supper1 and the     
armies following the conquering ,christ1
 are clad in fine linen1 bright and     
pure4#hh  ,we are told that this white  
linen means a pure life4#hi ,these      
garments have been washed in the blood  
of the ,lamb4#ij ,these multitudes have 

been cleansed in the blood of ,christ   
and purified by the ,holy ,spirit and   
made perfect in purity and holiness as  
they came up into the presence of the   
,father on the throne4  ,these elders   
are wearing golden crowns4 ,this        
language1 too1 is familiar4 ,the        
acknowledgment and reward of            
faithfulness and of service is spoken of
 commonly under this bit of picture     
talk4#ia ,the angels are never spoken of
 as being crowned4 ,christ was crowned1 
that is received into the presence of   
the ,father1 as the full recognition of 
,his worthiness and of what ,he had     
done1 and in vindication after the      
shameful rejection by men4  ,these men  
and women and children in the ,father's 
presence have been rewarded and are     
being rewarded for their faithfulness in
 obedience and in life4 ,all the        
struggles and difficulties1 the hard    
road1 the endurance1 the patient        
suffering for ,his name's sake1 the     
faithfulness in doing the allotted      

tasks1 all these have been noted and    
acknowledged4 ,there is the sweet peace 
of the ,father's approval in all of     
these before the throne4   ,going to    
,school to ,god4  ,and these are sitting
 on thrones4 ,when ,jesus was teaching  
,his disciples1 in the dark days of     
bitter opposition ,he wooed them with   
this3 ,ye shall sit upon twelve         
thrones4#ib ,and a bit later as they sat
 round the supper table on the night of 
,his betrayal1 when things are getting  
to the darkest1 again ,he woos them3 ,ye
 may eat and drink at my table in my    
,kingdom2 and ye shall sit on           
thrones4#ic ,he that overcometh is      
assured of sitting with ,christ on ,his 
throne4#id  ,all the redeemed ones of   
earth are to have part with ,christ in  
the coming ,kingdom time4 ,they reign   
with ,him4#ie ,during this present time 
the countless hosts of angels have a    
part in ministering to man on the       
earth4#if ,even so during the ,kingdom  
time to come the countless hosts of the 

redeemed will have the sweet privilege  
of service with ,christ and on behalf of
 those on the earth4 ,and it is quite   
possible that they already have a part  
in such a ministry4  ,a little farther  
in the description it is seen that these
 elders have each one a harp1 and golden
 bowls full of incense1 which are the   
prayers of the saints4 ,heaven is a     
place of wonderful music4 ,its very     
atmosphere must be tuned to the rarest  
rhythmic harmonies4 ,and each one has   
part in the music being made4  ,and yet 
more1 they are continuing the sweet     
ministry of intercession learned down on
 earth4 ,this means that they are in    
touch with earth4 ,they know the needs  
of loved ones and of all1 and they have 
the privilege of fellowship in this with
 ,him who ever liveth to make           
intercession4  ,and there is one other  
thing we know here at once without being
 told4 ,if a friend tells me that he has
 a rose garden under the care of a      
skilled gardener1 ,i know without being 

told that the roses are growing4 ,i at  
once look through my friend's words and 
see bushes full of roses of all colours1
 some full blown1 some half blown1 some 
bursting buds1 and some just budding4   
,for there is a garden1 and a gardener1 
and sun and rain and dew4 ,i know there 
must be growth and beauty4  ,even so we 
know that the loved ones who have parted
 from us1 are growing4 ,they are in the 
,father's presence1 in intimate         
fellowship4 ,that tells me of their     
growth4 ,that little one who slipped    
away so young1 years ago1 has been      
growing in mental powers1 in character  
as well as in what down here we call    
stature1 and growing most of all in     
love4 ,and so at the meeting time1 in   
the air or up there1 there will be      
instant recognition1 as well as instant 
delight over the growth under such      
wondrous tutorage4  ,this is the glimpse
 into the upper world which ,john sees  
and is allowed to give us here4 ,the    
redeemed ones of earth of all the ages  

are in the presence of the ,father and  
of the ,lord ,jesus and of the angels1  
on terms of intimate fellowship1 made   
pure and perfect in character1 but      
always growing from more to more1 and   
having a share in blessed ministry4 ,and
 they listen to and have share in making
 music more exquisite than our earthly  
language can describe4  ,they understand
 the wondrous plans for the earth1 for  
now they see all things through the     
,lord ,jesus' eyes4 ,they have some part
 without doubt in welcoming those who   
come to join them1 even as they will    
have part in receiving those who are    
caught up at our ,lord's return4 ,and   
they look forward eagerly to the glad   
time of righting that will come then4   
,but let us look a bit more at what     
,john sees4 ,out of the throne are seen 
proceeding lightnings and voices and    
thunders4 ,three other times in this    
book it speaks of lightning and voices  
and thunder4#ig ,these things of course 
are the familiar accompaniments of a    

storm4 ,it is noticeable that each other
 time they are named in the book it is  
in connection with some direct action   
being taken by ,god in the affairs of   
the earth4 ,and each time there is some 
added item intensifying the scene4  ,a  
physical storm is caused by two areas of
 unequal temperature coming together4   
,the storm is the process of coming     
together and equalizing of the          
atmospheric conditions4 ,the inference  
here would seem to be that the time of  
action has come to straighten out       
matters on the earth4 ,the two moral    
atmospheres of heaven and earth seem to 
be coming into contact1 and a storm is  
resulting before clear weather comes4   
,it suggests that our ,lord ,jesus is   
taking the next direct step in ,his     
broader plan4   ,god's ,ideal of        
,creation4  ,but let us look a little   
further4 ,in the book's picture language
 there are seven lamps of fire burning  
before the throne4 ,these we are plainly
 told are the seven spirits of ,god4    

,that is a ,hebrew way of saying the    
perfect spirit of ,god4 ,this is of     
intense interest4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is 
represented as being before the throne4 
,in the confidential talk with the inner
 group of disciples on the betrayal     
night1 in ,john's ,gospel1#ih ,jesus    
promises that when ,he has ascended up  
to the ,father ,he will send down the   
,holy ,spirit to them4 ,when the ,spirit
 has come down to the disciples ,he will
 begin a new ministry of witnessing to  
the world through them4  ,in the ,book  
of ,acts that promise is fulfilled4 ,the
 ,spirit comes down with remarkable     
manifestations on the day of ,pentecost4
 ,the distinctive thing ,he does is to  
take possession of a group of men and   
form them into a new witnessing body    
called the ,church4 ,he had dwelt in the
 nation of ,israel as a nation1 and had 
been withdrawn from that nation when it 
proved finally faithless to its mission4
 ,he had dwelt in individual men before 
and during and after that time4  ,at    

,pentecost ,he is sent down on a new    
mission4 ,he is to do in men all that   
,jesus has done for them in ,his life   
and death and resurrection4 ,but the    
distinctive thing of ,pentecost is ,his 
forming this new body called the        
,church1 through which ,he begins a new 
ministry of witnessing to the world4    
,all through the ,acts and ,epistles ,he
 is constantly spoken of as here on the 
earth working in the ,church and through
 it4 ,he in the ,church is a powerful   
restraint upon the powers of evil in the
 world4 ,in ,thessalonians1#ii ,paul has
 spoken of a day coming when that       
restraint would be withdrawn4 ,the ,holy
 ,spirit1 the ,one that restraineth now1
 is to be taken away4  ,now here the    
,holy ,spirit is represented as being1  
not in the ,church1 as always in the    
,acts and ,epistles1 but as being before
 the throne4 ,this is the second        
significant thing to note in this scene4
 ,this also would seem to suggest the   
beginning of a new order of things4     

,john goes quietly on with his          
description4 ,before the throne he sees 
a great expanse that looks like a sea of
 clear1 bright1 beautiful crystal4      
,before the throne and around about the 
throne are four living creatures or     
creatures of life4 ,these living        
creatures are of intensest interest4    
,they appear throughout the ,scriptures 
from the ,garden of ,eden in ,genesis to
 the very close of this ,book of        
,revelation4  ,they are also called     
cherubim and seraphim1 that is1 cherubs 
and seraphs4 ,they are always associated
 directly with the immediate presence of
 ,god1#ajj and with ,his                
presence-chamber1 in the tabernacle1#aja
 in the temple1#ajb and in ,ezekiel's   
vision of a new temple1#ajc and in the  
thought of the people4#ajd ,there is one
 possible exception to this1 where they 
are seen at the entrance to the ,garden 
of ,eden4#aje ,the description of them  
is most full in ,ezekiel4 ,it varies in 
details1 but with the essentials always 

the same4  ,the general appearance is   
that of a man1 but there are four faces 
as of a man1 a lion1 an ox or calf1 a   
flying eagle1 and sometimes a cherub    
face4 ,they are full of eyes everywhere1
 and they seem enveloped in the pure    
fire which everywhere is associated with
 ,god's own presence4 ,these            
descriptions combined suggest perfection
 of purity1 of intelligence1 of         
obedience1 and of power4  ,in this book 
of the ,revelation they are spoken of   
seven times1#ajf that is1 more          
frequently than in any other book1      
though not so fully as in ,ezekiel4     
,five times they are leading or joining 
in the worship of ,god1 by men and      
angels1 and twice they are cooeperating 
with the ,lamb or the angels in what is 
being done on the earth4  ,these        
beautiful1 intelligent beings seem to   
represent the whole animate creation1   
man1 the animals intimately associated  
in service with man1 those that roam at 
will1 and the birds1 and the angels4 ,it

 would seem as though they stand for    
,god's ideal of creation1 as it was     
before the hurt of sin came1 as ,he     
holds it in ,his heart1 and as it will  
be after sin has gone4 ,his ideal of a  
perfect and perfected creation is always
 in ,his presence and before ,his face1 
intelligently and gladly carrying out   
,his will1 reverently and joyously      
sounding ,his praise4  ,it suggests that
 ,he will not rest content until ,his   
ideal for the creation shall be a sweet1
 full realization1 all sin and rebellion
 removed and all ,his works uniting in  
joyous1 continuous worship1 and glad1   
harmonious obedience4   ,the            
,significant ,book4  ,all this is       
interesting2 some of it intense in      
interest4 ,but it is only a setting4 ,it
 is incidental4 ,the chief thing is yet 
to be told4 ,john had been told that he 
would be shown the things that would    
come to pass some time in the future4   
,we come now to the beginnings of these 
things4  ,the ,one who is sitting on the

 throne has a carefully sealed book or  
document in his hand4 ,an angel calls   
out loudly for any one who is qualified 
to do so to step forward and take the   
document and break its seals4 ,and as   
,john watches intently no one comes     
forward4 ,no one can be found1 either in
 the heaven1 in earth1 or in the region 
spoken of as under the earth4  ,at this 
,john is greatly distressed1 and weeps  
much1 so he must have understood at once
 just what this meant4 ,and one of the  
elders comforts him with the assurance  
that there is ,one who has overcome to  
open the book1 and the seven seals      
thereof1 the lion of the tribe of       
,judah4 ,this word overcome suggests    
that this one has been in some great    
conflict and has gotten the victory and 
overcome all opposition4 ,and this      
qualifies ,him to take and open the     
document4 ,he is the only one among     
untold numbers so qualified4  ,and now  
,john sees this ,one4 ,he is standing in
 the very midst of the throne surrounded

 by creatures and elders4 ,we easily    
recognize this as our ,lord ,jesus4 ,he 
is a lion in leadership and strength4   
,he is a lamb in gentleness of          
character1 and in the sacrificial       
experience ,he has been through4 ,the   
marks of death are plainly seen on ,his 
person4  ,as ,he comes forward ,he      
reaches and takes the book out of the   
hand of the ,one on the throne4 ,he is  
allowed to take it4 ,his qualification  
to take the document and break its seals
 is acceptable to the ,one on the       
throne4  ,and as ,he takes the book     
there is a remarkable burst of praise   
and adoration that must have made all   
heaven ring4 ,and those on earth in     
touch of spirit with the scene and its  
purpose and the ,chief ,actor would     
surely feel some thrill in the spirit   
currents of earth4  ,the outburst of    
worship is led by the four living       
creatures and the twenty-four elders who
 fall down before the ,lamb and sing a  
song4 ,what music that must be when the 

untold thousands sing as only redeemed  
ones can sing4 ,then countless hosts of 
angels join in and lift the chorus4 ,and
 then there is the creation chorus1     
every created thing in heaven and earth1
 under the earth1 in the sea1 absolutely
 everything seems to join in this       
indescribable music4 ,and the four      
living creatures say1 ,amen4 ,and again 
the elders fall down and worship4       
,john's distress at the beginning1 and  
now this indescribable outburst of      
praise1 tell us that this is something  
thrilling and significant beyond        
expression4 ,what does this mean1 our   
,lord ,jesus taking the sealed document 
preparatory to breaking its seals8  ,it 
has been said in a previous talk that   
every thread woven into the fabric of   
the ,old ,testament can be found in the 
fabric of this ,revelation book4 ,so    
that if one goes to work patiently he   
can trace every allusion here to        
something back in these older leaves4   
,this gives us the clue to the          

significance of this remarkable scene4  
,that clue seems in this case to be     
found in the book of ,jeremiah1 chapter 
thirty-two4 ,there is found an allusion 
to a simple primitive custom of the     
,hebrew people in the exchange of real  
estate and in taking possession of      
property to which one is entitled4  ,the
 old ,hebrew custom seems to have been  
as follows3 ,when property was purchased
 the deed to the new owner was made out 
in duplicate1 an open copy and a sealed 
copy4 ,the open copy was clearly for    
public information1 open to all4 ,the   
sealed copy as clearly belonged only to 
the owner of the property as his        
evidence of ownership4 ,so it identified
 him as the one named in the open copy4 
,if a new heir comes to take possession 
of an estate1 or in case of a dispute   
over ownership1 the claimant who was    
adjudged the rightful heir or owner     
would be given the possession of the    
sealed document or deed4 ,and as so     
attested by the judge or court1 he only 

would be properly qualified to take the 
sealed roll1 break its seals1 read its  
contents1 and so formally take          
possession of the estate1 or property4  
,now under the symbolism of this old bit
 of ,hebrew custom1 our ,lord ,jesus is 
represented here as stepping forward to 
take possession of the earth1 and begin 
,his reign over it4 ,a ,hebrew immersed 
in the old primitive customs of his     
people in ,palestine would understand   
this allusion at once1 however startled 
or sceptical he might be as to its      
significance in this connection4        
,taking ,possession4  ,the language used
 in the song of praise when our ,lord   
,jesus takes the sealed book is         
significant4 ,they say1 thou art worthy1
 that is1 thou art qualified2 thou art  
the duly attested one with the right to 
take possession4 ,for thou wast slain1  
and didst purchase unto ,god with thy   
blood men of every tribe1 and so on4    
,man had been given the dominion of the 
earth4 ,he had by obedience to the evil 

one transferred his right to ,him who is
 repeatedly called the prince of this   
world4 ,our ,lord ,jesus purchased men  
out of their slavery back to their      
original ,lord1--with all that was      
rightfully theirs4 ,he has allowed      
fullest opportunity for all who will to 
accept ,his ,lordship4 ,now ,he is about
 to take possession of the earth on     
behalf of men1 and for them4  ,this is  
the tremendous significance of what     
,john is shown here as something that   
will take place hereafter4 ,in the scene
 of the candlesticks ,he is patiently   
waiting1 holding ,himself in restraint4 
,now the waiting time is over4 ,he is   
making the next move in ,his broader    
plan for the earth4  ,there is no hint  
as to the length of interval between the
 two scenes1 how long ,he will wait4    
,there is no suggestion as to when this 
next move will be made4 ,but we are here
 plainly told that at some time that    
candlestick waiting time will end1 and  
,he will take a forward step in         

connection with ,his plans for the      
earth4 ,and it should be keenly noticed 
that what follows now in this book of   
,revelation is the run of events that   
will immediately follow that next step  
of ,his4  ,yet this step is taken up in 
heaven4 ,the first action of the new    
move will be there4 ,there will be      
nothing to be seen on the earth to      
indicate the change4 ,things there will 
go on as before1 eating and drinking1   
buying and selling1 marrying and giving 
in marriage1 all unconscious of the     
tremendous events being worked out4     
,but now the waiting time still waits4  
,our opportunity is still open4 ,if we  
might only be simple enough to be true  
to our absent ,lord ,jesus during this  
waiting time4  ,a bishop of the         
,american ,episcopal ,church1 widely    
known for his saintly character1 his    
culture1 and long years of tireless     
service1 was visiting in the ,south4 ,in
 the town there lived a judge of wide   
repute for his scholarly learning as    

well as for his culture and uprightness4
 ,now he was seriously ill1 and had     
requested an interview with the bishop4 
,he asked the bishop to talk to him     
about personal religion4 ,and the       
clergyman talked to this thoughtful1    
scholarly judge in choice philosophical 
language about the fatherhood of ,god1  
the character of ,christ1 and the       
essential harmony of man's true nature  
with ,god4 ,the judge listened          
attentively for some time4  ,then he    
apologetically interrupted his visitor1 
and said3  ,bishop1 ,i'm dying4 ,won't  
you please talk to me just like you'd   
talk to my black boy1 ,jim8  ,and the   
bishop could1 and did4 ,he told him in  
simplest talk that he was a sinner4     
,jesus died to save sinners4 ,his blood 
washes away our sins4 ,we must take     
,christ as a ,saviour1 just trust ,him1 
as simply as a child trusts its mother4 
,so he talked4 ,and the judge listened4 
,and the tears came1 and the peace4 ,he 
came as a child1 and trusted1 and he    

knew the peace that passeth             
understanding4 ,it was the simple       
telling of the simple story of the      
,saviour who died1 and the simple1      
child-like acceptance of that ,saviour4 
,the scholarly bishop helped the learned
 judge best1 in the crisis of his life1 
by talking as simply as to a child4  ,if
 we might only be simple enough to be   
true to this ,jesus who died1 during the
 remnant of waiting time that remains4  
,,footnotes3  #hc ,w4 ,o4 ,cushing4  #hd
 ,rev4 iii4 #d-e4  #he ,rev4 iii4 #ah4  
#hf ,rev4 vi4 #aa4  #hg ,rev4 vii4 #i4  
#hh ,rev4 xix4 #h1 #ad4  #hi ,rev4 xix4 
#h4  #ij ,rev4 vii4 #ad2 xxii4 #ad4  #ia
 ,rev4 ii4 #aj2 iii4 #aa2 ,i            
,corinthians ix4 #be2 ,,ii ,timothy iv4 
#h2 ,james i4 #ab2 ,i ,peter v4 #d4  #ib
 ,matthew xix4 #bh4  #ic ,luke xxii4    
#cj4  #id ,rev4 iii4 #ba4  #ie ,rev4 v4 
#aj2 xx4 #d1 #f4  #if ,hebrews i4 #ad   
with ,daniel vii4 #aj and ,psalm ciii4  
#bj-ba4  #ig ,rev4 viii4 #e2 xi4 #ai2   
xvi4 #ah1 #ba4  #ih ,john xiv4-xvi4  #ii

