a half the spirit of life from God 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven, saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand : and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past; and behold, the third woe cometh quickly. signs of his approval, as much so as if he called them to dwell in his immediate presence. 13. Tenth part of the city fell. This verse shows that the revelator was describing scenes that were connected with the partial destruction of the city; and that its total overthrow had not yet come, although it was very near at hand. He had taken a momentary retrospection of the building of the temple and the sufferings of the Christians in the holy city, be suppose that it is to be taken literally: "I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,' &c., referring to the Christian witnesses. If we adopt the literal interpretation, then we are to suppose, that after the bodies had lain in the streets of Jerusalem for a short time, they were raised to life again, and ascended to heaven. If we take the metaphorical sense, we shall understand the death of the witnesses to describe the tribulations and sufferings of those men who rendered them-fore he proceeded to describe its final selves eminent by bearing witness of overthrow. Jesus told the Jews, in the resurrection of Jesus. Ezekiel connection with his description of the had described the low state of the overthrow of their city, that they had house of Israel under the figure of killed and crucified the holy men death. He saw a valley full of bones whom God had sent to them; and which were very dry. Subsequently that their nation should be held acthere was a shaking among them; countable for "all the righteous blood the sinews and flesh came upon them shed upon the earth, from the blood and the skin covered them; breath of Zacharias unto the blood of Baraentered into them, and they "lived chias, whom they slew between the and stood upon their feet;" xxxvii. temple and the altar." And the pun1--10. The language of the revela-ishment of this treatment of God's tor is similar: "Life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet." The resurrection of the witnesses, in this view, would represent their deliverance from suffering, the success of their cause, the fulfilment of their predictions, and the triumph of the truth. 12. Ascended up to heaven.. If the account be understood literally, they ascended, like Jesus, into heaven. If metaphorically, it may be intended to complete the figure, and show that unto the last God gave them evident witnesses he said, should "come upon this generation;" Matt. xxiii. 34-36. 14. The third woe cometh quickly. There is no delay; the mighty angel had sworn there should be none; Rev. x. 6. The first woe embraced the first approach of the Roman armies; the second woe embraced the final approach of those armies, and the declaration of the angel that the end had come, and time should be no more; and the third woe embraced the sounding of the seventh angel, and the winding up of the great scene. 15 And the seventh angel voices in heaven, saying, The sounded; and there were great kingdoms of this world are be And that no considerable time elapsed between the second and third woe, is evident from the declaration of the angel, and also from the words, "The third woe cometh quickly." Let us attend to the sounding of the SEVENTH angel, the last of the series. be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever;" Dan. ii. 44. Jesus shall reign forever and ever; or, as Isaiah says, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end;" ix. 7. Nebuchadnezzar was taught "that the Most High ruleth in the kingdoms of men;" Dan. ii. 17, 25, 32. God exalteth and abaseth whom he will. Hence Daniel saw, in his vision, "that the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit;" vii. 9; and at that time "thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him [agreeing very well with the language of the revelator] : THE JUDGMENT WAS SET AND THE BOOKS WERE OPENED. See Dan. vii. 10. Now that this describes the judgment of the nations, at the time of the establishment of Christ's kingdom, cannot be denied. It was then that the judgment took place; it was then that the books were opened; Dan. vii. 10. And hence Daniel said, in that immediate connection, concerning the Son of man: "And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom, that which shall not be destroyed," verse 14; that is, "he shall reign forever and ever." Who can doubt that Daniel and the revelator described the same scene in the passages quoted? The argument, it seems to us, has the force of 15. The seventh angel sounded. The seventh trumpet was the great trumpet, - the sabbatical trumpet, which announced the end; no other trumpet was to follow, for this was the last, in the matter the revelator was describing. We have stated again and again, that seven was a favorite arithmetical series with the Jews. The revelator speaks of the seven churches, seven golden candlesticks, seven stars, seven horns, seven eyes, seven spirits, seven angels, seven thunders, seven trumpets, seven last plagues, seven vials full of wrath, &c. &c. When, therefore, we come to the seventh trumpet, we come to the last of the series. There is no eighth trumpet, or ninth; the closing of the whole scene is described under the seventh. The kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. · And