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CHAPTER V.

We have here another notice of the angel of Gospel light that is again to dawn upon the church and the world, after the dark stormy night of persecution, war and death. This is the same event as noticed in the tenth chapter, and in the sixth verse of the fourteenth chapter.

Babylon falls when this angel of light and power newly commissioned brings his battery to bear with omnipotent force upon her strong holds. The opening of the Gospel and the liberation of the church in the days of the reformers, marks the commencement of this woman's judg ment and fall.

The earth was lightened with the glory of this angel. This signifies that the gospel is to shine as the great moral sun to all nations. What a glorious encouragement this, to all the faithful servants that are engaged, or that may hereafter engage to spread the truth among all kindreds, tongues, and nations! A cry accompanies the spread of the Gospel in the downfall of Babylon, exposing her moral condition, declaring her to have become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of

every unclean and hateful bird. With what propriety is she called the bottomless pit-a pit deep in moral deprav ity, without bottom, wide without circumference, and high without summit! Her iniquity had become notorious and universal, and all nations were made to drink of the wrath of her fornication, while kings and merchants, or great men, had become rich through the abundance of her delicacies. Therefore another cry was heard saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues, for they have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Yes, God remembers her accumulated sins and enormities, and will now visit her with his fierce judgments, and unmixed displeasure.

A commission from the Almighty goes forth to his servants, that are to be instrumental in bringing on her judgments; to reward her doubly, according to her works, and in the cup which she hath filled of the wine of her wrath, and made the church and the nations drink, fill to her double. How proud and pompous she has appeared, thinking herself to be a god among the nations, and living sumptuously every day, saying in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow,—so much the more torment and sorrow give her. Because of this let her plagues come suddenly, in one day, death-death to her power-mourning and famine, or consumption, and she shall also be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings that have partaken of her delicacies at the table of her iniquities, shall witness her judgments, and bewail her burnings, and the smoke of her torments, standing afar off, fearing themselves the same judgment, crying Alas! alas! that great city Babylon, is destroyed-in one hour has her judgment come! Her merchants also shall bewail her, as they see in her fall the destruction of all commerce and trade with her; they shall

fear and quake at her torment, crying, Alas! alas! what city is like unto this city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costly magnificence.

But while these characters are thus filled with consternation and dread and loudly lamenting her fall, the command from God to the church is, to rejoice over her downfall and judgment, for He has now avenged their blood upon her. The people of God have obeyed. It has been a delightful song to them of triumph and rejoicing, and it will not cease till the last vial of wrath is poured out, and they stand upon the sea of glass, clothed in immortality and glory.

The angel illustrated the suddenness of her overthrow by taking up a great mill-stone and casting it into the sea, saying, In like manner shall Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. The voice of harpers, musicians, craftsmen, the sound of a mill-stone, the light of candles, and a voice of the bridegroom and the bride shall be heard no more at all in thec. A complete wind up, and end of her iniquitous and bloody reign. Her merchants are here said to be the great men of the earth-the honorable, rich, and influential, for by her sorceries these men, and all nations have been deceived. In her is found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. She is equally guilty with ancient Babylon, and all the persecuting governments that compose the great river Euphrates, and even more so, as she has been an hundred fold more oppressive and murderous.

All these judgments upon this power have not yet been completed, though we have seen the commencement and progress of them for the last two hundred years or more. Her capital and kingdom have been more than once suddenly attacked, and she is stripped of nearly all her temporal power, and soon the last blow will be struck with the rod of Jehovah, and all nations will be made to see the smoke

of her burnings. It is not possible for papacy again to arise and oppress the church, and control the nations. Austria, France, Spain, and Russia, with all the kingdoms of Italy combined, could not save her from the doom that awaits her. God has numbered her kingdom and finished it. She must fall, and fall to rise no more to be a kingdom on earth.

After viewing the temporal judgments of this great harlot, and the effects they produce on the kings and great men of the earth, that have had to do with her, and also the rejoicings of the church of God, the next scene of importance that occurs, is the universal triumph and salvation of the saints in glory, at the advent of Christ, and the everlasting destruction and burning of this great city Babylon.

And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, small and great. And in answer to this he heard the voice of a great multitude, sounding like the roar of waters and thunders, exclaiming, Alleluah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth: let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. This introduces the advent of Christ, when He shall be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe.

The downfall of Babylon, and the spread of the Gospel throughout the world, will prepare the way, and be suc ceeded by the glorious advent of Christ, and the shout of immortal victory of the saints. The church will then be arrayed in her pure and spotless garment of righteousness, and shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Oh, what encouragement to the weary, worn, and persecuted disciples of the blessed Jesus! Thus John was directed to write, and let it be inscribed upon her banners, and held out as the signet of her hope: Blessed are they which are

called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb; and let her know, also, that these are the true sayings of God, whose words and promises cannot fail. Jesus said to his disciples, I will no more eat of this bread and drink of this vine, till it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. The marriage sup per of the Lamb, is the intellectual and spiritual greeting and union of Christ and the saints, and the Father and angels, in one great and holy family. The Father and the Son, saints and angels, will all participate and be feasted with the joys of that occasion.

It is not consistent with the nature of things, to conclude that this supper will consist of literal food of any kind, as some vainly suppose. To be sure, Adam and Eve ate and drank in the garden, literal food; but it should be noticed, they were not immortal they were only candidates for immortality, and had the promise of living forever on condition of obedience. The saints will be clothed with immortality and possess the divine nature, and have all the elements of life, vigor, and health, in themselves consequently will have no occasion to eat, to invigorate the body, or sustain life.

It is said that Christ ate after his resurrection, therefore the saints may after theirs. So they may, provided they are raised as He was, and remain here forty days as He did, previous to his ascension. It was necessary to confirm the truth of his actual resurrection to his incredulous disciples, that He should be raised just as He was when he died, without any change of the body. For forty days He exhibited the same identical body that was nailed to the cross, and his disci ples could not dispute his identity or resurrection. Then He ascended and entered into his glory, and his natural body was changed to a spiritual and glorified body, and in this state we have no evidence of his eating, or that the saints will in their immortal and glorified state. Our Saviour speaks, only of giving them the bread of life; the

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