 ,,ii ,thessalonians ii4 #f-g4  #ajj    
,ezekiel i4 #d-bh2 x4 #a-bb4  #aja      
,exodus xxv4 #ag-bb2 xxxvii4 #f-i4  #ajb
 ,i ,kings vi4 #bc-bf2 viii4 #f-g2 ,,ii 
,chronicles iii4 #aj-ad2 v4 #g-h4  #ajc 
,ezekiel xli4 #ae-bf4  #ajd ,i ,samuel  
iv4 #d2 ,,ii ,samuel vi4 #b2 xxii4 #aa2 
,i ,chronicles xiii4 #f2 ,psalm xviii4  
#aj2 lxxx4 #a2 xcix4 #a2 ,isaiah vi4    
#a-c2 xxxvii4 #af4  #aje ,genesis iii4  
#bd4  #ajf iv4 #f-i2 v4 #f1 #h1 #ad2 vi4
 #a1 #c1 #e1 #g2 vii4 #aa2 xiv4 #c2 xv4 
#g2 xix4 #d4     ,,vi4--,a              
,,clearing-,,up ,,storm ,,in ,,the      
,,realm  7,revelation1 ,chapters        
vi4-viii47    ,god ,almighty6 ,king of  
nations6 earth ,thy footstool1 heaven   
,thy throne6  ,thine the greatness1     
power1 and glory1 ,thine the kingdom1   
,lord1 alone6  ,life and death are in   
,thy keeping1 and ,thy will ordaineth   
all3  ,from the armies of ,thy heavens  
to an unseen insect's fall4   ,reigning1
 guiding1 all-commanding1 ruling myriad 
worlds of light2  ,now exalting1 now    

abasing1 none can stay ,thy hand of     
might6  ,working all things by ,thy     
power1 by the counsel of ,thy will4     
,thou art ,god6 enough to know it1 and  
to hear ,thy word3 ',be still6'   ,in   
,thy sovereignty rejoicing1 we ,thy     
children bow and praise1  ,for we know  
that kind and loving1 just and true1 are
 all ,thy ways4  ,while ,thy heart of   
sovereign mercy1 and ,thy arm of        
sovereign might1  ,for our great and    
strong salvation in ,thy sovereign grace
 unite4      --,,frances ,,ridley       
,,havergal4   ,the ,area of the ,storm4 
,goodness arouses evil4 ,faithfulness to
 ,christ stirs opposition4 ,this is a   
commonplace4 ,a piece of white-hot metal
 plunged into cold water makes a great  
fuss4 ,two areas of sharply different   
temperatures in the atmosphere above us 
coming suddenly together make a storm4  
,purity entering an atmosphere of       
impurity and insisting on staying1 and  
on keeping pure1 creates a lively       
disturbance4 ,the tempter was aroused to

 his subtlest effort when ,jesus        
appeared4 ,there is no such demoniac    
activity recorded as when ,jesus walked 
among men4  ,so crowning a king arouses 
opposition1 if there be opposition4 ,and
 the active taking of the reins of      
government has intensified the          
opposition when it was strong enough to 
make a stand4 ,the striking illustration
 of this in the ,bible is ,king ,david4 
,after ,saul's death the men of ,judah  
anointed ,david king4 ,that was the     
signal for an immediate attack by the   
chief of the forces of ,saul's house4   
,and this was succeeded by a long war1  
before ,david was acknowledged as king  
over all ,israel4 ,the clearing-up storm
 in his realm lasted a good while before
 good weather came4  ,here in this      
,revelation scene we have been looking  
at our ,lord ,jesus is represented as   
stepping forward to take possession of  
,his realm4 ,it is natural to expect a  
storm4 ,this will be a signal to the    
opposition to rally all its power4 ,but 

there can be no question about the      
outcome of such a set-to4 ,that storm   
proves to be a clearing-up storm in the 
realm4 ,it is to be followed by such    
fine moral weather as has not been known
 before4 ,but the storm itself proves to
 be a terrific one for the earth while  
it lasts4  ,the greater part of this    
little end-book is taken up with a      
description of that storm4 ,but before  
we turn to this book itself and its     
storm1 we want to get our bearings a    
bit1 so as to understand better what is 
here4 ,revelation is the knot in the end
 of a big bunch of threads4 ,we shall   
understand the knot better by knowing   
more about the threads before they are  
tied into the knot4  ,the storm area    
proves to be very large4 ,it takes in   
the whole earth4 ,the ,bible is a big   
book in its outlook and grasp4 ,it deals
 with the whole earth1 and the whole    
race4 ,the thoughtful ,bible student    
comes to have a broad outlook1 as well  
as a close lookout about his own front  

and back doors4  ,it is fascinating to  
study the geography of the ,bible4 ,we  
talk about the world growing smaller4   
,that refers of course to the rapidity  
of transit4 ,it is only within a few    
hundred years that we have learned of   
the earth being round4 ,the ,bible map  
includes practically the whole world as 
we have come to know it4  ,the centre of
 the world as seen on this map may seem 
a little surprising4 ,we ,americans feel
 that the centre of things is here4 ,the
 ,englishman knows that it is in        
,london2 and lately the ,germans have   
had the same exclusive sort of knowledge
 about ,berlin4 ,the ,chinese has long  
called his country the ,middle ,kingdom1
 in the sense of its being the central  
kingdom about which the rest of the     
world revolves4 ,but here the centre is 
seen to be on the boundary line1        
practically1 between ,orient and        
,occident1 reaching out an embracing arm
 to each4  ,we have a broad division of 
the earth into ,east and ,west4 ,the    

differences between the two1 in         
civilization1 mode of thought1 religion1
 language1 and so on1 are so radical as 
to make it seem that there was no point 
of contact4 ,at least this has been     
emphasized much by western writers on   
the ,east4 ,we are disturbed just now   
here in the far ,west over the          
,oriental1 ,chinese ,japanese and       
,indian crossing the far boundary line  
between ,orient and ,occident and coming
 into the ,united ,states and ,canada4  
,yet ,east and ,west have always        
overlapped at the middle boundary line4 
,there is a great mixture of races in   
the strip where the eastern edge of the 
,west and the western edge of the ,east 
come together4 ,it is the strip running 
roughly north and south where ,russia's 
western border and ,turkey's touch      
,germany and ,austria and ,greece1      
including the never-at-rest ,balkan     
,peninsula4 ,constantinople sits on the 
dividing line between ,east and ,west1  
with the worst of both civilizations    

within her confines4 ,here the          
hemispheres touch and their life        
currents intermingle and flow together4 
,scientific research seems to find good 
evidence that all our ,european         
civilization1 which of course means     
,american too1 may have been brought    
over by ,eastern immigrants from central
 ,asia long ages ago1 ,asia coming into 
,europe4 ,perhaps we ,westerners would  
not despise the ,easterners so          
contemptuously and patronizingly if we  
knew how much we are probably indebted  
to them for our civilization as well as 
for our ,hebrew and ,christian faith1   
our ,bible1 and the ,christian          
restraining bulwarks of our common life4
  ,the old common point of contact      
between ,orient and ,occident was the   
strip of land forming the western edge  
of the ,orient at the eastern end of the
 ,mediterranean4 ,palestine has been for
 centuries the common roadway of all    
nations1 ,east and ,west4 ,no bit of    
earth has been so tramped and trampled  

by the feet of all nations and races4   
,this has been the battlefield of the   
nations through long centuries4 ,the    
ends of the earth have met here4 ,it is 
interesting that the waters that wash   
its western shore are called the        
,mediterranean ,sea1 that is1 the       
middle-of-the-earth sea4  ,here then is 
the centre of the map4 ,it is the centre
 of all things in the ,bible4 ,and it   
has proven to be at the centre of human 
action through history1 attested by the 
very name given to the chief body of    
water there4  ,jerusalem1 the capital   
city of this ,palestine strip1 was the  
centre of a world power in the early    
ages4 ,it has been the world capital4   
,and it has in turn been fought over and
 conquered by every world power4 ,no    
city has been a world centre of action  
during as long a stretch of time1 and to
 as many different nations4  ,out from  
this centre the action of the ,bible    
reaches north to ,russia1 south to      
,africa 7,ethiopia71 east to ,china     

7,sinim1 ,isaiah xlix4 #ab71 and west to
 ,spain4 ,that practically includes the 
world of our day4 ,america is of course 
merely a transplanted seedling of       
,europe4  ,those great ,hebrew leaders  
called prophets had a world outlook4    
,they were world messengers4 ,it is     
intensely interesting to take a piece of
 paper1 and pencil a rough map of the   
nations named in their messages1 notably
 ,isaiah1#ajg ,jeremiah1#ajh            
,ezekiel1#aji and ,daniel4#aaj          
,beginning at ,jerusalem and ,israel    
they reach first this way1 then that1 up
 and down1 back and forth1 until the    
whole world of action of that day has   
been touched4 ,they were men of world   
size4 ,they had a world outlook and a   
world message4  ,but then ,god's man    
always has4 ,the world outlook of ,jesus
 was tremendous4 ,and every true        
disciple of ,jesus ,christ has the world
 outlook4 ,grace broadens as well as    
refining4 ,it is one of the endless     
outworkings of sin that tends toward    

that narrowing provincialism which      
everywhere hinders so much1 and so      
intensely4  ,now in this world map in   
the ,bible geography two cities stand   
out beyond all others1 ,jerusalem and   
,babylon2 ,jerusalem the centre of      
,god's people and of ,god's plans1      
,babylon the centre of the opposing     
worldly power4 ,these are the two       
outstanding cities of the ,bible world4 
,between these two there is an enmity   
and warfare that is practically         
continuous4 ,jerusalem comes to be the  
typical of ,god's people and power and  
kingdom4 ,babylon stands out likewise as
 typical of the power and kingdom always
 and innately opposed to ,god and to    
,his people4 ,the conflict between the  
two seems irrepressible and             
irreconcilable4 ,it is never out of     
view4  ,babylon has been the centre1    
under successive dynasties1 of a world  
empire1 including not only part of      
,asia1 but reaching west to ,europe and 
south to ,africa4 ,it sat practically in

 the connecting strip of ,orient and    
,occident1 ruling over both4 ,in the dim
 dawn of history a ,god-ignoring1 and so
 really a ,god-defying and man-exalting 
movement1 centred in the city called    
,babel4 ,and from that time on that     
city1 and its successor ,babylon1 have  
seemed as though possessed with a spirit
 of antagonism to ,god and ,his people4 
,it is as though it were the earthly    
headquarters of the blasphemous unseen  
evil forces4  ,this is a simple bit of  
geography lesson in the ,old ,testament4
 ,this is the map that lies ever open in
 these older pages1 with its two capital
 cities marked large4 ,and this         
indicates the area of the storm1 and the
 two central points where its outburst  
will centre4   ,studying the ,weather   
,forecast4  ,it is interesting to find a
 weather forecast of this storm4 ,the   
old ,hebrew prophets were close students
 of national and world-wide weather     
conditions1 and much given to making    
forecasts of impending storms4 ,even in 

the ,new ,testament there is this       
distinct prophetic or foretelling strain
 running throughout4 ,the father of     
,john the ,baptist is told of his son's 
birth2 and ,mary1 of the unusual birth  
of her divine ,son4 ,the disciples are  
told of the coming of the ,holy ,spirit4
 ,and ,agabus tells of a great famine   
coming4 ,in these instances the         
fulfilment follows soon after the event 
is foretold4  ,the destruction of       
,jerusalem1 foretold by ,christ1 had at 
least a part of its fulfilment in the   
terrible ,titus siege of #gj ,a4,d4 ,our
 ,lord said that ,he would return to    
earth in great glory1 and that there    
would come a great tribulation to all   
the earth1 and repeated the old prophecy
 of a restoration of the ,hebrew        
kingdom4 ,these have not yet occurred4  
,but the book of the ,revelation is     
distinctively the prophetic book of the 
,new ,testament4 ,it deals almost       
entirely with events that are yet to    
come4 ,it would be natural that it would

 fit into the prophetic parts of the    
,old ,testament4 ,so that one who is    
somewhat familiar with the prophetic    
books of the ,old naturally comes more  
intelligently to this prophetic book of 
the ,new4  ,it is true that most of us  
have a sense of bewilderment about      
prophecy4 ,we seem to feel that it      
requires great scholarship and profound 
study1 and that an understanding of it  
is not possible to the common run of    
,christians4 ,and so we largely leave it
 out as not understandable4  ,yet       
prophecy is simply ,god's plans for the 
future1 together with a revelation of   
other events which are not in ,his plan1
 but which ,he sees will happen in the  
future4 ,in it ,he tells us what ,he    
means us to understand4 ,and more than  
this1 our understanding will have       
practical bearing on our attitude toward
 evil and compromise4 ,it will affect   
our faith1 making it steadier1          
especially when evil seems triumphant   
and overbearing4 ,it will make our      

prayer more intelligent and confident4  
,there are certain things we all know4  
,as we read back into these pages we    
know that the break-up of the ,jewish   
nation1 which began with the ,babylonian
 ,captivity1 came to a terrible climax  
in a complete break-up after the        
rejection of ,christ4 ,we know that the 
other nations commonly called ,gentiles 
7i4e41 the nations7 have had supremacy  
in the earth4 ,israel was at one time   
acknowledged as the great world power1  
with many subject nations1 in ,solomon's
 time4  ,but ,gentile supremacy begins  
back in the time of these ,old          
,testament pages4 ,there is to-day      
practically no belief that this will    
ever be changed1 except perhaps by a    
stray ,jew here and there1 who still    
holds to his old ,bible1 and except by  
those ,christians who discern ,god's    
plan1 and believe both in ,him and in   
it4  ,in the absence of an understanding
 of that plan of ,god1 it has been      
common to apply all the glowing         

prophetic ,hebrew promises to the       
,church4 ,the result has been that      
,israel and the ,kingdom have been      
confused in our minds with the ,church4 
,and this has become the commonplace in 
the common ,church consciousness4  ,it  
is quite possible for the person of     
average good sense to get something of a
 simple1 broad grasp of the prophetic   
books4 ,it involves reading repeatedly  
so as to get familiar with the contents1
 and rapidly so as not to get too much  
absorbed in details4  ,it is needful to 
use a common-sense interpretation in    
getting at the meaning4 ,it is a simple 
law that one principle of interpretation
 should be applied uniformly and        
consistently to all parts of any one    
document4 ,if ,i say arbitrarily1 this  
part is rhetorical2 it doesn't mean just
 what it says1 but something else2 and  
this other part means just what it says1
 clearly ,i am reading my own ideas and 
prejudices into the book4  ,it is much  
slower1 and takes more pains and        

patience1 to keep at it until all parts 
gradually clear up to us1 first this    
bit1 then that1 until part fits part1   
and all hang together4 ,but there is    
great fascination in it1 and one's      
reverence for this revelation of ,god's 
,word grows deeper4  ,of course there is
 rhetorical language here as everywhere4
 ,the ,lord is my shepherd is clearly   
rhetorical4 ,for ,god is not a shepherd1
 and ,i am not a sheep1 but a man4 ,but 
under this simple1 clearly rhetorical   
language the tender1 personal           
relationship ,god bears to me is        
beautifully expressed4 ,that such       
language is rhetorical is clear to every
 mind alike4  ,and there is a picture   
language here1 such as speaking of      
purity of character as white garments4  
,the honest1 earnest1 unprejudiced      
seeker after truth quickly recognizes   
these1 and learns to become skilled in  
discerning what is meant4 ,we come to   
see that ,israel means ,israel1 not the 
,church4 ,jerusalem means that city in  

,judea1 and so on4  ,of course it is    
needful that there be an openmindedness1
 a humble1 teachable spirit1 willing to 
accept the real truth1 no matter how it 
may shake up one's prejudices and       
prearranged schemes of thought4 ,and1   
above all1 there should be a constant   
prayerfulness of spirit1 to learn just  
what our ,god is seeking to have us     
know4 ,of course there are depths here  
for the scholarly1 profound minds4 ,but 
we ordinary folk can get a simple1 clear
 grasp of ,god's plan and revealed      
insight into the future if we go at it  
in this thoughtful1 prayerful way4 ,and 
it will be a great help to us to do so4 
,three ,great ,unfulfilled ,events4     
,let us take a swift glance at these    
prophetic books of the ,old ,testament4 
,it helps to remember the natural way in
 which these prophetic books grew up4   
,these prophets were preachers and      
teachers4 ,here are some people going up
 to the temple service one day in       
,jerusalem4 ,as they get near the temple

 they notice a little knot of people    
standing yonder at a corner listening to
 a man talking earnestly4 ,isaiah1 fresh
 from the presence of ,god1 is talking  
out of a burning heart to the crowd4  ,a
 visitor from another part of the land  
says curiously to his companion1 ,what's
 that8 ,the other replies3 ,oh1 it's    
only ,isaiah talking to the people4 ,he 
is a good man1 that ,isaiah1 a          
well-meaning1 earnest man1 but a little 
too intense1 ,i fear4 ,and they pass on 
to the temple service4 ,by and by       
,isaiah stops4 ,the moving congregation 
scatters4 ,he slips quietly down to his 
house1 and under the ,spirit's holy1    
brooding presence writes down a part of 
what he has been saying4 ,so there grew 
up the rolls to which his name is       
attached4  ,in some such simple1 natural
 way these prophetic books grew up1     
always under the ,holy ,spirit's        
guidance and control4 ,they are full of 
intense fire1 and of the homely talk of 
street and market and fireside4 ,there  

are two sorts of these prophets1 the    
preachers like ,elijah and ,elisha and  
those who wrote as well as spoke1 and   
whose names are preserved in these      
books4  ,there are seventeen of these   
little books4 ,they fall easily into    
four groups4 ,the first group contains  
those belonging in the time before the  
nation was exiled4 ,it is a period of   
about one hundred and fifty years1      
roughly1 beginning in the prosperous    
reign of ,uzziah and running up to the  
time when the nation was taken captive  
to ,babylon4 ,isaiah is the most        
prominent prophet of this period1 and   
with him are ,hosea1 ,micah1 and ,amos1 
all of whom may have been personally    
acquainted2 and also ,zephaniah and     
,habakkuk4  ,the second is the exile    
group1 ,jeremiah preaching in ,judah1   
before and during the siege1 and to the 
remnant left behind in the land2 and    
,ezekiel and ,daniel bearing their      
witness among the exiles in the foreign 
land4  ,the third group is made up of   

those who witnessed after the people are
 allowed to return to their own land    
again4 ,the writer of the second part of
 ,isaiah probably preached to the people
 as the opportunity came to return to   
,jerusalem4#aaa ,haggai and ,zachariah  
stirred up the returned people to       
rebuild the temple4 ,joel and ,malachi  
witnessed probably a little later in the
 same period4  ,the fourth is the       
foreign group4 ,obadiah sends a message 
to the neighbouring nation of ,edom2 and
 ,jonah and ,nahum are sent with        
messages to ,nineveh4 ,if one will try  
to make a picture of these people and   
events by reading the historical books1 
and then watch and listen as the        
prophets talk1 it will do much to make  
these prophetic books full of the native
 atmosphere in which they grew up4  ,now
 there are three things that gradually  
come to stand out in these prophetic    
books4 ,much of what is being said is of
 immediate application4 ,it refers      
plainly to affairs being lived out then4