what happened when the seventh angel sounded? Hark! "There were great voices in heaven!" The mystery of God is about to be finished! And what did these great voices in heaven say? Listen again! "THE KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD ARE BECOME THE KINGDOMS OF OUR LORD AND OF HIS CHRIST; AND HE SHALL REIGN FOREVER AND EVER." This is the establishment of Christianity upon the fall of Judaism. It is the setting up of the reign of God and his Christ. It was the subject of all sacred proph-demonstration. ecy, that in the days of the Roman power the God of heaven should set up a kingdom, and this kingdom was to triumph over all the nations of the earth. "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not Jesus, the Son of man, established this kingdom. It was called "the kingdom of heaven," "the kingdom of God." The gospel was "the gospel of the kingdom." Jesus came to usher it in. His predecessor said, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand;" Matt. iii. 2. When Jesus began to preach, he said, come the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on So. their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever;" ver. 15. It is not meant that the kingdoms of this world had then already been, in full effect, won over to Christ. That, of course, was not true; but it was true that a train of measures were put in operation which would in time render that event certain. The work was commenced; the kingdom of heaven was established among men; and it was certain that in the operation of the principles of Christ, the whole world should at last be subdued. The lan "The kingdom of heaven is at hand;" iv. 17. And when he sent out the twelve, he told them to say, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand;" x. 7. It was partially established during the life of the Lord Jesus, but not fully His coming in his flesh was marked by his humiliation; but there was to be another coming, a different one, "in the glory of his Father." "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some stand-guage of the revelator regards the fuing here which shall not taste of death ture as being present. As if a general till they see the Son of man coming in should say, on taking some favorable his kingdom;" Matt. xvi. 27, 28. position that ensured him the victory, Again, "There be some of them that "I have now gained the day;" i. e., stand here which shall not taste of I have taken those measures which death, till they have seen the king-render success certain. dom of God COME WITH POWER ;" 16. Worshipped God. - What else Mark ix. 1. Mark the latter expres- could we expect? These were the sion. The kingdom of God came elders mentioned in chap. iv. 4, as WITH POWER at the fall of Judaism, sitting around the throne, the reprewhen the great voices in heaven were sentatives perhaps of the Jewish and heard to utter, "The kingdoms of Gentile Christians, twelve for each, this world are become the kingdoms-twelve for the tribes and twelve for of our Lord and of his Christ." This the apostles. They worshipped God. kingdom was at hand when Jesus 17. Hast taken to thee thy great and his apostles preached; they an-power. - The kingdom of God had nounced its coming; and they very particularly stated, again and again, that it should come in power and with great glory, during the generation then on the earth; Matt. xvi. 27, 28; Mark viii. 38; ix. 1; Luke ix. 26, 27. We have not a doubt, therefore, that the sounding of the SEVENTH angel (the last, the sabbatical angel) denoted the time when the kingdom of God came with power, and the city and temple fell, and Judaism was set aside. Well might the great voices in heaven say, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his come with power, viz., the power of God, which indeed he might have exerted before, had he seen fit ; but he did not see fit to do so until the proper time arrived. That time did arrive at the sounding of the seventh angel; and then God took to himself his great power and reigned, and caused "the kingdoms of this world to become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ." Not that Christianity at that day prevailed in every heart, although there was a very wide diffusion of it. But the meaning is, that the opposing religion had fallen; the kingdom was to be established so come; because thou hast taken | gry, and thy wrath is come, and to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18 And the nations were anthat it never could be put down; it had been set up among all nations, and could not be overthrown; the "kingdom was that which shall not be destroyed;" Dan. vii. 14. That train of measures was put into full and complete operation, which were to evangelize the world, in spite of all opposition. When the kingdom of God came with power, the crisis took place; then the gospel passed out of its state of humiliation into its state of power and great glory. 18. The nations were angry. — - This agrees exactly with the testimony in the 2d Psalm, viz., that the heathen raged and the people imagined a vain thing, at the time when God set his king upon the holy hill of Zion, the place where Judaism had prevailed. The time of the dead. - This, too, was the time of the dead that they should be judged, a subject that will be more fully considered when we come to the 20th chapter and 12th verse. It was the time of the reward of the faithful Christians, for although they were in great difficulties, they were saved. It was the time of signal retribution to their enemies, who were overwhelmed in a common destruction. To this Peter referred when he said, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 1 Peter iv. 17, 18. The great mistake of commentators in regard to this judgment has been, that they have placed it at the giving up, or CLOSE of Christ's kingdom; whereas it is certainly repsented as being set up when the kingdom of God came with power. Then "the Ancient of days did sit," and "the thrones were cast down;" then the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy "THE JUDGMENT WAS SET AND THE BOOKS WERE OPENED;" then "the Son of man came with the clouds of heav. en;" then "was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him," &c. See Daniel vii. 9-14. All these events were simultaneous. How strange it is, then, that expounders of the Bible have separated so widely the judgment from the establishment of the kingdom. The judgment commenced when the kingdom of God came with power. That this judgment was to take place when the Son of man came in his power and glory to reign, is evident from a great variety of texts. For instance, take one: "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily, I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom;" Matt. xvi. 27, 28. To this agrees precisely the testimony of the Lord Jesus in the Apocalypse : "And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be ;' xxii. 12. Does not this assert the rewarding of men according to their works? and what else can the judging of the dead, small and great, intend? Did it not take place shortly after the revelator prophesied? Mark the language, "Behold, I come quickly." Professor Stuart maintains that the coming of Christ was to take place speedily; and he classes all the predictions in the Apocalypse to this effect together. "The plain and obvious sense [of en tachei] is speedily, quickly, shortly; so ho kairos engus in Rev. i. 3, plainly interprets it. See also Rev. ii. 16; iii. 11; xi. 14; xxii. 7, 12, 20."—(Com. on i. 1.) Here, servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and it will be seen, the professor classes all these passages together, and supposes them to refer to something that was speedily to take place. We inquire again, then, if men [the dead in ignorance, in trespasses, and sins] were to be rewarded according to their works at the coming of Christ, which was then near at hand, why need we look any further for it? We here apply the professor's words, which we find in another of his books, but on the same subject: "What John declared would take place shortly, happened according to his prediction; and if so, the dispute whether it is all to happen over again [we place the italics as he did] after so many centuries, cannot be a dispute of much interest or importance. One fulfilment is enough." (Hints on Prophecy, 2d ed., 1842, pp. 141, 142.) But let us take another view of this matter. In the verse before us it is said, "And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth;" xi. 18. Here the nations are described as being in existence as nations. "Thy wrath is come," as mentioned vi. 17: "For the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" Lightfoot says, "One would think the final dissolution of all the world were spoken of; but look in ver. 16, and you find the very same words that our Saviour applies to the destruction of that people [the Jews.] They said unto the mountains, Fall on us, and hide us, &c."-(Works, vi. 291, 292.) "Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged;" i. e., the time of the dead that they should be judged is come also; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. 19 And the temple of God that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants; the time for the latter had also come; Rev. xxii. 12. Did not the revelator look on all these things as taking place at the same time? We have shown that the nations were angry when God set his king upon his holy hill of Zion. The heathen raged; the people imagined a vain thing; Psa. ii. Christ was exalted to reign over and judge the nations, -to break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Some said, "We will not have this man to reign over us;" Luke xix. 14. They were angry. Jesus' wrath came upon them. "But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me;" Idem, 27. It was at the time of the exaltation of Christ to reign in power and glory upon his mediatorial throne, that he gave reward unto his servants and to the saints, and them that feared his name, small and great; it was then that he destroyed them who destroyed the land by their iniquities. The above argument is strengthened by the consideration, that God's judgments are in the earth. On this point the sacred writers are very explicit. "Verily, he is a God that judgeth IN THE EARTH;" Рsa. lviii. 11. The Saviour said: "For judgment I am come into this world." Again, he said, "The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son;" John ix. 39; compare John v. 22. Now, if God has committed all judgment unto the Son, and if Jesus came into this world to fulfil the high appointment of executing judgment, then the judgment must be in this world. Hence Jesus said, on another occasion, “Now is the judgment of this world;" John xii. 31. See, also, 1 Peter iv. 17, 18. The revelator ́says, "The great day of |