 ,then certain things are plainly       
fulfilled in the coming of ,christ4 ,and
 again there is a great deal that       
clearly has never been fulfilled but is 
still future4 ,it is the latter part    
that naturally is of intensest interest4
  ,now in this latter part1 dealing with
 the future1 three things stand out     
clear and sharp above the rest4 ,there  
is to be judgment upon ,israel for their
 iniquities4 ,the changes on this are   
rung again and again4 ,and this stands  
out as much in the preaching of the     
,captivity time1 and of the ,return1 as 
before the ,captivity4 ,but in the midst
 of severest judgment there will be a   
remnant spared4 ,the tree is cut down1  
but the stump is spared2 and there is   
life in the stump4 ,but above these     
there stand out these three things4     
,the first thing stands out big4 ,it is 
the thing the nation never forgot4 ,the 
believing ,hebrew still clings to it4   
,the wailers at the wall of ,jerusalem  
to-day never forget it4 ,it is this3    

there is to be a future time of great   
glory for the nation of ,israel in their
 own loved land4#aab ,the kingdom is to 
be restored1 but with a glory           
indescribably greater than ever known4  
,this is the bright golden thread1 thick
 and strong1 running through from end to
 end4  ,it will come through that spared
 remnant4 ,the old stump will put out a 
new shoot4 ,it will be through the      
coming of a great king1 who will prove  
to be their greatest king1#aac and will 
reign not only over ,israel1 but over   
all nations as tributary to ,israel1    
with ,jerusalem as the capital city both
 of ,israel and of the whole earth4#aad 
,at its beginning there will be a       
gathering of ,israel from among all the 
nations where they have been            
scattered4#aae ,to assist these         
scattered pilgrims to get to their own  
land1 the tongue of the ,egyptian sea on
 the southwest is to be destroyed2 and  
the waters of the ,euphrates on the     
extreme east are to be so scattered or  

dried up that men can walk over         
dry-shod4  ,when the great king comes   
there will be genuine penitence among   
the people over their past sins1#aaf and
 they will become a wholly changed      
people4#aag ,israel will be a nation    
converted by the power of the ,holy     
,spirit through the conversion of the   
people individually4 ,there will be at  
this time a resurrection of ,god's      
people who have died4#aah  ,the new     
reign and kingdom is to be one of great 
spiritual enlightenment to all          
nations4#aai ,there will be everywhere a
 new1 remarkable openmindedness to ,god 
and ,his truth4#abj ,and there will be  
the same visible evidence of the        
presence of ,god at ,jerusalem as when  
the pillar of fire and cloud was with   
them in the wilderness4 ,that wondrous  
presence-cloud is to be always in       
view4#aba  ,this sounds to our ears like
 the highly coloured visionary dream of 
some over-enthusiastic ,hebrew4 ,yet    
this is a calm statement of what is     

found here4 ,and be it keenly marked1 it
 is a picture which the godly ,hebrew of
 the old time never lost sight of4 ,this
 is the first thing that stands out in  
these prophetic pages4  ,the second     
thing stands out distinctly4 ,preceding 
this wondrous kingdom the earth will be 
visited by terrible judgments4#abb      
,there is an awfully dark shadow before 
the blaze of light breaks out4 ,a       
terrific storm will come before the sun 
shines out in its new strength4 ,all    
nations will combine to make war against
 the ,jew4 ,their forces will be        
gathered at ,jerusalem4#abc ,at the head
 of the coalition will be a power called
 ,babylon4#abd ,there will come a       
terrific battle1 victory for the        
coalition will seem assured4 ,the       
sufferings of the ,jews will be         
indescribable4  ,then there will come a 
day never after to be forgotten4 ,in the
 midst of the indescribable horrors of  
that battle1 when things are at their   
worst for the ,jew1 then comes the      

deliverance4 ,suddenly ,jehovah will    
appear out of the heavens1 with a great 
company of holy ones4 ,his feet will    
stand upon ,mount ,olivet to the east of
 ,jerusalem4 ,there will be a terrible  
earthquake1 and an equally terrific     
shake-up of the heavenly bodies4 ,the   
luminaries1 sun1 moon1 and stars1 will  
be darkened4#abe ,there will be terrible
 judgments visited not only upon the    
earth1 but upon the evil spirit         
powers4#abf ,repeated emphasis is put   
upon the judgment to be visited upon    
,babylon4  ,all this will sound like a  
veritable fairy tale to many who are not
 familiar with this ,book of ,god2 the  
unlikeliest thing imaginable4 ,yet this 
is the thing seriously set forth        
throughout these old prophetic pages4 ,i
 have given a few references in         
footnotes4 ,but these few scattered     
passages of themselves will not give an 
adequate conception of what these pages 
hold4  ,there is all the fascination of 
a novel1 and immensely more and deeper  

fascination than any novel1 in reading  
these prophetic pages repeatedly in the 
way already spoken of till their mere   
contents become somewhat familiar4 ,then
 taking paper and pencil1 running       
through again1 and drawing off patiently
 and carefully1 item after item of these
 prophecies plainly not yet fulfilled1  
and then slowly and painstakingly put   
them together in what would be a simple1
 logical order4  ,it will be helpful1 in
 reading1 to remember that it is a      
common thing with these writers to speak
 of a future thing as already past4 ,it 
is a bit of the intensity that sees the 
thing that is yet to come as already    
accomplished4 ,and one should discern   
between the immediate thing that may    
likely occur in that generation and the 
far-distant thing4 ,a careful noting of 
the language will make the difference   
clear4  ,this is the second thing that  
stands out1 the visitation of judgments4
  ,then there is a third thing4 ,this   
terrible visitation of judgments comes  

in connection with1 and at the close of1
 a time of great persecution of the ,jew
 by the nations4 ,jeremiah speaks of it 
as the time of ,jacob's trouble1#abg and
 the ,man of ,fire tells ,daniel that   
there will be a time of trouble such as 
never was since there was a nation even 
to that same time4#abh ,this persecution
 of the ,jew1 and the visitation of     
judgments on the earth as a deliverance 
from it1 are connected with the setting 
up of the ,kingdom4  ,these are the     
three things that stand dominantly out  
in these prophetic pages as             
distinctly-future1 the great ,jew       
persecution unprecedented in intensity1 
the visitation of terrible judgments on 
the earth1 and the coming of a glorious 
kingdom4 ,and the three are connected4  
,we know that no events have yet taken  
place that at all satisfy the language  
used of these three connected events4   
,this is the simple outline of expected 
coming events with which the thoughtful 
reader of ,god's ,word is supposed to be

 familiar4 ,the reverent student of     
,god's promises and plans and           
revelations would naturally have all    
this clear and fresh in his mind as he  
turns to open the pages of the prophetic
 book of the ,new ,testament4           
,forecast of the ,great ,storm4  ,now it
 is of intense interest to note that our
 ,lord ,jesus speaks of these same three
 things1 at much length1 and with much  
emphasis2 the persecution1 the          
visitation of judgments1 and the        
kingdom4 ,it came to me as a great      
surprise and with startling force when  
,i realized1 after gathering out this   
summary from the ,old ,testament1 that  
the three things that stand out so      
sharply there are the very things ,jesus
 speaks of here with such fulness and   
emphasis4  ,he puts special emphasis on 
the time of persecution as of           
unprecedented horror and ferocity4 ,he  
plainly indicates that this will be     
directed not only against the ,jew1 but 
against ,his own followers4 ,three times

 this talk of ,his on ,olivet just      
before ,his death is given at much      
length4#abi ,that talk is given to a    
little group of ,jewish disciples who   
have broken with the ,jewish leaders1   
and who become the great leaders of the 
,church formed at ,pentecost4  ,he      
speaks of that terrible experience as   
great tribulation1#acj such as there    
hath not been the like from the         
beginning of the creation which ,god    
created until now1 nor ever shall       
be4#aca ,we shall find it spoken of in  
this book of ,revelation as the         
tribulation1 the great one4#acb ,it has 
come to be spoken of commonly as the    
tribulation and the great tribulation4  
,with all this fresh in mind1 a run back
 through the ,old ,testament brings out 
that it is spoken of there much more    
than we may have realized4 ,the warning 
to ,israel1 at ,sinai1 as they made the 
covenant of allegiance with ,god1 of the
 bitter punishment that would come if   
they were untrue1 has seemed many times 

as though couched in very intense1      
almost extreme language4#acc ,but it is 
found to fit into these later           
descriptions of this great tribulation  
to come4 ,that warning is repeated1 in  
as intense words and with a greater     
fulness1 by ,moses in his series of     
farewell talks in the ,plains of        
,moab1#acd and it runs through the song 
he left for their use4#ace  ,the        
experiences of the people of ,israel in 
,egypt are found to be an illustration  
of the coming experience at the end1    
great persecution and suffering1 then   
great deliverance through a visitation  
of judgment upon their persecutors1 and 
great revelation of ,god's glory        
following4 ,and the experience of the   
three young ,hebrew exiles in ,babylon  
comes to mind4 ,they went through the   
fire1 seven times heated1 and they had a
 marvellous deliverance1 and then high  
promotion4#acf  ,certain ,psalms shine  
with new light in the light of this     
terrible truth4 ,chief among these is   

the ,ninety-first4 ,quite likely it grew
 up out of the experience of ,israel at 
the last before leaving ,egypt4 ,it1 of 
course1 has its practical use in one's  
daily life4 ,but the vividness and      
intensity of its meaning will probably  
never be realized as during the coming  
tribulation days4 ,nor will the exultant
 note running through the nine ,psalms  
immediately following it be appreciated 
as by those experiencing deliverance    
when the tribulation is over4 ,the      
,forty-sixth ,psalm1 and the ,psalms of 
praise immediately following it1        
likewise seem to get new light4  ,it is 
quite probable that very much1 all      
through this ,book of ,psalms1 will be  
understood and appreciated fully only by
 the generation of ,god's people that go
 through the tribulation and know the   
deliverance following4 ,much of the old 
,book of ,god is quite meaningless to   
the ,christian who has had no           
tribulation experience4 ,that is1 ,i    
mean who has never known opposition in  

his ,christian faith1 or who has slipped
 easily along when there is opposition4 
,the outstanding features in the ,old   
,testament of this great experience are 
terrible persecution of the ,jew1       
deliverance at the very worst pitch of  
extremity1 by a visitation of judgment  
on their enemies1 and by ,jehovah coming
 in person for their deliverance2 and   
then the great ,kingdom following4  ,the
 outstanding features spoken of by our  
,lord ,jesus in ,his ,olivet talk agree 
with this1 but go much more into detail1
 especially about the tribulation4 ,the 
tribulation will be preceded by wars1   
rumors of wars1 famines1 earthquakes1   
and persecution4 ,there will be many    
false religious teachers1 many          
,christians untrue to their faith1 and a
 great increase of wickedness4 ,this is 
a sort of foreshadowing4  ,the          
tribulation itself will find all this   
enormously intensified4 ,it will begin  
with some astonishing act of blasphemy  
in the temple in ,jerusalem1 run its    

terrible course1 and close with a series
 of judgment-events1 earthquake1 heavens
 shaken1 and great distress1 ending in  
the visible appearance of the ,lord     
,jesus ,himself1 out of heaven on the   
clouds4 ,and this will be a signal for  
great penitential mourning among the    
people on the earth4  ,this1 then1 is   
the simple1 broad outline with which the
 thoughtful reader of ,god's ,word would
 naturally be familiar as he turns to   
this prophetic book at the end to get   
our ,lord's last message to ,his        
followers4   ,getting a ,broad1 ,clear  
,outlook4  ,as we turn now again to the 
book of ,revelation it will help us to  
remember the general plan followed in   
its writing4 ,it is like a series of    
dissolving views of the same scene1 each
 of which lets us see the same thing    
from a different point of view4  ,this  
is a simple teaching rule for getting a 
clear grasp of what is being taught4 ,we
 are familiar with it in the ,bible4    
,the story of creation is told in the   

first chapter of ,genesis1 and then told
 again in the second chapter with       
details not given in the first1 the two 
together presenting the complete story4 
,the historical books of ,chronicles    
present one view of the kingdom of      
,israel1 the official4 ,the books of the
 ,kings give another look at the same   
period2 and the prophetic books a wholly
 different view as seen by these rarely 
spiritually minded men of ,god4 ,daniel 
is shown four visions of future events1 
all covering the same general stretch of
 events1 but with a fuller description1 
here of one part and there of another4  
,the four ,gospels are a familiar       
illustration of the same principle in   
teaching and story-telling4 ,this is the
 plan followed here4  ,i was impressed  
anew with the practical value of this   
method one day in ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,we 
had gone to look at the panorama of the 
siege of ,sebastopol1 then on exhibition
 in a huge1 round building4 ,it will be 
remembered that the ,british and ,french

 allied themselves with ,turkey and     
,sardinia in an attempt to restrain the 
encroachments of ,russia on ,turkish    
territory4 ,the famous charge of        
,balaklava1 immortalized by ,tennyson1  
is remembered as the most stirring event
 of that war4 ,its chief event was the  
siege of ,sebastopol on the ,crimea     
peninsula1 in the ,black ,sea4  ,at the 
panorama we stood as though on a high   
central point in the city of            
,sebastopol1 with the view spreading out
 in all directions4 ,to the north lay   
the harbour with the ,russian ships     
securely bottled in by the attacking    
fleets4 ,to the west a body of ,french  
soldiers were retreating1 hotly pursued 
by ,russian troops1 while in the        
distance ,british troops are hurrying to
 the relief of the ,french4  ,then we   
looked east1 where the fighting was     
going on at close range1 the wounded    
being carried away and the reserves     
hastening up to take their places4 ,and 
again we turned to the south1 where the 

battle raged fiercest4 ,the face of the 
commanding officer stood out so vividly4
 ,and we almost shrank from the         
fierceness of the fire4 ,and the smell  
of powder almost seemed stifling4  ,and 
as ,i stood brooding afresh on the      
horrors of inhuman war1 ,i was          
tremendously impressed that only by such
 successive views could ,i get such a   
grasp of that memorable siege4 ,i had a 
more intelligent and vivid understanding
 of it than ever before4  ,and so it is 
that we may get a simple1 clear1 and    
real grasp of the tremendous tribulation
 time that is coming1 that it is        
presented to us in this fashion1 first  
one distinct view1 then another1 and    
another1 till some understanding of the 
whole begins to get hold of us4  ,we    
have seen the ,lord ,jesus1 in the      
vision in chapters four and five1 as ,he
 comes forward to take an advance step4 
,we have seen the tremendous outburst of
 praise in heaven as ,he steps forward4 
,this step and scene are in heaven4 ,the

 earth is wholly unaware of it at that  
moment4  ,now all that follows is       
connected directly with that advance    
step4 ,this is the significant thing to 
get clearly fixed in mind4 ,at the      
present time our ,lord ,jesus is still  
walking among the candlestick ,churches 
watching and waiting4 ,we are still in  
that waiting time4 ,the ,holy ,spirit   
still dwells in the ,church on earth4   
,at some time in the future1 no one     
knows1 nor can know1 just when1 the     
,lord ,jesus will rise up in readiness  
for an advance move4 ,he will withdraw  
the ,holy ,spirit from the ,church up   
into ,his presence again before the     
throne4 ,then in connection with this   
advance step there will occur on the    
earth the things spoken of in these     
pages following4 ,this is the tremendous
 fact to keep clear1 the immediate      
connection between these happenings on  
earth and ,his new move in heaven4  ,we 
come now to these happenings on earth4  
,there are seven distinct views given   

here in this section1 chapters six to   
the end of the book4 ,there is a great  
detail in description which it would be 
both instructive and interesting to     
study out4 ,but we want to get at the   
essential things4 ,and so we will give  
our time and thought to these           
essentials4  ,our ,lord ,jesus is       
represented as about to take possession 
of ,his realm4 ,the first step is a     
dispossessing of the claimants in       
possession4 ,this furnishes the key to  
what follows4 ,the descriptions are of  
the process of cleaning out the evil    
forces4 ,at the close of this we find   
,him taking possession 7in chapter      
twenty7 and reigning over the earth4    
,these descriptions make it clear at    
once that this is the tribulation so    
much spoken of in these preceding pages4
 ,what follows fits so into what has    
been spoken of that the identification  
seems complete4 ,the thing our ,lord    
,jesus is revealing here tallies with   
what ,he had told ,john before on       

,olivet4  ,there comes first a general  
description of the whole period         
7chapters vi4-vii474 ,then follows a    
description of how these happenings will
 come4 ,it will be through the          
withdrawal of restraint and so the      
loosening out of evil 7chapters         
viii4-ix474 ,during this whole period   
there will be a special faithful        
witnessing on earth1 in the midst of the
 riot of evil1 to ,god and ,his truth   
7chapter xi474  ,a detailed outline of  
the run of events follows1 giving much  
additional information1 picturing the   
rise and characteristics of the leader  
of the tribulation time1 and the manner 
of its close 7chapters xii4-xiv474      
,there follows this a description of the
 judgments and the supreme contest with 
which the period closes 7chapters       
xv4-xvi474 ,there is a description of   
the organized system of evil1 and then  
of the fall of the capital of the system
 7chapters xvii4-xviii47 ,and then      
follows the actual coming of our ,lord  

,jesus1 the setting up of the kingdom1  
and subsequent events 7chapters         
xix4-xxii474   ,a ,general ,look at the 
,storm and ,its ,close4  ,we turn now to
 the first of these4#acg ,it begins with
 a crowned ,one seated on a white horse 
going forth conquering and to conquer4  
,this description agrees with the much  
fuller description of the ,lord ,jesus  
near the end of the book1 as he goes to 
the earth for the decisive close of the 
tribulation4#ach  ,this gives fresh     
emphasis to the fact that what follows  
is the direct result of ,his advance    
step4 ,at once there follows on earth a 
time of war1 famine1 death1 and of      
persecution to the death of ,god's      
people4 ,there is no hint as to how long
 this goes on4 ,it is brought to a close
 with an earthquake and an equally      
terrific disturbance of the heavens1 the
 sun1 moon1 and stars1 something unknown
 before4  ,the utmost consternation is  
created on earth4 ,all conditions of    
men1 crowned kings1 merchant princes1   

men of autocratic power financially and 
politically and socially1 join with the 
humblest in hiding themselves in the    
great holes made by the earthquake4     
,they feel that the time of judgment has
 come1 and they are not ready for it4   
,the description of their terror tallies
 remarkably with the prophetic language 
used by ,isaiah1#aci even as the whole  
description fits into our ,lord's       
,olivet talk4 ,this is seen to be a     
general1 rapid vision of the whole      
tribulation period4  ,then there follows
 what clearly seems to be a parenthesis 
fitting in just before the great        
earthquake4 ,the earth and sea have been
 terribly torn up by the earthquake4    
,this parenthesis begins with a command 
that the earth and sea be not hurt until
 certain things have taken place4  ,this
 fits the two events of the parenthesis 
in just before the ruinous earthquake   
takes place4 ,the two events are of a   
radically different sort from what has  
just been told4 ,they are thus put by   

themselves1 and the run of evil and of  
judgment upon it1 put by itself1 so     
keeping these two quite clear1 following
 the general plan of the book4  ,there  
are two events in this parenthesis4     
,there is what is called the sealing of 
a certain number of the ,hebrew tribes  
on the earth4 ,twelve thousand of each  
tribe are sealed1 making a total of one 
hundred and forty-four thousand4 ,the   
word seal is used in two senses in the  
,bible1 as a means of fastening up a    
writing or roll1 and1 in the ,new       
,testament1 commonly for the presence of
 the ,holy ,spirit in a human life4     
,the seal in this second sense was a    
mark of ownership4 ,paul tells us that  
we are sealed with the ,holy            
,spirit1#adj so indicating that we      
belong to the ,lord ,jesus1 who gives us
 this evidence of ,his ownership4 ,if   
this simple1 natural meaning be taken   
here1 it would mean that at this time   
the ,holy ,spirit has been poured out   
upon the ,jew4 ,the spiritual           

regeneration spoken of so frequently in 
the prophetic pages takes place at this 
time4  ,the significance of the numbers 
should be noticed4 ,twelve is the number
 commonly used in the ,bible1 for       
corporate completeness1 to indicate that
 a group is complete4 ,twelve times     
twelve would simply represent a fully   
completed corporate number4 ,that is to 
say1 upon the entire body of ,jews then 
living on the earth the ,holy ,spirit is
 poured out1 thus marking them once     
again as ,god's peculiar people1        
restored fully to favour after the long 
national rejection4  ,the second event  
is of equally intense interest1 indeed  
to us of non-,jewish birth it has yet   
greater interest4 ,john is up in heaven4
 ,it is from that point of view that he 
sees4 ,now he is suddenly startled4 ,all
 at once there appears before his eyes a
 group he had not seen before4 ,he      
describes it as a great multitude1      
actually countless1 out of all the      
peoples of the whole earth1 a great     

polyglot polyracial world company4      
,they are clothed in white1 holding the 
conqueror's palm in their hands1 and    
singing1 making wondrous music4 ,john is
 getting another taste of the music of  
heaven4 ,and their singing is a signal  
for a fresh outburst of praise by the   
angels1 the elders1 and the living      
creatures4 ,all this seems to occur     
suddenly1 this appearance of this new   
company before the throne4  ,john gazes 
spellbound1 wondering who these are1 and
 where they come from1 and what this    
means4 ,and he is told that these are   
they that come out of the tribulation1  
the great one1 down on the earth4 ,then 
in a few exquisitely tender1            
heart-touching words their happiness is 
described4  ,these two events occur just
 before the terrible earthquake and the 
shake-up of the earth's heavenly bodies4
 ,just before the judgment that closes  
the tribulation this double event takes 
place1 the conversion of the ,jews1 and 
the catching away out of the tribulation

 distress on earth1 up into the presence
 of the throne1 of the followers of our 
,lord ,jesus4  ,we remember that that   
great ,jew1 ,paul1 was converted by the 
appearance of ,jesus in the heavens     
above him4 ,we remember that in the     
,olivet talk ,jesus says that ,his      
followers will so be gathered up to     
,himself at the time of ,his second     
coming4 ,these two events1 taking place 
here1 tell us what has happened down on 
the earth4 ,in his vision ,john1 being  
in heaven1 sees these things as they    
appear from above4  ,this is the first  
view of the tribulation4 ,it begins with
 the moment when our ,lord ,jesus up in 
heaven begins action1 describes the     
characteristics of the tribulation on   
earth1 and closes with the national     
regeneration of ,israel1 and the        
catching up from earth of ,christ's true
 followers4   ,evil ,let ,loose4  ,the  
second view runs through chapters eight 
and nine4 ,chapters ten and eleven to   
the close of verse thirteen make a      

distinct parenthesis4 ,and then this    
view is picked up again at eleven1      
fourteen1 and runs to the close of that 
chapter4 ,but this final bit in chapter 
eleven is merely a connecting link with 
what comes later4 ,practically the whole
 of this view is in chapters eight and  
nine4  ,it closes with an earthquake1 so
 connecting it with the final event in  
the first view4 ,it begins with a period
 of prolonged silence1 which would seem 
to answer to the hush in the great      
volume of praise in the first view1 when
 the ,lamb takes the sealed roll4 ,so it
 carries us back to the same            
starting-point as there4  ,there is     
first a striking scene before the       
throne1 where ,john sees a golden altar4
 ,on this there is being offered        
incense1 which is said to be added to   
the prayers of all the saints4 ,incense 
and prayers rise together before ,god4  
,then an angel pours some of the fire of
 this prayer-altar into the earth1 and a
 storm follows4 ,so these two views1    

first and second1 have another common   
starting-point1 the beginning of a      
storm4  ,this is a very suggestive      
scene4 ,the prayers of all the saints1  
both in earth and heaven1 have a decided
 restraining influence over evil down on
 earth at the present time4 ,at the     
close they will become a decisive       
influence in the cleaning-up process on 
earth1 and the bringing in of the new   
order4  ,then follows a fourfold        
description of distressing events on    
earth1 which are caused by fiery        
influences coming out of the heavens4   
,the language used seems to make clear  
that it is through a loosening out of   
the powers of evil that the tribulation 
comes4  ,in the picture language of the 
vision1 a great mountain burning with   
fire was cast into the sea1 with        
injurious results to water1 to life1 and
 to shipping4 ,a mountain is a common   
figure in the ,bible for a great ruling 
power4 ,so ,israel is called by         
,isaiah4#ada ,the seventeenth chapter of

 ,revelation speaks of seven kingdoms as
 seven mountains4#adb ,in ,jeremiah1    
,babylon1 which is spoken of repeatedly 
and typically as being the embodiment of
 evil and of opposition to ,god1 is     
called3 ,o destroying mountain 444 which
 destroyest all the earth1 7,i7 will    
make of thee a burnt mountain4#adc ,it  
speaks here also of a great star1#add   
burning as a torch1 that fell upon the  
rivers and makes them bitter as         
wormwood4 ,these two things seem to     
suggest clearly that the great hurt done
 to sea and vegetation1 to all life1 and
 through the obscuring of the heavenly  
lights1 is a result directly of the     
powers of evil having been loosened out4
  ,the long restraint upon evil through 
the presence of the ,holy ,spirit in the
 ,church is now withdrawn in the        
withdrawal of the ,spirit4 ,his         
withdrawal is practically an answer to  
the tacit prayer both of world and      
,church4 ,that prayer is being answered4
 ,the ,one who restraineth has been     

withdrawn4 ,this it is that makes the   
tribulation on its negative side4 ,the  
awful character of the demons from the  
pit is so utterly beyond human          
experience up to that time that there   
seem no adequate words to describe them4
  ,the ,gospels are full of the awful   
activity of demons on earth in          
possessing men4 ,in our own land there  
is not wanting plenty of evidence of men
 horribly possessed by demons4 ,in the  
older countries of ,europe this         
experience is much more marked4 ,but it 
is in heathen lands that it is most     
marked1 where even the very air seems   
charged with evil forces1 as though     
these unseen demons swarmed about4  ,yet
 all this sort of thing is now under    
restraint4 ,what it will mean to have   
that restraint withdrawn1 and the horrid
 hordes here described free to do as    
they will1 no imagination can depict4   
,this is well called the first woe1 and 
an awful woe it will be4 ,mercifully    
there is a time limit set on this demon 

activity4  ,following this comes the    
loosing out of another horde of demons1 
as difficult of description1 and yet    
more terrible4 ,they seem countless1 yet
 there is a limit to their numbers4 ,the
 supreme ,hand is never wholly          
withdrawn4 ,these have power to kill as 
well as to torment4 ,this is the second 
woe4 ,it is most strikingly noticeable  
that neither of these things has        
influence to make men penitent4  ,the   
last item of this view is given in      
chapter xi4 #ad-ai4 ,the announcement is
 made that the sovereignty of the world 
is transferred to our ,lord and ,his    
,christ4 ,the temple of ,god is seen    
open1 and some further action takes     
place1 but the detail of it is reserved 
for another view4 ,such is the terrible 
sight in the second view of the         
tribulation time4 ,evil is loosened out1
 apparently unrestrained1 and yet under 
restraint4 ,this it is that makes the   
tribulation on its positive side4  ,the 
parenthesis in the description of this  

view has been spoken of4 ,it runs       
through chapters ten and eleven to the  
close of verse thirteen1 and contains   
two chief things4 ,the first is a little
 group of three items4 ,there is a fresh
 description of our ,lord ,jesus as ,he 
is seen standing with one foot on the   
sea and the other upon the earth1 and   
holding a little open book4 ,then seven 
thunders roar out4 ,john is about to    
write1 but is told not to4 ,that        
terrific storm coming is far greater    
than can be told4 ,then comes the solemn
 declaration that there will be no      
further delay1 but that at once shall be
 finished up this terrible time of      
judgment4 ,then follows a personal word 
to ,john4 ,these three items make up    
chapter ten4   ,god's ,faithful         
,witnesses4  ,then comes the second     
thing1 in chapter eleven on to verse    
thirteen1 which proves to be the third  
view of the tribulation4 ,it shows that 
during the whole of this tribulation    
time there will be a special faithful   

witness being borne to ,god and ,his    
truth4 ,as the ,holy ,spirit is being   
withdrawn from the ,church1 these two   
men begin their special ministry of     
witnessing4  ,the place of that witness 
will be ,jerusalem4 ,but recent events  
will have brought a greatly diversified 
population to that city from all parts  
of the world4 ,so that the witness      
becomes world-wide in its immediate     
reach1 and probably in the reports of it
 that go out4  ,while there is good     
reason for thinking that these two      
witnesses may be ,enoch and ,elijah1 the
 two men of ,bible record1 one before   
the ,flood and one after1 who were      
distinctively ,god's witnesses1 and were
 taken away without death1 yet it is    
best not to stop over a matter that has 
been and is apt to be a matter of mere  
idle speculative talk4#ade ,the thing   
worthy of note is that as the ,holy     
,spirit's distinctive witness is        
withdrawn there will be these two       
special witnesses sent to ,jerusalem for

 a witness that will be world-wide in   
its extent and influence4 ,such is      
,god's gracious patience and            
longsuffering4  ,these two men are      
clothed in mourning as a part of their  
witness4 ,they have miraculous power in 
protecting themselves against attack1   
and in withholding rain1 and sending    
plagues among the people1 and in turning
 water into blood1 to give force and    
effect to their testimony4 ,their       
witness continues through twelve hundred
 and sixty days4  ,john had already been
 told that ,jerusalem would be trodden  
under foot by the nations for forty-two 
months4 ,we are apt to think that it has
 been trodden under foot or desecrated  
by the nations for an immensely longer  
period4 ,but prophecy never gives any   
reckoning of time for ,israel1 except   
when ,israel is an organized nation4 ,it
 is concerned with telling ,jewish      
national events4  ,at this time the     
,jews have their national organization  
again in ,palestine4 ,for forty-two     

months after the nation has been newly  
set up the city will be so trodden under
 the desecrating feet of the nations4   
,this is the first hint of time we have 
had4 ,the witnessing and the desecration
 of the holy city will continue side by 
side for three and a half years4  ,at   
the end of this period evil will be     
given full swing over these witnesses4  
,they are killed and their bodies left  
lying in the streets1 while the         
international crowds make merry because 
their tormentors1 as these two are      
called1 are gone4 ,then before the      
terror-stricken gaze of these crowds the
 two men come to life1 and are caught up
 into the heavens4 ,is this the moment  
when all are caught up8 ,quite possibly4
 ,then comes the terrible earthquake as 
at the end of the other two views4  ,the
 one distinctive thing told here is that
 during the tribulation1 in the midst of
 all the blasphemous reign of           
unrestrained wickedness1 there will be  
the unbroken1 faithful witnessing4 ,this

 seems to explain why the account comes 
as a parenthesis in the account of the  
awful riot of evil4 ,during the worst of
 the evil there will go on unbroken the 
faithful1 gracious testimony of ,god's  
truth and love4   ,the ,lawless ,leader4
  ,the fourth view takes the longest    
sweep of any1 thus far1 goes into much  
more detail1 and gives much fresh       
information4 ,it runs through chapters  
twelve to fourteen4 ,in the intensely   
picturesque language of a woman arrayed 
in the most glorious splendour and      
dignity and power imaginable the nation 
of ,israel is depicted4  ,this woman is 
with child4 ,in more intensely dramatic 
language ,satan is pictured as standing 
before the woman waiting to destroy her 
child as soon as born4 ,the child is    
born1 a man-child1 who is to rule all   
the nations with autocratic sway4 ,he is
 caught up to heaven1 and his mother    
flees into the wilderness from the      
serpent4 ,this is the opening action of 
this view4  ,the meaning lies open on   

the face4 ,israel gave birth to the man 
,jesus1 who foiled all the attacks of   
,satan and ascended to heaven4 ,the old 
prophetic characteristic of connecting  
events far apart without reference to   
intervening time is marked here4 ,the   
long interval between the break-up of   
the ,jew nation and its taking shape    
again as a nation1 which has lasted     
nineteen hundred years roughly1 comes   
between the last word of verse five and 
the first word of verse six4  ,the      
prophetic writing takes no reckoning of 
,israel1 except as a nation4 ,the woman 
fleeing into the wilderness is ,israel  
organized again as a nation suffering   
persecution4 ,she is so persecuted for  
twelve hundred and sixty days1 but      
divinely protected and preserved4 ,such 
is the first act of the drama pictured  
here4#adf  ,then we are told why the    
woman flees1 that is1 the explanation of
 this special persecution of the ,jew   
this time4#adg ,satan has had his       
headquarters somewhere in the heavens1  

below ,god's throne1 but above the      
earth4 ,now1 after a conflict1 he is    
cast out of heaven1 down to the earth4  
,here is a third event that comes       
approximately at the beginning of the   
tribulation time1 ,satan is cast down to
 the earth4  ,the ,holy ,spirit is      
withdrawn from the ,church up to heaven1
 so removing the restraint upon evil4   
,satan is cast out of heaven and comes  
down to earth4 ,thus there is a double  
intensifying of evil on the earth1 the  
withdrawal of restraint1 and the        
presence of the evil one himself4 ,and  
as the witness of the ,holy ,spirit is  
withdrawn the special witness of the two
 men in ,jerusalem begins4  ,the defeat 
of ,satan in this heavenly conflict     
draws out a burst of praise from the    
upper hosts4 ,it is because of the great
 victory of our ,lord ,jesus in ,his    
death that this victory is gotten4 ,they
 overcome because of the blood of the   
,lamb1 and the word of their testimony1 
and they loved not their lives unto     

death1--a threefold cord that could     
never1 and can never1 be broken or      
successfully resisted4  ,this explains  
the special persecution at this time of 
the reshaped ,jewish nation4 ,it is the 
outburst of the rage of the freshly     
defeated ,satan4 ,but the ,jew is       
protected4 ,the armies that would       
swallow the ,jew up are swallowed up by 
the great earthquake that closes the    
tribulation time4  ,the length of this  
persecution is put in two different     
ways1 twelve hundred and sixty days1 and
 time1 times1 and half a time4 ,this    
latter phrase seems to be an old        
,oriental or ,hebrew way of saying a    
year1 two years1 and half a year4 ,the  
same length of time is expressed in yet 
another way in the eleventh chapter1    
forty and two months4 ,the time is thus 
put in three different ways1 that we may
 know surely that it means just plain   
three and a half years of our common    
time4 ,it is significant that the dragon
 makes war with the rest of the woman's 

seed4 ,this can only mean the ,church1  
which of course was born in the ,jewish 
nation4 ,this is the first run of events
 in this view4#adh  ,then follows a     
description of the awful leader of evil 
during the tribulation time4#adi ,it is 
significant that1 as ,satan is cast out 
of heaven down to the earth1 this leader
 appears among men4 ,he has great       
intelligence and power and is the very  
embodiment of blasphemy4 ,he is         
described as a strange mixture of wild  
beasts1 having the chief characteristic 
strength of each1 the cunning of the    
leopard1 the feet of the bear1 and the  
mouth of the lion4  ,he is the personal 
representative on earth among men of    
,satan4 ,there is something strangely   
uncanny in the suggestion that he is    
some former leader1 who died1 and is now
 raised from the dead4 ,there seems to  
be nothing too daring for ,satan to     
attempt in his impious opposition to    
,god4 ,this leader comes into great     
prominence and power4 ,all the world    

wonders after him4 ,and they worship    
,satan1 who is recognized as giving his 
power to this notorious leader4  ,he    
comes to be accepted as the world ruler1
 and is commonly worshipped by the      
people4 ,and he not only persecutes     
,god's people1 but overcomes them4 ,a   
limit of time is set to his sway4 ,it is
 the same as already noted for          
,jerusalem being desecrated1 for ,god's 
two witnesses1 and for the persecution  
of the ,jew1 i4e41 forty and two months1
 three and a half years4  ,it is        
striking that in the midst of the       
description of his terrible reign there 
comes a word that sounds like an echo   
from those messages to the ,churches4   
,if any man hath an ear1 let him        
hear4#aej ,then the word goes on        
warning1 pleading1 and encouraging4 ,in 
the midst of these blasphemous          
conditions every man must do as he      
personally decides4 ,he may yield to    
this evil and become a captive of evil1 
bound hand and foot4 ,he may try to use 

the world's weapons in fighting ,god's  
battle1 but will find himself outmatched
 in their use4 ,he may rise to the true 
level1 and steadfastly cling to his     
faith1 and endure1 and by faith be      
victorious in the end4  ,the description
 goes on to tell of the blasphemous     
worship demanded of all4 ,this leader   
has an assistant or lieutenant to whom  
he deputizes great power4 ,he makes an  
image to his chief1 and demands all to  
worship at this shrine4 ,he has         
supernatural power1 that is1 devilishly 
supernatural4 ,he performs great        
miracles1 even calling down fire from   
heaven4 ,he gives breath to the image   
and makes it speak4 ,and he punishes    
with death any one who refuses this     
blasphemous worship to the leader and   
his image4 ,and every one is required to
 have a mark on his hand or his forehead
 as indicating his loyalty to the       
leader4 ,whoever refuses is unable to   
buy or sell4 ,it is the boycott         
principle carried to the last extreme4  

,while ,god's two witnesses are doing   
miracles by divine power this lieutenant
 is doing them by devilish power4 ,so   
the fearful account goes on4 ,one can   
easily imagine the vast crowds swayed by
 the idolatrous worship1 and the intense
 suffering and distress among those who 
insist on being steadfast and true in   
their faith4  ,now in the midst of all  
this terrible scene ,john is suddenly   
and tremendously startled by something  
else4#aea  ,in the vision ,john is in   
heaven looking down on these scenes on  
the earth4 ,now his attention is        
attracted by a scene that suddenly takes
 place before his eyes in heaven4 ,it is
 a scene of wondrous winsomeness and    
beauty4 ,it stands out in sharpest      
contrast with what is going on on the   
earth4  ,there's a great company        
standing around the ,lord ,jesus1 before
 the throne4 ,they are singing a        
wonderful song to the accompaniment of  
harps1 which they have4 ,the volume of  
music is like the voice of many waters1 

or like great thunder4 ,there is a      
simple1 fine description of the         
character of these singers4 ,they are   
pure1 and they are obedient4 ,in their  
purity they are as undefiled virgins1   
the highest possible statement of       
purity4 ,and they follow the ,lamb      
unquestioningly whithersoever ,he goeth 
with fullest obedience4  ,who are these1
 and where have they come from so       
suddenly1 at this moment1 into the      
presence of the ,one on the throne8 ,the
 description tells just what has        
happened4 ,when things are at their     
devilish worst down on the earth the    
,lord ,jesus has caught up ,his own from
 the earth4 ,and they have become like  
,him in character1 for now they see ,him
 face to face as ,he is4  ,this recalls 
the scene1 essentially the same1 back in
 the first view1 in chapter seven1 where
 the great multitudes are suddenly seen 
before the throne with palm branches1   
songs1 and white garments4 ,it is the   
same company as there4 ,but there is a  

difference in telling the numbers4      
,there they are too many to be counted4 
,here they are said to be a hundred and 
forty-four thousand4 ,it is symbolical1 
a picture number1 the number of full    
corporate completeness as with the      
,spirit-baptized ,jews in chapter seven4
  ,the believers caught up out of the   
great tribulation have been joined by   
the trusting hearts of all time who have
 been waiting in the ,father's presence 
for this glad day4 ,the number is now   
complete of all from creation's earliest
 dawn1 who by grace have followed fully1
 regardless of hindrance or opposition4 
,this great climax is thus seen by ,john
 in sudden and sharp contrast with the  
climax of hellish evil on the earth4    
,then ,john is shown the steps by which 
this climax is reached4#aeb ,verses six 
to the close of this chapter seem       
clearly to be a detail of what has gone 
before1 describing the steps by which   
this climax is reached1 and then        
reaching further to the judgment upon   

the evil4 ,during the iniquitous scenes 
being enacted on earth an angel is seen 
flying in mid-heavens calling to the    
people on earth1 in warning1 to give    
their worship and reverence to ,god     
only4 ,the gracious wooing of ,god never
 ceases4  ,another angel follows1       
calling out that the great system of    
iniquity1 in which they are enmeshed1 is
 doomed4 ,a third gives solemn warning  
that those who yield to the terrible    
pressure1 and engage in the blasphemous 
worship1 will be surely and terribly    
punished4 ,again there comes another    
echo of the strain of pleading in the   
,church messages4 ,in the midst of just 
such conditions as prevail then1 the    
saints can be steady in keeping the     
commandments of ,god and the faith of   
,jesus4  ,and down into the awful       
persecution being waged comes an        
encouraging voice from heaven4 ,there is
 special blessing from ,god on all those
 who remain true1 even unto death4      
,there will be sweetest rest for them1  

and their faithful witnessing and       
suffering shall be all noted and        
acknowledged and rewarded as they come  
up into the ,father's presence4  ,and   
then follows the blessed harvest of the 
righteous whose wonderful arrival in    
heaven has already been told in the     
opening scene of this chapter4 ,and then
 follows the awful harvest of evil down 
on the earth1 the visitation of         
judgments coming at the very end of the 
persecution4  ,so closes this long      
remarkable view of the tribulation4 ,it 
connects back with the nation of        
,israel4 ,its beginning is connected    
practically with the casting of ,satan  
down to earth4 ,it gives a description  
of the leader and the nature of the     
persecution1 and a brief statement of   
the steps with which it ends4 ,and it   
states in three different ways that the 
length of time involved is three and a  
half years4   ,a ,bitter ,cup to ,its   
,dregs4  ,the fifth view#aec is1 not of 
the whole tribulation time as with these

 others1 but of only a part1 the closing
 part4 ,it speaks of the visitation of  
judgments1 the great climactic battle1  
and the earthquake1 with which the      
period is brought to its end4  ,it      
connects at the point in the fourth     
view#aed where those who have been      
suffering in the tribulation are seen   
standing before the throne singing with 
harps4 ,it is said that they are singing
 the song of ,moses1 who had the        
experience of tribulation and           
deliverance in ,egypt1 and the song of  
the ,lamb1 who went through the worst   
tribulation experience in ,his contest  
with ,satan and sin on our behalf4  ,it 
connects also with the close of the     
second view1#aee where the temple is    
seen opened and the ark of the covenant 
is seen4 ,that covenant is now to       
receive further fulfilment4 ,god never  
forgets ,his promises and agreements4   
,seven angels have seven golden bowls   
full of the wrath of ,god4 ,in this way 
is told the visitation of judgments now 

described as taking place at this time4 
,in the first view the picture is of    
seals being broken or opened1 which     
indicates the execution of a document4  
,the trumpets of the next view indicate 
a commanding call to action2 the seven  
thunders1 not written1 a great storm4   
,these bowls or vials indicate the      
administration of a dose of             
bitter-tasting medicine4 ,the visitation
 of judgments by ,god is commonly spoken
 of in ,scripture in this language4#aef 
,then follows the description of the    
judgments upon men's persons1 and       
everything concerning their life4 ,men's
 bodies are diseased1 the water is unfit
 to drink1 the food supply cut short2   
they suffer with terrible heat1 and then
 darkness4 ,but there is no penitence4  
,the ,euphrates is said to be dried up1 
suggesting that it is the great river at
 or near the world's centre of action4  
,so1 it is said1 the way is prepared for
 the kings that come from the east4     
,and the prophetic bit in ,isaiah comes 

to mind about men passing over the      
,euphrates at the time of the great     
gathering of the ,jews4#aeg ,as though  
aroused by all this to bitterest        
opposition there is increased demon     
activity1 and through it a great        
gathering of all nations1 at a place    
named in ,palestine1 for a great battle4
  ,then a terrible climax comes in the  
earthquake1 with which the first1       
second1 and third views closed4 ,it is  
the worst earthquake ever experienced4  
,it centres in the great city1 ,babylon1
 the capital of the whole system of     
wickedness4 ,with the storm is a        
terrible hail4 ,the description tallies 
with that in the close of the first     
view1#aeh and with the vivid prophetic  
bit in ,isaiah ii4 #aj-bb4  ,there's no 
suggestion of how much time all this    
takes4 ,the judgments visited on ,egypt 
at the deliverance of ,israel are       
described at much greater length1       
running into ten items4 ,yet all could  
have occurred within five weeks1        

allowing for brief intervals4 ,whether  
these judgments occur in succession1 or 
all at once1 or partly in both ways1    
they could all come within a very short 
time4 ,this fifth view depicts the final
 scene4 ,it gives the visitation of     
judgments ending the tribulation period1
 describes a great pitched battle1 in   
which all nations are involved1 and ends
 with the earthquake4 ,this is the third
 of the three great woes4#aei  ,the     
sixth view is of the great system of    
wickedness in the world1 through which  
the tribulation comes1 and which is     
judged at its close4#afj ,the           
description is full of details of great 
interest and instructiveness1 but we can
 only have time at present for the      
essential thing being taught4 ,the      
,spirit takes ,john into a wilderness4  
,to the ,spirit's eye wherever          
wickedness has sway1 whether vulgar or  
polished1 political or commercial1      
cunning or brazen1 it is a wilderness4  
,here is shown a woman gorgeously       

clothed1 prodigally bedecked with       
jewels1 and having a cup in her hand1   
made of gold1 but full of vile filth4   
,upon her forehead appears a            
description3 ,mystery or explanation of 
mystery1 ,babylon the great1 the mother 
of harlots and of the abominations of   
the earth4 ,this woman is riding upon a 
strange beast2 it is scarlet-colored1   
with seven heads and ten horns1 and full
 of blasphemous names4 ,this is the     
startlingly suggestive picture4  ,who is
 this woman8 ,and what is this beast    
upon which she is seated8 ,the whole    
description taken together suggests that
 she is meant to stand for the whole    
system of wickedness which has had such 
sway in the world from earliest time    
until the end4 ,and the beast represents
 typically the dominant governmental    
powers4 ,the two have always worked     
together4 ,there has been a consistent  
unity of spirit and of characteristic1  
and a persistent devilishness marking   
the wickedness in the world throughout  

the ages4  ,it has been as though there 
were an unseen spirit power tirelessly  
at work behind all the varied           
manifestations of evil4 ,the dominant   
characteristic always has been blasphemy
 of ,god4 ,it has controlled thrones and
 royal power1 and has had unlimited gold
 at its command4 ,and it has always been
 an enemy1 subtle or open1 cunning or   
violent1 of ,god and ,his people4  ,that
 system or genius of evil is represented
 in the ,old ,testament as finding      
expression in one great political power 
after another1 but chiefly in the power 
of ,babylon4 ,babylon stands typically  
in these older pages1 not merely for the
 great empire of the ,euphrates1 but for
 the unseen spirit of evil lying behind 
that power1 and making use of it to     
carry through its own foul purposes4    
,but that unseen evil spirit power has  
found more than one agency to dominate  
and use4 ,babylon long since passed off 
the stage as a political factor4 ,but   
the power of evil has not ceased4 ,it is

 distressing to note another great      
organization behind and through which   
the power of evil has worked4 ,what is  
the system that has1 for the past       
sixteen centuries1 been supported by the
 various great civil governments8       
,there is only one answer4 ,it is the   
organization known as the ,christian    
,church4 ,and the term ,church must be  
taken here in its fullest1 broadest     
meaning4 ,its great main stem           
historically is the ,roman ,catholic    
,church4 ,the first great split-off was 
the ,greek ,orthodox ,church4 ,the      
,church of ,england was a later         
break-off4 ,these1 with the various     
government-ally supported ,churches1 and
 those free of such support1 and various
 ancient primitive bodies1--these all   
together make up the organization known 
as the ,church4  ,the two symbolical    
characteristics of this woman and the   
two dominant characteristics of this    
historical ,church are the same4 ,the   
,church has been and is supported almost

 wholly by the civil governments1 and   
used by them in furthering their        
policies4 ,and it has been active in    
persecuting to death the people of ,god 
who would not yield to its domination4  
,it has been marked by intolerance of   
all not yielding to its wishes1 and     
especially of the ,jew4 ,that           
intolerance has been carried not only to
 the extreme of blood1 but a riot of    
bloodshed4 ,this is utterly             
heart-breaking to realize and to repeat4
  ,the woman is said to be drunken 7#a7 
with the blood of the saints1 and 7#b7  
with the blood of the martyrs of ,jesus4
 ,the twofold statement is seen to cover
 the two great periods1 before ,christ  
and since4 ,and it covers also the two  
great powers through which the spirit of
 evil has chiefly worked in those two   
periods4 ,but the name given first in   
the plains of ,shinar1 and used         
characteristically of the ,god-defying  
power of evil1 is given here1 ,babylon4 
,it will be ,babylon again at the very  

end after the ,church system is         
overthrown4  ,it is plainly said that   
the beast represents the great civil or 
governmental power in its final stage1  
the shape it will be in at the end when 
these events occur4#afa ,the chief      
dominating political power of the world 
will have passed through a succession of
 changes1 seven kingdoms successively   
following each other4 ,at the end there 
will be a combination of some sort1 with
 ten great subdivisions1 and one great  
head over all4  ,but at the last1 the   
civil power will discard the ,church1   
and persecute it4 ,the spirit of evil   
thus gets embodiment typically in the   
great ,babylon power1 then in the       
,church1 and at the very last1 in a     
coalition of civil powers heading up in 
a new ,babylon4  ,then follows          
announcement of the fall of ,babylon4   
,the city is regarded here as the       
earthly capital of the organized system 
of unseen evil spirit power at work in  
the world4 ,the city and the system are 

inseparably allied4 ,the name ,babylon  
is used in the ,bible for both system   
and city4  ,if the question be asked    
what city is meant here1 there can be   
but one answer4 ,from the twelfth of    
,genesis on the ,bible never touches    
history1 except as history touches      
,israel as a nation4 ,a thoughtful      
review of the book makes this clear4    
,and this book of ,revelation is a      
gathering-up of ,bible threads1 and only
 these4 ,there is only one city in the  
,bible record that answers to the       
description here1 the great city which  
reigneth over the kings of the earth4   
,babylon the great4  ,but the old       
,babylon lies in ruins4 ,and its ruined 
condition has been quoted as the        
fulfilment of the famous passage in     
,isaiah xiii4 #ai-bb4 ,it should be     
carefully noted that the present        
conditions at the site of old ,babylon  
do not seem to satisfy fully the        
language of that passage4 ,it would seem
 to be another illustration of the rare 

use of language in the ,bible1 which    
adapts a passage accurately to one      
event1 and then to a second event1 a    
long time afterward4  ,this would1 of   
course1 involve the rebuilding of the   
old capital of the ,euphrates4 ,the     
reverent student quietly notes the      
movements taking place in that part of  
the world1 but restrains mere curious   
speculation1 as he continues fervently  
to pray1 ,thy kingdom come4  ,this      
eighteenth chapter of ,revelation seems 
like an echo of that intense            
twenty-first of ,isaiah1 and indeed of a
 strain sounding all through the        
prophetic books4 ,one familiar with the 
old writings is not surprised to find   
this echo2 he expects it4 ,no echo of   
,god's voice or purpose is ever lost4   
,god never loses any of the threads out 
of ,his hand4   ,hallelujah6 ,he ,comes4
  ,the seventh view presents the climax4
 ,it includes from chapter nineteen to  
chapter twenty-two1 verse five4 ,it     
presents in full the great scene that   

closes this tribulation period2 touches 
the kingdom in a bare word so as to fit 
it into its place in the scheme of      
events being outlined2 and then gives   
the final wind-up after the ,kingdom    
time is over4 ,we want to look now at   
the portion connected immediately with  
what has just gone before1 the          
description of the wondrous close of the
 tribulation1 in chapters nineteen1     
verse one1 to twenty1 verse three4      
,john hears a great outburst of worship 
and praise in heaven4 ,it resembles the 
outburst back in chapter five1 when the 
,lamb took the book4 ,but it is seen to 
be yet greater than that4 ,its joy and  
delight seem wholly unbounded4 ,again   
the living creatures and the four and   
twenty elders lead the song that bursts 
out4  ,john tries to tell how great was 
the volume of adoring song that fills   
all heaven4 ,it is like the voice of a  
great multitude1 like the waters that he
 had heard many a time breaking in      
deafening roar on the rocky coast of    

,patmos1 like the mighty thunders which 
he had heard so much in these visions4  
,and the song they sang explains the    
exuberance of their singing1            
,hallelujah3 for the ,lord our ,god1 the
 ,almighty reigneth4 ,at last ,he       
reigneth4 ,in the earlier parts of the  
book ,god is spoken of as ,he who is and
 who was1 and who cometh4#afb ,as later 
events are described that last part who 
cometh is significantly dropped4#afc    
,clearly at these points being described
 ,he has come4 ,now the great           
realization bursts out from countless   
voices1 the ,lord1 our ,god1 the        
,almighty reigneth6  ,and ,john is      
bidden to write the words whose refrain 
has filled such a place in hymns and    
devout speech1 ,blessed are they that   
are bidden to the marriage supper of the
 ,lamb4 ,and the one who seems to be    
serving as ,john's guide puts peculiar  
emphasis on all that is being revealed  
by saying1 these are true words of ,god4
  ,john is so overwhelmed that he falls 

down to worship this one4 ,and then he  
finds that this is one of his own       
redeemed brothers of the earth4 ,and as 
,he quietly bids ,john give his worship 
to ,one only1 ,he adds very significant 
words3 the testimony of ,jesus is the   
spirit of prophecy4 ,the whole genius   
and soul of all this wealth of prophecy 
is to point men to our ,lord ,jesus     
,christ1 ,god to us4  ,and now comes the
 event toward which the ages have       
looked4 ,the heavens open4 ,and our     
,lord ,jesus appears coming in glory to 
earth4 ,at last ,he comes4 ,there's a   
wonderful description4 ,he comes as a   
conqueror1 riding forth to judge the    
earth righteously1 and to make war on   
evil4 ,his eyes are as a flame of fire1 
and upon ,his head many diadems4 ,he has
 a name indicating that ,he is all alone
 in the experiences ,he has been        
through1 and in ,his character4 ,he     
comes as ,king of kings and ,lord of    
lords1 to rule all the earth with a new 
absolutism1 to right all wrongs1 and    

visit the indignant wrath of ,god upon  
all sin4  ,as ,he appears an angel gives
 warning of what is coming4 ,in words   
that are an echo of ,ezekiel's1 long    
centuries before1 he calls to all the   
scavenger birds of the earth that haunt 
battlefields to come to a great feasting
 time4#afd ,and ,john sees the vast     
armies of the nations of the earth all  
gathered together for a last mighty     
battle1 under the leadership of the     
great leader of lawlessness and his     
lieutenant4  ,and the utter impotence of
 their struggle against ,god is revealed
 in the quietness and brevity with which
 their defeat and capture are told4     
,satan's great earth leader and his     
chief who deceived the people with his  
miraculous power1 both are taken and    
forever put away4 ,and then ,satan      
himself is chained and fastened securely
 in the abyss4 ,such is the tremendous  
consummation quietly told in a few      
lines4 ,and then follows the setting up 
of the glorious kingdom on earth4       

,whatever the immediate circumstances   
under which the ,second ,psalm was      
penned1 it will be readily seen how it  
fits into this situation at the end4    
,why do the nations tumultuously        
assemble1  ,and the peoples meditate a  
vain thing8  ,the kings of the earth set
 themselves1  ,and the rulers take      
counsel together1  ,against ,jehovah and
 against ,his ,anointed1 saying1  ',let 
us break their bonds asunder1  ,and cast
 away their cords from us4'  ,but their 
efforts seem so puny1 and the result so 
one-sided1 that   ,he that sitteth in   
the heavens will laugh3  ,the ,lord will
 have them in derision4  ,and we        
remember that1 in these ,revelation     
pages1 it is always with the sword of   
,his mouth that the ,lord ,jesus is said
 to fight1 as we read on3   ,then will  
,he speak unto them in ,his wrath1  ,and
 vex or trouble them in ,his sore       
displeasure2 saying  ',yet ,i have set  
my ,king  ,upon my holy hill of ,zion4' 
,then the ,son speaks3   ,i will tell of

 the decree3  ,jehovah said unto me1    
'thou art my ,son2  ,this day have ,i   
begotten thee4  ,ask of me and ,i will  
give thee the nations for thine         
inheritance1  ,and the uttermost parts  
of the earth for thy possession4  ,thou 
shalt break them with a rod of iron2    
,thou shalt dash them in pieces like a  
potter's vessel4'  ,and the writer of   
the ,psalms closed with a word of       
earnest counsel to the kings of earth3  
,now therefore be wise1 ,o ye kings3    
,be instructed1 ye judges of the earth4 
,serve ,jehovah with fear1  ,and rejoice
 with trembling awe1  ,kiss the ,son1   
lest ,he be angry1 and ye perish in the 
way1  ,for ,his wrath will soon be      
kindled4  ,blessed are all they that    
take refuge in ,him4  ,thus it is seen  
that these seven views describe 7#a7 the
 general characteristics of the         
tribulation time2 7#b7 the way in which 
it comes1 that is1 by the withdrawal of 
restraint and so the loosing of evil2   
7#c7 the faithful witness being borne   

throughout the period2 7#d7 the great   
evil leader and the character of the    
persecution he wages2 7#e7 the          
visitation of judgments upon earth with 
the great gathering of nations to battle
 against ,god2 7#f7 the world system of 
evil2 and 7#g7 the coming of our ,lord  
,jesus to judge evil and set up the     
kingdom4   ,still ,he ,waits4  ,it will 
at once be noted that these things group
 up1 naturally and easily1 under three  
headings4 ,first1 there is a terrible   
persecution of ,god's people4 ,this will
 end in a visitation of judgments1      
including great plagues4 ,there will be 
a gathering of the armies of all        
nations1 and a great battle4 ,it will   
end in a decisive defeat for them by the
 personal coming of the ,lord ,jesus1   
and will be accompanied by a terrific   
earthquake and an equally terrific      
shake-up of the heavenly bodies         
connected with the earth1 sun1 moon1 and
 stars4 ,then comes the establishment of
 the ,kingdom of ,god upon earth4 ,these

 three things stand dominantly out4  ,it
 comes as a surprise to one who has not 
been thinking especially about it1 to   
find how these three things are the same
 three that stood out so prominently at 
the close of the study of future items  
in the old prophetic books4 ,it is      
natural that it should be so1 of course1
 since the ,book of ,god is one in its  
essential unity4  ,but there is a great 
fascination in finding the parts to come
 together so simply and naturally4 ,as  
we gather up the ,old ,testament pages  
these three things sift out and group   
together as distinctly not yet          
fulfilled1 and so future4 ,as we listen 
to our ,lord ,jesus talking1 again these
 same three items are emphasized by     
,him4 ,and now the same three are found 
here4  ,dr4 ,a4 ,f4 ,schauffler tells of
 a striking experience he had in        
connection with his mission work in ,new
 ,york ,city4 ,a letter came to him from
 a stranger in ,germany4 ,it said3 ,i   
know you are a city missionary4 ,i am   

sending a trunk in your care4 ,inclosed 
in this letter you will find a piece of 
paper cut4 ,a man will come and present 
to you a piece of paper matching this   
piece4 ,please give him the trunk4 ,and 
enclosed in the letter was a piece of   
paper cut in zigzags4  ,letter and paper
 were laid away to await developments4  
,some weeks later a stranger came in and
 presented a queerly cut piece of paper1
 saying3 ,i think you have a piece that 
matches this4 ,dr4 ,schauffler got out  
his piece of paper1 laid the two side by
 side1 found that they matched1 and said
 to his visitor3 ,there's your trunk4   
,even so these prophetic pages of the   
,new ,testament are found to fit exactly
 the pages of the ,old1 written         
centuries before4 ,it is not surprising1
 however4 ,one hand cut the paper into  
two pieces in ,germany1 and naturally   
they fitted when put together in ,new   
,york4 ,one ,hand has guided the men    
writing in both ,old and ,new4  ,when   
,jeremiah was first called to his work  

as ,god's messenger he was shown in     
vision the branch of an almond tree4    
,the almond tree is the earliest of all 
trees to wake from its winter's sleep at
 the first hint of spring warmth coming4
 ,and so it was called the watching or  
watcher tree4 ,then ,god said to        
,jeremiah3 ,even so1 ,i eagerly watch   
over my word to bring it to life and    
fruitage at the very earliest           
opportunity4#afe ,and so the word of    
this watching ,god and its fulfilment   
match1 regardless of the thing we call  
time1 even running into centuries4  ,and
 it is very helpful for those of us who 
have had a sort of dread of prophecy as 
of a vague something that we can't      
understand1 to find after all how simple
 it is4 ,just three great items stand   
out of these prophetic pages that are   
waiting fulfilment4  ,such is the       
seven-fold view1 which is taken up      
almost wholly with the clearing-up storm
 in the ,king's realm4 ,but all this is 
still future4 ,we are still in that     

waiting time4 ,our ,lord ,jesus still   
stands among the candlesticks4 ,still   
,he is waiting for ,his ,church to be   
faithful4 ,he still waits for each of us
 who is a bit of ,his ,church4 ,he is   
depending on us to be faithful1 by ,his 
grace1 day by day1 during this waiting  
time4 ,and while ,he waits all ,his     
limitless power is at our disposal1 as  
we follow ,his leading4 ,we may take as 
much as we need4 ,but the taking must be
 with the life4  ,a dear missionary     
friend told of a simple experience that 
meant much to him4 ,we were walking     
together in the town in ,korea where his
 mission work is4 ,his school was the   
centre of the recent troublous times in 
,korea1 and the storm seemed to rage    
about his own person at its outburst4   
,as we talked all his native teachers   
and several of his older students were  
in prison4 ,the experience he told me   
was of earlier days in this country1 but
 had come back to his memory as a great 
refreshment during the troublous times4 

,he was a professor in a small college  
in our ,middle ,west4 ,special funds    
were being raised1 for extension4 ,he   
was to ask a certain man of wealth for a
 large donation4 ,he planned and prayed 
much1 and at last went to see the man in
 another city by appointment4 ,he had a 
keen sense of the responsibility of his 
task4  ,as he entered the building where
 the man's office was he was greeted    
cordially by a young man whom he        
remembered as a former student1 to whom 
he had been friendly in some time of    
minor need4 ,but he had not connected   
him in his mind with this wealthy man1  
whose son he was4 ,now as the former    
student learned of his professor        
friend's errand1 he said with all the   
confidence of a son on good terms with  
his father3  ,come right in2 father's   
here4  ,as they stepped into the man's  
office the son said1 simply3  ,father1  
this is an old friend of mine4 ,he's all
 right4 ,give him whatever he wants4    
,and the father1 busy at his desk1 with 

barely a look at the appointed visitor1 
reached one hand over for his checkbook1
 and simply said3  ,how much do you     
want8  ,my friend1 taken completely by  
surprise at the unexpected turn of      
events1 managed to name the large sum he
 had been thinking and praying over so  
much4 ,and before he could quite recover
 from his surprise1 he found himself    
outside walking up the street with the  
coveted check in his pocket1 praising   
,god for such an answer to his prayers4 
,it had been years before1 but as we    
walked and talked it all came back with 
a fresh flush of feeling4  ,the present 
is a waiting time4 ,it may seem to some 
as though they are in the wilderness4   
,clear and distinct comes a quiet voice3
  ,what'll you have8 ,whatever you      
choose to ask1 for ,my ,son's sake4     
,may we reach out to take as much as ,he
 is reaching down to give4 ,but the     
taking must be with the life4           
,,footnotes3  #ajg ,isaiah xiii4-xxiv4  
#ajh ,jeremiah xlvi4-li4  #aji ,ezekiel 

xxv4-xxxii41 xxxviii4-xxxix4  #aaj      
,daniel1 throughout1 notably vii4-xii4  
#aaa ,the book of ,isaiah falls         
naturally into two parts1 chapters      
i4-xl41 and xli4-lxvi4 ,the historical  
allusions in each make it quite clear   
that these two parts belong in two      
periods far apart4 ,one hundred and     
eighty years intervene between the close
 of the time stated in ,isaiah's first  
chapter as the period of his ministry   
and the beginning of the return from    
exile into which the second part fits4  
,but the full inspiration of the second 
part is in no wise affected4 ,this      
rarely ,spirit-controlled man modestly  
or unconsciously withholds his name from
 his writings4 ,and they are grouped by 
the old ,hebrew compilers with those of 
,isaiah4  #aab ,isaiah ii4 #b-d4  #aac  
,isaiah xi4 #a-i2 xxxii4 #a-f4  #aad    
,micah iv4 #a-h4  #aae ,isaiah xi4      
#aa-af2 xxvii4 #ab-ac4  #aaf ,zechariah 
xii4 #aj-ad4  #aag ,jeremiah xxxi4      
#h-ai1 #cc1 #cd4  #aah ,isaiah xxvi4    

#ai2 ,daniel xii4 #b4  #aai ,micah iv4  
#a-b4  #abj ,isaiah xxv4 #g  #aba       
,isaiah iv4 #b-e4  #abb ,isaiah xxiv4   
#a-ac1 #ag-bj2 ii4 #ab-ai2 ,micah vii4  
#ae-ag4  #abc ,zechariah xii4 #a-i2 xiv4
 #a-b4  #abd ,isaiah xiii4 #a-ac4  #abe 
,zechariah xiv4 #a-h4  #abf ,isaiah     
xxiv4 #ba-bb2 xxvii4 #a4  #abg ,jeremiah
 xxx4 #g-h4  #abh ,daniel xii4 #a4  #abi
 ,matthew xxiv4-xxv2 ,mark xiii2 ,luke  
xxi4  #acj ,matthew xxiv4 #ba1 #bi4     
#aca ,mark xiii4 #ai4  #acb ,revelation 
vii4 #ad literally4  #acc ,leviticus    
xxvi4 #ad-ci4  #acd ,deuteronomy xxviii4
 #ae-fh4  #ace ,deuteronomy xxxii4  #acf
 ,daniel iii4  #acg ,chapters vi4-vii4  
#ach ,chapter xix4  #aci ,isaiah ii4    
#aj-bb4  #adj ,,ii ,corinthians i4 #bb2 
,ephesians i4 #ac2 iv4 #cj4  #ada       
,isaiah ii4 #b4  #adb ,revelation xvii4 
#i-aj4  #adc ,jeremiah li4 #be4  #add   
,revelation viii4 #aj1 see also ix4 #a2 
,isaiah xiv4 #ab-ae4  #ade ,in regard to
 ,elijah1 see ,malachi iv4 #e-f4 ,john  
the ,baptist came in the spirit and     

power of ,elijah1 and of him our ,lord  
said1 this is he who was to come4  ,yet 
the events of judgment spoken of in     
,malachi did not take place when ,john  
the ,baptist and ,jesus came4 ,the      
events spoken of prophetically in       
connection with ,his coming are divided 
into two groups1 those of graciousness1 
finding fulfilment at the first coming1 
those of judgment followed by           
graciousness1 at the second coming4 ,so 
,john the ,baptist fulfils the ,elijah  
part at the first of these two2 in all  
probability ,elijah himself at the      
second part1 i4e41 before the great and 
terrible day of ,jehovah come4  ,in     
regard to ,enoch1 the passage in ,jude1 
verse #ad1 is of significance4 ,the     
language1 ,enoch prophesied1 444 the    
,lord came1 etc41 is probably spoken in 
the sense1 familiar in the ,bible1 of a 
future action seen as already done4     
,here ,enoch is spoken of as prophesying
 or preaching1 not to the people before 
the ,flood1 but to a certain class of   

men belonging to ,jude's generation1    
that is to the ,church generation4 ,the 
likeliest meaning of the words is that  
,enoch1 the seventh and so on1 will     
prophesy1 saying1 behold the ,lord      
cometh1 and so on to close of verse #ae4
  #adf ,revelation xii4 #a-f4  #adg     
,revelation xii4 #g-ag4  #adh           
,revelation xii4  #adi ,revelation xiii4
  #aej ,chapter xiii4 #i-aj4  #aea      
,revelation xiv4 #a-e4  #aeb ,revelation
 xiv4 #f-bj4  #aec ,revelation xv4-xvi4 
#aed ,revelation xiv4 #a-e4  #aee       
,revelation xi4 #ai4  #aef ,psalm xi4   
#f2 lx4 #c2 lxxv4 #h2 ,job xxi4 #bj2    
,isaiah li4 #ag1 #bb1 #bc2 ,jeremiah    
xxv4 #ae-ag2 ,ezekiel xxiii4 #ca-cc2    
,habakkuk ii4 #af2 ,zechariah xii4 #b4  
#aeg ,isaiah xi4 #ae-af4  #aeh          
,revelation vi4 #ae-ag4  #aei           
,revelation xi4 #ad4  #afj ,chapters    
xvii4 and xviii4  #afa ,revelation xvii4
 #h-ab4  #afb ,revelation i4 #d1 #h2 iv4
 #h4  #afc ,revelation xi4 #ag2 xvi4 #e4
  #afd ,ezekiel xxxix4 #ag-bj4  #afe    

,jeremiah i4 #aa-ab4     ,,vii4--,,the  
,,crowned ,,christ ,,reigning           
7,revelation1 ,chapters xx3 #d-xxii47   
,on this side of the river and on that  
was the tree of life1       bearing     
twelve fruits4   ,a garden is a lovesome
 thing1 ,god wot6          ,rose plot1  
,fringed pool1          ,ferned grot--  
,the veriest school  ,of peace2 and yet 
the fool    ,contends that ,god is not--
  ,not ,god6 in gardens6 when the eve is
 cool8    ,nay1 but ,i have a sign2     
',tis very sure ,god walks in mine4     
,day ,is ,coming4  ,it's a long lane    
that has no turning4 ,every valley leads
 up a hillside to a hilltop4 ,every     
storm ends in sunshine at the last4     
,every night runs out2 the dawn will    
break2 the new day comes2 the shadows   
flee before the new shining4 ,the battle
 for right will end in victory1 and in a
 decisive victory4 ,there'll be no draw 
here4 ,faith wins at last4 ,it's been a 
long night of fighting4 ,sometimes it   
seems endless4  ,the man in the thick of

 the fight1 with moist brow1 and        
clenched hand1 and quick breath and     
throbbing heart1 sometimes sobs out the 
prayer1 ,o ,lord1 how long before the   
night is over1 and the dawn breaks8 ,and
 quietly through the smoke and din of   
the conflict a still1 small voice says1 
,steady1 my child1 steady2 the day is   
surely coming1 and with day victory2    
steady1 steady a bit longer4  ,now here 
in vision the fight is over1 the victory
 won4 ,and ,god's visions always become 
realities4 ,the vision is yet for the   
appointed time1 and it panteth          
breathlessly toward the realization1 and
 will not fail nor delay4 ,though it    
tarry1 wait for it2 it will certainly   
come on time2 it will not be late4#aff  
,in the seventh view the kingdom follows
 immediately that decisive conflict and 
the putting of ,satan out of the way for
 the time being4 ,the redeemed ones at  
once begin their blessed service of     
fellowship with the ,king in reigning   
over the kingdom4 ,emphasis is placed on

 the fact that at this time there has   
been a resurrection of believers4 ,and  
these resurrected ones join with those  
caught up without death in administering
 the kingdom4 ,this kingdom is said to  
last for a thousand years1 that length  
of time being named only here1 and here 
six times4  ,there is much talk in our  
day about the kingdom4 ,all ,christendom
 has been repeating for nineteen        
centuries the petition1 ,thy kingdom    
come4 ,it will be of intense and        
practical interest to see just what the 
kingdom is1 as pictured in the ,bible4  
,it is barely mentioned in this place in
 ,revelation1 to fit it into its place  
in the scheme of future events being    
outlined4  ,but it is the chief theme in
 these old prophetic pages1 around which
 all others group4 ,immediate historical
 events furnish the setting1 but there  
is a continual swinging to the coming   
future greatness4 ,the yellow           
glory-light of the coming kingdom is    
never out of the prophetic sky4         

,jeremiah is the one most absorbed in   
the boiling of the political pot of his 
own strenuous time1 but even he1 at     
times1 lifts his head and gets such a   
glimpse of the coming kingdom as causes 
him to mix some rose tincture with the  
jet black ink he habitually uses4   ,the
 ,kingdom ,picture4  ,let us look       
briefly at the kingdom picture of these 
older pages4 ,its capital is ,jerusalem1
 which becomes the world capital4 ,it   
will be the joy of the whole earth4     
,israel will be the first nation of the 
earth1 to which all others will be      
tributary4 ,but it will be not the      
,israel of these old pages1 nor the ,jew
 as he is known characteristically      
throughout history4 ,israel will be a   
new nation1 made new in character by the
 power of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the       
winsome picture of the baptized crowds  
at ,pentecost gives an inkling of the   
spirit that will sway the new           
nation4#afg ,they will be a nation of   
radiant faces and thrilled hearts4  ,the

 effect of this upon all other nations  
is marked4 ,through ,israel's           
regeneration and new leadership1 every  
other nation is to know a new spirit    
life4 ,the outpouring of the ,holy      
,spirit upon ,israel is to be followed  
by an outpouring upon all flesh4        
,pentecost is merely a beginning of what
 is to be universal4 ,there will be a   
widespread voluntary coming to ,israel  
for religious instruction4 ,she becomes 
the world's teacher until the knowledge 
of ,god covers the whole earth as the   
waters cover the sea4 ,but all this will
 be purely a voluntary movement among   
the nations4 ,there will be war no      
longer1 but universal peace4  ,there's  
one part of the picture specially       
comforting4 ,that vast majority1 the    
poor1 will be specially guarded and     
cared for4 ,there will be no hungry     
people1 nor cold1 nor poorly clad2 no   
unemployed begging for a chance to earn 
a dry crust1 and no workers fighting for
 a fair share of the fruit of their     

toil4 ,but there are yet tenderer       
touches on the canvas4 ,broken hearts   
will be healed1 prison doors unhung1    
broken family circles complete again4   
,a recent issue of ,the ,sunday ,school 
,times tells a simple1 touching incident
 of a mission hall in ,korea4 ,a ,korean
 woman living in the country heard of   
the wonderful things happening there1   
and came to town to find out for        
herself1 and get some help4 ,but she    
didn't know where the hall was1 nor what
 name it was called4 ,so she inquired on
 the streets for the place where they   
cured the broken heart4 ,and at once she
 was directed to the mission hall4 ,that
 sort of thing will become a blessed    
commonplace in the beginning of the     
kingdom time4  ,then there are certain  
radical changes in nature4 ,splendid    
rivers of waters are to flow through or 
by ,jerusalem1 suggesting radical       
changes in the formation of the land    
there4 ,that fortress city1 on the      
hilltop1 ,jerusalem1 becomes as the     

world's metropolis1 a mighty city1 with 
rivers floating a world's commerce4 ,the
 light of sun and moon will be greatly  
intensified1 so influencing the         
fertility of the earth4 ,before their   
healing light and heat1 in the newly    
tempered atmosphere1 all poisonous      
growths1 the blight of drought1 and     
suffering of untempered heat1 will      
disappear4  ,and with this goes a change
 in the animal creation4 ,hate will be  
gone4 ,and so beasts that are dreaded   
because of their ferocity and treachery 
and poisonous power will be wholly      
changed4 ,there will be mutual cessation
 of cruelty to animals by man1 and of   
danger to man by animals1 for all hate  
and violence will be gone4  ,and some   
one raises his eyebrows sceptically and 
says1 ironically1 ,what fairy tale1 what
 skipper's yarn1 is this8 ,well1 ,i     
frankly confess that ,i don't know      
anything about this matter1 except what 
,i find in this old ,book of ,god4 ,but 
,i confess1 too1 that ,i try studiously 

to get a common-sense1 poised1          
,spirit-enlightened understanding of    
what this ,book does tell4 ,and then ,i 
accept it1 and go by it1 regardless of  
probabilities or improbabilities4 ,it   
may seem like a fairy tale1 yet it is   
only the picture of the coming kingdom  
soberly set forth in these old pages4   
,as we turn to the ,gospel pages we find
 the kingdom to be the chief thing      
,jesus is talking about4 ,the ,gospel   
days are sample days of the kingdom in  
the personal blessings bestowed4 ,read  
through these accounts of blind eyes    
opened1 the lame walking1 the maimed    
made whole1 the dumb singing1 the       
distressed in whatever way relieved1 the
 ignorant instructed1 the sinful wooed1 
and the bad of heart and life being     
blessedly changed4  ,all this is a taste
 of the kingdom4 ,jesus was wooing men  
to accept ,king and kingdom4 ,to-day1 as
 in all ,church time1 bodily healing is 
a privilege for those who can take it1  
and a gift for the rare few who can be  

entrusted with it4 ,in these ,gospel    
pages it was freely bestowed on         
multitudes1 and the gift exercised with 
power by many4 ,even so it will be in   
the kingdom time4  ,most of the parables
 are found to be connected in their     
first meaning with explaining about the 
kingdom4 ,the kingdom will follow the   
law of growth that is common in nature1 
sowing1 waiting1 cultivating1 and       
reaping4#afh ,its influence will spread 
gradually until all feel its presence   
and power4#afi ,it must meet and deal   
with the obstacles presented by         
different men's temperaments and        
dispositions and temptations4#agj ,there
 will be opposition1 gradually overcome1
 but never fully4#aga ,many will be     
carried along by the current of the day4
 ,it will be a good current1 for        
righteousness will be the common thing  
then4 ,but in their hearts many will    
long for something else1 something      
different4#agb  ,but to many1 the new   
blessed kingdom message will come as a  

treasure accidentally stumbled upon1 not
 being looked for1 but now valued as    
very precious4#agc ,to others it will   
come as the thing they have been eagerly
 seeking for1 and which satisfies the   
deepest yearnings4#agd ,one who has had 
any touch with the pathetic yearning of 
years found in non-,christian lands can 
better appreciate the results of this   
kind in these glad coming days4  ,the   
characteristic spirit of the kingdom    
stands sharply out in contrast with the 
dominant spirit of our own time4 ,the   
kingdom is said to belong peculiarly to 
those who are poor in spirit1 in whom   
self-assertion and pride have quite gone
 out1 leaving them humble and lowly in  
heart4 ,the meek will inherit the earth1
 and will take down all the walls and   
fences1 for all conditions of life are  
radically changed4 ,the penitent man or 
woman will be freely received regardless
 of their past1 while the proud will    
find the doorway too low for their      
unbending heads4#age  ,rewards in the   

kingdom will not be given as a matter of
 merit1 as in our present endless       
cutting and rivalry1 but will be thought
 of wholly as evidence of the           
graciousness of the ,king4#agf ,and yet 
more striking1 the rewards given will be
 the privilege of serving1 some more1   
some less1 according as they have become
 skilled in serving4#agg ,he who serves 
most truly will be given preferment4#agh
 ,the thing prized above all else will  
be glad obedience to the ,king4  ,it    
will be seen that the kingdom is to be a
 time of world-wide evangelization4     
,indeed this is the purpose of the      
kingdom4 ,there are two periods of      
world-wide evangelization in our ,lord's
 planning4 ,the present is the ,church  
time of such evangelizing4 ,this is1 of 
course1 the true main objective of the  
,church4 ,this is the reason for the    
,church's existence1 to take the message
 of a crucified risen ,christ to all    
men1 that so the way may be prepared for
 ,his return1 and through that for the  

next period of evangelizing4  ,the      
kingdom period of world-wide            
evangelization is under radically       
different conditions4 ,then the evil one
 will be removed from the scene of      
action1 the ,holy ,spirit will have been
 poured out upon all flesh1 and so the  
moral veil now upon men's eyes will be  
removed4 ,the ,jews1 with all their     
characteristic aggressiveness and       
perseverance1 now intensified by the    
,holy ,spirit's presence1 will be a     
nation of missionaries to all the earth4
 ,the redeemed ones in their            
resurrection bodies will have the       
blessed privilege of helping4 ,and over 
all will be the presence and supervision
 of the ,king1 our ,lord ,jesus         
,himself4 ,that will be world-wide      
evangelization in earnest4  ,such is a  
faint glimpse given in both ,old and    
,new ,testaments of the kingdom spoken  
of in these ,revelation pages in such   
few words4 ,almost the whole ,bible lies
 back of those few words4 ,what a time  

it will be for this old earth6 ,with    
renewed fervour our hearts repeat1 ,thy 
kingdom come4   ,the ,final ,crisis of  
,choice4  ,but it is made clear at once 
to ,john that the kingdom is not an end 
in itself4 ,it is a means to an end1 a  
wonderful means to a blessed end4 ,it is
 startling to find that after that long 
blessed reign the evil one is to be     
loosed out of his prison-abyss4 ,this   
seems at first flush too startling to be
 credible4 ,but on reflection the reason
 becomes plain1 and reveals the strength
 as well as the tenderness of ,god's    
love4  ,all through the kingdom time    
there are those who are in heart opposed
 to this new order of things4 ,they long
 for the leeks and onions and garlic of 
the old eating4 ,there will be some     
yielding only a feigned allegiance to   
the ,king4#agi ,that dragnet of the     
parable has gathered some fish that     
didn't want to be caught1 and want a    
chance to get away to their own native  
waters again4#ahj ,the tares of another 

parable are left in with the wheat until
 the end reveals which is real wheat and
 which really tares4#aha  ,the one thing
 ,god longs for is love4 ,and that only 
is love which is the free outpouring of 
the heart4 ,he longs for love as our    
free choice4 ,this is the image of ,god 
in which we have all been made4 ,we are 
most like ,god in power1 in the right of
 free choice4 ,we are most like ,him in 
character when we use our power as ,he  
uses ,his2 when we choose what ,he      
chooses for us4 ,and so there must be a 
final time of sifting and choosing4     
,here is the strength of love1 that     
dares loose ,satan out that so we must  
choose in the face of opposition4 ,for  
faith isn't faith except it can stand   
the fire test1 the friction fire test of
 opposition4 ,here is the tenderness of 
love1 that longs to have a return love  
as pure and free as its own1 and so     
gives fullest opportunity for it to be  
revealed and to grow4  ,so ,satan is    
loosed out for his tempting work4 ,and  

another great world crisis comes1 and   
another great settlement2 this the final
 one4 ,the devil1 his beastly           
,antichrist and false prophet1 are put  
out of the way forever4  ,a great       
dazzling throne is set4 ,and ,one sits  
on it with a face of indescribable      
glory4 ,then comes the second           
resurrection1 of all those not included 
in the first resurrection a thousand    
years before4 ,this is a judgment of all
 who have died1 with the exception      
already noted4 ,the judgment of the     
living spoken of in ,matthew1           
twenty-five1 probably is in connection  
with the closing scene of the great     
crisis1 just before this judgment of the
 resurrected dead1 or possibly in       
connection with this judgment4 ,this is 
the final judgment4  ,gladness and      
distress mingle in reading the account3 
gladness that the contest1 age long1 is 
over2 distress to find that for some    
there is what is described briefly but  
with terrible intensity1 in the words1  

the lake of fire4 ,yet there is still   
comfort in noting the language used of  
these1--if any4#ahb ,it is not the      
language of a great multitude1 but      
rather of an incorrigible scattered and 
scant minority4   ,home at ,last4  ,and 
now for the seventh time in this last   
vision ,john says1 ,i saw4 ,bit by bit  
the view opens up before his eyes1 from 
the coming of the ,lord ,jesus out of   
the opened heavens1 on and on1 until now
 the final view of all bursts in a      
winsome glory before his astonished1    
delighted eyes4  ,god's own ideal1 that 
,he has been carrying in ,his heart1 is 
pictured4 ,that ideal is that ,he and   
man shall dwell together as a family4   
,the ideal is not a ,church nor a       
,kingdom4 ,these are merely great means 
to a greater end4 ,the ideal is the     
family1 all dwelling together in        
sweetest harmony and content1 with a    
common board1 and a common fireside in  
the twilight of the day1 and all the    
sweet fellowship that these stand for4  

,john sees a new heaven and a new earth1
 the old heaven and earth gone1 and with
 them the separation of the wide sea    
gone forever1 too4 ,he sees the holy    
city1 ,jerusalem1 made over new1 coming 
down out of the new heavens to man's new
 dwelling-place1 the new earth4 ,it     
presents a wondrous1 joyous appearance  
as of a bride adorned for her husband4  
,then a great voice out of the throne   
speaks of this ideal in the heart of    
,god for ,himself and ,his friend1 man4 
,look6 ,god has pitched ,his tent down  
amongst men1 and they shall be ,his     
peoples1 and ,he will be their ,god4 ,he
 will live with them as a               
,father-mother-,god1 personally caring  
for each one1 ,himself wiping away every
 tear from every eye4 ,a single tear and
 a single pair of eyes will be enough to
 claim ,his personal attention at once4 
,his presence insures the absence       
forever of death1 and mourning1 and     
pain1 and crying4 ,the dirge music has  
sung its last song4 ,the minor chords   

are gone4 ,all the old things of a      
sorrowful sort are quite gone4 ,and as  
,john looks ,he that sitteth on the     
throne makes the glad announcement1     
,behold1 ,i make all things new4 ,and   
,john is bidden to write all this1 for  
these words are faithful and true4  ,and
 again the ,one on the throne seems to  
look eagerly forward to ,his ideal as   
already actually accomplished3 ,they are
 come to pass4 ,and to let ,john feel   
the certainty of it all ,he says1 ,i am 
the ,alpha and the ,omega1 the beginning
 and the end4 ,the power that has done  
all from creation's morn will complete  
all clear to the end4  ,and then the    
tenderness of that highest love which   
finds expression in the personal touch  
comes out in the next words3 ,i will    
give unto him that is athirst of the    
fountain of life freely4 ,the smallest  
need of any one will have ,his personal 
thought and attention1 and they shall   
have the best there is1 and have it in  
abundance4  ,and the old pleading that  

runs like a strain of music throughout  
these pages comes again3 ,he that       
overcometh shall inherit these things4  
,i will be ,his ,god1 and he shall be my
 son1 and so entitled to the            
inheritance4  ,then plainly1 clearly1   
with all the honesty of love1 comes the 
warning of the terrible outcome for     
those who refuse ,his tender love4 ,it  
is most significant that this most      
winsome picture at the end of the book  
contains the dark1 black shadows1 which 
remain in the picture at the end4  ,all 
this is spoken directly to ,john by ,god
 ,himself4 ,it is not sent by an angel1 
or by a redeemed human messenger4 ,it   
comes to ,john direct with all the force
 and tenderness of a word spoken to him 
out of the very heart of ,god4  ,and now
 an angel carries ,john off to let him  
see this that is called both a bride and
 a city4 ,and from the top of a high    
mountain ,john looks out and sees a most
 wonderful city1 coming down out of     
heaven from ,god1 filled and flooded    

with the glory of ,god4  ,and the best  
language that earth knows anything about
 is used in the attempt to describe this
 city ideal4 ,its dimensions are perfect
 in proportion and in their outer       
relations4 ,its foundations are adorned 
with the costliest1 most precious       
stones1 the walls are built of jasper1  
and each gate is one immense pearl2 but 
the city itself is builded of a gold as 
transparent as pure glass4 ,israel and  
the ,church are as sweet memories of    
past days1 recalled now by gates and    
foundations4  ,but these are passed by  
in noting the outshining glory of the   
presence of ,god4 ,in the simple        
language which has become so imbedded in
 the heart and imagination of the       
,church1 the city hath no need of the   
sun1 neither of the moon1 to shine on   
it2 for the glory of ,god did lighten   
it1 and the ,lamb is the light thereof4 
,and the winsome description goes on4   
,the nations walk in this wondrous light
 of ,god's presence1 and the kings of   

earth bring glad tribute of their glory 
into it4 ,and the gates thereof shall in
 no wise be shut by day1 for there shall
 be no night there4 ,and there shall in 
no wise enter into it anything unclean1 
or he that doeth an abomination and a   
lie1 but only they that are written in  
the ,lamb's book of life4  ,in the midst
 of the city is a river of water of life
 clear as sparkling crystal1 flowing out
 from the throne of ,god and of the     
,lamb4 ,on each side of the river is the
 tree of life yielding continual        
fruitage4 ,and the leaves of the tree   
were for the healing of the nations4    
,and the heart never fails to respond   
with a quickened beat to the lines3 ,his
 servants shall serve ,him2 and they    
shall see ,his face2 and ,his name shall
 be in their foreheads2--that is1 ,his  
character shall shine out of their      
faces4 ,and there shall be no night     
there2 and they need no candle1 neither 
light of the sun2 for the ,lord ,god    
giveth them light4 ,and they shall reign

 forever and ever4  ,such is the        
heart-touching1 heart-gripping tale of  
,god's ideal for man1 ,his creature and 
companion and friend4 ,all the best that
 the city stands for of human life1 and 
all the best that the country1 typified 
in the garden1 stands for1 are forever  
blessedly joined4 ,and in the           
midst--,himself1 and gathered about ,him
 ,his redeemed ones1 as children about a
 father1 in a union and fellowship      
cemented by the heart's blood of ,god1  
never more to be put asunder4   ,the    
,master's ,last ,words4  ,and ,john     
closes the book with a few personal     
paragraphs4 ,the vision is complete4    
,now come the closing words4 ,for the   
third time ,john is solemnly assured1   
these words are faithful and true4 ,and 
again comes the voice as of some ,one   
always standing by as ,john is being    
shown1 ,behold1 ,i come quickly4 ,and   
again the words with which the book     
begins come to seal all its             
impressions1--blessed is he that reads1 

and prayerfully seeks to understand the 
simple message1 and who sets himself to 
live his life in the light of this      
simple tremendous message4  ,and ,john  
is significantly told not to seal up the
 message4 ,daniel had been told to seal 
up the message given him1 for it would  
not come to pass until the latter days  
after great intervening events had taken
 place4#ahc ,but there are no           
intervening events before this message  
is to come true4 ,it has been possible  
for the fulfilment to come in any       
generation since ,john saw and wrote4   
,it is yet more possible1 growing       
distinctly toward the probable1 that    
these things shall come in our          
generation4 ,the words remain open1     
waiting an expectant fulfilment4 ,they  
are not to be sealed up but openly      
proclaimed1 for the time when it is     
possible for these things to work out is
 at hand4 ,this is a present practical  
issue4  ,and meanwhile1 during these    
days of the waiting time each one who   

reads or listens1 however reluctantly1  
to the message1 will follow the bent of 
his own deliberate choice1 but with ever
 increasing intensity4 ,the pure will   
become more pure2 the bad yet worse4    
,there's no standing still as we listen4
  ,and again come the solemnly repeated 
words3 ,behold1 ,i come quickly4 ,his   
coming is the next step in the great    
plan4 ,there were then1 and there are   
now1 no great intervening events to be  
worked out1 and waited for4 ,his coming 
is imminent4 ,it is a thing to be       
expected4 ,and ,he brings with ,him the 
wages due each one4  ,and like the      
signature of certification at the book's
 beginning1#ahd comes now the personal  
signature at its close3 ,i am the ,alpha
 and the ,omega1 the first and the last1
 the beginning and the end4 ,so ,he     
personally certifies to us the absolute 
accuracy and reliability of this        
message4  ,and with the signature come  
again the gracious pleading and warning 
intermingled4 ,any one who will may wash

 his robes in the fountain provided1 and
 may eat of the life-giving tree1 and   
come unto the ,god-lit city4 ,and       
equally clear it is that any who insist 
on doing so may remain outside unwashed4
 ,each one is free to do as he wills4   
,and once again comes the emphatic1     
solemn announcement of the accuracy and 
dependability of this message of ,john's
 ,revelation3 ,i1 ,jesus1 have sent mine
 angel to testify unto you these things 
for the ,churches4 ,it is distinctively 
a ,church message1 and comes with all   
the direct authority of our ,lord ,jesus
 ,himself4 ,and ,he patiently reminds us
 of ,his authority1--,i am both root and
 offspring of ,david1 both before him   
and after him4 ,i am the bright1 the    
morning star1 that rises while it is yet
 night and brings in the new day4  ,and 
again the spirit of winsome pleading    
breaks out to those unwashed ones who   
insist on staying outside the gate4     
,both the ,spirit and the whole company 
of washed ones say come4 ,and let him   

that heareth that sweet word pass it out
 to those farther away until the last   
man hears and feels4 ,and let them know 
that anybody at all who is thirsty may  
come freely and drink of the river of   
the water of life4  ,and yet once again 
comes the peculiar certifying of the    
contents of this ,revelation message1   
and a solemn warning against any        
interfering with its meaning4 ,jesus    
says1--,i hereby certify unto every man 
that hears the words of the prophecy of 
this book3 if any man add to them1      
making them mean something else than ,i 
intend1 ,god shall add unto him the     
plagues that are written in this book3  
and if any man shall take away1 or      
lessen the meaning1 ,god shall take away
 his part from the tree of life and out 
of the holy city4 ,it comes as a very   
solemn warning4  ,and yet once more     
comes the emphatic assurance both of the
 reliability of the book itself1 and of 
the certainty of its great central      
message1--,he who testifieth these      

things saith1 'yea1 ,i come quickly4'   
,and ,john fervently adds1 ,amen2 come1 
,lord ,jesus4 ,and so says every heart  
in tune with ,his heart who is coming4  
,,footnotes3  #aff ,habakkuk ii4 #c4    
#afg ,acts ii4 #dd-dg2 iv4 #cb-cd4  #afh
 ,mark iv4 #bf-bi4 ,matthew xiii4       
#ca-cb4  #afi ,matthew xiii4 #cc4  #agj 
,matthew xiii4 #c-i1 #ah-bc4  #aga      
,matthew xiii4 #bd-cj4  #agb ,matthew   
xiii4 #dg-ej4  #agc ,matthew xiii4 #dd4 
#agd ,matthew xiii4 #de-df4  #age       
,matthew xxi4 #ca4  #agf ,matthew xx4   
#a-af4  #agg ,luke xix4 #aa-bg4  #agh   
,matthew xx4 #be-bh4  #agi ,psalm xviii4
 #dd2 lxvi4 #c2 lxxxi4 #ae2 note        
marginal readings4  #ahj ,matthew xiii4 
#dg-ej4  #aha ,matthew xiii4 #bd-cj1    
#cf-dc4  #ahb ,revelation xx4 #ae4  #ahc
 ,daniel xii4 #d1 #i4  #ahd ,revelation 
i4 #h4     ,,viii4--,,watching ,,the    
,,horizon    ,thy ,kingdom ,come4       
,thou art coming6 ,we are waiting       
,with a hope that cannot fail2  ,asking 
not the day or hour1  ,resting on ,thy  

word of power1    ,anchored safe within 
the veil4  ,time appointed may be long1 
,but the vision must be sure3           
,certainty shall make us strong1        
,joyful patience must endure4   ,o the  
joy to see ,thee reigning1    ,thee1 my 
own beloved ,lord6  ,every tongue ,thy  
name confessing1  ,worship1 honour1     
glory1 blessing1    ,brought to ,thee   
with glad accord6  ,thee1 my ,master and
 my ,friend1    ,vindicated and         
enthroned6  ,unto earth's remotest end  
,glorified1 adored1 and owned4          
--,,frances ,,ridley ,,havergal4   ,the 
,thrill of ,expectancy4  ,watching      
reveals character and makes it4 ,it     
means wakefulness1 an ideal1 a purpose1 
and a hopeful expectancy4 ,some people  
only look4 ,their eyelids are not shut4 
,something passes before the eye4 ,they 
look1 but they rarely see4  ,it takes a 
soul to see4 ,it needs a spirit awake to
 see out through the eye1 and see into  
persons and events passing by1 and see  
forward to what is coming to-morrow4    

,some sleep4 ,the body is awake in      
daytime4 ,they walk and talk and eat1   
buy and sell1 count money and hoard it4 
,but their eyes are never lifted to the 
outer horizon4 ,they are settled in an  
even1 contented round4 ,their spirits   
sleep4  ,a wakefulness of spirit to the 
time and its need1 an ideal clear and   
high of what should be1 a purpose strong
 and masterful that holds the life up   
toward the ideal1 an expectancy eager1  
brave1 steady2 an eye fixed intently on 
some ,one unseen1--this is what watching
 means4 ,it reveals character4 ,it makes
 character4 ,it reaches out strong      
spirit hands1 and brings nearer and     
sooner the thing watched for4  ,watching
 has always been a characteristic of the
 men ,god has used4 ,he used them       
because ,he could4 ,they were of use4   
,their spirit made them serviceable4    
,their watching opened the way for      
fellowship of spirit and partnership in 
action4 ,it put them in tune with ,him  
who never slumbers nor sleeps1 and who  

watches over ,his pledged word1 to bring
 it to pass at the earliest possible    
hour4  ,the watcher sings4 ,his         
favourite song is ,i will lift up mine  
eyes4 ,he sees what is coming4 ,he sees 
,him who sits beyond the horizon of our 
common outlook4 ,and seeing ,him grows  
this sort of expectancy1 and the        
expectancy becomes the controlling      
thing4  ,it was this sort of expectancy 
that made ,abraham a pilgrim at         
seventy-five1 and that grew deep the    
pilgrim trait of patient endurance      
through the weary twilight years till   
the promised heir came1 and even beyond 
that1 wove the finest texture into his  
character when the severest test came4  
,it was this expectancy that drew ,moses
 away from the court life of ,egypt1 and
 the possible prospect of wearing       
imperial purple1 to become the leader of
 a straggling crowd of slaves4 ,and it  
held him steady on through long years1  
wilderness travel1 criticism1 and       
non-appreciation1 on and on1 till       

,nebo's top was climbed4 ,he endured as 
seeing ,him who was invisible to the    
unseeing eyes of the crowds at ,his     
side4  ,such expectancy has steadied    
every leader for ,god1 in these old     
pages from first to last1 young ,joseph 
in the dungeon1 ,joshua in the glare of 
the limelight1 into which he was        
suddenly thrust1 and ruddy-faced singing
 ,david fleeing and hiding for his life 
from the javelin of ,saul4 ,it was the  
clear-seeing eye of ,isaiah and         
,jeremiah in the homeland1 and of       
,ezekiel and ,daniel among the weeping  
exiles1 that kept the heart of the      
nation warm with the vision of what was 
surely coming4 ,the thrill of expectancy
 runs through the pages of this old     
,hebrew classic4 ,its light is never out
 of the eye1 nor its alluring out of    
earshot4  ,when ,jesus walked among men 
expectation ran high4 ,when ,he was     
killed the gloom of the three days was  
the gloom of a bright light suddenly put
 out4 ,the darkness was intensified by  

the light that had been shining4 ,then  
there came a new sort of expectancy1    
higher1 finer1 of the inner spirit4     
,this ,jesus was coming back1 in all the
 glory of the old prophetic vision1 made
 realer by the personal touch these men 
knew1 and this new expectancy puts all  
the paper of the ,new ,testament        
a-tremble with delight4 ,it is the light
 that lighteth every page and epistle1  
every contested path of witness1 and    
every hour of suffering because of      
faith4  ,the ,church of these ,new      
,testament pages is a watching ,church4 
,the expectancy of the ,lord ,jesus'    
return is the north star of their sky4  
,it never swerves4 ,all the rest        
revolves around it4 ,they see everything
 else in relation to this4 ,their going 
into all the world and preaching to     
every creature was not simply for men's 
conversion3 that surely3 but beyond     
that1 it was to bring the ,christ back  
for the next step in ,his world         
programme4 ,he would come and set up    

,his kingdom1 and then through the      
kingdom would come a yet wider1         
farther-reaching world evangelizing4#ahe
 ,this expectancy controlled their life 
and activity4 ,through their faithful   
world witnessing ,he would come4  ,and  
as the knot is put on the end of the    
thread of revelation the very knotted   
thread seems aglow with the glory of    
what is coming4 ,the ,bible from end to 
end is a-thrill with expectancy1 a      
hopeful watching for something1 aye1 for
 some ,one4   ,a ,calendar of ,events4  
,we have been looking a bit closely at  
this knot in the end1 the threads       
composing it4 ,now we want to gather up 
all that we have been going over with   
the light that comes from the other     
pages1 so as to have some sort of a     
simple1 clear grasp of the truth4 ,this 
will help our eyesight4 ,we can watch   
the horizon better4 ,our eyes will be   
steadier in the glare of the lower      
lights1 and sharper to see in the spells
 of darkness that get thicker now and   

then4  ,it is interesting to notice that
 this book of the ,revelation is a      
calendar book4 ,that is to say1 it is   
not a calendar of dates but of events4  
,it gives coming events in the order in 
which they will occur4 ,its table of    
contents becomes an outline of coming   
events4 ,there is the ,man of ,fire     
standing among the candlesticks4 ,then  
comes an hour when ,he advances to the  
next step in ,his programme4 ,then1 step
 by step1 there follow the occurrences  
until the kingdom is actually here4 ,and
 then the after events1 when the        
kingdom's work is done4  ,it turns out  
that this thing of our ,lord's return   
cuts a wider swath than we are apt to   
think1 if we don't stop to think4 ,that 
is because of ,who it is that is coming4
 ,an event takes on the size of the     
chief person concerned4 ,this ,lord     
,jesus is the ,one through whom our     
world was made in the early time1 when  
there were no calendars4 ,so ,his coming
 naturally concerns the whole world4 ,it

 concerns the system of evil in which   
the world is entangled1 and the evil    
spirit world so closely interlocked with
 our own4  ,then our ,lord ,jesus came  
amongst us as a man4 ,he came as a      
,jewish man1 and to the ,jewish nation4 
,so ,his coming concerns the ,jew and   
the ,jewish capital1 ,jerusalem4 ,when  
,he sent down ,his executive1 the ,holy 
,spirit1 a new organization was formed1 
the ,church4 ,so ,his coming concerns   
the ,church1 and concerns it very       
intimately1 for it is spoken of as a    
body of which ,he is the head4 ,when    
,jesus came it was to die for a world   
and to redeem a world4 ,and so ,his     
coming concerns the future plans of the 
earth and the race4  ,yet though ,his   
coming has such a broad sweep1 it is    
quite possible to get a grasp of the few
 essential items in the programme4 ,and 
this will make our footing steadier1 our
 vision clearer1 our praying more       
confident1 and our soul-winning and     
witnessing warmer and truer4 ,we turn   

now to try to get this simple1 helpful  
understanding4  ,the present is the time
 of the candlesticks4 ,the ,man of ,fire
 is in our midst unperceived4 ,the      
unseen ,eyes of ,flame see4 ,our ,lord  
,jesus still waits1 and depends on the  
faithfulness of ,his ,church4 ,the light
 is still shining out4 ,the dark places 
are getting some light4 ,the light has  
not yet wholly failed to get out through
 the human lantern to the crowd in the  
dark4  ,the characteristics of this     
waiting time1 so long prolonged1 are    
plainly put4 ,in the outer world there  
will be an increasing lawlessness and   
disregard of every sort of restraint1   
and an increasing power of organization 
and centralization4 ,there will be an   
increasing getting together for more    
effective action4  ,in the ,church world
 there will be an increasing formalism1 
a compromise with evil and with the     
world spirit4 ,there will be a decrease 
of warm personal devotion to the ,lord  
,jesus as the controlling motive power4 

,and there will be a growing inclination
 to make light of1 or ignore1 or jeer   
at1 the idea of the ,lord ,jesus'       
return4  ,as this period wears on toward
 its close1 and so on toward the events 
to follow1 there will be a coming       
together of the ,jews scattered         
throughout the world in an attempt to   
regain ,palestine and reconstitute the  
,hebrew nation there with its temple and
 old sacrificial ritual4 ,these are the 
three chief tendencies that will        
characterize the present waiting time   
preceding the group of coming events4   
,the decisive index-finger1 that this   
present period is actually coming to its
 close1 will be this movement among the 
,jews4 ,the movement to regain control  
of ,palestine may rise and fall back1   
gain and lose again4 ,but some day it   
will come to its head4 ,by some         
arrangement with the nations concerned  
the ,jewish nation will actually be set 
up again in ,palestine1 and the building
 of the temple in ,jerusalem begun4     

,this will be the decisive indication4  
,this is an unfailing index-finger4 ,the
 hands of the clock are moving then     
toward the striking of the hour4 ,soon  
the sands will be run out and the       
hour-glass turned4   ,the ,beginning of 
the ,end4  ,at some time soon after that
 point is reached two unseen events will
 occur1 that is1 unseen on earth4       
,roughly1 it will be three and a half   
years after1 though the whole tendency  
of the ,scripture is to discourage the  
figuring of exact time4 ,yet information
 is given that the outlook may be       
intelligent4 ,these events are unseen on
 the earth4 ,they take place in heaven4 
,the ,holy ,spirit will be withdrawn    
from the ,church4 ,he will not be       
withdrawn from individuals4 ,he abode in
 men before the ,church was formed1 and 
will after the ,church has cast ,him    
out4 ,he is withdrawn only because ,he  
has been practically and wholly cast    
out4  ,the ,lord ,jesus1 who sent ,him  
down to form the ,church and witness    

through it1 will withdraw ,him from the 
,church4 ,the candlestick has moved out 
of all touch with the light4 ,and now   
the light is withdrawn1 and so the      
candlestick moved out of its place as   
the light-bearer4 ,this is probably the 
advance step taken by our ,lord ,jesus  
that marks the beginning of the end4    
,at the same time there occurs a        
conflict of spirit forces up in the     
heavens4 ,while the earth seems to be   
,satan's chief place of activity1 yet   
his headquarters are up in the heavens1 
that is1 somewhere below the throne of  
,god and above the earth4 ,this conflict
 is against him and his spirit forces4  
,it is led by ,michael1 the archangel4  
,it results in ,satan and his host being
 cast out of the heavens and down to the
 earth4  ,it is significant that as the 
,holy ,spirit goes up1 this conflict    
follows1 and ,satan is cast out and     
down4 ,is it the ,holy ,spirit's return 
there that precipitates this conflict1  
and defeat for ,satan8 ,it would seem   

not improbable4 ,so the moral situation 
on the earth is intensified doubly4 ,the
 blessed ,holy ,spirit1 with all ,his   
power of restraint over evil1 is        
withdrawn4 ,the evil spirit1 with all   
his power of intensifying evil1 is cast 
down in person to the earth4 ,these are 
the two unseen events marking the       
advance move of the end time4  ,there   
will be nothing on earth at the moment  
to indicate that these tremendous events
 have happened4 ,there is no suggestion 
of how much time is involved4 ,time is a
 matter of earth's calculation4 ,quite  
possibly we would speak of these events 
as occurring in a very brief time1      
perhaps an instant of our reckoning4    
,these are the two events unseen on the 
earth4  ,at the same time there will    
begin two events seen taking place on   
earth4 ,the first is the coming to the  
front of a man1 a terrible leader of the
 forces of unrighteousness4 ,paul speaks
 of him as the ,lawless ,one4 ,john's   
name for him is the ,antichrist4 ,he    

becomes the human representative or     
incarnation of ,satan4 ,as ,satan is    
cast down out of the heavens this leader
 comes to the front on earth4  ,he seems
 to have official position at the head  
of some great coalition of nations1 with
 a wide area of authority4 ,he seems to 
be some former notable leader known in  
history1 who died1 but is now brought   
back to life again by ,satan's          
supernatural power4  ,as he forges to   
the front there follows on earth a      
horrible time of war1 famine1           
pestilence1 death1 and persecution4 ,he 
arbitrarily breaks the agreement with   
the ,jews under which they have         
re-established their nation1 and begins 
a terrible persecution of them4 ,he sets
 up in the temple a blasphemous image1  
and requires that all people shall      
worship it4 ,this strikes not only at   
the ,jew1 but at the ,christian as well4
  ,at one stroke of genius he compels   
absolutely universal attention to his   
command by forbidding the doing of any  

business except by those willing to     
worship the image4 ,those refusing the  
worship are killed4 ,he will have an    
assistant doing wonderful miracles by   
,satanic power to deceive and persuade  
the people4 ,during this time there is a
 loosing out on the earth of countless  
hordes of unseen demons to torment men4 
,all this continues for three and a half
 years4 ,the time is stated in three    
different ways to make quite clear just 
how long is meant4 ,this is the first of
 the two seen events4 ,it centres at    
,jerusalem and seems to reach out       
practically to all the earth4  ,the     
second event is significant4 ,during all
 this terrible time of persecution and  
blasphemy and the riot of evil1 there   
will be two men in ,jerusalem preaching 
the ,gospel of the ,lord ,jesus1 and    
calling on men to repent4 ,as an        
emphasis of their witness against the   
awful wickedness current they will be   
clothed in mourning4 ,they will have    
miraculous power to attest their        

witness1 and to protect themselves      
against attacks upon their lives4 ,the  
great crowds of many nationalities in   
,jerusalem will make their witness      
practically world-wide in its direct as 
well as its indirect influence4  ,this  
also continues for three and a half     
years4 ,as the ,holy ,spirit is         
withdrawn from the ,church as the       
witness of the ,lord ,jesus1 these two  
special witnesses appear4 ,in ,his great
 faithfulness and patience ,god never   
leaves ,himself without a witness4 ,this
 is the second event seen on earth4     
,these two1 evil at its worst1 and      
,god's special witnesses1 run along side
 by side1 both centring in ,jerusalem4  
,the ,climax--,he ,comes4  ,then there  
comes a group of four events4 ,and these
 four are very closely associated       
together in point of time4 ,they occur  
at the close of the period of           
persecution and wickedness4 ,indeed1 it 
is their occurrence that brings the     
close4 ,yet the exact time when they    

happen is left quite uncertain4  ,and   
this clearly is another bit of the      
tendency in the record to keep our      
thought on the main events1 and not on  
figuring out time4 ,we are to keep to   
the essentials and be wary of mere      
speculation4 ,for the sake of clearness 
,i am putting these four events         
separately1 but this does not mean that 
some of them may not be occurring at the
 same moment1 or that all may not come  
within a very brief time4 ,we simply do 
not know4 ,it looks as though we are not
 meant to know4  ,there is a ,jew event4
 ,the ,holy ,spirit comes down upon the 
nation of ,jews in simple1 tremendous1  
converting power4 ,this is put in       
connection with the coming down out of  
the heavens on a cloud of the ,lord     
,jesus4 ,it seems to be this sight of   
their great ,kinsman1 ,jesus1 whom they 
crucified1 that is used by the ,holy    
,spirit to strike penitence to their    
stubborn hearts4 ,literally a nation is 
born again in a day4 ,it will be with   

the whole nation as it was with ,saul on
 the ,damascus road1 as sudden and      
unexpected1 as startling and as radical2
 as sudden and unexpected an appearance 
of ,jesus1 as startling to the ,jews1 as
 radical in the absolute spirit         
transformation4  ,there is a ,church    
event4 ,and here the word ,church is    
used to describe all believers in the   
,lord ,jesus4 ,that will be a much      
sifted and chastened company of people4 
,this event is also connected with the  
open1 visible coming of the ,lord       
,jesus1 out of the upper blue1 before   
all eyes4 ,it affects two separate      
companies of believers4 ,the bodies of  
all believers who have died will be     
raised out of their graves1 inhabited   
again by those who lived in them4 ,then 
the living believers shall have a       
transforming touch upon their bodies4   
,and the two companies shall be caught  
up into the air into the presence of the
 ,lord ,jesus4  ,as they come into ,his 
presence there will be a purifying and  

perfecting of character1 and an         
adjustment of relations with ,him4      
,there is no suggestion of how much time
 is involved4 ,we naturally think of    
things as taking place through so much  
time4 ,our limitations in this regard   
will be gone then4 ,it may be what we   
now call instantaneous4  ,there is a    
world event4 ,there will come to the    
earth and to men a visitation of        
terrible judgments1 affecting men's     
bodies1 the sea and rivers1 vegetation1 
an intensifying of the sun's heat1 and  
possibly a terrible darkness--in short1 
affecting everything concerning man and 
life on the earth4 ,there will be a     
great gathering of the armies of the    
nations at a place in ,palestine4 ,again
 there is no suggestion of how much time
 this visitation of judgments runs      
through1 nor this gathering for battle4 
,then there is the event1 the great     
climax event1 the actual coming of the  
,lord ,jesus1 out of the heavens1 down  
to the earth4 ,at the moment when ,he   

comes the ,jews will be in the midst of 
a terrible siege in ,jerusalem4 ,against
 the city will be assembled the armies  
of the nations4 ,the city will be taken1
 the looting and ravaging already begun4
  ,then suddenly1 out of the blue above1
 the ,lord ,jesus comes in a great blaze
 of blinding light1 accompanied by great
 numbers4 ,he will come to ,olivet4     
,with the coming will be a terrible     
earthquake1 such as the earth has never 
known4  ,it is a striking geological    
fact that the greatest fault1 or break  
in the earth's surface1 is found in     
,palestine1 running north and south from
 ,antioch on the ,orontes down even into
 ,africa4 ,but this earthquake will     
affect very wide areas1 including the   
city of ,babylon1 which will be shaken  
to utter destruction4 ,that earthquake  
will make radical changes in the        
formation of the earth's surface in     
,palestine4  ,at the same time there    
will be an equally terrific shake-up in 
the heavenly bodies1 the sun1 moon1 and 

stars4 ,the effect of both these upon   
the vast panic-stricken multitudes will 
be most pitiable4 ,they will call upon  
the upheaved rocks to hide them from the
 wrath of ,god4  ,these are the four    
events occurring at this time4 ,they are
 grouped together4 ,it seems impossible 
to say first this1 then that4 ,they are 
grouped4 ,the great essential thing     
standing out is that our ,lord ,jesus'  
coming will be at a terrible climax of  
evil4 ,there will be partial judgment   
visited on the earth4 ,the system of    
evil will be wholly overthrown4 ,the    
,jews will be converted as a nation by  
the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the ,church will be 
caught away out of the distress1 and    
will have part with our ,lord ,jesus in 
,his coming4  ,it should again be       
noticed that in all this there are no   
time notes1 except as to the length of  
this tribulation time4 ,the persecution 
of the ,jew and desecration of          
,jerusalem1 the time of the two         
witnesses1 and the sway of the          

,antichrist1 each runs through three and
 a half years4 ,there are no time notes 
whatever for the present waiting-time4  
,and though the length of the           
tribulation itself is stated1 yet it    
should be noted that the exact time of  
the ,lord ,jesus' actual return still   
remains quite undetermined4  ,in        
,daniel's prophecy there are four events
 spoken of as occurring at this time1   
and each is measured from the time when 
the sacrifices are stopped and the chief
 desecrating act in the temple begins4  
,the tribulation runs for three and a   
half years4 ,thirty days later comes    
some glad event not specified further4  
,seventy-five days later there comes    
another glad event1 and two years ten   
months and twenty days later the        
complete cleansing of the temple4 ,each 
of these portions of time is measured   
from the same starting point4 ,this     
would suggest a period of readjustment  
after the ,antichrist is slain1 running 
through almost three years4 ,all these  

time notes are of a year of three       
hundred and sixty days1 not our common  
calendar year of three hundred and      
sixty-five and a fraction days4  ,there 
comes the period called the kingdom4    
,its capital is ,jerusalem4 ,the        
regenerated nation of ,israel becomes   
the first nation of the earth1 with all 
other nations tributary4 ,israel's      
leadership is a blessed one in its      
spiritual influence over all others4    
,the ,jews are a missionary nation1     
whose one passion is to make the        
knowledge of ,god known throughout the  
earth4  ,the redeemed ones of all the   
earth through all times will reign over 
the earth in fellowship with the ,king1 
the ,lord ,jesus4 ,in their resurrection
 bodies1 with all present bodily        
restrictions and limitations gone1 they 
will have a blessed share in the new    
earth ministry4  ,the purpose of the    
kingdom is world-wide evangelization1   
but with all the conditions radically   
changed4 ,satan1 with all evil spirits1 

is removed from the scene of action4    
,the nation of ,jews1 baptized by the   
,holy ,spirit1 is the missionary force1 
under the direction and help of the     
,church4 ,the ,holy ,spirit will have   
been poured out upon all flesh1 making  
all peculiarly open to the truth4  ,what
 a wonderful time of continual revival  
it will be6 ,but that much abused word  
revival will have its sweet1 original   
meaning restored4 ,it will mean a       
re-living1 a new life of the ,spirit    
coming1 that will naturally include the 
body1 too4   ,intelligent ,watching4    
,such are the events1 near and far1     
which some day will come up over the    
horizon of our common life1 ushering in 
a new day4 ,and we are bidden by our    
,lord ,jesus to watch4 ,we watch for    
,him1 and for anything that tells us    
,his coming is nearing4  ,watching means
 wakefulness1 an ideal1 a purpose1 an   
expectancy1 and a daily life under the  
control of wakefulness1 ideal1 purpose1 
and expectancy4 ,that our ,lord ,jesus  

will actually come to this old earth and
 reign1 this is the ideal4 ,that we     
shall1 by grace1 be true to ,him in     
everything1 day by day1 during this     
waiting-time1 this is the purpose4 ,that
 we shall indeed see ,him come1 and be  
caught up into ,his presence without    
death1 this is the expectancy4  ,that   
this shall all be a real thing to us1   
controlling all our relationships1 our  
gold1 and our life1 and that we shall   
reverently1 thoughtfully seek to        
understand what ,he has told us about   
it1 this is the wakefulness4 ,this is   
what watching means4 ,our bodies may be 
asleep1 our brains and hands absorbed in
 the day's task1 but our hearts can be  
awake for the sound ahead of the coming 
of ,his feet4  ,but how can you watch   
for ,him if there are intervening       
events8 ,so the question came to me this
 summer by a thoughtful1 godly minister 
who looks for ,his coming4 ,and ,i said3
 ,because ,his coming is one of a little
 group of events which cluster about    

,his coming4  ,the crowd stands watching
 at the railway station in ,england to  
see the king's train come in4 ,yet they 
know that before it comes the           
pilot-engine will come1 running ahead   
about so many minutes to insure the     
safety of the way4 ,the coming of the   
pilot-engine heightens the intensity of 
watching1 for now soon the king will    
come4  ,the watcher in the sick-chamber1
 weary with the long night's anxious    
vigil1 goes to the east window to see if
 day is coming4 ,there comes a bare     
lighting-up in the east1 just a slight  
lessening of the darkness that is       
everywhere4 ,but even this much brings a
 sigh of relief4 ,the sun itself may not
 be seen for two hours or more4 ,but you
 know without looking at the clock that 
the sun is coming and is near4 ,its     
presence near sends the light far ahead4
  ,when the trees begin to send out     
swelling bud and tender green leaf and  
catkin1 we know summer is coming1 even  
though the chill is in the air1 and the 

night may even now bring a touch of the 
white of frost4 ,even so ye also when ye
 see these things know that ,he is nigh1
 even at the doors4#ahf  ,there's       
something intensely practical about this
 thing of watching4 ,i mean the         
intelligent watching that a thoughtful  
study of ,god's ,word promotes4 ,there  
is a striking sentence used in          
describing some of the men that rallied 
to ,david during the clearing-up storm  
that preceded his reign4 ,it is said of 
certain of the tribe of ,issachar that  
they had understanding of the times to  
know what ,israel ought to do in the    
matter of making ,david the accepted    
king over the realm4#ahg ,their         
thoughtful study and judgment of the    
time made them wise leaders of action4  
,there is a similar significant word    
spoken to ,daniel in the final vision in
 which these end events are being       
disclosed4 ,and we recall that the      
speaker is ,he for whose coming we look4
 ,he says1 ,they that are wise shall    

understand4#ahh ,daniel had prayerfully 
set himself to understand ,god's will   
for his people4#ahi ,when the wonderful 
vision was given him in answer to his   
patient study and continued prayer1 the 
,man of ,fire who came to him said1 ,now
 ,i am come to make thee understand4    
,it is wise1 by thoughtful1 prayerful   
study of ,god's ,word1 to try to        
understand what ,he has told us4 ,not to
 do so is not wise4 ,and more1 it will  
become increasingly needful that others 
be taught as these events draw on4      
,daniel is told in this same connection 
that ,they that are wise shall instruct 
many4#aij  ,the opening words of the    
,revelation1 and especially the closing 
paragraphs1 emphasize this same thing4  
,the revelation is given that we may    
read and understand and hold our lives  
true to this vision4 ,this thing is     
intensely practical4 ,indeed1 it is the 
practical thing for our day4 ,we can    
understand the simple essentials        
revealed here4 ,our ,lord ,jesus        

earnestly desires us to do so4 ,surely  
we will1 for ,his sake4   ,a ,spirit    
,sensitiveness4  ,the thoughtful        
watching that grows out of an           
understanding of our ,lord's plans      
influences subtly and mightily one's    
whole life4 ,it deepens wondering       
reverence for the ,lord ,jesus ,himself1
 ,his present power and personal glory  
sitting up yonder in the indescribable  
glory of the ,father's presence1 and    
,his patience and strength in this      
waiting-time4 ,it draws out a depth and 
tenderness of personal love for ,himself
 and of devotion to ,him4  ,there comes 
to be a keenly acute conscience about   
evil1 and about compromise with evil2   
and yet with it a sanity of judgment on 
particular questions arising1 and a     
gentle consideration for others who see 
otherwise1 or think they do4 ,evil grows
 in subtlety and in aggressiveness in   
our day1 and probably will yet more4 ,it
 seeks especially to make inroads among 
,god's professing people4 ,yet evil is  

evil4 ,its true inwardness is quickly   
revealed by adding a d at the beginning 
of the word4 ,and it grows increasingly 
repugnant in whatever guise1 as we come 
to study more its inner spirit as       
revealed in these disclosures of the end
 times4  ,then1 too1 this watching      
affects one's judgment of1 and attitude 
toward1 ,christian service1 and toward  
movements in the ,christian world4 ,the 
getting-together spirit is getting more 
and more into ,church circles4 ,the     
fervent heart repeats constantly our    
,lord's prayer1 that they may all be    
one4 ,yet it becomes clear that there   
may be movements toward union that are  
not of the ,holy ,spirit's initiation1  
and that cannot have his approval4  ,it 
is not enough to do good4 ,that may     
prove to be a low level of action4 ,the 
thing is to find out what ,god has      
planned1 and fit into that1 with all the
 warmth of one's being4 ,his will is    
always good1 and better1 and best4 ,the 
good thing may not be the thing ,he has 

planned and wants done4  ,it becomes    
increasingly clear that our ,lord ,jesus
 is a great general4 ,he has the whole  
campaign of action mapped out1 and every
 detail of it thought into and thought  
out4 ,as one comes to learn more of ,his
 plans1 and ,himself as a planner1 there
 comes to be a passion for doing ,his   
will4 ,one moves from the old position  
of working for ,god up to the position  
of so fitting in that ,god works through
 us4  ,and there comes to be a          
consciousness that ,he is doing         
immensely more through the things we do 
than we are conscious of4 ,so in all    
,church activity there comes to be a    
reaching out in spirit to discern what  
,he wants done1 and putting all the     
strength into that4  ,then1 too1 one's  
thought of foreign missionary service   
undergoes a change4 ,the actual taking  
of the message of ,christ to those who  
haven't heard comes to have first place4
 ,educational work and medical and      
humanitarian1 and the like1 in          

missionary service1 are seen to be      
wisely used when held strictly in place 
as a means to a direct end4 ,and their  
value is judged wholly by their being a 
means of bringing those whom they touch 
face to face with the ,christ that died4
  ,it seems to be possible to spend     
fifty years and more establishing       
mission work in the city centres of a   
foreign-mission country1 and all good1  
blessed work2 and yet have the great    
mass of that country's population in    
utter ignorance of the ,gospel message  
and its power4  ,as the ,holy ,spirit is
 allowed control increasingly1 there    
comes to be a better understanding of   
,god's purposes and of ,his plans1 an   
earnest cooeperation in the ,church     
movement for making ,christ known to all
 men everywhere1 a faithfulness in all  
the circle of one's own home ,church1   
and a warm personal winning of men to   
know the ,lord ,jesus as their ,saviour4
  ,so it is seen that watching for our  
,lord's return affects one's whole life 

in an intensely practical way4 ,it      
deepens faith in ,him4 ,it leads to an  
intelligent detachment in social and    
commercial and even ,church circles1    
while making an increase of thoughtful  
regard for others4 ,it purifies the     
personal life4 ,it chastens and deepens 
and gentles the personal character4  ,it
 seems very striking and very strange   
that when ,jesus was born there are just
 two persons named1 outside the         
immediate circle1 who seemed to have the
 spirit instinct that recognized who ,he
 was4 ,there was a man living in        
,jerusalem whose name was ,simeon4 ,who 
was he8 rich8 poor8 cultured8 of lowly  
station8 ,no one knows4 ,but whoever he 
was1 he had cultivated close walk with  
,god4 ,that's clear4 ,and into his inner
 spirit came the conviction that the    
,christ promised for ages1 so long      
waited for1 the ,christ was now coming1 
and he would see ,him4  ,and a similar  
story is told of the woman called ,anna4
 ,these two were in that simple touch of

 heart with ,god that could in spirit   
sense the coming of the ,christ4 ,there 
may have been others4 ,we are not told4 
,but the emphasis remains on the fact   
that few seemed to discern the working  
out of ,god's tremendous plan4  ,will it
 be so again8 ,it would surely seem that
 intelligent watching would make one    
sensitive in spirit to coming events4   
,yet there would ever be a mingling of  
deepest reverence1 and a thoughtful     
caution regarding mere speculation1     
while the fervent prayer that ,jesus    
taught is daily repeated1 ,thy kingdom  
come4  ,and ,john's closing ,revelation 
prayer constantly breathes out1 ,even   
so1 come1 ,lord ,jesus4   ,,footnotes3  
#ahe ,acts iii4 #bj-ba2 xv4 #ad-ah4     
#ahf ,matthew xxiv4 #cc4  #ahg #a       
,chronicles xii4 #cb4  #ahh ,daniel xii4
 #aj4  #ahi ,daniel viii4 #ae-ag2 ix4   
#a-b2 x4 #a-c1 #aa-ad4  #aij ,daniel xi4
 #cc4  ,,printed ,,in ,,the ,,united    
,,states ,,of ,,america